A/N: Those you know belongto those you know. The rest are mine, including the dead bodies. This is AU, but somestuff from Season 4 or earlier might slip in. Please R&R. Thanks.
Thank you for the very nice reviews of the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy this one as well.
Calleigh slipped into the chair next to Annabel's desk. Annabel briefly at Calleigh and then went back to sorting her papers.
"Coffee fairy visit again?"
Annabel looked at the cup on her desk. "Yea. Gotta love the coffee fairy."
Calleigh just smiled. "Late night?"
"My cousin and her husband were leaving from here on a cruise. We were late catching up on each other's lives."
"Mmmm," said Calleigh the one syllable rife with speculation.
Annabel frowned at her. "What? I was out with my cousin."
"Can she collaborate your story?"
"Calleigh, she's on a cruise to Cancun. I have no idea if she's still in cell range." Annabel handed her cell phone over. "Hold down 5. My cousin's name is Rochelle. Not that I'm sure why you care."
Calleigh flipped open the phone and held down the number, when it started ringing the other phone, she held it up to her ear.
"Hello, Rochelle? Annabel McGinty's cousin? Hello. This is Calleigh Duquesne of the Miami-Dade... No, no. Annabel's fine. Sorry to panic you. She was just using you as an alibi for why she looks tired...Oh, I see." Calleigh grinned at Annabel. Annabel snatched the phone from Calleigh.
"Thank you so much for your help, Ro," Annabel said sarcastically. See you when you get back." She snapped the phone shut on Rochelle's laughter. Calleigh laughed too. Annabel flashed her a dirty look. "Don't you have some guns to go shoot?" Calleigh laughed again. Calleigh's phone went off and she smirked at Annabel when she checked the caller id and answered.
"Hiya, Handsome. In Annabel's office. She looks ready to hurt me. What have you got?"
Annabel's phone went off too. She glanced at the number and pushed up out of her chair. Annabel was halfway out to the parking lot when Calleigh caught up with her.
"Hey, Annabel. I didn't mean anything. It's just you looked tired, Horatio looked tired."
Annabel dropped her head. "You were fishing and I totally gave you the catch of the day."
"It's alright."
"Oh, yea. Terrific. I go out to dinner with Horatio, and looking tired the following day. Great for my reputation."
"So you and Horatio finally went on a date."
"It wasn't a date."
"Mm-hm."
"And my cousin was there. With her husband." Annabel saw Eric headed towards them.
"Calleigh, Annie, wait up."
"Morning, Eric," Annabel mumbled darkly as she split off and headed to her unmarked.
"Somebody's cranky this morning."
"Her cousin was in town last night. Late night."
"Oh, so long as it isn't me."
"No, it wasn't you, Eric," smiled Calleigh.
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Annabel had dozed off in the hammock on her balcony when her cell started beeping. She reached over, flipped it open and put it up to her ear. The sun was just dipping below the buildings.
"McGinty," she mumbled.
"I'm sorry. Were you asleep, Detective?"
"Mmmm." Suddenly the voice registered in Annabel's sleep fogged mind. She sat up and almost tipped out of the hammock. "Hell!" She steadied herself. "I'm sorry, Horatio."
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
"No. But it's not really your fault." Annabel sighed heavily. "Well, some of it was your fault." Annabel stretched back in her hammock.
"I'm sorry, Annabel."
"There's nothing for you to be sorry for. I kissed you, Horatio."
Horatio chuckled. "Yes, you did. I can't really say that I'm sorry you did."
"But it complicates things, Horatio."
"Yes, it does."
"And I come with a lot of baggage, Horatio."
"I'm not exactly free of that myself, Annabel."
"Oh, that makes me feel better about this. You wanna see whose pile of baggage is bigger?"
"Not really."
Annabel sighed. "So, why are you calling, Horatio?"
"Both Calleigh and Eric commented on how tired you looked and..."
"You wanted to check up on me. You don't need to do that."
"Actually, Annabel, I do. Call it a personality quirk. Call it caring a bit about you."
"Caring a bit about me," repeated Annabel. "Oh. This really..."
"Complicates things. I believe we covered that."
"Calleigh knows we went out last night."
"That would be my fault."
"How can it be your fault? I dared her to call Ro and she called my bluff. Completely. Ro ratted me out."
"When she mentioned you looked tired, I told her you had a late night."
"And there was the coffee. Thanks by the way. So we both damned ourselves. You know, Horatio, for a couple of supposedly smart people..."
"We weren't very smart."
"Pretty much sums it up."
"I suppose I should let you sleep."
"I'm not all that tired, Lieutenant."
"Did you have something in mind, Detective?"
Annabel was glad Horatio couldn't see her blush over the phone. "Oh, I think it's best if I stay where I am and you stay where you are tonight."
"Scared are you?"
"I think we've covered that already too, Horatio."
"We did."
Annabel closed her eyes and sighed. "Quite the circular conversation we're having then."
"Let's try a new tack, Detective. You and I will go on a date tomorrow night."
Annabel smiled. "You sound pretty sure of that."
"Are you turning me down, Annabel?"
"I didn't say that. I just might have something else to do."
"Do you have something else to do?"
"No."
"Then would you do me the pleasure of going out to dinner with me tomorrow?"
"On a date?"
"Yes. Unless you're still pursuing that 'I don't date' path?"
"Well, I don't date."
"I am asking you out on a date, Annabel."
"Okay."
"Okay. Okay, what?"
"Are you having cell trouble, Horatio? Okay, I'll go out to dinner with you. On a date."
"Okay, then."
"Mm-hm." There was a long silence. "We probably shouldn't waste minutes just listening to each other breathe."
"We're on the same network. It doesn't cost anything."
"I think you know very well what I mean, Horatio Caine. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good night, Annabel."
"Sleep tight, Horatio."
"Sleep well, Annabel."
Annabel snapped her phone shut. "Like that's going to happen," mumbled Annabel. She went inside her apartment and fired up her computer. She opened a file, read through part of it and started typing.
Horatio shut his phone. Watched the light go on in Annabel's apartment and got into his Hummer. He smiled to himself as he drove off.
