Title: Baby Blues

Author: Kasandra

Rating: T for language and sexual innuendos. Pretty tame, though.

Pairing: Talleigh

Summary: Tim takes care of an exhausted Calleigh.

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Calleigh Speedle, né Duquesne yawned in exhaustion as she jotted down some notes about the pistol found during a crime scene earlier that day. She put her pen down and rubbed her eyes, trying to keep herself awake.

"Calleigh, you alright?" Eric Delko questioned with a frown as he entered the firearms lab.

Calleigh looked up at him with a tired smile. "I didn't get any sleep last night," she explained.

"Did thoughts of Speed keep you up all night?" Eric insinuated, teasingly. His smirk, however, faded at Calleigh's hard look.

"Is your mind always in the gutter?" Calleigh questioned, running a hand through her blonde locks. "Actually, Ella is the reason I am so tired. She's colicky – meaning she's been up almost every other night, screaming her little head off for hours on end."

Calleigh closed her eyes briefly, thinking about her three month old daughter. With her dark unruly hair and green eyes, there was no mistake that she belonged to Calleigh and Tim. She loved being a mother – it was the best thing Tim could have ever given her.

Eric gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry Calleigh. Isn't there something a doctor can do for her?"

Calleigh shook her head, "No, unfortunately. All one can do is rock her, which sometimes helps. Tim and I usually take shifts, but with him gone all week for the conference in Boston, it's just been a little more straining. I just wish he was home already."

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Tim Speedle entered his home, jet lagged from his trip to Boston. Putting down his luggage by the entranceway, he shrugged off his jacket as his dark eyes scanned the general vicinity for signs of his family.

"Call?" he called out as he started up the stairs to the second floor. He found his wife standing at the railing, looking at him rather confusedly.

"Tim? What are you doing home? I thought the conference was a week long. It's only Thursday," Calleigh questioned. "You're not supposed to be back 'til Saturday night."

"Huge snowstorm on its way. The conference was cancelled indefinitely until further notice." Tim explained cautiously, giving his wife a once-over. Though he always thought Calleigh was gorgeous, Tim noted that his wife looked like she had gone through hell. Her hair was matted to her face; her nose was red as were her eyes.

"Calleigh, baby, what's wrong?" Tim asked as he pulled her into his arms. Calleigh hugged him back tightly, as she shook her head against his chest. He placed a kiss on her head and became alarmed when she burst into tears.

He pulled away from her, looking down at her. "Come on Call, talk to me," he ordered gently. He wiped a tear off her cheek, and she kissed his palm in response.

"It's a lot of things actually." Calleigh began slowly. "One, I am just so happy and relieved that you're home. Two, Ella's been a wreck. I just succeeded in getting her to sleep."

Tim gave her a small smile. "I'm here now. Why don't you go take a nap and I'll look after her."

Calleigh rubbed a stubbly cheek, shaking her head. "No, no, you must be exhausted and starved from your flight. I'll be fine."

"Calleigh, go to bed babe." Tim replied more sternly, causing Calleigh to sigh in resignation.

"You know what? I don't even know why I'm even fighting you against that brilliant idea," she chuckled quietly as she turned to their bedroom. "I knew there was a reason I married you."

"You mean it wasn't for my good looks?" Tim questioned, feigning hurt. All he got in response was a set of tired giggles.

Calleigh closed the bedroom door and crawled into bed. Her head hit the pillow and she was just about to drift off when she heard Ella start to cry once more. She sat up, prepared to leave when she heard Tim call out that he was going to check on the baby. Calleigh lay back down, staring at the ceiling as her heart broke over and over again to hear her baby cry, and know that there wasn't anything she could do to stop her tears.

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Three hours later, Calleigh awoke to silence. She stood up and stretched, wondering if she should pinch herself – her home hadn't been quiet in a long time. She crept out of the bedroom to the nursery where she found Tim rocking a sleeping Ella. Calleigh smiled at the sight.

Tim looked up, sensing he was no longer alone. Placing a finger on his lips, Tim continued to rock Ella before placing her in the crib, praying that she wouldn't wake. He adjusted the baby monitor even though he knew when Ella cried, the whole neighborhood knew.

He walked over to where Calleigh was and gave her a quick kiss before motioning her with a cock of his head to follow him. They headed downstairs, past the living room and to the dining room, where Calleigh let out a small gasp at the sight before her.

The room was illuminated only by candles while a small dinner was laid out awaiting their arrival. Though there weren't any sprinkled rose petals, a violinist or a fancy eight course meal set out, Calleigh was touched by the gesture.

"Oh Tim…" she trailed, whispering. "You didn't have to go through all this." Calleigh leaned against his chest, and he rubbed her arms affectionately.

"Yes I did." Tim started, turning her to face him. "I leave for almost a week, leaving you with our very fussy daughter-"

"Who takes after you!" Calleigh interjected.

"Who takes after me," Tim continued, agreeing. "And you still had work on top of this. It's the least I could do," he admitted.

"Thank you. Now see this is why I married you. You just know how to melt a girl's heart." Calleigh replied, taking a seat. "By the way, how did you get Ella to stop crying?"

"Let's just say when she turns fourteen we have to buy her horse." Tim replied. "I made a lot of insane promises as I rocked her. I think my ass left a permanent indentation."

Calleigh let out a laugh. "Seriously Tim, you've done more than enough. I have to make this up to you somehow."

"I can think of one way." Tim hinted with a cock of his brow, smirking which led Calleigh to blush profusely.

"Now, let's take advantage of this moment, before Ella wakes. I am in dire need of conversation that doesn't involve the following topics: diapers, formula, promises of ponies, dead bodies, anyone at CSI, and Lord help me, firearms." Calleigh listed, sighing once more.

Tim reached across the table, taking her hand in his and squeezed gently. "Your wish is my command."

The couple began to have a quiet, intimate night – which their daughter interrupted an hour later. Both, Mr. and Mrs. Speedle both grudgingly resigned to the fact that they would never again have another quiet moment in their life, at least for another eighteen years.

Or until they retired, whichever came first.

FIN