A/N: This is my first story in 10 years, so I'm exercising my creative muscles for the first time in a while. I think this will be a few chapters long, no more. Feedback is always appreciated!
Set in S.02 Ep.02 "Dead Zone"
Chapter 1
The boat rocked gently with the swell of the open ocean, and Calleigh soaked in the bright sun hitting her shoulders.
Horatio was saying something Calleigh didn't hear. She was enjoying the afternoon at sea, but that little voice in the back of her mind was nudging its way forward. He'd been down there too long.
This whole treasure hunting thing had Eric too excited for her liking. He was like a kid in a candy shop pulling his wetsuit out of the Hummer this morning. Calleigh always reminded herself he was the most skilled diver she knew, but that didn't mean she didn't still worry on cases like these.
She turned to stare at the water again. Realizing Calleigh was not listening, Horatio stopped talking and quietly observed her for a moment.
"Watching the water won't make Delko come up any faster."
Calleigh picked up on the amusement in Horatio's voice. He knew just how close Eric and Calleigh had become since Eric joined the team.
Horatio chuckled to himself. He'd called her out and she knew it.
She turned quickly to face her Lieutenant. With a shrug of her shoulders and a short laugh, she offered him a glimpse of her brilliant smile. It wasn't as carefree as usual, although no one besides Horatio might have picked up on it. And her partner, if he were here.
"I'm just anxious to move this case along," she explained. It was a passable act.
Finally, Calleigh heard a splash behind her and whipped her head to the water. Horatio's eyes followed her, taking in her relief as she watched Eric swim toward the boat.
Once Eric stumbled on board, she relaxed.
"Let me see that camera," Horatio said.
Calleigh took the equipment from Eric and passed it to Horatio. "What'd you find?"
Collecting his breath, Eric answered. "I swear I saw a mermaid."
He wasn't quite sure what he'd seen down there, to be honest. He was a technical diver and had gone on many deep dives, but this one had his brain a little fuzzy.
The sound of Calleigh's tinkling laugh cleared it some. "Haha, dream on Diver Man!"
Eric moved to sit next to her on the edge of the boat, and her knees tingled slightly when he brushed by.
Horatio didn't see the brief exchange between his CSIs. "Got a vacuum nozzle, how much disturbance was down there?"
It took a second for Eric to realize Horatio was addressing him. He was still trying to catch his breath. Not to mention he'd caught Cal's eyes for a millisecond when their knees knocked and a different kind of fuzz, a not unfamiliar one, had entered his head.
"I don't remember," he managed to say.
"How deep were you? We thought it'd be about 110, maybe 115 feet."
"Uh, I don't know." Eric looked at his wrist dive computer but it was blurry. He shook his head. "Deeper than that. One-forty at least."
Horatio glanced at Delko and took a quick inventory. Disorientation, memory trouble, decreased coordination. All the tell-tale signs. "Narcosis."
"Yeah," Eric responded. "Nitrogen levels are triple at that depth. No wonder I felt like I was drunk."
Calleigh fought against slight alarm at his words and manufactured another convincing smile. "May explain why you thought you saw a mermaid."
"He did see a mermaid, take a look at that." Horatio passed the camera to Delko. "You recognize her?"
"Yeah, that's it. That's what I saw," the CSI responded, letting his partner take a peek.
Calleigh leaned down and placed her eye to the camera's viewfinder. "Oh my God."
It was somewhat of a comfort that Eric was right; she was definitely looking at a mermaid, half-buried in the ocean sand. She continued watching for a while longer, seeing other submerged treasures Eric had captured on film as he dove. The sound of heavy breathing drew her attention upward again.
Horatio had turned his back on them to speak to the crew about returning to port. Calleigh studied the man beside her. Her gaze darted to Horatio then settled on Eric once again. Something wasn't right. The sparkle in his eyes had dimmed. Diving required exertion, Calleigh knew, but she'd worked plenty of dives with her best friend and this was new.
"Hey boss," she called over the sound of the engine revving to life. "Let's get back sooner rather than later."
Horatio took a small step in their direction and noticed Delko's tired posture and the look of concern on Calleigh's face.
He shared her concern. "Let's go folks!"
