Title: String of Pearls

Author: CSICatts (now known as Wyoming)

Rating: K+

Pairing Eric/Calleigh

Warnings: none

Calleigh sighed a little as she looked in the mirror. Valera and Natalia were sitting on the couch just outside of the bedroom that Calleigh was in.

"Come on Cal, you look gorgeous, can we go now?" Valera whined.

Calleigh put on her lip gloss and was almost about to walk out the door, but then she remembered the one thing that she desperately needed. She walked over to a red velvet box and opened it to reveal a beautiful pearl necklace. She smiled a little and remembered it's meaning, and then put it around her neck.

"Okay, I'm ready, let's go," she said as she walked out the door with her two very impatient friends. She got into the limo that was waiting for them, and made their way to the "CSI Ball" as they had told Calleigh. Little did Calleigh know that it wasn't a CSI Ball, instead, it was Calleigh's surprise birthday party. They wanted her to get dressed up for it, so they told her it was formal, and that it was a black-tie gown event.

Calleigh was wearing a strapless gown that significantly fit her figure, and made her look petite. The yellow floral pattern came across the bust, twisted around the dress down to the seam. The pearls around her neck and the white heels she was wearing topped off the look. Cal was out to impress tonight.

Valera and Natalia were a little less sophisticated. They wanted Calleigh to be the center of attention, so they'd told the men to wear suits, and the girls to wear cocktail dresses. Natalia was in a shorter, more wild dress, and Valera was wearing a sleek and sexy red dress. They were sure that Calleigh had no clue about the party, because she'd been so worried about who was going to be there as far as AIB that could be invited. She wanted this chance to get closer to Eric, and AIB being there would be a huge rain on her parade.

Anyone would be blind not to see what Calleigh and Eric had. Each time they even touched each other they blushed. Valera and Natalia couldn't stand it any longer, and had decided to make a few changes. Valera went after Calleigh, and Natalia went after Eric. They had both eventually gotten it out of their victims that Calleigh and Eric loved each other. Now the only one that didn't know they loved each other was Calleigh. Eric had been told by Valera, and they set up a plan for Calleigh's 35th birthday. Now they just hoped that it worked.

When they got there, the two party planners almost sprinted to the door, while Calleigh took her time. The place was beautiful. The exterior resembled that of a castle, and the interior, which Calleigh hadn't seen yet, was a sophisticated hall. It had a stairway resembling something like the stairs in the Opera house in Paris. The floor was marble, and there was a fireplace on the left wall. It was a beautiful ballroom, and there were about 100 people waiting for the main guest.

Finally, Calleigh walked through the doors into the main lobby to hear people chatting, but when she opened the door to the ballroom, where she was instructed to enter, she found herself at the top of the stairway, looking down on people that were yelling "surprise!". Calleigh smiled and laughed a little. She couldn't believe that Valera and Natalia had done this, along with everyone else at the lab. Her closest family was here, including her mom and her dad. She recognized Speed, Horatio, Alexx, Natalia, Valera, Stringbean, and Jessop. They were all there for her, but there was one face that she wanted to see that was missing. Her smile faded as Calleigh's first dance was called. It was to Nickel back's "Far Away". She sighed a little as she began to walk down the stairway, but a hand grabbed hers from behind her, stopping her.

"Happy birthday Calleigh," a voice said from behind her. Calleigh closed her eyes and smiled a little. No one could ever mistake that Cuban accent, and the smile that probably played across his face right now. Calleigh could smell his cologne, it was what he wore when he went out on dates. She usually smelt it when he was leaving for them. But he hadn't had any dates in a while, and Calleigh had wondered why.

She spun around to see the smile that she knew would be there. Eric let go of her hand and smiled down at her.

"You look gorgeous Calleigh," he said, not able to take his eyes off of her. He was dressed in a suit with a yellow tie that matched Calleigh's dress. She couldn't even believe this was happening, and Eric couldn't believe he had the courage to do this.

"Thank you," Calleigh said, barely able to speak a word because of how surprised she was.

Eric took her hand again and started to lead her down the stairs. "So Cal, would you do me the honor of being my date tonight?" he asked her, hoping she would accept, he was still a little nervous about this.

Calleigh smiled and nodded. "I would like that Eric," she said, making her way to the dance floor. She waved to all of her friends, and gave Nat and Valera a look that said "thank you".

Eric looked down at her as the song started. "Shall we dance?" he asked her as he held out a hand to her.

Calleigh nodded and took his hand. She wrapped the other around his back, and started to dance. She hesitantly rested her head on his shoulder, but when he kissed the top of her forehead, she became more comfortable, and relaxed. She couldn't believe that she was in the arms of the man she loved. It was a lot to comprehend at the moment.

The danced until the song was over, and Calleigh went around to say her hello's. Eric went back to Valera and told her how good the night was going, and how their plan was working. After about five more dances, Calleigh had danced with most of the people that she knew she needed to dance with. It was soon that she and Eric were called up to the top of the stairs.

Eric went up one side as Calleigh went up the other. They met in the middle and smiled as their hands automatically met. Before attention was called to them, Eric had to sneak something in.

"Calleigh, I don't know what you feel towards me, but I know that ever since I came to this lab, I've loved you. I will never stop loving you, and I can't live my life without you, I love you Cal," he said softly.

Calleigh couldn't believe her ears. Her dreams were all coming true. Eric had just told her that he loved her. That was all she could ever ask for her birthday. The long, blonde haired woman looked up into his brown eyes, with her green ones, and melted into them. "I love you too Eric," she said with a sparkle of love in her eyes. Eric smiled and gave her a hug. He pulled away and then noticed her pearls.

"I like your necklace, it's pretty," Eric commented.

Calleigh looked down at it, her grandmother was right, it did work it's charms. "My grandmother gave it to me on her death bed, and told me what it meant to her. She said that she wore this string of pearls on the day that she first kissed my grandfather. She told me that it would bring me love and happiness, and it has," she told him with a smile.

Eric took that as his cue. He tilted his head to the side a little and stared into her eyes before leaning down and giving her a light, tender kiss on the lips, though it lasted longer than both of them had expected. They heard the crowd roar with applause and whistles, and yells.

Calleigh turned to the crowd and laughed a little, then looked back at Eric. He then did something she didn't expect in a million years. When she looked back up, he wasn't there, instead, he was on one knee, in front of this huge crowd, with a small dark blue velvet box in his hand. Calleigh's jaw dropped, and tears began to form in her eyes.

"Calleigh, I've known you for a long time. Long enough to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and only you. I love you so much and I can't live without you. I know it hasn't been very long that our love was known, but I just can't go one more minute without asking you this. Calleigh, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Calleigh was crying now as she nodded. She couldn't find her voice to speak. Eric smiled and slipped the ring on her finger, then stood up and kissed her. Their spectators were in a frenzy as the two kissed, flashes from cameras were coming from all over the place. Calleigh was the first to pull away. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Happy birthday Calleigh," Eric whispered into her ear as he hugged her close.

It was that day that Calleigh truly knew what it felt like to be loved. Between all the people that came here for her tonight, and Eric, she felt like the luckiest woman alive. She had two friends that loved her enough to make her realize what was right in front of her face, and a man who had the courage to make it known. There was no way that Calleigh could say she didn't believe in fairy tales, because she was living in one. All thanks to her grandmother, and her sting of pearls.

Fin