Chapter 2

The Next Morning

Horatio woke to voices being heard outside, and at first he was confused on where he was, but when he finally became conscious he realized he had fallen asleep on Calleigh's couch, making him mentally blush a little.

When he walked into her house last night they talked, it was nothing important, they were just enjoying each other's company while trying to put last night's case behind them, and after they had dinner, which the meal itself was nothing special, they sat down and watched a movie, then some time between the start of it and the end, he must have fallen asleep.

He stood up from the couch to work out the kinks in his neck and back when the front door opened.

They had eye contact and both could tell they were a little embarrassed, yeah they may have gotten closer through the years but their interaction never carried on to either of their places, or at least a sleepover, so falling asleep together last night was a first for them, even though it was very innocent.

He cleared his throat and spoke first. "I heard you talking to somebody out there."

Calleigh smiled as she shuts the front door. "Yeah, I was talking to my neighbor, Betty, she's lived here long before I even moved in the neighborhood. She was curious/worried about the vehicle she's never seen in my driveway."

He smiled a little and asked. "She likes to look out for you, huh?"

Calleigh chuckled with a nod. "Yes, anything suspicious she lets me know about it."

He chuckled a little, then after a pause and while they were looking at one another, they both spoke at the same time. "Sorry."
He looked at her with curiosity and asked. "Why are you saying sorry?"

She cleared her throat before answering. "If I wouldn't have asked you to come in you wouldn't have ended up on my couch."

Horatio shook his head as he walked up to her. "One, I didn't have to agree to watch the movie, and two, me coming in helped you forget about the case for a little bit, right?"

She smiled with a nod. "Yeah."

"Then think nothing of it, we are friends and being there for one another is what a friend does, ok?"

As she looked into his blue eyes she replied. "Ok." After another pause, she asked. "What are you sorry about?"

He stopped the blush from coming before speaking again. "Well for falling asleep." She chuckled as he continued. "Just know that me falling asleep had nothing to do with your company, you are always a joy to be around."

Calleigh smiled again. "Thank you, and I understand, it just goes back to the case, I think it wiped us out more than we thought." He nodded in agreement as she continued. "So let's not make it more than what it was, it was a friend being there for a friend."

He could have taken that opening to say that he felt more than friendship toward her, but having that discussion now was not a good idea, so he nodded and replied after clearing his throat. "You got it."

After she nodded she looked at the clock on the wall before looking at Horatio again. "I should get ready."

Horatio nodded. "I'm sure I can find my way through the kitchen, go ahead."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, I'll see you in a few."

After one more nod, Calleigh left the living room with her mail in her hand, he watched her turn to the left, where her room was, then took a breath before walking straight ahead toward the kitchen to see where the coffee was.

When Calleigh came back into the kitchen cleaned and dressed, they had some coffee and he had made a little breakfast. Then once the food was gone, she grabbed her things before they walked out of the house, and as they were walking toward his vehicle, Calleigh's neighbor, Betty, looked in their direction while she was watering her flowers.

Betty Harrison was an older woman with short, curly white hair, she was slim with brown eyes.

Horatio smiled and said loud enough for the older woman to hear him. "Ma'am." She smiled as she waved at them, and if Horatio wasn't mistaken, he thought he saw her wink at him.

After Horatio and Calleigh get into the vehicle, he drove them towards the lab with smiles on their faces.

As Horatio stopped at the second to last light they have to go through before reaching the lab, Calleigh looks over at Horatio's appearance, he looked over at her then looked down at his winkled shirt, and before she could speak, he spoke. "Don't worry about it, I have an extra pair of clothes in my locker." She thought it was funny that he can read her mind at times.

After looking at each other for a second they turned their eyes toward the road as he started going again.

Once they got to the lab they went their separate ways, then after making a quick stop to his office, he walked out and the receptionist had just gotten there, so he smiled at the younger woman and said. "Mary, if someone calls for me just take a message, ok?"

The blond nodded with a smile, noticing he was wearing the same clothes he was wearing yesterday. "Yes, Sir."

"Mary..."

She cuts him off. "It's Horatio, I know sir...sorry."

She had just started working here a few months and she hadn't gotten out of the habit of calling Horatio, Sir.

Horatio nodded with a smile before walking away and heading for the locker room.

45 minutes later

When Horatio walked into the break room he noticed the guys, Eric and Ryan was looking at him with a smile, so he stopped before getting to the counter and asked. "What?" As he looked down at himself.

Eric replied. "Your hair is still a little damp and rumor has it you came here with yesterday's clothes on, what would the evidence tell us, Ryan?"

Before Horatio could speak, Ryan spoke with a smile. "That somebody didn't go home last night and he used the shower at the lab."

Eric chuckled with a nod. "Right you are." Then he looked at Horatio again and asked. "So H, did you get some action last night?"

Ryan chuckled too, then Horatio shook his head with a smile. "It wasn't like that boys."

Eric speaks again. "Come on H, you can tell us."

Before he could answer that, Calleigh had walked in the room and asked. "What can he tell you guys?" As she walked to the counter to get some coffee.

The guys looked at Calleigh, and Eric answered. "Ryan and I think that H had gotten some action last night and he isn't sharing."

With Calleigh's back toward the guys, she subtly looked over at Horatio and they both could tell that they were both embarrassed, even though nothing had happened between them.

Horatio finally cleared his throat, looked at the guys and repeated calmly but with a slight edge, indicating that his personal life is done being discussed. "I will say this one more time, whatever your thinking that I did, I didn't, I was just being there for a friend."

The guys understood his tone so they just nodded, then after a moment's pause, Horatio sent them off to their scene.

Once the room became empty, except for Horatio and Calleigh, she grabbed her coffee cup, turned around so her back was against the counter, then looked over at him. "I feel partly responsible for that one."

Horatio shook his head and replied. "Don't worry about it, we know what happened and what didn't happen, anybody else can speculate all they want." As they looked into each other's eyes she nodded then he nodded back and continued. "Now how about going to work so we can solve some crimes?"

She nodded. "I'll meet you in the vehicle in a few minutes." He nodded again before walking out of the room as she took a leave.

After Shift

Once he dismissed the team he went back to his office to do some paperwork, and after a few hours, he hears a knock on the door.

He looked up and saw Calleigh in the opened doorway, they gave each other a smile, then he asked a little surprised. "You are still here, I thought you left with the guys?"

She shook her head as she walked closer to his desk. "I had a few things I needed to get done today." He nodded in understanding, then she asked after clearing her throat. "You almost done?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You want to have dinner." He looked at her with curiosity and she continued quickly. "I just know that once you get into a case it is hard to stop to eat, which I bet you haven't had anything since this morning, so let's just call it payback for last night, a friend helping a friend out."

He paused, then he smiled. "Ok, I'll meet you at our usual group hang-out place."

She nodded with a smile. "Alright, I'll see you there."

After a long look, Calleigh turned and walked out of his office as he watched her until he couldn't see her anymore, then he shook his head with a smile as he signed his name on the last two files he had on his desk before getting up and leaving the lab. Even though they considered this a 'friends' meal, he knew he was going to enjoy it.

And enjoyed it they both did, throughout their meal while they were talking and laughing it was comfortable and felt right, which was really nothing new considering they had felt this way from the beginning, they just felt the connection becoming deeper each second.

After the bill came, which she elected to pay since she offered, they walked out of the bar & grill, smiling as he walked her to her vehicle.

When they stopped at the driver's side, they looked at each other in silence for a second before he cleared his throat and said. "Thank you, Calleigh, I enjoyed it."

"You're welcome and me too."

"But I would have really liked it if I had paid."

Even though he knew this was just a meal between friends, he was a gentlemen and he would have felt more comfortable if he would have paid.

Calleigh chuckled. "You can catch the bill next time...Well I mean if..."

He cuts her off. "Next time it is."

"Alright, until next time then." He nodded and she continued. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled. "See you tomorrow, Calleigh."

After another smile, she got into her vehicle, and after she started it, he walked away, feeling pretty good about where things seemed to be heading between them.