Calleigh Duquesne. The name was synonymous with many things, including lacking fear. Fear just wasn't something anyone ever saw in her; she really wasn't afraid of anything. Except ants, of course, but that was a whole different story. Other than that, she could honestly say there wasn't a lot she was afraid of.

She'd never pretended to be afraid of anything either.

Until now. It was really just too good of an opportunity to pass up.

She'd had a few boyfriends in the past who'd had motorcycles. Riding on the back of one with someone wasn't really a new thing to her. In fact, it was something she loved. It was the last thing she would've been afraid of.

But if Calleigh pretended to be afraid, it meant she could wrap her arms around his waist as tightly as she wanted. It meant that as they sped down the highway on the back of the bike, she could pull her body as close to his as she wanted, blaming it on fear.

It also made her feel better about doing it. After all, she had only just become a single woman once again; she wasn't supposed to feel like this again yet. She was supposed to be sad, pensive. She'd been engaged to Michael for over a year; she wasn't supposed to simply be okay with not being with him anymore. She was supposed to feel like being alone; she wasn't supposed to feel like she couldn't keep her hands off of Tim Speedle.

But she did, and pretending to be afraid of riding on the Ducati gave her a valid reason to be as close to him as she possibly could.

She pretended to be afraid. But honestly? She couldn't deny that she was having the time of her life on the back of this motorcycle with Tim.

"You okay back there?"

Calleigh grinned; she was more than okay. But he didn't exactly need to know that, so she settled on a simple, "Yeah, I'm good."

Tim smirked, casting his eyes downward, to her hands looped around his waist. "Well, I'm glad you are, because I seem to be having trouble breathing," he teased.

Calleigh laughed it off, though she could feel her cheeks tinting just slightly. "Sorry," she apologized. "I guess I'm just a tiny bit scared," she said easily…perhaps a little too easily. With a giggle, she loosened her grip on his waist.

But only a little.

Tim snickered. "Scared; yeah right," he muttered to himself in amusement. He hadn't forgotten the way her eyes had lit up that first day he met her, when he'd mentioned having a bike to her. She'd played it off, saying her days of adventuring were long over, but she couldn't hide that sparkle in her eyes.

She wasn't fooling anybody.

But Tim played along, because really, having her arms wrapped tightly around his waist was not the worst thing in the world.

Tim generally didn't like to give other people rides on his bike, because it was his escape, not theirs. Taking a long drive on the Ducati was one of the few things he could do by himself. It was how he dealt with things; when everything became too much, he'd hop on the Ducati and just drive. Alone. By himself. He wasn't too keen on the idea of someone riding behind him; it was far too close for him to be comfortable.

But with Calleigh, he didn't feel that way. Having her behind him, holding on to him didn't bother him in the slightest. And as for the whole 'riding the bike to be alone' thing? He was certain his affinity for that had flown out the window when he'd met Calleigh.

Still, despite the comfort he found from having her with him, he was still startled when quite a while later he came to a stop sign, only to hear Calleigh's voice right by his ear.

"Hey, can we get ice cream?" she asked excitedly.

"Ice cream?" he asked with a snicker.

She grinned. "Yeah, you know, the frozen stuff you get on hot, summer days? You put it in a cone and eat it."

"Yeah, Calleigh, I know what ice cream is."

Calleigh giggled, and Tim was surprised he managed to keep the Ducati upright. If she only knew what her giggle did to him.

Well. If she did know, she'd probably do it more, just to antagonize him.

"You sounded kinda confused there, Tim," she teased, "and I thought, hmm, maybe they don't have ice cream back where you're from."

" Calleigh. I think they have ice cream everywhere." He smirked. "I was just confused because you sounded so excited over it. Like you're eight."

Calleigh pouted. "Maybe I'm really just a kid at heart. We don't all have to be old and bitter like you," she replied teasingly.

"It's called 'realistic.'"

"Bitter."

"See? Name-calling. You are eight." He snickered, feeling her poke him in the side in retaliation. Still, he couldn't deny that, after a day like today, something sweet would do them both good, even though the kind of sweet that Calleigh wanted was completely different from the kind of sweet that Tim wanted, but he wouldn't admit that to her. Not yet, at least.

For the time being, he'd just have to settle for ice cream. Within moments, he'd wildly but carefully maneuvered the bike through the traffic, surely giving Calleigh a thrill in the process. He pulled the bike off into a small parking lot, recalling a small snack bar along the boardwalk from where he'd once gotten ice cream. In his opinion, the ice cream from that little shop was far better than the ice cream from any of the bigger chain stores.

And since it was better, it was where he was taking Calleigh. Calleigh deserved the best.

"Where are we going?" Calleigh asked, slipping off of the bike first. Tim frowned; she wasn't supposed to do that. She was supposed to wait for him to get off first, so he could give her his hand and help her down. A tad disappointed, he climbed off the bike, removing his helmet. He watched Calleigh remove hers and shake her head, shaking her hair back. Tim caught her eye, the teasing sparkle in her bright green eyes driving him wild. Embarrassed, he glanced away; she'd caught him looking.

Clearing his throat, he pointed in the direction of the little shop. "You said you wanted ice cream. There's a shop just down the boardwalk from here," he said, grateful that it was on the boardwalk and not directly on the beach. Sand wasn't exactly at the top of his list of favorite things. No, that was Calleigh.

Within moments they'd made it to the shop, and after some severe indecision on Calleigh's part, they were walking lazily along the boardwalk, each with a cone of ice cream. "I can't believe you," Tim said, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation.

"What?" Calleigh asked, bringing her cone of vanilla to her lips.

He stared at her. "Vaniila?" he asked, smirking.

Calleigh stuck out her tongue. "I happen to like vanilla."

"But it's so, well, plain."

"So? I'm a simple girl; maybe I like plain," she replied, grinning.

Tim snorted. "Sure. You just lick at your plain, boring ice cream, and I'll enjoy real ice cream," he said emphatically, lifting his cone of rocky road to his mouth. "Mmm."

Calleigh cringed. "That's disgusting."

"Have you ever tried it?" Tim challenged.

"Yes I have, Tim, and I don't like it."

Tim laughed. "Cal, everybody likes rocky road. You can't not like it. It's like chocolate chip."

"I don't like chocolate chip."

Tim stared at her. "Okay, now that's just weird."

Calleigh grinned smugly. "Or maybe I'm normal, and you're just weird." She winked. "I think more people would agree with me than with you."

He didn't reply; as they walked, the fingers of his free hand had accidentally brushed against hers, sending his mind, his heart racing. It struck him, as they walked together on the boardwalk, eating ice cream, teasing each other.

They looked like a couple.

They acted like a couple.

To the eyes of any stranger, they were a couple.

And it crushed him that they weren't. He wanted to reach out and take her hand. He wanted to rest his hand at the small of her back whenever he wanted. He wanted to spin her in his arms and kiss her until they both fell dizzily to the ground, entangled together.

"Hey, you okay?" Her soft voice filled his ears, forcing him back to the present which, while better than the past, it wasn't as good as he hoped the future could be. Concerned by his lack of response, Calleigh gently called his name again, and if that weren't enough, suddenly her hand was on his arm, and he was fighting not to simply lean over and kiss her.

He swallowed, discreetly regaining his control. "I'm fine," he replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Why?"

She shrugged, watching him carefully. "You got quiet there for a second. And you look a bit distracted."

"What makes you think that?"

Calleigh chuckled. "Oh, just a little bit of, what was it you called it that day? Casual observation?"

Tim snickered. "You never forget anything, do you?"

"Nope." She grinned, elbowing him playfully. "So don't even think I've forgotten about that dinner bet I won last month, 'cause I haven't."

"Damn," Tim smirked. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember that. Isn't it enough that I bought you ice cream?" he teased.

Calleigh snorted. "Please, Tim. It's ice cream." She shrugged nonchalantly. "And besides, you pretty much had to buy it for me. Since, you know, my purse is in my locker at the lab."

"How convenient."

"Isn't it, though?" She flashed him her brilliant smile. Again, her hand just barely brushed against his as they walked, this time sending a tiny shiver down her spine. Shrugging it off, she glanced to the side, up into his still-troubled face. "So talk to Dr. Duquesne," she teased, elbowing him again. "What's on your mind?"

"Dr. Duquesne?" Tim asked with a snort. "Please. What'd you do; get your psychology degree off the Internet?"

"Hey, I could've gone to med school," Calleigh said indignantly. She grinned. "But that's beside the point. All one has to do is watch you to know something's on your mind," she added thoughtfully.

"Oh really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because you tend to get this sort of faraway look in your eyes when something's bothering you. I can practically see the wheels turning in your mind. You purse your lips and you tend to tap your fingers on whatever the closest surface is. When it gets bad, you rake your fingers through your hair in frustration." She winked. "You've done three of those things in the past half hour, which proves there's something on your mind."

"Actually, it just proves that you like to watch me." Tim smirked. "Can't blame you, though. See something as good-looking as me, you can't help but stare," he said smugly.

Calleigh stared. "You're unbelievable."

Tim grinned cockily. "Yeah. I know."

Calleigh laughed, playfully swatting his arm. "Seriously though, what's bothering you?" She grinned. "I know I talk too much," she remarked, ignoring the agreeing snicker from Tim, "but I'm a good listener too. I'll try not to interrupt," she added, pulling a small smile from Tim. "What's on your mind?"

You. Tim turned his head, looking at her appraisingly. He couldn't give her an answer. If he told the truth, she would know that she was what had been plaguing his mind by day and his dreams by night ever since he'd met her at the airport. She would know that her smile, her voice, her laugh; not to mention the intoxicating scent of her perfume - everything about her distracted him, made him inattentive to everything else.

She drove him crazy.

And he kinda liked it.

On the other hand, if he lied about what he was thinking, she would know. She would know he was lying, and he'd have to tell her the truth anyway. And he was certain she wasn't ready to hear the truth. After all, her engagement had only just come to an end. Obviously she needed some time.

So instead, he cleared his throat, challengingly lifting his eyebrow. "Since you seem to be able to read me so well," he began smugly, "why don't you tell me what's on my mind?"

Calleigh blinked. "What?"

"You heard me." He grinned. "Tell me; since you know so much."

Calleigh nodded slowly, watching him intently, her teeth lightly nibbling at her lower lip in that way that always managed to undo Tim. He forced himself to focus on her eyes, on her hair, on anything but her lips.

One day, he knew he was just gonna have to kiss her.

She'd hit the nail on the head earlier when she'd described his actions when there was something on his mind. Now, he hoped to God that she wasn't as good at reading his thoughts as his actions. He breathed a sigh of relief when she began speaking.

"You were a little frustrated with that case earlier," she said pensively, tilting her head. "You're thinking you should get back to the lab and finish it?"

"Nope," he said, relieved. "Not even close." He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "In fact, I haven't thought about the case once since we got out of the lab."

Calleigh gave him a cheeky grin. "So I'm doing my job, then."

"What?"

"Distracting you."

That you are, he thought. He shook his head, smirking. "Maybe so, but you're still wrong. You don't know me as well as you think you do."

Calleigh narrowed her eyes. "That was a practice guess."

"I bet."

"Don't forget what happened last time you said those words."

He rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I highly doubt you'll let me anytime soon," he said flatly.

"At least not until you hold up your end." She sighed, a small smile on her face. "Okay, I give up. I'll let it go. Maybe I don't know you that well, but I do know that whatever is on your mind is bothering you."

He sighed. "It's not…bothering me, but it is."

"You do know that made no sense, right?"

Tim glanced down, not even trying to retort. "There is something on my mind, and it bothers me, but not in a bad way." He shrugged, knowing he was confusing Calleigh. "I guess I feel better with it being there than I did before it was there."

"What is 'it'?"

"Calleigh, you said you'd let it go."

She grinned apologetically. "Sorry. I'm just curious!"

"I call it 'nosy.'"

"You would."

"Yeah, 'cause it is." He grinned, glancing at her, his eyes drawn to a spot just above her lip. "You've got ice cream above your lip," he said amusedly, gesturing to his own lip. Calleigh's eyes widened, her own fingers coming to her lips. Tim smirked as she rubbed at the wrong spot. "Nuh-uh, other side."

But still, she wasn't getting the stray ice cream above her lip, and Tim grinned, jumping at the chance. "Come here," he said, snickering as he saw her eyes widen. Cupping her chin, he gently trailed his thumb across her upper lip, wiping the tiny bit of ice cream away. His dark eyes locked on her bright ones, and he was mesmerized.

Calleigh shivered; the intensity of his gaze completely unraveling her. She felt his hand still cupping her cheek, and it was a wonder she didn't just melt into his hand. No man had ever held this much power over her before; not Michael, not her first serious boyfriend from the academy, not her first boyfriend who'd introduced her to the wonders of a motorcycle. None of them had been able to do to her in one touch and one intense gaze what Tim Speedle was doing to her now.

And she was still getting to know Tim. If this was how intense it was already, what was it going to be like in a year or two?

She gasped softly, her eyes not once leaving Tim's. It was as though all the magnetic power in the atmosphere had centered between them, drawing them closer and closer, neither of them able to resist it. They stood, mere inches apart, gazing intensely into each other's eyes…

And then simultaneously, both of their phones began to ring, breaking the magic of the moment; breaking the magnetic pull between them and forcing them apart again. Turning away, they each answered their phones; Calleigh sheepishly and Tim irritatedly.

"It's the lab," they both said in unison upon hanging up.

Calleigh gave a small smile. "I guess we have to head back then,"

Tim nodded, letting out a sigh. "I didn't think we'd been gone that long," he remarked, looking at his watch.

"I guess the time just got away from us," Calleigh replied softly. She knew she'd had other things on her mind than the time; that was the least of her worries. She grinned, trying to infuse a bit of the playfulness from before back into the air. "Come on, I'll race you to the bike!" she said, taking off at a run before Tim could even protest.

"Hey!" he called out, starting after her. "You can't have a head start!"

"That's funny, since I just did," she called back, flashing him a smile.

Tim picked up the pace, but still didn't catch up to her until she'd made it to the bike. She grinned triumphantly, watching him catch his breath. "You cheated," he panted.

"Maybe." She winked. "I did what it took to win."

"Yeah well, it wasn't fair." He gave her a cheeky grin, about to put his helmet on. "I think that should make us even," he said, climbing on the Ducati.

"What?" She followed suit, slipping her helmet back on.

"You cheated, so therefore, I don't owe you that dinner anymore."

She giggled, resuming her earlier position on the bike, her body pressed tightly against his back and her arms looped snugly around his waist. "Oh no, you still have to take me to dinner, eventually. I swear I won't let you forget."

"Yeah, I have no doubt of that," Tim replied flatly, though secretly he was looking forward to taking her to dinner. He just hadn't yet because he wanted the time to be right. He wanted it to mean more than just a dinner bet. He wanted it to be more. He smiled, taking his keys, ready to start the bike.

Calleigh leaned forward and rested her chin on his shoulder, leaning her face as close to his ear as she could with their helmets in the way. She grinned playfully and whispered to him; she'd really meant it as an innocent but teasing, friendly comment, but nonetheless, it still sent a lingering shiver down Tim's spine.

"Oh by the way, my car's in the shop, so you're taking me home tonight."

The end

This last chapter turned out about ninety percent different than I envisioned; some things didn't fit and had to be pushed back a little ways...so basically what that means is keep an eye out for the sequel. :)