Author's Note: Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH for the reviews!!!! I was having doubt about this story, but seeing as I'm getting good reviews, it makes me want to go on!!!!

This chap is real angsty… I don't know why, but I'm a sucker for tears!

Please keep these reviews coming!!! ^_^

Chapter 5: One mistake over the other…

Calleigh groaned as loud music woke her up from a short dreamless night. She reached out towards the offending object and turned it off, swearing under her breath. "I should've asked for a day off…" She murmured. She felt as if she had slept for a total of fifteen minutes… and now she needed to get to work. She contemplated calling in sick, but decided against it. She wasn't like that. She wasn't the type of person who goes out, gets drunk and lies about being sick to avoid going into work. She had gotten herself into this state, and now, she needed to deal with it. Plain and simple.

She turned on her back and painfully pushed the covers away. What a great/horrifying evening last night had been. Everything had started so well, she was having a blast with Ryan and she had finally started feeling like her old self again. And then, everything had changed for the worst. She had to show up and ruin everything.

Calleigh took a long shaky breath, thinking about how the evening had ended. She could still see the disappointment in Ryan's eyes as she told him she was leaving with Steven instead of him. Even if she had been hurting, having him look at her that way had almost felt worse.

After she lead Steven out of the bar, he had taken her to his car and helped her in. At that exact moment, she had wanted to bring him home and let him take her. But as he drove through the streets of Miami, the fog in her mind had started clearing. She knew he thought he would be getting an easy lay, but she also knew she wouldn't be doing it. She wasn't a one night stand type of gal. She didn't even know the guy's last name for god's sake. Even slightly drunk, she could still make the right decisions… well, at least some of them.

So she had let him drive her home quietly. And when he had stopped the car in front of her condo and had started unbuckling his seat belt, she had put a hand on his forearm and stopped him from going any further. She had thanked him for bringing her home, but told him she would be spending the night alone. Of course, he had tried changing her mind, telling her he really felt like this could be more than a one night stand, but her mind was set. At least he had been a good sport about it.

As soon as she had walked inside her house, she had stepped out of her shoes and dropped her purse next to the front door, not even bothering with turning on the lights. She only had one goal: get to bed and pass out.

She had blindly made her way through her place, going straight to her bedroom, dropping one piece of clothing after the other. Clad only in her underwear, she had dived under the covers and had fallen asleep instantly.

Looking up at the white ceiling, Calleigh thought about the mess she had gotten herself into. First, she had kissed her best friend, only to realize she was in love with him. Then, she had gone and lied to him about everything and was now jealous because he was with another woman. And now, when she thought it couldn't get any worse, she had probably lost his friendship too, since she had had to go and act like a total brainless slut.

She shook her head and groaned as she forced herself out of bed. She didn't know how she was going to fix what she did. It would be easy to blame the alcohol, but she knew it had only helped her a little. She had acted out of desperation. She had wanted to make him jealous.

But he hadn't been jealous. He had been disappointed in her. And that was worse than losing him to another woman.

She slowly patted through her bedroom and took off her underwear, going straight for the bathroom. What she needed right now, was a long, hot shower… and at least half a dozen painkillers.

Not daring to glance at the bathroom mirror, she got in her shower and started it, moaning quietly as the water massaged her tired muscles. She shampooed her long blond hair and washed her skin, trying to put some life back into her exhausted body. She stayed under the water for a good twenty minutes, until she finally started feeling human again. She then got out, dried herself off and wrapped the fluffy towel around her light body.

She took two Aspirins and decided they would go down better with a large glass of orange juice. She made her way towards the kitchen and grabbed the OJ from the refrigerator. Not even taking out a glass, she just popped the two pills in her mouth and drowned them with the juice.

She put the bottle back into her fridge and turned back around, jumping when she realized she wasn't alone. She shrieked, her hands going for the only thing covering her naked body.

Ryan was sitting on the couch, staring at her quietly.

"RYAN??!?!?! What are you doing here?" She yelled.

He sighed and stood up from the couch. "I wanted to talk to you."

She frowned and wrapped her arms around herself, still holding onto her towel. "How did you get in here?"

He took a few steps towards her and stood awkwardly, pointing behind him. "I used the front door."

For a reason she didn't know, Calleigh could feel the anger rising in her chest. She was tired and had a pounding headache… and right now, she didn't need his accusing stare. She wasn't ready for a confrontation. "What's wrong with you? You don't walk in someone's house just like that!"

Ryan lifted his eyebrows, surprised at her reaction, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Actually, I was about to ask you the same thing! Did you know you forgot to lock your front door when you came back last night? You of all people should know…"

She rolled her eyes and waved one of her hands around. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, stupid mistake, won't happen again. Still, you had no right to let yourself in."

Ryan laughed bitterly and sent her a dark look, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why not? From what I saw yesterday, you'll let anyone in your place."

Calleigh's face hardened. Of all the years she had known him, he had never used such harsh words with her. And he had said them intentionally, which made his words even more painful. "I want you to leave, Ryan."

He shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere, Calleigh. Not 'till I'm done talking to you."

She shook her head slowly, her eyes cold and bitter. "Well, I don't want to talk to you, Ryan. Right now, I'm gonna go get dressed. When I come out of my bedroom, I want you gone." She turned around and walked away, leaving him to stand alone in the living room.

"And how are you gonna get to work?" He got no answer.

He shook his head at her stubbornness. "Calleigh! At least let me drive you to the lab; your car's still there!" His only answer was the sound of her bedroom door closing.

If she didn't want to talk to him now, it was fine. He could accept it. However, he knew she'd have to talk to him at some point. He rubbed his face with his hands and sighed. Things were messed up… and he was making them worse.

XXXXX

Calleigh let out a long shaky breath as she sat down on her unmade bed. Still holding onto the towel covering her naked form, she reached up and wiped away a small tear that had made its way down her cheek.

She was such a screw up.

She heard her front door open and close and she closed her eyes tightly. Not only did she lose the man she loved, she was on her way to losing her best friend too.

But what was she supposed to do? She had been more than ready to talk to him. But seeing him in her house, accusing her of not being safe, of having sex with whomever she met… How was she supposed to react? This was just too much.

Wiping her cheeks angrily, she stood from her bed and let the towel fall to the floor. He didn't deserve her tears. She wasn't going to cry, not after what he had said to her. She walked to her closet and threw the doors open. Right now, what was important was for her to get ready for her day at the lab. She chose black pants and a matching black and white striped shirt. She grabbed clean underwear from her dresser and quickly got dressed.

She then went back to the bathroom and combed her wet hair aggressively. Not even bothering with drying it, she tied it tightly high on her head. She put on a little make-up, trying to hide the bags under her eyes, and spread soft pink lipstick on her lips. She finally stared at her reflection and sighed.

She looked like she had been hit by a truck, but it would have to do.

She walked out to her now empty living room and grabbed her purse, from which she took her cell phone. She quickly called for a cab and looked back towards the kitchen. She hadn't eaten breakfast, but she wasn't hungry. She'd just have to grab something from work.

When she finally made it into the lab, she didn't have to go far before Horatio got a hold of her. She grinned at him and watched as he slowly took off his glasses. He watched her silently, probably noticing her slightly bloodshot eyes.

"Calleigh, are you feeling alright?"

She shrugged and gave him her best smile. "Sure, just tired. Have you got something for me?"

His eyes searched her face for a few more seconds and he finally nodded his head. "We just got a phone call from a woman who says she's found her husband in their backyard. Alexx is already on her way there, so is Mrs. Boa Vista. I'd like you to join them."

"Sure. I'll get right to it."

Horatio nodded and watched her quietly as she went back into the elevator, making a mental note to keep an eye on his friend.

Calleigh was glad she got to leave the lab so quickly. This meant she could focus her mind on solving this case, and if she was lucky enough, she wouldn't have to work with Ryan, which would make her day a lot easier.

She got into a hummer and drove towards the crime scene, eager to start working. She finally parked the car next to Natalia's and walked out, grabbing her kit from the passenger seat.

Sooooo??? What'd you think? Is it angsty enough? Did you feel your heart tighten a bit for Calleigh? Poor girl!

But you all know… Ryan's not a bastard… so he'll come around and apologize… you probably all know why he's doing this…

REVIEWS PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!