Title: Solace

Author: AllOverTheWorld

Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh

Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to?

Authors Notes: Thanks once again to mmooch, muddpuppy19, Amythest Lilly, sunshinebulletgirl, Pinkyster, Arlene, LA Calleigh, Elrond peredhel for all reviewing! Anyway my college visit was a blast but this chapter was fun to write as well!

As soon as the door shut behind Horatio, Calleigh wished he was back here, with her. It sounds bad and it's not that she didn't like Eric, he was a nice guy but at the present moment she wasn't emotionally stable enough to handle him and his, well, him. With one hand resting lightly on the grip of Horatio's gun for comfort she turned and made a move to walk into the living room. As she passed Eric he placed a hand on her shoulder and asked "How are you?"

She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, the contact from Eric shouldn't be doing this to her but even as she fought to keep her sky rocketing pulse under control she said "I'm fine."

"People have tried to kill you Calleigh, you can't go around ignoring that fact." He said

"Just drop it Eric." She said warningly, not sure how much longer she could fend off the urge to either shoot him or break down in tears.

"Fine." He muttered, annoyed, this was not going the way he wanted at all and Eric was pretty sure he knew why.

"Do you want something to drink?" Calleigh asked, with her back to Eric as she moved around Horatio's small, but well organized, kitchen gathering the supplies to make tea.

Eric walked up behind her, joining her in the cramped kitchen, and said "Why don't you let me do that?"

He was too close. She could feel the heat radiating off him and, god, the breath on the back of her neck was just like Gunnar. Swallowing a burst of fear she said "I'm not an invalid Eric. I'm perfectly capable of making tea."

Sensing her agitation Eric took a few steps back "You just seem very tense, you're supposed to be relaxing."

Turning to glare at him she said "I am fine. Why don't you just go and sit down on the couch, you're supposed to be protecting me from mad gun men." She said as she turned back around "Not that I need it." She muttered to the teapot.

Unfortunately for her Eric heard this last remark and he before he could stop himself he said "So I suppose the bullet holes in your fridge are just for fun, trying out a new type of interior design for the Hummer, I'm sure the criminals will love sitting on shards of broken glass."

Turning to face him once again Calleigh wasn't quite sure what to say, all she knew was that she was angry at Eric because that comment was completely unwarranted "Leave." She said dangerously quite, once again hiding the fact she was fighting with her emotions to keep self control.

"Calleigh I'm sorry." He said, moving towards her once again "I'm just worried about you."

'More like jealous.' She thought to herself but instead backed up slightly, trying to keep a safe distance from Eric as he walked closer to her (right now her mind was quickly loosing control as she kept thinking about Gunnar, how similar in height and build he and Eric were.)

"I can't leave." He said "Horatio would kill me." As he once again came much to close to her for her own comfort.

She turned around grabbed the teapot so she could fill it with water and as she stood at the sink Eric moved in behind her "You don't have to be scared." He said, his voice low "I wont hurt you like he did, you can trust me."

Before Calleigh could control it she was back in that stingy apartment, thirteen years ago:

"You can trust me Calleigh baby, you know you can." Gunnar said as walked up behind Calleigh and wrapped his arms around her stomach, holding her to him.

Closing her eyes Calleigh begged herself to have the courage to kick in as hard as she could and flee from this cage of an apartment. He placed soft kisses on her neck but when she didn't lean into them or make any attempt to seek more after he stopped, Gunnar let out an angry growl. Turning her around with one powerful arm Gunnar pinned her against the kitchen counter and said angrily "Don't you love me?" She nodded disjointedly but that wasn't enough and there was an echoing crack as his hand connected with her face.

Her eyes snapped open ad Calleigh realized that she had dropped the teapot on the floor and that it had shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. Worse than that Eric was trying to hold her, a vain attempt to calm her down because even as she struggled he just tightened his grip, again to comfort her and that sent her back into the nightmares.

Grabbing her arm in his vice like grip Gunnar twisted it behind her back as he pushed Calleigh towards the bedroom. She stumbled as he let go and he let out a sharp, bark like laugh as she slammed into the wall and fell to the floor. As she lay there the pain from all her other bruises and cuts seemed to intensify ten fold but that didn't stop him from pulling her up and once again pushing her into the direction of the bedroom.

Not realizing where she was or who was holding her, tightly against them, Calleigh lashed out with a vicious kick to a place where the sun don't shine and was relieved when the grip around her slackened and she squirmed free of it.

He pushed her up against the bedroom door, holding it shut and his mouth crashed down onto hers. She tried to turn her head away but the hand not holding the door shut wove its way into her hair and forced it still. "You know you like this baby." He whispered into her ear

"Calleigh!" someone called, pain in their voice but it iddnt register and she turned, needing to get awa

Her hand landed on the grip of the gun in her holster and she pulled it out, the feeling of it sending calming waves through her body but doing little to help her over all. Tears blurring her vision she fought off the urge to pull the trigger as she was sucked into yet another flash back:

"You're late." He snarled from the sofa as he stood up and walked over to her "I thought you were just going to get some groceries."

"I-I-I was." She stammered "It just took longer than I thought."

"Bullshit." He said quietly and ripped the bags from her hand and, then proceeded to push her, hard. As she stumbled backwards into the wall, her head snapped back and black spots appeared in front of her vision as Gunnar once again pulled her to her feet.

Someone grabbed her arm, although at this point Calleigh was so far gone that she was back in that apartment with Gunnar. She turned and, still with the gun in her hand she lashed out and the sound of someone groaning in pain went unnoticed because all she really felt was the lack of pressure on her arm and she took off down the hall.

Although Horatio and Frank were still three blocks from the hospital Frank turned the sirens off, the last thing they needed was Tristan running or doing something much stupider. As the two entered the ER they were met by a security guard and a nurse, the nurse identified herself as he caller and after gushing her relief at their presence she led them towards the ER waiting room.

The nurse pointed Tristan out, sitting next to a guard by the back exit. As he set eyes on Tristan, Horatio noticed that his eyes were slightly glazed and one side of his head was matted with dried blood and his hands were also covered in blood "That's him." Horatio said to Frank and both men started to pull out their weapons.

However nothing in life ever comes easy and this collar was no exception. Tristan saw the movement of the cops out of the corner of his eye and, although severely light headed he reached out and grabbed the security guards gun. At the same time he stood up and grabbed the nurse who was leading a small boy to go and get an x-ray for his arm. Pressing the gun into her head he looked at Horatio "It seems we have a problem don't we Caine."

"She's innocent Tristan, let her go."

"Right, she's innocent just like Calleigh is." He replied "I know this bitch called you guys, I saw her dial that phone right after she sat me down."

Frank and Horatio shared a glance "Then why stay?" Horatio asked

Tristan laughed "That parts easy. You see the only way to finish what my cousin started is to hurt Calleigh but thanks to you that's impossible. So, as I was sitting here in this dump I realized that the only way to do that is to hurt the only person she trusts is you. I shoot you, she feels guilty, heart broken, whatever and I win."

"You think you're going to be able to just shoot him?" Frank asked

Tristan shook his head "I'm in a room full of people, all I have to do is shoot one and Calleigh's little heart will break. She was never good with the whole guilt thing, I mean all Gunnar had to do was throw a guilt trip and she'd stay."

Horatio resisted the urge to pull the trigger "You're not going to hurt anyone. Let all these people go and you can have me."

"Horatio what the hell-" Frank said but caught the look in Horatio's eye, Horatio had a plan all Frank had to do was figure it out.

Well, well, well, surprised that Eric managed to screw up? The only problem is that the only man who can save Calleigh from the nightmares is currently in a bit of a sticky situation. On that note…WHAT THE HELL IS HORATIO THINKING? Seriously now, what possible plan can Horatio have that involves him, alone, unarmed, with a mad man who wants to kill him?

AllOverTheWorld