Date written: May 28, 2008
Author: lostladykight
Beta'd by: marymagdalen
3 Elements to include:
1. Lost sock
2. Chinese takeaway,
3. Someone's favorite book.
A/N:
Okay everyone this was my first ever attempt at CSI Miami fanfiction and the only time I've ever even thought about Calleigh or Eric's characterization. If I did poorly, TELL ME. If I didn't, well, neat. I really hope you all like the way it flows with Kaz's chapter and that you all enjoy the story so far. I can't wait to see what the rest of you have in store for this story! This is Soo fun.
-LLK
Chapter Two: The Beauty of Uncertainty
Duquesne
Calleigh rolled over when the shrill sound of the hotel phone started blaring at her from only two feet away. She smacked the putrid yellow-cream nicotine stained phone to the floor with a harsh jab of the palm of her hand and rolled back over, pulling the free pillow near her right arm over her head to muffle any further sound. The solace only lasted a few minutes before the annoying tone of a phone off of its cradle met her ears. This time, still only half aware of what was going on around her, she swung her leg down and kicked the machine. Its cries didn't stop and all she achieved was a sharp pain in her big toe. With a violent huff she slumped down off the bed and righted the phone, tucking it gently back onto the bedside table behind her.
"You better not try that again," she warned the machine as she pushed herself back into her bed, burrowing in the sheets.
Then in a flash the realization hit her. It was a wake up call. She had to get up and start getting ready for the seminar. Eric would be waiting. Shit. She fumbled through the sheets, comforter, and pillows until she found her iPhone. Sliding her fingers across the screen she grumbled when she saw that it was locked. Her index finger running along the bottom of the display and then tapping gently, she glanced at the time when the phone finally decided to comply.
She had exactly seven minutes to get ready; her fight with the hotel phone had set her back further than she realized. Reaching up, she ran her fingers through her hair and then pulled the hair band she'd slept with on her wrist around it, stringing it into a loose pony-tail. Then she fumbled through the sheets one final time for the socks she had shed while she was sleeping. Tucking them onto her feet, she winced as she struck the place on her formerly perfectly manicured big toe nail that she'd damaged a few minutes before. Great. She was going to spend the whole day on her feet and by the end of it, that toe was going to be throbbing.
As she slipped out of her bed she realized that the phone had taken her book along with it as it had fallen to the floor earlier. She frowned down at it sadly and then picked it up. Double checking to make sure that she'd finished it she shoved it under her pillow. She didn't want to take a chance on anyone seeing her with a Harlequin Romance novel in her possession.
She reached for her phone and carried it to the bathroom with her. Setting it on the back of the toilet she scrolled through the songs and started playing it from the place in her library she'd left off. The Beauty of Uncertainty by KT Tunstall. Calleigh wandered around the hotel room gathering different items that she'd need to start her day as she quietly hummed along with the music.
The water in the shower was running, heating up, and filling the whole bathroom with a hot suffocating steam, just the way she liked it. As she waited for the shower to get to that dangerously high temperature that always left her a little-too-pink for an hour after she'd washed, she brushed her teeth. Naturally it was while she was in mid brush that her phone decided to serenade her with an unpleasant change in song.
"Dude looks like a lady," it sang at her in a shrill tone and she glared at it.
The gadget, however, was persistent. It took her a few moments, as she continued to brush vigorously before the idea hit her, Eric. He must have changed the ring-tone the previous night at dinner. She'd left him alone with it when she went to the restroom. She knew he'd find a way to pay her back for making him get Chinese takeout with her, but she'd had a craving for those crunchy fried noodles and wanton soup.
She was fatigued and she knew it. That was the reason she was so annoyed at him for his prank. She reminded herself again, she was tired, she wasn't really angry, it was funny, and then tapped the screen to her phone and pulled it to her ear. "Hey Eric."
"You ready?" His tone was all-too-chipper and it sent a chill down her spine. "We have to be down in the main lobby to sign in in three minutes. I knocked on your door but you didn't answer. I have coffee."
She could hear the smirk on his lips as he teased her with those final three words. "I got a late start. I'm gonna grab a quick shower and I'll be down. Do you mind signing me in?"
"Alright," he told her, this time the tone of his voice lower, gentler, huskier, all in one. Another, different, chill ran down her spine. "I'll keep my phone on, if you don't spot me right away when you get down there just give me a call."
"Thanks Eric," she spoke through a smile. "I'll be down as soon as I can."
She hadn't waited to see if he was going to reply, she simply tapped the screen of her phone, ending the call. She shifted through the song list on her phone for a moment and then started the song Paper Aeroplane over again. Running the toothbrush over her teeth a few more times she rinsed her mouth and then began shedding clothes to get into the shower. She stood beside the steaming hot shower and snaked her hand around the curtain to feel the flow of water. The pressure was pounding and the temperature was scalding. She withdrew her hand, shook it free of the water droplets, and then played it in her hair, removing the band. Shaking her hair free of tangles once, Calleigh stepped into the shower.
Delko
Eric flipped his phone closed but before he had time to tuck it into the pocket of his jeans, he had to pull it to his mouth, turning his hand so the back of it grazed his lips a bit; he yawned deeply. Lowering his hand when he finally managed to stop involuntarily yawning, he slid the phone safely into his pocket. As another yawn got the best of him he used his other hand to tame it. The feeling of something foreign rubbing against his lip made him smile, just a bit; he was holding a cup of coffee and since Calleigh wasn't going to be out of the shower before it went cold, he reasoned it would be a waste if he didn't drink it.
The awful stale taste of day-old coffee was an assault on his taste buds. He almost cringed as he shook his head to avoid the taste of it. It was only seven in the morning, not quite even, how could it already be that stale? His CSI skills showing their use in everyday life, he decided that they must have reheated the pot from the previous day. Disgusting.
Coffee wasn't always pleasant tasting, he reminded himself as he stepped onto the elevator that would take him down to the main floor. But it could be, and this definitely wasn't pleasant tasting coffee. He took another sip, forcing himself to consume what of the caffeine in it he could. He shuddered again at the putrid taste; no matter how tired he was he couldn't do it. It was too foul.
He was grateful when the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened, and he saw that there was a trash bin just outside. He tossed the coffee in without another thought. Looking around the lobby that spread out before him, from face to face at unknown colleagues, he realized that he was overtired. The tingly feeling he felt in his arms and legs reminded him that he would be ping-ponging between states of heightened awareness and total lethargy for the rest of the day.
Eric had to suppress the urge to grumble as he made his way through the crowd looking for the sign-in table. It wasn't as though he'd been expecting Cafe Cubano or anything, but couldn't the hotel supply its guests with a decent, hot, caffeinated beverage in the morning? People didn't wake up that early for fun, people who were alive at that hour had something to do, they needed something to help them function. He supposed that given the time of year not quite being the peak of travel season they had to cut edges off of their budget somewhere. But with the coffee? Couldn't they have skimped on the toilet paper or something?
He pushed his way to the sign-in desk and flashed the girl sitting behind it a smile. "Eric Delko and Calleigh Duquesne, Miami-Dade."
"I'll need a valid state-issued ID from both of you," the girl stated, giving Eric a wink, "your badge numbers, and the room number you're staying in."
"206 and 208," he mentioned to her, giving their adjacent room numbers first. "I've never been asked for my badge number to sign in to one of these things before." This time he winked at her. "And I'll show you a copy of my ID but can my colleague bring hers to you a little later?"
"Just keeping you on your toes, Officer Delko," the girl grinned at him again. How old was she, sixteen? She shouldn't be in such an important position at that age. "Just sign your names on the line and then fill in the date and time boxes next to them. Sign up for any special seminars you might be interested in attending down below."
"CSI Delko," he corrected her. Penning his and Calleigh's names in the appropriate boxes and filling in the information that was required, he signed them up for two courses. One was a weapons specialization course, described as the latest in firing and ammunition technologies; Calleigh would be interested in it, at least. The other was a course in the development, use, and implementation of a new crime scene sketching device that eliminated the need for human artistry, something he would personally love to have at the lab's disposal.
Becoming increasingly more aware of his bad mood and tiredness, Eric wandered away from the irritating teenager and started to scope out the rest of the seminar-goers. In the lobby with him at the moment were approximately sixty or seventy other people, all different grades of law-enforcement officials from around the country. They all looked almost too happy to be there, broken off into various sizes of cheerily chattering clusters. It was unnatural for that many people to be in a good mood this early in the morning; it irked him, making his bad mood edge to the surface a bit more.
He needed coffee but he didn't dare sample the stuff the hotel was offering a second time. He was almost ready to wander around the hotel looking for the restaurant that they boasted about in advertisements around the whole place when his phone rang. Looking at the name on the screen as he clicked it open to answer it, he saw that it was Calleigh.
"All clean and ready to go?" he asked without even giving the traditional greeting. "Where are you? I don't see you by the elevator."
He almost met his forehead with the palm of his hand sharply as he realized what he was doing. His tone was falsely excited. Surely even if Calleigh had gotten more sleep than he had, which he didn't doubt she did, she wouldn't be interested in a chipper companion for the rest of the day.
"I'm by the main entrance," her voice told him. Her voice was low but sounded a little fresher than it had when he'd spoken to her earlier. "There's a table set up over here with doughnuts and coffee, want me to grab you something?"
"No-no," he said amusedly as he moved through the crowd towards her. Stepping up next to her he closed his phone with one hand while using the other to take the cup of coffee she was holding from her. The funny sensation from where his hand grazed hers lingering as he spoke. "Trust me, you don't want to even go there. It's a good two days old."
Next Author: marymagdalen
Next Chapter Post Date: 29th June
And so the conference begins...
