Date Chapter Written: July 15, 2008
Authoress: TexasJen
Beta'd By: racefh
3 Elements From racefh:
1. 3 shots
2. A kitten
3. A ghost

A/N: Many thanks to my husband and Amanda Ruth for their invaluable help. The title song is by Elton John, and one of my favorites.


Chapter Nine: Something About the Way You Look Tonight


Eric hoped she couldn't hear his heart pounding as he ran his hands up her calves, over her thighs and finally brought them to rest at her waist. "Tell you what," he said softly. "You jump in," he gave a tug and slid her into the water with him, "And you can hold onto me."

Calleigh gave a high pitched cry as the cold water enveloped her lower body, then a gasp as the buoyancy of the water helped to push her directly into Eric's body. Of course, the slight tug on her as he pulled her into the water helped, and Eric's lips tipped up in a satisfied smile as her body collided softly with his.

The rush of desire Calleigh felt at being almost skin to skin with Eric, with only the material of her bathing suit separating her breasts from his chest was instantaneous. Heart pounding, unable to look him in the eyes, she relaxed against him when she felt his arms wrap around her waist. "I, um," she began haltingly as she, in turn, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "I… I want… that is I need…"

"Calleigh, you're not making any sense," Eric teased softly as his fingers danced along her spine, knowing full well why she was tongue tied. Her inability to form a coherent sentence gave him the confirmation that he needed: that she was just as affected by his closeness, as he was by hers… that she returned his feelings.

The shiver that ran down her spine at his touch was too much for Calleigh to take. Biting her bottom lip, she slowly moved out of his embrace. "That's because I can't think straight when… when…"

She paused, blew out a breath, and gathered up her courage. Taking another deep breath, she looked into his eyes and murmured softly, "I can't think straight being that close to you."

Never breaking eye contact, Eric moved to the side of the pool and grabbed two of the Styrofoam tubes that lay between the pool ledge and the line of poolside chaise lounges. After handing one to Calleigh, he placed his tube around his back and leaned back against it as he moved into the deeper water. "Come on," he said with a wink.

Feeling more relaxed, and mentally thanking Eric for understanding her need for a little space so they could talk, she moved with him into the deeper water and settled back against her tube.

Silence reigned for several moments as each gathered their thoughts, the only sound that of the traffic on the nearby road, and the water as it sloshed around their bodies. Sighing deeply Calleigh leaned back more, almost floating her body on the top of the water, unintentionally laying before Eric like a feast for his eyes.
He stared unblinking for several heartbeats, any words he was going to say died before they reached his throat. Shaking his head as he blinked a few times to clear the fog in his brain, he reached out and tagged one of her ankles with his hand. "C... Cal?"

Righting her body in the water, Calleigh moved a little closer to Eric and reached out to take his hand in hers, still grasping the tube with her other arm for balance. "I do trust you, you know," she blurted out before meeting his eyes. "With everything that I am," she added with a shy smile.

Eric's heart soared, catching her hidden meaning. "I know," he murmured in reply.

"I just… I'm afraid, Eric, because we work together." She paused, tightening her fingers around his, looking down at the rippling water, as if gathering her thoughts. "If we… if we don't work out, what will happen to us?" She choked on her next words, tears forming in her eyes as she spoke, "Eric, I don't want to lose my best friend."

Eric moved closer until he could grab onto her tube. Releasing her hand, he touched her face, brushing his fingers against her cheek. "Calleigh," he murmured, "Didn't I prove to you this past year that I could separate our work life from our personal life, that the choice you made didn't affect our friendship?"

She covered his hand with her own, gently bringing their joined hands to rest against her heart as she thought back over the past year, her relationship with Jake, and how she and Eric were still able to maintain not just a good working relationship, but their friendship as well. A slow smile graced her lips. "Yeah… you did," she replied softly, her last argument against a deeper relationship dying on her lips.

Taking a deep breath, her green eyes held his intense gaze. She gave him a strong smile as she spoke the two most insignificant words in the English language, but words that held more meaning than he could handle: "I'm ready."

Feeling her rapidly growing heartbeat against his hand and knowing they needed to take things slowly for now; knowing HE needed to break the intensity of the moment before he embarrassed himself, Eric brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. He nodded toward the door back into the hotel. "Come on, I've got an idea for dinner." Tugging on her hand he turned around and led them back toward the stairs at the shallow end of the pool.

After wrapping towels around their wet bodies they made their way back to their rooms, hand in hand. Stopping at Calleigh's door, Eric leaned down to kiss her forehead. Calleigh's eyes fluttered shut as his lips lingered for several moments, his warm breath caressing across her skin.

His lips tipped up in a smile when he felt Calleigh's eyelashes flutter shut. When he pulled back and dropped their hands back to their sides, he saw a flicker of disappointment cross her eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

"I'll meet you in the lobby in thirty minutes," he said with a wink, matching the grin that was presently gracing her lips.

- - -

A little over an hour later, Eric pulled their car into a parking space at the Leesylvania State Park. Grabbing the bag of sandwiches and chips they'd purchased from the 'mom and pop' deli they'd tried before, Calleigh got out of the car and turned to watch as Eric opened the trunk and retrieved the bedspread he'd obviously taken from his hotel room.

Bedspread under his arm, Eric grasped Calleigh's free hand and led her down one of the wooded walking paths. "Matt was telling me about this place. He said it was the perfect place to stargaze," he told her as path led them to a large grassy area that bordered the Chesapeake Bay.

After scanning the grassy area for the perfect spot, Eric laid out the bedspread in a spot close to the water. He beckoned to Calleigh to relax on the bedspread as he took their sandwiches out of the bag, and for the next hour they slowly ate their meal, watched the sun go down, and enjoyed the slight breeze that blew off the water.

All he could do was stare at her with a silly smile plastered to his face… as she ate her sandwich, as the breeze fluttered her blonde hair, as her eyes sparkled when she smiled back at him. As usual, her beauty took his breath away, and it was all he could do remember to breathe. The sun went down, boaters and swimmers went in for the night, hikers on the walking paths finished their hike and left the park… but Eric and Calleigh remained in their own little world.

Belly full, Eric lay back on the makeshift blanket as he watched Calleigh meticulously place their trash into the bag and walk it to the nearest trashcan. He watched with a smile as she walked back. There was a change in her, he thought to himself. She looked happy and content, and the smile on his face grew as he realized that it was all because of him, him and the change in their relationship.

"You're looking pretty happy," Calleigh said as she lay down next to him and looked up at the night sky.

"I have a reason to be," he murmured in reply, giving a deep sigh.

Calleigh turned her head to look at him. "Eric… so do I," she whispered, her accent more pronounced with the emotions he was stirring in her.

Hearing his name leave her lips on a whisper, voiced in that sweet southern accent made Eric want to take her then and there, but not only was the park not the place, it was definitely too soon. Instead he settled for lightening the mood.

"Did you know," he began, "that I used to think ghosts only came out to haunt at night when the moon was out, and the sky was clear and full of stars… like tonight?

"No," Calleigh laughed. "Why only on clear starry nights?"

"Back then I thought our house was haunted, because on nights like this I would hear them walking around in the house late at night, usually outside my bedroom in the hallway. Sometimes the ghosts would scratch on the windows, even open and close the back door."

Calleigh laughed some more, as she saw where his story was going. "Hmmmm, walking in the hall late at night, scratching on the window, and opening and closing the back door… I'll bet that ghost was a female ghost."

"Yep… you guessed it. Some years later when I was older… and wiser… I realized it was my sisters sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night. They would sneak out when nights were like this. They could see without the aid of flashlights - less of a chance of getting caught."

"I'll bet you cowered under your Spiderman comforter when you heard the ghost sneaking out of the house." Calleigh giggled at the picture she formed in her mind of a young Eric scared out of his mind and hiding under the covers.

"Batman," Eric retorted good-naturedly as he turned toward her and leaned up on his elbow. "It was a Batman comforter. I bet yours had Barbie on it."

"I hated Barbies."

"Guns then," he said as he reached out to poke her. "It was a comforter with all kinds of guns on it, wasn't it?"

She was still laughing as she slapped his hand away. "It was kittens!"
Eric could only smile at the visual picture. "Little Calleigh Duquesne, sleeping under a kitten comforter." The picture in his mind changed to a little Calleigh Delko, blonde hair and light brown eyes, sleeping under a kitten comforter. That was a picture he hoped to God he'd see with his own eyes some time in the future.

His heart drummed in his chest, the image of a future child with the woman in front of him too much for it to handle. When he brought his eyes to hers, he saw a torrent of emotion raging within them. He wondered what she was thinking that brought on such a sight.

That train of thought was quickly derailed when her tongue slipped out to wet her lips, disappearing within once more in quick succession. Her breathing seemed shallow, and her cheeks were flushed lightly.

Meeting her eyes once more, he asked, "Are you okay, Cal?"

"Yeah," she breathed out, giving him a sweet smile as she pursed her lips together.

Suddenly, all control he had over the distance between them escaped him, and he leaned toward her slightly. As the inches lessened gradually, his heartbeat quickened to an immeasurable level, and he was sure it would explode.

His lips met hers tentatively, giving her every chance to pull away. When her lips increased their pressure on his, he smiled and brought his hand up to rest on her waist, still supporting himself on his elbow.

The kiss was slow, languid, and sweet, continuing until Eric's fingers drifted under the hem of her shirt, coming into contact with the bare skin of her hip… making her shiver.

Eric broke the kiss, separating their lips by mere inches. "Cold?" he murmured.

"Nuh uh," she whispered in reply, bringing a knowing smile to Eric's lips… a smile that turned into a gasp as Calleigh leaned up and captured his lips with hers.

- - -

Early the next morning Calleigh knocked on Eric's door, cup of Starbucks hidden behind her back. A sleepy but smiling Eric opened the door and before he could open the door wider, she stepped forward and planted a soft kiss on his lips, bringing forth the cup of coffee as she stepped back.

"Good morning," she greeted him brightly.

"It is now," he murmured in reply as he took the cup of java from her hand. "Did you sleep well? Because I sure did," he winked at her, pulling her into the room.

"Yes I did," she replied, smiling demurely.

Eric could only smile in return as he turned to find his shoes. "I'll be ready in a minute, just need to put my shoes on."

"I hope you have a schedule of the day's events," Calleigh told him as she followed him into the room. "I can't find mine."

"It's over there on the table." He pointed with his finger as he picked up his shoes and sat down on the bed to put them on. "Pick something good. Better yet," he added, but was interrupted by Calleigh's ringing cell phone.

"Duquesne," she said into the phone. "Hey Angela, did you find Carrie Young?"
There was a slight pause. "What did she have to say?"

Eric watched, intrigued, as her eyes got wider. "Really! So I was right."

He listened to her end of the conversation for a few more moments until she hung up. "I take it they found her?"

"Him," she replied, a knowing smile on her face.

"Him? Calleigh, you're not making sense again," he said as he moved closer to her.

"O'Shea's affair wasn't with Carrie Young - Carrie with an I–E, but with Cary Young: C-A-R-Y."

"His affair was with a man?" Eric was incredulous; then he remembered something. "So that's why you asked Mrs. O'Shea if his affair had been with a man. You suspected it, didn't you?"

"Mmmhmmm," she replied, a look of satisfaction on her face.

Eric grinned broadly. "That's my girl," he exclaimed, prompting a laugh from Calleigh.

"We're skipping the conference again, she's got some more to tell us." At Eric's look of gratitude, she added, "And we have a meeting with Detective O'Leary."

Eric stood and picked up his key card and the car keys, guiding her out of the room with a hand at the small of her back. "I'd still like to know what it was he said or did at the pharmacy."

Calleigh looked at him quizzically. "Huh?"

"Remember Angela was telling us about O'Leary, how he was a - and I quote - a mean old Irish cop?" At her nod, he continued, "Angela started to tell us something that happened at a pharmacy, but she never got to finish."

Calleigh merely rolled her eyes in response.

- - -

"So Mrs. O'Shea lied to us when she told Calleigh her husband's affair wasn't with a man," Eric stated as he sat down in a chair next to Calleigh in the Quantico Crime Lab's break room. Together with Angela and Matt, they'd commandeered a table in the break room to discuss the case and their next move.

"Not necessarily," Matt answered from behind them as he prepared four cups of coffee. "We're not sure yet whether she knew Cary was a man."

"Where'd you find him?" Calleigh questioned.

"Get this," Angela said as she opened a file. "We found Colonel Cary Young at the Pentagon."

"Oh." Eric sat forward, "There's motive right there, at least when it comes to O'Shea's murder. If the Marines found out he had a sexual relationship with another man, he'd be in one hell of a mess."

"That's right. He was stationed at the marine base here in Quantico when he began the relationship with O'Shea. While he was there, he was involved in Colombian paramilitary training."

"Wait," Calleigh interrupted her. "You said when he began the relationship"

"Mmmmhmm," Matt said as he placed the four cups down on the table. "Began. According to the Colonel, they never ended their relationship." He looked over at Eric and continued, "Going off your mention of the motive that gives him… this gives him even more motive. It's one thing to have a one-time affair long ago, but the Marines would never forgive an on-going affair with a man."

"Believe me... we had a hell of a time getting him to talk to us yesterday." Angela sat back in her chair, remembering how understandably reluctant he was to answer their questions.

"Well, while he had motive," Calleigh interjected, "we still don't know how his murder is tied to Paul Venkman's."

Matt blew air over his coffee to cool it a little. "That, my new-found friends, is the million dollar question."

- - -

The meeting with Detective O'Leary took place in O'Leary's office. He deemed it beneath himself to meet in conference rooms or anyone else's office for that matter, except for perhaps the Police Commissioner's office, but only because he had no choice in that. If it had been up to him, he would have been Police Commissioner a long time ago.

The office contained, in addition to his desk, a round table with four chairs in the corner, and a small table next to it that contained his own coffee maker. He refused to drink 'office coffee' and instead had the secretary, and old grandmotherly woman named Claire, make him his own pot of coffee every morning using his own preferred brand of coffee.

Calleigh and Angela sat in the chairs, while Eric and Matt stood behind them. The detective himself sat in the chair he preferred to sit in, a chair that no one else dared to sit in, lest they be met with a 'death stare' and a very impolite "MOVE!"

Despite being seated with the two women, the detective looked directly at Eric and Matt as he spoke. "The candy store James O'Shea and his wife own, Sweet Things, has been doing very well for them financially, despite sales and inventory figures that seem to say otherwise," he informed them as he opened a file and threw his written report on the table. "By all accounts, the traffic in and out of the stores for reasonably priced candy has been average… but the standard of living they enjoy is far above what they should have."

"Are you saying you think there's a side business going on?" Calleigh politely asked, highly intrigued by the possibilities.

O'Leary continued on as if he hadn't been spoken to. "Susanna and Paul Venkman work the supplying end of the business in Miami… but I'm sure you knew that already," he added as he directed his gaze from Matt to Eric.

"Yes, we did," Eric replied with a hint of annoyance, emphasizing the 'we' and now disliking the man. "Are you saying you think there's a side business going on?" he asked, repeating Calleigh's question.

"It certainly appears that way. I just haven't figured out what that is… yet."

Angela knew it did no good to ask questions of the detective, so she directed her thoughts at Matt. She turned to look at him and said quietly, "The Venkman's end of the business," and then turned toward Calleigh, rolling eyes in unison with her.

"What exactly did Susanna and Paul Venkman do for the business?"

"They handled the ordering and shipment of candy products from South America through the Miami ports. I figure that's why they moved to Miami in the first place."

"So the candy for the O'Shea's store comes from South America… and Colonel Young has obviously been in Colombia, having trained with the Colombian Paramilitary," Calleigh mused, tapping her fingers on the table as she thought it out.

"There has to be a connection there," Eric stated as he looked down at Calleigh, seeing where she was going with the information. "We also know Susanna was angry at her mother about something, blaming what happened on her." He directed his gaze at Detective O'Leary. "Were you able to find out anything else?"

O'Leary looked insulted. "Of course I did!" He huffed a little more, puffing out his expansive chest, and turned to Matt. "Caroline O'Shea was born Caroline Stewart. When she was about ten years old her father passed away, and within a year her mother." He looked down at his notes, "Paulina, met and married Guillermo Cordoba. Seems she and her daughter vacationed for a while in Brazil after her father's death, and that's where they met."

Matt's head was spinning with all the new information. "I need a drink," he declared. "Three shots of Jack ought to do it."

"Wow," Angela blew out a breath. "This is a lot."

"Of course it is." O'Leary smiled, clearly proud of himself. They couldn't do without him. Hell, the department would fall to pieces when he retired.

His smile grew and became very smug as he leaned back in his chair and laid the bombshell. "That's not all… the owner of the shirt missing a button at Margaritas is -" He paused for dramatic effect, "Manuelo Cordoba, son of one Guillermo Cordoba."


Next Author: Racefh
Next Chapter Post Date: 30/07/08