As promised, a weekend update.
And this first scene was a request... so if anyone else has any, just let me know and I'll see what I can do. There are, however, a couple of my own that I want to do first. :P
Enjoy!
A Sight to Get Used to...
As Eric settled himself into the chair beside Calleigh's hospital bed, he wasn't sure as to whether he should feel relieved or angry that Horatio wasn't there. The man had promised to stay with her, promised to phone him should there be any change. But Eric was pretty sure that if the lieutenant were here right now, he'd have sent him straight back home immediately.
And that was precisely where Eric didn't want to be.
He wanted to be here, with Calleigh.
So as he began to flip through the photo album, all thoughts of annoyance and wonderment about Horatio's absence were pushed aside. And he smiled when the page fell open at another photo of her. She was making breakfast, wearing only his discarded shirt from the night before and looking what he could only describe as breathtaking.
Or hot, if he allowed another part of his anatomy to think... which, if Eric remembered correctly, he had done at the time. But not just because of how she had looked that morning - or every morning, in fact. No, that morning they had decided something, and it was a decision that had stayed with them even up until now.
/EC/
Eric frowned when he awoke to an empty bed. He was used to Calleigh getting up early - being the infectious morning person that she was - but he wished that just once, she'd wake him up. As comfortable as he felt at her house, he couldn't help but feel a bit rude about using her bed without her in it. And besides, there were things that they could do...
So it was with that thought, that he quickly slipped himself from out of the covers and reached for his phone, checking for any messages as he made his way down the hallway.
He found her in the kitchen and a lazy smile graced his lips as he took a moment to watch her. She had her body at an angle to him, and was rummaging around in her top cupboard, probably searching for some coffee, as her lightly tousled hair swayed a little in her movements. And Eric found his eyes travelling down her curves as her reach caused his shirt to hug her in all of the right places; but he raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of that coy little smile that was playing about her mouth.
She knew he was watching.
Ignoring the realisation, however, he continued to watch in silence, his eyes soaking up the vision in front of him. He wasn't quite sure why, but for some reason, seeing her in his shirt made her seem so much more beautiful than she already was. Maybe because it reminded his ego that it was his clothes she wore, his possession she borrowed... his heart she loved.
And deciding that it was a view that he wanted to remember in case he found himself waking up in his apartment instead of here - at hers - he brought up the camera on his phone and held it up to her. Then through the screen, he waited patiently for her to turn her body towards him; it was the toast popping that presented him with the opportunity and as she reached for it he took the photo.
"What are you doing?" she asked, a little amused.
Eric grinned and leant himself against the doorway, his eyes taking a moment to study his phone screen. "Do you have any idea how hot you are?" he countered with a question of his own, lifting his gaze to hers.
She merely laughed and set about buttering her toast. And after setting the knife down, she hopped onto the counter and began to eat. The cute-but-oh-so-coy smile returned when she felt Eric's eyes on her once more, but she chose to ignore him, deciding to tease him a little first...
Eric found his gaze drawn to her mouth as she took each little bite, as her tongue darted out every now and then - most likely a deliberate action on part - and it wasn't long before he found himself in front of her, his hands resting lightly on her thighs where they began to caress gently. He continued to stare at her, one hand moving up to her waist as he attempted to steal a bite of her toast.
"You still haven't told me why you took the photograph," she told him pointedly, holding said toast at arms length and out of his reach. "Eric!" She laughed as his hand left her waist to grab at her hand, bringing it to his mouth so he could take a bite.
And after doing so, he replied, "I just wanted to." She arched an eyebrow back at him, clearly a little puzzled, but he simply smiled and leaned in closer, his lips beginning to trace gentle kisses along her jaw whilst both hands settled on her thighs once more. "It's a sight I could get used to, one I'd like to see every morning," he whispered softly after placing a gentle kiss on her mouth.
She said nothing for a moment, simply stared back at him - obviously lost to her thoughts. And deciding that thinking wasn't an option for him right now, Eric's mouth found her neck as his hands began to creep carefully upwards...
"Well, that could be arranged," he heard her murmur and he pulled back a little, a soft frown taking hold of his features. "I mean, a lot of your stuff is here anyway... and you are always here..." she rambled.
"Are you asking me to move in?" Eric asked, needing her to clarify, watching as she placed her toast down. He shivered as her fingers began to unconsciously trace his chest, working their way along the lines of his muscles as she carefully considered her words. "Calleigh?" he breathed, attempting to prompt a response.
She smiled then and slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. "I think I am," she drawled into his ear, laughing as he restarted his assault on her neck. "Can I take that as a yes?" she teased, letting out a breathy moan when his lips found that spot...
/EC/
Of course it had been a yes, Eric smiled. And he found himself mentally thanking God that she always woke up ridiculously early; they'd only just made it into work on time...
He sighed as he gazed down at the photograph, taking his time to savour 'Morning Calleigh'. It was a sight that he hadn't seen for a while now, and one that he missed greatly.
But a sleeping Calleigh was cute, too, he remembered as he glanced over at her; he just wished that she wasn't choosing to do so much of it right now.
It was kind of funny when he thought about it. Whenever they went to bed, he was always the last one to fall asleep; he was definitely an evening person. And it was those moments that he loved, the moments where she was still, peaceful and free of her inhibitions. Where she was just Calleigh. Now all he wanted was for her to wake up, to move, to just... do something.
But still she did nothing.
And Eric's gaze fell once more to the photograph.
He'd spent ages looking at her that night, after he'd collected the rest of his stuff and officially moved in. It hadn't been without hassle, though. Shortly after they'd returned from work and he'd fetched his things over, the night shift had called and he'd been forced to cover for someone. So he'd come home to find her, unsurprisingly, already asleep, which was something that he certainly hadn't complained about at the time...
/EC/
He smiled as he entered the bedroom to find her curled up and dreaming peacefully, and after undressing quickly to his boxers, he slipped in quietly beside her. He'd long since discovered that Calleigh Duquesne - independence personified - was a cuddler; so he wasn't surprised when she instinctively found her way over to the warmth of his body. He whispered a gentle kiss to her temple as she did so and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her in tighter.
And as he lay there with her head pressed to his chest, her body snuggled against his, one hand entwined with his... he just watched her. He watched as her chest moved up and down gently with each soft breath, and the way that her hair fell about in a beautiful frame around her face. And it wasn't long before he found himself reaching out to run his fingers through it, hearing her release a delicate sigh as he did so.
He found his touch drawn to the simplistic, gliding his fingertips along her cheek, down her right shoulder and along her forearm. As he traced over her wrist he found that he could feel her strong, yet gentle, beating pulse. And after placing a gentle kiss to it, he entwined their fingers once more and settled his head on hers, content to listen to the soft sound of her breathing as she continued to sleep.
Or so he thought, anyway.
For a few moments later, he heard her murmur, "Work okay?" She still had her eyes closed and for a second, Eric wondered if she had actually said anything; but when her eyelids began to flutter open and her arms slid around his waist, drawing her closer to his body, he felt certain that he hadn't imagined it.
"Yeah," he answered softly, smiling as she adjusted her position around him. "Sorry I woke you."
"You didn't," she told him simply, settling her head on his chest once more as she traced a few lazy circles across his abdomen. "I always know when you're around," she whispered.
He smiled then, and stilled her hand - forcing it flat against his stomach before he brought it up to his mouth and kissed it lightly. A small yawn escaped her as he let it drop again and she placed it over his chest, drawing one final circle over his skin before she lost herself to sleep once more.
And as she slept, he continued to gaze down at her, wondering just what the reason was for the soft smile that settled on her mouth as she dreamt the night away...
/EC/
He wondered if she was dreaming now, wondered if she knew that he was here. And all of a sudden, he craved her contact, thinking that maybe, just maybe, she did too.
So without a second thought, he stood up and dropped the photo album into the chair before he made his way over to her bed. Then taking care not to disturb any of the various wires or tubes that were connected to her body, he laid himself down next to her and slipped his arms around her waist, hoping that she'd do the same.
She didn't, though.
And Eric sighed, taking a moment to close his eyes as despair began to creep in. He wasn't sure how much more he could take; he needed her to do something.
Anything.
"Damn it, Calleigh," he suddenly breathed. "Please."
Still there was no response.
Nothing.
He buried his face in her hair as the realisation sunk in, trying to fight away the tears that threatened to break through, and he hugged her tighter; determined that if she couldn't give him what he wanted, then perhaps his gesture would gift her, her own.
Because she had always been a cuddler.
And just as it always had done, perhaps his touch was all that was needed to wake her.
As he continued to breathe in the scent of her hair, Eric was oblivious to the figure that watched them through the glass in the hospital corridor. Horatio sighed as he fiddled with his glasses, indecision temporarily rendering him useless. He'd left Calleigh for fifteen minutes for a bathroom break and a decent cup of coffee, and, if he was honest, he wasn't surprised to find Eric back so soon. The sensible thing to do would be to send him home, of course. But he wasn't so sure that it would be as easy as it had been last time - not that it even been so then. And, for some reason, he felt sure that if Calleigh were to open her eyes for anyone, it would be Eric.
So as he placed his sunglasses over his eyes and turned to leave, he gave a gentle nod to a nearby nurse to inform her not to disturb his CSI's and then walked calmly out of the hospital.
And as Eric lost himself to an uneasy sleep, both he and Horatio missed the slight twitch that occurred in Calleigh's left, index finger.
The smallest of movements.
Something.
My next exam isn't till Wednesday, so you can probably expect another update between now and then. And thanks to those of you for wishing me good luck, I think I may have needed it!
Don't hesitate to make any scene requests. As I said, I'll do my best to incorporate them.
