Best Laid Plans

Disclaimer: CBS, creators, producers, etc., own all recognizable characters, not me; I'm just borrowing them.

Sequel to: Open Road.

Best Laid Plans

Leaning over her prone figure, he lightly trailed his lips down her neck before settling into the hollow above her collarbone. This was as close to heaven as he'd ever been, he mused silently.

"Look at that sunset. Have you ever seen a more beautiful display of colors?" she asked lazily from her relaxed position atop the chaise.

"Mmm. It's nice," he murmured distractedly. He was much too busy pressing soft kisses against her skin to bother looking up.

"You know, you actually have to look at it to really be able to appreciate what I'm saying," she said, squirming underneath him.

"Mmm. I am," he said between kisses, his attention unwavering. There was beauty, and then there was Calleigh. No palette of vibrant colors splattered across the sky stood any chance of gaining his attention while she was within his eyesight.

"That kinda means you have to stop what you're doing to look," she said with a giggle before her voice trailed off.

After pressing one more kiss into the sweet spot at the base of her neck, he pulled away abruptly. He lifted his head just as her eyelids fluttered and a soft moan escaped her lips. "You sure you want me to do that?" he asked, biting back a chuckle as he did and clearly enjoying the effect he had on her.

"Well, no," she admitted with a sheepish smile. Placing her hand behind his neck, she pulled him closer.

"Didn't think so," he answered smugly before grazing his lips against hers. Rolling onto his side, he propped up on one elbow while tracing a lone finger down her bare arm with his free hand.

"But I didn't want you to miss it," she continued, meeting his pensive gaze with one of her own. "The sky really is beautiful tonight," she said with a guileless enthusiasm he found endearing.

"Saw it yesterday. And another one will be along tomorrow. I'm good. I've got my own beauty right here," he said, playing with the hem of her tank top, letting his knuckles graze the tender skin of her belly. He studied her, watching as the corners of her mouth curved and rose slowly, reaching all the way to a pair of clear green eyes that glistened back at him. Truly, there was nothing more captivating than this woman's smile.

"Well, don't you just say the sweetest things," she drawled in a honey-coated accent that turned his insides to mush.

"Not nearly often enough," he said, his voice grown serious.

"You do fine," she reassured. Reaching up, she caressed his bristled cheek. "Better than fine. You're spoiling me with attention, you know. I mean, really, Tim, look where we are," she said, opening her arms wide. "Cuddled together on a comfy chaise for two, on our own private balcony overlooking the ocean. You're going to have to pry me away from here when it's time to leave. I'm not sure I could've imagined any setting as lovely as this."

"Yeah, it is pretty nice."

"It is," she readily agreed. Rolling onto her side to face him, she rested her head on her bent arm, letting her other hand come to rest on his hip. "Thank you." She smiled, but it was a small smile, devoid of her usual effervescence. And it was also all he needed to see to set his wheels turning.

He shook his head. "I'm the one who should be thanking you."

"All I did was arrange for the weekend off. You took care of the rest," she said quietly. There it was. It wasn't what she said, or even how she said it, or that she'd done anything at all to signal that their time here together had been anything short of amazing, but he knew her well enough to know that she was holding something back, something that wasn't going to spill forth without some prodding.

"Yeah, 'bout that," he sighed, dropping his eyes from her penetrating gaze. "Cal," he began tentatively, still fingering her shirt. "Are you disappointed that this trip didn't turn out the way you envisioned?" That very question had been niggling at the back of his brain since they'd arrived at their surprise destination, but until now, there'd been no reason to put it forth. She'd been so excited about the two of them hitting the road on an impulsive romantic adventure astride the Ducati, and now he couldn't help but wonder if his equally impulsive decision had been the right one after all.

The past 48 hours in this idyllic location had allowed for a blissful and much needed reconnection. This particular idyllic setting he'd chosen was merely a backdrop, albeit one that provided both the physical distance from Miami he needed and the privacy he craved. For him, whether he was holed up in a lush, tropical oasis, or in a rundown, side of the road Motor Inn, made little difference, as long as Calleigh was holed up alongside him. But this wasn't the trip she'd imagined for them when she'd surprised him in the lab, and the notion that the decision he'd made had come at the expense of disappointing her was troubling. The past couple months, he'd met and surpassed his quota in that department. This trip had given him the perfect opportunity to try to make amends, but not if he'd let her down again in the process.

They had no sooner exited the lab when the nagging doubts surfaced, crowding themselves into the vestibules of a mind already filled to capacity with guilt and self-inflicted recriminations. Conflicting voices peppered his thoughts like buckshot. Every shred of professional commitment he could muster reminded him that he couldn't walk away in the middle of a case, couldn't extricate himself simply because he was fed up and needed a break, yet here he was blindly making his way out to the parking lot with Calleigh, who was gripping his hand a lot harder than he would've deemed necessary.

He cast a wary glance in her direction. She'd been chattering animatedly on the walk over, but had grown quiet now that they'd arrived at the bike. With a smile, she handed him her helmet and dropped the overstuffed backpack to the ground. Landing with a thud, he bit back a chuckle at the misshapen bag, Calleigh's attempt at portable packing for two on a motorcycle. He waited while she slid her arms into her leather jacket. It was much too hot, in late spring Miami, for such attire, but safety came first.

In the bright late afternoon sun, he could now see the faint circles that ringed her eyes, despite her carefully applied concealer. Though he'd been preoccupied and somewhat inattentive of late, the long hours she'd been working hadn't gone completely unnoticed. She'd been carrying her own tough caseload without complaint, as well as contending with him, mostly without complaint. What had gone unnoticed, though, was just how much she had been looking out for him while he'd been too distracted to know whether he was coming or going. But who, he pondered, had been looking out for her?

"Hey," she said softly, tugging onto his sleeve and effectively pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Hey," he repeated, meeting her gaze. And in that instant, he saw the flash of uncertainty that crossed her eyes. A hint of vulnerability exposed for a blink and you'll miss it moment, before her seemingly endless pockets of resiliency saved her from herself.

"Wondered where you went off to there, for a minute," she teased, tugging again on his sleeve, apparently recovered from whatever insecurity had momentarily bubbled to the surface. He could press, but it wouldn't take the skills of a CSI to deduce that he was likely the reason behind that flicker of unease.

"I'm here, not going anywhere, not without you, anyway," he reassured. She smiled and reached for the pack, which he grabbed for her. "I got it," he said, turning her and slipping the straps over her shoulders. "Geez Cal, how are you going to manage this on your back? It weighs almost as much as you do. I thought you packed light."

Twisting around, she rolled her eyes and laughed. "I did."

"Well, don't lean back once you're on the bike. I'm afraid you'll topple over," he said with a look of faint amusement. "You ready?"

"I am now," she answered, taking the helmet he offered.

Pulling her close, he kissed her gently. "Hold on, okay? There's a lot of traffic this time of day."

"I'll be fine," she answered and climbed on after him.

Despite the traffic, the ride from the lab was smooth. It was, also, rather nice having her pressed up against him with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Arms that now tightened their grip as he veered unexpectedly off the highway and onto an exit she knew well. At the exit ramp light, he snickered as she gingerly poked his ribs. No doubt he'd be getting an earful in the not too distant future. Entering the parking garage, he grabbed his ticket, found a spot by a security camera and cut the engine. He climbed off first before helping her down.

"We're at the airport," she blurted as she stepped away from the bike.

"I know that. I drove here, remember?" he answered while helping her off with the heavy pack.

"But why are we at the airport?" she asked, looking bewildered.

"We have three days off. I liked your idea about heading out of town," he shrugged.

"That's what I thought we were doing… before you drove us here, that is," she added with emphasis.

"Still are, just a bit differently," he answered.

"And where exactly are we going?" she asked pointedly as she folded her arms in front of her chest.

"Don't know," he shrugged. "Depends on what plane we get on, I would think." After she shot him a warning look, he dutifully reconsidered any further wiseass comments. "Think of it as an adventure."

"You're serious?" she asked doubtfully.

"Why not? We're here. We're packed." He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. "You were right, I needed a break. But walking away like that, it's hard, you know? I can't just shut it down because I'm out of the building," he sighed.

"I know," she acknowledged, nodding slightly.

"Then Cal, you also know if I don't put some distance between myself and the lab, I'm gonna end up right back there thinking of one more thing I need to follow up or look into. And that, won't make either of us happy."

"So what are you saying?"

"Calleigh, I'm tired, it's been another in a series of very long weeks. And you're tired, I can see it in your eyes even if you are too stubborn to admit it," he said, smoothing her hair. "To get anywhere away from here we're gonna be on the bike for awhile, and that's a lot to ask of you."

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine on the bike," she insisted. The look she gave him seemed to suggest it'd be best if he didn't doubt her, a suggestion he wisely accepted.

"I know you are. But I'd rather spend my time doing something other than driving," he said, pulling her closer. "The only thing I want to have to think about is pleasing you for the next three days."

"Ti-im," she protested, stretching out his one syllable name in the process, but he silenced her with the kind of kiss meant for someplace other than a public parking lot.

"Come on, we've got a plane to catch," he said, grabbing her hand and slinging the pack over his shoulder. He chuckled at her flustered expression as she grabbed her helmet and followed.

"Wait, where exactly are we going?"

He stopped and considered her question, watching the traffic in the sky as he did. "I'm thinking someplace with frequent flights to and from Miami and not more than a couple hours away. All I'm looking for is a soft bed, twenty-four hour room service, and maybe a private balcony overlooking the ocean."

"Someplace, like one of the Caribbean Islands?" she asked after a moment's consideration.

"That'll work. But it's got to be someplace where we don't need a passport, because I'm thinking you probably left those home."

"Well, yeah. I didn't think we would be traveling out of the country this weekend," she said with a laugh.

"Then I guess we're heading to St. Croix," he said, pleased with his fast thinking. "And if there's anything we need, we'll pick it up when we get there."

"But Tim, that's exactly the kind of place you hate." He squinted at her curiously, wondering where this was going. "You know, vacation destinations, resorts teeming with vacationers."

"Well, I wasn't planning on spending my time with any vacationers," he said with a wry smile. She opened her mouth to speak but he silenced he with a finger to her lips. "Cal, trust me," he said, tipping his head and winking.

Trust him, she did, and they'd ended up here, in their own little slice of heaven, but something wasn't quite right. "Are you disappointed with how this trip turned out?" he asked again, weighing her expression as he did.

"Disappointed?" she asked, her voice an octave higher. "Tim, how could I be disappointed? These past couple days have been wonderful, in every way possible. And so have you," she said. Her lips parted slightly, and then froze together in a tight, strained smile, as if holding something back.

"Then what's that face for?" he asked, brushing a lone finger down her nose. "Cal?" he persisted, quirking an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"You did all this for me," she said in a burst, gesturing with her hands before dropping them into her lap with a loud sigh. Abruptly, she pushed herself upright and moved further down the chaise, before turning to him once more.

"Yeah?" he asked, bewildered by her reaction. "And if I did?" He tilted his brow, looking at her warily as he waited on her answer.

"This weekend wasn't supposed to be about me," she said, sounding frustrated. "It was supposed to be about you."

"And who do you think is here enjoying all this with you?" he asked with a smirk, laying back on the chaise and folding his arms behind his head.

She shook her head at him, looking somewhat irritated that he was finding this amusing. "I wanted you to do what you wanted, but thought you couldn't, or shouldn't. This wasn't about getting you to take me to some incredible resort. I just wanted you to be able to escape for a little while." She blew out a burst of air and shook her head again, sending loose waves spilling across her shoulders.

He sat up and faced her, affection replacing his earlier amusement. "I know that." Automatically, he reached for a loose curl, and gently placed it behind her ear.

"Tim, we both know that this place wouldn't have been your destination of choice if not for me. If you hadn't had to worry about me, you would have taken off on the bike, gone as far as you wanted and not looked back," she said, fixing her steady gaze on him.

He considered her a moment. "You're right, I wouldn't have come here if I'd been alone, or maybe even ever. But I'm not alone. Nor would I want to be," he added quickly, seeing the doubt cloud her eyes. "I wouldn't have gone anywhere without you, Cal. You know that, don't you?" he asked, cocking his head to one side and offering her a tender smile. Nodding slightly, she gave him a tentative smile in return. "Besides, I rather like it here. It beats any place we might've found on the road, don't you agree?"

Her expression softened. "You are right about that."

"Honestly Cal, I wasn't worried about you on the bike. But to travel any distance, it gets uncomfortable after awhile. Trust me on that."

"I suppose," she said softly, dropping her eyes. Struck by her willingness to go the distance both for, and with him, he reached for her, taking her hands in both of his.

"That you were willing to do that for me means more than you know. Your willingness was enough. This," he said, with a tip of his head, "was something I could give you in return. And it's something we've enjoyed equally, don't ya think?" he asked before pulling her into his lap.

She sighed loudly and rested her head against his chest, while he stroked her tousled locks. "We have," she agreed.

Tilting his head, he brought his mouth flush with her ear. "And here, we have an endless supply of those little umbrella drinks you seem fond of, not to mention the chocolate mousse that's available round the clock," he reminded in a low, sexy voice. She blushed and laughed lightly. "Doubtful, we'd get that in any back roads motel," he continued. "And we certainly wouldn't have our very own private balcony looking over the ocean."

"No we wouldn't," she sighed happily. "This place is amazing. I've loved being here." She sat up, meeting his eyes with a now questioning gaze. "You're not disappointed, then?"

"No, not in the least," he answered, caressing her cheek. "Calleigh, you work just as hard as I do, and on top of that, you get to put up with me round the clock. I think maybe I get to do something nice for you every once in awhile in return. Think you can live with that?"

"Mmm," she murmured, leaning back against him and nuzzling his neck. "I can live with that. And for the record, I don't put up with you. I live with you. Happily."

"I know, and it still surprises me," he answered honestly, wrapping his arms around her.

"Tim, we've been together for months," she said, pushing away. "Are you telling me you wake up every morning surprised to find me next to you?" she teased.

"No, not like that. I'd probably be more surprised if I woke up and you weren't there. Just surprised you still want to be, I guess," he said, shaking his head self depreciatingly. "Especially after the past few weeks we've had."

She smiled thoughtfully and nodded. "True, enough. It has been a tense couple of weeks. And you have been a little more distracted than usual…" she began before he interrupted.

"A little?" he asked, eyeing her skeptically.

"Okay, a lot," she laughed. "But Tim, our jobs are stressful and unfortunately, that's going to follow us home sometimes."

He sighed deeply, feeling the frustration rise as he did. "But I should do a better job of leaving it behind."

"I'm not sure that can be helped," she said soothingly. "We're not robots, after all. But hey, we got through it, that's the important thing. And look where we are now," she said, smiling widely. "Plus, you forget, it's not always just you. There have been plenty of times when I've gotten pretty focused on a case."

"Nope, haven't forgotten," he chimed in quickly. His smirk earned him a warning look he chose to ignore. "Focused, huh? How come when we're talking about me, I'm tense and distracted, but when it's you, you're focused?" he teased.

"Well now, I really can't explain that," she answered, batting her eyes and turning on her southern charm.

"Calleigh, at a loss for words? Now there's a surprise," he joked, before grazing her lips. "I'm glad we got through everything," he said, his voice growing serious.

"Me, too," she readily agreed. "And you know, in the long run, it was good for us."

"How do you figure that?" he asked. Frowning, he squinted at her, puzzled by the comment. He'd hated the tension that had settled between them, but on his own, he hadn't been able to find a way to get out from under it. "Cause you really don't have to put a positive spin on this for my benefit. I know I'm not the easiest person to live with, especially when I get trapped inside my own head."

"If you think about it, our jobs are always going to be demanding, which means there are always going to be times when one, or both of us, will be in a rough patch and maybe, be difficult to live with. But at least now, we know we can get through it," she said brightly. He couldn't help but chuckle. Leave it to Calleigh to find the lone bright spot hidden in the shadows.

"It's nice to know that something good came out of those icy couple days we had." Her body tensed in his arms and instantly, he regretted his words.

"Not our best moments," she said quietly.

"No, I would say not. We certainly got riled up over a bunch of dirty clothes," he snickered. "Seems so trivial now," he said, hoping to diffuse some of the tension he felt in her. Trivial now, true, he thought, but at the time, their first real fight had been anything but. They'd had silly arguments and butted heads a few times since they'd started dating, just not anything resembling a fight. But for two exhausted people coming off a 16-hour shift, all it took was a pile up of laundry to get them started on their way.

"It was a lot of laundry," she huffed. "And it wasn't so trivial. You were oblivious to it, to everything."

"And you were unreasonable," he countered and immediately wished he had kept his mouth shut. Swiftly she sat up, twisting to face him and the expression she wore told him that the accusation rankled as much today as it had the first time he'd said it. He, on the other hand, couldn't claim the same ire at the accusation lobbed in his direction. He had been oblivious.

"I didn't think it was unreasonable to expect you to do your part," she said indignantly.

"Sure Calleigh, I'm happy to do my part, just not at midnight when I'm due back at work in just a few hours. It's not like I didn't already have enough on my plate," he said with irritation. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled loudly. "As if spending all day and night on your case wasn't enough, I had my own ongoing bitch of a case to deal with," he said, attempting to keep his voice even, despite a driving urge to do just the opposite.

"My case?" she asked with wide-eyed disbelief. "It was a high profile case and Horatio demanded all hands on deck. Your involvement in it had nothing to do with me."

"Fine. It doesn't matter, we were both busy and exhausted, which is why the idea that we ought to tackle the laundry at that hour was ridiculous." Why, he wondered were they rehashing this again? Hadn't they worked this out days ago?

"We needed clean clothes."

"Right, we had none," he said, not masking his sarcasm. "It wasn't a priority, not then."

"Maybe not, but life and laundry don't stop because you get involved in a case. It might be nice if you remembered that." She turned her head to the inky, star lit sky, and he followed suit. Just a short while earlier, she'd watched the sun drop below the horizon in a spray of tropical colors, while he was content watching her. How, he puzzled, had they gotten from that place to this one without ever having gotten off the chaise? Should the transition be that seamless? "I said I would take care of the laundry and you could sleep. I never asked for your help," she said, keeping her back to him.

"And I would've helped, if it had been hours earlier and I wasn't dead on my feet."

"You went to bed, didn't you?"

"Yeah, and if you remember that didn't last very long," he said, laying back in the chaise and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Kind of hard to sleep with doors slamming in your ears," he mumbled under his breath."

"You know that closet door sticks," she said, turning to him, clearly having heard. "I told you it was an accident."

"So you said." His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her. Gone was the Calleigh who'd melted into his chest and nuzzled his neck, this Calleigh looked ready to do battle, with shoulders back and hands pressed firmly on her thighs. The only thing missing was the fire in her eyes that had been present the first time they'd had this go-round.

"I wasn't trying to wake you," she insisted.

"And I suppose you ironing in the bedroom at 1 AM wasn't supposed to wake me, either?"

"I was quiet and only the closet light was on. I don't see how I was keeping you awake."

"You were ironing by the bed, in your underwear, how was I supposed to sleep?" This was crazy, he thought. He was beginning to feel the same amount of exasperation he'd felt that night.

"I don't see how my ironing for fifteen minutes prevented you from sleeping," she said, shaking her head at him. "It helps me relax. You weren't the only one who had a miserable day," she said with increasing irritation.

"If you had come to bed like you were supposed to, I could've helped you relax," he blurted, sitting up once more.

"I didn't want to come to bed," she said quietly, dropping her eyes from his steely gaze.

"Yeah, no kidding." He lowered his head and exhaled sharply. A thick silence fell over them that felt interminable. Feeling her gaze sliding over him, he looked up and met her eyes, surprised by the depth of emotion he saw there. "Cal, are we still fighting about the laundry, cause I thought we moved way past that?" he asked very softly. "And it seems like you're still mad at me," he added hesitantly.

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "No. No, I'm not. We're not. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too." He sighed loudly. "What a pair we are, getting riled up again about laundry while we're sitting in paradise."

Her head snapped up and her words spilled out in a burst. "Tim, it was never just about the laundry."

The emotion filling her words and spreading over her features told him he should know that already. And he did, somewhere, but it was never easy for him to match the actions and the interpretations. She sometimes didn't say what she meant; he sometimes didn't mean what he did; yet somehow, despite that, they still managed to meet each other somewhere in the middle, even though he was often a couple steps behind. Their relationship shouldn't work, but it did, and surprisingly quite well.

He leaned forward, cupping her cheeks in both his hands. "I know that, Cal, I do. It was about pulling together when everything around us felt like it was falling apart." His eyes caught and held hers. "And not forgetting the really important things."

A hopeful glint filled her green eyes as the last vestiges of anger evaporated. "You got all that?" she asked, placing her hands on top of his.

"Yeah. It takes me awhile, but I get there eventually."

"You do," she sighed. She leaned into him and he opened his arms to her, feeling her body relax as she rested against him. "I was frustrated. And I missed you."

Her words caught on his heart, exacting a painful tug. He was there, but not there, at least not the way she'd needed. "I know and I'm sorry," he said, pressing a kiss against her temple.

"Me, too," she said, drawing lazy circles on his bicep.

"And just so you know, next time we get busy like that, I'm sending the laundry out," he deadpanned. She laughed and the sound was music to his ears.

"I should've let the laundry wait. It's hard sometimes to let one thing go when something else has all your attention. I'm always afraid everything else will start to slip, so I have to stay on top of everything all the time."

"Everything and everyone?" he asked. Her non-answer spoke volumes about where her head was, and it wasn't with the laundry, same as he knew she wasn't referring solely to herself. "I know I have a tendency to get trapped in my head. I sometimes find myself stumbling around in the dark forgetting that the flashlight is right in my hand. But Calleigh, I won't ever lose sight of what's important to me. You don't have to worry about that, not from me." Twisting in his arms, she turned to face him, meeting his penetrating gaze with her own. Searching her eyes for clues, he wondered, as he had ever since they took their first tentative steps together, just what it was that kept her so tightly by his side.

"I love you," she said, dazzling him with her smile before locking her hands around his neck. And there it was, contained in three small words, the answer to his unasked question.

"I love you, too," he said, barely getting the words out before her lips were pressed against his. "You think maybe you want to stick with me awhile longer?" he asked, pulling away slightly.

"Yeah, I do," she said, threading her fingers through his unruly shock of hair. "That's kinda been my plan for all along."

Resting his forehead against hers, he answered with the first thing that came to mind. "Good plan, cause I'm not sure what I'd do without you." It was an honest admission, one that didn't come easily, but he was long past fighting his need for her. She'd been holding his fragile heart in her hands from the onset, and her grip had proven to be both secure and tenacious. His mind drifted for a moment, turning over the memory of being utterly alone, of his life before Calleigh made her place in it, and it was a hard thought, at once both grim and unsettling. Instinctively, his grip on her tightened as he pushed the thought away.

She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "But, just so I know, about how long were you thinking I should stick with you?" she asked with a barely concealed grin.

His own lips curved into a lopsided smile as he leaned in even closer. "I was thinking something long term. Really long term, actually," he said against her lips, feeling her shudder in response. "That is, if that goes along with what you're planning."

"Well, as a matter of fact it does," she drawled.

The devilish grin she wore now didn't escape his notice. "What?" he asked with a smirk.

"That was a pretty heated argument we had, if you remember," she said. Now there was a mischievous glint in her eyes to match the devilish grin.

"It was at that," he said, slipping his hands under her shirt.

"And if you recall, there was some pretty heated making up afterwards," she said playfully, matching the movements of his fingers with her own.

"I do," he mumbled into her neck, feeling her squirm as his lips found the sweet spot.

"What do you say we take this inside?" Her question ended with a soft moan as he continued caressing her skin with his lips and fingertips.

In one swift motion he pulled them both to standing and covered her mouth with his own, kissing her deeply. "I'd say that's another very good plan."

The end