Horatio continued walking out of the lab; he needed to get some air he couldn't believe what he had just found out. Calleigh was the happiest person he knew, always had a smile on her face and always had the ability to make a bad situation seem so much better. He passed Alex on his way out.
"Horatio, what's going on Calleigh just ran passed me and she looked like she was upset, what's wrong with her?" She asked, genuinely concerned.
"Urm, well, I suppose you're going to find out sooner or later, follow me," Horatio replied, walking towards his office. Once both he and Alex were inside he closed the door and began explaining to Alex what had just happened.
"Oh my god, that poor girl," Alex said quietly, also shocked by what she had just heard, "where is she now?"
"I don't know but she ran out of the lab, I figured she would need some time to herself for a few minutes. It must have been a shock for her, us finding out about all of this now, she can't have been expecting it either."
Eric was still in the lab, he didn't know what, to do should he go and find Calleigh and talk to her but then again he didn't know what to say. He was so angry that someone had done this to her, why would somebody hurt Calleigh like that she was a good person she didn't deserve that. Not that anybody ever did, but this was Calleigh, his Calleigh, wait a minute no she wasn't, she wasn't his anything, except a friend where had that come from?
He had to get out of the trace lab, maybe go and get something to eat, he knew he couldn't concentrate at the moment, not with what he had just found out. He was heading towards the break room, when he saw Calleigh leave the bathroom.
"Calleigh, wait up!" He said, walking slightly faster so he could catch her up, "Are you OK?" She looked like she'd been crying, she'd washed her make up off and her eyes were sad and had lost their usual sparkle.
"I'm fine," she replied with a smile, "has the database come up with a match for that fibre?"
"um, no, not yet, I don't think," he replied. How could she be acting so normally after what had just happened. "Calleigh…" he asked wanting to say something about what had happened.
"Don't Eric," she interrupted quietly, "not now."
He wanted to push her further but she looked so sad, he didn't want to pressure her, at least not right now.
"Hey Claudia, are there any messages for me?" She asked the receptionist, walking towards the front desk.
"Yeah, some guy dropped this off for you about half an hour ago," She finished handing Calleigh an envelope.
Calleigh took the envelope from her and began to open it, walking towards the ballistics lab. Eric followed her, he knew she was not ok and wanted her to talk to him, he cared about her, he was only just beginning to realise how much and he didn't want to see her hurt, he wanted her to open up to him.
Calleigh pulled out a piece of paper from the envelope and unfolded it. She suddenly stopped walking and dropped the paper on the floor, she looked terrified. Eric wondered what could have made her so upset. He bent down and picked up the paper and turned it over to see the words 'YOUR NEXT' printed in big bold letters.
Calleigh saw Eric read it and ran into the ballistics lab, it was here that she was safe, nobody could hurt her here, she went to the gun vault and picked up the first gun she found taking it to the firing range and firing off rounds as fast as she could. Eric saw her and decided to leave her, shooting was what calmed her down when she was angry or scared and he would talk to her later. He decided he should take the letter to Horatio, he needed to see this and it needed to be processed see if there was any way the letter could help them find out where that bastard was.
"Horatio," Eric said walking into Horatio's office, "This letter was just dropped off for reception for Calleigh." He handed the letter to a shocked Horatio.
"We need to get this guy now before he has the chance to get anywhere near her," Horatio replied, "I suppose we did expect this, he is exacting revenge on those who testified against him. I requested the files from the original case, they should be here any minute, they may give us some idea how he thinks, how he works what he might be planning to do next."
"Horatio, I still can't believe this, how could we not have known this?" Eric asked
"If she didn't want us to know then there is no reason for her to tell us Eric, it was 15 years ago, she's only worked here for 10 years. Maybe she was just trying to put the past behind her and move on with her life," Horatio replied. Claudia then walked into Horatio's office.
"These were just brought up and you said you wanted to see them as soon as they arrived," she said placing the box containing the original case files on the table before leaving the room.
Horatio took the lid off the box and began reading through the notes of the original case files whilst Eric picked up the folder containing the crime scene photographs from each of the crime scenes.
"Oh my god," was all Eric could manage, what he saw brought tears to his eyes. Photographs of Calleigh after the attack were sprawled out in front of him, she was younger, he figured she would have been 18 at the time of the attack. Her face was covered in cuts and bruises and her blonde hair was covered in blood. She had bite marks on her breasts and her stomach which was also covered with bruises. She had marks around her wrists where he must have tied her up and finger marks around her arms, they looked so painful. Eric felt the rage pour through him, if Josh Bartlett had been in front of him now, he'd be dead in seconds. Eric wanted to avenge every inch of pain he saw in her face. He wanted to stop looking at the photos but part of him thought that by looking at the pictures he could take on some of her pain himself so she didn't hurt so much, he knew that was rubbish but still couldn't help himself. The next photos were of the top of her legs, they were covered in bruises and cuts, and it looked like she put up one hell of a fight.
"Are you ok Eric?" Horatio asked, seeing that Eric seemed upset and angry, which was expected but he had just gone quiet.
"Yes, I'm fine its just she looks so hurt and…." He trailed off.
"I know Eric but we are going to get him."
"Did you find anything in those files?" Eric asked trying to change the subject.
"It appears that he always attacks his victims in open spaces like parks. Whilst he attacks them he holds a knife to their throat so they don't scream and tells them that they are sluts that deserve what is happening to them." Horatio replied thinking about what Calleigh must have gone through, "at trial only 2 of his victims testified, Jessica Marshall and Calleigh, Emma Scott was too terrified and Melanie Jones moved to the UK before the trial."
"I'm going to talk to Calleigh," Eric said feeling guilty that he had just left her on her own, he left Horatio's office and walked to the ballistics lab.
Calleigh was now just sitting at desk thinking, when she came to work this morning she'd had no idea that her past was about to catch up with her, and now her secret was out and she was sure the whole lab must know by now. She saw Eric walking towards her lab and began to make herself look busy, she knew he was concerned but she wasn't ready to deal with it yet.
"Calleigh are you ok?" he asked walking into the lab and closing the door behind him.
"I wish you would stop asking me that," she replied trying to make herself appear cheerful.
"I'm worried about you; will you stay at my place tonight?" Eric asked.
"Eric, thank you but I'll be fine at my place," she replied quietly.
"Calleigh, you read that note, there's no way I'm letting you go home on your own tonight, please, I'll stay at yours on the couch then, please Calleigh."
"Eric you don't have to do that I'll be fine on my own."
"Please Calleigh, if anything happened to you I would never forgive myself," Eric begged.
"Ok, if you're sure just as long as we're clear you're doing it for you not for me."
"Whatever you say, come on lets get out of here."
Please review I would be very grateful to know what you think as this is my first ever fanfic.