Eric rolled onto his back, away from Calleigh's sleeping form. He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. He stayed perfectly still, listening to Calleigh's steady breathing. Glancing over at the clock he noted it was only a little after three. He rolled back toward Calleigh, pulling her closer to him. He breathed in the scent of her hair, clean and warm. He sighed, glad that she was with him. Without her there, his thoughts were solely on the loss of his mother. Calleigh made a small sound in his sleep, feeling his embrace tighten around her. Eric dozed in and out of restless sleep until almost five. He lay there, again listening to Calleigh's breathing. He watched the rise and fall of her chest beneath her arm. Giving up on getting more sleep he gently untangled his frame from hers. Sneaking out of her apartment he made the long drive back to his apartment.
Eric listlessly made his way though his apartment, he opened bills and looked at them, not seeing them. Giving up on getting things done, he made his way to his shower. Letting the steaming water beat against his skin he tried to think of everything but his mother. He stood, leaning against the cold tile wall until the water turned cold too. Climbing out he made his way to his bedroom where he flopped onto his bed. He didn't even think twice about getting the quilt wet.
Eric lye there for a long time, tears streamed down the sides of his cheeks. He tried to think of anything other than load of bricks that seemed to be laying on his chest. He thought back to all of the good times he had with his mom, she had been his rock and foundation…until Calleigh anyway. He cried harder thinking of Calleigh, he'd dreamed of her and his mom growing close. He'd hoped that his mother would have a chance to be the mother Calleigh never had. He'd wanted his mother to be the one Calleigh called when she didn't know to cook something. He'd dreamed that Calleigh would go wedding dress shopping with his mom, because she didn't have one. But most of all, he'd wanted Calleigh to be able to turn to his mother with questions about raising their children.
After a while Eric had pulled himself together and dug through his closet. He pulled his best suit out of closet, followed by a dark green dress shirt and a black and green tie. After he was completely dressed he grabbed his things and made his way out of his house. Before returning to Calleigh's he stopped at a small flower shop and bought a small bouquet of flowers.
Eric pulled his car to the side of the narrow road, getting out he adjusted his tie in his reflection on the car. Making his way over the grass, he looked to see the Miami sun rising over the ocean. Eric came to a stop, just at the base of a head stone. He knelt and placed the flowers at it's base before drawing a cross over his body. "Teach her the ropes in heaven, Marisol," He mumbled to the empty cemetery. Tears gathered at the edges of his eyes again, as he continued to talk to his sister.
When he was done, he noticed for the first time, that they had already began to dig out his mothers plot. Eric shoved his hands into his pants pockets, looking at the shallow hole. He licked his lips before turning and returning to his car.
Calleigh emerged from her bathroom, clothed only in her bathrobe. She was surprised to find Eric sitting at her counter, reading the paper.
"You're back already?" She asked, having read the note he'd left. Eric smiled, instead of answering. "You look good," She told him pouring herself some of the coffee he'd made.
"You too," Eric responded, his lips turning up a little. Calleigh laughed in response, before taking a large gulp of coffee. Swallowing, she sat the mug on the counter and watched him. He was looking down at the paper again, reading an article about one of their recent cases. Calleigh softly made her way around the counter, surprising Eric by coming up behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Eric turned his head, placing a gentle kiss on her damp arm. Calleigh let go and went to stand next to him. Eric turned the barstool so that he was facing her, he softly reached for her hips and pulled her between his knees. Calleigh leaned into his touch, bringing her lips to his. Erick deepened the kiss, biting at her lips. Calleigh's hands ran over eric's short hair, down his neck, over his shoulders. Erick sighed against her mouth, forgetting for a moment the sadness in his heart. Eric found the edge of the towel Calleigh had around her, he tugged gently, the entire thing winding up in his hand. Calleigh laughed softly against his lips, not breaking contact.
"Do we have time for this?" She mumbled as his lips made their way from her lips to her collar bone. Eric hopped off the stool, causing their bodies to crash into one another, Calleigh laughed at him again. He took her hand and lead a very naked Calleigh toward her bedroom. Eric, for the hour they were together, got completely lost in Calleigh, glad she could make his mind swim.
Calleigh and Eric lay wrapped in each other's embrace, enjoying the warmth. Calleigh lay with her head on Eric's bare chest, drawing lazy circles with her fingers. Eric ran is fingers through her hair, playing with the ends. Calleigh could feel Eric slipping back into himself, back to the sadness of the day.
"I stopped to see Marisol on my way here," Eric whispered into the top of her head. Calleigh remained quiet, waiting for him to continue. "They are already digging…" Eric stopped talking and took a deep breath. Calleigh propped herself up, so that she could see his eyes. "I just wasn't expecting to see the hole, just…waiting for her." Eric finished, tears lining his eyes for the third time that day. Calleigh knew nothing she could say would make him feel better, instead she stretched up and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his eye. "It's just that I had so many plans for the future, and now that she's gone, I'm surprise at how many of them involved her," He whispered.
"Tell me about them," She whispered, settling her head back onto his chest.
"I used to have this dream of you and I getting married, and because you're mom isn't here to do all of that preparation stuff…"Eric stopped talking, glancing at Calleigh. They hardly ever talked about getting married, he was afraid that he'd said to much, but she was listening intently. "Anyway, I just imagined my mom and Daniela taking you dress shopping and what ever else it is that you do," He said laughing a little. "Is that silly?" Eric asked softly.
"I like that your dreams for us involve your family," Calleigh told him moving to sit up, wrapping a sheet around her. "However, if we don't get going, we're going to be late," She said, placing a kiss on his lips before slipping out of bed. Eric watched her make her way to the bathroom to get ready.