Chapter 14

"Duquesne." Calleigh answered her cell.

"Hey it's Eric. Cal, she took all her stuff. She left a note for you."

"What does it say?"

"Goodbyes."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"It's plural?"

"Who else could she say goodbye to?"

"I know where she went!"

"Where?"

"Get on my computer!"

"What?"

"What is on the screen of my computer?" She said slowly.

It hit him. "The screensaver."

"Giggle the mouse."

"It's the cemetery where Speed's buried. And where his plot is at."

"She went to say goodbye to her father."

"I'm on my way!"

"I'll meet you there." They both closed their phones and took off.

"Horatio, she went to Speedle's grave. I'm meeting Eric there." She called as she passed him in the Hall.

When the elevator took to long, she abandoned it and used the stairs to get to the garage. She quickly walked through the garage with only one thought in her mind. She was so preoccupied that she didn't realize she wasn't alone. She fumbled for her keys. Suddenly, something struck her head. She fell against the Hummer. Her vision turned psychedelic, blurring into a glob of colors and patterns. She could feel blood running down the back of her neck. She tried to call out, but no voice came. He struck her again. She couldn't resist it anymore. She slipped into unconsciousness and fell to the ground.

************

Eric waited for a few minutes for Calleigh. She should have beaten him there. He looked around. He didn't see any movement. He pulled out his phone. He dialed her number. It went to voicemail. He shook his head and dialed another number.

"H, is Calleigh still at the lab?"

"No, she left twenty minutes ago to meet you. What's going on Eric?"

"She isn't here. She never showed up."

"You keep doing what you're doing. I'll find Calleigh."

"You got it." He hung up.

Eric got out of the Hummer and headed to the grave he knew too well. Although he didn't visit often, he never forgot where it was. It was the resting place of his best friend. As he got closer, he could see something propped up against the headstone. It wasn't human, but someone had put it there recently. He picked up his pace until he stood inches from the stone. He bent down and picked up the envelope. It was plainly addressed Daddy.

Eric looked at the envelope. I hadn't been there long as the paper hadn't been exposed to the Florida elements. She was close, he knew she was. But he was out of ideas. Feeling slightly impolite, he opened it. A single, folded piece of paper sat inside. He pulled it out and unfolded it.

Dad,

It's hard to tell you that I love you as I'm standing over your grave. But I do, and even though I've never met you, I miss you. My life hasn't been easy, but I've learned that: goodbyes are always going to hurt, pictures will never replace being there, sorry is a feeble utterance, words can't replace feelings, and heroes often go unsung. You're my hero, Daddy. And I know you would have been there if you had only known. You would have been the one who would finally save me. But, I guess Heaven needed a hero more than I did. Maybe I've already met my heroes in your friends. I don't know. We'll meet someday. And when that day comes, everything will be right and good again. We'll be right where we need to be.

D

Eric miserably folded up the paper and put it back in front of the grave. He looked around. He couldn't let it end this way. A couple nearby buildings caught his eye. One looked like a garden shed. And the other…She had to be in! He just had a feeling. He ran to the towering cathedral.

The building was old. The door weathered and worn and stone heavily eroded. It had probably been built to facilitate early funerals, and probably had a small original cemetery close by. The door opened with a creak. He stepped into the musty room. Out of habit, he dipped his fingers in the Holy water and drew his hand in the motion of a cross in front of him. He could see several lit candles in the dim room. A few people were scattered about, all kneeling. He walked down the isle until he found what he was looking for. She was kneeling with her hands clamped, wrists resting on the bench in front of her, head bowed between her arms. He drew the cross again before entering the pew and knelt next to her.

He knelt there for what seemed like hours before she un-folded her hands and used them to push herself up onto the bench behind her. He followed suit. It was another few minutes before she spoke.

"I can't avoid this can I?" She whispered.

"Not like this."

"I couldn't leave. I had wanted to meet him for so long. For years I believed he would come for me. And now that I found him, even though he's dead, I couldn't lose him. Am I crazy?"

"No, Danny. You're human."

"What's going to happen to me?" Her eyes welled with tears, they seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Well, Calleigh physically assaulted him, verbally destroyed him, and promised she was going to take you from him. It's been my experience that Calleigh gets what she wants."

"She did that?"

"Yeah." He chuckled, but her face grew dark.

"He's dangerous. He too, gets what he wants, but he believes he is above the law. He has shattered lives. He's killed people."

"Oh no." He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

"What?"

"She was supposed to meet me here, but she never made it."

"We gotta go!" She jumped up and pushed both of her palms toward Eric, indicating she wanted him to hurry up.

They both quickly drew crosses before leaving the pew and ran towards the door. As soon as they were outside, Eric dialed Horatio's number.

"Eric…"

"H, Calleigh's in danger!"

"I know. She was abducted from the parking structure when she went to get in her Hummer. The surveillance tapes don't show the face of who did it, but he came at her from behind and hit her with the butt of his gun twice. Then, she was carried to a green sedan with no plates or emblems. She was thrown in the truck."

"Dennis Emmery took her."

"Are you sure?"

"Here…" he handed the phone to Danny as they got into the Hummer. He started the engine.

"He wants me back and Calleigh is standing in his way. He's killed before and he can kill again. And he knows how to make it all go away."

"Do you know where he would take her?"

"No, I don't." She paused, "But I know how to find them."

************

"Natalia!" Danny called as she ran down the hall to where she had first met the woman.

"Danny, Thank God!" She ran towards the girl and breathed a sigh of relief.

"No time, did you call him on your cell?"

"What?"

"Dennis, did you call him on your cell phone?"

"Yes…why?"

"Dial Calleigh's number and hand it to me."

"What's going on?"

"He took Calleigh!" Danny looked at her. That was all she needed. She pulled out her phone and dialed Calleigh's number. When it started ringing, she handed it over.

"You've always been a smart girl." The voice on the other end of the line cooed.

"Let me speak to Calleigh!"

"Wow… that was not polite at all. What happened to your manners?"

"I decided being a bitch was more effective."

"You are wasting precious time. For every moment you waste, the more pain she's in." On the other end of the phone she heard Calleigh cry out in pain. She closed her eyes tightly. Natalia took the phone and put it on speaker, but remained silent.

"Please don't hurt her." Danny pleaded.

"More wasting time." Another cry was heard.

"Fine!" Danny said quickly. "What do you want?"

"You. Just you." Tears were in her eyes, he knew it even though he couldn't see her. Behind him, Calleigh had worked the gag out of her mouth and yelled for Danny not to do it. There were a few muffled thuds and she was silent again. Danny drew a ragged breath.

"Deal."

"I knew you would come back to me. You love me."

Danny winced at his last remark, "Where are you?"

"In a place that holds many memories for you." The phone clicked off.

"Danny… you can't do this."

"I have to. And you are going to drive."

"What? No!"

"I need you to get me there or Calleigh is dead. You made the mistake that brought him here and this is the only way to fix it!"

"Okay, I'll get my keys."

"One more thing: do you have a gun?"

Twenty minutes later:

"Okay, I am going in there." Danny was prepping herself more than Natalia. "I will stall as long as I can, but if it comes between me and Calleigh, get her out. As soon as I hit the door, call for back-up, but no lights or sirens. He can't know they're here. Got it?"

"I got it. And Danny, I'm so, so sorry."

"I know, I am too. That day, I was angry. I was angry at myself, and that man, and my mother. You just look so much like her. Not how I knew her, but how she would have been if maybe she had been different, or stronger… or just happy." She shook her head softly then jumped out of the vehicle and slowly walked to the building. She opened the door and stepped in. It still smelled of blood from her attack. Apparently, vacant warehouses didn't warrant crime-scene clean-up.

"Stephan? Where are you, you coward?"

"Big mouth on such a little girl." She spun around. He was standing near a wall. Calleigh was tied to some old, exposed pipes. She had a scarf in her mouth to keep her from being too vocal.

"Bold tone coming from tiny balls." She countered.

"You'll pay for that once I have you again."

"Whether I go back with you or not, I will take you down. You know what they do to men like you in prison?"

"You are making a very costly mistake."

"What, the trust fund? The inheritance? I don't want any of it. It's blood money."

"Don't be stupid."

"You know why it's called blood money?" She chuckled, "From the first time I bled when you held me down."

"That's a lie!" He yelled.

"You stole everything! My childhood, my virginity, my sense of safety and fairness in the world!" She yelled just as loud as he had before lowering her voice again, "and I'll never be yours again."

He rushed toward her, tackling her to the ground. He could feel something poking his stomach but ignored it until the sound echoed off the walls. She was breathing heavily beneath him. At the sound of the gunshot, police flooded the building. Seconds seemed like hours and the world spun slower as the force of what happed sank in and he rolled off of her. Trembling she still held Natalia's gun as she rolled to her stomach and crawled to Calleigh. Blood was caked in her blonde hair and soaked her clothes. Bruises had begun to form where he had hit her. As the realization of what she had done hit Danny, her nerves became strangely calm. She set the gun next to her and began to untie the beaten woman. The moment Calleigh was free, she embraced her rescuer. Calleigh was the one trembling now as Danny held her, whispering comforting notions into her hair.