I hope everyone enjoys angst, because there will be heaps in the next few chapters. And since the new season of CSI: M is fast approaching, I kindly request that no more spoilers be sent to me. I like to be surprised every now and then, but I greatly appreciate the ones that have been sent previously. Please and thank you . Here's a new chapter…

Calleigh placed the remaining plates in her dishwasher, softly singing a Peggy Lee song under her breath as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon outside, the sky vibrant with red and orange hues. She was slowly getting over the pain that had been pounding on her for the last several weeks. Eric was still constantly sitting in the back of her mind, however she could feel the pain gradually lessening and her heart becoming a little bit lighter.

When Calleigh returned from the hospital, she had come to the realization that she had been hoping Eric would change his mind and they would be able to start with the slate wiped clean. Now, she realized just how below her intelligence that had sounded, to be dwelling on a wish that could never come true. She had to repeat to herself at least one thousand times that night she and Eric were over and the chances of their romance rekindling were extremely minimal. As much it killed her to repeat that statement over and over, by the time she awoke that morning, she had accepted it. Calleigh had offered her apologies to Eric, he knew how she felt and his feelings were too quite clear, there was nothing else that could be done apart from trying to continue living.

The pain hadn't completely evaporated yet, not by any means, but she could at least see him and talk to him at work and in the locker room without feeling as though she were about to die from the crucial pain her heart would cause. She was simply taking everything in stride, one day at a time and hoped that her life could return to normal soon; if only she knew what normal was at this point.

"And I can make a man out of you, 'cause I'm a woman. W-O-M-A-N," she sang-mumbled as she closed the dishwasher, turning the knob to the appropriate setting. "I'll say it again. 'Cause I'm a woman. W-O-M-A-."

A knock at her door stopped the song in its tracks. Calleigh's eyebrows knitted together; who would be dropping by at this hour? Praying it wasn't a Jehovah's Witness, she approached her door, running a quick pair of hands through her lightly tangled hair, making herself look partly presentable. But once she looked out the window, she realized it really didn't matter how she looked, for the man outside saw her in practically every way possible. Eric had seen her when she woke up with her hair heavily tousled and eyelids heavy, he had seen her stressed when she came home at night and she had heavy circles under her eyes and he had seen her sick when her face was livid and nose red; a few askew hairs wasn't going to overly surprise him.

Calleigh had her hand on the door handle, allowing the initial shock from seeing him on her step at this time to wear off before daring to pull it open. She had convinced herself by this point that any discussion she would ever have with Eric wouldn't be that of personal issues and just didn't allow herself to think he was here for any other reason more than business—why he couldn't wait until the next morning much less call was beyond her—and readied herself for a hopefully quick conversation.

"Hey," she greeted him, a fake grin forcibly plastered on her face.

"Hey," he replied; for a moment Calleigh could have sworn she saw a spark in his eye, but it was probably only the gleam of the porch light.

"What's up?"

Eric seemed to have forgotten why he was there—in fact, he seemed to have forgotten how to speak—and didn't respond instantly. Eventually, after a few moments of silence, he realized he she had asked him the question and then hurried to answer.

"Nothing. I, uh, I just wanted to return this to you," Eric said, holding out an object in his hand Calleigh had failed to notice until that point; it was a DVD. Calleigh took it from him and examined the cover of the movie The Bourne Ultimatum, the movie she had let him borrow some time back, having forgotten completely about it until now.

"Um…thanks," Calleigh said slowly, not exactly sure how to react to this situation. "You know, I love a good Matt Damon movie as much as the next girl, but why return it now when you see me at work every day?"

"My day off is tomorrow and I'll have forgotten about it by the next day," Eric explained with a small shrug.

"Well, thanks again. So, um, what are you going to do tomorrow?" Calleigh asked.

"Not sure yet," Eric admitted with a light shrug.

"Oh, okay," she nodded as Eric continued to look at her, not saying a word and it was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable.

A silence settled around them, one heavy with tension and it was crushing down upon them. Calleigh dropped her gaze and rocked herself a few times on the balls of her feet, while Eric continued to look at her and still completely tongue-tied. In fact, Eric seemed completely unaware of the fact he was staring at her and not speaking, he seemed to have forgotten he was there and only when Calleigh began to talk again was he brought back to Earth.

"Is that all?" Calleigh asked, having difficulty believing he drove all the way to her house just to return a movie.

Eric just nodded and Calleigh saw his jaw muscles tighten, as though he were clenching his teeth, the way people did when they realized they have done something unthinkingly embarrassing and were regretting it.

"Okay," Calleigh said, relieved this very awkward exchange was coming to a close. "Thanks and have a good day tomorrow…doing whatever you decide to do."

"Thanks," he said, taking a step backward. "Enjoy the movie."

"Will do," she promised as he turned around and headed towards his car, running a hand over his short hair in an almost nervous manner.

Strange, Calleigh thought to herself as she closed the door. She heard the sound of a car engine start and pull out of the driveway as she headed towards her television cabinet, which had a compartment for any movies she may have owned. She pulled open the small wooden door, attempting to push Eric's less-than-normal behavior from her mind—not to mention the painful shock she still had from seeing him on her doorstep. Calleigh went to slide the DVD into place only to see The Bourne Ultimatum was already placed amongst the DVDs she had.

The movie in her hand wasn't hers…did Eric know that?

"Which one of you did Delko borrow this from?" Calleigh asked, holding up the DVD as she entered the locker room the following morning. Walter and Natalia glanced at the movie and then back at their lockers, whereas Ryan stepped forward.

"From me, last week," Ryan said as Calleigh handed them the movie. "How did you get it?"

"Eric returned it last night, thinking it was mine," she shrugged, heading to her locker. "I thought it was mine too until I remembered he borrowed Supremacy from me months ago, not Ultimatum."

"And he just forgot which one he borrowed from Ryan, even though that was only last week?" Natalia said to Calleigh, her voice low enough for the other two not to hear. "That's pretty odd."

Apparently, Natalia's opinion on Calleigh and Eric's relationship status hadn't changed since their conversation, but Calleigh didn't comment on her suspicions.

"Well, thanks, Cal," Ryan said, placing the movie on the shelf in his locker as a cell phone began to ring; it was Natalia's.

"Boa Vista?" Natalia said into the receiver; she appeared to be listening intently, nodding to herself occasionally and glancing at Ryan at one point. "Okay, we'll be right there.

"Okay, we've got a double homicide in Coral Gables. Possibly drug related. Ryan, Horatio wants us to head on over there," she said, softly closing the door. "See you guys later," she said to Walter and Calleigh as they walked out of the aisle of lockers.

"'Kay, keep us posted" Walter said, hearing a door open and close to announce their exit, he shut his own locker and took a few steps towards Calleigh. "Delko was probably hoping you would realize the movie wasn't yours and you would take it back to him," he pointed out.

Calleigh sighed in frustration, closing her locker. "You know, it's one thing when Natalia talks to me about Eric, it's another when you do."

"I'll try not to take that personally," Walter scoffed with a grin.

"I just mean that Natalia is my friend who's a woman. We are supposed to talk about men and relationships. You are my friend who's a guy and we are supposed to talk about…other things."

"That's a stereotype," he pointed out.

"It's my nice way of saying I don't want to talk about this. Besides, I'm sure that movie was just a mistake," she shrugged, heading towards the elevator door.

"No, he was hoping you'd take that DVD back to him once you realized it wasn't your movie."

"Well, if that was his immature plan, and it wasn't, it has been foiled," Calleigh said, calling the elevator.

"Can I be straight with you?" Walter asked as they loaded the elevator, but he didn't wait for a response. "I know most the women here think Delko is this knight in shining armor who can do anything, including be man enough to talk about his feelings, but he is a guy. And guys aren't good at talking about their feelings and saying when they want to talk to a girl, so they normally do something stupid."

Calleigh didn't respond as the elevator rose. She knew Eric wouldn't devise a plan to get her over to his house; he was a lot of things, but manipulative wasn't one of them. Besides, why would he want her to go to his condo, their feelings towards one another had been laid on the line and it was quite apparent his feelings would never again surpass friendship. No one would go to such an effort to create a diabolical plan just to get an ex over to their house.

"Listen, I don't want to get involved," Walter assured her. "There's already enough drama in this place. But if Delko did come up with this plan, do you really want him to spend his day off waiting in disappointment?"

"He didn't come up with a plan."

"You're probably right," he nodded as the elevator dinged at their stop. "But can you guarantee it?"

The doors slid open and Walter stepped out, leaving Calleigh with that question replaying over and over in her mind.

This is ridiculous, Calleigh thought to herself as she knocked on Eric's door on her break. He probably isn't even home. He usually dives on his day off.

Walter had been right about her not being able to guarantee that Eric hadn't set this up. She still thought the possibility of Eric devising a scheme to set her up was highly unlikely; however, if there was a chance Eric had wanted her to come to his condo, she would never forgive herself if he sat there waiting and no one came. Calleigh wasn't expecting anything, not a talk, not any reconciliation, just assurance this wasn't a master plan. Period.

She heard shuffling from the other side of the door and then the knob twisted open and then Eric was standing right in front of her. His face automatically turned into a surprised expression and Calleigh had her answer; he hadn't been expecting her to come and, to her surprise, it made her heart sink all the way to the floor.

"Hey, Calleigh," he said, the shock not at all masked in his voice.

"Hi," she replied, suddenly feeling very idiotic by this point; also, having a mini reversed case of déjà vu. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Eric said, shrugging one shoulder.

"Why did you return that movie last night?" Calleigh asked without thinking, a very out of character move on her part; she usually so careful when it came to choosing her words. Only around Eric, it seemed, did she accidentally blurt things out without a thought; he always had that effect on her.

Eric ignored the question, though the answer in his mind was crystal clear. He had been missing Calleigh more and more in the recent weeks, especially when he was alone in his condo. All the pictures Eric had removed from their frames and stored away were now on his bedside table, happier memories staring up at him. He had spent many a night watching any videos he may have captured on his video camera on his laptop, pausing the frame whenever Calleigh laughed just to make it last a little longer. Then last night the pictures and home movies were no longer enough and he needed to see Calleigh, in the flesh. She was like a magnet drawing him in and he couldn't resist. He conjured an alibi by grabbing a DVD he thought belonged to her and drove to Bal Harbour; he hadn't noted how morally wrong going to see her was until he was on her doorstep. But she was his guiltiest of pleasures and he couldn't force himself to stay away, despite how painful it may have been to be around her.

"Because it wasn't my movie," Calleigh said, saving him from answering her previous question.

"What are you talking about, of course it-." Eric stopped himself, clearly having realized his mistake and nodded. "That one was Ryan's."

"Yeah," she nodded, looking down at her hands, suddenly very interested in her watchband. "I just wanted to..." Calleigh's voice faded out, never having the opportunity to finish her statement, and it was all because she looked back up at the wrong time.

Eric suddenly seemed in touching distance and their lips were in close proximity and if one of them moved forward in the slightest, a kiss would be the result. As fate would have it, that's exactly what happened. They weren't certain if Eric leaned down, if Calleigh stretched upwards or if the movement was simultaneous; it really didn't matter. All they knew was their lips touched and it was nothing less than magic brewing…plus guilt. They knew with every fiber within them that this was wrong, but they couldn't seem to stop themselves, the more they attempted to resist deeper the kiss seemed to become.

Calleigh felt his hand cup around the back of her neck and her own arms snake into place around his torso as Eric's palm pressed up against the small of her back. Their feet moved together and they ended up within Eric's apartment, lips still pressed together, and they were heading deeper inside his home. Calleigh's lips parted against his and she could feel his warm breath against her lips and inside her mouth, making a shiver of pleasure run down her spine. When she got a sip of oxygen, her conscience became alert and told her how utterly irresponsible and unethical this was, but Calleigh couldn't find it within herself to care; she and Eric just fallen onto the mattress in his bedroom.

Calleigh found herself looking at the ceiling with a newfound hatred of herself, for letting herself give into Eric so easily. She had so sure she was beginning to move on from Eric and what they had, but now she found herself lying naked beside him after enjoying an intense moment of pleasure. She had come here with an attempt to put any chance of reconciliation to rest and went in the opposite direction.

Even now, realizing how terribly wrong this was, Calleigh still found a smidge of happiness and couldn't say she regretted coming here, despite how inappropriate that was. This had been the perfect example of two steps forward and one giant step back. Now, her heart and soul had once again been shattered by confusion, uncertainty and her love for Eric, not to mention thousands upon thousands of questions soared into her mind. The main one being: did this mean they had a chance? They obviously were still attracted to each other in some way, shape or form, but was that an emotional attraction or just a physical one? Was this just a repeat of last year or was this a new beginning? Was there any chance of hope?

Hurt and confused, Calleigh let out a heavy sigh, one in which Eric heard and he turned his head towards her.

"Are you okay?" Eric asked

Calleigh sighed and shook her head, making certain she was covered in sheets before turning to face him, not wanting to risk a chance of another intimate action. "I'm confused," she admitted with a sad chuckle. "Does this mean anything or is this just—just a—just something stupid?"

Eric licked his lips, in all honesty completely unsure of what this was himself. Something had to obviously lead them into his bedroom and for them to shed their clothes and promises. Whether it have been their feelings, their infatuation with one another or their shared want for the pleasure of sex that had lead them there was unclear. All Eric could remember was she knocked on his door and the next thing he knew she was beside him in bed. Regardless of how it happened, it did happen and he had went back on what he had said weeks ago and could see the pain in Calleigh's eyes because he had possibly let her believe they had a chance. He couldn't let her believe that, for he wasn't certain he believed it or not himself.

"I don't know," he said, honestly.

Calleigh exhaled, heavily, and dropped her eyes, fighting to keep composure, not wanting to let him see her pain or her anger.

"That's not enough, Eric," she shook her head when she finally dared to look up. "I should go."

She didn't look back at him as she got dressed, knowing if she hurried she could probably get back to work on time, and didn't turn around as she walked out of his bedroom. Calleigh did, however, allow herself one last look at the rest of the condo, for she made a silent promise to herself this would be the last time she would see it. Being in love with Eric caused too much pain and moving on from whatever they had would be the only sure-fire cure for the pain. As she walked out the door, not allowing herself to hurt anymore, Calleigh wondered if this was how Eric had felt when she had left him with such uncertainty; if it was, Calleigh couldn't blame him for ending their attempt of a relationship in the first place.