Ridley tensed when her doorbell rang and hastily thumbed away the tears from her eyes before placing down the framed photo on her coffee table, standing and heading to the door. She opened it to greet Tim holding a small bag in one hand. He looked on the verge of saying something until he caught her expression. "What's wrong?" he queried softly.
He was dressed for work wearing a dark blue-grey shirt and jeans with his gold badge gleaming at his hip, his gun sheathed by his belt and his camera hanging over his neck. He stepped into the house as Ridley tried and failed to hide the fact that she had been crying.
She shook her head wordlessly and gave a small smile. "I was just looking at some photos," she admitted. She turned and led the way into her living room where Tim immediately spied the framed photographs on the table, three in total, normally they were face down, too painful for Ridley to look at and yet too important for her to put them away. Tim immediately scowled as he saw Justin Silver's handsome face grinning up at him.
The traces expert's scowl deepened as he realised one of the photos had to be from Ridley's birthday. It was of Ridley standing between Justin and Detective Don Flack with Ruby on Justin's other side, all four of them bright eyed and grinning at the camera. Ridley and Ruby were in costume, Ridley as Snow White and Ruby as a very revealing Cinderella, and behind them were numerous people in costume.
"I hated that costume," Ridley confessed quietly as she wrapped her arms loosely about her torso, "Ruby made me wear it; she liked the idea of us going in similar costumes."
"It's your first birthday without her," Tim acknowledged, "but it's also your first birthday with us, properly that is, and your first birthday as my girlfriend," he added with a smug smile. "Look, you should put these photos back up," he said, though he hated the idea of having Justin's face smirking at him every time he visited, "but you should get some new photos too." He lifted his camera slightly with his free hand. "That's why I have this, well that and I need it for work," he added dryly. "I want you to have a good birthday and I want you to have memories of it and some photos of your new friends," he looked pointedly at her still mostly empty frame collection Calleigh had bought for her, "we all do."
Ridley nodded with a smile. "I'd like that," she said sincerely.
"Good, open my present then." He held the bag out to her and she accepted.
Ridley tugged out something wrapped in several layers of soft tissue paper and began unwrapping it with intrigue. The camera flashed in time to catch Ridley's look of joy and surprise as she finished unwrapping it to reveal a headless horseman beanie. "Really?" She looked at Tim with a small grin. "I thought you were against my collection."
"I am," he said with amusement, "but I didn't think my protests would stop you collecting. Anyway, keep going, there's something else."
Ridley placed the beanie down on the coffee table before hunting through the bag again. She blushed faintly when she tugged out a small black box. As she opened it the camera went off again capturing her wide eyed surprise. "Tim," she said softly as she continued to stare at the gift, "you...it's beautiful." The item in question was a gold charm bracelet with several charms on it- a crescent moon, a pumpkin, a giraffe, a tiny ruby, a silver coin that should have seemed out of place and yet was so suited to the bracelet, and a camera. Ridley felt tears burn anew in her eyes as she continued to stare at it in disbelief, her fingertip brushing against the silver coin.
"Yeah I'm not really into jewellery," Tim grumbled, "but I was hoping you'd like it."
She turned up to face him, joy and shock still conveyed on her face. "It's wonderful," she said, almost in a whisper, "really, thank you."
He stepped forward to her, gripping her right wrist in one hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Want me to help put it on?"
She nodded wordlessly and held out her wrist as Tim plucked out the delicate bracelet and clasped it about her right wrist. "I...it's so thoughtful," she murmured.
"I wanted to get you something special, alright we've only technically been dating a few days but I feel I can get away with saying we've had a relationship longer than that," he jested as their eyes met. "Truthfully I've been fond of you ever since that day you showed up at work without any shoes or socks on and tried to convince me you'd gone home to bed."
"I did go home," she protested with feigned indignation.
"And did you go to bed?" he demanded.
"Well...eventually," she murmured, "thanks to Ruby's special tea."
Seeing the sorrow fill her eyes once more prompted Tim to quickly say, "you know there's something I never told you about that night."
"Oh?" Ridley looked at him inquiringly.
"Yeah..." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "When you fell asleep...you were cold so I put my blazer around you, I'd never done that for anyone before, been...well nice like that, it annoyed me a little so I took it right back before I woke you up again. I thought you were so stubborn and with no proper fashion sense."
Ridley let out a small giggle. "Well thanks I guess, for keeping me warm that night and thank you for this," she said as she jingled the bracelet slightly before leaning up to give him a deep kiss.
Tim drew her close, frowning when his camera got in the way. "One sec," he grumbled as he pulled back before he tugged it off and placed it on the coffee table.
The kissing became passionate quickly and Tim couldn't help but smile internally when Ridley didn't resist his advances as he fumbled to unbutton her shirt hastily and then reached for her bra clasp when the shirt had crumpled to the floor.
Eleven o'clock found Ridley and Tim hurrying into the Miami-Dade headquarters late looking more than a little dishevelled. Tim's hair was a scruffy mess and his shirt had been buttoned wrong, Ridley's hair was wavy and in need of a brush, her cheeks were flushed, her skirt was missing its belt and her shirt was wrinkled.
Eric gave the pair a knowing smirk when they entered the office hand in hand with a pant. "Happy birthday!" Calleigh cried out with delight.
Ridley's eyes widened at the scene as she felt her cheeks darken at Eric's grin. There were two grinning ghost balloons on either side of the desk Ridley usually occupied, envelopes resting on it, small bags and parcels, grinning pumpkins made of tiny lights, and a toffee apple. "Guys," Ridley gasped in surprise as she looked at each of them in turn.
Horatio was sitting on the edge of a desk, legs crossed and a small smile on his face, Calleigh stood just behind him with her arms at her side and Eric was sitting on a chair at another desk. "Look at that bracelet," Calleigh marvelled as she spied the gold glinting in the light.
Ridley held it up and out to her friend with a smile before looking up at Tim almost shyly and then back to Calleigh again. "Tim bought me it."
"Wow Speed you are capable of romance!" Calleigh praised.
"Don't make it sound like it's a rare thing," Tim grumbled with a roll of his eyes.
Calleigh turned Ridley's wrist slightly to take in the charms before turning to the presents waiting on the desk. "Quick open your cards and gifts!" she enthused.
Ridley laughed before turning to Tim with mock annoyance when she heard the familiar click of his camera. "You'll thank me," he assured her.
Ridley was touched to find that Yelina, Frank, Alexx, and Detective Sanchez had all got her birthday cards as well as Calleigh, Eric and Horatio. Tim's face had curdled when Ridley had revealed one card to be from Detective Sanchez and then subtly given Eric a rude gesture when he had started laughing.
Ridley unwrapped Calleigh and Horatio's joint present hastily revealing a smooth, oak box. She ran her fingers over it curiously before flipping open the brass clasp to reveal a gun. "A Beretta," she commented enthusiastically as she pulled it out. It was a two-tone steel and black Beretta 92FS with the fresh smell of metal and oil. Also in the box was a gun cleaning kit.
"I told you," Horatio said with a pleased smile at Calleigh.
Calleigh shrugged. "Alright but the Glock 17s and 26s are what they use in New York and Ridley had a Browning Hi-Power when she first came here and then a Smith and Wesson, a personal favourite by the way," she added with a nod to Ridley.
"Yeah, they're good to hit people with," Ridley murmured as she continued to study the Beretta.
"But you can't beat a Beretta," Horatio commented as he parted his blazer slightly to show his holstered Beretta Cougar.
Calleigh shook her head disapprovingly and folded her arms. "I'm the gun expert, remember?"
"Don't be sore just because you got Ridley's favourite gun wrong," Eric teased. "And how did you know it was a Beretta H? Or was that just because you have one?"
"I just know these things Eric," Horatio answered calmly.
Ridley turned to her next present, also from Calleigh and Horatio. She opened it up to reveal a black, leather gun holster. "Thanks guys," she said with a bright smile.
"Try not to throw this gun at people," Horatio suggested dryly.
"And keep it clean," Calleigh said sternly as she glanced over at Tim pointedly, "Speed you can make use of the cleaning kit too."
Tim frowned and swallowed down a heated retort, instead turning his moody glower on the floor as he clenched his fists slightly. He couldn't even argue against the jibe though he wondered how Calleigh could know that he hadn't exactly been treating his Jericho the way he should be.
Ridley tugged on the holster about her waist and then slotted the Beretta comfortably into place. "Perfect fit," she praised. "I've missed that feeling." She then turned her attention to another gift, this one from Eric. "A pumpkin carving kit," Ridley marvelled as she tore the last of the paper away and held Eric's gift up with a smile, "thanks Eric."
"I hope it gets plenty of use later," he enthused.
"Well I don't know," she murmured, "I haven't got any pumpkins."
"We can remedy that," Calleigh said brightly, "I'll have some at my house for you."
"Yes, I've got the perfect DVDs for tonight," Ridley enthused as she tugged out Eric's second gift, a candle holder that was a lantern hanging off a hook held by a girl dressed as a witch with a ghost on her left clutching a bag of sweets and a boy dressed as a demon on the right holding a pumpkin.
Calleigh had invited Ridley round for a quiet, birthday DVD night of campy horror films, or at least that was what the blonde had told the New Yorker. The truth was she was hosting a surprise birthday party for her friend.
"That reminds me, look at this," Eric said as he tugged out a crumpled flyer from his shirt pocket. "These are pinned up everywhere," he remarked brightly as he smoothed it out on the desk.
They all peered at it inquisitively, it depicted a many storied, wooden house with bloody red font stating 'CHIMERA HOUSE- 13 Floors of bone chilling doom, $25 per person, if you make it to the top floor you get your money back and a special ghostly cash prize!'
"Chimera house," Calleigh murmured suspiciously as she folded her arms, "wasn't that the name of the house we found a few dead fairytale characters in?"
"Yep," Eric answered, still cheerful, "weird coincidence but doesn't this sound awesome? Look," he turned the flyer over to reveal a black side with white and red font down it, "ghosts, vampires, altering rooms, levitation and more," he read it aloud. "You won't believe your own eyes. No one has ever been brave enough to complete all thirteen floors." He looked up from the flyer to Ridley and Tim hopefully. "Guys come on, this sounds fantastic! I mean we're CSIs, we know this stuff is nonsense for a fact, it should be a cakewalk."
Calleigh frowned and gave Eric a knowing glance. They had agreed to start the evening at Calleigh's house but were still debating whether to actually go out. Speed was verbally in favour of going nowhere and Horatio silently seemed to share the same view but Eric was adamant that Ridley would enjoy heading out and Calleigh was inclined to agree, especially after hearing how happy she had sounded talking about her birthday night out with Justin, Don and Ruby.
"It's an urban legend," Ridley murmured darkly as she studied the flyer with interest, "a combination of a few legends actually, the mysterious thirteenth floor and a real haunted house."
"We don't need any more of that nonsense," Tim was quick to scorn as he frowned disapprovingly at Eric.
"Wait, this house isn't meant to be real?" Eric exclaimed as his interest only grew.
Ridley gave him a small smile. "As the legend goes there's a haunted house attraction with thirteen floors, popularly known as the Chimera house, people come across it and are asked to pay a fee to enter with the promise that they will gain a portion of their money back for every floor they complete. The twists in the legend are that no one ever completes the floors, the attractions are real and," her smile faded just a little, "no one ever leaves the house, but if that were true how would we know of the legend? No one is ever able to state its exact location, people seem to go looking for it every Halloween and of course a lot of people are quick to cash in on the legend with their own Chimera house."
"A thirteen storey house can travel across states can it?" Tim queried sarcastically. "Delko this is rubbish, some prick has just renamed their house for the holidays to lure in idiots like you."
"Well if you're so immune to such nonsense you won't have a problem climbing up there then," Eric said confidently. "If nothing else you could do with the exercise man."
Tim frowned and shook his head scornfully.
"You know it's funny," Ridley mused, "my friends and I used to go looking for this house every Halloween; we were so convinced we'd find it but all we came across were lousy rip-offs with papier-mâché ghosts and fake glowing eyes."
"Well this could be the birthday-"
"Don't even say it Delko," Tim said warningly.
"Anyway," Calleigh interrupted, "don't you boys have work to do?"
"Yes," Horatio said with a small grin, "Speed you're with me, we've got a hanging witch at a high school."
"God I hate the holidays," Tim murmured dryly. He gave Ridley a slight smile and said softly, "I'll see you later, have a good day."
"You too," she retorted gently as she smiled back.
Horatio stood up at last, turned to Ridley and said, "happy birthday."
"Thanks," she retorted happily.
"Keep up the work on our Wonderland case," he instructed before he headed out the door. Tim followed after him with an obvious reluctance, scratching the back of his head as he did.
Ridley took a seat at her desk and opened up some articles.
"Well I've got some weapons to check over," Calleigh announced, "so I'll see you guys later."
"Yeah I've work to do in the lab," Eric remarked wearily, "I'll maybe see you guys for lunch."
"Maybe," Ridley answered brightly.
Calleigh and Eric exited together leaving the detective to her research.
"So what do you think?" Eric was quick to query Calleigh. "How about the Chimera House tonight? You heard Ridley, she even spent birthdays looking for it, it's perfect!"
Calleigh sighed as she gave Eric a pitying smile. "I don't know, for one thing it would hardly be a surprise and for another it is an urban legend, I don't really think that's appropriate for tonight and Ridley didn't look that happy about it. Plus didn't you say Ridley ran off from a haunted house last year?"
"Yeah but I don't know that she was specifically running from the house," Eric protested, "you'd have to ask Speed about that."
"I did," the blonde commented wearily as her smile faded and her gaze hardened slightly, "but he wouldn't say anything because he's an ass."
Eric gave a chuckle. "I think it's just a sore spot with him, remember he came into work the day after with a bloody nose?"
"That's right," Calleigh mused, "and Ridley had a black eye." The CSIs exchanged a surprised look before they both giggled. "No," the blonde scorned.
"Hey I said Ridley was outside at that party and off he went," Eric pointed out, "and they were both clearly angry with each other after that night, I mean remember the wedding dance, Horatio practically had to force their re-enactment."
"I remember, that was a horrible case but...well it's rotten to say but I liked that night," Calleigh remarked as she turned and gave Eric a soft smile, "dancing with you was fun."
Eric blushed slightly and bowed his head in a vain attempt to hide it. "Yeah," he muttered. "It was, it was fun at The Beach Hut too," he said as he forced himself to meet her gaze once more. "Do you think we could do it again?"
"What, another work night out?" Calleigh quipped innocently.
"Nah," Eric said with a smile and a shake of his head, "you and me Calleigh, could we...have a night out?"
"Eric Delko I thought you'd never ask!" Calleigh exclaimed with a wide smile as they finally reached the lab. She let out a giggle at the looks her loud exclamation had garnered.
Eric flushed crimson even as he grinned. "Is that a yes?"
"Of course," the blonde enthused, "but if it's a movie I'm picking and if it's dinner, please have better taste that Speed. I don't know how on earth he won Ridley over with takeaways."
Eric laughed. "No fear Calleigh, I have better taste in food that Speed and I dress nicer too."
"Right well I have to go test some guns," Calleigh enthused brightly, "so I'll see you later."
"Alright, will you think about the Chimera House?"
Calleigh sighed. "It's thought Eric but if it is an urban legend I don't think it would be right, we would risk dredging up bad memories."
Eric nodded. "I guess so," he murmured though he couldn't hide his disappointment.
It was just after eight o'clock when Ridley's taxi finally dropped her off at Calleigh's house. It was modestly beautiful in a decent part of town in a quiet but pleasant neighbourhood where all the houses looked the same, each modern, well kept and attractive with minimal gardens, decently new yet not flashy cars, and post boxes that always seemed to be full suggesting residents that spent their time in work and yet had hopes that one day their houses would be more than just a place to sleep.
Ridley stepped up to the porch, smiling at the trick or treaters darting past in a small group about the neighbourhood. Calleigh had a rubber bat hanging at the door and several LED ghosts sitting on the porch. Ridley pressed the bell, fidgeting awkwardly with her black, pleated skirt as she did. She had come as Calleigh had asked, in a weak form of a costume; she was all in black with a black cat's mask on and a long, black tail pinned to her bum. Part of her felt stupid but a bigger part of her felt a rush of joy; it had been too long since she had last done something fun and silly like this.
Calleigh finally opened the door and Ridley was quick to say, "trick or treat!" The blonde let out a giggle before marvelling at Ridley's costume.
"I thought you didn't like cats," the blonde remarked as she raised a pale golden eyebrow.
"Well Halloween is about dressing up as something scary," Ridley retorted with a grin, "and cats can be scary shits when they're hissing and clawing at you."
"Oh dear," Calleigh said as she laughed. The blonde had gone for the corny and yet somehow attractive costume of an angel, with a soft, sleeveless, white camisole with gold buttons, a matching skirt, the gold halo held up with two thin, almost unseen pieces of wire, and the white feathered wings, that actually looked like they had been decently made.
"Well it's scarier than an angel," Ridley pointed out.
"Yeah I don't like being scary when I'm not at work," the blonde joked. "Anyway, come in."
Ridley stepped in with an enthusiastic grin as she held up two dvds- Sleepy Hollow and Dracula.
"Aren't you just stereotyping with that one?" Calleigh queried with mock scorn as she gestured to the Sleepy Hollow dvd.
"It's not stereotyping if I'm doing it," Ridley retorted as she followed Calleigh into the brightly lit hall. There was a comical witch doll sitting on a stool to the left holding a grinning pumpkin shaped, plastic bowl of candy.
Calleigh led the way on through to her living room.
"SURPRISE!"
Ridley's eyes went wide as she tensed in surprise at the cries that greeted her as she followed Calleigh into the living room obliviously. Her shock turned to joy as she realised who the occupants were. The living room had been decorated with a black and gold theme; there were balloons, a Happy Birthday banner and an unhealthy spread on an old mahogany table of treats, buns and a large red velvet cake designed to look like blood was dripping off it. There was also a bowl of water and apples, a board with a cartoon devil on it with a tail to pin on it and several ridiculous bed sheet ghosts hanging from the ceiling with cut out eyes and faces.
"You remembered!" Ridley marvelled in awe as she giggled at the sight of the devil with the pin on tail.
"I think this is definitely a first for me," Yelina said with a cheerful smile, "a birthday on Halloween. Happy twenty-ninth Ridley."
"Twenty-nine," Eric mused woefully with a shake of his head, "you sure are young. Hey Speed, ever think you're taking advantage?" He winced when Tim dealt him a soft punch to his right shoulder.
"Ridley likes mature men," Tim retorted smugly.
"Well then what in the hell is she doing with you Speed?" Calleigh teased earning several laughs and one glower of irritation in response.
Yelina had, after much persuasion from Calleigh, agreed to don a pair of fairy wings with her pale purple silk dress, whilst Alexx had come, quite happily, wearing a gold masquerade mask and a black witch's hat. Tim had, as expected, point blank refused to participate in dressing up, whilst Eric had cheerfully put on a pair of light up devil's horns Calleigh had given to him. Frank had come wearing a black eye patch with a plastic cutlass sheathed under his belt and insisted he was a modern day pirate despite, as Tim had pointed out, the old fashioned fake sword, and Horatio had, to everyone's surprise, made a mild effort by donning a fox's mask complete with a false bushy tail. Calleigh and Yelina were both convinced it was a sign of his affection for Ridley and it had made Yelina a little annoyed though she had not voiced her thoughts to the redhead. She knew she was missing something there and that her thoughts about romantic feelings between the pair had to be wrong given anyone could tell Ridley only had eyes for Tim but then why did Horatio make such an effort where Ridley was concerned?
"I'm impressed you kept this from me," Ridley said as she folded her arms and looked from Tim to Calleigh.
"It was difficult," Calleigh chortled, "but I really wanted it to be a surprise for you."
"Well it's definitely that," Ridley marvelled.
"Well quick, have a birthday drink while I start lighting the candles," Calleigh insisted, "and Speed can light your pumpkin for you," she leaned close to Ridley with a grin, "he carved it for you, so blame him for the sloppy work."
Ridley smiled over at the scowling Tim. "You carved a pumpkin for me?" she queried in surprise.
He shrugged awkwardly. "Well yeah," he retorted carelessly, trying and failing to hide his embarrassment, "I wanted to get a photo of you blowing it out, Eric doesn't believe you actually do this on your birthday."
"Well I do," she retorted happily with a smile at Eric, "it's a tradition."
Ten minutes later and the grinning pumpkin was lit and ready in Ridley's arms. Calleigh insisted they all sang 'Happy Birthday' first before Ridley finally blew out the eyes and mouth amidst cheering and camera flashes. This was followed by Calleigh singing 'Halloween is coming' before Ridley then blew out the candles on her bloody cake and cut several slices.
The evening continued on jovially with drinking, eating, several cheesy Halloween themed party games and watching Sleepy Hollow with numerous questions by Eric to Ridley. "So was Ichabod Crane real?" he demanded. "And a constable?"
"I thought he was a schoolteacher," Calleigh murmured.
"He was a schoolteacher in the book," Ridley explained, "and based on several people Washington Irving knew but there was no Ichabod Crane schoolteacher who vanished after meeting a headless horseman."
"I'm guessing there was no headless horseman either," Tim pointed out as he pulled Ridley closer.
"Actually there was indeed a Hessian Jäegar whose headless body was found in Sleepy Hollow after a battle and buried in an unmarked grave by the Van Tassel family."
"Wait!" Eric cried out as he leaned across Calleigh to look at Ridley in disbelief. "The Van Tassels were real? Are you related to them?"
Ridley giggled at this. "You can see their graves in the Old Dutch Burial ground and no, I don't think I'm related."
"How long have your family been there?" Eric queried.
"Um not long," Ridley murmured, "my grandfather moved there with my mother when she was sixteen."
"Is your dad from there?" Eric pried.
"No," Ridley answered bluntly.
"Anyway," Tim interrupted as he gave Eric a cross look, "can we watch the movie?"
"Yeah it's getting to the good bit," Calleigh enthused.
At around two in the morning the festivities finally died down and everyone, after wishing Ridley a happy birthday, departed home with Horatio driving Frank, Yelina, Tim and Ridley, after Ridley thanked Calleigh for a wonderful party.
Eric lingered to help Calleigh clean up, praising for being an amazing friend and wonderful host. "You've got a knack for Halloween," he jested.
"I still prefer Christmas," the blonde murmured as she tugged down the banner. She paused and flashed Eric a warm smile. "Thanks for helping, you didn't have too."
"It's no problem," Eric insisted with a grin.
"Yeah but it's late."
He shrugged. "It's Halloween, and I've no plans for tomorrow. I suppose I'd better try ringing for a taxi now mind, that could take another hour."
"Or you should stay," the blonde offered suddenly. "I mean," she added hastily seeing the look of hopeful surprise he gave her, "it is Halloween, your chances of getting a taxi are slim and it is late."
"Well if you don't mind."
"I don't," she insisted softly.
"Okay then."
The following morning as Eric sat in Calleigh's kitchen drinking the fresh coffee she had brewed, feeling happy and yet a little embarrassed, they got the call Eric had been looking forward to.
"Hello," Calleigh greeted Horatio as she answered her mobile. "Uh huh, I see, no not a problem. I'll be there with Eric, don't worry. No, you, Tim and Ridley have to get ready for Vegas," she said a little bitterly, "we'll deal with it and I'll let you know if there's any connection to our current case." She snapped the phone closed and met Eric's inquisitive look. "Congratulations Eric," she said brightly, "you're getting to go the Chimera House after all."
"No way!" Eric enthused. "What's happened?"
"Four disappearances last night," Calleigh explained, "and one body's turned up on the second floor according to the police at the scene right now. Apparently it's a very messed up house so you're in luck."
"Brilliant," Eric enthused, his smile dimming a little at Calleigh's look of disapproval. "Sorry but you know, how often does this happen? I bet Ridley will be disappointed."
The blonde shook her head slightly. "I don't know, thirteen floors of a haunted house to go through, this is going to be a long day."
Wow I hope I'm doing right by these characters and not going too OC with them! I hope you EC fans liked this chapter, I do enjoy writing their progessing relationship and I love developing Tim and Ridley's, I've become quite fond of theirs and of course I just love writing Horatio's character :-) As always thanks for the reviews and favs and keep them coming!