It took a moment for Calleigh to scan the multitude of faces in the busy café until she found her. Sarah's features were still so familiar to her from their college days together, and they'd planned enough visits over the years that Calleigh could still pick her out of a crowd in an instant. Plus, the striking red hair and freckled light skin weren't exactly inconspicuous…
Calleigh weaved through the tables until she reached Sarah, both pairs of eyes lighting up – Sarah's in recognition, Calleigh's at the sight of a familiar face in this unfamiliar city.
"Calleigh," she greeted excitedly, standing up to wrap her arms around her old friend. "My God, you look amazing."
"So do you," Calleigh returned, memories flooding back at the feel of Sarah's infamous, overly zealous hugs. And then, brows furrowing as she studied Sarah's only slightly altered figure, she asked, "Really, how have you had four kids? Did you start working out?"
"Are you kidding me?" Sarah cocked her head dramatically as Calleigh took a seat across from her. "Out of all the times you tried, you could never get me to run with you…not even down the hallway during that 3am fire alarm."
Calleigh let out a laugh at that, nodding in remembrance. Calleigh had always been up and out for a run by dawn, even then, and Sarah, who had deemed herself allergic to cardio, had always thought she'd been insane. They were quite an unlikely pair back then as roommates, but somehow, something had clicked between them. Sarah was outgoing enough to get Calleigh to open up without seeming intrusive, and despite all her playful remarks she'd never once made Calleigh feel alienated for her rigorous workouts, her obsession with guns and science, or the emotional distance she kept from others.
"So how are Tim and the kids?" Calleigh asked.
"Crazy." Sarah shook her head, seemingly flustered, but Calleigh noted the content smile creeping across her friend's lips. "You'll have to come over for dinner soon."
"Yeah, I'd like that."
"How long are you here for?"
"Six months at the most," Calleigh answered, reaching for one of the warm rolls the waiter had brought over and tearing it in half.
Sarah raised her brows, though on second thought she wasn't all that surprised. Calleigh had always been good at compartmentalizing. She'd never been prone to homesickness or the isolation most people feel starting over in a new city – at least not on the outside.
"That's a long time to be away from your actual job, your friends, your home…" Sarah began, eyes searching her friend for any reaction.
"Yeah," Calleigh replied casually, shrugging as she ate another piece of the roll. "I don't know. Work's been….not as exciting, and getting away for a little while sounded nice. Plus, the case is pretty interesting. I won't be doing any field work really, just ballistics."
Sarah nodded along, feigning agreement as her eyes narrowed on Calleigh. "So, let me get this straight. You left the beautiful Miami sun because Seattle, where it's not a real day unless it rains for at least an hour, sounded nice? And you agreed to quit your dream job of chasing bad guys for six months to work in some office doing science stuff?"
Calleigh pressed her lips together, rolling them as she contemplated her next move. She hadn't expected Sarah to see through her so quickly, but she should've known. Sarah, more than almost anyone, knew that her drive for police work hadn't been a mere career choice. It had been a way of life for her. She'd lived for it, and to leave it all for just the science was…not her.
"So why were you all too willing to leave Miami?"
Letting out a deep exhale, Calleigh's eyes drifted to the window, where rain was beginning to fall on the streets of downtown Seattle.
Everything was in order. Horatio, sensing her need for time away, had gladly approved the leave of absence. Paperwork had already been filed with the FBI. Funds had been approved for her relocation. A contract had been drawn up.
All she had to do was sign.
Pen clicked ready, poised above the paper, she hesitated. This was a big decision, and while it certainly wasn't reckless – actually, it had occupied hours on end of her thoughts – it did feel a bit impulsive. She was running away. No matter the reasons behind it, no matter how much sense it made, and no matter how right it felt… She was running.
Sighing, she set the pen down and stared at the table aimlessly. Maybe she should be honest. Maybe she should go find him right now. Maybe she should ask him to talk and –
A familiar broad figure distracted her from her world of maybes and sent her spiraling back down to reality. Eric was crossing the center of the lobby, smiling as he reached the reception desk to greet a beautiful, tall brunette.
Alicia, Calleigh remembered. He'd met her several weeks ago through one of his cousins and they were dating now. Dating. Not hooking up at bars or texting meet-ups at all hours of the night, but actually dating. It was what Calleigh had wanted him to do. Kind of.
She watched him place a caring hand on the small of Alicia's back as he led her toward the front doors. Alicia smiled broadly, waiting while he opened the door for her.
The last thing Calleigh saw was Eric retrieving his keys from his pocket as they headed for their lunch date. She positioned the pen in her hand again and signed her name above the dotted line.
"I just needed to get away for a while," Calleigh admitted vaguely. She wrapped her hands around the water glass before her, letting her fingers run through the condensation.
"What happened?" Sarah pressed. "Come on, the only reason I even moved out here was because Tim got transferred." She shrugged – and then it clicked. "Oh my God, a guy. You left because of a guy, didn't you?"
"No." Calleigh raised her brows insistently, but she couldn't fight the sigh that escaped her lips. "There's no guy. I just needed a break from everything in Miami."
"Right," Sarah agreed halfheartedly. She took a sip of her tea, a knowing smirk playing across her lips. "You'll tell me eventually…"
Calleigh couldn't help but smile.
Pressing his palms onto the counter, Eric let his mind wander as his eyes mindlessly scanned the potential fingerprint matches flashing across the screen. It had only been a few days, but everything was already different. Cases were taking longer, ballistics was backlogged, and – if he was being honest – his days seemed just a little longer, even more so than their tension-filled days.
Plus, he had no idea where she was. Washington, yes. Seattle, probably, considering that was the most likely place for an FBI field office out there. But it wasn't like she'd provided him with contact information or promised to keep in touch. In fact, she hadn't even really said goodbye.
He refused to let that bother him, though. Instead, he channeled all his frustrations into her abandonment of him as a co-worker, of them all as a team. To him, she'd run off at the first opportunity with little notice, leaving them with the burden of unsolved cases and more shifts to cover. And maybe, when he allowed himself to go there, he was just frustrated with her…as a friend.
"Any matches yet?" came Ryan's voice from the doorway, disrupting his brooding.
Eric focused on the screen again. "No." He shifted a little, too caught up in his thoughts to offer more.
Ryan, sensing something was off, hesitantly stepped up beside him. "So how are things with, uh…"
"Haven't talked to her," Eric answered sharply. Straightening, he suddenly seemed busy as he thumbed through the pages of a file.
Ryan smiled uncomfortably; he'd clearly yet unintentionally hit a nerve – the Calleigh nerve, to be exact. Now that sure answered a whole different set of questions…
He looked around for a moment before he found his words. "Actually, I meant the girl you've been seeing. You know, the one currently waiting out in the lobby for you."
"Shit," Eric hissed softly, pushing his sleeve back to check the time. 7:23pm. He was late. Even worse, he'd kind of pushed the entire evening from his mind amid the hectic day. "Things are good," he assured, slipping off his lab coat and hanging it on a hook near the door. "At least I hope. Mind finishing this up for me?"
"Not at all. Go ahead." Ryan watched him jog off toward the lockers with an amused smile. After a moment, though, it faded as Eric's tense and rushed answers returned to his mind. He'd been like this all week – distracted, on edge, and unusually quiet, especially when caught off guard. But on the surface he was fine, and at times he even projected a rather convincing visage.
Sometimes, Ryan wished his co-workers weren't so damn adept at hiding everything.
In the lobby, Eric walked up to her just slightly out of breath.
Alicia was dressed for a night out in a low-cut yellow dress also showing off her long, dark legs and high heels that matched her tiny clutch. Bold jewelry accented everything just enough, and her shoulder-length dark tresses were curled slightly to frame her face. He felt even worse upon seeing her ready and dressed to kill.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, taking his hands in hers and kissing her cheek. "I got caught up running prints on this case."
"That's okay." She noted that he was a little hurried and laughed, giving him a moment. "Where are we going tonight?"
"I know you're dressed for something nice, but I was thinking we could do something low-key, maybe a night in," he suggested, gently tugging her toward the door. "We could get some wine and a movie, order some pizza…"
"Okay." He could detect the uncertainty in both her voice and her step easily.
Pausing, he made her stop outside. "What is it?"
"I…don't really like pizza," she admitted, frowning playfully in a way that almost made him melt. Almost. "Or staying in."
He raised a brow and she shook her head apologetically, laughing. "I'm sorry, I just get so bored. I was hoping we could go do something."
She watched him hopefully, and despite his excruciatingly long day and his need to simply go home, relax, and recharge, he reluctantly acquiesced. Exhaling deeply, he smiled and led her towards his car.
"Sure, let's go out."