A/N: The last installment, rating changed to T. Warm wishes for a wonderful holiday to you and yours. May we all know true love in our lives this time of year!

PART III

Eleven Pipers Piping.

The day before Christmas Eve arrived, and to everyone's curious amazement, Calleigh Duquesne, infamous for working during the holiday, did not show up bright and early at HQ.

Horatio actually expressed a level of concern yesterday when she approached him about taking not one day off, but three. He didn't mind that his team would suddenly be short-staffed for a few days. If Calleigh came to him requesting personal time, he knew she needed it.

No one thought anything of the fact that Delko also no-showed, since he often pulled double shifts leading up to Christmas so he could take the week off to spend time with his extended family.

The morning dawned bright and chilly, a rarity for Miami in December. The cold front only added to Calleigh's festive mood. She snuggled up in her coziest robe, donned her fuzzy socks, and set to work cooking a breakfast for the ages, despite the fact she would be dining alone. She missed these lazy, late mornings. If only she had a fireplace…but those existed few and far between in this city.

A loud knock sounded at the door just as Calleigh finished her last bite of pancakes.

She almost expected to see Eric on the other side, but to her unending surprise, she saw another tall, dark haired man standing there.

"Mariano!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Her momentary shock at seeing Eric's brother in law on her doorstep subsided as soon as she got a good look at him.

Mariano, Eric's sister Isabel's husband, stood before her dressed head to toe in an elf costume, complete with red striped tights, wheeling a gigantic green and gold-wrapped box on a hand truck. He looked equal parts mortified and furious.

"Please tell me you're doing this for the kids," Calleigh laughed.

"Isa has me running all over town delivering Christmas cheer," Mariano grouched.

Calleigh laughed even harder. "This is from Isabel?"

"Actually, no. This one's from Eric. This is from us."

He handed her the plate of cookies in his left hand.

"Ah, my favorite," Calleigh sighed and accepted the proffered gingersnaps.

"You're my last delivery of the morning," he explained. "And I am under strict orders to stay here until you open this present so I can help you assemble it."

"What do you mean, 'assemble it?' Come inside, it's freezing," she gestured for him to enter.

Mariano wheeled the large box through the door, which Calleigh shut behind him.

"No clue," the man shrugged. "Eric just told me to help. Nice slippers, by the way."

"Thanks," she grinned cheekily.

Calleigh eyed the heavy box and searched for a card. She spotted it wedged under the bow at the top.

Fully aware that Eric's brother in law stood watching her every move, she tried to hide her reaction, but she failed miserably when she read the words Eric wrote her:

"For when my arms can't keep you warm."

Mariano definitely noticed the blush creep across Calleigh's cheeks.

"I heard a rumor you're the reason Eric's missing our family Christmas," he ventured carefully.

Calleigh's eyes snapped to Mariano's and she couldn't help the guilty look on her face.

"Yeah, um, sorry about that. I didn't…have any plans," she admitted, the pink flush deepening on her cheeks.

"Don't be," he grinned. "Carmen will be over the moon."

"You tell her upon pain of death," Calleigh threatened with a pointed glare in his direction.

Mariano laughed and held up his hands in surrender. "Understood. Now c'mon, let's see what's inside."

The paper tore easily and Calleigh's heart inwardly leaped with joy.

"An electric fireplace? Eric got you an appliance for Christmas?"

"It's perfect," she gushed, too excited to hide her eagerness from Mariano.

He watched her shrewdly, and Calleigh knew Isa would hear a play by play of the morning when he got home.

Oh, well.

Less than an hour later, Mariano and Calleigh had successfully installed the fireplace next to her corner book case, and a roaring fire now filled the room with wonderful heat.

He begged off then, with his job complete, citing the need to get back to his wife who currently wrangled four small children at home alone. She gave him a grateful hug goodbye, and as soon as the door shut behind him, Calleigh raced to find her cell phone.

When she located it, she already had a message waiting for her.

"It's 11:11, make a wish."

Calleigh checked the clock. Was it already past eleven? The text came in three minutes ago.

She bit her lip, debating her next move. She decided to go for it and hit send before she could change her mind.

"I wish you were here to hold me by this fire."

Eric replied so quickly she almost missed the message.

"Already on my way."

Calleigh's lazy morning turned into a lazy day with Eric. They bundled up by the fire and watched "White Christmas," an old yearly tradition they let fall by the wayside after Speed died.

He helped her wrap her final Christmas presents, then they ran Eric's last few errands.

Eric reluctantly said goodbye to Calleigh before dinner, since he'd promised his evening to his nieces and nephews who begged to see him at least one more time before Santa came tomorrow night.

He'd placed a lingering kiss to her cheek and murmured a quick, "See you tomorrow," before he walked out the door.

Twelve Drummers Drumming.

Calleigh greeted Christmas Eve morning with a lightheartedness she didn't know she could possess twelve days ago.

Neither she nor Eric had acknowledged the recent changes between them, instead choosing to just let things unfold as they may. By now, Calleigh didn't doubt Eric had some sort of plan, one that had evidently been in the making for multiple weeks—she guessed since around the time she read his file.

Hindsight is 20/20, and looking back, Calleigh could see the signs. Eric had known she read Dr. Marsh's notes from his therapy sessions.

And while she assumed all this time he couldn't bring himself to make the first move, he was simply working in the background to execute the biggest move of his life—and hers.

A chime sounded twelve o' clock when, once again this week, a knock reverberated on Calleigh's door. This time she opened it to see a delivery woman holding exactly one dozen red roses and a black garment bag.

She thanked the woman profusely and brought the bouquet and the mystery bag inside. A card hid plainly among the rose buds with her name written on the front, this time in Eric's beautiful cursive script.

A wax emblem sealed the gold envelope closed, so pretty that Calleigh hated to break it. But she needed to know what Eric's presumably last message said. It was longer this time:

"You took my breath away. Green is definitely your color. I can't wait to see you tonight."

Calleigh's pulse quickened at the note, and in her mind's eye she pictured Eric sitting at his desk, a look of longing on his face as he wrote it, and the image only served to increase her own desire to see him, too.

The logo of a high-end boutique emblazoned both sides of the garment bag. Calleigh unzipped it to find an exquisite forest-green dress made of fine silk, with long sleeves, a subtle train…and no back.

The shoulders were embroidered with Chantilly lace, beaded to perfection with gold and green, which crept like vines down the arms and the hem of the open back, coming to an intricate denouement where the base of her spine would be.

Eric must have spent an entire paycheck on this dress. Calleigh knew if she tried to turn him down, he'd refuse. She also knew she was the last thing he needed to be spending his money on right now. But above all else, Calleigh understood this meant something special to him, and that was what had her slipping the gown off its hanger to try it on.

It clung to every dip and curve of her body like water, stunning from the modest scoop at her decolletage to the dramatic plunge of the back, from the smooth round of her hip down to the swish of the fabric on the floor.

Eric lost all ability to think when he saw her in it for the first time that evening.

Calleigh struggled with her own words when she laid eyes on Eric in his black and white tuxedo. In eleven years, she'd never seen him dressed to the nines this way, and it suited him. Really suited him.

"You look…you're just…wow, Calleigh," he stuttered, his olive skin turning a light shade of red at his lack of eloquence.

She performed a slow twirl for him, and Eric admired the view for as long as he could stand it before he stepped forward to pull Calleigh into his arms. He had to touch her.

When Eric's fingertips grazed her bare back, shivers ran up and down Calleigh's spine and settled low and tight in her belly.

He placed a barely-there kiss on her shoulder, then her cheekbone, as he whispered in her ear: "I brought this torture on myself, didn't I?"

She chuckled and pushed him away a little so she could see his face, but not too far. Her features grew serious.

"Eric, about the last two weeks…"

Calleigh felt him tense, as if he anticipated a grand let down, so she rested her palms on his chest and caressed his tuxedo shirt with her thumbs to try and reassure him. They hadn't talked about any of this, and she needed to say something before whatever happened tonight…happened.

"It's not bad," she said quickly. "I'm just…I haven't been this happy in a long time. And I wanted to say thank you."

His smile rivaled the Miami skyline for brightness.

"Yeah?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah," she grinned back at him.

Eric leaned forward to brush his lips against Calleigh's brow, the bridge of her nose, then her cheek, where his nose lingered once, then twice against her soft skin before he pulled her deeper into his arms for a proper hug. Only Calleigh's growling tummy and the remembrance of their dinner reservations could tear them apart.

Dinner went as planned, and this version of The Nutcracker was more beautiful than Calleigh ever imagined. Even Eric had to admit it was a little captivating. The Rat King always just creeped him out.

"You know he's not real," Calleigh laughed as they made their way to Eric's car after the show. "And this coming from the guy who dumpster dives for bodies for a living."

Eric tightened his hold on Calleigh's fingers as he swung their hands gently between them while they walked.

"Exactly, Cal. Rats. Everywhere. Combine that with ballet? The stuff of nightmares," he joked, showing Calleigh with his crooked smile that he really did, begrudgingly, enjoy the performance.

Back at Calleigh's house, Eric walked her to the door fully intending to tell her goodnight, only for her to pull him inside with her once she unlocked it.

She turned to him sheepishly.

"It's almost midnight," Calleigh explained, drawing him in so she could run her palms up his strong chest.

Eric's hands came to rest on her hips. He studied her for a moment.

"You don't have to be alone on Christmas, Cal," he told her gently.

"I was hoping you would say that," she whispered.

The clock struck twelve, and Calleigh stood on her tiptoes to press her lips to Eric's.

Christmas Day…

Eric's arms automatically tightened around Calleigh, and she deepened their kiss, lips tangling over and over, bodies now meeting length for length as she pulled him impossibly closer.

Rather than separate when their lips parted, Calleigh tenderly rested her forehead against Eric's cheek, and he graced her temple with a light kiss.

"Do you know how long I've wanted to do that?" he sighed. She felt his fingertips ghost up her spine and her whole body buzzed.

"Probably about as long as I've wanted to," she confessed, voice soft.

Eric glided a hand from around her back to reach for her chin and pull her in for another deep, devastating kiss.

This time when they separated, they both panted from the lack of air.

"Stay here tonight," Calleigh whispered against his lips.

"Cal—"

"We don't have to do anything, Eric. But…I want you close."

He couldn't see her turn crimson in the dark, but he felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

"I told you I'd do anything for you," Eric smiled and pecked a loving kiss to her lips. "If you want me to stay, I'll stay."

That night, for the first time in months, Calleigh slept soundly, happy and at peace in Eric's arms, as did Eric in hers.

The tired circles under his eyes the last month had not escaped Calleigh's notice, and she knew Eric must be just as exhausted as she was given the added turmoil of his life lately. He hadn't completely opened up to her about The DeLuca Motel, or why he so carefully watched his back these days, but she knew he would when he felt ready.

She awoke the next morning intertwined in him, and as she studied his beautiful face, Calleigh saw the darkness below his eyes had receded with rest, and she knew what she must do.

Careful not to wake the man beside her, she extricated herself from his arms and padded to her office to find what she needed.

An hour later, she heard Eric stirring in her bedroom. She greeted him with coffee in hand, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips and murmuring a bright, "Good morning, sunshine."

"Morning," he grinned sleepily.

The look on his face told Calleigh everything she needed to know, as if his file hadn't already confirmed it: Eric could wake up like this with her every day for the rest of his life.

She tugged his hand. "C'mon, I want to show you something."

Eric heard the soft strains of Nat King Cole singing "The Christmas Song" when they arrived in the living room, just as he saw Calleigh's beautiful Christmas tree, brightly lit, with a single silver package nestled under its branches.

Eric took a long sip of his steaming coffee and sent a sidelong glance toward Calleigh.

"What are you up to?" he said in his deep morning voice.

"You'll have to open it to find out," she laughed.

The small, neatly wrapped package sat atop a green envelope upon which Calleigh had written Eric's name.

Eric gently picked up both the card and the small gift box, settling himself on the couch and reaching first to open Calleigh's note.

She sat at his side, crossed her legs under her, and weaved her fingers into his left hand as he read the card held in his right:

"I'm calling in my first favor. It may be the biggest I ever ask of you. Please say yes."

Eric gave Calleigh a questioning look. She released his hand and nudged it toward the little box on his knee.

"Go on, open it," she encouraged.

Calleigh's nerves tightened with every second that passed as Eric undid the wrapping paper and lifted the lid of the jewelry box, until she realized she'd stopped breathing in anticipation of his reaction. She forced herself to inhale a shaky breath.

Inside the box rested two items: a golden raffle ticket, and a bronze key.

Eric's brows furrowed and he locked his eyes with Calleigh's.

"What is this?" he asked her, confused.

Calleigh delicately took the key from the box, holding it aloft between them and feeling proud her hands did not visibly tremble with her nerves.

"This is a key to my house," she explained. "And it's yours…if you want it."

Calleigh watched his mouth fall slightly agape and his eyes go wide, but he said nothing, so she reached for his hands and curled the key in his fingers, along with her own, daintier ones.

"Look, Eric…" she began, then halted, trying to find her words. "You need a safe place to stay, and well…I kind of want it to be here. Maybe it's not full time, but…yeah."

So graceful. She fought the instinct to duck her head to hide the blush that rose to her face.

"Please say yes," she pleaded, repeating the words she wrote in her note.

Eric remained speechless for a time before he shifted his body on the couch so he could drop his brow to rest on hers.

"Do you know what you're asking me, Cal?"

"I know we want the same things," she told him honestly. "I'm scared, but I need you in my life, Eric."

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…"

The tune flowed over the stereo and both Eric and Calleigh paused for a beat before they caught each other's eyes.

A beautiful smile spread on Eric's face. Slowly, he circled his fingers around the key in Calleigh's hands where they lay tucked beneath his, and he took it from her—a precious, unspoken 'yes.'

His gaze dropped to her lips and Eric took the time to slowly lean in and brush an intimate kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"Merry Christmas, Calleigh," he whispered, then he seized her lips in a slow-burning, passionate kiss that left them both dizzy.

As Eric poured his everything into their embrace, she had the thought that this may be their first Christmas morning together, but Eric's touch promised her it wouldn't be their last.

Calleigh's heart swelled with love for the man in her arms. She planned to tell him in time. For now, she would revel in the feeling of him wrapped around her amid the twinkling lights, his lips on hers as the fire crackled and the carols rang low over the stereo… and catalog every last, magical moment of a Christmas she'd never forget.