A/N: This is the final chapter of this fanfiction. Thank you to everyone who has favored my stories lately. I hope you enjoy them.
This chapter is based in the events that happened during episode 6x20 "Down the Wire". I wanted so badly to make last chapter and this chapter go together but even I couldn't make that timeline work which is why they became two different chapters.
Chapter Ten: No One Comes Close
2:38AM
The humidity hung in the midnight air, giving Calleigh the sensation of suffocation and she let out a quiet cough in response. She'd experienced both good and bad nights since her kidnapping but tonight happened to be one of those bad nights.
She tried just about everything to relax. A bath after a long day usually did the trick but not this time. She tried to read a book and even watch a TV show but found it too difficult to truly focus. Music only frustrated her. Nothing seemed to help take her mind off of the events of the day.
She'd been booted from a case on the grounds of the website, 'Solve a Crime with Calleigh.' Rick informed her that there was a video on the website that showed her reading a note on how to process a crime scene and that along with the fact that she'd cleaned up a crime scene for two criminals created a conflict between her and the job.
Calleigh had spent so much time focusing on the actual kidnapping, about what she could've done differently that she didn't think about how what she'd done would actually affect her job in the long run. She'd argued her point that she only cleaned up the crime scene to save her life but that didn't change anything. She was still off the case and to add insult to her already shattered ego, she had to take competencies in crime scene investigating, should she wish to continue to work for the department.
Initially, Calleigh was angry with Eric, wishing he'd been upfront about his memory and how he was processing things after his shooting but looking at the total picture, she realized everything that happened was a result of the website and subsequent kidnapping. It wasn't enough that her kidnapping had consumed her personal life – it was starting to spill over into her professional life as well.
That thought overwhelmed her and she didn't know what to do about it. Calleigh no longer felt like a reliable member of the team and if she was completely honest with herself, she was not okay. She'd developed a sense of mistrust of everyone and was unsure of what the future held for her.
Calleigh shifted positions in bed, clocking the time at close to three o'clock in the morning. Exhaling, Calleigh made a mental note to call off work. Even though she had been assigned to work cold cases until she completed her competencies, she summed she would be of no use for work in the morning.
...
Calleigh didn't know which thought had lulled her to sleep but she was now being awaken by her phone. Given that it was her personal phone and not her duty phone, Calleigh summed the caller had to know her personally. A glance at her clock let her know that it was late in the morning and she sighed tiredly. Calleigh picked up her phone and mumbled "it's Calleigh" into the speaker.
"Cal," Eric said on the other end. He was slightly relieved to hear her voice. Since her kidnapping, he took comfort in whatever contact he had with her. "I saw that you were off-duty today..." He knew she was scheduled to work. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Calleigh said quickly, trying to sound convincing. "Just wanted to take some time today."
"Okay," Eric said simply. For him, Calleigh hardly called off and when she did, it wasn't just to 'take a day.' He knew she was going through a lot and understood how trauma affected people differently. Shortly after Nick was killed, he was shot in the line of duty. Coming back to work in a sound mind had been a challenge for him. There were plenty of times where Eric had been faced with danger and his fight or flight responses did not activate and his reaction was to freeze.
He'd be lying if he said his memory didn't take a hit. Though Eric felt fairly confident that he could get the job done, sometimes thoughts were jumbled and writing things out on paper was a way to sort his thoughts. Even convening a second opinion over the evidence was a way for him to ensure he didn't make mistakes. That didn't stop Calleigh for getting the blame for his notes and he hated that. He sighed a bit before speaking. "I was thinking...if you're up for it, maybe I can stop by during my lunch break. You know, bring you something to eat or drink?"
"Eric, I'm fine," Calleigh said. "I think...I think I just need to spend some time alone today." She didn't really want to talk about anything right now. Part of her felt Eric wanted to get an idea of where he stood with her. Soon after her kidnapping, Eric told her his true feelings and intentions but to her it was a lot to sort. For her, Eric was the closest friend she had and she didn't know if she was up to inviting him in her life in such an intimate way, especially now when self-security meant so much to her. She only hoped that she didn't give Eric the wrong impression when she told Eric not to go to Stetler about the video and to do it for them. She still needed time to process and sort her feelings out.
"Alright," Eric said, trying not to press her. "I'll check in tonight."
"Okay."
...
Keeping good with his promise, Eric decided to check in after his shift and pulled his car in front of Calleigh's house. He glanced at Calleigh's door, giving a sigh before finally taking the key out of the ignition and opening the driver's side door. Each step Eric took was slow and deliberate as he gathered his thoughts, trying to plan out how the conversation would go. He knocked on Calleigh's door. After a few seconds, the door opened.
Calleigh gave a half-smile and tilted her head slightly to the side. "Somehow I knew you were gonna show up."
Eric chuckled a bit. "I wanted to physically check in on you." He stepped inside as Calleigh opened the door for him. "That's not a problem is it?" He joked.
Calleigh closed and locked the door. "I guess not," she joked back. "How was shift?"
Eric sat down on the couch after Calleigh sat. "Same old, same old," Eric said with a shrug. "Mostly concerned about you," Eric said. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," Calleigh said.
"Cal," Eric said, dismissing Calleigh's automatic response. "How are you really doing?"
Calleigh looked Eric in his eyes before breaking her gaze to look at the floor. He always had a way of see right through her words. With a quiet sigh, she started talking. "Some days are better than others," she said simply. "Day in and out we meet people on their worst days. It's up to us to solve their...to bring justice to their families," Calleigh said, switching her train of thought. "I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the lasting outcome for them. I've never allowed myself to feel more than empathy for that moment. It's a different story when you're the one you have to feel for – when the traumatic situation is yours." She drew her arms across her chest. "My kidnapping started as a result of someone I considered a friend getting back at me. I think that's probably the worst part. I considered Cooper a friend only for him to create a website to take me down."
Eric grimaced and stroked Calleigh's shoulder. He didn't know what happened to Cooper but he started displaying a lot of uncharacteristic behavior, starting with using Speed's credit card. Eventually it escalated to him stealing the memory card from Calleigh's camera at a crime scene to him creating a website about her. Just thinking about it caused him to tightened his lips in anger but Calleigh's talking brought him out of his thoughts.
"Even though the website is down, my personal information was public. I don't know what other people may know about me. Whose to say more criminals aren't thinking the same thing and I get called out to other fake crime scenes?"
Eric knew Calleigh's feelings were valid. He had the same feelings after his shooting. It was still somewhat challenging to him to go to scenes involving gun violence. Eric often put it in the back of his mind that he had a job to do. Just as Calleigh said earlier, it was to bring justice to the victim's families.
"It's always those thoughts," Calleigh said. "Those are the ones that creep up on me...especially at night."
Eric sighed at Calleigh's admission. Soon after Calleigh's kidnapping, Horatio had organized police surveillance at Calleigh's residence until it was no longer feasible in the city of Miami's financial budget. Calleigh was adamant that she was okay but hearing her confession now had him feeling uneasy. He let out a breath. "I meant what I said to you. I will never let anyone hurt you again."
"I know," Calleigh said. "And I appreciate you more than you'll ever know." As the words left her lips, Calleigh thought over them. Though she felt deeply for Eric, she wanted the consistency of his friendship right now without worrying about the newness of a romantic relationship. "Eric," Calleigh said gently. "I'm sorry if my words are misleading."
Eric looked at her. "Hmm?" He questioned.
Calleigh took a breath as she gathered her thoughts. She wanted her words to come out clear and deliberate but at the same time, show that she would be interesting in exploring their relationship in the future. However, she knew it would be unfair to make him wait. Taking another breath, Calleigh started talking. "We've been cycling this for a long time now. I just don't think now is a good time...especially with everything that's going on."
"Umph,"Eric expressed quietly, thinking over his own words before saying them. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't taken slightly aback by Calleigh's words but he understood that it wasn't the right time. He looked at her. "I meant it when I said I'm here for you, no matter what. It doesn't matter if we've just friends or trying a relationship. Nothing changes. I'm perfectly fine being your best friend."
"For now," Calleigh joked, breaking into a smile. She looked Eric in his eyes. "It won't be forever."
"I know how important you healing is to you," Eric said. "I don't mind waiting."
Calleigh nodded her head and smiled appreciatively. "Thank you Eric."
The two fell into a comfortable silence, positive of what the future held for them.
A/N: As the summary suggests, originally I was supposed to put Eric and Calleigh together and honestly if I had finished the story years ago when I was supposed to, they would've likely ended up together. However growing up and having a mature mind I think I understand why the writers didn't put them together after Calleigh got kidnapped. I honestly feel it would've been unfair to Calleigh to push her in a relationship so soon after the traumatic experience she'd been through, especially if it had been me in that situation, I would've been still trying to process what happened. In the episode, it was mentioned Calleigh was kidnapped for two days. That's a long time with uncertainty which is why this chapter is written the way that it is. I felt it was important for Calleigh to heal and process the trauma she'd gone through. Hopefully you all enjoy. This story does not carry over into season 7. Most of my other stories are written based in season 7.
Thank you for reading.
