Chapter 8:

The following week had dragged by. He had tried to call her later and text but nothing, and Eric wasn't sure what hit him. Was it something he said? Had she decided who she wanted and she hadn't informed him till then? How could she just run away from him and leave him like that? From one moment of bliss to a week of feeling numb, like he was on autopilot.

The next day had been terrible. The victim was shot, so automatically involved Calleigh and Eric had to go to firearms to give her the bullet Alexx had given him, and if he thought watching her run out on him was bad, the silent treatment or the fact that she couldn't even look at him was even worse.

She felt him enter the room without even having to look back and Calleigh closed her eyes trying to keep her composure. She knew he was confused, that he was hurt and damn it anything she does seem to hurt him lately.

'Cal' he said and Calleigh could swear that something inside of her broke as his voice cut through the silence that echoed in firearms 'I emm...I have the bullet from the Shelby case' he told her.

She turned around and reached for the container careful not to touch his fingers and Eric noticed 'I'm not going to bite' he told her and Calleigh looked up at him. Her eyes looked broken and if he wasn't mistaken, he thought he saw the rim of her eyes red. Had she been crying?

'I know' she replied softly.

'Can we talk?' he asked her.

'Now is not the right time or place' she replied.

'Please Calleigh...was it something I said?' he asked her.

'It's not you Eric...it's me' she told him.

'Please don't give me that line' he pleaded 'If it's because you want to be with Jake just say so...I told you I will respect your decision...but not like this...this is killing me' he told her 'I can't understand what happened' he told her.

'Just forget about me Eric...I'm not good for you' she told him.

'Where the hell is this coming from?' he asked her as he attempted to put his hands on her arms but she took a step back and it was like she had burned him alive. Suddenly he felt like he was suffocating, so without a word, he turned around and walked out of firearms, leaving her on the verge of crying which is something that was always hard to achieve when it came to Calleigh.

Working the case had been hell and after that, Eric hardly saw her face all week. She had managed to avoid him for most days but the few times they had seen each other, their eyes would lock and suddenly there was tension in the air. Even the rest of the team realized that something happened, because Calleigh was extra quiet, the walls were so high up no one could reach her and well Eric was an open book. He had a foul mood all week and that never went down well with anyone especially Wolfe. When he had this mood, Eric was almost impossible to work with. Only Calleigh could get to him, but this time she was the problem so they were basically screwed.

OooOOOooo

It was the end of the week and Calleigh had the weekend off but somehow the weekend felt different. The situation with her and Eric was still the same although she seemed to be more normal at work now and even Eric didn't seem to be furious, at least he was being bareable to work with from what she heard from her colleagues. She had been hearing them complain that he was being constantly in a mood and at one point, Ryan had even asked her if she knew what was the reason but she obviously said that she didn't. She was not about to tell them what happened...but now as she finally sat on her bench on the back porch facing the waves, crushing against the shore, she could finally think. She had told Jake that she needed some space and not to text her, so she sat there with her glass of wine and phone and just stared at the ocean to calm herself down and clear her mind.

She really didn't know from where to start but the less complicated part somehow was Jake. He was part of her past, and back in her life now. She still wasn't sure what she feels for him. She cares for him and when she found out that he had been in a car accident, she had to admit that she did feel anxious until she saw with her own eyes that he wasn't as bad, but it was nothing compared to how panicked she had been when Eric was shot. It had been like the floor had just fell from underneath her, and Calleigh did feel like she has been in this freefall since then and couldn't seem to find her feet again for some reason. She thought about Jake...what she likes and doesn't like about him, and deep down...deep down she knows that it is Eric she wants to be with but something inside of her was telling her that she should try and salvage their relationship. It wasn't like she didn't love him, and when he gives her that smile and kisses her, Calleigh had to admit that she did enjoy his company. It was only that her mind and heart where being occupied by Eric.

She closed her eyes and sighed heavily, drinking what was left of the wine in her glass. Getting up from the bench, she walked inside, grabbed her keys in one hand and her phone in another and walked out on the sand. She needed to get closer to the shore. She was walking and walking until she reached the spot she wanted, and then she sat down. She stared ahead, rolling in with that relaxing sound that she always loved so much, the stars shining bright...at least the ones she could see, and then she pulled her legs up, her knees against her chest, as she wrapped her arms around her legs and let her head drop.

She made such a mess of everything. She had tried to stay away...to keep her heart locked away from him, but somehow he managed to reach in and make her fall in love with him. How did he do that? How did he manage to make her fall in love with him after she had tried so hard not too fall for him? They had gone years just being friends, just flirting with each other...dancing around it without actually falling and then...then he had been shot and her whole world had shattered. She had cried and cried like she had never cried before and it was like the gates were opened and she couldn't see to close them. She had been exposed and he had reached in without even doing anything and yet she had fallen for him and fallen hard. She wished she could see him...be with him...spend some time in his arms...

Pulling out her phone, Calleigh started flipping through the photos they took together. She couldn't help but smile at each and every one of them, remembering fondly those moments. She stopped on the one where they were dancing at his parents house and smiled. He sister had taken that shot and she had sent it to Eric. There was just something about the way that they were looking into each other's eyes, the way his hand held her close to him as they danced. They had so much fun that day. It was on that day that they had made love for the first time. She continued going through the photos and stopped on the one where she and Eric were here, in this spot, her sitting between his legs and his arms are wrapped around her and as she stared at the photo, tears started falling down her cheeks. How did she end up in such a mess? She fell in love with her best friend when her ex came back in her life. What was she going to do about it?

She was still staring at the photo, tears still streaming down her cheeks, when his voice cut through the silence.

'I love that photo' she heard him say and her head snapped up to find Eric standing next to her.

'Eric...what are you doing here?' she asked him.

He shrugged, his hands in his pockets 'I just needed to get out of the house...clear my mind...it's been a touch week' he explained still standing next to her. He watched her wipe at her tears frantically, as if he hadn't noticed them already 'May I?' he asked her and she nodded, so Eric sat down next to her...close to her but not touching...just close enough 'Why are you crying?' he asked her after a long moment of silence. She had been staring at the ocean ahead of her without saying a word, her arms wrapped around her legs.

She turned to look at him then for a brief moment and then looked away at the ocean in front of her again 'I made such a mess of everything' she told him.

'You wanna talk about it?' he asked her and Calleigh turned to look at him, thinking about him. She could always talk to him about anything and everything, but this concerned him and she really didn't want to hurt him more than she already did.

'I don't want to hurt you' she told him and Eric scoffed at that.

'Cal...with all due respect...I don't think you can hurt me more than you did this week' he told her 'I mean...you ran out on me after we had just made love, leaving me naked in the middle of the living room, and I still don't know why. Was it something I said?' he asked her again. It had hit him at that moment what she was probably going to do...what she felt like she needed to do, not what she truly deep down wanted to do, because she knew that if she followed her heart, she wouldn't be in this mess. The decision would have been quite simple.

'I just realized something at that moment...it kind of hit me' she tried to explain.

'Care to elaborate on that?' he asked her.

She sighed heavily at that 'My mind is telling me to do one thing and my heart wants another thing' she told him.

'And what is your mind telling you?' he asked her.

She looked at him with concern in her eyes, knowing that this was going to hurt him 'To try and work things out with Jake' she replied.

'And your heart?' he asked her.

'To choose you...my heart has chose you Eric...but my mind...' she started but then stopped, letting her head drop into her knees, which were still pulled to her chest. At that moment, Eric wasn't sure what to feel. She had just told him that her heart had chosen him, that deep down she wants to be with him, and yet he had a feeling she was going to listen to her head instead.

'And what are you going to do?' he asked her, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

She could see the sadness in his eyes, the hurt written all over his face, the pain in his voice as he already knew the answer to that question. She closed her eyes and looked away. She just couldn't look in his eyes anymore 'I need to listen to my head' she told him and his face fell.

'Why?' he asked 'You're clearly not happy with your choice...otherwise you wouldn't be crying again' he told her.

She hadn't realized that tears had started streaming down her face again, and Calleigh turned to look at him at that 'I'm crying because I feel like I am losing my best friend' she told him.

'You're not losing me Cal' he tried to assure her.

'Come on Eric...I know we won't be hanging out anymore of I'm with Jake. We're bound to drift apart a bit' she told him.

'Maybe...but I will always be there for you whether we are together or not' Eric assured her.

'I just need to know that I tried everything. I don't want to look back and say what if? If it doesn't work out then at least I know that I tried' Calleigh tried to explain.

Eric looked at her then 'But if your heart's not in it Cal...how can it work?' I mean I know you still love him probably but you clearly have feelings for me too' Eric told her.

'I do have feelings for you Eric and right now my heart is breaking knowing that I am breaking yours...I just hope that one day you will be able to forgive me' she told him.

'Forgive you? For choosing Jake over me?' Eric asked and then he shrugged 'Your heart chose me Cal...maybe one day when you're ready we will be together' Eric told her.

'I can't ask you to wait for me' Calleigh replied.

'It's not a choice Calleigh...my heart belongs to you...it always has' he told her and their eyes locked on each other for the longest time, until Calleigh leaned into him and Eric wrapped his arm around her.

They stayed like that for the longest time, just enjoying being like this one last time. The tears still streamed down her face silently, while Eric felt like he has suddenly become numb. Knowing that he had her heart and yet she still chose to be with Jake wasn't as much comfort. He wanted her all for himself. How was he supposed to feel watching her with Jake or knowing that they will be sleeping together...that Jake would be the one to make love to her and not him?

Her scent mixed with the ocean's salty breeze was making his head spin. He needed to get away from her and start putting some distance.

'Cal...I think it's better if I go' he told her.

She slowly lifted her head from his shoulder, panic and pain too obvious for him to ignore. She wanted to scream and beg him to stay...but she couldn't. This was all her doing...all ger fault. He never would have left if she chose him. She was just grateful that he didn't leave immediately...that he gave her one last moment to stay like this together.

'Okay' she whispered softly, tears streaming down her face once again.

He reached out and wiped her tears with his thumb, his hand now cupping one cheek, he leaned in and pressed his lips hard against her forehead, holding back tears of his own, both of them closing their eyes at the contact. Her hands fell on his torso holding onto his shirt as she held onto him. Her eyes flashed open when he started pulling away but as he turned to leave, she called out to him.

'Eric' she called out and he stopped and turned to look at her and then she was walking towards him, grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him hard and passionately, their tongues battling each other as they hung onto each other for dear life...but when their lungs started begging for oxygen and they broke the kiss, both of them panting hard, he grabbed her face with both hands, his forehead resting against hers, he pressed his eyes shut and tried not to break down.

'I have to go' he told her 'See you Calleigh' he said and with that he pressed one last kiss against her lips, turned and walked away, leaving her all by herself in the middle of the beach.

She watched him walking away and it was like she was watching her heart walking away from her body. The sudden coldness that she was feeling came from within. It was like her heart was turning cold and the walls were going back up. She could feel them because she needed to protect herself. She needed to get herself together because this...this was too painful and he was right. She will not make this work if she is not fully committed...so the walls were going back up...but maybe that could go back up a bit later and for now...she will allow herself to cry.

oooOOOooo

Eric was alone in the darkness of his home. His eyes red and his heart shred to pieces. Somehow he had known that she was going to do this...maybe it was because he knew her so well. She needs closure in that relationship he told himself She needs to know that she did everything possible to salvage it. Maybe this was due to her parents relationship and everything she saw unfolding in front of her own eyes. Maybe deep down inside of her she feels that if she couldn't do something to save one relationship, maybe she could save the other.

He was hurt and pissed off if he wanted to be honest...even angry but somehow at the same time, he felt patient with her...like deep in his gut he knew he will have her back. Maybe because the other guy is Jake and he was bound to hurt her and when he does, Eric will be there to help her pick up herself. He would be the shoulder she would need like he has always been.

He loves her...he always has loved her and now he knows that she has feelings for him to. He knows he has her heart...and that is also another reason why he knows that her relationship was bound to fail, because he knew that now he held her heart. She had freely admitted that not like before. Before she would flirt with him but never crossed that line but now the line was crossed and how! They had kissed...had made love, had made memories together and there was no denying anything now. Maybe before she could deny it but not anymore. Somehow that brought him some comfort...just a little bit...but his bed now felt empty even if she hadn't been in it and at that he wondered how her bed felt. He had been in her bed...he had been in her bed before they crossed the line...and then they had made love there. She had taken him there herself and had asked him to make love to her in her bed. He could not begin to imagine how she was handling that! Maybe before he would say she is tough, her strength will get her through and maybe it will, but tonight...tonight might be a different story.

OooOOOooo

It had been a few days since that night she watched Eric walk away with her heart. It had been her choice and he had accepted it just like he said he would, but deep down she knew he was still hurting, just like she still was.

That night had been one to forget. She had to let all of her walls down and had let herself cry to sleep. Had let herself feel the pain of missing out on him. Again...it was her choice but damn it she needed to do this.

Going to bed without him in it, knowing that he will not be in it...it made her feel more empty that it already was. All she could think about was the way he had loved her in that same bed. The way he had kissed her mouth, her neck. The way he had touched her and filled her so intimately and then the way he had held her throughout the night...

She closed her eyes, letting her mind drift to that day...that night and the next morning. She ached for him. Ached to feel his lips on her, his arms wrap around her, his body on top of hers. She simply ached for him and missed him...but it was her choice. He had told her that if it was up to him, he would never leave...and she knew he meant it.

It's been four days and Calleigh still hasn't told Jake that she wanted to try and get back together. She needed some time to mourn the loss and to get herself back together.

Seeing Eric at work the next day had almost broke her down, the minute their eyes had connected, and to make things worse, the dead body was found on the beach. Not the same one but it was still a beach. Ironically her ex had been the one to kill the victim. It had been bad and tough but somehow they got through it...with as minimum contact as much as possible but at least they made it through.

Today though, she had a date with Jake after her he had texted her yesterday, she had asked to meet for a brunch. She wasn't entirely feeling wonderful, still too fresh for her to be her vibrant self but she knew that she needed to get on with this and try this relationship. At first she was nervous but when she arrived and saw Jake there and saw him smiling at her, her nerves calmed down a bit.

'Hey' she said smiling at him.

'There you are' he said smiling back 'I was beginning to wonder if you were coming' he teased her.

She rolled her eyes in that cute way of hers 'You know I wouldn't just leave you hanging' she told him as she took a seat in front of him, and then her eyes caught sight of the mimosa in front of him 'I see you started without me' she teased.

The waitress came at that exact moment to ask her what she would like to order so Calleigh just got the same.

'So what happened? You said you have something to tell me' Jake started anxious to know why she had asked him to meet after she had asked for some space.

'I was thinking about us...about what I want...where this leaves us' she started and damn this was not easy because at the back of her mind, Eric was still there 'And I...I want to give us a try' she told him and Jake smiled at her, that grin filling his face.

'Yeah?' he asked as he placed his hand on hers and Calleigh smiled at him and just tried to focus on Jake and that's it. It wasn't like someone was forcing her to do something she didn't want to do or be with someone she didn't like. She just had some reservations knowing Jake and well because she now had feelings for Eric as well and she knew she was hurting him, but she was going to try and work this out.

'Yeah' she replied with a smile. The waitress arrived at that moment with her drink, so Jake picked up his glass and called for a toast and Calleigh clinked the glass, hoping for a fresh beginning. They spent another hour or so, maybe a bit more, just talking and Calleigh felt herself relax. This was Jake. It was easy to be relaxed around him and it was just the two of them.

'You wanna come over tonight?' he asked her.

'Yeah sure unless we end up working late. Tomorrow I have the early call' she informed him.

'Okay, then we talk later' he said as he checked the time 'I would really love to have more time Cal but my shift starts soon' he told her as he got up from his chair.

'Sure no problem. I'll get this bill. Go' she told him. He leaned in then and pressed his lips hard against hers, and Calleigh leaned into the kiss, enjoying it. She would definitely be getting more of those now.

'I gotta go. Talk later' he told her as he pulled away and with that he walked out of the restaurant.

She watched him leave, a smile on her face. This was right, she thought. She could get used to having him around more...being with him. At that thought, she grabbed her bag and went to pay the bill and then made her way out. She was walking back to her car, staring at the window shops as she passed by, feeling light and happy. She got into the car and pressed the button to get the window open when a car stopped next to hers and as she turned her head, she could see the barrel of a gun pointing at her, the voice behind it yelling at her to turn off the car.

Pretending to do so, she grabbed her gun and shouted that she is a police officer and for them to remove the gun. The car sped, knocking her gun out of her hand and as she got out of the car to grab her gun back, the car turned around heading her way, clearly returning back to kill her at the speed they were going, so Calleigh had no choice but to take a shooter's stand and shoot.

It all happened so fast. One minute she is having a drink with Jake and the next she's having a gun pointed at her. She shot at them and the car ended up into one of the shops. The horn of the car could be heard and as she approached with her gun pointed in front of her, she realized she had killed the driver but the passenger was gone and then she saw a hand and realized that an innocent woman had died in the process.

She called it and not long after, the ambulance and other police officers were on the scene. Horatio, Tripp and Wolfe too and then Eric showed up. She had been holding it together until he showed up and sat down next to her in the back of the ambulance 'I don't know what happened' she started telling him trying to fight back her tears that she could feel were ready to spill 'I was just at a brunch down the street' she told him with a shrug.

'Are you gonna be okay?' he asked her seeing how she was trying to fight back the tears, her eyes turning red. She nodded taking a deep breath as she recalled the innocent woman under the vehicle in the shop, her eyes staring ahead and not at Eric.

'There was a woman in the building' she told him as tears started falling silently down her cheek on their own accord 'An innocent woman' she said.

'Listen Calleigh' he started telling her as he let his hand run down her hair, in an attempt to comfort her as he asked her this difficult question, pushing all other thoughts that were inappropriate at this time away 'I gotta ask you something and I don't want you to take it the wrong way' he started telling her softly and carefully and Calleigh turned to look at him 'I know you're off-duty, but...have you been drinking?' he asked her.

'You know the paramedic asked me that question. I had two mimosas but it doesn't have anything to do with what happened' she told him as she turned to look at him 'It's my day off' she told him raising her shoulders feeling the tears ready to spill again. How can such a good day turn this way? She had been happy, relaxed and now, she was in the back of an ambulance having the paramedics and Eric asking her if she had been drinking, and God knows how it was going to go down once Stetler gets involved.

'You don't have to explain it to me. I understand. I believe you' he started telling her. He was hesitant at first since they were now back to being just friends but then he wrapped his arm around her shoulder 'It's just not me that you gotta worry about' he told her before he pulled her into him, and Calleigh let herself fall into him, letting the tears stream down her face this time, as she placed her hand on top of his trying to get some strength out of him. She could feel herself melting in his arm, her head against his chest. She could smell his scent and right now she didn't care who was seeing them. She needed him here with her, needed Eric and no one else. Right now not even Jake. She needed Eric.

OooOOOooo

Just like Eric had indicated facing Stetler was no fun. He was out for blood just as he always is when it comes to their team especially because of his feud with Horatio, and Calleigh knew this time was not going to be any different. She had told him what kind of gun they had in full detail and yet he kept insisting that she had been over the drinking limit and then he put her on Administrative Tactical Review.

She knew that everyone was doing their best to clear her name. Alexx had immediately eased her conscience and let her know that the woman had been dead before the car crashed into the shop while Eric had been down there trying to find anything that would help. She knew he would do anything just like everyone else.

She had just exited the elevator when Jake texted her that he needed to talk to her, so she made her way out of MDPD and went on her way back to the crime scene and hoped to God that Stetler wouldn't find out that she was there.

Calleigh approached Jake, feeling somewhat nervous. She wasn't sure what he wanted to talk to her about or why he was even there in the first place.

'Hey...if Stetler finds out I am here, he will have my head' she told him as she watched him take notes while pushing a strand of hair behind her ear as the wind kept blowing it in her face.

'Well I don't need you to do any fieldwork. I just wanted to talk' he told her 'If I'm gonna work the case, it'd be better if I hear it from you than hear it from a reporter' Jake told her.

'Well technically I don't know if you can do that' she told him and Jake stopped not understanding what she was talking about. Earlier at MDPD, Stetler had confronted her about the extra drinks that she hadn't mentioned. Drinks she had no clue about, which could only mean one thing. Jake had been drinking way before she arrived.

'What do you mean?' he asked her confused.

'Well you got to the restaurant this morning before I did, right?' she asked him.

'Yeah' he replied.

'So I know about all the drinks you ordered, Stetler showed me the receipt' she told him.

Jake scratched his nose at that 'Yeah I ran into some buddies, bought a round' he told her and Calleigh looked away not buying it. She hated when somebody lies to her, especially when they are doing it in her face.

She pushed her hair behind her ear again 'Jake you know that my dad is fairly an accomplished drinker, and I have heard every excuse and half-truth, so you wanna just tell me the real story?' she asked him letting him know that she wasn't buying the story he had given her.

'What difference does it make?' he asked her.

'The difference is that your four drinks brought my actions today in question' she told him.

Jake sighed pinching his nose then turned to look at her ' Calleigh, when I worked undercover, I had to do a few things that...I'm not proud of. But I am not like your old man. And this morning, I was just a guy, an off-duty cop, trying to enjoy himself' Jake tried to explain. This did not sit well with Calleigh...so not well that it was making her question whether she did the right choice with Jake. Having him lie to her about how much he had drunk was definitely not the best way to start again their relationship.

'I just don't know you're the on-duty cop who needs to be working this case' she told him and with that she walked away, not wanting to be around the crime scene more than she needed to.

OooOOOooo

Calleigh was back down at the crime scene when her eyes caught sight of Eric. The sight of him made her heart skip a beat as she took a moment to take him in. She knew that if anyone could clear her name from this mess, it was him. There was no way he was letting her take the fall for something she was innocent of. She smiled and walked over to him.

'Hey. Why'd you want to come down here?' she asked him pushing her hands inside the back pockets, not trusting herself not to touch him for a reason or another.

'Pete Morton told Horatio that there was a truck parked at this corner, blocking their escape route' Eric started telling her.

'Yeah I told Stetler that it wasn't there but then again he thinks I was drunk' she chuckled and Eric smiled at her.

'Well you were right' Eric told her and Calleigh's face got serious as did Eric's 'Take a look at this bullet strike here' he told her signaling to the hole in the tree trunk 'I pulled this out of it. Does it look familiar?' he asked her as he showed her the bullet in the evidence bag.

'Yeah. It's a 45' she told him smiling at him.

'I'm willing to bet it's yours' he told her 'Missed the suspect's car and it struck the tree' he explained.

'That proves there was no way there was a truck there' she told him smiling.

'Proves Morton's story is BS. They weren't looking for an escape route...they had one. They were coming back to kill you. Stetler's wrong' he told her 'You did what you had to do' he said. They stared at each other for a moment. She could see that the truth pained him.

'Thanks Eric' she told him softly.

'Don't thank me. Thank...Thank Jake' he told her and Calleigh looked confused 'He just called me down here and asked me to handle it' he explained. She could tell that this was hard on him and she hated it. She hated how hurt he sounded. He had to work with Jake in order to clear her name and in doing that he had to face the reality that someone had tried to kill her today.

'Jake what did you find?' Eric asked him.

'Credibility' he replied as they started walking 'But I'm gonna need you to recover the evidence though. If I show you what I got, can you write the report?' he asked him.

'Yeah man. Whatever you need' Eric told him.

'Thanks' Jake replied.

'Jake asked you to do this?' she asked him. She wasn't sure why she was so surprised really. Maybe it was more because the two of them had put their differences aside for a moment and worked together to free her.

'Guess he's a stand up guy after all' he replied as they stared at each other.

He turned to leave then, needing to put some space between them and stop looking into her eyes when she called him.

'Hey Eric' she said and he turned to look at her.

'Thank you for everything you did today' she told him with a smile.

'I told you I'll always be there for you and I meant it' he told her as he smiled at her and then he turned and walked away.

OooOOOooo

Eric was exhausted and a headache was starting to bombard his head. This was not what he needed right now. He just made his way into the bathroom, got rid of his clothing and stepped under the running water, trying to wash away his thoughts and everything that happened today.

As soon as he heard that Calleigh had been in an off-duty shooting, his heart had stopped. Like that moment of realization had just drained the blood out of his body. He didn't know what he was going to find as he hurried to the crime scene...to her. He found her sitting at the back of an ambulance and she looked physically okay, but emotionally she was distraught. Her eyes were red and he could tell that she was trying to hold it together. It had been so difficult to sit there next to her and watch her, think about every word and every move when all he wanted to do was pull her in his arms and hold her, thank the heavens that she was okay, that she wasn't hurt.

Working with Jake on this case had been somewhat tough. On one hand, Jake was the last person he wanted to see or work with but on the other hand he knew that he would do anything to help Calleigh...even work with Jake...the man she had chosen instead of him.

He could have taken all the credit for finding that bullet, but he was too good to do that. It had been hard giving all the credit to Jake though but at the same time Calleigh appreciated it and he knew that.

He just wished he could be with her tonight. Like he needed to hold her a little bit longer to make sure that she was okay.

He finished showering and just as he was exiting the bathroom, he heard his phone ringing...and then saw her name and her photo staring back at him.

'Hey, are you okay?' he asked her urgently as he picked up the phone.

'Hey...I was just...thinking if you were okay' she admitted and Eric relaxed instantly realizing she just wanted to talk to him, so he climbed on his bed and laid down, staring at the ceiling as he talked to her.

'Yeah...I am...just relieved that all ended good. That you're not hurt' he told her.

'Could have been worse' she admitted, still coming to terms with that fact as well.

She heard him hold his breath at that statement 'That's why I'm calling' she admitted. There seemed to be a long pause and then 'I so need a hug right now' she admitted again and then there was another long pause.

He was not expecting her to say that. God knows how much he wanted to give her a hug...hold her in his arms 'I would come but...I don't think Jake would appreciate it' he replied.

'He's not here' she revealed 'I told him I need some time for myself...but...what I really need...is my best friend right now' she told him.

Eric closed his eyes and pinched his nose at that. This was just so hard. What he should be saying to that was that this was not fair for him because she made her choice but instead he told her 'You wanna come over for some coffee or maybe you prefer to meet at the beach?' he asked her.

'Coffee sounds nice' she admitted.

'Okay...I'll start boiling the water' he told her.

'Thanks Eric' she told him and with that she hung up.

OooOOOooo

The drive to Eric's apartment had felt like it would never end. She needed to be close to him, to wrap her arms around his waist and let his body swallow her. She knew that maybe she shouldn't have called, that she was not his problem, that she had chosen to be with Jake and that she should stay away from him, but today she could have been killed and there was no one else she needed. That was not to mention the look of pain he had in his eyes when he told her that they were coming to kill her and that was why they turned around. She could practically read his mind! The thought that somebody had wanted and tried to kill her hurt him and disturbed him in many ways. She knew that he needed to hold her in his arms as much as she needed to hold him, and that was why she had finally given in and called him. He needed this as much as he she did.

Pulling the car into park and walking to his door, had gotten her rethinking it though. The last time she was here, she had walked out on him after they had made love but now she was not going to chicken out. She was here and she was going to do this, so she knocked on the door and waited until he opened.

The door opened and brown eyes met green ones and Calleigh sighed heavily with relief and suddenly his arms were pulling her into him and she was wrapping her arms around his neck and his arms wrapped around her, holding her close to him. One hand was stroking her hair and the other was resting on her back. They stood like that for what felt like forever and then Calleigh slowly pulled away and Eric started pulling away too but they stopped too close to each other. She could feel his breath on her face and he could feel hers, their eyes still locked on one another.

'Come on...coffee is ready' he told her softly, knowing that nothing could happen now and that she needed him as her best friend and nothing more, he broke the spell.

She smiled softly and entered, closing the door behind her. Her eyes immediately settling on the couch not too far away from her. She felt a pang in her heart so she turned away and followed Eric into the kitchen.

'Here you go' he told her as he handed her her favourite mug.

'Thanks' she replied smiling.

'How are you holding up?' he asked her as he let himself rest against the kitchen counter.

She shrugged 'I'm just...you know...one minute all is fine with the world and the next I have a gun pointing at my face' she said 'I think what is getting to me is that...if Morton hadn't decided to tell me to switch off the engine first but opted to shoot immediately, I wouldn't even know that I was killed' she said not looking at him but rather at the mug of coffee in her hand as she rested against the counter next to him 'He could have killed me and I wouldn't even know' she told him.

Eric was quiet, his mind supplying images of what she was saying and only when she placed her hand on his arm did he realize that he had closed his eyes and was holding his breath.

'Are you okay?' she asked him softly.

He looked at her first 'I think I need to sit' he said as he pushed himself away from the counter and went to sit on the couch, putting the coffee on the coffee table.

Calleigh followed him and sat down next to him, putting her own mug next to his 'Eric' she whispered as she placed her hand on his.

He looked at their hands and then at her and then squeezed her hand a bit 'When I heard that you were in an off-duty shooting...I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what I was going to find. All I knew was that I needed to get to you...and then I found you sitting at the back of the ambulance and I was so relieved that you were okay, that you weren't hurt...at least physically' he told her 'Anything else...we could fix' he said 'But when I realized later that they were coming back to kill you...' he stopped talking and let go of her hand. He placed his hands in front of his face and took a deep long breath.

'Hey...I'm okay...I'm right here' she told him rubbing his back as she got closer to him.

Eric lifted his head and looked at her 'Thank God' he whispered 'But you almost weren't and that is very disturbing' he admitted.

'I know...I've been there when you were in hospital' she reminded him 'And that was worse because you were actually shot' she said 'And it was touch and go for the first days' she said and then she closed her eyes and took a deep long breath 'Anyway...that is the last thing that I want to remember tonight' she said, and Eric realized that they never talked about that ordeal. She had focused so much on helping him heal and get through it, that they never talked about it, but like she said that was the last thing they needed to remember tonight.

Drinking their coffee in silence, they just appreciated being in each other's company and alive.

'I'm just glad you're okay' he told her then, breaking the silence that fell between them and she smiled at him.

'Me too' she replied 'Hey...emm...thank you for today...for everything you did' she told him.

'Of course Cal' he replied 'You don't have to thank me' he told her.

'But I do...you put everything aside...to be there for me even if I don't deserve it right now' she told him.

'I told you I will always be there for you Calleigh, and I meant it' he told her 'No matter what' he assured her 'And please, don't say that you don't deserve it. You have been there for me so many times I lost count, and I'm sure there were times when I probably didn't deserve it, but you were still there for me' he told her.

She smiled softly at him...her eyes glistening as she thought about this morning 'This morning...I needed you...I was hoping you would come. When I saw Horatio, Trip and Wolfe arriving at the scene and they came to talk to me...all I could think about was you. I thought that maybe you weren't coming' she told him.

'How can you think that Cal? If I could I would have snapped my fingers and I would have been there first, before everyone else' Eric told her 'I was going crazy until I saw you, not knowing the state you were in' Eric told her. She smiled at him through her tears and then shifted closer to him, aware of him getting tensed.

'Can you...hold me...please?' she asked him.

He looked in her eyes then and wrapped his arm around her pulling her into him. She shifted closer and let her head rest on his chest while his other arm wrapped around her and she placed her hand on his chest next to her head. They both sighed heavily, both closing their eyes momentarily, just taking a moment to enjoy being in each other's arms, both knowing that this was just a moment of weakness after a hard day at work. Eric let a pray slip thanking the Lord for protecting her, for not taking her away from him. He felt her snuggle into him and God how he wanted to kiss her...how he ached to kiss those lips, let her feel what he was feeling right now. He could almost see it playing out in front of his own eyes...his hands cupping her face, their mouths locked...but things were different now and he was not going to make them more difficult or awkward for a moment of weakness. She had made her choice and he was going to respect it.

He felt her relax then, the remainder of their coffees long forgotten when he heard the light snoring and realized that she had fallen asleep in his arms. Now what? Was he supposed to wake her up or not? She looked so peaceful and God knows when he will be able to hold her again like this. He shifted slightly so he could look at her gorgeous face, that hadn't been peaceful not so long ago and now she looked comfortable and tender. He let his fingers run down her cheek and relished the feeling of being in contact with her skin again. It had been a few days since he touched her skin, and it had been harder than he thought was possible. Seeing her every day and not being able to do anything about it, knowing that another man was holding her like this now, and kissing her and touching her...he closed his eyes and placed a kiss on top of her head, letting her scent knock his senses. He shifted then so that they were both lying on their sides and pulled her closer to him.

She whimpered at the movement as she turned and nuzzled her face in his chest 'Eric' she whispered and Eric looked at her but her eyes were closed and she was still sleeping. Maybe she will be pissed that he didn't wake her up in the morning or maybe she will just blush and that would be it. He did know that they were both on early duty in the morning so at least the alarm was set already and if she arrived a bit late until she goes home and change, he could always cover for her. In the meantime though, for tonight he was just glad that she fell asleep in his arms...at least after such a day, he gets to sleep with her tucked safely in his embrace, because if he wanted to be honest, she needed it but also did he.