Look what the wave dragged in...

Chapter four: And the trace evidence shows…

//Walk to Trace, help Speed. Focus, Calleigh.// She paused just out of sight of the door. Running her fingers through her hair, Calleigh straightened her collar and tucked in her shirt. Speed was too observant without her help, even with the still healing shoulder.

Shoulders straightened, smile in place, Calleigh listened to her heels clack against the floor. //Good girl, steady on.// “Horatio said you needed a hand. So where do you want them?”

He looked up at her with an arched eyebrow and gave her the one-fingered salute with his bad shoulder. “Funny, Cal. How ‘bout in gloves and on deck.”

“Aye-aye, Capt’n.” Something in her back relaxed as she slipped into latex and moved to his side. “So what’ve we got to play with?”

That relaxed muscle near her spine suddenly ratcheted up tight at the look on his face. She loved Timothy Speedle like a brother, but then he’d never stared at her lips like this before.

“Looks like you’ve already been playing on company time. Was someone that grateful to get evacuated?”

Her lipstick. Frank had left with a little but she hadn’t even thought about the rest of it. “What?! No, it wasn’t some evacuee.” Calleigh grabbed her little compact mirror, more to avoid his eyes than actually check her reflection. It wasn’t too bad, but very clearly kiss-smudged. //Damnit, Frank and damn Speed.// And he really shouldn’t be smiling like he knew something. He didn’t really … did he?

“But it was someone, wasn’t it, Calleigh?” A latex-covered finger tapped an unshaven chin. “Not Horatio… not my Eric…” His eyebrows leapt in panic, making her heart rate follow. “It’s not Stetler from IA, is it?”

“God, no, Speed. What are you thinking?” The panicked sound of her own voice didn’t really hit her until Speedle grinned. It was Eric’s smile, damn them both.

“So that leaves our very own Detective Francis Tripp, who’s been watching our own CSI Calleigh Duquesne for months now.” Speed flung an arm around her shoulders. “What finally made him cross the line?”

//Breathing’s always a good idea, girl.// Strangling Speed sounded better, but even that required thought and breath. “What I … he…” Of anyone in the lab, he might understand the best. Speed had fallen for a coworker and kissed him suddenly too. Swallowing around the giant lump in her throat. “He … he didn’t, Speed. I did.” A weird little gasping noise spilled off her lips. “I did it. I crossed the line.”

She couldn’t manage her defense smile as she watched his eyes widen, barely managed to not slump into his arms. “And what did Frank do?”

“He kissed me back,” Calleigh curled her arms around her ribs, leaning closer to Speed’s shoulder. “And he held me and I pushed him away.”

She was staring at his lab coat when it started shaking before her eyes. Speedle was laughing. Fingers caught her at the shoulder and pushed her back to force her eyes to his. “You think he’s gonna stay away? Calleigh, that man has been watching you since before he stopped wearing his ring.” A gloved finger tilted her chin up. “He’s not going anywhere, not after you let him get his arms around you.”

“Speed, it’s not like…” The words on her lips stopped at his smile and head-shake.

“Denial doesn’t help, Cal, believe me… I tried.” Seemingly satisfied that he had her attention, Speed leaned against the table and folded his arms. “When opportunity bangs, the best idea is to open the door.”

Her knees were shaking, slipping out from under her. Calleigh found a work stool to slide onto. “But, Speedle, it can’t work… it can’t—“

“Why not, Calleigh? You let down your walls enough to kiss him … and clearly both of you enjoyed it… and now you’re trying to hide.” Speedle touched her shoulder, a comforting grip. “Never thought you were a coward…” One last look made his point amply clear before Speedle rolled his weak shoulder and turned back to the evidence.

Was it fear? Was it just cowardice that kept her inside her walls?

That would keep her from Frank?

Calleigh felt a weird stillness invade her from the feet up. She let herself remember how it had felt in his arms. Both the urgent heat of his kiss and the warm safety of his hug. She let herself remember the way he looked at her and reached for her. The way her nerves leapt at the simple touch of his hand on her back.

Yup, blind fucking terror it was. Anything that felt so good, that could be as necessary as breathing… could be lost, or taken or destroyed. It wasn’t safe to need or want anything that much. It was dangerous and scary as all hell.

And that didn’t make her want him even a fraction of a bit less. Dropping her head into her hands. Calleigh groaned. “Goddamnit, Frank!”

000


Eric was quiet for long enough that Frank almost thought he’d escaped further torment. And then…

“So what was it?” Eric’s question made it through the large chunk of wall Frank was holding upright. Eric was invisible on the other side.

“What was what, Eric? This ain’t no light weight piece o’ ply board here.”

Movement preceded the CSI backing out from the collapsed desk and let Frank slowly drop the wall.

“What finally made you up and kiss Calleigh? Her shoes, perfume, smile? The wave? What?” Eric was staring at him, eyes locked on his face… like Frank was a suspect. Like he was guilty of something.

Like he had attacked Calleigh somehow, forced her. //Fuck that all to hell,// “Damnit, Delko, you know I’d never push Calleigh into anythin’ she didn’t wan’ ever!” Eric didn’t flinch as Frank’s knuckles put a dent in the wall next to his shoulder.

Brave man. “Didn’t say you did, Frank. All I asked was what made you kiss her after holding back so long.”

//Breathe, Detective, breathe.// Frank forced his fingers open and rubbed a hand over her marks on his neck. Anger was what Eric wanted. Get someone angry enough, they’d make mistakes, say things they’d meant to hide. And Eric had been poking at his buttons for weeks, long before there’d been anything this big to find. Taking a deep breath, Frank tried to calm down. “Nuthin’ like that happened.”

Lord, he hated that smile on Delko’s face. “So she just loaned you some lipstick ‘cause she didn’t have any chapstick. Or it was just a “thank you” peck for a hand over a puddle.” Delko tried for blank and unassuming but failed miserably, he couldn’t help smiling.

//Breathing, remember to breathe.// Hooking his fingers through his belt loops, Frank pulled out a smile of his own. “’Course, you know Calleigh’s always lipsmackin’ anyone who stands still long enough. Such a friendly girl.”

Eyebrows arched as Eric bravely stepped closer. “Calleigh? Our Calleigh Duquesne?” He laughed. “Also known as the Ice Princess? Calleigh has never casually kissed someone in her life. She’d think less about pulling the trigger.”

Damnit, he was right. Calleigh didn’t act without thinking. But which decision would be the final one: when she reached for him or when she pushed him away. And could he let her go? //No,// A slow breath later, Frank rubbed his neck and took a chance. “I didn’t kiss her, Eric. Calleigh kissed me… and then she pushed me away.”

Every inch of Delko’s body tightened in the instant before he crossed the distance and reached for him. “Fuck, Frank, I’m sorry, man.” Suddenly Delko was giving him the guyfriend half-hug, a hand rubbing his back. Against his will, Frank’s arms returned the hug and his head dropped against Eric’s shoulder. “I know it seems like hell right now, but you got a shot.” Eric pulled back to see his face, giving Frank a small but genuine smile.

“I don’t see how.” Frank shook his head. “She wouldn’t look at me, wouldn’t talk about it. Barely let me in arm’s length of her.”

“She kissed you, right? Pretty eagerly…”

Like Frank could ever forget the urgent grip of her arms or the passion of her kiss. “Yeah, she was… amazing.” He rubbed a hand along her scratches on his neck. “I’d never felt like that before.”

Now Eric was smiling and it didn’t make Frank angry. It was comforting. “People like Speedle, like Calleigh don’t just let people in. She would never have kissed you at all if she didn’t want you enough. Calleigh’ll try to pull back but don’t let her.”

“How, Eric? How do I keep ‘er from runnin’ without scarin’ her off?”

“She’s terrified of needing anyone. Show her you’re not going anywhere, that you’ll be there for her.” He laughed a little. “Become her safe stalker.”

“Are you sure?” Frank wanted it to work. Anything to get and keep his Calleigh close. To feel her in his arms again… and again. “ ‘Cause I’m not lettin’ her get away that easy.”

“It should. It worked on Speed.” //Bless Delko and his smiles.//

000