Title: Home is where the heart is.
Author: Nikki, a.k.a Dutchie. But Nikki will do.
Summary: He wipes away her tears when she cries, makes her smile when she's feeling down, and he's just always around when she needs him. But then why is she trying so hard not to be with him? CaRWash
A/N: Finally trying a multichap again, I just hope I can manage to finish it for once.
I don't wanna run away but I can't take it I don't understand
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?
Chapter one: Missing second.
Calleigh sighed and pushed her hair back over her shoulder. She couldn't believe that the one day she decided not to wear a ponytail to work, was the day she had to go through tons of evidence in the burning sun. And she was alone, so everything that needed to be done, she had to do herself.
She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and sealed the evidence bag she was holding, in which she had just carefully put a bullet casing. She took a few moments to regain energy. The extreme heat was exhausting her pretty easily.
"Hey…figured you could use a drink." A voice said. She looked up to see Ryan kneeling next to her, holding up a bottle of water. She took it from him with a thankful smile and took a large gulp, then holding the cold bottle against her forehead in an attempt to cool herself.
"What are you doing here?" She asked. "It's your day off today, right?"
"It is, but Horatio called me to say you were all on your own."
"You didn't have to come."
"Looking at you, I think I did."
He smiled at her and watched her as she took another sip. Even in these unbearable circumstances, she looked great. Her hair was sticking to her forehead with sweat, but it looked cute.
"Lots of casings." Ryan said, looking around. "Care to fill me in?"
"Gang shootout. Alexx took the body, I'm left collecting everything."
"Poor you. You don't really look good…no offence."
"None taken. I don't feel good either. I've been working on the scene for 2 hours now and I'm nowhere near done."
"Maybe you should take a break. Go sit in the shadow and drink that water. I'll take over."
"Oh, no, I'm okay. It's my scene and I can manage it…"
She trailed off as she saw Ryan look at her in that way…that way that told her he completely disagreed with every word she was saying. She's seen that look many times before and though she didn't really want to admit to it, he was right.
"Alright." She sighed and gave in. "Thanks Ryan."
"No problem. Last thing I want is for you to get ill."
"I'm never ill." Calleigh said as she stood up and walked towards a big tree on the side of the scene, which was a - rather empty for such a warm day - park.
"First time for everything." Ryan called after her and she lifted her hand, moving it like he was an irritating fly she wanted to hit.
Ryan grinned but then turned serious and changed into work mode. He collected the remainder of bullet casings, photographed and lifted a tire thread, bagged a broken fingernail (painted in a lovely shade of red) and swabbed a few drops of blood for DNA testing.
"Okay, I'm done." He said, looking over at her.
When he didn't get a reply he made his way over to his car, placed all the evidence in it, grabbed a bottle of water for himself and went to check on her. His lips curled up into a sweet smile as he saw the reason she didn't reply to him; she was asleep.
Hanging half against the tree, her eyes closed, her chest slowly moving up and down, she was far away from the heat and the business of the day. He crouched down in front of her and brushed a strain of hair out of her face and behind her ear. She stirred and her eyelashes fluttered before she opened her eyes, looking up at him.
"Hey there sleeping beauty."
"Sleeping what…? I fell asleep? Oh god, I'm so sorry…"
He silenced her by putting a finger on her lips, something that sent an electric jolt through both of their spines. He quickly pulled his hand back.
"It doesn't matter. Obviously you needed it." He said.
"I should've helped you here, what time is it?"
"It didn't take me long."
"You're lying." Calleigh said, pointing a finger at him.
He looked at the sky and then back at her, grinning again. She crossed her arms and stared at him, a determined look on her face. Ryan laughed and threw up his hands in surrender.
"Fine, it took me quite a while, but I didn't even realize it until I checked my watch when I was done."
"I owe you big time Ryan."
"Oh, yeah you do." Ryan nodded playfully.
"I'll make it up to you one day, I promise."
"I sure hope you do." He winked. "Did it help?"
"Did what help?"
"The little nap you took."
"Oh that." She smiled. "That helped a lot. I'm still warm though."
"Let me help you with that."
Ryan unscrewed the capsule of his bottle and before she could even think about what he was going to do he threw a quarter of the water over her. She sat up straight immediately and pulled her now wet shirt, but when she let it go it stuck to her body again. She was glad it wasn't a white shirt.
"Oh…my…Ryan Wolfe you are so gonna get it now!"
He jumped up and he started to run, feeling the last drops from her bottle touching his back. He turned back.
"Ha! Your bottle is empty!" He teased.
"Not fair, you took a fresh one!" Calleigh said, glaring at his trunk.
"Oh no Cal, you wouldn't dare…"
He was wrong. She did dare. Taking a sprint she reached his trunk, stopping herself with her hands.
"Hey! You're gonna wash that car now!"
She didn't listen; she opened the trunk and saw she had been right. There were more bottles of water in there. Grabbing one she ran after him, unscrewed it, and splashed some at him.
"You have a lousy throw Duquesne."
"Wait until I get to you Wolfe; wait until I…get…to…you!"
She had quickened her pace and when he wanted to run away again, she grabbed his arm to prevent him from doing so. She turned the bottle and poured the entire contains over his head.
"Do you really think that's funny?" He asked her, drops falling from his hair.
"I think it's hilarious." Calleigh smirked.
"Really? Here's some more to laugh about then."
In her triumph, Calleigh had forgotten that Ryan still had water as well and now he poured it over her head. She jumped.
"That's not funny!" She said.
"Oh yeah, that's funny." He replied.
She giggled. "We're pathetic."
"No, we were warm. There's a difference." Ryan pointed out.
Calleigh laughed a happy southern laugh and turned to face him. He threw the now empty bottle aside, with the mental not to pick it up again later – God forbid he'd leave it on the ground – and she followed his example. He looked at her hand still holding his arm, and she moved it upwards, onto his shoulder.
He reached out and wiped away the water from her cheek, brushing it with his thumb. He knew this was a bad idea, he knew they were on the clock working together, but seeing her there like that made his brain pop to zero and his heartbeat raise to about 200.
She rose on her tiptoes and leaned in dangerously close and if there were any working brain cells left in Ryan's head they'd died by now. His body was fully taking over as he wrapped his arms around her and went to close the small gap between them.
But in the last second, the last heartbeat, the last inch she turned her face away from him. She rose down to her feet again and her arms removed themselves from him, one arm holding the other one in a shy way, making her look like a little child that had just done something very bad.
"I…uh…" She stuttered. "Jake…"
And he remembered. She couldn't kiss him. She couldn't touch him. She couldn't even be near him. She was with Jake.
TBC...
The song is called 'If you're not the one' by Daniel Bedingfield. Reviews fill my heart and I write better with a full heart.