A/N This is my first time writing so I'm a little scared. Wanted to say thanks to xxzoexx for making put this up, fingers crossed people will actually read it, oh and like it.
Just so people know this is set around the beginning of season 7, it's before 7x14 but after 7x02. Calleigh has been kidnapped but that might not be mentioned. I won't be using the storyline of season 7, only the bits that have already been seen. And if you like Jake, this is probably a no go, sorry. Oh yeah and if you think it's out of character that's probably because it is this is just my interpretation of the characters.
Depending on what people want, I might add some drama at a later date, but if not for now it's mainly fluff.
Now I'm going to stop blabbing and get on with it
Thanks
X
Chapter 1
"Eric" no response "Eric" he shouted again this time I heard him.
"Yeah, H?" I said as I turned around to face him. He had his phone in one hand and a file in another and looked like he was rushing
"Homicide at a coffee shop on 8th and Flagler. Grab your kit and take Calleigh." He turned to leave but quickly turned and said "Be careful, reporters are all over this." He walked off before I had a chance to ask why.
I shook my head and headed towards ballistics, because after all that was the most likely place she was going to be. I smiled, I was going to be working with Calleigh again, it had been at least a week since we last worked a case together, as stupid as it sounded I missed her. The little I'd seen of her she seemed distracted, like she had something else on her mind constantly. Which for Calleigh was unusual, she always attacked cases head on with everything she had, but from what I'd noticed 99% of here was here, but that other 1% was focusing and pondering on something else. It had to be something fairly major for it to distract her. It shouldn't bother me, people are allowed to have off days right? But Calleigh doesn't do off days. And it bothers me, I want to know what it is. I want to be able to help her through whatever it is of she needs it, I'm her best friend and I want to help her. But it's Calleigh and if I know Calleigh (which I'm pretty darn positive I do) I'm never going to know, she sure as hell won't voluntarily tell me, and if I ask her she'll most likely shoot me for doubting whether she can look after herself. So for now I just had to be grateful I got to work with her and hopefully, if this case had reporters all over it, it would be interesting enough to help get her mind away from whatever is was distracting her.
I opened the door to ballistics and stuck my head in just in time to see her hair sway as she fired a gun. I stood there for a minute just watching her. She had the name 'Bullet girl' for a reason, she could fire any gun, anywhere and still hit the bullseye, everyone knew it, and yet it never ceased to amaze me. She was amazing. As she put the gun down I realised I was staring and quickly opened the door and continued to walk in hoping she hadn't known I was there, because with a gun in such close proximity, I didn't want to take my chances.
"Hey Stranger, how are you?" she said cheerful as ever.
"Fine, Stranger. So who are you?" I said mockingly.
"Well I was going to ask you the same thing." She laughed
"I asked you first"
"In that case then , I'm Calleigh Duquesne, Miami's ballistics expert, and since this is my lab and I have no idea who you are I suggest you leave." She said with a playful smile.
"Oh I see. So I guess I'll just have to go get someone else to help me solve this new case, the one that reporters are already trying to solve for us. Someone else can help me chase the bad guy."
"Now that's just playing dirty"
"Hey, you were the one who told me to get out." I said playfully raising my hands.
"Eric Delko get back in my lab immediately and let me put this gun away so I can kick your butt at solving this case." She said with mock sincerity.
"If that's how it's going to be then bring it on."
In virtually no time she unloaded the gun, collected the bullets, put it all away and we were headed to the hummer with our kits.
We drove mostly in silence, but it was a comfortable silence, we didn't need to talk, it wasn't necessary. When we were nearly there she was too intrigued to keep quiet anymore and she started asking me about the case. It was only then I realised all I knew was that it was a homicide, the address and that there were lots of reporters. It was strange, and apparently Calleigh thought so too.
"Why didn't Horatio tell you anything else. I mean we're walking in blind, for all we know it could be anything from a child to a mutilated celebrity. It could be dangerous and we don't know."
"I don't know, he seemed distracted, he was half on the phone, half talking to me. I tried to ask why there were reporters but he just walked off talking to whoever was on the phone."
"That's weird Horatio doesn't do distracted. Nothing gets on top of him."
I had to stop myself from saying something about her being distracted. I wanted to, I wanted her to tell me but I knew it was a bad idea, especially on the way to a crime scene, so I stayed quiet.
"So what do you think it is?" she asked, interest overcoming her annoyance at Horatio.
"Well it's obviously high profile, or really sick and twisted because that's usually the only reason reporters are here."
"Hmm. Yeah. What exactly did Horatio say to you, there has to be some pointers?"
"In exact words he said 'Eric, homicide at a coffee shop on 8th and Flagler. Grab your kit and take Calleigh' then he went to walk off but said 'Be careful, reporters are all over this.' Then he walked off"
"OK" she said seeming to think over the words "Did he say 'be careful' as be careful because it's dangerous or 'be careful' as be careful of the reporters?"
"Neither really he sort of said it as if we needed to know but he didn't really have the time to tell me."
"Well, I think if this was just any old case but it seemed interesting so there are lots of reporters I don't think he'd have bothered to tell you. So I'm thinking either celebrity high profile in which case he'd have warned you because we need to be careful what we say and there will be people trying to get in left, right, and centre. Or it's dangerous high profile and we need to be careful because it's dangerous."
"Or it's sick and twisted high profile, and in that case he told us to be careful because he doesn't want us throwing up and contaminating our crime scene, in front of reporters none the less." I added trying to lighten the mood because she was getting far too worked up about Horatio not telling us the ins and outs.
"Maybe he didn't tell you anything because he booby trapped it last night and there's a bucket of water ready to fall on your head when you walk in." She said sarcastically but I could see a smile playing at her lips.
"Now the only reason you'd know that is if you had a hand in doing this."
"Oh darn it. You got me." she said finally laughing just as we reached the crime scene.
It was only then I realised what Horatio meant by reporters are all over this. There were 4 officers at the tape instead of the usual 1 trying to make the reporters stay back, one lane might as well have been closed off because the reporters were all the way into the road, pushing and shoving each other to try and get to the front. About 6 news vans were parked on the grass verge by the side of the road all with reporters for the varying news stations reporting about the reports and what was going on. It seemed they knew more than we did, which didn't surprise me because we knew very little.
One of the officers recognised us and waved us over to a section cordoned off from the reporters so police and could get in and out without fighting their way through reporter jungle. My curiosity was now peaked because for there to be this many reporters there was something serious going on ...