Chapter 1



TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK.
The seconds hand, then the minute hand; slowely making its way around the clock. The tick and tock of
each seemed to echo in her ears. She wanted oh so badely to break the clock, to throw it off the wall. But she couldn't.

He was late yet again. For the 2nd time this week. He was late. He promised her that he'd be here. But here she was, and no him. She felt betrayl, anger, hurt, and saddness over come her. She put her phone back in her pocket so she would stop starring at it. Thinking a message would magically appear if she looked at it long enough. She blew out the candels, turned off the lights, and headed upstairs. She entered her bedroom, and changed into her sleepwear. And she soon fell into a sleep.

"Colin, Mari, Eric; dinner's ready." She smiled when the kids, and her husband came bounding down the stairs; looking ready to win a race.

"Guys what should we do today?" He asked, she smiled back at him with a loving look in her eyes. A look that says everything without a single word.

She heard a baby cry.

"I got her." She got up and walked up the stairs and took a left. She entered the nursery, and saw a beautiful baby girl crying.

"Aww sweetie what's wrong? Huh?" Calleigh rocked her back and forth in a soothing motion while rubbing her tiny back in small circles.

The baby's cries soon died down and came to a soft whimper, then all together; stopped.

She walked downstairs with the baby in her arms, and sat on the couch.

Eric walked over to her and the baby, and chuckled.

"She looks just like you babe." Eric kissed his wife's forehead then the baby's.

"Momma, how come she's so tiny?" Little Colin asked with big brown eyes; just like his father.

"Well baby, she's so small because she's only 2 months old. You know you, and Mari were this small once too!" Calleigh told
her son, who just went,"Ohhhhhh."

She heard the door slam shut and grabbed her off duty gun, which was on her nightstand. She aimed it at her door, waiting for it to open. The doorknob turned and he told her it was only him, when he saw the gleam from the metal butt of her gun shinning in the moonlight.

"Thank god it's only you." Calleigh lowered her weapon and sighed.

"Sorry I was late, I got caught up in work." He told her as he started to shed his layer of clothing.

"It's okay." Truth be told, it wasn't okay. She really wanted this night to be special. But she'd forgive and forget.

"So how was your day?" Even in the small lab they worked in, they hadn't run into each other all day.

"It was good, but I missed you." She said and smiled.

"Mine was okay, but it's better now because I'm with you." He said. He really knew how to melt her heart.

He, still with his pants on but no shirt, had crawled onto the bed and kissed her forehead. He back off the bed and took of his pants releaving blue boxers. He crawled back into bed and pulled her close; he could smell the sweet lavender scent of her shampo, and the vanilla scent of her body lotion. She in turn could smell his colonge, the kind she loved so much, and the smell of coconut,the scent that the lab used to freshen up the hummers.

They lay snuggled like that for the whole night.

She awoke to the smell of his special coffee. She got up, put on her robe, and walked downstairs into the kitchen. There he sat at the table, with his coffee cup in front of him and the newspaper in his hands. She looked across the table and saw that he had poured her a cup also.

"Thanks babe." She smiled and kissed him on the lips, she didn't oblige when he kissed her back and deepened the kiss.
work**********************************************************work
"Calleigh, Eric, we have a crime scene. 2 d.bs; a father and a mother. No information yet about the child. Possible kidnapping. Next door neighbor called it in, said the mother's car was still in the driveway; she said it made her suspicious because the mother is never late for work." Horatio put his hands on his hips.

"K, I'll see you two there." Horatio turned to go.

"Wait isn't Natalia or Ryan coming, or Jesse maybe?" Calleigh blurted out.

"No, they are not Ms. Duquesne. Natalia is home sick, Ryan is at a funeral, and Jesse is out on another scene. Why, is there a problem?" Horatio was quiet amussed by Calleigh being completely unguarded and shocked.

"No, no problem. Just wondering." Calleigh blushed and got her kit.

"Eric, stay for a minute; get your kit in a minute." Horatio grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back a little.

"Watch her, and watch your guys' backs." Horatio stopped but continued when he saw Eric's puzzled exspresion. "There may be a hit on the team." Horatio said in a hushed voice.

"Will do H, I'll keep her safe don't worry." Eric stopped as Calleigh came back into listening voice of their conversation.

"You know you might want to get your kit. Now I mean I'm not telling you how to do your job, but it might help a wee bit." Calleigh said sarcasticaly, and gave Eric a smile.

"You're just full of it today aren't you?" Eric rolled his eyes.

"Yeah pretty much!" Calleigh smiled to him and opened the driver door to the hummer.

"K let's get this over with, I have plans tonight." Eric smiled cheekily.

"Oh is that so? Who is this girl Mr. Delko; do I need to be worried?" Calleigh winked at him, but kept her eyes on the road.

"No, I don't think you'll have to worry about her. Oh she's absolutly gorgeous: smart, beautiful, and her voice is so heavenly." Eric smiled back at her.

And before they knew it, they were at the crime scene.

"You go in throught the front, I'll take back." Calleigh said.

"Cal, you really think it's a good idea splitting up?" Eric questioned.

"Yeah I do Eric, there is a possiblity that a child is missing. I want to get this guy!" Calleigh argued her reasons.

"K." Eric took the front. Calleigh went round to the back, but what she didn't realize was.....

What Calleigh didn't realize that someone was still on the proptery and was watching her every move.

"ACHOOO" The person sneezed.

Calleigh walked over to where she heard the noise; a tree. She realized a little higher up was a tree house, and that there was a ladder to get up. Once she got into the tree house she saw a little boy huddled in the corner and he was holding something in his arms...a BABY!

"Hi, my name is Calleigh, I work with MDPD." Calleigh crouched down next to the boy.

"Can I see your badge?" He was maybe 6, or 7. Blond hair, gray eyes, and sunkist skin.

"Sure." Calleigh handed him her badge, then heard Eric yell for her.

"Up here Eric!" Calleigh yelled sweetly. She saw the child'd frightened face and reasured him that the man was good, that he was also with MDPD.

"Where?" Eric walked around by the tree and the swing set.

"Up here, do you want to come up or shall I come down?" Calleigh laughed, at Eric's puzzled look.

"You might want to come down, I don't think I can make it up there." He scratched his head figuring how she got up there.

"There is a ladder." She argued sweetly.

"Yeah but." Eric was interrupted by the sound of a baby crying.

"Ma'am I don't know what to do; my sister, Sophie, won't stop crying." The boy handed over his sister who was no older than 5, or 6 months.

" She's probably just scared; babies can sense when people are scared, then they get uncomforable and they start crying." Calleigh said and started swaying the baby back and forth in her arms. A minute later the baby's cries had subsided into nothing. Now she was sleepily sucked on her thumb.

"K Eric, we're coming down." Calleigh let the boy go first, and procedded to climb down the ladder with the baby in her arm.

"K how is everyone, safe and sound?" Eric asked, looking the boy over. The boy nodded his head.

"What's your name?" Eric asked.

"Cody, Cody Jarhheart." (pronounced jar-heart) The boy looked at Calleigh with his gray eyes and she looked back at him with her green ones.

"Do you have any relatives near by , Cody?" Calleigh asked while still rocking the baby back and forth.

"No, my mother and father were all Sophie and I had." He said sadly.

"Eric they're gonna need a place to stay, and I don't want this boy being treated unfairly, or his sister not getting the attention a 5 month old should be getting because we both know Social Services won't give them that." Calleigh reasoned.

"Cal, honey, I think it would be a great idea." Eric laughed at her persuesiveness.

"Cody, we have an extra room in our house, how would you feel if you stayed with us for a few days?" Calleigh rocked the baby still; surprisinly the baby had not woken up.

"I think that'd be nice, thank you. But what about my sister?" The little boy was confused.

"Sweetie she can come with." Calleigh started.

"No, I mean her food and her bottles, and her favorite toy; they are still inside." The boy looked back at his house.

"Eric will go in and get those, okay? Why don't we go to the car?" Calleigh tried.

"No, wait! I need something, it'll just be a minute ma'am I promise." Cody looked at Calleigh with such desire for whatever he needed that Calleigh could not say no; it must mean alot to him.

"Go, Sophie and I will stay out here while you two men go inside and get the items." Calleigh joked

5 minutes later Eric and Cody emerged; Eric with baby food, bottles, and Sophie's toy. And Cody with a picture of his parents and his sister's blanket that had little pink bears on it.

"Here Sophie!" Cody handed the blanket to Calleigh who then tucked it in next to the baby who was still sound asleep in her arms.

"That's very ncie of you Cody. Eric, Horatio will be here soon. I think Walter can handle this with him. We should get these two home." Calleigh said as she walked towards the car.

"K, get on it Cody. Cal you want to ride in back because of the air bags?" Eric told more than asked, but still asked.

"Actually yeah, you know just for safety." Calleigh got in back by Cody.

half-way through the ride Sohpie started crying.

"Oh, shh it's okay Sophie. It's alright, I've got you, you're safe." Calleigh said in a sweet comforting voice. The baby was stopped crying.