Author's Note: WARNING!! THIS CHAPTER IS RATED A HARD M FOR MATURE. IF YOU'RE UNDER 17 AND READ ANYWAY, DON'T BLAME ME. If you want a PG-13 version, let me know and I'll edit it for you. Although, why the heck would you want one? Another thing, the last like four pages were a total surprise to me. I had not planned this to be rated M and had intended to gloss over the sex, but my fingers kept writing and i could see the scene in my head. I hope you enjoy it.

Calleigh's heart was racing the entire drive over to Eric's as well as her mind and she found herself second-guessing this decision, a very impulsive decision, which was not like her. She usually took a lot longer than a couple of hours to reach a decision with a situation that could change her entire life. All of her insecurities that she kept so deep inside started to rear their ugly heads and the questions she had earlier came back. Was she doing the right thing? Was starting something with Eric really worth the heart ache she could go through if they didn't work out? How would this affect work? She didn't like her personal relationships aired around the office and she hated gossip. She didn't tolerate it in the department when she was on duty and this would definitely reach the gossip mills. It would be the talk around the water cooler for weeks.

Didn't we already go over this? How many times am I going to say this - Stop the second-guessing and go for what you want. It's simple. Calleigh wants Eric. Whether or not it lasts is up to the two of you. You can make it work. You just have to want it badly enough.

She evaluated that thought as she nibbled her bottom lip, mind so far in thought she was driving on autopilot. I. Want. Eric. I. Love and am in love with. Eric. She admitted it slowly to herself, testing it out, as if the earlier thought wasn't enough. It still hadn't really hit her. Realizing it earlier was the first step, but she was still getting used to the fact that she'd been in love with him and hadn't realized it. Starting the relationship wasn't going to be the hard part, she realized. Keeping it going was going to be the real test. Through work and fights and all the little and big things in between. The longest relationship she'd had was a little over a year and even then they'd been apart more than they'd been together because of other obligations. What did I say? STOP THE SECOND-GUESSING! Calleigh winced. Shaking her head, she forcibly blocked the questions and insecurities from her forethoughts and concentrated on the remainder of the drive, which, she realized, was only about three minutes. She'd spent the entire time arguing with herself and found she'd arrived at Eric's. Calleigh pulled into a parking spot in front of Eric's condo. She got out and walked up to the third floor. For a long moment, she stared at the dull brass lettering which read "307." Squaring her shoulders and closing her eyes for a brief moment of strength, she reached out a hand and knocked lightly and then with more force. And if her hand slightly shook, no one was there to see it betray her nerves.

The darkened hall was filled with the soft light from his condo as Eric opened the door. Calleigh's breath caught in mid-hello as she took in the white tank undershirt that showed more than it concealed and the soft-looking well worn dark denim jeans he was wearing. Both complimented his olive skin tone and although she'd seen him wearing much less, Calleigh had a much better appreciation of the package…

"Uh, hi!" she said, overly bright, trying to compensate for the totally awkward silence when she'd stared stupidly at him, checking him out.

A small smile appeared at the corner of Eric's mouth and he said, "Hey, you want to come in before the mosquitoes get you?" Calleigh moved in inside, stepping close as she breathed in the scent that was sandalwood, a hint of male sweat, and something uniquely Eric. She'd never really paid attention to it or him before, but with the past hours' revelations, Calleigh found she couldn't help herself. Eric closed the door behind her and motioned to the couch. "You want anything to drink?" he asked moving slightly toward the kitchen.

"Yes, please. Water will be fine. Thanks," Calleigh replied, her Southern manners shining through even though she could barely think. Sitting down, she tried to gather her thoughts. Calm down, girl. Everything will be fine. You already know how he feels. Just tell him how you feel.

Eric came back with two glasses of water and sat down beside her. To buy some time, Calleigh drank a couple of sips before carefully placing it on a coaster on the coffee table.

"So, what's going on? Are you alright? You sounded so serious on the phone you had me worried," Eric commented.

Suddenly, panic bubbled up, her heart jumped into her throat, sweat dampened her palms, and Calleigh had to get out of there. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come over. I'll see you tomorrow at work, Eric," she rushed as she made a dash for the door. Eric was quick too, and as she was reaching for the handle, a bronze hand appeared beside her head, blocking the exit.

"This isn't like you, Calleigh. Now tell me what's going on," he said in concern, gently turning her to face him. When she had turned fully, her back against the door, and his right arm still braced against the steel, he slowly, hesitantly, reached up and with his thumb smoothed out the worry line that had appeared above her brow. Stroking gently, Eric tried to calm his partner. Something was wrong, that much was plain, but she didn't want to tell him. "Earlier today, you said I could tell you anything. Well, the same goes for you, partner."

"I read your file," she blurted, and then promptly winced because that wasn't how she wanted to start this conversation. With the first sentence said, Calleigh's heart began to gradually return to a somewhat normal rhythm, still beating rapidly, but no longer racing.

Eric's look of concern transformed into a look of somewhat concealed alarm and what could have been a hint of fear mingled with hope. He backed up a few steps and gave himself some breathing room. Eric wanted to be a few feet away when Calleigh broke his heart, not that it could soften the blow.

"What—" Eric cleared his throat, a bit of rasp had roughened his voice. "What did you read?" he asked, afraid to find out and yet needing to know. He avoided her eyes when he asked while Calleigh's were locked on his.

"I hadn't realized how off you still felt at work. That sometimes you still felt as if you were the "newbie" all over again." Cop out!! Yeah, she'd read that, but it was a cop out and she knew it. She was avoiding the real reason she'd come over.

Eric's tension began to release as he realized it was work related and not personal. "Yeah, well, I still have memory problems. The medication helps, but the doctor's having to switch them up sometimes because I've started to build up a tolerance—"

Calleigh interrupted, "I know you want to settle down. With me."

Eric's breath disappeared with the utterance of one softly spoken sentence. Both were silent for a long time. His heart started to pick up the pace, adrenaline rushing through his veins. What did she think about it? What she disgusted? Was she angry? Did she pity me? Or, dare he hope, did she want the same? Did she want him as much as he ached for her?

"When I read that earlier today, it took my breath away. It surprised me, Eric. I was confused and honestly at first I didn't know what to think." Strangely, as Calleigh spoke, her pulse and breathing began to calm even more. It was as if the release of information, feelings and emotions bottled up positively affected her physical wellbeing.

Eric's heart squeezed tightly in his chest. Hearing those words was a blow to his stomach. Madre de Dios. Here we go. Goodbye hopes and dreams.

"I went home and I thought about what you'd said. Rolled it over and over in my head. Since you got shot, I noticed the feelings. I saw the looks and I thought, I honestly believed it was just a crush, Eric," Calleigh said, trying to catch his eyes, but he couldn't look at her while she tore his heart to pieces. "But…I thought about what you said. I thought about how scared, utterly terrified I was when you were in that coma, and I realized…" Here, Calleigh broke off, swallowed tightly, and tried to push past the knot in her throat, but nothing would come out. You can do this. Just tell him. Tell him you love him. Take that leap of faith and allow him to catch you. You know Eric. You know he won't let you fall. "I realized the reason I was so terrified was because I loved you." Eric's dark brown eyes darted unerringly to Calleigh's forest green, dark from emotion. "I love you. And I'm in love with you. I just didn't realize it until now."

Eric's full mouth began to slowly transform into a smile and he started to feel a bit lightheaded. Calleigh loved him! Immediately, he closed the few feet distance between them and with both arms around her waist, twirled her around the room. Calleigh giggled lightly. "Put me down. You're making me dizzy," she laughed. Eric gently put her down and closed the distance between them. When there was but inches between their mouths, he said, "I love you. I think I always have. I just didn't realize it until now," he repeated, a small grin on his face, before he closed the distance between them. The kiss was everything and nothing he'd imagined it to be. At first, they just brushed back and forth, but Calleigh soon became impatient and attempted to capture Eric's bottom lip. Teasingly, he wouldn't let her, pulling back just as her teeth nipped the full, succulent center. "You're lucky you don't have any hair," Calleigh murmured, her fingernails scratching the back of his head, shivers of sensation running down his neck and spine from her touch. Eric gasped from the stimulation and Calleigh took advantage, first nibbling that lower lip and then diving in the warm recesses of his mouth, tongue curling around his. She wanted to take and taste, savor and devour all at the same time. What started out slow quickly became a conflagration. Eric and Calleigh began to fight for the upper hand in their intimate match. Eric's passion matched hers, but both parted due to a need for oxygen. Just as quickly as they broke apart, they came together again, this time with more force. As they kissed, Eric fumbled them through the condo to his bedroom.

Calleigh curved and pressed her body close to Eric's to feel as much of him as she could. She couldn't get enough. Eric pressed his jean-clad groin into her hips and Calleigh wrestled her mouth away to groan and canted her hips back. She could feel the hard ridge behind the soft jeans, but it wasn't enough. There was still too much space and way too many clothes between them to satisfy her. Eric read her mind because as she reached for his tank, he was already skimming her shirt up her chest and over her arms. When Calleigh's palms touched warm, hard muscle, she broke off the kiss to see the difference between their skin, to touch what she'd once only dreamed of. A moan surfaced from Eric's chest at the sight of Calleigh, the woman of his dreams and the love of his life, her hands on his skin. She looked up at him briefly, eyes glittering emerald before ducking her head and slowly licking her way from one side of his chest to the other, pausing for several long, agonizing minutes on his nipples. Eric bit back a groan and cupped the back of her neck under her silky curtain of hair. With the other, he combed his way through the strands, pushing them back from her face so he could see her expression as she sucked and licked her way down his chest.

Calleigh snaked her way down his chest to his stomach and abs. Nibbling gently earned her tense muscles as Eric's abs contracted at the electric touch and his gorgeous six pack was put into even more relief. Lightly tracing the delineations, feeling the slightly tremble in the muscles, Calleigh looked up at Eric wickedly and worked her way down to the soft denim below. She had barely gotten the button undone and the zipper down before Eric was pulling her to her feet. "Eric…" she protested.

"God, Calleigh, I don't think I could take seeing you give me a blow job right now. I'm too close. Definitely sometime tonight, after, if you still want to. But I don't think I could handle that visual right now," Eric said, shuddering. "I've been dreaming about this moment for almost two years and off and on for years before that."

"You used to dream about me?" Calleigh asked.

"And you didn't? You're a gorgeous woman who can assemble and strip down an AR-15 in less than a minute. That's hot," he said cheekily. Calleigh laughed.

"Well, I have to admit, I have had some dreams about that lip of yours and you do have the most adorable ass. I could probably bounce a quarter off it…" Eric chuckled.

"Well, if you want to try it later tonight, you're more than welcome to, but…." he trailed off as he reached behind her and released the clasp on her bra, "…I think we have more important matters to attend to."

"Damn straight," Calleigh murmured, the curse coming out unbidden, attention diverted back to the matter at hand and devouring the Eric-skin that was visible.

Eric removed the bra slowly, wanting to savor the moment of seeing the woman he loved bare. Bra gone, he reached down and began to softy caress her silky skin, touching everywhere, but her nipples, which were hard and aching for his touch. Coral tips that they were, they reached for him and attempted to gain his attention. After several long moments of teasing, Eric could no longer resist their lure and after a few circles, pinches, and tugs, he lowered his head slowly. Calleigh could feel his hot breath on her skin and her breasts tingled in anticipation for his touch. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Eric lowered his head, slowly, way too slowly in Calleigh's opinion because she started to pull his head down, and at last his lips caressed her nipple. Calleigh swayed on her feet as Eric began to kiss, nibble, suckle, and tug on her breasts, switching back and forth between the two, never in a discernable rhythm that she could find and therefore anticipate. The electricity tracing between her nipples and her clit felt like there was a direct connection between the two. A tug above would yield a throb below and soon Calleigh was crying out in pleasure, moaning from the intense sensation. She was so close…

"Uh uh. Not yet," Eric murmured, more to himself, but Calleigh caught it too and moaned in protest. "I've waited too long. I want to taste you the first time you come for me," he whispered. Those words whispered in that gravelly voice almost put her over the edge and into oblivion and she shuddered hard in reaction. Eric chuckled darkly. He reached down and edged her pants down her legs and off. Then he led Calleigh over to the edge of the bed and coaxed her to lay back. She found herself with her legs dangling slightly over at the foot of the bed. Eric reared back up for a few minutes to kiss her, starting with her mouth and continuing south down the centerline of her body until he reached the upper edge of her panties. By that time Calleigh was panting, from the pleasure and the teasing, but most especially from the anticipation of what was about to come.

Teasingly, excruciatingly slowly, Eric pulled down her panties, inching them down millimeter by millimeter, stopping every so often to kiss or softly lick along the line between the fabric and her sweet skin. Calleigh tried to flip them and reverse their positions several times, but Eric used his physical strength and upper body to keep her in place. She wanted him, not teasing, and so she tried to use every trick in the book, including some she hadn't thought Eric knew about, but to no avail. Finally, the panties were off and nothing was between Eric and the fragrant, soft, silky skin between Calleigh's legs. Nirvana.

At last, she thought, and began to slowly open her legs. Even though she'd waited for what seemed like forever, now that Eric was taking his sweet time and she actually had a bit of time and space to think, she was slightly hesitant. Letting Eric go down on her was more intimate than having sex with him. As backwards as that was, that was how she felt. Eric must have sensed some of what she was thinking, because he looked up from his hungry focus and reassured, "It's you and me, Cal. Just us. I love you."

"I love you too," she replied softly and her anxiety released, although the sexual tension of the moment had not abated. Still looking into her eyes, he lowered his head and began to make love to her sex. It seemed Eric loved to tease, because no matter how she moved her hips, what sounds she made, or where she placed her hands on his head to try to force him where she wanted him, he did not give in to her demands. He was going to eat her out the way he wanted to. Eric listened to the types of sound that Calleigh expelled as he went down on her and catalogued each one. Delicate nibbles on her clit yielded the most breathy, sweetest, lightest moans. A stroke along either side of her lips rewarded him with a sigh. Thrusting his tongue inside her channel got him a symphony of sounds and her hips canted toward his mouth. Christ, he was licking her on the inside. Just the thought had his cock hardening beyond what he thought was his max and a frisson of electricity shot up his spine and through his neck into his head. Shit! Eric had to reach down and press his forefinger and thumb against the base of his cock to stop the impending explosion. Having averted disaster, and apparently Calleigh none aware of it, Eric began to alternate a rhythmic dance of hard suckles, delicate nibbles, and quick strokes of his tongue against her clit with the occasional thrust of his tongue into her wet pussy. In a matter of seconds, Calleigh was coming, and hard. She screamed his name, hips thrusting erratically into his face and Eric had to force them down to keep his mouth against her body.

After a few long moments, Eric began to ease her down, lightly stroking, lingering. God, he never wanted to leave. "Mmmm, get up here," Calleigh murmured, heart still racing but at a bit more manageable pace. Eric slid his body up hers, and both shuddered as his still hard length grazed her sex. "Your turn," she said and curled her leg around his. Unexpectedly, Eric found himself on his back moments later with Calleigh wearing a grin straddled over him, her body lined up very nicely with his. "More for me," she added, before lowering herself onto his length. Eric knew he wasn't the biggest guy in the locker room, but he was a good length and width, and was unsurprised when Calleigh had to ease herself down. Taking it slowly, she lowered her body onto his, not just because of his size but also because she wanted to savor the first slide into heaven with the man she loved. It was their first time together and she would always remember the expression of intense love mixed with arousal, desire, lust, and underneath it all, at the base, friendship. Completely overcome, Calleigh leaned down and swiftly dropped a hard kiss onto Eric's lips. "God, I love you," she whispered. Eric was a bit confused at that emotional display during such a sexually tension-filled moment, but forgot all about it when Calleigh rose up and began to rise her body up and then let it sink back down. His eyes pretty much crossed and he had to get a handle on himself, but after a moment, he opened his eyes to find Calleigh's locked on his. They found a slow but rhythm that teased as much as it satisfied. However, soon, Eric found himself thrusting his hips up into Calleigh's as she stroked hers down, but that soon wasn't enough either. Eric wanted to be holding her. He maneuvered them so that they were both upright and she was still riding him, but he could hold and kiss her. When they changed position, it also changed the depth and angle and at the first stroke Calleigh's cries began to heighten in pitch and strength. Someone from next door banged on the wall and Eric smiled and then brought Calleigh's head down to his to smother her cries against his lips. Calleigh's face burned in both arousal and embarrassment, but her embarrassment was soon forgotten. Almost simultaneously, both reached orgasm. The feel of Calleigh's muscles stroking and gripping him in a vice put Eric over the edge and he swallowed her cries into his mouth as they both came. Long minutes later, they were still gasping for breath, but were slowly coming down from the high they'd enjoyed. "Remind me to send my neighbor a basket of cookies or something," Eric said, running his hand lightly down Calleigh's back. She smothered a laugh against his chest and ignored the heat in her cheeks.

"I'm so… that was…" Calleigh attempted.

"Can't believe I've got you speechless. Damn, I'm good," Eric said smugly, but his smugness was cut short as Calleigh reached over and lobbed a pillow at his head. "Ouch, that hurt," he pretended, rubbing his head.

"Serves you right," she said smartly, half reclining, upper body raised up by her right arm, and looking down at Eric.

He looked at Calleigh, the woman he loved and the incredible person he'd just made love to. He thought about all that had been said that night. "Are you sure?" he asked cryptically.

Calleigh knew what he was asking. "I want you, Eric. Now. Hopefully forever, but if that don't work—"

Eric cut her off, "It will work—"

"But it may not. My parents—" she interrupted.

"Don't matter. We're not them." Eric stated.

"What about work?" she added.

"It'll still be there. Nothing will change. I love you. We'll make this work. I want to marry you," Eric said, reaching up and swiftly cutting her off with another rebuttal with a hard kiss against her lips. "Maybe not now," he said with a small smile, "but someday. We'll make it work because we love each other and we want to be together. We'll find a way, Calleigh."

She looked at him, soaking in the determined look in his eyes. Worry still nagged at her though. Listen to the man. He knows what he's talking about. Eric could see the anxiety clear from her eyes. "Someday," she said softly and smiled.

THE END!