Title: Predicament
By: Jessica
Pairing: Eric/Calleigh
Rating: T
Timeline: Pre-7x20; contains spoilers.
Summary: It was quite the predicament she found herself in that morning. Did she wake him? Or let him sleep? Utterly pointless fluff.

Her eyes fluttering open in the early morning sunlight, Calleigh gave a soft groan of displeasure as the final vestiges of sleep dissipated from her, leaving her lost within that disoriented haze between sleep and full awareness. She was unsure what exactly had awoken her, but whatever it was, it had roughly pulled her from the sweetest of dreams…the kind of dreams that had become her reality during recent nights.

A quick glance to the clock on the bedside table left her frowning slightly, almost pouting in indignance. Seven past six – much too close to the alarm for her to attempt finding sleep again, but far enough away, twenty-three minutes, to feel the slight annoyance at having awoken too early. Those extra twenty-three minutes might not have done much for her total amount of sleep, but it might've been enough time for her dream to play out until the blissful finish she could feel was just mere moments away.

But it just wasn't to be, and Calleigh gave a soft sigh, turning her eyes instead to the man beside her – at least somebody could take advantage of those extra minutes of sleep. He lay on his back beside her, his head tilted slightly toward where she still lay, held snugly in the space between his arm and his warm body. The blankets were pushed haphazardly down his body, revealing his bare, chiseled chest to Calleigh's roaming eyes, and suddenly, Calleigh had no more regrets about being pulled so abruptly from her own dreams. This was just as good, watching Eric uninhibitedly as he slept in her bed, only covered from the hips downward by the blankets.

His lips were slightly parted, and Calleigh couldn't help but nibble at her own. The memory of his lips against hers just the night before filled her mind, leaving her suppressing a quiet moan. Soft, slow, lingering kisses that nearly drove her out of her mind with desire for him; hungry, desperate kisses with tongues teasing, battling for control that neither was fully willing to give away. And if that weren't enough, Calleigh closed her eyes, shivering as she found herself almost able to feel once more the feel of those same lips tracing path after path along her slickened skin, every last inch of her…she had never been so fully, so completely seduced. He'd had her crying out for him, whimpering and pleading, though she'd never concede that fact aloud to him, not now that the sun had risen.

Pushing those memories - however delicious they were - from her mind, Calleigh reached out a hand, her fingers tracing a slow heart on his chest, just above his own heart. If he felt the motion, Eric gave no indication, and feeling even bolder, Calleigh replaced her fingers with her lips. She dropped a lingering kiss to the center of the invisible heart, pulling back abruptly as Eric gave a deep sigh. Calleigh froze, but Eric simply shifted, his face twitching adorably.

It was an odd adjective to apply to the man lying naked beside her, to the man who had left her forgetting all but his name the night before, but at the moment, it seemed to fit perfectly. Adorable. Adorable, yet still sexy, still absolutely delectable.

His chest rose and fell steadily as he breathed, the motion almost mesmerizing to Calleigh, and it took every last piece of her resolve to keep from recalling the feel of those muscles against her own bare skin, the way they fluttered under her touch, her lips.

A smile slowly formed upon her lips, bringing with it the utterly giddy sensation that had ruled her ever since their first kiss. Nothing had ever been like this before; she'd never felt quite like this for anyone else. Calleigh couldn't get enough of him, but still she was content merely to watch him sleep beside her. He looked so peaceful, and Calleigh couldn't help but wonder what he dreamed; butterflies fluttered within her stomach at the thought that maybe he dreamed of her.

He made her so happy, she realized, stretching her body luxuriously beside him. The way he looked at her, as though she were the most beautiful woman he'd ever had the pleasure of seeing; the way he spoke to her, knowing exactly which pitch and timbre would leave her either shivering or melting in his arms; the way he held her after they made love, skillful fingers gently caressing her skin as the blooms of afterglow rose around them…there was no word good enough to describe how he made her feel.

But as giddy as it left Calleigh, there also came just a bit of fear with it all. She'd never felt like this before; she'd never given herself to anyone like she had Eric. If he were to leave her now, if he were to break her heart, Calleigh knew it would crush her.

And yet, she trusted him implicitly enough to believe he wouldn't let that happen. Ever.

Eyes back to the clock, Calleigh nibbled thoughtfully at her lip. The minutes were ticking by with a speed that seemed almost cruel. Cruel to Eric, because within less than a half an hour, he too would find himself ripped from the realm of dreams, much as Calleigh had just moments before. And cruel to Calleigh herself, because she knew she could easily lay here for hours and simply watch him sleep.

And as she had quickly learned, there was very little that could top the way it felt to be in his arms after a night like the previous; she loved waiting for his eyes to come open; she loved the way her heart soared as his dark eyes filled with adoration and affection, the orbs conveying the very words he'd whispered to her on the first morning they'd awoken in each other's arms.

"You don't know how good it feels for you to be the first thing I see in the morning…"

Even now the words left her shivering, and unable to help herself, Calleigh nuzzled against him, breathing him in as her lips teased his jaw, feeling the tickle of his stubble. She loved this; loved being with him, loved the way she couldn't help but touch him, kiss him, simply be with him. Her hands, her eyes, her lips – Calleigh couldn't keep any of it off of him.

Slow kisses to his jawline slowly crept downward as Calleigh's lips traced a featherlight path along his throat. Her hand lingered at his chest, and Calleigh felt a smile tease her lips as she felt the slight, almost unnoticeable quickening of his heartbeat. She felt it against her lips as she dropped a slow, lingering kiss to his pulse point, giving into the temptation to flutter her tongue against his skin, just fleetingly.

But that was enough. Eric gave a sleepy grunt, and Calleigh froze, suddenly feeling his fingers at her back as his arm encircled her. For a moment, she merely paused, weighing her options as he settled once more, unconsciously turning his head and nuzzling into Calleigh's soft locks.

And then, Calleigh felt her heart skip several beats as the low, sleep-thickened murmur of her name left his lips. "Calleigh…"

It left her shivering, but Calleigh forced herself to stop, gently extricating herself from his arms and the bedsheets as she stole another quick glance to the clock. Even if she'd had the time, there was no way she'd ever be able to find sleep again now – the butterflies in her stomach were much, much too excited.

She wanted him. She wanted to wake him up and throw all regard for time out the window; she wanted him to look at her with those seductive eyes of his and take her in his arms and make love to her, leisurely, carefully, caringly.

But with fourteen minutes now until the alarm would sound, Calleigh found herself in quite the predicament. She wanted him, but on the other hand, so much of her heart was convinced that it would be a sin to wake him right now, as peaceful as he looked. His lips twitched slightly at the corners, and Calleigh couldn't resist the urge to lean closer once more and press a quick, almost chaste kiss to his lips as he slept.

She weighed her options carefully, knowing for a fact that Eric wouldn't be displeased if she did wake him; he'd have no problem granting her what she wanted. The only issue was that he liked to take his sweet time, and with fourteen minutes, there just wasn't enough, to Calleigh's dismay. But then again, if she woke him up now, she could grant him once more the delight of waking up with her in his arms; she could grant herself the chance to lose herself in those eyes that saw her and her alone. And, if she woke him now, he could join her in the shower, a realization that left Calleigh shivering all over again.

On the other hand, it all came back down to how serene he looked as he slept. Yesterday had been a long day, and Calleigh almost couldn't bear to wake him. He deserved the rest, for the long day they'd had, not to mention the long night…

Calleigh smiled, chuckling softly to herself – this wasn't a decision she'd ever thought she'd have to make. But then again, she'd never really thought she'd ever see him sleeping in her bed, where he looked so perfect, almost as if he belonged there. Almost as if he'd been the one meant to sleep there for years and years.

And suddenly, it hit her right out of the blue, the deep revelation that she'd known on some level for years; she'd known, but now for the first time, she found it made irrevocably clear to her.

He was the one she was meant to spend the rest of her mornings with; he was the one she was meant to share her life with.

And it was with that realization that Calleigh's mind was made up. Smiling softly, she gave a quiet sigh and pulled herself from the bed, slowly wrapping her robe around her body, her eyes never leaving the man who occupied her bed as well as her heart.

With quiet steps she padded around to the other side of the bed, taking her eyes off of him only long enough to step around the discarded clothing on the floor below. Lowering her head, Calleigh pressed a slow, gentle kiss to his cheek, not even caring that the soft murmur that left her lips really meant nothing in the context of the few minutes he had left to sleep – they meant everything to her, though. Her lips brushed against his skin as she whispered, and while Eric twitched slightly, he still didn't wake. "Sleep well, babe," she whispered effortlessly, even allowing the quiet endearment to leave her lips.

And with that, Calleigh turned and made her way toward the bathroom, keeping the picture of peacefully sleeping Eric right at the front of her mind. It hadn't been an easy decision, letting him glean a few more moments of sleep as she began her own morning routine, but in the end, she couldn't help but realize that if she had her way, it wouldn't really matter which option she'd chosen on this particular morning.

After all, if Calleigh had her way, she would have a lifetime of mornings like this with Eric – plenty of mornings to wake him with kisses before losing herself in his dark eyes, and plenty of mornings simply to watch him sleep peacefully as she cuddled affectionately against him.

And Calleigh knew for a fact that she'd never grow tired of either option.