Author's Note: I'm really sorry the summary sucks on this one, but a little suspense won't hurt you. ;-) This idea just kind of came to me when I was considering how Calleigh's character would truly react to a certain situation, and voila…this came about. Unfortunately, the idea was begging to be written during finals week, and I did a lot of writing when I should've been studying. But finals are all over and I'm DONE! Anyways, I hope you like it. It'll be my first big multi-chap, besides The Panic Room, which is just a short one, so hopefully the updates will be regular. Sorry this one is short.

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Sleeping to dream about you, and I'm so tired

I found myself in the riches –

Your eyes, your lips, your hair,

And you were everywhere

The sound was harsh and incessant. It yanked him from his dreams, from the warm comforts of slumber, and pulled him into consciousness. As he hastily reached an arm out to shush the blaring alarm clock, he quickly realized he didn't mind being stolen from dreamland quite as much as he should have.

Surprisingly, his arms were still wrapped snugly around Calleigh's tiny frame. Even more surprising was the fact that the obnoxious alarm had only slightly disturbed her. Calleigh was a light sleeper, and she was the epitome of a morning person. Usually she was up long before he was and had already gone for a run, although they often did that together in the evenings now…

But she was still here, seemingly perfectly content to sleep the morning away in his arms. Unfortunately, the alarm had gone off for a reason - they both had to work. But for a moment he indulged himself in a rare but pleasant occurrence. He watched Calleigh as she let out a tiny whimper of displeasure at the loud disturbance and then proceeded to nuzzle her beautiful face against his warm chest. Eric chuckled softly, trying not to disturb her even though it was inevitable.

She was gorgeous and adorable at the same time. Her blonde hair spilled out across the pillow behind her and her face was beautiful in the morning light, all telltale staples of the Calleigh he'd always known. But over the past two years he'd become accustomed to a new side of her, one he had hoped was lurking underneath her tough exterior. And that was the Calleigh who currently couldn't seem to snuggle her body close enough to him, who was now wrinkling her nose adorably at the lock of blonde hair that had just fallen to tickle her face.

Smiling, Eric extended a careful finger to lift the fallen strands, placing them back behind her ear. She sighed contentedly, again bringing her face closer to his body. Her movements sent a new wave of vanilla and something purely Calleigh toward his senses. God, he didn't want to wake her… He wanted to lie here all day, especially since her internal sleep clock seemed to be a bit off today.

Allowing them a few more moments of peace, he gently kissed her hair and simply held her in his arms. Coaxed by the steady beat of her heart against him, he relaxed, letting his eyes drift around their bedroom – well, her bedroom, technically. Or was it? He didn't know anymore. The lines between them blurred so naturally that he wasn't sure when it had become so hard to distinguish hers from his. All he knew was that it happened of its own accord somewhere during the past year they'd been dating and it seemed to fit…his clothes mingling with hers in the hamper, their running shoes jumbled together in front of the bathroom after being kicked off hastily yesterday just before their communal shower. Then there was the dresser, which just amused him. She'd kind of made space for him. The dresser was three-quarters jewelry, perfume, and…holsters, which was amusing in itself and so completely Calleigh. His space simply held a bottle of cologne, his watch, and the cross she'd given him when he was in the hospital… He took it home every night and hung it in his locker at work every day. Then, perched at each respective end of the dresser, sat their metal kits for field work, creating a sense of symmetry.

The sight quickly brought him back to reality and he glanced at the clock, softly cursing the time. Tightening his hold around her, he gently rubbed his hand up and down her upper arm.

"Cal," he whispered softly, pressing the softest of kisses to her forehead. "Calleigh, we have to wake up."

"Hmm?" was her sleepy reply, her eyes unusually groggy as she blinked a few times. Still within the realm of sleep, she closed her eyes once more and hugged Eric's body close.

"We have to get up," he uttered again, his lips still against her forehead. With just a slight movement, he kissed the bridge of her nose.

"I'm so tired…" she said, a hint of confusion in her voice. Stifling a yawn, she turned onto her back and glanced at the clock. "Oh my gosh," she let out, her southern accent coloring every word. "I can't believe I slept this late. Did the alarm go off?"

"Yeah." Eric chuckled, watching her amusedly. "You kinda slept through it, querida."

She smiled at the nickname, her green eyes piercing his as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Were you just lying here with me?"

He ran a hand through her soft hair, toying with the blonde ends before moving his hand to her cheek. "I was watching you sleep…" he told her, then cradling her jaw in his palm as he lowered his lips to hers. "…And waiting to do that."

"Mmm," she let out, her hand sliding up to run over his barely-there hair as she urged his lips back to hers. This time she took his bottom lip between hers, tugging slightly. She smiled against his lips as she pulled her body flush against his, feeling his muscular abs against hers where her tank top had ridden up. As her tongue grazed his lips, he knew they were playing with fire.

"Calleigh," he warned, tearing his lips from hers and swallowing hard as he tried to keep his control. "If you keep that up we're going to be late."

"Hmm, you're right," she noted, glancing at the time once more. "Guess I better go shower…" Slipping from the bed without another touch, she left him completely and utterly aroused, leaving him to watch her walk away in a tiny tank top and shorts. Turning around just before the bathroom, she flashed him a broad, flirtatious smile. With that she slipped into the bathroom, ignoring her sheer exhaustion.