I really enjoyed reading this. Typical Calleigh, hiding her emotions and expecting the worst out of Jake when he's a dim-witted guy and doesn't see what she needs right away. Calleigh always seemed so guarded, a little jaded when it came to love, and I see that here. I always wondered what happened to her...

Was it just the think with Jake back at the police academy?

Did Hagen play some sort of role in it?

It's nice to have a little insight into her thoughts, though; as well as Jake's. Nice to know he's just as vulnerable as the next person underneath it all.

What an absolutely wonderful story! From the first captivating and ominous line "In the silence, pain took on its own sound," all the way to the satisfactory last line "For now, this was exactly enough" I couldn't peel myself away, not until I knew that these two were going to figure things out, figure themselves and each other out. And boy did you have me worried! As much as we've seen these two trip, stumble, fall and somehow regain their footing, I was genuinely worried when Calleigh began her half-hearted effort to end things that this time things wouldn't end so well. But they managed somehow, although not without considerable grief, pain and anxiety on both sides.

Knowing what Calleigh wanted "She wanted Jake. She wanted him there, with her..." came easily enough, even if she had a hard time admitting it to herself, much less to Jake. After all, her own action of springing to her feet to answer the door (an entirely unecessary action due to Jake's key) reveals that Calleigh's emotions are unsettled within her. She wants Jake to be with her, but she needs to be the one that lets him in, to push away the intimacy that him using his key implies.

But Jake's reasonings for staying away until late that evening were much murkier, much more subtle, and much more difficult to tease out into the open. And yet you did an excellent job, revealing what it took him so long to say in perfect timing and exactly as I could imagine him saying it.

While Calleigh is considering that once again, Jake is unable and unwilling to step out for her - "Jake still wouldn’t step out for her, he couldn’t undo who he was. He would never put his job on the line, not his job, not his heart. Not for her. No matter how much she’d wanted to believe otherwise, she was never going to matter quite enough," while she is contemplating ending things, Jake is stuck in his own head, still not quite able to come to terms with how shaken he was at the news of Calleigh's injury. His tension, shown by his pacing, tense body, haunted expression and unreadable eyes was palpable, even if the reason behind it was hidden. And yet he seems unwilling, almost incapable of explaining his actions, revealing his true motivations only when backed into a corner by Calleigh's misintepretation of his behavior. And amazingly, finally Calleigh does realize that "He’d certainly taken the long way around, but at least he’d gotten there; he’d finally stepped out for her," exactly as he admits that “I couldn’t stop thinking about what that bullet could’ve done. I knew you were okay, but I couldn’t see you. I couldn’t see you hurt, not the way I was thinking, not then.”

She might not be at point of being able to ask him to come when she needs him, and he might not be at the point of being able to handle or admit his fear for her safety to himself or her, but I'm glad to see that they haven't stopped trying, won't stop trying. No matter how much frustration, anxiety and even physical pain tried to get in between them, they continued their haphazard path to where they needed to be, neither able to walk away from each other. And that's what makes this couple so delightful, their stubborn perseverance and committment to making this relationship work.

The title couldn't have been more perfect, for it is indeed a convoluted twostep these two are working on perfecting. And even though they haven't perfected it by the end of the story, they've managed to keep dancing for a while longer.

I loved every. single. word of this fic. It's obvious that each sentence was constructed with careful consideration. How else to get such revealing and heart-breaking lines as "Ever mindful of past mistakes and old wounds that never completely healed, she stepped lightly at first, then plunged headfirst, forgetting to brace herself for the inevitable hard landing. But it wasn’t too late for her to finally open her eyes and see the truth" or "He wore his arrogance the way others wore their hearts on a sleeve, but his vulnerability, he kept well hidden. And in this glimpse beneath the surface, he’d revealed far more than the truth; she knew now, without doubt, that hers was not the only heart on the line."

This was absolutely perfect, from start to finish!

I love this. Absolutely love it, from beginning to end. Every single word was just perfect; it's so obvious the amount of time and care you put into this. It certainly paid off, that's for sure. You completely outdid yourself with this one, it might just be the best JC fic I've ever read. You get both Jake and Calleigh in a way that nobody else could. :)

Calleigh was wonderfully stubborn, heh. Just the way I'd imagine her. She takes a shot, and then thinks she can go straight home and do things the way she always does, just to prove everybody wrong.

I love this little tidbit - "She didn’t hand her key out readily; in fact, she’d given her key to only one previous boyfriend, and now, more than a decade later, it was in his possession once more." It says so much about how Calleigh feels about Jake both then and now, and how little she cared about forging deep relationships with anyone else between then and now.

You did an amazing job showing how completely flawed these two are, heh. Jake is clueless as usual, and Calleigh's angry because he can't read her mind. But in the end, it doesn't get in the way of what they truly feel for each other, that they really do love each other, aw. :)

It's so sweet for Calleigh to have wanted Jake there with her, aw. And so in character for her not to admit it, even when it's killing her to talk to Jake on the phone and want him there with her so badly. But of course she'd tell him she's fine. She could've avoided all the pain with just one word, heh. But that would be too simple for Jake and Calleigh.

And so like Calleigh, so in love with him, but she'd prefer to push him away instead of admitting that she wants more from him. I'm so glad Jake didn't let her have her way there; I'm so glad he pushed back. And aw, when he finally came clean, you did such a wonderful job of illustrating his fear. Normally, Jake is bothered by nothing. But when it comes to Calleigh being hurt...he's not so unflappable.

And I think the part that says the most about how deeply she feels for him, how deeply she *needs* him, is where she actually asks him to stay. Aw. Who else would she *ask* to stay with her? I'm so glad she didn't let him walk away, because then that would've just made everything worse.

The ending was absolutely adorable. Finally, they're on the same page, heh. He needs her, she needs him, and they both know it. And Jake's kiss to Calleigh's cheek was perfect. Such a simple gesture, but one that spoke volumes. This line summarizes it perfectly - "What was important now, was simply being together." Because that's been what they've both needed all day long.

"A hand to hold, his hand, that’s what she’d longed for today." - Aww. I still think that's the line that gets to me more than any of the others. :)

Absolutely amazing. So beautifully written, and so wonderfully real. You did such an amazing job with this one. As always, I'm in awe. This is definitely one of my favorites; I absolutely love it and it was no less than perfect from beginning to end! :)