Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine. Song lyrics by Alpha.

000

Fly With You Tonight

000

Look into the dark night
I'm dancing in the shadows with you
There's a world waiting out there for us to see

Around 9 pm, when he knew Calleigh would be finishing up in Ballistics, Horatio placed the cap back on his pen and closed the file he had been working on. The case was closed and he had just been finishing up on the paperwork.

Pushing himself back from his desk, Horatio rose from his chair and made his way down to the crime lab's silent dimly lit hallway.

At the end of this dark avenue, a light shone.

Poised, hands on his hips, Horatio watched her at a distance. A gun resting before her, she was leaning over a report, filling it in with her findings.

He remembered the numerous times he'd sneaked up on her and complimented on her firing skills and felt compelled to move forward, unable to resist.

Moving closer, she caught his silhouette hovering near her. She took a shaky, affected breath, closing her eyes for a moment.

Decent dreams and pictures make you airborne
When you close your eyes
That's why i wanna fly with you tonight
No one else, no one else can make the flight like you
So I wanna fly with you tonight
And no one there, oh lord oh lord

Spinning around to face him, her heart thumped in her chest... he had a hand was on his hip, the other flat against the wall, inviting non-work related conversation.

"I was hoping I'd find you here." His low velvety voice reached her ears and, inside of her, the butterflies came fluttering back.

"Were you?" her lips curved into a smile and, incapable of holding back from a natural completely feminine impulse, she looked him over and came to the conclusion that he was devastatingly handsome.

He was standing there in his regular stooped shouldered pose, fingering his badge at his hip while looking at her with... what? Sexy eyes?

Her throat dried up, but she didn't desperately need a cold glass of water to drink; she needed it to cool herself down.

I'm obviously indebted to you
By the way you make me feelI'm touching all horizons with you
I got my sights on solid gold
I feel superhuman baby

With infinite patience, every day, Calleigh tried to guess what would please him... changing her hair, picking out her clothes, perfecting her features with make-up...

Doing things that might interest him for the possibility of sharing a moment with him...

It could have gone on for years... crying herself to sleep, but never giving up...

Always smiling, always serene, always offering him the image of perfection...

Never a moment of weakness, prompt to surprise him, to entertain.

Close to her, he'd never get fed up, whatever his mood was the moment before. He felt irreplaceable and charmed by her vitality, by her capacity for love.

She anticipated his desires, fulfilling them without a word until engaging the prospect of giving herself completely to him. Caressing the thought.

She never thought freckles could be so sexy. Soft kisses turning into a heated embrace. Fascinated by her sensuality, his body ached. His mind fighting against him, but control slowly slipping through his fingers...

Suddenly, his cell phone rang, but he fumbled down to the floor with her, reaching into his jacket and switching it off.

Check out all my actions
I just want your satisfaction...

The dam had succumbed. Tensions released, the years of unshared yearning finally being satisfied. The longing dried up as an overflow of passion and lust coursed between them.

Calleigh had been waiting for love, desiring it, hoping to let herself be swept away, putting her whole being forward; throwing herself at him because he had just opened the door by showing his attraction.

He never did hide his affection for her and she tried to get closer to him, to revel in his presence.

As she accepted the risk, not just for herself but for him also, she accepted to fall at the mercy of his love.

There was him and only him.

Why did it have to be here and now? They both held back from answering. It just had to be... no longer contented with gratitude, admiration and secret smiles.

Their hearts fully revealed, their skin kissed in an intimate dance. Bodies moist with perspiration from the pulsating rush. Calleigh's skin felt like it was on fire. Horatio's entire being tightened.

He hoisted her up, leaning her back against the wall when, unexpectedly the lab door flew open.

Eric swiftly walked in as he called for Calleigh.

"Oh my God...Eric." Calleigh whispered, panting.

Before hanging her head in shame, Calleigh saw Eric stop dead in his tracks.

His jaw fell loosely, his head turning away.

She saw the crimson creeping up his cheeks, the same searing red that she felt on her own.

"I uh... I uh..." he stuttered, eyes locked straight ahead, keeping his boss and his teammate out of view.

Horatio had encircled Calleigh, covering her with his body so that there wasn't anything to see besides Horatio. Even though, all men were used to locker room nudity, this wasn't the same. This was huge.

"Sorry," he finally managed to say, turning around and walking out twice as fast as he had entered.

Horatio kept hold of Calleigh, pushing her hair back from her face, his velour voice breaking the stiff silence, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just so embarrassed." And that was an understatement; she was mortified.

Horatio assumed the same position as her, on the other side of her, and kissed her shoulder.

"I'll go talk to him," Horatio said softly, slowly reaching down her body to the floor to pick up her blouse and draping it over her shoulders before redressing himself.

He walked out without saying a word, seemingly disappointed with himself for having put Calleigh through this.

Her body quivering, "I'll just finish getting dressed," she murmured to the empty room.

000

Horatio strode rapidly after Eric through the crime lab's darkened hallways. He walked by the front door and, by chance, spotted him.

He walked over to the bench where Eric was sitting quietly, saying lowly, "I'm glad I caught you."

Eric chuckled, "I'm not." Referring to walking in on him and Calleigh. He shook his head in disbelief. He still didn't grasp what had just happened.

Horatio smiled, gently patting Eric's shoulder, coming around to sit by him.

"When did this...? And, of all places!" He gestured. "Here?"

"It wasn't exactly planned, Eric." Horatio had intended on bringing Calleigh home with him, but, as usual, the cunning woman had gone ahead of him. "You know women more than I do..."

Eric grinned as Horatio continued, "It's impossible to refuse them anything."

Eric's smile dimmed as his tone transpired apology. "H, I'm really sorry about this..."

Horatio nodded. "So am I, Eric. So am I." Not about what happened, but about the location.

"I mean, seeing you in a compromising position isn't what I was expecting to see in the gun lab..."

"Tell me something - I thought you had gone home..."

"I had. I did. But as I drove away, seeing that Calleigh's Jeep was still in the parking lot, I came back to make her go home. Now, I know why she overworks." A lopsided grin illuminated his face.

Hiding a sly smile, Horatio answered, "I don't think that's entirely my fault, but I'll have to look into that."

"You better do something about it, because pretty soon she'll be staying here overnight."

Horatio caught Eric's insinuation, nodded and stood easily.

"G'night, Eric."

"See you tomorrow, H." Eric stood and wandered off.

Horatio stood alone, hands on his hips, looking at his feet, then up at the star-lit sky above him and, decidedly walked smoothly toward the CSI building.

You know I wanna fly with you tonight
Oh no one else, no one else can make the flight like you
So i wanna fly, oh, with you tonight
And make dreams, make a dreams a real life
I can oh
You got to take my hand lady
Oh yeah
Then you'll understand what i'm saying

He wasn't sure if she was still there and was immensely disappointed to find an unoccupied gun lab.

He retraced his steps and remembered that he needed to go to his office since he hadn't locked up yet. Maybe she'd be waiting for him, he mused with hopefulness.

"You're still here?" Calleigh said, meeting him halfway in the stairs.

His eyes dashed up to meet her, "Yeah, I uh... I looked for you in firearms."

"Well, I was up here, Handsome," she drawled, smiling coyly.

"Any particular reason, Beautiful?" He smiled genuinely, amused by her use of the qualitative. Two could play at this game.

"Just came up to leave you a note before going home... Did you speak to Eric?"

"Yeah, I apologized. So did he."

"Oh," she muttered, regret in her voice.

"Calleigh," he understood her reaction. "I'm not sorry for what happened. I don't care if the whole world knows - "

"Once Eric tells Speed, the world will know," she gave him a wan smile.

"I want to be with you no matter what."

"Take me home, Horatio." Calleigh leaned in and took his hand.

"It would be my pleasure."

With a step between them, Calleigh was at the perfect height to kiss him, but he kissed her first.

THE END