Cops and Robbers

Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: So I'm four years late on this post-ep, and this spin has probably been done before, but I had to throw in my 2 cents.
Summary: There was a very good reason for Calleigh telling Eric no midnight tiptoe… Deleted scene with spoilers for 1x3 "Wet Foot/Dry Foot." Not an Eric-Calleigh ship. Pure fluff.

Eric sighed and stared at the ceiling, praying that his back wouldn't hurt as much tomorrow as he feared it would. Sleeping on a couch (especially one that was just a smidgen too short for him) always threw his back out. He rolled over and faced the back of the couch, inhaling its rich leather scent. At least he hadn't been shot at, which is what prompted him to ask Calleigh if he could stay with her. A sore back was much preferable to one with a bullet lodged in it. Still, now that he was safe, he couldn't help but whine a bit over his imminent backache.

To make matters worse, Eric knew that when he finally did go home, he would have to answer to one very angry Mariela, his sometime-but-not-quite girlfriend. Her family lived only two houses down from him, and he knew that she'd notice when his car didn't show up tonight. He supposed he could tell her that he stayed with Speed, but she was an expert at seeing through lies, and his Catholic guilt always got the better of him.

Eric rolled onto his back again and resumed his ceiling-staring-and-praying position. He wondered if Calleigh was sleeping, or if the case had her rattled too. Her room was down the hallway and around a corner, so he couldn't tell if she was awake or not.

Eric had just closed his eyes when he heard the front door click as the lock turned over. In an instant he was wide awake and staring intently at the front door through the darkened room.

The front door clicked again, and Eric slid off the couch and grabbed his gun, creeping towards the door slowly. He crouched down just beside it, partly concealed by a large potted plant. The front door creaked loudly as it slowly opened, and a figure crept into the apartment. Eric waited until the would-be robber was distracted by closing the door to pounce. In an instant, he was on the man's back, screaming "Miami-Dade PD!" at him and wrenching his arms behind his back. The robber screamed back, surprised by the ambush. Despite his smaller size, he was surprisingly strong, and he and Eric wrestled for several moments until the hallway was flooded with light.

"What is going on in here?" Calleigh's soft southern lilt cut through the room, stilling both men as they turned to stare at her.

"Tim?" Calleigh asked, rubbing her eyes. "I thought you said you weren't coming over tonight."

It was then that Eric and Speed met eyes, each recognizing the other as a fellow co-worker. Eric released Speed's arms and slid off him, slightly in shock at the turn of events. Speed grunted and scooted away from Eric, rubbing his arm.

"You've got a hell of a grip," Speed grumbled at Eric.

"Me?" Eric asked in disbelief. "What are you doing over here anyways, sneaking in through Calleigh's door at one am? And for the record, I wouldn't have had to twist your arm so hard if you hadn't fought back like a wild man. You're pretty wiry, tough guy."

"You jumped me. What'd you expect me to do, roll over and let you clock me with your gun?"

"Okay, okay, just stop," Calleigh interrupted. "It is one am, and all three of us have to be on our game tomorrow if we're going to crack this case." Calleigh walked over to Speed, offering him a hand as he staggered to his feet. "You're coming with me."

Speed shook off Calleigh's hand once he was up and turned around to help Eric. "Sorry, man," he apologized, the fight now gone from him. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Eric answered, once he was standing. "I'll probably have a couple of bruises, but nothing major."

Speed retreated to Calleigh's side, wrapping one arm around her waist and nuzzling her neck. "Sorry, babe," he whispered. "I just couldn't sleep without you. I didn't want to wake you, so I thought I'd just come over. I had no idea you'd gotten a bodyguard."

Calleigh snorted, but she patted his cheek to let him that know she wasn't angry.

Eric looked at Speed, then at Calleigh, then back at Speed, finally shaking his head. "So, Speed, you and Calleigh…" He trailed off, but raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Not tonight, man," Speed warned, and Eric could see even through Speed's half-open eyes that he was serious.

"Okay, okay." Eric held his hands up. "I guess you're the reason behind the no-midnight-tiptoe rule." He was teasing, but Speed glowered at him.

"Hey man, I didn't touch her, I swear," Eric said, retreating slightly. "I've been on this couch all night by myself."

"Knock it off, Tim," Calleigh said, elbowing him in the ribs. "I told you this afternoon that Eric was coming over, and you were fine with it."

Speed rubbed at his face, then sighed. "I know, and I am. I'm just really tired. Can we please go to bed?"

Calleigh's expression instantly softened. "Let's go, then" she said. The couple turned to leave, Speed's arm still wrapped around Calleigh's waist, when she halted.

"Eric? You're not going to say anything, are you?" she asked, her eyes as wide as a doe.

Eric shook his head and laughed. "Your midnight tiptoe secret is safe with me, Cal." He looked over at Speed and shook his head. "Although I might have to give Speed a hard time about it."

"You do that, man," Speed said sleepily, his head resting on Calleigh's shoulder.

Speed and Calleigh then headed down the hallway, leaving Eric alone again with the too-short couch and even more thoughts to contemplate as he stared at the ceiling. Speed and Calleigh, huh? Interesting. He wondered how long that had been going on. He smiled then, thinking about how good each one was for the other. Speed's laid back manner was sure to rub off eventually on Calleigh, and Calleigh was the only one who stood any chance of helping Speed to lighten up. No midnight tiptoe indeed. One thing was for sure, Eric knew that he had enough ammo to rib Speed for a very long time.

A few moments later, Eric heard Calleigh shriek good-naturedly and yell, "Tim, cut it out!" He could hear Speed's deep voice, his words muffled by the wall, and then heard Calleigh giggle in response. Eric sighed, and pulled the nearest throw pillow over his head. On the other hand, maybe this midnight tiptoe wasn't such a great idea….

Fin