Title: You and Me
By: Jessica
Pairing: Eric/Calleigh
Rating: T
Timeline: Post 7x16, 'Sink or Swim.' Contains spoilers.
Summary: There was no longer him; there was no longer her. They were them, for now, for always. Post 7x16.

Stretching luxuriously, Calleigh gave a quiet sigh, her emerald eyes vaguely focused on the scene playing on the screen across from her. She couldn't, however, give any details about the movie that was nearing its end, despite having wanted to see it for quite some time. Her mind was otherwise occupied, and as it was, she'd spent far too much time involved in other activities throughout the course of the movie to worry about concentrating now.

Her small frame was clad in a soft navy tank top and a semi-matching pair of comfortable boxer shorts she'd bought some time ago just to sleep in. Draped over her shoulders had been her light jade robe, though sometime in the past hour and twenty-seven minutes, the belt had come unraveled, leaving the fabric loosened around her body. Calleigh made no move to readjust it; instead, she allowed the plush fabric to do as it pleased, slipping slightly from her shoulders, revealing one to the man who'd continually distracted her through the course of the movie.

Right now she felt his lips teasing the creamy skin of her shoulder, tracing featherlight kisses toward her collarbone, surprising her with the light graze of his teeth every now and then. She sat sideways between his legs, making it easy for her to lean her head against his shoulder whenever she wanted to, to press her own lips against his throat whenever she wanted to. And throughout the evening, she'd wanted to do that a lot. Her legs were draped over one of his, her fluffy slippers forgotten on the floor below. It wasn't the most comfortable position in the world, admittedly, but it was the last position from which Calleigh wanted to move.

Especially when his fingertips were drawing random shapes along the bare skin of her calf. A circle here, a couple of squiggly lines there, maybe letters? No, hearts, Calleigh recognized with a warm smile. Spending her evening deciphering those carefully drawn shapes along her sensitive skin was far better than watching any movie – the movie probably would've just put her to sleep anyway.

And sleep was the last thing she wanted to do right now, here, her body snug against his, basking in his warmth. With a full belly and with all of his warmth surrounding her, though, she couldn't help but feel her body being pulled toward that realm of subconsciousness. Dreams would be sweet tonight, she knew, but Calleigh couldn't deny that she wasn't quite ready for that just yet.

Almost as though sensing her dilemma, Eric brushed his lips over her hair, his touch faltering on her calf. "You're not falling asleep on me, are you?" he teased quietly, earning himself a soft giggle in return.

Tilting her head, Calleigh pressed a slow kiss to his jaw, feeling more than hearing the way his breath hitched lightly. "I'm trying not to," she replied, her thickened accent putting a smile on Eric's lips. "But I'm so comfortable…you're so comfortable…"

She ducked her head, hiding the blush in her cheeks despite the low light in the room. There was no other description for what she was feeling – she was just bubbly. Her heart was bubbling over with giddiness; it had yet to slow down from when he'd first pulled her onto the couch with him. She felt as though her entire body was tingling with sensation, every nerve within her felt suddenly alive, and all from just being in his arms, sharing lazy kisses and quiet conversation.

Eric gave a deep sigh, gently bringing a hand to the back of her head, allowing his fingers to thread ever softly through her slightly tousled locks. "You should sleep," he murmured, just enough inflection in his voice to leak through that which lurked underneath. "It's been a long day…"

Silently he cursed himself; his words had Calleigh shifting in his arms, lifting her penetrating gaze to his. For a long moment, she merely searched his dark eyes, and Eric knew the depths of his troubled soul were unhidden from her. Words, it seemed, could be kept from her, but emotions were something he'd never be able to hide from her – he just couldn't, had never been able to before.

A world of emotion flashed through Calleigh's eyes, from understanding to concern to deep affection, and slowly she lay a gentle hand at his cheek, feeling the light scratch of his stubble against her fingertips as she offered him a soothing caress. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, even though she knew the answer, having had it asked of her so many times before. And so many times before, she'd given the untruthful answer, and yet, Eric had let it go. He hadn't believed her, but the unspoken understanding still passed between them – she knew where to find him if she'd wanted to talk. And now, it worked in reverse – if Eric didn't want to talk about it, Calleigh wasn't going to force the issue.

After all, if his words spoken between lazy kisses and sweet caresses had been any indication, they had a lifetime together in which to talk.

His lips twitching upward, Eric sighed, taking a moment to simply savor the feel of her touch. Her question had the potential to spark some very dangerous answers, answers that were far too honest right now for his own ears. Instead, he tilted his head toward hers, capturing her lips in the kind of soft, sweet kiss that had punctuated so much of the evening already, from the time that dinner was done, to the time that the sunlight was fading through the western sky, up to now when the only light remaining came from the soft glow of the lamp on the side table and the steadily flickering light from the TV across from them.

Her lips were soft, so soft, and Eric knew he'd never tire of this. Holding her, kissing her, simply being with the love of his life. Her hand remained at his cheek, softly stroking as she parted her lips for him, inviting him to deepen it. He was powerless to resist, obliging her though for only a moment before pulling away once more.

Her question echoed in his ears as he gazed into her eyes, knowing he couldn't hide the truth from her. Sighing deeply, he lay a hand atop hers at his cheek in silent gratitude, for everything she'd done, for everything she was. "I don't…I don't know," he murmured finally, dropping his gaze.

Calleigh nodded understandingly, slowly dropping her hand to his chest, laying it just above his heart. "That's okay," she murmured, ducking her head to press a kiss to his jaw. Eric gave a small smile, taking in the honesty of her words and the feel of her lips as they traced a path back, ending with a soft kiss just beneath his ear.

She pulled back, meeting his eyes with those endless emerald eyes of hers that Eric couldn't help but fall into, every single time. He blinked slowly, eyes closed for the duration of a deep breath before he spoke again. "I'm sorry," he murmured, shaking his head just slightly. "I just – I really don't know," he added, a quiet frustration in his voice. "I've been trying to work through this myself for months, you know? And still, it's just…it's overwhelming. I feel like everything's just going to suffocate me any moment…"

Calleigh offered a small smile of comfort, slowly brushing the pad of her thumb over his bottom lip. "I know," she murmured, the truest form of reassurance conveyed directly from her emerald eyes.

And Eric nodded, smiling softly at her unspoken promise. "But we'll get through it, right?" he asked, repeating the words she'd given him as he'd sat before her, cloaked in orange and treated with about the same amount of respect as he'd given his father just earlier, just because of his seeming change in citizenship status.

And yet, there she was.

His father had abandoned him until the very last minute, seemingly okay with leaving him to serve a punishment he didn't deserve. It was as though the entire country he'd sworn to protect and serve had turned its back on him, no thought given to the years of service he'd put forth. And yet, Calleigh remained. He'd kept his secrets from her; she knew he'd kept his secrets from her, and yet, there she was, sitting before him and bringing him not one, but two of his favorite snacks to help pull him through.

Calleigh smiled, nodding her head slowly as she looked into his eyes. "We'll get through it," she affirmed, emphasis on the plurality. "We'll get through it all, you and me."

Affectionately, Eric touched his forehead to hers, his eyes and soul open to her, letting her see exactly what she meant to him. "I know," he whispered, dropping a quick kiss to the corner of her lips. "I feel like…this is the one constant in my life right now. The one thing that's finally going right for me…"

"You just have to give it time," she replied with a soft nod, nuzzling her body closer to his as she spoke from experience. "Eventually, everything will fall into place…it'll all just seem to work out in the end, you know?"

And finally, Eric gave a full smile, the sight sending Calleigh's heart racing. "It feels like it's beginning to," he murmured confidently, and Calleigh couldn't help but duck her head, resting her cheek once more against his shoulder. His arms looped around her, holding her as though afraid to let her go. Burying his face into her hair, he felt his heart nearly burst as he realized once again this was utterly, completely real – no longer only in dreams. "Do you know how good it feels to just hold you right now?" he whispered into her hair, slowly breathing in her intoxicating aroma. She smelled of sweetest vanilla with just the hint of strawberries, the combination of which Eric would forevermore associate with love.

Closing his eyes, he felt Calleigh shift once more in his arms, bringing her warm hand to one of his. With a slow, graceful motion, she gently intertwined their fingers, and Eric was once more taken aback by just how perfectly they seemed to fit together. "They were really, honestly going to deport me," he recalled bitterly shaking his head. As though sensing the depth of his turmoil, Calleigh turned her head and brushed her lips just beneath his chin, and Eric couldn't help but feel instantly calmer. "And he –" Eric refused to acknowledge the paternal link just yet – it still hurt too much, and as far as his feelings were concerned, his father would always be Pavel Delko, not Alexander Sharova. "He was just going to let them…"

Calleigh nuzzled against him, taking one of his hands in both of her own, her eyes widening a bit in shock at the angry bruise beginning to form at his knuckles. The shadows cast about by the low glow in the den only seemed to deepen it, and Calleigh brushed her thumb along the edges, wishing she could soothe him outside and in. "But he didn't," she murmured quietly, lifting his hand to her lips. Ever lightly, she brushed a series of kisses along his knuckles; long, lingering kisses.

Her kisses against his sore knuckles were like cool water to a burn, easing the dull ache that had set up through the course of the day. She didn't ask what had happened, but Eric knew she was wondering, and he'd already kept enough from her. And even if it was for her protection, he hated keeping her in the dark – he had meant everything he'd said to her in the hospital. There was no longer him; there was no longer her. They were them, for now, for always.

Letting out a deep breath, Eric pressed a kiss to her temple. "I confronted him," he confessed, closing his eyes as Calleigh continued stroking his hand. "I got H to bring him to me. I wanted – I just wanted to know why. How he could do that to my mother; how he could look at me, his – his son," he bit the word out, clenching his teeth slightly, "and want me dead just for wanting the truth."

Pausing, Eric took a moment to concentrate on their connected hands, his and hers, together. It enabled him to push away the mounting frustration, allowing him to focus on what had come out of all of it. "But you know what?" he continued, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "All the time I was stuck in that detention center, I didn't think about any of that. Not the supposed reasons why I was there, not what was going to happen to me, not the fact that my – that he felt he owed me nothing. I had a lot of time to think, but it wasn't about any of that."

Her heart pounding, Calleigh lifted her head, finding herself caught off-guard by the sheer intensity in Eric's eyes. "What – what did you think about?" she asked the loaded question, her mouth suddenly dry like cotton.

Eric's eyes darted momentarily from her eyes to her soft lips, but he made no move to capture them. "You know the answer to that," he whispered, and Calleigh abruptly found herself dizzy, grasping tightly to his hand as though it – as though he was her one and only anchor. "Every long, agonizing second that I could do more than sit there and watch the clock, every thought that went through my head," he paused, squeezing Calleigh's hand, "was of you. You, and how I'd finally felt what it was like to hold you, to kiss you, to just be with you like this…and that was going to be all I got."

He paused, swallowing hard. "They were just going to rip it all away from me, just like that."

Calleigh flicked her tongue over her lips, attempting to moisten them, but the murmur that escaped her still carried a bit of a scratch, a bit of a tremble. "Eric…" She brought a hand back to his chest, but whether to steady herself or to seek out his heartbeat, Calleigh wasn't sure.

"I sat there and stared at the wall," Eric continued, his voice quiet with a new spark of desire as he gazed into her eyes. "I kept thinking about everything I wouldn't get to do with you…about everything I want to do…"

His voice left her shivering, and absently she teased at the buttons of his shirt, the first two already undone by him, the third being slowly nudged free by her fingers. The intimacy of the moment washed over her, and it was all she could do to hold his gaze as she spoke. "What – what do you want to do?"

Her words were quiet, trembling, and Eric couldn't resist. Lowering his head, he softly nuzzled against her neck, eliciting a low moan from Calleigh's lips. For a moment, he gave no reply, his lips fluttering lightly over her pulse as he sent her heartbeat into overdrive. She murmured his name, a low, drawn out whisper in that sweet accent of hers, and Eric couldn't help but toss all inhibition out the window as he replied. "I wanna make love to you…" he breathed, the words rumbling along Calleigh's skin.

And to that, Calleigh couldn't help but whimper. Her entire body broke into goosebumps, and they were only magnified as she felt his touch once more skim her bare calf, his fingers slowly creeping their way upward, and the fact that Calleigh knew he could feel every one of those tiny bumps only made her shiver even more.

His name left her lips on a breathy whisper as his fingertips brushed the side of her knee, lingering there for just a moment before continuing their trek upward, slipping beneath the flimsy cover of her robe. But just beneath mid-thigh he stopped, pressing one last kiss to her pulse before pulling back, finding himself gazing into glimmering emerald eyes. His touch was like fire as he drew the softest of circles along her thigh, and Calleigh shivered, suddenly feeling oh so exposed to him. She shifted in his arms, his touch suddenly too much for her overreacting body, but Eric refused to let her move too far, and before she realized it, he'd brought her even closer to him, on her knees between his thighs.

And he was continuing the train of thought that had left her melting entirely, and Calleigh thought if he didn't stop talking, her entire body might catch fire. "I want to leave you trembling and shivering," he murmured seductively, catching her lips in a kiss that itself was more than enough to accomplish that. "I want to worship every little spot on your body that pulls even the tiniest sound from your lips, that makes you shiver even the slightest bit. I want to take you higher than you've ever been before, and then I want to coax you back down with kisses and touches…and do it all over again," he finished huskily, pressing a reverent kiss to her shoulder. "I want you to see stars…"

Calleigh couldn't breathe. She could barely see, her entire brain was clouded over by the promise of things to come. "Eric…" she breathed, gasping softly as his lips found one of those sensitive spots he wanted to explore so thoroughly.

But to her brief dismay, he pulled back, leaving her shivering in his lap. The fire in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by an affectionate, compassionate sparkle that itself was enough to have Calleigh's heart skipping beats. "But I also want," he paused, pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of her lips, "to keep taking this slow…"

The desire in his voice wasn't hidden, leaving Calleigh no choice but to squirm in his arms. Her breath quickened as he traced kisses along her jawline, his breath warm against her skin. "No rushing," he breathed, pressing a lingering kiss just beneath her ear. "We have all the time in the world…and I think that right now," he added reluctantly, his eyes mindful of the clock on the wall, "what you need more than anything, is sleep."

"I need you," Calleigh murmured, not realizing the words had fallen from her lips until they'd reached her ears.

Eric couldn't help but give a soft groan. "You don't know how long I've wanted to hear that," he mumbled, lips brushing her collarbone.

Calleigh gave a quiet sigh of his name; a quiet, pleading sigh, and he chuckled slightly, pressing one last kiss to her shoulder. "You're on tomorrow," he reminded her. "You need to get some rest."

"But what about you?" Calleigh questioned, tracing her fingertips along his chest.

He didn't answer right away; instead he averted his eyes, leaving Calleigh no question as to what his plan was. "No," she protested immediately, bringing her hands to his shoulders. "I meant what I said earlier…about you staying here…" Her reminder, though the situation was serious, brought a grin to Eric's lips. He attempted to protest, but instead found his grinning lips caught in a series of kisses, pieces of a mumbled demand whispered between each one. "You're staying right here."

Absently his palms found Calleigh's hips, splaying against them as she parted from his lips. "I don't – " he paused, flicking his tongue over his lips, tasting Calleigh and her uniquely addictive flavor. "I don't have anything here…"

He hadn't slept there since the night she'd been released from the hospital – it was part of their unspoken rules for taking it slow, at least at first. Eric knew he had a tendency to act without thinking; still did it even now, when older and wiser than years ago. And Eric had watched Calleigh for long enough to know that she felt best in control when things happened slowly, rather than jumping head-first into it.

And above all, he wanted this to last.

Forever, preferably.

Shaking her head, Calleigh wasn't deterred. "You're staying. Here." She smiled, blushing slightly at the tone of her words – if she were honest with herself, she needed him to stay. Her smile grew sheepish, and she brushed a hand through her tousled locks as her next words tumbled from her tongue. "Besides, I have an old shirt of yours that you can sleep in," she murmured, watching Eric's smile tug at his lips. "There's, uh, a pair of sweatpants too. And boxers."

Sheepish Calleigh was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen; he couldn't help but lean forward, catching her lips in a soft kiss. "Can I ask why?" he murmured, just enough teasing in his voice to coax a giggle out of Calleigh.

She blushed even deeper, her eyes at his lips instead of his eyes as she answered. "That night you stayed with me…after my kidnapping…you left them here and they got caught in my laundry and I just…never gave them back," she admitted coyly, shifting slightly. Biting her lip, she rolled her eyes slightly at the look on Eric's face, shifting back to the original subject as she spoke again. "You have no reason to not stay here tonight."

To Calleigh's dismay, Eric's smile faded, his eyes growing serious as he lifted a gentle hand to her face. "Yeah, I do," he murmured, tucking a strand of blonde reverently behind her ear, his deep eyes never leaving hers. "I don't completely know that I'm out of the woods yet," he murmured, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I meant what I said earlier…putting you in danger –"

And just like before, Calleigh refused to let him finish, though this time with gentle fingertips over his lips, instead of kissing him quiet. "I ended up at the bottom of a canal in my Hummer," she began, her voice catching a bit as Eric pressed a kiss to her fingertips. "I was kidnapped and forced to clean up a crime scene, all the while not knowing whether or not I'd make it out alive. And we both remember all too well what happened with the fire…"

Gently she looped both of her arms around his neck, smiling at him as he struggled to find what she meant. "Cal, I don't –"

And that time, she did silence him with a kiss; a kiss that left them both dizzy and desperate for oxygen by the time their lips had parted. Their breaths mingled in the space between their lips as Calleigh rested her forehead against his. "What I'm saying is…I think trouble loves me as much as it loves you," she explained, her sparkling eyes giving away just how correct she knew she was. She smiled, her hands drifting down to his chest, though she resisted the urge to undo another of his buttons. "Besides, if you leave? I'm coming with you. We do things together now, remember? Me and you?"

Eric chuckled softly, letting his fingers skim along her sides. "You and me, hmm?" Her robe had long since fallen completely from her small frame, and Eric couldn't help but let his eyes roam reverently over her beautiful body. "I suppose I can't argue with that," he murmured low, watching as Calleigh giggled, shaking her head and standing from the couch. And while he missed her presence in his lap, watching the way she stretched, revealing the tiniest bit of creamy skin at her abdomen was more than enough to make up for it.

He stayed where he was, though, and Calleigh gave a playful grin, extending a hand to him. "What are you waiting for?" she asked, reading his eyes with a laugh. "You are not sleeping on my couch."

"Oh, thank God," Eric replied with a smirk, eliciting a full laugh from Calleigh. To her immense delight, Eric eagerly took her hand and stood with her, clicking the power button on the remote before tossing it back to the couch. Without the TV, the den was suddenly plunged into darkness, the only light that low, ethereal glow from the lamp on the side table.

As Calleigh's laughter died away, she released his hand, instead placing both of her palms at his waist, a position that was all too familiar to the both of them. Smiling down at her, Eric lay his hands at her hips, gently pulling her closer to him. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, and Calleigh sighed, tucking her head beneath his chin. "I'm so thankful that things worked out today," she whispered, wrapping her arms fully around him.

Her gratitude went straight to his heart as he too embraced her completely, finding himself unwilling to ever let her go. "Me too," he murmured, burying his face in her vanilla-scented locks. "Me too."

Closing her eyes, Calleigh breathed in deeply, committing his scent once more to memory, to heart. Not that she thought it would ever be forgotten from either, but still. Sighing, she released him just enough to tilt her head upward, and, allowing him to take the lead, she closed her eyes and waited for his lips to meld with hers, one more time.

She knew she would never kiss him without feeling her knees weaken just slightly; knew she'd never kiss him without feeling her heart flop in her chest. She loved this feeling; loved it, and quite possibly needed it now, now that she had found it. There was a completion she felt; a completion she had never felt before, and she couldn't deny that to lose that would shatter her. Eric was a part of her; had probably always been, but she hadn't allowed herself to see it before.

Calleigh gave a little moan as she felt his tongue at her lips, begging for access that was happily given as she parted her lips for him, allowing their tongues to mingle, tasting and teasing experimentally while still holding steadfastly to the sensual languidity they'd so easily fallen into.

But far too soon for her liking, Calleigh felt her lungs begin to protest – didn't they know that kissing Eric was a higher priority right now than breathing? The realization permeated her mind, and Calleigh couldn't help but giggle slightly as she broke apart from his mouth, stars dancing in her field of vision. She didn't know how he managed to do this to her, to leave her feeling so, so infatuated – surely it was still too early to say in love – with him, so desperate for him.

But he did, and now, Calleigh wouldn't change a thing about it. She had him; he had her. And as she extricated herself from his arms and reached out to turn off the lamp, Calleigh knew that it was all either of them needed.

Taking his hands in hers, Calleigh tilted her head, gently tugging him as she stepped slowly backward, her quiet whisper echoing ever loudly in the space between them. "Come to bed with me…"

And as he smiled and allowed her to lead him away, Eric knew she would never have to ask him twice.

After all, they did things together now.