The First Five: Chapter 3
With college starting and homework piling up, I haven't had a chance to update my first foray into fanfic writing. But the other day, I got some time in between classes to write out the third of five chapters in my E/C ship story, and I posted it on FF.net earlier today. So, without further ado, here's Chapter 3! I think hiphugger shippers will really, REALLY like it. =)
Category: CSI: Miami
Title: The First Five
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Chapter 3
Genre: Romance/utter fluff
Rating: Fiction Rated: K+ (this chapter). Future chapters may be rated T
Summary: Based on LJ community hiphuggerfics prompt "Five Times...", this is the story of the first five most important occurrences of Eric and Calleigh's relationship.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5
(italics indicates that the chapter has not been written and/or posted yet)
The third time was another milestone for Eric and Calleigh’s relationship.
Eric walked with a perpetual smile on his face the entire week after their first date. Though nothing physical had happened, he couldn’t care less. He knew their relationship would progress to more physical intimacy eventually, but for now, he was perfectly content to simply be with her without anyone else in their way. If he was honest with himself, he realized he could date and marry Calleigh without ever making love to her, and he would most certainly die a happy man.
Calleigh’s reaction was exactly the same. She found herself smiling for no particular reason various times throughout the day, a habit that attracted the attention of her coworkers. She shrugged it off, told them she was having a good day, and they seemed to let it go. On the day of what was to be their second date, Calleigh felt like a giddy schoolgirl all over again.
Eric showed up at her door with a potted plant in his hand, grinning at her surprised expression.
“It’s a Casa Blanca lily,” he explained. “It, uh, it only blooms at night. I figured, you know, if you ever have nightmares about the kidnapping again, you’ll have something pretty to look at. Smells good, too. So it could work as some sort of aromatherapy as well.”
Calleigh was touched. The one time she did have nightmares, she had called Eric and told him. They talked about anything and everything until she felt better enough to go back to sleep. It amazed her that he could attend to her emotional needs so well.
“Eric, that’s so sweet,” she said, taking the pot from his outstretched hands. “I’m going to put this in my kitchen, get my purse, and we’ll be good to go.”
--
By the time they got in the car, Calleigh still had no idea where he was taking her, and her curiosity was growing by the second.
“Where are we going, Eric?”
“I’m taking you to the finest deli in Little Havana.”
“Oh.”
A deli? Well that was…inexpensive. Calleigh didn’t give a damn about money, but she thought Eric would put more effort into their date, even if it cost very little.
Eric allowed himself to enjoy the blonde’s adorable look of confusion for a moment longer before he spoke again.
“Relax. We’re getting it to go. I’m taking you somewhere nicer to actually eat it.”
“Oh! And where would that be?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
The faux pout on her lips caused Eric to chuckle. Tonight was going to be good.
--
At the deli, Calleigh ordered her sandwich in Spanish and made small talk with the owner, who obviously knew Eric. He was impressed, and told Eric so while Calleigh busied herself getting napkins and plastic utensils.
“Esa chica es muy especial, Eric. No le pierda.” This girl is very special, Eric. Don’t lose her.
“Yo sé. Ella es más especial que puedes imaginar.” I know. She’s more special than you can imagine.
“¿Cuándo es la boda? Deseo que inviteme.” When’s the wedding? I want you to invite me.
“Reláje, Juan. Esta noche es solamente nuestro segunda cita.” Relax, Juan. It’s only our second date.
“Pero quieres casarse con ella, ¿no?” But you want to marry her, right?
“Claro que sí. Le amo mucho.” Of course. I love her very much.
The last words were spoken at a whisper. Eric knew she wasn’t ready to hear them just yet.
--
They left and he began to drive towards their mystery destination. Twenty minutes later he pulled up at the beach.
“Here we are.”
“The beach?! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!”
“That’s because I’m good. And mysterious. Isn’t that what all you girls want? A mysterious guy?” he asked as they began walking on the sand.
“Some girls do.”
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Do you want the mysterious guy?”
Calleigh thought a moment before she answered, thinking back to all her previous boyfriends. Kevin was her first love. John was a good friend. Peter was cute. Jake was mysterious…but not in a good way. He’d disappear for days, weeks, even months at a time while working undercover during their first try at a relationship. Other past boyfriends weren’t worth remembering.
“Calleigh?” Eric asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“To be honest, Eric, all I really want is you.”
His heart melted and a grin crept its way up to his mouth. He put his arm around her shoulder, guiding her to the perfect patch of sand for them to lay their blanket on.
--
Conversation flowed easily as they were finishing up their meal. Eric talked about his family. Calleigh talked about hers. Then the subject changed.
“Hey, you never told me,” Calleigh remarked.
“Told you what?”
“About your first love. I told you about Kevin. Tell me about yours.”
After a slight pause, he answered.
“Oh, God. I haven’t thought about it in forever. Amanda. Amanda Martinez. She moved to Miami from Texas the summer before our junior year of high school. Joined the swim team. That’s how we met. She was an expert at backstroke, which, at the time, was my weakest stroke. It felt so unnatural to me. I hated not being able to see where I was going. We didn’t compete against each other during meets because she was a girl, obviously. But during practice she would glide past me doing backstroke, and she broke all the school backstroke records. I was in awe. She noticed my struggle and offered to help me. So a few times a week we got together to perfect my technique. It came out that she had trouble with the butterfly, which had always been my strongest stroke. So I helped her with that, too. We spent so much time together, and became best friends…best friends that fell in love. It was a great two years.”
“What happened?”
“We broke up when we went to college, you know, try new things and all. Plus, she was at Penn State and I was at U of M. We decided that if by the end of freshman year we still wanted to be together, that we’d get back together. But a year later, it wasn’t the same. We both changed. I started to care more about school and swimming, while she started to care more about partying and getting drunk. I wasn’t into that. So we parted ways. Last I heard, she moved to Germany for whatever job it was she got after college.”
“I’m sorry.” She seemed genuinely sad for him. In reality, her mind was making a note to kick the ass of a girl that had the nerve to hurt her Eric.
“I’m not. I mean, it sucked at first. Because even though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get back together with her before I saw how she changed, I lost her as a friend. She became the kind of person I tried to avoid. But it’s okay. Because I did well in school, got a job I love, and met you. Some things in life will come and go, but some things will always be there, regardless of change,”
“That’s a good way to think about it.”
“It’s amazing what getting shot in the head can do to your outlook on life.” He tried to make it into a joke, but he could see it clearly upset her.
“Oh, Eric…”
“It’s okay, Cal. I’m fine. And you know that.”
“I also know how hard it was to see you in that hospital bed.”
“I’m sorry, I-“
“Don’t be sorry,” she interrupted. “It’s not your fault. And as you said, you’re fine. And I know that.”
“Okay.”
Eric smiled, relishing in the feeling of being so emotionally open with Calleigh. She smiled back and licked the mustard off her fingers before lying on her side, facing Eric, her torso propped up on her elbow. Eric mimicked her position and noticed a stray dab of mustard occupying a space just above her upper lip. Without thinking, he reached out to get it.
“You got a little bit of mustard right there,” he said, touching his thumb to the yellow blob on her lip.
Neither of them was prepared for what happened when he touched her lip and erased the stain with a simple swipe of thumb. The act was far more intimate than they were prepared to handle. Tingly sensations radiated from the pad of Eric’s thumb, jumping to Calleigh’s mouth and back, completing the circuit. One light touch and all heat, electricity, and desire in each of their bodies raced to where their skin was touching.
Calleigh’s gaze had been fixated on what she could see of Eric’s hand below her nose. She looked up and met Eric’s eyes. They were so dark and hypnotizing that she almost didn’t notice his other hand come to rest on her hip. Another flood of sensation to a different part of their bodies. Holding her gaze, Eric slowly began to lower the hand that was touching her lip so he could support himself again. Simultaneously, Calleigh leaned in, and Eric’s eyes fluttered shut as he prepared himself for what was next.
Her breath was tickling his ear for a moment before she whispered into it.
“Even though I know you’re fine, I still worry about you.”
Eric’s heart was beating up a storm.
“Is there anything I can do to make you stop worrying so much?” he whispered back.
“Maybe.”
“What’s that?”
“Kiss me.”
His eyes flew open and nearly bulged out of his brain. Calleigh’s breah was still at his ear. He turned his head slightly to face her, catching her eyes immediately. They were a dark emerald shade, one he couldn’t remember every seeing before. Then again, he probably couldn’t remember his own name what with Calleigh’s face inches away from his own and the demand she made moments before.
He conveyed every thought and emotion in his eyes to her, and saw the same ones reflected in her green irises. Eyes fluttered shut. Distances closed. And their lips met.
His were full, luscious, and warm. Hers were smaller, delicious, and soft. One kiss became two, three, a dozen, a million. With each moment, both of their hearts raced faster. His hand squeezed her hip gently. Her free hand came to rest against his cheek, stubble tickling her palm. As they lost themselves in sensation, Calleigh felt Eric’s tongue flick lightly at her lips. The act was so intense that she couldn’t help the noise that came from deep in her throat. Hearing the moan and feeling its vibrations caused Eric to draw a sharp intake of air through his nose before letting it out in a sound of his own. Her lips parted and their tongues met for the first time, guaranteeing the start of a dangerous addiction to the feelings stirred up inside and radiating throughout their bodies. They continued to kiss until they were out of breath and reluctantly parted.
Eric’s eyes opened first and the sight he saw would be forever imprinted in his memory. Calleigh, chest heaving, struggling to catch her breath, lips swollen, and eyes closed to regain her composure. Eric prayed her emotional walls stayed down as she opened her eyes.
They did. Eyelids lifted, and the clarity within them was obvious. She allowed him to see her, really see her, and the extent of her feelings, all the way into the depths of her soul.
She smiled. He did too. And then he spoke.
“Wow. That was a long time coming.”
“Yes, it was,” Calleigh agreed. She gazed lovingly into his eyes as her thumb brushed tenderly across his cheek where her hand remained resting.
“How long do you think? I mean, for me, it’s been years, but what about you? God, the first day I met you I wanted to do that. And as much as it would boost my ego to hear that it’s been that long for you too, I’d rather have the honest answer. Even if it’s five minutes. An hour. A day. A month. Two months, six months, a yea-“
“Eric,” she interrupted.
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.”
They smiled and he leaned in to kiss her again. It was good. As good as the first. And probably better, he realized, as she rolled onto her back and he swung over to hover over her body as the kiss deepened. Propped up on one elbow, he used his free arm to graze his finger along her hairline, cup her neck, tangle his fingers in her hair. He brushed her cheek several times before relieving the arm he was resting on. He set his forearms down on either side of her; hands perched on her shoulders, and thumbs rubbing in slow, lazy circles. Her hands reached up to frame his face, then run through his short, textured hair to commence at the back of his neck, nails scratching gently. A few minutes later they broke apart and sat up. He guided her to rest her back against his muscular chest and they watched the sunset, kissed some more, and talked about anything that came to mind.
A few hours later, they kissed good night on her porch, and Calleigh insisted on planning and paying for their next date.
“Bossy,” Eric joked.
“Like you’d have me any other way,” she teased.
“True.”
They embraced and he kissed her one last time before she disappeared inside her house, feeling giddier than ever. But that was appropriate, as Eric was grinning too, licking his lips repeatedly to savor the taste of her lips on his as he drove home for the night.
Oh, and by the way, my Spanish is a little rusty. So if it's not 100% grammatically correct, don't hurt me.
Category: CSI: Miami
Title: The First Five
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Chapter 3
Genre: Romance/utter fluff
Rating: Fiction Rated: K+ (this chapter). Future chapters may be rated T
Summary: Based on LJ community hiphuggerfics prompt "Five Times...", this is the story of the first five most important occurrences of Eric and Calleigh's relationship.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5
(italics indicates that the chapter has not been written and/or posted yet)
The third time was another milestone for Eric and Calleigh’s relationship.
Eric walked with a perpetual smile on his face the entire week after their first date. Though nothing physical had happened, he couldn’t care less. He knew their relationship would progress to more physical intimacy eventually, but for now, he was perfectly content to simply be with her without anyone else in their way. If he was honest with himself, he realized he could date and marry Calleigh without ever making love to her, and he would most certainly die a happy man.
Calleigh’s reaction was exactly the same. She found herself smiling for no particular reason various times throughout the day, a habit that attracted the attention of her coworkers. She shrugged it off, told them she was having a good day, and they seemed to let it go. On the day of what was to be their second date, Calleigh felt like a giddy schoolgirl all over again.
Eric showed up at her door with a potted plant in his hand, grinning at her surprised expression.
“It’s a Casa Blanca lily,” he explained. “It, uh, it only blooms at night. I figured, you know, if you ever have nightmares about the kidnapping again, you’ll have something pretty to look at. Smells good, too. So it could work as some sort of aromatherapy as well.”
Calleigh was touched. The one time she did have nightmares, she had called Eric and told him. They talked about anything and everything until she felt better enough to go back to sleep. It amazed her that he could attend to her emotional needs so well.
“Eric, that’s so sweet,” she said, taking the pot from his outstretched hands. “I’m going to put this in my kitchen, get my purse, and we’ll be good to go.”
--
By the time they got in the car, Calleigh still had no idea where he was taking her, and her curiosity was growing by the second.
“Where are we going, Eric?”
“I’m taking you to the finest deli in Little Havana.”
“Oh.”
A deli? Well that was…inexpensive. Calleigh didn’t give a damn about money, but she thought Eric would put more effort into their date, even if it cost very little.
Eric allowed himself to enjoy the blonde’s adorable look of confusion for a moment longer before he spoke again.
“Relax. We’re getting it to go. I’m taking you somewhere nicer to actually eat it.”
“Oh! And where would that be?”
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
The faux pout on her lips caused Eric to chuckle. Tonight was going to be good.
--
At the deli, Calleigh ordered her sandwich in Spanish and made small talk with the owner, who obviously knew Eric. He was impressed, and told Eric so while Calleigh busied herself getting napkins and plastic utensils.
“Esa chica es muy especial, Eric. No le pierda.” This girl is very special, Eric. Don’t lose her.
“Yo sé. Ella es más especial que puedes imaginar.” I know. She’s more special than you can imagine.
“¿Cuándo es la boda? Deseo que inviteme.” When’s the wedding? I want you to invite me.
“Reláje, Juan. Esta noche es solamente nuestro segunda cita.” Relax, Juan. It’s only our second date.
“Pero quieres casarse con ella, ¿no?” But you want to marry her, right?
“Claro que sí. Le amo mucho.” Of course. I love her very much.
The last words were spoken at a whisper. Eric knew she wasn’t ready to hear them just yet.
--
They left and he began to drive towards their mystery destination. Twenty minutes later he pulled up at the beach.
“Here we are.”
“The beach?! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!”
“That’s because I’m good. And mysterious. Isn’t that what all you girls want? A mysterious guy?” he asked as they began walking on the sand.
“Some girls do.”
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Do you want the mysterious guy?”
Calleigh thought a moment before she answered, thinking back to all her previous boyfriends. Kevin was her first love. John was a good friend. Peter was cute. Jake was mysterious…but not in a good way. He’d disappear for days, weeks, even months at a time while working undercover during their first try at a relationship. Other past boyfriends weren’t worth remembering.
“Calleigh?” Eric asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“To be honest, Eric, all I really want is you.”
His heart melted and a grin crept its way up to his mouth. He put his arm around her shoulder, guiding her to the perfect patch of sand for them to lay their blanket on.
--
Conversation flowed easily as they were finishing up their meal. Eric talked about his family. Calleigh talked about hers. Then the subject changed.
“Hey, you never told me,” Calleigh remarked.
“Told you what?”
“About your first love. I told you about Kevin. Tell me about yours.”
After a slight pause, he answered.
“Oh, God. I haven’t thought about it in forever. Amanda. Amanda Martinez. She moved to Miami from Texas the summer before our junior year of high school. Joined the swim team. That’s how we met. She was an expert at backstroke, which, at the time, was my weakest stroke. It felt so unnatural to me. I hated not being able to see where I was going. We didn’t compete against each other during meets because she was a girl, obviously. But during practice she would glide past me doing backstroke, and she broke all the school backstroke records. I was in awe. She noticed my struggle and offered to help me. So a few times a week we got together to perfect my technique. It came out that she had trouble with the butterfly, which had always been my strongest stroke. So I helped her with that, too. We spent so much time together, and became best friends…best friends that fell in love. It was a great two years.”
“What happened?”
“We broke up when we went to college, you know, try new things and all. Plus, she was at Penn State and I was at U of M. We decided that if by the end of freshman year we still wanted to be together, that we’d get back together. But a year later, it wasn’t the same. We both changed. I started to care more about school and swimming, while she started to care more about partying and getting drunk. I wasn’t into that. So we parted ways. Last I heard, she moved to Germany for whatever job it was she got after college.”
“I’m sorry.” She seemed genuinely sad for him. In reality, her mind was making a note to kick the ass of a girl that had the nerve to hurt her Eric.
“I’m not. I mean, it sucked at first. Because even though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get back together with her before I saw how she changed, I lost her as a friend. She became the kind of person I tried to avoid. But it’s okay. Because I did well in school, got a job I love, and met you. Some things in life will come and go, but some things will always be there, regardless of change,”
“That’s a good way to think about it.”
“It’s amazing what getting shot in the head can do to your outlook on life.” He tried to make it into a joke, but he could see it clearly upset her.
“Oh, Eric…”
“It’s okay, Cal. I’m fine. And you know that.”
“I also know how hard it was to see you in that hospital bed.”
“I’m sorry, I-“
“Don’t be sorry,” she interrupted. “It’s not your fault. And as you said, you’re fine. And I know that.”
“Okay.”
Eric smiled, relishing in the feeling of being so emotionally open with Calleigh. She smiled back and licked the mustard off her fingers before lying on her side, facing Eric, her torso propped up on her elbow. Eric mimicked her position and noticed a stray dab of mustard occupying a space just above her upper lip. Without thinking, he reached out to get it.
“You got a little bit of mustard right there,” he said, touching his thumb to the yellow blob on her lip.
Neither of them was prepared for what happened when he touched her lip and erased the stain with a simple swipe of thumb. The act was far more intimate than they were prepared to handle. Tingly sensations radiated from the pad of Eric’s thumb, jumping to Calleigh’s mouth and back, completing the circuit. One light touch and all heat, electricity, and desire in each of their bodies raced to where their skin was touching.
Calleigh’s gaze had been fixated on what she could see of Eric’s hand below her nose. She looked up and met Eric’s eyes. They were so dark and hypnotizing that she almost didn’t notice his other hand come to rest on her hip. Another flood of sensation to a different part of their bodies. Holding her gaze, Eric slowly began to lower the hand that was touching her lip so he could support himself again. Simultaneously, Calleigh leaned in, and Eric’s eyes fluttered shut as he prepared himself for what was next.
Her breath was tickling his ear for a moment before she whispered into it.
“Even though I know you’re fine, I still worry about you.”
Eric’s heart was beating up a storm.
“Is there anything I can do to make you stop worrying so much?” he whispered back.
“Maybe.”
“What’s that?”
“Kiss me.”
His eyes flew open and nearly bulged out of his brain. Calleigh’s breah was still at his ear. He turned his head slightly to face her, catching her eyes immediately. They were a dark emerald shade, one he couldn’t remember every seeing before. Then again, he probably couldn’t remember his own name what with Calleigh’s face inches away from his own and the demand she made moments before.
He conveyed every thought and emotion in his eyes to her, and saw the same ones reflected in her green irises. Eyes fluttered shut. Distances closed. And their lips met.
His were full, luscious, and warm. Hers were smaller, delicious, and soft. One kiss became two, three, a dozen, a million. With each moment, both of their hearts raced faster. His hand squeezed her hip gently. Her free hand came to rest against his cheek, stubble tickling her palm. As they lost themselves in sensation, Calleigh felt Eric’s tongue flick lightly at her lips. The act was so intense that she couldn’t help the noise that came from deep in her throat. Hearing the moan and feeling its vibrations caused Eric to draw a sharp intake of air through his nose before letting it out in a sound of his own. Her lips parted and their tongues met for the first time, guaranteeing the start of a dangerous addiction to the feelings stirred up inside and radiating throughout their bodies. They continued to kiss until they were out of breath and reluctantly parted.
Eric’s eyes opened first and the sight he saw would be forever imprinted in his memory. Calleigh, chest heaving, struggling to catch her breath, lips swollen, and eyes closed to regain her composure. Eric prayed her emotional walls stayed down as she opened her eyes.
They did. Eyelids lifted, and the clarity within them was obvious. She allowed him to see her, really see her, and the extent of her feelings, all the way into the depths of her soul.
She smiled. He did too. And then he spoke.
“Wow. That was a long time coming.”
“Yes, it was,” Calleigh agreed. She gazed lovingly into his eyes as her thumb brushed tenderly across his cheek where her hand remained resting.
“How long do you think? I mean, for me, it’s been years, but what about you? God, the first day I met you I wanted to do that. And as much as it would boost my ego to hear that it’s been that long for you too, I’d rather have the honest answer. Even if it’s five minutes. An hour. A day. A month. Two months, six months, a yea-“
“Eric,” she interrupted.
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.”
They smiled and he leaned in to kiss her again. It was good. As good as the first. And probably better, he realized, as she rolled onto her back and he swung over to hover over her body as the kiss deepened. Propped up on one elbow, he used his free arm to graze his finger along her hairline, cup her neck, tangle his fingers in her hair. He brushed her cheek several times before relieving the arm he was resting on. He set his forearms down on either side of her; hands perched on her shoulders, and thumbs rubbing in slow, lazy circles. Her hands reached up to frame his face, then run through his short, textured hair to commence at the back of his neck, nails scratching gently. A few minutes later they broke apart and sat up. He guided her to rest her back against his muscular chest and they watched the sunset, kissed some more, and talked about anything that came to mind.
A few hours later, they kissed good night on her porch, and Calleigh insisted on planning and paying for their next date.
“Bossy,” Eric joked.
“Like you’d have me any other way,” she teased.
“True.”
They embraced and he kissed her one last time before she disappeared inside her house, feeling giddier than ever. But that was appropriate, as Eric was grinning too, licking his lips repeatedly to savor the taste of her lips on his as he drove home for the night.
Oh, and by the way, my Spanish is a little rusty. So if it's not 100% grammatically correct, don't hurt me.