DISCLAIMER: CSI Miami and its characters are the property of Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a little fluff inspired by an episode and an IM conversation. I love bows. (Ok, I just like weapons) but I especially love bows. This is what happens when the CSI writers indulge my 2 favorite loves: deadly weapons and beautiful women.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
SPOILERS: 6x02 Cyber-lebrity
Shot to the Heart
By racethewind10
Calleigh Duquesne liked guns. She always had. Ever since her father - in one of his rare sober moments - had taught her to fire a .22 rifle, the small blonde had loved the feeling of control that shooting a firearm gave her. There was something about the melding of will and action that created a tiny moment of stillness in her mind. She loved the feeling of all that contained power in her hand - both a promise of danger and the symbol of protection.
Some of her colleagues worked out obsessively or drank to ease away the horrors that as law enforcement they saw too often. Calleigh shot. The kick and recoil against her hand or shoulder, the loud crack, the shredding of a target: these things restored her focus – gave her a sense of control and purpose.
Yes, Calleigh Duquesne liked guns, but she had to admit, there was something almost, primal about shooting a bow. The curved lines of the limbs and the flowing grip were almost sensual in their design. There was almost no sound – only the slight whisper of air as the arrow left the rest. A silent weapon: it didn't depend on chemical reactions, only pure physics and physical prowess.
Just like a gun however, the bow could be used to harm, and the ballistics expert shook her head with regret at the thought of the young man whose death she was trying to solve.
As the blonde drew on the target again however, a smile edged her lips. They may not be bullets, but the arrows would point the way to the killer just the same.
Mid afternoon brought a pleasant surprise. Calleigh felt a smile stretch her lips and couldn't help an appreciative glance at the figure that walked into her lab. There weren't many people that could pull off all white, but the woman in front of her was definitely one of them.
Sticking to business however, she asked, "Is that our murder weapon?"
Natalia replied with a smile. "Yep. I gotta say, I think I'd rather tote one of these than a gun."
"Why?" Cal asked, confused and momentarily distracted by the play of tendons in the brunette's hand as she twisted the weapon.
Natalia blew out a breath and looked rueful. "Triggers are tough. And you know what? This is easy." And then the DNA expert drew the bow, and Calleigh's surprise at the implication she had been shooting was dispatched most efficiently by the sight of the taller woman holding the weapon at full draw. If shooting the bow felt primal, watching Natalia hold it was downright dangerous.
"Nat, hold it right there."
"Why?"
Because you look damn sexy and I just want to enjoy the view for a minute? came the naughty thought Calleigh had to bite her lip to repress.
Unfortunately, they were at work, so she forced herself to focus on the height and weight calculations of their shooter. The image of Natalia drawing the bow however, kept sneaking up and tripping her concentration for the rest of the day, until a wonderful idea began to form.
That evening, when the last of the evidence had been logged away and the paper work of the last case filed, the ballistics expert made sure she was alone in firearms and logged on to the internet. She knew basically what she was looking for, so it didn't take long and she didn't feel guilty about using County resources.
A few clicks later and she was finished. Unable to stop the grin tugging the corners of her mouth, the blonde left the lab with a spring in her step and a plan in her mind. She had someone waiting for her at home and a surprise to deliver on the horizon: it was a very good evening.
1 WEEK LATER
Natalia rubbed her neck as she walked into the locker room at the end of a very, very long shift. It had been a hell of a day. A drug related triple homicide, and a vehicular manslaughter. She felt exhausted and achy and more than a little disgusted with humanity. The team had done their jobs though, and the perpetrators were going to get their just punishment. At least, she hoped so. It was all in the hands of the lawyers and the courts now. The brunette didn't want to think about that at the moment however. Right now she just wanted to get home, have dinner; maybe indulge in a bubble bath and see her partner.
Her partner. That still had a delicious ring to it, and left her with a tiny rush of energy she took a moment to savor.
Finishing up, Natalia slammed her locker, clocked out and left the lab, breathing deeply of the heavy, Miami evening air. The sky was still golden, but it was starting to cool off and she could feel the weight of dusk approaching. Opening her car door, the DNA tech received another rush: this time of complete surprise.
Sitting on the passenger seat and wrapped in elegant emerald green paper with a soft silver ribbon, was a long, narrow package.
Looking around furtively to make sure she was alone, Natalia slipped into the driver's seat and reached toward the present with hands that had gone a bit shaky.
Flowers? But why… her thoughts turned into intense curiosity however, when she felt the weight of the box.
Definitely not flowers. Unable to contain her need to know, she sat down and tore the shiny paper off, shoving it into the back seat with the impatience of a little kid on Christmas morning. As her prize was revealed, her hands stilled and she felt a swell of emotion. For a moment, Natalia just stared, her throat closing and the tiniest prick of tears touching her eyes.
Sleek, candy-apple red and gorgeous, the competition quality compound bow seemed to beg to be taken out and shot.
One comment. She remembered that one comment. And suddenly dinner and bubble bath dropped off the list of things Natalia Boa Vista wanted to do when she got home.
Still in her clothes from work minus her shoes and her badge, Calleigh stood in her kitchen, their kitchen, and smiled. Their home. That thought still sent a tingle up her spine. Taking a sip of her ice tea, the blonde rolled her neck, trying to ease some the tension in her muscles. It had been a long day and she was really hoping her lover got home soon.
As if summoned by the thought, the CSI heard the garage door open and smiled wider. She had just a moment to put her drink down and turn around before she was engulfed in an enthusiastic hug. Calleigh just managed to register the fact that Natalia was still somehow holding her 'present' before the brunette bent down and kissed her, thoroughly.
Natalia's lips were soft and knowing and when she slipped her tongue into Calleigh's mouth, it didn't take much for "thank you" to become "I want you." Calleigh was just reaching for Natalia's belt when the taller woman pulled back. The blonde's frustration lasted only a heartbeat however, when she saw the excitement on her lover's face. It still surprised her how much the other woman's happiness could affect her, and the blonde felt something much deeper than arousal warm her heart.
"You remembered," Natalia practically beamed.
Calleigh was still trying to ignore how nice it felt to be held though, so she couldn't resist a little teasing.
"Maybe I just liked the way you looked holding it."
A devious look crossed Natalia's features and she pulled away, considering.
"Well, if that's the case. Maybe I should just go set it up and practice…"
She never quite got to finish because at that moment, Calleigh gently - but very firmly – took the weapon away, laid it on the counter and said huskily. "Later." And that was the last coherent word heard in the house for sometime.
The End