A/NI don't own anyone, not CSI:Miami, Calleigh's Mom, Calleigh, Alexx or Eric...or the Actors that play them...I do wish and hope to one day own Adam Rodriguez...

Spoilers: There aren't many spoilers... this takes place sometime after 10-7... lets say after Nailed... Rated for later chpts...

Chapter one-- Lets do lunch

"OK Duquesne, your not a chicken."

Well maybe I am a chicken,

"Yes your a chicken, your sitting here in your car hiding. From your mother, Or your going insane, because your talking to your self."

She groaned. Why is this so hard? Her mother Darla Hayes, formally Duquesne, had phoned her out of the blue and asked her if she wanted to meet her for lunch. "Lunch." She said. Yeah the meal between breakfast and dinner. God maybe you are going insane. Then she thought about John and everything that happened after he had killed himself. No, no your not. Your strong and independent. John Hagen DIDN'T faze you one bit, no you've moved on from that.

She took a deep breath. This is fine. Well maybe not fine, but, oh who was she kidding. The last time her and her mother had had lunch together was when she was 12, and even then it hadn't ended well. She smiled at the memory. Calleigh new she hadn't been the easiest kid to raise. That praticular time she had ended up running away for 3 days. She only came back because she needed her uniform for school.

Most people are close to their Mothers. Hell Clorinda Delko was more of a mother to her then Darla Hayes. Why is this so weird, so Alien to me? Well she had phoned her out of the blue...

"Looks like COD was Asphyxiation...I'll know more when I'm through with autopsy." Said Alexx Woods.

"Thanks Alexx." Calleigh looked around. She loved this, she was in her elemant, she thought as she looked over at Eric. She was the primary on this case, it felt like it had been ages since it was just her and Eric working together. "How old do you think she is?" She asked, Peering down at the young women on the ground.

"Too young." Sighed Alexx.

"Hmm thanks Alexx, I'll meet you back.." She was interrupted by her ringing cell phone. She looked at the Caller I.D. It took her a moment to recognize the number.

"Hello..." She said uncertainly

"Leah, baby it's your mama! How are you?" Her mother Drawled.

Calleigh froze. She didn't know what to say. Her mother was phoning her...The last time she phoned was christmas 2004, or when it was her birthday, or when her father was on a bender...

Ohh Great...

Wait hold on. No, I just saw daddy last night, he was fine...So then...

"Dar-len? You still there?"

Yeah that got her attention.

"Mama..Hi, sorry, you just caught me off guard...ummm is everything OK?" Asked Calleigh, he accent getting thicker by the minute.

At this Eric Delko looked up. He wasn't intrigued by the fact that Calleigh's mom had phoned her, no, he thought. It was the accent. He loved the way Calleigh spoke, he could just sit and listen to her talk for hours. Most people would find it annoying, and he new that Calleigh tried not to use it normally, but for him it's easily the best voice he's ever heard.

He remembered hearing her speak for the first time. He had been in underwater recovery and was diving for a body in an inlet. He'd seen her talking to some guy and thought she was beautiful. While he had been diving the pressure in the tank had been too low. He hadn't even realized it till it was too late, and all of a sudden everything had gone black. Next thing he knew, he was being revived by an Angel, or a water Nymph, he could never decide.

"Are you okay?" She drawled...

As soon as she said it, he knew she was the one.

Eric Smiled. Why is he smiling? She thought.

"Uhh that was my mom."

"Yeah soo. What did she say?"

So here she was, walking into a little Cafe, not really knowing what to expect.

She spotted her mother right away. She was easy to find in the dimly lit french Cafe. Beautiful blond hair with wisps of grey, huge bright smile, just like Calleigh. It was like looking in a mirror. Except for the eyes, Calleigh had inherited them from her father. Her mother had light blue ones.

"Hey..." Hey? Thats it, come on Duquesne this is your mother.

"Now thats not how i taught you to greet someone, is it?"

"Sorry mama." She walked over to her mother and kissed her on both cheeks.

"Good Grandmeir would be proud."

Ohh yes, Grandmeir Duquesne, the women who had taught Calleigh all about being a lady, from crossing your legs to making your man think he was incharge. Yes the woman was the patriarch of the family. Calleigh had never been aloud to call her Grandma like every other kid. No Grandmeir always insisted on keeping there french background alive...

Calleigh sat down, and soon an awkward silence took them. After a few minutes she spoke.

"So hows daddy?" she asked fearing the answer.

"He's fine." Her mother simply said her mother.

"Hmm so your still getting tennis lessons at the club?" She asked timidly

"Yes I am."

Another silence.

"Okay mama why'd you phone?" She asked bluntly.

Her mother was obviously surprised by this.

"Can't a mother call her daughter for lunch?"

Calleigh thought about this...

"Well...yeah it's just...mama you've never called me for lunch before.."

Darla sighed. The sad look on her face made Calleigh feel bad. Why am I being so defensive?

"Sorry mama your right, I'm just over reacting, but everything is fine, right?"

"Everthings great. Are you OK?"

Wait back up.

"Am I ok? Mama I'm fine."

"Are you sure Leah. I mean you didn't really talk to us after what happened at work. Even before that... baby we've grown apart."

Calleigh started to laugh. Not the normal sweet giggle most people are used to, no this was a bit hystaricle actually. She couldn't believe it, and the more she thought about it, the harder she laughed. Her mother just wanted to get to know her, just have a nice lunch, and here she was thinking it was the apocalypse, or that she had ulterior motives, but no, she just wanted to talk.

"Sorry mama, it's just..." She giggled some more. She looked up to see the confused look on her mothers face, and looked around and realized people were staring. "Never mind lets just order."

They placed their orders and started to talk. Nothing intense, just small talk. It was nice.

"Wow this is actually going well." She thought

"So are you dating anyone special?"

Ohh here we go...

"Mama!"

"What, I'm your mother and i want to know how you've been, and if your happy. Is that too much to ask?"

Uhhh...

"Well no...sorry"

"It's alright. So who is he?"

"Mama!" She couldn't help but giggle.

"What?" She asked innocently "I'm just asking.."

Calleigh smiled, well maybe there was someone. A certain tanned, sexy Cuban. Yes OK Eric Delko had been on her mind lately, well actually, alot lately...Hey what woman wouldn't fantasize about him? They'd have to be crazy or blind not to. He has a great body, he's smart, sweet, he made her laugh and when he smiled...Hmmmmmmm she thought. That smile always got her, it always made her melt. It had been the first thing she had noticed about him.

At the time he'd been in underwater recovery, she'd been waiting for him to comeup from the water and realized he still hadn't come up, she'd tried not to think about it, but then she saw him floating in the water. Without even thinking, she jumped in, pulled him out of the water, and started to give him mouth to mouth resusitation. After a few minutes she heard him spit out the water and open his eyes.

"Are you ok?"

He looked into her eyes and smiled, and her heart instantly melted. From then on they'd been friends, then best friends. She always looked out for Delko and she trusted him so much, that it scared her sometimes.

"Oh so there is someone." Her mothers voice interrupted her thoughts. "Well whoever it is, don't let him get away."

"Mama.." She started.

"Leah..just believe me, don't let him get away." Her mother said seriously.

Calleigh softened up. "OK Mama."

She walked into HQ in a good mood. Smiling at the receptionist and even the idiot they had hired to replace her in the ballistics lab.

"So I'm guessing lunch was good?" Eric teased, remembering how shell shocked she was this morning.

"Ohh yeah, lunch was good." She couldn't help but smile. Her and her mother had had a good time...With each other!

"Well i'm glad you had a good time, It's a good day when Calleigh Duquesne smiles." He said

If it were possible Calleigh's smilebecame bigger.

"Soo." He started. "What did i say..."

"Yes, yes, your were right, I was wrong, andI was over-reacting..."

"Over-reacting? You almost started hyperventilating..." He said, licking his lips.

She stared at his lips for a minute. Then composed her self. "I was not that bad..."

Oh who was she kidding. "OK well gloat all you want, it wont last..." she started.

"Well I plan on it." He smiled. Ohh that smile... "Uhh Calleigh, are you doing anything tonight?"

She stopped fantasizing about his lips and looked at him. Was he asking her out?

"No. Why?"

"Do you want to go out?" Why am I so nervous, I've asked hundreds, no thousands of girls out. Yeah but Calleigh's not any other girl.

"Sure I'd love to."

"Great i'll pick you up at eight."

"Sounds good. Wait what are we doing?"

"It's a surprise." He simply said.

Surprise?

"OK, I'll see you tonight." She said.

"Great."

They stood there.

"You know that would work if we, you know, didn't have an open case..." She said sweetly.

He listened to her and couldn't help but laugh. "Come on lets go." He said as he held the door open to the trace lab.

A/N what do yeah think? well leave me a review... :o) thanx, also the whole Calleigh having to call her grandmother grandmeir is sort of a true story, my friend has to call her grandmother that (because she insists on it, being french and all) and she hates it...