This was my submission to the Fanfiction Critique Group Challenge. I strongly urge anyone who is interested in improving their writing skills to join it, or even if you're just interested in writing. A link can be found in my profile.

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1. Topic: Summertime.
2. Must Be: 1,000-8,000 words in length (can be multiple chapters).
3. Must Include: The film "Iron Man" that's still in theatres now.
4. Must be Rated: MA or lower.
5. Must Include the Line: "I'm really starting to adjust to..."

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Below isn't my best work; it seems I can only write now when given a challenge. With regards to my From Out of The Darkness fic, I really am trying with it; a couple of things have happened lately that are making it ridiculously difficult to write, and most of it is purely psychological.

Anyway, in the meantime, I offer this...

- Simple Things -

A playful breeze swept through the park - a welcome disturbance to the humid air - and Eric Delko couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched his two children scamper about in the grass, lost to their own imaginations. He loved bringing his family here, getting to spend time with them. Sunday picnics were only a recent thing that they'd started to do - work made it hard - but it was something that Eric fully intended to keep up.

Upon hearing a soft sigh he glanced to the side, his gaze meeting the green sparkle of his wife's. She was sat next to him, on the blanket, having just finished packing away lunch.

"You okay?" he asked her.

Calleigh gave a gentle nod in response, her blonde hair swaying a little in the gesture, and then turned her attention back to their children. "It doesn't even feel like five minutes ago since Joel was born," she murmured, referring to their oldest.

Eric laughed and closed the distance between them, slipping behind her so he could draw her back against his chest, his hands sliding around her waist; it never ceased to amaze him how perfectly she fitted there. And he sighed into her hair, a playful smile tugging at his mouth as he remembered the day that his son was born. "You told me that you'd shoot me if I ever got you pregnant again," he laughed into her ear.

"Try being in labour for nine hours, Eric," she grumbled.

He grinned against her skin, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her neck. "Oh, the trials of being a woman," he teased.

"Are you mocking me?" she answered dryly, arching an eyebrow over her shoulder at him.

"Of course not, honey," he replied, feigning sincerity. She held his gaze for a moment with a knowing smile, before she settled back against him once more and placed her hands over his. "In any case," Eric began, once she was comfortable, "I did get you pregnant again."

Calleigh laughed and gazed over at their daughter, Arianna. She was three now; four years younger than Joel. "She looks just like you," Eric whispered, trailing kisses from her neck to her shoulder. It was true, Calleigh thought to herself; her daughter had the same piercing green eyes, as well as her trademark smile and blonde hair...

Just then, as Eric continued his line of kisses, Joel - the spitting image of his father - accidentally collided with Anna, sending her sprawling over the grass.

"Joel, be careful with your sister," Eric called firmly, getting ready to go over to his daughter to check that she was okay. He stopped, however, when Anna simply climbed to her feet, brushed herself off and shot her brother a glare. "Just like you," Eric grinned against Calleigh's ear.

"There are worse things to be like..." she replied, giving him a playful jab in the ribs with her elbow.

He chuckled and drew her in tightly. "Much, much, worse," he agreed, settling his chin on her shoulder.

A silence took hold, then, as they both continued to watch their children, watched them laugh and play about under the summer sun. Eric broke it, however, when he whispered, "So when do we start on baby number three?" He brushed his lips teasingly across her skin, silently informing her that there was no pressure. As much as he wanted another child, there was no denying that Joel and Anna were a handful, and he rolled his eyes as he remembered the argument he'd had with Joel in the car on their way here. His son had seen a billboard advertisement for Iron Man and had demanded that he be taken to see it - Joel certainly had Calleigh's stubborn streak. But still, Eric loved the notion of having a huge family.

And to his surprise, Calleigh simply shrugged and answered, "You know, I'm really starting to adjust to that idea." After shooting a glance over her shoulder she smiled at him, noting his raised eyebrows. "What?" she defended. "I like this." She gestured over to their kids and then between them both. "It's nice to have a family..."

"And I'm glad I get to have one with you," Eric replied, turning her body around and pulling her into his lap. "But, while we're on the topic, how about we try expanding it tonight?" he grinned, planting a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth.

"I'll have to check my schedule," Calleigh teased, slipping her arms around his neck. He ignored her, however, and moved his hands to her thighs where he began to caress the skin there, his lips dancing across her collarbone. "Eric," she half warned, half moaned. His actions didn't stop, though, and she craned her head behind her, checking that Joel and Anna were okay. Apparently satisfied that they were, Calleigh reached for her husband and tugged him back up.

"I'm just saying that we could leave now," he told her her pointedly, a playful smile toying with his mouth.

"Saying?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow. "You've always been more of a doer."

He laughed in response and slid his hands up to her waist. "I've never heard you complain before," he breathed against her ear, not missing the shiver that he felt shoot down her spine. After two children - potentially three - he loved that he could still make her react to him like this. So he decided to tell her in three simple words, three words that had become so natural to them over the years, the three words that he told her on a daily basis; "I love you."

She released a contented sigh and reached down for his hands, clasping them in her own, before she met his gaze and whispered, "I love you, too."

And after stealing a gentle kiss, Eric Delko peered past his wife to stare at their children as they ran about in the playful breeze. With Calleigh, he'd experienced so many happy memories, but he knew that right here - right now - he was living one of the best; just sat in the park on a lazy summer's day, with his family.

The people he cherished most in the world.

- Fin -