Did not like the direction of Aligned and it has been removed. This is the rewrite of the sequel to In the Stars. From Calleigh's POV. Enjoy!

Supernova

One

It's been one month since you've been home from your honeymoon, two months since you married Eric Delko in the craziest, most impulsive moment in your life. For two months now, you've been Mrs. Delko, and it still makes you smile. You stare at your wedding ring a lot more than you thought you would; but you do that because you don't get to wear it at work and it stings a little because, well, you feel proud, and you want everyone to know that you now enjoy the privileges and pleasures of being a wife.

You enjoyed your month long honeymoon in Puerto Rico.

Time away did you both some good; the cool, crisp ocean breeze helped you recover, healed your sore lungs, and the sun brought the flush and color back to your skin, and as for Eric, his skin also tanned a bit more, he's a little leaner, just a little, and that is from the extra time he spent swimming in the ocean, from the diving he did. Of course, he only did all of that once you convinced him to stop hovering. You wanted to go diving with him, snorkel and see the fish, but he wouldn't hear of it. You knew that it wasn't possible, not after the setback you'd had with your respiratory condition.

You were amazed at how far out into the water he could swim, and you were slightly worried as you sat on the blanket, just watching him swimming smoothly and with such ease, it seemed, against the waves; you watched his muscles flex, you saw the silvery glint from sunlight reflecting on his slick skin. You could feel how happy he was, sense his concentration, felt the cool water rolling over him...you laughed quietly to yourself, thinking that with his position at the SA's office, the traveling back and forth, your pregnancy, and then of course, sadly, dealing with the loss of the baby, your depression, and then the fire, just recently, he'd truly been a fish out of water. He barely had any time to himself.

The days you spent together were leisurely, lazy, and the nights were spent listening to the music from the Estrella Bar, him cooking and feeding you a little more day by day ("I'll fatten you up yet," he'd said), mornings spent drinking coffee or tea on the porch, afternoons picnicking on the beach, evenings sharing soft kisses, whispering sweet nothings between dances...

But that wasn't even the highlight.

You grin into your steaming mug of coffee.

It was your honeymoon after all.

You and Eric finally made love on the last leg of your honeymoon, and if your cheeks weren't sore from the wide, goofy smile you had on your face for most of the night and the morning after...your skin and his skin damp with sweat, locks of your hair plastered to your neck and forehead, bodies cooled only by the breeze coming in through the opened window. The both of you were sprawled across the bed, naked as the day was long, the bedcovers in a messy cascade over the edge of the bed, your limbs motionless, both of you dizzy with euphoria, and splendidly exhausted.

It took you a bit to catch your breath; Eric was hesitant about making love to you because of course he wanted you well, but you wanted him, oxygen be damned. Well, your body got back at you for that one, and you had to use the inhaler.

"Are you in pain?" He asked, putting his hand on your abdomen.

"Mmhm," you managed, and he showered you with kisses and apologies. "But it was well worth it, love, I can assure you."

He chuckled a bit, but he was still concerned. He was concerned, is always concerned, loving, tender...because that is the man you married.

Eric Delko.

The same Eric Delko who is your best friend, your partner, your confidant, your heart, your lover...

Your husband.

You returned to work a week after you got home from Puerto Rico, and you knew that you still had stars in your eyes because Natalia only laughed at the little gleeful bounce in your step, and others in the lab that you work with who weren't privy to your nuptials, only looked at you sideways, wondering what had you feeling extra perky.

You hear heavy footsteps coming down the hallway, and you set your coffee down on the coffee table before you turn round, curling your knees and tucking your feet under you as you fold your arms over the back of the couch.

Eric emerges into the living area, combing his fingers through his hair before he he comes over to you and kisses you softly.

"Morning, babe."

"Morning," you say with a smile, and he smoothes over your hair before he heads into the kitchen.

Even after a night's sleep, he still smells so good, so handsome and masculine; he smells like soap, and cologne, and just him. You remember wrinkling up your nose when you discovered close to a year and a half ago the morning after you made love in his bedroom a few weeks in to your relationship that he alternated between using Lever 2000 and Irish Spring, and that he used scentless lotion and used Brute cologne, like his father. You never knew what he used to make himself smell so intoxicating, and you remember being happy at finding out that intimate detail about him. You wrinkled up your nose because you were so tickled by that.

You rest your chin onto your folded arms as you watch Eric.

Eric is most definitely not a morning person; he is always a little slower than you are at getting up. Sometimes, it is not always because he's still sleepy, it's because he likes to lounge around, drink some coffee, read the paper...or engage in certain intimate activities with you which in turn slows down your own morning routine...not that you mind.

You watch as he grabs his favorite sienna brown mug and then pours some coffee into it. Your eyes take the opportunity to scan over his body, and you blush. He's always been in shape, for as long as you've known him; he played baseball all throughout high school and college, but he has a slight swimmer's build. You love the way his strong arms envelop you at night in bed, or when you're cooking...or when you're just turned away from him and he catches you off guard. You are still amazed, simply amazed at how perfect you and him fit together in every way possible. When you make love, even though your are small compared to him, his weight against your body is just right, never painful or uncomfortable. Though much taller, he always treats you with gentleness, his much larger hands there to comfort, not to hurt.

You remember you picked up right where you left off when he returned to work the Davenport/Sheffield case. You told yourself that it was going to be just coffee. Well, you didn't even make coffee because the minute you closed the door to your home, you were pressed up against it, his oh so delicious lips on yours. You knew that it was going to happen, didn't resist when you both shed clothes and made a mad dash for your bedroom. After, you remember Eric caressing his hand over your cheek, whispering his apology about everything, every infraction in your relationship, and you only cuddled closer to him, kissing him...forgiving him.

Eric is devoted to you now more than ever, and you are devoted to him.

You are completely in love with this man...your man, your husband.

You watch as he grabs the box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Of course, much as you love him, there are just some things that he does that get on your last damn nerve, like right now.

He comes over to the couch with a large bowl of cereal, and his cup of coffee, and then, he picks up the remote control and turns on the television to some channel, cutting through your hopes of the peaceful morning you wanted to share with him. But then again, you forgot.

It's the weekend, and he's in his tank top and sweatpants.

Eric puts his feet up on the coffee table and then settles in with his bowl of cereal, and you know what that means; he's not going anywhere today, and you can forget getting any form of affection from him for the next few hours. You tilt your head to the side and put your hands in your lap as you look at him.

By no means has the novelty worn off in your marriage, or your relationship as a whole, (at least, not yet), but this isn't even the biggest thing that Eric does that annoys you.

You can't stand the way he folds his laundry. He just does that flop, flop, plunk thing with it, the kind of folding that makes excessive wrinkles in both yours and his clothing, making ironing a difficult, and irritating chore. You can't stand the way he just leaves his socks and shoes on the floor in the bedroom, you don't like it when Eric completely ignores you for the better part of two and a half hours every Friday evening when he calls his mother, it makes you frown when you buy fresh bread from your favorite bakery in Calle Ocho, and he leaves it sitting out on the wooden cutting board instead of covering it up and putting it in the bread box; it irks you even more when he just shrugs in response to your nit-picking.

You gently bite your bottom lip.

You get miffed whenever he badgers you about not finishing a book you've started that he lent to you from his shelf in the office. Eric is an avid reader, somehow managing to finish books within one, two weeks tops with his hectic schedule. You've only known this for a couple of years now how much Eric likes to read, and when you began dating, you found out that he devoted most of his evenings to reading, whether it be journals, novels, current events...anything. You prefer a more...lax reading schedule, and that, in turn annoys Eric like it annoys you how he presses you to finish a book. But his most irritating habit by far is when he does exactly opposite of what you ask him to do. It can be anything-you suggested to him just the other day that he should work on the backyard. His response: "I'm going to do the front, babe." Another instance is when you asked if he could go to the cheaper gas station instead of the one right around the corner from his apartment; "Carina, it's the same price," he said, when the other gas station was almost fifteen cents lower, and he pulled into the one close to his apartment.

Then, when you say something, he looks at you like you've got the problem.

You find yourself inadvertently glaring at him, and you straighten your face.

Despite his many, many irritating habits, you love Eric passionately. His redeeming qualities remind you that you can't stay mad at him forever, that it is possible for you to be easy to forgive.

Because you are easy to forgive, it is little moments like this one that don't give you too much pause, so just for a giggle...

"So, what do you want to do today?"

He shrugs noncommittally in the midst of munching on his cereal.

"Nothin'," he says, and you roll your eyes and smile.

He looks at you rather suspiciously. "Why do I get the feeling that you're having a good laugh at my expense?"

You giggle as you gently take the bowl from him and place it on the coffee table before you straddle him.

"Maybe I'm trying to spend time with my husband..."

"Ah," he smirks, putting his hands on your hips.

"Tear him away from..." You pause and turn to see what is on the television, and you turn back to him, eyebrow raised. "Tombstone."

"Mmhm," he grins, caressing over your lower back. "You most certainly are much prettier to look at."

"You're such a charmer."

"I like to think that's one of the many reasons why you married me."

You shrug. "I guess...either way, can't go back now...since we said 'never to part.' I reckon I'm stuck with you, love."

He chuckles and pulls you closer. "She makes it all sound so bad..."

You kiss him softly.

"Well, it's not that bad," you tease. "But...we do need to discuss some things."

"What things?"

You caress your hands down his chest.

"It's been two months," you begin. "We escaped the wrath, but now, it's back on."

"What are you talking about?"

"Our parents."

"Right..."

"And...the living situation."

Eric furrows his eyebrows. "I wasn't aware that we had a situation with the living..."

"Eric, we need to move in together, dear."

He kisses you softly. "My place, or yours?"

You can't help but smile.

"I love you," comes your heartfelt, easy declaration.

You are so glad that two months ago, you finally acted on the faith you had in your life with Eric to tell him, in steady, certain words, that you love him. And that is a declaration that will never fail, never waver.