Note: It's been a crazy week for me, but there were so many reviews I was extra motivated to find a few spare minutes to post this. :) Thank you all so much for reading! It means a ton to me. I still have one more chapter already written that I'll try to look over and post sometime soon!


The doorbell rang just as Calleigh was pouring the pot of boiling lasagna noodles into a colander, the water hissing as it hit the sink.

"Austin, can you let Eric in?" she called out.

From the door, Eric heard the sound of a kid stomping through the house – a completely new but welcoming addition to Calleigh's house. A moment later Austin peeked through the window, checking who was there before he opened up the door.

"Officer Delko!" Austin said excitedly as he let him in.

"Hey," he greeted, chuckling at the warm welcome. At least one of the kids was excited to see him. "You can call me Eric."

"Okay. Eric." Austin smiled as he tested it out.

"I think you've grown a foot since I last saw you," Eric said, emphatically putting his hand over the adorable mop of hair Austin was still sporting. "How's it going?"

"Awesome," he answered enthusiastically as they wandered through the hall. "I like it here. Calleigh said she saw you at the park. Did you see me play?!"

"I did." Eric chuckled as he struggled to keep up, Austin's ten-year-old mind seemingly going a mile a minute. "You looked pretty good. When you going pro?"

Austin shrugged. "Maybe after college," he answered casually.

They reached the kitchen, where Claire was coloring at the table and Calleigh was beginning to spread layers of delicious looking sauce, noodles, and cheese into a large pan. She took a break to greet him with a smile, sucking a splattering of sauce from her thumb before she closed the distance between them. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, she pulled him into a loose hug, keeping her apron-clad body from his in case she'd managed to get tomato sauce elsewhere.

"What's in the bag?" Calleigh asked, nodding to the tote bag in his hand.

"Uh, wine for us," Eric began, pulling out a bottle and setting it on the counter, which drew an "ooh" from Calleigh. "And coquitos for everyone," he finished, setting them next to the wine.

"What are they?" Austin asked, eyeing what looked like potentially delicious confections through the partially translucent decorative tin.

Emotions stirred behind Calleigh's eyes and muted smile at the sight of that tin, which she knew to be his mother's, gracing her counter again. Back when they were consistently a thing, Eric had brought some home after spending a day with family, reaping the benefits of his mother and nieces and nephews making a mess of the kitchen all afternoon. They'd had a date that night, and Calleigh had fallen in love with the coconut cookies. He'd mentioned it to his mom soon after, and although he hadn't yet brought her home to his family - her choice, by far - his mother had begun sending him off with a container of the sugary delights just for her.

It had to be coincidental this time, but still...the sight of them stirred up a little more in her than she would've liked.

"They're Cuban coconut sugar cookies," Calleigh explained, meeting Eric's eyes as a sad smile passed over her features.

It was quickly overshadowed by both of them noticing that Claire's head had perked right up at the mention of cookies. As soon as Eric's eyes landed on her, she looked back down at her paper, but Eric shrugged hopefully as he glanced back at Calleigh. It was a start. And he wasn't against bribery to get this kid to like him.

"Need help with anything?" he asked.

"No, I think I'm good. Just make yourself at home."

"Is your family from Cuba?" Austin asked, following Eric's lead and taking a seat at the table.

Despite the fact that Eric had purposely sat as far away from Claire as possible, she took that moment to hop off her chair and seek out Calleigh.

"They are." Eric smiled at his interest. "I was actually born there."

"Cool." And then, in a whisper, he added, "Don't worry about my sister. She's just shy. She doesn't like new people."

"I can tell," Eric said, discreetly watching the way Calleigh quietly talked to Claire and drew a nod from her. Claire crossed to the other side of the kitchen, washing her hands before she grabbed a stepstool from the pantry, set it next to Calleigh, and climbed atop until she could reach the counter. Clearly they had a routine here already. Calleigh gave her a demo and then handed her the spoon, a smile curving over Claire's lips as she covered the most recent layer with as much sauce and cheese as she wanted.

Directing his attention back to Austin, Eric asked, "How long before I'm not new anymore?"

Austin shrugged. "A couple weeks maybe. Why'd your family leave Cuba?"

Calleigh listened in as Eric told part of his family's story, somehow perfectly managing to describe political oppression to a ten-year-old. Thankfully, by the time the lasagna was in the oven, their conversation had shifted to something much lighter: basketball, which Calleigh was slowly realizing she should sign Austin up for, too, because he was obsessed with it. Given that Eric had played in high school and still caught a pick-up game with friends fairly often, she wasn't surprised they'd stumbled on the topic. She was a little surprised, though, when Eric offered to give Austin a few pointers some time – if Calleigh was okay with it, which she was. She was also tuned in to the kids enough to notice Claire had been following their conversation, her eyes betraying her wariness of Eric long enough to dance over him with interest.

Once they'd sat down to dinner, Austin had shifted to asking Eric all the standard cop questions he'd asked Calleigh their first day together. How many bad guys do you catch a week? Have you ever had to shoot someone? Can I see your badge? Can I ride in your car and turn the sirens on?

Claire was expectedly quiet until she'd tapped Calleigh's leg and pointedly directed her gaze on the salad dressing at the other end of the table – on the other side of Eric. Calleigh suggested she ask Eric to pass it to her, but Claire showed off her stubborn streak instead, pushing off the chair and walking around the table to grab it for herself rather than speak in front of a near-stranger. Although Calleigh could tell Eric was adorably hurt by her seven-year-old's disdain for him, they were both swallowing back smiles at her obstinate shyness and creative problem-solving.

They almost had a breakthrough when the cookies came out. The moment the sugary coconut hit Claire's tastebuds her eyes lit up and she leaned forward, reaching for another before she'd even finished very much of the first. As the second hit her lips, her eyes landed on Eric and Calleigh practically watched the gears turning in her mind, battling between her mistrust of him and the fact that he'd supplied her with rather delicious cookies. But Calleigh had sighed softly when it hadn't amounted to anything other than silent contemplation – and another cookie.

/~/

Dishes cleaned and kids ready for bed, the four of them had settled in to watch a kid-friendly movie. Despite Calleigh's insistence that he didn't have to stay and that it would be very boring, the promise of a second glass of wine and time to catch up with her after the kids went to bed had been too alluring. He hadn't minded anyway, although the dangerous way his chest tightened at the sight of her with those kids had him questioning his choice – and his sanity.

They'd fallen asleep even earlier than she'd thought, Claire curled between Calleigh and the end of the couch, her head on Calleigh's arm, her hand draped over Calleigh's forearm. Austin, older and more independent by nature, had still fallen asleep right next to them, his head on a throw pillow alongside Calleigh's tucked-in legs.

From his vantage point on the loveseat adjacent to them, Eric couldn't help but stare a little. She caught him the second time, a little smile curving over her lips as she realized neither of them were particularly invested in The Incredibles flickering across her screen. Leaning forward enough to see Austin's sleeping face, she decided, "I'm gonna get them to bed."

Eric shifted a little, not wanting to overstep but knowing she had her hands full with two passed out kids. "You want some help?"

"Nah, I got it," she assured, already placing a gentle hand on Austin's back to begin to wake him. He was old enough to get himself to bed, and this was one of those things she needed to do on her own. "This has already happened twice this week. I'll be back in a few."

"Austin," she whispered softly, rubbing his back to slowly stir him from sleep. She had to call his name another time or two, but eventually his eyes fluttered open. "Hey buddy, let's get you to bed."

Brows furrowing in confusion, Austin slowly sat up and rubbed at his eyes. "Butwedidn'tfinishthemovie," he mumbled, slurring it together a little in his half-asleep state.

Calleigh smiled, wrapping a hand around his shoulder as she told him, "We'll finish it tomorrow. Say goodnight to Eric."

Austin smiled as though suddenly remembering they weren't alone, dropping his hand into his lap now that his eyes were clear. "'Night, Eric. Are you sleeping here? Can we play basketball tomorrow?"

Eric chuckled at his enthusiasm, but mostly at his first question. "No, I'm about to go home. I'll talk to Calleigh about when we can play, though. Goodnight."

Eric's eyes drifted back to Calleigh, whose arms had slipped under Claire's to hoist her into her lap. Although her seven-year-old body was nearly half Calleigh's size, she could still fit, and in her sleep-induced state she wrapped her arms around Calleigh's neck, straddling her as her body slumped against Calleigh's and she tucked her head into the crook of her neck.

With an ease that surprised Eric, Calleigh stood with her, wrestling an arm free to lead Austin out of the living room with a hand on his back. She climbed the stairs a little more slowly than she would on her own, one hand under Claire's thighs, one now returned to her back to hold her against her chest. They entered Austin's room first, Calleigh waiting while he crawled into bed and pulled the covers up. His eyes were drooping sleepily again within moments, and Calleigh freed an arm to slide the bedding further over his chest – arms out, just the way he liked.

"Goodnight, bud," she said softly, laying her hand over his chest.

"Goodnight," he said back, smiling at her in the dim light just before she flicked his bedside lamp off.

She quietly made her way into Claire's room, peeling back the covers before carefully laying her down. Despite her carefulness, Claire stirred at the movement and loss of contact, blue eyes fluttering open as Calleigh was pulling the covers over her.

"Go back to sleep," Calleigh urged, pushing strands of brown that had escaped her braids out of her face and behind her ear. Claire's lips curved into a tired smile in response, but her brows soon furrowed and a sigh much too heavy for her small body slipped from her lungs. Something was weighing on her.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Are we really staying here with you?" she asked, like it was too good to be true, like they were just going to get shuffled around again like they had for the past several years.

"Of course," Calleigh assured, her fingers soothingly smoothing over Claire's hair. And then, remembering her own promise to herself to be honest and open with these kids, she added, "Over the next few months, some people will come visit to check on us. It's their job to make sure kids are happy and safe in their new homes, so as long as you like it here I'm sure they'll see that."

"I love it here," Claire corrected, and if Calleigh hadn't known it was biologically impossible for a heart to grow, she would've sworn hers had just swelled three times its size.

"Well I love having you here," Calleigh echoed, eliciting a soft giggle from her as she tickled her side.

But Claire's brows soon furrowed with another question and Calleigh waited expectantly. Much too seriously, Claire asked, "Can you tell your friend Eric thank you for the cookies?"

Calleigh grinned, once again completely in awe of these kids. "I can tell him, but you know you can tell him yourself, right?"

A nervous smile crept across Claire's lips as she shrugged her shoulders, shyly tucking her chin against one.

"You don't have to talk to him until you're ready," Calleigh promised. "But you know what? He's really nice and really good to talk to. I talk to him about everything."

"And he brings cookies," Claire added with a smile.

"Yeah, that too." Calleigh had an amused smile on her lips as she tucked Claire's covers in against her sides. Although she'd just taken these kids in and they had no genetic relation, she and Claire obviously had a few things in common. "How about you get some sleep now?" she asked, watching the little girl's eyes blink sleepily.

Claire nodded, reaching to retrieve her bunny from the corner and tucking it under one arm.

"Goodnight, sweetie," Calleigh said, leaning down to press her lips to Claire's forehead.

"Goodnight," Claire replied softly, her closed eyes and relaxed smile the last thing Calleigh saw before she flicked out the light. As she left the room and closed the door behind her, she had to take in a deep breath and close her own eyes for a moment to calm her emotions, feeling silly for the tears welling in her eyes.

When she returned to her living room, she was a little too in love with the sight that greeted her: Eric waiting for her on the couch with two full glasses of wine already poured and awaiting her, the remainder of the bottle sitting on the coffee table.

"Hey," she said softly, slowing her stride as she entered the room. This was a little too familiar, and yet everything was different. There were little shoes in the hallway now, a pile of kids' books at the corner of her coffee table, and two adorable children sleeping soundly upstairs that she'd made a lot of promises to herself over.

And so she sighed a little as she took a seat across from him at the other end of the couch, gratefully accepting the glass of wine he handed her.

He watched as she tucked a leg in, resting her free arm along the top of the cushion and resting her head in her hand. Something was a little off; it was in the way she didn't make eye contact right away and the distance in her eyes.

"You good?" he asked with more than a hint of concern.

"Yeah." She smiled knowingly, coming back to him. A little of the emotions that had overwhelmed her still lingered, and he knew her well enough to sense it. But she didn't want to get into that right now, so she cleared her throat a little, meeting his eyes with amusement. "Claire says thank you for the cookies."

He chuckled, mirroring Calleigh's position as he tucked a leg in and turned towards her. "So she does speak."

"Oh yeah." Calleigh shot him a look after she'd finished taking a sip of wine. "She doesn't stop once you get her going."

Eric seemed equal parts disbelieving and still hurt by the rejection. "I can't believe your kid doesn't like me."

"Give her time. She's barely said a word to her teacher yet. She'll warm up to you," Calleigh assured, eyes absentmindedly drifting over the coffee table as she pieced her thoughts together. "I don't think she's had a lot of trustworthy people in her life, especially men. I mean you saw what her dad was like...and who knows what else they were exposed to with all the guys her father got wrapped up with."

Calleigh sighed, eyes heavy with emotion again. She was both comforted and overwhelmed by giving these kids a safe, calm home after everything they'd been through.

As though reading her thoughts, Eric began, "What you're doing for them is amazing, Cal. And you're really good at it."

"Thanks. They're making it easy so far. They're really good kids." She bit her lip, swirling her glass around before taking another sip. "I hope it's worth putting them through another transition. I worry about Claire a little."

He wanted to find her hand with his and squeeze it reassuringly before threading his fingers with her, but he absolutely didn't trust himself to touch her, so he assured her with just words instead. "It is," he promised. "One more change for permanent home with someone who's going to give them undivided love and attention? Those kids hit the jackpot."

She smiled back at him gratefully.

"Not to mention I'm pretty sure the schools in Bal Harbour are infinitely better than Carol City. And I didn't see Claire with her foster mom, but she's pretty attached to you… Seems like she's in the best place for her to build some confidence in people again."

"Hopefully," Calleigh said, catching Eric's gaze just before he averted it, hiding a smile as he took a long drag of wine. His eyes had been dancing over her with a little too much affection, the combination of her usual charms coupled with her caring for those kids creating a rather dangerous situation for him. "What?" she asked, although she was a little afraid to. She'd seen that smile before, and it was trouble for her.

"Nothing," he lied, and it was so obvious that she gave him a look. She wasn't letting it go, despite wondering if she should. He looked down under the weight of her inquisitive stare, but that wasn't helpful either because his eyes just found the creamy skin of her legs, revealed by those jean shorts. "I just like seeing you like this," he admitted, his eyes pointedly drifting over the kids' books and jackets in the room. She knew what he meant immediately, but he continued. "With them. It's very...attractive."

"Oh." She laughed a little and looked off to the side, the red that flushed her cheeks having nothing to do with the wine although she'd have blamed it on that. Clearly her suddenly tight throat, she said, "You did always want kids…"

She met his eyes again and immediately regretted it, because there was an intensity there so deep it made her swallow hard again. "Yeah…" he said softly, the weight of unanswered questions and unmade decisions dancing between them. It was one of the things they'd never been able to settle on. He wanted as many babies as he could convince his partner to have, and she hadn't been so sure. Even then, she'd been thinking about all the kids she'd watched enter the system over the course of her career, wishing she could do more but not being quite ready to take that leap.

"So I should go," he concluded a little awkwardly, trusting himself less and less to hold himself to the unspoken promise that clung between them: things were different now, and absolutely nothing could happen between them tonight.

"Uh huh," she agreed, steadily losing her own resolve as her eyes danced over his face, and then his shoulders, taking in the way the casual t-shirt contoured the muscles there.

He finished the last remaining taste of wine in his glass and stood, trying to ignore the little slip of white lace visible on her shoulder where her top had shifted to the side. Following her to the door, he grabbed his wallet and keys from the hall table, watching her open the door for him.

"Thanks for dinner," he said, a bit of formality settling between them amidst the tension. "I'll have to have you guys over some time, maybe when Claire actually talks to me."

"I'd like that, and I'm sure they would, too." Calleigh smiled. "And thanks for the cookies," she added, although it stirred up those old memories again for both of them. Eyes locking, she leaned into the door, a heavy breath leaving her body as they became stuck again in silent tension.

Eric cleared his throat this time. "I can take Austin to play basketball tomorrow, if it's okay with you."

Her eyes softened on him immediately, because while she knew he'd definitely make good on his offer, she hadn't expected it to be as high up on his list of priorities as it was on Austin's. "Of course."

"I'll text you tomorrow?"

She nodded, resting her head against the door as a grateful smile spread across her lips. "Goodnight, Eric."

"Goodnight."

It took every ounce of self control to not touch her hip or brush his fingers over her cheek as he walked past her, but he made it, the wellbeing of those kids proving to be a pretty potent dose of resolve. She smiled like she knew because she did, her own fingertips aching to fist his t-shirt into her hand and pull him close.

And once he'd left, she found herself overwhelmed with emotion for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Leaning against the closed door and tilting her head back, she took in her now eerily quiet living room and hallway: his empty wine glass, touches of kids' belongings scattered throughout her rooms. She shook her head and smiled, a touch of longing coursing through her veins despite feeling almost wholly at peace.