Title: Cause and Effect (3/?)

 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (including Maria. She's made it quite clear that she owns her own damn self, thank you very much.) I'm just borrowing them and will return them when I've had my fun, somewhat dazed and disheveled, but otherwise in their original condition. Also, Maria and I have decided to keep Eric for a while, and we're sending Tim to Yana...

 

Rating: R. Hey, get back here! Ya'll know me, the smut will be back soon. Sooner if I get lotsa reviews. *wink*

 

Pairings: Eric/Maria, Tim/Calleigh, John/Yelina, Horatio/Adele

 

Feedback: Hey, you! Yeah, I'm talking to you! You're reading this, right? Well then review it! Come on, pretty pleeeeeease? It only takes a minute or two, and it makes my day. Besides, we both know you've got the time. What else are you going to do, work?

 

Dedication: Yana, for, as always, putting up with my crazy self. Jackie, Tina, Mel, Annie, Dorothy, Nonnie, and all my other loyal reviewers, what would I do without ya'll? I'll tell ya what; I'd stop writing! And that would suck. So, thanks!

 

 

Soundtrack: "The One" by Gary Allan.

 

 

Note: Okay, Yana, here it is, I live to serve you, all right? Now get to work.

 

 ___________________________

 

 

"Well, I'm a redneck woman, I ain't no high class broad!" Calleigh sang along with the radio, sliding across the kitchen floor in her bare feet. She caught Tim watching her from the doorway, trying not to laugh. "Join in, you know the words!"

 

"Yes, unfortunately, I do." Tim said. "Have I mentioned I hate it when you and Maria pick the radio station?"

 

 

"Many, many times." Calleigh replied, sliding her arms around his neck. "And we've ignored you, every time." She paused and sniffed the air. "Shit, the cookies!" Racing over to the stove, she grabbed a hand towel and waved the smoke aside to pull out a tray of what had once been sugar cookies. "Well, so much for that batch." She giggled as she felt Tim's lips on the side of her neck.

 

 

"You had a bit of dough there." He explained, wrapping his arms around her waist.

 

 

"Oh yeah?" Calleigh grinned as she reached over and took a pinch of dough out of the mixing bowl on the counter and smeared it on his cheek. "Well, now you've got a little something right there..." She leaned in and licked it off, and suddenly found herself pinned up against the counter. "Hey, down boy." She laughed, pushing him away halfheartedly. "Let me just clean up a little, all right?"

 

 

"Fine." Tim reluctantly let go of her.

 

 

"And don't give me that pouty look." Calleigh teased. "If you're impatient, help me clean up." She busied herself at the sink, running cold water over the cookie sheet, then scraping the charred, sodden mess into the trash can. "So, what do you think is going to happen to Aimee?"

 

 

"I have no idea." Tim admitted. "I mean, like I've said, unless something turns up, or Maria finds some way to get through to her...it's sick, this girl is twenty years old."

 

 

"Maria will figure something out if no one else can." Calleigh insisted. "I mean...she's Maria, for fuck's sake. Speaking of her, does she seem a little...off to you lately? I know, she'd have to be after everything that's happened, but it's more than that. She's so sick, she's always exhausted but she never drinks coffee...and get this. You know that drinking game we came up with? Where we take the new issue of Ocean Drive, go through it and do a shot every time her name or picture is in there-"

 

"And are wasted before you hit page fifty." Tim added.

 

 

Calleigh smiled. "Usually. Anyway, the new issue came the other day, and she said she wasn't really in a 'drinking game' kind of mood. Honestly, if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was..." She trailed off as she remembered the pregnancy test Maria had taken. Those things weren't always completely accurate. Gasping, Calleigh turned around to face Tim. When she saw that he was looking at the floor and avoiding her stare, her eyes widened. "Oh my God, she is, isn't she? And you knew! And didn't tell me! Tim, how could you not tell me?"

"She made me promise to keep quiet." Tim said in his own defense. "And as crazy as this may sound, being castrated by an angry pregnant woman isn't high on my to-do list."

 

 

"Oh my God." Calleigh repeated. "She's...this is unbelievable. And why would she tell you and not me?"

 

 

"Calm down." Tim put his arm around her. "She only told me last night, and I don't think she even meant to, she just blurted it out. And as for not telling you, Calleigh, she hasn't even told Eric yet, as far as I know. To be honest, she was telling me earlier that she's not sure she wants it."

 

 

"No, that doesn't sound like Maria." Calleigh said. "She's probably just in shock, she didn't even think she could get pregnant. I'm sure once she's had time to adjust, she'll be happy, I'm sure. And just think how happy Eric's going to be, that'll help her, right?"

 

"Yeah, I'm sure." Tim assured her. "Everything's gonna be fine." He kissed her forehead and pulled her close.

 

 

"What's that again?" Calleigh asked, enjoying the feel of him wrapped around her. She slid her arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him.

 

______________________

 

 

Maria sucked in deep, desperate gulps of air as she pulled her car into a parking space and shut off the engine. Forcing herself to stand even though she couldn't feel her legs, she made her way to the private entrance to the apartment building, not bothering with the front door and the intercom. She and the others had keys for times like this.

 

 

Reaching the apartment, she knocked on the door, then waited. After a moment, she heard a loud thud, followed by a groan and a burst of giggles. The door was opened a few seconds later, and she came face to face with a laughing, disheveled Calleigh.

 

 

"Oh my God!" Calleigh gasped when she saw Maria. "You're pregnant!"

 

 

"Why don't I just put on a shirt that says 'I'm knocked up! Ask me how?'" Maria sighed, slumping against the wall.

 

 

"Yeah, that reminds me, how?" Calleigh asked.

 

 

"Damned if I know." Maria snapped. She saw Tim standing in the kitchen doorway and glared at him. "Did you tell her?"

 

"She figured it out." He replied, not blaming her for being upset.

 

 

"What I get for choosing a job where people get paid to be intuitive." Maria said with a shrug. She noticed that both of her friends were breathing heavily. "Did I interrupt something?"

 

 

"Actually..." Tim stopped when he saw the look Calleigh was giving him. "Nope. Come on in."

 

 

"Are you okay?" Calleigh asked, noticing for the first time that Maria's face was streaked with mascara.

 

 

"I'm fine, I just..." Maria sat down on the couch. "I'm fine, can I just crash here for a while?"

 

 

"If you tell us what happened." Tim said.

 

 

"I told Eric." Maria blurted out. "Look, you guys just go back to whatever you were doing, pretend I'm not here."

 

 

"Wait a minute, you told him?" Calleigh gasped. "How did he take it?"

 

"Later." Maria said, standing up. "We can talk about it later, all right?" With that, she went into the guest bedroom and closed the door behind her.

 

 

"Whoa." Tim said after a minute. "What do you think that's all about?"

 

 

"Isn't it obvious?" Calleigh snapped. "She told him, and he freaked out about it. Why else would she be here? And she's upset, too. They must have had a fight."

 

 

"You really think so?" Tim asked. "That doesn't make sense, this is Eric we're talking about. He loves Maria."

 

 

"Why else would she be so upset?" Calleigh pointed out. Hearing another knock at the front door, she sighed. "Bet I know who that is." She opened the door and glared at Eric. "What did you do to her?"

 

 

"She's here?" Eric asked. "Let me talk to her, I just need to-"

 

 

"You need to tell me what you did or said to upset her so much." Calleigh interrupted. "Yes, she's here. She won't talk to us, and she's obviously been crying."

 

 

"Shit." Eric groaned quietly. "I don't know what I did. She told me, and I...I told her that I love her. I asked her to marry me."

 

 

Before Calleigh or Tim could respond, they heard Maria's voice from behind them, weak and trembling. "It's true." She said softly, wiping her eyes. "He did, and...I'm sorry, Eric, I can't...I just...I'm sorry." She slumped against the wall and slowly slid to the floor, burying her face in her hands.

 

 

Eric crossed the room and knelt beside her as Calleigh and Tim watched, too stunned to say a word.

 

 

"Maria, it's okay." Eric whispered, pulling her into his arms. He felt her collapse against him as he stood up, lifting her carefully, as if she would break if he wasn't gentle with her. "Come on, we can talk at home." He felt her nod against his chest.

 

 

Tim thought that he and Calleigh said goodbye as their friends left, but he wasn't sure. After the door closed, the apartment was completely silent for a minute.

 

 

"Do you think they're going to be okay?" Calleigh asked quietly, looking at the ground and crossing her arms tightly.

 

 

"I hope so." Tim replied, pulling her into his arms and kissing the top of her head. " But I don't know." After a minute, he became aware of a pungent smell coming from the kitchen. "Uh, Cal? The cookies?"

 

 

"Oh, shit, not again." Calleigh groaned.

 

______________________

 

No rush, though I need your touch

I won't rush your heart

Until your feet are on solid ground

Until your strength is found, girl

 

 

I'll fill those canyons in your soul

Like a river lead you home

And I'll walk a step behind

In the shadows so you'll shine

Just ask, it will be done

And I will prove my love

Until you're sure that I'm the one

 

______________________

 

"I need a bath." Maria mumbled weakly as they entered the apartment, the first words she'd said since leaving Calleigh and Tim's apartment.

 

 

"Okay." Eric said, letting go of her arm. She closed the door behind her, but he was almost relieved when she didn't lock it. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, but there was no point. He couldn't focus on anything. Almost anything.

 

 

"A baby." He said out loud, smiling to himself. Then he remembered how upset Maria seemed, and how she had reacted when he'd been so happy about the news.

 

 

He waited for around half an hour, then went and knocked on the bathroom door. "Sweetie, are you all right?" When the only reply was a muffled sob, he opened the door a little. "Maria, I'm coming in."

 

 

She was curled up in the back of the tub, with her knees drawn up to her chest. She looked up at him and opened her mouth to say something, then stopped and stared straight ahead.

 

 

"It's okay." He said, sitting down on the edge of the tub and gently running his hand through her damp hair. "You don't have to say anything, just listen for a minute, okay?"

 

 

Maria nodded, leaning into his touch. That was a good sign.

 

 

"I love you." Eric began. "I can't say that enough. And whatever you decide to do about the baby...I'll understand. And when I asked you to marry me before...I meant it. I mean, I wasn't just asking you because of...I want to marry you because I love you, Maria."

 

 

"I know." Maria said, finally looking at him. "I want to marry you, but...I'm not ready, Eric. I'm sorry."

 

 

Eric suddenly pulled her out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her, hugging her close. "Don't apologize, don't you dare. You have nothing to apologize for. I understand, and I can wait as long as you need me to."

 

 

"I didn't mean to freak out like that before." Maria continued. "I just...I don't know how to feel about this, and I thought that maybe if I told you, and you were happy about it, maybe I'd be happy about it, too."

 

 

"It's okay." Eric assured her, kissing the top of her head. "Do you know what you want to do about it?"

 

 

"I..." Maria took a deep, shaky breath. "I think I want to have this baby. But I'm not sure...I'm scared."

 

 

Eric felt his heart clench. "It's going to be okay, Maria." He murmured, lifting her up and carrying her out of the bathroom.

 

 

"I love you." Maria whispered. She clung to him as he reached the bedroom and lay her down in the middle of the bed.

 

 

"I love you, too." Eric said, kissing away a single tear that rolled down her cheek. "Everything's going to be okay." He repeated, gently stroking her hair as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

 

________________________

 

 

Somebody else was here before

He treated you unkind

And broken wings need time to heal

Before a heart can fly, girl

 

 

I'll fill those canyons in your soul

Like a river lead you home

And I'll walk a step behind

In the shadows so you'll shine

Just ask, it will be done

And I will prove my love

Until you're sure that I'm the one

 

________________________

 

 

"Merry Christmas."

 

 

Maria whimpered softly and buried her face deeper into the pillow. "What time is it?"

 

 

"Almost noon." Eric replied, pulling the covers off of her and gently turning her over to face him.

 

 

Maria sighed and rubbed her eyes. She glanced down and realized she was wearing one of Eric's t-shirts and a pair of boxer shorts. Unable to remember putting them on the night before, she figured he must have dressed her at some point.

 

 

"Didn't want you to get cold." Eric said, as if he was reading her mind. He pushed the shirt up a little and laid his hand across her stomach.

 

 

"Thanks." Maria said. She placed her hand over his and managed to smile. "Merry Christmas."

 

 

Eric smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. "Come on." He picked her up and carried her out of the room.

 

 

"I can walk." Maria protested. "Are you going to be like this for the next eight months?"

 

 

"Probably." Eric confirmed. "So, are you saying that you've made up your mind?"

 

 

As he reached the living room and set her down on the couch, Maria took a deep breath, then grinned. "We're going to have a baby."

 

 

Laughing, Eric grabbed her around her waist and kissed her, pulling her into his lap. He looked into her eyes for a moment, then kissed her again, too overcome to speak. Finally, he found his voice. "You really want to keep it?"

 

 

Maria giggled. She couldn't help it, he just looked so excited and nervous all at once. "Yes! I mean, if you-" Her sentence was cut off by Eric's lips pressing against hers again. This time, the kiss was deep, passionate, and the mood in the room suddenly changed. She moaned against his mouth as she lay back on the couch, pulling him on top of her. Her hands slid under his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin, and his muscles rippling under her touch. In a few swift movements, she stripped the shirt off of him, then repeated the action with her t-shirt.

 

 

"I love you." Eric whispered in her ear.

 

 

"I love you, too." Maria gasped out. She whimpered softly as their naked torsos pressed together, and his hands slipped down to remove the thin cotton shorts he had put on her. There wasn't much left to say after that

 

______________________

 

 

Almost two hours later, Eric woke up and found that he was alone on the couch. Hearing Maria's voice coming from the kitchen, he got up, retrieved his sweatpants from the chair that they had landed on, and pulled them on as he followed the sound.

 

 

"Yes, Estefan, I know what day it is." She was saying. She saw Eric in the doorway and motioned for him to wait for a minute. "Yeah, Merry Christmas to you, too. Now, you know what would be a great present for me? If you could stop asking questions, and look up the name I gave you. I promise, if I'm right about this, I'll explain everything later. Okay, thank you. Give everyone a hug for me. Love you, too, bro. Bye." She hung up the phone and sighed.

 

 

"What was that all about?" Eric asked.

 

 

"A hunch." Maria replied. "I'll let you know what it is if it turns out to be right."

 

 

Eric slid his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her against him. "I have ways of making you talk."

 

 

Maria turned around and smirked at him. "And I have ways of making you shut up." She pulled away and went over to the refrigerator. "Do you have any ice cream? I'm getting a serious craving."

 

 

"Bottom shelf." Eric said. "Any other cravings?"

 

 

"Well, one." Maria turned around and winked at him. "But you satisfied it quite nicely."

 

 

Eric laughed. "How far along is it?"

 

 

"Only a month." Maria sighed, absently rubbing her stomach as she sat down at the table. "I just hope I get lucky and the morning sickness goes away after the first trimester. I've already puked twice since I got up."

 

 

"I'm sorry." Eric said sheepishly, feeling like he was responsible.

 

 

"Don't be." Maria giggled, leaning over to kiss him. "Call me crazy, but I kinda think I might have had something to do with this, too."

 

 

"Speaking of which, when do you think 'this' happened?" Eric asked, fully aware that it would be impossible to pin down exactly when their child had been conceived.

 

 

"Well, as weird as it sounds, I think I know." Maria confided. "I just have this feeling that it was the night I told you I couldn't get pregnant."

 

 

"You always have had a pretty ironic sense of humor." Eric agreed.

 

 

"And you were all over me." Maria pointed out. "All in the name of comforting me, of course."

 

 

"I'm always all over you." Eric said. "You know, I was normal before I met you. I had a totally healthy, average sex drive."

 

 

"I guess that's just what love does to us." Maria cooed softly, getting up from her chair and sitting back down in his lap. Before he could kiss her, the phone rang, and she jumped up again. "That'll be Estefan. Hello? Hey, that was quick."

 

 

"Say hi for me." Eric told her. "Oh, and Merry Christmas."

 

 

"Hey, Eric says hi and Merry Christmas." Maria related to her half-brother. She listened for a minute, then laughed. "Yeah, yeah, shut up. Got good news for me? Uh-huh. That's great, little brother, thank you so much. I'll tell you everything later, but I gotta go now, okay? All right, bye." She hung up the phone.

 

 

"What did he say about me?" Eric asked.

 

 

"Let's just say it sounds prettier in Spanish." Maria laughed. She saw the look on Eric's face and sighed. "Honey, don't worry, he's just being a typical brother. He doesn't really dislike you. He just dislikes the fact that you're defiling his sister."

 

 

Eric shrugged. "Fair enough. I wasn't exactly fond of my sisters' husbands at first, either. Oh, man, what's he going to say when he finds out that I got you pregnant and we're not getting married yet?"

 

 

"Don't worry about what he'll say." Maria assured him. "Worry about what he'll do. Not to mention my dad, Yolanda, Francesca, I bet even Lara."

 

 

"Okay, let's change the subject." Eric said nervously. "What was the good news he had for you?"

 

 

"You'll find out." Maria replied. "I gotta call Calleigh and Tim, I'll tell all three of you together."

 

 

"Maria, come on." Eric pleaded. "You're killing me here."

 

 

"I think I've figured out why Adam was abusing Aimee, and how I can prove it." Maria explained. "And how I can get through to her."

_________________________

 

TBC...