Calleigh sat in Eric's house, on the couch, surveying the piles of boxes that were sitting in the living room with a sigh. It was her day off and she had offered to help him with the unpacking.

A key turned in the door and in came Ryan Wolfe, throwing off his suit jacket and loosening his tie.

"Ryan! What are you doing back so early?"

"Nobody got killed today, I didnt have anything to do so Horatio just sent me home"

"Well, its a good day then" Calleigh smiled.

"It is indeed...you need some help with those boxes?" he asked.

"Help would be fantastic" Calleigh laughed. "I'm baffled as to what to do with all his stuff...I never knew Eric was such a packrat"

"He is...he's been my roommate for forever and hes never cleaned out anything...it just all disappears into some sort of abyss" Ryan laughed.

"Okay lets get to hauling these boxes to his room" Calleigh grabbed a box and Ryan immediately took it from her hands.

"Cal, thats too heavy for you to lift"

"Ryan! I'm pregnant, not disabled" Calleigh groaned, annoyed at being treated like a child.

"I dont want you to get hurt!" Ryan exclaimed. At Calleigh's death eye, he chuckled. "Cal, you're stronger than most guys I know but please...Eric would kick my ass if he knew I let you lift heavy boxes"

"Thats true" Calleigh admitted. "How about we just dont tell him?"

"Cal..."

"Okay, okay" Calleigh grumbled. "If you're all going to start treating me like I'm debilitated then I'm going to be a brat about it and blame it on the hormones"

Ryan laughed and shook his head, dragging the box to Eric's room.

"So...whats going on between you and Natalia?" Calleigh asked slyly, throwing Ryan for a loop.

"What? Nothing" he said quickly.

"Come on, you guys arent going out behind the scenes? Like Eric and I did?"

"You and Eric were hardly behind the scenes" Ryan teased.

"Thats because Eric and I have trouble containing our attraction to each other" Calleigh laughed. "But seriously...Natalia's been mentioning you a LOT more lately"

"Has she?" Ryan tried to come off as nonchalant, but knew it was useless. Calleigh could sniff out bullshit from miles away.

"Mhmm...and she mentioned how nice you were to her while I was gone and how well you took care of her"

"I was just being a good friend" Ryan said.

"A good friend...or a GOOD friend?" Calleigh winked at Ryan, who blushed every shade of red possible.

"Calleigh! Have the hormones made you extra sassy?"

"Oh Ry...I am always extra sassy, I just keep it under reign" Calleigh patted his shoulder.

"Okay, okay Casanova..." Ryan laughed. "Which of these 9 million shirts does Eric wear on a regular basis?"

"Mmm the blue one, he looks so good in that one"

"Ew...you're talking about my best friend here" Ryan pretended to gag, making Calleigh giggle.

"Calleigh? Ryan? I'm back!" Eric called as he ambled through the house. "Hey guys, what are you doing?"

"Unpacking your things" Calleigh said, throwing a shirt at him and grinning.

"Ryan, you didnt let her lift anything heavy, did you?" Eric asked, moving over and kissing Calleigh on the forehead, his hands immediately wrapping around her stomach.

"Wouldnt dream of it" Ryan said. "She was only allowed to lift the light things"

"She cant lift ANYTHING" Eric clarified.

"Eric...baby I'm not disabled, just pregnant" Calleigh caressed his face, amused at his concern.

"But Calleigh...I googled it...pregnant women should rest a lot and not tire themselves...I talked to Horatio, we've decided that you should lay off the field work"

"Oh, so now I'm going to pushing papers for 9 months? Great" Calleigh threw down the shirt she was folding and stalked out of the room.

"Calleigh, wait!" Eric sighed and walked after her, matching her pace. He gently caught her arm and turned her around. "Hey, whats the matter?"

"You're always trying to control me, Eric! You know I dont do this controlling suffocating thing" Calleigh said.

"I know, I know! I'm sorry if you think I tried to control you but I'm just looking out for you...I dont want anything to happen to you"

"I appreciate that" Calleigh said, taking his hand. "But I'm already anxious enough about being pregnant and the new world I'm about to join and I just cant feel like everyone is suffocating me on top of it all"

"I swear we're only doing it because we care" Eric said. "I couldnt forgive myself if anything ever happened to you"

"Thats sweet" Calleigh said, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry I overreacted. I'm still stinging from your little tryst with that redhead"

"Understandably" Eric buried his face in her hair, enjoying her affection. "You should go home and rest, enjoy your day off. Ryan and I will take care of the unpacking. I'll see you tomorrow, hmm?"

"Okay" Calleigh kissed him goodbye quickly, and though they had made up, the air around them still felt unsettled.

-------

Natalia was about ready to climb into bed when she heard a knock on her door. Sighing, she made her way to the door.

"Ryan! What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised. When she opened the door, Ryan had a short term memory lapse at the sight of her in a silky black negligee.

"Umm...I saw that you were a little bummed at the lab today...thought I'd stop by with some Chinese and a movie to cheer you up?" he held up the bag, trying to stop his blood from rushing south.

"Oh that sounds fantastic" Natalia said, ushering him in. "How was your half day off?"

"It was good I helped Calleigh unpack Eric's things"

"Oh thats good...hows Calleigh doing? I havent had a chance to see her since she got back"

"She's good, being pregnant is already frustrating her beyond words" Ryan laughed, settling into Natalia's couch with her. He couldnt keep his head straight; everything around him emulated Natalia. Her keys and lipstick were splayed across the coffee table, an open Cosmopolitan living underneath a bottle of vitamin water. A black bra was tossed over the side of the couch next to them, and various mismatched pairs of shoes were scattered here and there. The raw intimacy of seeing where she spent all her time was amazing to Ryan.

Noticing Ryans eyes wandering around her roomy house, she smiled. "Sorry its so messy, its just me now so I've kind of stopped making it look Life & Style ready" she apologized.

"No no believe me you should see Erics room...it looks like a frat house...it really aggravates my OCD" Ryan laughed. "I begged Calleigh to intervene on my behalf"

"Of course, Eric must've listened to her"

"Oh yeah hes all cleaned up now" Ryan laughed, still trying to steady his breathing. A strap to her excuse for a nightgown was slowly but surely making its way down her shoulder, showing tantalizing inches of perfectly smooth, perfectly tan skin. Unfortunately for Ryan, she caught the strap and restored it to its rightful position, blushing a little when she realized just how much skin had been revealed.

"You know what? I dont think the TV in here is working. The DVD player in my room is way better" Natalia motioned for Ryan to follow her to her room, an invitation that made a sweat break at Ryan's brow. Reluctantly, he followed her to the bedroom, afraid for his sanity.

Natalias DVD player whirred to life as the movie began to flick across the screen. They were sitting in her bed, Ryan almost fully clothed and Natalia hardly clothed, an odd and exquisite pair. The movie went to a night scene, the amount of light in the room immediately dimming. Ryan was sitting so close to her that he could smell her shampoo and hear her breathing. Natalia turned to him to say something and before he knew what he was doing, he was kissing her.

She took no time to respond. Immediately and eagerly she met his lips and his movements, her hands intertwining with his. The kissing got more aggressive as Natalias hands found their way to the buttons on Ryan's shirt. Ryan let her unbutton the buttons one by one as he teased a strap off her shoulder, his mouth moving from hers down her neck to her shoulder. He was brought to a complete halt when he felt Natalia's hands go to his belt buckle, ready to unloop the belt. He grabbed her hands and stilled them, looking her directly in the eyes.

"I cant do this" Ryan said.

"Isnt that supposed to be my line?" Natalia asked, a little annoyed at being cut short.

"I'm sorry, Talia"

"Ryan, come on...this is uncomplicated sex and god knows we both need it"

"No its not uncomplicated. Not with you" Ryan buttoned his shirt and then gently moved Natalias strap back to its original position. His hands found her hair and he curled her ringlets around his fingers as he spoke. "Talia, I cant just sleep with you for the hell of sleeping with someone. I dont do that. Especially not with a girl like you"

"Why? Because I'm old? Because I'm tainted by a divorce? Tell me, Ryan, what is wrong with me?" Hurt adultered her voice.

"Whats wrong is that its you! You think I can be that close with you and walk away from it completely untouched? Not a chance, Natalia, not a chance"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I love you. I'm saying that I cannot be with you like that without knowing you emotionally. I just cant" He grabbed his jacket. "Thanks for the nice time. I'll see you tomorrow at work"

Natalia laughed at the ridiculousness of his farewell and sank back into the pillows. Ryan loved her? Well, this was a new development.