Author's Note: First I want to thank Marija Magdelana and emily_brat for their assistance with the Spanish translations. They generously donated their time to read and correct my [horrible] Spanish so that all of you can enjoy it written correctly. So, thanks to both of you!

Second: I hope you like chapter...whatever number this is. I stopped using the numbers because it got confusion.

Third: If you're from CBS, don't sue me. I'm not getting paid for this, just taking a little break from studying lympatic drainage patterns of the lower extremity (really fascinating stuff. No. Wait. It's not.)

Fourth: Read and review (if you are so inclined...and you really want to make my day. Really. I wan't kidding when I said reviews are like shoes. A girl can never have too many).

Enjoy.

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"Excuse me." Clorinda pulled her husband forward with her as she rushed into the police headquarters. "I am looking for my son. He works here."

"Name please." The receptionist didn't even look at her as she spoke.

"His name is Eric Delko." She announced proudly. He may be a grown man, but he'll always be her baby boy, and she loved him more than anything. "And his is a scientist here."

"Your name." The bored-looking girl rolled her eyes.

"I'll handle it." Pavel patted his wife's arm. "This is my wife, Clorinda Delko, and I am her husband, Pavel."

"Holding is that way." She shoved a clipboard toward him and pointed down the hall. "You can talk to the officer about bail."

"My son is not in jail!" Pavel huffed. "He is a policeman. He WORKS here!"

"Mrs. Delko!" Ryan was pleased to see his friend's parents again. "Mr. Delko, how are you, sir?"

"We're fine, my boy." Clorinda embraced the young, very surprised man. "I'm looking for my Eric."

"He's right…" Ryan was about to just wave them in the right direction, but the look on…he strained to read her name…Tiffany's face told him he was better off escorting them himself.

"Tiffany," He spoke to the annoyed girl at the desk. "I'm going to take them back. They're with me."

"Whatever." Tiffany shrugged, going back to her at-work manicure.

"How've you been?" Ryan realized he hadn't seen Eric's parents since he got out of the hospital.

"We're fine." Clorinda was fairly bursting with excitement – she had a nephew and a niece to meet. "Have you met my…"

"Mr. and Mrs. Delko." Horatio interrupted. "I didn't know you were coming all the way down here."

"Horatio, how many times do we have to tell you?" Pavel shook the man's hand. "First names. We're family."

"I apologize." Horatio hugged his former mother-in-law. "You must be here to meet the children."

"My brother's first grandchildren." Clorinda announced adoration evident in her voice.

"They are adorable." Horatio understated. "And they're in the break room." He pointed to Ryan, indicating for him to continue the tour. "I'm sorry. I really have to run."

"Come by and visit us." Clorinda clasped one of Horatio's hands in both of hers. "We missed you over the holidays."

"I will." Horatio was clearly uncomfortable at this. "I'll try to." It is always best to not make too many promises you have no intention of keeping.

"Mami." Eric heard a noise and glanced up from the sofa. "You're here..." He saw his father and trailed off.

"This is them?" Pavel smiled at the small boy who was regarding him suspiciously.

"This is Pablo." Calleigh introduced, sensing but not understanding Eric's discomfort. "And this is Elena." She shifted Elena on her lap a little and spoke to her. "Elena, Pablo, eso son sus tios, Clorinda y Pavel."

"Mí Tío?" Elena looked from Calleigh's face to Pavel's as Pablo spoke up. "Y mí Tía?"

"Sí."

"¿Realmente?" His grandpa had told him about these people, but he'd never met them.

"Realemente." Clorinda rushed over to her nephew and gathered him in a bear hug.

Elena watched the exchange nervously, clinging to Calleigh a little. She wasn't too sure of all these new people.

"Elena." Calleigh whispered in her ear. "Todo esta bien. Son muy agradables. Y los aman.."

"¿Puedo tener un abrazo, también?" Clorinda held out her arms to the frightened little girl.

She turned her head and looked at Calleigh for reassurance. "Bien." She urged.

"Okay." Elena held out her arms and was quickly enveloped in the loving arms of her aunt.

Calleigh noticed that Pavel had taken Eric aside and was speaking with him quietly, but it was the look on her friend's face that made her wonder. He looked…upset. Angry. And hurt. Their eyes met, and she saw him shake his head imperceptibly. Something was wrong, she was sure of it. Making a note to question him later, she turned her attention back to the joyous meeting of Tía Clorinda and her new niece and nephew. It was a precious sight, really. Eric's mother was fawning over the children, and Elena had overcome her initial shyness and was sitting on Clorinda's lap, fingering her broach carefully. Feeling a little like an interloper on this family reunion, she stood carefully to make a graceful exit.

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Calleigh rushed around her house, packing away anything glass or sharp or breakable. She wasn't actually sure what she needed to do. It occurred to her that she had no idea how old the children were. The boy was older. Maybe eight? She wasn't sure. The girl…four? Five? Who could tell?

"Calleigh?" Eric led the young children into Calleigh's living room. "Calleigh, you here?"

"Yeah." She appeared in the hallway.

"Clean bill of health." Eric mussed Pablo's hair with one hand, the other still clasped tightly by a very shy, very nervous Elena. "Doctor says they're both fine." Social services had insisted, as had Calleigh and Eric's mother, that both children receive full physical examinations from a pediatrician.

Calleigh bent down and tried to see Elena's face, but it was buried behind Eric's leg. "Elena didn't like the doctor." Eric explained.

"¿Sabes qué, Elena?" Calleigh reached out and brushed the girl's cheek with her finger. "A mi no me gustan los doctores, tampoco." No response. "¿Quieres ver su habitación?" That garnered a small smile, so Calleigh held out her hand. "Come on. Pablo can come, too."

"Come on, Elena." Pablo urged. "It's okay."

Slowly, uncertain of what was going on around her, Elena released her death grip on Eric's hand. She was surprisingly strong for such a small person, and Eric shook his hand and made a face.

Calleigh led them down the hall and into the room that had been Eric's the night before. "Sorry." She whispered at him, noting the look on his face. "I didn't know where else to put them."

"S'okay, Calleigh." He really didn't mind. Calleigh had taken him in last night as an act of kindness – an attempt to salvage their dying friendship. Maybe something else, he wasn't sure yet. But, she'd taken in his cousins for…completely different reasons. He had yet to ascertain them, but he was sure to get to the bottom of them.

"I'm sorry, Pablo." Calleigh smiled apologetically at him. "I only have one extra bedroom. I'll figure something out, I promise." She had another room, but there was no bed in it. Maybe…

"We share a room at home." Pablo piped up. "It okay. I watch her. Take good care." Neither Calleigh nor Eric understood how important that promise would turn out to be.

"Are you sure?" She hated making them share a room.

"I sure." He nodded and put his arm protectively around his little sister's shoulders. His mama raised him right, and he was going to take care of her above all else.

"Do they have clothes or anything?" Calleigh glanced up at Eric, not seeing any luggage.

"They each have a bag in my car." He nodded. "Any my mom is getting stuff from my sisters. Hand-me-downs and stuff."

"Great!" Calleigh smiled at him. "Is she dropping that off with dinner…or…?"

"Dinner?" Eric raised an eyebrow at this.

"She's bringing dinner over." Calleigh affirmed, taking careful note of his hesitation.

"You talked to my mom?" He wasn't upset at all; just surprised.

"I called her to see what they'd want to eat." Calleigh explained, leading the kids on a small tour of the house. "She said she'd take care of it."

"You called my mom?"

"Sure." She couldn't decide if he was pissed or just...then she realized why he was so confused. "She gave me her number when you were in the hospital." She lowered her voice as she said it, not wanting to remind herself of those days, much less remind Eric. "Just in case anything happened or you woke up or something while I was there."

Eric was silent for a moment, distant. "She said you were there a lot." What she'd actually said was that she'd practically had to physically remove Calleigh from the room just to get her to go home and shower or sleep. She'd said that Calleigh almost wore herself into the ground trying to watch over him; working a full day – overtime, even – then standing vigil all night. Night after night. He'd never brought it up, figuring she'd want to maintain some privacy, but he was touched. Truly, deeply touched. He hadn't realized until then how much he meant to Calleigh – or how much he relied on her for that matter.

"I just wanted to make sure you were getting good care." That wasn't the real reason, and they both knew it, but Eric was willing to let her leave it at that. For now. Little ears were listening, and this wasn't a topic for them.

"Are you mad?" Calleigh couldn't tell by his reaction if she'd upset him by calling his mother. She'd been torn about it. The phone sat idly in her hand for a good fifteen minutes, alternately picking it up and dialing, then hitting 'quit' when she lost her nerve. Eric was Clorinda's baby. Her youngest. The only boy. His mother might not be aware that he was staying at Calleigh's house. If she did know, she might be upset about it. Angry, even. After what Eric had revealed to her the previous evening, she was proceeding with caution where his mother was concerned. He hadn't seemed particularly happy to see either one of his parents at the lab that afternoon, and she hated to cause strife. That said, children tend to be picky eaters, and they like foods with which they are familiar. Calleigh had an inkling that peanut butter and jelly or chicken nuggets weren't exactly staple of the Cuban diet, so…lacking any better options, she'd phoned Clorinda Delko who had been eager to help out. She hadn't even been fazed when Calleigh gave out her own address as opposed to her son's.

"I'm not mad." He itched to reach out and touch her, assure her that his emotions at that moment were not anger. She looked so worried, concerned. He knew he'd have to explain everything else eventually. Maybe later. Maybe tonight. His personal life had already been upheaved and revealed enough in the past few weeks, why not unearth a little more? "I promise, Cal." He smiled to add an extra measure of convincing to his words. "Just a little surprised, that's all."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure." After all she was doing for him, he could ill-afford to be upset with her at all.

Calleigh looked down when she felt something tugging the hem of her shirt. Bending down, she smiled at the cause.

"Tengo sed." She announced with a smile.

"Agua?" Calleigh was fairly certain that it was the only kid-friendly beverage in her house. "Leche?"

"Agua." Elena wrapped her hand around Calleigh's happily.

"Pablito," Calleigh smiled at him. "¿Tienes sed, también

He nodded, and Calleigh herded the small brood into the kitchen to fix them their drinks. Eric was too preoccupied to notice how tenderly Calleigh interacted with his cousins, or how careful she was when she lifted Elena up to sit on the chair at the table with her water and banana. He didn't notice when she walked past him to answer the door carrying Elena on her hip, either. He didn't see any of it. Yet.

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Clorinda brought over a few shopping bags full of clothes for the children. Dresses and sweaters and pants for Elena. Jeans and shirts and jackets for Pablo. The dinner was fabulous – and extensive. She'd jumped at the chance to dine with them the moment Calleigh extended the invitation, grateful for the time to spend with her son. She'd shooed Calleigh out of the kitchen after asking for a quick tour so she could find the necessary accoutrements for properly reheating and serving the meal.

Calleigh lounged in a chair on the deck while Eric and his cousins played in the yard out back. Clorinda had "borrowed" a suspiciously shiny and new-looking soccer ball from her soccer-star granddaughter, and Eric was kicking it around with Pablo and Elena.

"Calleigh." Elena ran up to her, shaking her arm to get her attention. "¿Puedo ver mi mamá ahora?"

She felt her heart sink at the question, noting how the little girl's chin quivered a little. Of course she missed her mother. "Lo siento tan, amor. No sé donde está."

Big fat tears spilled out and ran down her little cheeks as she processed Calleigh's response. "No está aquí, querida. Lo siento tan."

Eric looked up from his game to see Elena sobbing into Calleigh's shoulder with her little arms wrapped around her neck. "She okay?" He mouthed.

"Homesick." She said softly as he approached them. "Misses her mom."

"You got this?" He'd never seen Calleigh like this before.

"We'll be fine." She assured him, rubbing Elena's back soothingly. "We'll be just fine."

Pablo ran up to them, worry for his sister etched all over his young face. He bent down and spoke softly into Elena's ear, too quietly for either Calleigh or Eric to hear. It only took a moment for her head to rise, wet and red and tearstained, hiccupping forcefully.

"She fine now." Pablo announced grandly, pleased with himself for calming his sister so quickly. "She okay."

Clorinda watched from the kitchen window with a knowing smile.

"Pablo," Eric asked, voice soft and full of concern. "Did your mother come with you on the boat from Cuba?"

"No." Pablo's eyes filled with tears, too as he shook his head sadly. "She sick. Then she go away."

"She went away?" Eric sat the boy down on a patio chair and knelt down in front of him. "Where did she go? Did she say?"

"Heaven." Pablo shrugged. "The doctor say she go to heaven."

Calleigh's heart broke when she heard this, and she wrapped her arms tighter around Elena. "Lo siento, querida." She whispered, kissing the girl's cheek tenderly. "Lo siento."

"What about your father?" Eric patted Pablo's knee. "Did he come with you?"

"He no here ever." Eric didn't understand the response, so he switched to Spanish and asked again, sighing at the news that was delivered. They'd never met their father. Well, fathers. They had different fathers, and neither one had stayed around long enough to meet their progeny. Pablo said it all so matter of fact that Eric felt genuinely guilty for feeling the way he did about Pavel. The man may not have donated DNA, but he'd stayed. Raised him. Never treated him any differently, loved him any less. He felt his own anger dissolve as he thought about it. Pavel used to take Eric to work with him on the weekends, show him the equipment and tell him about his job. He'd dreamt of his son following in his footsteps, becoming a chemist or a chemical engineer. After a few hours at work, Pavel checking on his experiments and Eric mixing father-approved chemicals in beakers and watching the reactions, they'd go out for ice cream or hot dogs. Sometimes they'd get churros from a vendor near the beach. He'd had some great times with Pavel Delko, genetics or no. And Pablo. Pablo had never had any of that, but he wasn't bitter at all. Just concerned about his sister. He was used to being the man of the house, looking after Elena. He was a little man, and he shouldered the responsibilities with acceptance and aplomb.

"Ven a cenar.." Clorinda called from the open kitchen window.

"¿Tiene hambre? Calleigh poked Elena in the belly making her giggle.

"Sí." She nodded excitedly.

"¡Vayamos!"

"Eric." Calleigh whispered as the walked inside. "How old are they?"

"Four and eight." He smiled at her, touched at how she'd bonded with little Elena. Some day, Calleigh was going to make a great mother.

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After dinner, Eric asked Calleigh if she'd mind if he and his mother went for a walk around the neighborhood.

"We'll be fine, Eric." Calleigh tried to walk toward the door, but her movements were impeded by a small child who had attached herself to her leg. "Go ahead. I'm just going to get them settled in and put this little one to bed. She's had a big day." Calleigh had already seen the yawns escaping Elena's mouth during dinner. She'd warmed up to Clorinda and chattered away with her about nothing and everything that is important to a four year old. Pablo was quieter, but he, too, had taken a liking to Calleigh. After Elena was in bed, he followed Calleigh out to the living room and stood awkwardly for a moment before she urged him to sit with her.

"You came all the way to Florida alone." She commented, speaking English to him. If he was allowed to stay in Florida, she mused, his English would have to improve. Might as well start now. "That's very brave."

"Mami want to." He shrugged as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Abuelo take to boat and pay lady to watch us."

That explained the woman who had absconded with the children, at least. "Was she good to you?" Calleigh prayed they'd been treated well.

"Sí."

"Good."

"What grade are you in school?"

"Three." He announced proudly in English. "I go good in school."

Clearly, he was an exceptionally bright child.

"They make us go back?" He asked, sounding more like an eight year old than Calleigh had heard so far today.

"I don't know, honey." She hugged him, heart breaking. What a raw deal. Mother dead. Father out of the picture. Grandpa just wanted a better life for them, so he sent them here. And now what happens to them? "I'm sorry. I just don't know."

"I like here." He sniffled, finally allowing himself to be afraid now that Elena was asleep. "I like here."

If Calleigh's heart had broken earlier, it shattered now. Disintegrated. She gathered Pablo up into her arms, rocking him like her father used to do for her when she was upset. "It will work out, Pablito. I don't know how, but it will." It was only in this moment that Calleigh realized how frightened he was. How scared he must have been on that boat alone with his little sister; entrusted with the responsibility of keeping her safe. It was quite a burden for such small shoulders, but he'd taken it and performed the task well. When Elena was sick on the journey, he'd helped her throw up into a bucket. He'd washed her face off, brushed her hair. He'd held her and told her stories when she was frightened. He'd had to grow up a lot. Become more of a man than his eight years should ordinarily allow. And now they were finally safe. With family. Or rather, with family and Calleigh, but he liked her, so it was okay. Now, he didn't have to be brave anymore, he could just be a little boy, and let the adults worry about taking care of Elena. Let them take care of him. It was good to be home.

Eric brought his mother back inside so she could say goodbye to Calleigh, and then she left. Calleigh eyed him as he stood nervously in the doorway after his mother drove off.

"You okay?" She glanced up at him from her spot on the sofa as she sat back down.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He almost was, too. Almost. "I'll be right back."

She watched as he rushed into the kitchen, carrying grocery bags of who knows what, and made a funny face at Pablo. "Muy loco." She grinned, making the boy giggle.

"Calleigh?" Pablo asked her quietly as Eric entered the room again.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"I sleep now?" He was so tired. The trip, worrying about his sister, missing his mother – it was all very taxing on such a young body.

"Of course, Pablito." Eric ruffled his hair. "You don't need to ask."

"Do you want one of us to tuck you in?"

"¿Qué?

Eric explained the concept, and Pablo stood uncertain for a moment before nodding slowly. "Be right back." He smiled at Calleigh as he led his young cousin into the bedroom and put him in bed, wishing him pleasant dreams.

"He okay?" Calleigh asked when Eric returned to the living room.

"He's fine. Just tired."

"I'll bet."

"You going to bed soon, or you going to be up for a while?"

"Do you want me go?" Calleigh asked, not understanding his meaning for asking. "Because you can have the bedroom, really. I sleep on the couch as often as I sleep in the bed." It wasn't true, but she hoped he believed it anyway. The truth was, she didn't remember the last time she slept in her own bed. If just felt too…empty. Too big. Too lonely. The sofa was small, and she could press her back against the cushions and pretend she wasn't all alone. Plus, she reasoned, at five feet three inches tall, it was a far more comfortable fit for her than it would be for Eric.

Eric watched her suspiciously as she spoke. "Why?"

"Just lazy, I guess. If I don't mess it up, then I don't have to make it in the morning." She lied, not prepared to bear her soul quite that much at the moment.

"I'm not kicking you out of your bed for one." Eric began. "And two, I wasn't asking you to leave. Stay here." He went back into the kitchen and came out with the grocery bags he'd been carrying earlier.

"What is all this?" Calleigh joked with him.

"This…" He opened one bag and pulled out a stack of DVDs. "Is wallowing time."

"Wallowing?" She smirked at him. "What are you talking about."

He handed her a pint of ice cream and a spoon. "Wallowing. Chick flicks and ice cream. It's what girls do when they break up." Calleigh felt tears well up in her eyes when she realized what he'd done for her. "I can't braid your hair or paint your nails, but I can eat ice cream and watch movies with you."

"Don't cry, Duquesne." She thought to herself, intimately touched at his thoughtfulness. "Don't cry"

"I have romantic comedy. Y our standard, girl meets guy chick flick. I have Bollywood. I have romantic drama. I have…" She didn't hear the rest. Her eyes were focused on his face as he spoke. Her girlfriends weren't even this nice to her, not even in college. No one had ever done something like this for her, especially not a man. A man who felt for her the way he did, especially.

"Calleigh?" He waved his hand in front of her face when she didn't respond. "Cal? You okay?"

Shaking her head, she smiled at him with eyes shining. "I'm great. Thank you, Eric, for all this. You didn't have to do all this."

"I wanted to." He downplayed his actions, not wanting her to be uncomfortable. "I wasn't expecting company, or we'd have started a lot sooner. Here." He handed her the stack of DVDs. "Pick your poison."

Calleigh chose a movie, and plopped it in the DVD player, and was once again surprised when she turned around and saw six pints of ice cream lined up on her coffee table.

"I wasn't sure which one was the best for wallowing, so I got all the clichés." He explained. "Cookie dough. Rocky road. Cookies and cream. Vanilla, for you purists." He knew her penchant for French vanilla ice cream. "Cherry Garcia. And, of course, peanut butter fudge. Take your pick."

"Cookie dough." She grinned at him. "It's the best for breakups."

"Well, then, cookie dough it is." He picked the rocky road, but Calleigh ended up eating as much of it as he did. He laughed as she took one bite of hers, one bite of his, one bite of hers.

"Do you want this one?" He offered her his container after her eleventh or twelfth bite. He'd lost track, not that he minded. Eating after her was kind of like kissing, but not quite, and he'd long since passed the stage where girls have cooties. Still, if she wanted rocky road, he'd gladly relinquish it. "I don't mind."

"Nah." She waved her spoon at him, content to just sit and look at the movie and be with Eric. She wasn't actually watching it; her senses were all hyperaware of the man sitting next to her holding out his ice cream so she could easily get some of it, too. "I'm good." The truth was, she hadn't been this good in years.

Translations:

Elena, Pablo, eso son sus tios, Clorinda y Pavel. – Elena, Pablo, this is your aunt Clorinda and your Uncle Pavel.

Mí Tío? Y mí Tía? – My uncle? And my aunt?

Sí - Yes

¿Realmente? – Really?

Realemente – Really.

Todo esta bien. Son muy agradables. Y los aman – It's okay. They're very nice, and they love you.

¿Puedo tener un abrazo, también? – Can I have a hug, too?

Bien – it's okay

¿Sabes qué, Elena?? – You know what, Elena

A mi no me gustan los doctores, tampoco – I don't like doctors, either.

¿Quieres ver su habitación?– Do you want to see your room?

Tengo sed – I'm thirsty

¿Tienes sed, también?– Are you thirsty, too?

¿Puedo ver mi mamá ahora? – Can I see my mommy now?

Lo siento tanto, amor. No sé donde esta.– I'm so sorry, sweetheart. She's not here.

No está aquí, querida. Lo siento tan. – She's not here, darling. I'm so sorry.

Ven a cenar.– Come eat dinner.

¿Tienes hambre?– Are you hungry?

Sí - Yes

¡Vayamos! – Let's go!

A/N: You read the chapter. Now there's just one more thing to do. Click and type. Click and type. Come on. You can do it.