Author's Note: I spent the day camped out on my sofa with tea and zinc lozenges trying to cure myself. It hasn't worked yet, but I DID accomplish the completion of chapter 35 - in between naps and hours spent not really watching television. So, I hope you like it. If not (and especially if you do!), then feel free to click that little button at the bottom of the chapter and tell me your thoughts. I don't own the show or the characters. Don't sue me. If you do, I'll just cough on you and give you my plague. So there.

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"Calleigh?" Eric secretly hoped that she'd still be in the bathtub, but it seemed like a lot to ask. It had been, he checked his watch, five hours and twelve minutes, since they'd talked.

"Calleigh?" He called louder, frowning. He checked out back, and found it locked. He sat the bags of takeout down on the kitchen counter and continued his search. He looked through each room in the hallway. Pushing the door to her bedroom open, he smiled at what he saw. Calleigh was fast asleep in one of his old tee-shirts that he'd left at her house. Damn. She looked good wearing his shirt, and so cute curled up around his pillow. She rarely napped during the day; citing its adverse effect on her nightly sleep cycle. He carefully lowered himself onto the bed and scooted over to her. He gently removed the pillow, and replaced it with himself.

"Mmm." She murmured in her sleep, a sweet smile gracing her delicate features. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and took a deep breath, inhaling his comforting scent in her sleep.

Eric smiled as well and closed his eyes. A quick nap before dinner would be nice.

"Eric." He heard her whisper through his sleep. "Eric. It's late. We should make dinner."

"Later." He wasn't ready to let go, yet.

"No, not later." Calleigh kissed him. He was so cute when he was tired. "We should eat dinner now. Then you can sleep more. Come on." She pulled on his arm. "Up."

"I'm tired." He protested as he stumbled down the hallway. He was awake enough to admire the look of Calleigh's exposed legs, mostly bare since she only had on lacy underwear and his tee-shirt.

"You'll make it." She was not one to play games.

They reheated the pasta he'd bought and ate together at the table.

"Did you get the guy?" She was referring, of course, to the case he'd told her about earlier in the day.

"Not yet. You'll probably get stuck cleaning up the mess tomorrow." It turned out the victim had been shot twice. Only the second bullet penetrated. Alexx hadn't retrieved the first one until late in the day her caseload was so heavy.

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Calleigh was running late the next morning, a rarity for her, but, she reasoned; she'd been distracted. It wasn't her fault. Neither one of them had time for breakfast or coffee, so she'd just run out the door and driven like mad to get to work on time. Apparently her day was destined to be bad, because the first person she ran into was, of course, Coralee. "It figures." She thought to herself, and then remembered her conversation with Eric a few days ago.

"Good morning." She offered a little stiffly in her half-sister's direction.

Coralee just stared at her with a confused look on her face. "Um. Good morning?" Civility was new, and she wasn't sure what to think about it.

Calleigh huffed a little and brushed past her quickly, retreating to her lab leaving Coralee standing in the hallway perplexed.

"Morning, Coralee." Eric greeted her, in a similar hurry as he whizzed around her.

"Morning." She called after him, but he was already gone. Shrugging her shoulders, she headed down the hall to Horatio's office with the report he'd requested. She knocked softly three times and waited to be invited in.

"Ms. Prynne." He gestured to her. "Please, come in."

She entered and stood awkwardly for a moment while he finished up whatever he had been doing when she interrupted him. He was testing her; seeing how long she would stand quietly waiting before she spoke up. One minute ticked by. Then two, three. Coralee stood nervously, but perfectly still clutching the file to her chest. When the eighth minute passed, Horatio stole a glance in her direction. Her face told him nothing, but her body language did. Her arms were crossed over her chest defensively; she was board-stiff and rod-straight, and her eyes downcast staring at her shoes.

"Ms. Prynne." He felt for the girl. He was very good at reading body language. "Shut the door, please." Fear flashed in her eyes as she looked at him briefly before quickly moving to comply. "Have a seat." He nodded to an empty chair across the desk from him. She sat, but anxiously perched herself on the edge of the seat.

"Ms. Prynne," Her face was masked again, unreadable. "How are you liking the internship?"

"Oh, very much, sir." Her eyes widened with excitement, and Horatio knew she was being truthful. "I'm so grateful for the opportunity to…"

He shook his head and waved, trying to get her attention and stop her. "You don't need to keep thanking us. I am just…concerned…about the work environment."

"Oh, everyone has been extremely nice." She assured him. Even Calleigh had spoken courteously to her this morning.

"Are you experiencing any hostility? Pranks?" He knew of the animosity between Calleigh and Coralee, and the boys predilection for playing practical jokes on the 'newbie.'

"No. No." She shook her head gravely. "Honestly, sir. Everyone has gone out of their way to be nice."

He remained silent for a minute or two, mulling over what to say next. "Ms. Prynne…"

Coralee was terrified. He was going to fire her – she knew it.

"Ms. Prynne." He continued. "Dr. Woods has spoken of you highly to me."

She blushed furiously and ducked her head shyly. "She is very generous."

"She is very impressed with your abilities." He continued. "Am I to believe that you will be joining us again this summer?"

Coralee's head shot back up and she stared at him in disbelief. "Do you mean?"

He only raised his eyebrows at her.

"I'm not fired?" She said it to herself, but he caught it anyway.

"Why would you be fired, Ms. Prynne?" Horatio immediately felt guilty. She was afraid of him, and he'd taken her into his office with the door closed for a private conversation about her job. Of course she thought she was fired. "No. You're far from fired."

"Oh." She suddenly remembered the question. "Yes. Yes, of course I'll be back this summer!" Her eyes were glistening with tears both from fear and excitement.

"Good." That matter was settled. "Now, do you have a report for me?"

"Oh, yes." She stood quickly, regaining her professional bearing and handed him a now slightly wrinkled manila folder. "Here you are."

He took the folder, creased from her clutching it so tightly and smiled. "I don't bite, Ms. Prynne."

"Yes, sir. Of course." She stood awkwardly, not knowing if she could leave or not. "Is there anything…?"

"Not at all. You're free to go." He watched as she escaped quickly. "Thank Alexx for me!" She'd put a rush on his autopsy results, and he did appreciate it.

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Eric was busy and hard at work running samples through the GCMS, but his mind was not totally focused on the job. Thankfully, this was a relatively brain-free procedure, and he'd done it so many times that he practically moved by muscle memory. Measure, add reagent, inject sample, repeat. He pondered the conversation he'd had with Coralee the morning before. She could be telling him the truth. The story was plausible, but something didn't sit right about it. He'd seen something in her eyes – she was hiding something. He didn't blame her; she had every right to hide things from him. They weren't friends or anything, but his male ego and well-bred protectiveness of women just wouldn't let it rest. He'd considered saying something to Calleigh, but she really did not seem like the best possible candidate if he was trying to engender concern in a third party. Natalia, though – this might be right up her alley. He'd seen them eating lunch together in the break room a few times, and they seemed to get along okay. Finishing up the rest of the samples, he started the machine, and walked down to DNA, hoping Natalia was alone.

"Eric." She greeted him, lab graciously devoid of extraneous bodies. "I got a match on the blood spatter. He's in CODIS."

"Michael Bruce." He read the printout. "Prior convictions for aggravated assault and one for domestic violence." He smiled at her. "Whaddya bet the gun he used isn't registered?"

"Considering it'd be illegal for him to carry one, I'd say pretty good." She was still pipetting, lips pursed in concentration. "Calleigh's already running it through the database to see if the gun matches the one pulled from the assault case."

"Great." She was a miracle worker sometimes.

:Natalia notices how he didn't leave right away. He acted nervous, eyes darting around the room, refusing to meet her gaze. "Eric?" She smirked at him. "Can I help you with something?"

"Uh. Yeah, yeah." Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.

"Spill." His behavior was so uncharacteristic of him.

"Uh, this might be way out of line, and it's okay. Just tell me if it is! I was just…" He trailed off, not wanting to offend her. This was a mistake; he'd just have to take care of things himself.

"Eric, out with it." She goaded him again. "You're not trying to offend me, so just say it. I won't be mad."

He took a deep breath and blurted it out quickly. "I think someone's hitting Coralee, Alexx's new intern."

Natalia frowned and said nothing, only stopped what she was doing and studied his face. He wasn't kidding, and she understood now why he was so reticent to bring up the topic with her. He didn't want to open up any old wounds, but he also knew she was the one person in the lab who would best be able to appreciate the situation.

"What makes you think that?" She finally broke the silence.

"I saw some bruises. And scratches. On her side." He indicated on himself the location of said injuries.

"Did you ask her about them?"

"She said they were sports injuries."

"What sport?"

"Soccer. Said she slide tackled someone."

"Okay, why don't you believe her?" That sounded reasonable to her.

He hesitated again. He realized that he'd have to be careful about the wording. If he let something slip, he would risk 'outing' the relationship he and Calleigh had. "Something I saw in her eyes." He stated simply.

"You don't know her that well." Natalia chided. "How do you know what that look means? There are 'other' ways to get scratches, you know?" She wagged her eyebrows suggestively to let him know what she meant.

"Not that kind of marks." He shook his head sadly. "And I've seen that look before. I know that look. She's hiding something. I can feel it."

"CSI Delko, I didn't know we based our theories on hunches?" She quipped, then softened. "Where have you seen that look before?"

"Calleigh." He said it without thinking, and then eyes opened wide when he realized what he'd done.

"Calleigh?" Natalia knew they were close, even suspected on more than one occasion that it extended beyond that, but she wasn't sure what to make of this. "What does Calleigh have to do with Coralee? I wouldn't read too much into that. I mean, it's not like they're the same person with the same…" She trailed off as realization dawned on her. "Are they related?" She'd never put it together before, but now that he mentioned them together, they did look similar – even act similar.

"I didn't say anything." He raised his hands in gesture of innocence.

"They are, aren't they?" Natalia's brain was working in overtime now, comparing facial features, figures, mannerisms. "She hasn't said anything. I knew she looked familiar."

Eric smiled as her words echoed his thoughts from the day he'd met Coralee. "They aren't exactly close." He warned her. "It's a sore subject. And you didn't hear it from me."

"Okay." She knew why he was so persistent about the look he'd seen now. "I'll talk to her; see what I can find out."

"Thanks, Nat." He was truly grateful. "Just…be nice, you know…don't…" He knew it would be unnecessary to remind her, but he had to anyway. It's just part of who he is.

"I'll be tactful." She reminded him. "Don't worry."

"I really appreciate it."

"Sure."

Eric hoped he'd done the right thing.

Natalia frowned once he'd left her lab. This was going to be…tricky to say the least. She knew from experience how touchy a subject this was going to be. If Coralee was in some kind of trouble, she was unlikely to go to the police if she hadn't already – at least not until it was too late to save her from a lot of physical pain and heartache. Glancing at the clock on the wall across the room, she figured it was close enough to lunch time. She put her microfuge tubes in the incubator, snapped off her gloves and washed her hands, and went off in search of her lunch buddy.

"Hey, you hungry?" She asked. Coralee didn't look that busy.

"Sure." She rose and cleared off her workspace. "I'll clean up and meet you upstairs?"

"Want to go out?" Natalia figured it would be more comfortable for both of them if they weren't in the lab.

"Where?" She needed the place to be somewhere inexpensive. She was living on loans right now, and pinching every penny.

"I brought a lunch, so let's just go to a park or something." She knew Coralee was watching her budget.

"Sure." She washed her hands. "Sounds good."

Natalia checked out with Horatio, letting him know she was kind of on a personal mission of sorts, and drove them to a nearby park.

"It's nice here." Coralee hadn't spent much time in Miami.

"Yeah." The ensuing conversation was going to be a difficult one, probably for both of the girls. "I have to tell you the real reason why we're here." She looked Coralee square in the eye. "Eric said something to me, and I just want to make sure you're okay." That wasn't a very good opening.

"Eric." Coralee knew exactly what he's said to her. "Please, I'm fine."

"He said you had a lot of bruising and some nasty scratches." Natalia dove right in. "If someone is hurting you, you know we can help, right?" She was a cop, after all.

"I told him the truth." She shook her head. "We play soccer every Saturday. I took a guy down, and have the bruises to prove it. That's it." She said it with finality.

"Yeah." Natalia remembered what else Eric had told her, and pushed on. "So no one is hitting you?" She paused long enough for Coralee to shake her head, but noted that she didn't meet her eyes.

"Okay, look." Uncomfortable. "I've been in situations like this before. It's okay to ask for help."

"He's not hitting me." Coralee finally said in a strangled voice. "He just won't leave me alone."

"Who?"

"My ex."

"Husband?"

"Yeah."

"What's he doing?" Natalia's heart went out to the girl. "Been there, done that." She thought. "How is he bothering you?"

"Phone calls. Shows up at my apartment all the time." A bright red flush passed over her face. "He just won't go away is all."

"Has he made any threats?" A shake of the head let her know he hadn't. "How long have you been divorced?"

"I left him a year and a half ago." She muttered. "The divorce was finalized in June."

"And he still won't go away?"

"No." Truthfully, she was a little upset, but she was also grateful to Eric and Natalia for their concern. "He hasn't done anything illegal, really, so the police won't do anything. So far he's just being a nuisance."

"So," Natalia wasn't sure what to do now. "How can I help?"

"I'll take care of it."

"I'm sure we can do something." Coralee shook her head vehemently.

"Nothing. You really don't need to." She pleaded. "It'll just make him mad." She'd put up with his temper long enough to know how poorly he took to other people meddling in what he considered to be 'their' business.

"Where does he live?" She ignored the girl's protests.

"I think he moved to Florida when I did."

"What's his name?" She could find it out on her own, but it seemed less intrusive if Coralee told her of her own free will.

"Really, please." She really did not want anyone to do anything. "It's fine. Don't say anything to anyone, please?"

"Cor." She shook her head sadly, remembering how she had also tried to take care of everything by herself. "You don't have to do this alone. Sometimes it's better to let other people in and let them help you."

"I don't live in this county." Coralee tried one last angle. "It's not your jurisdiction. You can't do anything."

She did have a point. "Will you call me, if he shows up again?"

"Sure." She lied. Coralee had no intention of involving anyone else in her own personal drama.

Natalia noted that she had never said the bastard's name.

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"Calleigh!" Eric smiled at her as she walked into Trace. His day always brightened when she was in the room with him. "What can I do for you?" He added an extra dose of sexy to his smile and gave her a knowing look.

"Nothing." She slumped down onto a stool beside him. "I'm bored. I finished up my two cases and the three that night shift left."

"And you're looking for something to do?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, knowing what her response would be in advance.

"No." She sighed. "Just looking for some company."

"It's almost time to go home, why don't you talk to H. and dip out early?"

"Sets a bad example." She was ever the consummate professional, never cutting corners, never taking shortcuts.

"I can keep you company." He nudged her, their bodies hidden from view by the lab benches.

"That you can." She agreed softly, catching his entendre and only partially ignoring it.

"My place?" He glanced around the glass windowed room to detect any eavesdroppers in the vicinity.

"Yeah." She had a bag packed and ready in her car, full of her clothes for the next day, hair products, makeup – all the essentials.

"Do you want to do anything tonight" He worried that their relationship was getting too complacent – too comfortable – for her.

"If you do." She was beat – physically and emotionally she was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than a relaxing evening spent in the arms of the man she loved.

"I asked you first." He teased her, watching the way she bit her bottom lip deep in thought. "Just tell me." He urged gently. "If there's something that you want to do just tell me."

"Could we just stay in tonight?" She liked the idea of a quiet night alone with him.

"Of course." He would have kissed her right there in the lab if the walls were made of anything but glass. The look on her face was so…sultry…he clenched his jaw and made a quick prayer to the heaven's for strength to resist this gorgeous woman.

"See you later?" She glanced at her wrist watch. Only an hour to go.

"You bet."

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Three hours later Calleigh was curled up on the couch content with a glass of red wine and Eric's relaxing embrace. "This is nice." She tipped her head up to meet his eyes.

"Hmm?" He wasn't sure if she was referring to the wine or the evening in general.

"This." She waved her hand in front of her. "Us." They'd never really talked about it – talked about "them."

"How so?" He agreed, but wasn't quite certain what she was referring to.

"This. Us." She repeated. "It's nice. We sort of skipped that whole awkward 'getting-to-know-you' phase. It's nice."

"So, you think we should have done this sooner?" He was only half teasing, gauging her reaction to his prodding question.

"Mmm." She sounded perfectly content. "Definitely."

He said nothing, but noted the proud swell he felt deep down inside at her affirmation. He'd spent so many years watching her – being held at a distance. He'd seen her heart broken by the men she dated, and it had hurt his heart as well. Hagan – he found he lacked the powers to articulate his disdain for a man who would commit suicide in front of the woman he supposedly loves. She'd dated a few other men off and on, at times he even suspected she'd had a thing with Horatio. Then there was Jake. Detective Jake Berkley. Eric hated him on a deeply personal level. Professionally, he respected him enough to tolerate his presence, but on a baser level, he could not deny the instinct he'd felt to take him out behind the lab and beat him senseless for hurting Calleigh over and over again. She'd never said anything to him, of course. Calleigh would never drag her personal life into work with her, but he'd seen it in her eyes. He'd seen the sadness, the pain that weighed heavily on her and prevented that stunning sparkle in her emerald eyes that he'd grown to love so much.

And he had to admit; she was right. There truly was something to be said for dating your best friend. He already knew her quirks, her likes and dislikes, and she knew his. He knew her fears – or at least some of them – and they had a nice foundation, a history together of mutual trust and respect that made them work so much better on this newer, romantic level of intimacy. Eric remembered to give silent thanks daily for her presence in his life. He had never felt the need to pretend, to cover up his true self with Calleigh. She already knew all about him. She had seen him at his best and at his absolutely worst, and she still stayed. She still…loved him. And he loved her. His heart fluttered in his chest a few times as he thought about how much she meant to him.

"I love you." He kissed the side of her head and smoothed her hair away from her face with a free hand.

She turned in his arms again, eyes shining with that twinkle he loved so much. "I love you, too, ya know."

"Yeah." He kissed her temple. "I know." It was a good thing to know.

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A/N: It's your turn now! R/R