Ruzek was sure he was seeing double when he came up the stairs.

Standing next to Jay's desk were Cali and another woman dressed in faded navy tee, military fatigue pants, and faded black boots who looked like Cali. Exactly. She stood like Cali, motioned like Cali, and smiled like Cali.

Cali's lookalike didn't even give him a passing glance when he wandered to his desk. But then again, neither did his partner, who was reading his newspaper.

"Who's that?" Adam whispered, leaning towards Al.

"Cali's sister," Al nonchalantly replied as he flipped the page. "Don't even think about it."

Adam huffed.

"I have a girlfriend," he said, shrugging, still eyeing Cali's sister.

"That never seemed to stop you before," Al muttered under his breath.

Adam averted his gaze instantly and pretended to focus on his laptop when Hank stepped out of his office. The last thing he needed was another fatherly chat.

"How long you in town?" Jay asked Cati as she sat down next to Cali. Cali motioned at the bartender for drinks.

"Dunno," she replied, giving Cali a big grin. "I guess as long as my big sis allows me to crash at her place."

Cali laughed as Herrmann strode over to take their orders.

"Whoa! There are two of you?" he questioned as he looked between Cali and Cati in confusion.

"I'm the oldest," Cali said with a smirk.

"By four minutes!" Cati countered.

Herrmann gave his head a shake as if to clear it. The resemblance is uncanny, he thought.

"I bet you two gave your mother fits," he stated.

"We might have on occasion," Cati giggled.

"Although I think our teachers would say otherwise," Cali chimed in with a chuckle.

Jay rolled his eyes at the twins.

"So, seriously, how long do I get to have you around?" Cali asked Cati once Jay dropped them off, throwing her arm over her sister's shoulders as they walked to the porch.

"How long is your husband willing to put up with me?" Cati returned. "Now that I've been discharged, I have no idea what's next."

Her stint in the Navy had left her adrift, calling every aspect of her life into question. Her only source of solace at the moment was her twin.

"You can stay as long as you want!" Cali fiercely responded. "My home will always be yours. You know that."

"It's different now," Cati challenged. "You're married, Calista. You have a husband who just met me. And it's not like I'm a stray dog you can take in simply because you feel sorry for me."

Cali stopped her in her tracks and whirled to face her.

"You're not some stray dog, Catina! You're family!" Cali angrily retorted. "And my husband loves you as you are because you're my sister. He understands, like me, that you need a soft place to fall."

She softened her expression and reached out to grasp her sister's upper arms.

"Stay. Take your time. Make peace with yourself and whoever or whatever you need to. I'm here for you. We're here for you," Cali said, pulling her in for a hug. Cati clung to her and nodded, a lone tear escaping down her cheek.

Cati kicked back on the air mattress in the basement and glanced around at the shelving and assorted household goods scattered around. It was like being aboard a ship, she wryly thought.

Cali appeared on the stairs, carrying towels and extra bedding.

"Hopefully this is temporary," Cali apologized, looking around as she descended. "Erin spends most of her time these days over at Jay's, so she may vacate her room soon, which means it's all yours if she does."

Truth be told, Erin had already moved much of her stuff into Jay's apartment, but Cali didn't feel it was her place to say so. She had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be much longer before Jay finally proposed. Her partner wasn't about to let Erin go ever again.

"It's nice and quiet," Cati said, grinning at her sister as she accepted the linens. "Not to mention, it affords both you and me a little privacy, if you catch my drift."

Cali reddened at the comment and then swatted her twin.

"You're bad!" she retorted.

"Hey!" Cati said, ducking and laughing at the same time. "You're the one who told me you guys can't keep your hands to yourselves."

"I'm never telling you anything ever again," Cali fumed, playfully turning on her heel and sticking her nose in the air.

"At least you're getting some with someone who cares about you," Cati huffed, plopping down on the air mattress.

Cali sighed and looked at Cati.

"Someday, sis, you will too," she softly said.

After dinner and a bit of small talk with her sister and brother-in-law, Cati excused herself and disappeared downstairs.

Hank slid his arms around Cali as she cleaned up and halted her progress. She leaned into him and closed her eyes.

"She's gonna be alright," he quietly said. "You did a good thing by inviting her to come here to crash while she sorts stuff out."

"I know," Cali whispered. "I'm just worried about her."

"Give her time. She'll be alright," Hank repeated.

A week later …

"You sure about this?" Cati asked Hank as he directed her to a corner cubby in the bullpen.

"We need a new tech specialist, and Cali tells me you're the best," he replied, handing her a temporary badge. "This will get you in and out. Just tell Sergeant Platt down at the front desk that you need a laptop and she'll get you squared away."

"Thanks, Sarge," Cati said, peering at her feet to keep from getting emotional. "I appreciate it."

Hank gently squeezed her shoulder before walking away.

"McDermott!" Antonio called out and both Cali and Cati looked up and responded. Jay laughed.

Flustered, Antonio pointed at Cati and motioned for her to come to him before glaring at Cali. Cali threw her hands up in the air, as if to say, "What did I do?"

"Should we start calling you Twin One and Twin Two?" Ruzek kidded from his desk. Al slapped him upside the head while Atwater shook his.

"Owww," Adam said, rubbing his temple.

"Brother, you better watch yourself," Kevin muttered.