1) I am SO sorry for not updating sooner; I have been off work with Bursitis in my left shoulder so typing has not been easy until now. Gotta love painkillers.

2) This is set between 4X08 and 4x09 and I wanted to see the two of them more as a couple as less as what we saw on the show with just flirtation and implied relationship.

3) I also wanted to explore Natalia's relationship with her sisters. Christine was mentioned in 5x08 and Anya, of course, but again I just wanted to see moments of them together as a family.

4) The rest of the team will make an appearance soon, but this is PRIMARILY an Eric/Natalia FF.

5) And Oh Yes, that infamous test in 4x15 will EVENTUALLY be discussed. Will the results be the same as the show?

6) I do not own Sutton Boa-Vista; she is a character that came to me while I was listening to the Anything Goes soundtrack. Hence the name.

7) Fluff. This chapter is fluff and sister bonding. Back to more CSI'ish stuff next chapter.

ENJOY!

Natalia found herself staring at the chrome purple of her kettle, her ears pricking at the sound of the shower running. Figuring she had a few minutes, she grabbed her phone from its place on the counter and flipped it open; grimacing at the message.

I need to know what is going on in this lab. Surely there has to be something. Monica. With an annoyed grunt, she hit 'delete' and almost threw the device back on the counter. She absolutely hated what she was doing, but she knew that she had to be the one to do it. She just wished she was able to tell someone about how she felt! BANG! A car door slammed from the front of her house, causing her heart to rise into her chest and her hand to rest on her chest, feeling her heart rise back up in her chest for the third time in less than 24 hours. Closing her eyes, Natalia clenched her lips together and rested her hands on the counter in front of her, trying her best to keep her breathing even and slowly count down from 100 silently. This exercise had helped her when she was first released from the hospital prior to Nick's trial and she just hoped that it would work this time. Managing to count to 56 before she calmed again, she didn't even notice that Eric had exited the bathroom with a towel around his waist and a frown on his face. Natalia... sweet, innocent Natalia just could not catch a break. While he did not know the full extent of what had happened between Natalia and her now incarcerated ex-husband, he knew that it was bad. No, worse than bad; it was hell.

"Nat?" He called softly, taking a few steps before joining her at the counter. Natalia's head snapped up, glassy and unfocused eyes looking back at him. Eric sighed; she had had another anxiety attack. "Hey..." He pulled her close to him, his still damp hands clasping together on the younger woman's lower back. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, looking down at her and kissing her on the forehead. Silence answered him; something Eric was more than used to. "You don't have to now if you don't want to." Natalia smiled softly, her eyes becoming more focused as she gave Eric a soft peck on the lips.

"I will... but not today. Today, we have a day of celebrating." She said with a soft smile. Eric raised an eyebrow, pondering what the occasion was. And then he spied the large pink present wrapped and sitting by Natalia's front door. Today was her niece Sutton's second birthday, and this would be the first time she would be introducing Eric to her family as more than a co-worker.

"Ah yes." He winked, releasing his embrace slightly as he looked at her again. With a soft kiss on the tip of her nose, he felt the Latina relax significantly. "We are going to be OK." Natalia smiled softly and nodded, pulling herself close to him and resting her head back on his chest. Maybe, just maybe... things would be OK. If only for a little while.

FIVE HOURS LATER

"Sutton Grace Boa-Vista, if I have to tell you one more time about getting cake mix out of the bowl while its being mixed you will be in big trouble!" Natalia's middle sister Christine threatened, an index finger pointed at the brunette little girl perched on the counter with her hand half in the mixing bowl, her aunt holding her up by her middle and a not-so-innocent smile on Natalia's face as she lowered her on the ground and ruffled her dark brown locks. "Go and play for a while, sweetheart. I will call you when the cake is ready." Christine kissed the toddler on the head and watched as she ran back outside towards the swing set sitting proudly in the middle of the yard. She sauntered over to her sister, poking her in the ribs as she copied the very action Sutton had just done; using her index finger to swipe icing off of the interior of the mixing bowl. "Good God, you're just as bad as Sutton is!" She said with a laugh, moving the bowl out of the way and heading to the fridge, passing Natalia a can of Lemonade and settling her can of Cola on the counter. As she cracked it open, she found herself looking outside again. Sutton was on the swing, laughing happily as Eric pushed her on it. "So..." She gave her another poke in the ribs, causing Natalia to choke on her drink. "Just putting it out there, he is HOT!"

"Well, I already know this." Natalia winked. Her expression turned serious again. "I just... I don't want history to repeat itself." She leaned on the counter, fiddling with the ring of her Soda can. The youngest of the girls, Anya, walked inside; carrying a tray of sandwiches.

"Well, these were a hit I'm just going to..." She noticed her sister's expressions and set down the plates. "What's up?"She asked, her attention now on her oldest sister. "What's up, Nat?"

Natalia sighed heavily, resting her head in her hands. "I just... My head is all over the place and I'm just... I'm just scared." She admitted, biting down on her lip as she felt the tears begin to resurface. She shook her head angrily. "I'm sorry, Chris..." With a heavy sigh, Natalia wiped her eyes and breathed in, trying her best to maintain her composure.

"Sweetie..." Christine breathed. She cast a look to Anya and the two women opened their arms, Natalia pulling them both close to her as she embraced her sisters. "Just remember... We are always here for you. Because we are your sisters and we love you so much." Being 5 foot 3 as opposed to Natalia's 5 foot 9, she found herself looking up as she smiled at her sister. "And as long as you bring him back," She nodded towards the backyard, smiling as Eric stood next to Christine's husband John at the Barbecue; a can of soft drink in one hand and a spatula in the other. "We know you will be ok." With an approving nod, she nudged Natalia in the side. "He is good for you." Almost on cue, the timer for the oven sounded. "Ugh, finally! Now we can ice these cupcakes." As both Christine and Anya focused on the oven, Natalia set her can on the counter and walked outside, on a determined path. Walking right up to Eric, she smiled brightly at him.

"Hey what's-" He was cut off by Natalia getting on her toes and giving Eric a soft yet meaningful kiss on the lips. If there wasn't a backyard full of screaming kids aged between 2 and 6 she would have kissed him more passionately but she she knew that would tie them over until later on. "What was that for?" He asked when they broke away, giving her another kiss this time on the forehead.

Natalia shrugged and smiled, walking back towards the kitchen. "For just being you."