"Can you believe that Valera faked that allergic reaction? I wish I would have seen that." Ryan smiled as he gently kissed Calleigh.
Calleigh chuckled, "Yeah, I agree." She said.
Calleigh and Ryan were enjoying a small dinner in their apartment. They were sitting on the balcony and watching the sun go down.
Ryan looked at Calleigh and smiled. He loved her more than he loved life itself and he had no doubt that they were meant to be together.
She wanted children and marriage. He knew that. However, he didn't know if he was ready for any that, yet.
"What re you thinking of?" Calliegh asked.
Ryan snapped out of his thoughts.
"Just you and me beautiful." Ryan smiled.
"And what is it about you and me?" Calleigh smiled.
"I was thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life." Ryan smiled.
"Aw, Ryan. I feel the same way." Calleigh smiled, "I love you."
"I love you too Calleigh." Ryan kissed her again.
"Let's finish our meal and then I can show you how much I really love you." Calleigh teased.
Ryan groaned, "Don't tease Calleigh."
Calleigh chuckled. Ryan had never finished a meal as fast as he did that night.
The next morning Ryan woke up with Calleigh in his arms. She was snuggled against his chest.
That's when he heard a sound that he had never heard during his two years with Calleigh.
He heard her snoring.
He raised an eyebrow. He didn't know she used to snore. But that was probably because she had always woken up before him. Every single day for the past two years, she had been the early bird.
Ryan started chuckling at the sound of Calleigh snoring. Calleigh stirred.
"Ryan, what is it?" A sleepy Calleigh asked.
"You're snoring." He chuckled.
Calleigh more awake sat up and glared at him.
"I do not." She said.
Ryan nodded, "Yes you do."
Calleigh slapped his arm.
"What proof do you have?" She asked.
"I just heard you." He smiled, "You make short gasping sounds and your nose sound clogged." He chuckled.
"Do you want to know what you sound like?" She asked.
"I know, you told me before." Ryan said, "My nose makes whistling sounds." He said and continued laughing.
Calleigh grabbed her pillow and hit Ryan with it. It didn't stop him from laughing though.
"Ryan, it can't be that funny." She said, but was beginning to laugh a little as well.
Ryan nodded, "It is. It's the first time I've ever heard you snore." He said.
"Well, that because I am usually the early bird, silly." Calleigh smiled, "But this morning I needed a proper beauty sleep."
"You're beautiful all the time Cal." Ryan smiled, "No matter how little or much you sleep."
Calleigh kissed him softly on the lips.
"Thank you Ryan, I love you." She said then climbed out of the bed.
"Where are you going?" Ryan asked.
"I'm going to get some breakfast, I than I'm heading to the hospital to see how Horatio's doing." Calleigh called from the kitchen.
"Calleigh, it's only 8: 30, we don't have to go yet." Ryan said.
"8:30?!" Calleigh exclaimed and came running into the room to look at the time.
Ryan nodded.
"Shit! We're late!" She said.
"For what?" Ryan asked.
"Duh Ryan, for work." Calleigh said and started changing clothes from her nightgown to some work clothes.
"We have work today?" Ryan asked. He was still in the bed.
"Yes, it's Wendsday." Calleigh said, "Get you cute butt out of the bed and get dressed, we're already late." She smiled.
"You think my butt is cute?" Ryan asked as he climbed out of the bed.
"Yes, is that not good enough?" Calleigh smiled.
"It's good, but maybe sexy would be more me-like." Ryan smiled.
Calleigh shook her head, "No, your butt is cute." She smiled.
Ryan chuckled.
-I-
"Well look which two that decided to finally show up." Frank teased as Ryan and Calleigh arrived at the lab, at nine. One hour late.
"Sorry, we forgot the time." Calleigh said.
"That would be the first time for you. What did you guys do?" Frank asked.
"We were sleeping." Ryan said.
"Okay, Ryan you don't have to tell me stuff like that." Frank said.
"What? Oh no! I didn't mean sleeping like that." Ryan said.
"Sleeping like what?" Frank asked. Calleigh smiled, she knew Frank was just teasing Ryan.
"Sleeping as in sleeping with each other." Ryan explained.
"You sleep in separate beds?" Frank asked, "Why? Do you snore?"
Ryan sighed, "No, I mean… yes, I snore. But what I meant was that the reason that Calleigh and I were late was because we overslept." Ryan said.
"And you couldn't just have said that from the beginning?" Frank smiled.
"Relax, Ryan. Frank is just teasing you." Calleigh smiled.
Ryan glared at Frank.
"It is fun when you mix up what you're going to say." Frank smiled.
Ryan shook his head.
"What are we working with today then?" Ryan asked.
"A murder. A girl says that she shot her father, but the neighbors say it's the wife." Frank said.
He gave Calleigh and Ryan the address of the crime scene.
"Alexx is there waiting for you." Frank said just as Ryan and Calleigh were about to leave.
"Aren't you going there?" Ryan asked.
"No, some of us actually got to work on time this morning." Frank smiled.
"Come on Ryan, see ya later Frank." Calleigh smiled and climbed into the hummer.
"See ya Frank." Ryan said.
"Yeah, you too." Frank said.
Ryan and Calleigh left the lab parking lot.
They arrived at the crime scene rather quickly and Calleigh went looking for Alexx, while Ryan started photographing the scene.
"Hey Alexx." Calleigh smiled.
"Hey sweetie." Alexx smiled, "You're late." She said.
"Yeah, I know. Ryan and I overslept." Calleigh said.
"That would be the first time ever." Alexx chuckled.
Calleigh laughed, "Yeah, but you got to do it someday. Have you gone to visit Horatio yet?" Calleigh asked.
"First thing this morning. He's being released later today." Alexx said, "And guess what?"
"What?" Calleigh asked.
"Eric's mother knows about him and Horatio now." Alexx said.
"She does? Did Eric finally tell her?" Calleigh asked.
"No, she saw them kissing last night." Alexx said, "And she then told Eric that he was not her son."
"Ouch." Ryan said, "That wasn't good."
Alexx shook her head.
"How did Eric and Horatio take it?" Calleigh asked.
"Well, Eric is relieved but also sad; he just wants his parents to accept him." Alexx said, "Horatio doesn't really know what to feel right now, but I would think that has he the same feelings as Eric."
"So how are they going to solve it?" Ryan asked.
"According to Eric, his sisters Maya and Trish would handle everything." Alexx smiled.
"Is that good or bad?" Ryan asked.
"It depends on if which end of the curve you are on." Calleigh smiled.
"Care to explain?" Ryan asked.
"Well, in this case, if you're on Eric's and Horatio's side, it's good. But if you would be Raquel Delko right now it's probably not so good." Calleigh said.
"Raquel Delko is about to get a tongue lashing she won't forget any time soon." Alexx smiled.
"What about Eric's father?" Ryan asked.
"They'll go easy on him." Alexx said.
-I-
Once Maya got angry, it was hard to calm her down. And right now, she was very angry.
Her parents had hurt the family for the last time. They would either have to accept their son's life or loose all contact with their children.
Maya had called her father and asked him to meet her at quiet beach, for some privacy.
Even though she was beyond pissed, she would go easy on her father. No one believed that Joseph Delko actually had anything against Eric being homosexual. However, as long as he let Raquel decide and rule over him, he would never be truly free.
Which was strange, since Joseph had always been the strong and demanding one when Maya and her siblings had grown up. Their mother had been demanding too, but not as much as she was now. Raquel has always been in the shadow of Joseph. Now the roles were different.
"Maya." Joseph greeted his daughter as he sat down in the sand next to her.
"Hi dad." Maya said.
"What is it you want to talk about?" Joseph asked.
"I think you know that." Maya said.
"Eric." Joseph sighed.
Maya nodded, "Tell me what's wrong with him?"
Joseph gave her a confused look.
"Something is wrong with him?" Joseph asked.
"I don't know. You seem to think so." Maya said.
Joseph shook his head, "He's gay."
"Yeah, so?" Maya asked.
"It's wrong." Joseph said.
"According to who?"
"In the bible it says…"
"It's a book dad!" Maya interrupted, "Trust me I have nothing against religious people, but when the religion is destroying the family, then it's wrong." She said.
"He's is sleeping with a man." Joseph said.
"Yeah, so? What is that makes him any different from other people?" Maya asked, "Yes, he is sleeping with a man. There is an opposite of everything in life dad." She said.
"Maybe homosexuality is a sort of mutation. Since all living things have cases of mutations." She said.
She could see the wheels in her fathers head turning.
"Dad, nobody knows why there are homosexuals. But they are no different from any other human being." Maya said.
"Eric is different now." Joseph said, "He's filthy."
"No he's not!" Maya growled, "Before you found out that he was gay you would never have called him filthy! Before you found out, he was a good person and there was nothing wrong with him. But as soon you saw him kiss a man you decided that he was a bad man, and that he wasn't your son." Maya said, "How can you decide something like that in just one second? How can a kiss change your opinion on your own child?" She asked.
Joseph sighed.
"I expect an answer to those two questions." Maya said as she stood up.
"Where are you going?" Joseph said.
"I'm going to see mom." Maya said, "Let me tell you something else dad, all those times when you've hugged Eric or just spent time with him, every single moment you've spent with him he has been gay. He has been just as much gay as he is know, yet back then, you didn't see anything wrong with him. But he was the same person that he is now." Maya said, "He hasn't changed as a person dad, if you loved your son one year ago, what's stopping you from loving the same man now?" She said and left her father deep in his thoughts.
-I-
Raquel sat in her living room with her two daughters Trish and Maya across from her.
Raquel eyed the carefully, she knew why they were there.
"So how are you?" Raquel asked them.
"We're fine." Trish said, "And you?"
"Fine." Raquel said.
"Mom, we have something to say." Maya said.
"Let me guess you are here to defend your little brother?" Raquel asked.
Trish pretended to be surprised.
"Wow, mom how did you know that?" She joked sarcastically.
Raquel snorted, "He's is not my son anymore."
"Really? Can you just deny the blood band that you two share?" Trish asked.
"I don't have a fag son." Raquel said.
"Fag is such a stupid word. Eric is gay or if you prefer a homosexual." Maya said, "And you do have a gay son."
"Eric can go to hell." Raquel said, "I did not raise him to become gay!" She growled.
"No you raised us all to hate you!" Maya said.
"Maya calm down." Trish said.
"No, I am sick of her." Maya growled, "Mom, you can't raise someone to become gay, you can't choose to become gay either. Either you are gay or not! It's something that just is, and always has been a part of life, and it always will be." Maya said.
"He could live with a woman." Raquel snorted.
"But he wouldn't be happy with a woman. Eric wants to be happy and Horatio makes him happy. Why aren't you glad for him?" Trish asked.
"Glad? You want me to be glad for Eric?" Raquel snorted.
"Yes, isn't that what's most important for a parent? That their kids are happy." Maya said.
"Children." Raquel said.
"Screw you mom! Stop with your stupid corrections! Kids, kids, kids, kids." Maya said, "Am I pissing you off now mom? Kids, kids, kids, ops, I'm using the wrong word." Maya growled.
Maya and Raquel were yelling at each other faces and Trish stood next to them. Calm and collected.
"Out of my house!" Raquel said.
"Gladly!" Maya yelled and walked towards the door. She slammed it shut as she left.
Trish sighed and followed her sister.
Just when she was about to leave, she turned around and looked at her mother.
"You know, the reason that we don't like you is because you only care about yourself. You only want what's best for you and you try to decide everything in our lives." Trish said, "You better think about what's most important for you. Yourself or your kids. ´Cause soon we you'll loose all contact with us." With that said, Trish left.
-I-
Horatio and his team together with Valera were sitting on his and Eric's back porch.
They were all laughing as Valera told them about yesterday's events.
"So I faked an allergic reaction." Valera laughed, "And I manage to get that cute doctor in on it as well."
"I think you're in love with that doctor Valera." Calleigh smiled.
Valera blushed.
"Oh she sure is." Frank chuckled.
"Love at first sight." Valera smiled, "He is cute."
"You should fake another allergic reaction to get his phone number." Eric joked.
"No silly, only you would be stupid enough to do that, wait, Ryan would also be stupid enough to do that." Valera joked, "I'm going to do it the easy way."
"It's not stupid to fake an allergic reaction to get someone's phone number, it's actually quite romantic." Ryan said.
"Wow, Wolfe-boy is a romantic, who would have guessed that." Eric teased.
"So are you just going to walk into the hospital and ask for his number?" Calleigh asked.
"Yep, and maybe ask him on a date." Valera smiled.
"Well, he'll get one hell of a ride if you become his girlfriend." Alexx smiled.
Valera nodded, "Oh yeah!"
During the night, Ryan managed to get a moment alone with Alexx and Valera.
They were standing at the front yard of the house.
"So Ryan, this must be important." Alexx said.
"It is. I was wondering if marriage would be a good thing for me and Calleigh."
Valera shrieked and hugged Ryan, "Are you going to propose?" She asked.
Ryan hushed at her, "I'm thinking of it, I need to sort out my thoughts first." He said.
"Yeah, do that first and then ask us for advice." Alexx smiled.
"But a good thing on a ring for Calleigh would probably bee something green." Valera smiled as they all headed back to the porch.
TBC…
AN: Please review!