A/N 1: If you missed the post-script in Chapter 1, this fic is titled after a lyric in Natalie Grant's song, "Held." The song is heartbreaking and gives a promise of hope and redemption at the same time, and it inspired the concept behind "Lilies Of The Valley."

A/N 2: I really, truly love this story...it will be beautiful if I can tell it right. There is an outline and I know where the story will end, but I don't know how many chapters it will take. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed re-reading it and revising it after all these years.

Chapter 2

Forty-five minutes and two Hefty bags later, Eric and Natalia sat alone in his kitchen. She had insisted on staying to clean up while he packed; the other six members of their team headed home, wishing Delko luck and instructing him to send Calleigh their love.

"You all done?" Nat asked. When she came back from taking the last of the trash to the dumpster, she'd found him sitting at the kitchen island, staring distantly into space.

"Yeah," he said, scrubbing his weary eyes with one hand.

"What time is your flight?"

Eric checked his watch. "Seven-oh-five. I've still got forty-five minutes before I need to leave."

Nat nodded. "I'll give you a ride to the airport so you don't have to park your car for…"

"…a week. Give or take," Eric muttered distractedly, rubbing his temples again.

His headache was full blown now, and as much as he hated depending on his meds, he couldn't fight it any more. He could barely think, let alone move from his perch on the bar stool.

"Do me a favor?" he asked Natalia tiredly.

"Sure," she answered. Before he could tell her what he wanted, she interrupted him in alarm. "Eric, you look pale."

Groaning, Eric gave a small nod and dropped his head to his hands. "First cabinet on the right, bottom shelf—there's a plastic container. Grab it for me?"

Natalia was confused, but she did as Eric asked. She soon realized what he needed when she pulled a small, clear box from the shelf. It was full of at least a dozen different medications. She could see that some of them were just flu medicines and the like, but that left numerous other (eight, she counted quickly) prescription bottles.

The woman fixed her friend with a penetrating glare. "I thought you were past most of the side effects from the shooting."

A faint blush crept up Eric's neck. He hadn't really thought about Natalia seeing all his meds, he just knew he needed them and didn't feel like getting them himself. Calleigh was used to the sight and it didn't bother her anymore.

"I only take four of these every day, Natalia," he said, trying to relieve some of his friend's surprise and concern. "The rest are just a precaution."

"A precaution! Eric…"

Her wide eyes darted away from Eric's face, searching the room for the right words. He waited patiently as she thought about how to respond. Finally, her eyes met his again, and when she spoke, her brows were furrowed and her voice quiet.

"It seems so long ago, but it's only been a year." She paused and looked down at the counter. "I don't think about it. You have to think about it every day. I forget."

She paused longer this time before looking back to Eric and softly asking, "Are you okay?"

He smiled warmly and reached a hand over to squeeze Natalia's. "I'm fine. I promise. Just a few bad headaches. I started having transitory hallucinations last October—nothing to worry about," he added at the look on Nat's face.

"It's actually a good thing, because my brain tissue is growing around the bullet fragment. And the new medication keeps me from seeing things," he chuckled.

Comprehension and concern slowly dawned on Natalia's face. "When you pop Tylenol at work…"

"Not Tylenol," Eric laughed. "I'm telling you, it's not a big deal. Calleigh keeps me on my toes."

His laughter faded away instantly at the mention of his best friend's name. For half a minute, he'd forgotten why he had a headache in the first place.

"She's the reason you're still here," Natalia stated matter-of-factly. Her heart clenched as she watched Delko swallow hard, the slightest moisture stealing into his eyes.

Nat's words hit him hard. Eric looked away, but when the lump in his throat persisted and he realized he couldn't put voice to words, the man gave up the fight and simply nodded.

Natalia saw her chance. "Tell me the truth," she demanded. "What's really going on with Calleigh?"

Eric's eyes snapped to hers and quickly away. He knew there was no use lying. Still, he let the silence simmer between them for a few moments before he answered, slow and even.

"I think she's missing," he finally admitted.

"You think?" Natalia cried.

Eric shook his head and attempted to explain. "Not—not like before. Duke was talking so fast, I could barely understand him. I think there was some kind of altercation after Cal's mom died, and she left."

"An altercation? With her family?"

He nodded. "It's complicated."

"Don't, Eric," Natalia warned. "You said you'd tell me the truth. I want the whole truth."

"What do you want me to say?" Eric asked her in reply. He was tired and his head was pounding.

"It is complicated. Calleigh's family is complicated. They don't know she was kidnapped. Duke was asking me what happened to his little girl, and I couldn't tell him, Natalia."

"But…" she prompted.

"But, he knew something was wrong. Cal's brother scared her, I think, and she knocked him on his ass. Then she took off. It's too much—all of it is too much for her right now. Her kidnapping…" Eric paused and decided not to go there. "Yeah, it's just...complicated."

Natalia said nothing; instead, she just took in what Eric was willing to give her. She wasn't actually sure what to say.

A long, laden moment passed, then Eric's voice sounded out in a broken whisper. "What if I can't help her, Nat?"

She sank down next to her friend and said, "You're probably the only one who can, Eric. She loves you."

When Delko didn't respond, Natalia cracked a smile. "I'm guessing you already knew that, though."

He managed a mirthless chuckle and soft, "Yeah."

"But…" Nat prompted again.

"No buts," Eric said simply, looking over at her with a shrug of his shoulders.

Funny, that he should be having this conversation with an ex-lover. Or fitting, because he and Natalia had grown to be good friends over the last couple years. She was one of Calleigh's closest girlfriends, besides Alexx, and she played an important role in both their lives.

He laughed at the surprise on Natalia's face. "Don't look so shocked. I'm not as clueless as people like to think."

"Sure you are," she countered seriously, "if you've known Calleigh loves you and haven't done anything about it. What the hell are you waiting on?"

"Calleigh."

"Calleigh, what?"

"I'm waiting on Calleigh."

Oh. Natalia suddenly understood, and she had a staggering new appreciation for Eric Delko. Once upon a time, he was the guy who couldn't remember whose bracelet was lost in his couch. Now, he was the man who patiently waited for the love of his life to be ready to love him back, the right way.

"You asked her before, didn't you?" she guessed shrewdly.

Delko's humorless chuckle was back. "Yeah," he admitted. "And she didn't really say no, she just chose Jake Berkeley instead."

Nat's eyebrows shot upward and her mouth formed a silent 'O.' The last eight months made so much more sense now. "She was running away."

Eric nodded. Looking down at his watch, he realized what time it was. They'd been talking for over half an hour. "We gotta go."

He didn't need to tell Natalia to keep their conversation private; he was confident their words would never leave the confines of his apartment, dead as soon as their authors departed.

They were mostly silent on the way to the airport. As Natalia steered the car into the unloading area at the departures gate, Eric asked one last, fearful question. "How do I fix this, Nat?"

She sighed and took one hand off the wheel to squeeze his. "You can't fix Calleigh, Eric. You tell her you love her."

You tell her you love her.

Eric pondered that all the way to Louisiana.