Chapter 11

She opened the door and then stood back as he entered. She didn't say a word for a few minutes as she could see the sheer shock on his face. 'I guess he's taking it better than I had expected.' Calleigh thought to herself as she closed the door after him when he silently walked through to his kitchen, hunched over with a blank expression. 'Oh my, I guess he is taking it as bad as I thought he would. He's literally walking like an ape dragging his knuckles along the ground.' She thought to herself as she bit her lip and lightly frowned.

"Eric, I am truly sorry for all of this, I know it is a massive shock to you, I do completely understand." Calleigh said softly as she followed him through to the kitchen. She couldn't handle the silence anymore, the tension that was building got too high for her. She watched him flick the kettle on before he leant on the work surface with his back to her. She could see that he was consciously maintaining a steady breathing pattern. 'I guess I'd be the same if someone I knew walked up to me after two years and told me that I had a son.' She thought to herself.

"Would you like a coffee?" He asked quietly. 'Is he angry? Upset? Distraught? Happy? Confused? I do not know what he is thinking right now. I wish he'd give me something to go on.' She thought to herself.

"Please." She said softly and he pulled two mugs from the cupboard. She could see that he was tense.

"I thought you were dead, Calleigh." Eric said flatly as he put the coffee in the mugs before the sugar and milk.

"I am so sorry, but you have to believe me, I did it to protect Tyler. I knew he was never Jay's, I knew he was yours. I was going to tell you after I had spoken to my sister. I really was. The stress of work, the stress of knowing I was pregnant and with a man that hated children and was a complete jerk, the stress of having to tell you that I was pregnant and to tell you that I slept with you while with Jay. I knew you didn't want a child, but I couldn't go through with an abortion. You weren't ready for a baby, Eric, even I know that. I couldn't do any of it Eric." She begged quietly as she stood in his kitchen.

"You have to understand that is this a lot to sink in, especially after today." He said as he turned around to her and she nodded as she pressed her lips together and looked up at him understandingly.

"I know it is Eric, and I don't expect anything from you at all. I don't expect you to support me and Tyler, I don't expect you to drop everything and start a new life and I don't expect you to step up and be become a father to Tyler overnight. Eric, I simply needed to tell you." She said as she shook her head softly as she looked at him and furrowed her brow as Eric swallowed and turned back around.

"Another man brought Tyler up?" Eric asked lowly and she pressed her lips together.

"I knew you were not ready for fatherhood, Eric. That I don't blame you for at all, please understand that. I wanted the best life for him and at that point in time it was to rid my life from Miami and start fresh. It was a confusing time and I'd convinced myself that the best thing for Tyler was to not have a father. Tom is not his father, he doesn't call Tom his dad; he knows he's not. Tom just helped me start new." She said softly.

"I would have stepped up to fatherhood Calleigh. It took two of us to create him, it should have taken the both of us to bring him up too. The least you could have done was told me." Eric said lowly as he poured the water into both mugs once the kettle was boiled. "How'd you meet him? When? You weren't sleeping with him at the same time were you? Are you with him now?" Eric questioned when Calleigh didn't say a word. She looked down at the work surface and knew that she had done wrong, but she knew she couldn't change the past.

"I met him online, we had been chatting for months, we developed a strong friendship and we'd often Skype. I had never met him in person before moving up to California. He knew I was pregnant, I told him as soon as I found out and he advised me to talk to you. I texted Brynn, my sister that I was pregnant and that I really needed to talk. When I didn't get a text or call back from her, I rang her and asked her to come over, which she did. I then told her everything. She said she'd put on dinner while I went to the shop and when I came back, she was gone… I tried to get a pulse but when I didn't, I just ran and I realised I'd texted Jay instead by accident. I ran as far as I could and then rang Tom. He told me to go to California and I did, he met me and he made it all better. All I wanted to do was rid my past from my memories, I didn't want anything to do with anything from Miami." She said as Eric placed her coffee in front of her.

"You ran to a stranger that you had never met with my son? You let another man bring up my son without even telling me? I couldn't think of a worse betrayal, Calleigh. I would have stepped up to the mark, I would have put Jay away that instant, instead he killed again and you ran off with another man with my son. You denied me of the privilege to bring up my own flesh and blood." Eric exhaled with his back to her. She closed her eyes and looked down to the floor. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Are you with him now?" Eric asked as he turned around and she nodded at him while she swallowed.

"We're on a break, I think. He said that I shouldn't tell you, that it had been too long. But I can't have Ty growing up not knowing his father, that's not fair on him and I couldn't tell Tyler that Tom was his dad. He's got Tyler at the moment." Calleigh said softly as she studied Eric's face. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Eric leant on the counter and then rubbed his face and eyes after he pushed her coffee over to her. He took a deep breath and just looked down at the table. "I understand if you need time, you can have all the time you want, but I would like you to be in Tyler's life, if you'd allow it." Calleigh said softly as she stepped forwards and lowered her head to try and make some eye contact with Eric.

"I'd like to be a part of his life, but I need to take this slow, I need time to get my head around this." Eric said as he lifted his head and looked at her and Calleigh nodded

"As I say, you can take as long as you like." She said and Eric nodded as he swallowed.

"Can I see him again?" Eric asked and she pulled the small photo from her pocket and handed it to him again.

"He's got your eyes." Eric said as he looked up at Calleigh and studied her green eyes.

"Yeah, my eyes but everything else is you, he's so handsome." Calleigh said softly as she looked from the picture up into Eric's eyes. "You can keep that photo if you like." Calleigh said softly and he looked up at her and then nodded.

"How long have you been in Miami for?" Eric asked softly once he'd calmed himself down considerably and placed the photo on the side.

"A couple of days, I've been trying to psych myself up to go into the lab to talk to you, but when I did, Zoë was attacked." She said softly and Eric nodded as he looked down.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted and how I spoke to you Calleigh." Eric said softly as he looked back up to her and then lifted the coffee to his lips. He could feel that he needed an energy boost.

"Don't mention it, I understand, you all reacted the same way - it's what I expected. But I had expected you all to come round to the truth a lot easier. I think I also expected to see that nothing had changed. But everything's changed. Horatio's married and has two babies on the way, I never thought I'd see that day. I didn't see Ryan though, where was he? Why'd it take so much for you all to believe me? I mean, I know that it's slightly hard to believe, but you all refused to accept it." She said softly and Eric nodded as he took a deep breath.

"We've all lost our trust a little in those who we don't know." Eric said softly as he looked down, he didn't really want to get into any of that with her.

"Is Jay in prison?" Calleigh asked and Eric nodded as he sipped his coffee again.

"He killed another girlfriend after we couldn't pin him for your murder… well, your sister's murder, it wasn't until Zoë was with us that she was able to get him to confess and look at both cases with a fresh pair of eyes. She put herself in direct danger to get him." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded as she looked down and took a deep breath as she pressed her lips together.

"I could have prevented that murder if I had stepped forwards." Calleigh said as she shook her head and sighed.

"Yeah, you could have." Eric said and she looked up at him slightly surprised but she knew that she couldn't get annoyed with him because it was true. She looked back down and picked up the coffee to take a sip before placing it back down and holding it with both hands.

"How long after my disappearance was I replaced?" She asked softly as she looked back up to him.

"You weren't replaced, but H hired Zoë not long after you'd gone." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded. He then saw the curiousness burst in Calleigh's eyes.

"Did he know her then? Were they in the relationship then?" Calleigh asked and Eric shook his head as he sighed. 'Would they even allow me to talk about them? Calleigh won't hurt either of them. She's not like that. If she's going to be in my life more she's going to need to be caught up to date with most things.' Eric thought to himself.

"It was the first time they'd met each other directly, but they've had indirect contact with each other for years without even knowing it." Eric said softly, he didn't want to give Calleigh too much information on them.

"She seems pretty smart." Calleigh said softly as she looked down at the coffee in her hands.

"Smart is an understatement, she's quite literally a genius, she probably has a higher IQ than Walter and I put together. She is a very unique woman and I would advise you to tread carefully around her for now." Eric said softly, but wanted to warn Calleigh so that she wouldn't mess with Zoë.

"Why?" Calleigh asked as she mildly frowned at him and placed a hand on her hip.

"She will mess with you if you upset her, or if you do something she doesn't like. She's exceptional at her mental games and her manipulation skills are so good that you don't even realise she's used them against you. She is very smart, Calleigh. That's only the tip of the ice berg with Zoë." Eric said softly with a small smile.

"She doesn't sound like a very nice person if I'm honest." Calleigh said softly as she crossed her arms and she could feel herself becoming slightly jealous again.

"She's lovely, she really is lovely. She's generous, she's exceptionally compassionate and she's a very loyal friend. You just need to get to know her and you'll see that side of her. She is very defensive towards those she doesn't know and very untrusting, especially if people argue with her when they first meet her or if they make assumptions like thinking she was my girlfriend and not Horatio's wife. So, I wouldn't expect warm hugs and girly talks with her just yet. She's been through a lot in her life, and to get to where she's at now, I applaud her." Eric said softly.

"You sound like her boyfriend…" Calleigh muttered as she lifted the coffee to her lips again.

"I'm telling you how it is, you said she doesn't sound like a nice person, I'm telling you she is. She just doesn't sound like a very nice person right now because you upset her. I'm warning you that if you upset her, you will see her not so lovely side." Eric said as he stood up straight.

"You're very protective of her as well, aren't you?" Calleigh asked softly as she put her coffee down.

"I'm close with both H and Zoë, yes, I may be protective of Zoë but it's an involuntary thing that has developed. I've seen what they've been through together and I will stand by the both of them for as long as they'll allow me. I've seen Zoe die a few times in right front of me… she's saved my life plenty of times and always has my back. So yes, I am protective of her." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded. 'Well that's a sensitive subject…' Calleigh thought to herself as she glanced down to her coffee.

"Is that due to her heart condition?" Calleigh asked curiously and Eric frowned at her. 'How does she know that?' Eric questioned himself.

"I heard the doctor and a few others talking about it." Calleigh said softly as she saw that Eric wanted an explanation.

"Not all due to her heart condition." Eric said as he thought about the time he walked into the house and saw Horatio sitting over her body when she'd been poisoned. He swallowed when he felt that same feeling of hurt and dread. He even remembered what she was wearing it became so clear in his mind again. He exhaled violently to rid the horrible memories before he looked back up to Calleigh. "If you're going to be down here a lot more often, you're going to see her a lot more and I advise you that you think about what you say before you say it. Horatio will often give you signals as to whether you're treading on thin ice, and you should listen to those signals." Eric said softly but firmly so she could see the seriousness of the situation.

"I think I can deal with a pregnant hormonal woman Eric, I was one once." She said as she placed her hand on her hip with a raised eyebrow as she tried to pull off a cheeky smile in hope of raising the atmosphere in the room.

"It's more than that, I'm not willing to give you the details as it's personal, but listen to what Horatio is telling you. If he asks you to back off, you do it immediately and don't question." Eric said softly and Calleigh pressed her lips together and frowned mildly.

"Don't you think Horatio is just a little over the top? How is Ryan doing? Was he out on a case earlier? It would be good to see him too, I've missed you all." Calleigh asked and she watched Eric sigh and then shake his head as he looked down. He took a deep breath and then exhaled.

"Don't even go there; the situation between the team is extremely complex. You're not going to see Wolfe as he no longer works with us, please don't question me on why or anyone else for that matter. Horatio is not over the top, in fact, he's quite mellow for what they've been through. If I were in their shoes I'd probably be locked up in a padded cell right now." Eric sighed as he looked up at Calleigh.

"Have things really been that bad?" Calleigh asked as she frowned and crossed her arms.

"Yes, and probably worse than what you're thinking. But then there have been the highest points in our lives in the past two years, so it balances out really. Horatio and Zoë are constant targets of criminals, they probably always will be, that will be something you learn if you're here more." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded with a small nod. "Anyway, we shouldn't be discussing Horatio and Zoë." Eric sighed as he picked up his coffee and took a few sips.

"I know, how have you been these past two years, have you done anything exciting or anything?" She asked softly.

"I've been good, obviously, your death unsettled me… it unsettled the entire team, but it got easier. I wouldn't say anything exciting has happened as such, the biggest thing that has probably happened was being involved in a plane crash and being stranded on an uninhabited island for a week." Eric said and Calleigh's eyes widened. She looked shocked to say the least.

"Did anyone die? Who else was there?" Calleigh asked with her mouth open slightly.

"The two pilots and the steward died, the plane was sabotaged." Eric sighed softly as he looked at her warmly.

"What about the other passengers?" Calleigh questioned, she looked genuinely concerned.

"It was just the team, Zoë hired a private jet as we had to fly to Brazil to catch Mason Owen; he escaped from prison… He was caught eventually though as we were obviously rescued." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded. He could still see the shock in her eyes. "You've really missed all the fun Calleigh." Eric said as he looked down to his coffee before he sipped it.

"How much does hiring a private jet cost? She must be in the money." Calleigh said as she raised her eyebrows and leant forwards on the work top.

"I wouldn't imagine it's cheap. I don't know of their money situation, but I know that they're very wealthy; Zoë comes from a very wealthy background and H never seemed bad off himself." Eric said softly as he lifted the mug to his lips and sipped it again.

"What does her family do? Do they have their own business or something?" Calleigh asked softly and Eric could still see the curiousness in her eyes which had him slightly on edge. 'Why is she so interested in Zoë?' He thought to himself.

"I'm not saying anything more about Zoë, Calleigh. If and when you get to know her, you can ask her, it's not my place to say anything." Eric said sharply and Calleigh nodded and knew she was pushing it again.

"You're getting defensive again." She mumbled softly as she looked down. He stopped bringing his mug to his lips and looked back up at her. 'What is her problem?' Eric questioned himself.

"That's because it's her private life, she doesn't want me to share it with others. I'm not a gossip, I respect her and her wishes." Eric said softly as he put his mug back down on the counter loudly.

"Have you slept with her? Before she and Horatio got together?" Calleigh asked curiously, trying to figure out why he was so protective and defensive of Zoë.

"No, never." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded, she could see his honesty so was happy. "She and Horatio hit it off pretty much immediately, but it wasn't for a few months where they both realised the other liked the other even though most of Miami could see it, they were blind to it themselves." Eric said softly with a small tender smile. It did make him feel happy to think back and realise that they got together in the end. He knew that they both deserved it.

"What about Ryan? She looks like Ryan's type, I bet he had the eye for her as well and was devastated when she got with Horatio." Calleigh said softly as she looked back up with the mug in her hands.

"I'm not going there." Eric said flatly as he turned and put his mug in the sink. She nodded and immediately knew she was on thin ice. She lightly bit her lip and looked down for a moment. "Anyway, where are you staying and what are you planning on doing now?" Eric asked softly as he turned back around and calmed himself down considerably.

"I was going to stay in another hotel, then go back to California tomorrow; Tyler is missing me." She said softly and Eric nodded with a small smile, but she saw the slight disappointment on his face.

"Are you planning on staying up in California?" Eric asked her softly and she nodded and then saw yet more disappointment in his eyes.

"For the foreseeable future anyway, Tom is in the middle of a contract, he can't leave." Calleigh said softly.

"What does he do?" Eric asked with a slither of curiosity burning in his eyes.

"He's a construction site manager for a few new up and coming buildings." Calleigh replied and Eric nodded as he looked down. 'Much better than a CSI then…' Eric thought to himself. "He's really good with Tyler, so you don't need to worry about that. I'd like to bring Tyler down here in a few weeks perhaps, so you could meet him?" She asked and Eric nodded as he looked back up.

"If you need longer than a few weeks then tell me, I don't mind." She said softly.

"I don't know yet, I'll let you know though. I just don't know how long it's going to take for it all to sink in." He said softly and Calleigh nodded and then handed him her number after she wrote it down. He looked at it and then stuck the number to his fridge to remind him to put it into his phone later that day. "What are you doing at the moment? How are you still surviving? I mean, you're technically deceased." Eric asked curiously as he turned back and leant on the counter. He looked a lot more at ease that he had done when he entered his house.

"I'm not working, I use Brynn's name if I absolutely have to, but Tom supports us fully." She said softly and Eric nodded before he took a deep breath.

"We're going to have to sort this mess out. Does your Dad even know you're alive?" Eric questioned as he furrowed his brow, he couldn't believe he was even asking such a question.

"No, I was going to see him after I told you, he doesn't even know that I knew I had a sister. Brynn found me." Calleigh admitted as she looked down. 'She lied to her own father?' Eric questioned himself.

"We need to go to the station so you can give your statement and we can then declare Brynn as dead, not you. Obviously people like Frank are going to be questioning, but if you tell them that you don't want to talk about it, they should listen. Or give them a brief explanation. Then you have to tell your Dad." He said softly and she nodded.

"Eric, I want you to know I am truly sorry. I didn't want to ruin your life, I didn't want you to feel pressured into becoming a father, it was my fault; I didn't get the morning after pill after that condom split when I said I would, you even offered to come with me, but I said that it was okay. I was too busy, I should have told you. It completely slipped my mind for the first 2 weeks after, then I realised that I didn't get the morning after pill." She said quietly. 'I remember now, yeah. The condom split and I was going to go with her to get the morning after pill but she insisted that she'd get it on her way to work after stopping off at the shop.' Eric thought to himself and then nodded at her.

"Why did you sleep with me if you were with Jay? I thought we could have something, I thought you had feelings for me." He said and Calleigh looked down as she nodded. She pressed her lips together and sighed.

"I know Eric, I did have feelings for you. I still have feelings for you, I always will; you're my baby's father. I slept with you because he was making life difficult and he was convinced I was cheating on him. Eventually, I did cheat on him because he was making life so hard and was already convinced that I was sleeping with someone else so I didn't see the harm in actually cheating if I was being treated like that. You made me feel special Eric, I felt like I was wanted which is why I went back to you time after time. I would have broken it straight off with him if you had actually told me that you wanted me though. I just thought that you wanted a bit of fun, nothing like a relationship." She said as she looked away. He sighed and looked down himself.

"You should have come straight to me Calleigh, why didn't you get out of the relationship if it was that bad?" Eric asked as he looked back up at her with a concerned expression.

"I know I should have gone to you, but I was ashamed; I didn't want to admit that I'd got myself into a mess with a psychotic killer. I was afraid of him at times. You don't know how hard it is to get out of a relationship like that until you've experienced it. Really, you know I'm not one to be pushed around, but he had some sort of invisible hold over me. I wish I had got out of it sooner, I really do, but I couldn't." She said and Eric sighed as he looked down.

"Did he ever hurt you?" Eric asked quietly, but she could hear the slight anger in his voice and she knew he would go to have words with Jay in prison.

"He only used threats and would get in my face to intimidate me, he only hit me once and that was when I kicked him out and then he killed Brynn." Calleigh said as she looked down.

"Oh Cal, you should have come straight to me." He said as he walked around the counter and then gently pulled her closer and gave her a hug.

"I know. Thank you Eric." She said as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Come on, we're sorting this mess out now." Eric said softly and Calleigh nodded as she pulled back.

"We don't have to tell anyone that Tyler is yours, or just yet anyway if you don't want to." She said softly as she looked up to him while they walked out and to Eric's car.

"I think we'll leave that story for another time, telling everyone that you're alive will be a shock enough." He replied and she nodded as she looked down with a small smile.

"I've missed you Eric." She admitted as she looked back up at him with a brilliant smile.

"I've missed you too, Calleigh." He replied as they got into his car.

XXXXXXXX

Alexx stood before Eric and Calleigh, looking exceptionally shocked after Calleigh had given Alexx a brief description of what happened and how she's alive.

"It really is you, Calleigh?" Alexx questioned, she still couldn't quite believe her and she nodded at Alexx with a warm smile.

"DNA has confirmed it." Eric said softly and Alexx looked back to Calleigh and furrowed her brow. 'Oh my gosh, it really is her!' Alexx thought to herself.

"Calleigh, we've all missed you." Alexx said as she stepped forwards and gave her a light hug.

"I've missed you all too." She said as they broke from the hug. Alexx didn't know what to feel, she was happy, confused, excited and slightly distrustful of Calleigh all at once.

"Who else knows?" Alexx asked as she stepped back and looked to Eric from Calleigh. She simply didn't know what to do with herself.

"Everyone now, I've just got to go and find my Dad now." She said softly and Alexx nodded as he looked back to Calleigh with a mild frown.

"Does Horatio know?" Alexx asked and Calleigh nodded as she looked to the floor with a sigh.

"He's not exactly happy though." Calleigh said softly and Alexx nodded when Calleigh looked back up at her.

"Don't take that personally Calleigh, he's in defence mode. He's going to be a father and you know that Horatio is naturally protective. He's extra protective over Zoë, it's not just you." Alexx said softly and Calleigh nodded with a small smile.

"Eric's given me the update." She said softly and Alexx nodded and then looked to Eric. 'Just how much has he told her? I hope he's not told her too much, they won't be pleased with him otherwise.' Alexx thought to herself.

"Will you be back with us?" Alexx asked softly when she looked back to Calleigh.

"No, sorry Alexx, I'm living in California, I just couldn't live with myself anymore knowing what happened and having you all think I was dead." She said softly and Alexx nodded and pressed her lips together for a brief second. She could see that Alexx didn't know what to think and Calleigh didn't blame her, she'd be the same if anyone else had done the same thing.

"Keep in touch though?" Alexx asked and Calleigh nodded with a small smile appearing.

"Of course I will." She said softly and Alexx nodded. Calleigh then got a phone call and said bye to Alexx when it was Tom calling, she knew that Tyler wanted to talk to her. Eric followed her out after giving Alexx a nod.

'I'm unsure if this day has been one big dream, or if it really happened. I have a son?' Eric thought to himself.

XXXXXXXXX

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Horatio questioned Zoë when she took a deep breath. She glanced up at him and nodded with a warm smile while she sat between his legs and laid back on him on the sofa.

"Are you okay?" Zoë asked and Horatio nodded. "Are you sure? You seemed quite shocked with what Calleigh said." She said quietly.

"I was shocked, the Calleigh I knew years back didn't pass judgement on anyone and wasn't rude at all. 2 years may have changed her, but I think she was jealous more than anything so that's why she said the things she did." Horatio said gently as he began to rub her belly.

"Why is she jealous?" Zoë questioned.

"I think she's jealous of the friendship you have with Eric, the fact that you're my wife and we have two babies on the way?" Horatio said softly.

"Why would she be jealous of that?" Zoë questioned.

"I'm not sure, I'm just guessing. I was good friends with her, she never saw me happy with any woman, all I ever did was work. Perhaps she's a little jealous that you've managed to change who I am? She always tried to include me on the team outings, I never went. It might also be the fact that I hired you after she left… she could be thinking that I replaced her cold-heartedly and then fell in love with you. There's many reasons." Horatio said warmly and Zoë nodded.

"Did you ever like her more than a colleague?" Zoë asked bluntly and he shook his head.

"No, we were good friends but only at work, I never spoke to anyone outside of work. It was just professional with all of us. Calleigh is definitely not my type." Horatio said and Zoë began to smile at him.

"What is your type then?" Zoë questioned.

"Well… my only type is a very sexy, beautiful woman who has long brown hair, brown eyes with a wicked personality and a rather large belly at the moment. Also, she's married… so I guess that's my type." Horatio replied quietly, seductively.

"WHAT? Who is she?!" Zoë shouted at she sat up and turned to him.

"Zoë" Horatio said as he sat forwards and took hold of her hands just as she began to cry. "Zoë, I'm talking about you sweetheart, think about it. You know you're the only woman in my eyes, you know I only love you and that I'll lever leave you." Horatio said warmly as he sat forwards and cupped her cheek. She looked at him for a few minutes. 'Well… that didn't work out as well as I had hoped…' Horatio sighed to himself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think…" she said quietly as she looked at him with gentle eyes.

"You need to stop worrying about stuff like that sweetheart." Horatio said warmly and she nodded.

"I know, I just didn't even include myself in what you were describing me even though it was clearly obvious with the big belly comment." She said as she looked down to his lap with a smile tugging at her lips.

"Did I forget to mention that I love her with all my heart and always will?" Horatio questioned and she began to grin as she gently pushed him back and laid back down on him, on her side.

"We love you with all 3 of our hearts and always will. Horatio, you're turning me on again." She said as she looked at him with sweet eyes.

"What am I doing?" Horatio asked confused as he could hear the slight whinge in her voice about it. He knew she was tired and didn't want to go another round.

"You're just being you." She grinned at him while she big her lip.

"There isn't much I can do about that, sweetheart." Horatio replied with a grin as she placed a hand over her belly.

"I wonder how Eric's doing?" she questioned as she looked back to the TV as if their entire conversation path had just changed.

"Okay, I hope, I'm sure he'll update us soon. It's going to be a massive shock to him." Horatio said and Zoë nodded.

"I'd say… he's just found out he's got a son! Eric… and a son? Wow, who'd have thought it? He'd make a great father though. Not as great as the handsome Daddy that I'm sitting on though." She grinned at him and then moved to gently kiss him.

"Ouch! Your daughters have just punched both of my lungs and ribs I think…" Zoë said as she began to rub her stomach which caused Horatio to chuckle lightly. She smiled at him and then put her head down on his shoulder. "I'm just so glad today is over and done with." She said, changing the subject once more.

"I am too, sweetheart." Horatio agreed as he began to play with her hair and rub her stomach.

"Let's hope that nothing else remotely bad happens ever again… I just want our daughters here with us now." Zoë said as she began to run her hand over his chest.

"We'll have them with us in about 16 weeks, that's not too long to go now." Horatio said warmly and she nodded with a smile before she kissed him again and went back to relaxing with him.

The End

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Despite having written over 30 stories now... I still can't quite master endings! Next story is "Only Human" - first chapter will be posted on Monday (busy weekend).