Disclaimer: I don't anything. Not CSI:Miami or Martha Stewart. ok i own annoying Barbara, but that's not something to be too proud of. Soo enjoy.

A/N: This is a response to the Eric/Calleigh Christmas challenge.

Challenge Words.

Mistletoe

Snow

Reindeer

An attempt at cooking gone wrong.

Ketchup

Icicles

Gold Fish

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It was the afternoon before Christmas Eve and Calleigh was just walking into her apartment, when she heard what sounded like a women yelling at someone. Normally this would have caused her to call the police, or draw her gun but she new that it was 3 pm and that her boyfriend, Eric, would be watching his favorite TV show. Eric Delektorsky would never admit it, but his favorite thing to watch on TV at 3 pm in the afternoon, was Martha Stewart Living live.

"Eric?" she called as she went through her mail. 'Bill, bill, christmas card, bill.' She walked into the living room and smiled. Eric was watching TV with his mouth slightley open, in awe. They had been dating for 4 months, but Calleigh already knew that Eric was the one. Though she still hadn't told him that she even loved him. Giving him a key to her apartment had been a huge step for her, and Eric knew that. He never pushed her, even though he had already told her that he loved her so long ago.

He looked up. "Hey baby. You have to watch this! Martha was making this huge christmas dinner, with this honeyed ham, and everything, but the guest co-host accidentally set the oven 200 degrees too high. Everything burned and now Martha's freaking out." he said with a smile.

Calleigh looked at the screen, and was amazed to see Martha Stewart yelling at an elderly woman. 'Well I guess she forgot that the show's live now.' she thought.

"What the hell is wrong with you! You ruined my christmas dinner you f-..." the tv quickly cut to a commercial.

Calleigh laughed. Leave it to Eric to love to watch a domestic ex-con yell at a little old lady. Calleigh knew that he did like to watch for the recipes, but he'd never admit that.

Eric looked away from the TV, and kissed his girlfriend. His girlfriend! He still couldn't believe that she wanted him. She was beautifull, smart and sexy. Why him? He knew that he'd never fell for a girl like this before. He loved her and he knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with her.

"You packed yet?" he asked.

"Yeah. You brought all your stuff?" she asked. She didn't realy need to ask. He had packed when she had asked him to come to Lousianna 3 weeks ago. He would miss his family, but he wanted to meet Calleigh's family. Plus a white christmas was calling his name.

"Yeah I'm all set. This is my first white christmas." he proclaimed for the hundredth time.

"OMG It is?" she cried sarcastically. He'd told her how excited he was to see snow. She told him that it wasn't anything to special, but nothing could faze him. Eric was excited about meeting her family. Now that he thought about it, he's never been serious about someone to meet their parents...

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They boarded the plane at midnight. Halfway throught the journey Caleigh decided that now was the time to let Eric in on a tiny detail concerning their trip.

"Baby?" she whispered. It was late, and most people on the plane were asleep.

"Yeah." he looked over. He had just finished his breakfest of eggs and toast. 'Maybe i should wait till he's sleepy?' she thought. 'No you have to tell him now.'

"Umm, listen when we get to my parents house, could you not mention that we're dating."

"Uhh what? Why wouldn't I mention that we're...Calleigh you did tell them, right? They know i'm coming right?" The last part came out at higher pitch and much more squeaky then he had intended it to have, but Eric didn't care.

Calleigh gave him a sheepish look. "Of course I told them that you're coming." Eric sighed in relief. "I just haven't told them we're dating." Eric's eyes bulged. This was not happening.

"Why didn't you tell them? You've met my whole family! Why... why?" all he could seem to say was 'why?'

"Eric, listen my family wont even notice! Even if I tell them, they wont care. My family is great at denial, and ignoring the obvious! You should have seen them when they met my sister-in law." She said.

'That was supposed to make this alright?' he thought.

"Besides, it's not even that big of a deal." She said finally.

"Not a big deal!" He shouted.

Eric and Calliegh looked around and realized that everyone on the plane was looking at them. Eric took a deep breath and started to play with the complimentary ketchup packet that had come with his breakfest. 'Is she insane?' he thought. 'How could she not tell them? Was she ashamed of him?' Eric felt horrible. He didn't speak for the rest of the plane ride.

They landed and were met by Calleigh's oldest brother Bill.

"Lea!" He shouted. Calleigh ran into the arms of her older brother, and instantly felt better.

Eric Observed the older man. He looked like a younger version of Calleigh's father, Duke, but he had the same golden blond hair as Calleigh.

Bill looked up to see Eric, and extended a hand. Eric took it, and couldn't help but notice the hard squeez he received. Obviousley not all of Calleigh's family was as oblivious as she said. Eric recognized that handshake. It was the same one he gave when he was introduced to his sisters' boyfriends. If Bill knew about Eric and Calleigh dating, he didn't show it.

"How was your flight?" He asked in his thick southern accent. Calleigh and Bill started to talk, and Eric stayed quiet. Relieved that he didn't have to talk, Eric thought about what had happened on the plane. They were in Bill's car and Calleigh was looking at him as though she had just asked him a question.

"What? Sorry i must have zoned out there." He said when he finally realized that she had been talking to him.

"I said, look snow." she said as she pointed out the window.

He looked, but all of a sudden snow did not seem like the most exciting thing in the world. All he could think about was how stupid and cold it was.

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They arrived at the house, and everyone else in the house was asleep, which was a relief to Eric. Before Bill had left he showed Eric the room he would be staying in. It was hot pink and the walls were covered in posters of 80's bands. Eric realized that this must be Calleigh's old bedroom. There were pictures of Calleigh as a teenager with her family. Despite being angry with her, Eric couldn't help but smile. Calleigh usually didn't allow people into her personal life. Eric knew that not many people in the world could say that Calleigh Duquesne had once loved Duran Duran, and judging by pictures, that she used to play the guitar.

Eric stripped down to his boxers, pulled on a t-shirt and climbed into the small twin bed. He was slowly starting to fall asleep when he was awoken by the moving of someone else in the room. The mystery person climbed into the bed with him. He opened his eyes to find Calleigh wearing a sexy black nighty, that he was sure could give him a heart attack.

"Calleigh." he whispered. She smiled at him, leaned over and kissed him. He kissed her back, and after a few minutes he felt her tongue move across his lips. He opened his mouth, and moaned as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. She moved her tongue and explored his mouth. He moved back, and moved his mouth down to bite her bottom lip, making her moan loudly. He pulled back to look at her. She had her signature turned on face on. Her hair was slightly ruffled and her lips were red, and swollen.

"Calleigh." he pleaded. He wanted her too, but his want to see his 30th birthday was greater.

She ignored him, and climbed over top of him and straddled him. Eric groaned, while Calleigh smiled when she felt how hard he was underneath her.

"Calleigh." He said for the third time. "We can't. You know I want to baby, but we're in your parents house."

She leaned down and whispered into his ear."Haven't you always wanted to mess around with a girl in her old room?" and added in a husky, sexy voice; "I'm sure my old Catholic school uniform is in the closet."

Eric felt himself grow harder. She was evil. He rolled her onto her back and carefully hovered over top of her.

'He was defeated, she won. He loved being the loser.' he thought. "We can pack the uniform for later." he said. Calleigh bite her lip as he moved closer to her. He was in the middle of pulling her panties down when he remembered something.

"Wait. I thought we were fighting." he said.

'Was he serious?' "Well we're not anymore." She said hopefully.

"Ohh come on." he said, giving her a serious look.

"Whatda think I'm trying to do." she mumbled. He smiled, and then remembered he was supposed to be mad, so he stopped.

She looked up at him. 'He was serious. Great.'

"Eric, I'm sorry about not telling them, but you have to understand that my family isn't very welcoming, especially when it comes to my boyfriends."

He softened a little."Your not ashamed of me?" He asked, afraid of the answer.

"What?" She sat up, grabbed Eric's hand, and brought it to her chest. "I would never be ashamed of you. How could you think...? Eric," she looked seriously into his eyes. "I love you."

They looked at each other, slightly shocked. "You've never said that." he said finally. "I know. I meant it. I love you Eric." It was getting easier to say it.

He moved down and kissed her. "I love you too Calleigh." He licked his lips, and remembered what they had just been doing. She smiled up at him, and raised her eyebrows. He took his shirt, and boxers off. He then started to take her clothes off. She loved this part. She always let Eric undress her, just to watch his face. He always had this look of concentration. It was the same look he had when he was working on a case. Calleigh always found herself fantasizing about him when they worked together. Finally, he looked up at her with smile on his face. He slowly slid into her warm folds, and made love to her.

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Calleigh woke up hours later, still in Eric's strong embrace. She looked around, and realized that she must have fallen asleep. She smiled when she replayed the nights events. She climbed out of the bed, and looked at Eric. She shivered when she thought about them making love on her old bed. They were always amazing together, but this time was different. It had been slow, and intimate. She smiled down at him. She really did love him.

She sneaked down the hallway, and started to get ready.

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An hour later Eric was walking down the stairs. He was greeted by Duke Hayes, and Calleigh's mother. Eric was not at all surprised to see a that her mother looked exactly as Calleigh, but with a few more years on her. He was introduced to everyone in the family, and realized that Calleigh was not exaggerating, when she had said that her family would be oblivious to their relationship. He was introduced as Calleigh's friend but he didn't care. He knew how Calleigh felt about him.

Calleigh was making the rounds with Eric. Always close by to introduce him to her family. She kept touching his arm, and touching him lightly on the shoulder. She couldn't go right out, and kiss him, but he knew that she was trying to show him how much she cared about him. Eric was starting to have a good time. He went upstairs to change for Christmas dinner, while Calleigh went to help her mother in the kitchen.

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The party was in full swing, and Calleigh was mingling with her family, when she saw the back of a tall, and handsome Cuban man, talking to her 3 brothers, Jake, Bill and Kevin. Her tall, and handsome Cuban man. She walked up behind him, and was about to hug him from behind, when he turned around. Calleigh had to bite her lip so that she wouldn't laugh out loud. Eric was wearing a red sweater with a huge cartoon face of a reindeer with a red nose. She looked up to see his face. Before she could speak, he interrupted her.

"Your grandmother made it for me, and insisted that I wear it." he said. His face was already red in embarrassment, and she looked to see her brothers snickering behind him. She glared at them, and they stopped. "I think it looks great on you." She said finally, and kissed him on the cheek.

"So Eric, you and Calleigh work together?" Jake asked, while ignoring Calleigh kissing Eric.

"Yeah, I used to work in underwater recovery, then I became a CSI, and well the rest is history." He said.

"Did you know that the perfect murder weapon is an icicle." It was more of a statement then a question. "We have a lot of those down here, especially this time of year." He said while winking. 'What was this guy trying to say? Was that a threat?' Eric thought. Eric looked like a deer in headlights. Finally Kevin, Calleigh's younger brother started to laugh. "We're just joking with you," he said. Eric let out a breath, and Calleigh smiled, glad to see that her brothers approved.

She looked over to see her cousin, Barbara make her way towards them. Barbara and Calleigh were the same age. They had gone to the same high school. They basically grew up together. Calleigh had found that Barbara was always trying to upstage her. If Calleigh received straight A's, then Barbara had A+'s, When Calleigh started dating, Barbara seemed to steal the attention away from Calleigh's dates to her. It went on like this for years. SAT scores, College grades, the only time Calleigh had beat her was when she was crowned senior prom queen. From then on Barbara had stepped the competition up. 'Be nice Calleigh, it's Christmas.' She thought

"Calleigh Duquesne! Now when did you get here?" Barbara cried. She walked up to her and gave her a hug. She was holding a bowl of gold fish crackers, and offered Calleigh some.

Calleigh cringed. "No thanks, i'm allergic. Remember?"

"Ohh yeah," Barbara squealed in her thick southern accent. "I remember when we were 12, and you tried them for the first time," Barbara started to giggle. "Your face was blotchy for weeks." She cried.

Calleigh was using ever fiber within her not to tackle Barbara. Calleigh gritted her teeth. "Yeah it was hilarious. I almost died. It was great time." She mumbled to herself. Eric heard this, and knew that Calleigh must be uncomfortable. He looked up to Calleigh's brothers, they were looking at Calleigh as though she was about to explode. They obviously knew that this was a touchy subject with her. Eric put his arm around her shoulder. "Well baby, i gotta say that you look incredible in that dress." She smiled up at him.

"My now who is this handsome gentleman?" She asked as she appraised Eric.

"Oh, this is Eric Delko. Eric this is my cousin Barbara Duquesne. Eric's my boyfriend from Miami." She wanted to make it very clear that Eric was off limits.

Barbara didn't seem to be fazed by this. In fact she seemed to take it as more of a challenge.

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During Dinner, Barbara managed to get a seat next to Eric, and talked him up through all of the dinner. Eric politely responded back. Calleigh could tell that he was annoyed, but was too much of a gentleman to ask her to shut-up. Calleigh had the strange suspicion, that Barbara was telling him about some of Calleigh's most embarrassing childhood stories.

Calleigh Sneaked off to the guest room, to grab Eric's Christmas gift. A she was making her way back down the stairs, she saw that everyone was gathered around the dining room entrance. As she came closer she realized what was going on. Eric was standing next to Barbara under the mistletoe. Eric looked extremely uncomfortable, while Barbara faked embarrassment. 'Ohh no...' She thought.

"Well since it is tradition," Barbara chimed in. She leaned up, and kissed Eric.

Maybe is had been the fact that Calleigh and Eric had just made up, or the fact that she had told Barbara that Eric and her were dating. Maybe it was the embaressing stories, or the years of being second best to Barbara. Perhaps it was even the three glass's of spiked punch that Calleigh had had, or that she now saw that Barbara's hand was making its way down Eric's back. Whatever the reason, something inside of Calleigh snapped.

Calleigh marched up to Barbara, pulled her off of Eric, and sucker punched her. Before she even hit the ground, Calleigh had pulled Eric outside of the house.

"Calleigh I..."

"It's OK. I know," she said. Eric was relieved to see that she was more angry at Barbara then him. "I can't believe I just punched my cousin in the face." Calleigh said, her heart still pounding.

Eric chuckled, and pulled her close to him. "Your like my knight in shining armour." Calleigh laughed. Well next time it will be you that I punch."

They looked at each other.

"This trip has been crazy." he finally said.

Calleigh laughed. "Nope just a normal family gathering.You should have seen last year." Then her face turned serious. "Next year, we're going to your parents house."

He smiled down at her. "Whatever you want baby."

"I'm sorry." she apologized. She didn't know what she was apologizing for. It just felt like it needed to be said.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said, pulling her into a tighter hug. "Here." he pulled out a small box from his pocket. "Merry Christmas."

She opened the box to find an emerald ring. She looked up, and smiled at him. It was her birthstone. "Eric! You shouldn't have." He slipped the ring onto her finger. The green ring brought out her green eyes perfectly.

"It's snowing," she mumbled into his chest. "Merry Christmas."

"This is a the best gift i could have asked for." He said, while brushing a stray hair from her face.

She pulled away and took Eric's present out of her pocket. "Oh, so I should return these season Heat tickets that I got you?" She asked playfully.

Eric's eyes widened, as he tried to grab the gift. Calleigh playfully shook her head, and ran away, to make a snow ball. Before Eric could react, she had thrown it at him, starting a snowball fight, that Calleigh would go on to win.

The End.