#natalia round two came back for an episode and lasted that episode

[journeythroughtherain]

Observations on Buck's romantic endeavors on 911 so far:

There seems to be a pattern where the more we see of the love interest's friendship/interactions with Buck before they get together, the more more we see of the relationship/the longer the relationships lasts after.

Kind of like the longer the windup before the throw, the farther the relationship flies before it comes crashing down.

(Soooo I wonder which friendship of his would have a windup long enough to potentially launch the relationship into orbit...?)

[vintagemichelle91]

A Little Lesson in Expecting: Chapter 3

Authors’ Note: Happy Sunday dear readers!! Hope you all had a restful weekend! Now, as we move into month four of Natalia’s pregnancy...lets find out what she will be having!!! @rauliskafan and hope you enjoy! We so look forward to your feedback!!!

           Clutching Rafael’s hand, Natalia took a deep breath. This wasn’t her first pregnancy, but after all that had happened she did not want to take any chances and chose to err on the side of extra caution. The cool gel swirling around her belly soothed her nerves as the technician prepared for the test, and Rafael stared at the screen, always looking mesmerized by the mere idea of twins.

           “You okay?” he gently asked when Natalia squeezed his hand a little tighter.

           She let out a small, shaky breath, “I’m fine… still just trying to take it all in.”

           “It was unexpected…”

           “In more ways than one,” Natalia conceded as she turned back to the screen and listened to the heartbeats. Two lives growing inside her this time… two small souls that would fill their lives with more love than what they could have ever imagined.

           “You know I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone but you,” Rafael whispered before placing a kiss on her temple. Smiling back, Natalia nodded her head, ready to speak when the technician spoke up.

           “Are you two ready to know what you’re having?” she asked.

           Glancing at each other, Rafael and Natalia shared another smile. “Yes,” he started. “I think we’ve had enough surprises.”

           “Point well made, Atticus.”

           He smirked and again they were in sync. “What are we having?” he asked.

           The technician zoomed in a bit on the monitor, no doubt to make sure she was correct before delivering the news. “And… it looks like you’re having two little girls! Congratulations”

           With a light laugh, Natalia sighed in relief. “Two little girls… I love the sound of that.”

            “Violetta will have to make room for them at her tea party,” Rafael said, blinking back a stray tear and kissing his wife’s hair.

           “You think she’ll be excited?” Natalia asked, her mind racing nervously as she imagined what Violetta might say on the matter, her three-year-old going on forty who was never afraid to speak her mind.

           “I’m sure she will, hermosa,” Rafael replied, pecking her brow.

           With his assurance, Natalia relaxed, picturing three sweet smiles, giggling one moment and weeping the next, her emotions and hormones in a beautiful state of overdrive leading towards happiness.

           “Atticus?” Natalia asked as scrolled through his email, most likely catching up with work since he had taken the rest of the day off to accompany her to the ultrasound appointment.

           “Hmmm… everything alright?” he quickly asked, forever a little worried this second time around whether she liked it or not.

           “I’m fine… are you?” Natalia tilted her head slightly and noted the faint exhaustion in his emerald eyes.

           “Why wouldn’t I be?” he challenged. “Got the verdict we wanted this week. Got you and the twins in the best of health.” Bowing his head, he kissed her belly, and Natalia tousled his hair.

           “It’s just… I can’t help but wonder if you… if you would have liked for one of the babies to be a boy,” Natalia said. “I mean I would understand if you---”

           To her surprise, he laughed and slipped his phone back into his pocket, Natalia’s eyes narrowing as she tried to follow his thoughts.

           “Glad my concern amuses you,” she said.

           “No, it’s not that…”

           “Then what?” Natalia questioned with a slight hitch to her voice, her hormones threatening to send her into a screaming fit.

           With a sigh, Rafael pulled his wife closer, taking her hand into his and bestowing a tender kiss on her palm. “I am laughing at my own joke…”

           “Care to let me in on it?” Natalia’s brow arched.

           “I was simply thinking that I’ve had so much more practice with girls that I should be considered an expert.”

            “I don’t know if I would call that a joke, Atticus,” Natalia replied. “But now your expertise is going to put to the ultimate test.”

           “And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Rafael assured with another kiss as the cab rounded the corner to their street. The leaves on the trees were just beginning to change from green to different hues of yellows, reds, and browns. Change was coming in more ways than one, but now it promised to arrive without a hint of fear.

“As long as these babies are happy and healthy, this news is just fine by me, hermosa.”

           His lips met hers before she could say anything else, and relief washed over her in a calming wave as the happiness of what was to come enveloped her. With another kiss, Rafael guided her out of the cab towards the townhouse steps. His hand found his way toward her tummy, and he peered into her sparkling brown eyes.

           “All good?” he asked.

           “Perfect. I’m sorry. I was just worried…”

           “Which is the last I want for you.” Rafael cupped her face in his hands and lightly pressed his forehead to hers.

            “I’ll do my best to remember that,” she said.

           “Our daughters are the luckiest girls in the world,” Rafael said with a hopeful smile, and Natalia couldn’t help but fall into his arms. “To have a wonderful Mami like you…”

           “And a perfect Papi like you.”

           “Remember that night we spent picking out Violetta’s name?” Natalia began to set the table for dinner, a personal pineapple and olive pizza for her per her craving and pepperoni for the others.

           “We played hooky and came up with a great name,” Rafael said, scooping Violetta into his arms and smothering her with kisses and tickles.

           The little girl giggled and squirmed in his hold. “The best name, Papi!”

           “Lo mejor para, mi muñequita,” Rafael concluded with one more kiss before setting her on the booster seat.

           Violetta clapped her hands in excitement. “First we eat and then we pick out names for the new babies!”

           “Think we can do it tonight?” Natalia asked.

           “I don’t see why not, hermosa.”

           The tattered book remained on the kitchen counter during dinner. Which the family ate quickly before moving to the living room, the pressure on, and Violetta determined that they would indeed have two names selected before the night was out. With bowls of ice cream in their hands, they settled on the sofa and Natalia flipped through the well-worn pages.

           “Mimi is such a cute name,” Natalia mused as she jotted it down on her notebook.

           Rafael’s brow quirked. “Another operatic name to go along with Violetta?”

           “Why not? One more and we could have our very own trio,” Natalia laughed lightly as she turned the page.

           Setting her bowl of ice cream down, Violetta narrowed her eyes at her parents. “That my thing. Sorry, but try again.”

           Rafael sighed but had to agree with her. “She’s right... and since mi hermosa flor is about to add to our garden…” Taking the book from Natalia’s hands, he began to page through the contents. “…some flowery names might be best.” Grinning, he found the page he was looking for and handed the book back to his wife.

           “You might be onto something here,” Natalia said as her eyes swept over the page.

           For the next hour or so, they played the name game, tossing out monikers such as Rose, Lily, Daisy, and every floral title that passed under their eyes. Violetta kept adding her input even as she became distracted by the latest episode of Doc McStuffins, making sure to remind Harold to pay attention for the next time they would need to fix a toy should their weekly tea parties get too rowdy.

           “I am not naming one of my daughters Petunia,” Rafael stated determinedly with just a hint of frustration in his voice.

           Violetta turned her attention away from Harold and the television screen. “That not a good name… it sound funny.”

           Natalia sighed and found herself agreeing with both of them. “I’d like them to match on some level… two perfect pretty sounds.” Sighing heavily, she closed her notebook. “Lily is pretty for one girl, but Lilac for the other baby is just not going to cut it.”

“It’s like we’re setting one up to be a debutant and the other is destined to take up residence in a commune or something,” Rafael groaned. Natalia nearly told him that that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world when her mind flashed back to their awful dinner with Ingrid Dodds, and she let the idea drop.

           “We need a break,” Natalia said. “To clear our heads.”

           After a short evening walk, the Barbas came back to the townhouse no closer to the solution, and Natalia felt slightly defeated as they returned to the sofa to look through the book one last time.  

           “Maybe we’re just over-thinking this?” Rafael suggested as he poured himself a serving of scotch.

           “But I want it to the names to be beautiful,” Natalia said.

           “Cause you guys did that the first time round,” Violetta giggled as she settled next to her Mami on the sofa, her green eyes focusing on the pages of so many names.

           “History can repeat itself,” Rafael insisted as he sipped his drink, and Natalia sighed.

“But it’s getting late,” Natalia said. “Maybe we should just pick this up in the morning.” Standing, Natalia set the open book beside Violetta, open to the H names.

           “H for Harold,” the little girl said, taking the big book to her tiny lap. “H my most favorite letter. It start happy and Harold and… okay I got it!”

           Rafael and Natalia turned around to face Violetta with amused expressions on their faces. She kicked the book to the ground and stood tall on the sofa cushions.

           “What did you get?” Rafael asked curiously.

           “The names. Come here, Mami.” Violetta motioned for Natalia to move closer, and she obeyed, still slightly confused. “Really, sweet pea? What are the names?”

           Violetta placed one little hand on Natalia’s belly. “You Hazel…” Then she moved her other hand to the other side. “…and you Holly. Okay. We done now.” With that she hopped off the sofa taking Harold with her.

           Suddenly Natalia felt the twins come alive from their slumber and with a flurry of little kicks, and she glanced back at Rafael, smiling as tears brimmed in her eyes.

           “I think they like it,” she placed a hand over her tummy as the kicks continued.

           Rafael smirked and set his glass down, picking Violetta up to kiss her pink cheeks. “As always, mi primera flor is right.”

           Violetta’s smile grew wider, seemingly just as proud of herself as he parents were.

           “Told you we could do it, Papi.”

           The night, Violetta got three songs and a story. Rafael couldn’t help but indulge her. She had figured out what they deemed impossible. But Natalia reminded herself that anything and everything could happen with a daughter like her. And a husband like…

           “She cracked the case,” Natalia said as Rafael entered their bedroom.

           “I wonder where she gets that from?” Rafael teased as he settled under covers with Natalia, his hand running gently across her tummy, the twins still, now named, still twirling.

           “Where in the world?” Natalia joked as he pulled her into his arms and their lips met. “I wonder---”

           “There are so many things I can make you wonder right now…” His hands brought down her nightgown strap, and his kisses found her shoulder.

           Natalia pushed him back slightly. “Before I allow you to… I thought I was your first flower?” she pouted, pretending to be hurt.

           Rafael stole kiss from her lips and held on to her as he whispered, “Tu eres la mejor flor… the one that makes the garden and every happy moment possible.”

           “Could you say anything sweeter?”

           “You have all night to find out.”

           Satisfied with his answer and hoping for more as her heart soared, Natalia settled into his arms, completely content as Hazel and Holly finally fell asleep.