Of Nightmares and Pinkie-Swears, a CSI: Nick-Centric Fic
- Thread starter Jacqui
- Start date
racefh853629
Pathologist
Aww... that was cute at the end. I really like this story. 
Great update!
Great update!
:guffaw:ROTFLMAO! Best line ever! Especially from Grissom. :lol:
He finally got a little respect from Emily. At last! :lol:
And that Susan girl needs some major therapy. Sounds like she's got good reason to have anger issues. Poor thing.
Loved the ending, especially Nick's little "woo-hoo!" :lol: Perfect!
Last edited:
Speedystokesgirl
Judge
I second that! :guffaw:
This was a great chapter and I'm with Smokey, can Nick adopt me? Hmmm, you know he's going to need a wife to help out raising Cassie, I'd be happy to take that job! :bolian:
I'm glad Emily is finally relenting and that Nick gave her a piece of his mind.
This story is just so sweet. I hope Nick doesn't run into too much trouble adopting her.
Update again real soon!!!!
MacsGirlMel
Mac's Personal Assistant
love it, as always
Jacqui
Police Officer
You guys make me smile - as always thanks for the great feedback.
I think this is officially my 50th post
It's just more fluff, but I hope you enjoy!
“This is Stokes.”
Stokes’ son smiled upon hearing his father’s voice over the phone. “So is this.”
“Pancho,” replied the older man. “How are you, son?”
“I’m fine, sir,” Nick replied. “You got a minute?”
“Not really. I’m about to head to court. Respectable people are working at this hour, you know.”
Nick smiled at his father’s lighthearted barb. “Yeah, I know. Hey – I was just wondering if maybe you and Mom could come out to visit for a few days . . . there’s something I need to talk to you about, but I can’t get home. I’m working a case pretty closely.”
“Talk to your mother,” replied the judge crisply. “Tell her I said to book a flight. I’ll see you in a few days, Pancho.”
“Yes, sir,” replied the younger Stokes, because he knew he had no other choice. He hung up the phone and delayed calling his mother by taking a shower. It was only eight o’clock in the morning; his etiquette-conscious mother would have fainted if he’d called before nine.
A few days later he found himself sitting in his living room with his parents, who he already knew were expecting something entirely different than what he was about to give them.
“So, Pancho, what’s all this about?” asked Bill, his father.
Nick grinned and his face turned slightly pink with glee. “It’s about a girl.”
“Ohh . . . my Nicky’s finally fallen in love!” exclaimed Jillian, her face breaking out into a smile. “What’s her name?”
“Her name is Cassie, but-”
“Congratulations,” offered Bill, with an affectionate look on his face. “Where is she?”
Nick sighed. “It’s not what you think,” he said. “She’s a little girl.”
This prompted both elder Stokeses to wrinkle their brows. “What do you mean by little? How little?”
“She’s eleven,” he replied as he straightened, then dove headlong into an abbreviated explanation of how he met Cassie. “A while ago I worked a case up in Pioche . . . it’s a little town about two hours from here. Dad was growin’ pot in the basement . . . fifteen year old son bragged to some jocks at school about it so he could make friends. They came to the house looking for it with a gun. Dad and the kid were shot, and so was Mom. They tried to drug the little sister, slit her throat, and then threw all four of them into the lake, but the girl swam ashore. Everyone assumed she was dead but me. I found her, and we got her to the hospital, and she survived.”
His mother's eyes wide, she asked, “Because someone found you, Nicky?”
Nick nodded somberly in confession. “Yeah . . . missing kid, no one had any idea where she was, time wasn’t on our side – it tugged at my heartstrings more than a little. Anyway, Cassie testified at the criminal trial. I was there . . . afterwards, we talked . . . the Lincoln County sheriff who worked with us in Pioche took her in for a while, but things didn’t really go all that well-”
“Pancho . . .”
“. . . and then his wife got sick, and he couldn’t take care of her plus Cassie, so he put her in foster care.”
“Nicky . . .”
“After the trial wrapped up I started visiting her-”
“Nicky, I don’t like where this is goin’ . . .”
“I think she has undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder-”
“Getting personally involved with a victim, son? You know that’s not right.”
“The trial’s over. She’s a great kid, Cisco . . . she just needs some love and attention. There’s no reason I can’t go visit her.”
“Strictly speaking, you’re right-”
The mean, angry look Nick had inherited from his mother manifested itself, and he punctuated his equally angry words by thumping his index finger on the table as he spoke. “Cops do this all the time. They call it community service and they get medals for it.”
Bill sighed. “What are you hoping to get out of this?”
“I’m not hopin’ to get your permission,” he said pointedly. “If Billy didn’t need it before he married that hussy and Audra didn’t need it before she popped out five-pound triplets seven months after her wedding then I sure as hell don’t need it to give a lonely kid a home.”
“Oh . . . Nicky,” said his mother affectionately. “You rescued her once. It’s already more than anyone expected.”
“It’s more than that, Mom. I want to help her, I want to give her the home she deserves, but this is also about me, and how I feel when I spend time with her. I know I fight the good fight when I’m in the lab or in the field, but . . . that’s what it is. It’s fighting – you guys know that as well as anyone. For me to do my job someone has to go wrong somewhere. My job is to pick up the pieces of a mess someone else left behind. But when I get to spend time with Cassie, it’s different – it’s not cleanup, it’s not fixing something that was broken, it’s . . . .” Shaking his head, he looked up at his parents. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like Cassie makes me whole. She fills a void I didn’t know I had. I get so much out of spending time with her . . . and if by giving her a home and a family of her own again I can give a little of that back to her, and help her heal after her family died, then we’re both getting something out of it.”
Bill gazed at his son for a long moment. “I think we lost, Jillian.”
Nick smirked at his father. “You didn’t have a chance in the first place, Cisco.”
She sighed. “If this is what you really want, Nick, then of course you have our blessing. Is there anything we can do for you – anything you need help with to move the process along?”
“I’m going to need a lawyer, and some references. I’m gonna call the girls later on today,” he said, referring to his sisters.
“Well, I can sure give you a name. Let me do some looking, and we’ll talk when your mother and I get back to Dallas.” Bill then looked at Jillian. “He’s going to need that other thing, too, Jilly.”
“What other thing?” asked Nick, creasing his brow.
“We thought we were coming here to meet your future bride,” explained his mother, reaching into her purse. “But if you’re going to have a daughter, you’re going to need a house.” She handed her son an envelope.
Nick peered inside, and then looked up with an alarmed expression at his parents. “This is a hundred thousand dollars,” he whispered in awe.
“Your brother and your sisters each got money from us to buy a house,” explained Bill.
“This much?” asked Nick dubiously.
“No, not that much. But we put away as much for them as we did for you, and since you haven’t gotten married . . . it grew.”
“But it works out well this way. You’ll be able to put a sizeable down payment on a nice house, so you can still maintain the payment on your income.”
Nick gave his mother a wry look. “I’m not destitute, Mother.”
“But you only have one income, Nicky, and raising children is not free. You’re going to need a will and more life insurance, and some kind of disability insurance, if the city doesn’t already provide it to you-”
“Not a bad idea to have extra,” put in Bill.
“Yes, and make sure when everything is said and done to cover Cassie, as well – you know, on your life insurance policy, and your medical policy, and make sure that you establish a guardian for her.”
“Mom, nothin’s gonna-” Nick stopped himself. The fact of the matter was that things had already happened to him, and as unlikely as it was that something else would happen, his job did put him in the path of dangerous people and he did carry a gun. He looked down at the table for a moment, and then swallowed, looking at both of his parents. “I’ll make sure.”
“It could be us, you know.”
Nick met his father’s gaze. “You’d take Cassie if something happened to me?”
His mother chuckled. “Oh, Nicky . . . really. Any child of yours – whether by the traditional method or by adoption – is our grandchild.”
He smiled. “That’s good to know.”
Nick’s mother patted his hand. “Well. Let’s move forward now. We can take a look at some houses today to get an idea of what you want and need. Then we can make a list of everything you need to get in order.”
“And sooner or later, Pancho, we’ll want to meet Miss Cassie.”
“Sure,” replied Nick with a smile, and then spent the next several hours talking about Cassie, her personality and her hobbies, as well as his hopes and fears for her future.
That evening, which was Monday, Nick tried to get a hold of Audra. By Tuesday morning she had still not returned his phone call, so when he got home from work he made himself a pot of coffee and sat down in front of his computer to chat with her while she started her day at work.
ninny415: Audra
ninny415: r u there?
audra.stokes: Good morning, Ninny! How was work?
ninny415: let’s say i took more than one shower
audra.stokes: With lemons?
ninny415: fortunately no lemons
ninny415: you got a sec for your baby brother, dadra?
audra.stokes: You are forty years old and have typing skills. Don’t call me Dadra.
audra.stokes: And yes I do have a “sec.”
ninny415: don’t whine. it’s not becoming of an elderly accounting geek.
audra.stokes: What do you want, Sicky Nicky?
ninny415: ha ha ha. i need some help.
audra.stokes: What did you do?
ninny415: nothing – it’s what i’m gonna do.
audra.stokes: Are you OK, Nicky? Are you sleeping? Having nightmares again?
ninny415: why do you instantly jump to the box incident?
audra.stokes: Because the box incident scarred you, stupid. Even if everyone else pretends like it didn’t happen, I’m not blind and I’m not afraid to say it to your face.
audra.stokes: Not literally, but you know what I mean.
ninny415: thanks for saying it to my face.
audra.stokes: No problem. What are you going to do? I heard Mom and Dad came to visit.
ninny415: they did. they brought me money.
audra.stokes: Why?
ninny415: for a house.
audra.stokes: O. M. G.
audra.stokes: You’re *finally* getting married!!
audra.stokes: I am so happy! For me! Mom will finally stop whining about you not being married! About you not giving her any grandchildren! You would think she’d be satisfied – she’s got fourteen of them, for cryin’ out loud, and I gave her five – that’s almost half. Woo-hoo! A sister-in-law I won’t be ashamed of!
ninny415: lol audra
ninny415: u r funny.
ninny415: i’m not getting married
audra.stokes: Damn.
ninny415: but i am giving mom number fifteen.
audra.stokes: WHAT?!!
audra.stokes: <--- Heaving extremely heavy sigh
audra.stokes: Nicky . . . You dunderhead!
audra.stokes: You couldn’t wait for a raincoat and you got someone knocked up.
ninny415: why do you automatically assume i did something that irresponsible?
audra.stokes: Because you are a spoiled little boy who always gets his way.
ninny415: am not
ninny415: and i didn’t get anyone pregnant
audra.stokes: Yes, you are, and you’ll have to explain number fifteen without a baby.
ninny415: i’m going to adopt Cassie
audra.stokes: <-- stunned.
audra.stokes: Ninny!
audra.stokes: You can not drop a bomb like this on me at work!
ninny415: how is your original assumption that i got someone pregnant less of a bomb?
audra.stokes: Shut up.
audra.stokes: <-- stunned.
audra.stokes: What do you need from me?
ninny415: a reference for my application
audra.stokes: Done.
ninny415: can you come meet her?
audra.stokes: Oh, Ninny…
ninny415: please
ninny415: mom and dad waved their hands and gave me their magic blessing
ninny415: but i want someone to see how special she is
audra.stokes: To understand why you have to do this.
ninny415: yeah
audra.stokes: All right. I’ll plead family emergency.
ninny415: Thanks, Audra.
audra.stokes: You know I’d do anything for you, Nick. I wish you would ask more often.
ninny415: when i have an 11 year old i’ll probably need to.
audra.stokes: This’ll be hard for Billy, you know.
ninny415: not my fault. he shouldn’t have married a hussy who didn’t want kids.
audra.stokes: doesn’t wear her ring most of the time
ninny415: doesn’t act like she’s married
audra.stokes: Even if they did have a kid I’d always doubt it was Billy’s.
ninny415: billy wouldn’t
audra.stokes: Sad but true.
audra.stokes: Listen little brother – I have a meeting in five. I’ll call you when I have a flight.
ninny415: ok. see you soon dadra.
audra.stokes: Watch it, Sicky Nicky!
__________________________________
(c) 2008 J. H. Thompson
I think this is officially my 50th post
It's just more fluff, but I hope you enjoy!
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
“This is Stokes.”
Stokes’ son smiled upon hearing his father’s voice over the phone. “So is this.”
“Pancho,” replied the older man. “How are you, son?”
“I’m fine, sir,” Nick replied. “You got a minute?”
“Not really. I’m about to head to court. Respectable people are working at this hour, you know.”
Nick smiled at his father’s lighthearted barb. “Yeah, I know. Hey – I was just wondering if maybe you and Mom could come out to visit for a few days . . . there’s something I need to talk to you about, but I can’t get home. I’m working a case pretty closely.”
“Talk to your mother,” replied the judge crisply. “Tell her I said to book a flight. I’ll see you in a few days, Pancho.”
“Yes, sir,” replied the younger Stokes, because he knew he had no other choice. He hung up the phone and delayed calling his mother by taking a shower. It was only eight o’clock in the morning; his etiquette-conscious mother would have fainted if he’d called before nine.
A few days later he found himself sitting in his living room with his parents, who he already knew were expecting something entirely different than what he was about to give them.
“So, Pancho, what’s all this about?” asked Bill, his father.
Nick grinned and his face turned slightly pink with glee. “It’s about a girl.”
“Ohh . . . my Nicky’s finally fallen in love!” exclaimed Jillian, her face breaking out into a smile. “What’s her name?”
“Her name is Cassie, but-”
“Congratulations,” offered Bill, with an affectionate look on his face. “Where is she?”
Nick sighed. “It’s not what you think,” he said. “She’s a little girl.”
This prompted both elder Stokeses to wrinkle their brows. “What do you mean by little? How little?”
“She’s eleven,” he replied as he straightened, then dove headlong into an abbreviated explanation of how he met Cassie. “A while ago I worked a case up in Pioche . . . it’s a little town about two hours from here. Dad was growin’ pot in the basement . . . fifteen year old son bragged to some jocks at school about it so he could make friends. They came to the house looking for it with a gun. Dad and the kid were shot, and so was Mom. They tried to drug the little sister, slit her throat, and then threw all four of them into the lake, but the girl swam ashore. Everyone assumed she was dead but me. I found her, and we got her to the hospital, and she survived.”
His mother's eyes wide, she asked, “Because someone found you, Nicky?”
Nick nodded somberly in confession. “Yeah . . . missing kid, no one had any idea where she was, time wasn’t on our side – it tugged at my heartstrings more than a little. Anyway, Cassie testified at the criminal trial. I was there . . . afterwards, we talked . . . the Lincoln County sheriff who worked with us in Pioche took her in for a while, but things didn’t really go all that well-”
“Pancho . . .”
“. . . and then his wife got sick, and he couldn’t take care of her plus Cassie, so he put her in foster care.”
“Nicky . . .”
“After the trial wrapped up I started visiting her-”
“Nicky, I don’t like where this is goin’ . . .”
“I think she has undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder-”
“Getting personally involved with a victim, son? You know that’s not right.”
“The trial’s over. She’s a great kid, Cisco . . . she just needs some love and attention. There’s no reason I can’t go visit her.”
“Strictly speaking, you’re right-”
The mean, angry look Nick had inherited from his mother manifested itself, and he punctuated his equally angry words by thumping his index finger on the table as he spoke. “Cops do this all the time. They call it community service and they get medals for it.”
Bill sighed. “What are you hoping to get out of this?”
“I’m not hopin’ to get your permission,” he said pointedly. “If Billy didn’t need it before he married that hussy and Audra didn’t need it before she popped out five-pound triplets seven months after her wedding then I sure as hell don’t need it to give a lonely kid a home.”
“Oh . . . Nicky,” said his mother affectionately. “You rescued her once. It’s already more than anyone expected.”
“It’s more than that, Mom. I want to help her, I want to give her the home she deserves, but this is also about me, and how I feel when I spend time with her. I know I fight the good fight when I’m in the lab or in the field, but . . . that’s what it is. It’s fighting – you guys know that as well as anyone. For me to do my job someone has to go wrong somewhere. My job is to pick up the pieces of a mess someone else left behind. But when I get to spend time with Cassie, it’s different – it’s not cleanup, it’s not fixing something that was broken, it’s . . . .” Shaking his head, he looked up at his parents. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like Cassie makes me whole. She fills a void I didn’t know I had. I get so much out of spending time with her . . . and if by giving her a home and a family of her own again I can give a little of that back to her, and help her heal after her family died, then we’re both getting something out of it.”
Bill gazed at his son for a long moment. “I think we lost, Jillian.”
Nick smirked at his father. “You didn’t have a chance in the first place, Cisco.”
She sighed. “If this is what you really want, Nick, then of course you have our blessing. Is there anything we can do for you – anything you need help with to move the process along?”
“I’m going to need a lawyer, and some references. I’m gonna call the girls later on today,” he said, referring to his sisters.
“Well, I can sure give you a name. Let me do some looking, and we’ll talk when your mother and I get back to Dallas.” Bill then looked at Jillian. “He’s going to need that other thing, too, Jilly.”
“What other thing?” asked Nick, creasing his brow.
“We thought we were coming here to meet your future bride,” explained his mother, reaching into her purse. “But if you’re going to have a daughter, you’re going to need a house.” She handed her son an envelope.
Nick peered inside, and then looked up with an alarmed expression at his parents. “This is a hundred thousand dollars,” he whispered in awe.
“Your brother and your sisters each got money from us to buy a house,” explained Bill.
“This much?” asked Nick dubiously.
“No, not that much. But we put away as much for them as we did for you, and since you haven’t gotten married . . . it grew.”
“But it works out well this way. You’ll be able to put a sizeable down payment on a nice house, so you can still maintain the payment on your income.”
Nick gave his mother a wry look. “I’m not destitute, Mother.”
“But you only have one income, Nicky, and raising children is not free. You’re going to need a will and more life insurance, and some kind of disability insurance, if the city doesn’t already provide it to you-”
“Not a bad idea to have extra,” put in Bill.
“Yes, and make sure when everything is said and done to cover Cassie, as well – you know, on your life insurance policy, and your medical policy, and make sure that you establish a guardian for her.”
“Mom, nothin’s gonna-” Nick stopped himself. The fact of the matter was that things had already happened to him, and as unlikely as it was that something else would happen, his job did put him in the path of dangerous people and he did carry a gun. He looked down at the table for a moment, and then swallowed, looking at both of his parents. “I’ll make sure.”
“It could be us, you know.”
Nick met his father’s gaze. “You’d take Cassie if something happened to me?”
His mother chuckled. “Oh, Nicky . . . really. Any child of yours – whether by the traditional method or by adoption – is our grandchild.”
He smiled. “That’s good to know.”
Nick’s mother patted his hand. “Well. Let’s move forward now. We can take a look at some houses today to get an idea of what you want and need. Then we can make a list of everything you need to get in order.”
“And sooner or later, Pancho, we’ll want to meet Miss Cassie.”
“Sure,” replied Nick with a smile, and then spent the next several hours talking about Cassie, her personality and her hobbies, as well as his hopes and fears for her future.
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
That evening, which was Monday, Nick tried to get a hold of Audra. By Tuesday morning she had still not returned his phone call, so when he got home from work he made himself a pot of coffee and sat down in front of his computer to chat with her while she started her day at work.
ninny415: Audra
ninny415: r u there?
audra.stokes: Good morning, Ninny! How was work?
ninny415: let’s say i took more than one shower
audra.stokes: With lemons?
ninny415: fortunately no lemons
ninny415: you got a sec for your baby brother, dadra?
audra.stokes: You are forty years old and have typing skills. Don’t call me Dadra.
audra.stokes: And yes I do have a “sec.”
ninny415: don’t whine. it’s not becoming of an elderly accounting geek.
audra.stokes: What do you want, Sicky Nicky?
ninny415: ha ha ha. i need some help.
audra.stokes: What did you do?
ninny415: nothing – it’s what i’m gonna do.
audra.stokes: Are you OK, Nicky? Are you sleeping? Having nightmares again?
ninny415: why do you instantly jump to the box incident?
audra.stokes: Because the box incident scarred you, stupid. Even if everyone else pretends like it didn’t happen, I’m not blind and I’m not afraid to say it to your face.
audra.stokes: Not literally, but you know what I mean.
ninny415: thanks for saying it to my face.
audra.stokes: No problem. What are you going to do? I heard Mom and Dad came to visit.
ninny415: they did. they brought me money.
audra.stokes: Why?
ninny415: for a house.
audra.stokes: O. M. G.
audra.stokes: You’re *finally* getting married!!
audra.stokes: I am so happy! For me! Mom will finally stop whining about you not being married! About you not giving her any grandchildren! You would think she’d be satisfied – she’s got fourteen of them, for cryin’ out loud, and I gave her five – that’s almost half. Woo-hoo! A sister-in-law I won’t be ashamed of!
ninny415: lol audra
ninny415: u r funny.
ninny415: i’m not getting married
audra.stokes: Damn.
ninny415: but i am giving mom number fifteen.
audra.stokes: WHAT?!!
audra.stokes: <--- Heaving extremely heavy sigh
audra.stokes: Nicky . . . You dunderhead!
audra.stokes: You couldn’t wait for a raincoat and you got someone knocked up.
ninny415: why do you automatically assume i did something that irresponsible?
audra.stokes: Because you are a spoiled little boy who always gets his way.
ninny415: am not
ninny415: and i didn’t get anyone pregnant
audra.stokes: Yes, you are, and you’ll have to explain number fifteen without a baby.
ninny415: i’m going to adopt Cassie
audra.stokes: <-- stunned.
audra.stokes: Ninny!
audra.stokes: You can not drop a bomb like this on me at work!
ninny415: how is your original assumption that i got someone pregnant less of a bomb?
audra.stokes: Shut up.
audra.stokes: <-- stunned.
audra.stokes: What do you need from me?
ninny415: a reference for my application
audra.stokes: Done.
ninny415: can you come meet her?
audra.stokes: Oh, Ninny…
ninny415: please
ninny415: mom and dad waved their hands and gave me their magic blessing
ninny415: but i want someone to see how special she is
audra.stokes: To understand why you have to do this.
ninny415: yeah
audra.stokes: All right. I’ll plead family emergency.
ninny415: Thanks, Audra.
audra.stokes: You know I’d do anything for you, Nick. I wish you would ask more often.
ninny415: when i have an 11 year old i’ll probably need to.
audra.stokes: This’ll be hard for Billy, you know.
ninny415: not my fault. he shouldn’t have married a hussy who didn’t want kids.
audra.stokes: doesn’t wear her ring most of the time
ninny415: doesn’t act like she’s married
audra.stokes: Even if they did have a kid I’d always doubt it was Billy’s.
ninny415: billy wouldn’t
audra.stokes: Sad but true.
audra.stokes: Listen little brother – I have a meeting in five. I’ll call you when I have a flight.
ninny415: ok. see you soon dadra.
audra.stokes: Watch it, Sicky Nicky!
__________________________________
(c) 2008 J. H. Thompson
MacsGirlMel
Mac's Personal Assistant
love it There were some great funny parts to the chat I think.
There were some great funny parts to the chat I think.
dunderhead! LMAO! The part about his mom fainting if he called her too early made me giggle. It reminded me of that stupid Mother's Day commerical where the mothers all faint when their kids call them on Mother's Day. :lol:
Loved the convo between Nick and his sister. And the stuff about his brother Billy's wife was funny.
Loved the convo between Nick and his sister. And the stuff about his brother Billy's wife was funny.
I'm loving this. I love the conversation between Ninny and Dadra very funny but at the same time realistic. I could see this happening on the show I'm looking forward to the next update. I jsut hope you don't have the authorities giving Nick too much of a hard time with wanting to adopt Cassie. Now that I've mentioned it you probably will
I'm looking forward to the next update. I jsut hope you don't have the authorities giving Nick too much of a hard time with wanting to adopt Cassie. Now that I've mentioned it you probably will Speedystokesgirl
Judge
I read the latest update last night, but didn't have time to respond.
Great chapter. Love his conversation with his sister. "Couldn't wait for a raincoat" :guffaw: That so sounds like something a sister would say.
Gee, I wish my parents could give $100,000, but I'm glad they're supportive of his decision.
I love the nicknames you have for everyone.
Well, when's he going to tell his extended family?
Update soon!
Great chapter. Love his conversation with his sister. "Couldn't wait for a raincoat" :guffaw: That so sounds like something a sister would say.
Gee, I wish my parents could give $100,000, but I'm glad they're supportive of his decision.
I love the nicknames you have for everyone.
Well, when's he going to tell his extended family?
Update soon!
Jacqui
Police Officer
AN: If I may borrow a word from Nickelbee: Y'all are sweet :adore: and I hope you continue to enjoy. A question, though, if anyone knows - is it permissible to double-post if your chapter is too long to post all at once? This'll have to be a bit shorter, b/c the whole section is too long.
A strong, dark knuckle rapping on wood alerted Elizabeth Halles to the presence of Warrick Brown and Nick Stokes. They stood expectantly at her door, waiting to be invited into her office.
“Hey,” she said in greeting as she looked up. “C’mon in and have a seat.” She reached for a stack of papers to her left and fanned them out in front of her on the desk. “You guys ready to put another one away?”
They took seats in her visitor’s chairs. “I am – ‘specially this creep,” said Warrick, rubbing his eyes.
“Long shift?” asked Elizabeth sympathetically.
“Double,” replied Nick, looking at his partner. “Nothin’ new. But at least I get to go home and sleep. Warrick’s got a honey-do list waitin’ for him.”
Elizabeth smiled warmly at Warrick. “Ahh, love.”
Smirking at Elizabeth, he replied, “What my smart-assed friend over here doesn’t realize is that pretty soon, there won’t be any goin’ home to sleep for him, either.”
She put her chin in her hand and turned her smile to Nick. “Ah. Love?”
Nick shook his head. “Not like that,” he said. “Hey – you remember Cassie McBride, right?”
“Sure. Sweet kid. I was thinking about her yesterday; she never called me. I hope she’s all right.”
“She’s good,” said Nick with a nod and a secret smile. “If you want to talk to her, I can hook you up.”
Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow. “Oh – you’ve been in contact with her?”
Nick nodded. “Quite a bit, in fact.” He stole a glance at Warrick, who was grinning at him.
Warrick chuckled when he caught Nick’s eye. “Oh, spill it, Nicky – you know you want to.”
Nick looked up at Elizabeth almost shyly. “I’ll be filing a petition today for guardianship of Cassie.”
Elizabeth smiled, truly pleased. “Really?” He nodded in confirmation. “Wow, Stokes. I knew there was a softie in there somewhere.”
“Yeah, he’s a big pile of goo,” teased Warrick. Nick smacked his shoulder for his trouble.
“Will you be formally adopting her?” asked Elizabeth.
Again, Nick nodded in affirmation, and when Elizabeth congratulated him, his cheeks took on a pink hue. Just yesterday, the attorney to which his father had referred him had handed him the papers to sign and return to him, and he had his copy sitting on the passenger seat of his truck. The originals were in the care of David Martin, waiting for a stamp of approval. Realistically, Nick knew it would take much more than a mere stamp, but this fact didn’t stop him from being happier than he’d ever been. The blush and the goofy grin stuck to his face even as they moved on to discuss the stalker whose criminal trial would start the following day.
When their discussion was over, Warrick left to go home to Tina, but Nick lagged behind a moment. “I’m going out to visit Cassie tonight. We’ll probably just have dinner and maybe find a park, but if you want to come along . . . .”
Now it was Elizabeth’s turn to blush; she was touched. “Oh – I don’t want to intrude on your time,” she said.
He shook his head. “It’s not an intrusion. She’d love to see you.”
“You think so?” Nick smiled when he nodded. “I’d really like that,” she replied. “Is she really all right?”
“She’s getting better, slowly but surely,” he answered. “She smiles a lot more now.”
“Thanks to you, I assume?” she teased with a smile.
“Maybe.” His blush deepened. “Why don’t you meet me at the lab at about five and we’ll go together?”
“Sure,” she replied. “Thanks for inviting me – I’ll look forward to it.”
“No problem. Thanks for meeting with Warrick and me early, by the way.” It was barely eight AM.
She shrugged. “I’m here anyway, may as well make life easier for you guys.”
He smiled at her and in his fatigue didn’t realize that when he reached out to touch her arm, he let his hand slip down to her elbow and then squeeze gently. “Thanks – I guess I’ll see you tonight.”
Goosebumps tickling her skin, she smiled back and said, “Sure.”
Most often when Nick went to Emily’s house in Blue Diamond to visit Cassie over the dinner hour, he bought a picnic with him. Early on they’d just sit outside, sometimes on top of the cab of Nick’s truck, which Cassie loved. In the last few weeks Emily had actually invited him to stay and eat with them. Nick had been touched, but discovered that Emily was a horrid cook.
He was discussing this fact with Elizabeth in the truck on their way out there. She laughed at him, and then said, “I don’t suppose it matters much to the kids, though. At least they know they’re going to eat.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Emily says she usually gets the worst of the worst cases – probably because she’s so tough. I mean, I’d take my softie of a mom any day over Emily, but I think most of those kids need a firmer hand.”
“Your mom was a softie?” she inquired, squinting at him from the passenger seat.
“Yeah – ‘specially on me.”
“And how many little Stokeses were there?”
“Seven,” he replied. “Two sets of triplets, plus me.”
Elizabeth laughed at him. “You must be her baby – no mom with seven kids is a softie ‘till the last one, when she’s sick of them all.”
“I’ve been described as a mamma’s boy,” he admitted, unabashed. “Usually by my brother.”
“Ah – and big brother must be dad’s favorite,” she assumed.
Nick smiled over at her. “And now that you’ve tapped into where most of my deeply-seeded childhood issues lay – hey! Look at that, we’re here.”
“Are we gonna take this kid somewhere for a decent meal, Stokes?”
“Yeah, let’s.” He ambled out of the truck and led Elizabeth to the house. Before he was able to reach the steps, Cassie stormed out, her baseball glove in hand.
She stood in front of Nick and crossed her arms. “Susan keeps taking my baseball glove!” She knew she sounded like a tattle-tale, but she needed to vent to someone who would show that he cared, even if he couldn’t do anything about it. “It’s stupid; she doesn’t even like pink.”
Nick put his hand on her head, smoothing back her hair. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking up as Emily exited the house.
“Look, Cassie – we’ve talked about this,” she said tiredly. “She’s jealous, okay? Give her a break. If you don’t want her to take the glove, put it somewhere she won’t find it.”
“I shouldn’t have to hide things in my own room.”
“You’re right,” said Emily. Then her eye caught Elizabeth standing by Nick’s truck in her designer suit, looking on curiously. She tilted her head in Elizabeth ’s direction and then flicked her eyes toward Nick. “Your girlfriend, Stokes?”
His eyes widened slightly. “What? Oh . . . no. Sorry – Emily, this is Elizabeth Halles. She’s the Clark County DA.” Elizabeth and Emily waved politely at each other. As Nick turned slightly, Cassie saw Elizabeth walking toward them, and promptly forgot about the stealing of her baseball glove.
“Elizabeth!” She ran over, beaming at the attorney. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey, Cassie,” she said with a smile. “I just came to visit. This time I really do want to know how you’re doing.”
She smiled shyly. “I’m good,” she replied. “I’m sorry I never called – I didn’t have any more questions about the trial.”
“Well, that’s okay. I had a meeting with Nick this morning and he invited me to come with him tonight – I hope it’s okay that I’m here.”
“Yeah,” replied Cassie. “I’m glad you came.”
“What are you doin’, Stokes?” asked Emily. Elizabeth was a little taken aback by her brashness, but it didn’t seem to bother Nick.
“We’re going out. Have her back by nine.”
“Fine,” replied Emily. “Cassie, be good.” She went back into the house.
“Well, she’s a ray of sunshine,” commented Elizabeth dryly once the door had closed. Cassie giggled at her, and Nick gestured toward his truck.
“The chariot awaits, ladies,” he said, and they were off.
______________________________
(c) 2008 J. H. Thompson
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
A strong, dark knuckle rapping on wood alerted Elizabeth Halles to the presence of Warrick Brown and Nick Stokes. They stood expectantly at her door, waiting to be invited into her office.
“Hey,” she said in greeting as she looked up. “C’mon in and have a seat.” She reached for a stack of papers to her left and fanned them out in front of her on the desk. “You guys ready to put another one away?”
They took seats in her visitor’s chairs. “I am – ‘specially this creep,” said Warrick, rubbing his eyes.
“Long shift?” asked Elizabeth sympathetically.
“Double,” replied Nick, looking at his partner. “Nothin’ new. But at least I get to go home and sleep. Warrick’s got a honey-do list waitin’ for him.”
Elizabeth smiled warmly at Warrick. “Ahh, love.”
Smirking at Elizabeth, he replied, “What my smart-assed friend over here doesn’t realize is that pretty soon, there won’t be any goin’ home to sleep for him, either.”
She put her chin in her hand and turned her smile to Nick. “Ah. Love?”
Nick shook his head. “Not like that,” he said. “Hey – you remember Cassie McBride, right?”
“Sure. Sweet kid. I was thinking about her yesterday; she never called me. I hope she’s all right.”
“She’s good,” said Nick with a nod and a secret smile. “If you want to talk to her, I can hook you up.”
Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow. “Oh – you’ve been in contact with her?”
Nick nodded. “Quite a bit, in fact.” He stole a glance at Warrick, who was grinning at him.
Warrick chuckled when he caught Nick’s eye. “Oh, spill it, Nicky – you know you want to.”
Nick looked up at Elizabeth almost shyly. “I’ll be filing a petition today for guardianship of Cassie.”
Elizabeth smiled, truly pleased. “Really?” He nodded in confirmation. “Wow, Stokes. I knew there was a softie in there somewhere.”
“Yeah, he’s a big pile of goo,” teased Warrick. Nick smacked his shoulder for his trouble.
“Will you be formally adopting her?” asked Elizabeth.
Again, Nick nodded in affirmation, and when Elizabeth congratulated him, his cheeks took on a pink hue. Just yesterday, the attorney to which his father had referred him had handed him the papers to sign and return to him, and he had his copy sitting on the passenger seat of his truck. The originals were in the care of David Martin, waiting for a stamp of approval. Realistically, Nick knew it would take much more than a mere stamp, but this fact didn’t stop him from being happier than he’d ever been. The blush and the goofy grin stuck to his face even as they moved on to discuss the stalker whose criminal trial would start the following day.
When their discussion was over, Warrick left to go home to Tina, but Nick lagged behind a moment. “I’m going out to visit Cassie tonight. We’ll probably just have dinner and maybe find a park, but if you want to come along . . . .”
Now it was Elizabeth’s turn to blush; she was touched. “Oh – I don’t want to intrude on your time,” she said.
He shook his head. “It’s not an intrusion. She’d love to see you.”
“You think so?” Nick smiled when he nodded. “I’d really like that,” she replied. “Is she really all right?”
“She’s getting better, slowly but surely,” he answered. “She smiles a lot more now.”
“Thanks to you, I assume?” she teased with a smile.
“Maybe.” His blush deepened. “Why don’t you meet me at the lab at about five and we’ll go together?”
“Sure,” she replied. “Thanks for inviting me – I’ll look forward to it.”
“No problem. Thanks for meeting with Warrick and me early, by the way.” It was barely eight AM.
She shrugged. “I’m here anyway, may as well make life easier for you guys.”
He smiled at her and in his fatigue didn’t realize that when he reached out to touch her arm, he let his hand slip down to her elbow and then squeeze gently. “Thanks – I guess I’ll see you tonight.”
Goosebumps tickling her skin, she smiled back and said, “Sure.”
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
Most often when Nick went to Emily’s house in Blue Diamond to visit Cassie over the dinner hour, he bought a picnic with him. Early on they’d just sit outside, sometimes on top of the cab of Nick’s truck, which Cassie loved. In the last few weeks Emily had actually invited him to stay and eat with them. Nick had been touched, but discovered that Emily was a horrid cook.
He was discussing this fact with Elizabeth in the truck on their way out there. She laughed at him, and then said, “I don’t suppose it matters much to the kids, though. At least they know they’re going to eat.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Emily says she usually gets the worst of the worst cases – probably because she’s so tough. I mean, I’d take my softie of a mom any day over Emily, but I think most of those kids need a firmer hand.”
“Your mom was a softie?” she inquired, squinting at him from the passenger seat.
“Yeah – ‘specially on me.”
“And how many little Stokeses were there?”
“Seven,” he replied. “Two sets of triplets, plus me.”
Elizabeth laughed at him. “You must be her baby – no mom with seven kids is a softie ‘till the last one, when she’s sick of them all.”
“I’ve been described as a mamma’s boy,” he admitted, unabashed. “Usually by my brother.”
“Ah – and big brother must be dad’s favorite,” she assumed.
Nick smiled over at her. “And now that you’ve tapped into where most of my deeply-seeded childhood issues lay – hey! Look at that, we’re here.”
“Are we gonna take this kid somewhere for a decent meal, Stokes?”
“Yeah, let’s.” He ambled out of the truck and led Elizabeth to the house. Before he was able to reach the steps, Cassie stormed out, her baseball glove in hand.
She stood in front of Nick and crossed her arms. “Susan keeps taking my baseball glove!” She knew she sounded like a tattle-tale, but she needed to vent to someone who would show that he cared, even if he couldn’t do anything about it. “It’s stupid; she doesn’t even like pink.”
Nick put his hand on her head, smoothing back her hair. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking up as Emily exited the house.
“Look, Cassie – we’ve talked about this,” she said tiredly. “She’s jealous, okay? Give her a break. If you don’t want her to take the glove, put it somewhere she won’t find it.”
“I shouldn’t have to hide things in my own room.”
“You’re right,” said Emily. Then her eye caught Elizabeth standing by Nick’s truck in her designer suit, looking on curiously. She tilted her head in Elizabeth ’s direction and then flicked her eyes toward Nick. “Your girlfriend, Stokes?”
His eyes widened slightly. “What? Oh . . . no. Sorry – Emily, this is Elizabeth Halles. She’s the Clark County DA.” Elizabeth and Emily waved politely at each other. As Nick turned slightly, Cassie saw Elizabeth walking toward them, and promptly forgot about the stealing of her baseball glove.
“Elizabeth!” She ran over, beaming at the attorney. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey, Cassie,” she said with a smile. “I just came to visit. This time I really do want to know how you’re doing.”
She smiled shyly. “I’m good,” she replied. “I’m sorry I never called – I didn’t have any more questions about the trial.”
“Well, that’s okay. I had a meeting with Nick this morning and he invited me to come with him tonight – I hope it’s okay that I’m here.”
“Yeah,” replied Cassie. “I’m glad you came.”
“What are you doin’, Stokes?” asked Emily. Elizabeth was a little taken aback by her brashness, but it didn’t seem to bother Nick.
“We’re going out. Have her back by nine.”
“Fine,” replied Emily. “Cassie, be good.” She went back into the house.
“Well, she’s a ray of sunshine,” commented Elizabeth dryly once the door had closed. Cassie giggled at her, and Nick gestured toward his truck.
“The chariot awaits, ladies,” he said, and they were off.
______________________________
(c) 2008 J. H. Thompson
Speedystokesgirl
Judge
Ok. I have a feeling I know where this headed. Great chapter, as usual. Nice to see that Emily has warmed up to Nick, even if her cooking is horrid. :lol:
Don't know if you can post twice if you're the author, but I hope so, cause I can't wait to read the rest of it.
Don't know if you can post twice if you're the author, but I hope so, cause I can't wait to read the rest of it.
racefh853629
Pathologist
Aww... that's cute. I think I know where this is going too... haha. Can't wait for more!