Say Hello to the Past (CSI fanfiction)

Dirtbikes and the Past

AN: takes place after season 2; episode 9 "And Then There Were None."

Nick sat on the couch in his house drinking a beer. He wished he could have been home for Thanksgiving right about now, but the case he had been working on hadn't allowed it this year. Nick called his family back home in Texas. He had talked to his parents, sisters and brother, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews, and, lastly, Emma Grace; all individually. Everyone said they were sad that he couldn't be home for Thanksgiving this year, but they understood; Emma Grace reminded him that he was just continuing to save the world, and she was proud of him.
Normally when he got home from work, he would go straight to bed or watch some TV. Tonight was different. He was remembering the past. Seeing the dirtbike tracks while investigating the case of the men dressed as women who robbed a casino had brought back a memory Nick was pretty fond of.

May of 1996 found twenty-four-year-old Nick Stokes driving a dirtbike along a backcountry road in Texas that was dirt. Twenty-two-year-old Emma Grace was behind Nick on her own dirtbike. Nick and Emma Grace rode in silence, with nothing but the sound of the dirtbikes, for about twenty minutes.

Nick brought the dirtbike to the stop and looked behind him as Emma Grace brought her dirtbike beside his and stopped it. Nick smiled as Emma Grace closed her eyes and let out a content breathe.

"I love it here." Emma Grace was smiling as she looked over at Nick.

"I know. Ever since we found this place when we were riding a few years ago, I always come up here when I need to think," Nick told Emma Grace.

"What do you need to think about today?" Emma Grace asked as she gave Nick her full attention.

"I need to think about my job." Nick had decided that he wanted Emma Grace to know about his decision before anyone else did. Even though the two of them had not put a label on this thing that had started between them during Christmas, they were still best friends. Emma Grace knew Nick better than anyone else did.

"What's going on? You love working at the police office."

"Gracie, you know that thing with Jackson really scared me."

"Yeah. It scared me too, but that's not a reason to give up your job."

Nick raised his eyebrows at her with a smirk on his face.

"Don't get me wrong. The idea of you not constantly being put in danger makes me really happy. But I want you to be able to do something you're passionate about, Nicky." Emma Grace explained smiling back at him.

"What am I passionate about, Gracie?" Nick had a feeling he knew the answer, but he wanted to see what she would say.

"You're passionate about saving the world and trying to give people a second chance. It's one of your characteristics that I-um-I admire most." Emma Grace knew the ending was a little lame, but she had to recover quickly when she almost told Nick that she loved that about him. They use to tell each other they loved things and qualities about the other all the time. But, after that kiss they shared around Christmas time; and the passionate make-out session that happened at her apartment after Jackson had pulled a gun on them three weeks ago, the two of them had stopped using the "L" word altogether when it came to describing anything about the other person.

"Well, I may be passionate about saving the world, but you know I really enjoy science," Nick said bringing Emma Grace out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, but don't you use science when you're working most cases now?"

"I do, but not the way I would like to," Nick explained.

"Where else could you work that you'd enjoy and get to use science more?"