Say Hello to the Past (CSI fanfiction)

Racing Cars

Set after Season 3; Episode 1 "Revenge Is Best Served Cold."

"Midnight Drags. My brother was a gear-head; he rebuilt a 65 GTO out of three cars. Ran the thing flat out. Zero to a buck thirteen in a quarter mile.

"So your brother's cooler than you." This sounded more like a statement from Catherine with just a hint of a question.

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of the race that caused his brother's car to run flat out. "No. No, not really."

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Nick sat in the break room thinking about the case he and Cathrien had just solved. He couldn't help but remember another time in his life when drag racing was a part of his life ten years ago.

"Nicky, where are you tonight?" Warrick Brown walked into the break room and poured himself a cup of coffee. He held the pot towards Nick.

"Just thinking." Nick smiled as he handed his empty coffee cup to his colleague and friend for a coffee refill.

"What's up?" Warrick took a seat opposite Nick and gave Nick his full attention.

"Did I ever tell you about when I was involved in street racing?" Nick couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

"No, but something tells me I'll want to hear this story." Warrick got comfortable, ready to hear a story from Nick's days in Texas.

"You're going down Christopher." Nineteen-year-old Emma Grace was leaning against a 1969 black Dodge Charger R-T. The car belonged to Emma's dad, and he had let her borrow it for the weekend, that was one of the perks of being a "Daddy's-Girl."

"Don't think so Gracie." Nick's twenty-three-year-old brother, Chris was checking the engine of his 1965 red GTO that he had rebuilt.

"Chris, is that car of yours already screwed up?" Twenty-one-year-old Nick was sitting in the van floorboard with the passenger door opened. He, Chris, Emma Grace, Amy, and Megan had driven nine hours to the flatlands of New Mexico. The five friends decided to spend the weekend in New Mexico and participate in the midnight drags on the streets. Chris shot his baby brother a look.

"This is going to be fun to watch." Emma Grace's eighteen-year-old sister Amy sat on the hood of Emma's car with a smirk on her face.

"Sure you don't want to join in on this race Nicky?" Emma Grace turned her sparkling eyes on Nick with a smirk on her face. She and Nick both knew who was going to win this street race.

"I think I'll sit this one out."

"I'm pretty sure Nicky is a little intimidated by this race." Emma Grace's friend Megan walked over to the group of friends and leaned against Chris' car.

Nick smirked at the challenge in Megan's tone. The two of them loved to give each other a hard time. Nick smiled at Megan and decided shoot back at Megan. "Don't act like you're not intimidated to Megs."

"Are we going to sit around and talk, or are we going to race?" Emma Grace didn't wait for a reply as she opened the car door.

"Okay, okay." Chris closed the hood of his car and walked over to where Megan was leaning against the car.

"Want a kiss before the race?" Megan wrapped her arms around Chris.

"You know it." Chris and Megan proceeded to kiss in front of the group.

"Y'all are nasty." Amy had her face screwed up with a disgusted expression.

"Christopher, get your nasty hands off my best friend and get in that car!" Emma Grace wasn't upset that Chris was dating her best friend, but she didn't want to watch them make out. She heard Nick chuckling behind her; he always got amused when Emma Grace and Chris started to banter back and forth with each other. Nick knew his brother could hold his own, but no one held a candle to Emma Grace.

"Okay, let's go." Chris got in his car and drove it to the starting line. Emma Grace flipped her long hair over her shoulder, got in her car, and went to the starting line. The girl, a stranger to the group of friends, stood in the middle of the road and singled when the racers could start.

Emma Grace and Chris took off; they both raced with all they had in them. There was a time or two that it looked like Chris was going to get ahead of Emma, but it never happened. Emma Grace ended up winning the race, something she wouldn't let Chris forget anytime soon.

"No! No! Best two out of three!" Chris commanded when he got out of his car.

"That's fine. I don't mind beating you twice and bringing your ego down a few more notches," Emma Grace said as if it were no big deal. She got back in her car and pulled up to the starting line. Chris gave an aggravated sigh and got back in his car, following Emma Grace.

During the second race, it looked like Chris might win. Out of nowhere Emma Grace gained another burst of speed and passed Chris. Chris started speeding up to try to catch up with Emma Grace, then Chris' car started making some funny noises. At one of the turns, Chris hit the curb and the sound of the bottom of his car hitting the road could be heard by everyone watching the race.

Emma Grace won the second race, but when Chris parked his car a thin layer of smoke could be seen coming from the hood. Chris got out of his car with a few curse words and popped the hood. Nick walked over to help him, and the two brothers soon found out that the car was leaking fluid also and could not be driven anymore.

The five friends worked together and got Chris' car to stop leaking and smoking. Chris covered his car, and soon the two cars were loaded into the U-Haul, and the five friends piled into the van heading for the hotel.

Emma Grace waited to rub her second victory in Chris' face until all of them had eaten pizza and drank a couple of beers.

"Chris, did you hit that curb wrong cause you knew you couldn't beat me?"

Chris chucked a pillow at Emma Grace's head, "shut up, Gracie."

"Oh, I know, that car's just too much for you to handle." The banter continued for about ten more minutes. Chris threw another pillow at Emma Grace, but she ducked behind Nick, and Nick was hit in the face with the said pillow. This lead to the two brothers having an impromptu wrestling match.

The weekend passed with the friends only having one working car to race. Chris and Emma Grace took turns racing her dad's car. Megan raced one time, and Nick raced one time; Amy preferred to watch the action. Chris lost most of his races, Nick won his, Megan won one and lost one, Emma Grace smoked everyone.

"Admit it, Chris, I'm cooler than you," Emma Grace said the Sunday they were all loading up the van to go home.

"Fine Gracie, you're cooler than me." Chris was smiling as he ruffled Emma's hair and complimented her.

"Nicky's cooler than you too, just so you know." Emma Grace smirked and sent a wink Nick's way. All five of the friends knew this was one of the best weekends they had ever had together, and most of it would stay their secret.

"Sounds like Emma Grace isn't the type of girl to be messed with," Warrick said as he smiled at the picture of the woman Nick had told him a lot about over the years Nick's words painted.

"She isn't," Nick said smiling.

"So, when do I get to meet this girl?" Warrick asked giving Nick a knowing look.

Nick wouldn't make eye contact with Warrick. "I don't know, soon, maybe." Was all Nick said as he got up to pour himself some more coffee.

"Whatever you say, Nicky," Warrick smirked as he leaned back in his chair and rested his head on his interlocked fingers behind his head. Warrick knew Nick was a goner when it came to this girl; he just didn't think Nick wanted to admit that to himself yet.