Say Hello to the Past (CSI fanfiction)

A Bullet Runs Through It, But Family Stays

(AN: takes place before, during, and after season 6; episodes 7 & 8 "A Bullet Runs Through It.")

It had been almost three weeks since Nick had seen Emma Grace last. She hadn't kept Katlin and Marie from him; she just had Ashley bring them over to Nick's house. Nick didn't push the issue with Emma Grace. He was worried about her more than anything. Nick had learned from Ashley that Emma Grace had been uncharacteristically tired. Katlin and Marie had let it slip that Emma Grace had caught a cold, and had a hard time keeping food down.

During his time in therapy, Nick had admitted that he was in love with Emma Grace. He had been since he was twenty-years-old, maybe since he was younger and wanted a life with her. Nick was accepting that what happened to him would not make him a horrible father or husband, but a better father and husband.

At the moment, Nick had been sharing all of the things he was learning and accepting in therapy with his dad. "I still don't like sharing my feelings with a stranger. But, this is helping."

"I'm glad, Poncho. What are you going to do with this new information you're learning?" Bill Stokes, Nick's dad, asked his youngest son.

"I'm going to talk to Emma Grace. The two of us have learned the hard way that not talking about our problems causes misery for both of us."

"I hate that the two of you had to learn that lesson the hard way. But, it's a good lesson to learn, and it'll help the two of you if marriage ever becomes an option." Bill was giving his son some advice, but he was also prying, trying to see what Nick's motives were.

"Just so you know, Cisco, I want to marry Emma Grace and be a dad to Katlin, Marie, and Maggie. I'm just waiting for the right time to ask Gracie." Nick knew what his dad was up to, but he didn't mind telling his dad what his plans were.

"That's great son! Are there any other surprises I should know about?"

"I have a mustache now. My therapist suggested I make a small physical change and see how I handled it."

"Poncho, please keep that long enough for me to see in person," Bill told his son while laughing.

"I will Cisco, but I have to go right now. I just got the call that I have a case."

"Okay. I love you, Son."

"I love you too, Dad." Nick hung up the phone and headed out the door to go to the scene of the shootout Jim Brass and Sofia Curtis had just been a part of.

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Emma Grace had heard about the shootout on the news. She had been worried about everyone on the team. She waited an hour and a half; then she called Nick. Emma Grace let out a sigh of relief when Nick informed her that everyone was okay. However, she started worrying again when Nick told her that Brass and Sofia had been involved in the shootout and that an investigation was going on because an officer had been killed. Emma Grace knew there was nothing she could do at the moment for her friends, but she made Nick promise to keep her updated.

When Nick called to inform her that a sniper had taken out one of the suspects in the case he was working, she knew this case was bigger than a simple shootout in the streets. Emma understood that the worry was from what the team could have been involved in. What she didn't understand was why she had to run to the nearest trash can. 

Emma Grace did not have much time to think about her nausea because Sara called her. Sara explained what was going on with the case. Then she asked Emma Grace for a favor.

"I know you have a lot on your plate. But, Sofia could really use a friend who can legally hear her side of what happened. I was a little rough on her when I found her trying to confide in Grissom, but Sofia's really shaken up over all of this," Sara explained.

Emma Grace knew that Sara did not make it a routine to get involved in coworkers' personal lives. Therefore, if Sara was getting involved, and asking for a favor, Sofia needed help as soon as possible. Emma Grace called Sofia and got her to agree to come over to the house.

When Sofia arrived at Emma Grace's house, Emma Grace made a pot of camomile tea. It was evident to her that Sofia was anxious and had been out running. She sat with Sofia and listened as Sofia told her what she remembered happening, and about how her meeting with Brass had gone. Sofia also shared her fears that she might have been the one to kill officer Bell. Emma Grace held Sofia as she cried.

Sofia started to relax and act like her normal self as the day continued. She helped Emma Grace prepare the after-school snacks for Katlin and Marie. Sofia spent a lot of time entertaining seven-month-old Maggie Hope, which helped her a lot. Emma Grace had been sick a few times while Sofia was at the house.

When Katlin and Marie had finished their homework, they were allowed to watch TV while Maggie Hope entertained herself in the pack-and-play. Emma Grace was in the kitchen fixing dinner, and Sofia was helping her.

"Emma, can I ask you something personal?" Sofia asked.

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

"It's none of my business, but I've noticed that you've been sick quite a few times today. Is there a chance that you're pregnant?"

The thought hadn't entered Emma's mind, but when Sofia said it, everything seemed to click together in Emma Grace's mind. She had been overly emotional lately, along with tired and nauseated. Plus, her body had been going through some changes that didn't make sense.

Emma Grace sat down at the kitchen table and mentally did the math from the times she and Nick had slept together to her last period. It all added up.

"Oh," was all that Emma Grace was able to get out before she ran to the bathroom to throw up again.

Emma Grace called Tina, Warrick's wife, and asked her to pick up a pregnancy test and come over to the house. Tina made record time getting to Emma's house, and Sofia even made a joke about not wanting to know how many traffic laws Tina had broken because she was a cop.

Emma Grace took the pregnancy test. It was positive. Emma was ecstatic and scared at the same time. Sofia and Tina ended up being Emma Grace's support as she cried over the surprise of this baby and told the other two women her fears of Nick not wanting the child because he thought he wasn't "dad material."

During this time, Nick, along with the team, was proving that Sofia hadn't shot officer Bell. Unfourently, the evidence was bittersweet because it revealed that Jim Brass had been the one to accidentally shoot officer Bell.

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 The team did not bombard Jim Brass after the evidence proved that he shot officer Bell. Grissom, Catherine, Warrick, Nick, Sara, and Greg had worked with Brass long enough to know when he needed time to process things on his own.

However, after officer Bell's funeral, the team slowly started stopping by to see Brass and get him out of the house. The team gathered together at Emma Grace's house for dinner at least one night every week, a tradition that was started when Nick returned to work after being buried alive. 

The time spent with the team helped Brass as he came to terms with what happened during the shootout. Sofia, Tina, and Emma became close friends as they became strong supports for Emma while she waited to tell Nick that she was pregnant.

Emma Grace looked around her living room taking in how many people were in her house. Brass was sitting on the couch with Catherine's mom, Lily, and Grissom. Warrick was seated in one of the chairs with Tina in his lap. Al Robbins, the coroner, was sitting on the love seat with his wife. Catherine, David Phillips, and David's girlfriend sat in the kitchen chairs that had been moved into the living room. Sara, Hodges, and Archie sat in the beanbag chairs that Nick had brought over. Nick, Henry, and Greg sat on the floor entertaining Katlin, Marie, and Catherine's daughter Lindsey. The new lab tech, Windy was holding Maggie Hope. Sofia and Mandy, another lab tech were bringing cookies and cups of hot cocoa over to the large group.

Emma Grace smiled as she realized this wasn't just a team. These people were a family. 

Emma Grace didn't notice, but Nick smiled as he watched her study the group. Chris and Maya, Nick brother and sister-in-law, were coming into town next week to help Nick look at engagement rings for Emma Grace. There were a few surprises coming this work family's way.