Say Hello to the Past (CSI fanfiction)

Summer Memories

(AN: Takes place in June 2006 after season 6.)

Emma Grace was miserable. She was close to her due date and felt as massive as a gorilla. Catherine Willows had warned her that the last few weeks of the pregnancy would be uncomfortable. All of Nick's sisters and his mom backed up Catherine's statement.

"Aunty Emma! Aunty Emma!" Two-and-a-half-year-old Elizabeth ran through the house to Emma Grace and wrapped her arms around Emma's legs.

As Emma Grace looked over her protruding belly, she smiled at her youngest niece.

"Hey, Bethy. I'm glad you're here baby girl."

"Where 'Atore?" Elizabeth loved Emma Grace's eight, almost nine-year-old Cane Corso Mastiff.

"He's on the porch. You can go get him if you want to, Bethy." Elizabeth stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Emma Grace's stomach before she walked off toward the porch. Lexi, Elizabeth's five-year-old sister, accompanied Elizabeth outside where six-year-olds Lauren and William already were.

"Mom! Can we give Cousin Tyler one of his gifts? Please!" Seven, almost eight, year-old Marie asked as she walked over to Emma Grace. Katlin, who recently turned seven, was right behind her sister.

"I think that's a good idea, but go ask your dad first," Emma Grace told her two oldest daughters as they rushed off to find Nick. 

Emma Grace walked into the kitchen to put out some of the snack foods that were in the fridge. Nick's sisters had taken over this graduation and birthday party because Emma Grace was in her last few weeks of pregnancy, and they didn't want her stressing over things.

"Need help Aunt Emma?" Twenty-year-old Ashley asked as she came into the kitchen.

"Will you call everyone in? Everythings ready." Emma smiled at her oldest niece.

Ashley did what Emma Grace asked her to while Emma went and sat down on the couch. Nick's sisters, Sandra and Lisa, sat the nine younger kids at the table while Donna and Gina fixed the kids' plates.

"Here you go, Honey." Nick handed Emma Grace the plate he had fixed for her. Then he picked up fourteen-month-old Maggie Hope and sat down beside Emma Grace. Nick and Emma fed Maggie Hope food off of their plates while the family gathered around and shared a meal.

"Okay, Son. Do you want to cut the cake first or open your gifts?" Allen, Gina's husband, asked their adopted son Tyler. The Stokes family was celebrating his birthday, and tomorrow they would be celebrating two high school graduations.

"Can I open my gifts first?" Eight-year-old Tyler couldn't hide his excitement from anyone.

"Of course, Honey." Gina stood up and started bringing Tyler's gifts from the family over to him so that he could open them. For about twenty-five minutes the family watched Tyler open his gifts, and plenty of the aunts took pictures with their cameras. Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Tyler, and after he blew out the candles everyone enjoyed a piece of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. The night ended with the family watching some of Tyler's favorite movies while the kids started falling asleep one by one.

The next morning the whole Stokes family was still in celebrating mode since it was seventeen-year-old twins, Emily and Joshua's graduation party. Emma Grace was sitting at the kitchen table instructing Ashley and Maya on how to bake a pie and prepare a cheesecake. Neither Emily nor Josh were crazy about cake. So, Emily had asked for strawberry and blackberry pies while Josh had asked for cheesecake as their desserts for their graduation party.

"Ashley, how's your internship at the crime lab going?" Ashley was following in Nick's footsteps and wanted to join the crime lab in Las Vegas after she graduated from college. For her junior internship, Ashley had been allowed to work in the lab with Archie, Hodges, and Wendy.