Say Hello to the Past (CSI fanfiction)

'Twas two weeks before Christmas...

(AN: Part 1 of 2, and takes place during and after season 5; episode 10 "No Humans Involved.")

"Megan, are you okay? You were sick the whole plane ride here, and you're never like that."Emma Grace was sitting with her back against the bathtub, putting Megan's hair up in a ponytail as she proceeded to throw up into the toilet.

Megan let out a sigh as she wiped her mouth and leaned against the wall. "I have something to tell you, Gracie."

"You're scaring me Megs." Emma Grace was attempting to stay calm as she waited for her best friend to tell her what was wrong.

"Two weeks ago I went to the doctors. I had some test ran, and- well- I'm pregnant." Megan had tears in her eyes, but they seemed to be happy tears.

"Oh, my gosh Megan! I can't believe it! I'm going to be an aunt?!" Emma Grace felt nothing but excitement run through her.

"Yeah, you're going to be an aunt come May." Megan couldn't help but smile at her friend's reaction.

Emma Grace reached over and hugged Megan. The two women sat on the bathroom floor crying happy tears for a while.

"Should you even be traveling with me right now?" Megan and Emma Grace had made their way from the bathroom floor to the kitchen of the house that Emma Grace was considering living in if she moved to Las Vegas.

"Yeah. I went to the doctors about three days before we were supposed to leave. They told me I'm about four months pregnant, at least now I know why I was gaining weight, and besides of motion sickness I would be fine to travel." Megan couldn't help but smile at her protective friend.

"Okay." Emma Grace accepted what Megan had to say with a nod of her head. "Are you going to be up for helping with the Christmas party at the children's home this week?"

"Of course! I just can't lift anything heavy. But I'm super excited to get to play with the kids all day, and just help make Christmas better for them." Megan's mothering genes were already starting to show. She was going to make a fantastic mother.

Megan and Emma Grace planned the Christmas party for the children at the group home that Emma Grace helped open in Las Vegas. Nick stopped by with some of the guys that worked at the children's home, and some of the older boys that lived at the children's home.

"How's work going with the shift in the team?" Emma Grace was walking from room to room seeing where she could be the most help. Many of the women who worked at the children's home were in the kitchen preparing the food for the Christmas party. Volunteers were spread out in the living room with Megan wrapping Christmas gifts for all the kids at the home. Nick walked beside Emma Grace while some of the men continued carrying boxes and decorations to their designated spots.

"It's going okay. The only tension is with Sofia. None of us really know if she can be trusted or not yet."

"How's Greg adjusting to life in the field?"

"He had a tough case. He found a little boy in a trash can that had been starved to death. He also experienced active gunfire at the scene of a crime for the first time." 

"What happened?" After Emma Grace asked that question, Nick proceeded to tell her all he knew about Greg, Sara, Grissom, and Sofia's case. The topic moved to the case Nick, Warrick, and Catherine was also working on.

"Do you think it'll help Greg to be a part of this Christmas party for these kids?" Emma Grace and Nick were finishing up the decorations for the party when the idea came to Emma Grace.

"It might. I can ask him." Nick smiled at the fact that Emma Grace wanted to heal everyone.

"Invite them all. The more, the merrier." Emma Grace simply smiled at Nick.

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Nick went back to the lab after he helped Emma Grace. He asked the team if they wanted to help out at the children's home later that night. Catherine said that she would bring Lindsey and her mom to help out.

Brass and Grissom informed Nick that they could help for a little while, but would not be able to stay. Sara said she would try to stop by, but that she probably wouldn't be able to.  Warrick and Greg were both willing, and somewhat excited, to help. Sofia was shocked by the invitation but said she would be more than happy to help out.

Everyone went their separate ways after their break and solved their different cases. When Nick found out that the dead little boy had siblings who were in the hospital, he called Emma Grace, and they came up with a plan to surprise the little boys and Greg.

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"Sofia, thank you so much for joining this crazy team and helping us tonight!" The Christmas party at the children's home was in full swing. Megan was sitting on the floor with children surrounding her while they played with toys. Doc Robinson and David, the corners, had shown up too. Doc Robinson and David were helping older children put their toys together, and David's girlfriend was sitting on the floor with Megan and the younger children.

Catherine and her mom, Lily, were in the kitchen helping put more food out while Lindsey played with some of the kids her age. Warrick, Greg, and Nick were going all around the place spending time with as many of the kids as they could. Brass and Grissom had kept their word and stopped by earlier in the night. They had shown up in time to see Nick dressed up as Santa Claus and Emma Grace portraying Mrs. Claus. Needless to say, Nick was never going to live down being Santa Claus, even though it was for a good cause.

"Thank you for inviting me to participate in this." Sofia moved her hand to take in all the excitement going on around her. 

Emma Grace laid a hand on Sofia's arm. "How are you really adjusting to this team?"

Sofia smiled at Emma Grace's genuine concern. The two found a seat and started talking about what it was like trying to work with a team that was as tightknit as this CSI team was.

By the time the Christmas party came to an end, Sofia and Emma Grace had become close friends. All the team stayed around to help clean up. However, Nick and Emma Grace took Greg with them and showed up at the hospital where the brothers of the victim that Greg and Sara spoke for were. The three of them spend some time with the brothers and their mom. It helped Greg heal from the grief he experienced on the case when he got to see the younger boys' faces light up as they opened their Christmas gifts. Greg and Nick both tried to get a hold of Sara, but she had decided to go off the grid and spend some time alone instead of being with her team. Emma Grace didn't say anything to Nick, but she was worried about Sara.