Say Hello to the Past (CSI fanfiction)

Thanksgiving 2005

(AN: takes place after season 6; episode 9 "Dog Eat Dog.")

"Aunt Emma, why don't you let me finish the chili? I can tell the smell is getting to you." Emma gratefully let twenty-year-old Ashley take over finishing Emma Grace's famous chili. Emma Grace was eleven weeks pregnant with Nick Stokes child. The only people who knew that Emma Grace was pregnant was Sofia Curtis, Tina Brown, and Ashley Ann Stokes. Emma hadn't planned on telling anyone in the Stokes family until she talked to Nick. However, Ashley took one look at Emma and knew that she was pregnant. Emma blamed Ashley's observance on the fact that she was studying to become a crime scene investigator. Ashley had promised to keep the pregnancy a secret until Emma Grace talked to Nick.

Ashley and some of her friends, along with her boyfriend Jake and some of his friends, had come over to Emma's house to help her prepare a Thanksgiving meal for the team. Emma Grace had been planning the Thanksgiving dinner for the team since Jim Brass and Sofia had been involved in the high stakes shootout two weeks ago. Everyone had agreed to come over after they wrapped up the cases they were working on.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Catherine's mom, Lily, Sofia's mom, and Judy Robbins, Al's wife were in the kitchen with Katlin, Marie, and Catherine's daughter, Lindsey. The six of them were putting the finishing touches on the many desserts that had been prepared for the dinner. "Ms. Lily, can you help me with icing the cookies?" Emma Grace heard Katlin ask.

Sara and Catherine were sitting at the dining room table. They were both sharing details about the cases they had just wrapped up with Ashley. "So, the man couldn't stop eating, and the husband tried to pull a switch with the dog?" Ashley sounded somewhat in disbelief.

"Scuba diving is one of the most relaxing things to do." Emma Grace heard Greg inform Ashley's boyfriend, Jake. Greg, Archie, and Bobby Dawson, the firearms and ballistics expert at the lab, were sitting out on the porch talking with Jake.

Mandy Webster, the fingerprint analysis at the lab, and Tina, Warrick's wife, were sitting on the floor talking with Ashley's two friends that had been at the house all day. The two friends had Emma Grace's nine-year-old Cane Corso Mastiff, Gladiator between them. The dog that had been wrongly accused of killing its owners, Kalua, was laying beside Gladiator. Jasmine, one of Ashley's friends, was adopting Kalua.

Grissom, Brass, and Al Robbins was sitting in camping chairs that Nick had brought from his house talking to Nick's dad, Bill Stokes. Nick's mom, Jillian, was sitting on the love seat beside Sofia and Windy.

Hodges, Warrick, and Henry sat on the living room floor talking with two of Jake's friends about every and anything that came to their minds. 

Emma Grace smiled as she observed the people around her. She sat on the couch with Nick, who was holding seven-month-old Maggie Hope. David Phillips and his fiancee, Rose, were sitting beside them on the other side of the couch. Emma Grace found it comical that Nick was so interested in how David proposed to Rose, and what the wedding planning was like. Emma Grace hadn't seen this side of Nick and wondered why he was so curious.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nick, can I talk to you for a minute?" Emma Grace was nervous about the conversation that was about to take place. Everyone had left, and the kids were in bed. This left Nick and Emma Grace alone in the kitchen.

"What's up, Gracie?" Nick could tell that Emma was worried about something.

Emma swallowed, let out a heavy sigh, closed her eyes for a minute. Then, with unsteady hands, she passed Nick the ultrasound photo of their baby.

Nick stared at the picture in shock. He had enough sisters to know that he was looking at an ultrasound of a baby. What Nick was having a hard time wrapping his mind around was that the ultrasound was of his and Emma Grace's baby. 

"Gracie, is-um-is th-this what I think it is?" Nick looked at Emma with shock filled eyes.

"That, oh Nick, that right there is a pict-a picture of our-our baby." Emma had tears in her eyes.

Nick sat and stared at the picture. Emma Grace wanted to ask him to say something, but she was scared of what he might say. So, she sat in silence too, and it felt like an eternity to her.

Nick stood up, and Emma Grace thought he was going to walk out on her. What surprised her was when Nick gently rested his hands on both of her cheeks and kissed her.

"Nicky?" Emma Grace whispered when the kiss broke. Nick had tears falling.

"Marry me, Gracie," Nick whispered the words before a peaceful smile took over his face.

Emma let her tears fall as she closed her eyes. "Nick, I'm not going to marry you just because I'm pregnant."

"Gracie, that's not why I'm asking. Chris and Maya were here last week helping look at rings to get an idea of what type of ring I wanted to get you." Nick had gotten down on his knees beside Emma's chair, trying to get her to see that he wanted to marry her before he found out about the baby.

"Nick, I can't accept a marriage proposal right now. If I do, I'll always wonder if you just married me because of the baby."

Nick rested his head on the armrest of Emma's chair trying to gather his emotions. "Okay," Nick said lifting his head up and smiling at Emma Grace. "No marriage proposal for now. But, we're doing this together."

"Do you think you can be a father now?" It was hard for Emma Grace, but she kept eye contact with Nick.

"I called that therapist you suggested. I've been getting help for five, almost six, weeks now. You were right Gracie; I couldn't heal on my own. But, I've been healing, and I know I can be a dad. I want to be a dad." If at all possible, Nick's smile grew bigger.

Emma Grace covered her mouth with one of her hands and closed her eyes. She let out a sound that was something between a chuckle and a sob. She wrapped her arms around Nick's neck, and the couple found themselves on their knees on the dining room floor together crying tears of joy and relief.

Nick put his hands on Emma Grace's cheeks again to get her to look at him. "We do this together."

Emma smiled and replied, "We do this together."

Nick kissed Emma Grace, and when he pulled back, he whispered, "that marriage proposal will make an appearance again. That I promise."

Emma responded by being the one to initiate the kiss this time.

The couple moved to the couch and started planning for how they were going to tell Nick's family and the team.  Four days later the couple told Nick's family, along with Katlin and Marie, about the baby. Everyone was excited and couldn't wait for the new Stokes to arrive.