PAIRINGS: Nick/Sara OR Nick/Greg
SYNOPSIS: one of them find a basket in front of their doors: there is a baby and a note "please take care of her (him)"

Greg was going to be late for work for the third time in four days. And the way things were going, he was running almost an hour behind schedule. He ran a brush though his fly away hair making it at least look like he'd done something with it. He'd fix it when he got to work. He made some toast and was bolting out the door when he saw it. Something that would change the young lab tech's life forever. It was a basket, sitting on the step leading up to his little house, with a blanket draped over it. He pulled the blanket down and saw what was inside, a small baby lay there, fast asleep. Greg smiled a little half smile. There was a note too, so he picked it up and read it.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you when I've never met you. But can you please take care of him?" Despite the fact that it was phrased like a question, Greg didn't see how he had any choice. He didn't mind though, secretly he'd always wanted a baby. He picked up the basket and brought it inside, placing it on the couch. He looked at the sleeping boy inside and then realized he was in no position to take care of a child. He was late for work; he had no baby stuff, except the baby cloths that his mom had given him, and he was a single guy. Greg ran his fingers through his hair; he was going to need serious help for this.

"First things First," he said to the empty apartment, "I need to call Grissom." He was half way to the phone when he realized how much of a bad idea that was. "Grissom won't understand, it's always science first with him…Oh god." Greg started pacing, wondering why they hadn't phone him yet since he was-he checked his watch-half and hour late. As if on cue, the phone rang and Greg grabbed it quickly so it only rang once. "Sanders," he said.

"Greg?" Came a voice on the other line, it was Nick.

"No, it's the other Sanders that lives at this house. What'd you want, Nick?"

"Whoa. Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed. I just want to make sure you're alright, G. You didn't show up for work yet and I got you on the home line. What's up?"

"Sorry, I slept in and then…" He debated telling Nick about the new arrival. They'd been friends for a long time, sometimes Greg felt closer to Nick then anyone, and less like a friend and more like-no. He wouldn't think about that, it had gotten him in trouble once before. Nick was a friend, nothing more nothing less.

"Then what?" asked Nick, breaking Greg's train of thought. Greg shook his head.

"Nothing. It's okay. Can you tell Gris I'm not coming in today. I don't feel well and I don't want to contaminate evidence with my cold bug."

"You don't sound like you have a cold," teased Nick.

"Well I do. Cough cough. Can you come over after work?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure. You sure you're alright?" Nick was genuinely concerned for his friend, who never missed work unless he absolutely had to.

"I'm fine, Nick. Just got a cold."

"Yeah, right. I'll see you later." Greg hung up the phone and looked at the basket on his couch. He looked at it for a moment then made a decision. His neighbour, Lacy Thomas, had a couple kids, maybe she could help him out a little. He thought about turning to Catherine, but Lacy was closer, and not working. He grabbed the basket and headed next door. He knocked on the door, it was late so the kids would be in bed, but Lacy was a bit of a night owl. She answered the door in blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was about thirty and had two kids, two and four. Lacy looked at Greg for a moment, then at the basket in his hands. She wasn't sure what he wanted.

"To what do I owe to pleasure, Mr. Sanders? I don't see you often since you're always working. And with a baby? Didn't know you had a girlfriend."

"I don't. He was left on my step sometime this evening."

"I'm not takin' him off you're hands, I got enough kids of my own."

"No, I was just wondering, if…you could give me a hand?"

"I see. What do you need?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." She opened the door and Greg walked in, placing the basket on the couch.

"The necessities, except cloths. I have lots of those."

"So, crib, dipper bag, dippers, formula, bottles, ect.?"

"Um…yeah. And a bit of advice."

"I can get you all that. Except the formula and dippers, you'll have to get them yourself."

"Thanks."

"You thought of a name yet? Or did he come with one?" Greg felt slightly sheepish. He hadn't thought of a name. Lacy saw that and smiled.

"It's okay. You can think of that later, but don't get into the habit of calling him baby or he'll think that's his name."

"Alright, I'll think of something. Do you need any help getting the stuff? I can-"

"The crib is in the back closet. Can you grab that? I'll get the rest."

"Sure." Greg stood up and headed to the back closet. Two hours later, everything was set up in his house, his computer room had been transformed. He'd moved the computer, the only thing in the room, to the table in the kitchen so he could use the computer desk for the baby stuff. The drawers were filled with cloths and the desk part became a temporary change table. Lacy promised to show Greg what to do when the baby woke up. By the time Lacy left, Greg had thought of a name.

"I think I thought of a name," he said as she was leaving.

"Yeah? What's that."

"Jason. Jason Sanders." Lacy smiled, obviously tired.

"That's a beautiful name. Call me if you need anything."

"I will. I promise." Greg climbed into bed. Lacy had run out while he was moving stuff around and bought a small thing of formula and a thing of dippers from an all night grocery store. The formula was in the fridge and instructions on what to do when Jason woke up were pinned to a cupboard. Greg didn't think he'd get to sleep, he was supposed to be working, but he did doze off for an hour before Jason woke up the first time. Greg turned out to be a pretty good mom. Making formula and all that wasn't so hard. Then he fell asleep with Jason on the couch. Jason woke up twice before Nick showed up the next morning and let himself in. He was stunned when he saw Greg asleep on the couch, with a baby in his arms. Nick went numb. Maybe Greg did have a girlfriend, maybe that girlfriend had had a baby and that's why-No. Greg would've told them, he would have told Nick. Careful not to wake the baby he walked over and put a hand on Greg's shoulder and shook him gently.

"Greg. Greg. Wake up." Greg opened his eyes slowly and looked up at Nick with a smile.

"Nice to see ya, Nick."

"This why you couldn't come to work?"

"Yeah. Someone left him on my front step."

"What's his name?"

"Jason."

"Nice. What do you need?"

"Right now? I need coffee. In a minute and for the next eighteen or so year? I need someone to help me."

"What about-"

"Catherine? Sara? The lady next door? They'll help too, but I need someone to lean on."

"Like a friend?"

"Like you, Nick. I need a friend, I need a…" Greg trailed off, looking at the small boy lying on his chest. Nick nodded. He understood. Greg needed someone to love. Nick was probably the only one who knew that Greg wasn't really the playboy he claimed to be and that all the 'girlfriends' were just ways of hiding.

"I understand," he said, sitting on Greg's coffee table.

"Really?" he asked, there was a glimmer of hope in his voice and a small tear in his eye.

"Yeah. You need someone."

"Someone like…you?" he asked.

"Yeah. I can do that for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really." Nick leaned in a planted a small kiss on Greg's forehead. Then he looked down at the two. He gave Greg one of his most charming smiles before grabbing his camera and taking a couple pictures of the two.

"Hey, don't wake the baby," said Greg.

"Yes, Mom."

"Don't you 'mom' me, Mr. Stokes. I expect you to take care of him too. I'll be mom, you be dad, and we'll be a family," said Greg before he could really think about what he just said. Nick laughed.

"Got it. Mom, Dad and Baby Jason. One happy family."

"One happy family."