Jackson is my original character, but I don't own CSI.

I HATE that Nick won't be there for part of the 14th season :(. And I wondered...how would he tell Jackson? Of course, I had to write it! And Nick will be back (not soon enough for me!), but I thought it might be good for him to have a conversation with his godson. Hope you all enjoy...and please review!

Normally, when Nick Stokes came over to see his godson Jackson Sanders, he couldn't stop smiling. But today, he had to tell him something. As much as Nick didn't want to go, his former colleague Catherine Willows invited him to Quantico, Virginia, to train with the FBI. Nick had said goodbye to everyone and told him he'd be back soon, and made arrangements for Sara to take care of his dog Sam. But Nick had one very important person to say goodbye to.

Jackson smiled when his Uncle Nicky came by. "Uncle Nicky, daddy say you gunna go visit Aunt Catrin!"

Nick smiled. "Yeah, I'm going to be gone for a little bit. But I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you."

Jackson frowned. "You gunna go 'way?"

"It's only for a few weeks," Greg reassured him.

"Yeah," Nick said with a smile. He sat down on Greg's couch and pulled Jackson onto his lap. "But I promise you, I'm going to be back."

Jackson pouted. Nick was one of his favorite people in the whole world, and he didn't want him to go away. "I don't want you to go."

Nick's heart melted as he looked into Jackson's big brown eyes. "I know. But I'll only be gone for a few weeks. And I'll be back before you know it."

"A few weeks?" Jackson asked. "Dat's a long time!"

Nick chuckled. "It's not that long."

Greg smiled softly. "I've got a good idea, Jacks. Do you remember the calendar your Nana and Papa gave you for Christmas?" Jackson nodded. "Well, we can look at the calendar and count the days until Uncle Nicky gets back."

"Yeah," Nick agreed. "And you can look in on Sam while he stays with Aunt Sara. I think he'd love to see you. And I can call your daddy and talk to him and you."

Jackson liked the idea of getting to talk to Nick, but still wished he didn't have to leave. "Will you miss me?"

Nick smiled and hugged the little boy. "Absolutely! I am going to miss you and everyone the whole time I'm away."

Jackson hugged his uncle tightly. "But I don't want you to go."

"Oh, I don't want to go either, big guy. But your Aunt Catherine invited me to train with some of the people she works with. And these are very important people. But I am going to miss you and everyone here so much."

Jackson didn't know anything about training with the FBI...he just knew he adored his Uncle Nicky and didn't want him to leave. "But you go far away!"

Greg and Nick shared a concerned look. They knew Jackson's mother left him with Greg over a year ago and had no contact with him since. Greg knelt in front of them. "Jacks...your Uncle Nicky keeps his promises, especially to people he cares about. And he loves you."

"Absolutely," Nick said.

Jackson smiled. Looking at Nick, he asked, "You promise to come back?"

"I promise," Nick said with certainty. "And I am going to miss you so much."

"I gunna miss you, too. But you gunna come back, right?"

"Absolutely!" Nick hugged the sweet little boy. "And just think...when I come back, it'll be close to Thanksgiving."

Jackson's eyes widened and he smiled. "You gunna be here for Thanksgiving? Cool!"

Greg and Nick laughed softly. "And I will be back," Nick added. "I promise."

"Okay," Jackson said. "I gunna miss you, but you gunna be back."

Nick smiled at the little boy he adored. "I will. I promise I'll come back. I'm going to miss you, too."

Jackson tightly wrapped his arms around Nick. "Uncle Nicky, can I still call you if I need sumfin?"

"Absolutely. You and your dad are very important to me. And as soon as I get back, you and I are going to take a day just for us."

Jackson smiled at his favorite uncle. "Just us?"

"Just us," Nick assured him. "And I'm going to miss you guys so much. But I promise, I am going to come back."

Jackson smiled and hugged Nick. He was going to miss him, but knew he'd be back. "Uncle Nicky, you be careful!"

Nick smiled. "I will, big guy."

"An' brush your teeth an' eat your veggies."

Greg and Nick laughed softly. "I will. And you know what? Of everyone here, I think I'm going to miss you most."

"More dan daddy?"

Greg laughed softly. "I'll miss him, but he'll be back. And I think he's going to be just fine."

Jackson smiled. "Yeah, you be jus' fine, Uncle Nicky. An' I gunna send you lots of hugs!"

Nick smiled at the beautiful child. "I'm going to send you lots of hugs too. And I promise I'll come back."

"Okay! An' den we can have a party!" Looking at Greg, he asked, "Can we have a party when Uncle Nicky comes back?"

"Sure," Greg said with a soft laugh. "But only if we can have chocolate ice cream."

"Deal!" Nick said with a warm smile. "The lab's going to be in good hands with you and everyone, G."

"Yeah, but it'll be better when you get back."

Nick smiled softly. "And take care of this big guy." He tickled Jackson's ribs, causing the little boy to giggle.

"I will."

"An' I help Aunt Sara take care of Sam, okay?" Jackson asked.

"Absolutely. And I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Okay," Jackson said as he gave Nick a hug.

That afternoon, Jackson, Greg and Sara drove Nick to the airport. When Nick's flight was called, he said goodbye to Greg and Sara. Jackson watched, wishing Nick wasn't going anywhere.

Nick smiled at the sweet little boy. Kneeling in front of him, Nick said, "I meant what I said...I'm going to be back in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas."

"An' I give you a party!"

Nick smiled. "Well...I'm more interested in helping celebrate the holidays, but we'll do something."

Jackson hugged Nick. "I love you, Uncle Nicky."

Nick wrapped his arms around Jackson. "I love you, too. And I promise I'll be back."

"Okay," Jackson said sadly. "But hurry back!"

Sara and Greg smiled warmly as Nick hugged Jackson. "I promise," Nick said. "I am going to miss you."

"I miss you, too. An' I gunna be so happy when you back."

"Me too."

Jackson watched Nick's plane take off and waved through the window of the airport. "Bye-bye, Uncle Nicky. I miss you!"

Greg held Jackson and kissed his cheek. "He's going to miss you, too. And he'll be back."

"Yeah," Sara said. "And I am going to need your help."

"You are?" Jackson asked.

"Well, yeah. I know Sam's going to miss Nick, and I could use some help taking him for walks and giving him baths."

"I help Uncle Nicky give Sam a bath once," Jackson said. He smiled and said, "Sam got us all wet!"

"He did?" Sara asked. Jackson nodded and giggled.

"And we can call Nick sometimes," Greg added. "And he has our email addresses, so we can write him. And when you get to missing him, you can send him a big hug."

"Yeah," Jackson said with a soft smile. He looked at Greg. "I think Uncle Nicky just sent me a hug!"

"Yeah?" Greg asked as he hugged his son close.

"Yeah! He gunna be okay, an' I see him soon!"

The End