Reality Surpasses Expectations

Being a CSI in Las Vegas meant seeing the strange and unusual and to expect the unexpected. That was the norm when on the job. The usual pertained to the people that worked in the lab. There was a degree of certainty and routine was a certainty when processing the evidence for cases. That was pretty much the start of things for Nick Stokes when he walked in for his shift and looking forward to the possibility of having his dinner hour with his girl and wife since her schedule rotated to coincide with his for the next three months.

It was usual to be greeted by Talia and Luca from Sage's team and they couldn't resist teasing him because he was their boss' spouse and he would admit that he was whipped when it came to his love and whirlwind, Sage Parker. He passed by Greg and Morgan who were heading out on a case and Finn was in the lab working on evidence for one of her cases. So it was normal even when he poked into his wife's office to find it empty.

Nick didn't think much of it and figured she was probably working on a case or her favorite pastime of consulting with Russell. It was the latter when he went to check in with Russell and found them in some sort of discussion, either a case or their common subject of gardening. He figured it was how she got along when they first met and he had to be an ass and push buttons when he found out that when he came back from the conference in Hawaii that he had been demoted along with Catherine. In the end, he and Russell got along well and Sage… she was her usual self. The best thing in his life.

He decided to wait until she was finished before saying hello and then maybe steal a kiss. Russell wouldn't call him out on it since he knew they had been married for nearly five years and he and Sage had a system of keeping it professional, developed from necessity. As a result, he learned a great deal about patience even though it wasn't one of his strong suits and it saw him through challenging moments in his life.

It wasn't long until Sage and Russell wrapped up their conversation and rose from their seats. Nick flashed her a smile when she saw him and she gave him a tired one back. It became slow motion when she made a slight face and leaned heavily on the doorframe before she fainted. Nick rushed to catch her and luckily Russell was there. Both caught her and helped her to the couch in Russell's office and worried over her with Russell's hand hanging over the phone and ready to call for emergency services. Nick stayed by her side and almost had a near panic attack since it was eerily similar to the last time he sat by her side, holding her hand and waiting for her to wake up.

Sage came to rather quickly and Nick felt relief that she was awake. He looked into her beautiful brown eyes as she tried to figure out why she was lying down and he was hovering over her. It eventually dawned on her that she was still in Russell's office and tried to play off that she was fine but neither Nick nor Russell were accepting of that. Nick would have insisted to the point of nagging that she go to the hospital but Russell took the lead and insisted that she go as a precaution. Nick knew she wouldn't be able to resist if put that way and luckily Sara came in and volunteered to take her though Nick wanted to.

Call it being over protective to overbearing but Nick had his reasons. As badly as he wanted to go with her, Russell held him back and Sara took her. In the end, he was glad that it was Sara. It wouldn't have mattered if it had been any of the women in the lab but Sara was a close friend of Sage's even after the events that nearly led to Sage quitting and walking out of their lives completely and forever. It felt like that but Nick let her go and he could see the wisdom in someone else going. It wasn't like the lab didn't know they were married but it was to keep up appearances sake which was why Sage used her maiden name professionally in the lab but proudly declared herself Mrs. Nick Stokes outside the lab. It was one of the few times that had him want to grumble.

The shift seemed to run on molasses and it agitated Nick as he worked a 419 in Henderson with Russell. He was grateful for the older man's presence since the man knew more about being married to a woman that was strong in her own right and was the most important thing in the world to him. It eased his uneasiness and quelled the temptation to get on his cell phone and call Sage to ask if she was okay. It was tempting but he resisted, trusting that if it were life threatening, Sara would call him. He turned his mind to focus on the case at hand.

It was a relief and kindness on Russell's part to let him clock out on time from his shift. Nick couldn't do it fast enough and was out the door, barely saying anything to Greg and Morgan as they walked in with their evidence. It was probably the fastest he had ever moved and he was pretty motivated. Once inside his truck, he checked his phone to see if there were any messages. Finding none, he felt his anxiety skyrocket since he was certain that Sara would have sent at least a text message. He then started thinking worst case scenario and it took him back to a time he wanted to forget but couldn't.

Taking a breath, he managed to get his car started and drove towards the home he shared with the love of his life. He was plagued by possibilities of what was wrong, each worse than the last. It was relief when he pulled into the driveway and he was able to relax a little, then realizing that he had been gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were white. He flexed his hands to get some feeling into them and it allowed him to breathe before getting out and heading towards the gate to the front door.

He was greeted by Casey, who greeted him happily, panting and wagging her tail. Nick couldn't resist rubbing her ears as he checked for any signs of booby traps. This was not going well for his nerves. And he didn't see any sign of Sara's car. He was going to go crazy but managed to hold it in check as he followed Casey to the front door before she went around back to the automatic dog door to be let in. He opened the door and immediately he sensed how quiet it was and he saw the reason.

Sage was stretched out on the couch, asleep. She was lying on her side and her arm added lift to the pillow she was using. Sam, his dog, was lying next to her and looking very alert. It startled Nick slightly when the dog let out a low rumble but he relaxed when the dog relaxed enough to let him approach after he dropped his stuff. Nick eyed his dog with a raised brow as he left his keys on the counter just as Casey came in, her nails clicking on the tile. Sam only let out a huff and put his head down and made a low moan.

Nick shook his head as he made his way around to the couch and opted to sit on the floor next to his sleeping wife. Sam got up to make room but didn't abandon his obvious guard dog position. Come to think of it, he had been acting like that the past couple of weeks, always staying close to Sage and tracking her movements. It had Nick curious but not enough to investigate as he sat next to his sleeping wife and tenderly started brushing her short locks with his fingers, finding relief that she looked okay for the most part.

Sage didn't stay asleep for long and woke up almost lazily, opening her eyes to find Nick looking at her with worry and tenderness. She gave a slow smile and said, "Hey, stranger."

Nick couldn't help the small smile. "Hey yourself, Sass."

"Shift go okay?"

It was tempting to go right away into the cause of the situation but Nick learned that this was her way of working up to it and to keep to the cooler head prevailing thing. He replied honestly, "Long. Russell let me off on time."

"Hmm." Sage closed her eyes and took a breath. "Sara back?"

"No." Nick glanced around to make sure. "Sass… what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Sage opened her eyes and found his. To him they looked tired and she looked tired. It had him worried but he waited for her to tell him. Softly she, she replied, "Went to Desert Palms and I saw Cara. She was on call."

"Must be that sixth sense of hers," Nick teased as he always did about their physician, chosen because she brook no nonsense from either of them when they were sick or injured. "You always were trouble."

"Right back at ya, Ness," Sage joked back as she adjusted herself and propped up on her elbow. "It was busy and took a while and once in, couldn't call."

Nick recognized it as an explanation and an apology for not calling him. He figured that but his nerves were shot anyway. He prompted, "So it took you guys all night?"

"Busy night. And you know Cara likes to be thorough," Sage offered with a wry smile. She absently reached out and started caressing Nick's hair even though it was short.

Nick chuckled at that since that was the truth. He paused as Sage rubbed his hair before asking, "Is it anything serious?"

Sage sighed tiredly, "She did say that my blood sugar was low and gave me a glucose tablet. That was my fault. I hadn't eaten all day and it caught up with me. Kind of a nice reminder that I am not the spring chicken I was seven years ago."

Smiling gently, Nick continued on his query, "So nothing like diabetes or anything like that?"

"No," Sage replied as she shook her head. She turned to stretch and yawn. "She did say that I had to be diligent on having regular meals, making sure they were balanced. Vitamins if needed."

"So everything's okay?"

"Like I said, regular on my meals. Balanced diet. Also means adjusting my schedule to be on and off on time and to watch my stress."

Nick sensed that there was something going on behind that. That kind of thing wasn't issued because of one incident of low blood sugar due to honest mistakes. The checklist after the car accident a few years ago was something that was semi obeyed and held a hint of seriousness met with levity and some annoyance. He looked at Sage to see if it was something that he could see. All he saw was her laying there and looking relaxed and content. "Sass…"

At that moment the door opened. Sam let out a low moaning rumble and Casey lifted her head. Nick straightened up to see Sara walk in carrying a bag. It was only one bag but it was full and Nick went to be a gentleman. Sara turned to see him and saw that Sage had sat up. "Hey, did you tell him?"

Nick was aware that he was out of the loop on this one, "Tell me what?" He narrowed his eyes in confusion while silently demanded to be told.

Sage shook her head slightly, "Getting there."

"Oh," Sara replied, "Well, I'll leave you to it. I uh… got the crackers and a few other odds and ends." She turned to leave.

"You promised," Sage replied as she stretched slightly.

Nick was still trying to figure out what was going on and tried to get Sara to tell him but she was out the door citing some reason related to work and telling Sage that she promised whatever it was she promised. He grew frustrated and turned to his wife who was sitting on the couch, leaning on the arm rest. "Am I missing something here? What's going on, Sass?"

"Sara went out and got me a few things when we got home. Things that Cara recommended," Sage offered.

"Is there something you're not telling me? Something bad?" Nick approached his wife, trying to figure out what was going on and trying to piece it together. Unfortunately, his panic and anxiety started to rise and he started thinking something was seriously wrong with her health but a look at her told him otherwise. It was driving him crazy.

"No," Sage replied giving a slight smile. Her hand drifted to her abdomen, holding it there protectively. "Something… unexpected and wonderful."

Nick was about to start demanding answers when he paused and looked at Sage. He studied her movement, her posture and the smile and contemplated her words. It then hit him and he felt his jaw drop slightly. He stammered, "Are… are you…"

Sage smiled when she saw the look of understanding dawn on Nick's face. She nodded, saying, "I'm pregnant."

Nick had his fair share of surprises in all the years he knew and worked with her. Most of them were in the category of getting to know her and having his assumptions challenged by something out from left field. Others were more emotional such as when she said yes to him asking her out and was extremely shy about it. A few involved him thinking worst case scenario such as when he asked her to marry him and he thought she would say no but in reality said yes. This… it topped it. He looked at her as he processed her words that confirmed what he deducted. "You're… you're pregnant."

Sage nodded, her hand over her abdomen. "Cara confirmed it. We're having a baby."

There were no words to describe the relief Nick felt as he joined her on the couch. He cupped her cheek and pulled her into a kiss and sighed his relief. Pressing his forehead gently to hers, he whispered, "I'm so glad." He pulled back and brushed her cheek with his thumb. "I thought it was something bad. You gave me and Russell a scare there, Sass."

"I'm sorry," Sage apologized as she reached up and started running her fingers through his hair. "It scared me too since… well I had my eye surgery, the accident… I never considered."

Nick couldn't help but chuckle, "I think we can agree we think worst case before applying Occam's razor." He kissed her again and pulled her into a hug. "I'm just glad it's none of that." He sighed in happiness. "A baby."

"How do you feel about it?"

Nick thought it a ridiculous question but looking at his wife, he could see why she would ask. It could be said that she was being her psychologist self but he got it. It took two to create a new life and it would mean changes and challenges since he would never force her to give up working if she still wanted to. And yet the idea that a baby, his child, was growing inside of her, the woman he loves, his jewel of the stars… It felt damned good. He grinned saying, "Feeling like the luckiest man on earth. I really and happy, Sass."

Sage silently grabbed him in a hug and held onto him, her breath coming out in ragged happiness. Nick held onto her and planting kisses on her collarbone and neck. He asked softly, "How far?"

"Cara estimates about five weeks. It explains why I've been feeling tired."

"And it explains Sam's behavior."

Sage hummed at that as she leaned into Nick's embrace. She sighed in contentment as she snuggled into Nick's embrace. She was caught off guard when she felt her body being lifted and she found herself being carried princess style to her room with Sam and Casey following. She looked around while trying to make sense of it. "Nick… what the…?"

An hour later found Sage in bed smiling in a bemused fashion. Nick's head was resting on her chest and his hand held protectively over her abdomen and he was fast asleep from the exhaustion of work and worry. Running her fingers gently through his hair, she hummed a chuckle at the fact that he had been more worried like a woman would be and she didn't blame him. Nick had always worried after her even when he didn't have to and he looked out for her. He had his moments but he was a good man and she knew that he would be a good father.

"Love you, Sass," Nick murmured in his sleep. "Mmm my jewel."

Sage smiled at the endearment he attributed to her the day he proposed to her. Leaning forward, she gave him a gently beck and settled down. She felt his hand adjust but still in a protective gesture. They still had a lot to talk about but she was going to enjoy the moment being in her husband's arms and closed her eyes to sleep.

A/N: Sage faints and Nick thinks the worst until the clues are laid before him. Enjoy!