Jackson is my original character, but I don't own CSI.
I don't own Chicka Chicka Boom Boom or Jake And The Neverland Pirates either.
Celebrating my sister and brother-in-law's 20th wedding anniversary with a new story :)
I love writing my Jackson stories, and I wondered what might happen if Greg and Morgan had a date night to themselves. So I thought I'd write it! Hope you all enjoy...and pretty pretty please review!
Greg Sanders checked himself in the mirror in his locker. He was thrilled to be taking his wife Morgan on a date, but was a little apprehensive about leaving his son with Nick for a few hours. Greg knew Jackson and Nick adored each other, but he also loved coming home after tough shifts and seeing his son, happily unaware of whatever case he and the team had closed.
Nick came in the locker room and smiled. "You and Morgan deserve a night out," he said as he passed Greg's locker. "And don't worry about Jackson. We'll be fine."
Greg had to smile at his best friend. "I know Jacks will be fine with you. He's been talking about this for a while." Greg had planned a date night with just him and Morgan for a couple of weeks, and told Jackson he could spend a few hours with Nick and his dog Sam. Jackson was thrilled, especially since he loved them both.
Checking his cell to be sure Morgan was on her way, Greg smiled. "Okay, Barbara's going to be here with Jackson any minute. And she's bringing him some snacks and books..."
Nick nodded and smiled. "G, I've babysat Jackson before."
"I know," Greg said with a smile.
Greg looked over Nick's shoulder to see Jackson and Barbara chatting and walking. As soon as Jackson saw Greg, he smiled and rushed to greet him. "Daddy!"
"Hey!" Greg said as he lifted his son in his arms. "Did you have a good day?"
"Yeah!" Jackson happily said. "I read my new Curious George book!"
Barbara smiled at father and son. "He's had a good rest, he's read his book...and he even learned a new word."
"Yeah, daddy," Jackson said. "I learned da word 'allergic'. Dat's sumfin dat makes you sneeze, like dis...ah-choo!"
Greg laughed at his son. "Wow! I don't think I knew that word until I was bigger than you." Jackson giggled and hugged his father as Barbara handed Nick Jackson's backpack and said goodbye.
"You ready to go to Uncle Nicky's?" Greg asked.
"Yeah!" Jackson happily said. He turned and smiled at his favorite uncle. "Uncle Nicky, are we gunna hab pizza?"
"Sure are," Nick said with a small laugh. "And I remembered you like cheese pizza, so I got that for you."
Jackson smiled. "Did you get one for Sam? I bet he likes pizza!"
Nick laughed. "I think we can save some for him."
Greg smiled widely at his son and best friend. He never knew he could love anyone as much as the little boy in his arms and the woman he was treating to dinner.
Just then, Morgan came in and smiled when she saw Jackson in Greg's arms, chatting away. She was dressed in a short-sleeved blue dress and her hair down. Greg smiled when he saw her. "Wow!"
Jackson smiled when he saw her. "You look pretty, mama!"
"Thank you!" She hugged Greg and kissed Jackson's cheek. "Are you about ready?" Morgan asked them both.
Greg nodded. Smiling at the happy boy in his arms, he asked, "You ready?"
"Yeah, I ready," Jackson said happily.
As Jackson squirmed out of Greg's arms, Greg smiled. "You know we've both got our cells, so if you guys need anything, don't hesitate. And if you can't get us, call Barbara or Sara."
Morgan smiled, finding it adorable that Greg worried about his son. She knew that, since he didn't know Jackson until he was three, he missed having his son when he was a baby and leaving him then.
Nick and Jackson chatted and laughed. "I think your daddy's a bit worried," Nick said with a wink and smile. Jackson simply giggled.
"Don't forget his car seat," Greg reminded him.
"G, you put it in my truck yourself," Nick said with a smile.
Morgan laughed softly. She smiled at Jackson. "We're going to pick you up in a few hours, but if you guys need anything, call."
"We will," Jackson said. "An' we gunna miss you."
"But we'll be fine," Nick added. "Right, big guy?"
"Right!" Jackson said with a nod. He turned and hugged Greg and Morgan. "I see you later!"
Greg wrapped his arms around his son. "I'll miss you and see you later. Love you!"
Nick and Jackson left, chatting and laughing hand-in-hand. Morgan wrapped her arm around Greg's waist. "They'll be okay."
"Yeah," Greg said with a smile.
Morgan and Greg sat at their table in the restaurant and looked over the menu. They were happy to be out by themselves, but still thought about Jackson.
Greg cleared his throat. "So, how was your case."
Morgan smiled as she looked up from her menu. "It was good. We got a confession."
"Good. We just solved ours...me and Sara." Greg winced and shook his head.
Morgan laughed softly. "I know. Sara told me it went well."
The two fell into a silence after the waiter took their orders. Both enjoyed being together, but they had to admit they were missing Jackson.
Greg absent mindedly moved his hand to his front pocket where his cell phone was. He closed his eyes and sighed, chiding himself for worrying.
Morgan smiled and took a sip of her water. "Jackson's reading better," she said.
"Yeah, I know," Greg said. "The other day, he read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, almost all of it by himself."
"Really?" Morgan said. Greg nodded and smiled. "Aw, that's great. I know he loves that book."
"Yeah," Greg said with a smile. "And he already knows what he wants to be for Halloween."
"Yeah?"
Greg nodded. "Yeah, he wants to be a pirate. Barbara has already said she'll help put a costume together."
Morgan laughed softly. She knew Jackson loved the show Jake And The Neverland Pirates. "He'll be a great pirate."
Their food arrived and the two ate, occasionally commenting on how good the food was. Morgan smiled softly as Greg glanced down at his pocket, fighting the urge to take his phone out and check to see if Nick had called. Reaching down and taking his hand, Morgan smiled at her husband. "He's fine, so stop it."
Greg sighed and smiled softly. "I know. I just..." He looked Morgan in the eyes. "I've never loved anyone as much as I love you both."
Morgan's heart soared and she smiled. "I know. And you're a good daddy. Jackson's a wonderful child. And we love you, too."
Greg smiled, feeling more love than he ever knew he could feel.
As they were leaving, Morgan glanced at her cell phone. Greg had to smile at Morgan, as concerned about Jackson as he was. He walked up behind her and said, "He's fine."
Morgan smiled as she put her phone back in her purse. "I know. Like you, I worry about him, even though I know he's okay."
Greg drove home and Morgan texted Nick to check on Jackson. He assured them Jackson was fine. Nick said Jackson had fallen asleep on the couch with Sam lying next to him, watching over his young friend. Greg and Morgan smiled and walked into the house.
After resetting the alarm, Greg pulled Morgan in his arms for a passionate kiss. They made their way to the bedroom and sat down on the bed. Morgan took Greg's jacket off and tossed it to the floor. They smiled and kissed, moving to the bed.
Greg nuzzled Morgan's neck and she wrapped her arms around him. Looking his wife in her eyes, Greg said, "It's too quiet."
Morgan rolled her eyes and smirked. "We're trying to be romantic and all we can think about is our kid."
Greg laughed softly. "I-I'm sorry..."
"Don't be! You're his daddy. And...I miss him, too."
Smiling softly, Greg picked up the phone on the nightstand and dialed Nick's number. Putting the phone on speaker, he smiled when Nick said, "Hello?"
"Hey, is Jacks asleep?"
Nick sighed softly. "Yeah. Like I told Morgan, he fell asleep on the couch and Sam's with him. He's had a good time. We've had pizza, watched a movie, played with Sam..."
Greg and Morgan smiled as Nick told them all Jackson had done. Moving in to kiss Morgan, Greg said, "Would you mind if he slept over?"
Nick laughed softly. "He's already asleep. And he said to tell you guys he loves you."
"We love him!" They said in unison.
Hanging up the phone, Greg smiled at Morgan. "Now what are we to do with our evening?" Morgan giggled and pulled Greg in for a kiss.
The next morning, Greg and Morgan were sleeping when they heard a knock at the door. Greg woke up and went to the door. He smiled when he looked through the peephole and saw Nick chatting happily with Jackson.
Greg opened the door and Jackson practically jumped into his arms. "Hi, daddy!"
"Hey, Jacks!" He wrapped his arms around Jackson for a hug. "Did you have fun with Uncle Nicky?"
"Yeah! We had pizza for dinner, an' I got to help Uncle Nicky make it!"
"You did?"
"Yeah! I put a lot of cheese on mine. Uncle Nicky put onions on his, but dey yucky!"
Greg had to laugh softly. "And did you brush your teeth and all that?"
"Yeah, an' Sam my guard dog!"
Greg raised his eyebrows as Nick smiled. "I told him Sam fell asleep right beside him like a good guard dog." Nick took out his cell phone and showed Greg the picture of the two friends sound asleep.
"An' we watch a movie, an' read, an' I 'member to brush my teeth." Greg put an extra toothbrush in Jackson's backpack. "An' dis morning for breakfast, Uncle Nicky made me scrambled eggs wif ham!"
"Wow, you had a better breakfast than I did," Greg said with a warm smile.
"Uh-huh, an' we give some ham to Sam!"
"You did? Did he like it?"
"Yeah! He ate it all up!"
Greg laughed and hugged his son as the boy chatted about his evening. "Sounds like you and Nick had a great time." Looking at Nick, Greg said, "Thanks for doing that, by the way."
"Oh, no problem," Nick assured him. "I had a good time. Besides, you and Morgan needed a date night to yourselves."
"Hi, Mama!" Jackson said as he saw a sleepy Morgan emerge from the bedroom.
"Hi, sweet pea! Did you have a good time?"
"Yeah, but I still miss you an' daddy."
"Well, we missed you, too," Morgan said as she kissed Jackson's cheek.
"He really was great," Nick assured them. Smiling at the little boy, he said, "We've gotta do this again sometime, right?"
"Right!" Jackson said with a nod and a smile. Nick said goodbye to the happy family and went home. Jackson chatted happily with Morgan and Greg about his evening.
Greg smiled warmly at his son and wife, never knowing he could love anyone so much.
"Daddy, did you an' mama have fun last night?" Jackson innocently asked.
Morgan and Greg both smiled. "Yeah, we did," Greg said. "But we missed you."
"I missed you too, but I had a good time wif Uncle Nicky an' Sam. An' Uncle Nicky say dat I can stay wif him again if you wanna have a date night." Greg and Morgan blushed slightly. Jackson looked up at his father. "What's a date night?"
"Oh, it's a night for two people to go out to dinner or a movie and spend some time together," Greg explained with a warm smile.
"Oh, dat's nice," Jackson said. "Did you an' mama have a good date night?"
Morgan and Greg both smiled warmly at their sweet son. "I think we had a great one," Morgan said.
Greg smiled as he and Morgan sat down and he pulled Jackson up on his lap. "Yeah," Greg agreed, smiling warmly as his son showed him a drawing he'd made. Smiling at Morgan and back at Jackson, Greg said, "I can't think of a better way to end a date night."
"Me neither," Morgan said as she hugged her husband and son.
The End.