CSI: Braden Sanders-Stokes: Greg in Miniature

A/N: This is going to be a series of one shots based on Nick, Greg, and Braden Sanders-Stokes. Because it will be done in one shots, they might not all be in order. For example one chapter might have Braden aged ten, and the following might have him aged five, though it will clearly state his age at the beginning of each chapter so you shouldn't be too confused. And I'll do my best to keep them in order, I just can't promise anything.

Summary: Nick and Greg meet Braden for the first time. Braden is three years old in this, the first chapter.

"You know what Sara said to me yesterday?"

"What did she say, G?"

"She said she was surprised that we lasted this long, that we're still happy. Like four years is a long time. You know? She just doesn't get it. I don't know if she ever will. I don't think she can."

"Why not?"

"Well, because she's not me, and she's not in love with the most beautiful cowboy on the entire planet. She doesn't go to bed with you every night, hearing you whisper sweet nothings in her ear at work. So she couldn't understand."

Nick kept his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel, as he listened to Greg sitting beside him. He was nervous, and would give anything right then to be back at the lab sneaking glances and whispering when no one was looking. Even the kisses too. Everything.

"I saw Warrick take you aside. You never told me what he said. I know it wasn't case related."

"He wondered if this was a good idea. For us. If we should even be considering this with our jobs."

"He doesn't get it either. Especially after the divorce, he's staying out of love for as long as he can now."

"But we are happy, right? You are happy?"

"Nicky, of course I am. Would I be in this car right now with you, if I weren't? Are you happy?"

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, G, you know that."

He saw Greg smile out of the corner of his eye, and watched as it lit up the whole car, easily overpowering the bright sun.

"You're not changing your mind about this, are you?" Greg asked all of a sudden.

"Heck no. No way. I want this just as much as you do. I'm just... nervous. That's all."

"Me too. Like, shaking like a leaf, nervous. You have no idea."

"Do you think they'll notice? I mean, would they care? Would it make a difference?"

Nick pulled into the long dirt driveway and parked in front of the large Victorian house painted in varying hues of purple. There were two cars parked in the driveway. One was a small sedan, the other was a minivan. He cut the engine and turned toward Greg.

"I think..." Greg thought a moment. "I think once we find the right one, it won't make an ounce of difference whether we're nervous and new at this or not. It'll all work out in the end. I'm sure of it. If it wasn't supposed to, we wouldn't be here."

"Right, good point."

Nick locked eyes with his husband and drowned himself in those deep chocolate pools he lived in twenty four hours a day and seven days a week.

"Are you ready for this?"

"Are you sure we got all the right paper work done that we were supposed to before coming here?"

"Greg, yes, I got it done. Remember, they came to the house, to look it over. They said our background checks came out spotless. We're good. We're perfect."

Greg sighed. "Then I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

He took Greg's trembling hand in his own and raised it to his lips.

"Gregory Sanders-Stokes, I just want to tell you how much I love you. Because after this, we might not have that opportunity as often."

"Aww, I love you too, honey. But, please, don't go all romantic on me now. Now is definitely not the time," Greg sniffled. "Cause I'll either get hard or I'll cry. You have that effect on me, you know."

Nick grinned. "Just get out of the car, ya little kid!"

Only seconds later they were standing at the front door and Nick felt his own hands beginning to shake like a leaf. Greg knocked on the door before stepping back and taking Nick's hand in his own. He instantly relaxed with a squeeze of his hand.

The door opened and a woman with very short black hair, and green eyes greeted them.

"You must be the Sanders-Stokes," she said shaking their hands and inviting them inside.

"Yes, I'm Nick and this is Greg. And you must be Ms. Jordan."

"Yes. But please, call me Dana." There was a slight pause. "Well, I suppose you'd like to meet the kids first, and worry about the rest of the paper work later?"

"Sounds good."

She nodded, leading them to the back of the house. "They're in the play room right now. When prospective parents come I like to keep things as easy and comfortable for them as I can. They've been told you're coming, but that's about it."

Nick snuck a peek at Greg as they walked behind Dana and was greeted with a bright smile, and excited, shining eyes. He smiled back, thinking about how Greg reminded him of a little kid in a candy store.

They rounded a corner and came into what would have been a large livingroom originally. Now, it had been transformed into a kids playroom. There were about ten kids in all, playing with Legos, drawing in coloring books, playing with Barbies and transformers. A little girl looked up at Greg with wide eyes. She was dressed up like a princess, complete with a crown and a scepter.

"Wanna play with me?" she asked.

"Sure!"

The little girl took Greg's hand and pulled him into the room. She gave him a paper crown she'd just made and he set it on his head.

Nick smiled at the sight as all the kids gathered around him.

"You haven't decided what you're looking for, have you?" Dana asked, smiling herself.

"No, we haven't. Just, whatever works. It doesn't really matter whether it's a girl or a boy."

"Hey Nicky?"

"Yes, Greg?"

Greg looked up from all the kids with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Can we take them all home?"

Nick gave him a disapproving look. "We talked about this, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, but still... come on, Nicky! It would be so much fun!"

Dana laughed. "Looks like you've already got your hands full. You sure you can handle one more?"

"Two kids and one father? If I can handle him, I can handle another. No sweat... I think."

Nick laughed too. Greg was sitting Indian style on the floor, telling jokes to the kids and they were erupting into gales of laughter as his bright smile lit up their life for a moment. Just watching Greg made him happy.

"You should get in there too, you know," Dana prodded Nick.

"I should." He started into the room and then stopped when he saw a little boy sitting in a corner alone, smashing toy trucks together. He turned back to Dana. "What's his story?"

The look on her face grew a little dark. "He's got a lot of problems," her voice lowered to a whisper. "He's not very adoptable."

"Now come on, surely that can't be true. How old is he?"

"Only three."

"Three?! And you say he's unadoptable? How can that be? What will happen to him if no one takes him?"

"He'll stay here for as long as he can, possibly get shipped off to another foster home, maybe the orphanage. He's already been around, in his short life."

"Tell me about him," Nick said, now ignoring the happy children and focusing on the sad three year old.

"Everyone who asks, well, they turn him down because of his past. If you were to consider him, you'd have to know about it, but I don't want you to turn him down because of it."

"I promise you, Ma'am, in our job, we see everything. I don't judge people by their pasts."

"Good. Well, a year ago, he watched his father shoot his mother and turn the gun on himself. He was left alone in his playpen in the same room as their bodies for a few days. I don't know that he understood what had happened or not. But now, he's antisocial. Painfully shy. I can't even get him to smile. He won't play with the other kids. They ignore him. Potential parents don't talk to him once they've learned about his shyness and everything else. He's been in several foster homes, but none of them want him for long. I don't want to give up on him. I know what that would do to him, if I gave up on him like everyone else. I'm trying. But it's not easy."

"No, no, it couldn't be. But I'm glad you're doing your best."

Without thinking, Nick walked over to the child and sat down beside him.

"Hey, little fella, how are you?"

The kid smashed two trucks together, and then looked up at Nick with large brown eyes, deep pools of sadness. He didn't say anything.

"What's your name?" Nick tried again.

On the other side of the room he could hear the laughter still erupting from Greg and the other kids, but he did his best to ignore it and concentrate on the boy in front of him.

"Hey, I'm looking for a special friend. Do you want to be my special friend? We could play trucks together if you want."

"Nobody likes me," his voice was sad and just loud enough for Nick to hear him.

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't like you," Nick pretended to take slight offence at the kid's words. "I think you're just fine. You and me, we could get along real swell, what do you think?"

The boy lunged for him and wrapped his arms around him tightly. Nick hugged him back for what seemed several long moments.

"I'm Braden," he said, trying to sniffle back the tears running down his cheeks.

"That's a cool name! I'm Nick."

Braden let go of Nick and shook his proffered hand with his tiny one.

"Nick? Where did you go? Nicky?"

Nick looked up to see Greg searching the room for him. When their eyes met he hoped his were conveying just how much he'd fallen in love for the second time in his life.

Greg was by his side in a second.

"Nicky! You made him cry! How could you make the poor kid cry?"

Nick knew his husband was joking, but he was surprised when Braden clung to him and faced Greg.

"He's my friend! Go away!"

Now it was Greg's turn to pretend to take offence. "A little territorial, don't you think?"

Nick chuckled. "Greg, this is my new friend, Braden. Braden, this is Greg."

"Would you mind... um... would you mind sharing him, maybe?" Greg asked Braden. "With me?"

"No!"

"Well, see, he's my friend too. If he thinks you're cool enough to be his friend, then you must be! Maybe we could be friends together, you, me, and him. What do you say?" Greg sounded jazzed about the idea and his bright smile was back once again.

Somewhere else in the house a door slammed shut.

"Ok, kids, time to wash up for dinner," Dana said from the doorway.

"Awww, come on!"

"You heard me, move guys!"

The other kids got up and ran for the doorway.

Nick looked toward Dana, as Braden was still holding him tight.

"You guys take all the time in the world. I'll be right back."

"Thanks."

"So, come on, kid, what do you say? No one can beat the three of us super heros if we stick together, right?" Greg asked.

"Super heroes?"

Nick smiled at the interaction, knowing Greg would break through to the kid somehow. He could break through anyone's hard shell. And if he could break through Nick's fears of coming out then for sure he could get through to Braden.

Dana was back in the doorway moments later leaning against the frame and another woman was standing behind her, her arms wrapped around her, chin resting on her shoulder. Both of them looked happy for Braden.

Nick felt a tugging on his heart. He hadn't even met the other kids, but he was sure, Braden was the one he wanted to take home. Without a doubt.

"Will we be cool super heros?"

Consider that shell cracked.

"Why on earth would I make us super heros if we weren't cool? Where would the sense in that be?"

Braden's mouth turned upward into a bright, sunny smile. Nick looked at him and then at Greg, smiling back, and a realization hit him. If it hadn't been for Braden's shyness, he could have been a miniature version of Greg.

Nick rolled over in bed, later that night. "I'm sorry, Greg. I didn't even hang out much with the other kids, even after they had dinner."

"It's ok. I think you made the perfect choice and I can't wait to take him to the park tomorrow. He's going to have a blast!"

"I think you will too. I'll be the only adult there."

"I still can't believe this is happening. You know we have to paint his room. And get furniture for it."

"We've got off next weekend. We can do it then."

Greg reached up and traced Nick's jaw with his fingers, before he moved to cover his mouth with his own.

"You know," Greg panted, coming up for air after a few minutes of heavy kissing. "This might be the last time we ever get to have real sex in private."

"Are you hinting at something, G?"

"Yes. Please make love to me, Nicky. Please," Greg begged.

"I was hoping you'd ask that."