Finding Nicky a Girl
…………
Nick Stokes thinks he's found the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Now all he needs is Sara's opinion.
(Part One of Two- more Greg in the next part)
…………
"So who's the girl?" Sara glanced over at Nick, as they sat at the counter in hers and Greg's kitchen.
"Who said there was a girl? I never said there was a girl." Nick threw her a grin as he stirred his coffee gently.
"Cough it out, Stokes."
"Am I that obvious?" Sara's features twisted into a small smile.
"Always. Who is she?" At her arched eyebrow, Nick laughed gently, finally returning her gaze.
"She's a singer in this jazz trio."
"We talking about a potential Mrs. Stokes, or are we talking about another one night stand?" Sara raised her mug to her lips, taking a sip.
"She sings with Jake Norton."
"Warrick's friend Jake? Who played at my wedding?"
"Yeah."
"That means she's an amazing musician. He only plays with the best."
"Yeah."
"Young?"
"Not terribly."
"Well, go on." Nick pursed his lips, and took a deep breath.
"Her name is Grace."
"That's pretty."
"She's forty-three last month."
"That's a little young, Nicky."
"You going to be supportive, or am I going to have to talk to Nora about this?" He smiled warmly at his best friend, and she returned his grin.
"No, no, no. Sorry. I'm supportive. Tell me."
"She has a ten year old."
"Instant family."
"Yeah. He's really adorable. Adam. Adam's his name."
"Are you ok with not having children of your own?" Sara peered at him, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair affectionately.
"I, umm."
"You aren't."
"Not really. I mean, Nora, Nora I love as if she was my own, you know? I always thought that that was enough for me."
"But it's not." Sara's heart broke when she saw him blink away gentle tears. "Nicky, it's ok." He nodded, smiling as he wiped away fresh tears.
"It's not though. In the back of my mind, I never worried about having children. I figured that you and I would have one someday." He blushed, embarrassed. "I know, crazy."
"Whoa no, don't go changing the subject." She smiled warmly over her mug, gently scolding. They would come to terms with that another time. "Grace. Forty-three. Ten-year old son named Adam. Continue." He laughed, taking a sip of his coffee.
"She's got the prettiest curly red hair."
"You and red hair, Nicky."
"I know. I love red hair."
"So do I get to meet her?"
"We've only been out a few times, Sara."
"But you like her."
"Yeah." Nick ran his hands over his face wearily.
"She playing tonight?"
"Yeah. They have a few sets at this jazz club off strip tonight."
"Should I dress up, or is it casual?" Sara ran her fingers through her hair, smiling encouragingly. She swept her eyes over her longtime friend quickly. Yeah, he was definitely falling hard for this Grace woman.
"Sara-"
"Look, I have to meet her before you fall completely in love with her." And Nick laughed at this, more sincerely than he had in a long time.
…………
"You look nice." Greg laid his copy of Rolling Stone down on their bed, pulling his knees to his chest, as he watched Sara pull a conservative, yet shapely black shirt over her head. His eyes swept over the rest of her body, gracefully wrapped in a flowing little skirt that he would have thought she had nicked from June Cleaver, save for the paisley print, an indicator that Nora had bought it, last Christmas, if he remembered correctly. She twisted around to smile at him, and grabbed her necklace with the tiny diamond he had given her for Mother's day when she was pregnant, closing the distance between them, and handing it to him. He clasped the delicate chain around her neck, and she pressed a loving kiss to his lips.
"Thanks."
"Hot date?" He grinned at her, briefly looking thirty again for a moment, flopping back down on the bed.
"Just Nick. Should I be this nervous about meeting this Grace woman?" She turned back to the mirror against the bathroom door, smoothing the invisible crinkles in her skirt.
"Nah. He'll have a different one next week."
"I think this one has potential, Gregory."
"Yeah, but Nick said that about the last one, what was her name?"
"Anne Something."
"Exactly."
"Be supportive."
"I'm only saying there isn't much point." At the front of the house, the door opened and closed, and Nick's familiar Texan tambre called out from the living room.
"Hey, you
ready?"
"He's a charmer, Sara, watch out." Sara nodded
her head toward the door, and Greg sighed, making his way to follow
her.
"Don't rain on his parade. I've been trying to marry him off for fifteen years."
…………
"I like her."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Sara settled back in her chair, observing her friend. Nick grinned at her, then turned his gaze toward Grace. He was completely captivated, watching her swaying to the bridge of the song, listening to Warrick's friend Jake wail out a few notes on a tenor sax.
Grace Bartlett let her eyes scan the crowd, settling on Nick. They had been out a few times, he seemed too good to be true. Honest, loving, considerate, chivalrous, polite. Ten years older than her. Not that he looked or acted fifty-three in anyway, except for the salt and pepper hair that he wore, in her opinion, better than George Clooney.
She really liked him. Could see herself settling down with him. Had introduced him to Adam. Adam seemed to take a real liking to him. That kid was the best judge of character she knew. It was the least she could do for him, after how his father had left, to find him a decent replacement. But there was something special about Nick Stokes, she just couldn't put her finger on it.
She glanced at Jake, and picked up the chorus again, pouring sultry melodies into the microphone, eyes holding Nick's. The woman sitting next to him must be that Sara woman he had mentioned before. The one with the daughter, what was her name… Nora. Nick's honorary niece, Nora, who he adores. Two more songs, and they were off. Two more songs, and she got to see Nick. She couldn't help but smile, her knees all but giving way when he smiled back.
"You going to marry her?" Sara glanced at her friend, taking a sip of the Jack and Coke by her hand.
"I was thinkin' about it." Sara turned fully toward him, watching him grin broadly. "Bought a diamond, actually."
"Really."
"Yeah."
"And I haven't seen it, because?" She took another sip, and set the drink down. "I didn't help you pick it out, because?"
"Because it's just a stone. And I sent it to Nora. She's going to make the ring, and set it." Nick flashed Sara a gentle smile, and took a sip of his identical drink.
"My Nora."
"Yeah. I talked to her about it, I had her on the phone when I went looking, she's got an eye for that sort of thing, well, an ear, I guess, and after three shops, I asked her to do it."
"But you're my best friend."
"She's the artist. Said she was taking three metals classes this semester, and one of them was some kind of jewelry design blah blah bohemian something or other. I trust her. What?"
"She
didn't say anything to me about it."
"Relax, Sara, you're
the one who's meeting her. Nora's only heard me ramble on and on
about her."
"So when are you asking her?"
"Next Thursday. Nora's bringing the ring home with her Wednesday."
"You're asking this woman to marry you next week?"
"What?"
"Nicky, I hardly know her." Nick chuckled, sitting back in his chair. "This is a little fast, don't you think?"
"I'm fifty-three years old, Sara. Closing in on fifty-four. I'm not young enough for this to move too fast." Nick took a sip of his drink, and smiled softly at her.
"You going to adopt the kid, then?"
"She has to say yes first."
"Pending she does."
"Yeah. I really like him."
"You like him, or the idea of him?" She watched Nick closely, as he set down his drink, and rubs his hands over his features for a brief moment, before taking a deep breath.
"I want what you have."
"You want Greg? He's shit at laundry-" She chuckled into her drink, and he rolled his eyes at her attempt to lighten the mood. Greg was really rubbing off on her, still, after almost twenty years together.
"I want someone to utterly and completely adore, everyday, for the rest of my life. And I think this is the girl." He flashed her a weary smile. "I'm the last, you know. I'm the baby, I'm the one they all worry about. 'When is Uncle Nicky going to have kids? Why isn't Uncle Nicky married?' My three oldest siblings have grandchildren. Grandchildren."
"Nick, they're pushing seventy. It's normal for them to have grandchildren."
"That's not my point and you know it." He smiled at her, and she returned, relaxing knowing that he wasn't going to let this become one of there serious conversations. "Sometimes I feel like Grissom."
"What?" Sara arched a surprised eyebrow at him, and cast her gaze on Grace and Jake. "You are not like Grissom."
"I am though. I'm fifty-three years old, and I have nothing to show for it."
"And marrying Grace will?'
"Give me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Give me something to hold on to that isn't yours, at school all the way in Chicago." Nick's eyes remained focused on the redhead standing next to Jake, and he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling softly.
"You are going to propose to Grace because you miss Nora?" Sara chuckled at this notion. She had known that Nick and Nora had developed a close bond, Nora often thought of Nick as her third parent, confided in him often, and their separation with Nora's first year away at school in Chicago had deeply affected both of them. Evidence of this would be last semester's cell phone bill.
"I never wanted someone to grow old with until I started growing old by myself." He smiled sadly at her, "I'm petrified I'll end up like that woman we found in the closet. She was dead for three weeks and nobody noticed. That's a horrible way to leave." Sara didn't have a response to this, and they sat in comfortable silence, listening to Grace wrap up the last chorus of one of Jake's originals.
Grace listened quietly as the soft applause died down. Last number. She turned to Jake, a broad grin across her features, her eyes sparkling softly in the dim light, and spoke to him, into the microphone.
"Let's sing a little southern charm, J." Jake nodded, returning her smile.
"You got it, Gracie." He turned to the pianist. "Mr. Charles' number, B flat." Over the soft vamp of the piano, Grace smiled as a few regulars recognized the song, and she introduced it.
"Vegas, here, this is a city of dreams, dreams comin' alive, dreams comin' true." She smiled at the few claps and whistles in agreement. "But, baby, we all gotta go home sometime, and home is just another word for you." Grace smiled warmly at Nick, picking up the leisurely melody of the first verse delicately, her whole demeanor shifting, as if she had stepped into a church. Her delivery reminded Sara of a prayer, and Sara realized instantly why Nick was so taken with Grace the jazz singer.
"Georgia, Georgia,
The whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind"
Grace closed her eyes, her accent becoming thicker with every word that tumbled off her lip. Sara turned to Nick beside her, a quick-witted quip about his southern roots about to burst out of her mouth, when her heart swelled, seeing him.
"I'm sayin' Georgia
Georgia
A song of you
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines
Nick Stokes had forgotten that the rest of the room existed. Listening to Grace's signature song always drowned him in memories of home. He heard thirty years of homesickness each and every time she sang it. She was singing this song when he first met her; she was singing it when he had fallen in love with her. And she was singing it now, cementing his decision to ask for her hand, and her heart. He smiled, as her accent thickened, and he took comfort in knowing that she was as homesick as him.
"Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you"
Grace opened her eyes, her gaze falling on Nick as Jake took the bridge. She rolled her finger in a circular motion by her hip, telling him to take another set. Nick Stokes was the kind of guy she could spend the rest of her life with. They understood each other, and deep down, where she hid her secrets, she loved him, and she knew he loved her. A southerner always finds another southerner in the end.
"I said Georgia,
Ooh Georgia, no peace I find
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind"
Sara leaned over, interrupting Nick's trance, touching his arm affectionately. "So she's from Georgia, I take it." He smiled, chuckling softly, and kissed her temple, returning the friendly affection.
"A would-be Dallas cowboy, a would-be Savannah belle, it's not unheard of." He grinned, and Sara saw a sparkle in his eyes that had not been there so brightly since before Walter Gordon and his Plexiglas box, and that warmed her heart, blurring her vision with gentle tears.
"Georgia,
Georgia,
No peace, no peace I find
Just this old, sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind
I said just an old sweet song,
Keeps Georgia on my mind"…………
A/N: This is part one of two… and keep a look out for a companion piece to this, about Nick. But that won't be for a week or two. Nick Stokes is my absolute favorite character out of all the CSI and CSI spin off characters, I'd always wanted to do a piece about him, peel back his layers, etc., and I think I've found the opportunity. There will be the second part of this, with decidedly more Greg, and a smattering of Nora. Thanks for reading. Oh! And the song is 'Georgia on my Mind,' and the tempo I had in mind was of Ray Charles' rendition… because Mr. Charles is my absolute favorite.