Out of Body Experience

AUTHOR: Lolly4Holly

RATED: M

PAIRINGS: Nick and Greg slash

SUMMARY: Do you believe in out of body experiences? After discovering that his grandfather's mysterious device really works, Ethan Stokes turns the lives of his family and their friends inside out. How will his father ever get him out of this one?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own CSI or any of its characters.

WARNINGS: Adult content. M/M slash relationship. Gender Swap and AR (Age Regression) elements. Don't like, don't read.

After my story 'Altered Fate' went down pretty well with my regular readers and some new ones too, I decided to continue with the gender swap and age regression theme. Please let me know what you think, I appreciate all your reviews.

Enjoy!

Prologue:

"What are you still doing in here?" Timmy Forester folded his arms across his chest, glaring at the last little boy left in the changing room after gym. "You know there's a fee for being the last in the locker room." He took a few steps closer towards the smaller boy, making a tremble shudder down his spine. "Pay up if you wonna leave with your stuff." He quickly swiped his bag off him.

"That's mine!" The boy finally spoke up, regretting shouting at him as soon as the words escaped his lips.

"I can tell, it's for a baby." Timmy laughed, spinning the Spiderman bag in his hand. "Do your Mommy and Daddy still dress you and make you wear diapers?" He searched through the pockets for some cash, laughing as the younger boy tried to snatch it away from him, only to end up crashing to elbows and knees on the floor. "You're such a loser." He emptied the contents of the bag across the floor, before he dropped it to the floor. "You can pay me tomorrow. Don't forget or I'll have to tell everyone about your little diaper problem."

"I don't wear diapers!"

"Yeah, whatever baby." Timmy snorted with laughter, pulling his own bag on over his shoulder on his route to the door.

The smaller boy waited on the floor for Timmy to leave, before he stuffed his things back into his backpack. A part of him wished that he was brave enough to stick up to his bully, so he could point out the fact that this bag wasn't even his. His mother couldn't afford a new bag, so he was using one of his cousin's old bags.

It had a few holes in it and the colour was starting to fade, but it held his books in it fine, so he didn't see any reason to through it out.

Ethan only wished he was as cool as his older cousin was now. Logan Stokes never seemed to have any trouble with bullies in school, if anything; he was more of a bully himself. He was seventeen now, already driving around his first car and he had not one but two girlfriends on the side.

Ethan was only nine years old and could barely talk to his own mother, let alone another girl.

Since it was now the end of the school day, and all his bullies had either taken the bus or ridden their bikes home, Ethan decided to finally escape the school building and try and find either his mother's or his grandmother's car.

He knew now that there was no point in looking for his father's car, as he was always sleeping during the day and working whenever he really needed him.

"Ethan!" His mother frantically waved her hand out the car window at him to get his attention, before she returned her attention to the phone conversation she was having in her car. His mother, Penelope Harding used to work as a full time lawyer. She was well on her way to becoming a partner in the firm, but that was nine years ago, before Ethan was born. She took a couple of years off to become a full time mother, but her relationship with his father didn't exactly work out, so she had to return to work.

Before the divorce finalised less than two years ago though, Penny and Ethan's father decided to have one last night together, creating his baby sister, Avery. His mother was now struggling to keep up her job full time, while taking care of her two children during the day, as their father worked nights so he couldn't take them during the day.

It was all so complicated, making Ethan wish that he could have been born into another family.

No one else at school seemed to have these problems with their parents, and if they did, they sure hid it well.

Ethan climbed into the back of his mother's car, buckling himself in beside his sleeping baby sister. He had always wanted a little brother or sister to play with, but this one just slept all the time. When she wasn't crying and dirtying her diapers that was.

Without asking her son how his day went, his mother started up the car again, driving her children back home. She had the phone pressed against her ear the whole time, keeping her eye on the time as she had a deadline to meet.

Ethan wished all the time that his parents didn't have to work so much, but when he told them that, they always told him that they needed money to feed him and keep him in clothes that fit him. His Grandmother and Granddad had always been pretty well off, but his mother refused to take any kind of hand out from them.

He didn't know why grownups always made things so complicated for themselves.

As soon as they got home, Penny balanced her sleeping one year old in one arm, with the groceries in the other, still managing to hold the phone against her ear to continue her conversation with her boss, Liz.

"Mom..." Ethan followed her through to the kitchen, trying to get her attention, "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom."

Penny gave her son a hiss, moving her phone to the other ear as she set the groceries onto the table. "Yes, I promise to get that report to you first thing in the morning. I'm not due in court for the case until the end of the week, so we've got some time to..."

"Mom." He stamped his foot on the floor, giving her a glare as she refused to look round at him. "Mom!"

"Shh, Ethan. I'm on the phone. Yep, I'm still here... yes, alright..." Penny nodded into her phone, carefully lowering the sleeping one year old into the travel cot. "Yep, first thing. Thanks a lot, Liz... bye." She snapped her phone shut, giving out a sigh as she turned to face her son. "What Ethan? What could you possibly want so urgently when I'm on the phone?"

"I wonna call Daddy." He stropily slumped onto one of the chairs around the table. "You said I could this morning, but you never let me. I have to talk to him. He leaves for work soon." He pointed out the time on his watch.

"Oh... that's right," She realised the time on the clock, reopening her phone so she could call him for him. "You know, if you'd bother to pay attention to the time on that watch when you're at school, you could get out of school a lot quicker and save us all some time." She teased her son, pressing a kiss to his forehead as she handed him the phone. "Remind him he's taking you this weekend."

Ethan rolled his eyes at her, knowing his father would be able to remember that on his own. He hadn't missed a weekend so far, so there was no reason to remind him. "Daddy." He slid off his chair, making his way into the hall to talk to him in private away from his mother. "Yeah... I just got home from school." He hurried up the stairs with the phone, catching his mother leant against the doorframe to listen in.

Penny gave out a sigh, returning to the kitchen to unpack her groceries. Sometimes she really missed being married to his father. At least then there was someone else to come home to that wasn't constantly begging for her attention. She hadn't found time to date like him since their divorce finalised, as her life constantly revolved around work and her children.

She knew it was her own fault though; she was the one who decided to call it off. Seven years of marriage was too much for her, she couldn't go on knowing full well that her partner didn't have the same feelings for her that she did for him.

"Mom!" Ethan shouted down the stairs, having finished talking to his father on the phone. "When's dinner?"

"Um..." Penny looked round at the time, realising she hadn't planned ahead for their dinner again. She planned on eating the left over Chinese herself, while she caught up on her case notes in front of her computer. "I'll get back to you on that. Get started on your homework!"

"Don't have any." He responded, pushing his bedroom door shut so he didn't have to talk to her anymore.

"Why did I ever become a mother?" She asked herself, folding away the last brown paper bag. She stored it away under the sink with the others, hearing Avery giving out her usual cry from the next room as she woke up from her nap, finding herself alone in the front room. "I didn't mean it." She glared up at her ceiling, making her way through to the other room. "Mama's coming baby."

"I can't." Nick pointed out to the older man, currently in charge of night shifts while their own supervisor was away. No one really believed that Grissom would come back this time, but Ecklie wasn't making the same mistake twice by leaving Catherine in charge of the lab. He decided to take over himself for a while, which the team really weren't enjoying. "I've got my kids this weekend. Every other week," He reminded the man. "I didn't have them last week, so I got em this week."

"Kids? I thought you only had the one."

"I've got two. My youngest just turned one." Nick folded his arms across his chest, hoping the man would cut him a slack, just this once. "You'll have to find somebody else. I've never missed a weekend so far."

"We all have to deliver disappointing news now and then," Ecklie re-handed him the new schedule, with a sinister grin across his lips. "You'll just have to let your kids in on the hard facts of life. Work comes first."

"But..." Nick held the new schedule, sighing heavily as Ecklie just walked away from him without a care in the world. He swore at the man under his breath, making his way towards the break room to collect his assignment from the new acting assistant supervisor, Bryan Hammond, much to Catherine's dislike, even though she couldn't stop staring at his tightly fitted jeans. "This is total BS. I can't believe Ecklie's switchin' me to full time on weekends. You get the new schedule?" He took a seat beside Greg at the break room table.

"What's wrong Nicky, worried you're gonna become the world's worst father over a weekend?" Catherine chuckled, taking a seat opposite the boys at the table, so she had a good view of the back of Bryan while he was pouring himself a coffee.

"I've never missed a weekend so far." Nick continued to complain, beginning to crumple the new schedule in his hands. "This is BS. Why'd Grissom have to leave us like this?"

"Because he wanted to teach. Anyone fancy a curry after work?" Sara reminded him, joining them at the table, wanting to satisfy her latest craving for something spicy. These pregnancy cravings were really starting to get on her nerves. "I'm buying." She looked round the table, catching a faint nod from the three of them. "Can't you just take the kids next weekend?" She suggested, wondering what the big deal was.

"Too late, he already promised them." Catherine filled her in on the details, looking up as Bryan looked their way. "You got our assignments yet, Bryan?"

"Oh," The young man looked back at the files he had brought in with him, biting his lower lip as he'd forgotten them again. "They're... eh... they're in my office. I'll be right back." He hurried out of the room with his hot coffee, bumping into someone in the hall, spilling the hot coffee down the sleeve of his clean white shirt.

"So much for experienced." Greg muttered, climbing to his feet to switch the coffee over to his secret stash. "Anyone else want...?" He glanced over his shoulder, catching a faint nod from what was left of their team.

Rubbing her pregnant sides, Sara asked them, "Tell me again why we have to put up with that... kid?"

"Because Ecklie doesn't think I'm up to the challenge of leading the team I've been practically leading since the beginning," Catherine pointed out to her, opening her purse to check her make up in her compact mirror she always kept handy. "Nice arse though. You think he'd go for a... slightly older woman like me?"

Nick laughed, shaking his head at her, "He's younger than Greg, and married. Check the finger." He pointed to the door as Bryan returned, shaking off the coffee stained assignment slips. "Thanks." He took the first slip from the kid's hands. "Double homicide at the Tangiers." He immediately sighed.

"Ah... you can't pick a new one." Catherine stopped him from putting it back in the pile, grabbing the best one for herself. "Three slips, you pairing us up?" She queried, batting her eyelids as she looked Bryan in the eye.

"Sara and Greg." Bryan slipped past the older woman, handing the last assignment slip over to Sara at the table. "Supervisor, Conrad Ecklie wants the high profile case." He decided to point out to Catherine, knowing she was hoping that he was available. "Nick," He looked over his shoulder. "I'm with you."

"I'm drivin'!" The older man immediately declared, grabbing his coffee off Greg. "Getcha kit, I'll meet you at my truck in five." He warned Bryan.

"Nicky..." Catherine hurried after him into the hall, wanting to trade slips.

"Ah... no backsies." The Texan grinned widely at her, holding the slip out of her reach. "Besides, you don't want to seem too eager. Junior's already noticed that you have a thing for him. You better be careful, he might put a restrainin' order out on you before the week is over." He walked backwards towards the locker room, chuckling softly to himself.

"Nicky c'mon, be reasonable." She followed him in.

"I don't know why you're goin' so gooey eyed over him; he's not even that good lookin'."

"Like you'd know, you don't look at straight guys the way I do."

"I look at guys, gay or straight, it doesn't really matter. I know I'll never date em." Nick fiddled with the lock of his locker, taking his vest and kit out. "He's too young for me anyway. I'm nearly forty."

Catherine immediately laughed, turning for her own locker, "You're only thirty eight, when you get to my age you can start to have that little crisis. And don't ask, because I'm not telling you." She warned him, pulling her own jacket on. "Since you brought up the subject, did you really have a one night stand with someone from the lab once?" She stopped him from leaving so soon.

"Who'd you hear that from?" He turned away from the door.

"Water cooler gossip," She shrugged, tying her hair back into a ponytail. "Is it true though?"

Nick simply responded with a smile, quickly slipping away before she asked him who it was. He wasn't looking forward to working with Bryan again, especially the car ride over as they had nothing in common, leaving the car in complete silence.

At least he'd have some time to think up an excuse to tell his son for this weekend though.

"Oh Nicky, you can't do this to him now," Penny hissed down the phone at him, gently patting the one year olds back in her arms in an attempt to settle her down. "What the hell am I supposed to tell him? You only just promised him two hours ago that you were going to take him out this weekend. He could really use the distraction too; he hasn't been himself since my parents split up."

"Course not, it reminded him of us." Nick finally got a word in, lifting another box into the back of his truck. "I'm sorry, it's last minute. They changed the schedule on me, there's nothin' I can do about it. Summer holidays are comin' up soon though, right? I can make it up to him then."

"And your daughter." The woman reminded him of his second child, as she adjusted the baby in her arms to a more comfortable position. "I could really use a break from her every once in a while, Nick. I'm with her every day; you only get her every other weekend. You have no idea how exhausting it is to be with a one year old on your own all the time. And it was your stupid idea to sleep with me again, so you're completely responsible for this second life that I have to take care of."

"Your mother takes her off your hands half the time." Nick lifted a second box into the back, giving his partner, Bryan a glare as he continued to dust something completely irrelevant to the case for prints. "And I said I'd take her whenever you need a break, you just have to ask."

"How's tomorrow?" She didn't waste any time, just as her baby started to cry again. "A couple of hours would be fine. Please?"

"Alright," He sighed softly, moving the phone to his other ear. "I finish at eight. I can take her for a couple of hours in the mornin', but I need my sleep."

Penny immediately laughed, bouncing her baby on her knee. "You won't get much of that. I'll drop her round after I've got Ethan off to school."

"I mean it Penny; I can't take her for long." He warned her. "Now can I get on with some work?"

"Yep, thanks for nothing." She snapped her phone shut in her hand, turning her attention back to her baby. "You better be this moody for your Daddy tomorrow. I want him to know exactly how you treat me." Climbing to her feet, Penny made her way towards the stairs, spotting her son sat on the stairs, clutching the banister bars beside him tightly in his hands. "Oh, sweetheart," She saw the look on his face. "I take it you heard all of that?" She knew he had a habit of listening in on her phone conversations, especially when the person on the other end was his father.

"Yep." Ethan lifted the box from his side, holding it on his lap. Penny recognised it as the box his Grandfather had given him last thanksgiving, but she had never seen inside it. "He'll take Avery but not me?" He asked her, distracting his mother from her thoughts.

"You have school tomorrow, sweetheart." She reminded him of the daily torture, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "You'll get to see him another day though. He's promised that he'll take you for the summer."

Ethan gave her a nod, watching her carrying his baby sister up the stairs, through to her room. He clutched the box his Grandfather had given him tighter, wondering if what was inside really worked the way his Grandfather had said it did.

Becoming someone else sounded a bit surreal, but it would be the perfect plan to spend some time with his father, rather than spending the whole day at school.

"Bed time in five minutes." His mother called back to him, changing his baby sister into a clean diaper and her pyjamas. His sister's vulnerability was almost enough to make him want to change his mind, but if this was the only way he'd get to spend some time with his father, then he'd have to go through with it and hope it wasn't too humiliating.

After all, it couldn't be so bad to spend the day as a drooling one year old. It certainly sounded better than being beaten up in the playground by Timmy and his friends.

Anything was better then that.

Please let me know what you thought!

Have a great weekend :D

~ Holly