Jackson is my original character, but I don't own CSI.
Dedicated to Lil Badger 101, who suggested a story with Jackson and Finn, and csinycastle85, who gave me the idea for this story.
And I didn't plan on posting a new story so soon, but my computer has a virus :( So I figured I'd better get this published.
Spoilers for 13x08, "CSI On Fire."
I may be in the minority, but I like Finn. And I love her chemistry with Greg and all of the team. So...after the events in the episode, "CSI On Fire," I wondered how Jackson would comfort Finn. So here's what I came up with. Hope you all enjoy...and pretty please review!
Finn sat at the break room table nursing a cup of coffee. She kept going over the events of the last few days, wondering how she missed Pearson's involvement and if she could have closed the case any sooner. She breathed a deep sigh and thought about Monica Warren - how relieved she was to finally know what happened to her daughter.
She shook her head and noticed Jackson Sanders, the three-and-a-half year old son of her colleague and good friend Greg, sitting next to her. The little boy rested his chin on his hands, studying the woman in front of him.
"Hey, sweetie," Finn said with a smile. "I didn't hear you come in. What are you up to?"
"I dunno," Jackson mumbled with a shrug.
"You don't know? Where's your daddy?"
"He had to go see Uncle Doc about sumfin," Jackson said as he shifted in his chair. "An' he said I can come in here an' see you."
Finn smiled softly. "I did say I'd do anything."
"Huh?" Jackson asked.
Shaking her head, Finn said, "I think it means he knew I needed a big smile today."
Jackson giggled and smiled at Finn. She loved seeing the little boy who was happily unaware of the case she and the team just closed.
"Auntie Finn, where's Seattle?" Jackson asked.
"That is a city in Washington state. I just visited there for a case yesterday."
"Did you see Katie? Dat's where she lives." Jackson adored D.B.'s granddaughter.
Finn smiled at the sweet little boy. "I did. I went by and saw her and her mommy." She had seen Maya and Kaitlyn briefly before she returned to Vegas.
"Is she okay?"
"Oh, yes," Finn reassured him. "She said she misses you and her Uncle Charlie and her grandparents very much, but she's doing okay."
"Oh, good!" Jackson smiled and slouched back in his chair. "I miss her."
Finn smiled softly. She couldn't help but think about Monica Warren, never seeing her daughter again and finally getting closure.
Jackson sensed something was wrong. "What da matter, Auntie Finn?"
With a sigh, Finn said, "I'm just thinking about someone who lost someone very special to her."
"Did she go away, like my mommy?" Jackson asked with a pout.
"No," Finn said with a sad smile. "She didn't know what happened to her little girl, and now..."
Jackson looked away briefly and frowned. "Did someone hurt her like dey tried to hurt Katie?"
Finn nodded. "And just like the bad people who tried to hurt Katie will never be able to hurt anyone else again, the bad people who hurt her daughter will never be able to hurt anyone else. So...she's happy that they won't hurt anyone, she still misses her."
Jackson thought for a moment. "Her little girl not coming back?"
"No, sweetie," Finn said, shaking her head.
After a couple of seconds, Jackson said, "My mommy leabed me here, but she not coming back."
Finn smiled sadly at the sweet boy. "I know, and I'm sorry. But...you've got your daddy to take care of you. And he loves you very much, doesn't he?"
"Yeah! He da bestest!"
"Yeah?" Finn asked with a soft laugh.
"Yeah, he read me a story, an' we play togedder, an' he talks to me all da time. An' sometimes, when I hab a bad dream, he stay wif me and keeps da bad dream away."
"Oh, wow!" Finn said softly. "And I'll bet he tells you he loves you all the time."
"Uh-huh, he always say he loves me an' gives me big hugs, like dis!" He jumped down from his chair and hugged Finn with all his might.
Finn smiled as the innocent little boy gave her a big hug. "Oh, wow! That's a big hug."
"Yeah!" Jackson pulled away and smiled. "I got a good family!"
"You sure do!" Finn smiled at the sweet little boy. "Hey, you know what?"
"What?"
"You helped me feel better."
"I did?" Jackson asked, his lips curving into a smile.
"You sure did! I was feeling kind of sad, but you helped me feel happy again."
"Cool!" Jackson said with his widest smile.
Finn laughed softly. "And whenever you feel sad, I want you to remember that your daddy and Morgan and everyone here loves you very, very much."
Jackson smiled. "I love you, too!"
Greg walked in to find his son laughing and chatting with Finn. "Hey, when did you get back?"
Jackson rushed over to Greg. "Daddy, Auntie Finn not sad anymore!"
"She's not?" Greg asked. He smiled at Finn.
"Nope! An' she saw Katie an' her mommy, an' she say dey okay!"
"Well, good." He and Jackson sat next to Finn. "Everything go okay?" Greg asked softly.
Finn nodded. "Yeah. I just...feel like a weight's off my shoulders now. And...Doctor Warren knows where her daughter is." She looked down at her coffee cup.
Greg smiled as his son clambered into the chair across from Finn. "I know she must be grateful to have you in her corner." Finn looked at Greg, confused. Greg simply glanced at the fidgety child in the seat across from Finn. "I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to him," Greg said softly. "But I would want someone as passionate and driven standing up for him like you did for Janet."
Finn sighed deeply. "Thank you." She couldn't help but smile at the sweet little boy across from her. "You are so lucky to have your daddy, Jackson."
"Yeah!" Jackson said with a big smile.
Greg shook his head. "I'm the lucky one. I love you, Jacks."
Jackson scrambled off the chair and hugged his father. "I love you, daddy!"
Finn smiled at her friend and his son. Greg glanced at Finn and grinned. When Jackson pulled away, he asked, "Think Auntie Finn can have a big hug?"
"Yeah!" Jackson wrapped his arms around Finn and giggled as she lifted him into her lap.
Finn held Jackson and sighed, feeling like she was finally letting go of the past. She smiled as Jackson kissed her cheek.
"Thanks for helping me feel better," Finn told Jackson.
"You welcome," Jackson said with a big smile.
As she watched Greg and Jackson happily chat and hug, Finn realized Greg was right about her being part of the team. They really were a family - and she was thankful to be part of it.
The End.