Nick Stokes had just gotten out of the shower on a regular Friday night. He hadn't planned on living his life stuck on graveyard shift hours, but that seemed to be how it was turning out. As a man in his late thirties, he felt like he shouldn't be up at all hours of the night at his age, but he truthfully enjoyed working at night. And now that his daughter was in high school, he didn't feel so guilty about leaving her. She was capable of taking care of herself now, and he figured she probably enjoyed the time away from him. Nick slipped on a pair of dark blue jeans and a white button-up shirt and searched around for his keys. He closed his bedroom door and headed towards another closed door down the hall.
Knock. Knock. "Mally?" He yelled over the chick rock music that was blasting under the door. He heard some happy giggling from within. Her best friend, Natalie Grissom was staying over tonight. Nick didn't have any problems with her friends so far, which he was thankful for. He'd known Natalie since she was born and the girls had been inseparable ever since. Her parents, Gil and Catherine Grissom, had been good friends for years.
Upon knocking another few times, Nick decided to give up and he cracked the door open. Seeing that the girls were decent, he opened the door the rest of the way. Even at fourteen years old, Mally and Natalie still had so much little girl in them. He watched for a few moments as they danced around in their sweats to Ashlee Simpson's "L-O-V-E", completely oblivious to his presence. When he found himself adequately amused, he reached over and turned the volume down, causing both girls to spin around.
"Dad!" Mally screamed, and immediately started giggling along with Natalie. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry I disturbed your sisterhood tribal dance or whatever." He smiled. "I just came to say bye. I'm headin' off to work so I can donate more to the Simpson family fortune."
Mally rolled her eyes theatrically. "Dad, we're not that bad. Be thankful we're not into Marilyn Manson."
"Good point." Nick said. "You two behave, alright? Sara will be back in an hour or two from her conference. She'll probably want to sleep, so can you keep it down?"
"Yes, dad." Mally looked away. She'd known Sara most of her life, but was still getting used to the new living arrangement. Her dad and Sara sat her down about six months ago and asked for her permission for Sara to live with them. Mally was, of course, appalled at the idea of her father being romantically interested in someone, and especially with her living here. She eventually gave in however, though she still wasn't happy about the situation. Sara was nice, but she still wasn't sure about her.
"We will, Uncle Nick." Natalie told him.
"Come here, Mally bug." Nick motioned for his daughter to step closer, holding his arms out. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"Bye dad." Mally groaned, signaling she wanted out of the embrace. She had grown accustomed to her dad's constant hugs over the years – something she learned he probably got from seeing so many dead children at his job.
"Tell my dad I said hi." Natalie requested.
"Sure thing, sweetheart." He turned and winked at them as he closed Mally's bedroom door.
Nick got into his truck and pulled out his driveway, turning the radio up. He started singing along to the country song that was on, still very much so a Texan guy. Yes, life was good, he thought to himself. He had a beautiful, healthy daughter and an amazing, loving girlfriend.
Nick got to the Las Vegas crime lab a little after nine o'clock and immediately went to the break room where everyone gathered for assignments, finding Catherine already sitting there.
"Have our little angels burned down the house yet?" She inquired, sipping her cup of coffee.
"Not as of yet." Nick smiled. "Someone else might want to if they keep up their little karaoke party."
"Oh, god, I can't stand it when they start doing that." Catherine admitted. Catherine had been a huge help in Nick's attempt to parent a daughter alone. After Nick's wife disappeared when Mally was two, she had always been there to support the little girl and her father, whether it was babysitting, having woman to woman talks, or even mediating on a few occasions. Mally still confided in Catherine, trusting her more than Sara. Nick wished his daughter would open up more to his girlfriend, but was glad that Mally had a female in her life to open up to.
Gil, Catherine and Nick trusted their daughters fully, which was why they felt it safe to leave them alone together on a Friday night. They'd never given them a reason not to trust them – sure, a few minor scuffs here and there, but they were great kids.
Just then, Grissom came walking in, staring down at a clipboard that he held in his hand.
"Candace and Catherine, you've got a db out in Henderson. Nick, you and I have a double down close to the Bellagio." Gil told them.
"That's it?" Catherine exclaimed. "Two assignments?"
Gil shrugged. "Slow night."
"I guess that's good news."
"For the people of Las Vegas, it is." Nick stretched before getting up and clearing his throat. The CSI's gathered all the needed gear and headed out in their Denalis for what appeared to be a slow night.
Mally and Natalie were still all giggles at the Stokes home on Friday night. Instead of being dressed cozy in their sweats as they had been when Mally's father left, they were now clad in outfits they knew their parents definitely wouldn't approve of. Mally wore a denim mini skirt and two layered tanktops, finished off with some strappy wedges. Natalie wore a blue and white flowered short skirt and low-cut top. They were putting the finishing touches on their hair and make up when Natalie's cell phone rang. She checked the caller ID.
"It's Ryan!" She declared happily.
"Answer it, you nerd!" Mally told her.
"Hello?" She immediately started giggling at something Ryan said. "We just called ourselves a cab. We'll be there in 15. Alright, bye." Natalie flipped the phone shut. "I'm so excited! He's a junior! If he kisses me, I think I'll just die!"
"He did say Jordan would be there, didn't he?" Mally questioned. He was the only person Mally was concerned about being there.
"He should be there." Natalie assured her as she dabbed on some more lip gloss. "If not, you can just shake your ass and get a different guy."
Mally laughed at her friend's comment as they both headed out her bedroom door and down the stairs to the kitchen. She retrieved a pad of paper from one of the drawers and grabbed a pen.
"Okay. Sara will be home in an hour or so. Should I just say we got bored and went over to Ashley's?"
"And to call my cell phone just in case she needs to talk to you."
Mally carefully worded the note to Sara and then placed it on the kitchen counter.
"Alright, bases covered!" Mally proclaimed. The girls heard the honk of their cab outside and smiled to each other as they headed to the door. It was going to be an unforgettable night.