Disclaimer: I own nothing of CSI

Jasmine's Birthday

"Isn't it a beautiful day out today?" Jackie's mother in law Jill asked her.

It was Jasmine's birthday and Jasmine's grandparents came all the way from Texas just so they could be here with her and so they could come to her party.

"It sure is." Jackie agreed as she set a pitcher of lemonade down on the patio table.

"Is there anything else you need help with Jackie?" Jill asked as she finished setting the patio table.

They were hurriedly trying to get everything ready for the party before the guests started arriving.

"You could help me hang this banner." Jackie said.

Jill nodded and grabbed one side of it.

Soon the banner which read Happy Third Birthday was hung on the sliding glass doors that led out to the backyard.

"Looks good." Jackie said triumphantly.

"Yes, it's cute." Jill agreed.

A couple hours later the party began. It was a small party but Jasmine still had friends there because one of Nick and Jackie's neighbors was there and she had twin daughters that were close to Jasmine's age and Jackie's cousin was there and her daughter is literally only two weeks younger than Jasmine, also Tina and Eli was there.

Nick grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch and after lunch all the adults talked with one another while all the kids played on the new swing set that Nick and Jackie had bought Jasmine for her birthday. The kids had a blast on the swing set but eventually they grew tired of it so Jackie filled up the kiddy pool so they could swim. The kids loved splashing in the water, Jasmine looked like she was having the most fun of any of them.

Jackie took a seat next to her cousin and poured herself some lemonade while her mom took over watching the kids in the pool for a while. It wasn't long after Jackie had sat down that Jasmine and Jackie's cousin's daughter Holly came up to her.

"Mama cake." Jasmine said excitedly.

"Oh sweetie we can't have cake until your daddy gets back." Jackie said with a smile.

"Mama cake." Jasmine repeated.

Jackie laughed "we have to wait for daddy." She said.

"Where did Nick go anyways?" Jill asked from across the table.

"He went to get some more ice." Jackie said.

"Oh, for a minute there I thought he had to run to work or something." Jill said.

"I hope not or my ice will be melted by the time he gets back." Jackie quipped.

Jill laughed.

Ten minutes later Nick walked through the back gate and Jasmine and Holly made a beeline for him.

"Dada cake." Jasmine said excitedly.

Nick looked confused "Honey I don't have your cake." Nick said.

"Dada cake." Jasmine repeated impatiently.

Nick didn't know what she was talking about.

"Watch this." Jackie whispered to her cousin as an evil smirk spread across her face.

"What do you mean you don't have her cake? I asked you to go pick it up from the bakery." She said.

"No you didn't, you asked me to go get ice." He said as he held up the four bags of ice he was holding in his hand.

"Yes and I also told you to go pick up the cake." She said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. I'll go get it now." He said.

"It's too late now, the bakery is closed Nick. I already paid for it and it wasn't cheap, now what are we going to do, she has no cake for her party."

"I'll go to the nearest grocery store and get her one, I'll decorate it myself." Nick said.

"I swear Nick, you never listen to a word I say, you hear my voice and you just tune me out." She said with her voice rising slightly.

"I'll go get the cake." Nick mumbled as he walked over to the cooler and dropped the ice in it.

He then turned so he could go out the back gate.

He was only a couple steps away from the gate when Jackie said "Nick, I'm just messing with you, the cake is in the fridge, I picked it up yesterday."

"You're terrible." Nick said.

"I know but you love me anyways." She said.

"You just keep telling yourself that." He said with a smirk of his own.

"Oh hush." She said as she smacked him lightly on the arm.

He laughed.

Nick looked around at the guests, some were laughing at Jackie's joke and others were talking amongst themselves.

"What should we do now?" Nick asked, he and Jackie didn't throw very many parties, they were simply too busy, and he didn't know how to entertain their guests, but Jasmine did.

"CAKE." She shouted, she had been patient for as long as she could.

Nick laughed "That's actually a good idea, we should serve the cake, what do you think Jackie?" he asked.

"Well she wants cake and she's the birthday girl so I say we give her what she wants. Come help me put the candles on it."

Nick followed her inside the house. Jackie went to the refrigerator, opened it, and pulled out the cake. It was in a cute pink decorative box, but when Jackie opened the box she was stunned. The cake should have had a big picture of Jasmine on it and underneath the picture should have read Happy Third Birthday Jazz but instead there was a picture of a random young girl and underneath the picture it read Happy Eighteenth Birthday Ashley.

"What in the world?" Jackie exclaimed.

Nick took one look at the cake and he couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.

"Nicky it's not funny, I paid a lot of money for this cake."

"So just go exchange for the right one, it's obvious there was a mix up." He said.

"I can't go exchange it today, the bakery is closed, that's why I picked up the cake yesterday." She said.

"Why didn't you look at it before you left the store?" Nick asked.

"Because I had both kids with me and the bakery was busy so when the woman handed me the box I didn't think to look at it, which I know now is stupid."

"Well since you already paid for it I say we eat it anyways, a year from now when we look at the pictures from the party we'll laugh." He said.

Jackie grinned as a thought crossed her mind "I wonder if somewhere there is an eighteen year old girl with a birthday cake that has a little toddler on it."

Nick laughed "Probably." He said and then he added

"What do you say we put the candles in?"

"I guess that'll be ok." She agreed.

They did and then they carried the cake back outside to the waiting guests. Everyone was quite surprised so Nick and Jackie had to explain what happened and everyone thought it was hysterical.

Jasmine however was quite perplexed by the whole situation. "Mama?" she asked sounding very confused as she pointed at the picture of the strange person on her cake.

By the look on her face you could tell she was thinkingnow why is mama on MY birthday cake.

Jackie laughed "No sweetie, that's not your mama, I don't know who that is." She said.

"Sure you do Jacks, it's Ashley." Nick said with a smirk.

"Very funny." Jackie mumbled.

Jasmine was getting impatient, she wanted a piece of the cake, Jackie had to hold her hands so she wouldn't stick her fingers in it and so everyone thought it was a good idea to sing her happy birthday so they could cut the cake.

They did and when Nick set a plate with a piece of cake on it in front of Jasmine she didn't waste any time digging in, before long her face was covered in frosting.

"Is that good Jazz?" Nick asked with a laugh as he began snapping pictures like crazy.

"Cake." She replied with a grin on her face.

After everyone had eaten their cake Jasmine got to open her presents. She was spoiled rotten, she got tons of clothes, two blankets that Jill had knitted herself, and lots of great toys.

After Jasmine had opened all of her presents the kids again returned to the kiddy pool so they could swim again.

A couple hours later the party ended and the guests left. Jackie's family stayed to help clean things up and Nick's parents were also still there because they were staying at Nick and Jackie's while they were in town.

"I think Jasmine had a lot of fun today." Nick said with a smile as he helped Jackie clean up the back patio table.

"Yeah I think she did too, it wore her plum out though." She said with a laugh as she looked across the table at Jasmine who was sawing logs on Jill's lap.

Nick and Jackie looked at each other and smiled.

"GAH." They heard and both of them looked over to Houston who was sitting next to Jill and Jasmine on Roger's lap.

"No buddy you can't stick your fingers in the cake." Roger said as he fought to hold the infant's hand back.

It was a large cake and so there was a lot of it left and Houston obviously thought it belonged to him.

"ACK." Houston argued back.

Apparently in baby language ACK means yes I can.

"How's it going over there dad?" Nick asked with a laugh.

"He sure is strong for being so little." Roger said.

"Jackie if I cut a tiny piece of cake can I let him have the frosting?" Roger asked.

"Sure." Jackie said with a smile as she got a plastic knife and a tiny paper plate from the table, she cut a tiny sliver of cake, got a plastic spoon, and then handed the plate to Roger.

Houston squealed in delight after Roger had given him a bite of the frosting. To Roger's dismay as soon as all the frosting was gone from the tiny piece of cake Houston immediately started reaching for the entire cake again.

"No, you can't have anymore, you'll get a tummy ache." Roger said.

Nick laughed, he was witnessing a power struggle between an infant and a tough judge and it appeared the infant was winning.

"Here, let me go put the cake in the fridge, hopefully once he can't see it he'll forget about it." Jackie said.

She picked up the cake and took it back into the house. That didn't work like Jackie had hoped, as soon as the cake was out of Houston's sight he began to cry hysterically.

"Oh come now, it's ok." Roger said.

Despite his best efforts Houston continued to holler.

Roger turned him around so he could see his face "Here now, stop that whining." Roger said in his tough judge voice.

This surprised Houston and he stopped crying immediately.

"That's better." Roger praised.

The baby then surprisingly reached out and grabbed a hold of Roger's ear and gave it a tug, as if it was his personal play toy.

"Careful, don't pull on that too hard, Grandpa already has big ears, I don't need you stretching them out more." Roger said with a grin.

Nick laughed and Jill just smiled and rolled her eyes at her husband.

A while later the family settled into a quiet evening at home. Jackie's family had gone home and both of the children had been put to bed. Nick, Jackie, and Nick's parents sat around in the living room talking to each other. Nick listened as Jackie and his mom held a conversation. He looked around the room at his loved ones and smiled. Despite Jackie's joke, the cake mix up, and Houston's mini temper tantrum it had been a great day. His little girl had enjoyed her party with her little friends and for the entire day he had been surrounded by the people he loved most. What more could anyone ask for?