After she had slipped on the oversized, marooned colored kangaroo style hoody with a large, white "ATM" logo on it along with a pair of grey sweatpants' capris with elastic cuffs that kept the legs just a few inches from the knees, Nicco sat down and waited for Nick by the doors to the restroom. She had tried to fold the top and pants that the nurse had loaned her, but as soon as she put them in the plastic bag they had unfolded themselves. Even though she tried not to let it bother her, it got under her skin that they were now just a purple mass in the bag instead of being neatly folded, so she tied the bag closed so that she wouldn't have to look at it.

Quit being so O.C.D! Nicco mentally chastised herself as she threw the bag onto the floor at her feet.

Although she knew it was an odd thing to obsess about, she couldn't help but to feel a little relieved that she was doing it. For her it was a natural reaction to circumstances such as this. She then took it as a good sign that whatever had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours hadn't really changed her all that much. Or at least hadn't changed who she was at her core. Well, at least she hoped it was.

She let out a silent groan as she lowered her head into her lap. Now that her hair was fully dry, it had become somewhat unruly, so it flopped over her head and almost touched the ground. She kept her face nearly pressed against her knees as she raised her hands to try to get her hair out of her face. After she had bundled it up into a loose bun, the fingers of her right hand touched her left wrist. When she was at home or in her dorm she had made it a habit to wear hair elastics around her wrists because she never knew how she would feel about her hair while she was working on a paper. At times, like when she was pacing, she liked to have it loose so that she could run her fingers through it nervously. Other times she got so annoyed by it that she had to hide any scissors in her dorm room so that she wouldn't do something regrettable. Hence, the tendency to wear hair elastics on her wrist.

Although she wasn't aware of doing it, Nicco must have made some sort of noise of complaint because she heard Catherine say, "Here Cole, this should help."

Nicco quickly let go of her hair and looked up from her lap. Her hair flopped all over the place, including in front of her face, and completely obstructed her view. She swiftly finger combed it back so that she could look up at Catherine's face.

As she took the hair elastic from the CSI and twisted her hair up again, she replied, "It does and it doesn't." Catherine gave her a quizzical look causing Nicco to laugh and then clarify, "Sorry, that only made sense to me. When my hair is like this, I usually like to pull it back, so this does help. But in the next breath, having my hair down helps to cover up my new souvenirs and makes it harder for me to see all of the weird looks people are giving me."

Catherine gave her a sympathetic smile and sat down beside her saying, "I can understand that. It's a catch twenty-two. But, my unsolicited advice?"

Nicco smiled answering, "You've been around all of this longer than me, so… yes, please."

"I say do whatever makes you the most comfortable. You're a survivor, so you shouldn't feel ashamed about your bruises."

"Survivor? I like that," the younger woman answered as she once again pulled her hair back into a bun.

"But if the looks still bother you, you can always play turtle and hide in this big ol' hoody of yours."

Nicco laughed then said, "I know it's ginormous, but that's part of its charm. I can't tell you how many times I've tucked my knees up into it and pulled the hood over my head to catch a nap in the library."

"Well that does sound cozy. I guess it makes sense why you bought it so many sizes larger than you would normally wear." Catherine watched as Nicco's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. "Oh… or why'd you'd steal it away from a boyfriend."

"No boyfriend," Nicco replied with her eyes focused on someone or something down the hall.

Catherine turned to follow her gaze to realize that Nicco had an unobstructed view into their supervisor's, Gil Grissom, office. "Nick? You stole that from Nick? Oh… wait, Greg told me something about this. Nick? He's your brother?"

"Yeah, technically," Nicco replied before she turned her attention back to the woman with whom she was speaking. "His parents adopted me when I was eight. He had already gone off to college, so I didn't see him all that much until I was a bit older. Since all of his siblings are even older… uhh older than him, I saw most of them even less."

"But you and Nicky became close?"

"As close as you can be with someone a decade older than yourself. Once I reached adulthood we started talking on the phone on a more frequent basis, but most of the time it's just me pestering him to help me with stuff for school. You know, like what classes I should take so that I can have all of the proper training and education to be a CSI."

"I'm sure it's more than that."

Nicco diverted her gaze to the floor as another embarrassed blush colored her cheeks while she also mumbled, "Yeah… maybe."

Catherine smiled to herself at how young Nicco looked in her hoody that practically swallowed her whole. She could tell that he younger woman was embarrassed by the CSI's gentle teasing, which proved to her how close Nicco truly was to her older brother. If there actually had of been that much distance between the two of them then she knew she would see a harder kind of indifference in Nicco's eyes when she looked at her brother. Instead she saw an open, vulnerable look of love and near adoration that she had seen so many people with healthy (well healthier than her own) relationships with their family.

But finding out about their relationship wasn't why she had stopped to chat with Nicco. Ever since Greg had started rambling on about who 'Cole Radisson' really was, Catherine had had a couple of questions eating away at her brain that she really wanted answered.

"So, we asked you if you had any family in Las Vegas and you said that you didn't. But then Greg finds me and tells me about Nick… and here you are… wearing his sweatshirt. Why is that Cole? Oh… wait… What was it that Greg said Nicky had called you...?"

"Nicco," the younger woman replied. Nicco sat up straighter and turned so that she could look Catherine in the eyes more easily. "My friends in high school and my family call me 'Nicco'. We already had a 'Nicky' in the family, so that wouldn't work for me. I've always been a Tomboy and I had always wanted a more androgynous nickname, so I changed it when I went away to college. Plus, I thought that having a more masculine nickname would help me to blend in when I started working in a male dominated industry."

"Yeah, I can see the logic there, but…"

"I didn't say that I didn't have family in Las Vegas," Nicco cut in knowing that she couldn't stall that answer much longer. Catherine gave her a disapproving look and seemed like she was going to start an argument, so Nicco quickly added, "I didn't! When Detective Cavaliere asked who he could call, what family I had in town, I said that I didn't have any family who lived locally that I wanted you to call right then. You two made the assumption that I had no family here and therefore wouldn't want them to be contacted at a later date or time."

For a second Catherine looked like she was still going to argue with her, but then she paused and gave Nicco's words some serious thought. After she had replayed that conversation through her mind more than once, she shook her head and softly chuckled to herself.

"Alright, you might have me there. But, it looks to me like you and Nick are pretty close, why wouldn't you want us to call him?"

"I couldn't fully remember where we were in his rotation, so I didn't want to bother him if he was sleeping or working. What happened to me was being investigated by people he had told me he would trust his life with, so there really wasn't anything he could do, so why bother him at all?"

"I'm sure he would never consider being with you for emotional support as a bother."

"That's true, but I… I still wasn't sure if… umm… if I was just a victim. Y'know that I hadn't…?" Nicco paused and took in a deep breath and then forced herself to calmly state, "I didn't want him to hear that I might have killed the man who raped me from anyone but me. It kind of felt like something he shouldn't hear from someone else."

"So you had a plan for what you were going to tell him?"

Nicco snorted in a laugh and instantly regretted that because it irritated her throat so badly. Thankfully this time she didn't start coughing, so she was still able to speak.

"No, no plan Ms. Willows. I was actually hoping to put it off long enough that all of my bruises would be gone, or at least super faded, before I even thought about broaching the subject with him."

Catherine once again looked completely surprised, so Nicco added, "It isn't exactly the easiest topic of conversation to bring up with someone. I figure that the right words would come to me when it was the right time and then I'd be able to tell him all about it. Thank the good Lord above that they did or this whole me being at his place of work would have gotten super awkward super quick."

"I'm sure that it would," Catherine replied with another soft chuckle. "And I know sometimes it can be hard to talk to someone, especially of the opposite sex about the aftermath of an assault like yours, so…" She paused to pass a small white card to Nicco. "Here's my card. My cell number is on the back if you need someone to talk to about anything."

Nicco took the card and appeared completely speechless. At first Catherine thought that she might have overwhelmed her, but then she realized that Nicco wasn't looking at her. She turned her head and noticed that Nick was making his way down the hall towards them. She somehow knew that he wasn't the reason that the younger woman was rendered silent. No, she instinctively knew it was the man that as half a step behind Nick that had been the more likely reason that Nicco wasn't saying anything else.

Catherine then reached over and gave Nicco's hand a comforting squeeze. "Don't forget to call if you need me. But don't worry, Gil looks a lot scarier than he actually is."

Nicco's eyes flicked to the other woman's face when she heard Catherine's teasing tone. Catherine gave her another comforting smile, but then she just stood up and simply left without another word. Nicco felt like she should be calmed by everything Catherine said since the CSI had sounded so confident and easy-going, but she couldn't help her unconscious, negative reaction.

Nick and Gil watched Catherine leave, but neither of them commented on her departure. Instead Nick said to his sister, "Nicco? I'd like to introduce you to my Supervisor, Gil Grissom."

Nicco quickly stood up and pulled back her right sleeve so that her hand was clearly visible without remembering to care about her bruises. Gil took it with an amused smile as he greeted her saying, "Miss Radisson, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Nicco placed her left hand over his right hand as she reverently replied, "It is an absolute honor to meet you Dr. Grissom. I… I just wish it was under better… err… other circumstances."

"As do I, Miss Radisson," he responded with the same polite smile he had been wearing since she met him. "But there will be other chances for us to speak at length after tonight."

"Really? You mean that?" She questioned hoping that she hadn't misunderstood to what he was referring.

Gil's smile morphed into a look of empathetic comfort as he responded, "Yes, Miss Radisson, I do. I just wanted you to know that from what I have heard from CSI Sanders there should be no issues for your eligibility due to this incident."

Nicco's eyes remained securely fixed on Gil's face, so she missed the questioning look Nick was giving both of them. Gil had caught it early on, so he tried to make his comments as vague as possible because he didn't want to disclose something sensitive to Nick that she didn't want him to know.

"Seriously? It won't?" Nicco questioned like she was in complete disbelief.

"No, it won't," Gil reassured her in a calm, serene tone. "Again, we can discuss that at a later date. First, I think you should follow Nick's advice and have something to eat before trying to get some rest."

Nicco nodded her head enthusiastically and answered, "Yes, Sir, I will. Thank you again for letting me know about… uhh… that. I-it's been great meeting you, Sir."

"As it was to meet you." Gil then turned to Nick and said, "Hopefully we'll see you tomorrow night Nicky. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything at all."

"I will Gris. Thanks again."

Gil then turned and made his way back towards his office. Nicco watched him as if she was in a trance and Nick watched her with a confused frown. There was a huge piece of the puzzle that he was missing when it came to him understanding his sister's life. When he first realized it was actually Nicco in the interview room, he had thought something bad had happened while she was on a weekend vacation in Las Vegas. That thought was quickly derailed by hearing that an officer had returned to the station with a box of her belongings from her dorm room.

What the heck is going on with you Nicco? He thought to himself.

That was the number one question that he was going to get her to answer, but first he needed to take care of her. He hadn't had to exaggerate to Cavaliere about Nicco's condition because she really was looking exhausted and in near desperate need of a good meal. Plus, he couldn't stop thinking about her injuries and how they needed to get her antibiotics sooner than later to keep something worse from happening.

Nicco watched Nick with a worried look on her face. After Doctor Grissom left them, she expected Nick to start questioning her right away about what they had said. Instead he remained quiet and looked like he was lost in thought. That look on any of her family members' faces usually didn't bode well for her, so Nicco decided to remain silent while she waited for Nick to tear a new strop off of her for hiding so many things from him.

"Okay, so we'll go and get your luggage from property and then I think we should go to a pharmacy. That way you can eat while we wait for your prescriptions to be filled," he finally explained as he picked up the tied plastic bag from the floor.

Nick took a couple of steps towards their next destination, but he stopped when he realized that Nicco wasn't following him. He turned and found her standing beside the chairs, hands tucked deep into her long sleeves, looking like she was fighting off the desire to cry.

He then moved quickly to her side and quietly asked, "Nicco? What's wrong?"

"I…" She quietly said as she stepped closer to him. "Are going to a restaurant?"

"That was my plan. Why do you ask?"

"I… it…" She pulled back her sleeves as she tried to regroup to properly answer. "People might think that you did this to me. I don't want you getting blamed for all of this."

Nick wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her into his side. "Don't worry about that, Nicco. Where I'm taking you, they know me well enough that they'll know I had nothing to do with hurting you."

"Oh… okay."

He started back down the hall and her feet immediately started to follow. He sounded so sure that everything was going to be fine that she forced herself to believe it too while she tried to relax against him. He had never purposefully steered her in the wrong direction before, so she had no reason to start doubting him now.

"Don't worry Nicco, we'll get some food into you, you'll take your meds and then I'll take you home to get some rest."

After the last part of his comment hit her ears, Nicco froze mid-step. Her stopping was so abrupt that Nick actually stumbled when she slipped out of his hold.

He looked back at her and immediately noticed the terrified look on her face. He almost asked her, for what felt like the hundredth time in the matter of hours, what was wrong, but then he saw Catherine in a room down the hall talking to their coworkers. Seeing her jogged his memory and he quickly mentally kicked himself.

"Nicco," he called out softly as he once again wrapped her in a hug. "When I said 'home', I meant my place. I can understand why you don't feel comfortable going back to your dorm yet. You can stay with me for as long as you want to, okay?"

Nicco hugged him tightly and replied into his chest, "Thank you! You're the best!"

Nick laughed to himself then stated, "Don't you ever forget that."

ONCE THEY WERE SETTLED in a booth, near the back of the restaurant away from the usual crowd, and had their meals ordered, Nick and Nicco sipped at their mugs of hot beverages just staring at each other. Nicco could almost read the questions running through his mind, but she didn't want to be the one who broke their silence first. She wanted to wait for him to ask his questions so that she would be able to try to tell him everything in the order that he thought that it was important and not what she considered to be the primary topics for them to cover.

Nick on the other hand remained silent so that he could watch his little sister away from a crowd. Since she was the youngest of their family, she had quickly learned how to play the part that she thought that everyone wanted her to embody. That meant that she would put on a brave face and swallowed back her true feelings so that she would be perceived as being older and more mature. When she was a teenager he was the sole sibling that she had allowed herself to open up to because she had been worried so much about how her other siblings would judge her. Even their parents were guilty of placing unrealistic expectations on Nicco. When she hit the age of thirteen they would no longer allow her to behave 'like a child' and had expected her to think and act like an adult. To behave in any other way, like drinking at parties with her friends during her high school years, hadn't been tolerated and therefore was dealt with swiftly and, what they perceived as being, severely.

So here he sat watching her and trying to remind himself not to sound like their parents when he finally did question her. That would have been the number one way to get her to shut down, which would be completely counter-productive to reaching his ultimate end goal.

"Nicco?" He started in a soft voice. "Are you enrolled at UNLV?" She nodded her head, but no move to speak at all. "Okay. How long have you been going there?"

It looked like she attempted to savor a couple more sips of her tea while she formulated her reply. In reality she was stalling her response for all that it was worth. She knew that anyway that she worded it, Nick was going to be hurt by her answer, so she wanted to soften the blow as much as possible. Nick might look like a big, rough and tumble Texan, but she knew that inside he was actually just a big Teddy Bear. He could be wounded easily and once you damaged your relationship with him, it could be damned near impossible to repair.

"I started my graduated studies there… last fall," she answered staring down at her mug of tea. Nicco moved only her eyes so that she was looking at him through her eyelashes as she added, "I moved into my dorm at the end of last August."

A profound look of sadness and longing flashed into Nick's eyes before he said, "Eight months? You've been living here for eight months?"

"I was going to tell you," Nicco countered in the same timid tone as she was previously using.

Nick didn't hide that he didn't believe her and nearly snapped out an angry, "Oh yeah? When were…?"

"Here you go, you two," their waitress cut Nick off, possibly by accident. Only she knew that it wasn't.

Nicco pulled her bowl of chicken noodle soup closer to her with a very quiet 'thanks'.

Nick seemingly ignored his food, but he tied to sound cordial than he had to his sister when he said, "Thank you, Joyce."

"You are very welcome, Sugars," she replied in a thick Southern drawl. As she walked away she fixed Nick with a stern, motherly look and added, "Y'all call me if I can bring you anything else."

Nick could hear the unspoken list of things she would bring him like an attitude adjustment or a swift kick in the behind. He knew she didn't think he had been the person who had hurt Nicco, but he also knew Joyce that that he should be showing the injured woman more compassion. He hadn't anticipated using anything but a comforting and loving tone during their meal, but Nicco's answer had thrown him off so much that all of the promises he had made to himself were quickly forgotten.

Nicco completely ignored their server as soon as the aromas of her soup hit her nose. During her time spent in the interview room, she had become so overwhelmed by the revelations about her roommate and their weekend getaway that she had forgotten that she should be hungry. Now that she could smell the rich, comforting aroma of her soup, her hunger pains refused to be ignored. Her stomach let out a loud growl, so she started shoveling spoon-full after spoon-full into her mouth so quickly that it was almost obscene. Nick nearly laughed to himself when thought how their mother would call her behavior unladylike. Then he quickly remembered why Nicco was feeling so famished and why chicken noodle soup was one of the only foods that she could stomach right now.

That last thought wiped the small smile off his face. He still wanted to go into full 'bad cop' mode with her to get the truth, but he knew he couldn't. Instead he forced himself to keep his tone less severe and slightly humorous when he asked, "So that phone call to me would have come when, Nicco? Just before your graduation? Or after it so that we could celebrate together?"

Nicco froze at hearing Nick's questions. His tone had been lighthearted-ish and kind of playful, but his words still stung her. She swallowed her mouthful of liquid and it actually looked like it had hurt while that liquid was going down.

"No, Nicky," she replied in a raspy voice. "I was actually hoping to call you with some good news after my finals."

Nick couldn't help but to frown as he said, "Okay… and would you care to elaborate on that…? Please?"

After letting out a heavy sigh, Nicco placed her spoon on the table top and pushed her bowl away. Nick saw her give her food her version of the 'Elvis lip curl', which he knew meant that she had lost her appetite. He instantly felt guilty that she was no longer able to eat because he also knew that she really needed the nourishment so that her body could heal.

He almost told her to just forget about it, but then Nick notice that she had made an effort to sit up taller in her place and was trying to look more confident.

"I was expecting you to ask about the conversation I had with Dr. Grissom long before now," she explained staring at her hands. Nick opened his mouth to reply, but Nicco continued because she refused to look at him so she didn't see his reaction. "I applied for the internship that usually becomes available during summer break. That was what Dr. Grissom referenced when he said that this… uhh… that my eligibility isn't in jeopardy."

Nick reached across the table to tack Nicco's hand as he replied, "Oh Baby Girl, that's great. The internship thing, that is. But from what little Gil could tell me, Greg seems more than confident that you had nothing to do with the D.B. in your hotel suite."

"Really?" Nicco tried to sound light-hearted and teasing so that she could banish her desire to cry. "So does that mean that he's been paying a bit more attention to his work than trying to find the best gel to keep his hair spiked up?"

Nick barked out a laugh that caused more than one of the other patrons to give him a surprised look. He turned his next laugh into a cough and smiled into his fist saying, "I forgot what a good listener you are."

"To be fair," Nicco countered with her own chuckle. "That trait is usually dependent on the topic and who's lecturing me."

The right side of his mouth pulled back to deepen the dimple in his cheek as he chuckled and said, "Yeah, that most definitely is true." After they shared one of their patented smiles that they always shared behind their mother's back whenever she had tried to lecture them about something they found to be trivial. Nick's smile then morphed into a pensive look before he asked, "So the internship? Is that why you moved to Nevada?"

"Partially," Nicco replied without a moment's hesitation. Before Nick could question her further or refocus his attention on that answer she continued, "I figured that if I was local that it might make my application look more appealing. But the more that I've learned about Dr. Grissom, the more I know that I was wrong."

"What do you mean, Baby Girl?" He asked in an even softer tone as he reached over to hold her hand once again.

Nicco smiled to herself because she had always loved hearing Nick use that term of endearment for her. When she first moved in with the Stokes' they had told her she could choose whichever room in the house that she wanted. Since she was so young, Nicco had still been feeling really confused about not being able to go home so she picked the first bedroom they passed on the second floor of their house. As it turned out, that was the room that the Stokes' youngest son had vacated just few months before her arrival. That hadn't been an issue for any of them, plus Nicco was such a Tomboy that she hadn't even asked for them to make any changes, but then Nick came home for Christmas and felt slighted by his room being given away so quickly. Initially he was livid with his parents, but he quickly swallowed that back when he came face to face with the blue eyed thief with brown pigtails. After that he knew that the only thing she was guilty of was stealing his heart. She even offered to let him have his room back while he visited, so they shared it for part of his time there, which was the starting point for them being so close.

Nick gave her a cheeky half grin because he knew that Nicco always smiled whenever he called her 'Baby Girl'. He always assumed that it was because she felt warm and protected whenever he reminded her that her big brother was by her side. He had never asked her about her secret smile that she only gave him when he used that name, but Nicco probably would have given him that same answer.

Nicco shrugged then replied, "I think the only thing that will sway Dr. Grissom's vote is knowledge. Thankfully my transcripts are flawless."

"That's true," Nick agreed with a chuckle. "So you said 'partially'. What were your other reasons that brought you to Las Vegas?"

"Well… your crime lab is known as one of the best in the country," Nicco explained without making eye contact. "And UNLV has some programs that are partnered with the Crime Lab, so it seemed like a smart choice."

"That definitely makes sense."

"Plus…"

Nicco shook her head and picked up her spoon to move the noodles around in her bowl. Nick watched her for a couple of breaths because he thought that she was going to start eating again. If she had her appetite back, he was willing to pause their conversation while she ate some more.

But Nicco didn't make any moves to lift the spoon to her mouth, so he squeezed her hand and tried prompting her by asking, "Plus what, Nicco?"

She placed the spoon against the side of her bowl and turned to look at him. She once again looked so scared and unsure that Nick almost told her once again to forget about it.

"Alright Nicky, if I tell you this you have to promise you won't tell anyone." Nick tried to laugh her warning off, so Nicco punched his arm saying more insistently, "I mean it Nick. I don't want to get a reputation for being a stalker or something."

"What?" Nick questioned with a chuckle. That elicited a very stern look from his sister so he forced himself to become more somber as he said, "You know you can tell me anything Nicco, anything at all… Just like always."

Nicco swallowed hard and then nodded her head. "Okay… okay." She forced herself to make eye contact with him while she explained, "I've heard that Dr. Grissom sometimes still does some guest lecturing. Since I'll be taking some entomology courses, I was hoping that I'd be fortunate enough to have him as a guest lecturer. I believe that if you are going to learn about a subject, it might as well be from the best, right?"

"Right. Well, Nicco it sure does sound like you put a lot of time and thought into choosing your school."

"You know what Mom and Dad have always said about tackling a problem from all angles and all."

"Oh… so…?" Nick started as an unsettling thought hit him. "So they… they know where you're… where you're enrolled?"

Nicco could hear the emotion in Nick's voice, so she quickly answered "No! No, they have no idea where I'm studying." Nick gave her a look of disbelief, so she added, "Honestly they don't. After I told them about the name change, Mom and I had that huge fight I told you about. Since my truck was already packed, I told her that I was leaving and that we could trying talking about it again after we had both calmed down. Her parting words to me were that if I was too good to keep the name of the family that loved and cared for me for over fifteen years then I was on my own, totally and completely. We never got to where I was going to school before the screaming match started and I haven't spoken to either of them since then either."

"What? You haven't talked to either Mom of Cisco since last August?"

"Not really. Dad called on Christmas and New Years to wish me happy holidays and to thank me for the Christmas card, but he had to leave voicemails for both of those calls."

"But you've sent them mail, so they would know where you are from the postmark."

Nicco started playing with her food again so that she didn't have to look at Nick as she said, 'Not exactly."

"And what does that mean?"

"I… I sent it when Athena and I did our weekend vacation on the Strip and… uhh… and I might have left Dad a drunken voicemail on his work number, so they probably assumed I was just visiting here."

Nick gave her wide eyes and quietly said, "Nicco, say it ain't so. You didn't really do that, did you?"

"What?" She snapped out defensively. "I've been doing amazing at school and the only person that congratulated me lately on my hard work is a roommate who I apparently know nothing about. So I had too much to drink one night and left Dad a message saying that I knew he didn't care, but that I was on a short list for some exclusive Forensics Programs. I… I thought he'd hear it and call to find out more details, but he didn't." Nicco shrugged and tried not to let her emotions be heard when she added, "But whatever. Mom was super pissed when I told them I wasn't going to Law School, so I don't know why I thought they'd care about all of that now."

"Hey… hey now," Nick replied sympathetically as he wrapped an arm around her to pull her into his side. "You should have called me Nicco. I would have loved to have known you were here. And you know that I'm proud of you for all your hard work at school."

"Nobody was supposed to find out that we were related," she quietly stated into his shoulder.

She felt Nick move as if to release her from his embrace so Nicco wrapped her arms around his waist and burrowed into his side. Once he settled into his place once again, she turned her head and placed her cheek against one of his pecs and added, 'If they thought we were related then I couldn't work on your team, even as an intern, This way if I got the position, I could have come clean and I hoped... well I thought that I could still work with Doctor Grissom and just not go to any scenes that you were working on."

"Weren't you worried that they'd revoke your internship once they found out you were my sister?"

"But I'm not... at least not biologically."

Nicco felt Nick go stiff in her arms, so she sat back so that she could look him in the face while they spoke. "You and I didn't grow up together. Sure we spent some holidays together, but that isn't the same as being in the same house for the majority of our lives. Sure we are close, but I'm sure that you're just as close with Warrick and Catherine and you aren't related to them at all either."

"Wow," Nick whispered when Nicco stopped to catch her breath. "Are you sure you didn't go to Law School? Because I'm pretty sure that Mom and Cisco would be proud of that argument, Counsellor."

Nicco glared at him and moved a couple inches further away from him with her arms now tightly wrapped around her torso. "Like I told Mom and Dad, this is the profession I've chosen, so I want to learn it from the best in the business. The best would be Dr. Grissom and his team, so I've been busting my ass to join his team, even if it is as a lowly intern."

"So? I'm the best?" Nick couldn't help but to ask with a gentle, teasing tone.

Nicco tried to continue to glare at him, but she couldn't quite make it stick. "I believe I said you were part of the best team. Keyword is 'team', Nicky. Ivan might be the best catcher in the league, but he won't win a ring without at least eight other guys on the field with him."

Nick rolled his eyes but before he could give her is stock reply to her dig, she said, "But it isn't like any of that matters now. Even though I'm still eligible, I'm sure Dr. Grissom will have to place my application in the circular file anyway."

Once again she refused to look at him, so Nick swallowed the rest of his sarcastic comments and witty retorts. Instead he softened his tone and said, "I don't think that's true Nicco. Gil wouldn't have come out to reassure you if he was just going to be throwing your application in the garbage. So, you need to eat up so that you can take your meds before you go to bed. We'll rehash all of this sometime in the near future, okay?"

"Oh... okay..." Nicco replied sounding like she wasn't keeping up with his subject change. "But Nicky? I'm not sure I can stomach anymore."

"Nicolette Marie Stokes," Nick stated in a firm tone. "You need to finish that soup... now!"

She gave him wide eyes and then sputtered out a laugh saying, "You know that tone only works for Mom, don't you?"

He watched as she ate a couple of spoonfuls of her meal and then asked, "Oh yeah?"

Nicco saw Nick's smirk and his raised eyebrow, so she shrugged and replied, "Whatever, I'm hungry."

They both laugh and then all of the tension that had been building between them dissipated. Nicco managed to finish her bowlful while Nick picked at his order of fries. It was too early in his shift for him to need a meal, so he had ordered them thinking that after eating her soup that Nicco might be feeling well enough to get something more substantial into her stomach.

As he had predicted she started pulling them off the plate to nibble on them one by one.

"Well looks like someone has a healthy appetite," their server commented as she picked up Nicco's empty bowl. "Can I get either of you anything else?"

"Just the bill please, Joyce," Nick replied.

She smiled and nodded with a cheerful, "Coming right up."

As she watched the older woman walk away, Nicco shoved her hands into the pocket of her hoody and quietly said, "Shit. Nicky I left my wallet in my duffle bag."

Nick already had his wallet out, so he gave Nicco an odd look. She didn't seem to notice it, so Nick said, "Nicco, it's my treat."

"You're sure? Because I can totally pay you back."

Nick rolled his eyes as he pulled out a five and a couple of singles to pass to Joyce when she had returned to their table. "Nicco, buy you a bowl of soup is the least I can do after everything you've been through in the last twenty-four hours."

"He's right, Sugar," Joyce chimed in as she started to walk away. "Just let your boyfriend take care of you."

Nicco gave Nick a surprised look, but he just chuckled then said, "I've been called worse."

AFTER THEY STOPPED AT the pharmacy, Nick drove Nicco back to his place. She insisted on carrying in her own bag while he gave her a quick tour. She then got changed into her pajamas and handed over a basket filled with clothes for Nick to start a load of laundry for her.

"If you want to hit the sack, I won't be offended," Nick said as he met Nicco back in the kitchen.

"I'm... uhh... I'm not really tired."

Nicco wouldn't look at Nick while she spoke so he knew she wasn't telling him the whole truth. He quickly weighed out the pros and cons of calling her out on it tonight or not. In the end he decided not to bring it up because they had already raked through so many emotions that he felt that they could wait for a few hours before they pick at any more raw topics.

"Did you want me to make you a cup of tea?" He asked instead.

Nicco looked up at him and didn't hide any of her shock that he didn't ask her aobu thwy she was lying to him about not being tired. He just gave her a warm smile in response to her surprise, so she tried to sound completely at ease as she answered, "Yes, please. Do you have mint tea?"

"I sure do."

She sat down at the island in his kitchen while she watched him move around the room. She followed his movements with her eyes so that she could try to learn where he kept everything. If he was serious that he was going to let her stay with him she was going to repay his kindness by doing things like cooking and housework.

"Since you're supposed to be at work right now, what are you going to do tonight instead?"

"I thought you would pass out as soon as we got here, so I had planned on doing your laundry and then catching up on my Tivo, so that I can stay on my schedule. But since you aren't sleeping, I'll have to switch up my plans."

"I'm sorry," Nicco replied in a small, almost sad sounding voice.

At hearing that reply, Nick turned to look at Nicco. She once again reminded him of the scared little girl who had shyly entered any room he was in when he visited home for his first Christmas break at college. She was now wearing a pair of 'grandpa' style, light blue, cotton button up to and pants that were at least two sizes too big for her, which helped to give her the illusion of being so much younger than she truly was.

He leaned over the island to grab one of her hands to get her attention. "Baby Girl, you don't need to apologize. I just meant that if you're awake then maybe we could use this time to catch up some more."

"Oh," Nicco replied with a half smile. "I think I'm kind of talked out Nicky... but catching up with your Tivo sounds like a plan. Unless..." She scrunched up her nose then added, "Unless it's filled with cop shows and Westerns."

Nick barked out a laugh as he turned to pour the now boiling water into two mugs. "No, Nicco it won't be filled with just... oh well there is one show, but it's supposed to be about forensics, so you might find it interesting."

After taking the mug Nick offered her, Nicco slid off her stool to follow him to his TV room saying, "As long as I don't have to think too hard, I'm good."

"I promise, no over thinking."

It took a little bit of maneuvering before they were both comfortable on the couch. Nick wasn't used to having someone else with him, so he just dumped his weight at one end. Nicco, however, was used to having pillows and a blanket in order to help her feel cozy. When he noticed that she looked uncomfortable, Nick pulled a lightweight blanket out of the closet and then watched Nicco create a nest of sorts before he made himself comfortable again.

Much as Nick had expected, he heard the sounds of rhythmic breathing coming from the other end of the couch not far into the second episode of his hour long dramas that had started. Nicked continued to watch the show because he knew from experience that if he tried to move her too soon that she would wake up. When that happened she always forced herself to stay awake despite her exhaustion. Since that would be beyond counter productive, he left her to sleep on the couch.

Once he felt his own eyelids growing heavier, Nick turned off the TV. He moved silently to Nicco's side, but she still grumbled unhappily when he pulled the blanket off of her. He shushed her softly to her from waking even further as he placed one hand under her knees and the other behind her back.

He thought that she had fallen back to sleep until he heard her say, "I'm sorry that I weigh so much."

"Much? What are you, ninety pounds wet?" He teased as he easily carried her to his guest room.

She may have chuckled, but if she did it was too quiet for him to hear. She barely moved at all as he pulled back the covers and tucked her in.

While he was bent over her, Nicco wrapped an arm around his neck and said, "I can't believe you're still single. You're the best."

Nick just laughed softly and ignored her comment to say, "I'm not far. If you need me, just call. Sweet dreams, Nicco."