Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Five years later
At the Stokes household
"Mommy! I got a boo-boo!" Amanda Mae Stokes cried from the backyard as she raced inside to have her mother kiss and make it better.
Cass looked up from the case file she was reading as she heard her daughter's cry. She smiled as she closed the file and turned to face her as she raced in. She took the held out hand and then kissed it. "Better, Sweetheart?" She asked knowing that it was. At her daughter's answer of 'huh-huh', she smiled ever wider. "How would you like to see Daddy and Uncle Greg?" She asked her daughter.
Amanda tilted her head to one side to think about it and asked, "I thought they were at work with Uncle Warrick, Uncle Gil, Aunt Catherine, and Aunt Sara?" She never questioned her parents' co-workers as aunts and uncles.
"They are, but Mommy has to go into work today for a little bit. And you see if you can help them if you want." Cass explained as she knew how bright and intelligent her daughter is. At Amanda's vigorous nod she smiled, and got up swiping the file into her hands. She got her purse and car keys before taking her daughter's hand protectively into her own. She led her child out of the house and locked up before buckling her child into the backseat and herself into the driver's. She went straight to the lab and escorted her daughter inside showing her badge. She spied Nick in the layout room in a lab coat and gloves on the way to DNA. She kneeled down in front of the small girl and asked, "Remembered what I told you about helping them when they are wearing that funny coat and gloves?"
Amanda thought for a moment before nodding her head and replied, "Keep my hands in my pockets and don't touch anything."
Cass smiled back at her answer, "That's right. Now go see Daddy, and keep your hands in your pockets." She then pointed her daughter in the right direction, and watched as she took off like a rocket before continuing on her way to DNA.
Nick was looking for anything they might have missed that could undoubtedly lock up their suspect for good, when he nearly jumped a foot high at a very familiar squeak. "Daddy!" He turned around to the door of the room to see his daughter standing there with her hands in her pockets.
"Amanda!" Nick answered back in the little game they developed before stepping away from the evidence he was working on and shucked his gloves and lab coat in one fluid motion. He then turned toward his daughter and opened his arms wide. "How's my girl?" His deep laugh could be heard clearly in the garage as he saw her reaction.
Amanda took that as a hint that it was okay to take her hands out of her pockets, and rushed at her father in a full throttled run. She giggled as he easily caught her and spun her around once. "Mommy had to come in for a little bit." She answered as she wrapped her small arms around his thick neck. "She even brought a file with her. But she said I can help you and Uncle Greg if I wanted."
"Did she, now?" Nick answered in a thoughtful mood as he thought of something. "How would you like to be a junior CSI just like Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle Greg?" He asked her and smiled at the bobbing nod she gave back. He then gave her Cass' extra lab coat to put on and helped her roll up the sleeves to better fit her short arms before doing his best with the rubber gloves. He leaned back to look at his handy work and took out his cell phone to snap a picture. He sent it to Cass with the explanation of 'Career Day'. He then heard her soft, honey laugh in the distance.
Amanda just looked at her daddy with that look of joy only a child could accomplish as she got dressed up just like her mommy, daddy, and uncle got to do every day. She followed her daddy back to the layout table with the built in light all ready on. "What are we doing, Daddy?" She asked with her curiosity that she had clearly gotten from her mother.
Nick turned to look at her and showed his boyish, charming smile as he pulled her closer to him. He then placed his daughter between him and the table, as she had to stand on the chair. He placed his mouth next to her ear and pointed to the pillow case turned murder weapon. "Tell me what you see." He instructed her and watched as she looked at it like she was using a fine toothcomb.
"It's a pillowcase like the ones that Mommy uses when she changes the sheets on my bed." Amanda answered and heard her daddy's 'Yep, and what else?' She looked much more closely and found something shiny stick in the fabric. She pointed a gloved finger and asked, "What is that?"
Nick leaned in past her and smiled as he reached for the lifting tape and pulled it out of the fabric. "That, Mandy, is what Daddy was looking for. You are a sharp observer." He answered her with an approving grin. He then bagged and tagged it and then took off his coat and gloves before hers. He then asked with a smile, "Do you want to help me walk this to trace and then we can go for ice cream?" At her jumping up and down nearly screeching her affirmative answer, he chuckled and said, "Okay monkey, lets go." He then took her hand into his and walked with her to trace and dropped off the bag of newly collected evidence. He then called Cass and let her know that he was taking their daughter out for ice cream for a job well done for helping him with the pillowcase.
At The BankNick had to stop by the bank to get some cash to pay for the ice cream and since he was still on duty, he had his service weapon on him. He was at the table filling out the withdrawal slip and his daughter was playing quietly on the floor underneath the edge by his feet. He placed the pen back into the hole that he had gotten it out of, and then held his hand out for his daughter to take before walking up to the counter. Just as they reached the teller window, a small group of armed men barge in through the doors waving their weapons around ordering everyone on the floor. Nick's immediate reaction was to grab Amanda and cover her body with his as he did as ordered. He tried to quiet his daughter's questions of what was going on before they hear her. He was a little too late however as a gun was shoved into his face with an order to 'Quiet the damn brat or I'll do it for you!' Before he could give his answer in understanding, his daughter showed her bravo that she had gotten from her mother's side.
"You leave us alone, you big bully! My daddy's going to put you all in jail!" Amanda sneered in her usual five-year-old way and stuck her tongue out at him. In response she was rewarded with a loud, audible slap across her face. Her response to that was to wail in a high c sharp note.
Nick's immediate reaction was to wrap his arms around her and hug her to his chest. "Don't you dare touch her again!" He snarled back at the thug, and tried to settle down his daughter, who had taken to holding his neck in a vise grip. Unfortunately when he snatched her up, he made his identification badge clearly visible to the threat in front of him and his daughter. He two was rewarded with a blunt end of a weapon to the side of the head before he was dragged up to his feet and forced out of the building to a waiting car with his daughter in his arms.
"Daddy, I'm scared. I want to go home." Amanda whined quietly as she didn't want to get another slap across her face and clung to Nick as much as her five-year-old arms would allow.
Nick was soothing his daughter as much as possible without letting his blood drip down all over her from the cut on the side of his head. "Shh, I know baby. I know. Daddy will think of something I promise." He told her as he tenderly placed a kiss on the top of her head and watched the scenery pass them by out of the window. He was taken aback when they pulled up to an abandon factory on the outskirts of town, and forced father and daughter out and inside.
