DISCLAIMER:Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!
RATING: M - Mature (language, sexual situations, adult subject matter)
PAIRINGS: GSR & Yo!Bling pre-established in previous fics of this timeline.
SPOILERS: Sequel to "Displacement", "Transitions" and "Vicissitudes" - Number 5 in the Discovery Series
SUMMARY: Sometimes, the best way the deal with the changes all around you is to stop fighting and evolve in response to them. GSR/Yo!Bling/Nick-OC

A/N: Okay, now we need to leave the honeymooners to enjoy themselves without a bunch of peeping toms. ;) But, I'll make sure Neeley provides you with plenty of distraction until they get back to town.

REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.


Chapter 7
20:30 – 2007.01.10
Stokes' Pickup

Nick was still chewing on the problem of Neeley's misunderstanding about the Doc over and over in his head since that morning. He knew he needed to set her straight, but he was unsure how to go about it without sounding too harsh. Nick was also at a loss to figure out how she had come to any kind of conclusion about him and the Doc. He certainly felt he had made it perfectly clear that they barely tolerated each other when he was in Texas, and that was even before the two had come to an understanding of sorts. He simply could not fathom how she had taken from their conversations that there was anything else there, but somehow Neeley managed to make that connection.

He looked over into the passenger seat of the pickup and found her smiling back at him. "You still tryin' to wake up?"

Nick turned his gaze back to the road and shook his head. "No, I was just tryin' to figure out where your head is."

"Hopefully it's still attached to my neck, but there are days…" When she trailed off, he tried to smirk, but she finally caught on that he was being serious. "Okay, wha'd I do?"

"Nothin' really… I just can't figure out where you came up with that thing about the Doc." Nick decided to lay it out on the table, and see how she reacted. "I mean, the woman's not exactly on my Christmas card list or anything, and she only recently stopped trying to gut me like a fish whenever we come in contact, so how in the world you'd think there was anything that would warrant you meetin' her with rest of the crew, is beyond me."

"Sorry… I only know what you tell me, and outside of Sara and that coroner chick pickin' on you, and you tellin' me 'bout your buddy Warrick bein' with your boss, the only other woman you've ever talked about is this Doc person." Nick was starting to become uncomfortable with her deductions, and then she continued. "I know you ain't seein' Sara, or the married coroner, and you sure as shit ain't datin' your best friend's girl, so that leaves me with only one option."

Nick sat there in stunned silence for a couple of blocks before he finally became defensive. "Well, then come up with another option. She's just an expert witness on a case, and nothin' more, got it?"

"Fine… But you know what they say about protestin' too much, right?" Nick could hear the sarcasm in her voice and it only made him more frustrated.

"Look, there's nothin' there, so just drop it, awright?" He had not meant to sound so ridiculously defensive, but it was beginning to get under his skin.

"Okay, okay… I got it. No more teasin', honest."

They were silent for a couple more blocks when Neeley spoke up again. "So, what's on my schedule for tonight?"

"That call I got before we left, that was Warrick…" Her question was just the out he needed. Nick wanted Neeley to get away from the tension at home, so it would not do him any good to be angry with her for nothing more than having made a false assumption. "We got a full load tonight, so I won't be able to babysit ya, since I'll be out in the field most of the time. But I already called Wendy, and she's got all kinds of scut work for ya tonight. I hope you're ready for a working vacation."

"Well, I saw Hoover Dam when I was nine, I'm no stranger to the desert after summer camp in Arizona, and I'm not old enough to drink and gamble… What else am I gonna do in Vegas?" They both enjoyed a well needed laugh at her obvious joke. "Besides, I think it has something to do with genetics… I can't even remember the last vacation Daddy took without also checking in at the local Marshal's office. And we won't even talk about Gramps."

"Definitely genetics…" They were pulling into the lab parking lot as he added, "Welcome to the preview of the rest of your life." Their laughter leaked out of the pickup as they exited the vehicle and headed for the door.

Nick was delighted and proud that he was in a position to offer his niece the opportunity to see inside his world. It also gave him a great deal of comfort to know that he might not be alone as the black sheep in the family. He was the only one they considered to be outside of the professional world, and the only one to have never attended law school. It felt really good to have someone that wanted to follow in his footsteps for a change.

As they walked up to the front desk, he proudly said, "Hey, I need the temp badge for a lab intern… Danielle Stokes."

The woman behind the desk looked at his badge and then down at the pad on her desk. When she found the name he mentioned at the top of the list she looked back up and said, "Just a minute… Judy has it, and she'll be right back."

Nick turned back to his niece and grinned. "Just do me one favor…" He leaned down and whispered, "Whatever you do, don't laugh when Judy gets here." Neeley looked back at him in confusion.

That was when the tiniest perky voice in the world started to speak, and Neeley had to bite her tongue to keep from saying anything once Nick turned to speak to the woman. "Hey, Nick… Catherine left me a note about your intern. I have the badge ready, just need to get her picture taken first." Judy looked around Nick to find the young woman with a pained look on her face. "I take it this is the lucky girl?" Neeley could only nod, for fear if she opened her mouth she would not be able to keep from laughing. "Just follow me over here a sec, and I'll get that taken care of."

Neeley did as she was told and looked back at her uncle as she followed the diminutive woman to the other side of the desk and he just smiled, which only made it harder for her not to laugh. "Okay, I just need you to stand on the yellow X and I'll have your picture ID all set in about fifteen minutes. Someone will bring it back to you to replace the visitor's badge you'll need in the meantime."

Judy moved out of the way and then triggered the camera which took, quite possibly, the worst picture Neeley had ever taken; her face pinched and pale from the effort of trying to keep from laughing her ass off. "Okay… See, that was painless." Judy held her arm out and dangled a blue card hanging from a string with the word "VISITOR" in large print on the front of it. "Where can we find you when the good one is ready?"

Nick took pity on his niece and spoke up for her. "She'll be in the DNA Lab with Wendy." He already had years to build up a resistance to fight off the giggles whenever he came into contact with the night shift receptionist.

The problem came from the fact that she looked just like a younger version of the ancient Sunday School teacher that each of the Stokes' clan managed to get at some point in their lives. And by the time Neeley had experienced the woman, Nick assumed she must have been in her eighties, at least. The very first time he met Judy, Nick had been unable to make it through the whole exchange without breaking out in laughter a few times. He knew that Judy must have been completely confused by his behavior, but her appearance and that voice was simply too much for him.

With his arm over Neeley's shoulder, he led her into the doors for the lab. As soon as the doors closed, he leaned down and whispered, "Coast is clear."

"OH MY GAWD!" She actually exploded with the release. "Is she related to Ole Miss Nancy, or somethin'?"

"I honestly don't have a clue… I haven't ever had the nerve to ask, because I just know I'd bust a gut before I even got the question out."

She was still laughing when the doors opened behind them and Judy called out. "Nick!" Neeley's face instantly turned to panic as she turned towards a wall to avoid having to look at the receptionist again while she tried to regain her control. "Sorry, the new girl forgot to tell me about your message."

She handed the message to him and then commented, "Nice to see that doctor woman's found some manners. She was so rude before. You must be rubbing off on her." Nick's face went completely white with Judy's comment. "Anyway, Jeanie said she mentioned something about needing to see you first thing in the morning, but as you can tell, she didn't write that part down. I'll work with her on that stuff. Luckily, I looked at the slip to make sure it wasn't urgent and saw there was no message. Hope that helps."

As she walked back to the reception area, Nick suddenly came back to himself and called to her. "Ah, yeah… Thanks, Judy." She waved at him to show she heard, but kept on moving.

When he turned back, Neeley was looking at the note and smirking. "Hmmm… You're right, nothin' there at all."