A/N: Okay, y'all, we're just gonna say screw deadlines. When posting my chapters I'm just gonna shoot for Thursday. I've been down with some kinda bug, then I went to post my chapter on Friday, and we had tornadoes touchin' down all around me, so I was banned from the computer and sent to bed in a little tiny room with eight dogs.

And the second scene is just some humor for my girls and me with all our craziness...'cause with our hectic life, I think we need to just laugh at ourselves.

Chapter 11
Las Vegas, Nevada

Stokes Residence

Kitchen

Monday

September 5, 2006

5:01 p.m.

Riley sat at Nick's counter stirring the cream into her coffee while watching Nick bustle about the kitchen. She tapped her spoon on the side of the glass mug and set it on the napkin next to her cup. She took a sip of the coffee and held the mug with both hands while resting her elbows on the counter. "You look good in a suit." She informed him absently.

"Thanks." He mumbled as he continued flipping through the file and toasting a bagel while trying to tie his tie.

Riley smirked at his inability to multitask. "What's the special occasion?"

"Court." He mumbled and she nodded slowly and took another sip. After having had enough amusement from his struggles she finally rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Stop." She ordered and walked up to him. She put the bagel in the toaster and took out the cream cheese as well as a butter knife and laid them on the counter. She hopped up on the counter and laid the file in her lap so he could read while she tied his tie. "What's the case about?"

"That Bennet girl that went missing a few months back..."

"They found her, huh?"

"Yeah..." He said absently as he continued over viewing the notes. She finished with his tie and grabbed the jacket from off the counter. She handed it to him and smirked.

"You didn't button your pants." She remarked and did it for him, though after getting a look at him in his clean cut suit, all she wanted to do was pull the zipper in the other direction and have him take her right there on the counter. "What are you supposed to do in court today?"

"Just tell them what I did and how I collected evidence...walk 'em through it step by step...basically I'm just there to prove we actually collected evidence and we didn't pull this case out our asses."

Riley scoffed. "Yeah, 'cause the girl won't be proof enough..." She buttoned his jacket, then began to spread the cream cheese on the bagel.

He ignored the comment and continued to read. "What are you doing today?"

She shrugged and finished with the bagel and handed it to him. "I don't know...I'll probably clean, then run some errands...probably go visit Emma and keep her company for a while."

Nick nodded. "I should be home fairly early today. Court won't take long and Grissom normally lets us off after we have court." He chuckled. "Says the lawyers suck the scientist right out of us and fill us with BS politics."

Riley looked up surprised. "Grissom said that?"

"Well, maybe not those exact words." He smirked and took a bite out of his bagel while she leaned over and poured him a cup of coffee.

"You look good in a suit."

"You said that."

"Well you look even better now that you're all orderly." She mocked and straightened the lapels of his jacket. "So serious." She mocked in a deep voice as she puckered her lips. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her softly. His hand found her bare knee and started to trail up her thigh, pushing the short robe up slowly as he did. She laughed into his kiss and pulled away. "No, no, no. Don't get me started. You have work to do."

Nick growled softly with a smile on his face as he rested his forehead against hers. She laughed and blushed at the look in his eyes, squirming under his heated gaze. "What you do to me..." He said while softly shaking his head.

She gave an embarassed smile and pecked his lips. "Well then get the Hell outta here and quit torturin' yourself." She ordered playfully and raised her leg to nudge him away, then fully extend her leg and make him leave. "Go, go to work and catch the bad guys."

"Well, technically this guy's already caught."

"Well then make sure he stays there."

"He hasn't been 'there' yet."

"Just go." She replied exasperatedly as she threw his keys at him and rolled her eyes. He laughed and kissed her goodbye as he left and closed the door behind him. She went to sit on the bar stool once again and continued sipping her coffee. She looked up and saw the light of the coffee pot still on, releasing a smile on her face. "That man..." She murmured while shaking her head. Sure enough, a few minutes later Nick walked back into the house and turned off the coffee pot. He smirked and shrugged his shoulders at Riley as she laughed and shook her head. "Every damn day, Nick!"

He planted a kiss on her lips and walked back out the door. "I'm gonna start puttin' post it's on the front door every morning that tell me to turn off the pot."

She chuckled. "I think that'd be a good investment."

Las Vegas, Nevada

The Universal House

Living Room

September 5, 2006

7:03 p.m.

"Wait! Wait for me!" Riley said and hurried into the living room with the bowl of popcorn. She snuggled into the couch next to Jon and Thomas.

"It's already starting so shut your mouth." Thomas instructed. Kiersten ran through the front door and threw her purse down as she hurried to the couch.

"Has it started?!"

"Yes! Now shut up!" Thomas yelled, tired of his show being interrupted.

"Which episode is it?" Emma asked as she came hobbling down the stairs, escorted by CJ. They all looked up, surprised to see her out of bed.

"Uh...the one where they find the dead body." Jon replied and CJ rolled his eyes.

"Well that narrows it down to about, oh, every episode."

Kiersten laughed. "It's the one where the newest member fails his third and final proficiency."

Riley rolled her eyes. "He's not a 'new member', he was a lab tech, and now he's in the field...he's practically a team member anyway."

"Whatever, I still think he's the hottest one on the show." Emma replied and Riley gasped and rolled her eyes.

"What!? Are you kiddin' me? The cowboy is soooo much sexier! So bangable."

"Nu uh, I like the dark one with the amazing eyes!" Thomas exclaimed.

"...I like the blonde with the nice rack...didn't she use to be a prostitute?" Jon replied and Riley laughed.

"She was a stripper."

"Same thing." CJ replied and Kiersten shook her head.

"No, totally different."

"Okay, will you all shut up so I can watch the show?" Emma asked good naturedly.

A few minutes into it, Riley furred her brows and shook her head. "No way was it suicide. The chick totally did it!" She exclaimed and Emma growled and swatted her arm.

"Shut up! I haven't seen this one!"

"Yes you have..." Riley laughed.

"'Sides, it's so predictable." Kiersten replied and Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Easy for you three to say...you think you're married to the cast members."

"No, I don't...I know I'm married to the escaped convict on the other show..." Kiersten replied and Emma and Riley laughed.

"Yeah, how long have y'all been married now?" Riley asked, playing along with their game.

Kiersten held up a fist and smiled. "Five years and still goin' strong." She replied in a dramatic tone and the girls laughed. CJ threw a pillow at Kiersten and Riley, steering clear of Emma because she was still injured.

"Will you hyenas shut up so I can watch the damn show you all are so obsessed with?"

The girls were silent for a minute, before the all started laughing again.

Las Vegas, Nevada

The Strip

September 5, 2006

10:06 p.m.

Kiersten and Riley walked down the strip, arm in arm just laughing and talking, licking the ice cream cones they got from the 'classy' restaurant a few shops back. "So how did he do it, now?"

"Bent over backwards." Kiersten answered and Riley lifted an eyebrow.

"And this was with the cuffs?"

"And whipped cream." Kiersten said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Riley blushed and thought about this. "Michael's...adventurous."

"Hell yeah he is! I love it!" Kiersten laughed while Riley blushed at the mental image. "You should try it with Nick some time."

Riley's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Oh no! God no! He'd never go for that..."

Kiersten looked at her confused. "Whadaya mean?"

"He isn't into bondage. At least him bein' cuffed anyway, he's got no problems tyin' me to a bed and knockin' in a few quick ones...but he doesn't like it when I use the cuffs on him."

Kiersten scoffed. "Well that's extremely unfair. Cuffs should be used equally among partners...wait, so who's the dominant one in bed?"

"Him."

"No!" Kiersten gasped in surprise and Riley nodded. "Good Lord Child...how do you manage?"

Riley laughed and shrugged. "He lets me take over every now and then..."

Kiersten quirked a suspicious brow. "How often is 'every now and then'?"

"...Every once in a while."

Kiersten groaned. "Riley..."

"I don't know!" Riley laughed uncomfortably.

"Well why doesn't he like it? If he's got no problems with you bein' cuffed why is he so against it?"

"I don't know...you think it's that whole male dominance issue?" Riley questioned and Kiersten shrugged.

"Could be. I mean, the man's had enough partners, go find one of them and ask them. Keep walkin' down the strip, we're bound to run into a couple dozen."

"Ouch! Burn! Be nice to my Nicky...ya know, Michael wasn't exactly a virgin when you got a hold of him..."

Kiersten laughed mischievously and winked. "And even if he was before he certainly ain't now."

Riley groaned and shook her head. "New topic...shoes."

"Oh! I know this one! I know this one!" Kiersten cheered and dragged Riley into the nearest boutique.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Stokes Residence

Living Room

Tuesday

September 6, 2006

12:04 a.m.

Riley pulled the cord of the vacuum out of her way and continued vacuuming, remembering to move stuff as she did so (her way of improving on her list). She laughed as she did this, contemplating making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so that she could remember not to mix the peanut butter in the jelly and make Nick happy.

Her night had been pleasantly void of any talk of her parent's divorce, for this she was thankful, but she missed Nick, even though she knew when she next saw him he'd be likely to bring up the tender subject. The front door busted open and the man in thought appeared, startling Riley.

"Damn Baby! Give me a fuckin' heart attack!" She gasped, clutching her chest.

"Sorry." He apologized and hurried towards her as she wrapped up the cord of the vacuum.

"I just cle-" He cut her off with a breath taking kiss as he swept her off her feet and carried her towards the back of the house. "Oh! What's gotten into you?" She asked out of breath once he broke the fiery kiss.

"I need a release."

"Okay." She said without hesitation and began peeling off her gloves and working on getting him out of that suit...

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"Well that was certainly a marathon." Riley remarked in a deep, satisfied voice from the bed as Nick scurried around to put his suit back on. She furred her brows. "Where are you goin'?"

"I have to go back to court. We're only on recess."

She rolled her eyes. "You men are all the same; seven or eight quick ones and you're off with the boys..." She replied and Nick raised a confused brow and slowly turned to face her.

"What are you talkin' about?"

She smirked. "It's from Young Frankenstein...and quite fitting I must say." Nick looked at her oddly and she smirked and shrugged. "I think it works." Nick tossed a pillow at her from the end of the bed and she laughed and moved to dodge it. "Play nice!" She demanded and Nick rolled his eyes.

"You didn't play nice a few minutes ago..."

She blushed and averted her gaze. "Well...you didn't seem to mind."

Nick waggled his eye brows and she laughed as he continued putting on his shoes. "So..." He put his foot down and turned to look at her. "How are you?"

"Pretty damn good." She joked and stretched out lazily on the bed, letting the sheet drape just over her breasts.

"No, I mean about your parents..."

The slick smile disappeared from her face and she licked her lips and looked away. "Don't you have a court room to be in?"

Nick looked at the watch and sighed, knowing she had him. "We will talk about this when I get back."

"I can hardly wait." She said in monotone. I'm a sarcastic ass...

He pulled her close and planted a smoldering kiss on her lips making her want him all over again. "Miss me."

"Always." She said as he walked out the bedroom door and soon out the front door, locking it as he went.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Stokes Residence

Kitchen

September 6, 2006

4:26 a.m.

A few hours later Nick poured himself through the front doors, feeling drained and hungry as he stumbled to the couch and plopped down face first. "...The couch smells good, Honey." Nick remarked tiredly and she chuckled and shook her head as she walked out of the kitchen, abandoning the organizing of the spice rack, since she really didn't care about it anyway.

"Thanks, I know how picky your ass can be when it comes to sitting...or your face for that matter."

"Hhmm." He moaned and she smiled and knelt down next to his feet and slid off his shoes then pulled on his jacket, taking it off slowly. He rolled over onto his back and she smiled and grabbed his hand to pull him up.

"Come to bed. We need sleep." She informed him and he nodded in agreement and let her lead him back to his room where she stripped him of everything but his boxers and laid him into bed next to her. She held him close, not bothering to ask him about the case, knowing he was too tired to talk about it anyway.

:-:-:-:-:

Something shifted violently next to her, jostling her from dreamland, sending her shooting back to reality and out of bed. She threw the sheets off her body and turned quickly to see Nick thrashing ferociously next to her. She felt her heart squeeze at the sight of him in distress. Oh Lord, please not again. Her mind pleaded for him to be alright as she gently knelt on the other side of him, her ribs pressed against the side of the mattress as she rubbed her hand along his forehead, swiping away the sweat that had collected there.

"Nick...Nicky please wake up. It's only a dream. It isn't real. It isn't there. You're only dreaming." She taunted softly, hoping her voice would break through the thick emotions of his night terror so he could slowly become calm once again.

Of all the times she had awoken to find him like this, this particular time had to be one of the worst. His damp face scrunched in agony as he whimpered and cried against his attacker. She felt tears spring into her eyes and she adjusted herself so that she was sitting in a more upright position, though still on her knees, as she tried to coax him from his Hell.

He quickly sprung from the dream and shoved the blankets off of his body, not wanting any kind of contact from anything or anybody. He didn't bother to look over to Riley kneeling next to him on the ground...he knew she was there, though he preferred that she wasn't.

"Nick..." She slid her hand a millimeter closer to his body and he jumped ten feet up and off the bed, holding his hands out in defense.

"Don't touch me!" He begged worriedly and she furred her brows and stood up on the other side of the bed, looking at him with great concern.

"Nick-"

"No!" He yelled and groaned. "God, just go away." He begged softly as he backed himself into a corner of his room. He didn't want to be near her. He didn't want her to see him. He felt disgusting, violated, dirty, and ashamed. He didn't even want to be near himself. "Just leave." He said softly and Riley bit her lip, wondering if he was still partially dreaming or if he really wanted her gone.

"Nick...let me help-"

"Riley go away!" He barked and she gasped softly and felt the tear fall free and the others freeze behind her eyes. The look of disgust and revulsion on his face was enough to turn her blood to ice. She slowly turned away from him and bent over to pick up the clothes that were folded next to her duffel bag, next to the wall.

"Okay." She agreed softly, hoping that he would be alright without her.

He watched from his secluded corner as she gathered her things and prepared to leave, not understanding why, but comprehending that he wanted to be alone. "Just please leave...leave, please go." He pleaded softly and she nodded slowly, not daring making eye contact with him for fear of intimidating him.

"I am...I'm leaving, Nick. I'll be gone in a minute."

"Just leave..." He pleaded, inside he was screaming and thrashing, knowing his outer self wasn't really hearing anything. That he was in self-preservation mode. Don't go! Don't leave me! Stay with me! Stay! Don't disappear and let my demons get me! I need you! He shouted within himself, though his mouth kept begging for her departure. "Go." Stay.

"I am, Nick." She assured him softly.

"I just want to be alone." I want you to be with me and keep me close.

"I know, Nick, I'm leaving."

"Don't go." He said just as softly as he had everything else. She turned slowly from her position in the doorway. "Please stay." He added and she sighed, not in exasperation or irritation, but confusion.

"Which do you want me to do? Stay or Go? I can't do both, but I'll do whichever you want me to."

Don't ever leave. "Stay...stay forever. Don't leave me." He whispered softly, but those hushed words spoke volumes. She dropped her bags in an instant and walked over to him. She paused in front of him, knowing he didn't like to be touched after his episodes.

She hesitantly took a hand up to his forehead and brushed the remaining sweat away and remove his bangs from his face as she let her hand graze his cheek, then pause before it found the back of his neck and pulled him to her for a hug. He gripped her tightly; afraid she might slip through his fingers if he held her any looser than he was as he cried into her shoulder.

His knees gave out underneath him and he sunk to the floor below him, dragging her down with him. Even though she hit the ground as well, as harshly as he had...he knew she was the one who was able to catch him, no matter what her position.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Stokes Residence

Bedroom

September 6, 2006

6:48 a.m.

"God...what happened to you?" Riley whispered to him softly as she held him, both of them huddled on the floor. She had her back up against the wall and he laid in between her legs, resting against her chest as she held him until his sobs had subsided. For the time being she was running her hands through his hair as he watched the wall and fell into a trance, his eyes glazing over.

She didn't push him, didn't ask for anything. In fact, those were the first words she'd uttered in an hour.

He gave no answer, which was fine for her, because she wasn't really expecting one. She felt Nick's fingers flutter across her arm and she looked down to see him staring blankly at her bare stomach, mesmerized by the skin and its smoothness. She sighed softly and traced the lines above his eyes, noticing a few more wrinkles since they had first met.

My bad. She thought and sighed again at his strained face, this time, frowning herself. God Nick, what happened to you? What is so wrong that you can't even tell me...? She wondered.

"I didn't ask for it." He offered softly, giving no hint as to what he didn't ask for.

"Of course you didn't." She agreed just as quietly. What didn't you ask for?

"It shouldn't have happened...I should have done something."

"Was there anything you could have done?" Fill me in here so I don't make things worse!

He was quiet and blank as he stared at her stomach again, and then lifted his head to look at the wall by her shoulder. "I don't know...yes...no..." She didn't respond, not really sure how to considering she still had no idea what he was talking about. But she wouldn't ask him, because she knew better. He expected the third degree and grilling from everyone else...not from her. That was one of the best parts of their relationship.

She didn't have to know what was going on to comfort him, and vice versa.

"I should have told somebody...somebody who could have help-" He cut himself off, as if he was saying too much of something he shouldn't, and looked down to his hands.

"...It's okay to tell me, Nick." He didn't look at her so she gently turned his chin up so her eyes could bare into his own. "I can help...you can trust me."

He looked away and she kept her hand hanging for a minute before slowly lowering it. "I should have been able to trust her."

Who?! God, give me something!! Her mind screamed, but her mouth stayed tightly closed, wanting him to do all the talking. She was afraid if the slightest sound intruded he'd close up and she'd loose him forever.

"I shouldn't have trusted her...I thought I could...but I shouldn't have...it's my fault." She wanted to object, but still had no idea what he was talking about. "My parents always took care of me; they always set a good example. Tried not to argue in front of my brother, my sisters and I...they were good parents. They're allowed to make mistakes. Everybody's entitled to mistakes..." He shook his head slowly. "I just wished that hadn't been one of them...I wish they wouldn't have left that night. I wish they would have come home sooner..." He sighed and shook his head. "But that's pretty much useless, huh?"

She searched his profile for a flicker of emotion on how to take this information.

He looked over at her, his eyes dark and haunted, almost making her wince. His face seemed to have aged ten years within ten minutes. He looked tired and feeble, like the lapse of silence had been the most strenuous workout. His ghost eyes searched her troubled blue ones before he spoke. "I was raped when I was nine." She stared at him, eyebrows furred, mouth slightly agape and a look of confusion on her face.

The sentence was so absurd she almost laughed...then she realized he was serious. Her brain finally made the connection of words and she took in a deep breath, her eyes widening slightly. She wanted to disbelieve it, to make her mind believe that couldn't have happened. Not to him.

But looking at it all rationally, it made sense. His intense reactions to tough cases at work involving children. It would affect any human understandably, but it always seemed to strike a harsh chord with him. His reoccurring nightmares that only came with certain cases and increased since sleeping in his parent's house in Texas. His need to be a super achiever and please the world, as if he had to make up for the tragedy that was in no way, shape, or form his fault. His constant desire for seeking validation, seeing the world in terms of black and white...and mostly, his need for domination.

She thought back to Kiersten's questions of why Nick hated being dominated in bed. Riley sucked in a sharp breath and looked away. She closed her eyes and shook her head softly. "No." She whispered softly, almost inaudibly. She opened her eyes and looked at him again, in-taking another breath as she tried to fight back the tears for him. "No." She repeated and Nick looked down.

Oh good fuckin' job Turner. She scolded internally and caught his face in her hands. She looked him in the eye again and gulped back the tears, not even considering breaking down an option. "I...I don't..." Holy shit what do I say!? She freaked internally, struggling to think of something to say.

She had dealt with rape victims before, she had talked to and consoled them, comforted them and often stood as their rock if they had no one else...but it was so much more complicated knowing she loved the victim. No! Nick is not a victim! Victim's aren't survivors...victims don't pull through like Nick has. A victim is a victim, and Nick is a survivor.

"I'm sorry." He apologized and she gasped in horror and shook her head vigorously.

"Don't. Don't apologize. There is nothing to apologize for." God this is a sticky situation...

"I didn't mean to dump all this on you now."

"What do you mean 'all this'...? You gave me one sentence, Nick."

"...You want more?"

"I want you to know that you can tell me things. Anything. I want to help you."

"How are you gonna help me, Riley? I mean logically, how? It was 27 years ago...there's nothing we can do." Nick snapped.

"I'm not talking about legal matters, Nick...I mean emotionally..." She furred her brows and shook her head. "God, did you just go 27 years without telling anyone?"

"No...I told Catherine a few years ago."

Only her? Jesus Christ, Nick!

"...I couldn't tell my mom." She arched a brow. "...I just couldn't," He sighed and tried to search for the right words. "Disappoint her."

Riley bit her lip and shook her head. "You could never disappoint her, Nick. She loves you too much to blame you for something that isn't your fault. She's proud of you...what some sick bi-" She cut herself off and mentally counted backwards from 10, knowing that cussing out the bitch that did that to him wasn't going to do either of them any good...no matter how good it would feel to verbally express her disdain for the woman.

She was tempted to ask what happened, who it was, how could it have happened, but knew he wasn't telling her for a reason.

He looked at her and read her like a book, making her sigh guiltily and look away. "She was my babysitter." Riley's stomach lurched. "She...she said she'd tell my parent's if I...if I didn't..." He struggled and Riley felt her heart speed up and her chest tighten. Tears sprang dangerously close to the edges of her lids and she fought to keep in a whimper. Please stop! I don't want to hear anymore! Oh God, this isn't happening...this didn't happen. Not to you. Please God not to you. You don't deserve this.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. "I'm sorry, Nick." She shook her head slowly. "God I'm so sorry. That shouldn't have happened to you...to anyone."

"I didn't tell anyone...there could be more victims because I was too scared to tell someone. I've had to live with that for 27 years." He took in a shaky breath. "I cried for her to stop. I didn't want what happened...but she didn't stop."

Her bottom lip quivered and she shook her head. He reached out and brushed the tear that had unknowingly escaped away. She gave up and let the tears fall freely. She closed her eyes and let out a painful cry of pain for him, and what happened, and all the other victims. He enclosed her in his arms, comforting her for both of them, as she cried for both of them. She sobbed loudly, heart wrenching cries that were painful to listen to.

The thought of Nick's innocence being stripped away from him so brutally was enough to make her loose all rational thought and forget the game plan of not breaking down. "Oh God, I'm so sorry." She cried, hating how she was handling this. She was supposed to be the one comforting and he was supposed to be releasing his secrets. She almost pulled away to reverse the roles, when she felt a foreign warm tear hit her cheek. She looked up to see him crying softly, pressing his face into her hair.

So she gave in and let them both cry...

A/N: I'm really eager to hear what y'all think about this chapter, 'cause I wasn't too sure about it. I'll tell ya, it's challenging writing about a sensitive subject when you're under the weather. So, leave a review to let me know what you think and how evil I am for tossing all these hurtles at them all at once...or leave me a review to make me feel better!

-Futuremisscsi60