Disclaimer: I do not own CSI.

Rated K -maybe objectionable word or two.

I'm still aiming to wrap this story up before I go back to work...

I almost deleted this chapter because I thought it was lame

but since I already wrote it, I am putting it up anyway.

Let me know.

I'm losing steam, people, I need reviews and encouragement bad!

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Ok, here is what happened after Nick leaves the hospital with his daughter.

Holding his daughter's hand tightly, Nick didn't bother to grab a cart. instead they walked into the supermarket together.

"Okay, my pretty girl," Nick announced, "…let's go get us a box of cookie mix," he said walking toward the baking aisle.

"Me knowed where dey aw," she said proudly and led her father straight to them.

"I knew you would, Honey, I knew you would," he said with his Texas accent blaring.

Nick smiled at her and grabbed the box.

Hand in hand Nick and Emma turned the corner of the aisle when he nearly bumped head on with a woman he knew immediately.

"Um, hello there, Emma," she said and bent over toward Emma.

"Hi!" Emma said excitedly remembering the woman from the grocery store last time she was there with her mother.

Nick felt fury flow up into his head. He knew who she was too. Every part of him wanted to cock back his arm and punch her square in the face. Had he been raised differently, and if his daughter wasn't by his side, he just might have done such a terrible thing.

"I knowed you! You is dat lady who like my dimples!" she said with her eyes wide and sparkling. "Dis is my Daddy!" she said looking up at Nick proudly.

Jolene looked back at Nick and nodded, "I know, I know."

"See, see, me look like my Daddy, right Dad? Das wat evvybody say, day say dat to me," she grinned showing her dimples.

"I see that," she smiled softly. "Hello, Nick."

The vein in the side of Nick's neck bulged from trying hard to keep his anger in check in front of his 3 year old. He wanted to say something, anything, but his jaw was clenched too tight to speak. Emma looked up at her father with curiosity.

"You supposta say hello, Daddy," Emma informed him.

Nick cleared his throat.

"You sure have good manners, Emma," Jolene said, then leaned down and patted Emma's hair. "Your little, pig tail is crooked, Emma, doesn't Mommy or Daddy make sure you look your best when you go out?"

Nick's nose flared when he saw Jolene touch his daughter and heard her make a negative comment.

He swooped down and pulled Emma up onto his hip.

"Daddy, my hayaw is messy?" she looked at her father unsure.

Nick frowned. He could feel his palms sweat from sheer anger that Jolene would dare criticize his baby in front of him.

"No, Sweet Pea, you are gorgeous…always," he gave the look of death toward Jolene.

"Daddy fix my hayaw sometimes, but my mommy do my hayaw evy day. My mommy in da hospital, she is now," Emma nodded sadly.

Emma might have continued with why Jules was in the hospital but Nick covered her mouth with his hand fast.

"Emma!" he said firmly.

The little girl looked back at him looking very startled.

"I don't want you talking to strangers, Honey," he quickly toned down his voice and removed his hand.

"She not a stranjaw, Daddy, she knowds Mommy," she whispered close to his ear.

"That's right, Nick, I know her mommy," Jolene smirked.

"Daddy, put me down now cus yaw gun belt hawtin my leg," she tried to wiggle off his hip.

Nick placed her down and gripped her hand.

"Sorry, Em," Nick said looking down at his daughter.

"Are you sure that's safe to have you daughter leaning on a gun?" Jolene said with more criticism.

"Is okay cus my Daddy have it in a holdaw, and he have a saffey on it, I knowed dat, right, Dad?" Emma said proudly.

Nick didn't answer Emma. Instead he spat back at Jolene, "Don't worry about what I do with my daughter. I know how to be a good parent. You on the other hand," he said staring directly at Jolene.

"Oh now, why do you have to throw insults, Nick?" she said condescendingly.

Emma was deep in thought as she stared at Jolene, completely oblivious to Nick and Jolene's jabs. She was too busy thinking and she asked the question on her mind.

"You live heeyaw at dis staw? I seed you heeyaw lass time. You live heeyaw?" she asked innocently.

"No, I don't live here. And I know you don't live here either, um, in fact, maybe I will come and visit you soon, Emma," Jolene said looking down at her.

"Let's go, Emma," he said enraged.

"Kay, bye, Lady," Emma said, "Me see you soon."

Nick was about to walk away, but before he did, he leaned close to Jolene's ear and growled, "You just remember that gun on my hip, Jolene, because if you come near my family or so much as touch my daughter again, I'll kill you."

"Did you just threaten me, Nick?" she yelled loudly.

Emma looked up startled.

"Of course not," he gave her a pretend chuckle and smiled a fake, syrupy, smile before leaning in again, "…THAT'S a promise."

It was a long ten minute ride home for Nick and he clenched his jaw the entire time.

He tried hard to act happy in front of his little girl in the back seat.

His heart raced and, while he knew it was past Emma's bedtime, he had no choice but to follow through with his promise to make cookies.

Especially since Emma was singing "C is faw Cookie" in the backseat loudly.

Nick hadn't been in the house more than two minutes before he began throwing the chocolate chip cookie ingredients from the box together wildly.

Emma giggled at the mess he was making.

"Yaw so funny, Daddy! Mommy would say yaw a bad cookie maykaw. She nevaw get evwything awl ovah like dat!" she giggled more as a chocolate chips flew across the counter and rolled off onto the floor.

Nick smiled at her, "Oops."

He quickly resumed biting of the inside of his cheek with worry. He knew he needed to put what happened at the supermarket behind him, but it was haunting him.

Trying hard to get the cookies finished and his daughter off to bed, Nick looked up at the clock.

"These are the longest fucking cookies ever to be made," he said silently in his own mind.

"Okay, Emmy," Nick said closing the oven door, "…when you wake up in the morning these will be waiting for you. Right now, it's bed time," Nick said scooping her into his arms and carrying her to her room.

"I sleep in yaw bed, kay?" she said with sad eyes.

Nick couldn't resist those eyes. He also knew his daughter missed her mother already.

"Yes, Honey, you can sleep in the big bed with Daddy," he told her as he zipped her pink footie pajamas up under her chin.

"There ya go my big girl," he said picking her up and walking back to his room with her.

"You lay wif me?" she asked as he placed her under the big, white, comforter of his and Jules' bed.

"I sure will, princess, but right now I have to go check on the cookies but I'll be back up, I...," Nick said as he sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Emma's hair.

He barely finished his sentence before realized she was already sleeping. She had a rough day.

Nick leaned over to kiss her and he felt the gun dig into his side. He realized he still hadn't unholstered his weapon.

Pulling off his belt, he took the gun out of it's holster and stared at it. He made sure the safety was still on before opening the chamber. He looked inside at the loaded cartridge before slamming it shut. Nick stared hard at the gun for a few minutes before he looked over at his little girl.

Holding the weapon tightly in his hands he told his sleeping daughter his thoughts.

"You don't have to worry anymore, my sweet angel, I'll protect you and Mommy from now on and that's a promise," he said quietly.

Nick Stokes looked at his gun again and whispered into the air…

"And you stay away from my family, Jolene, or I will kill you, you son of a bitch….

…and THAT'S a promise, too."