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: Thank you all for the many wonderful comments after the last chapter... I just hope I don't lose anyone with this chapter.

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 53
21:00 – 2007.02.25
CSI Lab

It was shaping up to be great night in the lab as Stephanie took the elevator up from the morgue. She had an armful of final reports to deliver, and for the first time in months she had not spent any of her weekend at the office. It took some doing, but she and Doc Robbins finally put together a halfway decent weekend and float staff for the morgue. As her hand moved down to rest on her ever growing belly, she smiled, "And just in time, too." Stephanie was starting to feel the drain of carrying two extra little beings around with her everyday, so she was very happy that they finally solved the staffing issues in the morgue.

When the elevator doors opened to let her out onto the main level, Stephanie stepped through the door and was instantly spotted by the over-exuberant receptionist. "Dr. O'Halleran! How are you tonight?" The smiling little woman quickly rounded the corner of her reception desk, leaving a confused A/V tech standing in her wake.

"I'm doing just fine, Judy. How about you?" Stephanie always tried to turn the focus away from herself, but Judy was never dissuaded by the tactic.

"Oh, just fine…" Once the diminutive woman reached her, she immediately had her hands on either side of Stephanie's slightly protruding belly. "And how are these precious angels doing tonight?"

"They're taking turns with the hiccups today, but other than that, we're all doing just fine." As if on cue, the baby on the left started up with another round of hiccups.

"Oooooo… Isn't that just precious?!" Stephanie held the reports away from the action and just shook her head at the woman's reaction.

Having returned to his wits, Archie approached the pair and chuckled softly at the scene before him. "Hey, Doc… You got anything for Sanders in that stack?"

Stephanie smiled at his attempt to break her loose. "When did you become his messenger service?"

"Since he took over my lab on some attempted abduction case over the weekend. Poor guy's been going through about sixty hours of surveillance footage since last night." She handed off Greg's report and waved to him as he headed down the hall in the direction of the A/V lab.

It took several more minutes of conversation before she was finally able to get away from Judy. However, when the phones eventually began to ring, the vibrant woman was forced to abandon her hostage. Over the past few weeks, Stephanie discovered that there were three basic categories of people one encountered while pregnant. The first were those like Judy; always touching her belly without invitation and with no understanding about when a request for information was out of line or too personal. The second group of people was comprised of those who were excited for her, but who never seemed quite sure what to say or do when she was around. And the last group seemed to view her as a warning post and did everything they could to not be near her. Unfortunately, most people around the lab seemed to fall into that first group.

As she passed by the DNA Lab, Wendy hung out of the doorway. "Hey Lady! Did you hear the news?"

"Which? That Catherine's finally gonna get that new GCMS in here, or that Hodge's managed to finally get a date without using his credit card?" There was one thing the pregnancy had not changed at all, and that was her sarcasm.

"Nice!" Wendy laughed and shook her head. "No… I just heard from Neeley, she's coming out here for her Spring break next month."

"Well, that's great. I know Sara was upset that she didn't get a chance to meet her, and Catherine wanted another shot at signing her up for the summer internship." Stephanie nodded at the information.

Wendy gestured for her to come into the lab as she looked around to see who was listening. Stephanie, instantly intrigued by her behavior, stepped inside to find out the impetus for the cloak and dagger act.

When the DNA tech closed the door, Stephanie really knew something was up. "Hey… Sara's not here, or I'd get her to talk to him." Wendy looked around once more to avoid prying eyes. "Nick's a real mess. He should be all happy, since he's getting out of babysitting duty as of tonight, but he looks like he hasn't slept in days, and I swear I don't think his face could get any longer."

After a few moments of trying to figure out if she was kidding, Stephanie shook away the cobwebs that this new information covered her mind with and said, "What the hell happened?"

"I have no idea, that's why I'm asking you to talk to him. I know you guys have gotten kinda close and-"

"No… I just-…" Stephanie stopped herself and knew that it would take far too long to explain her confusion than it would to just agree to her request and move on. "Look, I'll talk to him. But don't expect a report."

Wendy held her hands up and replied, "Not looking for one… I just hate seeing the guy look like that, and I figured you could help him out."

Stephanie left the DNA Lab in less of a good mood than she when entered it. After her dinner with Sandi and David Friday night, she was sure things were finally looking up for the long suffering Texan. News of the big dinner between him and the Doc was a welcome treat, and Sandi had been so sure that everything was on track for the two. And after the news of Neeley's next visit, she was sure Nick's sudden change of mood had nothing to do with family, so that left only one thing.

She walked into the Break Room just as everyone was congratulating Mel on making it past her probationary period. "Well, looks like I've got good timing." All heads turned to see her as she stood in the doorway, and the moment she saw Nick's tired and worn face, Stephanie knew that it had to be bad.

"Hey, Mama… How's it runnin' tonight?" Warrick instantly came up to Stephanie and took the reports from her, before he leaned in to give her a quick hug. She was used to the attention from the normally standoffish man ever since the time he spent living with her and her husband. He and Thomas had become as close to brothers as was possible, and he was probably just as excited about the babies as anyone else. However, she was surprised when he held still for a moment longer and whispered into her ear, "Talk to our boy for me." When he pulled back she gave him a quick nod and then looked around the room for the others.

"I actually had a whole weekend to myself, and all the reports were waiting for me when I came in, so I decided to celebrate and bring them up myself." Her eyes eventually landed on Mel and smiled, "But I hear there's some other celebrating being done up here tonight."

"Yeah… They finally decided to let me roll without my training wheels." She hazarded a quick glance over at the dark cloud in the room before turning back to Stephanie.

"Well, we're glad to have you on the team, Mel." Stephanie looked over at Nick, who, to his credit was trying to look happy for the woman, but who also seemed to be nothing short of miserable. "And now that I have done my job, I will leave all of you to yours."

She walked to the door under a chorus of goodnights and thanks, but she stopped short of actually leaving the room. Stephanie looked back and called to Nick, "Hey, Cowboy… When you get a chance, come and see me. I need to go over a case with you tonight." He nodded his head and she smiled back at him.

CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR

The traffic fatality had done a good job of taking up all of her conscious thought for most of the shift. There was nothing sadder than a teenager, with her whole life ahead of her, sitting in a coroner's drawer because of a stupid mistake.

As she closed the drawer on the mangled body of the unfortunate youth in the drunk driving crash, she wondered if that was what her parents thought of when they worried about her in college at such a young age. They were always very explicit about their willingness to pick her up from anywhere, regardless of the time, as long as it meant she got home safely. Stephanie made a mental note to follow the same course with her own children, since it had been so effective for her.

When she looked down at her watch, Stephanie realized that she made it nearly halfway through her shift without hearing even a peep from Nick. She turned to go to her office and page him when she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of the ghost in her doorway.

Her metal clipboard clattered to the floor in her fright. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Nick!" She clutched at her chest and heaved a few breaths to calm down. "Don't you know better than to scare a pregnant woman like that?"

Her question seemed to pierce through the fog in his mind and he lurched forward to retrieve her clipboard. "I'm sorry… Really… I jus-" The words died in his throat as he stood up to hand it to her. The moment she made eye contact with him, she could see the pain his gaze held.

She reached out to lay a hand on his forearm to comfort him and said, "You're okay, this time…" She placed a hand over the right side of her belly and smirked, "Besides, I think you might've even cured the little parasites' hiccups."

He looked confused. "Hiccups?"

"Yeah… One of those little joys. The fetus'll sometimes get little hiccups as the digestive system is developing. It wouldn't be so bad, but they seem to be taking turns. Makes it really fun when I'm trying to sleep." Stephanie gestured with her head for him to follow her into the office.

"So, what've you got in the box?" She pointed at the small decorative box he held in his right hand.

Nick looked down at his hand, as though he had forgotten that he was holding something. "Oh! Umm… My mother sent cookies. Said they were good for dealing with those cravings, and they have a lot of fiber. Whatever that's about." Nick handed the box over to her and she set it down on her desk for a closer inspection.

As she lifted the lid, her face lit up with delight. "These look like oatmeal cookies… With chocolate chips."

"Yeah, she doesn't use a lot of sugar in those, but a lot of cinnamon and other spices, plus whole oats. And believe it or not, they actually taste really good. Momma always hated us eating a bunch of junk, so she only made semi-healthy cookies." Nick shrugged as he sat down in the guest chair.

"I'll have to send her a thank you." She grabbed one of the cookies from the box and plopped a piece into her mouth. "Oooo… These are awesome!" She struggled with the crumbs as they tried to fall from the corner of her mouth when she spoke.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to talk with your mouth full?" It was the first real sign of life Stephanie detected from the sullen CSI.

"She tried, but there was only so much she could do." She managed to get a tiny chuckle from him with her retort.

He waited for her to finish chewing the cookie, but Stephanie could tell he was stalling. "So, which case are we talking about?"

She leaned back in her chair for a moment, and then carefully stood up. He followed her path with his eyes as she moved over to the couch and propped up her legs. "Sorry, we've reached the swollen ankles portion a little sooner than I was hoping." Stephanie patted the other end of the sofa for him to join her. "Come on… Don't make me act like a slacker all by myself."

Begrudgingly, Nick got up and moved to the sofa. She could tell that he was quickly catching on to her ploy. "Is this like a last meal for the dyin' man?"

"Nah, just trying to soften you up before I go in for the kill." She winked at him as he sat down on the couch and said, "Sorry, but I was raised by a teacher and a cop… You don't get out of that without learning how to interrogate with the best of them."

"So… What am I in for?" Nick leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he ran his hands over his head.

"Well… Apparently I was elected, in some secret meeting, to be the one to ask you what the hell is wrong." She reached over and put a hand on his shoulder when she added, "I guess they figured you wouldn't go off on the pregnant chick."

He huffed at her joke, but he still kept his focus away from her.

"What happened, Nick?" He shook his head and offered no verbal answer. "Okay… Didn't you have a date with the Doc over the weekend?"

Nick nodded his head once, but continued to keep his silence.

"All right… We can do this all night, if you want, or you can just tell me what's got you looking like the end of the world is taking a bite out of your ass. And if you know what's good for you, you'll start talking, buddy." She waited for him to look up, but he remained frozen in place.

Just as she was about to launch into another round of questions, he spoke. He spoke in the smallest voice she had ever heard, and Stephanie had to ask him to repeat himself. "She's in D.C."

Her face scrunched up into a question mark, and she wondered why that was such a big deal. "Okay… And that's why-" She was stopped when he growled so loud and deep that the windows in her office rattled.

He threw his head back and slumped into the couch. "She went to D.C… Left me a note and took off. No goodbye, no explanation, no nothin'… She just left."

Stephanie was beginning to get a clearer picture, but the details were still terribly fuzzy. "So, she drops a note off with you and takes off?"

"Not exactly…" He closed his eyes and then said, "She left it on the nightstand...at her place."

"Whoa! Let's back this train of thought up a few tracks… Nightstand? Her place?" Nick's face filled with a faint trace of blush and Stephanie knew there was a hell of a lot more to the story. "All right, Stokes… Start explaining."

"Obviously you knew about the dinner… Sandi?" Nick turned his head to see her nod and then went back to staring at the ceiling. "I should've known." He blew out a sharp breath and continued. "It was…amazing. The whole thing. The dinner, her place, the library, the paintings, the office… It was perfect."

"Okay… Sounds great, so far."

"It was better than that… I was able to connect to her in a way I've never connected to anyone else, ever. God! I even talked about the abduction!" Stephanie knew from her conversations with Sara and Warrick that Nick never talked about that episode in his life, so this was a serious revelation. "I even showed her the picture." He was shaking his head in defeat as she watched him sink further into the couch.

"Picture?" At her question, he reached into his pocket and pulled the photo out of his wallet to hand to Stephanie.

When she looked at the picture, she instantly recognized the cantankerous professor, though she looked nothing like she did the day she first walked into the morgue. Here she was laughing; her face lit up. Stephanie held it out for Nick and asked, "How-"

"I took it that first weekend I spent out there… I haven't been able to part with it ever since." That revelation forced all of the air out of her lungs in a rush. "It was perfect, Steph… The whole thing…" He paused as he thought about the night and shrugged. "We had it all, and it was the most amazing experience of my life. But I guess I was the only one who felt that way."

"What do you mean?"

Nick was silent for a while, and when Stephanie looked over at him, she watched a single tear as it fell from his cheek. "When I woke up in the morning… She was gone." Nick cringed at the memory, but went on, "All I got was a note beside the bed on the nightstand. It just said, 'Had to leave for D.C., don't know when I'll be back. Later, R.J.'" He closed his eyes, as though reading the note in his mind again. "That was it."

"Wow…" Stephanie was at a loss for anything that she could say.

"Yeah… I have the most unbelievable night of my entire life, connect with someone on a level I didn't think I was even capable of, and she walks out like it meant nothin'…" He expelled a full chest full of air and then turned to her to ask, "You think this is my punishment for all those girls I never called back?" Stephanie could tell he was trying to be funny, but she was still reeling from what had happened to him.

"Nick… I don't know what to say, but I do know you deserve a lot more than that."

His sigh was the only thing heard for a few minutes. His voice was the next. "You wanna know the really funny part?" He waited for Stephanie to acknowledge his question. When she only stared blankly, he answered his own query, "I still love her." He shook his head with a resignation Stephanie had never witnessed in him. "I just wish I could have told her that…" His last words faded out as he spoke them, but she was pretty sure that he said, "when she was awake."

CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR CSI GSR

David slipped past the office unseen and found a little niche in the back hallway of the morgue to hide while he furiously dialed the phone. He kept watch for anyone entering the area as he waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up. The moment he heard the familiar greeting, he cautiously whispered, "I think I know why she took off… And it's way worse than we thought… You better be sitting down for this one."