~~ Chapter Nine: Father Figure ~~
(I'm ashamed that I used a George Michael song for the title, but it fit)
"So, wait a second, Gabrielle...we had TWINS, and you never told me?" Rylea heard Gil yelling from in the hall. "So, is there anything ELSE you're hiding from me?"
Nick was leaning against the wall, seeming angry again. "I thought...augh, whatever..." he complained. "There's another thing like Jenna..."
"It's not like I TRIED not to know about my father, ok?" Rylea had tears in her eyes. "You think I WANTED to not know my father all my life?" she screamed. "I thought some guy my mom met a few days after I was born was my father, ok? And, now, at twenty-four? I'm finding out that my new boss is my father, and I never got a chance to know my sister? Ok, never mind, forget it. I give up on trying to talk to you, because every time I try..." she turned around and rushed to the break room.
Nick sighed. Maybe he had been a little harsh on the poor girl. She had just found out some life changing news, but he still felt that she was trying to take over Jenna's life. Well, if there was one thing he wouldn't take from her, it was him. If he ever fell in love again, it would certainly not be with some Rylea Patterson, or Rylea Grissom, or whoever she was. No way...no matter what happened, Rylea's inescapable charm would have no effect on Nick Stokes. He looked into the break room to see Rylea sobbing, and it brought him right back to the night Jenna had died, when she came crying to his doorway. It had been his fault. If he had just stayed with her, she would still be there with him, and there would be no Rylea Patterson in his life. But seeing her there, just as it would with Jenna, broke his heart. "Rylea?" he asked, approaching her slowly.
"What?" she snapped, turning around quickly to see Nick looking a little bit surprised at her tone. "I'm sorry...what is it?"
"I just thought I'd come and offer you someone to talk to..." he explained, sitting beside her, being more compassionate than he thought he'd be. "Neither of us are going through our best times right now, and I bet you anything in the world, if we met under better circumstances, we'd get along...so, why don't we try to be friends, and see what comes from it?"
Rylea took her face from her hands, and looked into Nick's beautiful brown eyes. "What made you come up with that?" she asked, smiling slightly, tears still pouring down her cheeks.
"I figure you remind me so much of Jenna, and you're her sister, you must be more like her than I'm giving you credit for, and I'm also being quite harsh on you. You never did anything to me, and I'm treating you like a criminal..." he sensitively looked at her, staring into her blue eyes. God, she reminded him of Jenna. But that was justified now. She was Jenna's sister? It was even more wrong for him to even THINK of feeling what he was starting to feel. Or...not...starting to feel. What was he doing? He was being completely immoral and unfaithful to Jenna! No. He would not fall in love with Rylea. He wouldn't even start to like her.
Gil walked back into the room, failing to cover the tears that had fallen from his cheeks. He had another chance to be a father, which made him nearly the happiest man in the world. He looked at his teary eyed daughter, and opened his arms.
Without a second thought, Rylea stood up and hugged him. "I always wondered why I never looked like mom OR Chris..." she sniffled, and put her head on Gil's shoulder, feeling the father daughter connection between the two of them. "But, I do look a lot like you..."
"I saw that to, Rylea...I'm so glad to have another chance..." Gil Grissom, for the first time Nick ever recalled seeing, anyway, was crying.
Nick was the only one who didn't seem even mildly moved by all of this. Sure, it was a touching reunion, but both of them had seemed to have forgotten about Jenna...the main reason Gil even met Rylea to begin with. "Ok, so what is this? She comes along, and you don't even give Jenna another thought? Very nice..."
Gil sighed, but understood Nick's anger, and released Rylea from his grasp. "Nick, you don't see it the way I see it, and nor do I for you, so let's not pass judgement about one another, ok? We both lost a very important figure in our lives-..."
"But YOU get another 'chance to make it right.' Do I get that lucky?" Nick stormed out of the break room, in a fit of tears.
Rylea felt terrible. "Man, I wasn't lucky enough to know her, but then again, I never had to lose her either...is he gonna be ok?" she debated in her head whether or not to call him dad, but decided against it just yet.
"He'll be fine, I hope...Nick is strong, but we...or...yeah, we...need to be there for him if he needs us. He loved Jenna more than anything," Gil explained, worrying about Nick, but still immensely overjoyed to have Rylea there.
~~
"So, she's your daughter?" Sara asked Gil, watching Rylea get harassed by Greg.
"Yeah..." Gil nodded, placing his arm around Sara's shoulders. "And, Nick didn't take to it too well, either...my take on that is that he thought I was the only thing Rylea hadn't taken from Jenna. And now, we find this out, and there's nothing left of Jenna for him."
Sara nodded, resting her head on Gil's shoulder. "She looks so much like you...does she look anything like her mother?"
"No," Gil grinned, looking gently at Sara. He kissed the top of her head, then, his grin grew. The two best things to ever happen to him were both in the same building. "That kinda hinted to her that the guy Gabrielle told her was her father, wasn't. But, she never got enough evidence, so to speak, to follow up on it."
Sara smiled, but then frowned. "What about Nicky, though?" she removed her head from Gil's shoulder, and flashed him a worried look about Nick. "Do you think he'll ever warm up to her?"
"Yeah, honestly, I see something huge in the future for both of them. If she's anything like Jenna, he'll fall for her as reluctantly as he did for her. But then, after that, remember?" Gil asked.
Sara nodded. "They were inseparable...I'm hoping as much as you are."
~~
I will be your father figure
Put your tiny hand in mine
I will be your preacher teacher
Anything you have in mind
I will be your father figure
I have had enough of crime
I will be the one who loves you
Until the end of time
~~ 'Father Figure' – George Michael ~~