Disclaimer: Unfortunately, none of these characters belong to me, except for Elle and Harrison Stokes.
Hello to my lovely party people, you guys are the best people in the entire world! I love your reviews.
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At around 6, Warrick arrived at Sara and Nick's.
"I come bearing wine for the grown-ups and uh.. chocolate bars for the kids." He got a look from Sara "Hey - I couldn't figure out what equaled wine for kids, and then I remembered that kids love chocolate. Where are they anyway?"
"Oh, they're in Elle's room. Sara bought them a new video and they've been glued to that TV for the past few hours. They just keep rewinding it, and watching the same thing over and over." Nick said, leading Warrick into the kitchen. Sara took the wine from him and opened it.
"OK, who wants some?" Sara said, reaching for glasses.
"Me" Warrick said, almost too quick.
"I'll have some" Nick said. The doorbell rang. "Must be Greg and Carly." Just as Nick opened the door, Elle came running out of her bedroom, with Harrison right behind her.
"Hey Greg, Carly. Come on in." Nick said, opening the door and moving out of the way to let them in.
"Greg!" Harrison yelled.
"Greg!" Elle said, equally enthusiastic.
"Hey, did my two favorite kids enjoy their first day of preschool?"
"Oh yeah, they had this really cool fire-truck." Harrison said, as Warrick walked up and pried Elle off of Greg's arm.
"Hey Elle, how come when I walked in, you didn't run up and hug me?" He said, picking her up and holding her.
"Oh Warrick, don't be such a poophead!" Elle said, adjusting herself so that'd she be more comfortable in Warrick's arms.
"Hey Elle, what'd we say about using that word?" Sara said, poking her head out from the kitchen.
"That I shouldn't say it" Elle said, rolling her eyes.
"That's right, young lady." Nick said, coming out from the kitchen. "I come bearing foods and beverages." Nick set the food and drinks on the table, and everyone grabbed at them. Harrison, thinking no one was watching, headed straight for a glass of wine. Nick stood over him and pulled the glass from his hands.
"Hey buddy, this isn't for you." Nick said, handing the glass to Carly. "This is for you." Nick said, picking up a plastic cup with a cover, which was filled with orange juice.
"But Daddy, how come my drink isn't in a pretty glass like that?" He said, pointing to the glass Carly was holding, which he had been holding moments ago.
"Because knowing you, you'd spill it all over yourself and the floor. And then who'd be cleaning up that mess?" Nick said, sitting on the couch and pulling Harrison into his lap.
"Me" Sara said, emerging from the kitchen, holding the remaining glasses of wine and Elle's cup of apple juice. "Here, sweetie" Sara said, handing the cup to Elle.
"Thanks Mommy." Elle said, plopping herself down between Greg and Nick, resting her arm on Greg's knee.
"Now, who wants pizza and who wants Chinese for dinner?" Nick said, reaching for his wine glass.
"I want pizza!" Elle, Harrison, and Greg said in unison.
"I'll eat whatever everyone else wants" Carly said, not wanting to insult anybody's taste in food.
"Yeah, same for me. Whatever the kids want." Warrick said, grabbing a tortilla chip.
"OK, you guys want pizza?" Nick said, looking at Elle and Harrison.
"Yeah!" Both said, loudly.
"OK, pizza it is. Does anyone want anything on it?"
"Pepperoni" Warrick said.
"Pineapple" Sara said.
"Sausage" Carly asked, more than said.
"Greg? No requests?" Nick said, beginning to dial the number for the local pizzeria.
"Yeah, I want all of the above - pepperoni, pineapple, sausage - but with extra cheese."
"Uh.. alright. Hi, I'd like three pies…" Nick said, as he reached the pizzeria. "20 minutes? OK, great. Thanks."
Just as Nick put his order in, Warrick's phone rang. "Brown."
"Hi Warrick, I know you're at Nick and Sara's, but we need you to pack immediately. You and Sara need to come with me to North Carolina for the next three days. A very high-profile man in North Carolina has just requested for us to fly down and investigate the murder of his wife and newborn son." Grissom said.
"Alright, Gris. Yeah, I got it. An hour? We only have an hour? That's just great. No, we'll be there. Bye." Warrick said, getting a look from everyone in the room.
"Sara, what are you doing for the next three days?" Warrick looked at Sara.
"You're kidding me." Sara said, already knowing what Warrick was going to tell her.
"Nope, you, me, and Grissom. North Carolina. We have an hour to pack and be at the airport." Warrick said, getting up.
"Warrick, you can't be serious." Sara said, getting up with him. She had never left her children by themselves for more than her usual night shift, and even then she usually called the babysitter at least twice to check up on them.
"I'm very serious. You should start packing, I'll be back here in 20 minutes to pick you up, then we're meeting Grissom at the airport. He said to bring warm clothes, its chilly down in North Carolina this time of the year." Warrick said, saying a quick goodbye to everyone and heading towards his car parked out in the drive-way.
Nick headed towards the hall closet, and pulled out a suitcase and a travel bag for Sara to pack her clothes and personal belongings in. He went back into the living room, and saw Sara standing in the same position she was when Warrick left. Greg and Carly were keeping the twins amused.
"Sara, come on, we need to get you packed."
"But Nick, you can't take care of the kids for three full days without me. You can barely take care of them for three hours."
"I'll manage Sara, but you need to go. Grissom asked for you, and you need a break from those two. I know how much you love them, but this will be good for you. You didn't think you'd be able to not be with them when they went to preschool, and you did so good. They'll be perfectly fine. I am their father, after all."
"But Nick, what if they need me? Its not like preschool where I'm just down the road and if they need anything I can get there in 5 minutes. This is across the country. On the other side of the universe to those two." Sara said, watching as Nick pulled out clothes for her and packed them.
"Sara, I'm not arguing with you over this. Go grab your tooth-brush."
"But Nick-"
"No Sara. Now go get your toothbrush. I'll finish your packing, and you say goodbye to them." Nick said, not making eye-contact with her. He knew she was pissed at him for forcing her to leave his children, although she knew deep down that she was slowly having a breakdown, between the kids and work. Atleast now she'd only have work to focus on.
"Fine, but, you know, we're not on good terms right now." Sara said, walking out to the living room. She saw Harrison, who seemed endlessly amazed with Greg's hair, and Elle brushing Carly's long blonde locks.
"Hey you guys. Harrison, would you and Elle mind coming in the kitchen with me for a second?"
"OK Mommy, come on Elle." Greg helped Harrison down from behind his back, and Elle handed the brush to Carly. They followed their mother into the kitchen.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" Elle asked, seeing a tear come down her mother's face.
"Nothing, baby, its just that.. I have to go on a little trip with Warrick and Uncle Grissom. I won't be back home until Friday morning. Is that OK?"
Elle looked at her mother, and then at Harrison. Harrison was the first to speak up.
"Is Daddy going to be here with us, or is Marie going to be with us?" Harrison asked, speaking of the babysitter that was with them as they slept. Sara was happy that she got to tuck them in at night, and then wake up with them in the morning. Marie was there while they slumbered.
"Daddy will be here, and Marie will be here when you guys go to sleep. But during the day, yeah, Daddy will be here."
"But you're going to come back right, Mommy?" Elle said, with a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"Absolutely, of course. I'll be home Friday. I promise." Just as Sara finished, Warrick had walked through the door. "That was already 20 minutes?"
"Well, actually 23 minutes. I figured the extra three minutes would serve you well." He said.
"Yeah, they did. OK you guys, Mommy's going to go now." Sara said, hugging Harrison and giving him a kiss on the cheek as Nick loaded up Warrick's Tahoe with Sara's luggage. "I'll miss you, but I'll be home Friday." She kissed Elle on the cheek and gave her a hug. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Harrison said, walking with his mom to the door.
"I love you Mommy." Elle said, grabbing onto her mother's hands. She wasn't exactly sure of what it was going to be like without Sara there, but she knew that she was coming back and that's all that mattered to Elle.
"Bye Nicky." Sara said, walking up to him and giving him a kiss on the lips and as best a hug she could while still holding on tightly to Elle's hands.
"See you later Greg, Carly." Sara said, coming out of her embrace with Nick.
"Bye Sara."
"Hey Warrick" Nick said, as Sara kneeled down to give her twins one last hug each. "Make sure she's good. I, mean, you know, just make sure she's always around you. I don't want her roaming the North Carolina streets by herself."
"Yeah, man, of course." Warrick said, giving his friend a handshake, hearing the anxiety in his voice. "Sar, you ready?"
"Yep, lets move. The quicker I leave, the quicker I get to come back home." Sara said, walking out of the house. She turned around before she got in the Tahoe, and waved to her children. "Whew, that was quick." She said to Warrick.
"Yeah, lets go!"
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Ack, 6 pages! The most I've ever written. I really hope you enjoy this, and I'm going to have more soon.
Hello to my lovely party people, you guys are the best people in the entire world! I love your reviews.
..................................................................... ....... ...........….
At around 6, Warrick arrived at Sara and Nick's.
"I come bearing wine for the grown-ups and uh.. chocolate bars for the kids." He got a look from Sara "Hey - I couldn't figure out what equaled wine for kids, and then I remembered that kids love chocolate. Where are they anyway?"
"Oh, they're in Elle's room. Sara bought them a new video and they've been glued to that TV for the past few hours. They just keep rewinding it, and watching the same thing over and over." Nick said, leading Warrick into the kitchen. Sara took the wine from him and opened it.
"OK, who wants some?" Sara said, reaching for glasses.
"Me" Warrick said, almost too quick.
"I'll have some" Nick said. The doorbell rang. "Must be Greg and Carly." Just as Nick opened the door, Elle came running out of her bedroom, with Harrison right behind her.
"Hey Greg, Carly. Come on in." Nick said, opening the door and moving out of the way to let them in.
"Greg!" Harrison yelled.
"Greg!" Elle said, equally enthusiastic.
"Hey, did my two favorite kids enjoy their first day of preschool?"
"Oh yeah, they had this really cool fire-truck." Harrison said, as Warrick walked up and pried Elle off of Greg's arm.
"Hey Elle, how come when I walked in, you didn't run up and hug me?" He said, picking her up and holding her.
"Oh Warrick, don't be such a poophead!" Elle said, adjusting herself so that'd she be more comfortable in Warrick's arms.
"Hey Elle, what'd we say about using that word?" Sara said, poking her head out from the kitchen.
"That I shouldn't say it" Elle said, rolling her eyes.
"That's right, young lady." Nick said, coming out from the kitchen. "I come bearing foods and beverages." Nick set the food and drinks on the table, and everyone grabbed at them. Harrison, thinking no one was watching, headed straight for a glass of wine. Nick stood over him and pulled the glass from his hands.
"Hey buddy, this isn't for you." Nick said, handing the glass to Carly. "This is for you." Nick said, picking up a plastic cup with a cover, which was filled with orange juice.
"But Daddy, how come my drink isn't in a pretty glass like that?" He said, pointing to the glass Carly was holding, which he had been holding moments ago.
"Because knowing you, you'd spill it all over yourself and the floor. And then who'd be cleaning up that mess?" Nick said, sitting on the couch and pulling Harrison into his lap.
"Me" Sara said, emerging from the kitchen, holding the remaining glasses of wine and Elle's cup of apple juice. "Here, sweetie" Sara said, handing the cup to Elle.
"Thanks Mommy." Elle said, plopping herself down between Greg and Nick, resting her arm on Greg's knee.
"Now, who wants pizza and who wants Chinese for dinner?" Nick said, reaching for his wine glass.
"I want pizza!" Elle, Harrison, and Greg said in unison.
"I'll eat whatever everyone else wants" Carly said, not wanting to insult anybody's taste in food.
"Yeah, same for me. Whatever the kids want." Warrick said, grabbing a tortilla chip.
"OK, you guys want pizza?" Nick said, looking at Elle and Harrison.
"Yeah!" Both said, loudly.
"OK, pizza it is. Does anyone want anything on it?"
"Pepperoni" Warrick said.
"Pineapple" Sara said.
"Sausage" Carly asked, more than said.
"Greg? No requests?" Nick said, beginning to dial the number for the local pizzeria.
"Yeah, I want all of the above - pepperoni, pineapple, sausage - but with extra cheese."
"Uh.. alright. Hi, I'd like three pies…" Nick said, as he reached the pizzeria. "20 minutes? OK, great. Thanks."
Just as Nick put his order in, Warrick's phone rang. "Brown."
"Hi Warrick, I know you're at Nick and Sara's, but we need you to pack immediately. You and Sara need to come with me to North Carolina for the next three days. A very high-profile man in North Carolina has just requested for us to fly down and investigate the murder of his wife and newborn son." Grissom said.
"Alright, Gris. Yeah, I got it. An hour? We only have an hour? That's just great. No, we'll be there. Bye." Warrick said, getting a look from everyone in the room.
"Sara, what are you doing for the next three days?" Warrick looked at Sara.
"You're kidding me." Sara said, already knowing what Warrick was going to tell her.
"Nope, you, me, and Grissom. North Carolina. We have an hour to pack and be at the airport." Warrick said, getting up.
"Warrick, you can't be serious." Sara said, getting up with him. She had never left her children by themselves for more than her usual night shift, and even then she usually called the babysitter at least twice to check up on them.
"I'm very serious. You should start packing, I'll be back here in 20 minutes to pick you up, then we're meeting Grissom at the airport. He said to bring warm clothes, its chilly down in North Carolina this time of the year." Warrick said, saying a quick goodbye to everyone and heading towards his car parked out in the drive-way.
Nick headed towards the hall closet, and pulled out a suitcase and a travel bag for Sara to pack her clothes and personal belongings in. He went back into the living room, and saw Sara standing in the same position she was when Warrick left. Greg and Carly were keeping the twins amused.
"Sara, come on, we need to get you packed."
"But Nick, you can't take care of the kids for three full days without me. You can barely take care of them for three hours."
"I'll manage Sara, but you need to go. Grissom asked for you, and you need a break from those two. I know how much you love them, but this will be good for you. You didn't think you'd be able to not be with them when they went to preschool, and you did so good. They'll be perfectly fine. I am their father, after all."
"But Nick, what if they need me? Its not like preschool where I'm just down the road and if they need anything I can get there in 5 minutes. This is across the country. On the other side of the universe to those two." Sara said, watching as Nick pulled out clothes for her and packed them.
"Sara, I'm not arguing with you over this. Go grab your tooth-brush."
"But Nick-"
"No Sara. Now go get your toothbrush. I'll finish your packing, and you say goodbye to them." Nick said, not making eye-contact with her. He knew she was pissed at him for forcing her to leave his children, although she knew deep down that she was slowly having a breakdown, between the kids and work. Atleast now she'd only have work to focus on.
"Fine, but, you know, we're not on good terms right now." Sara said, walking out to the living room. She saw Harrison, who seemed endlessly amazed with Greg's hair, and Elle brushing Carly's long blonde locks.
"Hey you guys. Harrison, would you and Elle mind coming in the kitchen with me for a second?"
"OK Mommy, come on Elle." Greg helped Harrison down from behind his back, and Elle handed the brush to Carly. They followed their mother into the kitchen.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" Elle asked, seeing a tear come down her mother's face.
"Nothing, baby, its just that.. I have to go on a little trip with Warrick and Uncle Grissom. I won't be back home until Friday morning. Is that OK?"
Elle looked at her mother, and then at Harrison. Harrison was the first to speak up.
"Is Daddy going to be here with us, or is Marie going to be with us?" Harrison asked, speaking of the babysitter that was with them as they slept. Sara was happy that she got to tuck them in at night, and then wake up with them in the morning. Marie was there while they slumbered.
"Daddy will be here, and Marie will be here when you guys go to sleep. But during the day, yeah, Daddy will be here."
"But you're going to come back right, Mommy?" Elle said, with a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"Absolutely, of course. I'll be home Friday. I promise." Just as Sara finished, Warrick had walked through the door. "That was already 20 minutes?"
"Well, actually 23 minutes. I figured the extra three minutes would serve you well." He said.
"Yeah, they did. OK you guys, Mommy's going to go now." Sara said, hugging Harrison and giving him a kiss on the cheek as Nick loaded up Warrick's Tahoe with Sara's luggage. "I'll miss you, but I'll be home Friday." She kissed Elle on the cheek and gave her a hug. "I love you."
"I love you, too." Harrison said, walking with his mom to the door.
"I love you Mommy." Elle said, grabbing onto her mother's hands. She wasn't exactly sure of what it was going to be like without Sara there, but she knew that she was coming back and that's all that mattered to Elle.
"Bye Nicky." Sara said, walking up to him and giving him a kiss on the lips and as best a hug she could while still holding on tightly to Elle's hands.
"See you later Greg, Carly." Sara said, coming out of her embrace with Nick.
"Bye Sara."
"Hey Warrick" Nick said, as Sara kneeled down to give her twins one last hug each. "Make sure she's good. I, mean, you know, just make sure she's always around you. I don't want her roaming the North Carolina streets by herself."
"Yeah, man, of course." Warrick said, giving his friend a handshake, hearing the anxiety in his voice. "Sar, you ready?"
"Yep, lets move. The quicker I leave, the quicker I get to come back home." Sara said, walking out of the house. She turned around before she got in the Tahoe, and waved to her children. "Whew, that was quick." She said to Warrick.
"Yeah, lets go!"
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Ack, 6 pages! The most I've ever written. I really hope you enjoy this, and I'm going to have more soon.