Well, here it is… The much-anticipated epilogue to my completely AU fic, Back in the Day. I would just like to take a minute to thank everyone who reviewed this story.
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You all rock!
Just another reminder: This is completely AU. I realize this is not how everything really happened, but this is my fiction, which means I can do what I want with it.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this epilogue!
~~$~@~$~~
Some Several Years Later
~~$~@~$~~
Catherine padded down to the end of the driveway to the mailbox. She reached inside and grabbed the buddle of envelopes and headed back into her simple two-story home. She sat down on the couch to sort through the mail.
"Bill. Bill. Junk. Bill. Ad. Bill." She threw the envelopes into different piles, but stopped when she came upon a small blue envelope with a very familiar return address.
"Warrick!" She called to her husband of three years.
"Yeah, babe?" He answered coming into the living room, cradling their thirteen month old daughter, Lindsey, in his arms.
"We got a letter from Nick and Sara."
"Really? What's it been… three months since we heard from them?" Warrick sat down on the couch next to his wife.
"Yeah something like that. I wonder what it is." She carefully tore the envelope open, and pulled out a small card and read aloud. "It's a girl!" Catherine looked up at Warrick and smiled. "Sara had her baby."
"Awesome. What else does it say?" Warrick asked.
"Melissa Suzanne was born on Sunday, November 23rd." Catherine looked over to the calendar hanging on the wall. "That was almost two weeks ago. Why didn't they call?"
"Well, it is long distance from Las Vegas to Boston. That could have something to do with it. And I'm sure they've been a bit preoccupied. I wouldn't take it personally."
"Yeah, that's true. I guess we weren't exactly quick to send out announcements when Lindsey was born either." Catherine leaned over and kissed her daughter's cheek. "Happiest day of my life." She smiled up at Warrick, before leaning in to kiss him as well. "Followed closely by the day you took me off the market"
Closing time
Open all the doors and let you out into the world
Closing time
Turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl
Closing time
One last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer
Closing time
You don't have to go home but you can't stay here
"So what else does it say?" Warrick asked taking the card from his wife. "They're having an open house next month. They must have planned it so it'd give us plenty of time to get a flight out there."
"Well, yeah. Grissom's not going to be happy about us leaving the lab for a week, though"
A sly grin spread across his face. "Well, he's just going to have to deal without his two best CSI's for a little while. We can bring him back a good souvenir."
"Yeah. So do you want to go book our flight, or should I?"
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
Take me home
"So did Cath and Warrick R.S.V.P?" Nick asked Sara as he walked in the front door of their apartment.
"Well, hello to you, too, honey. How was work?" Sara asked with a small grin, showing off the gap between her front two teeth.
Nick leaned down and kissed his wife. "Hi, babe. Work was fine. I hate pulling doubles, especially when I have you and my baby girl waiting here for me"
"Yeah I know. I really don't miss being a criminalist sometimes."
"You know you'll still be able to get a job at the lab as soon as you're ready" Nick said, sitting down on the couch next to her.
"I know, but I just don't know how I'll be able to work and be a mother at the same time. That girl keeps me on my toes."
As if on cue, their young daughter's cries could be heard throughout the apartment. Nick leaned over and kissed Sara's cheek. "I'll get her."
Closing time
Time for you to go out to the places you will be from
Closing time
This room won't be open till your brothers or your sisters
come
So gather up your jackets, move it to the exits
I hope you have found a friend
Closing time
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end
A few minutes later, Sara padded down the hallway to her daughter's bedroom. She peered inside the door, and couldn't help but smile at the sight before her. Nick was sitting in the rocking chair, cradling his daughter in his arms. He was talking quietly to her. So quietly, Sara could barely hear him.
"Hey sweetie" he said soothingly. "Did you keep mommy up all night again?" Melissa gurgled, her big brown eyes, wide. "You just don't ever want to be without her, do you, kiddo? I understand what you're feeling, though. I hate it when I'm not with her, too."
Sara felt a few tears stinging her eyes. When she sniffed, Nick looked up at her and smiled. "What's wrong Sara?"
"Nothing" she answered with a smile as she walked into the room. "Nothing's wrong at all. Everything is perfect." She knelt down on the carpeted floor next to the rocking chair, and gazed into her daughter's eyes. "Everything is perfect" she repeated.
"I couldn't agree with you more" Nick whispered, taking her hand in his and placing a gentle kiss in her palm.
"You remember when we first met?" Sara asked.
"How could I forget? You practically bowled me over trying to get to biology. And Catherine said you were only in a hurry to see Professor Grissom." Nick chuckled as he remembered their first day of classes. "I was almost jealous when you smiled at him."
"Are you serious?" Sara laughed. "You never told me that before."
"That's because I was embarrassed." He paused, and kissed her hand again. "I think I fell in love with you that very first week of school."
"Yeah, those first few weeks were interesting weren't they?" Sara asked.
"Yes, they were. But hey, we got through it."
"Yes, we did." Sara agreed.
"Did the police ever find Tasha's roommate?" Nick asked.
Sara nodded. "Yeah, remember? She had just dropped out of school and gone home. She said she just didn't like the university and could barely afford it, so she just left" Sara laughed to herself. "And we thought Tasha killed her or something."
"Well, it wouldn't have surprised me one bit."
"Yeah, me either"
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
Take me home
"Sara, hurry up! They're going to be here any minute!" A month had passed rather quickly, and now the young couple was waiting for their few guests to arrive.
"Would you relax?" Sara called from Melissa's bedroom. "It takes at least twenty minutes to get here from the airport, and they just called not even five minutes ago." She carefully pulled a small blue dress over Melissa's head, and straightened it out before carrying her out into the living room where Nick was pacing nervously.
Sara tried to hide the grin that threatened to spread across her face, but failed miserably. "You know I don't think I've seen you pace like that since the day this little one was born."
Nick stopped pacing, and a small blush crept to his cheeks. "Sorry"
Sara walked over to him, and gently placed Melissa in his arms. "Have I told you lately that I love you?" she echoed the words of the popular song.
"You're my wonder wall" Nick whispered.
"Take me home tonight" Sara leaned in and brushed her lips across his.
"I wonder how long we could keep this up" Nick pondered, with a small smile on his face.
"Oh, I'm sure we could go forever. There are so many songs out there. But we'll have company soon" she giggled.
Sara's comment was answered by the soft ringing of the door bell. "That must be Catherine, Warrick, and Lindsey." Sara stated. "I'll get it." She kissed Nick one last time before heading to the door, and opening it.
"Hey Sara!" Warrick greeted, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Hey Cath" she said giving her former roommate and best friend a gentle hug. "How's my little god daughter?" She asked Lindsey who was sitting comfortably in her mother's arms. "She's getting so big" Sara commented.
"Well, if you'd come out and visit more often then you would get to see her grow" Catherine's voice almost had a little bit of hurt in it.
"I'm sorry, Cath. But Nick and I were both working full time as soon as we got out here, and then with Melissa… We've just been busy the past few months"
"Speaking of which, where is that little girl?" Catherine asked.
"Nick has her" Sara pointed over to where Nick and Warrick were catching up and ogling over little Melissa.
Sara led Catherine over to where the men were standing, and introduced her to Melissa. Sara carefully took her daughter from Nick's arms and placed her in Catherine's. "Melissa Suzanne Stokes, I'd like you to meet your god parents and god sister slash cousin slash whatever" Sara giggled and then continued "Catherine, Warrick, and Lindsey Brown."
"You guys, she's gorgeous" Catherine breathed as she held both little girls securely in her arms.
Closing time
Time for you to go out to the places you will be from
"Is Greg coming?" Warrick asked a few minutes later.
"No, he couldn't. He did call and send us a nice check to put in her college savings account." Nick answered.
"What's he got that's more important than this?" Catherine wondered.
"Oh, you guys haven't heard yet?" Nick asked, shocked.
Catherine and Warrick exchanged a confused look and then turned back to Nick and Sara.
"Well, you know that he's the head supervisor at the CSI lab in Miami, Florida, don't you?" Sara asked.
"Yeah, he called us about that a few months ago. But he couldn't have taken time off?"
"No. Guys, Greg got married last week." Nick informed his friends.
Sara didn't think she'd ever seen someone's jaw come so close to actually hitting the ground. She quickly took her daughter from Catherine's arms just to insure her safety.
"He didn't even invite us!" Catherine complained.
"Well, technically he didn't invite anyone. They eloped" Nick clarified.
"What's her name?"
Sara giggled. "Sarah."
Catherine laughed as well. "Are you serious?"
"Yep."
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
I know who I want to take me home
Take me home
A few hours later, both Lindsey and Melissa were fast asleep, and Sara was getting exhausted. Being a new mother was extremely tiring.
Catherine and Warrick retreated to the guest bedroom, and Sara and Nick retreated to their bedroom. They loved their spacious apartment. The only reason they bought it instead of a house was because it had three bedrooms in and it and it was close to the lab where they both worked.
"I really do miss not seeing them everyday" Sara commented as she climbed underneath the covers of their king sized bed.
"Honey, we've lived out here for almost two years, and you're just now missing them?"
"Well, I never realize how much I miss them until we're all together again"
Nick joined her in the bed and pulled her body against his. "Are you happy here?" he asked.
"Of course I am" Sara answered quickly.
"We could always move back to Vegas. Catherine said Grissom would give us jobs. I mean the man only had us for classes for 4 years. He knows we can do the job" Nick said, running his fingers through her hair and down her back in a soothing motion.
"I know. But you love Boston."
"I don't care where we live, Sara, as long as we're all together as a family."
Sara was quiet for a few minutes, thinking about what Nick was suggesting. "So, when do you want to move?" She asked quietly.
Nick leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Whenever you're ready, we can go home."
Closing time
Every new beginning comes from some other
beginning's end
~~$~@~$~~
The end!
~~$~@~$~~
There you have it! Thanks for making this journey with me. It's been a great ride.
Now hit that little button one last time, and let me know what you thought.