For anyone that has paid any attention to Nick's family life on the show, I must remind you that this is AU.
Disclaimer: If I owned any of this, do you think I would make Nick thirty something on the show, when the character can't, in my opinion, buy alcohol without being carded? Didn't think so.
Chapter 4: The first day
I was running late on my first day for work, I had been playing soccer with the kids in the park, and hadn't had supper, so I stopped at a drive through, after my shower. I parked in one of the spots that wasn't reserved, and hurried inside, my ID was waiting at the counter, I looked at it closely, as I walked to the break room, where Grissom had told me to meet everyone. CSI level one, I was so happy, I was the second one in the break room, There was a girl I hadn't met sitting on the couch. I chose a chair, near the door. "You might want to put that on," She said.
I looked at her, and nodded, I wasn't truly used to sound anymore, since I muted all my shows, and I was helping the kids in the neighbourhood learn how to sign. "What, you don't talk," She looked at me with narrowed eyes.
"I don't talk to much when I am uncomfortable," I said.
"Nick, how did you beat me here, you left the park like twenty minutes ago," Catherine said, when she walked in.
"I'm from Texas, what else can you expect," I said.
"You're not used to the traffic, so I ask again, how did you beat me here?"
"I flew," I joked.
"Not gonna answer, stubborn, I like that, you'll fit in good with Grissom," Catherine said.
"Good, Nick's here, and you've met Carrie, we're still short one person, Nick, you'll be working with Cath for now, Carrie you've got a DB south side," Grissom handed her the paper, "Cath, Nick, you've got a convenience store robbery."
"Easy one for your first shift," Cath said, "I'm only level two. You won't be going solo for a long while, Grissom is picky that way, you have to pass one of his ever changing quizzes, and you never know when they're coming, but if you ask for privileges, chances are, he'll give you one, and your answer will determine weather you get what you ask for."
"Nice way of doing that, so he's the boss?" I had been pretty sure that Brass was the boss.
"Brass is sick, that's why Grissom gave the assignments tonight, usually Brass does, he's in charge," Catherine said.
"Oh, that's kind of what I had thought," I said.
"Stubborn, inquisitive, and Kind, so far, what other sides are there to Nick Stokes?"
"You'll have to wait, and find out with everyone else, oh, and please don't mention the soccer games to anyone else, the things I do for kids are a little of my private life, that I don't want to share with everyone." I said.
"Alright, I think I can give that to you," Catherine replied.
"Thanks," I smiled.
We got to the scene, and Cath went in first, I followed right behind, Cath introduced us to the cashier, the officer was still outside the open door, "Start dusting for prints," Cath said, I listened, and dusted the counter, "The last time I dusted a convenience store counter, I came up with five dozen prints," I said.
"What, I thought this was your first job?"
"In school, they had us do a few robberies, for the experience, fully supervised, but it's actually an interesting way to learn, especially dusting for prints," I said.
"True, so did you spend your time back in Texas doing the same things you do here?"
"When I could, but I was busy, I have a brother, and he doesn't really get along with kids, so I didn't force him to spend time around them, but I wanted to spend time with him, though I did do some volunteer work with kids,"
"None of your own?" Cath looked at me.
"Nope, sometimes I wish I did though, it's a little lonely without Aaron around," I said.
"You're a social guy, I like that," Cath turned back to what she was doing.
"You're making a mental list of my qualities, do I have to worry about an interoffice crush?" I teased.
"I'm married," Cath stated.
"Poor sport, I get to babysit, right?" I asked.
"I don't have any kids,"
"You were specific with the word yet, when I first met you," I said.
"True, but till it happens, the chances of me having one anytime soon is very low, sorry," Cath shrugged.
"Meanie head, I'm willing to BABYSIT, and you don't even have any children, so not fair."
"You don't have any either,"
"I'm eighteen, that kinda goes against me having one soon," I looked at her.
"Ok, fine, I'll drop it if you will," She said.
"Alright, when do I get off this type of case?" I asked.
"When you pass one of Grissom's tests, probably given tomorrow."
We had soon finished with the scene, at the lab again, we went into the break room, we had just taken out our lunches, when Grissom came in, he pulled a brown sack out of the fridge, and sat with us. "You up for a riddle?" Grissom looked at me.
"Sure," I looked a little uncertain at Catherine.
"Thirty white horses,
on a red hill,
first they stamp,
then they champ,
then they stand still." Grissom said with a grin
"Teeth, and it's the second riddle during Bilbo and Gollum's riddle game." I smiled back.
"Good memory," Grissom smiled.
"it cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
cannot be heard, cannot be smelt,
it lies behind stars and under hills,
and empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
ends life, and kills laughter." I looked him in the eye as I said this.
"Good one, behind stars, and under hills, would that be the dark?" Grissom maintained eye contact, "my turn,
alive without breath,
cold as death
never thirsty, ever drinking,
all in mail, never clinking,"
"Alive without breath, snakes, and bugs breath air, so it would have to be somthing with gills, fish." I said proudly.
"A box without hinges key or lid,
yet inside, golden treasure is hid."
"An egg, that was an easy one," Grissom stated.
"An eye in a blue face
saw an eye in a green face,
'that eye is like to this eye,'
said the first eye
'but in a low place
not in high place'"
I had to think on that one, it was difficult, what was green, the only thing I could think of was a reflection, but that wasn't a usual riddle answer, "Well?" Grissom asked, proud that he had stumped me at my own instigation.
"Give me a second," I said, thinking hard, then it came to me, my own game, they had all been from the Hobbit, "Sun on daisies," I said, "at least that's what it was when I heard it."
"I was thinking I would stump you, just because the most popular reaction is 'reflection.'" Grissom said.
"Right, well, let's see," I said.
"What has roots as nobody sees,
is taller than trees
up, up it goes,
and yet never grows?"
"Well trees never get big around here, so that could be a lot of things now, but keeping with theme, I should think of 'The Hobbit,'" Grissom said, as he thought, we both ate a couple bites, then he said, "Mountains, of course."
"Right, right, next one is for me," I smiled.
"Pick a hard one Griss, I want to see what this boy knows," A voice came from the door, I recognized it as Brass.
"Voiceless it cries,
wingless flutters,
toothless bites,
mouthless mutters"
"Voiceless it cries,
wingless flutters,
toothless bites,
mouthless mutters," I mumbled back to myself, "How would you react, if I said, Wind" I was looking at Brass, by turning around in my chair.
"Is he right?" Brass looked at Grissom.
"I'll let you figure that out, Jim," Grissom smiled.
"I've got a good one for you, Grissom," I smiled.
"this thing all things devours
birds, beasts, trees flowers
gnaws iron bites steel
grinds hard stones to meal
slays king, ruins town,
and beats high mountain down,"
After thinking for awhile grissom began muttering to himself. We all continued eating, until Brass' cell phone rang. All of us were headed for the crime scene right away. I rode with Cath, Grissom, and Brass were taking a different vehicle. "So, what's the Answer, I can't figure it out," Catherine said.
"Promise not to tell Grissom?" I asked.
"I promise," Catherine said.
"The answer is time, and if I find out that you told Grissom, I will not be happy with you," I looked at her seriously.
"I won't," she said, as we pulled up at the house.
"This is your first DB, and since Griss didn't send me on another assignment, I take it it's kind of big," Catherine said, before I could get out.
"Alright, I'll take that to heart," I smiled at her, she was really helping me.
Grissom and Brass pulled up behind us, the officers already at the scene were standing around, "Brass, I don't know if you want to bring your new guy in there, it's pretty bad," the first uniform said to them.
"Nick, if you have a problem with the scene, go on out, ok?" Brass looked at me kindly.
"I will do what has to be done, I'm pretty tough," I said.
I followed Grissom in, with Brass and Catherine behind, "Cath, you take the upstairs, Nick and I will take down here," Grissom said.
She nodded, and headed for the stairs, Grissom lead me further into the house, the main floor was larger than the upstairs, you could tell that from the outside, Grissom started talking again. "There's one body upstairs, in the hallway, coming out of the bedroom up there, and there is one in a bedroom down here," he said, I was on the opposite side of the hallway from him, the kitchen was visible, there was a doorway coming up on my side, I held my case tightly, as I poked my head in, I had helped with excavate the remains of two separate bodies, the first was a skeleton, and I was working on the trench around it, the second was more difficult, the body was badly decayed, but as I dug the trench, as I had been told, the dirt around it proved to be soaked with liquid of some kind, and it wasn't water, it turned out to be from the body, I had stunk for weeks after that.
I hadn't seen a dead body since then, I peeked in the doorway, "This is the bedroom," I said, the girl was on the floor at the foot of the bed, "David has already cleared this one," Grissom said.
I took a step into the room, and looked over the body, she was probably eighteen, and she wore pajamas. "Nick, you start taking pictures of the room," Grissom said.
I started with the body, then I moved to the bed, the covers were not disturbed near the bottom of the bed, or on one side, I moved to that side, and took a couple more
Disclaimer: If I owned any of this, do you think I would make Nick thirty something on the show, when the character can't, in my opinion, buy alcohol without being carded? Didn't think so.
Chapter 4: The first day
I was running late on my first day for work, I had been playing soccer with the kids in the park, and hadn't had supper, so I stopped at a drive through, after my shower. I parked in one of the spots that wasn't reserved, and hurried inside, my ID was waiting at the counter, I looked at it closely, as I walked to the break room, where Grissom had told me to meet everyone. CSI level one, I was so happy, I was the second one in the break room, There was a girl I hadn't met sitting on the couch. I chose a chair, near the door. "You might want to put that on," She said.
I looked at her, and nodded, I wasn't truly used to sound anymore, since I muted all my shows, and I was helping the kids in the neighbourhood learn how to sign. "What, you don't talk," She looked at me with narrowed eyes.
"I don't talk to much when I am uncomfortable," I said.
"Nick, how did you beat me here, you left the park like twenty minutes ago," Catherine said, when she walked in.
"I'm from Texas, what else can you expect," I said.
"You're not used to the traffic, so I ask again, how did you beat me here?"
"I flew," I joked.
"Not gonna answer, stubborn, I like that, you'll fit in good with Grissom," Catherine said.
"Good, Nick's here, and you've met Carrie, we're still short one person, Nick, you'll be working with Cath for now, Carrie you've got a DB south side," Grissom handed her the paper, "Cath, Nick, you've got a convenience store robbery."
"Easy one for your first shift," Cath said, "I'm only level two. You won't be going solo for a long while, Grissom is picky that way, you have to pass one of his ever changing quizzes, and you never know when they're coming, but if you ask for privileges, chances are, he'll give you one, and your answer will determine weather you get what you ask for."
"Nice way of doing that, so he's the boss?" I had been pretty sure that Brass was the boss.
"Brass is sick, that's why Grissom gave the assignments tonight, usually Brass does, he's in charge," Catherine said.
"Oh, that's kind of what I had thought," I said.
"Stubborn, inquisitive, and Kind, so far, what other sides are there to Nick Stokes?"
"You'll have to wait, and find out with everyone else, oh, and please don't mention the soccer games to anyone else, the things I do for kids are a little of my private life, that I don't want to share with everyone." I said.
"Alright, I think I can give that to you," Catherine replied.
"Thanks," I smiled.
We got to the scene, and Cath went in first, I followed right behind, Cath introduced us to the cashier, the officer was still outside the open door, "Start dusting for prints," Cath said, I listened, and dusted the counter, "The last time I dusted a convenience store counter, I came up with five dozen prints," I said.
"What, I thought this was your first job?"
"In school, they had us do a few robberies, for the experience, fully supervised, but it's actually an interesting way to learn, especially dusting for prints," I said.
"True, so did you spend your time back in Texas doing the same things you do here?"
"When I could, but I was busy, I have a brother, and he doesn't really get along with kids, so I didn't force him to spend time around them, but I wanted to spend time with him, though I did do some volunteer work with kids,"
"None of your own?" Cath looked at me.
"Nope, sometimes I wish I did though, it's a little lonely without Aaron around," I said.
"You're a social guy, I like that," Cath turned back to what she was doing.
"You're making a mental list of my qualities, do I have to worry about an interoffice crush?" I teased.
"I'm married," Cath stated.
"Poor sport, I get to babysit, right?" I asked.
"I don't have any kids,"
"You were specific with the word yet, when I first met you," I said.
"True, but till it happens, the chances of me having one anytime soon is very low, sorry," Cath shrugged.
"Meanie head, I'm willing to BABYSIT, and you don't even have any children, so not fair."
"You don't have any either,"
"I'm eighteen, that kinda goes against me having one soon," I looked at her.
"Ok, fine, I'll drop it if you will," She said.
"Alright, when do I get off this type of case?" I asked.
"When you pass one of Grissom's tests, probably given tomorrow."
We had soon finished with the scene, at the lab again, we went into the break room, we had just taken out our lunches, when Grissom came in, he pulled a brown sack out of the fridge, and sat with us. "You up for a riddle?" Grissom looked at me.
"Sure," I looked a little uncertain at Catherine.
"Thirty white horses,
on a red hill,
first they stamp,
then they champ,
then they stand still." Grissom said with a grin
"Teeth, and it's the second riddle during Bilbo and Gollum's riddle game." I smiled back.
"Good memory," Grissom smiled.
"it cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
cannot be heard, cannot be smelt,
it lies behind stars and under hills,
and empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
ends life, and kills laughter." I looked him in the eye as I said this.
"Good one, behind stars, and under hills, would that be the dark?" Grissom maintained eye contact, "my turn,
alive without breath,
cold as death
never thirsty, ever drinking,
all in mail, never clinking,"
"Alive without breath, snakes, and bugs breath air, so it would have to be somthing with gills, fish." I said proudly.
"A box without hinges key or lid,
yet inside, golden treasure is hid."
"An egg, that was an easy one," Grissom stated.
"An eye in a blue face
saw an eye in a green face,
'that eye is like to this eye,'
said the first eye
'but in a low place
not in high place'"
I had to think on that one, it was difficult, what was green, the only thing I could think of was a reflection, but that wasn't a usual riddle answer, "Well?" Grissom asked, proud that he had stumped me at my own instigation.
"Give me a second," I said, thinking hard, then it came to me, my own game, they had all been from the Hobbit, "Sun on daisies," I said, "at least that's what it was when I heard it."
"I was thinking I would stump you, just because the most popular reaction is 'reflection.'" Grissom said.
"Right, well, let's see," I said.
"What has roots as nobody sees,
is taller than trees
up, up it goes,
and yet never grows?"
"Well trees never get big around here, so that could be a lot of things now, but keeping with theme, I should think of 'The Hobbit,'" Grissom said, as he thought, we both ate a couple bites, then he said, "Mountains, of course."
"Right, right, next one is for me," I smiled.
"Pick a hard one Griss, I want to see what this boy knows," A voice came from the door, I recognized it as Brass.
"Voiceless it cries,
wingless flutters,
toothless bites,
mouthless mutters"
"Voiceless it cries,
wingless flutters,
toothless bites,
mouthless mutters," I mumbled back to myself, "How would you react, if I said, Wind" I was looking at Brass, by turning around in my chair.
"Is he right?" Brass looked at Grissom.
"I'll let you figure that out, Jim," Grissom smiled.
"I've got a good one for you, Grissom," I smiled.
"this thing all things devours
birds, beasts, trees flowers
gnaws iron bites steel
grinds hard stones to meal
slays king, ruins town,
and beats high mountain down,"
After thinking for awhile grissom began muttering to himself. We all continued eating, until Brass' cell phone rang. All of us were headed for the crime scene right away. I rode with Cath, Grissom, and Brass were taking a different vehicle. "So, what's the Answer, I can't figure it out," Catherine said.
"Promise not to tell Grissom?" I asked.
"I promise," Catherine said.
"The answer is time, and if I find out that you told Grissom, I will not be happy with you," I looked at her seriously.
"I won't," she said, as we pulled up at the house.
"This is your first DB, and since Griss didn't send me on another assignment, I take it it's kind of big," Catherine said, before I could get out.
"Alright, I'll take that to heart," I smiled at her, she was really helping me.
Grissom and Brass pulled up behind us, the officers already at the scene were standing around, "Brass, I don't know if you want to bring your new guy in there, it's pretty bad," the first uniform said to them.
"Nick, if you have a problem with the scene, go on out, ok?" Brass looked at me kindly.
"I will do what has to be done, I'm pretty tough," I said.
I followed Grissom in, with Brass and Catherine behind, "Cath, you take the upstairs, Nick and I will take down here," Grissom said.
She nodded, and headed for the stairs, Grissom lead me further into the house, the main floor was larger than the upstairs, you could tell that from the outside, Grissom started talking again. "There's one body upstairs, in the hallway, coming out of the bedroom up there, and there is one in a bedroom down here," he said, I was on the opposite side of the hallway from him, the kitchen was visible, there was a doorway coming up on my side, I held my case tightly, as I poked my head in, I had helped with excavate the remains of two separate bodies, the first was a skeleton, and I was working on the trench around it, the second was more difficult, the body was badly decayed, but as I dug the trench, as I had been told, the dirt around it proved to be soaked with liquid of some kind, and it wasn't water, it turned out to be from the body, I had stunk for weeks after that.
I hadn't seen a dead body since then, I peeked in the doorway, "This is the bedroom," I said, the girl was on the floor at the foot of the bed, "David has already cleared this one," Grissom said.
I took a step into the room, and looked over the body, she was probably eighteen, and she wore pajamas. "Nick, you start taking pictures of the room," Grissom said.
I started with the body, then I moved to the bed, the covers were not disturbed near the bottom of the bed, or on one side, I moved to that side, and took a couple more