A/N: I don't own CSI, Halo, Xbox, or anything else in here. I do however
own Emily Sidle-Stokes as she is a total figment of my imagination. Oh, and
for time purposes, just assume that Microsoft released a new version of the
Xbox and a new version of Halo or something. Also, there really was a movie
with George Eads on TNT called Evel.
Chapter One: The arrangement
"Bye bye Emily." Sara Sidle hugged her daughter. "I'll see you in the morning. Go to bed on time, okay?"
"Okay mommy." Nine-year-old Emily Sidle-Stokes nodded solemnly. "I promise." She turned to her dad. "Bye daddy."
"Bye honey. I made dinner for you. Just heat it up in the microwave."
"Kay."
Nick Stokes gazed at his precocious daughter for a moment before he turned. "Okay Sar, ready to go?"
"Yep."
Emily had been an accident, an unplanned bump on the road of Sara and Nick's life. When she was born, Nick had suggested that Sara live with him so that Emily could be raised by both her parents and not have to be shuttled between two houses. He said that since they were friends there was no reason why it couldn't work out.
Sara had agreed and said arrangement had been working for the past seven years. Without Emily's knowledge they'd also come to another agreement. Nick and Sara would help each other through dry spells, no strings attached. This also seemed to work well. Sara barely even commented when Nick had a date except to say congratulations, don't wake Emily. Nick had added on a room for Sara when she'd moved in, his bedroom was only a two bedroom house. Fortunately he'd had the foresight to put her room on the other end of the house. Sara was glad the arrangement was working out.
"Hey, so did I tell you, I'm going out next week with that hot new lab tech Greggo's training."
"That's great." Sara smiled. "Oh, can you watch Emily on Friday and Saturday night? Friday Cath and I are going out and Saturday I'm going out with Mike."
"Em's teacher?" Nick's head whipped sideways.
"Don't act so surprised Nick, he's a very nice man. Not bad looking either. Plus, we've already moved past the 'I've got a kid, do you like kids?' thing. So, can you or can't you watch Em?"
"Yeah sure." The two rode the rest of the way to CSI in silence.
She's going out with Em's TEACHER? Nick thought incredulously. Oh boy.
6 months later
Nick had known this was going to happen. He and Sara would drift apart. Sara would date other men, he'd been dating other women for a while. He just hadn't expected her to get so serious about one guy. The difference between him and Sara was that all of his dates had resulted in one-night stands away from his house. He'd enjoyed the sex, but there was nothing of substance, no real relationship. Sara's dates had either never gotten to sex, as she'd informed him bitterly while she lay in his bed after a particularly awful date, or as with Mike, they were pretty serious. After her experience with Hank, she'd been skeptical to get so serious with Emily's teacher until Nick had volunteered to do some investigating. He'd hoped to reveal something that would keep Sara from getting too close, but unfortunately for him, Mike was a stand-up kind of guy.
Nick didn't want to lose Sara. He didn't want to admit it, but deep down he loved her. Not just friendship love either, he was in love with her.
"Hey Nick, thanks for watching Em tonight. I'll be back at around 11, maybe later." She grabbed her coat and slipped on heels, bringing her to just 3 inches below Mike's height of 6'2".
"Yeah, hey, have a good time, and don't forget, you owe me."
"Hey, you're her parent too." Sara looked at him disbelievingly. "And don't tell me you and Em weren't gonna play Halo on your new Xbox." Nick's guilty look confirmed her suspicions. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Don't play it too much. Oh hey, I found a babysitter for next week when we're both out."
"I know. Cath told me she's dropping Lindsay off around seven."
"Perfect." Sara rushed out the door.
Nick should have gone to bed, but he couldn't fall asleep. He lay on the couch, watching some movie on TNT. "Evel Knievel." He muttered. "Always liked that dude."
"Daddy?" He heard a tiny voice coming from the hallway.
"Em?" He switched off the TV. "What's up baby? How come you're up this late. You've got school tomorrow."
"Where's mommy?" Emily stared at him with her big brown eyes.
"Mommy's out right now."
"Is she out with Mike?"
Nick sighed. Boy his Emily was a smart girl. "Yes she is. She'll be home later. I'll tell her to give you a kiss goodnight, kay?"
Emily shook her head. "I don't want her going out with him. I like you daddy. I want her to marry you."
"Em, honey, we already discussed this. Your mommy and I both made a decision that we would raise you together, but we just weren't right for each other."
"But I don't want her to go out with Mike." Emily's voice was rising.
"Em, don't you like Mike?"
"NO!" Em shouted. "HE'S GOING TO TAKE MOMMY AWAY FROM YOU AND ME." She buried her head into Nick's shoulder and burst into tears. At that moment, Sara walked in. "Mommy!" Emily scurried off of Nick's lap and threw herself into Sara's arms.
"Hi baby." What's going on? She mouthed to Nick.
I don't know. We'll talk after she goes back to sleep. It was only then that Nick noticed the flash of gold on her right hand. Was that an engagement ring? Oh God, Emily wouldn't be at all happy about that. "Em, you've got school tomorrow. Mommy and I will come in and kiss you goodnight in a minute, okay."
Emily sniffled. "Fine, but if I don't see you guys in three minutes, I'm coming out here to look for you."
"Agreed. Alright munchkin, go get under the covers. Daddy and I'll be right in to tuck you in." Emily nodded and went to her room. "Alright Nick, mind telling me why Emily just had a minor breakdown and practically bowled me over?"
"She doesn't want you to go out with Mike." He pointed to her finger. "I doubt she'll be very pleased about that either."
"Oh God, why didn't she say something sooner?" Sara sank onto the couch.
"She doesn't want you to be unhappy."
"What do you think, Nick?"
"I'm not getting involved in this."
In truth, Nick didn't want Sara to marry Mike. He thought back to Emily's outburst. 'He'll take Mommy away from you and me.' She'd said. Nick sighed. Maybe Emily was even smarter than they gave her credit for.
Chapter One: The arrangement
"Bye bye Emily." Sara Sidle hugged her daughter. "I'll see you in the morning. Go to bed on time, okay?"
"Okay mommy." Nine-year-old Emily Sidle-Stokes nodded solemnly. "I promise." She turned to her dad. "Bye daddy."
"Bye honey. I made dinner for you. Just heat it up in the microwave."
"Kay."
Nick Stokes gazed at his precocious daughter for a moment before he turned. "Okay Sar, ready to go?"
"Yep."
Emily had been an accident, an unplanned bump on the road of Sara and Nick's life. When she was born, Nick had suggested that Sara live with him so that Emily could be raised by both her parents and not have to be shuttled between two houses. He said that since they were friends there was no reason why it couldn't work out.
Sara had agreed and said arrangement had been working for the past seven years. Without Emily's knowledge they'd also come to another agreement. Nick and Sara would help each other through dry spells, no strings attached. This also seemed to work well. Sara barely even commented when Nick had a date except to say congratulations, don't wake Emily. Nick had added on a room for Sara when she'd moved in, his bedroom was only a two bedroom house. Fortunately he'd had the foresight to put her room on the other end of the house. Sara was glad the arrangement was working out.
"Hey, so did I tell you, I'm going out next week with that hot new lab tech Greggo's training."
"That's great." Sara smiled. "Oh, can you watch Emily on Friday and Saturday night? Friday Cath and I are going out and Saturday I'm going out with Mike."
"Em's teacher?" Nick's head whipped sideways.
"Don't act so surprised Nick, he's a very nice man. Not bad looking either. Plus, we've already moved past the 'I've got a kid, do you like kids?' thing. So, can you or can't you watch Em?"
"Yeah sure." The two rode the rest of the way to CSI in silence.
She's going out with Em's TEACHER? Nick thought incredulously. Oh boy.
6 months later
Nick had known this was going to happen. He and Sara would drift apart. Sara would date other men, he'd been dating other women for a while. He just hadn't expected her to get so serious about one guy. The difference between him and Sara was that all of his dates had resulted in one-night stands away from his house. He'd enjoyed the sex, but there was nothing of substance, no real relationship. Sara's dates had either never gotten to sex, as she'd informed him bitterly while she lay in his bed after a particularly awful date, or as with Mike, they were pretty serious. After her experience with Hank, she'd been skeptical to get so serious with Emily's teacher until Nick had volunteered to do some investigating. He'd hoped to reveal something that would keep Sara from getting too close, but unfortunately for him, Mike was a stand-up kind of guy.
Nick didn't want to lose Sara. He didn't want to admit it, but deep down he loved her. Not just friendship love either, he was in love with her.
"Hey Nick, thanks for watching Em tonight. I'll be back at around 11, maybe later." She grabbed her coat and slipped on heels, bringing her to just 3 inches below Mike's height of 6'2".
"Yeah, hey, have a good time, and don't forget, you owe me."
"Hey, you're her parent too." Sara looked at him disbelievingly. "And don't tell me you and Em weren't gonna play Halo on your new Xbox." Nick's guilty look confirmed her suspicions. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Don't play it too much. Oh hey, I found a babysitter for next week when we're both out."
"I know. Cath told me she's dropping Lindsay off around seven."
"Perfect." Sara rushed out the door.
Nick should have gone to bed, but he couldn't fall asleep. He lay on the couch, watching some movie on TNT. "Evel Knievel." He muttered. "Always liked that dude."
"Daddy?" He heard a tiny voice coming from the hallway.
"Em?" He switched off the TV. "What's up baby? How come you're up this late. You've got school tomorrow."
"Where's mommy?" Emily stared at him with her big brown eyes.
"Mommy's out right now."
"Is she out with Mike?"
Nick sighed. Boy his Emily was a smart girl. "Yes she is. She'll be home later. I'll tell her to give you a kiss goodnight, kay?"
Emily shook her head. "I don't want her going out with him. I like you daddy. I want her to marry you."
"Em, honey, we already discussed this. Your mommy and I both made a decision that we would raise you together, but we just weren't right for each other."
"But I don't want her to go out with Mike." Emily's voice was rising.
"Em, don't you like Mike?"
"NO!" Em shouted. "HE'S GOING TO TAKE MOMMY AWAY FROM YOU AND ME." She buried her head into Nick's shoulder and burst into tears. At that moment, Sara walked in. "Mommy!" Emily scurried off of Nick's lap and threw herself into Sara's arms.
"Hi baby." What's going on? She mouthed to Nick.
I don't know. We'll talk after she goes back to sleep. It was only then that Nick noticed the flash of gold on her right hand. Was that an engagement ring? Oh God, Emily wouldn't be at all happy about that. "Em, you've got school tomorrow. Mommy and I will come in and kiss you goodnight in a minute, okay."
Emily sniffled. "Fine, but if I don't see you guys in three minutes, I'm coming out here to look for you."
"Agreed. Alright munchkin, go get under the covers. Daddy and I'll be right in to tuck you in." Emily nodded and went to her room. "Alright Nick, mind telling me why Emily just had a minor breakdown and practically bowled me over?"
"She doesn't want you to go out with Mike." He pointed to her finger. "I doubt she'll be very pleased about that either."
"Oh God, why didn't she say something sooner?" Sara sank onto the couch.
"She doesn't want you to be unhappy."
"What do you think, Nick?"
"I'm not getting involved in this."
In truth, Nick didn't want Sara to marry Mike. He thought back to Emily's outburst. 'He'll take Mommy away from you and me.' She'd said. Nick sighed. Maybe Emily was even smarter than they gave her credit for.