Hey! Hey! Nearing the end of this little story of mine.... 

Baby, come out of the rain

At the end of the day, both Sammy and Nicky were beat. As well as Greg, Warrick, Archie and Nick. Catherine dealt with Sammy about her hair and girl stuff while Nicky was interested in Grissom's insects. He even made her sister cry when he let a harmless spider crawl up his arm. Nick and Sara tried to avoid THAT issue for the duration of the day and somehow succeeded. But they always fond themselves alone with the kids or alone together. Hannah just took pictures of all that happened like it was a high-profile crime scene investigation. She seemed happy with Archie, though.

Nick offered to drive the three home since Sara seemed exhausted too. The twins were sleeping, out like a light in the back seat. Without words, they carried them to their rooms and simply... just watched them breathe. "This, Nick," she whispered softly, "is what I go home to every single day."

A pang of envy and guilt shot through Nick. When he goes home at 8-10am, no one's waiting for him. Just a TV set with Luna cable and several leather couches. Don't forget the bills, ad mail and the answering machine. He could trade all of that for a little something like this. "You're such a lucky girl," he said caressing the soft bangs on HIS daughter's forehead. He glanced at the clock; it was 9pm on the dot. "I'd better be going," he said standing up but Sara's hand atop his stopped him.

"Please... stay," she said with tears welling up in her eyes. "It would break their heart to know you're not here tomorrow morning. It would break MY heart not waking up beside you anymore. Two years is enough loneliness." Enough said.

By the 5th day of their stay in San Francisco with Sara, Archie and Hannah have gotten very close. Sometimes, the LV CSI dropped by the SF crime lab to 'assist' in cases or just give advice. Charles found a mentor in the image of Warrick and AD found a rock'n'roll partner with Greg. The twins became very fond of Nick, still not knowing the truth. This was starting to pressure Sara. One afternoon of her week-off, she decided to talk to HER mentor... Grissom.

"What is this about, Sara?" he asked the distraught-looking woman.

"I think it's time I tell them the truth," she said. "They're getting closer and closer every minute."

"Start from the beginning."

She advert her gaze to the street below the hotel café and started, "From the first time they saw him, they've gotten attached to him. I thought it was just their natural sweetness but I was wrong. It's like they can feel the connection... the bloodlines. Sammy noticed it first; she remarked that her brother and Nick looked very much alike in no 5 minutes of seeing him. The way they would just clutch into him every time he holds them... the only person they do that to is myself. As for Nicky, he would be waiting by the door for him every single day or look out the window until his cab comes into view of the street. One time, he told me that he wants to be just like Nick when he grows up..."

FLASHBACK

"And they all lived happily ever after," Sara said closing the big book with a slight thud. Her twins were hanging by a thread to consciousness. "Time for bed."

"Mommy, will the CSI be able to find out how the evil queen got killeded?" Sammy asked with a little yawn.

"We don't know, baby girl," she lovingly answered tucking her in. "But bad peoples like the ugly old witch deserve that. But you don't... you're a beautiful good baby girl. And I love you." Then she drifted off to Slumberland.

"Mommy, I know what I want to be when I grow up," Nicky said softly. "Just like Nick. Like our daddy, he's a CSI and he likes the hairy stuffs. I like buggies too but I like hairy stuffs more." Sara felt her breath hitch at the simple thought her son expressed. He slipped off to sleep right away and Sara left the room in near tears.

END OF FLASHBACK

"I see," Grissom uttered. Sara gave him a 'that's it?' look. "I'm not finished... Maybe, Sara... you SHOULD tell them now. Now that Nick's here and they have more time together before we leave for Las Vegas."

"I know that but I don't know where to start," she confessed small sobs racking her body. "What if they hate me for not telling them sooner? What if..."

"There you go again, Sidle..." he stopped him. "Assuming is not a trait of a CSI... especially a Lead CSI." He put a gentle hand on hers and continued, "Nick's a good man. Your twins are great and they're smart children. I'm sure they will understand what you did and they'll love you no matter what."

She thought for a bit. He was right. This was one of her 'now or never' moments. Grissom offered to be there but she refused. "Thank you but I need to do this alone. Grissom, I don't know what I'll do without you."

"You already did a lot of great things without me," he said with a smile. "Continue living your life and I'll always be proud of you."

That same afternoon, she phoned Nick scheduling a dinner at her place. Just him, the kids and her. It felt kind of weird dressing up and buying a bouquet of flowers for a woman after long years. But this woman is special. Before ringing the bell, he made sure that the velvet box was inside his coat pocket.

A very beautiful Sara opened the door for him with two little dressed up children behind her legs. "These are for you. You look so amazing, Sara," he complemented as she offered her couch to sit on. She just smiled at the complement and went inside to put the flowers into a vase and check on the food. Sammy and Nicky snuggled tightly against Nick's sides and synchronized their breathing with each other. They were exceptionally quiet given that this is Nick... no stranger. They just stayed there and he took the smaller hands into his. "You guys, ok?"

Before anyone of them could answer, Sara called out, "Dinner's ready. Everybody in the dining room." Sara was scared herself. Scared of the outcome of what will Nick think of her after dinner; of the things that can happen after everything.

She's not going to tell the twins tonight. She had already told them the time she got home after talk with Grissom. Amazingly, they took it lightly.

FLASHBACK

"Mommy, really?" Sammy said with a very, very wide smile. She jumped up and down. "I knew it! I knew it!" she chanted. Then she got back to the lap of her crying mother, "Mommy, thanks for telling us."

Nicky fell quiet for a little while but then he spoke up, "So that's why he feels so different! Mommy, every time he carries me, it feels like grandpa or Uncle holds me. He feels so much like family. It's because he's... he's DADDY!"

Sara also explained to them what happened, enough for a kid their age to comprehend. She told them that Nick loved them no matter what and Sara does too. "I'm sorry for keeping this from you..."

"Mommy! We love you," they said in unison. That was all she needed to fell all right.

END OF FLASHBACK

Dinner went well. They talked casually and laughed occasionally. Sara was obviously uneasy on her seat. Nick was uneasy himself; this was a weird time. The twins weren't playing with their food; they're not that noisy at all and basically, not themselves. After everything was cleaned up, they sat together in the living room and practically stared at each other. "So what's this about?" Nick finally burst out. The silence was deafening and it was killing him. "Something is not right," his CSI instincts kicking in.

No one was talking. Sara was having a staring match with the floor. The children were back in the position they were in before dinner, in Nick's arms. She gave up the match and decided to start, "Uh... Nick."

"I love you, Daddy!" Sammy at long last cried with slight tears in her sparkling eyes. Nick, wide-eyed, gave Sara a 'she knows?' look and she just smiled.

Nicky stood up on the sofa to be eye-to-eye with him and said, "Mommy told us this affernoon. We have been askin' her for a long time 'bout our daddy. He turns out to be you!" The little boy gave a small sob and fell into his arms. Nick just couldn't cry... there was something wrong with his water works. Sara's however, we on full force.

"Someone point a gun at me," he joked himself. He needs to cry, he needs the pain of a bullet to know this is really happening... not just some sorry assed fantasy that he had been dreaming of since they met. He held them tight against his strong chest and kissed both their foreheads. Sammy sunk deeper into the embrace while Nicky sat down and settled for his tummy.

He felt weight dip beside him. "I'm sor-"Sara started but lips against lips drained out all words. Finally tears escaped his fortress.

"This feels so right," he thought. "I love you, Sara. You know that," he whispered to her. Then he turned to his twins... HIS twins and said softly, "Now, we can be family. Sammy, Nicky... I'm sorry for not being in your lives before. But I promise, now that I am, I'm not going anywhere."

The still crying twins held sweet smiled upon their faces and just said in chorus, "We love you, Daddy!"

If that wasn't enough, another oh so sweet voice echoed the expression, "I love you, Nick. You know that. And I will forever." For the first time in their lives, they are a family.