Holidays at the Stokes Place

Pairing: Nick and Sara (Of course! I would have it any other way!)

We are back in Dallas with Nick, Sara and the rest of the Stokes family.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Sara, Nick or any other mentioned character on CSI. If I did own Sara and Nick, they would have been hooked up and hitched already! (Writers of the show: take notice!) However, I do own Nick's family.

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Christmas Day with the Stokes

Nick's cell phone rang. However, he was still sleeping and the phone was on Sara's side of the bed. Sara was half awake and almost knocked the phone down to the floor. She sat up and answered it.

"Sidle-Stokes!" she said only using that name to answer her cell phone or Nick's.

"Aunt Sara?" a preteen girl in the other end asked.

"Yes, is this Lindsey?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, it's me!" she replied. "First, I want to wish you, Nick and the rest of the family a Merry Christmas!"

"Well, I wish you, your mom and Gil a Merry Christmas, too," Sara smiled. "I take it you have some news for us!"

Nick groaned as he slowly woke and saw Sara was on the phone.

"Yes, but is Nick awake?" Lindsey asked. "I would rather tell you if he is awake."

"I am up," Nick said groggily. "I'm up! Sara, is that Catherine or Grissom?"

"One moment, please," Sara said putting Nick's phone down and turning to him. "Actually, it's Lindsey calling. I think she has a report from the Vegas front."

"Let's hear it," Nick said nuzzling close to Sara.

"I am sorry, Lindsey," she said. "My husband just woke up and he is eager to hear about what you have to say. I am putting you on intercom so Nick can hear it."

Sara found the intercom feature in Nick's phone and turned it on.

"Can you hear me?" Lindsey asked.

"We sure can," Nick said.

"Gil just proposed to my mom," Lindsey said.

"Congratulations to them!" Nick and Sara said.

"I will tell them as soon as they each get off the phone with their other colleagues," Lindsey said. "I have to get going. We are celebrating my mom's engagement. Warrick is going to host a party to celebrate the engagement after you return to Vegas. When are you coming back?"

"We will return January 4," Sara said. "I am sure Warrick will have the party sometimes after the 5th."

"Sara, Nick, I have to get going," Lindsey said. "My mom will freak out if I am on the phone longer. I am sure you have to open your presents, if you haven't already. We will talk sometime later. Bye and Merry Christmas once again!"

"Bye, Merry Christmas and Congratulations!" Nick and Sara said and they hung up.

"I can't believe Grissom actually proposed to Catherine," Nick said.

"Well, he told us that he was going to do it," Sara said. "Catherine had that feeling he was going to pop the question."

"Look, in about an hour or so," Nick said changing the subject. "Everybody is coming to open up the presents. We have to take showers and get dressed."

Sara gave him a look that said, 'Do I have to wear those shoes again?'

"Don't worry," Nick said reading her facial expression. "It is a family tradition that everyone wears jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. It is very casual."

She breathed a sigh of relief. Nick prepared himself to take a shower.

"I wanted to go first," Sara said sounding like a little girl.

"You went first yesterday," Nick said. "I will go first today."

"So, we are taking turns of going first," Sara said. "Save some hot water for me!"

"I will, Sara," Nick smiled and they kissed. "I always do!"

While Nick was in the shower, Sara decided to walk down the hallway and look at the pictures of Nick and his parents and siblings. There was a frame that housed all of the Stokes siblings' baby pictures. Another photo was a family portrait of Cynthia, Thomas and six of their seven kids. Sara was wondering where Nick was in the photo. It dawned on her that it was taken in June of 1971, Cynthia was already seven months pregnant with him at the time. She saw one that was taken in August of 1973 when Nick had celebrated his second birthday. Another was during a Bicentennial event when the Stokes kids range from ages barely five to eighteen. She passed by one that was taken when Nick had graduated from high school with his friends and not with his family. The humorous part of that photo was when one of his buddies decided to stick up his middle finger. Sara couldn't help but softly chuckle at Nick's smart ass friend. One of the most recent family pictures she saw was taken in late 1994, when they were celebrating Nick's graduation from the Dallas Police Academy.

"There are more pictures in albums, scrapbooks and hanging around the house," a man's voice sounding like Nick's said nearly making Sara jump.

"Nicholas Anthony Stokes, you scared the shit out of me!" Sara said when she turned around and saw him wrapped in the towel.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do it," he smiled. "It's your turn to shower. Don't worry, there's plenty of hot water left."

They kissed passionately and returned to their room. She grabbed her hair towel and robe and went to take a much needed hot shower. Nick dried himself and got dressed in a black long-sleeved t-shirt with his fraternity letters and a pair of faded blue jeans. He turned on the television to see what BBC America had to offer. He changed to the Discovery Channel when the program offered was too depressing for him. He got bored and waited for Sara to come out the shower. He changed the channel once again to Comedy Central and they were showing National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and that amused him.

Sara returned from the shower wearing her robe and hair wrapped around in a towel. Nick turned off the television and was staring at her. How cute she looked with her robe and towel wrapped hair, he thought. He wanted to pull her naked body towards his dressed and kissing her, but she would have kicked his ass for doing that. Sara dressed in her favorite lilac twin set sweater and a pair of black jeans. She combed her damp hair and decided to wear it down.

"Breakfast is ready!" Cynthia shouted from downstairs. "Kids, if you don't want to eat it cold, you better get down here!"

"Sara, let's go," Nick said. "I am getting hungry and I am sure you are, too!"

"My stomach is growling," she said as they went to the kitchen.

"They are in the dining room," Thomas said. "Marissa, Tom and their families are here for breakfast. Your other sisters and their families will join us in about an hour."

"Sara, Nick, you want to know something," Tom said.

"What is it, bro?" Nick asked.

"We really have to stop meeting like this," Tom said. "I am getting the nastiest case of déjà vu again."

Both Sara and Nick laughed, but Cynthia gave her second child and first son a scornful look.

"Mom, I am only kidding," Tom said. "Nick and Sara seemed to like it."

Everyone exchanged their Merry Christmases with each other and sat at the table. There was oatmeal with brown sugar and some milk and freshly made chocolate chip pancakes. Thomas and the grandkids had the chocolate chip pancakes while everyone else had the oatmeal. Everybody was talking about last night's dinner and Eliana's college plans. Marissa changed her mind again of what to name her unborn daughter from Chelsea Angelica to Brianna Leanne. Cynthia wondered if her youngest daughter will ever settle for a name.

The doorbell rang and Thomas went to answer it. Heather, her husband Jeff and their five daughters went in single file to meet the rest of the party. She greeted everyone with, a Merry Christmas, a hug and a kiss. She looked at her mother with concern.

"Mama, are we early?" she asked.

"No, we were just finished eating," Cynthia said. "Why aren't Wendy and her family with you since you stayed at their place?"

"Wendy is cleaning up after our breakfast," Heather reported. "Madison is helping her brother and sisters with the presents. Ryan is bringing them here in his son's old wagon."

Nick was visualizing his brother-in-law, Wendy's husband, using a kid's wagon. He let out a quiet chuckle, but that didn't go unnoticed by Heather.

"What is so funny Nicholas Anthony?" Heather asked angrily.

"I was thinking about Ryan and dragging a kid's wagon across the street," Nick said.

Heather gave him a punch in the shoulder and he loudly winced.

"Heather that is my husband you are hurting!" Sara interjected. "He is your little brother! Go easy on him!"

"Sara, I know that," Heather calmly said. "But he can be a wise ass as you well know."

"Heather, you are really embarrassing me," Nick said and felt his sister squeezing his left hand tightly. "Ouch! Stop it, you are hurting my hand! Let go!"

"Say uncle and I will," she said.

"Okay, Uncle, now let me go!" Nick said as Heather released her grip.

"Heather, why don't you help me with the dishes?" Cynthia asked.

"Gladly, anything to get away from the family clown," Heather said.

"Hey, I am not a clown!" Nick shouted as Heather followed their mom to the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" a concerned Sara asked.

"I am fine," Nick said. "My hand is a little sore, but I know what can make it feel better."

Sara kissed his hand gently and he smiled. Suddenly, he pulled her in an embraced and they kissed.

"Aunt Sara, Uncle Nick, you know that there are children here," Trey said.

Before anyone could say anything, the doorbell rang again. Kathleen, Wendy, Sabrina and their families entered. Everyone was present to give, receive and open presents. Within minutes, three generations of the Stokes family were gathered around the Christmas tree. It was a time consuming event with 39 people waiting, getting and receiving their gifts. Nick and Sara wondered what they got each from The Body Shop. The adults and older kids carefully open their gifts while the younger kids practically tore through wrapping paper. There were constant 'thank yous', 'this is what I always wanted' and 'you read my mind'. Sara was happy over the perfumes she got from Nick and he was thrilled with the aftershave and shower gel he got from her.

"I wonder if you've got something else for me," Sara whispered to Nick.

"Let's wait until tonight to find out," Nick whispered back.

After all the presents were open, everyone started to sing Christmas carols. It didn't matter if someone had a beautiful singing voice or someone else was tone deaf. What really matter most in this large family is they're together celebrating a holiday. This seemed to rub off on Sara really well. Growing up, she and her brother didn't experience many happy holidays, but she didn't want to dwell into the reasons. Now she is a part of the Stokes family and she learned what happy holidays were all about. She felt sort of overwhelmed, left the gathering in the middle of 'Silent Night' and ran to her room.

Nick noticed Sara went upstairs, politely excused himself from the group and went up to see her. He entered the room and saw her lying on the bed on her stomach and crying. He couldn't understand what happened to her. She was very happy a few minutes ago. Why her mood had changed?

"Sara, what's the matter?" Nick asked sitting next to her and gently rubbing her back. "One moment you were cheerful and now you are sad."

"I am very happy, Nick," she replied. "I was just thinking about the holidays when my brother and I were growing up. They weren't the happiest."

"I could tell from our Thanksgiving with your family," Nick said. "Man, you could cut the tension with a chainsaw. You don't have to tell me how and why they were awful now."

"I am sorry," Sara said.

"What are you sorry for?" Nick asked.

"I ran out of the room," she replied. "I was kind of overwhelmed with the family and the holidays."

"Sara, the family adores you!" Nick said. "Do you remember when I first brought you to Dallas to meet them two years ago? This was before we were engaged."

"Yes, I do," Sara said managing a soft smile. "I was scared and overwhelmed about meeting such a big family."

"But they loved you then," Nick smiled. "They still do! In fact, it was mean Heather that predicted that we would be married."

Sara giggled and grinned through the tears. Nick left to get washcloth, dampened it and return to wipe her tear stained face. There was a minute of silence following.

"Are you feeling any better?" Nick asked.

"Yes, I am fine now," she replied. "Let's get back down before they think we are making love."

Nick smiled and loudly chuckle. His happy wife was back.

"Maybe we could do a parody of 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer'," Nick said.

Sara immediately thought of Conrad Ecklie, the supervisor that everyone in her and Nick's shift loved to hate and hated to love.

"Our version will be 'Ecklie Got Run Over by a Tahoe'," Sara laughed.

"I love the way you think, Sara," Nick chuckled and grimaced after listening to one of his sisters along with some of his nieces were singing quite awfully. "Come let's get back downstairs. We need to rescue the family from Heather and her girls butchering 'Joy to the World'."

When they rejoined the family, Tom gave Nick and Sara a concerned looked. That was followed everyone else's concerned looks.

"How is Sara?" Tom asked Nick.

"She was a little overwhelmed," Nick said. "But she is better now. How is everyone faring with Ms. Tone Deaf and Daughters?"

"We want to get out of out here," Tom said with a low volume chuckle. "Dad wants to slap her. 'Joy to the World' is his favorite Christmas carol."

"I know," Nick said with a smile. "That's why Dad wanted her to learn to play an instrument. She plays a very mean flute."

"Sara has a beautiful voice," Tom said. "Convince her to sing something. You told us that last year she sang 'O, Holy Night' during the office Christmas party and everyone in your shift loved it."

"Maybe I could get her to sing it now," Nick said. "It would be a refreshing change from cat torturing."

It didn't take much convincing on Nick's part to get Sara to sing 'O, Holy Night'. She almost volunteered. When she was finished, everyone applauded. She curtsied and smiled.

Later that night, Nick's sisters and their families have already gone home. Tom and his family decided to spend one more night with his parents. Dinner was a simple one and filled with jokes, laughter and toasts galore.

Hours later, Nick and Sara were in their room. They were in bed after they made love and they didn't care who knew about it.

"I can't believe we actually did that," Sara said with a grin. "And in your parents' house of all places."

"We did it, Sara," Nick chuckled. "We just did and for the record, we are both adults here. We are also married!"

Before Nick could say anything else, Sara pulled him close and gave him a soft kiss.

"I love you, Nick," Sara said with a girlish smile.

"I love you, too, Sara," Nick beamed.

Sara turned off the light. A few minutes later, in each others arms, they let sleep claim them.

TBC