I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it…..once again, Thanks to the producers of such a wonderful show for allowing me to 'borrow' their characters…now if only they'd let me borrow one of the actors..but anyway, enjoy….more to come and please….don't forget to review, add ideas or help out in any way you can…..
"Look at them crazy fools" the older man snickered in the darkness, his wave runner bobbing slightly in the wake of the paddle boat. "Young love, how precious is that?" he thought back to the life he led before everything had changed. "Ah Geo, if I didn't know better I'd think ya was jealous" the younger man teased. "Am not!" he covered his mouth to suppress the cough that threatened to start up again. "Your generation, ya don't know how to treat a lady proper" he sighed "Them up there, they think they're in love, look at them dancing and there ain't no music" he remembered the old days, nights spent doing up the town at the Desert Inn, listening to the newest bands in town, dancing with the lovely, auburn hair, crimsoned lipped Lola Carlucci, the love of his life.
Hadn't take much to convince her to marry him, stars in her eyes when she found out they'd be living in Vegas but he was happy and he did everything he could to make her proud of him including joining the family, that was her idea and something he had at first fought vehemently against. "It ain't no good Lola, I'm not like them" he reminisced about the conversations that led to the life he now lived. "Once you join Geo, you got it good, nice house, nice living" he shook his head "At what cost Lola?" it had been the one thing that they had fought over until the day he came home, found her gone and only a note taped to the bathroom mirror. "Family Geo, it's them and me or nothing, ya know where to find me when ya decide!" It didn't take him long to board the next flight to the Bronx where he made peace with her father and swore his undying love to her family.
The life he was forced into paid for the beautiful 10 room mansion that Lola had laid eyes on the first weekend back from the reunion "It's perfect Geo, it's where I was born to live., a real Lady of the Manor!" she slowly walked down once side of the double wrap around staircase, much like some starlet in a movie. "Papa said all ya had to do was say the word and it was ours, it's our wedding gift from the Carlucci family" she waited mid step for him to make another decision that didn't sit well in his gut "Fine, fine, whatever Lola wants, Lola gets" she slid down the banister, right into his arms with a squeal of delight "Really? Really Geo?" she hugged him tight and kissed him "You won't regret it, I'll make this a real home for us" she smiled and then ran off to explore more of the empty rooms.
True to her word, she had loved the house from the day they signed to the day she died, cancer taking the only woman that Geo could ever or would ever love. In between, they'd managed to raise 5 beautiful children, 3 girls and two fine strapping sons that Geo tried his best to keep out of the 'family business', he'd succeeded with his oldest boy who was a CPA with one of the biggest companies on the east coast but his youngest son Greg was the one person he was unable to sway in his opinion of what his life was really like. Yes, that's what love had brought to his life.
The younger man had only worked with Geo for a little over a year and a half. He'd met his youngest daughter during a family picnic and had quickly impressed her father with his total devotion and love for his daughter. He only brought him into the family when the younger man's dreams and schemes failed to pan out and Geo realized that what his daughter deserved, the life she'd been raise in wasn't what the younger man could provide on his own. He'd quickly moved up in the ranks because of his dedication to his job, lack of fear and unfailing loyalty when it came time to follow orders. He was one of the 'old school family member' who asked no questions, did as he was instructed and kept his mouth shut and for this he was widely admired throughout the entire family. Tonight however was another matter. For some reason, he was having second thought about taking on a boat load of law enforcement officers and couldn't see the reasoning no matter how hard he tried. He thought better of questioning Geo in this regard and silently went back to watching the young couple on the second deck and thinking about what lay ahead.
"Something's up Nick, I just know it" she whispered as he sang some goofy song about "Christmas in Las Vegas" she'd have to ask him about that one later but for now, they'd waltzed and spun around the entire upper deck and were now fully aware that whatever or whomever was out on the water, they sat 30 to 35 yards out at 20 yard intervals, two persons per 'area'. "We've got to get back down and tell Grissom" he agreed with a slight nod "Follow my lead" she whispered then pulled back and gave him an angry glare "What? How dare you, you son of a bitch!" she reached out and slapped him, noticed the stunned look on his face then turned and ran in the direction of the staircase. Nick was flabbergasted at the slap he'd just received and it took a moment for him to recover and go after her "Sara….Sara wait!" he hurried in the direction in which she had fled only to be stopped by two men in black uniforms. Sara made it down to the lower deck and back into the ballroom before she realized that Nick was not behind her. "Where you think you're going?" the taller of the two stepped into his path "Excuse me but this doesn't concern you" he played along knowing there was no way he could get to his weapon and hoping they fell for his charade. He tried to bypass the shorter of the two but was rewarded with a rather large hand pressed against his chest. "Looks like the lady wants to be left alone!" Nick noticed that neither was dressed in the uniform in accordance with the other staff members. "Look" he threw his hands in the air in mock exasperation "I'm not looking for any trouble, I just want to apologize to my girlfriend" he started to attempt another pass but was stopped by both men blocking his path. "Why don't you take a few minutes and cool down, you look pretty heated up" the accent carried a thick Bronx sound to it.
"Look man" Nick continued trying to play it cool, "ya know how emotional women get" the two exchanged glances betwen themthen nodded in unison "I simply asked her to postpone our wedding date, she gets all hot and bothered, I say a few things I probably shouldn't have said, so she slaps me, if I'd have known she was gonna get that upset" he rolled his eyes for emphasis "So you see, I gotta go apologize before she runs off to some of her friends, tells them what happened, next thing ya know, they're telling her what an asshole I am" he sighed "then the whole family will come down on me" the shorter man looked up to the taller "Whatdaya think Carlos?" the taller man gave him a look and turned back to Nick "Fine, New Years eve should be about lovin not war" he smiled and quickly dismissed Nick hoping perhaps the young man hadn't caught his name.
Nick hurried down the stairs without so much as a backwards glance and nearly ran into Grissom and a very terrified looking Sarah "Nick, where the hell were you?" she reached out and touched his arm just to reassure herself he was actually standing before her "Two goons stopped me, dressed in black, definitely out of place" he looked at Sara and rubbed the side of his face where it still stung "Took our little spat to heart and were apparently going to protect your honor" Grissom shot Nick and then Sara a quizzical look. "Anyway, did Sara tell you what we saw?" he pushed both Sara and Grissom back toward the ballroom doorway and out of earshot of the two men upstairs. "Yeah, we were just coming to find you and see what else was going on" he nodded "Warrick and Cath are taking a look around the other side and Greg is off trying to find Ecklie and the Mayor" he shook his head. "What's this about a spat?" he put his hand on his hip "Laurel and Hardy up there thought we had a lovers quarrel" he looked at Sara "apparently the slap was pretty damned convincing" he smiled but still rubbed at his cheek which in this light held a pretty red mark on it "Hell, even I was surprised for a minute" she smiled at him "Sorry Nick, good thing I can act huh?"