"Dad," Emily said as she walked into the room. It was a Saturday about a week after Nick had told them the story. They had the hanging remembrance of their mother, and they felt some closure. It was the beginning of December, and they had just started their Christmas decorations. Emily and Christina prepared a duet for their performance in the Winter Festival at their high school, and Alyssa was going to play the piano.

"Yeah honey?" Nick answered dragging a long box that contained the Christmas tree into their living room.

"Um, Alex Parker asked me to go to the Winter Ball with him," She said. Nick looked up at her.

"So, what are you asking?" Nick dragged it out as long as he could as he frantically thought of what to say.

"Can I go with him?" She asked sweetly.

"Emily, I don't know," Nick began.

"Please, please, please?" Emily pleaded.

"Emmy, do you think you're ready for something like this? I mean, are you ready for a serious relationship? You're only fifteen!"

"Dad, I know, but I think I am. I'm almost sixteen, I've been doing all my homework, I mean, I don't even know if we'll go out afterwards. Please?" She looked up and managed the sweetest expression she could. Nick sat on the couch and gestured her over. She leaned into his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

"You girls are growing up so fast. Yeah, Drew can take you, but as long as you stay safe. You know your boundaries, right?" He raised his eyebrow up.

"Yeah," She smiled, kissing his cheek, "I do Dad, thanks." She wrapped her arms around him. She picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello?" She spoke, "Oh my god, Clarisse. You will never guess who asked me out to the dance…." she paused, "Alex Parker asked me to go to the Winter Ball with him," She screamed into the phone. Nick smiled and looked at the long box; its contents were waiting to be assembled. Christina ran into the room, she looked very excited.

"Dad," she said, "I was looking through the mail, and guess what I found." She held something behind her back looking very excited. Nick pretended to look confused.

"Um, a letter from Grandma," he said.

"No," She held an envelope into his face. The envelope had the Stanford insignia on it.

"Oh my God Chris, you got in? I didn't even know you applied!" Nick looked pleasantly shocked.

"I don't know that yet, but I wanted us all to open it together." She sat down.

"Call your sisters," He said. Alyssa marched into the room smiling widely. She sat down on Nick's lap.

"Did you want me for something?" She asked sweetly. Nick pushed her hair back.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"Nothing," she said.

"Alyssa," his voice was stern.

"I took a lollipop," She looked down guiltily. Her dad had a talent for squeezing confessions out of people, she wondered why.

"Where is it?" Nick asked.

"I ate it," She answered.

"You ate it?" Nick smiled picking her up and stood up. He threw her up in the air and caught her. Christina walked out into the hall.

"Emily!" She called.

"What?"

"Come down!"

"I'm on the phone."

"Well this is important." A loud sigh was heard as Emily came stomping down the stairs, phone in hand.

"Well, Clarisse I can't talk to you anymore, can I call you back? I don't know, something just demanded immeasurable importance. Oh I know! Bye," she hung up, "What?" She asked.

"Your sister just got a letter from Stanford," Nick said.

"You applied?" Emily looked surprised. All memories of phone calls vanished, she excitedly sat down. Nick put Alyssa down, and they both sat on the couch. Christina started opening the envelope.

"I can't do it!" She exclaimed, handing the envelope to Nick. He gently opened the envelope. There was complete and utter silence in the room as he looked at the paper folded inside.

"Christina," He said, his face full of shock, "They say that you have been accepted…with honors." He put the letter down, tears came to his eyes. "If I've ever had any doubts about my ability to raise you girls, this is where it all disappears. I am so proud of you Christina, and I hope that you can maintain this pride," He said. Nick stood up and wrapped his arms around his daughter, Christina smiled.

"Dad, do you think mom would've been proud as well?"

"Yeah, honey I think she would've been, maybe she's watching us from up there," He pointed up, "Oh Christina, congratulations. Do you want anything special?"

"No, no thank you," She smiled and ran upstairs.

"I get the phone!" Emily yelled as she sprinted behind.

"I'm using my cell, smart one!"

Nick laughed as Alyssa ran outside to play with the neighbors. His daughters were growing up so fast. Christina had made it into a prestigious college, Emily was one of the top students in her class, and Alyssa was just zooming through everything that third grade taught her.

"Sara," He said looking up, "You really would've been proud." He walked outside and saw Greg coming up his lawn.

"Hey Greg," He said. Greg lived two houses down from Nick, so they would visit each other often. Greg's daughter, Taylor, was very good friends with Alyssa. Greg had gotten married to a really sweet girl from England named Amelia who was transferred to Las Vegas two years after Nick and Sara's wedding. Greg eventually had the nerve to ask her out, they hit it off very well. A year later, they got married. Christina was 2 years old, and Sara was six months pregnant.

"You look gorgeous, miss Maid of Honor" Nick said as Sara stepped out in her bridesmaid outfit.

"You don't look too bad yourself, mister Best Man," She kissed him. He rubbed her swollen stomach gently.

"Hey there," he whispered softly, leaning down and kissing her belly. Christina plodded into the room, her dress was all bunched up.

"Poopie," she said with authority. Sara looked down giggling; she lifted her up and took her to the bathroom.

"We really need to get her potty trained," Nick said over the run of the flush. Christina marched out looking satisfied.

"All done," she smiled and looked up at Nick. Nick leaned down and picked her up as Sara came out of the bathroom. She laughed.

"Well, Greg and Amelia aren't going to wait any longer, I think we should head over now. She looked at Christina who had her eyebrows furrowed into concentration as she studied her dress and itchy tights.

"I love you," Nick said.

"I love you too," Sara smiled, and they walked out the door.

"So, Greg, how's Amelia?" He asked. He and Greg talked for a while.

CSI headquarters Cincinnati:
"We're getting a national report for this, the DNA traces back to Las Vegas around eight years ago…a cold case."

"Contact the department. we may be able to solve that case yet."

"Okay," The two people got up from the computer. They left the CODIS machine. On it, there was one page that said:

DNA MATCH: Cold Case, 2015

Sara Sidle

Details: Victim of a possible abduction, car found on I-15, Unsolved

(A/N) Hey! Thanks for your awesome reviews! This chapter ends with a cliffhanger, but the beginning was to show the type of family that the Stokes are. If you can kind of see, they are an average family, but they have a crucial part of their family missing.

Please R/r