A/N: Okay baby-kins, we have some appearances by Sara, Warrick, Grissom, Catherine, Brass, and Greg. Plus some of that Geeklove talk I promised you. And, I have decided to kind of put Warrick in the main group. As in, mostly you'll hear from Brass, Catherine, Sara, and the occasional Warrick. Occasionally Grissom will appear and you'll soon learn why. He's gonna have a special bond with one of the characters.
Okay, I said in the beginning that some of you had already read the first two chapters and ya'll should have re-read them cause I made some minor changes. If you haven't done it by now…you probably should because throughout the rest of the book I'm goin to be talking about stuff like Regan's age and what grade she's going into, and Nick's age and different things.
So if not knowing every little detail annoys you…go ahead and re-read the first two chapters (we won't hold it against you) :)
Also, I didn't account for a time difference between Texas and Nevada so…excuse that and I couldn't think of a special airport for Texas so I just used Delta Airlines. It was the first airline that popped in my head. So excuse that also.
And just in case ya'll forgot, I don't own Grissom, Sara, Brass, Judy, Greg, Warrick, Jillian Stokes, Bill Stokes, or Nick (tear). But I do own Anna and Regan. (Smile)
Chapter 4:
"Son…all I can say is, get the hell outta dodge."
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Friday May 6, 2004
11:42 a.m.
LVPD Crime Lab
Parking Lot
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Nick stopped the car and looked over at Anna. She was sleeping and looked amazingly beautiful. He leaned over and gently shook her shoulder. "Anna." He whispered hoping to stir her from her slumber. "Anna." He repeated a little more forceful.
She still didn't stir. He brushed a curl from out of her face and let his thumb linger on her cheek. His eyes drifted to her black eye and he frowned. "Anna." He repeated and cupped her cheek. He brought his thumb up once again to rub her cheek. His eyes drifted towards her lips. They looked more luscious and red than ever. Defeating his temptation of a kiss, he brushed her hair back and shook her shoulder gently.
She finally stirred and Nick smiled. "You watchin me sleep?" She mumbled.
Nick chuckled. "Only for two seconds."
She smiled and sat up. "Where are we?"
"Crime Lab." Nick answered and she looked around recognizing it from the last time she was there. "Brass said he wanted to talk to us."
She stretched and looked down at herself. "Uh…Nick, I'm in my bathing suit."
He smirked and held up her clothes. "Snatched 'em as we were walkin." He handed her the shorts and long sleeve purple shirt she had been wearing earlier. She dressed herself and grabbed her flip flops. She glanced in the mirror and saw her eye.
She frowned, "Ugh…my eye. You wouldn't happen to have any oil based concealer by chance would you?" She smiled hopefully.
"Sorry, but no. Why don't you just not cover it up and file a report."
She sighed. "Nick…" She began in a warning tone. He held up his hands in surrender.
"Fine. Sorry." She sighed and continued to fiddle with it. "Ya know, pulling on it isn't gonna make it better." Nick joked. She glared.
"Nick." She whined.
"Alright, what shade are you?"
"100 ivory on the Mary Kay scale, 105 ivory Cover Girl scale."
"Well, you look about the same shade as my friend Sara. She might have some you could use. Just, if you're not gonna tell her the truth about how you got it, then come up with a better story then 'I tripped'." She moaned. "Wear these." He handed her a pair of sunglasses. "We'll go in there; I'll pull her aside and ask if you can borrow it."
"Thank you." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She let her lips linger and finally pulled away smiling.
"Wow." Nick said and she chuckled. "I get a kiss for letting you borrow my sunglasses and getting you oil based concealer?"
She chuckled. "No…you get a kiss for being great for the past three days I've known you. And for making Regan so captivated by you. You really are great."
He smiled and winked. "No problem lil' lady." Nick joked and she laughed. They got out of the car and she slid the sunglasses on. Nick waited for her to round to his side of the car to begin to walk beside her. She smiled and he grabbed her hand in his. She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "For being so great yourself."
She stopped. "Whoa wait! I give you a load of compliments and a kiss and all I get is my hand held." Anna objected letting go of his hand and Nick smiled. "I mean come on. Step up to the plate Mr. Stokes."
"May I kiss you?" He asked and she smiled.
"Yes." He smiled and gently took her and sweetly pecked her lips. It was short…but by far, that best kiss both had ever had. He pulled away and she smiled, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Nick replied and she continued walking. Nick smiled and jogged to catch up with her. "May I hold your hand?" He teased, she chuckled.
"Yes." He took it and she smiled wider. "Thank you." She whispered.
They climbed the steps and Nick held the door for her. She pursed her lips to keep from smiling. She walked in front of him and Nick smiled, enjoying the view from behind. He grabbed her hand as she began to slow down nervously. "Come on. It's okay." He whispered in her ear. She gave a nervous grin and he waved to Judy. She smiled and waved back. Nick led Anna towards the desk. "Hey Judy. Is Brass here?"
"Um…sorry Nick. I think he just left. Sorry."
Nick sighed. "Thanks anyway. Well, would you let him know that we were here?"
"Of course Nick." She smiled and Nick returned it. He led her down the halls.
"Wait. She said Brass wasn't here."
"I'm getting concealer for you."
"Well I can go home and get that."
"No, I want you to meet Sara."
She sighed. "Fine." They arrived at the break room where everyone was relaxing and laughing. "I'll wait here." Nick looked back at her and rolled his eyes.
"Fine." He observed his teammates relaxing. He opened the door, "Glad to see everybody is sad that I'm gone." He joked as he walked in on them.
"Hey Nick." Everybody said smiling.
"I thought you had the week off." Greg asked confused.
"I do."
"Dude, you get in a beef? What happened to your face?" Warrick asked and everybody looked over to his face.
"Nick, you're supposed to relax not getting beaten up." Grissom informed him.
"I know. And I am relaxing."
"Yeah, I'll bet." Catherine replied sarcastically. "That hottie outside the door seems to be 'relaxing' you nicely." She smirked and never looked up from her Cosmo magazine. Everybody looked outside the door to see Anna shuffling her feet nervously and smiling politely at the people passing by, most of whom were checking her out.
"That's not exactly the situation, thank you very much. Sara I need to see you."
"Oooohh! Nicky's got a new girlfriend." Warrick teased in falsetto voice.
"I think I know her…she seems familiar." Greg replied.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, this is relaxing." He mumbled, "She's not my girlfriend. Sara, please." He gestured towards the door.
"Um…okay." She put down her drink and followed him out. He stood outside the door. He turned to face her.
"I need to borrow your oil based concealer."
Sara chuckled. "Geez Nick, I think you're a shade darker than me."
Nick laughed. "Ha ha." He teased. "It's not for me."
"It's for me." Anna stepped forward. "Hi I'm Anna."
"Oh yeah. I saw you the other day in the break room."
"And you're Sara. Nick's told me a lot about you."
"All good I hope." The girls chuckled. "So, you need my concealer?"
"Yeah." She pulled the sunglasses down and Sara got a good look at her eye.
"Oh…come on." She walked towards the break room and went to her locker. She rooted through her bag and pulled out her concealer. "Ivory 100 Mary Kay oil based concealer?"
"Yeah. That's my shade." Sara handed it to her and Anna walked towards the mirror. She began to apply it to her black eye and rub it in. "Do you have any-" Sara cut her off by handing her the press powder. "Thanks. What about-" Sara handed her the blush. "Thanks again. How did you know?"
"My mom. She was slapped around a lot and taught me the art of hiding it."
"Did your dad…"
"Hit my mom." Sara finished for her. "Occasionally he hit me. My mom taught me how to hide it. Most of the time I didn't have to because he was sneaky about it. My mom taught my brother and me how to hide it for her when she couldn't."
Anna slowly turned around to face her. Nick was watching from the doorway where they couldn't see him. "Didn't she tell anyone? She didn't, file a report or anything?"
Sara shook her head and sat on the bench by the lockers. "She didn't want to look weak in front of us at first she didn't know that we had seen everything and wanted nothing more than for her to say something because it takes more courage to say something than not to. She didn't seem strong…she seemed weak. That was her excuse at first; she didn't want to seem weak. And by the time she didn't care if she seemed weak, it was too late and he threatened her. She was in too deep. So…she took things in her own hands."
"Did she leave him?"
"No…she stabbed him to death…my brother and I saw everything." Sara was silent, Anna was silent, and Nick was stunned. "She didn't tell because she didn't want to seem weak, and it spiraled out of control, quickly too. All she had to do was tell the police and they would have taken care of everything. He wouldn't have been able to beat her anymore, he wouldn't have beaten my brother so bad that he became paralyzed from the neck down, and I wouldn't have suffered scars and nightmares that still haunt me today."
Anna hung her head. "So…she could have prevented all of the pain she caused you both by…just telling?" Anna asked timidly and Sara nodded. Anna sucked in a deep breath and rested her forehead in her hands.
"You have a little girl." Sara stated more than asked.
Anna nodded, "My sister."
"Has he hit her yet?" Anna stared at Sara for a moment then nodded. "What do you plan to do?"
Anna paused. "I kicked him out two nights ago…I didn't tell Regan."
"Regan is your sister?" Sara asked and Anna nodded. "How old?"
"Just turned seven. She's actually really smart. She is finishing ninth grade now and I'm going to have her skip from tenth to eleventh."
"Wow…kind of like a little genius?"
"Yeah."
"So she's really smart? She knows when you're lying?" Anna nodded. "What did she say when she saw the eye?"
"I told her that I tripped and…she saw right through it and knew that Josh hit me."
"Well, from what I've heard about the little girl, she doesn't seem like the kind that can be fooled easily. So ask yourself this, do you think you're fooling her or yourself." Anna didn't answer. "Don't wait. Get this creep away from you and Regan. Do you think just kicking him out is gonna stop him?"
Anna sighed, "I know it won't. He came to the house last night."
Sara nodded slowly and closed her eyes. "And Super Boy Nick ran out to battle the bad guy huh?"
Anna nodded. "How did you-"
"My mom had guy friends that tried to stop my father. It uh…it didn't really make a difference." Sara confessed. "It only made him madder. The only that would have stopped him was my mother going to the police station and filing a report. It would have made all the difference." Sara turned slightly and pulled down the shoulder of her shirt to reveal a scar with four holes. "That was from one of the better nights. He took a fork and stabbed me as I tried to run to the phone."
Anna stayed silent as a tear streamed down her cheek. She closed her eyes, and then opened them again to see Regan as a grown woman sitting in front of her. Her face was bruised and scared, her reflection of sadness was so much like Sara's had been. Then she spoke, "My mother wanted to look strong and unafraid…and this is what it cost me." She gestured to her face.
Anna gasped and blinked back the tears. Regan's figure blurred and was replaced by Sara. "I-I need to file a report." Anna said shakily. Sara nodded and gave a supportive smile. Her eyes slyly left Anna's face to Nick smiling behind her.
"I think Nick would be glad to take you." Sara nodded her head towards Nick and Anna turned around. Nick waved and Anna turned back towards Sara.
"Thank you Sara."
"No problem. Just bring Regan around sometime. I wanna meet the little genius." Sara smiled and stood up. Anna smiled back and did the same.
"Okay." They turned and began to walk towards Nick. He smiled at them. His hand found the small of Anna's back and he ushered her forward. He turned his head and looked at Sara.
"Sara…thank you so much. I uh…I'm sorry you had to let someone you just met know about your past." Nick whispered.
Sara held up her hand. "She needed help Nick; she obviously wasn't listening to you or Brass."
"How did you know Brass knew?"
She shrugged. "CSI Grapevine. As long as I convinced her to keep herself and that little girl safe…I'm fine." Nick nodded and smiled. He turned to leave and Sara put her hand on his arm. "Wait Nick, um…about my story. I just don't want everybody-"
Nick pulled an imaginary zipper to close his lips, then locked an invisibly key, and threw it away. Sara smiled and Nick ushered Anna towards the break room.
He opened the door for her and gave her a gentle shove in. She smiled nervously. "Anna Delmarco!" Greg jumped up and ran to shake her hand. She smiled slightly.
"Oh yeah. Crazy hair dude." Anna replied and Greg smiled proudly.
"The one and only." He replied grinning like a fool.
"At least we hope he's the only one." Warrick remarked sarcastically. Everybody but Greg laughed. Warrick stood up and walked over to shake her hand. She smiled and accepted it. "Hi. I'm Warrick Brown."
"Anna Delmarco." Warrick stood back as Catherine came up behind him.
"Catherine Willows." She extended her hand and tried to size up the girl. Anna gave a nervous smile and let go of Catherine's hand. "And this anti-social entomologist is Gil Grissom, head of CSI Night Shift."
"Entomologist? As in, you work with bugs?" Anna asked and Grissom nodded. "Wow, my sister would love you. She's amazed by bugs. They creep me out but she just loves 'em."
"Really?" Grissom asked excited. "How old is she?"
"Just turned seven." Anna answered and Grissom's face fell.
"But she's really smart." Nick interrupted. "She's being moved into eleventh grade."
"A seven year old in eleventh grade?" Catherine asked. "Whoa. Won't she be nervous? Will it be hard for her to make friends?"
"No, not really. She's pretty social and friendly. I'm not really worried about that anymore." Anna looked at Nick through the corners of her eyes and he did the same.
"Are you sure I mean, kids can be ruthless." Greg stated.
"I know. Lindsey came home from her first day of third grade in tears. They picked on every little thing. They were horrible. It took so much to get me to get her to go back to school. Imagine how horrible it'd be for a seven year old in eleventh grade." Catherine relayed and she saw Anna's worried face and she realized she over shared. "Oh! But I'm sure your little girl will be fine! She sounds lovely. You really should bring her around sometime. You know, with how social she is. I'm sure she'd be great here and in eleventh grade. Lindsey's not that social anyway." She tried to comfort Anna subtly.
"That's not true Cat. Lindsey is the most social girl I know. After all she's your kid. I mean, OW!" Greg rubbed the back of his neck. "Why'd you pinch me!" Greg turned around to ask Warrick. Warrick threw his head back and rolled his eyes. He brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose and he rested his hand on his hip in exasperation.
Anna shuffled her feet and Nick noticed how uncomfortable she was. "Sure, um…we have to go." He gently took her hand and directed her towards the door. "Uh, if ya'll see Brass let him know we're lookin for him."
"Sure thing Nick." Sara and Catherine replied.
"See ya later Little Buddy." Warrick smirked.
"Bye." Greg and Grissom chorused.
He shut the door and left the team in the break room. As soon as Nick was out of sight Warrick, Catherine, and Sara slapped Greg upside the head. "OW!"
"You idiot, you made the poor girl uncomfortable." Warrick scolded.
"I didn't mean to."
"It's called thinking before you speak Greg." Sara said and rolled her eyes.
"Next time she comes around you don't get to say anything." Catherine pointed her finger at him.
"Whoa next time?" Grissom asked.
"You think there's gonna be a 'next time'?" Warrick asked her. Catherine scoffed.
"Duh!"
"Really?" Greg asked shaking his head. "I don't know."
"Of course." Sara said. "Did you see the way he held her arm, very gentle man like, before he came into the room?"
"Yeah." Catherine nodded. "Did you see how he grabbed her hand and ushered her out. And as soon as he led her in or out of a room his hand went to the small of her back?"
"Sure sign he's into her." Sara noted.
"I know! You think this is 'it'?" Catherine asked excited.
"Good Lord woman! You think the biggest playboy of the police department can be tied down? No."
"I think if he finds the right girl…maybe." Catherine smiled hopefully. The men looked at each other confused.
"As one of the more knowledgeable individuals of Nick's sex-life," Warrick began.
"Eww." Sara stated. Warrick rolled his eyes.
"I'd say…he can be tied down." Warrick concluded.
"Well maybe…but she'd have to be special." Sara reasoned.
"Well now that we know he has the ability to become one half of a ball and chain, the question is, could Anna be his lobster, and how long till these lovely lobsters tie the 'claw'?" Greg asked.
"Wait, wait…lobster? Um…" Sara asked.
"Lobsters, they mate for life." Grissom informed the naïve girl. "When one lobster finds its mate, they stay faithful throughout its entire life."
"I thought you were the bug expert." Sara smirked and Grissom shrugged.
Catherine watched the exchange with a smile and continued from where Grissom had left off. "Well, on the show Friends, this character Phoebe, whose kind of a ditzy blonde, tells Ross, this up tight archeologist, that he and the girl he likes, Rachel, she's the fashion diva girl who sleeps around, that Ross and Rachel will be together forever because they're each other's lobsters. And when lobsters mate, they mate for life and sometimes you could see them walking around in the tanks holding claws."
"But wait, Nick likes his share of women. He likes a couple men's share of women. He's never really seemed like the kind of guy to be tied down," Warrick began.
"We established that." Grissom pointed out.
"Right, but even if he does settle down, will it be forever?" Warrick finished.
"Yes. He's from Texas, and I don't think Mama Stokes would want her little playboy to get divorced and resort back to his playboy ways. Plus, she wouldn't want all her hard work to go down the drain of him finally finding 'the one'." Sara informed them.
"So…knowing that when he finally ties the knot it has to be for the rest of his life, on the account that Texans don't divorce, back to the initial question…will he tie the knot?" Grissom asked and sat down.
"Yes." They all agreed.
"Is Anna gonna be the one?" Grissom inquired and they all pondered.
"Yes." They all finally agreed.
"I say we make it interesting. $50 says they're engaged within the year." Catherine smiled.
"I'll get in on that." Sara replied.
"No way, $50 says he waits two years." Warrick gambled.
"What!" Both girls yelled at the same time.
"Yeah, he'll need time to get his bachelor ways out of his system."
"No, I give it six months. No higher, no lower." Greg added.
"Six months on the dot?" Grissom asked astounded.
"Well yeah."
"He's only known her, what, three or four days?" Catherine asked and they nodded. "That's too low."
"Expand the bet Greggo." Warrick advised.
Greg sighed, "Fine. No lower than six months until they're engaged and married."
"You're too daring." Sara shook her head and Greg shrugged.
"Okay. I say $50 on within the year, married and engaged."
"So, you're with us?" Catherine asked and Grissom nodded. They all were silent for a moment. "She seemed timid."
"Who?" Greg asked confused and Catherine rolled her eyes.
"Mother Teresa." Catherine replied sarcastically. "Anna, you dummbie!"
"Oh. Yeah, I guess."
"Maybe she's shy." Warrick suggested. Catherine shrugged.
At that moment Ecklie walked in and frowned. "What's going on?"
Grissom smiled mock-happily. "Hello Conrad, how are you doing?"
Ecklie rolled his eyes. "Get back to work Gil." He ordered and walked out.
"That's my cue." Grissom replied sarcastically.
They all sighed and crushed their Styrofoam cups, throwing them in the garbage as they walked out.
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Delmarco Residence
The Docks
12:25 p.m.
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Nick and Anna sat on the docks and ate their Mexican food. "I love Mexican food." Nick stated.
"I love Chinese food." Anna replied and Nick looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I like Mexican food but I love Chinese food." She smiled and giggled. "What?"
"You lived in Mexico for almost six years. Not China."
"So…you live in America but you love Mexican food."
"Yes, but Darlin, I lived in Texas, that's right on the border of Mexico, so I basically had a lot of Mexican food." Nick reasoned.
"Oh that's crap!"
Nick laughed. "Oooh! Ouch! So you're callin my life crap now?" He teased.
"No, I'm calling your crappy excuse crap." Anna laughed and bit of the other end of her taco.
"Geez…you're mean today." Nick replied and she laughed.
"Yeah, I know, I'm a horrible bitch."
"Awww, no you're not." Nick teased. Anna laughed and his phone began to ring. He sighed as he looked at the caller ID. "Crap." He mumbled and she watched him flip open the phone and answer it. "Hi Mom."
"Nicholas Ryan Stokes,"
Nick sighed. "Do you always have to use the middle name?"
"Yes. Now, I demand you come and see me."
"Mom, I'm busy."
"Well not right now. But sometime this week. Remember Mrs. Jones? Well, he daughter Emily is just dying to meet you."
"No thanks Mom."
"Nick, please? She's a really nice girl. Hell Nicholas, if you don't want her then I've got a list a mile long of girls just waitin to-"
"Mom no. I don't want to meet Emily or any of the other girls. I'm fine." Nick replied. He looked over to see the spot at which Anna had been sitting was now empty. He looked around and saw her behind him. She ran towards the end of the dock and jumped of.
"CANNONBALL!" She screamed and made a huge splash. Nick smiled and shook his head. She finally surfaced and smiled at him. She had landed at least two yards from the docks and was now swimming back towards Nick.
"Good Lord Nick! What was that!"
"Nothing. Listen I gotta go. I'll call you later."
She sighed. "You better."
They hung up with each other and Anna smiled at Nick and motioned him in the water. "I give that one a '10'!" He shouted to her.
"Wow! Really! It was the element of surprise again huh?"
"Yeah, and you got me off the phone with my mother!" He joked and jumped in after her.
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The Stokes' Ranch
Dallas, Texas
12:32 p.m.
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Jillian Stokes hung up with her son and sighed. She slid into the wooden chair by the phone and crossed Emily Jones' name off her list. Nothing she had tried so far had been able to convince her youngest son to come and visit her. She sighed once again.
Bill Stokes walked from out of the den and into the front hall to see his middle aged wife's distressed face. Her wrinkles were more prominent than usual and the gray streaks in her hair seemed to stand out in the bad lighting of the hall. He adjusted his tie and walked over to his wife. "Nick said 'no' again huh?"
She nodded and looked up at her husband. His salt and pepper hair glowed from the angle of the ceiling lights. "He's avoiding me…I think I bother him." She stood up and flattened his tie against his white dress shirt and smoothed the lapels of his black three-piece suit.
"No." He shook his head. "No. He's just…stressed."
Jillian sighed. "He has the week off. What does he have to be stressed about?"
"Well, you said that he had a new lady friend right?"
"Yes."
"Well, you know how he can get with women. She could be stressing him out."
"Then he should leave her."
Bill chuckled. "Darlin, you know it doesn't work that way. When any man falls in lo-" Jillian cut him off by holding up her pointer finger.
"Don't you dare say that 'L' word when referring to my baby boy's relationships. Don't you dare say it." She warned and Bill shook his head while chuckling.
"When any man becomes infatuated with a woman, he doesn't really care if she stresses him. All he's focused on is…making her happy. Every woman stresses the man she's with. Even you. It's a known fact. With infatuation comes great stress. You can't avoid it. The good comes with the bad. The power comes with great responsibility. It's inevitable. He obviously really cares about this girl…what's her name?"
Jillian huffed. "Who cares?"
"Jill…"
"Anna." She sighed and her husband smiled. /-/Anna and Nick. /-/ He thought/-/ I like the sound of that. Anna Stokes./-/ "Quit thinking you like the sound of their names together." Jillian warned. He looked at her in amazement. "Oh please, who wouldn't know? It's written all over your face."
He laughed. "Well Hell Jill, I figured you of all people would have been thrilled he's 'infatuated' with a woman. You've been on him since he turned 25 to settle down and get married."
She sighed in frustration and walked from the hall into the den. "Yes, but not with some little…" She growled in anger.
"You don't know her. So how do you know if she's right for him or not?" Bill pointed out. "She could be completely wrong for him. You never know. She could leave him and then he'll be right back here with you."
A light bulb went off in Jillian's mind and her face lit up. Her husband saw the look. "Bill…"
"No." He warned realizing what he'd done. "Jillian, NO."
"She could be wrong for him." She reasoned. "That's why it's my job as a mother to make sure she doesn't hurt my little boy."
"Jillian…"
"Oh, hush up Bill. I'm going to Vegas to protect my baby. I'm gonna prove that little floozy is just in it for his money and sex. She doesn't care and I'll attest it. Once he sees how out of place she is in his life he'll drop her on the spot."
"Jill you're so harsh."
"Hush Bill." She didn't meet his gaze as she flipped through her address book and located the number she was looking for. "Hello, Delta Airlines? Yes, I need three, first class, round trip tickets, to Las Vegas. Yes. Jillian Stokes. Thank you." She hung up.
"Three?"
"Yes. You, me, and Darren."
"No. Leave Nick's relationship alone. Don't drag Darren into this."
"Quiet Bill." She ordered as she began to flip through her address book again, Bill Stokes shook his head.
"This will end badly." Bill mumbled and ran a tired hand over his face.
She looked over at him and stood up. "I have to help him honey." She pleaded and kissed his cheek. "Now, go to work and ask for the week off. We need to leave tonight."
"Tonight!"
"Yes, we need to be there A.S.A.P." Jillian said and Bill shook his head.
"You're a manipulative woman."
"That you married."
He sighed. "You weren't always manipulative."
"Yes I was…how do you think I got you to marry me?" She joked and Bill laughed.
"Well that explains a lot…but it was worth it…however you got me to marry you." He leaned over and they kissed. "I still love you."
"I'll always love you."
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Delmarco Residence
5:02 p.m.
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Anna opened her eyes to see the back frame of her couch. She blinked several times to focus her eyes. /-/ what am I doing on the couch/-/ She thought and rolled over to look around the room. No one else inhabited the room, but she heard voices coming from the dining room. She pushed the blanket that was covering her off f her body and stood up.
Anna adjusted her purple shirt and shorts and dug in her pocket to pull out her hair tie. She pulled her hair out of her face and piled it high on top of her head and pulled it into a ponytail. She sighed and looked around the room.
The light was shining through the bay window in front of her and she looked slightly to the left to see the television was on. She picked up the remote and turned it off. The voices grew louder. She slowly walked through the kitchen and circled the island to the stove. A pot of spaghetti was boiling and the sauce next to it was almost done.
She could smell garlic bread in the oven and she smiled. That was her favorite meal. She crossed the kitchen and opened the French doors to the sitting room/dinning room. She looked to her left to see Nick and Regan sitting at the table coloring in Regan's coloring books. Anna hid behind the door slightly and rested her hand on the half wall that separated the small walkway from the dinning room.
She smiled as she listened to their conversation. "Are you Anna's boyfriend?" Regan asked and Anna's hand rushed to her mouth to keep from laughing. She wondered how Nick was going to handle this one.
"Um…no. No, I'm not Anna's boyfriend."
"But you're going to ask her to be your girlfriend."
"I-I don't know. I uh…I think she's a very great person. She's funny and sweet and…great."
Regan smiled. "And you think she's pretty."
"Yes. Yes I do. I think she's extremely gorgeous." Nick replied and Anna blushed a deep red.
"She thinks you're handsome too."
Nick chuckled. "Really…did she tell you that?"
"No. I can just tell. It doesn't take a genius to know that you two like each other."
Nick stayed silent and Anna peeked around the door to catch his expression. He was staring at Regan dumbfounded. "Is it that obvious?"
Regan scoffed. "Yeah. I guarantee you she knows you like her. You should do something about it."
Nick sighed. "Like what?"
"Ask her to be your girlfriend for starters."
Nick chuckled. "You always this intuitive?"
"Yes." Regan answered not bothering to be modest. Nick laughed and ruffled her hair.
"You're great you know that?"
"Yes. And so are you. That's why you should be with Anna." She reached up to ruffle his hair in mockery and he laughed.
"What do you think of my picture?" He held it up to show her.
"I think it's very good. But…why is the sky purple?"
"It's not purple. It's dark blue."
"No, it's purple. Technically, it's only purple in winter solstice. When the moon is only quarter full the sky isn't dark blue, it's actually violet. But we, as humans, can't see the reflections of the color violet. So we categorize it as dark blue, or midnight blue. It only appears violet on those specific occasions because of the Earth's rotation, tilt, wind, and temperature." Regan informed him.
He turned it to look at it for himself and raised his eyebrow. He looked at Regan astounded. "You and Grissom would get along great. He knows lots of useless information too."
"It's not useless. It certainly taught you a lesson."
"How do you know that? Maybe my picture did take place at night on winter solstice on a quarter moon." Nick replied and Regan shook her head.
"Alas, the pride of the precious male ego." Regan joked and Nick scoffed.
Anna chuckled and came from behind the door. Nick looked up and smiled. "Hey. Did you sleep well?" His shirt hugged his muscles nicely and Anna tried not to stare. She stretched her arms back and gave a smile.
"Um yeah…I just don't remember when I fell asleep." She looked at his face and saw that he had covered up his scratches and bruises. "You been dippin into my make up Stokes?"
Nick chuckled. "No…Regan colored on me with paint. And to answer your question, you fell asleep while lying by the docks."
She laughed and covered her mouth. "You let a seven year old paint on you?"
Regan looked up from her picture, "He said he didn't want to look like Mike Tyson took a swing at him and covering up with make up would be too 'girly-man'."
Anna grabbed her stomach and laughed. "Oh God. That's one of the funniest things I've ever heard." She continued to laugh and walked over to inspect Regan's work. She put her hands under Nick's jaw and gently lifted it towards her. She looked over where his cuts and bruises use to be. She nodded in approval. "Good job Raggs. You should be a mortician."
"No thanks. DB's are Nick's gig. I'm not cleaning up after Nick's 419." Regan replied and Anna looked over at her in shock, then back at Nick.
He held up his hands in surrender, "Hey, I didn't teach her that." He responded and Anna looked at Regan.
"I found it in one of my library books. And I don't think I want to be playing 'dress-up' with deceased carcasses." Regan retorted and Anna pouted.
"No fair. You're not supposed to know what I'm talking about. That's the whole fun of having a little sister. I get to say 'you'll know what I mean when you're older.'" Anna said in a mock sweet voice.
"I thought having a little sister was to teach them what the mother and father couldn't and to prepare them and not baby them like the parents would. Not taunt and tease them." Regan asked. Anna raised her eyebrow. "Don't worry you'll know what I mean when you're older." Regan teased and Anna smiled and kissed the little girl's forehead.
"Okay, okay, just no talk about DB's at dinner. And don't tell me anything gruesome, that is, unless you wanna rock me back to sleep after I have a night mare." Anna joked and Nick smirked.
"Deal."
Anna smiled and rolled her eyes. "I was talking to Regan." She laughed, "Who started dinner?"
"Me." Regan raised her hand and Nick chuckled.
"I helped, don't worry. I didn't let her use the oven or stove." Nick reassured and Anna laughed. She walked over to Regan and kissed the top of her head.
"It smells delicious. Thank you Raggs."
Anna walked through the dinning room and into the three-way hall. She turned left and walked into her extremely large master bedroom and went to her dresser. She could hear Nick and Regan talking as she picked up her concealer and began to apply it over black eye. Once it was expertly hidden, she turned around and walked out of her room and back into the dinning room.
She walked over to Regan and smoothed out the little girl's hair and looked over her shoulder to see what she was coloring. "Nice picture Hon."
"Thank you." Nick flirted and Anna smirked.
Regan smiled and held it up. "I made it for you." She handed it to Anna and she got a good look at it. She smiled.
"Thank you."
"I made this for you too." She handed Anna another picture and Anna blushed. It was a picture of Barbie with brown hair, in a wedding dress. And Ken stood next to her in a tux. A little arrow pointed to the Barbie's, both saying 'Guess who'. Nick looked over at it and blushed also.
"Yeah it's uh," He coughed, "it's great." he coughed again. Regan smiled at the adult's awkwardness. Nick's phone rang and he quickly answered it. "Stokes." He rubbed a tired hand over his face. "Hi mom."
"Hello Nicholas. Go to the front door."
"Mom, I'm not at my apartment." Nick sighed and looked over at Anna and she shrugged her shoulders and gave a sympathetic smile.
"I know honey. Just go to the door for a surprise." She drawled.
Nick raised an eyebrow and looked over at Anna. She mouthed the words, 'What's wrong' and Nick shrugged. He motioned for her to follow him. Anna picked Regan up and balanced her on her hip and followed Nick through the house. "What kind of surprise Mom?"
"A good kind. Don't worry."
Nick stopped at the door and Anna nodded. He opened it and dropped his jaw. "Oh my God."
"Surprise!" His mother smiled and opened her arms for a hug.
"Mom?" She rushed forward to give Nick a big hug. Anna and Regan looked at each other in shock. Anna was suddenly very glad she had covered up her black eye.
"Hi Honey!" Jillian announced and Nick slowly embraced his mother, wondering if this was a bad dream.
Regan leaned towards Anna's ear and asked, "How does that lady, that I'm guessing is Nick's mother, know where we live? What'd she look us up from the police department…or does she have Nick on a tracker?"
Anna shook her head trying to control Regan's comments and gestured for her to be quiet. Anna leaned over, "Beats me Toots." Nick's father came into view.
"Dad?" Nick asked and they hugged. "What's going on?" He whispered in his father's ear and Bill only shook his head and chuckled.
"Son…all I can say is, get the hell outta dodge." His father joked. Nick shook his head.
"Mom, what's going on?"
"What I can't stop in to say hi?"
"Well sure you can, but at my house? How did you find this place anyway?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. What I want to know is where the lovely lady of this house is." Jillian replied.
Anna looked at Regan and whispered "Tuck-and-Roll". That meant danger was near, or, what we would say, 'Get-the-hell-outta-dodge'. Whenever you were caught in a dangerous situation from anything to a fire, gunpoint, or a mean old lady swingin her purse, you could 'tuck and roll' to escape.
Regan chuckled and Anna took Regan off her hip. She stood back up to look at Nick's mother. "Hello. I'm Anna Delmarco." She extended her hand and Jillian smiled.
"Oh, why so formal?" She pulled the woman into a hug and Anna stood frozen.
"Um…" She was completely dumfounded.
"And who is this precious angel?" Jillian bent over to match Regan's height. "Hello little one."
"Hello. Are you Nick's mother?"
"Why yes I am. And what's your name?"
"Regan Delmarco. What's you're name?"
"Jillian Stokes. Why aren't you the cutest little thing?" Jillian replied and pinched her cheeks. She chuckled and stood back up to face her husband and look at Nick's flabbergasted face. Regan glared at the lady and rubbed her cheeks, she looked up at Anna in blame and Anna only gave a sorrowful look and blew her a kiss. Anna stepped forward.
Bill Stokes stepped forward and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Anna. And I'm sorry for the intrusion."
"Oh, nice to meet you too. And no bother. It's fine."
"My wife can be…impulsive sometimes." he apologized and Anna shook her head.
"It's alright. Well you must have had an exhausting flight, why don't you stay for dinner?"
"Oh no. We couldn't impose." Jillian remarked and Nick looked at Anna. She nodded and Nick rolled his eyes, but put on a face.
"No, it's okay Mom. We want you here." Nick assured and looked over at Anna. She smirked and ducked her head to keep from laughing.
"Uh, Regan, why don't you take Mr. and Mrs. Stokes into the sitting room?"
"Okay." The child agreed. Anna smiled and kneeled down next to her.
"And keep the comment's, 'burns', facts, and talk of DB's and insects to yourself please?" Anna whispered and Regan rolled her eyes.
"Okay." She moaned. "But it's gonna be an awfully quiet conversation."
"Thank you."
Regan grabbed Jillian and Bill's hands and led them to the sitting room. Nick took Anna's arm and pulled her aside. "I am so sorry." He apologized. "I had no idea how they found your house or what they're doing in Vegas." He drawled.
"It's okay Nick."
"I've never been so glad to have let a little seven-year-old paint on my face." Nick joked and Anna laughed.
"I'm glad I was self conscience enough to put on some make up. But I wish I could have showered." She shivered and gave a disgusted face. "Ick! Beach scum." Nick laughed and smiled.
"I wanted to talk to you but uh, I don't think we can do that."
She looked towards the doors where the three had disappeared through and smiled. "No, I think not."
"I promise I'll get them out of here A.S.A.P."
"Nick, it's no rush. I don't mind having them here."
Nick scoffed, "You don't know my parents."
"I'm about to." She replied and Nick smiled at her.
"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." Nick stated and Anna smiled wider.
"Oh well."
They started walking towards the French doors. "Prepare to be grilled by Mama Stokes." Nick joked and Anna laughed. They opened the doors to see Regan sitting on the one-seat green and blue couch, and Jillian and Bill sitting on the love seat to match. Regan stared at them with skeptical eyes, and the two stared at the little girl uncomfortably.
The three looked up at Nick and Anna. "So…how about dinner?" Anna asked.
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Friday May 6, 2004
Delmarco Residence
Dinning Room
6:18 p.m.
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Regan looked up from her pasta meal at the four faces around her. Anna sat next to her and was constantly pinching her knee to prevent the little girl from saying something to upset The Stokes or embarrass Nick or Anna.
Jillian and Bill Stokes sat across from the girls and supplying them with smiles. The girls would smile back, while each wondered what the smiles meant. Anna knew what was in store for her. She could see it in Jillian's eyes. She didn't like her baby boy's new 'friend'. She could tell she wasn't buying the whole 'friend' business, Jillian knew that something deeper lay in their relationship and planned to 'nip it in the bud'.
Bill occasionally would smile to Regan and Regan would give a grin back. She seemed to take better to Bill rather than Jillian. It was as if she could suspect what the woman was up to. Bill would give Anna a warm, comforting, sympathetic smile and reminded her of Nick. She could see the Texas charm, and knew it ran in the family.
Nick sat at the head of the table and looked over at the faces surrounding him. Regan met his eyes and he knew the young and innate girl was doing the same thing he was. He smiled and wiped his mouth. "Mom," he began. "Not that I'm not thrilled to have you here, but uh…why are you here?"
"Oh Nicky, I just came to say hi and see how you were doing."
"You couldn't do that over the phone?" Nick wondered and chuckled nervously. Jillian shook her head.
"No. Is it so wrong to want to see your son?"
"It is when you stalk their friends just to find them."
"Son, respect your mother." Bill Stokes ordered and Nick shook his head.
"I just don't understand why she had to come down here and stalk me and my friends just to say hi? Now what do you really want mother?" Nick folded his hands and looked at his mother dubiously.
Regan looked at Anna in worry and she patted Regan's hand. Anna looked over and placed her hand over Nick's. "Nick, please. Can we do this after dinner?" Anna asked and Nick sighed. He nodded his head and Anna smiled. Jillian glared at Anna and how quickly she was able to calm him by just the touch of his hand.
"So, Mr. Stokes," Anna began, "What do you do for a living?"
He set down his fork and wiped his mouth, "I'm a Texas Supreme Court Judge."
Anna nodded and smiled. "And what do you do Mrs. Stokes?"
Jillian narrowed her eyes at the girl. She knew what she was trying to do. She wanted to suck up and seem like the perfect girl…and it sickened Jillian. But she put on a face and smiled sweetly. "I'm a Public Defender."
Anna smiled again. "So, your family is all government justice careers?"
The two men looked at each other. "Yeah, I guess so. All seven kids and both parents." Nick replied.
Bill and Nick chuckled while Jillian narrowed her eyes and glared at Anna while no one was looking. When they turned to face her she smiled and laughed along with them. "Well," She replied and set down her napkin. "That was delicious, thank you Ms. Delmarco and Little Ms. Delmarco." She joked good naturedly. "But I think Bill and I are going to head to the hotel." Anna looked over at Nick and smiled. "Well…off we go. To the cold, dirty, grotesque, far-away hotel. Where it takes an hour to drive there and an hour just to see my beloved baby boy. If only Nick's apartment was bigger. Then we could stay with him." Jillian not-so-subtly-hinted.
Anna looked over at Nick guiltily. She leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Would it be weird if I invited them to stay with me?"
"Yes." Nick answered back.
"Nick…they're your parents. How can you let them stay in a hotel?"
"Easy. I just do."
"Nick you're horrible. She obviously doesn't want to stay in a hotel. She wants to be near you." Anna replied as they all stood up and walked towards the front door.
"Anna, don't. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."
"Nick I have to." She looked to see his parents nearing the door.
Nick sighed, "Fine. But I'm staying too to monitor them." Anna raised her eyebrow at his statement. Nick blushed, "I-I mean…if you'll allow, I'd like to stay in you're backyard to make sure my parents are acting okay."
Anna chuckled, "Fine. You can stay in the second guest room."
Nick smiled. "Mom, Dad, why don't ya'll stay here?"
They turned around and looked at him. "Are you sure? I mean, we wouldn't want to impose." Jillian replied and Anna shook her head.
"You wouldn't impose. Regan and I would be glad to have you." Anna stated.
"I don't think we could, you, Nick, and Regan should have your privacy in your own home."
Anna and Nick stopped short, "We don't live together mom."
"I'm not his girlfriend." Anna explained and Nick looked over to her for a moment, then back at his mother. "Please stay. God knows what is growing on the shower floors of those motels."
"Well I'm convinced." Jillian replied quickly. She smiled. "We'd be glad to stay." She grabbed her husband's arm and pulled him to her. He shook his head in pity and she nudged him.
Anna smiled. "Good." She gestured for them to follow her. "This is the guest room." She walked through the kitchen and made a left before the living room divided. She opened the door to show a large room in the colors of hunter green and dark violet.
There was a large king sized bed with dark wood bed posts and two dressers to match. The closet was a sliding door that opened on both ends. It was quiet luxurious and Anna smiled at the expressions on their faces. She walked towards a separate door and opened it. It was a large bathroom with a tub big enough for two. It was complete with marble sinks, large mirrors, movie star lighting, and two guest robes.
"This is the best room." Anna commented. She walked to the covered bay windows and opened the drapes showing the window that looked over the empty land in front of her house. "You get a great view of the sun rise, it's not directly looking at it but the gleams and rays can beam into your room and it's beautiful. This actually use to be my room." Anna informed them as they stood there flabbergasted. She smiled and Nick walked in the door behind them.
"Anna I was…whoa." He got a good view of the room. He looked down at the carpets and saw how soft they were. The room was absolutely gorgeous. "Damn, pardon my language. But…wow."
Anna chuckled. "Thanks." She walked towards Nick and she took one of the bags he was holding from his parent's car. She set them by the bed and picked up the television remote from off the nightstand. "This remote controls the lighting, television, air conditioning for your room, and closet lights." She set it down and picked up the second remote. "And this remote," she picked it up and pointed it at the bed. "Controls the bed. You can adjust how soft, firm, warm, cold, and the elevations of each side. It rocks."
She set the remote down and turned to face the three shocked expressions, and she chuckled. Nick shook his head. "No way is my room gonna be nearly as nice as this."
"Your room?" Jillian asked, turning to face her son.
"Yeah, I'm staying here too." Nick explained and Jillian dropped her jaw and stumbled over her words.
"Wh-wh- what? H-how? I th-thought you- weren't…living, together."
"We aren't. But ya'll said you wanted to be close to me while ya'll were here so…"
"But…"
"Don't worry Mrs. Stokes, it's no problem. I have two more guest rooms besides this one and the one Nick is going to be using." Anna smiled at Nick's parents and turned to Nick. He smiled back and placed the bag by the bed. He walked back to the door frame and waited for Anna. "Well, I'll let the two of you get settled in. My room is just down the hall, through the kitchen, dinning room, and parlor, it's the first door on the left of the three-way hall way." She informed them and closed the door behind her. She looked up at Nick and he followed her through the house towards the hallway.
She took the path that she would to go towards her bedroom, but turned right towards the third guest room. She opened the door to reveal a miraculous room. It was done in dark brown, cream, and caramel colors with soft gold accents. The bed was king size water bed and had piles of throw pillows, and soft sheets and comforters. The wooden dressers were dark oak and had gold handles. The carpet was a soft shade of cream and had dark brown trimming on the walls. The walls themselves were caramel, with dark brown trimmings, and a gold ceiling.
The closet was a regular wooden door, but just as big. The bathroom was smaller than his parent's but he still had bay windows overlooking plains and part of the lake. He surveyed the room and turned around to smile at her. "I think I could live here." Nick replied and she chuckled. "Seriously, I'm moving in here." Nick joked and walked towards her. She smiled and ducked her head.
"Why thank you…but I don't think Mama Stokes would be too happy with that." She smiled. "Oh, come on. I have something I wanna show you." She took him by the hand and Nick smiled slightly, but shook his head while trying to shake the butterflies out of his stomach. She led him through her room and out the sliding door.
They walked around the patio towards the lake. She still had a hold of his hand and she pulled him towards the docks. "Where are you taking me?"
She giggled, "Just come on."
"Anna-I-don't-know-your-full-name-Delmarco, where are we going?"
She chuckled, "And you're never gonna know it." She led him under the docks and continued to walk. He could see a small cavern built in the small sand hill under the dock. She smiled and led him under there. "This is it."
"Wow. It's so cute."
She swatted his arm. "It's not cute. Cute is what you say about a puppy, or Regan's new dress, or…"
"Or if a girl asks how her ass looks in a dress and you tell her cute." Nick finished and Anna stopped and turned around.
"I'll remember that." She joked and crouched down to fit in the small cave. "I thought this is where Regan took you."
"No…she took me to a dirt pile."
Anna laughed hysterically. "You actually thought that was 'The Fortress'? No way. She does that to nubes to the group."
"Nube?"
"A new person or member to a game, group, club or organization." Regan recited coming from within the fortress. Anna smiled and bowed.
"My Princess." Anna replied in an elegant voice.
Regan bowed in return. "My Queen." Regan extended her hand and Anna took it. They crawled through the small tunnel and finally stood up once the reached the center area. It was a good-sized circular room with tall walls and an ample area to inhabit. It had beat-up lawn chairs, a small stool, flashlights, a cooler, paper cups, crackers, pretzels, apples, oranges, tangerines, and cookies. There were umbrellas, a small table, pillows, blankets, and a couple games.
Nick stood up and looked around. "Whoa."
"Who should he be?" Regan whispered to Anna. Anna smiled and Nick looked at them confused.
"Huh?"
"Well, in 'The Fortress', we have assumed identities. We never call each other by our actual names. And every day there is a new adventure." Anna explained.
"So…what's your name?" Nick asked Anna.
"Nope." Regan answered.
"Okay, it's nice but kinda negative don't ya think?" He drawled and Regan rolled her eyes. Anna chuckled.
"No. She means you can't know our identities until you're initiated. You have to be an honorary member." Anna replied and Nick nodded.
"Okay…how do I get initiated?"
"You have to complete four tasks." Regan began. "Once you complete them, you are considered for membership. But the Queen has the final vote."
Anna waved. "That would be me, so you better be nice. As in, when I ask if my ass looks fat in a dress-"
"I say it looks cute." Nick replied. "Got it." Nick nodded. "So what is the initiation procedure?"
Anna smiled deviously, "Well…"
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Delmarco Residence
Guest Room- Nick
7:13 p.m.
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"I cannot believe ya'll made me do that!" Nick exclaimed walking into the guest room and plopping down on the bed. Anna followed him in laughing.
"I can't believe you actually did it!" Anna exclaimed and leaned against the dresser. He was soaking wet, covered in sand, and exhausted.
"I'm in so much pain."
"You're such an idiot." She chuckled and shook her head.
"They were your initiations!" Nick deafened. She laughed and sat down on the bed next to him. The bed swayed under her weight and created waves. "I like this bed."
Anna ignored the comment and returned to the conversation. "You didn't have to do the initiations."
"But I want to be part of the club. I don't like being a nube."
Anna laughed. "Sorry to say it but even if you do get in the club you'll be a nube for a while."
Nick moaned and she laughed. "I think you just like to torture me."
"Oh no, you're on to me." She joked and laid back. Nick shook his head.
"You're evil."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are…I had to belly flop off the dock twenty times."
"You should be thanking me. Regan wanted to make it fifty."
Nick moaned. "She's an evil genius. Whew, belly floppin off the dock twenty times; I think I would have lost my boys."
"What?" She looked over at him confused.
Nick chuckled. "Ya know…my boys…"
"Um, I have no idea what you're talkin about."
Nick sighed. "General Nick and the army." Anna rolled over laughing hysterically while Nick blushed. "I regret saying anything."
"Oh God, General Nick!" She laughed. "That's funny."
Nick sighed, "So do I get to be part of the club?"
Anna smiled and thought. "Hmm…I'll have to think about it." She joked and Nick moaned. Anna laughed as Regan walked in.
The two adults looked up at her. "Can we watch a movie?" She asked and Anna nodded.
"You didn't finish Toy Story 2 last night, wanna finish it tonight?"
Regan shook her head. "I want to go to the movies."
Anna sighed. "Raggs, I've been active all day. Why can't we watch a movie here? We've got a thousand."
"Please Anna." She begged. "I really wanna see a movie."
Anna sighed and nodded. "Nick and his parents get to decide. They're the guests."
Regan looked at Nick with pleading eyes. "I don't mind going. If you don't want to take her I can."
"No, it's fine. But only if your parents want to go. I'm not leaving them here."
Nick nodded and stood up. He helped Anna off the bed and the three walked towards the second guest room. Nick knocked on the door and waited for his mother's voice. Suddenly the door opened and Jillian stood in the doorway after freshening up a bit. Nick smiled at her and gestured to Anna and Regan behind him. "Hey mom, we were all thinkin about going to the movies. Are you and Dad up for it?"
"Um…" she looked behind herself, "How long do you think it'll be before we leave?" She drawled.
"Probably an hour or so. Nick and I still have to take our shower." Anna explained and Nick, Regan, Jillian, and Bill all looked at her in shock. She realized what she had said and blushed deep red. She ducked her head and mentally slapped herself. "I-I uh…I m-mean, we need to take separate, different, totally opposite showers."
"Not in the same room or…or-or at the s-s-same time." Nick fumbled trying to help relieve the tension of the situation. Regan drug an embarrassed hand over her face. They were two fumbling idiots…and they couldn't have been more adorable.
"You know, I'm not even going to take a shower." Anna replied smiling nervously.
Nick nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Me neither. No shower."
"No."
"Not at all." They reassured and Jillian still stood there, her mouth hanging open. Bill cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"Well…" He coughed uncomfortably. "That was…okay, yes. Yes, we would love to go to the movies…" He took his wife by the shoulders and led her back into the room.
The awkwardness returned as they all stood there in silence. Regan looked around at the two adults and sighed. "I'm going to take a bath." she replied and turned and walked out of the room. Anna watched her go and thankfully escaped to attend to the little girl. Regan passed the bathroom and went straight to her room. She shut the door in Anna's face just before she made it into the room. Anna closed her eyes and sighed. She hung her head for a moment, knowing she had embarrassed the little girl. She picked her head up and knocked on the door.
"Raggs…can I come in?"
There was no answer. Ann opened the door and poked her head into the room. Regan was sitting on her bed reading one of her books. "I didn't say you could come in." Regan replied coolly, not looking up from her book.
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Geez, you don't have to be a wanker about it. What are you PMS'n?" Anna joked dryly and Regan rolled her eyes. "Wow, the brains and attitude of a teenager…lucky me." She strolled into the room and shut the door. Anna sat down on the bed next to Regan.
Regan looked up at Anna was accusing eyes. "You two are making it unbearable to be in the same room together."
"What?" Anna asked confused and Regan sighed aggravated. She stood up and put her book on her bookshelf in its rightful place.
"You and Nick. There is so much sexual tension between the two of you I couldn't cut it with a butcher's knife."
"Hey, you're seven. You aren't allowed to know about sexual tension."
Regan sighed and rolled her eyes, "I learned all about sexual tension from one of my library books." She turned around to face Anna.
"That's it; I want your library card back."
"Anna…" Regan walked back to the bed and sat down. She grabbed her lady bug pillow and hugged it to her chest.
"Okay, okay…I know what you mean. But it's not easy Raggs. If you know so much about sexual tension then you know it's hard to relieve."
"I know how, how about you and Nick get together?"
Anna sighed frustrated, "Why are you so Hell-bent on getting us together? Seriously Raggs, I know you're trying to help honey, but each time you try to push us together you're pushing us farther apart and making the tension you hate so much grow."
Regan sighed, "You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."
"And the wonderful person who said that would be…"
"Albert Camus."
"Oh, of course." Anna replied sarcastically. "But he's right. Quit trying to force this to happen…if it's meant to be, then it'll happen on its own. Okay?"
Regan nodded and Anna smiled while rubbing Regan's back soothingly. "Okay."
"Come one, hug it out." Anna gestured for Regan to give her a hug. The little girl crawled onto her lap and gave her a warm hug.
"I love you Anna."
"I love you too kiddo." She kissed the side of her head. Regan smiled and held her tighter. Anna hugged her back. And there was no where in the world she'd rather be.
A/N: So, I made this chappy longer and I put a little more detail in. I hope ya'll enjoy it and yeah, I know, Nick's mother's a bitch. Te he. But it's funny. I'll try to update ASAP. R&R!
Chella
