DISCLAIMER:Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it.

RATING: T – Teen (language and adult issues)

PAIRINGS: GSR & Yo!Bling pre-established in previous fics of this timeline.

SPOILERS: Sequel to "Displacement" and "Transitions"

SUMMARY: Everything is changing around Nick Stokes. Can he deal with it, and how it will affect him in the end?

A/N: Good grief! I think I buried the needle on the Fluff-o-Meter with this chapter. But I have been assured it is still believeable. Hopefully you enjoy reading it as much as I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. And though I knew this was going to be a Nick-centric story, I just can't part with my beloved GSR, so this is the result.

REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

Chapter 19

19:30 – 2006.12.08

Grissom/Sidle Home

Consciousness was battering around inside his brain as he fought to stay asleep, but eventually Gil knew it was of no use when his bladder also started making its intentions known. As he painfully extricated himself from the soft and warm bed he noticed that there was not even a flicker of light coming through the window, which meant he at least got a decent amount of sleep for a change.

His mind was only vaguely aware of the actions of his body as he made his way into the bathroom without switching on a single light. Movement coming from pure instinct, he made it through the motions and quickly dispensed with his most pressing physical needs.

Not even bothering to put on his robe and slippers, he shuffled out toward the kitchen in his pajamas and bare feet. The moment his feet came into contact with the cool, stone tile floor, Gil realized his error and had to fight the shiver running up his legs and into his back. That shiver managed to shake loose a yawn which overtook him, and he had to rub his face with one hand to make the tingles go away.

That yawn brought him fully into the land of the living, and that was when he heard a soft, melancholy, acoustic melody wafting into the hallway from the living room. He stopped to try and identify it by the music, but then his ears picked up a wavering voice delivering the tender lyrics.

Words are flying out like
endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy
are drifting through my open mind
Possessing and caressing me.

A sleepy smile played over his face as he listened to the Beatles sing the chorus. He smiled, because he had not wanted to get the "Let It Be… Naked" album, for fear it would tarnish his beloved memories of their music. But, as was often the case, Sara had led the way and purchased it for his last birthday, promising him that he would not regret it. And as was also a frequent occurrence, she was right. The stripped down tracks, straight from the recording studio had revealed a much different album, and though he may not have appreciated it in his youth, it was fast becoming his favorite now.

The words were so much crisper in this alternate version, and he also enjoyed the fact that he could share this music with Sara. She had remarked that she bought it for him, but it was also to replace the disk she had worn out in her car from overuse and the Nevada heat.

When the next verse began, his smile widened as he realized how true those words were to his life at that moment.

Sounds of laughter, shades of life
are ringing through my open ears
exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe.

Making his way to the couch, he found Sara engrossed in a journal and softly murmuring the words of the song to herself, lit only by a single lamp. She was leaning her back against the arm of the couch with her knees drawn up to her chest as she read, and she was completely oblivious to his entrance. Or so he thought.

As he leaned down over her head to lay a kiss there, she looked up and smiled. Completely taken over in the moment, he kissed those smiling lips through their combined smiles.

"Mmmmm…" She wriggled up her nose a bit and added, "Morning breath."

In another life, he might have taken offense to her comment, but in this one he knew she was just giving him grief. She dropped her feet to the floor as she turned to look at him. "And still in your pajamas?"

"Yes," he turned and trudged into the kitchen for his coffee. "There is an order that must be maintained."

She giggled at his comment, and the way he moved across the cold floor in his bare feet. "And that order would be?"

"Bathroom, Sara, coffee," he poured the cup of waiting coffee and started his way back to the couch with the cup to his lips as he tried to bring on the day. He sat down beside her, putting an arm over her shoulders and then continued, "Sara, food, Sara, shower, and…"

"So, that makes me the intermission attraction in this routine?" She cocked her eyebrow as she snuggled into his shoulder.

"No, you're pretty much the attraction all the time… But the human body cannot live on Sara alone." She lifted her face to his and gave him a stronger kiss than their first one of the day. When she finally pulled away, his face morphed into a devilish glint. "But I might be convinced to test that theory." He was rewarded with her salacious grin.

"I take it you slept well?"

"Almost didn't want to wake up, but…" He held her to his side a little tighter and said, "it was a little chilly in there."

"Wait a minute, you were the one battling me over turning the thermost-" She was stopped in her tirade by the look on his face telling her he was not referring to the temperature of the room, so much as the temperature of their bed. "Oh." She blushed furiously and he felt a warmth spreading through his chest. It delighted him that he could still cause the blush to rise in her cheeks with only his words and looks. "Well, you haven't been sleeping well all week, so I thought I would let you sleep today."

"Which I appreciate, but we have so much left to do before tomorrow that you should've gotten me up before now."

She shrugged him off and reached out for the forensics journal on the coffee table and then leaned her back into his side to continue reading. "I already did the shopping."

"What?" He was shocked at her initiative, but he also wondered just how late she had let him sleep. Squinting at the clock on the VCR and seeing that it was half past seven, he was relieved to know he had not slept the entire day away, but that raised another question. "How long have you been awake?"

She glanced at her watch and shrugged again, "Since two… I had an appointment this afternoon and I did the shopping when I got done. Picked up your package from the post office, put the groceries away and then I went to the gym with Warrick. Got back here a little before six, took a shower, fixed something to eat and then parked it on the couch until you showed up."

The warmth that had started to spread through his chest grew as he listened to her recount the events of her day. He never imagined that domesticity would agree with him in such a way, but that was just one of the many beautiful things he came to love about his life with Sara. He took another sip from his coffee, when a thought entered his mind. "Package?"

She chuckled at the boyish tone of his voice with this question. "Yeah, from Amazon, so I hope they finally got you your latest werewolf DJ book, so you'll stop whining about it."

"Hey! I ordered it a month ago, and it still hadn't gotten here and I've been dying to know what happens next." Before he realized it, he was sitting on the couch with a ridiculous pout on his face and Sara was laughing at him.

He put the coffee cup down on the table and got up from the couch in a flurry, dropping Sara onto her back with a THWUMP. "Hey!"

He quickly shuffled over to the breakfast bar, but he did not see the package and he turned to her. "Where is it?"

She was belly laughing by that point and he walked quickly back to the couch, nearly stubbing his toes on the coffee table as he launched at her. "Where is it?" His hands were tickling at her sides and she was thrashing around atop the couch, giggling madly and gasping for air.

"Gil, stop, please HAHAHAHAHAHA, no stop, HEHEHEHEHE, oh god stop! HAHAHAHA I GIVE! UNCLE!" He stood up from the couch and looked down to see she was completely flushed from the tickle torture, her breathing coming in heaving gasps. When she started to calm down and had still not given him the location of the package, he brought his hands up in a menacing gesture. "Nonononono… It's right here." He watched as she retrieved a small, wrapped rectangle from between the cushions of the couch.

She yelped as he snatched it from her grasp and then ripped through the wrapping before dropping back onto the couch. Seeing the book, he knew it was the one he had been waiting on, but ever the detective he wondered how it had gotten wrapped, since he surely had not ordered it gift wrapped for himself. "Sara?"

"Look inside." She smiled in that way that always made him feel like a melted puddle of goo, and he turned to the first page of the book; nothing. "Keep going." He turned the next one and found the title page, but this time he noticed some writing just above the author's name. When he looked over at her again, she was holding his glasses in her hand. "Go ahead… Read it."

He put the glasses on and looked down upon the title page. Hand written above the author's name was the following inscription:

Gil-

You must be a big fan to have someone

go to so much trouble to get my signature.

Enjoy it in good health!

Her signature followed the inscription and he nearly ruined the whole thing when a tear fell down his cheek onto the page. Fortunately it landed below the signature and he was able to dab it up. When he looked up at her, she placed her hand on his cheek and smiled. "I hope you aren't mad… But I cancelled that order on Amazon."

"I don't u…"

"When I was talking to Thomas about trying to find out if there were any signings, he called a friend from college. Turns out he works at that publisher's office, and he called in a couple favors to get her to sign it." He drew her up into his embrace, and after a while, she managed to choke out. "I guess this means I'm forgiven for canceling the order?"

Pulling back, he nodded his head and said, "Something like that."

"Oh, and Stephanie says 'thanks a lot' for getting her hooked on 'em now, too."

He laughed at the thought of Stephanie reading anything about werewolves, since the girl had long held an unnatural fear of canines almost since birth. "Now, THAT is funny."

"Yeah, Thomas said it was pretty ironic, what with her not even able to be in the same room with a tea cup poodle." He could feel her chuckling into his neck as she nuzzled in his embrace. Resting his chin on top of her head, he was not ready for her sudden jerk away from him. "So, if the aforementioned schedule holds true to form, then you are in need of some food?"

Taken aback by the speed of her actions, it took him a moment to respond. "Ah, yeah… Yes, that would be the next thing on the list."

She jumped up from the couch and started towards the kitchen. "So, what are you in the mood for?"

"Oh, well… I'm not sure I really want any-" His mouth stopped working the moment he looked up to find her standing at the edge of the kitchen holding a very familiar white box and a delightful smile playing across her face. "Well, now that you mention it… I could go for one of those muffins."

"More coffee?" The look on her face told him this was going to be a very good day off.

"Yes, please."

When she reached the couch she had the carafe of coffee and the box of muffins from their favorite European bakery. After she set them down on the coffee table, she had her back to him and he was unable to resist the temptation it offered. Pulling her back onto the couch and into his arms, she yelped in surprise, but it was quickly stifled by his passion filled kiss.

"Mmmm… According to the list, food was supposed to come before that." Her smile beamed up at him and he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. Sara was the only woman ever able to cause that particular reaction in him and he loved her all the more for it.

"Yes, well, I'm trying not to be so stuffy… Someone told me I had too many routines." He winked at her and she laughed at his playful expression.

They settled in for a pleasant breakfast, as they leaned into each other and read from their respective materials. It was one of those quiet moments that they both appeared to enjoy whenever they could. Sara would lean her back into his side, usually with her knees drawn up to her chest, sideways on the couch as she read. He had been surprised by what a voracious reader she was, going through one or two books a week, in addition to at least a dozen different professional journals and three newspapers. It seemed that she was determined to never be behind the curve when it came to current events or her field.

However, there were two things that shocked him about her reading materials. One was the fact that she had never stopped her interest in theoretical physics, as she routinely corresponded with her old professor at Berkeley about a series of equations he was still working on. Of course, he also remembered the day he thought he would stump her giving her a mathematical problem involving the melting time of a pile ice shaved from a hockey rink. When she worked the entire thing out, in her head, as they were standing in front of the pile, shocked silence was all he could offer.

The other item he found intriguing was her wealth of knowledge when it came to the realm of prose. She seemed to know many of the French poets he had long admired, and gave him the names of a few others. She knew all the classics and showed him the world of the American Romantic Poets, but especially Edna St. Vincent Millay. He had, of course, come across some of her work in the past, but when she took down the woman's biography from her bookshelf, he was shown the vast and decadent world of the arts in the United States during the twenties and thirties and the one woman who seemed to always be in the center of that world. When he began to read her poetry again, it held new meanings for him and became unbelievably powerful. It was just one of the many wonders they had shared with one another during the course of their relationship.

With the muffins eaten, and after he drained the last of the coffee from the carafe, his mind began to drift to their week. Normally, they would spend their last waking moments at the start of their weekend decompressing from the week, but he was late getting home because of his meeting and Sara had been through a very long week, so she simply fell asleep the moment she got home. Unconsciously, as he thought about the week, he heaved a deep sigh.

Sara closed up the journal she was reading and tossed it onto to the coffee table. When she scooted down the couch and threw her legs over the arm, he looked down to find her head lying in his lap and lips pursing into that quirky smile of hers. He gave her a sideways grin and set his book down on the couch. "Yes?"

"Don't give me that… You're the one who gave the 'let's talk' signal." Her quirky smiled moved straight into a smirk as Gil bowed his head at her observation.

"Am I really that transparent?"

"Only for someone that can see through you… So, what would you like to talk about?" He smiled that time, and laid his left arm over her midsection as his right hand involuntarily moved to stroke her hair.

"Well, I had that meeting yesterday…"

"And?"

"They caved on every single item." He delighted in seeing the surprised look on her face with his statement.

"Even the ownership stuff?"

He tilted his head to the side and shrugged, "Essentially… Though he did say he would have to convince the board of trustees on that point, but he was very positive it could be done." He smiled to himself with the memory of his meeting.

"Wow! So, we wouldn't have to keep all your critters at the house after all?"

He chuffed at her conclusion, "Is that all you care about?"

"No, of course not." She took his hand into hers and held it up as she laced her thin fingers through his meaty ones. It looked as though she was comparing the differences in them, turning his hand over to see it from all angles. "I was just hoping to keep work and home from being the same place, ya know." She looked up at him with a smirk, "I kinda like having you all to myself when we're at home."

He could not help smiling back at her, and then pulled his hand up to take hers to his lips. "Then I guess it's settled… If they agree to all the terms, then we take it?"

Sara quickly sat up and whirled around to face him as she asked, "Since when do I get to make those kinds of decisions?"

He laughed at her shock and reached out for her left hand, bringing it to his lips once again. "Since you put that on." He watched as the blush rose up on her face with his suggestion.

"Well then, in this case… I'm going to defer to your judgment."

He gave her the raise of his eyebrow as he said, "That would be setting a dangerous precedent."

She leaned forward and then ducked to the side of his face, saying, "Oh yeah," before sucking his earlobe into her mouth for a moment.

The sensation was enough to make him realize he was in a lot of trouble in the future.

"Huh?" He was rewarded with her giggle in the same ear and then she pulled away with a smile on her face.

She got up off the couch and took the breakfast items off of the coffee table, walking toward the kitchen, she called over her shoulder, "So, what all did they offer you?"

"Writing the graduate program curriculum, associate selection, office, fully funded laboratory, and lots of little minions to do my bidding… Pretty much the brass ring." He realized he was actually pleased with himself over the whole situation. He was about to be an accredited fellow of the Jeffersonian, a tenured academic and a pure scientist. It was like heaven on earth for a man like he used to be. And the man he had become was happy he could continue his work and still stay close to his family. It truly was the best of both worlds.

Hearing the water running in the kitchen snapped him out of his musings and he chuckled as he looked at his watch. "I think that has to be a record or something."

She called out from the kitchen, "What?"

"You made it almost a whole hour before you had to put those dishes in the dishwasher."

When she spun around to glare at him from the kitchen, he knew he had gotten her. "Hush you."

He got to his feet, looked down, and realized he was still in his pajamas. "Shaking his head he thought, What would my mother say? That thought reminded him of something. "I forgot to tell you… I talked to my mother this morning, and she is not going to be here for two weeks, like she planned."

"Why not?"

He walked towards the kitchen to stop the hollering through the expansive room. "She had forgotten about a gallery show she arranged for this month, and so she won't be here until Christmas Eve."

"That sucks… I was hoping she could look at a few of those neighborhoods we were thinking about." He moved even closer, as he stood directly behind her at the counter. "Since we won't have all the creepy crawlies around, we might actually be able to convince her to stay with us in the near future." She rocked her hips and bumped into him with her backside to tease him a little further.

"I still don't understand that one… I had them all when I was a boy and she never said a word." Gil moved to the side as she nudged him out of the way while she wiped down the sink and counters.

"I'm sure there was more to it, Gil… I mean, it was probably quieter at Steph and Thomas' place."

His face turned into a question as he looked for the answer to that comment, "I don't understand how that could be tr-" He stopped when he saw the raised eyebrow on her face and then it suddenly dawned on him. "Oh… Right, quieter." His cheeks felt warm and he had to look down at the floor, which was when he remembered he was not only in his pajamas, but he his feet were bare. In response to being seen, his toes wiggled up into the air to greet him.

"So, how was your week?"

Sara shrugged and let out a sigh as she answered, "For me? It wasn't so bad, but I'm a little worried about Nicky."

"Yeah, I got the distinct impression he had not smoothed things over with Dr. Desmaiseaux when I saw her this morning."

"I didn't know you were meeting with her, too." Sara continued her tidying up as she spoke.

"Yeah, she's about to publish a report that I've been keen on getting a look at, and she was kind enough to offer me a preview and a glimpse of her source data." He scooted up to the top of the counter when she came at his feet with the Swiffer. "It's fairly compelling stuff, in terms of its consequences to the field of entomology and anthropology. My colleague in D.C. told me about the work when I asked her about the good doctor."

"Did she say anything about the scene with Nick?"

"No… In fact, there was a conspicuous lack of even mentioning his presence, even when she commented about you. Which, by the way, she was very impressed with you, my dear." His smirk told her that he felt a certain amount of pride in that knowledge.

"Well, I am an impressive woman." There was a dangerous glint in her eyes as she spoke.

"No arguments here." He winked at her and she went back to cleaning the floor. "Anyway, she was going to take your report out to the site this weekend and go over it to see if she could shed some light on your primary."

"Oh good… I forgot to even ask Nick what she said when he went back out there. I got so wrapped up in the maps and video last night." Sara was removing the cleaning pad from the floor mop as she spoke.

"Well, hopefully she'll have something for you on Monday." Gil leaned back against the cabinet and thought about what he still had to do that week. "And since neither of us has brought it up yet… What do we have left to do for tomorrow?"

"Well, I've already cleaned up, Thomas and Carter are bringing over the table thing and the chairs, and I did the shopping this afternoon…" She looked around to see if it would give her any clues about any additional cleaning there, but she found none. "So, other than getting up early and cooking, the only thing left is to drop the bombs and hope to hell the nuclear winter doesn't take too long… Oh! And you need to go get the dry cleaning… I didn't get to that today."

He laughed and shook his head at the jumble of details she had offered up to him. "So, you left me the easy stuff?"

"Hey, I've already had to traipse around the desert and break it to Nick that he's a sexist and a bimbo junkie, I think the least you can do is handle the rest." She sank back into the door of the fridge with her last statement.

"Well, it was about time someone did." Sara shrugged at his offhand comment. "I just can't believe no one has really called him on it before."

"Steph, but that's just how she is, I guess."

"True, but he still managed to charm his way out of that one, mostly." Gil shook his head in disgust. "I suppose I can't really fault him, it was the way he was brought up, and he doesn't do anything overtly sexist with malice, but I can see where someone like Dr. Desmaiseaux would bristle at his behaviors. And though he has come a long way, he still has some work to do if he's going to get away from his past."

The smirk on Sara's face as she shook her head intrigued him. "What's that about?"

"Oh nothing… I was just thinking, how bizarre it is that we both think so much of Nick, even with his faults."

"It is the mark of true friendship… Otherwise, you'd have given up on me a long time ago." The corners of her mouth turned up at his remark and he had to look down at his dangling, bare feet to break the trance. "So…" He hopped down from the counter, "Since I have to get the dry cleaning, I suppose I should put on something other than pajamas, and perhaps take a shower."

"That might be a good idea."

As he was about to pass her on his way out of the kitchen, he leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. Walking away, he glanced at the calendar on the side of the fridge and noted the date which reminded him of something. "Do you need me to pick up your prescription when I grab the dry cleaning?"

Sara had already moved on to tidying the dining room when she asked, "What prescription?"

He stopped his path down the hall and turned to respond, "Well, the drugstore is right next to the cleaners and since Sunday will be the tenth, don't you need your monthly refill."

Sara regarded him with scrunched up eyebrows. "I'm lost. I don't have a prescription due."

"Sara… Your birth control?" He was a little agitated that she had somehow forgotten.

"OH!" She had a funny look on her face, and then screwed up her smile when she said, "I thought I told you… I had an appointment this afternoon."

He felt slightly embarrassed by her answer, knowing that he had obviously not been paying enough attention to her when he woke up. "I'm sorry… So, you have something else? Did you tell me you were switching?"

She reached for a small bag that had been sitting on top of the refrigerator and placed it behind her back as she sauntered over to him with a salacious expression over her face. "Well, actually, I think you were the one who's been suggesting the change."

"Okay, now I am confused, because I honestly do not recall-" He stopped talking when she reached him at the entrance to the hallway, and raised her eyebrow as she brought the paper bag to the front to hand it to him.

He held it a moment, almost afraid to look inside, but he had no idea why. She smiled and said, "Though, I may have to go back to the store, since your mother isn't going to be here as long." That comment sent his curiosity soaring well over his apprehension and he opened the bag to view the contents.

Not being able to believe his eyes, he blinked twice, and then looked back up into Sara's waiting gaze. She tipped her head down to peer inside the bag and then looked back into his eyes. Gil shook his head and asked, "I don't understand… Are you okay?"

She smiled brightly and it looked like she was trying to stifle a giggle. "Oh yeah, perfectly fine: head to toe." When his face began to wrinkle up with his lack of understanding she finally burst with a laugh. "Oh, don't worry so much, the doctor said we only have to do that for a month or so, until all the other stuff works its way out of my system."

He reached into the bag and pulled out one of the boxes of condoms and said, "So, why these?"

Sara gave him a look of obviously mock surprise and said, "Oh, I'm sorry… I thought you were the one who wanted to start this thing… But if you've changed your mind, I can just stay on the pill and we'll forget all about kids." Sara grabbed the bag away from him with a devilish grin on her face and turned away from him as she pretended to walk away.

His mind exploded with understanding in that instant and he grabbed for her and the bag, at the same time. "Oh, no you don't!" He had her wrapped into his arms as she was laughing and smiling so brightly he thought there was a sun in his grasp. Turning her around, he was so overcome with joy he was incapable of speech in that moment. This was just the thing that was going to make the next day worth it all. His future was now as bright as the smile he was attempting to kiss off her face, and he knew his routine was completely shot for the day as they staggered back to the bedroom.