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: This is only a preview... Next chapter: Meet the Stokes!

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 37
13:15 – 2006.12.17
Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport: Baggage Claim

Under normal circumstances, Nick would never be found at Baggage Claim, but it was Christmas and he had a big family, so there was just too much to make it into his carry-on luggage. As he watched each of the bags fall onto the carousel, he hoped that everything made it to Dallas safely. He had packed the delicate stuff in his carry-on with his clothes, in the hopes that it would make the trip successfully. Nick already checked out everything as soon as he made it into the terminal and was relieved to see everything intact.

Nick watched the other bags slide along in front of him and then found himself in the throes of a huge yawn. As soon as the yawn began to subside, his eyes opened and he had to reach for his bag quickly before it got away from him. And as he pulled the bag from the carousel he straightened back up to find a thin, exceptionally well-dressed, bottle blonde, with just a touch too much makeup standing in front of him with a too-big smile plastered on her face.

"I jes cain't believe yer here, Nicky!" The woman practically gushed over him as he shyly smiled back at his sister-in-law. She turned and hollered over her shoulder, "Daniel! He's over here, Daniel!"

Nick turned to see his older brother walking up to them. "I think I figured that out, Louise. Even without you hollerin' like a banshee." The woman had her hands on Nick's arm, holding him tightly in her grasp. "And if ya don't leave go of his arm, yer likely to bruise him before we even get him home."

As the woman let go of his arm, Nick reached out to shake his brother's hand. "Dan… Been a while." Their greeting was formal and not entirely comfortable. "I don't remember there bein' so much gray in your hair last time."

His brother shrugged off the comment with his own, "Yeah, well, I didn't have a daughter in college last time you were home." His wife leaned against Daniel with his words and hung on his arm that time.

Nick laughed at his brother's joke, but then he caught sight of his last bag making its way around the carousel and made a grab for it, before it was out of reach. Upon bringing it to rest beside the others, his brother looked down at the carry-on luggage and the other bags and shook his head. "Good gravy, boy… When did you start packin' like a woman?" That comment earned him a light slap on the upper arm from his wife.

"Yeah, well you try shoppin' for a family this size and get it all in your carry-on." Daniel grabbed a luggage cart and started putting the bags on it as Nick followed suit.

"Easy, my boy… That's why God invented gift cards."

"Always the sentimental fool, Dan." Nick smirked as they started to move toward the parking area. "So, any earth shatterin' drama I need to worry about this time around?"

Nick watched as the two gave each other a pained look, but his sister-in-law quickly gave him the family line. "Oh you know how it is around here, Nicky." With that statement he knew that there was obviously something going on, but no one was talking about it because of the holiday. Some things never changed in the Stokes clan.

When they reached his brother's Suburban, Nick noticed that he had parked in the restricted area. "So, abusing your authority again, Dan?"

His brother opened the back of the Suburban and started loading the bags inside when he said, "Hey, if you gotta work ridiculous hours away from your family and put up with the underbelly of society on a daily basis, then my Marshal's badge should get me better parking."

Nick laughed as he handed his brother the last bag and said, "Sorry, man… But every time I think of you as a Marshal, I picture some guy in short pants on a kiddie show… Marshal Dan the Cartoon Man."

"Keep it up, Geek Boy, and you'll be walkin' to the ranch." Nick held up his hands in defeat and then his brother added, "And that's Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal to you, little Mr. Criminalist."

They closed up the back of the SUV and started to walk toward the front of the vehicle. When Nick reached up to take the door to the back seat, his sister-in-law stopped him. "Nicky, you just go on ahead and sit up front with Daniel. I wanted to make some phone calls, and I don't wanna interrupt you boys and yer little talk."

Nick went ahead and took the front seat, though there was little talking done between him and his brother on the way to the ranch. Nick realized that once the standard hard time had been given, and the ranking of the Cowboys had been discussed, there really was nothing else he and his brother had in common any longer. And worse yet, he had absolutely nothing to say to his ultra-conservative and incredibly old-fashioned sister-in-law.

It always amazed him that she was the woman his brother had chosen to marry, and even more surprising was that they had stayed together all those years. To Nick, she represented everything he despised about Texas society, from the over-done appearance to the fact that she was certain to never make a wrong move in public. Nick's sister Connie once told him that Louise probably consulted the Junior League of Dallas Conduct Guide before she had a bowel movement. Nick did his best to hide the smirk on his face as he continued to listen to Louise talking to different people on the phone. He was just very glad they would not be at his parent's place for his whole visit. Nick was certain that if he had to listen to her ramble on and on about the annual Fire and Ice Ball planning, which woman was using the same recipe from last year's cookbook, or who caught who wearing the same dress at more than one meeting for a week and a half, he was going to pluck his own ears out to get away from it.