Me and My Gang Chapter 41, a csi fanfic

I don't own any Rascal Flatts songs, nor do I represent them. I also don't own Nick...BUT EVERYTHING ELSE IS MINE!!!!!!! Tee Hee...I love saying that.

Chapter 41

(Turner Residence—4:16 p.m.)

The boys were just now coming in after having finished their game of football, Ryan's team having been the triumphant one. They had played a good game, and Russell's team put up one hell of a fight, but in the end, it just wasn't enough to take out Larry's 'refrigerator techniques'. The men all filed into the house, several of them saying their goodbyes to go back to their homes or hotels to shower and change their clothes. Russell, Ryan, Logan, Tom, and Nick all went to the kitchen to grab a few bottles of water to hydrate themselves and laugh at whatever obscene joke Logan was telling.

"So the fat guy at the bar yells, 'Hey! That was what yo mama said last night!'" Logan informed them animatedly, making them double over in laughter. Nick put his hand on his knee to support himself. He shook his head as he slowly came back to an upright position and gripped his bruised side.

"Alright, enough with the 'yo mama' jokes, ya'll 'er makin my bruises hurt." Nick drawled and Russell smiled and shook his head.

"Oh yeah lil' bro, you got Daddy's sense of humor." Russell informed Logan while giving him a nuggie, (the typical man's way of showing another man affection in a manly manner). This consisted of putting the person in a head lock while rubbing your knuckles profusely against the person's skull until thy cried for mercy or twisted out of your grip.

"Hey, speaking of Dad's sense of humor...Bryn..." Ryan said matter of factly. Everyone leaned over onto one leg to look around the wall of the kitchen that led to the dinning room, then around that to the spacious living room.

"...Are the two of you okay?" Tom asked curiously and Nick furred his brows.

"Whadya mean?"

"That little scene out there earlier..." Logan filled him in.

"Yeah, what about it?" Nick asked confused.

"What was that? Is that normal for the two of y'all?"

"Oh yeah...those were one of the more civil bickers. We get into those daily, if not more than that..." Nick informed them and they nodded while chugging back their waters. "It's nothin." Nick assured them and Russell gave a familiar crooked smile and chuckled.

"Shoulda known...Bryn's one to drive a man up the wall and back down again..."

"I heard that." Logan agreed and clinked the bottom of his water bottle against Russell's. Nick merely smirked and began to drink his water, knowing full well what they were talking about.

"So y'all bicker a lot?" Tom asked, getting into his marriage consular role, and Nick nodded.

"Yeah...she sure knows how to bring the spit-fire outta a man I'll tell ya that." Nick drawled and they all laughed in agreement.

"Do you think that's normal?" Tom asked and Nick thought about it and shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips.

"What's normal?"

Tom shrugged. "I guess it's whatever you define as healthy..."

"Normality is defined by your own terms." Nick summed and Tom nodded. "Then yeah, I think it's healthy...and normal...for us anyway. Compared to you and Paige...probably not."

The shuffling of feet drew the men's attention and they turned to see Riley rubbing her eyes and squinting at the light. She yawned and walked in Nick's direction. "Hey BRAT, have a nice nap?" Logan teased and she flipped him the bird (she's not much of a morning person) and walked up to Nick. She looked at him before she stepped closer to him and hooked her arms around his neck. He set his water bottle down on the counter and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, causing his sweaty shirt to press against his body, as well as hers.

"I'm all sweaty." He whispered matter-of-factly in her ear and she shrugged and nestled her head into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes. "Hey...you okay?" Nick asked and she nodded.

"I'm just sleepy." She whispered back and Nick smiled.

"So go back to sleep."

"Come take a nap with me." She asked as she pulled away to look at him.

"Eh..." Nick said and looked toward the stairs nervously.

"What?" She asked and furred her brows.

"I'm not sure that your father would appreciate that."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It's sleeping, and it's the middle of the afternoon...we wouldn't be having sex at this time of day." Nick shot her a look. "Not that he knows of..." Nick chuckled and shook his head. "Besides, there's a game on...Armageddon could come and go before that man would leave his chair."

Nick smiled and nodded. "Alright." He said after a minute. She took his hand and led him up the stairs, their absence going unnoticed by her brothers.

Less than half of the women that left on the shopping trip poured themselves through the door two hours later, tons of shopping bags on each of their arms. They were all laughing at whatever joke had been told as they all laid their bags on the floor, table, and couch in the living room. They hung their coats in the large closet or on the coat rack by the door, before venturing through the house.

"Where is everyone?" Hope asked and Logan sighed.

"They all went home a while ago..."

"Where's your father?"

"In his den."

"Larry?"

"With Dad." Ryan informed her.

"Grandpa?"

"He and Grandma are out on the deck in the back." Russell supplied.

"Bryn?"

"Asleep in her room." Tom answered.

"Nick?"

"Asleep with her..." Rickey informed her and Hope's eyes widened slightly.

"Please tell me your father is watchin a game." She begged, knowing that was the only thing that could keep him from checking up on Riley.

"He is." Ronny assured her and Hope took off towards Riley's room, praying she didn't find the two in a compromising position. She got to the end of the hall and knocked on the door and held her breath when there was no answer.

"Bryn, are you in here?" She asked and opened the door and poked her head in. She sighed in relief and fully opened the door when she saw Riley curled up on top of her sheets, still fully dressed, with Nick's arms wrapped protectively around her, him fully dressed as well. She was curled up into his side with her throw blanket draped over both of their arms to keep them warm. Nick's arm was draped around her waist and tucked underneath her to keep her from moving (because she tended to move in her sleep), while the other one was under her arms and curled over and around her shoulders. His chin was resting on top of her head, and both of them had serene looks on their faces.

Paige, Candice, Amber, and Cassandra had filed in behind Hope and were 'aww'-ing at the sleeping couple and snapping pictures. Riley moaned and shifted in her sleep, pulling Nick with her.

"Mmmm...Penguins...test tubes..." Nick mumbled and the girls snickered and whipped out their camera phones to video record the display in front of them.

"Okay...you do realize Bryn is gonna kill y'all when she wakes up, right?" Hope whispered in a soft twang. The women ignored her as they continued filming the couple. Riley sighed softly and snuggled in closer to Nick's chest and he subconsciously squeezed her tighter, causing all the women to 'awww' softly. Hope smiled and held up her hands. "Alright, let's give them some privacy..." She whispered and ushered the pregnant women out of the room.

A few minutes later Nick opened his eyes and looked around Riley's old room. The sun was beginning to set in the distance, pouring itself through the sheer white curtains with soft purple curtains rolled out of the way, casting an orangish-yellow glow throughout the room. Nick shifted slightly and picked his head up off the pillows to look at the reposed face of his sleeping girlfriend and felt a smile overcome his lips. He planted a soft kiss into her hair and sighed softly. "...I love you Bryn Riley Ann Turner...I love you." He said softly and relaxed his head back against the pillows.

A few moments later Nick quietly slipped from underneath her and knelt down next to the bed. He took a pillow and moved it back to the spot where he had been. She hugged it for a moment, but felt the difference of texture and scent, and pushed it away. Nick smiled; in a weird way it felt kind of good to know that, even in her sleep, his girl wouldn't settle for anything less than him. He stroked her hair tenderly and planted a soft kiss to her lips before standing up and draping the blanket over her and exiting the room quietly.

The smell of juicy steaks, fried potatoes, and Mama's home-made gravy made Riley's mouth salivate. She licked her lips and opened her eyes to her empty room. She looked around for Nick and figured he was probably down stairs with the rest of her family. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and swung her feet over the side of her bed while rubbing her eyes and yawning. She slowly stood and plodded towards the door of her room and opened it to reveal the empty hallway.

The scent of the food was twice as strong in the hallway, and Riley licked her lips again and smiled. She could smell the baked apples and cinnamon floating from the kitchen, and had an idea that her Mama's famous Apple Cobbler was awaiting her downstairs. She grinned like a Cheshire cat and followed the dancing scents of good ole' down home cookin' (hopefeully y'all that ain't Southern know what that means...).

The sounds of voices and laughter grew louder in her ears, and she could distinctly hear the men laughing at what sounded like an Adam Sandler comedy. Riley grinned and shook her head as she reached the ground floor and walked through the hallway into the living room. The men all laughed in unison and slapped their knees or clapped their hands as they laughed at the crude joke Adam Sandler made. They didn't seem to notice her as she walked passed them and into the dining room where she heard the women laughing and gossiping about the latest 'word' out at the market.

Riley poked her head in and slipped through, unnoticed (the joy of having a large family), and went straight for the apple cobbler with the mound of whipped cream on top that was sitting ungaurded in the kitchen. A devious smile formed on her face as she reached a finger out to dip into the cake when a deep Southern drawl sounded behind her. "Drop that whipped cream, and back away from the cobbler..."

Riley whipped around to come face to face with none other than Nick Stokes. She smiled innocently and held up the finger with whipped cream on it. "Who me...?"

Nick's entire persona screamed mock-authority and Riley grinned at him while he kept a straight face. "Yes you..."

"Couldn't be." She said in a child-like voice and shook her head.

"Now scoot!" Nick rhymed and Riley giggled.

"I won't tell if you don't." She said in a deep, seductive voice as she slowly brought her finger closer to her lips.

"Oh no, no, no. I was given strict instructions to keep you away from that there Apple Cobbler." Nick drawled and Riley shrugged as she grinned mischievously and brought her finger closer to her mouth. "Riley..." Nick warned and Riley gave a wily grin and brought her finger closer to her lips. "I'm warning you..." Nick said and Riley smiled and brought her finger towards her opened mouth, 'testing her boundaries'.

She quickly stuck her finger in her mouth and licked the whipped cream off of it and went back for more when Nick caught her arm. She giggled and tried to get back to the Cobbler but Nick laughed and pinned her hands to the counter.

"Ms. Riley Turner, you leave that Cobbler alone."

"You know you want it too..." She replied and Nick shook his head while laughing.

"Yes, but I have patience."

"Well I don't."

"I can tell." Nick joked and Riley shot him a playful angry look. "Nah...I'm only serious." Nick said as if he was going to take the comment back. Riley pursed her lips to hide her smile and tried to wiggle out of his grasp. By mere luck she did, and dove for the cobbler again. Nick grabbed her by the waist and picked her up and placed her across the kitchen, away from the cobbler. But she was too slick for him, and scurried back towards the Apple desert. Just as Riley was about to steal a piece a different drawl came from the door.

"Bryn Riley Ann Turner!" Her mother gasped as she saw her baby girl about ready to scarf down the cobbler. "Set that dessert down and move away now!" She demanded and Riley pouted and walked over to stand on the other side of Nick. "Nicholas Stokes, I thought I told you to keep her away?" Her mother accused softly and Nick gaped at her.

"I did! Well I was trying to, but she-"

"Yeah Nick, why didn't you tell me I wasn't supposed to eat the Cobbler?" Riley asked playfully and Nick gawked at her.

"I did!"

"It seems you didn't try hard enough..." Riley said in a motherly voice and Nick dove for her, causing her to squeal and try and dodge him. But he stretched out his arms and grabbed her. He chuckled as he threw her over his shoulder and slapped the back of her thigh and carried her into the living room. The men all looked up and raised their brows at this.

"Hey guys, Riley said she wants y'all to tickle her 'till she begs for mercy..." Nick fibbed and Riley gasped.

"What!?" She yelped as Nick tossed her to the men on the couch, who laughed and all began tickling her with no clemency. Nick stood back and laughed as she turned red in the face and shouted off threats to him. Two little girls came up to stand next to Nick, giggling as they whispered things to each other, then turned to look at him and giggle more and blush. Nick heard something beside him and he turned and looked down to see the girls. He smiled wide at them and knelt down.

"Hello lil' ladies..." He greeted and the fell into a fit of blushes and giggles. Nick raised a brow and smiled at them, not quite sure what was so funny. Riley heard the noise and looked up from her own fit of laughter to see her nieces blushing next to her Nick (is it just me, or does anyone else like the sound of that...'her Nick'). She grinned herself and quickly escaped from the torment of the tickle-fest upon her and went to stand next to Nick. She looked over at Kaydence and Patty (Amber and Ryan's oldest girls) and smiled.

"Hey girls..." She greeted and they quickly scurried off. Nick furred his brows and looked over at Riley. "I think my nieces have a crush on you..." She pointed to them in the corner, discussing something intently, then looking back at Nick and giggling again. "...But then of course, who can blame them?" Riley asked and Nick blushed and grinned.

"Um...thanks." Nick said awkwardly and she laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek. She smiled and nodded towards the sliding door that led to the back yard.

"You wanna go out on the deck for me. I'll be out there in a minute; I just gotta get somethin..." She drawled and Nick raised a brow but nodded and walked to the back door and closed it behind him. Riley quickly ran up the stairs and went into her room and her bag to retrieve the object she needed. She went to her window and stole a quick glance at Nick sitting on the bench, watching the wind roll off the water of the river.

Damn that man is gorgeous...

She thought to herself and felt her chest swell with emotion as she stood there a minute and watched him watch the larger birds swoop into the water, the fish jump out at random times, and the tiny birds perch themselves in the trees across the river. A gust of wind blew his hair into his eyes, and he pushed it out of his way with his hand. She closed her eyes and felt a grin spread across her face at the memory of the last time she had experienced those hands along her body...it had been not even a week before, but that was far too long in her mind. She subconsciously licked her lips and smiled wider.

She shook the random thought from her head and went back down the stairs and out the back door, the object hidden behind her back. She quietly tip toed up behind him and brought her mouth down next to his ear and whispered, "Hey you."

Nick jumped slightly and looked over at her accusingly. She smirked as Nick smiled and grabbed her to bring her to sit on the bench in front of him. She tucked one leg underneath her and let the other one dangle over the edge of the bench while she kept her back to the river and the object behind her back. "Hey yourself..." He answered.

"I have something for you..."

"Oh yeah?" Nick asked excitedly and she smiled and nodded. She handed him a present that appeared to have been wrapped by a four year old.

"Happy very belated and multiply interrupted birthday Baby." She said and Nick smiled and looked at the gift.

"Awww...baby...that's so sweet...did you have the kids wrap this?" Nick asked and Riley gaped at him and blushed embarrassedly.

"No..." She said softly and Nick's eyes widened and he suppressed a chuckle.

"Oh...well I love it."

"It really looks like a kid wrapped it?"

"No. Of course not." Nick lied. The present was, in a word: atrocious. The paper was thrown around the present and twisted at either ends and held together with LOTS of masking tape...and duck tape.

"I ran out of masking tape..." Riley explained and Nick laughed and pulled her close to kiss her.

"I love it..." Nick replied and Riley chuckled.

"Why don't you try opening it so you can love it even more...?"

Nick smiled and released her from his grasp as he tried to unwrap the present...with no luck. Riley blushed and offered her hand to help with the present. She bit into the wrapping and tore it with her teeth, then handed it to Nick so he could finish. He laughed at her unorthodox manners but unwrapped the present. He burst out laughing at the first item he found inside. "...Rocky and Bullwinkle boxers?" He asked and she smiled and nodded.

"With sexual innuendos on them..."

"What more could a guy ask for...?"

"Keep lookin." She instructed and Nick went back to the massive pile of messed up paper and found the newest Rascal Flatts CD.

"No way!"

"Yes way."

"I've been wanting this!"

"That's why I got it." Riley replied and Nick smiled and shot her a look.

"I wanna listen to it."

She laughed and nodded towards the house. "Wanna go take a spin in my truck so we can listen to it. Mama and Daddy won't be done with dinner for a little bit now, plus everyone still has to get back here."

Nick nodded and then took his presents to stow them away in the truck while Riley informed her parents of where they were going. They hopped into the truck and drove off as Nick popped the CD in and let the first song, Stand, play.

You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless like you've lost your fight
But you'll be alright, you'll be alright

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend 'til you break
Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand

Life's like a novel with the end ripped out
The edge of canyon with only one way down
Take what you're given before it's gone
And start holdin' on, keep holdin' on

Every time you get up and get back in the race
One more small piece of you starts to fall into place – yeah

Yeah, then you stand – yeah
Yeah, Baby
Woo Hoo, Woo Hoo, Woo Hoo-
Then you stand – Yeah, Yeah

Nick smiled and quickly skipped through the tracks. "I wanna listen to one song on here real quick..." Nick explained and she chuckled.

"Whatever Baby, it's your CD, do as you please."

Nick smiled and let the song, Me and My Gang, play...

Way on down to southern Alabama
With the guitars jammin' that's where we're headed
Straight up to Butte, Montana singin' Lord I was born a ramblin' man
California to Oregon
Even New York City got one or two hillbillies ready to hit the road

It's a brother and a sister kinda thang
Raise up your hands if you all wanna hang with

Me and my gang
We live to ride, we ride to live
Me and my gang
Jump on that train
Grab a hold of them reins
We gonna rock this thang, cock this thang
Me and my gang

We got hippies, gypsies, freaks, and geeks
High class women in Daisy Duke denim
Bangin' on gongs and singin' our songs
dude named Elrod jammin on an I-pod
Beer and bonfires
Wide open throttle, Coors in a bottle
It's all for one and ONE FOR ALL YA'LL
It's a brother and a sister kinda thang
Raise up your hands if you all wanna hang with

Me and my gang
We live to ride, we ride to live
Me and my gang
Jump on that train
Grab a hold of them reins
We gonna rock this thang, cock this thang
Me and my gang

Yeah! Na na na na na na na

Na na na na na

Na na na na na na na

Na na na na

It's a brother and a sister kinda thang
Raise up your hands if you all wanna hang with

Me and my gang
We live to ride, we ride to live
Me and my gang
Jump on that train
Grab a hold of them reins
We gonna rock this thang, cock this thang
Me and my gang

Yeah! Na na na na na na na

Na na na na na

Na na na na na na na

Na na na na

Na na na na na na na

Na na na na

Na na na na na na na

Yeah, me and my Gang!

Jump on that train!

Wooo!

Grab hold o' them reigns baby!

Nick laughed and let the CD continue then turned to look at Riley's bittersweet smile. "What is it Baby?" Nick asked concerned and she smiled and shrugged.

"I miss the Gang."

"Aw...Baby...you'll get to see them soon..."

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah...but not soon enough." Then she smiled and winked at him. "Raise your hands if y'all wanna hang with me and my gang!" Riley demanded and Nick threw his hands in the air.

"YEE HAW!!!"

...RAISE UP YOUR HANDS IF YOU ALL WANNA HANG WITH ME AND MY GANG!!!!!!!!

But since I can't see you, why don't y'all leave a review and let me know...

PS: does anyone get why I'm calling the book, Me and My Gang, now?

-Futuremisscsi60

PPS: Where did Porsche go? What drama will unfold at the funeral? What will the couples reaction be to the photos taken in their slumber? WILL RILEY EVER GET HER APPLE COBBLER!?!?!?!!

These and other questions will be answered in the next and final chapter of Me and My Gang...

STAY TUNED FOLKS!!!!!!!!!!