The fifth in a series of one-shots based on lines from Fall Out Boy Songs.
Author's Note: Each main character will have a chapter based on a line. I have chosen to write everything in first person…we'll see how it turns out.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing at all. I just like to pretend I do.
Spoilers: Possibly.
Pairings: Catherine & Warrick, suggested pairings Catherine & Grissom, Nick & Sara
Reviews are greatly appreciated.
Nick
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
"Daddy said, "You've gotta show the world the thunder."
'She's My Winona'
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
People become CSI's for different reasons.
Grissom didn't so much as choose this career as it chose him. It is innate in him…he was meant to investigate crime scenes.
Catherine became a CSI for two reasons: First of all, she wanted a job that would make her daughter proud of her; second, she likes the rush she gets from solving crimes…and from dangerous situations. It gives her a natural high that she lives for.
For Warrick, this job is a way put his street smarts to good use. He's the member only of our team who actually grew up in Vegas, so he's seen things most of us never will. I think that fact helps him understand crimes and criminals a little bit better.
Sara…well, Sara is a heck of a CSI, and a wonderful woman. She may not understand people at all, but she understands evidence. I guess her and Grissom are a lot alike in that aspect.
And me? Well, I wanted my parents to be proud of me…but they wanted me to be a cop. I couldn't handle that. There are too many dirty cops out there who don't give a damn about helping people. So instead, I became a CSI. I figured it was a nice compromise. I get a nice badge and title to make my parents happy, and I get to help victims, which makes me happy.
But in a family of seven kids…well, making your parents proud is easier said than done.
Especially when you're the youngest…and your dad is a judge and your mom is a public defender.
Don't get me wrong…I love my parents and my sisters and brother, and they love me. It's just…sometimes, I wonder if I'm good enough for my father.
My oldest sister, Karen, is a public defender like our mom. This only makes sense, because when we were growing up, everyone always said how much she and our mom are alike…
Angie, the second in line, didn't go into law at all. Actually, she has her Bachelor's degree in English. But she gave mom and dad their first grandchild…so of course they're proud of her.
Wayne, my only brother, is a cop. Well, he's not just a cop. He's police sergeant in Liberty Grove, Texas. Boy…if I thought dad was happy when Wayne graduated from the academy, he was nothing short of elated when he finally made sergeant.
Lisa, the fourth Stokes child, works for one of the top law firms in Houston. She makes big bucks doing what she loves...lucky girl.
Lorraine is a probation officer, so she spends most of her time with criminals from all walks of life. That takes guts.
Brenda is two years older than me. Since she and I were the youngest, we were really close growing up. She's a detective with the narcotics squad in Fort Worth. Mom and dad were ecstatic when they found out one of their daughters wanted to be a cop too.
Then there's me. Nick. The baby of the family. The failure.
Ya know, I like to think that being a CSI is just as important in my father's eyes as what by siblings do, but I know it isn't. I deal with science, not with apprehending or convicting criminals. I guess my job is just one more way I've let my family down.
Yeah, that's right. There have been others. First, there was that whole babysitter thing…yeah. I know I was nine and there really wasn't anything I could do to stop it. But in my dad's eyes I wasn't strong enough to stop it from happening.
Then there was the fact that I moved to Vegas…he can't possibly understand why someone would want to leave the Lonestar State.
And, of course, I'm 37 and single. My sisters and brother have all been married at least once – Lisa's been married twice – and they all have kids. My parents can't understand why I am this old and still a bachelor…guess they don't understand that this job doesn't exactly make someone husband material.
Sometimes my mom asks me why I don't come home more often. I tell her it's cause of the hours I work, but really it's because I know how my dad will preach to me about how I could make my life better.
All I've ever wanted was to make my dad proud.
Maybe one day I will.