Nick hadn't been able to sleep since James had left, so he had sat down on his couch to try and think. Now, he stood up slowly and went over to the front door, opening it quickly before he could talk himself out of it. He sighed in relief when he was met with Jack on the other side, and stepped back so the older man could enter, which he did with a small smile. Jack went over and sat down on the chair across from where Nick had followed and sat down on the couch again.
"Sorry about last night," Jack said, meaning dinner.
Nick shook his head. "It wasn't your fault. I would have had to do it sooner or later. I'm glad you and Mike were there though, it made it a little less awkward and weird."
"I didn't know he was going to try and trap you like that or intimidate you so much," Jack said with a sigh. "He just didn't know how to handle it any more than you did."
"Yeah, I kinda got that impression when he appeared in my room while I was sleeping."
Jack looked stunned. "He what?"
Nick nodded. "I woke up, and he was sitting in my room waiting for me to wake up. He felt that we got off on the wrong foot and wanted to tell me that he cares about me despite what I might think. He told me about Sam Braun giving the money to Catherine because I'm his son and that Gedda left Warrick alone because we're friends."
"That's all true, but I didn't think he was gonna break into your house and do that. He must have been anxious, he really wants you to trust him and want to be a part of the family," Jack said.
"Do I even have a choice?" Nick asked.
"Of course you do," Jack replied. "No one's going to force you to change your last name to Sparazza or anything. No one's going to force you to recognize that they're your family, they don't expect you to do that at a drop of a hat after thirty years."
"Then what do they expect me to do?"
Jack sighed again. "I still don't know what James' actual intentions are. He won't be straight with me, and he hasn't told Mikey anything. I think he expected you to be afraid of him, and you're not."
"Should I be?" Nick asked.
Jack shook his head. "No, I don't think so anyway. I can't see him trying to hurt you. I know for damn sure Mikey's not out to hurt you. He was happier than your dad that he finally got to meet you. He's done some bad things in his life, but what he regrets most is not having been around when you were a kid. He's glad you had Jason so you had a big brother even though he wasn't there."
"I had a dream that Jason wouldn't talk to me after he found out who I really am."
Jack frowned. "What do you mean, who you really are?"
"I'm not Nick Stokes, I'm Nick Sparazza. I'm not really Jason's brother. My brother is a criminal and my father is on the FBI's most wanted list. I'm not who Jason or anyone else thinks I am. I've lied to everyone my whole life."
Jack shook his head slightly. "No you haven't. Okay, so maybe your last name is a little misleading. That didn't change who you really are. That's only a minor detail on paper. Your last name doesn't decide who you are, you do. You're Nick. No last name required, because it doesn't matter."
"I wish everyone would see it that way."
"Who cares if they don't," Jack said with a shrug. "Fuck 'em if they care about your last name. It doesn't change who you've always been."
Nick sighed. "I still haven't told my best friend. I'm too scared he'll hate me for it."
Jack smiled slightly. "He'll probably be a little upset at first, which I know you know is understandable. But he's your best friend, which means he's not gonna hate you for it. He's gonna be there for you because he knows you better than anyone else, and he knows you're still you, even if it's gonna take him getting mad at you for a little bit to realize it."
Nick knew exactly what had happened and what was going to be said as soon as he walked into the break room. He felt psychic because he was predciting the next few minutes in his mind before anything was said. Just the look on Warrick's face, the people outside in the halls and other labs trying not to be obvious in their watching, and the tension that had been there even before Nick had walked in gave it all away.
Nick didn't have anything to say, so he just stood there, waiting for Warrick to either start yelling at him or walk up to him and hit him. When neither happened, he started to get anxious in anticipation. Something had to happen other than Warrick just standing there, staring him down. Nick couldn't be sure just how mad Warrick was, but he could guess by his body language and fierce look in his eyes that it was pretty close to outraged.
"Are you gonna try and talk your way out of this, or should I just leave now and save myself from your bullshit?" Warrick finally said.
"I can explain," Nick said, keeping his voice low.
Warrick nodded slightly. "Okay, so then explain to me how you could let me, who's supposed to be your best friend, find out from David fucking Hodges that your real father is Jimmy Sparazza. Explain to me how over fifteen years of us working together and being friends that you never felt it necessary to mention it to me. Explain to me how you could lie to me for that long about something this huge."
"I had to," Nick replied. "I couldn't tell you because I wasn't even supposed to know. There was an accident before I was taken away, and I wasn't supposed to remember who I really am."
"Who you really are is the son of a criminal. A murderer!" Warrick yelled. "Why couldn't you tell me? I wouldn't have blabbed it to the whole world or anything. Are you a criminal too, do you work with them? Is that why you lied for so long?"
"Of course not," Nick said. "Do you really think that?"
Warrick shrugged. "How the hell am I supposed to think anything about you anymore? You're not who you told me you were. Your family, that I've met dozens of times, aren't really your family, and for some reason, you couldn't tell me that. What else don't I know about you Nick?"
"Nothing," Nick said weakly. "I wouldn't have kept it from you if I had a choice. I didn't want it to mess anything up or get you involved in case something happened, and now something probably will, but I don't know what. I didn't want you to find out like this, I swear. I was going to tell you so it wouldn't come to this, but apparently everyone already knows."
"Stuff like this is hard to keep secret," Warrick said.
"Somehow it wasn't for thirty years," Nick said, shaking his head slowly before looking back up at Warrick. "I really am sorry Warrick. I get why you're mad, but I honestly never wanted this to happen. I guess I wanted to convince everyone, even myself, that that wasn't who I am. It's not who I am. I might have lied to you about my last name, but that's it. I never pretended to be someone I'm not, I only pretended I had a different name."
Warrick sighed heavily. "I'm sorry man, I shouldn't have flipped out on you. This is harder for you than me. I didn't mean to get so mad, I just didn't know what else to think."
"I don't blame you at all," Nick replied. "It's not something simple that's easy to handle hearing, especially from Hodges."
Warrick laughed lightly. "Yeah, that was the worst part. He enjoyed that he knew before me too. And you're sure there's nothing else you wanna tell me?"
Nick nodded. "I swear. That was the only thing I never told you."
"And you're still Nick?"
"Yeah, I'm still Nick."
Warrick smile widened. "Then I over reacted and I'm sorry. I'm here, as always, if you need me man. Hopefully you won't and nothing happens, but I'm here nonetheless."
Before Nick could reply, Brass walked in, followed by Grissom, Catherine and Greg. They looked back and forth between Nick and Warrick a few times before looking at each other silently.
Grissom spoke first. "He knows?" He asked Nick.
Nick nodded. "Yeah. Hodges," he said simply.
Grissom shook his head. "Remind me to threaten his life later," he said with a sigh.
Brass took the lead and sat down at the table, followed by everyone else. They all took seats before the police captain spoke. "So it's evident that the news about Nick is out, like we knew it would be. Some people are pissed, and others are scared. But it doesn't change anything. It's not a crime."
"Luckily," Nick added.
"But we're a team. What affects Nick affects us all," Grissom said. "This could all blow over in a week if we act like it's not a big deal, which it isn't. Nick's not a criminal, even if they are. As much as some people would like him to be, he's not guilty by association."
"It's stupid how it makes us look bad," Greg said. "No offense Nick," he added.
Nick shook his head. "No, I agree with you Greggo. This shouldn't be that big of a deal. Not yet anyway. And if it turns into a big deal, it's my problem. It shouldn't make you guys look bad."
"Screw how we look," Catherine said. "As long as you're safe, it doesn't matter."
Nick sighed. "I still don't know exactly what he wants from me. Jack doesn't even know, and neither does Mike. I have a feeling he wants more than just talking to me though, or else he wouldn't have waited this long."
A/N: I know it seems like I threw the Jack and Warrick scenes together, but I did it because they're going to be the closest ones to Nick in this story with the upcoming events. I wanted to show how much they care and how much Nick needs them. There's going to be a lot more action coming up, I promise. Thanks for the reviews.