Thanks for my reviews for last chapter. Here is a hopefully happier chapter for my lovely fans. This may seem out of the blue, but it was mentioned chapters before. Its difficult for me to write a no angst chapter that I'm proud of and I'm not 100% with this one but I think it's okay :)
Hopefully you'll enjoy it.
Read. Enjoy. Review.
Chapter Thirty Seven # Love Is All Around #
"No!" Loeila screamed, holding her hands up to protect herself. "Peese, no!"
Greg picked up his daughter and ran up the stairs.
"Reuben!" He called, beginning to panic. "What're you doing?"
"Watchin' Wiggles."
"Okay, good, stay put!" Greg commanded, carrying his struggling daughter into the bedroom.
"Noo!" She cried.
"I'm not even braiding your hair, Loles, I'm just brushing it."
"Daddy!"
"Please, just be quiet and keep still, we're already running late!" Greg replied, trying to brush his daughter's hair gently and quickly.
Without giving her a choice he slipped the deep coral pink dress over her head, tying it up in a hasty bow and throwing her onto his hip. He raced down the stairs, grabbed Reuben and raced out of the apartment, thanking god that he had had the foresight to pack the car the night before.
He smoothed out the back of Loeila's dress gently placing her into the seat. He also made sure that he kept Reuben's little suit neat as he did up the car seat.
"Let's go go go!" Reuben called happily as Greg pulled out of his apartment building's parking lot.
Ten minutes later they pulled into a parking lot and Lindsey Willows ran up to them in a long tight fitting dress the same shade as Loeila's. "Oh thank god!"
"I have a flower girl-" Greg passed her Loeila. "And a ring boy."
He carried Reuben out of the car.
"Mom's starting to worry." Lindsey grinned as they ran into the Eclipse hotel and up to the hotel's finest suite.
"Everything'll be fine. As long as she's still a big Love, Actually fan."
They paused at the door, and Greg placed Reuben down.
"Tell her good luck." Greg beamed.
"Family of the bride are sitting on the first row, left hand side." Lindsey informed him.
"Gotcha. Where am I sitting?"
Lindsey laughed lightly. "First row, left hand side."
Greg grinned, kissed his children quickly and hurried off.
Lindsey ushered the twins into the room.
"They're here!" she called, bustling over to Catherine.
"Thank god!" Catherine breathed.
Sara put her hand on Catherine's arm. "It's okay, Catherine. Trust us."
Catherine nodded, breathing deeply. "Wow…"
Kristy ran out of the bathroom, her hair braided on both sides. Nick came out behind her and beckoned Loeila over.
"Come in, up on the countertop, Lola."
She skipped into the bathroom and Nick lifted her up onto the bathroom counter.
"Uncle Nick?"
"Yeah?" Nick asked absently as he started to comb and part her hair.
"Will you peese no pull my hair lie daddy does?"
Nick laughed. "I'll try."
Catherine peered through the door and smiled at the look of pure concentration on Nick's face as he wove Loeila's hair through his fingers, French braiding the strawberry blonde curls down both sides of her head.
Since Kristy's hair had reached her little shoulder blades and Nick had learnt to braid, Kristy's hair had become more and more interesting, which was why the toddlers' hair had been entrusted to the Texan.
"We're nearly ready here, Cath." Nick announced, tying off the second braid.
Loeila ran her hands over the braids. "Tank you Uncle Nicky."
"You're welcome." Nick laughed, kissing her on the head and lifting her off of the counter.
She ran out and Morgan passed her a basket full of flower petals.
"Tank you!" she chimed once more, feeling through the soft silky petals as she moved over to stand next to Kristy, who was also in a matching dress. The two girls grinned at each other excitedly.
"Do you two remember what to do?" Sara asked them gently.
"Yes Auntie Sara." They chimed at once, beaming.
Lindsey snapped a picture of the moment on her iPhone and then walked over to Reuben who was trying desperately to flatten his hair, distress painted all over his little face.
"What's up, buddy?" she asked with a frown, and Catherine looked up, her arms behind her neck in an attempt to tie a necklace on.
"I'm just…tryin' ta…ma-ke…my hair…flat!" his words were broken up with effort as he wet his hands with water and forced them over his hair, sticking his bottom lip out as a few bits stuck up again. "Daddy said I have ta look real smart."
"Does that frown come free with flat hair?" Catherine asked, putting down the necklace and walking down to the mirror to crouch down with Reuben.
Reuben sighed. "I'n trying Auntie Catherine, I swear! I dust can't make it all stay flat."
"I believe you." Catherine nodded.
"I don' wan' ruin the photos with bad hair." Reuben asked, his voice cracking.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Catherine frowned. "I want Reuben Brody in my photos, not some boy with flat hair and a big frown."
He looked up at her and she messed up his hair so it spiked up in its usual chaos.
"Much better." Catherine's face split into a grin.
Reuben's smile first flickered and then flew across his face.
Morgan picked up her buzzing phone.
"It's show time." Finn sang down the line.
July had crept up on them, and the date of Catherine's wedding had arrived quickly. She had been tricked into letting the team organise the whole wedding, and Lou had suggested getting married in the Eclipse. Catherine's ownership of a large part of the hotel and casino meant that the hall where the wedding was taking place was decorated to its prime, and the whole thing had been made a lot easier.
The bridesmaids, Sara and Morgan were the first two to walk down the aisle to the slow traditional music.
Reuben followed them down, smiling proudly as he held the silk cushion bearing the wedding rings.
Lindsey followed him as the maid of honour, a small bouquet of flowers in her hands.
Moments later Loeila and Kristy entered through the large doors, scattering the petals across the floor in front of the two remaining people lingering by the doors.
"You ready?" Grissom asked Catherine with a smile.
"Yep." She nodded, grinning at him. "But I'm not sure I should've trusted you all to plan my wedding without even insisting on a rehearsal."
"Nervous?"
"About the service." Catherine nodded. "I'm happy with everything so far, but I'm still a little worried at that "I'm still hiding something" look on your face."
Grissom's grin widened. "What, you don't like surprises?"
"I'm hoping for one like Keira Knightley had in Love, Actually. It's my favourite film." She whispered as they entered the room.
"So you've told us. Many times." Grissom whispered back with a wry grin.
Butterflies flurried around inside Catherine's stomach as she walked all of the way down the aisle.
Grissom let go of her arm at the end and stepped to the side next to Lindsey, Sara and Morgan. The two flower girls were sitting on little chairs on either sides of the aisle, and Reuben stood next to Jake, Lou's son and best man.
Catherine couldn't help but smile as she looked at the sight of all of her friends and family.
Eli and the rest of the CSI team were all sat with Catherine's mom in the front row, and the service began.
Eli waited patiently for his moment to come, and when the service ended did he stood up and walked over to the piano. He started to play with both hands, and Catherine gasped as he started to sing.
"Oh uh-huh
If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to guide you
We find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need."
He flashed a large smile at Catherine.
"You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh yeah, yeah."
Reuben stood up and skipped over to the piano, singing along.
"If you're tossin' and you're turnin'
And you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Every day I will remind you.
Oooh
"We find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need."
Loeila and Kristy both danced over to the piano.
"You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh yeah, yeah."
Greg, Nick, Jake and Henry all stood up and joined in, and Catherine laughed, covering her mouth.
"You'll always have my shoulder when you cry."
Sara, Morgan, and Lindsey all stood up next.
"I'll never let go, never say goodbye
You know..."
Catherine glared tearfully at Grissom who smiled widely and stood up with the rest of the congregation.
"You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh."
Lou smiled, finishing the song himself. "You can count on me 'cause I can count on you."
Catherine laughed tearfully, clinging onto Lou's arm.
She turned to him and he smiled.
"We tried to one up what Andrew Lincoln did for Keira Knightley. It was Eli's idea."
Catherine turned and held out her arms.
Eli ran up and hugged her tightly.
"That was brilliant!" she sobbed.
Reuben ran up, looking horrified. "Auntie Catherine, you were s'posed to be happy!"
"I am." She nodded, hugging both boys tightly. "I am very, very happy."
"Dey happy tears, come back in pace, Reuben!" Loeila hissed. "You ruinin' it, dey have to walk down the aisle together to be romandic!"
Lou smiled. "Hey, why don't we all walk down together?"
Loeila frowned for a moment, before grinning and running down the aisle towards them, Kristy on her heels. Catherine winked at the bridesmaids and Jake, and they followed her down the aisle.
Archie, who was filming the wedding, couldn't help but smile as his video camera took in the bride and groom walking back down the aisle with the entirety of the wedding party. When Catherine reached the outside of the room she gasped once more.
Two pure white horses and a small carriage stood in the hallway of the Eclipse Casino.
Nick jogged up behind Catherine and she turned.
"How…?" she gasped.
"I remembered." He smiled.
"You don't want a nice old car like this to drive you from your wedding to your reception?" Nick asked Catherine, nearly ten years previously, as they documented a vintage Ford from a wedding robbery.
"Nope. I did the whole vintage car thing with Eddie. If I ever get married again, I want white horses and a white and silver carriage." She turned to him. "That'll be your job."
He laughed.
She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome." He smiled, hugging her back.
The man holding the horses' reigns, Nick's friend Carlos, a ranch owner, offered a hand to Lou, who then helped Catherine into the carriage.
Reuben, Eli and Loeila jumped up to, but Kristy held her hands up to Carlos, hitting him with her best puppy dog eyes.
"Kristy-" Nick began.
"It's fine." Lou insisted, and with an innocent smile at her father Kristy climbed up and held onto the horses' reigns, assisted by the man.
"What's happening with everyone else?" Catherine asked, but Lindsey laughed.
"Mom, we can all walk just down the hall."
Catherine grinned and let the carriage ride off. Though the ballroom being used for the reception was merely a few doors down, Carlos led the horses through the ground level of the casino, parading Catherine and Lou around for five minutes.
Having heard of gamblers burned to death at their slot machines, both Catherine and Lou were stunned at the heartfelt, tumultuous applause they received. The children, however, lapped it up, with Reuben and Eli waving excitedly, Loeila 'princess waving' in the manner of a child's imitation of the English queen's dainty greeting, and Kristy flicking the reigns proudly, though Carlos was quick to pull them back.
When they returned to the room of the reception, Morgan, Lindsey and Sara were waiting.
They showed Lou and the children inside before taking Catherine into a side room, and passing her a halter neck dress, as white as her old fashioned wedding dress.
"Easier to party in." Morgan smiled as she picked up three similar dresses in pink for the bridesmaids. While their dresses were relatively plain other than the flattering cut, Catherine's was beaded across the bust, simply and elegantly.
They changed quickly and then returned to the ballroom amidst a large cheer.
Nick held a microphone to Reuben's mouth and the three year old yelled. "Let's get da party goin'!"
"Started, Reuben! Started!" Loeila giggled, and the whole room was infected with the contagious laughter.
Nick pressed a button on the laptop setting off the automatic playlist.
"Couples first dance!" he whooped, and the dance floor cleared.
Catherine paused, terrified about the song choice.
"I hope y'all like Love, Actually." Nick grinned.
When the music began to play, she laughed aloud and Lou took her in his arms, beginning to dance.
"I feel it in my fingers
I feel it in my toes
Love is all around me
And so the feeling grows
It's written on the wind
It's everywhere I go,
So if you really love me
Come on and let it show
You know I love you, I always will
My mind's made up by the
Way that I feel
There's no beginning,
There'll be no end
'cause on my love you can depend…"
As the song continued, Grissom offered Sara his hand. They took to the dance floor, joining in the dance. DB and Barbara followed them, and Finn grabbed Moreno's hand. Henry and Mandy stepped in together, and Eli offered Loeila his hand.
"Dance with me?"
She grinned and curtseyed, and they waltzed into the middle of the floor, whilst Kristy and Reuben engaged in a much faster dance – though it didn't fit with the music.
Greg walked up to Morgan as Lindsey and Jake flew past.
"Would you mind dancing with me?" he asked.
She smiled, putting one hand on his shoulder and another in his hand.
Nick smiled at the pair of them, taking a drink from behind him.
"Excuse me." A pretty Hispanic woman brushed past him, before frowning. "Are you Nick Stokes?"
"I am." He smiled in confusion. Both pairs of children came conspicuously close as she continued.
"My sister, Katrina, she said that you worked in the crime lab and asked if I knew you. I'm a cop." She said as if it explained everything.
"How would she know that?" Nick asked.
" . She said she read your profile."
"But I-" Nick paused as Eli and Kristy dragged their partners away quickly. "Those damn kids. Kristy!"
She shuffled over guiltily. "Yes daddy?"
"This lady says that she saw me on a website." Nick raised his eyebrow.
"It was my idea." Eli piped up. "We uh…didn't want you to be lonely."
Nick's mouth dropped open. "So you made a dating website account?"
Eli leaned over to the woman. "Uncle Nick hasn't got any in a while!"
As he and Kristy raced away Nick went bright red, his eyes popping out. "You even know what that means?" he called after them.
"Nope!" Eli called back.
The woman laughed. "Well, my name is Eva. Eva Lopez."
"Pleased to meet you Eva." Nick smiled back.
"Fancy a dance?" she asked.
Nick smiled. "Sure."
"So your toddler and her-"
"Cousin." Nick filled in.
"Set you up a dating website account?" Eva raised an eyebrow.
"Apparently. I blame daytime TV. I'm not that desperate." Nick smiled at her. "You said you were a cop?"
"Well…I'm training to be a detective. Lou's dad was my godfather."
"I see." Nick nodded. "Well, I'm a CSI."
"I noticed." She laughed.
He laughed as well.
Morgan and Greg danced for hours, taking the occasional drink or child obeservation break.
At about half past eleven, they both noticed the twins starting to slow down.
"I'll need to take them home soon." Greg sighed.
Morgan wrapped her hands around his neck. "Taxi, I hope?"
"Definitely." Greg nodded.
Morgan tripped suddenly, falling onto Greg.
"Whoa!" he laughed. "You okay?"
"Yeah." She smiled, looking up into his eyes.
It felt right, even if officially it wasn't.
A kiss.
A kiss that changed everything.
A kiss witnessed by a father, an old crush, a boss and four happy children.
"Well." Ecklie sighed, looking at Sara. "Here we go again. I just hope they can admit it so that I don't have to move them to separate shifts."
"Oh, they will." Russell grinned. "Took them long enough to get it on, though, they've liked each other for years."
"Let them enjoy it." Sara interrupted Ecklie's hinted move to step forward. "They don't have long."
"What, before someone else interrupts them?"
"No, before Loeila and Reuben fall unconscious. Then they'll have to leave." Sara grinned.
Grissom walked up to her, a large smile on his face. "You'll never guess what Eli and Kristy did?"
"What?" Sara said, instantly alarmed.
"Set Nicky up with his own 'Uniform Dating' web account." Grissom laughed.
"Are you drunk?" Sara asked in shock. "That's awful!"
"It's hilarious!" Grissom chuckled. "Lighten up Sara, Nick's fine with it! They said they worried that Nick was lonely. I think it was genius."
"You are drunk." Sara tried not to smile, raising a single eyebrow.
"I had one or two drinks." Grissom tried to evade the accusation, but Sara just shook her head.
"Eli'll have to come home soon." Sara remarked.
The eight year old was trying to continue dancing with Kristy, but the toddler was asleep and Eli was, to his embarrassment and disappointment, growing physically tired of carrying her. As if on cue he fell to the floor and they both woke up with a jolt.
Grissom and Sara shared a smile, before walking in to pick up Eli.
When they got in the car to go home, Eli stayed awake just long enough to sigh to his guardians.
"That…was a great day."
I hope that was good. As you probably know, fluff isn't my strong point. I really hope I've done the characters justice.
I hope y'all had a great Easter!
Love y'all!