Hola! Thanks for my reviews, people.
guest – I'm sorry that you think this story is going to hell. I write a lot of angst, yes and in real life they may have dealt differently. I hope this chapter clears some of it up, but it wouldn't be fun if they were all institutionalised.
sorry for any mistakes!
I'm getting lots of writers block at the moment, sorry.
Read. Enjoy. Review.
Chapter Forty Six # Bittersweet Memories #
"Grissom. What can I do for you?" Jenny Shepard asked in faint surprise, opening her front door.
"Nicky Stokes has been kidnapped."
Jenny's eyes widened. "You're kidding?"
Grissom's pained eyes told her that he wasn't as he shook his head. "I wanted to talk to you about Nick and some of the other students."
"Come in." Jenny offered.
"Thank you." Grissom nodded.
"So," Jenny placed a cup of coffee in front of Grissom. "What do you want to know?"
"You're their counsellor. This year, Nick and his friends have been through hell, I mean… Greg's been in the hospital numerous times, they've been through more than most people suffer in a lifetime. And they seem like they're coping. How?"
Jenny shrugged a little. "It confuses me too. They are incredibly resilient individuals. Take Sara… This year she's seen her brother almost kill her best friend and then get jailed for it, she was in that mansion, she watched her mom kill her dad, among all of the other stresses of being a teenager. And yet she continues working, harder than most of the other students. Not to mention, she seems happy. From talking to her, her friends help her, a lot. Nick Stokes, Tali David and Tony DiNozzo in particular. They support each other. Greg's told me many times that he fears that his mom wants to move back home. When I asked him why it was a fear, he told me, and I quote, 'these are the best friend's I've ever had, and I'm guessing the best I ever will have. They're there for me no matter what. I owe them a lot. Why would I leave that?'"
"That's a good memory." Grissom was impressed.
"It moved me, what he said. And I have a very good memory. They've unconsciously created a kind of support group with each other. When one of them is worried about something they all protect each other, they help each other. And they get over it. They immerse themselves in school work, they talk to me. And they just…get over it."
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Tali hugged her knees to her chest and snuggled further down into Nick's football Jersey.
"Tali, I think we should go home." Orah David coaxed gently. "I don't think that we should invade upon the Stokes' hospitality anymore."
Tali didn't move, and Jillian Stokes put a hand on Orah's arm.
"It's okay." She whispered, her mournful voice hoarse. "I don't mind at all. It's nice to know… it's comforting to see all of his friend's here."
Orah nodded.
The door opened and everyone looked up at Bill Stokes.
"The fire destroyed most of the evidence, the police have a few leads, but there's not much." He announced, dropping his eyes to the floor.
Everyone groaned at once.
Suddenly the television flickered on, a white light covering the screen.
"Ethan, not now." Bill sighed, and Ethan frowned.
"I didn't turn it on."
"You're holding the remote." Bill snapped.
Jillian looked between the two males. "It doesn't matter if you turned it on, Ethan, just turn it off."
"I didn't!" Ethan snapped back angrily.
"Look!" Sara cried as writing appeared on the screen.
"One million dollars in 12 hours or the boy dies. Drop-off instructions to follow. And now for your viewing pleasure...you can only WATCH."
Below it in smaller letters were five words:
Hint, push the red button.
"Uh…" Ethan looked at his parents.
Bill nodded. "Push the button."
"But what if-"
"Just do it." Bill nodded again.
"Okay…" Ethan flinched almost invisibly as he pushed the red button.
The screen filled with Nick's familiar face, terrified and obviously screaming, though no sound escaped the silent screen.
"Oh my god!" Tali whimpered.
"Oh my god!"
"What?" Nick asked.
"My Aunt's here."
"Why's that a problem?" Nick frowned. They'd been dating for two weeks, and Nick was headed to Tali's for dinner.
"She's a little…strict. Very religious. And uh, she thinks that teenagers are 'nasty, irresponsible sex machines'. That's a direct quote."
"Why don't be prove her right?" Nick waggled his eyebrows playfully, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her.
Tali pushed him off, laughing. "Stop it, Nick! No!"
He laughed. "Why'd you invite me over if she was coming?"
"My mom said it'd be okay, she didn't tell me that Aunt Miriam was coming." Tali bit her lip and Nick smiled at her.
"I'll behave."
Tali sighed, getting out of the car as they walked into her house.
"Mom, we're home."
"Ah, Tali." Her tall, precocious Aunt drifted into the hall, kissing her on both cheeks. "Who is this boy?"
"My name is Nick Stokes, ma'am." Nick smiled, offering his hand to the woman, who wrinkled her nose before shaking Nick's hand quickly.
"This is the boy you are courting, Tali?"
Tali fought the urge to roll her eyes at the ceiling.
"Yes, Aunt Miriam."
"Texan?" she turned her nose up.
"Yes ma'am." Nick nodded.
Miriam turned to Tali. "A racist bunch of rednecks, Texans. He will take advantage of you, my girl, have no doubt about that."
Tali opened her mouth angrily, but Nick stopped her. "Ma'am, I try my hardest to not judge or hurt anyone because of their race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, anything. And I don't mean to be rude, but surely calling a group of people from a certain place racist is racist in itself."
Tali half expected her aunt to slap Nick around the face, but Miriam just raised an eyebrow. "I am quite impressed, Tali. Even dressing like a sharmuta you managed to pick up a boy with brains."
Tali's nostrils flared but Nick discretely put his hand in the small of her back.
As Miriam flounced back into the back room Nick leaned down to whisper in her ear. "What did she call you?"
"She said I dressed like a slut."
"If she wasn't your aunt I'd whoop her ass." Nick whispered. "But you don't look anything like a slut."
"Thanks." Tali smiled, feeling a warmth flooding her body.
"No problem. Right, let's go eat dinner with the devil!"
Sara started quivering, her eyes filling with tears as her mind dragged her back in time.
"Wow…" Sara's mouth popped open as the Stokes' car drove up to a huge ranch. "This is where you lived?"
"Yep." Nick grinned at the look on her face. "Hey Sara, it's the family house, it's not a freakin' palace!"
"Nick." Jillian reprimanded.
"I said 'freaking'!" Nick protested.
"Relax, Sar." Ethan grinned at his foster sister. "You look like we're taking you back to Jamieson's Manor, not back to Texas for Spring Break."
"What if I-"
"Sara, it's a family holiday! Relax." MJ grinned.
Sara smiled softly, silently amazed once more at how easily she'd slipped into the family.
The day after they arrived at the Stokes' ranch that Robert was currently living at, Jillian gave Nick and Sara fifty dollars each to go shopping with. Sara often went shopping with MJ, but the older girl was meeting up with some old friends.
"Where'd you wanna go first?" Nick asked Sara.
"Do you have a Starbucks in Austin?"
Nick raised one eyebrow. "Let's go."
They sat down in the coffee shop and it was only minutes before another boy and girl arrived.
"Hey, Nick." The boy grinned. "S'been a while, how's life in Las Vegas?"
"Hey, Kenny." Nick replied, grinning. "It's great, thanks."
"This your girlfriend?" Kenny asked with a wink at Sara, and the girl next to him rolled her eyes.
"Lovin' your manners, Ken."
"No, she's not my girlfriend. This is my foster sister Sara, Sara Sidle. Sara, this is Kenny Richmond and Holly Gribbs, I've known them since I was five."
Sara smiled and nodded at the other two kids. "Hi."
"Hi," Holly smiled. "How long're you in Austin for?"
"Two weeks." Nick announced.
"Awesome, all of spring break!" Holly smiled happily. "What're you doing today?"
"We're kinda supposed to be shopping." Nick admitted.
"We're goin' go karting , wanna come?" Holly offered.
Nick looked at Sara who shrugged. "Sure."
After spending half an hour at the go karting place, Nick and Sara waved goodbye to Holly and Kenny and started walking to the mall.
"Sara, I'm gonna get a sandwich, do you want somethin'?" Nick asked as they passed Subway.
"Um, yes please. I'll have something vegetarian; I'm not too bothered what."
The queue was massive, so Sara waited outside and pulled out her phone to send a text to Tali.
Suddenly a man grabbed her by her shoulders, pushing her backward. "Give me the phone!"
"No!" Sara cried, struggling with the much larger man. "Get off me, stop it!"
"I…want…the…phone!" The man grunted, kneeing Sara's stomach.
Sara cried out, as the man started to prize open her clenched fingers.
"Hey!" An angry voice yelled, and suddenly strong hands were pushing Sara and her attacker apart. "Get the hell off her!"
Sara watched wide eyed as Nick pushed himself into the middle, shoving the man away, anger on his face.
"If you ever come anywhere near my sister ever again, I swear to god that I will kill you." Nick growled, puffing up his chest aggressively.
"You're just a kid." The man hissed.
"Yeah, and I'm packin'." Nick growled back, showing the man a gun shaped lump in his jacket pocket. "So back off."
The man's eyes widened at the sight of the bulge and he scarpered. Nick put a hand on Sara's shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah," she stammered. "Are you, I mean gosh Nick, that was-"
"Brave?" Nick raised an eyebrow.
"Stupid!" Sara corrected, before considering. "And brave. Thanks."
Nick smiled. "No problem."
"I do have a couple of questions though. Do you really think like I'm your sister?"
Nick's smile took a sheepish turn. "Yeah, I do."
"Well for the record you're just as much of my brother as Tyler is." She returned, feeling both a little uncomfortable displaying her feelings so obviously, and comfortable in Nick's presence. "I have one more question. How scared were you?"
"I wasn't scared." Nick scoffed.
Sara raised an eyebrow and he grinned.
"Okay, fine. I was shitting myself."
They both laughed.
Tali sobbed openly, running into the bathroom clutching her stomach.
Sara couldn't stop the tears pouring down her face. A small muffled sob escaped the hand clamped over her mouth and a pair of strong arms pulled her gently into a protective hug. Recognising Tony's scent she turned, leaning into the embrace.
Tony rested his chin on her head, his eyes boring into the screen but not seeing anything.
Greg swallowed, his hand moving into Morgan's.
It was a couple of days before Valentine's Day, and Gregory Hojem Sanders was not happy.
"Hey, Greg. Greg. Greeeeeeeg!"
Greg finally turned around, snapping. "What, Nick?"
"Ouch!" Nick put a hand to his chest. "You wound me, Sanders."
Greg rolled his eyes. "Sorry. I'm just not really in the mood for talking."
"Yeah, you've been a little quiet all day. What's wrong?" Nick asked in concern.
"Urgh. I just…I haven't been feeling too good."
"Whadda you mean?" Nick frowned.
"Nick, what would you do if Mary-Jane went missing?"
Nick blinked. "Well, um…I dunno. I…I guess there wouldn't be much I could do except whatever I could to find her."
"My sister…she was four years older than me. She'd be about nineteen now. Am I a shitty brother if I've never even tried to find her?"
"No." Nick said bluntly. "You didn't know she existed until a couple of weeks ago, she disappeared in another city, fourteen years ago."
Greg shrugged. "But now…"
"Realistically, there's not much you can do." Nick shrugged. "Why don't you call Archie, ask him to do an internet search?"
"For what?"
Nick shrugged. "Elle Sanders?"
Greg raised an eyebrow.
"Or you could come round mine and play Mario Kart. Me, Sara, Ethan and MJ were planning on a massive tournament tonight, but MJ's goin' out with Moreno so Ethan's a team by himself."
A smile slowly spread onto Greg's cheeks. "That sounds good."
Nick had seen Greg slipping into the edge of the depression that they all tightrope walked over on a daily basis and had dragged him up out of it. Now Nick was gone, and Greg was helpless once again.
Morgan held Greg's hand tighter, astounded at how much it could shake even encased in Greg's warm hands.
"Are you okay?" Nick asked Morgan as he entered the otherwise empty A11, the week after Gene Jaycobs and Demetrius James attacked her, Warrick and Tali in the alley.
She jumped, looking up, and Nick smiled sadly.
"Still a bit jumpy, huh?"
Morgan nodded. "You would be too if you got attacked in an alley by some gang freaks in an alley in the middle of the night."
"I'm not trying to attack you, Morgan." He held up his hands. "Just wonderin' how you're holdin' up."
"I'm not." She sighed. "I'm scared of everything."
"Hey." Nick frowned. "You're gonna be okay. You know we're never gonna let anyone near you."
She half smiled. "Fat lot of good it did us the other day."
Nick waved his hand. "Don't think like that, Morgan. We'll protect you, don't worry. We'll protect you."
Morgan smiled. "Thanks…thanks…"
Ryan wasn't dragged back into any memories, and neither was Archie. Both of their minds whirred with theories and potential solutions, though neither of them were able to come up with anything.
MJ, Ethan, Bill and Jillian were drawn to childhood memories of Nick.
"I'll call the police again." Bill said huskily.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
"Oh, god…Okay. Yeah, I hear you. Bye." Warrick snapped the phone shut and walked back into the hospital room.
"News…bout Nick?" Catherine grunted, her face contorted with pain.
"Not much." Warrick didn't want to tell her that one of their best friends was buried alive.
Catherine clutched his hand and glared at him. "I am…in early labour…and great pain…terrified bout Nicky…do…not…lie…to…me!"
The nurse in the room glanced at Warrick who sighed.
"He's buried alive."
Catherine groaned. "Oh god…"
"Yeah." Warrick nodded. "Yeah."
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Nick stopped screaming. He was too tired to scream. The damn light was too bright, too hot.
He hit his head against the bottom of the glass coffin and tried to cover his eyes with his arm.
Get me out of here, get me out of here, get me out of here, get me out of here, get me out of here…
As his arm covered his face his fingers touched the cold metal of the gun.
The trigger was so tempting.
He picked up the gun.
He copied Tali's motions from the day they found Greg, loading the gun, and bringing it towards his face.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
"What's he doing?" Tali cried as Nick's brought the gun towards his face. "What's he doing?"
The room froze with visible horror as Nick raised the gun towards his face.
"NO!" Tali, Sara, MJ and Morgan screamed as the screen went black.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
The dark felt so good. It was cooler, there was more air. Nick laughed, snapping another glow stick that he found beneath him.
Green light flooded the box, and Nick sighed in relief over his little victory.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
"Hey, he's okay…he's okay!" Ethan cried, staring at the screen and hugging his twin tightly. "Look!"
"Oh my god!" MJ sobbed, her knees giving way beneath her. "This is too much."
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Bugs. Nick could never, ever stand the things.
And when he looked towards the bottom of the glass, ants began to crawl in. he shuffled down, trying to plug the holes with his feet.
He would succeed at it too. Until he became too tired.
Then the bugs would start to bite.
Any good? Hope y'all enjoy. Review!