CSI: Braden Sanders-Stokes: Greg's Turn

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get posted, but this was a very hard chapter to write for some reason. I think I'm still technically on a writing break, but really, what I think this will mean in the long run is that I just won't be posting nearly as often as I used to. But fear not, I still have many plot bunnies begging to be written. I've got two one shots in the works now, and two very interesting chaptered pieces that are like none you've ever read before, and I really can't wait to find the time to get them written. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter and hopefully more will follow soon enough.

Just in case you're wondering: Speeding Comet is a fictional character and bears no resemblance to any current or past Greyhound, racing or not.

Summary: Comet and Braden help each other adjust to a new family life. Braden is three years old, in this, the fifth chapter.

Greg came downstairs just as he heard the front door shut and a set of keys land on the kitchen table.

"Hey, how was the rest of your shift since we talked?" he asked, meeting his husband in the kitchen.

"Sad and lonely without you," Nick said, wrapping his arms around Greg's waist, drawing him near, and planting a kiss on his lips. "I hate not working with you."

"Mmmm... me too." Before Greg could say anymore a skittering sound caught his ears. "She's sliding!" a three year old's voice called, but it was too late.

In her haste to see the lost family member, Comet had forgotten how slippery the kitchen floor was and slid right into the men's legs.

Nick let out an "ooof!" before kneeling on the ground. "You ok, girl?" he asked the dog.

Apart from being uninjured, it seemed the Greyhound was only shaken up a little from the mishap.

"I guess we should have left the carpet squares out, honey. Where'd you put them?" Nick asked as he guided Comet back to the carpeted livingroom.

"I got them, don't worry." Greg pulled the carpet samples from the pantry and spread them around the floor.

Nick came back into the kitchen.

"She ok?"

"Just shaken. She'll be fine. Braid's with her."

From the other room Greg could just hear Braden giving the dog a stern lecture about remembering how slippery the floor was. He chuckled.

Nick yawned, looking weary with his eyelids drooping.

"Go to bed. I'll be up in a minute."

"Yeah, I'm gonna do that."

"Braden! Come on, you need to have some breakfast." Greg poured a bowl of his favorite Life cereal just as he ran into the room. "Eat your cereal. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"K."

Braden dug into his bowl and began to eat with gusto.

Greg went upstairs and found Nick just getting changed in their bedroom. He watched from the doorway as Nick pulled his shirt over his head, exposing the beautiful skin of his back. Greg moved forward then, and lightly scratched his nails down Nick's back.

"I promised Braden we'd go to the library once he had breakfast. But if you want, I bet there's enough time for me to give you a nice massage." He dropped a kiss to Nick's shoulder before looking up through his lashes at Nick's reflection in the mirror.

"I wish you could babe, but you know how fast he eats. Next time you should give him more than cereal and I might take you up on that offer."

"I'll remember that for tomorrow."

"Look at my cereal! Isn't it cool?"

Both men turned to the doorway to see their son holding up a piece of Life cereal. Only it wasn't just a single piece. It was two pieces that hadn't separated in the cereal making process, and it was this that Braden was excited about.

"That's wicked cool, kiddo."

"Yeah!" The little boy jumped up and down.

"You gonna eat that?"

"No, I'm gonna save it! Cause it's cool! I'll put it in my cool jar."

"Cool jar?" Nick looked at Greg as Braden bounded back down the hall toward his bedroom.

"It's his jar full of cool things. Was a jelly jar before yesterday when he used it up and found a blue button with a red star on the sidewalk."

Nick nodded. "I just hope he doesn't decide to eat that cereal later on."

"I doubt it. It's cool, after all."

Nick laughed. "Well, you have fun at the library."

"I won't wake you when we get back, depending on the time. But I might join you."

Nick leaned in for a sweet kiss. "Good."

"Comet's ready!"

Looking toward the doorway again they found Braden with Comet already wearing her slip collar and leash.

"Braid we can't take Comet with us."

"Why not?" the boy's face fell.

"Well, because we'd have to leave her in the car. They won't let us take her into the library and she's not used to any of this yet. Maybe next time we can take her."

"But that's so not fair!"

"I know. Look, Daddy's got to get some sleep, so let's get out of here and let him do that. Ok?"

There was a lengthy pause while Braden studied his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sneakers. He looked up at Nick through his lashes. "I guess... night night."

Nick smiled. "Have fun for me, will you?"

"We will."

Once Greg and Braden were safely buckled into Greg's silver Jetta and he had backed the car out of the driveway, the boy asked, "How come I'm not sleeping with Nicky like before? Why I stay up all day?"

"Cause starting next week Nicky and I will be going to work together at night. You'll be going to daycare during the day while we sleep, and at night Mrs. Villa, Bobby and Jack's neighbor who used to watch their daughter at night, will take you while we're at work. You remember them, don't you?"

"Yeah. But why? Why I not stay up with you and sleep when you do?"

"Just cause, pumpkin. It'll make things easier for you when you start school since school is in the day."

"Oh. School should be at night."

Greg looked into his rearview mirror at the little boy who was staring into his lap. "You'll get used to it. You might even make friends that you can hang out with after school when you get older." He turned his eyes back to the road and found the library easily enough, pulling into the parking lot and shutting the car down.

"I've never had those."

Greg unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to face Braden. "Things change. You never know. Besides, you've got Comet, right?"

The boy's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

"There's that smile I love. Now, come on, we've got to get you a library card so you can take books out."

"What's that?" Braden asked as Greg took him out of the car. "Carry me."

Greg picked him up. "Well, a library card is a small piece of plastic with all of your information on it. The librarian swipes the card under the card reader and that tells the computer who to check the books out to."

"Oh."

When they entered the large, busy building crawling with people of all ages, Braden clutched at Greg's neck and let out a low whimper.

"I need a library card form for him," Greg said to the librarian at the circulation desk.

She was dressed oddly in a black t-shirt with a red ribbon design across the front, blue overalls, red spiked hair and one silver star earing in her left ear.

"How old is he?" she asked.

"Three."

"Aww. Well, here's the form. You'll also have to put your name on it. When he turns ten your name can come off."

"Cool."

Greg took the form and found the children's room. When he managed to find an empty table, and get himself seated in the tiny chair he let Braden go.

"Why don't you pick out some books you want to read while I get this form filled out?"

Braden only clutched at Greg that much harder.

"Too many people here, huh?"

The boy only nodded into his neck.

"Alright, well, you need to sit on my lap, you can hug me as tight as you want once you're sitting down. I'll fill out this form, we'll give it to the librarian, get your card, then we can find some books for you. Once we're checked out, then we can go. Ok?"

"Lot of stuff," Braden mumbled.

"Sorry, kiddo."

When he handed the form back to the librarian she gave him a sheet of children's programs to look over while she entered Braden's information into the computer.

"Hey, maybe we can come back for the story hour tomorrow morning. What do you think about that, Braid?"

The only response he got was a small whimper.

"We get a lot of shy kids in story hour," the oddly dressed, but professional, librarian said. "So, we're used to it, and we can help him. I usually help Mary, the children's librarian, with the extra shy ones. My name's Paige, by the way."

"I'm glad. That makes me feel better. I'm Greg. And this is Braden. And yeah, probably all you'll ever see of him is the back of his head."

Paige smiled. "Braden, that's a nice name. And it's nice to meet you." She held out an orange plastic card. "Here's your library card."

"Go on, she's giving you your card. Are you gonna take it?"

Slowly Braden turned his head to see Paige offering the card to him. He stared at the card but didn't take it from her.

Greg sighed and took it. "We're just going to find some books and we'll be back."

Leaving the library books they'd picked out in the car, Greg took Braden to the park where he and Nick had first spent time with the little boy away from the foster home. Greg was shocked when he let go of Braden and he ran for a small family in the corner. There were four family members, mom, dad, and two girls a little older than him. The four of them were sitting in a circle while five Labrador puppies romped around in the grass, their mother watching with keen eyes just outside the circle of people.

"Doggies!" Braden exclaimed as Greg jogged after him. The boy stopped short when he was a few feet away from the family. "I have a doggie too! I got the fastest doggie in the world!"

"Wow, do you now?" the mother asked as the girls stared at him.

"Yeah! She's like me."

"You were pretty fast running over here. Where's your parents?"

"No... not fast... I'm not fast..." suddenly Braden looked lost. He turned just as Greg reached him.

"How's your doggie like you then?" one of the blonde pig tailed girls asked.

Braden opened his mouth then shut it.

"Hi, sorry about him."

"Oh, no problem. He's adorable. My name's Gail, this is Penny, Vicki, and Bob."

Greg introduced himself and Braden.

"So, what's your doggy's name?" Gail asked.

Braden was silent for a moment before his face brightened up. "Comet! Cause she's fast!"

Greg couldn't help but think the following day they would have to take the dog with them if she was going to have this kind of effect on him.

"They have doggies," Braden said to Greg.

"I see."

"But they're not like me."

"What do you mean?" Vicki asked.

Braden hugged Greg's leg, his shyness coming back almost full force.

"He's adopted," Greg clarified, as he mussed up his son's hair. "And we just adopted an ex-racing Greyhound. That's how they're similar."

"Awww, that's neat!" Gail was smiling.

Greg looked down at Braden who's smile was returning, if a little slowly.

"Do you want to play with our puppies?"

The boy shook his head and looked up at Greg, reaching his arms up. The young CSI picked him up, resting him on his hip.

"Do you want to go home?"

"Swings. We play on the swings?"

"Sure thing. Well, it was nice to meet you."

The family nodded and he carried Braden over to the swing set. He sat down on a swing, with the three-year-old on his lap and began to swing gently. Not too far away a pair of squirrels chased each other over the grass and up into a tree before they raced back down. The one in the lead stopped to chatter angrily at the other and dashed off.

"Where's their people to take care of them?" Braden asked.

"They don't have people because they're wild animals."

"Then where do they go home? Where sleep?"

"Well, those are squirrels and they sleep in the trees, I think. Wild animals live in all sorts of places. Some burrow holes in the ground. Birds create nests in the trees. Fish live in the ocean."

"Oh."

When they got home, Comet walked carefully on the carpet squares to greet them in the kitchen, her tail wagging happily.

"You read books?" Braden asked, giving his dog a tight hug around the neck.

"Sure, kiddo. Which one?"

"The bears one. And can she listen too?"

"Of course. Let's get you into your pajamas first and when we're done you can take your nap. Ok?"

"I'm not tired."

Greg smiled. "No, not yet. But you will be soon enough."

Up in Braden's room the three of them settled in, Comet on the floor beside the bed, with Greg on the bed and Braden curled up in his lap.

Greg began to read one of the books they'd picked up from the library: Alphabears by Kathleen and Michael Hague. Each bear, standing for each letter of the alphabet, was illustrated beautifully with a short sentence about them underneath.

"'F is for Freddie, a big frightful mess. What he's been up to, no one can guess.'"

Movement in the doorway caught Greg's eye and he looked up to see his husband standing there still dressed for bed. Nick nodded at Braden and Greg looked down to find the boy sound asleep. He smiled, closing the book and setting it down on top of the first three books in A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket before gently moving Braden off his lap and under the covers. He joined Nick in the doorway, greeting him with a small kiss.

"You two were adorable just then, babe. You know that?"

"Mmmm, yeah?"

"Yeah. So, how did the library trip go?"

"About as well as can be expected."

Nick eyed the books on Braden's nightstand. "I liked that one you were just reading. But did you honestly get him A Series of Unfortunate Events?"

"Yeah, why? The librarian assured me it was a great series he would enjoy."

"It's just that it's so dark."

"How would you know?"

"My sister told me about them."

"So? What's wrong with a good dark story every now and then?" Greg left Braden to sleep with the Greyhound still on the floor, eyes closed, steering the small argument towards their own bedroom.

"But the guy is creepy, tries to marry a child to steal the kid's fortune. He kidnaps the baby and locks her in a bird cage hanging out the top floor window in his house."

"It's just a story, Nicky. Don't worry about it. Let's just see what he thinks of them first. I mean, do you know how many kids hate to read these days? If he likes these, that's a good thing, even if they are a little dark. At least he'll be reading something. And if he really doesn't like them, we can always return them. Besides, I've got some interesting news for you."

"Yeah?"

Greg explained what had happened in the park while he stripped off his jeans and t-shirt.

"He really did that?"

"I think we made a good decision to get Comet."

"Maybe we did. You taking her with you tomorrow?"

"You bet."

"I have to be in the shower soon, G. What are you doing?"

"Not for another hour you don't. Come to bed with me. I'm tired, and I've missed you."

Greg looked up at Nick, surrounded by their comforter and saw him grin before crawling into bed beside him. He snuggled up close to Nick, wrapping an arm around him. He took in the sweet scent of Nick and let out a deep sigh of contentment before closing his eyes to fall asleep.

A/N: I don't know what the LV public library system is like in terms of card use, so what I put in here is all made up. For those of you who know my profession... no, Paige is not based off of me at all or anyone I know. She's just a cool person working in a library.