I friggen do not own CSI and do not mean to imply that I do. I do not own their characters...only my own.

Rated K - nothing objectionable.

I got a lovely review from someone new so I thought I would send a little Nick & Jules their way.

Just a little fluffy chapter that will move us forward.

It will show us what is going on in Jules' and Nick's mind after Warrick and Trista left the Bellagio.

PLEASE keep reading, and reviewing for me.

I cannot thank the faithful reviewers enough!

And the lurkers should thank you too, because without your reviews...my brain turns to oatmeal and this story might have outright STALLED!

** Oh, and I am glad some of you wrote to tell me you like the twist of Warrick & Trista ;oP **

The sun was just coming up and trying to squeeze into the big window of Room 710. Jules lay quietly next to Nick who was sleeping soundly. She watched him sleeping for a little while. She loved to do that, he was just so sweet as he slept. After a little while Jules rolled onto her back, looked up at the ceiling, and watched the fan blades spin around with her thoughts. She didn't want to get up and leave Nick right now, but she knew she would have to slip from his arms and go back home soon. She wanted to be home when her little girl woke up. She had something she wanted to tell her.

Jules smiled thinking about how Brett would probably be asleep in his Hugh Hefner pajamas that he likes to wear, when she sneaked back in, but once he got over the shock of her arriving, he would smile, hug her, and tell her that she and Nick were soul mates and would be together for sure. Brett was always the romantic. He was also always a good friend.

She wasn't sure how she would explain to her brother and Trista what it was that would make her ignore all the evidence against Nick and instead stand by his side. She knew it sounded insane. If this was someone else she too would tell them the very same thing Trista, her brother, and all of her other friends were saying: "Nick is a cheat. He fucked around on you and you are a stupid idiot to even go back with him." Of course that is what anyone would say. And they would be right…if it were true. But, despite everything proving he is a cheating liar, her heart refused to believe it. This was Nick. Her Nick. And something just didn't seem right. She knew him well. She knew his heart…she should, he gave it to her years ago.

Jules decided she would find out the truth one way or the other and she would know the real truth when it hit her. Call it denial, call it what you want, but there was no way she was going to walk away from a man that she loved so much. Nick had looked her in the eyes, and she believed him. His eyes wouldn't lie to her, and neither would his heart. She couldn't exactly explain that to too many people, but it didn't matter, she was going to move forward. She was going to shut out the voices and the visions. She witnessed his genuine tears and she felt the life they breathed into one another.

Jules was truly sorry to disappoint her best friend and brother. She was sorry she felt she had to lie to them both. She was certainly sorry Nick punched Warrick in the face from the heated words Warrick threw at them. But, Jules knew what she needed to do. It was time; she wanted Nick to come back home. She wanted him back in their house, in her bed, at their kitchen table… Nick Stokes belonged with his family and it really didn't matter what her brother thought, what her best friend thought, or what anyone thought. His place was with her and Emma and if people thought she was stupid or an idiot, well, it just really didn't matter. She knew what was best for her family and it wasn't up for discussion anymore.

Jules decided she and Nick needed to have a talk sometime today, before he went into work, about him coming home. As she slipped quietly out of bed she quickly got dressed and wrote her handsome husband a note.

Hey Handsome,

I wanted to go home before Em wakes up.

Let's plan on getting together for lunch today…all 3 of us.

There are some things we need to talk about.

Call me later.

I love you…always.

~Jules

His arm reached out for her but all it felt was the empty place where his wife had slept only hours earlier. Nick rubbed his hands over his face a few times before stretching his body and neck back, and yawning loudly. He looked and saw her side of the bed was empty and he knew Jules had gone home to be there when their daughter woke up. He understood. He wished it was him that could be there when his baby woke up. Nick smiled at the thought of the sound Emma's little feet make on the hardwood floor when she runs down the hall to their room.

"God she is so adorable," he said out loud as he yawned again.

Nick thought about Warrick's behavior last night and he shook his head while he stared up at the ceiling.

"Protecting your sister is one thing, but stay the fuck out of my marriage, Bro, or I will beat your ass down again," he thought silently.

He loved his brother-in-law but sometimes the bond Warrick shared with Jules made him crazy. He knew how it was with Warrick and his sister even before he and Jules began dating, and he understood. He knew they had to look out for each other growing up, and they were all they had in the world right from the start. He understood and he thought it was great, for the most part, but sometimes, it just wore on his nerves. It was just a normal reaction, he believed.

He turned his thoughts away from Warrick and onto Jules.

He knew without a shadow of a doubt that Jules truly was his other half. They were the best part of each other and he never took for granted how blessed he was to have found her. He always told her that she was everything he didn't even know he wanted... until she found him.

Nick put his hands behind his head and smiled up at the ceiling. He smiled just thinking about how Jules was willing to look past the blatantly incriminating evidence to stand by him. She trusted him even when it looked like he wasn't trustworthy. Jules wasn't staying with him because he was found innocent, she was staying with him because she believed in him no matter what the evidence said. She assured him that she knew the real him…she had met his soul and no one could pull them apart. She has told him that all throughout their relationship, and she continues to believe it still.

Nick stared up at the ceiling thinking about how much he loves his wife, thinking about the incredible faith Jules has in him, and the thought alone touched him so deeply, it actually made the tough CSI want to cry.