I do not own CSI.

Rated T or M for language and themes.

Thank you for the reviews! I so appreciated them!

U haven't seen Nick so mad that he yells like that, huh?

It happens... Especially when he gets terrified about his family.

The last we saw Nick he stormed up to take a shower and Jules hasn't heard a word from him since.

Let's just see how this all plays out, shall we?

Read on... (and review too please)

The meatballs had long been made and left on the stove. Nick never came back down for dinner. In fact, he stayed upstairs in his office without speaking to her. She peeked in on him once and he was working on some files and crime scene photos. She asked him if he wanted to come down and eat but he just told her he lost his appetite hours ago. He never looked up when he answered her and she knew he was still pissed.

Jules couldn't even remember when Nick was this mad at her. It was a very rare occurrence, but when it happened…she knew he needed time to be alone to blow off steam. Nick's way of blowing off steam was usually to work…to put his anger toward uncovering crimes. So, Jules decided that if he wanted to eat he would come down and get it when he wanted.

When Trista had come back with Emma that evening she looked around and asked where Nick was.

"Ugh, don't ask," Jules said shamefully before telling her the whole story.

Trista raised her eyebrows and her eyes grew wide.

"Oh, oh, ohhhh man, if Nick gets like THAT? With YOU? Ooooh" she said making a swishing sound after she said it.

"Yep, I know...I know…I am laying low now that's for sure," she grimaced.

"Well, I guess I don't need to tell you he is right, right?" Trista smirked.

"Nope…Believe me...I know," she nodded.

"I mean, don't get me wrong…I know how you are and I also know I would be the same way, but since it's NOT me being in your shoes, it's easy for me to say 'what the heck were you thinking' which is probably what YOU would have said to ME," she nodded.

Jules laughed lightly…"Yep, that sounds about right," she said putting a plate of ziti and meatballs in front of Trista and a plate of cut up meatballs in front of Emma.

"Is them hot?" Emma asked oblivious to the conversation around her.

Trista leaned over, stuck her fork in a chunk of Emma's meatball and put it to her lip. When she found it to be warm she smiled at her and held it over to her mouth.

"No, Goldilocks, it is just right," she and Emma chuckled and Emma opened her mouth to take the bite.

"So, I guess I shouldn't call him down to eat, huh?" she asked just in case she was wrong about leaving him alone.

"I wouldn't," Trista mumbled with a mouth full of food.

"Yeah, I was just checking," Jules said sadly, "I feel really bad about it. And the worst part is he was right…Cole didn't care about what I had to say," she said.

"Shocker," Trista said sarcastically.

"I know…what was I thinking? I just hoped that maybe…I don't know," she said disgusted with herself. "And Nick doesn't even know he wanted to k-i-s-s me," Jules spelled out the word kiss so Emma wouldn't hear and repeat it.

"Oh my God, don't even breathe it into the air. You made me nervous!" Trista complained. "I know you know but come on, Jules…the babie….what if…aw, forget it…I know you already know," she put another bite into her mouth.

"Thank you. I do. I know," Jules said sadly again.

"Well, he will get over it…you know he will. You just scared the s-h-i-t out of him," Trista spelled out the bad word and put another bite into her mouth.

Suddenly the front door opened and Warrick came inside.

"What idiot left the door unlocked?" he said as he strolled into the kitchen.

Trista choked on her food and coughed loudly. Jules jumped up and hit her on the back.

"You is okay? Is you chokin'?" Emma asked startled.

Trista cleared her throat several times and took a long drink before she could tell her niece that she was fine.

Jules got up and went to get her brother some food.

"First of all, Trista did it!" she laughed, "Secondly, do you want to eat?" she said making a plate for him without his answer.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry, Trist, I was just kidding, I thought it was Baby Girl," he stuttered and Jules looked over at him in shock.

"Sweet Mother of GOD! Did you just apologize to Trista?" she asked in shock.

Trista looked at Warrick with horror. She decided to cover up his error.

"Yea, Loser, you can keep your phony apologies. Nice try in front of your sister, dumb ass," she said.

Warrick stared at her. He didn't want to go along with it. He didn't want to bicker with her anymore. In fact, he wanted to sit and eat dinner with her. He wanted to just sit and talk to her and maybe even take her to a movie or to the bar. He stared at her until she sparred with him again.

"Hey Jackass, are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna sit down?" she said getting up from the table with her dish in her hand.

Jules put a plate of food in front of Warrick.

"Just stop it, Nasty Girl," Jules said to her best friend laughing.

"You is not nice to Uncle Wick and yaw sayin' bad wawds," Emma smirked because she was actually used to the two of them arguing. She had lived with it since birth.

"You tell her, Tiny," Warrick smiled at his niece.

"I did," Emma grinned back.

"Where is Nick?" Warrick looked over at Jules.

"Upstairs," she answered looking down.

"Figured," he said shoving food in his mouth.

"Why did you figure that?" she asked.

"Because he ain't speaking to you…I figured he wouldn't after that stunt you pulled this morning," he said nodding, "I ain't sayin' nothing to you because I am sure you heard it all from him," he told her.

"Oh my God, does everybody have to know my business? My God, the LVPD needs to mind their business and stop watching me!" she grumbled.

Trista dumped the remaining little bit of food into the garbage.

"I, um, I am gonna head out," she said.

"WHY?" Jules said wiping her mouth with a napkin, "Don't go!"

"Yeah, well, I got things to do, and um," she refused to make eye contact with Warrick.

"Oh come on, Trist, stay with me and hang out…come on, I am in the doghouse…stay in it with me, please!" she begged.

"Yaw in the dawg house, Mommy? We no have a dawg," Emma tilted her head and squinted just like her father.

"Oh, it's just a saying, Honey," she laughed.

"All right, all right, I will stay," Trista said reluctantly and went into the den and clicked on the TV.

"Ok, Munchkin, time for your bath and then to bed," she said to Emma, "You had a long day with Aunt Trista!"

"Leave the plates, I will clean it up once the jackass gets out of my way," Trista yelled from the couch.

Jules rolled her eyes.

"Miss Emma…come give Ann Testa kiss!" she said.

Emma had called Trista "Ann Testa." since she could speak. They all cracked up about it. For the longest time no one could figure out who Ann Testa was that Emma kept talking about until one day she pointed to Trista. They knew then that Ann T. was Aunt Trista. The name stuck.

Emma scurried off and kissed Trista good night which included a great big hug that Trista loved.

"Come on, Munchkin," Jules called for her and she and Emma went upstairs to get ready for bed.

Emma turned around and ran back to Warrick.

"Night, Uncle Wisk...I love you," she said and kissed him hard.

"Arghhhh," Warrick groaned as he hugged her tightly, " I love you too, Tiny...Sweet dreams!"

Once Jules and Emma left and went upstairs... The silence they left behind was deafening.

Warrick got up from the table, wiped his mouth and threw the napkin on the table. He walked into the den and sat on the arm of the couch and stared at her.

"What the hell are you looking at?" she said squishing up her face at him.

"You," he answered.

"Why?" she shot back.

"Why do you have to be like this?" he asked.

"Like what? I am always like this," she said looking away and at the TV.

"Why do you have to be? Why won't you answer my calls?" he said softly.

"I never had a chance…did you want something?" she said still looking at the television.

"Trista, come on…seriously?" he said getting annoyed.

"What did you want?" she asked still looking at the TV.

"Trist, can you look at me?" he said.

"What? I'm watching this," she said staring at a commercial.

Warrick got up and grabbed the clicker. He turned off the television and threw the remote over on the chair across the room. He sat on the coffee table across from her.

"I thought maybe, I thought you and I could maybe go out some time," he asked her staring at her.

"Who? You and me?" she chuckled, "No, I don't think so, Rick, sorry," she answered.

"WHY?" he asked shocked.

Trista shrugged. "I don't know, just uh, I don't know…no reason, I guess I am just not interested," she told him, "I'm sorry...but really, Warrick, nothing has changed. It's all good."

"Trista! NOTHING changed? You and me... we had a crazy good time together the other night…why are you not interested?" he said with his ego wounded.

"You're funny, Rick," she laughed at him.

"Funny? Why?" he frowned.

"Because one night of good sex doesn't mean a fricken thing! It was fun…get over it…I am," she laughed and dismissed him, "Now, can you get me the clicker?"

Warrick stood up stunned. He was about to turn to get the remote but he turned back to her, leaned down, grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her.

Trista felt his lips on hers and she had wanted to feel them again for days.

She kissed him back and their tongues moved passionately. Their breathing became heavy and they melted into the back of the couch...her hands found their way to his sides.

But suddenly Trista grabbed his hands and tore them off her face, pushing him off her.

"Get a hold of yourself, homeboy!" she said.

Warrick just stared at her dumbfounded.

Their kiss was hot.

There was a definite fire between them but she was not going to let it happen.

"Look, Warrick, you and I have known each other for years. I like you. I mean, you and I fight…it's what we do because deep down we do like each other…AS FRIENDS...because we've always been friends under our fighting, we both know that, but…that's it…we're just friends, nothing more, okay?" she rambled and stood up.

Warrick's mouth fell open.

"Um, okay, just tell Jules I just remembered I had something I needed to do…tell her I will call her later," she said and grabbed her purse off the chair.

"NO! No wait, Trist!" he said following her through the hall and to the front door.

Putting his hand on the door before she could open it, Warrick stared at her.

"Are you saying you don't want to see where this could go?" he said stunned.

"Pretty much, Homes," she chuckled. "I told you…we're friends. We had a great time ONE night…get over it," she said and pushed his arm to move him aside.

Trista left. She closed the door behind her.

Warrick stood in a state of disbelief staring at the closed front door.

"Not used to that ego bash, huh, Chief?" Nick chuckled midway down the stairs.

Warrick looked up.

He was snagged.

He knew Nick had caught him red handed.

"Nick, I, uh, I guess you heard that?" he said sheepishly.

"Uh, pretty much, Homes," he said repeating the same line Trista had just given Warrick.

Nick tried to hide his smirk but failed.

Warrick took a deep breath and let it out loudly.

He rubbed his palm over his face.

"Aw, ffffuck," he grumbled, "Just…just tell Jules I will call her tomorrow... tell her thanks for dinner."

And without a second to spare, Warrick left.