Don't own CSI.

Rated T or M based on innuendos.

Got some great reviews...very helpful.

Trista and Warrick are going to fade out...maybe they will find each other another day...in another story...

I will bring them in here and there of course due to them being a huge part of the Stokes' lives.

As for THIS chapter:

NICK AND JULES!

AND EMMA, too!

Oh the joys of parenthood...not always peaches and cream.

I hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and remember that FaceBook that Jules had? You know, the one that someone plastered Nick & Brooke's compromising photos all over? Well, I'm sure she'd want to show your her family pics now. Look her up! Jules Stokes Brown (location Las Vegas) *I know I'm nuts...just enjoy it.

She was lying in the sun on a lounge chair by the pool when Nick sauntered outside looking for them. Emma was having a deep discussion with her dolls inside her playhouse in the yard not far away.

Jules heard the sliding glass doors open and close and she looked over to see Nick, wearing navy blue sweatpants and a white undershirt, walking toward her as he rubbed his eye and yawned.

"Hey, look who is awake…did you sleep well my big, handsome, groggy, man?" she smiled at him.

Nick smiled back at her and then looked her up and down as she lay leisurely on the lounge chair. He couldn't help himself. He found his wife incredibly hot with her toned, tan, body.

"I look fat, I already know that's why you are staring at me," she said patting her belly that was getting a bit bigger.

"Yeah, that's it, that's exactly what I was thinking," he chuckled and leaned over and kissed her.

Jules wrapped her arms around Nick's neck and she kissed him back. Nick continued his kiss and sat down on the side edge of her lounge chair. They finally broke apart when Nick pulled back.

"Come on, Baby, you're giving me a hard-on sittin' here, kissin' me, and looking so fat in that little swimsuit."

Jules slapped his shoulder, "HEY! Want me to hate you forever? Keep it up," she laughed loudly causing Emma to come out of her little pink and white house.

"Daddy! You waked up!" she yelled, "You wanna come to my tea pawty?" she asked.

"I would love to come to your tea party, Miss Emma," he said, stood up, and smiled at Jules as he adjusted himself quickly.

Jules watched him walk over to his little girl and scoop her up, throw her in the air, and growl into her neck. The emotion that swelled in her heart was blinding. She loved them so much it hurt.

"God I am in love with them," she whispered staring at Nick and Emma before looking down at her belly and rubbing it softly, "…and that goes for the both of you, too."

Later that afternoon Nick and Jules had decided they needed some alone time together...just the two of them. It was actually Nick's idea which only sweetened the offer. He would be working later but he figured if they went out for dinner they would have plenty of time before his shift.

Jules grabbed the phone off the kitchen counter and called Trista to see if she was doing anything.

"Nah," Trista said, "it's Tuesday, what would I be doing? You and Nick should go! I'll be over in about a half an hour. In fact, I am hungry so I will eat dinner at your house. What are you making me?" she laughed.

"Whatever you want, Girlfriend, as long as I get to spend some time with my big hunk of Texan man, I'll feed you lobster and caviar!" she laughed.

"A pizza will do," she laughed.

Jules hung up with Trista and then called in a pizza delivery.

Nick was lounging back on the kitchen chair with Emma sitting across from him. They were chatting about something but Jules wasn't paying much attention as to what. Grabbing a mug of coffee, she stirred in some milk and sugar and brought it over to him.

"I figured you could use a little caffeine to get you through work tonight…better start now, right?" she smiled and put it down in front of Nick.

He looked up at her and smiled back, "Thank you, Sunshine, you're right, I am gonna need it," he admitted and gave her ass a swat as she walked back to the kitchen sink to load the dishwasher.

Nick took a sip of his coffee and looked over at his daughter. He could feel her staring at him. He smiled when he saw her eyes seared on him.

"Whatcha thinking' over there, Sweet Pea?" he asked wondering what her glare was about.

"You no goin' to wawk tonight, Daddy. You and Mommy stay home and you lay down wif me," Emma demanded as she sat across from her father drinking a juice box.

"I wish, Sweet Pea, but Daddy and Mommy are going to go out and then I have to go to work, but don't you worry that pretty lil face of yours, I'll be home in the morning, and I won't go to sleep right away; we'll have breakfast together, how's that?" he smiled at her.

"No, you is gonna stay home, you is," she frowned.

"Should we share a bowl of cereal like we do or have mommy make us pancakes?" he ignored her demand.

"You is not listenin' to me, Daddy?"

"I am, I hear ya, but it isn't up for debate, little lady," he gave her a matter of fact look.

"I is mad den," she growled.

Jules stood at the sink and watched Nick and Emma have a debate that she knew Emma wouldn't win. She smirked at how insistent she was and mumbled how she was just like her father under her breath. Nick heard her but ignored it.

"Sorry to hear you're mad, Honey, but I told you I will be home when you wake up so I really don't know what else I can do for ya," he explained and continued to drink his coffee.

Emma frowned at him and Nick smiled a soft closed mouth smile at her.

"I love ya, Princess, but it is what it is."

"How about it not!" she said.

"How about I don't like the way you are talking to me right now," he frowned.

Nick put his coffee on the table and had a stare down with his daughter.

"You is not listenin' that why," she stared back at him.

Jules just watched and stayed out of their argument. It wasn't like Emma to be talking to her father that way but Jules did notice her daughter has been testing the waters lately and pushing the envelope. Jules wanted to see Nick's reaction so she remained silent.

"I am listening, and I just told you that I am going out with Mommy and then I am going to work. Period. The end."

Jules liked how much patience Nick was having with her, but she also knew it was going to wear thin if Emma kept back talking him.

"You tell dem yaw not comin' dair, and dats it, da end," she said strongly.

Jules took in a large breath of air when she heard how bratty Emma was being. She was shocked. It was out of character for her and she couldn't believe it. She knew she was tired; she had a long day and she played hard. She also knew Emma was pushing her luck with that fresh mouth she was giving her father. Jules waited to see how Nick would react since he was not one to tolerate undisciplined kids.

"Yeah, right, Em, nice try. Look, I'm not arguing with you and I don't like the tone you are using with me and I mean it."

"Yaw a butt head," she told him.

"EXCUSE ME?" he said loudly.

"You is," she whispered under her breath.

"That's not gonna fly with me, Emma, you need to go sit on the step and think about how to talk to me," he stood up and walked around the table toward her.

"No I isn't," she folded her arms in front of her chest.

Nick looked over at Jules and gave her a look as if to say "What the fuck has gotten in to our daughter." Jules just shook her head and mouthed, "I have not a clue!"

Jules couldn't stay silent anymore, "Emma, tell Daddy you are sorry right now!"

Emma's eyes welled up. She knew she had pushed that envelope too far. She knew her parents were angry and suddenly she didn't like that feeling. She was noticeably upset now.

"Let's go, up, up, up" Nick told her, "Two minutes on the step. You have been fresh to me since I sat down at this table and I let it go…enough now, Emma, to the step."

Emma scooted away from Nick but he took her by the arm firmly. Emma was in rare form and she had a fit.

"No! I is sawy now! I don't go to dat step now," she said angrily.

"Come on, to the step," Nick didn't falter.

Emma picked up her juice box furiously and squirted the front of Nick's shirt with apple juice.

"Holy… EMMA!" Nick yelled loudly shocked at his daughter's behavior.

"EMMA JILLIAN STOKES! Are you kidding me?" Jules yelled too.

"I is sawy again. It slipped out."

"Yeah, the juice just slipped out!" Nick said pulling her off the chair.

Jules followed as Nick brought her thrashing, screaming, and crying over to the stairs and put her on the bottom step for her Time Out.

"You listen to me, little girl, you will not disrespect me like that ever again; do you understand me?" Nick told her firmly and adamantly.

"I is sawy, Daddy, I is dis time…I vevy sawy," she said as she cried.

Nick's heart broke to see her lip curling down and her tears streaming down her face, but he also didn't want to see her get away with bullshit. The way Emma was acting was unacceptable to him. He refused to have a brat and he meant it. He had seen too many children walk through the LVPD being disrespectful to their parents and it made him sick. His daughter would not be one of those kids now or ever.

Emma stomped and cried but she had to sit there. Nick looked at Jules and shook his head with disgust. Walking around his daughter, he went upstairs to change his shirt.

When Nick had gone upstairs, Jules explained to Emma that what she did was not acceptable at all.

"Emma, I am going into the kitchen to set the timer. You are not to get up until that timer goes off, do you hear me?" she pointed at her.

Emma nodded. Her sad brown eyes shed large tears that rolled down her cheeks. Jules couldn't help but feel her heartstrings pull since those eyes that were crying looked just like Nick's.

Just as Jules turned to walk back to the kitchen, the doorbell rang.

Trista walked in just in time for the chaos of child rearing was taking place.

"Oh, hey, hey, what's this? What's this? Tears? No, no, no, my girl," she said to Emma soothingly.

"I is in timed out, Ann Testa" Emma cried.

"Why, Sweetheart, what happened? Tell me what happened," she said while putting her gym bag on the floor in the corner.

Jules sighed loudly and walked into the kitchen to set the timer on the stove.

Trista looked up and saw Nick coming down the stairs. He was holding a shirt in his hand and walking downstairs shirtless.

"Woohooo, look at CSI Stokes lookin' mighty fine!" she teased.

"Oh yeah, Ann Testa? Ya think so?" he laughed.

"Oh might-teeeey fine, Stokes. Figures all the good guys are taken," she said but suddenly felt her stomach drop. She thought about Warrick and how toned and sexy his bare chest was. She felt the flutter inside just from the thought.

Jules walked back into the foyer, "Hey, hey, hittin' on my man? You wanna go toe to toe?" she smirked.

The two women joked and headed for the kitchen together leaving Nick standing in front of his little girl. Trista looked back at Nick in time to see him pull on his shirt and squat down in front of his daughter. She stopped and secretly watched him.

"Emma, listen to me…I am very upset by how you spoke to me and I am very angry that you squirted me with apple juice. That was not nice at all. Daddy loves you and that will never change, you know that, but you are never, evvvver, to do that again," he scolded softly.

Emma took some labored breaths from crying and nodded before telling him how sorry she was.

"I is sawy, Daddy, I is," she said as her lip turned down, "I got madded because yaw not staying wif me on my bed. I was madded."

"I understand you were mad, Sweetheart, I do, but that doesn't mean you treat me that way," he said placing his forehead to hers.

"I know dat," she said spilling big tears that Nick wiped away with his thumb, "Daddy, I sawy," she whispered.

"Awww, I know, Sweet Pea, I know you are sorry," he said.

Nick couldn't help it; seeing her cry was a knife in his heart. Nick pulled her into his chest and hugged her tightly.

Trista stared at the whole scene unfolding in front of her. She was touched by how in love Nick was with his daughter. She began to realize that she never thought about having a baby of her own. She never allowed herself to think about it. She never wanted to think of herself with a husband and a couple of kids because she just knew it wouldn't be in the cards for her.

Maybe the thought scared her before, but suddenly, as Nick talked to his daughter, Trista imagined life with Warrick. She knew how good he was with Emma. She also knew how good he was with Jules growing up. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Warrick would be a fantastic father. She just wasn't as sure he would be a good husband. She was pretty sure, in fact, that he would screw around on her like most men Trista knew. That last thought made Trista turn away from Nick's moment with his little girl, and walk sadly into the kitchen.

"NICK!" Jules yelled from the kitchen, "Don't be giving in to her for at least another 33 seconds," she tried not to laugh as she stared down at the timer.

Nick tried not to smirk. Jules knew him well and she knew he couldn't stand to see his daughter's tears combined with an "I'm sawy" but he knew he had to follow through with his punishment so he stood up and told her she had more time to think about what she did.

Emma's lip quivered but she stayed on the bottom step for another half a minute while Nick stood firm.

In the kitchen, Trista leaned on the counter and asked what happened.

"Oh, what happened you ask?" Jules whispered, "What happened was my daughter not only got nasty with her father but squirted him with apple juice when she didn't like what he had to say about it."

"NO WAY," Trista said in a animated whisper.

"Yes way, I don't know what the hell got in her head but she did. Nick's face was priceless. He was floored!"

"I bet. Man, Emma got all up in her dad's grill, huh? That's my girl!" Trista chuckled.

"Oh no, no, she better not be thinking she is gonna be a little bitch," Jules laughed.

Suddenly the timer beeped and sure enough, without a second to spare, Nick had Emma in his arms and he walked with her into the kitchen. Emma had her thumb in her mouth and her head buried into Nick's neck.

"Okay, my girl has realized the error of her ways," he smiled his Nick Stokes smile.

"Well I'm glad to hear that, whew, I wasn't sure what happened to my precious little girl but that fresh one was definitely not her, right Emma?" Jules said looking over at them.

Emma took her thumb out of her mouth and looked back at her mom, "I telled Daddy I is sawy," she explained.

"Well, that is wonderful! I'm glad to hear it. And did Daddy accept your apology?"

"Yaw not mad at me no mo, right?" she tilted her head and squinted.

"No, you said you were sorry and Daddy forgives you," he kissed her forehead. "But, I still can't lie down with you tonight because when Mommy and I get back I am leaving to go to work."

"But I see you in da mawnin faw breakfast," she grinned as Nick nodded.

"Is Warrick working with you tonight?" Trista asked.

Nick shot her a look, smiled, and told her that he was.

"Why?" Jules asked.

"Oh, I don't know, just wondering if Nick was gonna have to partner up with the loser is all," she covered.

"Oh stop!" Jules rolled her eyes.

Emma yawned in Nick's arms and he walked with her over to the couch. Trista watched him as he clicked through the channels and found a show he knew his baby would like. She admired how much he adored her. She loved how he knew which show would make her happy. She loved everything about how well Nick and Jules worked together and it suddenly hurt her knowing that might not ever be in store for her. She looked away.

"I like dis one, I do," Emma mumbled with her thumb still in her mouth.

"I know you do," he smiled at her, and rubbed her head before turning and walking back into the kitchen

"What's up, Ann Testa, Thanks for coming over," he smiled and walked over to Jules who was leaning into the open refrigerator. "Mmmm, look at that ass on my wife, mmm," he said and he came up behind her and pushed his groin into her.

"Hey, you're a dirty man, Stokes," Jules laughed, grabbed a yogurt and turned around, "Wanna a yogurt, Trist?"

Trista shook her head. "Why are you eating that if you're going out to dinner?" she asked.

"Oh, because I get dizzy sometimes and I think it's because I don't eat when I feel hungry; this will hold me over," she explained.

Jules walked to the counter and as she was getting a spoon from the drawer, Nick wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and Jules leaned back into him. The two of them stayed in that position while they talked to Trista.

Trista never let on that she noticed how affectionate Nick was being. She knew he wasn't just copping a feel or getting frisky. He just loved her. He loved touching her. He loved feeling her next to him. Trista knew that. She had always noticed that Nick was often touching Jules, but she never thought about how she doesn't have that kind of love in her own life and maybe, just maybe, she actually wishes she did.

Trista had to quickly change her thoughts so she made small talk that would not include Warrick or thoughts of Warrick. She played it safe with yogurt flavors.

"Out of all the yogurt flavors you can choose, why would you pick pineapple?"

"You don't like pineapple?"

"Not particularly."

Nick just listened and rested his cheek in Jules' hair.

"I got used to eating it as a kid and now I love it. Grams brought it home a lot when Warrick and I were little. The deli on the corner sold any yogurts there were about to expire to Grams real cheap and pineapple was usually the only flavors left over. Warrick still likes it too; maybe we're the only two people in Vegas that like it, I don't know," she laughed and smiled as she recalled her childhood.

Trista sighed to herself. No matter how hard she tried to steer her thoughts away from Warrick Brown, Trista kept getting hit with them. She thought she would definitely be safe talking about yogurt but it was just her luck to choose a topic that was tied to Warrick.

Just as Trista decided to get out of there and go into the other room, Jules shocked both her and Nick with a question that wasn't expected.

"Hey, Trist, you never told me what happen with you and that guy!" Jules said.

Nick squinted his eyes and tilted his head unsure about where this conversation was going. Letting go of Jules he turned around and went to the fridge. Grabbing a bottle of water he walked back to the counter.

"What guy? Who, Trist," Nick smirked and unscrewed the cap to the water.

"Uh, what, uh, the guy?" Trista stuttered terribly.

"YES! You know…that GUY…the one you said was incredible," she reminded her.

"Yeah, uh, I don't know I decided to just walk away, ya know how I am," she said looking for a way out.

"Oh yeah, Trista?" Nick teased, "that's too bad…was he a nice guy?" Nick tried so hard to fight back his laugh so he quickly took another drink of his water.

"TRISTA! The guy who you said was…" she lowered her voice to a whisper, "hung like a horse and was the best sex you ever had in your ENTIRE life!"

When Nick heard Jules remind Trista that she said that dude was "hung like a horse and the best sex ever" he was so shocked he spit his water out and it sprayed across the counter hitting Trista in the face and Jules on the shoulder.

'NICCKKKKKKKK!" Trista screamed wiping her face with her hands.

"NICK!" Jules gasped and ran to get Trista a dish towel, "Oh my God! " Jules said handing her a dish towel, "What is wrong with you? Were you choking, Honey?"

Nick coughed and choked but managed to put his hand up and wave it away saying "I'm fine…went down the wrong pipe."

"Trista, I am so sorry!" Nick said but couldn't hold back his laugh.

He started laughing so hard he doubled over.

Emma yelled from the den, "Daddy! You is too loud laffin!"

Nick couldn't say another word, he just shook his head and apologized to Trista as best he could before mouthing discretely to her "hung like a horse?" and grimaced his face with disgust.

"Would you two just go out already…just get out of here," she said patting the front of her shirt with the towel and walking away from them to the den, where she sat down next to Emma.

As Trista and Emma chatted about Little Bear, a subject that Trista knew was sure to be a safe one, Nick and Jules talked to each other quietly in the kitchen.

Jules put her yogurt on the counter and spun around to face Nick.

"I cannot believe you just spit a mouthful of water in her face!" she whispered smirking herself, "you are so disgusting!"

Nick shrugged. "It was an accident…be happy I didn't choke to death!" he smiled and wrapped his hands around her waist.

Nick needed to change the subject fast. He was afraid she would tell him about that "mystery man" she was referring to. And so, he directed their conversation back to their daughter's behavior.

"That was weird, huh?" Nick said to Jules about Emma.

"What, with Trista?" she asked.

"No, with our daughter, what the hell was that about? The little shit squirted me with apple juice," he laughed softly.

Jules laughed softly with him. "She has a temper like her father."

"What! You mean like her mother!" he laughed and pressed his face into her neck, taking in her scent.

Jules soaked in the feeling of Nick's hands around her and his face so close to hers.

"I think you handled it well, we just have to get tougher with her if she thinks she is gonna act like that."

"Mmmhmm," he growled into her neck.

"I'll miss you tonight, Cowboy," she whispered and stroked his hair.

"Yeah? How much?" he grinned although she couldn't see him since his face was still in her neck.

"Very, very much," she smiled and grabbed his ass with both hands.

"Mmmm," he groaned louder, "will you wear my shirt to bed again tonight and let me see you in it in the morning?" he mumbled into her neck.

"Definitely," she smiled as he brought his forehead to hers.

"I gotta stop talking about it, Sunshine, because I can't stand it, you know that," he pulled his head back to face her and then kissed her softly.

"Yep, I know, Cowboy, I know," she grinned, "You ready to go?"

"I am always ready, Sunshine," he whispered and then winked.