Chapter 10

Nick stared at the phone as he hung it up. He glanced over and saw Krisalyn studying him through curious eyes. He could already tell that she was going to ask him about that conversation.

"So you're girlfriend misses you huh?" Krisalyn teased not realizing exactly what nerve that was going to hit.

"She's not my girlfriend." Nick said sharply.

"Take a chill pill, I was only teasing." Krisalyn said as she held her hands up in mock surrender. "You wanna tell me what has you all worked up?"

"It's none of your business." Nick said and then looked at the television set. "Let's just watch some TV."

"Whatever." Krisalyn shrugged.

J.J. finished her ballistics testing and glanced back and saw Grissom watching her closely. She frowned a little and then shrugged it off. She shot him a sweet smile and then turned back to her observations and writing her ballistics report. Now that her transfer to Las Vegas was finalized she was happy that she wouldn't be returning to New York anytime soon. Her friend and roommate was supervising the packing up of her belongings and would ship them out here. J.J. was hoping her new apartment would be temporary.

"Soon Nick and I will move in together and then get married. I know it's going to happen for us, I just know it." She whispered to herself.

Greg was watching J.J. from the other side of the lab. He had a bad feeling that J.J. wasn't going to be a great addition to the team. Ecklie had asked that she be slowly moved out into the field and he had a feeling he was going to be the one partnered with her before long.

Nick glanced over and saw that Krisalyn was frowning at him. He sighed and switched the television off and turned fully towards her. He already knew what she wanted to talk about and he had a feeling he was going to regret his decision to open the discussion.

"Just say it already." Nick said leaning back into the recliner.

"You don't have to baby-sit me if there is somewhere else you need to be. I won't tell Grissom you left." Krisalyn said with a sigh and a shrug.

"So that's what this is about? You think there is somewhere else I want to be?" Nick asked laughing.

"What's so funny?" Krisalyn asked annoyed.

"Nothing. Look if you think that I want to be with J.J. then you are out of your mind. I have a feeling I am going to regret ever flirting with that woman. I think she may just be psycho." Nick said sighing.

"Well she really likes you. Did I tell you that she cornered me the other day and asked if I was trying to steal you away from her?" Krisalyn asked recalling the event. "She literally had me pinned to locker room wall."

"You're kidding right?" Nick asked turning serious.

"I wish I was. It was an event I can honestly say that I will never forget. She had this look in her eyes that just told me to stay out of her way." Krisalyn said shaking her head and then wincing in pain.

"I would think you would already have learned that shaking you're head causes a headache." Nick said trying not to laugh at the look on her face.

"Will you stop laughing at me?" Krisalyn asked getting annoyed. "I might just call J.J. and tell her that you are here, driving me insane."

"You wouldn't dare." Nick said as he stopped laughing.

"Made you stop." Krisalyn said with a smirk.

Warrick watched J.J. very carefully. There was just something about her that really set off alarm bells within everyone in the lab. Even Hodges had come up to Grissom and said that something about her was creeping him out. Grissom had made repeated phone calls to the lab in New York where she transferred from and had received no answer from the supervisor there. They had all decided to take turns keeping watch on her, to see if they could figure her out.

Sara jumped when she heard the door slam to the locker room area. She glanced up when she saw Kathryn walk in with an annoyed look on her face. Sara smiled as she shook her head and sat down on a bench.

"So you heard the news to huh?" Sara asked with a smirk.

"Yes, I think it's bull." Kathryn said with a sigh.

"We aren't really going to lose Krisalyn to New York are we?" Sara asked suddenly. "Because I would rather have her over J.J. any day."

"I think everyone in the lab would agree, especially Nick." Kathryn said with a laugh. "That boy doesn't even realize how in love with her he is."

"Good, I am not the only one who sees it. Do you know how badly I have wanted to talk to someone else about this? Grissom just told me the other day that he doesn't believe Nick cares that much for her. But then again guys are blind when it comes to this sort of thing." Sara said turning on the bench to face her friend.

"Agreed. Warrick sees it though. In fact according to Warrick and Greg, Nick is so in love with her that he accidentally called Greg, Krisalyn." Kathryn said with a laugh.

"You're kidding me." Sara said laughing with her.

J.J. was standing on the other side of the lockers when she heard all of this. Her temper started to flair and she stomped out of the locker room. She had to find Nick and see what was going on there.

Nick and Krisalyn were laughing at something on the TV. Nick stopped laughing suddenly and stared at Krisalyn who was still laughing. She realized he wasn't laughing anymore and turned to look at him. She kept the smile on her face as she looked right back at him.

"What?" She asked starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Do you realize how sexy your laugh sounds?" He asked suddenly.

Krisalyn stopped smiling and bit her bottom lip gently. "Nick?" She asked seeing his him look away.

"I didn't mean for that to actually come out." He said softly. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"No, it's okay." Krisalyn said as she reached out and put her hand on his arm. "Will you look at me? I want to talk to you about Ella, I know that you have been avoiding that subject and I would really rather you hear about her."

"Krisalyn I don't think now is the time." Nick said and then sighed because he could tell she was determined.

"She had blonde hair, it was always so wild and curly. It would take me at least an hour to get it tamed. I remember thinking there is no way she could have all this hair right now, she's so little. Her eyes were so pretty, I remember looking into them and thinking that they always were sparkling." Krisalyn started and then stopped as she felt tears well up in her eyes. "Her favorite TV show, Blue's Clue's. She loved music, it was one of her favorite things. She would make me sing to her every night before she went to sleep. If I wasn't home to tuck her in I had to sing over the phone."

Nick listened in silence and could see the tears starting to fall from her eyes as she described their daughter. He was getting an image in his mind of this beautiful child who loved music. He smiled sadly as he pictured the little one that he never got to meet.

"I remember this one night I came home and she was sitting in the living room, watching television. I walked into the living and just stood there, watching her. Her eyes were completely focused on the TV that she didn't hear me come in. Then she jumped up and started to sing along with the TV. She would twirl in circles all around and sing along, when she forgot the words she would just sing 'lalalalala'. It was the cutest thing." Krisalyn said as she started to choke on her tears.

"She sounded like a wonderful little girl." Nick whispered, focusing on the sheet on the hospital bed.

"She was. She was the sweetest thing. I took her trick-or-treating on her last Halloween. After she would get the candy she looked at me and wouldn't leave the doorway. I couldn't figure it out and asked her what was wrong, you know what she said to me?" Krisalyn asked a smile starting to form at the memory.

"What?" Nick asked his head snapping up.

"'You have to pay the lady mommy, it's wrong to steal.'" Krisalyn said as she laughed a little. "I had to carry around a bunch of pennies so that she could hand them to the people after they gave her candy."

Nick smiled at the picture she was painting. He could just see a little girl handing a penny to a person for giving her candy. "Sounds like you were raising her right."

"I like to think so." Krisalyn said shaking her head.

"I know so." Nick said smiling at her.

Flashback

"Do you realize that my boss is going to freak at me being so late?" Krisalyn asked with a groan.

"Well it's not my fault you didn't set the alarm." Nick said as he quickly buckled his belt.

"Yes it is, you were distracting me." Krisalyn accused with a smile.

"I didn't hear you complaining." Nick said with a laugh.

"Well I'm complaining now." Krisalyn teased as she slipped on her watch.

"Too late. I am going to head back to my hotel room and shower and change. I'll see you at your lab?" Nick asked as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"I think that's where I'm going. Unless I stop and meet a really cute guy along the way." Krisalyn teased again as she threw her hair into a ponytail.

"You know, I think I might be falling for you." Nick said seriously.

"You don't even know me." Krisalyn said stopping in her tracks.

"I know enough." Nick said with a shrug. "See you later."

End Flashback

The more she thought about the more it seemed destined that her and Nick were supposed to find each other again. Maybe the reason Ella fell in love with those tigers and the reason Krisalyn decided to bury her here was because someone else wanted her here with him. Krisalyn quickly shook the thought and the memory away as she looked over at the table beside her hospital bed. When Sara had gone to her apartment and gotten her some things she had also brought a picture of Ella at her last birthday. Krisalyn smiled as she motioned towards the picture.

"She stuck her whole face in the cake that day. Her hair was completely covered with chocolate cake." Krisalyn said shaking her head. "I miss having a bunch of kids running around on a sugar high believe it or not."

"Maybe one day you'll have that again." Nick whispered softly and seriously.

"Maybe one day you'll get to experience it first hand." Krisalyn said also serious.

"Maybe we'll experience it together." Nick said leaning towards her.

Captain Brass walked in the room at the particular moment and cleared his throat, causing Nick to jump back and stare at him.

"Sorry to interrupt but I wanted to personally check on things here." He said with a knowing smile.

"Everything's fine thanks." Krisalyn said quickly with a blush creeping up her face. Had Nick just about kissed her a few moments ago?

"I can see that." Brass said as he turned to leave.

"Um..Brass could you not tell anyone about this?" Nick asked him suddenly.

Krisalyn heard those words and felt crushed. Nick had only been caught up in the moment and he was embarrassed about what he had almost done. He wasn't interested in her, it was only about what they were talking about. She looked down at the blanket covering her and started playing with an end of it.

"Is he shift almost done?" Krisalyn asked suddenly.

Brass looked at them both confused and glanced at his watch. He then looked at Krisalyn first. "No his shift isn't almost done and yes I'll keep this to myself."

Nick looked over at Krisalyn and frowned. They had really been talking and now it seemed she just wanted to get rid of him, what had changed?