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Chapter Text

It should never have happened this way. This was supposed to be the happiest time of his life. He was supposed to be sitting with his wife, staring in awe at the newborn baby that was nestled in his arms. Wondering how they created something so small. So beautiful. So perfect.

He was never meant to do this alone.

The funeral was over. His wife was buried. The majority of people had now left the house following the wake, giving the grieving widower time alone with his two-week-old baby girl, who slept in his arms blissfully unaware of everything that was happening around her.

Blissfully unaware of the fact that, due to a doctor’s negligence, she would grow up without a mother. Blissfully unaware that the few days she got to spend with her mother before her untimely death were filled with pain and suffering. Her mother valiantly trying to put on a brave face, but her pain clear.

He was supposed to be going back to work the following day, but his leave had been extended by two weeks. But it didn’t feel like paternity leave to him anymore. Not entirely. It was also bereavement leave. He needed time to grieve his wife.

He felt his daughter stirring in his arms, awakening from her nap on her father’s space.

“Hey, butterfly,” he murmured with a watery smile. She fussed in her father’s arms, alerting him of a need she needed satisfied. “Yeah, I know, Kady. You’re hungry.”

Kady looked up at him with wide brown eyes, seemingly taking in every feature of her father’s face.

Not for the first time, as the new father moved to prepare his daughter’s bottle, he wondered how he was going to do this.

**

That was a question that repeated often in his mind when he finally returned to work. He was never alone. That much had been made clear to him. Catherine, a fellow single mother (even if her coparent was very much alive), was there offering sage words of wisdom and reassurances. Telling him it will get easier. He will adjust.

The only thing that made it better for him was the knowledge that his daughter was in safe hands. Something that terrified him was the prospect of leaving his daughter with a babysitter. A stranger.

But Maria Fuentes, his mother-in-law, had moved in with Nick before the funeral. It was something that had been planned even before his wife Daniela died, but it had meant to be a temporary arrangement. While her housing issues were sorted out. Before Nick went back to work, he talked to Maria about making their new living arrangements permanent instead. He needed someone he trusted to watch over Kady as he worked the night shift.

Because as he continued asking himself how he was going to do this, a painful realisation always came up. He couldn’t do this alone. He and Kady needed a village around them – especially since all of Nick’s family lived in Texas and were limited in the support they could provide. Maria knew this as much as he did.

Before Nick knew it, his shift was over, and he was in his car heading home. His day was relatively light. He didn’t get assigned any heavy cases. Part of him was thankful for that. He didn’t know how he would’ve gone if he had been assigned a case involving a kid. Not with everything the way it currently was.

He parked in the driveway of his home and climbed out after turning off the engine. He sorted through the keys on his keychain searching for the key to his front door, rubbing a hand over his tired face as he did. He just wanted to see his daughter, and maybe have a nap when she does. Remembering her schedule, he figured that she would be due for a nap very soon, so it wasn’t that far off.

His answer to that question he had been asking himself all day – how was he going to do this – was answered the second he walked into the door.

“Oh, mijo,” Maria smiled at him, giving him a fond motherly embrace. She handed him a bottle she was making as he walked on and gestured to the bouncer nearby, “I think Kady would be happy to see her daddy.”

Nick happily took the bottle before approaching the bouncer that was set up nearby.

“Hey, butterfly,” he beamed as he moved to undo the straps to the bouncer.

Nick swore his daughter perked up ever so slightly at the sound of her father’s voice. Immediately, his heart felt lighter. The weights on his shoulder had disappeared. As he settled to feed his daughter, making a point to remember to drape a burp cloth over his shoulder (not wanting a repeat of what happened a few days ago), he saw the answer to his question.

How could he do this? How could he see what he sees every day?

The answer was currently staring at him with wide brown eyes as she greedily sucked at the bottle’s teat.

That was how he could do this.

Chapter Text

It was three years later, and a lot had changed.

Nick had worked his way up to CSI Level II, and he had just solved his 99^th case. One more and he would be promoted to CSI Level III.

And he balanced all of this with single parenthood.

Kadelyn was now three years old, and she was grasping her Abuela’s hand as she walked through the hallways towards the locker room. She clasped her special visitors badge with pride, waving hello to everyone who took a brief second out of their very busy night to acknowledge her presence.

“Daddy, daddy!” Kadelyn squealed happily, letting go of Maria’s hand as she raced towards her father.

“Hey, butterfly!” Nick gasped happily. He playfully grunted as he picked his daughter up in his arms, settling her on his hip. “How’s my favourite girl?”

“Good!” Kadelyn nodded excitedly, wrapping her tiny arms around her father’s neck. “We did finger painting today!”

“You did?” Nick asked excitedly.

Maria elaborated, “The daycare wanted to keep it overnight so they can dry.”

Nick nodded before reassuring Kadelyn, “You can show me tomorrow.”

Kadelyn was delighted at the prospect. She looked forward to showing her father the three she had painted during art time.

“Did you solve it?” Kadelyn asked.

“I did,” Nick boasted proudly. He took a ‘SOLVED’ magnet off the whiteboard and held it up to Kady. “Ready?”

“Ready!” Kadelyn eagerly nodded.

Maria stood in the doorway, watching the interaction unfold with a smile on her face.

“Three… two… one!” Nick counted down.

Together, Nick and Kadelyn placed the magnet over a black in his column. The block represented Case #99. It signified that Nick had successfully solved his 99^th case.

“One more, baby, One more,” Nick muttered, staring at the board in pride.

Another man came round the corner. One that made Kadelyn light up in her father’s arms.

“Uncle Warrick!” Kadelyn smiled happily when she spotted her godfather, stumbling only ever so slightly over the pronunciation of his name.

“Hey, short stack!” Warrick returned the happy greeting, pressing a kiss into the little girl’s brown curls. “You here to give daddy good luck?”

“Yup!” Kadelyn answered.

“Good, because daddy’s gonna need it,” Warrick smirked.

He then picked up a ‘SOLVED’ magnet from the whiteboard and placed it under his own column, signifying that he too had solved 99 cases.

“Play nice, boys,” Maria chided them playfully.

Maria had known Warrick since he was born, for his grandmother was one of the few women who showed Maria kindness when she first arrived from Mexico, fleeing a dangerous family situation. As a result, Warrick grew up alongside her daughter Daniela. They were childhood friends who did everything together. Many joked about them getting married, but they always saw each other as siblings. In fact, Warrick was the one who introduced Nick to Daniela and encouraged their relationship.

Making Warrick Kadelyn’s godfather was a no brainer for the couple. And it was a job Warrick took seriously – especially following Daniela’s horrific death.

“99. You and me. Dead heat,” Warrick smirked at Nick. “Next crime solved gets promoted to CSI-3, man.”

“Yeah, yeah. Choice of shift, $8,000 raise, extra week vacation,” Nick listed the benefits. “Maybe I might be able to take a certain someone to Disneyland one day.”

Kadelyn smiled at the prospect. Like many kids, her dream was to go to Disneyland and meet the Disney princesses. But she was just as happy having breakfast every morning with her daddy and travelling out to Lake Mead and any other father-daughter activity Nick could devise.

Disneyland wouldn’t be happening until Kadelyn was older. When Nick could save for it more. Besides, Nick wanted to take her when she was at an age where she could really enjoy the park and everything that came with it.

Warrick decided to take this moment to lay down the odds: “Twenty bucks, by the end of shift, I’m the man.”

“Is there anything you won’t bet on?” Nick’s question was incredulous, but also laced with concern. Warrick was known to have a bit of a gambling problem.

“Nah. It’s college football season, man. I won eight of ten this weekend. Killed ‘em. Outside the Huskers and them punk-ass Irish, I’m up about four G’s,” Warrick revealed.

“What’s punk-ass?” Kadelyn asked innocently. Nick shot Warrick a dirty look.

“Sorry,” Warrick winced.

“What’s the line on us?” Nick asked coyly.

“On us? I’m like Tiger, man – I’m heavily favoured,” Warrick boasted.

“Come on. Give me a winner for tomorrow,” Nick requested.

Warrick pondered the question before giving his answer, “Green Bay, minus seven-and-a-half over Niners. Always go with the better quarterback.”

“Uh-huh. Cool,” Nick hummed. He then gestured to his daughter as he said, “Well, I need to go say goodbye to my little butterfly here, because her bedtime’s about due.”

“I know,” Maria laughed, moving to take Kadelyn from Nick. “But she didn’t even want to watch Cinderella without seeing you.”

“Aw, butterfly,” Nick cooed. Embracing his daughter tightly and kissing her cheek before handing her over to Maria, he told her, “I’ll see you tomorrow for breakfast. Hopefully, I’ll be a CSI-3 by then.”

Warrick snorted, “Not if you get a trick roll! You’ll never crack that in a shift. Never.” He pressed another kiss to Kadelyn’s head and muttered, “See ya later, short stack.”

“Bye, Uncle Warrick!” Kadelyn called after him.

“I hope the Pack wins by seven!” Nick called to his best friend’s retreating form. He then said apologetically to Maria, “I need to go. Brass is gonna be handing out assignments in a minute.”

“Go,” Maria gently ordered him. Giving him a single-armed hug, Maria said to him fondly, “I’ll see you in the morning, mijo.”

“See you then, ama,” Nick returned the fond farewell. Pressing a final kiss to his daughter’s head, he told her, “Daddy loves you, butterfly. Be good for Abuela.”

“Bye-bye, daddy!” Kadelyn waved to her father as Maria carried her away.

Nick smiled as he continued waving after Kadelyn until she and Maria had turned the corner and were out of sight.

It was fair to say the last three years had been filled with victory and heartache, especially as he pursued a lawsuit against the doctor responsible for his wife’s death. It was well documented that the obstetrician’s negligence while performing the c-section caused the death of Daniela Stokes. Nick wasn’t necessarily interested in the money. No amount of money would help with the pain of his daughter growing up without her mother.

But it did impact the doctor in other ways. The payout was covered by their insurance policy, but they would have to pay a higher premium going forward. It also made more people weary of obtaining their services. New patients steered clear of him where possible, and existing patients who were able to change providers did so as soon as they could.

Nick couldn’t remember what happened to that person’s medical license, if it did. All he knew was that the obstetrician ended up leaving the hospital. Nick didn’t care to keep track. He had other priorities.

With a sigh, he made sure he had his stuff before making his way to the breakroom for the assignments to be handed out. He hoped Warrick’s words didn’t ring true and he got assigned a trick roll. They were a nightmare.

Chapter Text

What should have been a celebration turned into something that nearly destroyed the team.

It turned out to be an eventful shift. First of all, as Warrick had taunted him with, Nick ended up pulling a trick roll. A tourist in town for a conference was drugged by a prostitute he picked up in a bar and woke up to find his wallet and wedding ring stolen. It was only because of a lucky break that Nick was able to solve the case. The prostitute in question, Kristy Hopkins, ended up crashing her car after experiencing the side effects of the drug she used on her John. In exchange for Nick not pursuing criminal charges, Kristy not only handed over the man’s stolen items, but the drug she and her fellow prostitutes were using.

Nick was laughing in the DNA lab when Greg Sanders had told him what was actually in the bottle of eyedrops she handed to him. Especially when he recalled the method Kristy used to drug her John to begin with.

It went without saying that it would be a case he would never forget.

It was also the case that secured him his promotion and enabled him to beat Warrick in their little race.

But any plans of celebrations – especially his ritual of having breakfast with his daughter – was interrupted when Jim Brass walked in announcing grave news.

Holly Gribbs, a CSI fresh out of the academy starting her first night on the job, was shot after Warrick left her at the crime scene. Warrick had left to hook up with Gil Grissom on a case he had been working with Catherine Willows before getting kicked off due to the methods he used to obtain a warrant. The suspect then returned to the scene and shot Holly with what turned out to be her own gun.

When Holly’s survival was uncertain (her condition was quickly determined to be critical), the changes were already happening. Brass was demoted back to Homicide, and Grissom – who was, by his own admission, politically tone deaf – was promoted in his place. Warrick was placed on administrative leave while Grissom brought in Sara Sidle, a CSI from San Francisco, to handle the internal affairs investigation into Warrick’s actions.

Nick was forced right back into work, barely given time to apologize to his young daughter, who had come to the lab to witness his promotion. Grissom originally intended for him to handle the criminal investigation into Holly’s shooting, but Catherine had snatched it from him. Earlier that evening, Catherine had talked Holly into staying when she was about to quit, so she felt personal responsibility and wanted to be the one to see it through. So, instead, Nick worked with Grissom on the suspicious death of a jackpot winner at the Monaco.

Now, Nick had never met Holly Gribbs (it was why Grissom had originally assigned him to investigate her shooting). He had seen her briefly when they were receiving their assignments from Brass in the breakroom at the start of their shift, but he never had any direct interactions with her. But that did nothing to lessen the blow when he had received the news that Holly had died in surgery. Everybody had taken pause when they heard the news, taking at least a single moment to grieve. Nick had to splash his face with cold water. He wished things could have been different.

Nick prevailed in the end. They all did. He and Grissom were able to implicate the jackpot winner’s girlfriend in the murder (apparently, she did not respond kindly to her boyfriend telling her to take a hike after winning the jackpot). Catherine, Sara and Brass were able to catch Holly’s shooter (everyone had even gathered outside the station to see her killer being forced into a cruiser in his transfer to the county jail). Warrick was able to keep his job, but he would be on probation and remain a CSI Level 2.

But even if he did prevail, he did so with a heavy heart. It was something that only lightened when he walked into the breakroom to see Kady playing with Greg.

“Daddy!” Kady squealed happily, already racing to him.

“Hey, butterfly!” Nick returned the enthusiastic greeting.

He bent down to lift Kady into the air, pressing numerous kisses on her head as he held her tightly. Kady returned the enthusiastic hold. It was rare that Nick cancelled their tradition of breakfast together, and even at her young age, Kady knew it was something her father hated doing and she knew he would make it up to her. But it still broke her heart when he did. Because it was their thing. Their way to make sure they had consistent quality time together. (Of course, they did other activities together, but that was a mainstay for them).

Pulling back, Kady looked worried as she placed her hands on Nick’s face, “Daddy, were you crying?”

Nick figured he still had the bloodshot eyes, and he had already resolved to never lie to Kady about his feelings (especially since he wanted to lead by example), so he answered honestly and said, “Yes, baby. I received some bad news.” He then put on a smile, “But everything is going to be okay now.”

“What was the bad news?” Kady asked innocently.

The question made Nick pause. While he believed in being open to Kady in many respects, there were obviously some things he couldn’t tell her due to her age. Or, at the very least, he had to approach the subject very carefully. Kady would understand what happened to Holly, because she knew and understood why her mummy wasn’t around.

He remembered the advice he was given when Kady was old enough to start asking questions about her mother. It was important to start with a short, simple explanation, and to avoid using phrases like “gone to a better place”. Ironically, it was better to use the words “died” or “dead”. It was important to be gentle, but it was also important to be direct and honest.

“A co-worker got hurt in the field. The doctors tried very hard to help her, but she died,” Nick finally chose to answer carefully. “It made me very sad, but I will feel better soon.”

“Was it Holly?” Kady inquired.

Nick was confused by Kady’s question. When would Kady have met Holly? But then he figured Kady and Maria must have bumped into Holly when they visited him at the start of the shift.

Maintaining his previous stance on honesty to Kady, Nick nodded, “Yes, it was Holly.”

Kady sniffled slightly, “I’m sad, daddy.”

“And that’s perfectly okay,” Nick reassured her, pulling her into a tight embrace once more. “It’s okay to feel sad.”

Even though Kady had told him she was sad and she had been sniffling, there was no sign of tears. The sniffles was easily resolved with a tissue. Kady was still mastering the skill of blowing her own nose, so while it happened rarely, there were times where she still needed help.

Kady lit up when she looked behind Nick. She waved and greeted the new visitor, “Hi, Uncle Gil!”

“Hello, Kady,” Grissom returned the greeting with a fond smile. Standing next to him was Sara. “Nick, did you have the chance to meet Sara Sidle?”

“Yeah. At the casino,” Nick nodded, deciding to use the location rather than the term ‘crime scene’. He leaned forward to shake Sara’s hand. “Thank you for your help.”

“Of course,” Sara smiled politely. Sara may feel awkward around kids, but she still turned to Kady with a soft smile and a gentle wave as she whispered, “Hello.”

“Hi,” Kady waved back with a big smile. Kady was many things, but shy wasn’t one of them.

“I’m sorry. This is my daughter, Kady,” Nick made the introduction. “Kady, this is Sara. She came to help us with a case.”

“Did you catch the bad guy?” Kady asked innocently.

“Yes, we did,” Sara nodded.

Gil then said, “Do you know where Catherine and Warrick are?”

Nick didn’t need to answer the question because Catherine and Warrick walked in along with Brass. The three of them exchanged their own fond greetings with Kady before noticing that Sara was standing next to Grissom. Grissom’s demeanour told them he had an announcement to make.

Conscious of the three-year-old’s presence, Grissom asked, “Do you want Greg to take her out of the room for a minute?”

“Might be best,” Nick nodded. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he handed her to Greg and said, “I’ll be with you soon, butterfly.”

“Okay,” Kady nodded.

Greg, already having worked out the announcement Grissom was about to make (and getting it confirmed), was more than happy to take Kady out of the room to entertain her for a few minutes.

Once he was comfortable with the knowledge that Kady was out of earshot, Grissom made his announcement:

“I know today hasn’t been easy. We’ve been through a lot. We were all on edge with pulling a double and what happened to Holly. But Holly’s death has left us short-staffed. So, I made the offer for Sara to transfer to Vegas from San Francisco and she accepted. She’s flying back tomorrow to tie up loose ends, but she will start with us next week.”

Nick didn’t have the opportunity to work directly with Sara the way Catherine did, or interact with her really like Grissom and Warrick, but Catherine admitted (albeit begrudgingly, since she didn’t like Sara’s involvement to begin with) that Sara was a competent CSI and they worked well together. Warrick was a bit weary of her because of why she had come to Las Vegas to begin with, but he said he had dealt with worse people during investigations.

He also figured that the team could benefit from another experienced CSI rather than hiring another green-as-grass rookie fresh out of the academy. So, Nick had no problem with this development. He actually thought Sara would fit in quite nicely.

Since all the graveyard CSIs had worked a double shift, Grissom mentioned their orders to go home. Nobody knew who was going to handle things, but they knew their orders. And honestly, Nick was looking forward to a quiet night at home.

“Are we going home now, daddy?” Kady asked.

“Yes, we are, butterfly,” Nick nodded. “How about we do ice cream sundaes for dessert?”

Kady gasped excitedly and nodded enthusiastically. Ice cream sundaes were a special treat in the Stokes household – and Nick decided that missing his breakfast date with his daughter certainly qualified as an occasion for the special treat.

Nick met Maria at the reception area, his mother-in-law having been sidetracked by a conversation with the outgoing receptionist. Nick and Kady waved her goodbye before following Maria out of the crime lab.

Telling Maria they will need to call into the shops on the way home to get what they need for ice cream sundaes, Nick’s heart already felt lighter. It was going to take time to adjust to the new changes, but he now believed he could take them in his stride.

Chapter Text

Nick was grateful for the little moments like this one.

“Hey, butterfly,” Nick began as he held up a collection of sticker sheets, “which stickers do you think Lindsay would like?”

Nick loved the way Kady considered each of her options carefully, the seriousness on her face so out of place for the fun-loving three-year-old.

“That one,” Kady resolutely pointed to a particular sheet Nick was holding.

“Okay,” Nick nodded with a laugh. “Here you go, Kady.”

Satisfied, Kady picked up her crayons. Nick had helped her trace the letters for the birthday message, so she was now focusing on the drawings and the stickers.

Lindsay was Catherine’s daughter and she was a few years older than Kady. In spite of the age gap, the two girls were incredibly close. It was something that privately shocked both Nick and Catherine. But it was clear that Lindsay adored Kady like the little sister she never got to have.

Lindsay’s birthday was coming up, so that was what made Kady so determined in her art project: a handmade birthday card for Lindsay. Nick already had her gift picked out, so he could take both the gift and the card to the lab with him to give to Catherine. Or Lindsay, if she swung by for a visit. He was sure Lindsay would love the chemistry set.

“Done!” Kady proclaimed, holding up the finished product.

“Good job, butterfly!” Nick praised her, pressing a kiss to her curls. “Okay. Let’s put all these crayons away, and then I think it’s bathtime for you.”

“Okay,” Kady nodded.

As he supervised Kady putting her crayons back in the box (while offering the occasional help), Nick glanced at the clock. Dinner had been eaten, so it was approaching the time to take Kady through her bedtime routine. Nick preferred for Kady to be in bed no later than 8:30.

It was moments like this that made him feel so much lighter going into work – especially with all the changes that had happened in the last few weeks. Sara had officially started working at the crime lab, having finalised her transfer from San Francisco. Brass had also adjusted to being back at Homicide following his demotion. Warrick was still on probation for the role he had inadvertently played in Holly Gribbs’ death. As a result, his own promotion to CSI-Three had been deferred, so he remained a CSI-Two.

Nick found that he adjusted well to being a CSI-Three. He could also visualise the trajectory this could take him in his career. Being a CSI-Three made him eligible for more higher-up promotions. Not that he was necessarily thinking of going for them now. He had just been made a CSI-Three after all. Also, while Nick was passionate about his career, becoming a father made him reevaluate his priorities. Being present for the moments he would never get back became more important.

But it was definitely something he could revisit down the road when Kady was a bit older.

It was Maria’s turn to do bath time with Kady, so he decided to go to Kady’s room and grab the book for their bedtime reading. Kady had asked him to read a specific book with her during dinner, so that was their nighttime reading sorted. He could hear the laughter and the splashing from the bathroom as he did. It made him smile. For Kady, bathtime was as much playtime as it was bathtime.

With the book sorted, Nick devoted his time to ‘clearing’ Kady’s room. At three years old, Kady had developed a fear of the common imaginary dangers children her age have. This included the fear of monsters under her bed. So, every night, he would look under her bed, check her drawers and dresser, and even her toybox for these imaginary monsters. Sometimes, he would deliberately make sure Kady caught him doing this so she could see it was clear.

He was happy to report that there were no monsters for Kady to worry about. Imaginary or otherwise. And he preferred to keep the real monsters out of her life as much as possible.

Nick smiled when he turned to the doorway and saw Kady standing there, dressed in her pyjamas.

“Hey, butterfly,” Nick greeted her. He approached the door and grabbed her hand, “Are you ready for your bedtime story?”

Kady nodded as Nick placed her in his lap after sitting on the bed.

Nick held the book in front of her, reading aloud to Kady with the occasional contribution from the three-year-old. Her reading skills were growing all the time. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kady ended up becoming a bit of a bookworm as she got older. When asked what were her two favourite things to do with her dad, she would say breakfast and reading. Especially when she’s able to turn the pages herself.

The smile threatened to split Nick’s face in half as they imitated the animal sounds in the chosen book. Especially when he did the voices and facial expressions that made Kady laugh. It was his favourite sound in the world.

“Alright,” Nick playfully grunted as he sat up, lifting Kady up as he did. “Time for bed, little lady.”

“Are you working, daddy?” Kady asked innocently.

“Yes, I am, butterfly,” Nick answered honestly. “But I’ll see you for breakfast tomorrow before you see your friends, okay?”

“Okay,” Kady nodded. “I love you, daddy.”

“Love you too, butterfly.” Nick nuzzled his nose with hers before pressing a kiss onto her forehead. “Goodnight, Kady.”

“Goodnight, daddy,” Kady yawned.

Where possible, Nick liked to stay with Kady until she fell asleep, clutching the doll her mother had chosen for her when she found out she was pregnant. It didn’t take long tonight. So, Nick was able to turn off the lamp and walk quietly out of the room. He closed the door quietly, pausing to make sure she was asleep.

“Are you off to work now?” Maria inquired.

“Yeah,” Nick nodded. “The DA wants to see me before I start my shift to go over my upcoming testimony.”

Maria smiled in understanding. It was the life of a CSI. If they weren’t working a crime scene or analysing evidence in the lab, they were in court. Doing their due diligence to put criminals behind bars and ensure they stay there.

“Have a good night,” Maria hugged her son-in-law. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Nick smiled as he waved goodbye to Maria before heading to his car. As he climbed into the front seat, his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw Grissom’s name flashing across his Caller ID.

Looks like his debriefing with the DA will have to wait.

Chapter Text

There were many things Nick looked forward to at the end of a long shift. Hearing his daughter’s excited squeals as she ran up to him – something that never changed – was one of them.

“Hey, butterfly!” Nick immediately knelt on the ground, immediately pulling her into his chest. He pressed a kiss into her hairline. “Did you have a good sleep?”

Kady nodded eagerly, and the sight made Nick smile. He missed Kady every night he had to work, but he won’t lie. There were some nights where he missed his daughter more than others – and this was one of them.

“Where’s Abuela?” Nick asked her.

“Right here!” he heard Maria call.

Nick smiled at his daughter and stood up as he held out his hand, “This way, my lady.”

Kady giggled as she grasped her father’s hand and they went down to the breakroom. Nick has been having to pull a few doubles in the last few weeks, so he and Kady started having their breakfast together in the breakroom. That way, they could keep their tradition going (Nick’s only had to miss at least one so far) and Nick could be on hand if he has to pull a double at the last minute.

None of his co-workers had a problem with this. For one thing, a lot of them looked forward to the three-year-old paying the crime lab a visit. Many considered it a bright spot in their day.

For this morning’s breakfast, Maria brought them some overnight oats. Aside from it being one of Kady’s favourite meals, it made things a lot easier when they had to bring the breakfast to Nick.

“Did you help Abuela make this?” Nick asked Kady.

Kady nodded excitedly and boasted, “I got to help mix!”

“You did?” Nick kept the excited tone in his voice.

Kady just sat there looking rather proud of herself. It only served to make Nick smile even wider – something he didn’t think possible. He really loved these precious moments with his daughter. He took any he could get. But even that did nothing to stop the ache in his heart that developed when he thought of the ones he missed. The ones he will miss, even if he did his best to be there.

He was there for her first steps, but he missed the first time she crawled. He was there for the first time she rolled over, but he missed the first time she pulled herself up. He was there for her first word (which he could proudly say was ‘dada’), but he missed her first laugh.

No matter how much everyone told him Kady would remember the moments he was there, Nick was never going to forget the moments he wasn’t.

Nick frowned when he suddenly heard his daughter giggling. Don’t get him wrong. He loved that sound. But Kady wasn’t the type to just randomly burst out laughing.

But then he heard the words through her giggles: “Daddy messy!”

That was when he looked down and sighed to himself.

He had to get changed.

**

It was times like this that made Nick thankful he kept a change of clothes in his locker at work. Particularly with the number of doubles the graveyard shift seemed to be pulling lately. It gave everyone the opportunity to have a quick shower (and the showers in the locker room made them want nothing more than a quick one) and change their clothes.

Or, in Nick’s case, change his shirt after spilling his breakfast. Or was it Kady who accidentally spilled it on him? He was an astute investigator, but that was one question he couldn’t answer.

Although, the directionality of the splat made it more likely that it fell off his spoon than Kady spilling it on him. Besides, as Kady’s hand-eye coordination improved all the time, the number of spills and messes caused by the three-year-old had reduced significantly.

Nick had checked to see that the locker room was clear enough before bringing Kady in. He wasn’t eager to part with her just yet. Especially since, not long after that unfortunate spill of the overnight oats, Grissom informed Nick that he and Sara had been assigned another case. Fortunately, his boss had the foresight to simply hand Nick the file rather than discussing the gruesome details in front of Kady.

The only person in the locker room was Warrick, and while he was in the middle of changing his own clothes, he was decent enough for Nick to bring Kady into the room with no issues.

“Uncle Warrick!” Kady smiled excitedly.

“Hey, short stack!” Warrick returned the excited greeting. He was about to ask Kady if she and Nick had their breakfast together, but the stain on Nick’s shirt answered his question, and gave him some amusement.

“Someone’s here to help daddy pick a new shirt,” Nick chuckled.

“Not until she helps me pick a tie,” Warrick immediately declared.

Kady pondered the choices Warrick gave her before selecting a brown tie, “That one!”

Warrick hummed in approval. She had actually picked a good tie that went with his suit. He stared at his reflection in the mirror as he did up his tie, wanting to make sure he looked presentable. Especially for the reason why he was dressing up.

Pulling out a random shirt from his locker (he only had time to change his shirt; his pants would have to wait until after the initial crime scene visit), Nick observed Warrick’s attire and asked, “Court date?”

“Yeah,” Warrick sighed tiredly. “Straight off of graveyard. It sucks.”

Nick sympathised. It was definitely something that sucked sometimes. Lately, it was only a rare occasion that he got to go home straight after a shift. If he wasn’t pulling a double, he had to go to court straight after for testimony. (At least he got to go home as soon as he testified.)

“Ouch,” Nick winced. He then shrugged, “Well, time-and-a-half. A cup of java, and you’re set.”

“Fine suit.”

All three occupants in the locker room turned around to see Sara making her way into the locker room.

Taking note of Nick’s current shirtless status, Sara winked, “And, well, just fine.”

“That’s harassment,” Nick laughed.

“Hey. We have one locker room and it’s my job to be observant,” Sara justified herself. It was through her observations that she finally noticed Kady’s presence. “Hey, Kady.”

“Hi, Aunty Sara!” Kady waved at her.

Kady started calling Sara ‘Aunty Sara’ within days of her transfer from San Francisco. It was something that surprised everyone – especially Sara, who would be the first to admit that she wasn’t necessarily the best with kids. But the two built up a strong bond, and Sara was touched the first time she heard Kady call her ‘Aunty Sara’.

Fully dressed, Warrick closed his locker and pressed a kiss to the top of Kady’s head, explaining, “Well, evidence vault opens in five. See you guys later.”

Nick, Sara and Kady said their own goodbyes as Warrick left the locker room. From the sounds of it, all Warrick had to do was testify, drop the evidence back at the evidence vault (to maintain chain of custody) and then he was free until his next shift.

Sara then turned to Nick and said, “So, you and me. 419. Western LVU.”

Something that Sara respected was the rules about how much of their job was talked about in front of Kady. Referring to their crimes by their call code was fine because Kady didn’t understand that 419 was code for a dead body.

“Yeah, at a fraternity,” Nick nodded.

He wasn’t about the say the words ‘dead body’ in front of his daughter. Even though he was open to her about a lot of things (including death, especially since it helped him explain what happened with her mother and later Holly Gribbs), the gruesome details of his job he had quickly decided to save until she was older. A lot older.

It was when Nick went to shrug the shirt onto his body and do up the buttons when he noticed Kady shake her head.

“What?” Nick asked with a frown.

“Not that shirt!” Kady voiced her objections.

“Not this one?” Nick asked in confirmation.

As Kady shook her head, Sara voiced her own opinion, “It is hideous.”

Nick sighed to himself. He was being ganged up on.

“I’ll meet you outside,” Nick told Sara.

Sara nodded before walking out after saying goodbye to Kady. Kady reciprocated the wave before Nick boosted her up so she could see the shirts currently in his locker.

“What do you think?” he pondered.

Kady hummed as she reviewed the options before her before crying, “That one!” while pointing to a tight-fitting blue shirt.

“That one?” Nick sought the confirmation.

When Kady nodded, Nick set her down and pulled it out of his locker, hanging the rejected shirt back up. (He had a strong feeling that if Kady had her way, that shirt would never be seeing the light of day.) He slipped the shirt on and took a moment to tuck the ends of the shirt into his pants, making sure he looked professional. He grabbed the stain shirt to hand to Maria on his way out. She said she would take it home and wash it for him while it was still salvageable.

It was outside the locker room that Nick began saying goodbye to Kady.

“Now, are you going to be a good girl for Abuela?” Nick went through this (almost) every time he left her.

“Yes, daddy,” Kady nodded.

“Do you promise?” Nick pressed. When Kady nodded, Nick praised, “Good girl,” and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Kady wrapped her little arms around his neck and said, “I love you, daddy.”

“I love you too, butterfly,” Nick murmured into her hair.

With a final kiss to her head, the father-daughter duo parted ways. Nick went to join Sara at the car. Maria took Kady’s hand and began walking her back to her sedan.

Nick already knew he was in for a long day, but seeing Kady and being able to keep their tradition of breakfast made him better equipped to handle it.

Chapter Text

It filled Nick with great relief that the end of the shift came around and he wasn’t called back to do a double. Nor did he have to testify in a courtroom. He could go straight home.

This case was… Nick knew he would be able to find the words for it soon, but for now, words failed him.

He ended up being assigned a 420 – the code for homicide – at a charter school with Catherine. The school dean, Vernon Woods had been beaten to death in his office by Kate Armstrong, the founder of the school. Initially, it looked to be a case of self-defence. Vernon had repeatedly made unwanted advances towards Kate and when he wouldn’t let her go, she grabbed the nearest object and hit him in self-defence.

But there were several inconsistencies that were exposed from the start. Kate initially claimed she only hit him once, but the blood spatter in the office quickly disproved that. She also failed to disclose that Julia Eastman, a member of the faculty, was also in the room, supposedly to act as a witness for the next time Vernon made inappropriate advances towards Kate. That would turn out to be the least of it. It would turn out they were in on it together. Julia held Vernon down while Kate killed him.

Nick had been content to let sleeping dogs lie once the arrest had been made, quoting Grissom’s belief that it was their job to know how rather than why. But Catherine wasn’t content with that. She told him gently, but firmly:

“Grissom’s not always right. Do yourself a favour and think for yourself. I mean that as a friend, okay?”

Catherine and the detective they worked with ended up uncovering the truth. And Catherine had turned out right in the end. The why was important.

It turned out that Kate and Julia were in a romantic relationship and were paying Vernon to keep quiet. At some stage, they decided they were going to live more openly. They snapped and killed Vernon when he threatened to spread the false rumour that he caught them having sex on school grounds – rumours that would have destroyed the school – simply because they would no longer pay him for his silence.

A lose-lose situation, as Catherine put it.

It made Nick think of the pamphlets he had in the glovebox of his car. Pamphlets for pre-kindergarten for his young daughter. It was approaching the time when he had to submit the applications and he was having a hard time choosing the right program for her. Kate had somehow figured out that Nick had a young daughter and slipped him a pamphlet during a round of questioning, talking up their excellent pre-kindergarten program.

Nick had taken the pamphlet out of politeness, but he had already decided he would not send Kady there. He wasn’t sure if he felt comfortable sending his young (and at times impressionable, as many three-year-olds are) daughter to a school where the founder murdered the dean. It was an opinion that only solidified when the truth came out and the arrests were made.

But not because of the crime. But because of the uncertainty the school would survive the fallout.

Finally, Nick was pulling into his driveway and putting the car in park. He remembered Maria saying Kady would be so happy to see him come home straight after his shift rather than having to work a double or testify. Although, Nick knew he had some testimonies coming up.

The life of a CSI.

Nick was expecting to see Kady in the living room. Playing with her toys. Watching Blue’s Clues. Waiting for him to come home so they could have breakfast together. But he frowned with concern when he saw his daughter was nowhere in sight.

“Maria,” Nick began gently when he walked into the kitchen, “where’s Kady?”

“Still in bed,” Maria answered. “She’s not feeling well.”

“Is she alright?” Nick asked worriedly.

“She’s got a fever, a cough and a running nose,” Maria told him. “I think it’s croup. When I called the daycare to keep her at home, the receptionist mentioned a few kids coming down with it.”

Nick sighed. Okay. It’s croup. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world. It also wasn’t their first experience with croup. Kady came down with it last year and she recovered in four days (mostly; the cough still lingered for a bit, but that was apparently normal). So, he already knew what he had to do. Make sure Kady got plenty of fluids, keep her fever down, and keep her calm and quiet.

“Okay. I’ll go check on her, then I’ll call Grissom for a couple nights off,” Nick decided.

Maria nodded. They both knew already that requesting the time off wouldn’t be a problem. For one thing, Nick rarely touched his leave, trying to save as much of it as he could for times like this (or when he took Kady to Lake Mead for a few days). For another, she knew that Grissom would immediately understand when he learned why Nick was requesting the time off.

She had actually been hoping Nick would be able to take some time off soon, with how hard everyone on the graveyard shift had been working since what happened with Holly Gribbs. If only it had happened for a better reason.

Nick quietly opened the door to his daughter’s bedroom, not wanting to disturb her if she was still asleep. The sounds of her coughing quickly disabused him of that hope. It made him reach her bed with a handful of large strides. He had forgotten how awful the coughs associated with croup can sound. He would be more than happy to never relive it again.

“Hey, butterfly,” he rubbed her back in a comforting manner through her coughing fit. “It’s okay, Kady. Daddy’s here.”

“Daddy,” Kady whined once her coughing stopped. “I don’t feel so good.”

“I know you don’t,” Nick cooed. “It’s no fun being sick.”

Nick rested a hand on his daughter’s forehead. He didn’t need a thermometer to tell him she had a fever. She felt so warm. Since there was no mention of Kady being unwell before he left for work the previous night, he knew they were at the beginning of her illness.

“Hey,” Nick whispered, “do you wanna come lie in bed with me?”

Kady nodded, already reaching her arms up for her daddy to pick her up. Nick held her close as he carried her through the hallway, thankful his bedroom was a short distance away. He saw Maria in the kitchen, measuring the Infants’ Tylenol (grape flavour, of course, since that was Kady’s preferred). He subtly made the gesture that he was taking Kady into his room. Maria nodded in understanding. Kady adored her Abuela, but she was a daddy’s girl through and through. And when she was sick, she wanted her daddy.

“Here you go,” Nick murmured gently as he tucked her in.

Kady sniffled, so Nick reached for the box of tissues he kept on his bedside table, wiping away the boogers that were gathering at her nose. He heard the sound of Maria walking in.

“I think breakfast in bed is in order,” Maria decided.

Nick nodded in agreement. He wanted his daughter to rest as much as possible, especially since he strongly suspected that she was going through the worst of her illness, or would soon.

“Hey, butterfly,” Nick whispered, running his fingers through her hair. “Daddy’s just going to go get changed and make a phone call. Then, I’ll be right back. But Abuela is going to stay with you. Okay, sweetheart?”

Kady nodded. She didn’t really want her daddy to leave her, but she understood enough to know that he wouldn’t be too far away. So, she was okay with it. For now.

Nick searched his drawers for some comfortable clothes, knowing his day was going to be somewhat lazy as his daughter needed rest and quiet. He quickly ducked into the attached bathroom, changing into the clothes he had picked out.

He took a brief moment to rub a hand over his tired face. Nick had been looking forward to spending time with his daughter, along with some quiet time before his next shift. Coming home to a sick child was nowhere on his list. But he never complained. He was sad Kady was sick, but he never treated it as an inconvenience as he knew some parents did. (Nick made a point of avoiding the type of parents who treated basic parenting as an inconvenience to them – why have kids if you can’t be bothered to do the basics?)

When he emerged from the bathroom, he stood in the doorway of the bedroom, remaining in Kady’s line of sight (knowing distressing her would aggravate her symptoms) while he phoned Grissom. He knew his boss had stayed back at the crime lab to take care of some loose ends from his own case before heading home. The fact that Nick rarely touched his leave made Grissom immediately offer him four nights off instead of two.

So, Nick hung up with the next four nights off to tend to his sick daughter and the instruction to call any of the night shift for anything he may need, whether it be food, medicine, or someone to watch Kady so he and Maria could take a break.

It made him appreciate how close they all had become, and remember how much they had stepped up to help him after Daniela died.

Glancing in the kitchen, he saw that Maria was making oatmeal as their breakfast for the day. Seeing that she had that handled, Nick could climb into bed and wait for breakfast.

“Daddy’s here, butterfly,” Nick murmured reassuringly. “Daddy’s here.”

Kady coughed once more (yep, Nick officially hated the sound of the croup cough) as she shifted so slightly in bed to snuggle into her daddy’s chest. In his head, he was already making a plan for the day. Filled with quiet activities to keep his daughter calm and well-rested. He already figured watching Cinderella or Blue’s Clues (possibly several times – Nick’s sure he could sing all the songs by now) was on the agenda. But as long as it helped Kady feel better, he didn’t care.

But the first items on the agenda were breakfast (he knew Kady probably didn’t have much of an appetite, but he wanted her to try to at least eat something), medicine and sleep. Especially since he strongly suspected Kady didn’t get much sleep and he needed some sleep himself.

While being a single parent and being a CSI is exhausting at the best of times (even with Maria’s help), Nick always found he wouldn’t trade it for the world. He, of course, would prefer it if his daughter wasn’t sick. But he would be right there to love her through it.

He would be right there to love her through anything.

Chapter Text

“Call my father. He’ll get a lawyer. I didn’t do it. It’s okay.”

Those were the words Jason Hendler had said to his wife before he was taken away by officers, hands restrained behind his back by metal handcuffs. Before following along with them, Grissom quietly told Nick,

“I’ll ride along with the cops. Bring Homicide up to speed. This is now a fresh crime scene.”

“I’ll get to work,” Nick nodded.

Nick was happy to see that this case seemed to be drawing to a close. He and Grissom had been called to a house in Summercliff, where skeletonised remains had been found buried in the foundation of a house. The skeleton turned out to be a twenty-year-old woman named Fay Green, who had disappeared five years ago and was only identified thanks to a facial reconstruction and a public appeal for information. (Fortunately, this time, the hotlines were a hit rather than a miss.)

Talking to her mother, Grissom found out that one month before her disappearance, she had moved in with her boyfriend, Jason Hendler. Jason had been questioned in the early days of the investigation, when Fay was merely a mission person, but ultimately cleared. But evidence found in the house he now shared with his wife, Amy, appeared to implicate Jason, in spite of his declaration that he was in Reno when Fay disappeared.

The fact that the floorboards are highly lacquered in spite of being made of maple told the two CSIs someone was hiding something – and that something was revealed by the ALS to be blood. Not to mention the sand hidden under the floorboards from a fish tank that was broken during the struggle. Thus, leading to Jason’s arrest on suspicion of murder.

Nick glanced over at Amy, who stood there stunned. He didn’t know if it was because of her husband being arrested for murder, or because of his emotional declaration that even after all this time, he still loved Fay. Nobody liked being told they were a second choice.

But Nick couldn’t think of that right now. He had a job to do. He had a crime scene to process. If they wanted a conviction, they needed to make sure their evidence was solid, especially as Jason continued protesting his innocence as he was taken to the police car.

So, Nick went into the hallway where he left his kit. He reached for his gloves, glancing at some family pictures that hung on the walls. Initially, they were nothing interesting. Nothing significant. Just photos of the seemingly happy couple embarking on many adventures over the years.

But there was something that caught his eye. A photo of the couple wearing mountain climbing gear. In particular, the climbing picks they held in their hands. Something they had yet to find was the murder weapon. But Nick could hear Grissom’s words echoing in his head as he recalled the specifics of this elusive weapon:

“The instrument had to be slightly curved with some kind of serrated edge, like crocodile teeth.”

The climbing pick would certainly fit that criterion.

Not looking away from the picture, Nick asked, “Mrs. Hendler, do you and your husband do much rock climbing?”

He heard her answer in the affirmative, her voice rather breathy and filled with emotion. But what made him turn around was the sound of a click. It was a click that made his heart drop to his stomach. Having worked in law enforcement for a number of years now, he knew the sound of a gun being cocked anywhere.

So, staring down the barrel of a gun instead of at Amy’s face confirmed his worse suspicions.

“That’s what I killed her with.”

Her hands shook, but her voice was steady. Nick couldn’t decide what unnerved him more.

**

Outside, Jason was still pleading his case to Grissom.

“I can prove I was in Reno when Fay disappeared. I’ve got records,” Jason declared vehemently. When he got no response from the stoic forensic scientist, Jason shook his head, “You don’t want to talk, fine. But I’ve got a question for you. Why do you care so much about the floors? I mean, Amy paints them every spring. It’s no big deal.”

The words made Grissom stop in his tracks as the officers put him in the back seat of the cruiser. Why would Amy be so obsessed with lacquering the maple floorboards every spring? Like clockwork, based on Jason’s implicit statement.

There was only one reason Grissom could think of, and it was a reason that made the usually calm forensic scientist rush back inside, checking for the gun he rarely used.

**

Nick raised his hands, showing he meant no harm, as he slowly backed away, his eyes never leaving the barrel of the gun. He reckoned that when this was over, if he survived, he would be able to describe every detail of the gun. Right down to the slightest imperfection. His own gun felt heavy against his hip. As though it was trying to remind him it was there. All he had to do was reach down and take it.

But he had heard the cock of the gun. He knew he didn’t have time to grab it. He suspected if he even so much as twitched, Amy would fire. All she had to do was pull the trigger.

Nick found himself back in the very room everything started falling apart for the Hendlers. The room where Fay was murdered. But not by the loving boyfriend.

But by the woman who would take her place.

“Jason was in Reno. I came here to tell Fay that we would be together again one day,” Amy was saying.

“Mrs. Hendler, put the gun down,” Nick pleaded. For the first time since this confrontation started, his eyes left the gun and focused on the woman’s face.

But Amy did not heed his pleas. Instead, she asked, “Do you know he was engaged to me when he met her?”

And that was what it had boiled down to. Jason had left Amy for Fay (at least that’s how it sounded), and Amy couldn’t take it. So, when Jason was in Reno, she confronted Fay in his home, and that confrontation led to her death. Nobody knew what drove Amy to make the decision to dump her at the Summercliff construction site – probably easy access since she worked for the contractor of the build – but it wasn’t hard to figure out that Amy clearly intended for Fay to never be found.

In fact, the homeowner calling the plumber for a leaky pipe was the only reason they were here today.

It took Nick a minute to realise that Amy was still talking, her sanity clearly unravelling, “There was blood… everywhere. No one else could see it… but I knew it was there. A dead body was so heavy.”

Nick nodded, tears forming in his eyes. Nick had been held at gunpoint before – it was an occupational hazard, even for CSIs – but this was the first time he had been alone being held at gunpoint. No backup. No easy way to reach his own weapon.

It made him think of Kady. The little girl who was waiting for her daddy to come home. She was probably trying to decide what bedtime story she was going to have him read to her. What she wanted to eat for breakfast the next day, as tradition dictated.

Was that final kiss he pressed onto her brow before he left for work going to be the last time he saw his daughter?

His own voice thick with emotion, Nick pleaded, “Mrs. Hendler, I’m a good listener.” Swallowing the sob that had bubbled in his throat, he continued, “You got to give me the gun.”

“I can’t!” Amy cried. She was beyond reason as she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“No, wait,” he began saying.

“But you arrested my husband,” Amy said, as though Nick never said anything.

“Wait!” he begged.

Was this how it would end? Was he going to get shot in the head by a killer? Nick was always prepared for the possibility of something happening to him in the line of duty. In fact, he expected to meet his end in a similar way. Once upon a time, it didn’t bother him. In fact, he considered laying down his life in the line of duty to be rather noble.

But everything changed when he started his own family. When his wife died and he became all his daughter had in this world. In just a few seconds – seconds that seemed to stretch into eternity – Kadelyn would become an orphan.

Nick was about to close his eyes. If he was going to die, he didn’t want his killer’s face to be the last thing he saw. He wanted to think of his daughter. Wanted to imagine himself telling Kady he loved her for the last time before reuniting with his beloved wife.

“Mrs. Hendler.”

Amy whirled her body and gun around to the sound of the voice in the doorway.

It was Grissom.

“Nick, don’t move,” Grissom warned him. Nick had been taking the moment to reach for his own holstered weapon now that he had the opportunity, but heeding his boss’s warning, he stood still.

Grissom barely spared the younger CSI a second glance. His stare – and his gun – was focused directly on Amy Hendler. His finger was on the trigger, ready to squeeze at a second’s notice if Amy went to turn back to Nick, or if she went to fire her gun at him.

Seeking a peaceful resolution to a conflict fraught with emotion, Grissom said, “Please. I don’t want to fire my gun any more than you do. For five years, you’ve been washing the blood off your hands.”

Amy began crying, Grissom’s words cutting her to the core. She had been washing her hands for five years. When she told Nick how heavy a dead body was, she wasn’t just talking about the physical weight. But the metaphorical weight she had carried with her since the act was done. All those years she spent pretending to know nothing about Fay’s disappearance. Those years she consoled Jason, knowing she was the reason for his misery. The way she methodically lacquered the floors every spring, fearing the blood would leak through.

“Let’s put down our guns,” Grissom suggested, his voice gentle.

The weight was now too much to carry. Her arms ached under the strain of what she had to carry for the last five years. So, when Grissom slowly lowered his own gun, she did the same.

Nick turned away, his own tears falling down his face. It was over. It was really over.

Slowly crossing the threshold, Grissom took the gun from Amy and asked worriedly, “You okay, Nick?”

Nick turned to face his boss, his voice choking as he responded in the affirmative. There was no hiding his own emotional strain. It made Grissom appraise him worriedly before moving to escort Amy Hendler out of the room. She would now be taking her husband’s place in the back of the police cruiser. She would be the one to pay for Fay Green’s murder. Not to mention the charges she would face for holding Nick at gunpoint.

Nick sighed tearfully as he pulled off his gloves. There was no way he was working this crime scene. He was taken off the case the moment Amy Hendler drew her gun on him.

For he was now a victim.

**

Maria knew something was wrong the second Brass pulled up to the house. It was everything to keep it from Kady, carry on as though everything was normal for the three-year-old.

Then, Brass told her what happened and all thoughts went out the window. Well, at least any thoughts that didn’t involve getting to Nick as soon as was physically possible. And keeping Kady calm and distracted. She was over the worst of the croup, but the cough still lingered.

“What happened to daddy?” Kady asked fearfully.

“As Uncle Jim said, honey. Daddy’s okay. But he needs a big hug,” was Maria’s response.

After all, how do you explain to a three-year-old that her daddy almost didn’t come home? Especially with Nick’s determination to protect Kady from the harsh realities of his job as much as possible. Kady knew Nick put bad guys away. But she was decidedly too young to learn about the criminals who hold him at gunpoint. The exact nature of the crimes he solved.

Brass glanced at the two occupants of his cruiser through his rearview mirror. He had gotten to know Maria very well, for he was one of Daniela’s training officers. The two had remained close, and Brass had personally promised Daniela on her deathbed that he would watch over her family. Her mother. Her husband. Her daughter.

It made Brass wish he had been the detective assigned to investigate Fay Green’s murder. Hopefully, he could have avoided this whole mess. (He knew deep down he never could, but it did nothing to stop him from wishing he had been there regardless.)

He refocused his eyes on the road, once more questioning if he would get in trouble for turning on the sirens to get him to the crime lab quicker.

**

Nick knew this would be something he had to endure, but he still hated having to answer the same questions asked by different people. He just wanted the day to be over. He wanted the time to process what had happened in his own way. Nick always had his way to cope with everything that happened to him. Losing his wife. Raising his daughter on his own. Events in his past he only told a select few people.

Alas, there was nothing that could be done. He had to sit through this. He had to answer those questions. No matter how many times they were asked. No matter how many people asked them. He still had to write out those exact same answers in his written statement and report. He had to listen to the same (hopefully not empty) promises that Amy Hendler would pay for his crimes.

Nick just hoped that Fay Green’s murder was not overshadowed by him being held at gunpoint.

But now, it was over. All questions had been answered. Verbally and written. And his tank was empty. He didn’t want to deal with the pitying looks anymore.

“Daddy!”

Nick had been holding his head in his hands in the breakroom, but he immediately looked up and smiled at the sound of that voice.

“Hey, butterfly.”

Nick’s voice filled with not just elation. But relief. He immediately vacated the chair he was occupying, kneeling on the floor with his arms spread wide. He was ready to hold the little girl against his chest the second she ran into his arms. And the moment did not disappoint. He felt her little arms wrapping around his neck. He ran his hands up and down her back to soothe the coughing fit that just started.

Peering over Kady’s shoulder, he saw Maria having a quick talk with Grissom. It was clear he was allowing Nick a private moment with Kady. It was just as clear that Maria would be doing her fair share of fussing over him once they were home.

Even the prospect of being subjected to Maria’s maternal fussing later made Nick relax in relief. Because it meant he was alive to experience it. He had survived today.

He would take whatever the rest of the day (which wouldn’t be much, because the day would end in a few short hours) threw his way, as long as he got to go home to his daughter at the end of the day. Something that had almost cruelly been robbed from him.

“Are you okay, daddy?” Kady asked. “You’re crying.”

“Yeah,” Nick nodded tearfully. “I am now.”

And for the first time that day, when he was asked that question and he answered that he was okay, he meant it.

Chapter Text

“I want to see all of their personal property – clothes, jewellery, whatever they have on.”

“If there’s something under all this blood, you’ll be the first to know.” That was what David Phillips had promised Grissom as he wheeled out yet another body.

Nick halted the assistant medical examiner’s movements, lifting the sheet of the gurney he was wheeling out. The body was a child. A young boy. Too young to be subjected to the horror.

Nick’s worked a lot of hard cases, but he already knew this one would be the hardest. It was, simply put, a massacre. A whole family slaughtered as they slept in their beds. They never stood a chance.

Well, the mother and two boys were found in their beds. The father was found in the hallway. Presumably giving his life to protect his family.

There were only two survivors to this horrific tragedy. The two daughters named Tina and Brenda. Brenda was so traumatized that she hardly spoke, and all Tina wanted to do was be with her sister.

Nick’s voice was filled with emotion as he told his boss, “This kid should be out playing Pop Warner.”

He felt Grissom’s worried eyes on him as he left the house once more. He had been assigned to work the perimeter after all. Work out how the killer got into the house and got out. But he ignored the worried glances.

Just like he ignored the pain in his hand as he punched the door in frustration.

Everyone had been watching him worriedly since they were assigned the case. The incident during the Fay Green murder was still fresh on everyone’s minds. And that was without taking into consideration Nick’s sensitivity to cases involving children. Everyone hated them, but Nick was always the most empathetic – the most sensitive – out of all the CSIs. And that was something that increased since becoming a parent.

This was going to be a long… Nick almost thought day, but he knew this would be one of those cases that would stretch out into several days. Maybe even separate weeks. It most certainly would not be the type of case that was solved in a single shift.

Actually, it could be. Because Nick could already see himself maxing out his overtime working this case.

When he walked outside, he remembered that they had done everything they could do outside for now. He had found a bidi and a used match, while Warrick found tire tracks. They had their evidence. They needed to analyse it.

But first, Nick needed to make a call.

Taking out his phone, he pressed the speed dial for his home number and glanced at his watch. The timing was perfect. Kady would be awake and eating breakfast. He had time before daycare to talk to her.

“Mijo? Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s fine, Maria,” Nick reassured her. “I just wanted to talk to Kady before she went to daycare.”

“Perfect timing. She just finished breakfast.”

That broke Nick’s heart. He really hated when he had to miss breakfast with his daughter – it was their tradition, after all – but this time was unavoidable. Grissom had been insistent when he summoned his entire graveyard shift to the crime scene.

He figured Maria would already know the type of case Nick was dealing with. Firstly because of the way he had been summoned. Secondly because of the media that had parked outside the house the second the first police car pulled up. A quadruple homicide tended to attract the vultures.

“Hi, daddy!”

“Hey, butterfly!” Nick’s smile was bright, even if he knew Kady couldn’t see it. (He knew she would hear it in his voice.) “Did you sleep well?”

“Yep! Blue watched over me all night!”

Nick knew she was talking about the plush toy of the beloved character from Blue’s Clues he had recently gotten her. She slept with it every night since he surprised her with it after a doctor’s appointment. She had been such a good girl during her checkup (Nick was concerned that the croup cough was taking a little longer to go away than it did last time, but was assured everything was fine).

“I’m glad she did,” Nick said indulgently. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have breakfast with you, Kady.”

“That’s okay, daddy. There’s always tomorrow!”

Sometimes, Nick was amazed that his daughter was only three years old. But her voice contained the youthful optimism that betrayed her true age. It was a youthful optimism she had reason to hold. While Nick has had to miss some of their breakfasts together in the past, he never missed two in a row. And he was determined to keep that going as long as he could.

Especially when Kady started pre-K the following year. (Which reminded Nick. He needed to drop off those applications he filled out to various programs.)

Hearing that youthful optimism also reassured Nick that his little girl would stay little for a while. His efforts to shield her from the horrors of the world remained successful so far. He knew one day, he would have to tell her about those horrors. But he would prefer to have his three-year-old live in blissful ignorance for as long as it was safe for her to.

“Are you working, daddy?”

“I am, but I wanted to talk to you before you went to daycare,” Nick answered. “Are you taking Blue for show and tell or is she staying home today?”

“She’s staying home today. I’ll take her tomorrow.”

“Okay. Daddy needs to go back to work now, but I want you to know how much I love you, butterfly,” Nick told her sadly.

“I love you too, daddy! And I’ll give you a big hug when you come home!”

“Can you put Abuela back on?” Nick asked kindly. “Bye, butterfly.”

“Bye, daddy!”

He heard the noise of Kady holding the phone up to her grandmother, who took it with gentle words of praise.

“You’re working that quadruple, aren’t you? The one that’s all over the news?”

“Yeah,” Nick nodded heavily with a sigh. “I know I don’t need to say it, but…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep her away from the news. Just stay safe, mijo.”

“I will,” Nick promised. “Give Kady a hug and kiss for me and tell her I love her.”

“I will. Bye, Nick.”

Nick hung up the phone, feeling a lot lighter than he did before (even if he still carried the significant weight of the case).

Maybe he can do this.

Chapter Text

It was approaching Kady’s bedtime, but when things were quiet in the crime lab (namely when Nick wasn’t actively working a case or preparing for a court date), Nick was more than happy to have Kady come visit him before she went to bed. And considering Nick had to miss their morning breakfast together because of an early morning deposition, he was more than happy to make up for it with this.

“Hey, butterfly!” Nick’s enthusiasm in his voice was clear when Kady ran into the breakroom, Maria trailing behind her. Pressing a kiss to Kady’s head, he turned to his mother-in-law, “Hey, Maria. How was your day? Your boss still…?” Nick trailed off, leaving it open for Maria to talk about what she felt comfortable saying.

Maria nodded. Not wanting to voice it in front of Kady, but wanting to make it clear to Nick that she was still having the problems with her boss she mistakenly vented to him about. (She only thinks mistakenly because she had to spend a good hour talking Nick out of paying him a visit.)

Nick sighed. He hated seeing the woman who had quickly become his motherly figure in Vegas and the woman who was helping him raise his daughter in distress. He maintained a calm demeanour, however, in front of Kady.

Regardless, he told Maria in a tone that left no room for discussion, “I’ll drop by your work tomorrow after my shift.”

Maria could only nod, and start thinking about whether she should start job hunting. Since she had her own daughter young, Maria was, as many people described, too young to be a grandparent. So, she still had a way to go before she was eligible for any form of retirement. And even if she was eligible, she wouldn’t take it. She loves working, loves keeping busy and, more importantly, wanted to be able to do her part not just emotionally, but financially, to help raise her granddaughter. The three of them would struggle if Maria went on a fixed income and they were left predominantly relying on Nick’s salary.

“You heading where?” Warrick asked, looking up from the busy work he was doing. He lit up when he saw his goddaughter in his best friend’s lap, “Hey, short stack!”

“Hi, Uncle Warrick!” Kady lit up.

“You came to see me kick daddy’s butt?” Warrick teased.

“Oh, you mean see daddy kick Uncle Warrick’s butt?” Nick immediately rose to the bait.

Maria only sighed to herself as she made herself comfortable at the table in the breakroom with a magazine. An amused smile graced her features. Kady loved her time with her daddy. The only thing that was better was getting time with her daddy and Uncle Warrick, her devoted godfather. Kady was more than happy to sit between both men, cheering them on and never showing any favouritism.

“Throw the flag, ref!” Warrick cried in dismay. Obviously, Nick had some type of advantage over his friend and he wasn’t happy about it.

“Uncatchable, bro!” Nick boasted proudly. “Now, you watch carefully, butterfly, because daddy is about to…”

“Hey!”

Everyone looked up in alarm at the sound of the voice in the doorway. The voice was unmistakably Grissom’s, but there was a tone in it they weren’t used to hearing. Even with all the stress he’s been under since his rather sudden and unwanted promotion.

“You guys want an assignment slip or a pink slip?!” Grissom challenged them.

Warrick and Nick were quick to stop what they were doing. While Warrick was quick to rise to his feet, Nick wasn’t able to because he had his daughter in his lap. And even then, he took the time to turn off the gaming system and put the TV back on the right setting. None of them wanted to test Grissom’s wrath. Especially since Nick and Warrick understood the reason behind Grissom’s ire tonight.

“Just taking a little coffee break,” Warrick shrugged.

“Is it true?” Nick asked. He had heard of the case Grissom caught.

“Same guy?” Warrick pressed. Warrick made a subtle gesture to Grissom, reminding him that Kady and Maria were in the breakroom, so he had to watch his Ps and Qs.

“I don’t know. We’ll see,” Grissom settled on saying. Grissom’s demeanour softened further as he smiled, “Hi, Kady.”

“Hi, Uncle Gil!” Kady beamed, rushing over to hug Grissom’s leg.

Patting Kady on the top of her head, Grissom nodded in Maria’s direction, “How are you, Maria?”

“I’m well, Gilbert,” Maria smiled fondly.

Grissom returned the fond smile, highlighting the close friendship that had formed between the two. This friendship was best demonstrated by the fact Maria was the only person who could refer to Grissom by his full Christian name.

Looking down at the assignment sheet he held in his hand, Grissom handed it to Warrick, “Here. 410. Reckless driver out at Hoover Dam. Car went over a cliff. Anonymous caller. Could be foul play.”

“Is the driver okay?” Kady asked.

“Yes,” Grissom was quick to reassure her. The fact this case didn’t involve a death was why he was able to talk about it semi openly in front of her. And by semi openly, he could confirm the driver was alive, but couldn’t go into the full extent of the injuries.

Nick stood there momentarily, expecting Grissom to hand him another assignment slip and tell him the case he was working on. When none came, he and Warrick came to the same delightful realization at the same time. They were to work the case together. Especially since Catherine and Sara were clearly going to work with Grissom on his suspected serial killer case.

“Oh, me and him working together? Oh, it’s on!” Warrick proclaimed.

“You’re going down, bro!” Nick smirked.

“Hey!” Grissom snapped once more. “Work together tonight. Alright?”

Warrick nodded demurely. But the second Grissom left the room after saying a quick farewell to Kady and Maria, Nick and Warrick were smirking at each other once more. It was clear. The game was on.

And Maria knew them both well enough to know what could happen.

“Financial stakes, boys,” Maria told them firmly. “No silly bets. No actions that will land one of you in the emergency room with a broken arm. Again.”

“Yes, ama,” both boys nodded obediently.

None of them dared to bring up the argument they usually brought up when Maria reminded them of that incident. The broken arm was an accident. Nobody planned for it to happen. And Warrick more than made up for Nick’s broken arm. Not only did he void the bet, he practically moved in with Nick and Maria for Nick’s recovery so he could help look after Kady, who was four months old at the time. It only served to further highlight his dedication to his found family, and confirmed to Nick that he and Daniela had made the right choice naming him Kady’s godfather.

It was that incident that also made Maria really put her foot down where Nick and Warrick’s silly bets were concerned. Frankly, she’d prefer them to not make any bets at all. But at least with financial stakes, there would be no emergency room visits or humiliating circumstances for the boys to find themselves in.

Scooping Kady up in his arms and tickling her before pressing a kiss to the top of her head, Nick found himself thankful that Maria had gone ahead with this visit. Outside of the bet he and Warrick were going to set up once Maria was out of earshot, he just knew this case was going to end up time-consuming. (Many of his cases often were, but he was blessed with the odd case that was very much open-and-shut.) So, like he always does, he was going to take any time with his daughter that he could get.

**

Nick and Warrick had kept raising the stakes, ending up with a $300 bet, as they both presented their competing theories for the cause of Walter Banglor’s car accident. They were both plausible theories… that were completely disproven once Walter woke up from his coma and told them what had happened. In short, he got hustled at a bar, got behind the wheel drunk and swerved to avoid an incoming truck. When his car teetered over the edge of Hoover Dam, he scrambled into the backseat, hoping to balance the car. He had fastened his seatbelt when the car went over the edge.

It served to reinforce a very important lesson in automobile safety: always wear your seatbelt.

So, as they walked out of the hospital room, Nick and Warrick decided to void their bet. No winner. No loser. At least until they got a callout to a 406. And since they were assigned to investigate the robbery together, they were quick to declare it double-or-nothing.

But either way, the end result was the same. Kady was the true winner of the bet. Warrick ended up losing the bet, but rather than directly handing the money to Nick, he put the money in the trust fund he helped Nick set up following the very successful lawsuit against Daneila’s obstetrician.

And either way, Maria was sighing at her boys and putting on at least an appearance of disapproval as they both sat at the breakfast bar with her granddaughter. Warrick had decided to accompany Nick in his talk with Maria’s boss.

But the more everyone thought about their present circumstances, the more content they were. Especially when Kady insisted on feeding her daddy some of her yogurt.

There was something to be said for a little bit of healthy chaos.

Chapter Text

“Las Vegas Air has issued no formal comment other than to stand by the actions taken by the flight crew. Meanwhile, the first-class passengers from the flight have been released and no charges have been filed. The airline provided a bus to their Las Vegas destinations. Our requests for interviews were denied, leaving the events surrounding the death of Tony Candlewell a mystery.”

Nick, Sara and Warrick had gathered in the breakroom. They all faced a long night. Investigating a death on an inbound flight to Vegas. The investigation seemed to be doomed from the start. They were only given twelve hours to investigate before the FAA took over, and the first-class passengers were reluctant to cooperate. The first red flag that they were hiding something.

And what they were hiding was their role in Tony’s death. It was revealed in his autopsy that Tony was suffering from undiagnosed encephalitis, something that was exacerbated by the changes in altitude and air pressure. But the keyword there was undiagnosed. Nobody knew what was happening to Tony. Nobody stopped to ask if he was okay.

So, when Tony started acting out due to his condition, he was perceived as a threat. When Tony, who was by this point out of his mind, started trying to open the exit door midair. That was when five passengers jumped him. But as Sara had pointed out in the reenactment, if a guy is jumped at the exit, he dies at the exit.

It turned out that Tony had tried to get away, but the five passengers would not let him. They chased him, continued to attack him, and did not stop stomping on him until he was dead. Those five feet between the exit and the aisle where they found him turned an event that could have easily been ruled self-defence into a homicide.

But the Sheriff and the FAA disagreed, and all passengers were released without charge.

Sara and Nick began voicing their objections when Warrick grabbed the remote and turned off the television.

“Let it go, guys,” he told them.

“Those people should be going to jail, not some hotel on the Strip!” Sara objected.

“It’s our of our hands,” Warrick shrugged. “Our field ruling was overturned by the good old Sheriff and the feds.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Nick could not keep his shock and disbelief out of his voice as he questioned his best friend. “We processed evidence for twelve hours, laid out the whole case, and now those passengers are going to suck martinis and eat shrimp cocktails? Where’s the justice?!”

“Oh, you think this is about justice?” Warrick queried.

“Yeah. What else?” Nick shrugged.

“It’s about human nature. How people react when their lives are threatened,” was Warrick’s reasoned response.

“I know you’re not condoning what they did,” Sara challenged him.

“I’m not discounting it,” Warrick said. “I mean, think about it. Is there anyplace more vulnerable than being at thirty thousand feet in a tin can?”

“Feeling vulnerable is not a defence and where they were is irrelevant. They took a life!” Sara argued.

“Because their lives were threatened,” Warrick stated reasonably.

Nick sat up straighter as he voiced his counterargument, “Their lives were threatened when Candlewell was at the emergency exit trying to open it; but the five feet between the exit and the aisles is what made the difference between self-defence and murder.”

“Human nature again. I mean, adrenaline doesn’t come with an off-switch,” Warrick said.

“I don’t care what you say. I could never take a life,” Sara proclaimed.

Warrick pondered his own stance, “If it was between him and me, I would.”

Warrick then turned expectedly to Nick, silently asking him for his own answer. But Nick didn’t get the chance to voice his answer. Not yet. Because Catherine and Grissom walked into the room.

“Well, it’s wicked serious in here!” Catherine quipped.

“Yeah, well, we were just talking about murder and whether we would commit it,” Sara said casually. “I couldn’t. Warrick could. Nick hasn’t answered yet. We’re taking an exit pole.”

“Catherine, you’re a mother. You and Lindsey are on that plane. How far do you go?” Nick asked, even though he already knew the answer because he understood it himself.

And Catherine’s answer was as predictable as it was immediate: “All the way.”

“You didn’t even hesitate!” Sara gaped at her, shock laced in her voice.

“That’s right. If it involves the protection of my child, I fight to the death,” Catherine stated resolutely.

Nick nodded wordlessly. That alone told the room where Nick stood. He didn’t need to say it. But Warrick, who knew Nick the best of the people in the room, knew what Nick’s answer would have been.

If Nick had been asked this question before he became a father, he would have given a noncommittal answer. He would have been on the fence, or said something about how you never truly know how you would respond in a situation until you find yourself in that situation. And while Nick had found himself in hairy positions before becoming a father, he never found himself in a ‘them or me’ situation. He was never truly confronted with the possibility of having to take a life to save himself.

But everything changed on February 19, 1997 at 4:07pm Pacific Standard Time. The day that obstetrician held up his newborn daughter in the operating room. Nick’s world view had changed in that instant.

Before he could voice it, Warrick stated wisely, “See? We have four people here. All with different opinions. Think of how the passengers must have felt.”

“What do you think, Grissom?” Sara asked their boss. He had been quiet since he walked into the room.

“I can’t answer that question,” Grissom answered honestly.

“That’s a cop-out. It’s a simple question. What would you have done if you had been one of those passengers?” Catherine challenged him.

“It’s not about that,” Grissom shook his head. “You all have different opinions, but you’ve taken the same point of view. You’ve put yourself in the shoes of the passengers, but nobody’s put themselves in the shoes of the victim. That’s the point.”

“I’m sorry. What are you saying?” Sara wasn’t afraid to voice her confusion.

Catherine, Nick and Warrick shared Sara’s confusion. They all knew Grissom was trying to make a point. They knew him well enough to at least grasp that. What they couldn’t grasp was the point itself. What was he trying to say?

“Nobody stopped to ask Candlewell if he was alright. They just assumed, because he was kicking the back of Nate’s seat, that he was a jerk. Because he was pushing his call button that he was bothering the Flight Attendant. Because he was trying to get into the lavatory, he was making a scene. Because he was going back and forth up and down the aisles, he was posing a threat,” Grissom pointed out.

What Grissom described was something that could be applied to the saying ‘hindsight is 20/20’. The victim kicking the seat in front of him was a reflexive response that could be directly attributed to his encephalitis. In fact, every action he took on that flight could be attributed directly to his encephalitis. But nobody saw that. Because nobody stopped to ask what could have caused a man – who was, by all accounts a decent guy, even helping another passenger stow their luggage – to experience such an extreme personality shift 35 minutes into the flight.

“He was a threat,” Catherine retorted.

“No. He turned into a threat. It didn’t have to be that way. People make assumptions. That’s the problem. You just did. And I think these passengers made the wrong assumption, and now, this guy’s dead,” Grissom stated.

“Well, if that’s your stance, how could it have been prevented?” Warrick inquired.

Grissom’s answer could easily be described as a mic drop moment: “If just one person had stopped and taken the time to look at the guy, to listen to him, to figure out what was wrong with him, it might not have happened. It took five people to kill him. It would have only taken one person to save his life.”

And there it was. There was the point Grissom was trying to make. There was another way. A way where everyone could have walked off that plane alive. And all it would have taken was one person.

It was words that haunted Nick’s mind as he drove home. Nobody was being made to pull a double. Not after working all night for what turned out to be no reason. All Nick wanted was the comfort of home. And his family.

“Daddy!” he heard Kady’s excited voice as he walked through the front door.

In that single moment, the fatigue that weighed Nick down vanished. It vanished in his bright smile as he set his bag down by the front door. It vanished as he reached down to scoop his daughter in his arms. It vanished in the traditional greeting he always gave her:

“Hey, butterfly.”

It vanished in Kady’s excited voice as she talked about the waffles Maria was preparing for them in the kitchen. It vanished as Kady talked about what she was taking with her to her day care for show and tell. It vanished in the silly faces the father-daughter duo made together as they ate the scrumptious waffles. (Nick was a highly competent cook in his own right, but he was man enough to admit that his mother-in-law had him beat in a lot of ways.)

It also strengthened the resolve that appeared in Nick at that moment in time. On February 19 1997 at 4:07pm Pacific Standard Time. When Nick stopped being on the fence about whether or not he would or could take a life if the situation ever called for it. When he looked at the vulnerable baby in his arms – and watched the baby grow into a toddler with an insatiable curiosity for the world around her – Nick knew one certain thing.

It wasn’t enough to say he would burn the world to keep Kady safe. Because the more he thought about it, the more he realized there was nothing he wouldn’t do to safeguard his daughter.

Chapter Text

Nick had intended to call Detective Secula long before they were assigned to work a case together. He truly had. But being a single father working the night shift made it all too easy for life to get in the way.

Now, in the aftermath, of the second date with the detective, part of him wished he had saved himself the phone call.

That didn’t necessarily mean there was something wrong with Detective Secula herself. Nick would be the first to say she was a fine young woman. He never would have asked her out to begin with if he never held interest in her. But the second date, and working together on the missing persons case of Sheryl Applegate, highlighted some incompatibilities they would not be able to work past. Recognizing them early on enabled the two to put the brakes on any burgeoning relationship on good terms, allowing them to preserve an amicable working relationship without any awkwardness.

Under different circumstances, those incompatibilities would have been inconsequential. But something Nick made clear when he did start dating again (which was only in the last twelve months – and that was with strong encouragement from Maria and Warrick) was that he and Kady were a package deal. He had to take her welfare into consideration.

And as nice as Detective Secula was, she was not the ideal partner for a single parent.

Nick had been hoping for a quiet night watching the Dallas Cowboys’ four-point loss to the New York Giants. But his three-year-old daughter had other ideas.

“Hey, butterfly, what do you have there?” Nick asked politely, taking note of the haul his three-year-old was currently bringing into the living room.

“Tea party, daddy!” Kady answered as though it was obvious. “I have a tiara for you!”

Recognizing it for what it was, Nick smiled indulgently as he sat on the ground with Kady. He even helped her set up the tea party. Complete with Blue having her own seat at the table. (Nick kept a play table and chairs in the living room in the absence of a proper playroom for his young daughter.) Recalling an unfortunate encounter the last time he tried to sit on one of Kady’s play chairs (let’s just say they used to have four), Nick opted to sit on the floor.

At least he was still able to watch the game this way.

“You look very pretty, Kady,” Nick complimented. He noticed she was wearing her Cinderella dress. “Is Blue going to have a tiara?”

“Yes!” Kady nodded with the seriousness only a three-year-old could muster. She held up two tiaras, asking him, “Which one?”

Nick chose carefully, knowing full well that he would end up wearing the tiara that didn’t go to the stuffed Blue’s Clues toy. So, Nick decided that Blue could have the purple toy tiara. Kady nodded to indicate she agreed with her father’s choice. After making sure the tiara was secure on Blue’s head (or as secure as it could be – Blue’s ears did make the job rather difficult), Kady made her way over to her father. Nick smiled indulgently as he lowered his head to enable Kady to place the blue tiara on his head.

“Now you’re a princess!” Kady proclaimed.

And Nick was determined to be the best princess for his little girl.

“Would you like me to pour?” Nick asked, reaching for the toy teapot.

Kady nodded eagerly, so Nick poured three cups of tea. One cup for Kady, one cup for himself, and one cup for Blue. Once the tea had been poured, Nick lifted the tiny teacup with his rather beefy fingers, remembering to keep his pinkie out as Kady demanded. The father and daughter raised their teacups to each other and Blue before taking a sip of their tea. Nick let his imagination fuel him – something he had not done since he was a child – as he imagined the flavours that would be currently dancing on his tongue.

“Did you catch the bad guy?” Kady asked innocently. “Is the villain in the dungeon?”

“There was no villain today,” Nick shook his head. “This gallant knight had to rescue a damsel in distress.”

“A damsel?” Kady gasped.

“Yes,” Nick nodded. “But daddy and his friends saved the day, and the damsel was saved.”

He was thankful for the little ways that he was able to share his work with Kady, even with his own efforts to shield her from it. Pretending he was rescuing a damsel in distress was a great way for Nick to tell Kady he worked on a missing persons investigation this shift. Missing persons was one of the few cases Nick could talk to Kady about. Because it was easy for him to sanitize the details to be appropriate for the three-year-old. Homicides or any other case involving a death were a different story.

Either way, this was still a case Nick heavily sanitized.

It did start out that way. There appeared to be a damsel in distress. Grissom handed Nick the assignment slip in the breakroom, telling him that Sheryl Applegate’s husband had reported her missing. She had taken the car and was going to Los Angeles, but never arrived and her car was found abandoned at the bus station. Initially, both Nick and Detective Secula had the same thought: she went on another trip and didn’t want her husband knowing about it. But when they found hair and blood in the back of her car, they began thinking the worst.

The hair was found in the initial search of the car at the bus station. Red hair plus the victim being a redhead made things more interesting. The blood was found when Nick was doing a more thorough search at the evidence garage. This, along with the fact that the car seemed to have been detailed fairly recently, raised some red flags.

Until Detective Secula uncovered a credit card charge at a nearby motel that led to them finding Sheryl Applegate in a very compromising position with a man who was not her husband. She was quick to clarify she had not been abducted – and the hair and blood was explained by her revealing she found an injured dog the previous week and took it to the vet. She was more worried about what they would tell her husband. Nick answered diplomatically that all they would tell Sheryl’s husband that she had been found and she was safe – she’d have to fill in the blanks herself.

The only truth was that there was a damsel. But she was not in distress.

But that was a story that was not appropriate for the ears of a three-year-old girl. So, he was more than happy to stick to the ‘gallant knight rescuing the damsel in distress’ scenario. (Nick could also think about the contradictions of Sheryl Applegate later. She was a good enough person to rescue an injured dog, but not good enough to honour her marriage vows.)

“I think this gallant knight earned a slice of cake,” Kady declared.

Now, this made Nick pause. Because he knew that Kady and Maria did have fun baking a cake that very afternoon. So, Nick did have to wonder if Kady was talking about imaginary slices of cake to go with their imaginary tea. Or was she talking about actual slices of cake?

Fortunately, Kady answered that question for him by pretending to be slicing a cake (chocolate, of course) that was resting in the middle of the table. Kady proved herself to be a good hostess, cutting slices for Nick and Blue before cutting one for herself, looking after her guests first. He also decided to let slide the size of the slice Kady just cut herself. (Besides, it was an imaginary slice of cake; it wasn’t the real thing.)

Looking up quickly, he saw that the Cowboys were about to score and he started cheering at the TV. Calling out plays and names of players as though they could hear him through the screen. Kady didn’t fully understand what was going on because Nick hadn’t fully corrupted her on how fun it was to watch and corrupted her into rooting for the Dallas Cowboys. But she knew it must have been a happy moment because her daddy was happy. And if her daddy was happy, she was happy.

So, she joined in the cheering when Tim Seder kicked a 43-yard field goal.

Nick didn’t know how the tiaras stayed on their head with the way they celebrated the score. But stay on they did. And it was in that moment, pretend tea party forgotten in lieu of watching the game together (much to Nick’s dismay, the Cowboys would end up losing by four points), that Nick decided there was nothing better.

Yeah, he could be on a date at this moment. A beautiful woman sitting across from him in a restaurant instead. A glass of wine or another alcoholic beverage. Some sort of dish (could be a salad, could be a steak and accompanying sides) with an eyewatering price tag – particularly considering its portion size. Some unidentifiable tune playing that was trying to drown out any conversation he may be trying to have with his date.

And yeah. Going on dates, having adult conversations with someone who wasn’t a family member or a colleague, were nice. But there were moments he treasured more. Like wearing a tiara and having a pretend tea party with his three-year-old daughter and her favourite stuffed animals. Telling stories about gallant knights rescuing damsels in distress and the most serious conversation being about the importance of sticking your pinkie out when sipping your tea.

Nick decided in that moment that time was fleeting. These moments were becoming more precious by the second, and he wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Chapter Text

Nick knew in a lot of ways this was going to be an interesting night. Grissom got called out early for what appeared to be a missing persons case. A woman was doing grocery shopping at her local store. She accidentally knocked a jar of mustard off the shelf, went to the women’s restroom to clean herself up, and vanished. She left behind a shopping cart filled with items for her injured sister and her purse (although, her wallet was missing).

But it turned out to be anything but conventional when Grissom noticed something off with one of the stall doors. Thanks to some black light, Grissom and Brass was able to expose the hidden message that had been scrubbed off: “I’ve killed five women. Catch me if you can.” It made him think Margaret Shorey had fallen victim to a serial killer.

Nick was wondering who would be working with Grissom on this case. It wasn’t something you handled on your own. He figured it would be Catherine, who held the most seniority on the night shift after Grissom.

But before he could continue thinking, he got a notice from reception. There was a phone call for him that had been transferred into the breakroom. Ignoring the curious glances from Catherine and Sara, he went over to the sole phone that was kept in the breakroom. He already knew the call would be of a personal nature. (Something that was allowed, thank God.)

“Hello?” Nick’s answer into the phone was a bit impersonal, but that did lie with the fault of the receptionist. She didn’t see fit to actually tell Nick who was trying to call him. (The receptionist was a temp nobody at the lab saw lasting much longer.)

“Mijo?”

“Maria?” Nick immediately stood straighter. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, Nick. But Kady had a nightmare and she wants to talk to you.”

“Put her on,” was Nick’s immediate response.

Nick clung to the phone as he heard the rustling on the other end. He was thankful for the cordless home phones that had become a thing. It made it easy for Maria to take the phone into Kady’s bedroom.

It wasn’t something that happened often. In fact, when Nick thought about it, it had been several weeks since Kady had a nightmare that led to Maria calling Nick at work. (The last time was when Kady was still getting over her croup.)

“Daddy?”

“Hey, butterfly,” Nick murmured soothingly. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“I dreamed of the bogeyman again.”

Nick’s heart broke at Kady’s sniffles. Kady had developed a fear of the bogeyman in the last couple of weeks, thanks to a comment someone had made at her daycare. (Apparently, that person was subject to quite a few complaints because quite a few of Kady’s classmates were having nightmares.) The fact that Kady already had an overactive imagination didn’t help.

Nick had made the elusive bogeyman the subject of his nightly ‘clearing’ of Kady’s room. She no longer feared the monsters under her bed. She feared the bogeyman. (Although, part of Nick waited for the fear of the monsters under her bed to come back.) But there were sometimes when the bogeyman still appeared in her nightmares. Tonight was one of those nights where simply being soothed by her Abuela wasn’t enough, no matter how much Kady loved Maria. She wanted her daddy. But her daddy was at work.

“Were you scared, butterfly?” Nick asked. When Kady sniffled a heartbreaking ‘yes’ (Nick really hated the sound of his daughter crying – especially when he wasn’t there to hold her), he reassured her, “It’s okay to be scared, baby. I know the bogeyman is scary. Do you have your special light?”

“Yes, daddy.”

When Kady first developed her fear of the bogeyman, Nick did his research. It was actually Grissom who gave him the idea. His boss had a lot of random knowledge stored in his brain. One thing Grissom had told him was how in some folklore, the bogeyman was weakened by light. After all, they lurked in darkness and shadow. So, Nick found a special little torch appropriate for toddlers. He told her whenever she felt the bogeyman was near, she was to grab the torch (he made sure it was in reach) and shine it in his face and tell him to go away.

“That’s good,” Nick praised her. “Remember what I told you. The bogeyman doesn’t like light. So, when he rears his ugly head, you shine that light in that face and tell him to go away, okay?”

“Go away!”

“Yeah, that’s it,” Nick praised her. “And always remember – even though I’m not there right now, daddy’s protecting you from the bogeyman, okay?”

“Yes, daddy. And the trolls and the ogres!”

“And the trolls and the ogres,” Nick agreed with a chuckle. He loved how Kady named the criminals he caught after the common villains in fairy tales. “Do you think you can try to go back to sleep?”

“Can you sing for me?”

Nick inwardly grimaced, fully aware that he had an audience. Fortunately, he could get away with singing softly. And he was more than willing to push his discomfort aside to soothe his daughter’s fears.

He began singing Baby Mine, the song from Dumbo. It was a movie Kady had only seen a handful of times, but it was one of Daniela’s favourite movies. Nick remembered seeing his wife sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery singing the same song to her baby bump. When Daniela died, it was something Nick continued, helping Kady have that connection to the mother she would never know. She asked for it when she was scared because it comforted her.

By the time he finished the song, he heard the cute yawns from the three-year-old and the rustling that could be attributed to Maria tucking Kady back into bed.

“Love you, daddy.”

“Love you too, butterfly,” Nick whispered. “Sweet dreams.”

It didn’t take long before he heard Maria’s voice. “She’s right back to sleep.”

“Thank you,” Nick smiled in relief. “How about I make her that special breakfast tomorrow? You know, that strawberry stuffed French toast she loves?”

“We’ve got the ingredients, and I think she’ll love that.”

Nick smiled before hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, “Hey, ama. I have to go. I think Grissom’s coming with my assignment.”

“Okay. Stay safe, mijo. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” Nick reciprocated the fond farewell.

“Hey, kids,” Grissom quipped as he walked into the breakroom. Fortunately, by this stage, Nick had hung up the phone. But Grissom still asked, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Nick answered with a nod. “Kady just had a nightmare. Needed to hear my voice.”

Grissom gave Nick a quick look of understanding. Something Nick was able to do a lot of the time was keep the balance between his professional life and personal life, rarely allowing them to intersect. That wasn’t to say he got it wrong sometimes. They all did. But this instance wasn’t one of those times. After all, as far as he knew, Nick was up to date on everything and was simply waiting to be assigned a case.

Satisfied with the knowledge that everything was indeed okay, Grissom turned his attention to the case assignments: “Sara Sidle. 419.”

“Dead body? Bonus!” Sara quipped, accepting the assignment slip.

“Somebody likes her job,” Catherine drawled.

“Nick Stokes, 416. Fight at the Bellagio. She says she’s a friend of yours,” Grissom revealed, handing the slip to Nick.

“Ex-girlfriend, Nick?” Catherine teased. They all knew of Nick’s attempts to get back into the dating game in the last twelve months; and while they all supported him, they still teased him occasionally.

Returning the teasing tone, Nick responded, “Well, that depends. Was she the assaulter or the assaultee?” After all, 416 was the code for a fight.

“You tell us. You like leather or lace?” Sara asked coyly.

“Well, according to my three-year-old, I’m all about glitter and tiaras,” Nick answered with a laugh. But before he left the room, he seriously pondered the question before answering, “Lace.”

As Nick walked out, he heard Grissom giving Catherine her assignment. She had a 418 – missing person. Hearing Grissom mention an “obituary on a stall door” made Nick realize his initial suspicions were correct. Grissom was recruiting Catherine for this case.

But Nick didn’t let that fuel his thoughts. Instead, he allowed his thoughts to drift to two things.

First, his thoughts drifted to the case. Particularly since Grissom mentioned someone involved claimed to be a friend of his. Who had he met recently that would personally ask for him in a situation like this?

The second thing his thoughts drifted to was the special breakfast he was going to make for Kady to cheer her up after her nightmare. Particularly the way her face was going to light up when she realized what he was making.

That thought was enough to chase away the darkness on his shift.