Fic: Someday At Christmas (CSI, Nick/Greg, PG) + advent calendar

[carolinecrane]

Today is Jack Johnson day on the advent calendar. And since it's Jack Johnson day, and I've been writing that little Jack Johnson-themed series, I thought I would take a break from Yuletide and write a little CSI fic to go with the music. But oh my God, you guys, I did not intend for it to be this appalling. Talk about sappy. My little angst-

Comments

[rabidfan]

Hey, Christmas is supposed to be sappy. It's like a requirement

[carolinecrane]

Christ on a Cracker, woman, you just made me cry at work. I can't even...this is perfect. I can't top that.

[rabidfan]

Thanks. You know, I've not written this much in more than a year? And it's comment fic. Go figure. And, Christ on a Craker????

[carolinecrane]

What? It's an expression. I don't know what it *means*, but it's fun to say.

I'm going to have to link to the comment fic because we're past 50 comments now so it's buried in the collapse. And I don't want to lose it because I'm a big dork.

[rabidfan]

I couldn't begin to think what it means either...but you've got a point about the fun part.

I'm glad you're going to link them. I was thinking about going through the whole mass and sorting them all out, trying for some sort of order, but it seemed like something I'd rather have someone else do!!

[carolinecrane]

I just thought I would let you know that I snuck in here to reread this just now, and it made me all teary AGAIN. It's this line that gets me:

feared their happy child was gone for good after all the trials he'd been through the last few years, but there he was.

Oh, Nick. You deserve to be happy.

[rabidfan]

I am pleased that I could write something that touched you. And somewhat shocked. It's not my style

[carolinecrane]

Nosy neighbors FTW!

I didn't respond to this yesterday because I was afraid of breaking my CM writing groove, but I did love this. I giggled over the dirty windows. Jillian kind of rules.

[rabidfan]

Thanks. I like her.

You'll find when you get around to watching "Grave Danger" (not "Grabe") that they make her out to be kind of stiff. A lot of the fic writers went with that and made her kind of a bitch. Me? I thought she was a woman on the edge. Her youngest child was missing...in the hands of a madman...and she was powerless to do anything at all to get him back. She would be tense. She would naturally be upset and probably a little bitchy. I sure would. Still, when he came home safe (tho not quite sound) she would melt into a puddle of maternal goo and want nothing more than to take him home and feed him her world-famous sweet potato pie (Nick's favorite) until she saw his sweet dimples again. She's a woman after my own heart.

[carolinecrane]

See, I would be far more apt to see your characterization of her, because they've implied in earlier canon that she was the heart of the family, while Nick's dad was the disciplinarian. Or maybe I made that up in my head. Either way, I'm going with warm, because I can't imagine Nick growing up and becoming the gentleman he is without being surrounded by love.

[rabidfan]

I agree. I believe that the women in the family...particularly the mom's...teach the men how to treat women. Yes, violence and bitter words can be learned from either gender, but the true southern courtliness shown by Nick could only be learned in a matriarchal family. Maybe the judge laid down the law, but I'm willing to bet that he didn't have to do it too many times. They wouldn't enjoy making mom unhappy.

[carolinecrane]

EXACTLY. You don't learn that kind of chivalry by watching the men in your life disrespect women. And for all the things Nick is, he's good a warm heart, and he'd have to learn that at home too. I fully believe that the only reason Greg hung in there so long was because he saw that and knew it would be worth waiting around for Nick to work out his issues.

[rabidfan]

Unfortunately, the same strict society that made him such a wonderful, warm gentleman also made him terrified of "letting" his mom down. He couldn't shake the fear that by going against what the Baptist minister preached each Sunday while he sat along side mom would mean he was going against her. Happily for both Nick and Greg, he was finally able to work thru that conflict. Of course, mom knew all along, as mom's aren't as clueless as their kids would wish them to be. She didn't mind so much from the religeous stand point, although it was a source of a few sleepless nights, but because she knew that the world that he lived and worked in still wasn't as open to gay people as it should be. She knew that the two of them would face discrimination; feared they would face physical violence. She need not have worried, though. The extended family in Vegas, while maybe not totally approving (Brass) or understanding (Ecklie) where not going to let outsiders hurt their own.

[rabidfan]

Nick wakes to the sound of frenzed beavers in the kitchen. He's fairly certain that there are no beavers, frenzed or otherwise, in Vegas. By process of elimination that means that Greg is cooking. Not that Greg isn't a good cook. He is. "It's just applied chemistry, Nick. It's what I do," Greg explained more than once when Nick reacted with surprise at some goodie he'd concocted. But the mess! Lord love him, Greg made such a mess. With that thought Nick shot out of bed. His parents where coming for Christmas lunch! He didn't have the time necessary to clean up after Greg today! Last night hadn't gone as well as Nick would have liked, and a good impression today would go a long way in making things better for Greg. Nick braced himself for the worst and stepped into their kitchen

[carolinecrane]

Nick braces himself before he opens the door, taking a deep breath and running a hand down the front of his shirt. And it's just his parents, for God's sake, so it's not like he's nervous. They're here because they love him, and lunch is perfect, and Greg is perfect, so everything's fine.

That doesn't stop his hand from shaking a little as he pulls the door open.

"Hi, Mom," Nick says, pasting on his most charming grin and taking the bottle of wine she hands him. He shakes his father's hand and lets them into the house, taking their coats before he sends them down the hall toward the dining room.

When they get there Greg's fussing nervously over the napkins, and it's cute enough to make Nick forget what he was so nervous about. No one in his entire life has ever gone to this much trouble to make a good impression, and the fact that Greg's doing it all for Nick's sake...well, that means a lot. It means Greg loves him just as much as he claims, and Nick always knew that was true, but seeing it still makes his heart skip a beat.

[rabidfan]

I have an overwhelming urge to hug them! So, so cute.