Chapter 9
Chapter List
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July
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Greg closed his now finished book and sighed. Their time in Texas was close to coming to an end and, despite his nerves at the beginning of the vacation, he wasn't looking forward to leaving. They still had two day's before they had to take off and Nick was taking advantage of that fact. Well, more like his brother was. Liam had liberated Nick and dragged him into town to see some of the family friends who hadn't come out to the ranch for the Fourth of July celebration.
Nick had tried to drag Greg along with him, but Elijah had thrown a fit over leaving Trixie's side and the thought of his dad leaving him alone with people he still wasn't all that comfortable around. Although, if it had been just Jillian staying at the ranch, it would have been a whole different story. So he had declined going with, instead staying behind to help Jillian with that night's meal as Elijah dragged Trixie all over the large ranch home and its grounds.
Now, as his son was taking his afternoon nap, one of the few times he would permit himself to be away from his new friend, Greg wondered what the hell he was going to do for the next hour or so until Nick got back. Jillian had all but shooed him out of the kitchen after he had put Elijah down and now that his book was finished, he was at a loss.
Sammy and Kieran were out taking Maddox on a tour of the grounds and Lynn, Noah and their three kids had gone along as well. Tasha was in town for the night because her eldest daughter was having a slumber party that her ex-husband had foisted onto her. Aly, the youngest twin, had left the day before because her fiance, who was a freelance photographer, had a shoot coming up in Maine. Even Leslie had disappeared into town for the afternoon, taking Jeremy and Thomas with her to do some shopping.
Greg slouched down on the suede covered couch and stared at the ceiling of the large living room. The ceiling had some excellent wood beams shooting up into a triangle, a look that Greg had always liked. As his eyes traced each intricately cut beam, intricate because he could some designs cleverly cut into the wood, he sensed someone staring at him.
He looked over to the doorway and squinted a bit because of the blue fluorescent glow that emanated from the fish tank that split the entrance into two. Standing there was Bill Stokes and Greg cursed mentally at himself as he hastily pushed up from his sprawled position. Bill stepped down into the room and cracked open one of the windows before seating himself in the recliner placed in front of it.
He watched Bill light up the pipe he had been carrying as he stared at Greg, barely blinking. Greg began to wonder how he was measuring up in Judge Stokes' mind even as he began to shrink in on himself, feeling a bit self-conscious under the intense scrutiny.
"So...what do your parents do for a living?"
Greg straightened up again and turned his full attention onto Bill, "Sir?" He asked, confused. He thought the first question from Nick's dad would have been more along the lines of 'what are your intentions?'
Bill blew out a puff of smoke and asked again, amusement lacing his voice, "Your parents Greg. What jobs do they have?"
"Oh, ah, well my dad's an executive for an appliance and electronics chain and my mom's a part-time chef." Greg replied, tugging at his shirt sleeve. Who knew that there was a person out there who could make him more nervous then Grissom?
"Only part-time?"
Greg shrugged, "My grandmother wasn't thrilled with the idea of my mom taking a job at all. Part-time work was their compromise."
Bill nodded and took another puff off his pipe, "Do you like sports?"
Greg let himself relax slightly. It seemed Bill was just interested in getting to know his sons significant other better. He was a bit curious about whether or not Bill had put his other 'children-in-law's' through this same treatment or not but didn't want to risk anything by asking, "Er, yeah, some." Greg replied.
"Which ones? Nick's rather big into football..." Bill trailed off and Greg had to bite back a laugh. Bill was also implying that he was a football fan as well.
"I can handle watching football but I like baseball and hockey." He said, watching as an eyebrow quirked in surprise.
"Hockey from a California boy?"
Greg rolled his eyes slightly. Nick apparently had a big mouth because he hadn't told anyone from Nick's family that he hailed from San Fransisco, "My aunt and uncle would take me out to New York with them during Christmas breaks and my uncle was a huge Rangers fan."
"Good team, the Rangers." Bill said. He dumped his pipe into a glass dish that sat on the little end table next to the recliner, "How are you at building things?"
"Er..." Greg was a bit surprised by this question. He hadn't even told Nick yet that he was 'mechanically inclined.' He would have to soon, as he needed to start on his guest house, but still, why would Bill even ask that? "Fairly well, sir."
Bill waved a hand as he stood up, "None of that sir stuff. I hear it all day long at work, I don't need to hear it at home either." He ushered Greg up off the couch, "I need a hand with a shelving unit out in the barn. It's a surprise for Nick's birthday and I want to get it done before you three leave but I need some help."
Greg shrugged and stood up, "Sure."
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Nick leaned over and wrapped his arms around Greg's shoulders and chest, "What's up babe?"
Greg dropped the pencil he was holding and looked up at Nick with a grin, "Not much. Did you have fun?"
Nick shrugged and walked around Greg to drop into the chair across from him, "Not really. Mrs. Henderson still thinks I'd be the perfect match for her twenty one-year-old daughter, Mr. Carmichael asked when I was going to move back from 'the city of sin' and dear lord, we ran into Julia Michell. She runs the art gallery and used to teach at the high school when I was there. Total new age hippy thing going on." Nick shook his head, "She called me a pig and wouldn't listen when I tried to tell her I wasn't an actual cop any more."
"Sounds fun. Glad I missed it." Greg said, laughing.
"So what did you end up doing while I was gone?"
Greg shrugged, "Nothing major. Finished my book, Trixie finally showed me her skills at finger painting, helped your mom." He looked down at the paper in front of him. He knew if he kept looking at Nick, he would blurt out about spending time with his dad and he had been sworn to secrecy by the eldest Stokes man because of Nick's gift.
The shelving unit was absolutely gorgeous. Bill had built it so that it could come apart and be shipped with ease as well as be put together with the same ease it had come apart with. He had instructed Greg specifically on what went where since he hadn't written down any instructions for the unit. Greg had then picked out a stain that seemed predominant in Nicks den back home. It had been as he was applying the stain to the top piece that he noticed another little surprise of Bill's. An attached easel. That had suddenly brought Trixie's statement from a few day's early sweeping back about her copying her 'unca nicky's work.'
He looked up at Nick and cocked his head.
Nick raised his head and raised an eyebrow at the intense stare, "What?"
"Something you want to tell me Nick?" Greg asked, a smirk growing on his face. He knew the question bothered Nick, especially since every time he had used it or the same question with different wording, it always seemed to prelude a fight.
"Er..." Nick straightened up and frowned in thought, "I love you?"
Greg laughed, "That's nice to know, but no. It's pretty amazing how observant you can be sometimes, mister CSI." He held up the paper he had been working on and his smirk widened along with Nick's eyes, "Your mom pulled this out for me when I mentioned needing some unlined paper."
"I...hm." Nick trailed off and rubbed his jaw, "So now you know I draw. So what?"
"Just wondering why you didn't tell me." He waved his hand to shush the Texan as he opened his mouth to speak, "I'm not mad Nick. Just...amused? Especially because of this."
He tossed Nick the sketchpad, open to the page he had been working on, "You did this?" Nick asked, looking down.
Greg nodded, "Yeah."
Nick traced the edges of the block in the middle of the page, "This has the same shape as the house..." He then took in a few of the written details and realized what Greg was planning. He looked up at Greg, "A pool? Guest house?"
"I want to get rid of the grass and get some synthetic. Especially with Mark being away so much now. He'll be able to spend more time with his granddaughter this way. The guest house actually grew in size with ah, the news we received. I was originally planning on a studio type cottage, but..."
Nick nodded in understanding, knowing he was talking about Sammy and Kieran, "This looks amazing. When are we going to start?"
"You don't mind? I mean, this is just a rough draft and all..."
"Greg, I don't mind. I like the idea of a pool and a play area for Elijah and with more people spending time out at your place, it makes sense to extend the patio of the detached porch. I also like the idea of the low maintenance because of this and the extra tree's as well."
Greg smiled then, happy that he hadn't had to persuade Nick into changing the backyard. What had started out as simply finding the best area to put his desired guest house had turned into a whole redecorating project. He was blaming it on watching too much HGTV lately or he would if Nick ever asked what prompted it.
What was lining the main backyard now was a simple chain link fence that matched the one wrapping around the property. He had decided to pull that and instead came up with the idea of a low bamboo wood fence. The guest house was on the left side of the house beyond the fence on some unused and untamed yard. It had its own gravel driveway that parted from the main one that they would have to line with plastic so as to keep it from weeding out.
The backyard had truly lost a lot of grassy area's, but he had left a large patch right in the middle of the yard. Just beyond that in front of the fence was a sand pit and a wooden mini-playground. The pool though, that was going to be cool if his little design worked.
It was kidney shaped, following the lines of the outdoor patio connected to the house. One end was going to be deep enough to bring in a diving board and he had sketched a slide just to the left of the board, coming down off of large boulders.
He had extended the detached patio and sketched a mini design of an outdoor kitchen with a bar and the foosball table that was buried in the garage. Nick was right about that. He had done that extension with their co-workers and friends in mind. His house was the biggest out of all of them and it was cheaper to hang out at somebodies house then it was to go to a bar most times. If they planned it right, the detached patio could also be used year round.
Nick placed the sketchpad on the end table, "Are we going to be able to afford it though?"
Greg's smile broadened at that. It was always we and our when it came to the house and money issues. Even with this being his idea, Nick was still willing to help pay for it in someway. Greg, however, was certainly not running short on cash and the landscaping would be expensive, "Nick..."
"G...you know how I feel about this." This was referring to the money issues. Greg often tried to foot the bill for the more expensive things, like the plane tickets out here. It frustrated Nick to no end most times, "I'm not exactly poor you know. I may not have as much money as you but I can afford to help with things like this."
Greg decided to give in. It wasn't worth a fight over something that petty, "All right, all right. We'll plan more when we get home and look up contractors and stuff."
"There's a good boy."
Greg responded by sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes.
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It was raining for the first time since arriving in Texas and Greg and Nick were huddled together at the dining room table with Elijah comfortably ensconced between them, coloring in some of the old coloring books Jillian set aside for her grandchildren.
Nick's family was conspicuously absent and while Greg knew why, or at least had a feeling as to why, Nick was oblivious as he tried to convince Elijah to use more outlandish colors for the pictures.
Greg glanced up and over to the hallway, catching Bill's eye. He nodded in understanding, knowing Bill was asking him to keep Nick's attention away from the kitchen for the moment. He turned back to his boyfriend and son, joining in the debate going on about what color to make the birds in the background of the picture.
He watched in amusement as just as Nick placed a crayon to his own page, eighteen voices rang out "Happy birthday Nick!" or in the case of the children, "Uncle Nick!"
Nick's hand flexed as he jumped in surprise and sent the crayon flying across the room, causing everyone to start laughing. Nick looked around at the shining faces as he collected himself. He cleared his throat and finally said, "I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but my birthday is next month."
Jillian kissed the top of his head before turning to place a birthday hat onto Elijah's head, "We know dear. Certainly couldn't forget something like that, but since you're here and it is only a month away..."
"We're going to celebrate now. Happy birthday Pancho." Bill continued, clasping Nick on the shoulder.
Nick grinned up at his dad, "Thanks Cisco." A contemplative look crossed his face and he turned to look at Greg, "You knew about this didn't you."
Greg shrugged and grinned, "Maybe."
Nick smiled at him before looking back at his family, "So? What did you all get me?"
Sammy laughed and reached out to ruffle his hair, "Don't you think you're a bit old too be getting presents lil' bro?"
"Nah. Never too old for presents. So?" Nick asked, holding his hands out in a 'gimme gimme' gesture.
As Greg and Elijah watched, Nick was soon boggled down with various cards and not a few wrapped gifts. After opening a few Texas A&M tee shirts and sweaters, Bill's masterpiece was wheeled in. Nick whistled slowly when he caught sight of it, immediately getting up to look it over.
"Wow, this is amazing." He kneeled down and began opening and closing drawers as his family looked on in amusement.
"Greg helped with it." Bill pointed out, "That boy is pretty good at staining."
Nick looked over his shoulder at his boyfriend, "No kiddin'?
Greg shrugged and wrapped his arms around Elijah's waist, choosing to hide his smile in the auburn hair resting against his chin. Sammy took the heat off of Greg and passed Nick an envelope, "My gift, Nick. Think you'll like it."
Nick pulled the flap out of the envelope and pulled out a blue slip of paper. He read over what was written on it and then stared up at his sister in shock, "Antares? For tonight even? How the heck did you manage that?"
"The manager of Antares is Shelly Morgan. We stopped by to see her when we got into town and while we were there I remembered you wanting to go since they did the renovations."
Nick pulled Sammy into a hug, "Thanks Sam." He turned to Greg and gave him a large grin, "Up to eating out tonight?"
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Greg stared up at the large tower that resembled a needle with awe, "Nick, I didn't exactly realize that Antares was at the top of an observation tower."
Nick laughed and pulled Greg towards the Hyatt Regency's entrance, the lobby of which surrounded the base of Reunion Tower, "Did I forget to mention that? Sorry."
"I'm sure." Greg followed Nick to the elevator and as they rode to the first stop of the tower Greg couldn't help but gravitate the windows of the elevator. He stared out over Dallas as they rose higher into the air.
Nick stepped up behind him though was careful not to do much in way of touching, mindful of the other people in the lift with them, "Pretty cool huh? I've only been up here once and that was for mama's fiftieth birthday. Even though I grew up here I was still awed at being able to look out over the city like this."
Greg didn't get a chance to respond as the elevator slid to a stop. Again, he followed Nick off and was momentarily confused as the Texan started towards a set of stairs about ten feet to their left, "Nick? Where you going?"
"Up to Antares. This floor is the observation deck." Nick replied, starting to climb.
Greg glanced at a set of double glass doors leading out onto the deck before shrugging and starting up the stairs as well. The next floor had yet another staircase rising up but this time Nick walked over to one of the host stands, "Reservation under Stokes?"
The hostess glanced at the book in front of her and nodded, "All right, right this way, and please watch your step."
Greg frowned at this bit of advice until he took a step up onto the floor and felt his leg jerk slightly, "What the hell?" He muttered.
Nick's amusement grew as he watched the lab-rat stare at the step in confusion, "It's a rotating restaurant G. The only parts that don't move are the waiting area and the kitchen."
"Rotating...are you serious?" Greg followed after their hostess after sending the floor another odd look.
Nick shook his head and dropped down into the seat at the table they were shown. Greg sat down across from him and smiled up at the hostess as she handed them their menus, "Your waiter will be with you shortly." She said and started back towards her stand.
Nick watched Greg as he opened up his menu, but ignored it for the view they were sitting by. Their table was at the edge of the rotating floor, so except for the brief time they would spend going passed the waiting area, their view would always be amazing, "Cool huh?"
"Different too. I can honestly say I've never eaten in a rotating restaurant before. How fast is this moving anyway?"
Nick shrugged, "Not really sure, but it makes a full rotation every fifty five minutes."
"Hello, I'm Jeffery. I'll be your waiter this evening. Can I get you anything to drink?" A tall Asian man said, coming up to their table.
They placed their drink orders and then silently went over their menus so they could be ready to order when the waiter came back. When their drinks arrived, both non-alcoholic at Nick's insistence, their placed their food order. The wait for that was fairly short for a fancy restaurant but Nick informed Greg that that was probably due to there being a lounge on the floor above them that also served food.
Greg, who had had a hard time deciding just what to order, was practically salivating when his steak was placed in front of him. He had almost gone with one of the lamb dishes, but Nick nixed that idea quickly and pointed out that they were in Texas. Greg had grudgingly agreed but was now incredibly happy he had gone with Nick's advise. His ten ounce boneless strip looked mouthwatering. Nick was equally happy with his porterhouse and both men knew they would be bringing leftovers back to the ranch with them.
"I'm kinda surprised Eli let us out of the house."
Greg cocked his head to the side as he started cutting up his steak, "Man, the way your mom was doting on him while we were getting ready I don't think he was even paying attention as we left." He snorted a bit, "She'll have fun come bath time though. He and Trixie were covered in that stuff."
Nick laughed at that, remembering the sight of the two toddlers covered in play-doh as they said their good nights to Elijah. His face had been streaked blue by the stuff and both men had had a hard time finding a clean place to kiss.
Greg took a sip of his soda and sighed, "Beer or something would go so much better with this. Why am I drinking soda?"
Nick swallowed the food in his mouth before taking a drink of his iced tea, "Cause I've got something planned for when we get back to the ranch and it wouldn't be a good idea to have alcohol coursing through our systems."
"Like what?" Greg asked, sounding both excited and weary at the same time.
Nick stared at him for a moment but then shook his head, "Nah, I think I'll keep you in suspense."
Greg stuck his tongue out at him before going back to his food. He knew first hand just how stubborn Nick could be. There would be no hints until they got back. After that, their talk mainly floated around more information on Nick's family and both of them agreeing to forgo talking about work when they were on a date.
They both skipped on dessert, again because Nick pointing out that despite the forty five minute drive back to the ranch, he didn't want either of them over full for his surprise. When their leftovers were returned to them and their bill payed, Greg was amused to see that their table was nearly in the same area it had been in when they were seated. It was an interesting way to note just how long they had been at the restaurant.
When they got back to the ranch, Elijah was already tucked into bed for the night and snoring away. Greg ran his fingers through Elijah's fringe and kissed his forehead while Nick went to get the night light that was left in their room the night before. After Nick added his own kiss, they quietly left the room.
"All right, we're back at the ranch, our leftovers are in the fridge and you have me dressed in jeans and boots. What are we doing?" Greg asked, motioning down to the steel toes Nick had tossed at him not even ten minutes earlier.
"We are going for a ride." Nick said, opening the fridge door and digging through its contents. He pulled out a small, hand held wicker basket and turned to face Greg who was looking fairly shocked, "What?"
"Well, one, it's dark out. Two, I've only been up on a horse once Nick. Do you really think this is such a smart idea?"
Nick rolled his eyes, "Greg, that one time you're talking about, we had to practically pry you off that mare with a crowbar. You were riding around the corral for nearly two hours."
"That's cause my butt was stuck to the saddle."
"And here I thought you were getting enjoyment off of rubbing up against the saddle horn." Nick retorted, before turning back to grab a thermos off the counter. He could tell it was fresh as the outside of the container was still warm. Bless his mama's heart.
"You're a perv. There's no other way to even attempt to figure out where that statement came from. Even I'm not that horny."
Nick stared at Greg a moment before shaking his head, "Yeah, all right. Come on. Liam said he'd have the stuff we need set out, but I still need to get the horses ready."
Greg shrugged and followed Nick out of the back door and towards the stables. He lifted his face to the sky as a sweet breeze wafted over his skin, "What's that smell?"
Nick paused and lifted his head as well. The breeze was coming from the south and towards the stables, meaning Greg wasn't smelling the horses. He took a deep breath, "Bluebells and magnolias." He said after a second, "The magnolias are from mama's gardens but the bluebell is wild. Probably a few bushes across the highway."
"Well, either way it smells great."
Nick smiled and went into the stables. The place was still alive with people for it being near nine in the evening. A few of the colts and fillies required constant care and so at the moment, the barn had people in it twenty four hours. A young woman approached them, a smile on her tanned face, "Mister Stokes. Your brother told me you'd be riding tonight. Any preference to a horse?"
"I'll take out Mist if he wasn't ridden earlier and Greg's still a beginner so who ever you think would be best, Lina."
Lina tugged on her braid and looked over the horse stalls, "Tempo hasn't been out today and you can't get much more mild than him. Mist was out grazing, so other than his run around the corral, he hasn't been out either. We've been a little busy with the youngins today."
"Sound's good then."
"All right. Mist and Tempo it is. Give me a few to get them saddled up and I'll bring um out for you."
"Thanks Lina." Nick led Greg back outside, "Kinda glad Lina and Myra are working tonight." He said, pulling himself up onto the fence that came up to the edge of the barn near the doors.
Greg leaned against it and looked up at Nick, his eyebrows raised, "Why's that?" He asked, a bit of jealousy creeping into his voice.
Nick laughed and tugged on Greg's hair, "Nuthin like that, G. Those two are both spoken for. It's just they never let any of us wash down the horses after rides. Well, except for Liam but thats 'cause he's their boss and they don't have a choice. Liam likes to be hands on with the animals."
Lina led the horses out to them and Nick took hold of the reins. He passed Tempo's to Greg and watched carefully as the lab-rat flipped the reins over Tempo's head and then scrambled up to a sitting position on the gold geldings back. Tempo was a palomino that hadn't met with the standards of the PHBA due to a too dark mane and so had been sold to his mother fairly cheap.
Once he was satisfied that Greg wasn't going to fall of and hurt himself, Nick turned to Mist. Mist was his horse, a mustang his father had gotten for him when he graduated from the academy. Now six years old, the horse was fairly calm thanks to it being a gelding. Mist was a beautiful horse. He was a light tan in color, almost to the point that he looked white, he had a mane that was black and white mixed and he looked like he was wearing black stockings that went up to the top of his legs.
Nick stowed the small basket and thermos into the saddle bags and climbed up into the saddle. He looked at Greg and smiled, "Ready?"
Greg frowned in worry, "I suppose so."
"Don't worry G. I'll be right beside you the whole time and there's a first aide kit in one of my saddle bags along with a talkie." Nick said, urging Mist into a walk.
"That's...not as reassuring as you would think."
Nick led Greg down one of the paths that started off near the barn. They walked in silence, taking in the scenery that was alight from the full moons glow. The silence, however, was broken by a howl far off in the distance. Greg jumped and looked at Nick, "Please, please, tell me that wasn't what I thought it was."
Nick shrugged, "Coyote." He looked at Greg, "Don't worry. They usually don't come this far down."
"See, it's words like usually that fail to relieve." Greg muttered.
Nick just laughed and continued to lead the way down the path. It wasn't much further along that Nick let Mist stop. Greg stopped along side of him, "What's up?"
"This is where I wanted to bring you." Nick replied. He slipped off of Mist's back and lopped the reins over a low tree branch. Greg followed suit and turned to face Nick. Nick pulled the basket and thermos out of the saddle bag. He then reached out and took Greg's hand, tugging him towards a large rock.
Just past the rock, which was taller than both men, Greg stumbled to a stop and just gaped. It was a clearing, about a thousand square feet in size, that had a brook running through it. As Nick urged him closer to the water, he could see that the brook was lined by wide, flat rocks.
Nick dropped his hand and sat down on one of the rocks, tugging off his boots and socks. He rolled up his pants legs and dropped his feet into the water. Greg grinned and quickly did the same. Once settled, he turned to look at the basket and thermos, "So? What did you bring?"
Nick opened the basket and pulled out two mugs. He handed one to Greg before opening the thermos and pouring its contents into the cups. He then watched as Greg's eyes widened in amazement, "How did you do this? I didn't bring any with!"
"You didn't but I did. Not enough to have every afternoon but I kinda started planning this ride before we even got here so..." Nick said, taking a sip of his own coffee. He really was starting to like Blue Hawaiian.
Greg set his mug down and threw his arms around Nick's shoulders, "God, I love you."
"You'll love me even more in a minute."
Greg pulled back slightly, though his arms were still around Nick, "Why?"
Nick pulled the last container out of the basket and popped the lid. He set the lid in the basket and held up the plastic container for Greg to look inside, "Texas sheet cake. Mama's special recipe. I didn't bring any forks though."
Greg shrugged and dug out one of the slices, which had been cut down to the size of brownies, "Not too crumbly." Greg said before taking a bite. He moaned around the slice of cake before pulling it away from his mouth. After swallowing he said, "Jesus Nick, your mother can bake!"
Nick didn't respond. He was too busy watching Greg suck the chocolate off his fingers. Greg looked at Nick and, seeing where the Texans attention was fixated, grinned slowly around the finger caught between his teeth. He then pulled the finger out of his mouth, "You okay Nick?"
"Fine G." Nick said, clearing his throat. He reached into the container and lifted out a slice for himself. Two could play at that game.
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TBC...
Chapter 10