Title: CSI100Fics Prompt Challenge No. 24 - Family
Author: Dee
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4600
Pairing: Gil/Nick
Characters: Gil Grissom, Nick Stokes, Conrad Ecklie and 2 x OFCs
Warnings: V.fluffy and AU.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: In my dreams they are like, totally mine!
Beta: podga, so the remaining mistakes are all mine! The icon is high_striker’s.
The cell ringing and vibrating, on his bedside table, gradually permeated Gil’s consciousness and he blearily felt around for the phone, his eyes still very nearly closed.
In the dark of his bedroom the light display of his cell proclaimed, ‘Ecklie’. He groaned, he was on call, but it was getting harder and harder to leave his bed for these emergencies.
“Hello.”
“Grissom, where the hell is Stokes?”
Gil was instantly awake and sat up in bed as he replied. “What do you mean; is he missing? He’s not due in work or court is he and I don’t believe he’s on call?”
“No, he isn’t, but I have a very irate Stokes sister here at the lab, wanting to know where he is; she’s been to his apartment and apparently two young ladies…she didn’t call then that…are renting his place and refused to give her any details of Nick. So she came here and is creating merry hell, wanting to know, exactly, where her young brother is…now the thing is, I've had his file out and the address is the same and the only contact number is his cell and that’s turned off. He’s probably asleep, I’ll give you that, but where is he asleep? Do you know about this, Gil?”
‘Everything’, is what Gil thought. “Let me get back to you Conrad…I have an idea.” Gil said, and ended the call before Ecklie could come back at him.
He looked down at the man lying next to him and smiled. Nick was waking up; he stretched out his arms and yawned a face splitting yawn.
“Wozgoinon?” He asked through the yawn.
“Not much; your sister tried to visit you and met the girls and a brick wall and is now at the lab with Conrad, who in turn wants to know, exactly, where you are.”
And just like Gil, Nick was wide awake and sitting up in an instant. “Which sister?”
“I don’t know, does that make a difference?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” He reached for his cell, which was on his bedside table. He switched it on and within a few seconds it was buzzing with activity. He pressed his voicemail key and Gil could hear a woman’s voice shouting down Nick’s ear.
“
“She’s your oldest sister?”
“Yeah…why is she in Vegas?”
“No idea, but I think you’d better go and see, and we have to try and think of a reason why you’re not at your listed address.”
“Too early for me to think up any excuse…I could just say, ‘I’m fucking my boss, okay’?”
“That not nice…we don’t fuck, we make love...and you’ll need to shower to get rid of the smell of sex!”
“Yeah, we do. I’ll go shower and think about damage limitation.” He kissed Gil’s shoulder and then very nearly leapt from their bed. Gil winced at the athletic manoeuvre and then slowly climbed out of his side of the bed massaging his left knee as he did so…it wasn’t what it used to be.
Gil looked at the clock; they would have normally had another hour and a half asleep, but there was no way he could go back to sleep now. He had to give this some thought; a downright lie or the truth? And then there was ‘the sister’. Nick’s move to Vegas was primarily to escape the family. After he’d been brave enough to reveal his homosexuality, they hadn’t been the loving family he was accustomed to, they hadn’t downright disowned him but, according to Nick, their collective sigh of relief at his departure was heard across the state.
The Stokes’ were spread around
Nick had told him that he wasn’t that close to his oldest siblings, Danny and Elizabeth. He was a baby when they were teenagers and they hadn’t bothered with him; by the time he was old enough to interact with them, they’d gone off to college. And those two had been the most vociferous about their gay brother and his impact on their families and their lives, with no thought about the turmoil their young brother had endured.
Gil stretched and decided on a making a pot of coffee, always a panacea for any problems that beset him, and now for Nick too. He smiled to himself; despite the little problem they now faced Nick Stokes was worth it. He was worth anything and everything.
He put the coffee pot on to work its magic and decided he should take a piss, so ambled back to the bathroom. Nick was towelling himself dry. “I thought of something…I could tell them the truth…just not mention who I’m actually living. None of their business.”
“The good old ‘sin of omission’. It could work and has the benefit of being the truth…except, of course, it is their business.”
“But what they don’t know won’t harm them…I’ll apologise and give them my mail redirection address.”
“It’s not an address, it’s a PO Box.”
“Stop being obtuse, Grissom. I’m trying to come up with a reason for not being at the apartment. Good for the girls though, standing up to Elizabeth on a good day can’t have been easy.”
“I suspect that some of their clients are far worse, so they’ve probably had some good practice.”
“Yeah. But the really big question is, why is Elizabeth here in the first place?”
“You’ve no idea?”
“Nope…I haven’t spoken to her since I left
“Possibly. I don’t know any more than you. You look very kissable.”
“Hey, I don’t have time.” But Nick still wrapped his arms around Gil, who’d started nuzzling his neck and smelling the damp skin. “Contingency plans?”
“Can’t think of any.”
“That’s because your brain is being deprived of blood. Stop it, man, we’ve got a crisis.”
“Mmmm.”
“Gil, I gotta go, come on babe, I’m looking for some support here, not sex.”
“So sorry. I have no idea why
“That’s your plan?”
“Yes.”
“Well I must say that’s original, because that’s the plan I just told you I made in the shower.”
“Ah, I thought it was familiar.”
“I’d better get going before Ecklie’s on your back again.”
“Do you want a coffee? Something to eat?”
“I’m good, the quicker I get to the lab, the better, so let me go get dressed.”
“Okay.” Gil released his hold on his lover and Nick went into their bedroom. “Oh, and Nicky? You are very fuckable.” He chuckled at Nick’s expression, a ‘now you tell me and I’ve got to out and leave you’, look!
Nick was ready to go and grabbed an apple to eat in the truck on his way in. “How long are you giving me before you call Ecklie?”
“Its twenty minutes since he called, so another ten and I’ll say you’ve told me you’re on your way in. If he asks, I got you on your cell…which you’d just switched on and heard the messages.”
“But didn’t call Elizabeth or Ecklie back?”
“Mmmm, good point.”
“I’ll say that since I haven’t seen
“Sounds plausible. We’re going to have to come clean, aren’t we?”
“Yeah, sooner rather than later; we’ve had a good run.”
“Yeah. Good luck.” Gil caught Nick up in a bear hug squeezing him tightly against him. “As soon as you’re able, please let me know…”
“…I will, don’t worry.”
They smiled at each other and Nick disentangled himself and reached for his keys.
“Later, lover.” He grinned and off he went, Gil standing on the doorstep like a wife watching her husband off to work. He sniggered; he wouldn’t be telling Nick that. He looked down at himself, in old boxers and a torn tee shirt, not to mention the hairy legs, perhaps he wasn’t an archetypal wife after all.
Eleven minutes later, he called Ecklie. “Conrad, I was able to get hold of Nick, he’s picked up the messages and is on his way in as I speak.”
“How did you speak to him?”
“On his cell.” Gil felt uncomfortable at the barefaced lie.
“He must have just switched it on then.” Ecklie mused.
“Yes.” Ecklie’s own conclusion. Gil shook his head, it felt wrong to be leading him by the nose, but it was so easy.
“I’ll speak to you later, Gil.”
Perhaps they weren’t going to get away with it, after all. “Right, bye, Conrad.”
A few minutes later Gil's cell rang again, but this time it was Nick. “Hey, I’ve just arrived, what did Ecklie say?”
“That’ll he speak to me later; let’s cross that bridge when we get to it, first thing first, good luck with
“Thanks. Hey, I love you.”
“That’s good, because I love you, too.”
“Yeah, bye.” And Nick was gone.
Gil stared down at his cell for a long moment. He wished he’d gone in with Nick now, instead of letting him face the obvious wrath of his sister alone. It was odd the way she’d suddenly turned up after all this time. They’d soon know the worst.
Nick arrived in the lab entrance, having found a space out front instead of in the lot. The receptionist looked up at him and pulled a face.
“Nick! Your sister’s in Dr Grissom’s office. She looks like you but, my goodness, she doesn’t have your manners and that’s for sure.”
“That bad, eh?”
“‘Fraid so. Mr Ecklie was quite good at calming her down, though. You'll be okay?”
“Sure. Family. I guess they’re the same the world over.” Actually Nick’s stomach was churning around and he could feel every bite of his apple. He should have skipped eating altogether.
He walked along the corridor to Gil's office. It was always strange being in the labs during the day, sure, he still knew most of the people, but there was a different atmosphere…it was more peaceful at night, you could hear yourself think.
As he approached the office, he caught a glimpse of Elizabeth; she’d always favoured their mother, but now she was his mother, as he remembered her as little boy. But he was an adult now and not the pushover he once was; this would be an interesting meeting.
The door was closed and he didn’t bother knocking as he pushed open the door. Ecklie was leaning on Gil’s desk and Elizabeth was on one of the chairs in front of the desk.
Both Ecklie and Elizabeth stood up.
“Nick, I’ll leave you with Mrs Neilson.”
“Thanks, Conrad.”
“Nicky.”
“Elizabeth.”
They eyed each other up for a few moments but stood about four feet apart and neither made any attempt to get any closer.
“What brings you…”
“I was worried…”
They spoke together and Nick indicated for Elizabeth to speak.
“I’m here at a convention and I thought I should at least look up my little brother. I was worried when you weren’t at your address, but those girls held out, they wouldn’t give up any details, good for them. So…how are you? You look good, Nicky…funny, not like my ‘little brother’ any more.”
“I’m good, thanks. What about you and Tom and the boys?”
“We’re all good. Dale’s in the Air Force now, he still wants to be an astronaut and has applied for the programme and Todd, well, he wants to be an actor. Can you believe that; Tom says we must let him try.”
“That’s good, I mean good for Tom…” Nick’s small talk petered out. “Why are you really here, Elizabeth?”
“Can’t I come and see you?” She smiled at Nick.
“Yeah, you can, but you wouldn’t, not unless there’s something…”
“It serves me right that you think so little of me…”
“It’s a two-way street, I’m just as bad.”
“Well no, that’s not true is it…you tried, it was me…and Dan, that excluded you.”
Nick frowned; this was an unusual occurrence, his oldest sister admitting to a fault.
“So…?”
“So, it was Momma’s seventy fifth birthday last month. We had a party...”
Nick felt a stab in his chest, his Momma’s birthday and no doubt a big ‘family’ party and he hadn’t been invited, mind you he wouldn’t have expected it, but it still hurt. He’d sent a card and a present. A small gold, diamond and sapphire brooch;, she always wore a brooch on her lapel, it was a sort of signature look for her.
“…and Momma said it was so sad you couldn’t make the party and she showed us your present and I just felt terrible, Nicky, because…because…” Elizabeth was fighting back tears…the Stokes’ tears were always at the ready, so Nick didn’t read too much into it.
“…I didn’t invite you; I didn’t even give you the chance to decline. Dan said he’d invited you, but you couldn’t come because of work. He lied. I think everyone knew that he had.
“I suppose I’ve come to make peace and apologise; what I did…what Dan and I did was wrong and I know we’ve influenced our parents. Times have changed and…I’m sorry.”
Nick was incredulous. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He’d been excluded from his family for all these years because of Dan and Elizabeth’s bigotry, and here she was saying sorry. Was it all over now and everything back to normal? Like hell. But what should he do?
“I suppose I should thank you,
“Dan feels…feels the ‘winds of change’. I do. What seemed perfectly reasonable all those years ago is outdated now. Change is in the air.”
“Yeah, we’ve even got a black president now; I bet Dan didn’t see that coming.”
“He’s not that bad, Nick…it’s just, well, his only brother being gay was a shock…it was a shock to me…to everyone Nick, we didn’t know, didn’t realise; I mean you still don’t look…”
“What? Gay? Camp? Limp wristed? What did you expect, me wearing a pink shirt and make up?”
“No, of course I didn’t. Look Nick, I’m not here to argue. I can understand your frustration and I know my apology is probably too little, too late, but I am sorry and I've spoken to Momma and Daddy and they want you to visit…they want you to visit.”
“On my own or with my partner?”
“Oh…I didn’t…”
“…why did you think I let my apartment? I live with someone, we’ve been together for some time.”
“A man? Oh, what am I saying of course it’ll be a man, I’m sorry. Mr Ecklie doesn’t know does he, does anyone else at work?”
“That’s my business, Elizabeth, and I don’t think you’ve earned the right to question me or comment on how I conduct my private life.”
“My little brother has grown up. Putting me in my place.”
“Perhaps I should have been a more forceful all those years ago, instead of bowing to the pressure and leaving.”
“It probably wouldn’t have worked then, Nick, like I said, times have changed.”
“Will my partner be welcome back in Texas?”
Elizabeth hesitated.
“There’s my answer, not much has changed but your conscience.”
“I don’t know whether your partner would be welcome Nick, that’s the truth.”
“I would love to see Momma again.” Nick was suddenly wavering about returning home…Gil would understand if he went home alone, he really would.
“Gi...my partner wouldn’t mind at all if I went home to see you all. But I mind, Elizabeth, I mind a great deal.”
“I understand.”
“Do you? I doubt it, you’ve never been excluded from the family because you’re different, through no fault of your own. Tom has never been left out of family visits, has he?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry; this wasn’t such a good idea after all, was it?”
Nick shrugged. “Yeah, it is, you made the effort,
“But I've also caused you more trouble in the process…Ecklie knows you’re not at your address. That’s my fault.”
“He’d have found out sooner or later.” Although Nick knew that wasn’t true, it’d been over three years and no one had any idea as far as he knew.
They stood quietly for a moment or two, reflecting on their meeting, when the peace was interrupted by Nick’s cell, a text had arrived. He smiled at Elizabeth and retrieved his cell from his jeans pocket. It was Gil.
‘sorry impatient whats happening ily gx’
“My partner, checking up.” Nick slipped his cell back into his pocket.
“You love him. I can see that from your face.”
“Look, I might be being defensive here, but you know I’m living with someone and it would be reasonable for you to assume that I loved someone a great deal to live with them and yet, you made no assumption of that fact until you saw me look at a text? If it’d been a woman you’d have been questioning me about her.
“You see, this is it, it’s still unacceptable by your standards and do you think I should accept anything less than what you and Dan and the others all take as normal? And, before you say that what I do isn’t normal…remember that for me it is completely normal, and your heterosexual life is beyond my comprehension. It’s the way it is.”
“Yes. I see that I have lot more to understand than I realised. Look, Nick, I’m here for another night, could I visit with you, with you and your partner?”
Now that did surprise him. “That would be good, I’ll speak to him, but I’m sure it’ll be good. I’ve got your cell number from your message to me. I’ll get back with the details, is that okay?”
“Yes, it is. I look forward to meeting him. Have you got time for a coffee, we’re just standing here like strangers.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Come on, let’s go.” And just like that, they both felt a little more comfortable.
“Well, text him back, don’t keep him tenterhooks.”
“Oh, yeah, I’d better.” He retrieved his cell once more and texted back to Gil.
‘its a virtue things ok going 4 coffee call u asap nxxxx’
“Where you staying, Lizzie?” It was the first time he’d called her by her nickname and it felt okay.
“The Bellagio….”
They went to a nearby diner and chatted for nearly an hour; the ice thawed and Nick felt comfortable with his sister for the first time he could ever remember.
An hour and a half later, Nick drove his truck up onto their driveway and before the engine was cut, the door was open and Gil was waiting on the doorstep like the wife, and still in his old tee and boxers with unshaved legs. Nick suddenly felt guilty he hadn’t called or texted Gil when he’d said he would, but had chosen instead to get home as quickly as he could.
“Sorry babe, I wanted to get home quickly so didn’t stop to call…am I forgiven?” He pushed Gil gently back into the house as he spoke, closing the door with his foot as grabbed the old tee and pulled Gil into a kiss.
Gil pulled back. “I've been waiting here, slaving over a hot stove, doing the housework and you couldn’t have cared less.” Gil was only half joking; he did feel neglected, Nick had promised to call as soon as he could.
“Oh baby, I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” He batted his eyes at Gil and smiled and moved in again for a kiss. This time Gil couldn’t resist.
“So it went well?”
“Yeah, she apologised. I accepted, a bit reluctantly, I wasn't going to let her think I was just waiting for her…but after the initial awkwardness, we were okay and had coffee and a pastry at Joe’s…”
“…you took your sister to Joe’s?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that? Good coffee.”
“I suppose, go on.”
“Not much else; caught up on family gossip, she said Momma wants me to go and visit with….”
“…you should, I know you miss you mother.”
“Not without you, Gil. Not now. I said that. If we both get an invite then that’d be good, but not until…”
“…Nick, baby steps! It would be the first step towards reconciliation.”
“Gil, I know what I‘m doing here…my family. I might have been out of touch for a long time, but I know how they work. They’re testing me, seeing how far they can still push me, but I won’t be pushed anymore and they might as well know that right at the start. I’m with you and you’re my new family. They accept us a couple or not at all. I do miss Momma, you’re right, but I've got used to it over the years and I still need to stand up to them or they’ll just overpower me again. I’m older and wiser.”
“You are. I still call you ‘my boy’, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. You’re a strong man and I’m still here underestimating you.”
“No, you’re not…well, not now you’re not, but I had to fight for you, Gil, and I’m tenacious, and that’s a family trait too.”
“I bet; I bet visiting with your family is like entering a carefully crafted chess game, all looking for the right move to attack and counter attack and then defend.”
“Jeez, you make us sound more intellectual than we actually are…we’re just all real noisy, fighting to be heard over this person or the next. I used to have to take Tylenol after a day with them all, and I bet it’s worse now that the grandkids are adults too.”
“You talk as if you are still part of them and have visited recently.”
“It doesn’t seem as long as it has been. Anyway, there’s more. Lizzie…”
“…Lizzie?”
“Lizzie, yeah; she’s asked if she can have dinner with us tomorrow evening. I said I’d ask you…”
“…of course we can have dinner. I would love to meet her.”
“That’s okay then, I thought you would. I thought we could invite her here…”
“…excellent idea...”
“…but then I thought neutral ground would be better.”
“Why? I’d be happy for her to come here, to see us in our home.”
“It’s not our home, though, is it…it’s yours.”
“Oh Nick. I’ve thought of it as our home since the day you walked through the door, you know that.” Gil was actually really hurt.
“I know, and you’ve been wonderful to me, babe, you really have, but if she came here we’d be getting the third degree and she would automatically assume that we weren’t equal…or… I don’t want her here, okay, and it’s not a reflection on you, it’s a reflection on her, and maybe me. I don’t know.”
Gil had moved back from Nick, rubbing a hand through his curls. “It makes me feel as if I’m not making you feel at home. That I could do more. Does she know who I am?”
“No, I didn’t say.”
“Are you ashamed of me, Nick?”
“No! Gil, for God’s sake! I love you, look it’s not you, I promise…I just don’t want her here being judgmental about my choices. It’s Elizabeth we’re talking about and she’s a DA, she doesn’t miss a trick.”
“I thought it was ‘Lizzie’? You think she’ll be judgmental about me? About your choice of an older man…a man as old as she is with her much younger brother?”
“Now you’re just being stupid…paranoid. I don’t want her here because this is our home and if she comes here she’ll be looking around and seeing how we live and it’s our private life and she’ll be going back home and reporting on this and that. No, I want to meet her on neutral ground; she hasn’t earned the right to come here yet, I need to be sure this is the real deal and not just some ploy to find out what’s going on.”
Gil wasn't looking at Nick. They were still standing in the living room having this conversation and Gil slumped down into one of their armchairs. He looked very hurt.
“I’m so sorry, Gil, I am. I didn’t mean it like it came out. I don’t think she should come waltzing in here like the last decade hasn’t happened. She and Dan were the instigators of all the trouble. Even Dad wasn't as bad as they were; worried about their lives, their careers, and my contaminating their children. Why should I…open the door to my life when she has spent years excluding me from my family? I didn’t mean to hurt you, I love you! I love you.”
And here came the tears. He was cursed; he really was cursed.
“Gil, please, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“I felt hurt.”
“I know, I’m sorry.”
“I think I’m being a bit pathetic.”
“No, you’re not. I didn’t explain it very well. I’m sorry.”
“I just had this vision of your reconciling with them and leaving…going back to Texas…without me.”
“Now that is stupid. If I went back to Texas, you’d come with me.” At Gil's incredulous look he continued. “That’s a joke, Gil.”
“You sure?” He smirked a little.
“Very sure.”
“That’s okay, then.”
“Didn’t you say earlier that I was very fuckable?”
“I think I just said, ‘fuckable’.” Although Gil knew he’d said very.
“Only fuckable? Well perhaps I better give you a lesson in just how fuckable I am. Make up sex?”
“I need to shower, I didn’t because I was waiting for you to call.”
“Sorry. Hey, what did Ecklie say.”
“That he would ‘speak’ to me. I don’t know what that means. Did you see him?”
“Only in passing. Lizzie was with him when I got there.”
“Did she say anything about you to him?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t know, but she wouldn’t share any information that might reflect badly on her.”
“I thought you said she apologised?”
“She did, but its early days, Gil, let the dust settle and see how it is in a few weeks…months even.”
“Make up sex you said?”
“Yeah. You do whatever you want…to me, or I can do it to you…your choice.”
“I might want to tie you down and beat you.” At Nick’s wide eyed look, Gil chuckled. “That’s a joke, Nick.”
“Thank God, man, I’m not in favour of pain.”
“Nor me. You know Heather explains it all very logically and dispassionately, but pain’s pain, however it’s packaged. Come on, you can scrub my back, while I think of a more suitable punishment for you.”
“Oh no…babe!” Nick whined, as he trailed after Gil.
“You can wear the cock ring for an hour or two.”
“Noooo. Not an hour or two, please, we’ve got to go to work…”
And so began their slow fuck and the even slower process of reconciliation with the Stokes’ family.
The End
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