(no subject)
May. 1st, 2006 06:48 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
kennedy-unknown.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
nickngregCSI
Title: Don't Fence Me In
Chapter: Beth (5/?)
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG
Genre: drama, humour
Warnings: none
Summary: Beth sees her baby brother for the first time since he got out of hospital.
Previously: One, Two, Three, Four.
5. Beth
Beth ran along the drive with her scarf floating behind her as her husband Tony got out of the car, gave Nick and Greg a wave, and continued to open up the car and start pulling out luggage. She grabbed Nick with such force he stumbled back and would have fell if he hadn’t crashed against Greg.
“Little Nick!” she crooned, rubbing her knuckles against the top of his skull.
“Oww!” he protested, but laughing all the same as he disentangled himself from Greg and tried to fight her off.
“Little Nick?” Greg looked like he was going to collapse from amusement.
“Zip it, G.” Nick warned.
“It doesn’t matter how old you get Nick, you will always be the baby Stokes.” Beth then leaned up and gave him a tender peck where she had noogied him. Greg could see sadness in her eyes as she hung onto that touch a little longer than normal circumstances would have dictated, as if she was convincing herself that he was truly there and wouldn’t disappear if she stepped away. Still with her arm around her brother, she reached out to draw Greg in. “Nice to finally see you in your rightful place, Greg.”
“It’s good to see you again, Beth.” he said truthfully, returning the hug and accepting the kiss on the cheek she gave him.
“Hey, you’re even cuter than the last time I saw you.”
“I get a noogie, and he gets told he’s cute?” Nick protested.
“Oh, whine, whine, whine.” she rolled her eyes. “You know you’re cute. You’re a Stokes, suck it up.”
“He knows it.” Greg agreed. “You should see him preening in the halls of the lab to make sure everybody notices him.”
Nick stared up at the sky, and counted to ten as Beth and Greg laughed in unison. “You know, G, I told you that my family would be out to humiliate me, I didn’t think you would join them.”
“Sorry, man, I have to try and fit in.” Greg said mock-apologetically.
They had now reached the car. Beth’s husband Tony greeted them warmly, shaking hands with Greg and accepting the more casual hug-slap from Nick. Greg found his thoughts drifting. As an only child he had never had that experience of the oh-so-manly expressions of affection between men and their brothers, or men and their in-laws. He supposed in time, that he would find himself progressing from hand-shaking to one-armed hugs combined with backslaps as well with the assorted men of the Stokes clan.
“Where’s Ginny?” Nick asked about his niece.
“She has her own car now.” Tony grinned. “So it’s an embarrassment to have to rely upon a lift from her parents.”
“She isn’t coming until Christmas Eve. She wants to party with her friends until the last possible moment.” Beth said, wistfully. “She’s all grown up.”
“Which is the reason why Beth has been sentimental and crying every night since Christmas carols began playing in the stores.” Tony picked up some of the suitcases.
“Like you haven’t been doing the same, you big baby.” Beth shot back.
“Let me help you with those.” Greg offered, leaning in to pick up the rest of the bags.
“Thanks, Greg.” Tony wiped at his eye hurriedly, clearing away the thoughts of his growing daughter from his mind.
The luggage managed between them, the two men moved into the house while Beth and Nick hung back.
“He looks thinner.” Beth frowned.
“Whoah, you sound like Mom.” Nick shook his head.
She looked at him and smiled. “We saw you for a while as we were coming down the drive.”
Her brother blushed, and kicked the dirt at his feet.
“You had a smile bigger than your face, Nick. You looked so happy.” she threaded her arm through his. “You don’t know how good it is to see that. Especially considering the way you were last time I saw you.”
Nick saw her bite her lip as she was suddenly transported back to the hospital room; observing her baby brother traumatised, wounded, barely recognisable with swellings and ant bites. How taken aback she had been at the level of compassion emanating from his friends at the lab, and how she had resented them for feeling they could hurt at the same level of his family. But she had softened when she had seen the eyes of the younger man in the group, and how she had recognised something within them even back then; so that it had come as no surprise when Nick revealed his relationship with him and she had finally come to know Greg Sanders.
“Hey…” Nick said soothingly. “We can’t keep going back to that night. Well, I can’t at least. I’ve been there too many times.”
Beth sniffed, and then turned her hundred-watt smile back on. “Sorry. But you’re happy, right?”
“More than you know.”
“Good. How are things with Gray?”
She felt him tense, as he stared ahead at nothing in particular. “Nick…”
He sighed. “It’s… weird.”
“Weird how?”
“He’s trying… I know he’s trying. But I’m so damn angry at him. I guess I want to make him suffer a little.” He could feel her getting ready to speak, and held up a hand to stop her. “And please don’t start sticking up for him, and making excuses.”
Beth lightly slapped his hand down. “I have to, Nick. You think I don’t do the same to him about you?”
“I know you probably do. I wish I could talk to him like I can with you.”
“Boys.” Beth said dismissively, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes. “You could just pull him aside, pretend he’s me, and just talk to him like a normal person.”
“Come on, you know guys don’t do it that way.”
Beth snorted. “Oh, right. Well, take him some chewing tobacco and then challenge him to pistols at high noon. Give me a break!”
“He would probably have a fit if I tried to talk to him about feelings.”
His sister stamped her feet. “Oh, for…”
The porch door swung open, and Jillian looked down upon them. “It’s freezing out here! Bethy, what are you doing?”
“Trying to sort my brother out!”
“Well, I want you to come in sometime before the New Year!”
Beth whacked Nick with her free arm. “Come on, I suppose I’m going to have to go and try to talk some sense into Gray now. And then I’d like to catch up with Greg and find out exactly why he puts up with you. Oh, and I have to call Ginny. She wants more details on what you and Greg are like together. She thinks he’s cute as well.”
“Why does everybody have the hots for my boyfriend?”
“My boyfriend.” Beth smirked. “Aww!”
“Oh, shut the hell up.” But Nick couldn’t help but smile as his sister ran up the steps two at a time and flung herself into her mother’s arms.
Title: Don't Fence Me In
Chapter: Beth (5/?)
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG
Genre: drama, humour
Warnings: none
Summary: Beth sees her baby brother for the first time since he got out of hospital.
Previously: One, Two, Three, Four.
5. Beth
Beth ran along the drive with her scarf floating behind her as her husband Tony got out of the car, gave Nick and Greg a wave, and continued to open up the car and start pulling out luggage. She grabbed Nick with such force he stumbled back and would have fell if he hadn’t crashed against Greg.
“Little Nick!” she crooned, rubbing her knuckles against the top of his skull.
“Oww!” he protested, but laughing all the same as he disentangled himself from Greg and tried to fight her off.
“Little Nick?” Greg looked like he was going to collapse from amusement.
“Zip it, G.” Nick warned.
“It doesn’t matter how old you get Nick, you will always be the baby Stokes.” Beth then leaned up and gave him a tender peck where she had noogied him. Greg could see sadness in her eyes as she hung onto that touch a little longer than normal circumstances would have dictated, as if she was convincing herself that he was truly there and wouldn’t disappear if she stepped away. Still with her arm around her brother, she reached out to draw Greg in. “Nice to finally see you in your rightful place, Greg.”
“It’s good to see you again, Beth.” he said truthfully, returning the hug and accepting the kiss on the cheek she gave him.
“Hey, you’re even cuter than the last time I saw you.”
“I get a noogie, and he gets told he’s cute?” Nick protested.
“Oh, whine, whine, whine.” she rolled her eyes. “You know you’re cute. You’re a Stokes, suck it up.”
“He knows it.” Greg agreed. “You should see him preening in the halls of the lab to make sure everybody notices him.”
Nick stared up at the sky, and counted to ten as Beth and Greg laughed in unison. “You know, G, I told you that my family would be out to humiliate me, I didn’t think you would join them.”
“Sorry, man, I have to try and fit in.” Greg said mock-apologetically.
They had now reached the car. Beth’s husband Tony greeted them warmly, shaking hands with Greg and accepting the more casual hug-slap from Nick. Greg found his thoughts drifting. As an only child he had never had that experience of the oh-so-manly expressions of affection between men and their brothers, or men and their in-laws. He supposed in time, that he would find himself progressing from hand-shaking to one-armed hugs combined with backslaps as well with the assorted men of the Stokes clan.
“Where’s Ginny?” Nick asked about his niece.
“She has her own car now.” Tony grinned. “So it’s an embarrassment to have to rely upon a lift from her parents.”
“She isn’t coming until Christmas Eve. She wants to party with her friends until the last possible moment.” Beth said, wistfully. “She’s all grown up.”
“Which is the reason why Beth has been sentimental and crying every night since Christmas carols began playing in the stores.” Tony picked up some of the suitcases.
“Like you haven’t been doing the same, you big baby.” Beth shot back.
“Let me help you with those.” Greg offered, leaning in to pick up the rest of the bags.
“Thanks, Greg.” Tony wiped at his eye hurriedly, clearing away the thoughts of his growing daughter from his mind.
The luggage managed between them, the two men moved into the house while Beth and Nick hung back.
“He looks thinner.” Beth frowned.
“Whoah, you sound like Mom.” Nick shook his head.
She looked at him and smiled. “We saw you for a while as we were coming down the drive.”
Her brother blushed, and kicked the dirt at his feet.
“You had a smile bigger than your face, Nick. You looked so happy.” she threaded her arm through his. “You don’t know how good it is to see that. Especially considering the way you were last time I saw you.”
Nick saw her bite her lip as she was suddenly transported back to the hospital room; observing her baby brother traumatised, wounded, barely recognisable with swellings and ant bites. How taken aback she had been at the level of compassion emanating from his friends at the lab, and how she had resented them for feeling they could hurt at the same level of his family. But she had softened when she had seen the eyes of the younger man in the group, and how she had recognised something within them even back then; so that it had come as no surprise when Nick revealed his relationship with him and she had finally come to know Greg Sanders.
“Hey…” Nick said soothingly. “We can’t keep going back to that night. Well, I can’t at least. I’ve been there too many times.”
Beth sniffed, and then turned her hundred-watt smile back on. “Sorry. But you’re happy, right?”
“More than you know.”
“Good. How are things with Gray?”
She felt him tense, as he stared ahead at nothing in particular. “Nick…”
He sighed. “It’s… weird.”
“Weird how?”
“He’s trying… I know he’s trying. But I’m so damn angry at him. I guess I want to make him suffer a little.” He could feel her getting ready to speak, and held up a hand to stop her. “And please don’t start sticking up for him, and making excuses.”
Beth lightly slapped his hand down. “I have to, Nick. You think I don’t do the same to him about you?”
“I know you probably do. I wish I could talk to him like I can with you.”
“Boys.” Beth said dismissively, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes. “You could just pull him aside, pretend he’s me, and just talk to him like a normal person.”
“Come on, you know guys don’t do it that way.”
Beth snorted. “Oh, right. Well, take him some chewing tobacco and then challenge him to pistols at high noon. Give me a break!”
“He would probably have a fit if I tried to talk to him about feelings.”
His sister stamped her feet. “Oh, for…”
The porch door swung open, and Jillian looked down upon them. “It’s freezing out here! Bethy, what are you doing?”
“Trying to sort my brother out!”
“Well, I want you to come in sometime before the New Year!”
Beth whacked Nick with her free arm. “Come on, I suppose I’m going to have to go and try to talk some sense into Gray now. And then I’d like to catch up with Greg and find out exactly why he puts up with you. Oh, and I have to call Ginny. She wants more details on what you and Greg are like together. She thinks he’s cute as well.”
“Why does everybody have the hots for my boyfriend?”
“My boyfriend.” Beth smirked. “Aww!”
“Oh, shut the hell up.” But Nick couldn’t help but smile as his sister ran up the steps two at a time and flung herself into her mother’s arms.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 12:24 pm (UTC)I can't wait for more!
no subject
Date: 2006-05-03 08:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-03 11:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 01:05 pm (UTC)I mentally awed before Beth did!
no subject
Date: 2006-05-03 08:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 01:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-03 08:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-03 08:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 06:26 pm (UTC)"He supposed in time, that he would find himself progressing from hand-shaking to one-armed hugs combined with backslaps as well with the assorted men of the Stokes clan."
Hee. That is just the cutest image, especially as you just know he's at least 4 inches shorter then all of them.
I can't wait for the next bit, you really are a wonderfully writer. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-05-03 08:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 06:46 pm (UTC)I loved this comment, your writing is great. It makes so much fun to read your stories.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-03 08:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 09:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-03 08:58 am (UTC)