Say Hello to the Past (CSI fanfiction)

Congrats Ashley!

"Um, I, um, I need to go inside and help your mom," Emma Grace said jumping down from the stall door and hurrying towards the house. Nick stayed in the barn for a few more minutes after Emma Grace had left and then went into the house himself.

He talked with his family and helped in the kitchen. Every time he was in touching distance of Emma he would squeeze her hand or hug her. If none of his family were around, he would kiss her on the forehead or quickly on the lips. It was the way both of them communicated that nothing had changed and they would talk later.

Unfourtnetly they never got to talk later because Emma Grace had overheard Bill and Jillian talking about the fact that Nick was going to try and move away from Texas after he had been working at the crime lab for a year. Emma had been putting Molly, Gina's newborn baby down for a nap upstairs when she had overheard the Stokes parents talking in their bedroom.

Emma put Molly in her crib and headed back downstairs. Nick had been talking to one of his friends that had been on the police force with him when he saw the look Emma gave him. He knew right away that something was wrong and they needed to talk.

Emma had headed for the barn, and as soon as Nick could politely wrap up the conversation with his friend, he headed for the barn too. "When were you going to tell me?" was all Emma asked when Nick arrived in the barn.

"When was I going to tell you what Emma?" Nick asked genuinely confused.

"When were you going to tell me that you were leaving Texas? Were you going to tell me as you loaded up the truck to leave? Were you just going to leave and send me a letter a few days later? Better yet, were you not going to tell me at all and make me find out from your family that you were gone?" Emma asked with pure anger spewing from her mouth.

Nick paled and then asked the worst question he could've asked at that moment, "How did you know I was leaving?"

Emma Grace let out a bitter laugh and then said, "Wow, guess I got my answer. No wonder you never wanted to talk about what this thing between us was or tell me that you love me. I was just some toy to play with until you were ready to leave Texas behind you."

Nick was getting mad now, and his face was turning red, but Emma couldn't bring herself to care, she had gone numb because of the pain. "Emma Grace, you never have, and you never will be a toy to me. I didn't talk about what this was because I didn't want to pressure you. I never used the word love because I didn't want to lose you."

"Lose me? Lose me?! You've got to be kidding! You. Are. Leaving. Nicholas. If you were afraid of losing me, you would have talked to me about this; after all, that's what couples do. Guess I shouldn't be too upset, though; I knew you'd eventually leave. Everyone does, but I'm not going to be the one to be left behind this time."

Nick couldn't say anything because he knew, by the look on Emma's face, that she believed he did not care about her. He also knew she was referring to her family dying in the car crash when she said everyone left her. He was trying to wrap his mind around the last part, though, the part about her not being the one left behind this time. "What are you talking about Emma?"

Emma just looked at Nick with cold, lifeless eyes. "Have a nice life Nicholas," was the only thing Emma said and then she ran back to the house. Nick stood there trying to comprehend what had just happened when he heard a car start. He ran to the entrance of the barn and watched Emma Grace drive away.

When Nick made his way back into the house, everyone was asking him what happened, but he didn't respond. He shut himself in his room, and everyone knew the party was over. As the days passed, Nick talked to his family about what happened. He told them about how things had been moving past friendship with Emma Grace and that she found out he wanted to leave. He wasn't mad that Emma Grace had overheard his parents; he was mad at himself for not talking to her about it himself.