April 2002; before season 2; episode 19 ("Stalker")
Emma Grace was in the Stokes living room talking to Nick's fourth oldest sister, Gina. Emma Grace had come home to celebrate Molly's, Gina and her husband Allen's daughter, sixth birthday. Molly's birthday was a couple of weeks away, but Emma Grace had taken some vacation time from work because she wanted to be around family.
"Did you see this?" Bill Stokes asked while he walked into the living room holding a piece of paper.
"No, let me see it, Daddy," Gina said taking the paper, which was titled Crime Stopper, from Bill. Emma Grace got closer to Gina, and the two read the paper together.
"I bet Nick hates this," Gina said chuckling. The paper had been about Nick being a great CSI and had been faxed to Bill.
"Probably, but you know he deserves this. He's talented," Emma Grace said smiling proudly for her best friend.
"He is, and I'm proud of him," Bill said smiling.
"We know you are, Daddy. We are too," Gina said smiling up at her dad.
"Okay, let's get party planning," Emma Grace said, ready to change the subject, and soon she and Gina were planning Molly's birthday party while Molly played with Emma Grace's dog Gladiator.
After Nick had worked at the crime lab for the day, he had stopped by and checked his mail on the way home. In his stack of mail was an invitation to his niece Molly's sixth birthday party back home in Texas. Nick had gone to his house, changed clothes, fixed a snack, and sat down at his computer to email his sister, Gina, while he watched the basketball game.
Nick had been pleasantly surprised when he had seen the email from his old high school prom date. Of course, when he made the connection with the last picture and the victim in his case his surprise turned to horror. He had called Melissa, even though he didn't want to and didn't want to believe she was up to anything. Nick believed Melissa when she said she had just stumbled upon those pictures and decided to tell Warrick about the picture the next day at work.
Nick hadn't emailed his sister Gina. After he had got off the phone with Melissa, he had sat down and tried to get his mind off work by focusing on the basketball game on TV. Of course, Nick's mind wandered back to the memories of prom and when he and Melissa were a couple.
Melissa had been one of his, and Emma Grace's, friends for years. Nick and Melissa had started dating the summer before their senior year of high school. Melissa had understood and accepted his friendship with Emma Grace and Nick thought that things would've lasted longer with Melissa than they did. Melissa had always told Nick that she had broken up with him because they were going to different colleges and had different goals in mind.
But the one thing that had always stayed with Nick was what Melissa said to him the day she left for college; "Nick, you deserve a great girl. A girl who can accept your dreams of being in a dangerous job. A girl who's strong enough to stand by you when you do become a Crime Scene Investigator. A girl who knows you better than you know yourself and loves you with all that she has. That girl's closer than you think Nick, you just need to open your eyes."
Melissa had hugged Emma Grace and told her goodbye after that speech. Then Melissa had turned to face Nick, with her arm around Emma Grace, and winked at Nick before lightly pushing Emma Grace towards Nick. And that was the last time he had seen Melissa.
"Emma, get in here!" Jillian Stokes screamed from the family room. Emma Grace had been in the kitchen making a cup of tea when Jillian had screamed for her and came running.
"Jillian, what's wrong?" Emma Grace asked holding the older woman at arm's length and looking at her with concern.
"N-N-Nick!" Was all Jillian said before she let a soft sob escape from her throat.
"W-W-What about Nick?" Emma Grace said trying with all of her strength to stay calm.
"Nick was shoved out a second-story window. The doctor says he has a concussion, two cracked ribs, a sprained wrist and received five stitches on his forehead," Bill said sadly as he appeared in the family room and lovingly took his wife in his arms.
Emma Grace quickly sat down in a nearby chair before she passed out. Her Cane Corso Mastiff, Gladiator, rushed to her side and let out a troubled whine as he laid his head on her lap. Her best friend had been severely hurt and there was nothing she could do about it. She felt powerless at that moment. When she finally thought she could speak, she looked at Bill and asked, "do we need to fly out there to be with him?"
"He told me that he was fine and for us not to worry. He said his team would look out for him and he promised to call every day with updates on how he's doing," Bill explained while still holding his wife.
"O-okay" Emma Grace said saddened by the fact that Nick didn't want them there and still worried about him. She absentmindedly stroked Gladiator's head.
"Emma, he's going to be okay. He's alive and, thankfully, just a little banged up," Bill reassured her. All Emma Grace could do was give him a tiny smile to communicate that she understood and was thankful Nick was still alive.
After Nigel Crane had crashed through Nick's ceiling and held Nick at gunpoint, Nick had insisted that he was going to be okay and decided to stay at a hotel while the roof of his house was being repaired. However, Gil Grissom noticed that Nick was having a hard time getting over the fact that he had been stalked. So, Grissom did one thing he tried not to do too often, he got involved in Nick's personal life and called Nick's father. Grissom explained everything that had happened and that he was giving Nick two weeks of paid vacation. Bill, concerned for his son, told Grissom that he would handle talking Nick into coming home to Texas for those two weeks to clear his head.
The next day Grissom was a little shocked to find an attractive woman in his office.
"Excuse me, Miss, is there a reason you're in my office?" Grissom asked as he entered the room.
"Yes, Mr. Grissom there is. I'm here to get Nick Stokes and take him back to Texas. His father Bill thought Nick wouldn't put up too much of a fight with me," The young woman explained smiling at him.
"Are you Nick's sister?" Grissom asked truly curious as to who this woman was.
"No sir, I'm an old friend of Nick's. My name is Emma Grace," The woman said extending her hand to shake Grissom's. Grissom was slightly amused and very shocked. He raised his eyebrow and shook Emma Grace's hand.
"Miss, I'm sorry, what did you say your last name was?" Grissom asked.
"I didn't tell you Mr. Grissom, but it's not Stokes; and please, call me Emma," Emma Grace said smiling.
"Okay, Emma, let's go see if we can find Nick," Grissom said and the two walked out of his office. Grissom had to admit to himself that he could not wait to see what would happen next.