Disclaimer: I own nothing of CSI

Stunned

"Where ya going?" Nick asked Jackie casually as she opened the door one hot July afternoon.

"I'm just going out to check the mail, Jane said she was sending me some good books for my classroom and she said they should be here either today or tomorrow." Jackie answered.

She walked to the mailbox and was dismayed that the mail hadn't yet come for the day.

A while later she was absentmindedly playing with the kids when Nick's cell phone rang.

A couple minutes later he hung up.

"Hon that was Sara, her car won't start, I'm going to go see if I can get it going for her. I'll be back in a bit." He told Jackie as he grabbed the keys to his truck.

"Is Sara ok?" Jackie asked.

"Yeah she's fine, she's just stranded." He said with a slight grin before he left.

Nick got Sara's car started and then went home and made himself a sandwich for lunch, he was starving because he hadn't eaten breakfast.

"I'm going to go check the mail again." Jackie called to him as he sat at the kitchen table.

"Ok." He called back.

"Hey what do you think you're doing?" Nick asked Sloan with a playful smile as the toddler helped himself to a potato chip on Nick's plate.

Sloan giggled and popped the chip into his mouth with a mischievous grin.

Jackie chuckled at the exchange as she opened the front door.

As she exited the house she spotted what she assumed was a dog in the middle of the road. I hope the cute little thing doesn't get ran over she thought to herself as she walked towards the mailbox.

As she got closer to the mailbox however she realized in horror that what she saw standing in the middle of the road was not a dog but a little girl and she looked slightly younger than Sloan.

Jackie forgot all about the books that her beloved friend and mentor was sending her and went and scooped up the child.

Her sweet little face was beat red, Jackie guessed that was from the scorching Vegas summer heat and she was barefoot.

Jackie looked around and saw no sign of an adult that the child could belong to.

Although Nick and Jackie didn't know all that many of their neighbors Jackie had a pretty good idea of who lived on their street and she had never seen this little girl before.

"Hi sweetheart, you're safe now." She told the little girl as she carried her towards the house.

The little girl smiled at this nice stranger as if she was grateful someone finally noticed her.

"Nick call the police." She yelled at him as she entered the house.

TBC…