CSI: Sanctuary: Epilogue

Nick slowed the horse to a trot and then a walk as he approached the paddock. Jezbel gave a snort in greeting to the four grazing horses as he was walked around the ranch yard to cool off. The other horses looked up at him and then went on munching as if seeing him was as exciting as watching grass grow.

Once they returned to the barn, Nick dismounted and replaced the horse's bridle with a halter while he took the saddle off and brushed him out. Jezbel nudged his pocket over and over again with imploring eyes until he couldn't help but laugh, and finally gave in, digging out the carrot for him.

It felt good to be this relaxed after the tough shift he'd had the night before. Exercising all of the small ranch's five horses this morning had calmed him considerably and gotten him into a completely different frame of mind just right for going home and spending time with his family.

He gave Jezbel a nose rub. Things were finally righting themselves in the world.

"Have to say, you looked mighty fine up there on him."

Nick turned to see one of the owners of the ranch, Jaime, walking down the isle in her usual attire of work boots and a button down shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. She kept her hair cropped close to her head, almost in a man's buzz cut, but just long enough in some areas to tell she really wasn't a he.

"Thanks, I guess." Embarrassing heat crept into his face.

She stopped and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. "Greg sure is a lucky guy."

Nick's blush only deepened further as he put Jezbel back into his stall.

"Zoe'll be right out with something we thought you might like for your housewarming party later this afternoon."

Nick shook his head. How had they known?

"Greg told us about it."

Of course he had.

"But before she brings it out I wanted to make sure you were planning on sticking around. You exercising the horses is such a big help and I'll be honest, I've seen a big improvement in everything about you since you started to work here. I think this place is good for you. The horses are good for you. So, you're not planning on ever leaving this place, are you?"

"No Ma'am. Greg was right to force me out here. This place is good for me. I love it. It's like a piece of my childhood." At the thought of his childhood, his eyes began to burn. "You know, when I finally told them the truth, they left. My Mom was confused. She didn't understand what I was telling her. But my father, he just dragged her away without a word. Not one word.

I heard from their lawyer after that. They hate me so much they can't even tell me that themselves. They had to have a lawyer tell me." He let out a shaky breath, trying to keep his emotions under control. He hadn't meant to spill everything, but at the same time he knew she would understand and wouldn't put him down for it.

Jaime rested a hand on his forearm. "I know it's hard, but at least you've got a nice family otherwise. Concentrate on the good things in your life. You've got a sister who finally came up for a visit and Greg's family has been more than supportive of you two, right?" When Nick nodded, she continued, "Cara is the most adorable little girl I've ever seen and Greg is so devoted to you. You guys really do make a beautiful family."

He blushed even harder. It was still awkward talking about Greg as his partner sometimes, even with people who knew and accepted them as a couple. Greg kept telling him he'd get used to it soon enough. He hoped his husband was right.

"Aww, look at the poor man, Jaime. What did you do to make him turn tomato red?" Zoe came out of the nearby house carrying something large in both hands. She stopped next to Jaime while her partner explained why he was so red.

"Well, she's right. You do make a beautiful family. Any time those two want to come out here, they're more than welcome."

"Thanks guys. It means a lot. Really," he managed.

Zoe handed him the large flat object she'd been carrying. "This is for your housewarming party. You can open it now, or later. Your choice. But it's something I've been working on for awhile. I had a feeling it was something you'd enjoy."

Once her hands were free, Nick could see the oil paint stained apron she wore covering a t-shirt and jeans. The traditional cowboy boots on her feet also catered to a little paint spatter. She slipped an arm around Jaime's waist as he eagerly opened the gift, wondering what on earth she'd made for him.

He'd never seen one of her paintings before, but the moment he got the wrapping paper away from the frame he sucked in a huge breath and stared at it for a long time. It was the most beautiful painting he'd ever seen, and he wondered why it was in his hands rather than on a museum wall.

She'd painted a herd of wild mustangs racing across the western grasslands, the warm summer sun high in the sky. Off in the distance, half hidden in a copse of trees he could make out two cowboys sitting on their own horses, calmly watching the mustangs thunder past.

And the frame, he could tell, was not store bought. It looked like something Jaime might have done. While Zoe was great with the farm's bookkeeping and painting in her spare time, Jaime was better with the hard physical labor, and was very often found riding the fences to make sure everything was still intact. If something was amiss, she was quick to fix it, no matter what it took.

"I made the frame," Jaime confirmed. "It's actually part of that old weathered fence we tore down last week. She said she wanted something natural for the frame. I figured why not weathered fence wood? Gives it a western look, don't you think?"

"Guys, I can't accept this. I really can't. It's just so gorgeous."

"Sure you can. Consider it your paycheck for all your hard work."

"That, and something to help keep you calm and sane when you're not here."

"Or snuggled up with Greg."

Jaime grinned. "Exactly."

"You smell like horses, Daddy!" Cara commented when Nick walked through the front door to the new house he shared with Greg.

He picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "So I do."

When he looked up Greg was leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen.

Nick set his daughter down and she ran into the livingroom calling for her Aunt Lizzy to play with her.

His husband came over and draped his arms over Nick's shoulders, leaned in, and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I love you."

Nick savored the kiss. "I love you too."

"Such a picturesque moment," someone sighed. Both men turned to see Elizabeth Stokes watching them with a puppet on one hand and a yoyo in the other. "I never thought I'd see you this happy, Nick. You look so much better than the last time I saw you, I swear."

"Well, to be honest, Sis, I feel much better." Nick grabbed hold of his sister's wrist and pulled her into a hug with a smile. "And havin' you here is making everything better."

Elizabeth pulled away from him. "I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but..."

"The papers went through, didn't they?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

"No. It's ok. It's ok." He tried to hold back his emotions but the first sting of tears had already struck. "Shit."

Greg pulled him into another hug as Elizabeth said, "It went a lot faster since you've officially changed your last name already."

"Daddy?" Cara walked into the room to find the three adults in a semi three-way hug. "Daddy, what's wrong?"

"Life sucks, honey. That's all." Nick bent down and picked her up so she could give him her own hug.

Not understanding her father's words, she turned to her aunt and asked, "Aunt Lizzy? When are Aunt Jane, Aunt Tess, Aunt Alissa, and Uncle John coming? You're already here for the party, but what about them? And Granpa and Granma Stokes?"

"Oh, baby, they're not coming to the party."

"They're not? But they never come up here to visit. We always have to go down there. Why can't they come up here for once?"

Nick carried her into the livingroom and sat down on the couch. "Well, because, Greg's family is now our family sweetheart."

"But... Granma and Granpa are still family. Right? What about my cousins? I'll still get to play with them. Right?"

Greg sat down on one side of him while his sister sat on the other. Cara perched on his legs facing him.

"You see, the thing is, they don't want to be family with us anymore."

"But why?" Now she was getting visibly upset, her whole face scrunching up into a pout. "They can't just say that!"

"I know. But they did. Your Aunt Lizzy was the only one to stick with us."

"But why? I don't get it."

"Well, honey, they believe that a boy should love a girl and not another boy, like your Daddy and I do," Greg tried to explain.

"But Daddy loves me! Doesn't that count for something?"

Cara's sad face broke Nick's heart and he pulled her in for another hug. "Of course it does sweetheart. And you're the best girl in the world."

A knock sounded at the front door and Elizabeth set down the toys and went to answer it. When she returned, she was followed in by Bobby and a tall, thin man with blonde hair, wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

"Bobby, Jack," Greg greeted.

"Hey." Jack was carrying a paper bag.

"We're not interrupting anything, are we?"

"No." Nick stood up, depositing Cara back on the floor. "I just got some bad news from my family is all."

"Aww, man, I'm sorry."

The little girl followed her aunt into the kitchen.

"Is there anything we can do?" Jack asked, referring, not to the party they were there for, but to Nick's family issues.

"Yes, actually, take me bowling Friday night. If I'm going to be living a new life I might as well dive right in and get started."

Bobby nodded.

"Speaking of bowling…" Jack handed over the brown bag.

Inside, Nick found two short sleeved button down shirts in navy blue. A rocket blasting through space was emblazoned across the back with their team name 'The Rockets' printed above it. The name tag stitched on the front of his shirt read 'Nick Sanders'. It felt weird seeing his name like that, knowing it was permanent, yet it felt oddly right at the same time.

"Thanks for picking these up for us."

"Thanks for joining our team."

Nick turned to Greg. "Before the others arrive, there's a project that needs doing."

"Oh?"

He pointed to the empty space above the fireplace mantle. "There's a reason you wouldn't let me put anything up there. Am I right?"

"Zoe finished her painting I take it?"

"So you knew about it."

Greg grinned. "Yeah, I knew. She wanted it to be a surprise, but needed to know how big to make it so she let me in on her secret. You like it?"

"I love it."

As soon as the painting had been hung above the fireplace mantle, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of their next guests. Before long, the house was filled with just about every lab tech and every CSI from graveyard. Cara was welcoming everyone from Greg's arms, asking them if they wanted a tour of her new house.

Nick watched eyes pop open upon meeting Jack and learning that he was Bobby's life partner. A few of the lab techs greeted him like they'd already met, while others were shocked to know that Bobby was gay and had children just like Nick. It didn't take long however, for Jack's bright smile and gentle personality to win everyone over.

Nick's sister, Lizzy, was also welcomed like another member of the crime fighting family.

"I like your coworkers," she whispered to him. "I'm seriously considering moving here even more now that I've met them."

Hearing that seemed to settle something in his heart and made him feel just a little bit better.

Once the last guest had arrived, Cara told Greg to get walking while she began the tour, "This livingroom is better than our last one because Daddy says we can have a big Christmas tree this year! And he says there's enough room for me to play with my cool new toys too!" she gushed with excitement. "But wait till you see my room!"

Life couldn't get any better than this, Nick decided. He'd thought it before, but this time it was the truth. Here, he was surrounded by friends and family, and no one seemed to care that he and Greg were in a romantic relationship while sharing custody of Cara.

As his sister continued to get the food ready in the kitchen, Nick started to follow at the end of the tour to enjoy the sight of his daughter in Greg's arms acting as the guide.

A hand stopped him from following.

"Nick, I need to talk to you." It was Warrick.

Knowing what Warrick had once suggested he do about Greg's crush on him, he had a feeling his friend had threatened Greg to leave him alone, long after their brief conversation, and on more than one occasion. On some level he understood Warrick's anger at Greg. He hadn't wanted anyone to know he had problems at home, so his friend couldn't have known what was really going on. He knew he needed to correct Warrick, but that was easier said than done.

"Greg told me what your parents did for Cara when she was born."

Nick thought of the trust fund they'd set up for her college tuition. "He told you about that?"

"He also told me they took it away when you divorced Kristy."

Nick nodded. Whatever attachments he'd held to his family were now severed, save for his one sister.

Warrick handed Nick an envelope.

"What's this?"

"Something I thought might help replace what they took back."

"You didn't..." Nick opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he found a new trust fund had been set up for Cara Sanders and already contained five thousand dollars. "Shit. Warrick, this is too much!" Nick hissed.

"It's not all mine. Most of the lab chipped in and donated to it. I just, I want you to know that we're all here to support you guys. Whatever you need. Me especially. You're family.

"I never did get around to apologizing to you, but I need to. I said a lot of horrible things before I realized what was really going on. I was blind to Kristy and all I saw was Greg trying to ruin what you already had. I'm sorry for that."

"You don't have to apologize to me. If I'd wanted anyone to know, you would have probably been the first. You need to say that to Greg. He's the one who needs to hear it. Not me."

"I've already talked to Greg. I guess he hasn't told you, but we talk more than we used to. I'm not saying we're going to be best friends or anything. But we talk and things seem to be doing ok. I just wanted you to know."

Nick thought back to his last conversation with Bobby. They were talking more and more, and he found the other man to be a wealth of information. Their situations were so similar, it was almost freaky, but he was grateful. He would now be going through a lot of firsts that Bobby had already been through and that was a comforting feeling.

Before he could form a reply the tour group was returning, Greg in the lead with Cara sitting on his shoulders. His husband stopped less than two inches from him and gave him a chaste kiss with a sparkle in his eyes.

"And how do you like your new family, Cara?" someone asked as everyone filed back into the livingroom where Lizzy was just setting out the bread and the wide selection of cold cuts.

"Well," she pondered the question for a bit and then answered, "I had one Daddy before and that was pretty awesome. But now I've got two Daddies, so it's even more awesomer than before! But I don't call Greg Daddy. He's my Poppy."

Everyone laughed and Greg set her down on the floor so he could ruffle her hair.

Several hours later after Cara had gotten a chance to talk to everyone, she returned to Greg, begging to be picked up while he talked to Bobby by the livingroom window. While paying attention to his coworker, he reached down and plucked her off the floor, settling her on his hip without a second thought.

"You've already got the parenting thing down," Bobby commented.

"Well, it's not like I haven't done this before."

"Done what?" Nick came up behind him, snaking his arms around his waist, and resting his chin on his shoulder.

"The whole parenting thing."

"G, you were a fantastic father even before you became an official parent on paper."

"Hold that pose boys!"

"Huh?" Greg looked past Bobby to see Catherine wielding the camera from her kit.

"I'm making a scrapbook for the event. Bobby, move out of the way."

"You?" Greg was confused. "Since when does an ex-stripper turned CSI do scrapbooking?"

Catherine blushed. "Never you mind. You three just pose like the beautiful, loving family you are, and let me take the picture."

Greg pulled the old book off the shelf and brought it back to the couch. Tucking his feet under him he got comfortable and opened the book to the first page where his favorite picture took center stage beneath the words Sanders' Housewarming Party. In it, he stood holding Cara while Nick held him from behind, his chin resting on Greg's shoulder, a look of pure love and happiness on his face.

His eyes watered, remembering that moment, just as the house phone began to ring.

"Hello?" He wiped at his eyes.

"Hey Pop!"

"Hey yourself, Kiddo. What are you up to?"

"Pop, I'm old enough now, I think you can stop calling me 'Kiddo'."

"No matter how old you are, even if you're one hundred years old, it's still written law that your father gets to call you whatever he wants."

Cara gave an exasperated sigh laced with laughter. "Ok. You win. But only because you're my father. Anyway, I only called to wish you a happy anniversary."

"Aww, thanks. I'll have to pass the message along once your father wakes up."

"You mean he's still in bed? At this hour?"

"You forget, he's getting old. He doesn't want to admit it, but he sleeps in more and more these days. And he freaks out at each new grey hair he sees in the mirror."

The sound of bare feet shuffling into the room brought Greg's attention to the doorway where Nick stood, rubbing his face.

"But, I still think he looks just as handsome as the day I met him." He grinned, reaching for Nick as he sat down beside him, their fingers easily intertwining.

"Who are you talking to?"

Greg covered the phone. "Cara. She said to tell you happy anniversary."

"Mmm, tell her thanks." His husband rested his head on his shoulder.

"Dad says thanks for the wishes," he told her.

"Oh, he's up? Then I'll let you go so you can get some coffee in him. Wake him up some."

Greg said his goodbyes to their daughter and turned his attention on his husband.

"That's my favorite picture," Nick commented, gazing down at the scrapbook Catherine had made for them.

"Mine too." He nudged him in the arm. "Hey you."

Nick glanced up at him, a quizzical expression covering his features.

He leaned over and planted a kiss to his lips. "Happy 25th."

"The best twenty five years of my life." Nick's free hand came up and caressed Greg's cheek, his thumb moving back and forth over the cheek bone.

"Here's praying for twenty five more just like them," Greg whispered, kissing him again, the soft, gentleness of Nick's lips feeling like velvet against his. "I love you."

Their eyes locked and Nick repeated his sentiment right back to him.

Life couldn't get any better than this.

A/N: I mentioned several very real books in this story and just incase you wanted the titles again, because I highly recommend them, here they are:

Alphabears by Kathleen Hague and illustrated by Michael Hague

Like Coffee and Doughnuts by Elle Parker (PDF and ebook formats only right now)

Psycop by Jordan Castillo Price (a currently ongoing series)

I Love A Cop: What Police Families Need To Know by Ellen Kirschman, Ph.D.

And there you have it folks. I really hope you enjoyed this story. I enjoyed writing it, and loved every review you gave me! Thanks guys! Here's to the next story, may it be even better than the last!