Chapter Text
It was a chilly December day in Washington D.C., and Nick was getting ready to go into work. With the holidays coming up, and winter setting in, FBICE was a fairly quiet place to be, so he didn’t anticipate a very hectic day. He could go into work, be there nine to six, and then head home to see his fiancé and cat. Less the cat, more the fiancé. He was going slow, as he wanted to spend at least a little time with Ellis before they parted ways for the day even if he’d see him that night. Not that he’d say any of that out loud, or even admit it to himself, necessarily.
“You better hurry or you’re gonna be late for work,” Ellis said as he tied up his boots.
“Please, work begins when I say it begins,” Nick said as he tied his tie. He studied himself in the mirror. “My agents can take care of themselves until I get in, they have enough to do. I’m really just a glorified babysitter. Or principal.”
“If you say so,” Ellis said, standing up from the bed and walking up behind his lover. He rested his chin on Nick’s shoulder, and smiled at him in the mirror. “Can I bring the tree in from the garage yet?”
Nick arched his eyebrow at the snuggling. Ellis did love to snuggle, especially when he was trying to get something. “Is it a week before Christmas?”
“Noooo.”
“Then no,” Nick said, glancing to the side and grinning haughtily. Ellis huffed, and bit his shoulder gently. “You have two weeks, just chill.”
“But I like havin’ the house be all decked out for Christmas the entire month of December,” Ellis pouted, Back in Savannah his Mom and extended family would put up decorations the day after Thanksgiving. He would have hoped that there would have been some leeway for their first real Christmas in D.C. The previous Christmas was very sparse as they had just moved and lost track of everything else. Outside of watching ‘Scrooged’ on the TV while drinking very rummy eggnog and meager gift exchanges, the two of them had barely acknowledged the holiday. It had become clear that Ellis was going to change that this year.
“Well I don’t want your tacky crap all over the house until a week before,” Nick stated. “As soon as it’s the 18th feel free to go to town, lights, reindeer, elves, whatever. But give me some time to adjust to that idea, okay?”
“Hmph, you’re no fun ya Grinch,” he said, and massaged Nick’s sides.
“I’m SOME fun,” the Assistant Director replied, and turned around in Ellis’ embrace. “I did let you buy all those gaudy lights after all.”
“Heee, yeah, ya did,” Ellis nodded, draping his arms over Nick’s shoulders. “The 18th it is. You just wait.”
“I’m intrigued and terrified to see what you’ll come up with,” the older man smiled, and pecked him on the lips. Ellis smiled into the kiss, and nodded.
“You just wait, it’s gonna be like Christmas back home,” he stated, and looked at the clock. “Damn…I gotta go. But I’ll see ya at six. An’ maybe tonight I’LL try an’ make YOU dinner!” He let go of Nick, ready to head into the garage.
“Please don’t burn the townhouse down,” Nick said, snarkily, and Ellis slapped him on the ass as he walked out of the bedroom. “Hey now!”
“Later!” Ellis called, and trotted down the steps. He stepped over Dalton, who preferred to sleep at the bottom of the staircase, and chuckled at the cat. He was about to step out, but then paused, and put a hand to his head. “Hey Nick?!”
“Yeah?” the voice called back from the upstairs.
“If you have time, can you pick up the wedding invitations today? They’re printed and ready to go!”
Nick rolled his eyes. Of course Ellis hadn’t gotten them. He said he would, but was a bit absentminded about such things. Nick wasn’t sure why he expected anything less from his soon to be husband. So he sighed, and nodded to himself.. “Sure,” he replied, and shook his head. Wasn’t like he wanted to eat a leisurely lunch anyway.
“Thanks! Have a good day! An’ I won’t touch the decorations!” Ellis called, and left the townhouse.
Nick had a feeling that when he got home the tree would, in fact, be up. Which he could probably deal with. So long as he didn’t have to help decorate it.
He ran a comb through his hair, thinking that if the tree would be up he’d have to wrap Ellis’ gifts (just so gifts for HIM weren’t the only things beneath it). Okay, so buy wrapping paper, pick up the wedding invitations, go get Francis a last minute gift….
Fuck, he thought. Between Christmas at the end of the month and the impending nuptials in early March, a lot of time was going into sentimental mushy stuff that Nick didn’t care to think about. At least come the end of March things would be pretty much back to normal, save a couple of wedding rings on his and Ellis’ fingers. That was all he had to aim for.
He ate a fast breakfast of coffee and Special K, fed the infernal cat, and was about to head out, but as he was putting on his jacket his phone began to ring. Figuring it was work, he answered it.
“Nick here,” he said, his informality notorious with those under him at the bureau.
“Is this Nicolas?”
“Yes,” Nick said, snorting a bit. Had he not said ‘Nick’ when he answered?
“Nicolas the FBICE agent?”
“Yeeeess?” he said, rolling his eyes. Lord, only two sentences into a conversation and he was already irked.
“….. This is Gwendolyn Hill of St. Louis, Missouri,” the voice said, a bit sterner now. “I believe that you know my daughter.”
“Huh?” Nick asked, balancing the phone between his shoulder and ear as he left the house and began locking it up. “Lady, I haven’t been to St. Louis in about a year and a half. Like, September of last year.”
“Do you remember my daughter, Becky?”
“…. Becky…. Becky…,” Nick said, sort of trying to remember. There were so many people he’d ‘met’ in Saint Louis. “…. Oh, wait, blonde, twenty five, aspiring actress?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, sure, I remember her,” Nick said, wondering why he was even on the phone still. “Nice girl. Is she looking to call in some kind of favor from FBICE?” When he’d approached her in the bar he and Francis were loitering in he’d given her his card. He’d always done that back in the day, mainly because it made him seem important. Importance was key when trying to get someone back to your apartment. And plus, back then the cell phone service was so spotty around the country he rarely had to hear from them again. Not if he didn’t want to.
“Not exactly,” Gwendolyn said, tone making it clear she thought the very implication was insulting. “You left something here.”
Nick furrowed his brow as he got in the car. What could he have possibly left behind? “Huh? Like what?” he asked, flippantly.
“Try your daughter.”
“….. What?” Nick asked, at first incredulous, thinking this woman was completely batshit insane. “Lady, I don’t HAVE a daughter!”
“You most certainly do!” Gwendolyn snapped. “I’m looking at her right now! She’s six months old, sweet as can be, and yet NOT my responsibility!”
Nick slumped down in the car, and it was then that his stomach lurched. No. No no no, that wasn’t right.
“…. Ms. Hill, there has to be some kind of mistake,” he said, taking a more polite tone with her, if only because he was about to panic. “… There’s no way that that… that that happened! I-! It’s never-!”
As he stammered a bit, he heard Gwendolyn huff. “Nicolas, I suggest that you start believing that this did, in fact, happen. Do you want a picture? How do I take pictures on these stupid phones?”
He didn’t answer, still trying to process this. This couldn’t be right. There was just no way this could be right. As he listened to her gripe and mutter at the phone, he suddenly heard a beep on his. He pulled it away, hoping that it was a signal that this was some kind of dream and that it was time to wake up. Instead, it was a text from the number he’d just answered from. And as he shakily opened it, there was, lo and behold, the picture of a little baby girl in a high chair, toy starfish in hand (and mouth), and large, green eyes. Much like his eyes when he was a six month old.
“…. Son of a bitch,” he murmured, and put the phone back to his ear. “…. Ms. Hill?”
“Yes?”
“…… Where’s Becky?” he asked, putting two and two together since this baby’s grandmother was calling him, and not the mother herself.
“….. Nicolas, I suggest you come out to St. Louis as soon as you can. There’s a lot to talk about.”
Nick felt like he was going to pass out. It was strange. Not ten minutes ago he was convinced that the biggest sidetrack would be going to get wedding invitations, and that it would only take him about forty minutes, maybe an hour. Now he was told that his entire life might have just been sidetracked. He swallowed, and leaned his head back in the seat.
“….. Is my email still on that card Becky must have given you?”
“Yes.”
“Send me your address. I’ll get on the road in an hour…. I’m coming from D.C., so it may take me some time-.”
“However long it takes,” she said. “We’ll be waiting for you.” And with that, she hung up. He held the phone to his ear a few beats, and then pulled it away, looking at the picture of the baby once more. It was just like looking at a photo of him as a baby, save the pink dress. He clicked out of the photo, not wanting to look at it anymore. Only because he had no idea what he was feeling as he looked at that photo. He swallowed down a sour taste in his mouth, and looked back towards the house. He’d have to pack fast, and make sure to bring his computer, and his cell phone charger, not to mention call Morgan and make up some bullshit excuse as to why he wasn’t going to be at work today, or tomorrow, and probably not until next week. And then he’d have to call Ellis and tell him he couldn’t get the invites….
And tell him what? “FUCK!” Nick yelled, hitting the steering wheel with his fist repeatedly. He raked his left hand through his hair, and gripped the steering wheel with his right, starting to feel the panic rise up. What, exactly, was he supposed to tell his fiancé? ‘Sorry kiddo, can’t pick up the wedding invitations today because I have to go to St. Louis. Seems I fathered a kid last year, was told to come take a gander.’ Somehow he didn’t think that would go over so well. He closed his eyes, and battled with himself. He needed to tell Ellis something. St. Louis wasn’t exactly a day trip.
He slowly dialed his lover’s number, hand shaking.
Ellis was in the car, singing along to Winger, when he heard his phone start to ring. It was nice living in a city that actually had cell service again. He picked it up. “Yello?”
“… Hey, kiddo,” Nick said, keeping his eyes closed.
“Hey Nick! What’s up?”
“Change of plans, El, I can’t get the wedding invites after all.. I, uh, I actually have to go out of town, unexpectedly.”
Ellis frowned, a bit disappointed hearing that. “Aw, how come?” he asked. When Nick didn’t answer, he immediately backpedaled. “Oh, sorry, work. Of course. Well I understand, now that you’re a high up I know how busy you can get.”
“… Yeah.”
“Well that’s okay, when do you think you’ll get back?” the mechanic asked as he drove, coming to a stop at a light.
“A few days,” Nick replied, voice flat.
“Okay…. Well, call me when you get in, okay? Don’t worry, I’ll get the invitations on my lunch break, we’ll get them all ready to go and out before Christmas!”
Nick smiled at the enthusiasm in his fiance’s voice. “Yeah… yeah, we will.” Assuming things didn’t completely implode by then. “…. I’ll call… I, uh…. love you.”
“Well I love you too, Nick,” Ellis said, smiling a bit. “You okay?”
“Uh huh. I’ll let you go. Call you tonight.”
“Okay,” Ellis nodded. “Have a safe trip! Bye!”
“Bye.”
Ellis smiled as he put the phone down, and changed the radio to the station that was playing Christmas music. “CHRISTMAS TIIIIIME IS HEEEERE,” he sang, a little off key and yet enthusiastically.
Nick hung up, and took in a shaky breath. Please let this be some kind of mistake, he thought. And yet just by looking at the photo, he knew it wasn’t. He looked at his phone again, thumb tempted to dial Ellis, tell him what was going on, ask him to go with him out to St. Louis, for support, for solidarity, for ANYTHING…. But before he could hit the ‘call’ button he chickened out.
And instead called the second most logical choice: Francis. He threw the car door open, realizing that he needed to pack, and waited for his friend to pick up.
“WHAT’S UUUUUUUPPPPP?” Francis answered, clearly knowing who was on the line.
“Pack a bag, you’re coming to St. Louis with me,” Nick said abruptly as he rushed back into the house.
“Huh?!” he heard the ex-biker now bartender shout. “What the FUCK? WHY are we-?!”
“Shh! Keep cool! Don’t say anything, is Ro around? Or your foster kid?”
“Uh no, Ro’s at work and Wednesday’s on her way to school, what’s going on?” Francis demanded. “I can’t just up and leave!”
“I need your help.”
“Listen here Mister Assistant Director, when I said I’d contract for you on occasion I meant I’d do it with PROPER NOTICE. I don’t want to kill zombies in St. Louis, I’ve DONE that-!”
“Not zombies!” Nick shouted, really not needing any of Francis’ flack at the moment. “It’s-! Remember those girls we met up with, like a week before we left that city?”
“We met up with lots of girls.”
“At that dive bar with the weird sports trophies.”
“Oh THAT place! Yeah, what WAS that, like pee wee football pride or something-?”
“FOCUS FRANCIS! The girls!”
“What about ‘em?”
“…. I might have knocked mine up. I have to go to St. Louis and find out.”
There was silence on the line, so much silence that Nick thought that maybe he’d dropped the call, or stunned Francis to catatonia. “…. Francis?”
“Oh hell NO I’m not missing THIS for the world, give me forty five minutes!” his ex-partner hooted, and before Nick could say anything else Francis had hung up. So the Assistant Director put his phone away, and went inside to pack a bag. It was going to be a long drive to the Midwest.