Title: Champagne
By: anmani
Summary: Today it is 1 year ago that I posted a story for the very first time. So this little thing is to celebrate that. In the past year I have found some very good friends here, especially dagsrommer and serenity. This fic is dedicated to them both and beta'ed by serenity.
Characters: Nick, Greg, Catherine, other
Genres: angst, romance
Rating: PG13
Warnings: none

"Look Greg, there's no law saying that you need a kink!" Mostly because I know that I'll be drawn into it as well.

"There's not?" Feigning innocence is his best way of successfully getting what he wants from me.

"No, can we go now, please?"

I've been to the weirdest shops and places in the line of duty, but Greg has a rare ability to find those even farther out. This is a prime example, the shop deals in feathers. Innocent, people may claim, but not to me. I am extremely ticklish and run a feather across my body I will break into goose-bumps instantly.

"But I wanna lay on a nest of feathers!" Whining with a little pout and a dash of coy looks does soften my resolve a bit.

"Watch it or it'll be a nest of vipers." I threaten lightly.

He shrugs and heads out the door. I honestly don't know what's with his eternal search for kinks. It's like he's more happy searching than actually enjoying any kinks that we've happened upon until now. Or maybe I do know. I've never before met anyone this curious and open to things. Admittedly there are a few things that makes him flinch, but they mostly relate to burnt human flesh.

"So Vanilla boy, why don't you come with some suggestions then." He gives me that open trusting look that sends me flying.

"How about you and me and nothing else at home in our bed?" I'm so lame, but my world can't get any better, I have Greg in it and nothing can top that.

"Nick?"

The tone indicates that something big is coming, first time I heard it was the morning when we kissed for the first time, the second the day we first had sex and the third the day he asked if we should live together.

"Yes?" I never say yes, unless I'm nervous.

"Do you want us to have kids?" He's testing the ground and I want to do a dance of joy in the middle of the street.

"Thank you." I'm a fool with words, simply and utterly .

"And you're welcome." Greg has this way of knowing and right now his smile is just dazzling.

He starts walking down the street and I follow automatically. I feel like my blood has been exchanged with champagne, light and bubbly. But we still need to shop for groceries and I know that if I don't remind him, we'll end up going home with only half of what we came for. Greg is good at getting all the condiments, but basic stuff like rice and pasta rarely makes it into his shopping cart.

"When?" I was once able to make eloquent speeches, but he blows my mind.

"When we figure out how, I mean there are quite a few options and all have a price tag attached." In reality he means later today, when he's scoured the Internet.

My mind is already thumbing through a long list and I know that my sister Beth will come in handy. Lawyers in the family can be useful on occasions, but in my family it's easy to choke on them.

"We could call Elizabeth." She and Greg have this weird thing with names going. I don't know how it started, but he only ever calls her Elizabeth.

I want to say something along the line of ‘great minds think alike‘, but words fail me completely. He does that to me, he makes me act and think like a love struck teenage girl, even though I fight to be a man about it.

"Good idea." I need something to drink, my throat is dry and I sound weird even to myself.

~*~

How we got done shopping is beyond me, it amazes me as I unpack that we got what seems to be most of the items on the list. Greg, of course, went straight for his computer and I can hear him on the phone with Beth now. I love him for it and I hate him for it. It's great that once a decision has been made that he acts upon it immediately, but it doesn't leave me all that much room to give my two cents, nor to change my mind.

"Nick!" he shouts, as in ‘get your ass in here now.'

"Elizabeth wants a word with you." he says as I make an appearance in the living room.

"Hey Sis." I smile as he hands me the phone unceremoniously and continues his search on the Internet.

"Hey little bro, so it sounds like I‘m going to be an Aunt?"

"Yeah, once we figure out how to … go about this." I'm reading over his shoulder.

"Well there are several options, but none come cheap."

Greg's scrolling down a page on surrogacy and the prices on there make my head swim.

"No I know, but others have managed before us."

Her light chuckle says more than any answer she can give me.

I know that this will test our relationship thoroughly. There's no way we will be considered suitable for becoming foster parents because of the nature of our careers and our lifestyle. Stuff like that wants me to whack the politicians over the head with their ignorance. But I don't have the stomach for going into politics, I can't just ignore a mistake and carry on regardless.

"Hmm, I know Nicky, and you know that we'll all be here for you." I wasn't the only one taking a thinking pause.

"Yeah I know. Mom's gonna go crazy when she hears." If I haven't lost count and none of my sisters get pregnant it will be her 20th grandchild.

"Oh absolutely, number 20. Then Mrs. Reynolds will be two down." Beth's voice is filled with pride.

"Oh oh give her back." Greg reaches a hand back for the phone and I let him have it without our usual banter.

I peer over his shoulder to see what is so exciting, but my cell phone steals my attention.

"Stokes!" I try not to sound as annoyed as I am with the interruption.

"Curtis!" She sounds rightfully taken aback.

"Sorry Sofia, you just caught me in the middle of something." How is that she can make me feel like a schoolboy caught red handed?

"Yeah okay, I just wanted to let you know that Dave Vaughn has been located."

The prime suspect of the case that I've been struggling with for 4 days straight now, not alone of course, Sara has been working on it too.

"Great, so is he being brought in now?"

"Ehh sort of, a routine DUI control pulled him over up in Seattle." Sofia gives me a moment to understand. "He won't be here until tomorrow, I just wanted to let you know."

"Thanks, listen I'm sorry I snapped at you." She laughs it off and ends the call.

~*~

Catherine hands me a cup of coffee and sits down in front of me with her ‘talk to me' face on. I barely slept before coming back into work and I'll have to stay late for the interview with Dave Vaughn. But I got caught up in Greg's enthusiasm as always.

"We are adopting a baby!" I've been bursting to tell ever since we came in for work.

"Congratulations!" She flies out of her seat and hugs me with great intensity.

"Greg asked me yesterday when we were out shopping if I'd want kids one day." The bubbly feeling is still there.

"And then when we got home we started looking into the options and called our families." This is the best part.

Catherine just nods for me to carry on.

"Greg's parents had saved up for it for years, it turns out. They said that since their only child was gay they knew it would be one of the few ways for them to ever have grandchildren. I told my folks and they just added to the pot saying that they wanted a part in it too." I chuckle with delight.

"Wow that's … that's amazing. So you can afford private adoption or……?" She gives me a searching look.

"We can and Greg has already found 4 agencies and signed us up. Of course we need to be interviewed, but money helps." It's what I like the least about all this.

She gives me a knowing smile and I know that she's had her fair share of issues regarding Sam Braun, her more than wealthy father. For a while we only communicate with looks that say quite a lot.

"I wish it was different ya know? I wish that same sex couples had the same rights as…" Words fail me.

"I know Nicky, but the world is full of bigots I'm afraid. So waiting for general acceptance will make you an old dad." Her sigh gives me the acceptance that I need to spend so much money. ~*~

Today's the day, well potentially the day for us to get a kid. Greg's driving with this nervous silence hanging between us. I can't blame him really, because this is not just any baby, this is a 2 month old little boy complete with a 9 year old sister and a 5 year old brother. It took the agent some time to bring up the older kids, not that we hadn't talked about the possibility of adopting older children, but because it's a take it all or leave it thing.

"Well Mr. Stokes it's a long and tragic story. But the parents were in a car accident, the father died instantly and the mother has just been declared brain dead. The only living relatives are her parents, but sadly her mother is blind and her father's a paraplegic after a work accident. So even though they have been granted custody they feel that adoption is a far better choice for the children."

"Just another 50 miles." Greg states and shakes me back to reality.

"Yeah, do you think that …" I can't bring myself to ask if he thinks it'll be a success.

"We'll know once we meet the kids."

Despite it being overcast I smell us both sweating, a smell that can only be described as anxiety. The A/C is blasting cold air into the car, but it doesn't really feel that way.

"Hydrogen."

"Helium." Greg is such a life saver.

We easily get through the periodic table complete with isotopes.

~*~

We are warmly welcomed by the grandfather and he manoeuvres his wheelchair around with more ease than the house seems to allow for. Once in the living room I get that bubbly feeling again. The girl has long brown hair with big soft curls and eyes that looks so much like Greg's, dark and intelligent.

"Hi, I'm Vanessa and this is my brother Alexander and this is Matthew." she hands me the baby as she introduces him.

Matthew looks up at me with big brown trusting eyes. He sends me straight back to that emotional high I first had when I fell for Greg. Alexander hooks a finger through one of belt loops and drags me off towards the porch door. We had been warned that he wasn't a very talkative child, but still it puzzles me.

"He'll want to show you his potato plants." the grandfather explains.

After admiring the potato plants and their white flowers he takes me to strawberry plant. I feel silly talking to him, so I just squat down and see the plant with my fingers, much like he's doing. It earns me a big smile and as I smile back even the baby smiles. The bubbly feeling is fighting to destroy the anxious butterflies roaming my stomach. But I know that it all comes down to how the girl interacts with us. Being 9 and going through tragic stuff isn't easy and we can only help her if we connect, so to speak.

Alexander leads me inside again and indicates for me to join him building a track of some kind with small remote operated cars. With the baby now sleeping safely in the crook of my left arm I add a few bits and pieces. But my focus is on Greg and Vanessa talking. I cast a glance towards her grandmother and I see the sadness on her face that I feel inside. Vanessa is clearly very intelligent and well behaved, but they don't click!

To outsiders it may sound like a friendly chat, but I know Greg well enough to hear that he is trying desperately to find common ground with her. From what I can tell she is trying just as much. This is where a tactful retreat would be in place, but they are not easy to come by. Matthew wakes and makes a crinkled face followed with sobs and a heavy odor.

"I'll change him." Vanessa gets up.

"Let me help you." I follow her into a small bedroom and watch as she sets about changing her brother.

"I'm sorry." She's lowered her voice.

"So am I."

"This adoption thing was my idea ya know." Vanessa looks up at me.

"My grandparents could use the money to get the house fixed up proper and we'd end up with someone more invested than your average foster home."

"That is not what most girls your age would decide." Had I been alone I would have taken all three of them.

"I know, but most girls my age don't have an IQ over 150. Nor do they have to take care of 4 other people. This is my chance to remain a child a little longer. I actually requested that we should only try gay couples, because you would be more open to arrangements such as this."

"Good points, I honestly hope that the right ones come along soon." I shake her outstretched hand.

~*~

This it the first chance to pull over and park, Greg does of course. We left with polite masks plastered on and drove away at a normal speed. The engine dies as he turns the key and I want to be the strong one. I want to be there for him holding him tight, but I feel shattered. Almost simultaneously we turn towards each other, the tears in his eyes release mine in a heartbeat. I cling to him for comfort and he seeks the same from me.

"Nick, Nick. Come on man, we are in public." So typical Greg.

I sit back in my seat and close my eyes. I just don't feel like taking an active part in the world right now. Greg takes my hand, gives it a squeeze and lets out a deep sigh.

"I'm beginning to like that surrogate thing more and more." It has taken me a lot to accept private adoption, but surrogacy is still not my cup of tea.

"Well then let's call your brother's contact when we get home." Greg gives my hand another squeeze.

Our plans to have kids spread like a bush fire once we'd told our parents. My brother called one night telling about a colleague of one his poker buddies, who is a professional surrogate. Like most I thought women doing that were losers, but this one is a system developer with a family. Apparently her body works better when pregnant and she decided to put it to good use. At least that's how my brother told it.

~*~

"Yeah we are on her waiting list now Mom."

Last weeks disappointment still sits with us all. I hung up on my oldest sister when she suggested that we hadn't made enough of an effort.

"And how long was that again?" Purely rhetorical, but I better answer the lawyer.

"She's two months gone now and then there's another couple before us. So at least a year before she can get pregnant for us."

"Oh baby, haven't you been offered anyone else for adoption?" Another rhetorical one.

"No not yet Mom and we'll let you know as soon as we get an offer."

"Well you know me and Dad are here for you." End of conversation.

"Yeah thanks Mom."

We exchange the usual platitudes before we hang up and I return to the computer searching for more information on babies. Greg is better than me at remembering trivia, but not that much. Vanessa's words about having a high IQ still hunts me. In every test we have taken I've scored lower than Greg, not much, but still. I just want to show my worth to him and not just as his lover/handyman/chef/cleaner. I want him to see me as a smart guy and not just dependable Nick Stokes. Every time I hit down that ‘I'm stupid' path he reassures me that he would never be with someone that he doesn't find highly intelligent.

~*~

With a smile that threatens to split his face, Greg hands me the little girl. After 8 months of looking we are now parents to a baby girl from Arizona. Her mother killed her father shortly after she was born. The mother's sister was awarded custody, but got a job offer the same day that would demand all her time. I'm not sure I understand her reasons for giving up the baby, but right now looking at this beautiful creature I am not one to second-guess her.

All I hope is that we get to keep her permanently.