Trip Day 2: Legoland Part Two
So the centerpiece of Legoland is Miniland, which is a series of cityscapes replicated from Legos. It's really pretty cool. I took a lot of pictures.
( A LOT of pictures. )
( A LOT of pictures. )
Damn it, Caroline. I am supposed to be working!
“Greg, check it out, it’s Vegas.” Nick grabs Greg’s hand and pulls him over to the miniaturized version of the town they called home for so many years.
“Sweet.” Greg takes his time walking around the display before he settles back at Nick’s side. “Wow, they really went all out. Look at the Mirage; they even built the dolphin show. Remember that drowning case we worked on there…”
“I’d rather not, thanks.” Nick cringes at the memory, then points to the miniaturized Luxor hotel on their left to change the subject. “Look at the Sphinx. That’s amazing.”
“It is. Do you remember that jewelry heist we worked on at the Luxor? We…”
Nick interrupts with a sigh, “Babe, do we have to talk about a case for every hotel? We’re on vacation.”
Greg pins him with a look that stops anything else Nick was going to say. “As I was saying, do you remember that jewelry heist we worked there? That was the first time you ever kissed me at work.”
Nick rolls his eyes and feels slightly guilty for snapping at Greg. “Of course I remember that. I was certain Grissom was going to walk in on us and I’d be out of a job.”
Greg’s eyes soften and he leans in and wraps his arm around Nick’s waist. “I can still remember how shocked I was. It’s not like anyone knew about us then. You never did tell me what caused your momentary lapse of reason.”
Nick can feel the heat on his cheeks as he thinks about it, even after all these years. It seems silly now, but back then… “I was watching you going through the jewelry case with the owner and you tried on the wedding band that he’d just handed you. I saw you looking at it like you were wondering how it would feel to wear a ring like that all the time, and well…It was the first time I thought about maybe wanting to be the person who gave it to you.”
Greg looks down at the band on his finger, and then up into Nick’s eyes, smiling brightly before leaning forward to brush his lips against Nick’s. “Sap,” he teases. “Will it make you feel any better if you knew I was thinking about you when I tried it on?”
“Maybe,” Nick murmurs against Greg’s lips before pressing closer to kiss Greg properly. There have been thousands of kisses between them, and every one of them always manages to get Nick’s heart racing.
Nick is quickly losing himself in the taste of Greg’s kiss, the feel of Greg’s fingers on the back of his neck when a shout from behind them startles him back to reality. “Papa, Grandpa-come look! It the Space Shuttle! Did you see?”
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Jackson’s eyes light up and he nods his head vigorously. “You bet,” he says excitedly, wiggling in Nick’s arms. Nick set’s him back down and watches as Jackson grabs Greg’s hand and drags him over to stare at the miniaturized Cape Canaveral.
“We can’t leave you two alone for five minutes without you being all over each other.” Peter says as he walks up to stand next to Nick at the railing. Nick at least has the decency to be embarrassed as his son admonishes him. Peter looks at his father and then over to where Greg and Jackson are standing. “We’re at Legoland to goodness sake! You and Pop promised after what happened at Disneyworld…”
“Sorry,” Nick cuts in. “Really. We just got caught up reminiscing, is all.” Nick looks out over the tiny Las Vegas landscape in front of them and Peter nods in understanding.
“Do you miss it?” Peter asks. It’s been nearly three years since Nick and Greg decided it was time to retire and made the decision to move to Virginia to be closer to their son and his family.
“Sometimes. But both of us are glad to get to be closer to you and Janine and to spend time with Jackson.”
Peter smiles. “We’re glad you’re here too, Dad,” he says and bumps his shoulder against Nick’s. He’s definitely all Stokes when it comes to expressing how he’s feeling. “But seriously, you and Papa with the PDA… It won’t be long before Jack’s just as embarrassed as I was when I was a kid. You’re grandparents, not teenagers.”
“Whatever, kiddo. Why don’t you go pester your wife for a while? She thinks it’s sweet. She wouldn’t mind a little PDA from you once in a while,” Nick says and gives Peter a little shove in the direction of where Janine is standing, watching their exchange with a smile on her face.
Peter rolls his eyes in a way that never fails to remind Nick of Greg but walks over to his wife and gives her a quick peck on the cheek.
Nick grins in victory and turns to see Greg holding Jackson high in the air like he’s flying and lets the sound of laughter wash over him. Family vacations are never easy, and they are rarely relaxing; but right now, Nick wouldn’t trade this for anything.
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