Title: So Much More
Author: snowyplains
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, and I think CBS/Alliance Atlantis/Jerry Bruckheimer does
The bar is intensely crowded. She silently curses her propensity to agree to things, then regret it afterwards. What had started out as a intimate office party had degenerated into chaos. A nearby accounting firm, and all its affiliates had evidently decided to hold a similar event at the same venue. This had become some sort of singles mixer.
She had lost track of her colleagues hours ago. From time to time, she would catch a glimpse of blond hair. That was all that was left of Catherine. The guys were just eating her up.
She orders a stiff drink.
She could have sworn she saw Warrick leave with a girl already. A pretty one, with green eyes. Lawyer, or something. She had been standing with Warrick when Green Eyes approached. Sara had been pretty much ignored after that.
Grissom was deep in discussion in a corner booth. She orders another drink.
Nick was talking to an honestly stunning girl. One that most women would get insecure just looking at. She knew she did. She may be better looking, but I'm smarter. Sara thinks evilly, and smiles at her cattiness. Powerful women didn't threaten her. Stupid ones did.
I could be talking to someone. I'm just choosing not to. She consoles herself with that thought, and remembers fending off several mildly intoxicated accountants earlier on in the night.
She roughly whirls herself around in the barstool so her back is facing the madness. She swirls the drink in the glass thoughtfully. She had tried hard enough for one day. She takes one last look around at the people around her, thoroughly enjoying the festivities, before she strides decisively towards the elevator.
Top floor, hotel bar. 24 floors down to the ground. She stabs at the 'down' button impatiently. She doesn't want anyone to notice her leaving, and force her to recite her formalities, about being tired and having a long day and leaving early.
How could she be surrounded by so many people and still feel so alone? Sara becomes increasingly oblivious to her surroundings as she ponders this. The elevator doors open, and a chime sounds to signify its arrival. Sara walks in, and notices Nick following in behind her as more people stream in, filling the elevator to near capacity.
Great, she thinks. She waits for the barrage of questions, but it never comes. She slumps a bit, feeling lonelier than ever. She suddenly feels someone take her hand, and it almost makes her jump. She squelches down her initial instinct to scream. A loud altercation was out of the question in a crowded elevator. In a split second, she had figured out who was holding her hand.
She turns to stare at Nick. His expression had not changed. He was still staring forward, waiting, as the elevator creeped down floor by floor, stopping at the 18th to pick up more people. Eventually, he turns, feeling her questioning eyes, and smiles reassuringly at her.
She was at a complete loss. What else could she do but smile back, hesitantly?
There was a sort of anonymity to what they were doing. Standing in the back, no one noticed or cared. For the first time that night, she didn't feel quite so alone. And suddenly, the sensation no longer feels strangely overwhelming. She turns and smiles again at him, geniunely this time.
The elevator ride ends several moments later, and her and Nick, still holding hands, are the last ones to leave. The whole time, she had been mentally rifling for something to say. Something that wouldn't turn this oddly comforting moment into something awkward.
"Take care." He had beat her to it, and releases her hand, almost reluctantly. He looks like he is about to say something, but thinks better of it, and kisses her cheek before heading to the south exit. She stares at him, almost as if she was seeing him differently even though she had seen him every weekday for the past 4 years.
She wants so much more.