Scared!

Sara lay in her boyfriends bed and slept. Her boyfriend, Eric Benzinger, was out hosting a party for his friends birthday at his own bar and wouldn't be home for another five hours at least.

Sara and Eric had been seeing each other for five months. Eric worked the night shift at his bar he owned from his parents, and Sara worked nights at the crime lab.

They both worked in Las Vegas, and now she lay in her boyfriend's bed on her night off waiting for her boyfriend to come home.

She heard a noise about two and a half hours later and the lock turned. She shut her eyes just as Eric stumbled in to the room; he stepped over to Sara and leaned over her. Sara could smell the alcohol in his breath. But she didn't turn around and Eric lay on top of her and started to hit her.

He said:" I know you have cheated on me!" He continued hitting her, and after about four hours he passed out beside her.

His friend Roger came over, he saw Sara with bruises on her arms, neck and face.

Roger said he would keep an eye on Eric; Sara gathered her stuff and bolted for the door.

She ran with her bag towards the crime lab; barefoot, in a nightgown that fell to her ankles and a bag with her toiletries and clothes. She got to the lab and collapsed in the lobby, weary and cold.

Judy, one of the receptionists, heard the crash and called Sara's co-worker, Catherine Willows.

Catherine answered:" I'll be right down."

She hung up, turned to Grissom and said:" I'm needed in the lobby, I'll be right back", and went down to the lobby.

She saw Judy with Sara who was soaking wet and with bruises on her body, lying on the floor of the lobby,

Catherine asked:" What happened to her?"

Judy stated:"she came in like this on her way to the elevator and she just collapsed.

Sara woke up a few minutes later. She looked around, heard gunshots at a long distance and shuddered at the sound.

Catherine looked at her best girlfriend and said:" I'll support her, could you bring her bag with us?"

Judy agreed, and they went to the elevator and rode it up to the correct floor. Grissom came walking down the hall, and when Sara saw him, she freed herself from Catherine's embrace and ran in to the layout room and curled up against the wall in a little ball; rocking herself back and forth as silent tears spilled down her red swollen cheeks.

Catherine directed:"Wendy, get Warrick here NOW, and Greg call Nick and have him come here immediately even if it his night off. Grissom, go on with your work. I know you care for Sara, but I think she is a little bit scared of everything right now." Catherine continued," She heard gunshots at long distance and she shuddered at the sound, and she usually doesn't".

Grissom nodded his understanding, and he went back to his office just as Warrick came sprinting down the hall.

Catherine said, "Sit with Sara in there until Nick gets here and don't try to talk to her, just hold her. I think Nick should do the job of consoling her since he knows her the best and she likes him.

"He doesn't know that she likes him either."

Warrick agreed to sit with her and he went in to the layout room and lowered himself beside her.

Sara took a hold of his arm and buried her face in it, and she asked, " how could he do this to me?"

Warrick just stroked her hair as she cried forcefully, and sixteen minutes later Nick walked in to the layout room and sat down on the floor beside Sara. Sara sensed Nick was there by the familiar smell of his aftershave mixed with his cologne.

Nick said "I got her, Warrick, and thanks for sitting here," his Texas accent very pronounced; the only Texas accented CSI worker and Sara's secret lover.

Sara situated herself between his legs, buried her head in his chest and cried forcefully as she clung to him for dear life. The tears she spilled racked her slender body.

Warrick stayed with them and made small talk with Nick while he consoled a crying and broken Sara.

Hodges came in to the room twenty minutes later and said a Mr. Benzinger was here for Miss. Sidle. Sara's face blanched at the mention of Eric, and she hid her face in Nick's chest; crouched herself in to into a ball and continued to cry forcefully as she held on to Nick's shirt for dear life.

Warrick yelled, "Get out of here Hodges and do not let the guy in here or I'll get you fired and arrested for abetting an assault."

Nick stroked Sara's hair and soothed her, " I got you Sara, you're safe with me." He held her close while his heart ached for his best friend and secret lover.

Warrick looked at Sara and said, "I'll leave you two alone. I'll get something for you to eat since I suspect she has not eaten yet and I'll get something for you also, Nick."

Nick agreed, and Warrick walked out of the room and met a concerned group of co-workers in the hall.

Warrick explained, "She's badly bruised all over her body, she's very fragile and clinging to Nick as though he might die soon. It's fairly apparent that Eric did this to her because she reacted so badly when Hodges mentioned his name. One of my college friends mentioned Eric hosted his party at his bar and got really, really drunk. I think maybe Eric went home, found Sara and accused her of something, then beat her up when she argued with him. She probably just ran here out of reflex thinking she'd be safe."

They heard a faint scream and a pained cry, and looked into the room to see Nick struggling with Eric and holding him at a long distance so he couldn't get near Sara. They also heard Sara pleading with Eric to stay away from Nick and herself, and also pleading with Nick to not hurt Eric. Nick, always the gentleman, listened to Sara and just held Eric at arm's length so he couldn't hurt Sara.

Grissom and Greg walked up behind Eric, grabbed him by the arm and took him down to Brass. Nick took Sara in his arms, kissed her forehead and whispered calming, soothing words into her hair as he hugged her and let her cry; as tears once again racked her slender body.

Catherine, Greg and Wendy went back to work, and Warrick walked in ten minutes later with plates and glasses, utensils, 4 Chinese boxes of food and two bottles of water.

He said, "I bought the food and don't bother to pay me back. It's the least I can do for you guys," and he walked out.

Sara settled herself in Nick's lap and leaned against him with her head on his chest.

Nick asked , "Do you want to try to eat something?"

Sara nodded her head, and Nick feed fed her a vegetarian eggroll. She ate it slowly, and after four egg rolls, some fried chicken and some rice she didn't want anything more to eat, so they sat down on the floor again and talked about everything and anything.

Sara laid her head down on Nicks chest and started telling him what had happened over the five months that she and Eric had been dating. Said she was happy for the first three months, but then his parents died, he inherited the bar and started drinking and he would always get drunk after his shift. He would often sleep with other women, at least thirteen of them had been her cases, and he spent her money on them and himself.

"He just used my money to please his other girls and he never spent anything expensive on me. Not a dress, not a nice restaurant, dinner or jewellery. I had to pay for everything," Sara sobbed.

"He never told me I looked beautiful or perfect, or just good, but he gushed over the other girls and always complimented them in a way he never did with me. Every night he would beat me up, when I wasn't listening to his orders, demands and other stuff that he was ranting about."

Nick held her tightly and said, "Well I think you are beautiful in every aspect; you are headstrong, determined, you have a high patience, you don't give up easily and you don't deserve to be hurt by a man that doesn't give a damn you."

Sara looked at her best friend and said in a shaky voice "You think I'm beautiful?"

Nick said, "Yes, I do think you are one of the most gorgeous creatures that God has ever created on this earth, and I would do bodily harm to every man that doesn't agree. They are blind, and I would do anything to keep them from hurting you."

Sara kissed his cheek and said, "Thank you Nick. I love it when you care for me in a situation like this, when not many men would care for a woman like me in a state like this."

Nick said, "I care for you because I can't stand to see you get hurt by guys who want you for your body, your looks and your money."

Sara asked, "Are you my best friend because of those three reasons?"

Nick said, "No. I'm not your best friend because of that. It's because I love you with all my heart. That's why I care for you so much ever since our first meeting. You complete me in a way no one never has."

Sara stared hard at her male CSI co-worker and said, "You are just saying that to make me feel better."

Nick turned her in his arms and promised, "No, I'm not saying it to get you to feel better. I'm saying it because it's my true and honest feelings."

Sara clung to him; looked at him through teary eyes and mumbled, "I love you too, Nicky."

Nick said softly, "Could you repeat that, Sar? I didn't hear you."

Sara swallowed the lump in her throat and repeated, "I love you to Nicky. I always have ever since our first encounter too, and you also complete me in a way Eric or any other man never could."

Nick kissed her carefully on the lips, and Sara kissed him back with equal passion.

It turned to a lip lock that lasted for twenty minutes.

Nick said, "You are the only one that can call me Cowboy, because I love it when the sound is coming from your lips."

They went back to the chairs and talked lightly for about ten minutes.

Greg walked in a few minutes later and took away the boxes, utensils, glasses and plates and asked Sara, "Are you okay?"

"The others, including me, are very worried about you."

Sara smiled gently at him and said, "I'm okay now. Nick helped me to talk about it and I feel a little better now. I'll tell them myself that I'm fine later." She handed Greg a piece of paper.

"Could you give this to Catherine?"

Greg said, "Of course I could do that," and he left the room.

Greg took the slip to Catherine who read it and then went to get Sara's bag. She took it back to Sara so she could change out of her nightclothes and into something more comfortable.

Sara was done twenty five minutes later with Catherine helping her change. Nick consoled her when she he saw the bruises Eric had given her.

Sara dried her wet cheeks, took a steady grip of Nick's hand and went to the breakroom where everyone was sitting. Sara took a seat at the sofa with Nick by her side, him holding her hand, and she told the group what had happened to her, and why she confided in Nick from the beginning.

Greg saidwith concern, "Do you think Eric will come after you again?"

Sara said, "I believe he will as soon he's released from jail, and I don't want to be near him ever again".

Sara took a deep breath, "All my furniture is in storage either in Nick's garage or Cath's backyard. I think I'll sell a few things and see if Nick will let me store the rest in his apartment."

Greg asked, "You're moving in with Nick? Sara girl, you broke my heart!"

Greg clutched his chest and a fake tear slipped down his cheek.

Sara said, "Greg, I love you as a friend, but Nick I love him more than a friend; as a boyfriend and as a soul mate. Warrick feels like a brother to me. He and Nick have friendly ridiculous fights that are sometimes hilarious, and he often treats me well unlike many people. Grissom is like a father to me".

Grissom said, "It's end of shift. Why don't we help you guys right now with the moving of the furniture from the storage to the apartment?"

Sara and Nick agreed, and the team went to gather their stuff. They followed Nick to his apartment, took away some of his stuff and replaced it with some of Sara's. After four and a half hours, they were done, and the things that weren't in the apartment were to be sent away to the nearest Goodwill centre.

Sara and Nick were left alone and the rest of the team drove off towards their respective apartments.

The End