Title: Sunshine
Author: Megan
Pairing: N/S
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Table Stakes
Summary: Just a few deleted scenes from Table Stakes. Season 1 Episode 15
A/N: I know I should be working on my three unfinished stories, and don't worry… I won't abandon them. I just needed to get this out of my system because it's bugging me so much!
~~$~@~$~~
I was sound asleep for the first time in a long time when the phone began to ring. I even hesitated not answering, but I figured it was probably something important.
"Hello?" Maybe the sleepy sound of my voice will make them regret calling.
"Hey Sara. You sleeping?"
"Yeah Cath. I was."
"Oh… Well, we need you to come in. Sheriff is makin' us move fast on a homicide."
I winced, hoping it was all a dream and I'd wake up. It was real. "OK. Give me 20."
"Great. Thanks, Sara."
Yeah right. I hadn't had a night off in weeks, and I was finally sleeping. I am so looking forward to going into work. I get out of bed and grab some clothes. I don't even bother taking a shower. I'd probably pass out anyways. I throw on a little bit more make-up then usual. I still look like hell.
I trudge into the locker room 15 minutes later just to be greeted by the smiling face of my favorite Texan, Nick Stokes. God, how is he so awake all the time?
"Hey Sara!"
"Don't even start with me, Nick."
"Ouch. Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed!" He gently led me out of the locker room and down the hall towards Greg's lab.
"What am I? ... Working food and beverage at one of the hotels? I haven't had a day off in three weeks. I mean, if they're going to call me in, throw me a bone. Give me the 419 on the elevator." I really don't mean to bite Nick's head off, but I was having a good dream. I mean come on!
"Someone's bitter." At least he doesn't take offense to it.
"I'm tired!"
"You? Tired? I thought you never sleep." Oh now he's trying to be cute? Well, he really doesn't have to try hard, but I'm still tired! So I let out a big over-exaggerated yawn. Maybe that will shut him up.
He just grins. "Nice. Nice."
Oh joy. Here's Greg all awake and everything. He's such a cutie. And I do love his music. He just brings so much life to the lab.
"What up, G?"
G? What the hell is that? Jeez, Nick, he has a name.
I look at Greg. "You're awake. I hate you."
"A couple of glasses of merlot. Rack of lamb on my day off. I slept like a baby yesterday. You look horrible." Oh gee, he's giving me advice now.
"Thanks Greg."
He looks up at Nick as if trying to get some help or something. Nick puts his hand on my lower back. Damn. If I weren't so tired… Whoa there. Keep the thoughts PG, Sidle.
"Don't look at me. I've got 'Sunshine' all night."
He's calling me names now? Well, I guess it could be worse. Awww… I love it when he smiles at me like that.
Nick looks back at Greg "Check for DNA in the sexual assault kit and the fingernail, please."
"Everything has to be in CODIS ASAP." I add.
"Oh is that all? I want to know who's going to be authorizing my overtime."
Oh now he's trying to be cute with me some more? "Suck it up Greg. You're well-rested." Ha! Two can play at that game, Sanders!
OK, I'm done with this. I start walking out into the hall. But before I get too far I hear Greg say something to Nick. "You want a valium for her?"
"I heard that!" I yell back into the lab. I notice the looks between the two out of the corner of my eye as I'm leaving.
~~$~@~$~~
I feel like I never even leave this place. I'm always at work. Yes, I like my job, but to be at home in bed would be nice once in a while. I walk into the break room to maybe catch a few winks while Nick and I are waiting on something from Grissom and Catherine.
Nick joins me shortly and sits down next to me. "How ya doin'?"
"My neck is killing me."
"Here, let me help you relax. We're not doing anything right now."
Before I can say anything I feel his hands on my shoulders, kneading my muscles like clay. "That feels so good."
I can feel him lean in, and then I feel his hot breath tickle my ear. "You're so tense."
I can feel my heart rate quicken. I can't speak when he's this close to me. But then he gets up. "I need some coffee."
I sit up, and lean over the table. He brings over a cup of coffee for me. I find my voice again, and hope he didn't notice the effect he had on me just then. "No, I can't drink any more coffee. My body clock is so screwed up. I just want a steak and a shot."
"Tut's Tomb. Steak and eggs, $1.99."
Is he asking me out? No. I don't think so. But hey, an offer is an offer. "Food? Good idea. You're on."
He gives me that sexy smile of his again as I start to get up.
Just then Greg bounds into the room. "It's what I live for. You guys are never going to believe this. You ready?"
Well, at least he had something for us to work on. Food will have to wait I guess. "So much for the steak. I'll take the coffee." Nick almost looks disappointed. He hands me the coffee, and our fingers touch briefly. His skin is so warm.
"Yeah. Okay, sexual assault kit on Lacey Duvall -- dead showgirl -- came back positive for semen, but that's nothing. Ran it through CODIS. Seminal DNA matches a cold case from Texas." Greg gets real excited. Maybe that merlot thing would really work. "A dead cheerleader! Ten years ago!"
Nick laughs and smiles at me again. He really needs to stop doing that. "Okay. I'm up." I follow them out of the break room and down to Greg's DNA lab, where I can here his music playing softly.
~~$~@~$~~
Oh man I've been sitting in front of this computer screen forever! Well, only forty-five minutes, but still. I need something here!
"Sar? You still with me over there?" Nick's behind me working on something.
"Yeah." Suddenly my computer starts beeping. "Bingo!"
"What do you got?" He walks over and stands right behind me. I can smell his aftershave. It smells so good.
"A hit off Patrick Haynes' social security number. There's only one problem. He's an eight-month-old infant that died ten years ago."
He gives me one of those looks and says "Same social?" He doesn't believe me. "You sure?"
I give him one of those glares of mine that everyone hates. I think he understands. That's one thing I love about Nick. We know exactly what the other is thinking and planning - most of the time - without even saying anything.
~~$~@~$~~
I'm waiting just around the corner from the interrogation room. Nick went to find Grissom to tell him what he found. I hear them come out, and Grissom starts yelling at Nick.
"Are you looking for work?"
"I just…"
Grissom doesn't even let him get a word in. "The sign says, 'Do Not Enter', Nick. You can't read anymore? You're blind? What?"
"Grissom this is important."
I start walking towards them as Grissom tears into Nick one more time. "This is important. Sometimes in interrogations, Nick, you get one chance, one answer. And while I'm out here screwing around with you he's in there thinking up an answer that he didn't have before you walked in."
That's it. I'm too tired to stand here and listen to Grissom act like an ass. "Hey Grissom! Why don't you just shut up and let him talk! Nick's not stupid! Not by a long shot. I don't think he would have come in there to get you if he didn't have a damn good reason!" I placed myself in between Nick and Grissom and got right up in his face.
I felt Nick's hands on my waist. He was probably holding me back just so I wouldn't take Grissom out right then and there. "Sara -"
"Sorry." I took a step away from Grissom, and stood to the side of Nick. He gave me a caring look then looked back to Grissom, who wore a shocked expression on his face.
"Sorry Nick. She's right. What was it you wanted to tell me?" That's better! Sheesh!
"We matched the DNA taken from Lacey Duvall to a cold case in Texas ten years ago."
"And?" OK Grissom, you're sounding aggravated again. Just chill. I had to take another step behind Nick just so I wouldn't be tempted to lunge at him.
"The suspect's name was Chad Matthews."
"C.M. The cuff link. OK. I'm starting to forgive you."
"He didn't do anything wrong, Grissom." There was bitterness dripping from my words. Nick grabbed onto my arm, and Grissom shot me the death stare.
"Sara, maybe you need to take some time off?"
Nick tightened his grip on my arm. "Grissom, I wouldn't push her if I were you. Sara ran Patrick Haynes' social. The real Haynes is deceased. So Patrick Haynes is Chad Matthews and Chad Matthews is on the run."
"And he just ran into us." Grissom smiled for the first time since he and Nick came out of the interrogation room.
Before I could say anything more, Nick pulled me back to the layout room. Grissom went back into the interrogation room. "Geez, Sara! Trying to get yourself fired?"
"What?"
"Oh, you know what! Yelling at Grissom like that? What were you thinking?"
"Sorry. I just couldn't stand the way he was yelling at you like that. Grissom just gets on my last nerve sometimes, and I can't handle it!"
Nick took a minute to reply. "Thanks, though."
"You're welcome."
Before either of us could say anything else, Catherine joined us. "Well, according to her credit card statements Portia Richmond hasn't spent a dime since she's been in the Mediterranean."
"She's dead." I say numbly. I hate death so much.
Nick looked at me with concern. I didn't look up to meet his gaze at all, though. "Oh, not necessarily. Maybe she's just been….swept off her feet."
Without looking up Nick says, "Hm. Yeah. Some guys still like to foot the bill."
Okay. This is interesting. Last time the whole team went to the diner for breakfast, I ended up paying for Nick's food. "Really? How would you know?"
He looks up at me. Our faces are only a few inches away since we're sitting so close together. "Hey, I only go Dutch if the girl asks the wrong question."
"And what question is that, Nick?" This came from Catherine who was half-listening to our friendly bickering.
"What do you drive?"
I looked at him again. "It's an honest question!"
Nick leaned in a little "It was the first thing you asked me when we met."
"It's an honest question!" I repeated.
"No. No, it's not. What it means is, 'How much money do you make so you can take care of me?'"
I grin at him, showing off my gap. "Not this girl."
"Oh really?"
I wink at him, but Catherine interrupts us. "Boys and girls, we've got ourselves a forgery."
I'm confused. Maybe I'm just still tired. Yeah. That's probably it. "What does that mean?" I ask Nick.
"Here, I'll show you. Catherine, you wear pierced earrings. May I?" She hands him the earring then looks up at me again. "Sign your name, please?"
Wow. If he smiles like that at me all the time, I'll give him whatever he wants. I sign my name in big loopy letters on a sheet of paper.
"Now, nobody signs their signature exactly the same way twice. Not even you, chicken scratch. If they do, then one of them's a forgery. Here's where connecting the dots comes in."
I try to pay attention to what he's showing me, but I can't take my eyes off him.
"See?"
"Huh? Oh yeah. Sure. That's uhhh scary. All you need is one signature."
"Uh huh." Our eyes lock again, but this time I look away before Catherine notices anything.
~~$~@~$~~
We all decided to go out to eat for lunch and discuss this case. So far, Grissom hadn't shown up, so it was just Catherine, Nick, Brass, and me. I made sure not to sit next to Nick. I can't handle being so close to him anymore today.
I try not to make eye contact with Nick the whole time we're there. And I can't believe Brass just took a bite of my food! Sheesh! The guy has his own plate.
Oh crap. Nick's looking at him again. Don't look at him, Sara! Don't do it! Too late!
"Wait, wait. Time out, now. I had half a Caesar and a coffee. How's my end 20 bucks?"
Why did he have to look right at me when he said that? Fine. I can play along, Cowboy. "You wanna go Dutch, Nick?" You smile at me like that some more, and I'll do anything.
"Excellent idea, Sara. You're catching on! I'd love to!" He winks again. Crap! Sara, stop looking at him!
I head out first, so maybe I can avoid him. I'm just glad Grissom never showed up. I get out to the Tahoe, and to my surprise he's right behind me.
"Hey! Sara, what's the rush? We have to wait until Brass is down anyway."
"I just needed some air I guess." I avoid his gaze.
"You were fine in the restaurant."
"Sorry."
"For what?" He steps closer.
"I don't know."
"Sara?" He puts a hand on my arm and steps closer.
"Yeah?"
He doesn't say anything. He leans in.
Closer.
Closer.
I feel his lips brush against my cheek.
"Thanks for lunch. We should do it again sometime. Only, without Brass and Catherine."
"Yeah."
~~$~@~$~~
The end!
So what did you think? I know it seemed kinda off the wall, but I feel better now that I've written it, and I had fun. So that's all that matters, right Missy? LoL
You know what to do! Review please? It's what keeps me writing!