AN: It's been a while since I wrote anything let alone a CSI story. I don't watch the new season, I miss the old chemistry the cast had back pre season 9. This particular Nick/Sara story is set probably around Season 6 but without Sara and Grissom getting together.

As always this is a work of my fiction and I don't own the show or any of it's characters and all that jazz. Enjoy and please review.

Starting Over

Nick walked down the dimly lit corridor of the lab and stopped suddenly outside Grissom's closed office door after hearing loud voices. He was just about to walk on, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping when he heard Sara's raised voice.

"You have got to be kidding me Grissom" Sara said, trying to control the emotion in her voice.

Nick knew he should just walk away but his curiosity got the best of him and he leaned closer to the door.

"I am not kidding Sara, the past few months have taken their toll on you. The assignments are affecting you and you're taken things far too personally. Your emotions are ruling everything right now. You need a break. A weeks paid leave to get your thoughts and mind in perspective. You're a great CSI and we need you on our team 100% focused."

Sara sighed, and Nick could hear the anger and frustration in her voice as she answered him "Is this your final word?" She spat out.

"Yes".

A moments silence then she spoke again "And this has nothing to do with us ..."

He cut her off "No Sara, there is no us."

Cold, stupid, emotionless Grissom, thought Nick as he shook his head.

"I see." Sara replied, her voice still riddled with anger but Nick could hear the hurt too. "I'll see you in a week then"

Nick quickly jumped back and hurriedly walked away from the door. Sara rushed out the door, letting it slam shut. She walked right past Nick and headed straight for the exit not saying a word to him or anyone.

I should follow her, Nick thought But I know that's not what she needs right now. So Nick pulled out his cell and shot her a quick text.

Hey, saw you leave. You ok?

He didn't expect to hear from her, she was a ball of emotions right now. Maybe a weeks vacation will do her good, he thought as he headed towards the break room for a cup of coffee.

The next day Nick was lying in bed trying to go to sleep but all he could think about was Sara. He had always secretly had a small crush on her, but nothing ever went past them besides some harmless flirting. He'd seen the way she looked at Grissom and always knew there was something there. Now that he knew there wasn't anything between them, at least not on Grissom's side he wondered if he should see if there was anything between the two of them.

I won't bother her now though, he thought as he tossed in bed. I'll wait for her to get back and see how things go.

Sleep was proving difficult though and he chuckled.

Sara he thought again, Why didn't I realize sooner. And with visions of Sara in his mind he drifted off into a restless doze.

1 week later

It had been a rough night, multiply cases and then mountains of paperwork to log afterwards. Normally Nick didn't like to drink alone but seens as everyone had turned down going to the bar with him he headed out alone.

I'll just have one, chat with the bartender and go home, he thought as he walked through the doors of their "local" hangout. He nodded as he saw a few familiar faces from other departments and local enforcements but didn't really feel like forced chit-chat about cases or worse the weather, so he headed straight to the bar.

He ordered a bottle of Bud and took a swig as he looked around the still pretty full bar. He was just about to chat with the friendly lady bartender when he saw Sara 10 spaces away from him, doing exactly that.

She looked relaxed, happy, tanned and incredibly gorgeous. She was wearing skin-tight blue jeans, a white fitted t-shirt and her dark hair was loose, cascading over her shoulders. She laughed at something the older lady said as she drank from her own bottle of beer.

Nick smiled wildly as he got up and headed towards her. He sat down next to her as his deep southern voice filled the air.

"Hey Stranger" he drawled.

She turned round and looked at him, What a pleasant surprise she thought as she returned his smile. "Hey Nick, I wasn't expecting to see anyone here, it's late, or rather early if you think about it."

"You're back" He asked, wondering where she had been.

She sighed and then laughed, sending a thrill down his spine. "I don't think I want to know what the rumors about my absence were. But yes I'm back. I decided to use my "forced" vacation to really evaluate my life and take a proper break." He raised his eyebrows and she added "I went to Hawaii."

"Niiiice!" he replied "Please tell me you hit the waves!" as he said that a mental picture of Sara in a bikini popped in his head, and he smiled.

"Of course! You surf?" She asked, surprised, and took another sip of beer as she absent-mindedly grabbed a handful of nuts.

"Not often now, due to the lack of water, but yeah I've ridden a wave or two in my day"

"And I thought you were just a horse and bull kinda guy" she fired back teasingly.

"Well ma'am, I can ride a wave, horse or anything for that matter, any day now." His accent ridiculously thick as he drawled the words out.

She couldn't believe how much fun she was having with Nick; she didn't realize how much she had missed this sexy back and forth flirting with him. The week off in Hawaii had done her good. She felt physically and mentally better. She still hurt emotionally, especially from that last blow that Grissom had thrown at her just before she left. After the reality had hit her while she was away that she and Grissom would never be; she had felt a healing process begin. She was slowly getting over him, and it felt good to be able to put that behind her.

She flirtatiously ran her fingers through her hair "I bet you can."

His eyes blazed, and she couldn't help but notice the way his face crinkled up when he smiled his slow sexy smile. She felt her pulse increase, and her cheeks get warm, but she assumed it was the beer.

It felt like the old Sara was back, and Nick couldn't help but grin and secretly lust over her as he saw her cheeks turn a beautiful shade of pink.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked.

"Maybe…" she added coyly just as Greg appeared and clapped them both on the shoulders, breaking the sexual tension that was brimming.

"Sara! What's shaking?" he bellowed as he gave her a brotherly half hug. "We missed you! This week has been hell without you!"

She sighed, trying not to show her disappointment that Greg had interrupted her banter with Nick.

Nick made contact with Sara over Greg's shoulder and rolled his eyes Fuck Greg, of all the moments for you to interrupt, he thought to himself.

Greg turned and looked at Nick "Hey man, I changed my mind and decided to join you for that drink!"

"Great." Nick said; faking enthusiasm, knowing that there was no way they'd get rid of Greg now.

An hour or so later, they all left slightly buzzed, with the exception of Greg who was a little worse for wear.

Sara hailed a cab and paid the fair as Nick finally managed to get the half conscious Greg in the back seat.

"Thanks man, hey, hey, I love you, you know that… and you too Sara, love you guys so much…." Greg slurred as he slumped into the back seat, his eyes lopsided.

Nick exhaled noisily and looked at Sara. "I better go with him, make sure he gets home ok; he's liable to do something stupid in this state."

She laughed softly "Yeah, I think you better."

Nick stepped towards her, and wrapped his strong arms around her slender frame and hugged her gently, breathing in her perfume of strawberry with just a hint of vanilla. He whispered into her ear, "I'm glad you're back."

She inhaled his dark scent, hints of musk, sea-salt and fresh-cut grass mixed with his masculine sweat and felt her heart pound against her chest and shivered as his breath travelled against her ear. His scent is driving me crazy she thought as she hugged him back.

"Me too" she whispered softly.

Not wanting to let her go, he finally did and stepped into the waiting taxi.

"I'll see you tonight at the lab?"

"Yeah you will." She said, and watched as they drove off, her thoughts jumbled with confusion.

Sara sat in her living room, nursing her 2nd cup of coffee while thoughts of Nick ran around her head. Nick, Nicky, Nick Stokes, I mean it's …Nick…gorgeous, strong, sweet, kind, masculine, hot … stop it Sara she scolded herself as semi-naked images of him popped in her mind.

She kept thinking about Grissom too, about how things had gone down last week. She knew he was right, painfully so. She was emotionally broken, and the week had done her good and realistically there was no 'them'. It was over before it had even begun and she was secretly glad to have it put so plainly to her. Yeah it hurt like hell and she supposed a small part of her would always love or care for Grissom but he was poison, they couldn't be happy together they were too different or maybe too similar.

Maybe someone like Nick is what I need, she thought as she sipped her now cool coffee. It's almost like he was a breath of fresh air that collided with me last night, she mused as she got up and walked to the kitchen to put her cup in the dishwasher.

He's one of my best friends, I don't want to ruin the close bond we have, but I can't deny the attraction between us either. Her mind was racing with thoughts as she grabbed her jacket, keys and cell phone and headed to the door.

Nick was running late as he ran around his bedroom trying to get dressed. It had taken far longer to get Greg home than he had liked and by the time he had got home and fallen into a Sara-filled sleep he had missed his alarm; apparently he had been that tired.

"Fuck" he muttered loudly as he tripped over an old pair of sneakers near his bed. He snatched an apple from the kitchen counter and ran out the door, praying that he'd get all green lights on the way to the lab.

It was embarrassing walking into the conference room with everyone seated, even Greg, although he looked terrible.

"Nice of you to join us Nick" Grissom remarked as Nick tried unsuccessfully to sneak in without making a commotion.

"Sorry boss, slept through my alarm." Nick said, not even believing his pathetic excuse, even though it was true.

Grissom nodded sharply and then carried on reviewing the past nights cases. Nick snuck a quick peek at Sara and she smiled slyly at him, her eyes travelling along his upper body and taking in his damp hair.

God he looks amazing, he must have just come from the shower she thought. She glanced away, not wanting to stare too much or have any of the others notice her fixation on Nick.

Nick tried not to grin as he felt Sara's eyes on him.

His thoughts were interrupted by Grissom.

"So we've had a busy couple of nights but it's fairly quiet tonight. Catherine, Greg, Warrick you'll be with me out on the field we have a suspicious DB that appears to be a suicide. Nick, Sara, you both have the wonderful task of cleaning our equipment van, inside and out. Then I have a mountain of filing from 3 months back that needs recording. It's not priority but we do need it done, so after you've cleaned the van you can work on that, unless anything else turns up tonight."

Nick was elated and managed to hide his excitement and just groaned "Yes, Sir."

Everyone started getting up from the table but Grissom stopped them all.

"One more thing, I just wanted to welcome Sara back from her vacation, the lab definitely missed having you around. Now let….."

His sentence was cut short by Greg's snores coming from the end of the table.

"If the rest of you would leave, I'll deal with Greg…" a fuming Grissom muttered as he stalked over to Greg, the rest of the team running out quickly to avoid the explosion.

Sara got to the closed off undercover parking area where the equipment van was parked before Nick and started filling buckets with warm soapy water.

This could be fun, beats working a case, she thought as she added more liquid soap. Maybe I should put the radio on, some music would be fun she added mentally and walked towards the old boom box that was set up to the side.

Scrolling through the various stations she finally found a mixed station that was playing some 80's rock. Loud bass and deep drums filled the room. She headed back towards the van and figured she better take her jacket off, she'd probably be getting dirty and sweaty soon.

Not realizing that Nick was standing by the doorway she removed her jacket and t-shirt, revealing just a white tank top that left little to the imagination. As she slipped her shirt over her head, the tank top rose as well, giving Nick a view of her bare taut stomach and very nearly her bra.

Leaning against the door frame Nick couldn't help watching Sara as she took her clothes off. He knew she wouldn't take everything off, but he could hope.

"Don't stop on my account…" he said half jokingly as he headed towards her. She turned towards him, her heart beating a little faster. "Well I wouldn't have if you hadn't have said anything." She shot back, grinning at him.

"I wish…" he said softly.

They stared at each other for a moment and then Nick murmured "Well, I guess we better get started." And quickly reached down and grabbed a soap soaked sponge and started washing the outside of the van, Sara followed in suite "Yeah I guess so."

"Good choice of music by the way." He added as he continued to wash the side doors.

"You like the old 80's rock?" She asked surprised, as the cords of an AC/DC song came through the speakers.

"Sure, I love a good loud ballad, love me some Country too" he added.

"I would never have guessed that!" she said teasingly as she stretched up high to clean a particularly dirty spot near the roof.

His eyes roamed her body as she extended her long lean body against the side of the van. God I wish that was me she was pressing against he thought.

They worked in a silent and comfortable yet sexually charged atmosphere for about 20 minutes while listening to classic rock.

Nick stood back and rolled his shoulders, reaching up to stretch his back muscles. Sara stopped, rested against the passenger door and couldn't help but admire Nick's well-built upper body. He was wearing a tight t-shirt that hugged his frame like a second skin.

She smiled mischievously, immersed her sponge with excessive water and soap and threw it at him, hitting him square in the chest. The sponge splattered against him, sending soap suds onto his face. He looked momentarily shocked and then caught her eye as she started laughing. His eyes darkened with revenge and she saw it. He picked up an almost empty bucket of water and advanced at her slowly. She moved away from the van and started backing up.

"Nick, you wouldn't dare." She remarked, nervously.

"Oh you bet your sweet little ass I would." He answered darkly.

She shrieked and started to run away from him, behind the other side of the van. He didn't hesitate and started to chase after her. She was fast but he was faster. They ran around the van a few times, exerting themselves.

He quickly stopped and started running in the opposite direction, catching her off guard as they both came around together. He managed to stop before colliding with her and threw the bucket of what was left of the dirty soapy water at her.

There wasn't that much left inside but what hit her was enough, soaking her tank top completely and wetting her already damp hair. She tried to grab the other bucket, but Nick reached her first.

"Oh no you don't…" he practically growled at her as he tackled her, slamming her against the wall of the van, his hard body pinning her down. His hands on either side of her. Breathing hard their eyes met and Nick murmured softly "Sara, you're gonna pay for that…" and then his lips captured hers.

There was no hesitation as she responded to his kiss. Her lips parted automatically letting his mouth take over. His hands moved away from the vehicle and ran up her bare arms, massaging her shoulders and then finally cupping her face. She shivered with pleasure and clasped her hands around his neck, pulling him even closer against her.

His tongue slipped inside her wet mouth, and she angled her head to allow him deeper access. Moaning involuntarily as his hands slipped down from her face and slid down her sides, brushing at the sides of her breasts.

She tasted so good that Nick could feel his body harden with every kiss. She tugged at the back of his hair and his answering groans made her pull harder. His thumbs began massaging her hips and then his hands trailed back and grabbed her behind, squeezing firmly. She could feel his enlarged cock pressing against her, straining against his jeans.

Her breasts were pushed up on his chest, damp from the water, her nipples hard. While his left hand firmly kneaded her ass cheek, his right hand slowly pushed up under her shirt, his fingers trailing up her moist skin. His hand found a breast and he seized it roughly, earning a whimper of pleasure from her. He rubbed and pushed forcefully and his kisses became more urgent.

Her hands ran down the front of his chest, running down the contours of his abdominal muscles. She started to reach back with her hand to open the sliding door, and not wanting to break contact Nick started kissing her neck. She finally managed to maneuver the door so it was partially open and pulled him inside in one swift movement. He fell on top of her as they crashed down.

His breathing ragged "Are you ok?" he asked concerned.

Looking up at him, fire in her eyes, she grabbed the front of his shirt crushing him closer to her "Shut up and kiss me."

"His eyes crinkled and he smiled. "Yes ma'am."

To be continued.