Title: Feelings

Spoilers: Missing scenes from the Strip Strangler.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sad, isn't it?

N/S romance

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Nick's POV

I just got a page about a meeting and walked in the room with Sara, Warrick, and Grissom. In front of us was Agent Culpepper from the F.B.I. looking all too smug in my opinion. I knew for a fact, Grissom didn't want the man here either. Culpepper looked up at us.

"You all got my page. Good."

Grissom gave him a blank stare. "I didn't."

"We'll get you a new battery. I thought we'd convo about the strangler. Hear what you got, tell you what we think our next move should be."

Grissom turned around and glanced at all of us. "Would you guys go back to my office? I'll be in a few minutes."

We did as told. Warrick was ahead of us, with Sara right behind me. She had slowed down and had an odd look on her face. "I'll meet you there in a minute Warrick." I called out to my friend. I then turned around to face Sara. She was leaning against the wall. I walked up beside her and gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" I asked concerned.

She took a few seconds and then looked up. "I'm fine." She glanced back towards the room we just left. "I need to go back there."

"Grissom told us to wait in his office." I told her plainly.

"I know he did, but there's something going on you don't know about and he needs to know." She started walking back toward the room. I stepped in front of her.

"Sara, what do you mean there's something going on?" I had no clue what she was talking about.

"Can we talk about this later?" She acted like she really wanted away from me.

"Promise?" I asked really not wanting her out of my sight, but I could tell she seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"I promise." She gave me one last smile and walked in the office. Of course, me being the concerned person I am, went and stood by the door, out of sight from what was going on. I could hear them in the office.

"I'm going to do it Grissom. I want to." Sara's voice.

'Do what?' I thought to myself and listened closer.

I heard Grissom next. "You want to put yourself in the path of a psychopathic killer?"

'Say what?!' I wasn't sure if I heard him right. 'What was going here?'

"I'm trained in weaponless defense." Sara said with what seemed like confidence. To me, it seemed like a totally bad idea. Grissom must have been thinking along those same lines.

"Well, that's too bad. That's what turns him on, a woman fighting back. Gives him an extra sense of power when he makes his final kill."

"Grissom."

"Sit down Sara."

I couldn't see Sara's reaction but I'm sure she wasn't too thrilled with him. I quit listening after he told Sara to sit down. My mind wouldn't stop thinking of all the things that could happen to her if she was allowed to go through with whatever they were planning. At least he told her no. My head was spinning, but I was able to hear Grissom mention that a signature killer always knows who their next victim is, but the victim doesn't know who he is until he tortures, rapes, and kills them. I have a feeling that he's staring right at Sara as he says this. I hear noises in there and soon Grissom and Sara walk out. Grissom gives me an odd look.

"Something you need Nick?" He asks me.

I glanced over at Sara. She looked pretty upset. "No, I was wanting to talk to Sara for a minute."

Grissom only nods and walks off leaving me alone with her. Sara glances up at me and waits for me to speak. There was only one question that came to mind. "Why?" I ask her.

She looks confused. "Why what?"

"Why would you want to risk your life like that?"



Her face became red. "You were out here the whole time! Weren't you?" She yelled.

"I'm sorry, I wanted to know why you acting so strange."

"Strange? Nick, I'm not the one who's acting out of character. Since when do you ease drop?"

"Since I found out it had something to do with you!" I couldn't take this anymore. I had to tell her how I felt. Only when I looked at her face, my courage fell.

Sara's face looked pale. I swear I thought I frightened her to death. A tear ran down her cheek. "You don't understand." She told me and before I could ask why, she took off. I watched her form retreat down the hall. I desperately wanted to follow her, but Warrick called out to me. I took one last glance down the hallway and then walked with along with Warrick in the opposite direction.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sara's POV

I knew that I was taking a huge risk going undercover, but I had to do it. It kills me seeing what's happening to these women and not being able to do nothing about it. I knew Grissom disagreed with what I was doing. I just wish he could try and understand though, and then there's Nick. Why did he have to listen in? I never meant to hurt him. I didn't mean what I said earlier but his comment got to me. Okay, it got to me more ways than one. It was no secret to myself that I have these feelings for Nick. I just never guessed that he would have them for me. I can't worry about that now. I have to get ready.

An hour later, I was stepping into the grocery store. Grissom was upset that I went behind his back, but it had to be done. I walked up and down each aisle, stopping and reading the labels on everything. I could care less about the fat content in the items, my thoughts were on Nick. Damn, why did I have to be so mean to him? He was only concerned about my safety. I looked around the store and checked out every guy that walked by. After three hours of nothing, I was ready to try somewhere else. That was until he came up. The guy walked up to me and smiled.



"Would you happen to have a cigarette?"

I smile and reach in my purse. "Uh, yeah actually."

"I've been trying to quit and I don't want to buy a pack."

"Me too." I pull out the pack of cigarettes and hand them over. "This is my last pack, but, uh, I say that every week so."

He takes the cigarette and inspects it. "Unfiltered. The women I know smoke filtered. You know those long skinny cigarettes."

"Guess it depends on the woman." I tell him coolly.

"Guess it does. You got a light?"

"Sure, yeah." Once again I reach down in my purse and begin searching for my lighter.

"Do you live around here?"

"Maybe, but I don't usually give out that kind of information." I tell him and move some of my hair away from my face.

"That's probably a good idea. I wouldn't tell me either." He gives me a strange look and then says. "You're cute."

I have to remain calm. "Thanks." I say and I begin to glance around until I notice he's reaching for my purse. "HEY!" I call out. Before I could do anything else, the feds come in. I walk over behind the shelve and soon hear that another woman has been attacked. I couldn't believe it. Once they walked off, I glanced at Grissom. "He met the profile." I tell him.

"Sometimes the harder thing to do is do nothing." I could feel him leading me out of the store. I was so angry. More at myself, than anyone else, then I saw Nick run up to Grissom and me. He looked very upset.

"I just heard from Brass." He stared at me. "Are you okay?"

I only nod my head. Grissom looks at the both of us. Then turns his attention on Nick. "Why don't you take Sara back to the lab?" He replies and walks off leaving me alone with Nick.

Once again I was forced to look into Nick's eyes. I could see the mixed emotions that formed in them. "I'm sorry." I finally tell him.

He didn't say any thing. He just grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. He held onto me so tightly I honestly thought he would never let go. To be honest, I didn't want him to either. He pulled back and cupped my face with his hand. "I was so scared. You could have been killed."

"It wasn't our guy." I told him.

"Yeah, but it could have been. Then what where you going to do if the feds didn't make it on time?"

"I," He had me there. I honestly couldn't come up with a good answer. "You're right Nick. It was stupid of me to put my life on the line. But I couldn't stand back and wait for him to kill someone else."

"If something happened to you Sara, I don't know what I would have done." I could feel his palm on my cheek as he moved in closer.

I was the one that made the next move. I reached up and pulled Nick to me and kissed him full on the lips. I pulled back for a brief moment to make sure he was okay with what I just did. He smiled and wrapped both arms around my waist and pulled me against his body. He then bent down and kissed me. Our kiss started off soft and tenderly, but soon are passion for each other began to take over. I deepened the kiss and we stayed that way until we were both breathless. Nick pulled away and grinned at me. "I'm really glad you're okay."

"Me too." I have no idea where I gained the courage, but I told him exactly how I felt. "I love you Nick."

His brown eyes seemed to widen and his face began to light up. "I love you too Sara." He kissed me again. I pulled away after a few moments and sighed. "I guess we should head back before Grissom calls in the troops."

"Yeah, I guess so." He and I walked hand in hand back to his Tahoe. I felt so much happier now that I told Nick exactly how I felt. I couldn't believe that he felt the same way. I was sitting in the passenger side of the Tahoe. I reached over and grabbed his hand and held it. He turned to look at me and gave me his gorgeous grin. I felt like melting. He then squeezed my hand and held it all the way back to the lab.

~Finished~