Disclaimer: If I did own it, things would be a lot different.

Okay, so I know it's almost a week later, but I HAD to write a response to the finale.

I thought of this idea while in my shower, listening to "Devil in Jersey City" by Coheed & Cambria (hence the name of the fic)

It's pretty epic for my standards, but I just couldn't stop writing!

Here is is, Read & Review!

Nick Stokes rolled over in his bed, sweaty and uncomfortable. He glanced at his clock, which blinked 6:30 at him mercilessly. Normally on a Friday morning, he would be fast asleep, renewing his energy for another day at the crime lab. But tonight was different. Something was keeping him awake, a force that roused Nick from his bed and led him to the only window in his small bedroom.

Lightening struck as Nick pulled the blinds to get a view of Vegas life. It was early in the morning, yet the mass of dark clouds and sunless sky created the facade that it was still the middle of the night. Rain fell down in torrential waves, a radical weather change from the balmy May weather Nick rather enjoyed. He tried to find someone walking on the street, observe some kind of life outside of his apartment, yet it seemed the town was abandoned. Understandable, Nick thought, as he noticed the rain would madefy anything in a heartbeat as it assaulted the black asphalt.

The rain tore up the outside world, but the air inside was killing Nick. Heavy, thick and humid, Nick's bedroom had begun to close in on him. Feeling the quasi-condensed heat so uncharacteristic to Vegas weather patterns, Nick stripped himself of his white tank top, leaving his gray sweatpants on out of laziness. Against his will, he crept out of his bedroom and away from the possibility of him getting any sleep at all.

Immediately, he noticed the air change. Once humid in his room, he found the living room unusually crisp. Yet, his tiredness combated his urge to retrieve the forsaken tank top lying on the floor at the foot of his bed. He flopped onto his couch, and attempted to close his eyes for a few minutes of sleep. He needed to pull himself back together, fight the night and sleep through the feeling that something wasn't right.

Then, he heard a soft yet persistent knock on the door.

Nick shot straight up from his leisurely position on the couch, a confused look plastered on his face. Who the hell would knock at this time in the morning? He thought, cursing under his breath. He strode quickly to the front hall of his apartment. Shaking his head, he turned the latch and opened the door.

Sara Sidle stared back at him with an expression he couldn't quite place. Her brown eyes had gone wide with some kind of life-altering change, and she slowly ran a hand through her drenched coffee-colored hair. Nick looked at her in shock. The fact that she was thoroughly soaked didn't pique his interest so much, but that she was only wearing what looked to be a cream-colored silk robe blew his mind. He stood silent. She looked at him imploringly before her husky voice reached an audible level.

"Do you think I could come in?" She clearly looked upset, and Nick knew that he couldn't refuse her. She seemed off-kilter. Something wasn't right, and he felt it was his duty to help her no matter what.

"Why didn't you use the doorbell?" Nick asked. He knew he should've told her yes right away, but his investigative mind jumped before his compassionate heart could. She stared at the mauve carpeting of the hallway before meeting his gaze and pursing her lips.

"Power's out," She said succinctly.

Nick reached for his light switch and flicked it a few times. She was right, the lightening and rain had robbed his entire building of power, leaving virtually everything in the apartment useless.

"Oh no," Nick muttered softly to himself before turning to Sara and smiling, "Sure, come in."

She walked briskly into Nick's apartment. Instinctively, Sara began rubbing her arms vigorously, her silk robe sticking to her like a second skin. Through the faint light peeking through the blinds, Nick finally noticed Sara had a similar colored nightgown underneath to serve as a second layer, but observed that there was no way his brunette coworker could survive the chill of his apartment with what she was wearing. He spied his old fraternity sweatshirt on the couch, picked it up and handed it to the shivering woman.

"You put this on, I'll go get some candles and put some tea on." Nick touched Sara's shoulder briefly, feeling the individual shivers coursing through her body. He rubbed them away slightly in an attempt to ease her frozen, shuddering body. She smiled weakly as he pulled away to move in the direction of the closet where he stored his emergency supplies.

"Thanks." She replied softly. She stared at him as he walked away from her, uneasily crossing and uncrossing her arms as if she had no clue where to go next. Nick sensed something changed Sara. He'd never seen her so quiet before.

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Nick walked back out into the living room carrying a dozen or so votive candles his mom had sent him "just in case". He placed them all along his coffee table and counter, lighting each of them with the click of his automatic lighter. Successively, a soft glow illuminated the room. Smiling at his accomplishment, Nick slid over to the kitchen. He knelt down to find the teakettle, filled it up with water, and placed it slowly on the front burner of his stove. As he turned it on, he heard the soft pad of footsteps nearing their way to the kitchen.

"I hope you don't mind, I hung my clothes up to dry in your bathroom." The voice came cutting through the dim light, and Nick turned to see Sara leaning in the archway of his kitchen, clothed in his Phi Delta Theta sweatshirt from his senior year in college. Nick inhaled deeply, taking in the sight of Sara in the blue and white garment, which, although baggy, hung onto each curve of her damp body. The sweatshirt was large, but her wispy yet elongated physique stretched it, the hem falling to the middle of her thighs with frayed edges and worn threads. He'd been shocked to see her in the silk robe, but he'd become intrigued with her long legs peeking out of the oversized sweatshirt, her hair drying into springy curls. He stared into her brown eyes, noticing the glimmer they obtained with the fuzzy luminescence of the small candles. She looked simply amazing in the most wholesome of ways, and Nick couldn't help but admit she looked the most beautiful he'd ever seen her in their entire friendship.

"Not at all." Nick's voice broke through the dry feeling in his throat, a sure side effect of being turned on.

He hadn't seen Sara so vulnerable before, so human. She'd come to him many times before in search of comfort, but this time felt different. He had no clue why she showed up at his apartment on a dark, rainy Friday morning, but something inside of him wanted to understand her, and help her face whatever demons she'd picked up to bring her to the archway of his kitchen, fidgeting with the hem of his college sweatshirt.

"Why don't we sit on the couch?" Nick suggested, leading her out of the kitchen and into his living room.

"Okay…" Sara seemed distant to Nick. Her eyes captured Nick as a focal point, but he couldn't help but feel she was looking past him somehow, thinking of how she made her way to his apartment at such an odd time in the morning. He sighed, taking a seat at the opposite side of the couch. Sara sat slowly, rubbing her cold legs with her hands. Nick zoned out on them, noticing their smoothness as her spindle-like fingers brushed passed her shins and back again. Snapping out of his reverie for his coworker, he grabbed a large quilt lying over his ottoman.

"Here," Nick handed her the patchwork blanket with a compassionate smile, "This will keep you warm."

"Thanks," Sara said shaking her head, "Thank you, Nick, for taking me in right now. I didn't want to go home…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say next. Nick stared at her, her skin soaking up the radiant glow of the candles strewn about his living room. She tucked a small damp curl behind her ear, avoiding his gaze by staring in the direction of the teapot slowly boiling the water for their tea.

"Do you… wanna talk about it?" Nick implored. She was at his apartment for a reason, and Nick couldn't help but ask. Everything about her presence felt suspicious, like she had emerged from a place she didn't want to return. Nick understood Sara, and felt the need to connect with her, to ease her obviously agitated state of mind. He gradually inched closer to Sara, moving to her side of the couch in an attempt to diffuse her unsettlement. He stared into her eyes earnestly, his eyebrows arching in an attempt to coax her demons out for him to fight.

Sara smirked, turning to face him, "You promise you won't hold anything I tell you against me later?" She cocked her head at him, pursing her lips in a way that made it clear that she would hurt him with an amazing amount of stealth and quickness if he did something that wasn't to her liking. Yet, he knew she would never have to worry. Her secrets were always safe with him.

"I promise." Nick shot back a similar smile until he realized the feeling had fallen from Sara's face. She looked pensive, almost regretful. Nick reached out to touch her hand, to give her some warmth, but she pulled away. She began to avoid his gaze once more.

"Nick," she began, "Something's been happening."

Nick looked at her with a bewildered expression.

"What's been happening, Sara?"

"Grissom." Sara choked, wincing at the word pushing through her speech. Nick observed as his friend felt the need to twist and contort her body into a new position to relieve her inner problems. She'd stopped, crossing her legs and leaning back to support her shaken frame, the quilt bunched around her.

"Yeah," Nick couldn't understand how Grissom fit into Sara's problem, but he was damn sure that his boss must've hurt her like he'd done before, "What does Grissom have to do with anything?"

"He's been taking me out," Sara blurted out, her face twisting into a tight grimace as if Nick was torturing her, not calmly trying to help her.

"We've been dating."

"What?" Nick sat shell-shocked. He'd seen their looks, their traded barbs, but he would've never thought Sara would…. Suddenly it all made sense. The robe, the nightgown, the odd timing, it all made sense.

"Were you two…physical?" Nick placed his hands on his face, waiting for the inevitable answer.

"No," Sara shook her head, "Well…we hadn't been." She looked at Nick with a resolute expression, signifying that she wasn't playing with his mind. Nick stared back in disbelief, unable to respond to her words. In all honesty, he was stuck back at her statement that she and Grissom were involved.

Suddenly, the whistle of the teakettle invaded Nick and Sara's intimate conversation.

Opportunistically taking the exit, Nick rushed over to the stove, cutting the heat. But, instead of pulling out mugs and finishing the tea, Nick stared at the teakettle in intense thought. He'd never felt so frustrated before, the feeling coming out of what seemed like left field. He slowly started to rationalize it, but ran into his own epiphany.

He'd cared for Sara many times in many thoughtful ways throughout their six-year friendship, yet for some reason tonight he felt jealous. He was physically ill with the thought of Sara and his boss together, but not because it might've sent the wrong message about their shift or that his authoritative status could jeopardize the integrity of the team. He was mad that Grissom could have her. She'd been his true support throughout a lot of tough times, and he for her, yet he realized that he wanted it to be more than that. The time I finally realize what I want, she's telling me about her current relationship, Nick thought, slamming his fist softly on the counter. Calming down, he took a few breaths before filling two mugs with boiling water and setting in chamomile tea bags.

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Setting the mugs on the twin coasters resting on his coffee table, he noticed Sara was back off in her little world. She'd obviously shifted for a second time, as her lengthy, smooth legs rested over the arm of the couch. The quilt had pooled around her waist, the ends of it spilling onto his hardwood floor. Nick looked at her, and felt something inside stir. He'd deduced that he'd been hiding his true feelings from himself a long time, and Sara's unexpected visit had shown him the 'light', so to speak. Her hair fully dried into the tight curls he had seen her flaunt her first year on the job in Vegas, and he couldn't help but think that she looked like a small child finally realizing the large expanse that the world truly was. He sat down next to her, and she turned to look at him and smile feebly before pulling her mug off of the table to take a small sip.

"So," Nick sighed, looking at the woman sitting next to him, "Where were we?"

Sara placed her cup back on the table and flipped her body to face Nick. Her face turned into one Nick had never seen before: he imagined that this was the face she gave during confessional as a young girl, Forgive me father for I have sinned, it's been too long since my last confession….

"Nick…" She started, letting out a deep breath, "Grissom told me last month that he was ready for me, he wanted a relationship."

"And, Sara, after all this time you gave it to him?" Nick asked a little too accusingly, regretting it the minute it spilled out of his angry mouth.

"Well," She got defensive, "Yes. God, Nick, I wanted him so badly for all these years I practically jumped at the chance to be with him."

Nick looked at her with apologetic eyes, quelling her anger into silence. Finally reaching for his mug, Nick took a sip of the warm liquid. He always waited for the tea to warm, so he wouldn't get burned.

"But, what is it you said about you two getting…. Physical?" Nick inquired after his sip, the words sticking like peanut butter in his mouth; the one thing he hated.

Sara avoided his gaze again, shame marring her pretty features. She ran her thin fingers through her hair, trying to ease the pain by working out the curls hovering around her face. She let out a low sigh, and continued in a mouse-like voice.

"We hadn't even kissed all month," she admitted, looking at the shirtless Texan out of the corner of her eye, "He told me he wanted to wait."

"So...you didn't even kiss the whole time you two were dating? Not once?" Nick let out an inward scoff at Grissom's foolishness. Sara's lips curved into a small smile, and she licked her lips before continuing.

"He said he wanted the passion to come all at once. We planned it," she stopped, and Nick noticed it was because she turned to stare at him, inching her body closer to him as if she was keeping a huge secret. He knew this was hard for her, she was obviously shaken. He felt bad for being so arrogant earlier, and pulled her hand in between his own. She responded to the gesture, patting his shoulder and saying, "Tonight was supposed to be the night…we were supposed to finally test the physical boundaries."

Nick fought against the urge to let her hand go, to stop the madness of this whole situation. Yet, he knew there had to be a logical answer to why she was in his apartment, on his couch, holding his hand. He plundered for more answers to his questions.

"So, the robe?" His eyebrows raised in a perplexed manner. She shook her head .

"For him," she said in her throaty, raw voice, "It was my present to him for waiting so long."

"Tell me." Nick urged her on. He knew that this moment was for her and her alone, she needed the catharsis. He'd seen her admit to things before, but he knew this time it was serious.

"I'd been in his bathroom getting ready, and he began talking about death," She looked away again, but this time to relive the memory as she had experienced it, "After Brass this week, I could understand where he was coming from. He told me he wanted to die of cancer, and that he wanted a chance to say goodbye to the people he loved…I came out, and told him I wasn't ready to say goodbye."

Nick couldn't help but grimace slightly at her recount of the story. The thought of his boss with her like that spawned more jealousy, and he fought the urge to throw up. But, he stayed with his friend, the one he realized he wanted to love. He pressed her on.

"And?"

"And, I leaned in, and we kissed," Sara immediately wrinkled her nose, a look of regret filling her eyes along with the tears she was battling against, "But, I could only think to myself 'That's it? You've pined for this man for years and this is all it is? Why don't I feel anything?'" She shuffled around again, but kept her grip on Nick's hand as tight as she could. Though, she couldn't help but avoid his gaze. "I felt nothing, Nick. No spark. No instant love I was hoping for. I realized I was being courted by a fantasy, not real chemistry. The thought of my actions at the time made my insides twist. It didn't feel natural."

Nick noticed her inner emotional struggle, her quivering lip, and reached out to steady her. He placed his fingers on her tremulous chin, stalling its movements and bringing her dark eyes back to meet his.

"So you bailed?" His voice came out low and gruff, soothing to her ears.

"I left so fast that I forgot my other clothes," Sara said in-between her laugh-like sobbing, "I just couldn't bring myself to live in that world anymore. My life wasn't meant to be with Grissom, and I broke him on accident in the process of finding it out. I couldn't go back home; I didn't want him calling me. You were the only person I could run to. I've messed up, Nick…"

Sara broke down, sobs taking over her body and violently shaking her frail body. Tears fell down as rapidly as the rain outside, and Nick brought her to him. He rocked her, cradling her against his bare chest. She'd made a mistake, she'd finally erred, and there was no way to undo it. Salty tears streaked the sweatshirt she had borrowed. Nick began to breathe slowly, and instinctively her rhythm became apart of his. Cautiously, he brought her back down, allowing her to rebuild the shield she'd shattered in front of him. He began wiping stray tears from her pallid face, and she smiled at his touch, closing her eyes.

"Sara…" Nick said gingerly, "Everyone makes mistakes. You need to pick up from this. You've made one error, don't beat yourself in payment for it."

"Thanks," She said, wiping her face, "You know, Nick. You've always been so sweet to me. You've been there for me at the worst times in my life it seems like. You're always there to catch me when I fall—"

Sara's vote of thanks was interrupted by the lightning-fast impulse of Nick's gentle lips on hers. Nick tenderly kissed her, relaxing her body in a way she'd never felt before. Although it was over before it even really began, Sara stared at her half-naked, sheepishly mannered coworker and felt something foreign to her.

"Sorry," Nick blurted out, inwardly cursing himself for his own absurdity. You're taking advantage of her now? Who are you? He thought to himself. He nervously looked away from his sweatshirt-clad friend.

"No…it's okay…." Sara said in an altered voice. Nick looked backed at her. She seemed entranced, eased somehow.

Mirroring him, Sara seized the impulse and pulled Nick's bare torso to her, returning the kiss he'd so quickly taken away from her. She realized it wasn't a fluke, and whatever he was doing to her she liked it. Their lips lingered sweetly on one another, and as they pulled away Sara couldn't help but lick her lips. They felt so true to her, so natural, she was blown away. He'd magnified her feelings, not stifled them like Grissom had. She'd been looking in the wrong place the whole time…

Seemingly out of nowhere, the hall light flickered again, a sure sign of power restored. Nick smiled, but couldn't fight a yawn that escaped from his lungs. Following in kind, Sara yawned too.

"Power's on," she said, noting the obvious.

"I never noticed how tired I was…. Maybe we should get some sleep?" Nick said casually, his twang pronounced with his exhaustion. However, Sara's meticulous analysis of everything in her universe kicked in again, and she stared at him with open-mouthed surprise.

"We?" She questioned. Nick raised and eyebrow at her then laughed his low, hearty laugh.

"You are staying, correct?" Nick fired back. She shrugged: he had a point. He picked up the tea mugs, cold from sitting out, and set them on the counter.

"I don't mean it like that, darlin'" He spoke, reaching out his hand to lift her from the couch, "We've had a hard morning. We deserve a little bit of peaceful sleepin'."

"Yeah we have." She agreed, grasping his hand as he helped her up. He placed his arm over her shoulder, holding her as they meandered their way back to Nick's room.

"Nick?" Sara questioned, stopping their path back to his bedroom. She planted another chaste kiss on his lips.

"Thanks." She said kindly, eyes shining with gratitude.

"Sar," He responded looking at her with respect and grace, "Like you told me…."

"…I'll always be there to catch you when you fall."

Well...I hope this eased the minds of my fellow Snickers!

Reviews make my heart sing!

--LMS