Summary: Nick and Sara unofficially go undercover as a married couple to find out why another couple was killed.
Disclaimer: I wish but it never comes true.
A/N: Ok my sister came up with this and made me post it. I think you'll like it. It was originally supposed to be between Grissom and Catherine but I'm a Warrick/Catherine shipper and I couldn't do that so she came up with a Nick/Sara story. My attempt at humour. Now on with the fic.
Undercover
At one in the morning on September fifteenth, a digital camera clicked as Sara Sidle took pictures of the crime scene. She was in the middle of the street of Hons Ave. Jamie and Harry Johnson were killed earlier that night.
Nick Stokes arrived at the crime scene in his jeep ten minutes after Sara.
"How's it coming?" He asked as Sara finished taking pictures.
Sara pointed to the knife in Harry's hand. "Notice the multiple stab wounds on Mrs. Johnson's chest and the clean slash across Mr. Johnson's throat?"
"Yeah. You thinking murder-suicide?"
Sara nodded. "Yeah. See how the slash goes from left to right? He's right handed. So I'm asuming he did it himself. He also has bruisings on his left hand which I can't explain."
"Has the Doc released them yet?"
"Yep. They're all ours." Sara pulled out the knife and printed it.
"I got a print. I'll lift it and send it to Jackie." Nick reached into Harry's coat pocket and protruded a day planner.
"Let's see what they did today." Nick flipped through the book until he found today's date. "Hey check this out. The perfect couple had marriage counseling today at two with Dr. Dell." Sara showed him a cell phone she found in Jamie's purse.
"It just happens that Dr. Dell called twice today. Once at two-thirty and again at three." Sara tried to access the voice mail but didn't have the password.
"What's her number?" Nick asked when he saw her frustration.
"Uh..." She checked. "533-6461. Why?"
"Is it a four digit password?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Try the last for digits in her number." She tried it and the voice mail opened up.
"How did you know that?"
"Most people do that so it's easy to remember. I use my number too."
"Oh." Sara played back the first message from Dr. Dell. She went through all the automated stuff and listened as the message played.
Mrs. Johnson? This is Dr. Dell. It's two-thirty. Your appointment was at two. I'll be waiting for you and Mr. Johnson if you show up later. Could you call me back? I'd like to go over the subject we went over last week one more time. Thanks.
The message ended and Sara played the second.
This is Dr. Dell again. It's three o'clock. Um, I guess you're not coming in today. I have another patient coming so I'll make this brief. I'd like to reschedule our appointment to Friday at four. Call me back and let me know if you can make it.
When the message ended, Sara turned to Nick and relayed it to him.
"What do you say we pay a visit to Dr. Dell?" Nick suggested. Sara nodded.
"I was just thinking the same thing. Tomarrow?"
"Tomarrow." The pair finished up at the crime scene and went home to get a good night's sleep.
Nick arrived at Sara's apartment at around seven in the morning. He parked his jeep in an empty parking spot and got out. As he walked up to the door he noticed a sign on the intercom from Sara. It read:
Nick,
Intercom broken. Buzz room 106 and ask Carrie to tell me you're here. Thanks!
Sara
Nick followed the instructions and buzzed room 106. Surprisingly, Sara was the one who answered.
"You're late." She said through the intercom. Nick pushed the talk button and answered her.
"Did you set your clocks a half an hour early again? It's seven-thirty! This is normally the time I wake up!"
"Stop complaining! I'll be down in a minute." Nick pulled the sign off, folded it, and stuffed it in his pocket. Ten minutes later Sara finally came down.
"You're late." Nick mocked her.
"Shut up." Was Sara's response.
"So what happened to Carrie?" Nick asked as they made their way over to Nick's jeep.
"She had an emergency at work and had to go in early. So she woke me up at five-thirty to have me go in her room to answer the intercom."
"And it still took you ten more minutes after I got here to get ready? You had an hour and a half." Sara turned to him once she had buckled her seat belt.
"I'm a woman, Nick. It takes me a long time to get ready." Nick chuckled.
"Whatever you say, Sara." They pulled out of the parking lot and headed off to Dr. Dell's office.
Sara and Nick walked into a lavishly furnished waiting room at Dr. Dell's Marriage Counselling. They immediately felt like they had walked back in time. The room had a seventies air to it. Dark wooden coffee tables, shag carpet, gold crushed velvet sofas and chairs, and pastel blue paint.
There was a receptionist sitting in the corner of the room so Sara and Nick went over to her desk. When she saw them coming she looked up from what she was doing to assist them.
"Hi. I'm Bethany." The middle-aged blonde greeted them. "Are you two here for marriage counselling?"
"No."
"Yes."
Sara and Nick said in unison. Sara turned questioningly to Nick. He smiled and raised his eyebrows. Sara got his message. Play along.
"Yes." Sara reluctantly agreed.
Bethany looked skeptical. "Well you need to sign in and then fill out some papers." Nick signed them in while Sara took the forms.
"Nasty bruise you got there." Sara said, noticing the purple mark on Bethany's forehead. She hadn't noticed it until Bethany had brushed her bangs aside.
"Oh. Yeah. I was in a car accident two days ago." Sara and Nick went to fill out the forms.
They sat on the gold sofa together and looked at the paper they were supposed to fill out. Nick took the medical information sheet, leaving Sara with the personal information.
"What should I put?" She asked when she saw the kind of questions on the paper.
Nick looked over the questions then smirked. "Use your imagination."
Husband's Name: Nick Stokes Age: 33
Wife's Name: Sara Stokes Maiden Name: Sara Sidle Age: 32
Husband's occupation: Bartender Work number: 649-2287
Wife's occupation: Forensic Scientist Work Number: 740-9153
How long have you been married? Five years
Do you have any kids? Yes
If so how many? Three
Please state the name(s) and age(s) of your child(s) if you have any. Gil - 4, Greg - 3, Catherine - 18 months
Sara finished and showed Nick the life she had created for them.
"How come you get the good career?" Nick asked when he saw that he was wasting his life away as a bartender.
"Because I filled it out."
"You didn't put Warrick down as one of our kids." He pointed out.
"Personally, I don't like the idea of having a child name 'Warrick'. It just doesn't sound right for one of my kids."
"Why not 'Rick'?"
"Sounds too much like 'Nick'." She joked.
"Hardy har har." The couple got up together and handed the forms to Bethany.
"You're lucky Dr. Dell had a cancelation today. You're appointment is at eight. If you don't mind waiting for five minutes, I'll let you know when Dr. Dell is ready." With that Bethany left her desk to inform Dr. Dell that he had last minute clients.
Sara and Nick returned to their sofa, this time sitting as far away from each other as possible. Three minutes later, Bethany returned.
"Dr. Dell is ready for you now." She announced. Sara and Nick jumped up, eager to get going. "Just through the last door on the right." She said pointing down the hallway behind her desk.
Nick headed down the hall with Sara following close behind him. When they got to the last door on the right, Nick knocked. Nothing happened. He tried opening the door but it was locked.
A piece of paper slid through the opening underneath the door. Sara picked it up and read it then handed it over to Nick.
To my new clients,
This is a test to see how you work together. Find a way to open the door. If in ten minutes you can't, I'll come out and get you.
Dr. Dell
"So we have to open the door?" Nick questioned, examining the door.
"Apparently." Nick examined the door some more then stepped back against the opposite wall.
"Stand back." He commanded of Sara. She obliged and took several steps back.
Nick ran his shoulder full force into the door. It didn't budge and resulted in a sore shoulder for Nick. Sara tried to contain her laugh but failed miserably.
"You think you could do better?" He spat while rubbing his bruised shoulder.
"Let me try." Sara rummaged in her purse for a minute until she found what she was looking for. She leaned down in front of the doorknob and jiggled whatever it was she had pulled from her purse inside the keyhole.
When she was finished, the door opened easily. Sara smirked at Nick and held up a bobby pin.
"Works every time." Nick would have sent an angry glare in Sara's direction had it not been for Dr. Dell's excelent timing.
"Mr. and Mrs. Stokes! So glad you could get the door open. So far you've been the fastest at getting it opened. Two minutes and six seconds. Congratulations!" Dr. Dell stood tall with a military posture. He had short, spiky black hair and deep blue eyes.
"Uh, sorry sir, but how is that a good thing?" Nick asked still rubbing his shoulder. Dr. Dell chuckled.
"Well, aside from giving us some more time to talk, it means you work well together. Although, Nick, you seem to be 'The Man'. You want to appear storng and force things to work. Sara, you seem to want to go the smarter route. You found the logic in your situation. And Nick, I'm glad you didn't manage to break down my door. Why don't we go into my office now?" Dr. Dell ushered them into a more modern room. It looked like any other psychiatrist's office.
"Now is there anything you'd like to ask me before we get started?" Dr. Dell said after the three had sat down. Sara and Nick on the sofa and Dr. Dell on the chair across from them.
"Has anyone you've counseled ever murder each other?" Sara asked immediatly.
"Uh... I don't believe so. Why do you ask? Are you planning on killing your husband?"
"No. I was just wondering." Dr. Dell shuffled some papers around.
"Well as far as I know, no one's ever killed each other while I counseled them. Is there anything else?" Sara and Nick both shook their heads. "Okay. Well how about we start with Nick. Do you have anything to complain about Sara?"
Nick was about to say no when a thought occured to him. "Well, Dr. Dell, Sara maxes out on overtime every month. Which leaves me with the kids all the time. And then when she gets home, she's too tired to do anything. We don't spend any time together anymore. It makes me feel unimportant. She used to have time for me. But ever since Catherine was born, we haven't gone out to dinner or done anything together. It's like she doesn't care anymore. And she never gets to see the kids. It hurts." Nick finished his complaint with mock puppy dog eyes at Sara.
"And how about you Sara? Do you have any complaints towards Nick?" Sara smiled mischievously at Nick.
"Yes, Dr. Dell. I do. Nick flirts with anything in a skirt. He even flirted with a hooker a couple of years ago. And that makes me feel like he doesn't love me. I mean, he has only flirted with me like that before we had Gil, our oldest son. Then he goes flirting with other women. It hurts me." Sara was a good enough actor to start crying. Nick knew she was faking but Dr. Dell thought she was really crying. He reached over onto the end table and grabbed the tissue box, handing it to Sara.
Sara looked up with her fake-tear-stained face and red eyes to take a tissue. She blew her nose and then turned to Nick, having just thought of something.
"Did you ever think that the reason I don't make time for you is because you flirt with everyone?" She went back to fake-crying.
When Sara had calmed down, Dr. Dell turned to Nick. "Nick, do you think you could stop paying attention to other women? And Sara, if Nick agrees to not flirt with other women, you have to make an effort to make more time for Nick. This could possibly be reversed. Maybe the reason he flirts with women is because you don't make time for him. Now you two need to agree on this. Sara make time for Nick and Nick, stop paying more attention to strangers than you do your own wife."
"Alright." Sara agreed.
"I agree too." Nick said.
"Good." Dr. Dell smiled. "Now I think this agreement deserves a kiss." He noticed Sara and Nick's hesitation and said, "Go on. Kiss."
They turned to face one another and leaned in together. They hesitated when they were an inch apart. Nick closed the distance and brushed his lips against Sara's. They quickly pulled apart. It could've gone into the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest kiss ever.
"Well, good enough." Dr. Dell sounded disappointed. "Okay our time is up for today. I'll see you next week." Sara and Nick rushed out of the office and down the hall.
Before they got to the end, Sara stopped Nick. "As far as I'm concerned, nothing happened."
"Agreed." Nick answered, relieved. They started walking again. "No one from work can find out about this, okay?"
"Fine with me." Sara stopped when she saw Bethany talking to a couple who appeared to be waiting fo Dr. Dell. "Hey Nick. Maybe the receptionist knows something."
"Let's talk to her." Sara and Nick walked down the hall and when Bethany noticed them she sent the couple back to Dr. Dell.
"Did you have a good session with Dr. Dell?" She asked.
"Yeah it was fine." Sara replied.
"Yeah. Now I can't keep her off of me." Nick added. Sara put her arm around Nick's waist to prove the fact.
"Actually we had a question for you, Bethany." Sara said. "Did- I mean do you know the Johnsons? Harry and Jamie? You see they're our friends and actually they suggested we go here. And we haven't seen them in awhile and we know they had an appointment yesterday." Bethany squirmed at the question.
"Oh yes. Such a lovely couple. I don't even know why they were here. They were so nice. Good together. Kinda like you two. Anyway they never showed up. Dr. Dell rescheduled them for Friday. But it's funny, they uh- they never missed a session until last night. Uh- I really can't tell you anymore. Sorry." She turned away and started fileing papers.
Sara and Nick shared a suspicious glare and left the building.
"Whatchya got for us, Jackie?" Nick asked as he and Sara strolled into the print lab.
"Well I matched your print off the knife."
"Was it the husband's?" Sara asked anxiously.
"No. In fact it is a Bethany Koors. She's the receptionist at Dr. Dell's Marriage Counselling. She was arrested four years ago for drunk driving."
Nick looked at Sara. "So I'm thinking she stabbed Jamie to death. Then Harry came out and saw what happened. So she had to kill him too. She slashed his throat from left to right, making it look like it was a suicide."
"And she probably got the bruise from Harry hitting her. That would explain the bruisings on Harry's knuckles." Sara added. " But why would Bethany want to kill Mrs. Johnson?"
"Let's go get Brass." Nick and Sara ran out of the print lab.
"Brass!" Nick and Sara ran into Brass's office. Since they had run all the way from the print lab, they were out of breath.
"Jackie already called me. I've issued an arrest warrant for Bethany Koors. The judge just granted it. Let's go."
Bethany sat at the metal table in the interrogation room while Sara and Nick described what she had done to the Johnsons.
"Why did you kill the Johnsons?" Nick asked her.
"I'm really not all that surprised you know. You looked too smart to be a bartender." She pointed out. Sara and Nick shared a glance and Brass stood there looking confused.
"Don't ask." Sara told Brass, exhasperated.
"Don't wanna." He truthfully answered.
"Why did you kill the Johnsons?" Nick asked again.
"I didn't mean to kill Harry. But he came out and saw that I had killed his wife so I had to kill him too. Then I had to make it look like he killed Jamie and then killed himself. Jamie and I were best friends in high school. Right after we graduated, we went to this party and got drunk. Jamie told me I was sober enough to drive home. Well I wasn't and crashed into a street light. I had been speeding and the cops were chasing us. When we crashed, Jamie split. The cops didn't even know someone else had been in there with me. So I went to jail. I was supposed to go to Yale to become a doctor. But instead I now sign people in for a living. She told me to drive home while I was drunk. She left me when the cops caught us, leaving me to take the blame. It's her fault she's dead. I lost my chance to go to Yale when I got arrested. And it's all because of her.I thought I had wiped all the prints off the knife but I guess I didn't. It's not fair." She whined.
Sara, Nick, Catherine, Greg and Warrick were all sitting in the lounge.
"So Sara, Nick," Caterine started. "How did you solve the case? I mean, I know it was the print that gave the receptionist away but you guys were at that marriage counselling for over an hour. What took you so long there?"
"Well..." Nick and Sara shared a glance. They seemed to be sharing a lot today.
"Dr. Dell was a very chatty fellow. So was Bethany." Sara finished, saving herself and Nick.
Grissom entered the lounge in perfect timing, saving Sara and Nick from any further questions. "I just wanted to say good job you guys. For solving the case." Nick and Sara beamed. Grissom turned to leave. "Oh and by the way, Dr. Dell from marriage counselling called. Your next appointment is on Tuesday at three." And then Grissom left.
Five jaws promptly hit the floor. After the initial shock was over, three started laughing hysterically while the other two sat there fuming.
end
A/N: Hope you liked it. Now just click that beautiful purple button that I am in love with and REVIEW!