Disclaimer: I don't own them (if I did, would there really need to be an effort underway to try and get them back?), I didn't create them, and I don't profit from them (like the money hungry folks at CBS). And if I was ever fortunate enough to meet George and Jorja, I'd buy them both coffee and spring for scones.
Author's Note: Ultimately the direction of this story really depends on Les Moonves and Nancy Tellem at CBS.
A sinking feeling in the pit of Nick's stomach told him that there was something wrong the moment he walked through the doors of the lab that evening. Perhaps it was the subdued mood of everyone he passed, or perhaps it was just that he'd been on vacation the last two days to attend an anniversary party for his parents in Dallas, but whatever it was left an unsettled feeling inside of him. As he neared the break room, he slowed and could tell through the windows by the expressions on his coworker's faces that something was definitely wrong.
Catherine's smile was forced as he entered the room. "Nick, welcome back."
Warrick glanced over at him and nodded in greeting, his brow furrowed in frustration.
Nick cut to the chase. "What's going on?"
Catherine glanced at Warrick and then back at Nick. "Sara's gone."
Nick looked as if someone had hit him in the gut. "What?"
Catherine steeled herself and looked him in the eye. "She quit."
Nick's eyebrows shot up. "What the hell!" He looked at his two coworkers in disbelief. "When did this happen?"
"This morning." Catherine's tone was measured, she knew that Nick and Sara were close. "She left a letter on Grissom's desk."
Nick's eyes flashed with anger at the mention of his supervisor's name. "What did he do this time?"
Warrick expression confirmed Nick's suspicions.
"Nick, he didn't 'do' anything." Catherine tried to explain, knowing that the whole situation was far more complicated than the sentence could explain.
Nick's jaw was set. It was obvious he didn't believe what Catherine was telling him. Sara was his friend and he'd seen the rise and fall of her emotions with how Grissom had treated her during the last four years. Over the last year since Grissom had turned down her invitation to dinner, Nick had watched as Sara tried to distance herself and move on. She had expressed several times that she felt her career wouldn't move forward if she remained under Grissom's leadership; it had stagnated in much the same way her feelings had. He was sure that whatever Grissom had done was just the straw that broke the camel's back.
"Nicky?" Catherine looked at Nick with concern.
He broke out of his reverie and looked at her with an earnest expression. "Where did she go?"
Catherine looked conflicted. "I don't know. She didn't say, or if she did, Grissom's not saying."
Warrick just remained silent, his jaw clenched.
Anger flashed in Nick's eyes as he looked at his two coworkers. "As far as you're concerned, I had a flight delay." With that he turned on his heels and walked out of the break room and down the hallway to the front door. He didn't stop until he'd reached his vehicle, pulling his cell phone out as he opened the driver's door and punching in numbers as he climbed in behind the wheel. He signed in frustration as her voicemail picked up. "Hey, Sar, it's Nick. I'm worried about you, would you please call me? I'm going to head over and see if you're home, bye." He tossed the cell phone onto the passenger seat and started the ignition.
It didn't take long to reach her apartment, and when he noticed her car in the parking lot, he let out a sigh of relief, until he noticed that it was loaded with boxes. He furrowed his brow as he descended from the vehicle and strode towards the stairs to her second floor apartment. He knocked purposefully on the door, waiting just a few moments before he heard footsteps and then a pause as he was sure she was looking through the peephole to see who it was.
Sara's expression was sad as she opened the door. "Hey."
Nick looked at her incredulously. "You quit."
She nodded and opened the door wider to let him into her apartment. "Yeah, I did."
He looked at her earnestly. "What did he do?"
A smirk played at her lips. "It wasn't any one thing, Nick. Last night was just one more shit case in a long line of them. I'm just tired of feeling like I get them assigned to me because he's afraid that I'll take something the wrong way. He doesn't seem to understand that I've moved on and I just want my career to have a little life in it."
"That's a relief, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't because of that striped shirt I have that you hate so much." Nick teased, needing to break the tension.
She laughed. "Well there is that." She studied him for a moment. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"
He had a determined expression. "I told Catherine and Warrick that as far as they were concerned my flight was delayed."
Sara felt the corners of her mouth turning upward.
"You're leaving Vegas aren't you?" Nick felt his stomach sink.
She nodded, knitting her brows together before meeting his gaze. "I got an offer to head up a brand new lab up in Seattle."
Nick winced. "Seattle?"
"It's a great career move and the equipment is top of the line." She looked at him, an edge of regret around her eyes. "I just can't stay here anymore."
Nick nodded. "Are you driving?" An idea was beginning to formulate in his mind.
"You obviously saw my car." She smirked before looking at the floor and then glancing up at him. "I'm leaving in the morning. I was going to stop and see my parents on the way up the coast."
"Want some company?" Nick knew his offer was impulsive and there would be repercussion for leaving without asking for time off, but at the moment he didn't care. He wasn't ready to let Sara go.
She looked at him with surprise. "What about work?"
"What about work?" He countered. "I still have some vacation time stored up."
Sara let out a soft chuckle. "Are you going to bother letting anyone know where you're going?"
Nick was pleased that she hadn't refused his offer. "Like I said, the official word was that my flight was delayed."
Sara raised an eyebrow at him.
"Besides, what's the worst thing that could happen?" Nick had the beginnings of a smile on his face.
"Grissom could fire you." She was completely serious, but at the same time she welcomed his company.
"Well I just happen to know someone who is heading up this new lab in Seattle. If I get fired, maybe I can convince her to give me a job." An impish grin danced across his face.
She smiled at him, grateful for the sincerity of his friendship. "Well then, I guess you'd better go home and pack. I want to get an early start."
Author's Note: Ultimately the direction of this story really depends on Les Moonves and Nancy Tellem at CBS.
A sinking feeling in the pit of Nick's stomach told him that there was something wrong the moment he walked through the doors of the lab that evening. Perhaps it was the subdued mood of everyone he passed, or perhaps it was just that he'd been on vacation the last two days to attend an anniversary party for his parents in Dallas, but whatever it was left an unsettled feeling inside of him. As he neared the break room, he slowed and could tell through the windows by the expressions on his coworker's faces that something was definitely wrong.
Catherine's smile was forced as he entered the room. "Nick, welcome back."
Warrick glanced over at him and nodded in greeting, his brow furrowed in frustration.
Nick cut to the chase. "What's going on?"
Catherine glanced at Warrick and then back at Nick. "Sara's gone."
Nick looked as if someone had hit him in the gut. "What?"
Catherine steeled herself and looked him in the eye. "She quit."
Nick's eyebrows shot up. "What the hell!" He looked at his two coworkers in disbelief. "When did this happen?"
"This morning." Catherine's tone was measured, she knew that Nick and Sara were close. "She left a letter on Grissom's desk."
Nick's eyes flashed with anger at the mention of his supervisor's name. "What did he do this time?"
Warrick expression confirmed Nick's suspicions.
"Nick, he didn't 'do' anything." Catherine tried to explain, knowing that the whole situation was far more complicated than the sentence could explain.
Nick's jaw was set. It was obvious he didn't believe what Catherine was telling him. Sara was his friend and he'd seen the rise and fall of her emotions with how Grissom had treated her during the last four years. Over the last year since Grissom had turned down her invitation to dinner, Nick had watched as Sara tried to distance herself and move on. She had expressed several times that she felt her career wouldn't move forward if she remained under Grissom's leadership; it had stagnated in much the same way her feelings had. He was sure that whatever Grissom had done was just the straw that broke the camel's back.
"Nicky?" Catherine looked at Nick with concern.
He broke out of his reverie and looked at her with an earnest expression. "Where did she go?"
Catherine looked conflicted. "I don't know. She didn't say, or if she did, Grissom's not saying."
Warrick just remained silent, his jaw clenched.
Anger flashed in Nick's eyes as he looked at his two coworkers. "As far as you're concerned, I had a flight delay." With that he turned on his heels and walked out of the break room and down the hallway to the front door. He didn't stop until he'd reached his vehicle, pulling his cell phone out as he opened the driver's door and punching in numbers as he climbed in behind the wheel. He signed in frustration as her voicemail picked up. "Hey, Sar, it's Nick. I'm worried about you, would you please call me? I'm going to head over and see if you're home, bye." He tossed the cell phone onto the passenger seat and started the ignition.
It didn't take long to reach her apartment, and when he noticed her car in the parking lot, he let out a sigh of relief, until he noticed that it was loaded with boxes. He furrowed his brow as he descended from the vehicle and strode towards the stairs to her second floor apartment. He knocked purposefully on the door, waiting just a few moments before he heard footsteps and then a pause as he was sure she was looking through the peephole to see who it was.
Sara's expression was sad as she opened the door. "Hey."
Nick looked at her incredulously. "You quit."
She nodded and opened the door wider to let him into her apartment. "Yeah, I did."
He looked at her earnestly. "What did he do?"
A smirk played at her lips. "It wasn't any one thing, Nick. Last night was just one more shit case in a long line of them. I'm just tired of feeling like I get them assigned to me because he's afraid that I'll take something the wrong way. He doesn't seem to understand that I've moved on and I just want my career to have a little life in it."
"That's a relief, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't because of that striped shirt I have that you hate so much." Nick teased, needing to break the tension.
She laughed. "Well there is that." She studied him for a moment. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"
He had a determined expression. "I told Catherine and Warrick that as far as they were concerned my flight was delayed."
Sara felt the corners of her mouth turning upward.
"You're leaving Vegas aren't you?" Nick felt his stomach sink.
She nodded, knitting her brows together before meeting his gaze. "I got an offer to head up a brand new lab up in Seattle."
Nick winced. "Seattle?"
"It's a great career move and the equipment is top of the line." She looked at him, an edge of regret around her eyes. "I just can't stay here anymore."
Nick nodded. "Are you driving?" An idea was beginning to formulate in his mind.
"You obviously saw my car." She smirked before looking at the floor and then glancing up at him. "I'm leaving in the morning. I was going to stop and see my parents on the way up the coast."
"Want some company?" Nick knew his offer was impulsive and there would be repercussion for leaving without asking for time off, but at the moment he didn't care. He wasn't ready to let Sara go.
She looked at him with surprise. "What about work?"
"What about work?" He countered. "I still have some vacation time stored up."
Sara let out a soft chuckle. "Are you going to bother letting anyone know where you're going?"
Nick was pleased that she hadn't refused his offer. "Like I said, the official word was that my flight was delayed."
Sara raised an eyebrow at him.
"Besides, what's the worst thing that could happen?" Nick had the beginnings of a smile on his face.
"Grissom could fire you." She was completely serious, but at the same time she welcomed his company.
"Well I just happen to know someone who is heading up this new lab in Seattle. If I get fired, maybe I can convince her to give me a job." An impish grin danced across his face.
She smiled at him, grateful for the sincerity of his friendship. "Well then, I guess you'd better go home and pack. I want to get an early start."