Disclaimer: I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I don't profit from them, however, a bag of Doritos now and then is always a tasty treat.

Author's Note: This is dedicated to Mel and Ashley just because.

It had been a strange shift even by Las Vegas standards and as Nick hunched over to collect what he hoped would end up being a key piece of evidence in the pet shop shooting they were investigating, he heard his partner for the evening let out a snicker causing him to glance back at her with a curious expression, "What's so funny?"

Sara smirk was in full force as she responded to Nick's question with a quirked brow, "Thunderpants?" The mere mention of the word caused her to let out giggle.

It took Nick a moment to register what in the world she was talking about and then a slight infusion of color hit his cheeks as a smirk of his own spread across his face, "Are you checking out my ass again?" The only way she could have known what brand of underwear he had on was if the waistband had become visible as he was collecting evidence and she was taking a closer look. Of course he was completely flattered by the notion that Sara was even looking at his butt long enough to notice the brand emblazoned on the waistband; he checked out her ass as often as he could and to his knowledge she'd never caught him. He was an ass man and Sara's was definitely one he enjoyed looking at on a regular basis.

"Of course it doesn't really answer the age old question though," Sara's grin was a bit devilish; she and Nick had flirted for years and now that her secret relationship with Grissom had fizzled she had been entertaining seeing if there was anything behind all that flirty banter she and Nick had shared.

"What's that?" Nick looked at her oddly wondering what in the hell the age old question was. A few wisecracks flew through his mind, for instance why did the chicken cross the road? To show the armadillo and the possum that it could be done maybe, but he didn't think that's quite what she was talking about.

Sara couldn't contain her amusement, "Boxers or briefs." After seven years of working together, her curiosity was piqued and now that he seemed to be advertising his brand, she reasoned that the mystery needed to be solved.

Nick let out a chuckle of his own, "Well I'm glad you're curious but some of us still have a crime scene to process here." He was going to find a way to use her interest in his underwear at some point, but he was going to have to be a bit more subtle about it. And maybe in the process of her getting the answer to her burning question he could get a little bit more acquainted with her choice in undergarments; he'd always hoped that she preferred lace.

Sara cleared her throat as she held up something unusual for a crime scene although not all that unusual considering their surroundings, "I found something."

Nick swiveled his head to see what she had and he let out an amused snicker, "That a hamster?" He had seen several display cases with hamsters; this little bugger must have found a way to escape from his buddies.

"Found him in a bag of Doritos on the floor next to our vic," She looked intently at the little creature who was staring her down with his beady little eyes looking perfectly adorable despite the chaos that surrounded him. "I think I see blood on him, Nick." There was a hint of worry in her voice, but since she'd also found blood on the bag of Doritos and the blood appeared to only be on the surface of the hamster's fur she wondered if it was the victim's blood.

"Well he's gonna be kind of hard to tag and bag." Nick was only sort of joking, he knew that Sara had a thing about animals of all kinds and if there was blood on the hamster they'd have to process him as well. By the time they wrapped up the crime scene, Dorito, as Sara had christened the hamster, had found himself in a small hamster cage for transport back to the lab to be processed with the rest of the evidence.

Sara had been home from work for a short time when a soft knock sounded on her door; a quick peak through the peep hole brought a smile to her face as she realized who was standing there.

As the door opened, a smiling Nick held up a hamster cage, "You left somebody behind when you left the lab." Of course it had also given him an excuse to stop by and maybe continue their previous flirty conversation, he was just going to have to wait and see how that played out.

"He's evidence, Nick," Sara's expression was a bit stricken that he had taken the hamster out of the lab before the crime was solved.

Nick held up a reassuring hand as he set the cage on her kitchen counter, "Ecklie didn't want Dorito in the lab; he was afraid it would get out and contaminate other evidence. I suggested that since you and I worked the case that one of us could take it home and watch it." And naturally he'd thought that Sara was the better option.

"Oh," Sara was pleased that he'd brought it to her; truthfully she was pleased that he had stopped by period. A smile spread across her face as she regarded him and realized that he'd used the name she'd given the little fluffy guy, "Thanks."

"My pleasure," Nick wasn't sure how to extend his stay in her apartment without being obvious that he'd used the hamster as an excuse to come by. They had flirted for years and he wondered if his preference in underwear just might be his in with the lovely Sara Sidle.

"So," Sara found herself staring at Nick, "uh, you never did answer my question earlier...at the crime scene that is." They were alone now and if he didn't feel like answering right off the bat, she might just have to do a little more interrogation to get the answers she was looking for.

"Right," Nick arched his brows as he tried to swallow a grin, "back when you were staring at my ass." He reasoned that he might as well have fun with this, especially if things didn't go his way.

"I wasn't staring, you were advertising." It wasn't true and she knew it, but she wasn't going to admit that she often ogled her male coworkers and lately Nick had been a particularly nice view to look at. The smirk on her face couldn't cover up the pinkish hue that was beginning to infuse her cheeks.

"Advertising, huh, does that mean you're buying?" Nick certainly wouldn't mind if she was interested in more than just knowing the answer to her question; it was something he'd thought about quite a lot since he'd met her throwing dummies off a roof nearly seven years before.

Sara arched her brows suggestively and took a step closer to him, "And what if I am?" She definitely wanted to see if this flirty banter might go somewhere, but she'd start with getting an answer to her question about what form those Thunderpants took.

"Then I'd say this is your lucky day, darlin'." Nick had a cocky grin on his face as he stood there with arms crossed over his chest as his eyes traveled over her body hungrily. He didn't want there to be any confusion about where he was coming from.

"Well then, let's get this over with, shall we." Sara had a mischievous look on her face as she stepped towards him and made quick work of his belt and zipper.

"A little eager are we?" Nick wasn't complaining; Sara trying to get him out of his pants was a fantasy come true and if he had his way, he was going to do the same to her.

Sara snickered in response as she shoved his jeans down, and as the pair of boxers was revealed a smile spread across her face. "I knew it." She looked up at him with a look of satisfaction.

"Oh, you did, huh?" Nick made no move to pull his jeans back up and he wasn't about to mention to Sara that she still had her hands on his hips. In fact she seemed to be fingering the waistband of his boxers as if she was trying to solve another mystery.

Sara's head tilted slightly and she tried to restrain her smile from developing into a grin, "So why exactly do they call them Thunderpants?" It was an odd name; that was one of the reasons why it had made her laugh in the first place when she'd caught a glimpse of them at the crime scene.

Nick waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "That darlin' is something you'll have to experience to understand." He knew he probably sounded arrogant, but he preferred the word confident. And since he'd been flirting with Sara for years and wanted to take things to the next level this was the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Sara feigned ignorance even as a sexy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, "Oh, really?" She was definitely up for an experience.

It was quite a while later and Sara could not erase the grin on her face as she snuggled a bit closer to Nick as they lay tangled up in her sheets, the comforter having slid off the bed at some point neither one of them could seem to remember. As her fingers danced across his chest, she whispered in a husky voice, "Thunderpants was an understatement."

The End