Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
Sara strolled quickly up to the doorstep of a very familiar house. It was a good sized home, with bright cheery siding and a classic white picket fence out front. The lawn was perfectly manicured, though she had no idea where Nick found the time for that. The path she was strolling up was swept clean as well, and Sara found herself smiling as she thought of Nick's over attention to detail. It boded very well for his line of work, helping him see evidence where many other people would have missed it. It also helped his organization skills; another good thing for his job. Sara let her smile grow as she raised her had to knock on the door. A few minutes passed and Nick didn't answer, so Sara knocked again. Still no answer.
With a huff she rolled her eyes and rang the doorbell. Three times. When Nick still didn't answer the door she began to worry a little bit. This wasn't at all like him. He was a prompt man whose manners sometimes made him too polite. Not that she minded; a little bit of civilization never hurt anyone. But Sara had been counting on those manners to get him to answer his door so she could speak to him. She hadn't bothered calling his cell because the man was always home. Had he finally taken the many hints from Warrick and gone out to find some form of social life?
Just as she thought this, raucous laughter met her ears and the CSI in her heart reared its inquisitive head. Curiosity raging, she took a step back and cocked an ear to the air to figure out where the laughing was coming from. It wasn't coming from inside the house, but rather seemed to be coming from behind it. Apparently Nick was in the backyard with someone, and what ever they were doing sounded like fun. Sara hopped off the front steps and walked around the side, trailing her hand on the outer wall as she went. Just as she was about to step in to the backyard an explosion of movement flew by and she was left dumbstruck by what she had found.
Greg and Nick hanging out was not such a weird thing. It was actually a pretty common thing, seeing as they were best friends. But what was a little weird was that they were both wearing full cowboy attire; cowboy hats, cowboy boots, checkered shirts, bandanas around their necks. And to top it all off – also what made Sara cover her mouth trying not to laugh – they were both carrying two toy guns, one in each hand. Sharp detonations and little puffs of smoke told her that they were cap guns, the cheap kind you would buy at a dollar store on the corner.
The two men remained oblivious to her presence as they ran across the yard together, Nick chasing Greg, Greg looking over his shoulder. They shot at each other with their toy guns and laughed up a storm until they reached a hedge. Greg leapt in to the air and dove right over top of the waist high shrubbery, yelling "safety zone!". Nick apparently found this hilarious, and then he crouched low on his side of the shrub and stalked soundlessly towards the end. Sara watched Greg's hat-bearing head poke up from his side. When he noted the lack of Nick he assumed a sly look of comprehension. Sara was in the perfect position to watch them both stalk each other towards the end.
When Nick reached the end he popped out with a triumphant "aha!" and made to shoot his caps, but he wasn't expected Greg to know he was right there. Instead Sara resisted crying out in surprise when Greg full body tackled him and they rolled end over end together. They landed with Nick on his back in the grass and Greg straddling his hips, both cap guns pointed in his friends face. They were made infinitely less menacing by the orange plastic nubs decorating their tips, and Nick laughed breathlessly. All was still until Nick dropped his weapons in defeat, then suddenly Greg pointed his in the air and whooped as he shot them off rapidly. When his ammo was depleted he threw them down he tore his hat from his head and waved that in the air.
"Yeehaw!" he cawed, placing one hand on Nick's chest and continuing to wave the hat as if riding a horse. Far from being offended, Nick seemed to think this was the epitome of funny, as he only laughed harder at the younger man's antics. When Greg finally calmed down, the hand holding his hat up slowly lowered until it rested on the ground, and he fell silent. They stared at each other without words for a little bit of time before Nick smirked and took the hat away, placing it back on his blonde hair.
"You ride 'em, cowboy," he growled low in his throat. Greg's expression turned hungry.
"Oh I definitely ride something…cowboy," he retorted. Across the yard, Sara clamped her hand down harder on her own mouth as she watched the two best friends lean in and kiss gently. It wasn't passionate or needy, nor was it even awkward. Instead it was tender and slow as if they did this all the time and had every reason to believe that they would do it again. She had never seen the two of them as anything but straight. Apparently she had seen wrong. Just as she was about to clear her throat and announce her presence, they broke apart and the serene looks on their faces floored her.
"I love you," she heard Nick whisper, his eyes speaking whole volumes. Above him, Greg smiled, and Sara slowly backed away. As soon as she was out of their sight she whipped out her cell phone and dialed her best girl friend's number. This could not be kept in. Behind her, the boys would never know that she had intruded on their playtime, but Sara would always remember how right it had been to see them so free. They were perfect for each other.