Disclaimer: I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I don't profit from them; however I do enjoy borrowing them from time to time and doing things with them that the writers surely never would.

Author's Note: This is dedicated to Mel (because the blue screen of death on your laptop is computer hell and you let me borrow your nickname for literary purposes – Oh Great Shimmy Spice), Ashley (because sometimes getting a new job seems like getting two new jobs), Claire (because you're pen has been so silent of late and well, quite frankly, you need to get cracking), Audra (because you're a faithful reader and reviewer and I wanted you to know that I appreciate it), and last but not least, Brianna (just because you're BatGirl).


"I thought this was supposed to be a cabin." Warrick glanced in the rearview mirror of his SUV and smirked at Nick where he sat in the backseat next to Sara who was sandwiched between him and Greg.

"That's what Ben always calls it; I guess it's been a while since I've been out here. It's bigger than I remembered." Nick couldn't help but grin; his buddy from college had done very well for himself and had offered to let Nick use his lake cabin anytime he wanted. This was the first time he'd had the opportunity really; after wrapping up a rather high-profile, labor-intensive case the team had been given a little extra time off resulting in a very rare four-day weekend and Nick had jumped at the chance to use the cabin and invite some people that he not only enjoyed spending time with, but would appreciate it more than anyone else he knew.

"Look at that; it's got a private dock." Greg was smiling; something that hadn't happened much in the last several weeks. He loved the water and he was definitely looking forward to some time relaxing and swimming.

"Well whatever you call it, I'm glad that you invited Warrick and I along, Nick." Tina Brown hadn't really had much of an opportunity to get to know any of Warrick's coworkers outside of Nick and she was looking forward to spending some time with them because Warrick talked about them so much.

"Glad you could come." Nick grinned back at her and then glanced over at Sara who had somehow fallen asleep on the ride up to the lake. He gently nudged her in the ribs. "Hey, Sar, we're here."

Sara blinked her eyes open and it took her a moment to get her bearings as she let out a yawn. "That was fast." She in particular hadn't had much sleep in the last few weeks, living on coffee and catnaps, when Nick had offered she hadn't even hesitated before accepting his invitation. For once she was going to take a little time to relax.

"Did we lose Archie?" Greg glanced back not seeing the other vehicle which had been following them.

"Nah, he has a map and a cell phone; if he gets lost I'm sure he'll call." Nick had picked up almost immediately that Greg seemed a bit taken with a friend that Archie's girlfriend Emily had brought along and he wondered if he would manage to tone down the Sanders charm enough to not scare off the poor girl.

"Maybe I should just wait here by the rig and wait for them; I'll just help unload luggage and you guys can carry it in." Greg was doing a very poor job of hiding the fact that he wanted to see Chloe before Nick could have an opportunity to make a move on her.

Nick let out a soft chuckle. "Whatever works for you Greggo." Not that he was about to admit it to anyone but himself, but his interests in the opposite sex rested solely in the woman sitting next to him. Of course letting her know that was a little tricky since they worked together and they were good friends. He was hoping that maybe sometime this weekend he might just have an opportunity to test the waters.

While Greg waited outside in the hot late October sun, the rest of them carried their luggage inside the impressively large house. It really did resemble a cabin inside, but on a rather grand scale. A large open great room offering an expansive view of Lake Mead was at the center of the house along with a large open kitchen; and a hallway leading off on each side was where the bedrooms were located; all of them had views of the lake. Yes, Nick's friend had done very well for himself.

Sara let out another yawn. "This is a great place." She glanced over at Nick and smiled. She was definitely looking forward to what this weekend had to offer and the fact that her handsome Texan coworker was there to share it with was a bonus. Maybe in the midst of all of this relaxation she might test the waters a little and see if all they flirting they did had any potential underneath it. She had been thinking about him more and more lately and definitely not in a brotherly way either.

"Any room ok, bro?" Warrick glanced over at Nick with a casual expectancy.

"Take your pick." Nick knew that there were plenty of bedrooms; his buddy Ben said he'd used the place to host corporate retreats. Hopefully the walls were thick too because with two couples along with a bunch of singles he did not want to have to listen through the walls at what he'd be wishing he was sharing with one Miss Sara Sidle in the middle of the night while he was trying to sleep.

It didn't take them long to get settled and a few minutes after they'd unloaded the SUV, Archie pulled into the driveway with Emily and Chloe in tow. Even he was amused at how obvious Greg was being although he had to admit, Chloe didn't seem to mind a bit, after all she'd talked about nothing but Greg the entire way up to the lake; or at least it felt like that. In any case, if Chloe was happy to hang out with Greg for the weekend that just meant that Archie was going to get some quality time alone with Emily; or at least as alone as you could get in a big house full of other people.

An hour or so later, Warrick and Tina had wandered down to the lake to spend some quality time alone together, Chloe was chatting Greg's ear off and he didn't seem to mind at all, which left Nick and Sara sitting up on the large deck playing a half-hearted game of Monopoly with Archie and Emily while sipping bottles of ice cold beer.

"So what about you, Nick, what's the craziest thing you've ever done on a date?" Archie challenged after sharing the story of his and Emily's first date.

"Well as long as we're on the skinny dipping thread..." Nick couldn't suppress a smile as the eyebrows around the table arched upwards only slightly surprised. "Only I got caught before I even had my shorts off...and that was the end of the date." He let out a soft chuckle. "It was after my first homecoming dance and all of us snuck out to this lake on my date's ranch...only her dad thought something else was going on and he showed up with a shotgun."

"I take it that was your first and last date with her?" Sara couldn't resist teasing him.

"Actually, she ended up going to the prom with me a few years later and we still keep in touch. I think Melissa has three kids now, married to some investment banker or something." It had been a while since Nick had talked to her; years actually, since right before Nigel Crane happened. Maybe that's why he hadn't really thought about Melissa in so long; of course the brunette that was sitting right next to him might have something to do with that too.

Emily was a petite blond who was originally from the Midwest and it was obvious that she adored Archie. She glanced over at Sara and smiled. "What about you, Sara? Have you ever been skinny dipping?" She leaned into Archie to sort of emphasize her unspoken point that it could do wonders with your love life.

"Uh, no, actually I haven't..." Sara felt a faint blush burning into her cheeks; it wasn't that she had never thought about skinny dipping; she was always afraid that she'd get caught and she was rather particular about who she let see her naked.

"So really, you're both skinny dipping virgins then." Archie was clearly amused that he'd learned such an interesting piece of information about his two coworkers that he could tell were interested in each other but for some reason couldn't seem to do anything about it.

Nick quickly changed the subject. "Hey, didn't you land on Boardwalk? I have hotels on Boardwalk."

"I was hoping you didn't see that." Archie glanced over at Emily with a knowing smirk; he knew that she knew that both Nick and Sara were squirming in their seats and it was only a matter of time before there would be an opportunity during the weekend to introduce them to the skinny dipping theory of dating.