Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: or any character or circunstance you recognize in this story. I wrote this while listening to Snow Patrol's new single 'Open Your Eyes'. Hope you like this, it's only my second attemp at describing something intimate. Review, please.
Open Your Eyes
Summary: "All this feels strange and untrue and I won't waste a minute without you…"
After closing one of the toughest cases that he had ever worked in, Nick was leaving the Lab, wishing that this had just been a terrible nightmare. "What an awful day!" – He thought. He couldn't stop wondering how Sofia was hanging on. She had run past him earlier that day, and he had found out that she had had an argument with Sara. While walking to the front door of the Lab, he kept thinking how could Sara be so damn annoying and cold to pick a fight with Sofia, even in this extremely delicate moment, as she was dealing with Officer Bell's death (and with the fact that she could be the one that had caused it).
Nick couldn't deny anymore the way that his teammate was affecting him. He almost felt an urge to express externally how he felt anytime that they had to work on a case together or when she smiled at him or called his name. He knew that this was just a fantasy, a dream that could never be real, a territory impossible to conquer… but he was still dreaming about it, fooling himself.
He passed through the front doors and saw her sitting on the steps, curled up in her, her knees pushed to her chest and her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes were fixed in nowhere, completely absent from what was happening around her. Nick hesitated a little bit: he didn't know if he should go there or if he should keep his way and head to his car. She was such a mystery for him…
"Sofia... Hey, you okay?" – He asked, sitting at her side.
"Oh, hey Nick…" – She greeted, drifting back to the reality that surrounded her. Her greyish blue eyes were so sad and guilty that Nick internally cursed not being able to do anything to help her. He touched her hand – "You shouldn't be here…"
"I know… I just can't stay at home. I'm getting crazy, Nick; I don't know what to do." – She said, her voice trembling a little. "I went jogging but I can't take Bell's image of my head. He turned to me after being hit by that bullet… he knew that I had been the one that had shot him."
"Sofia…" – He trailed off. Nick didn't quite know what to say, because just a simple and apparently inoffensive word could hurt her in this delicate moment. – "Come on, I'll take you home." – He said, after a while, helping her to stand up from the floor. She nodded weakly and swallowed the lump on her throat. They walked to his car and Nick drove off, quietly. Not a single word was spoken between them during the trip to her house, as Sofia fell asleep not much longer after the first turning.
When he stopped the car in front of her house, she didn't wake up. Nick looked at her for some seconds. "These are probably the first few minutes you sleep in days…" – He thought. He didn't want to wake her but he knew that she couldn't stay sleeping in his car. He caressed her hair – "Sofia…" – He called, sliding his hand down her long plain hair. She opened her eyes, slowly – "You fell asleep on our way here…" – He said. She nodded and he took off his seatbelt and got out of the car. Nick walked around and opened her door – "Will you be fine?" – He asked.
She shrugged and he walked her to the door – "Do you need anything?" – He questioned. She shook her head, and answered in a whisper – "No thanks… I'm fine."
"Come on, Sofia… Don't let yourself go down this way. It wasn't your fault." – He said, as she searched for her keys.
"You don't get it, do you, Nick? I'll always be the Detective who shot an officer and Bell is dead because I-I…" – She trailed off, bursting out in tears.
Nick hugged her and moved his hand to the lock, opening the door. Not releasing the embrace, he took her inside and closed the door with his foot – "Schh Sofia, don't say that… Everything's going to be okay." – He whispered to her ear. She was leaning against him, soaking his shirt with her tears. They stood there for what it seemed a long time, before she pulled back. Sofia had just realized that she was on her hallway, with Nick Stokes hugging her and they had been like that for the past ten, fifteen minutes.
"Excuse-me…" – He apologized, embarrassed – "What the hell were you thinking, Nick?"
"It's okay." – She said, wiping her tears away. He stood there, not knowing what to do or say – "Maybe I should go…"
She nodded – "Yes, maybe it's better…"
He walked back to the door and she followed him. He turned around before opening it and Sofia ran into him. There were really close to each other and, following a sudden impulse, Sofia rose up and wrapped her arms around Nick's neck, looking deep into his amazing confident eyes. He tried to control himself, but he had wanted this woman so badly for such a long time that he wasn't able to stay aside from what was happening and think straight. He tried to step back but was trapped between the door and her body. Nick was a very rational man and he knew that he couldn't resist this 'torture' much longer, despite knowing as well that it was going to be only a one-night stand and it was going to be over the morning after. Sofia was so fragile now that he didn't want to give in, feeling like he was going to take advantage of her or something… this wasn't really how he had imagined them together for the first time.
Before he could say anything, Sofia approached her lips of his and they touched, in a soft kiss. She pulled back after a while, trying to regain the composure that characterized her so well. However, she had started something with that kiss and Nick, who had wanted her so much for such a long time, didn't want to stop just yet, he had to go on… He wanted more, he needed more…
He lifted his hand up and touched her face, lovingly. Then, he pulled her to him again and kissed her, more passionately this time, forgetting all his anxiety. Sofia was caught in surprise but kissed him back, answering his passion with her own, pressing him against the door. Nick's other hand moved down her arm to her waist, resting on her lower back. The hand that had been caressing her face, slid down her neck to her collarbone, as he reached for the zipper of her jacket. She moaned when he brushed his tongue along her bottom lip at the same time he pushed down the zipper. Sofia leaned her shoulders back, allowing him to take off her jacket and so he did, throwing it to the floor. Now, he could explore her neck and shoulders, as he had wished before. With her hands running everywhere in his chest, tracing undefined patterns, feeling his muscles twisting underneath the fabric of his shirt and sending waves of electricity through his whole body, Nick broke the kiss and moved down her neck, as she leaned her head, granting him a better access to her most sensitive spots.
She started slowly to unbutton his shirt but stopped several times, being unable to focus on what she was doing because of all the pleasure his kisses on her neck were giving her. When she finally had it all unbuttoned, Nick moved down to her chest, kissing wherever he could, wherever her grey spaghetti strapped top allowed him to. She passed her nails on his well-developed abs, making him shiver. She smiled a little at his reaction and he took her hands on his and moved them up to his shoulders. She pulled his shirt off, slowly, and started to kiss his now bare shoulders. Nick tilted his head back, against the door, and let out a moan… he hadn't felt like this in a long time and Sofia was doing everything so perfectly. She moved down to his chest and her lips felt his racing heartbeat going faster and faster. He knew that he had to take the control back again soon and she knew it too, so she wasn't surprised when, a few kisses later, he started to push her back, directing them to the living room. In her own free will, she gave up her pressure and was led by him. He only stopped near the couch, having already pulled out her hair from the high ponytail it was in.
He pulled back and looked deep into her eyes: Nick needed to be sure that she wanted this as much as he did. Sofia looked back at him and realized his second thoughts. As an answer, she lifted her arms up, slowly, inviting him, wordlessly, to take off her top. Therefore, he did. Nick reached for the hem of her top and shoved it away, revealing her upper body. She stepped back a little more, sitting on the back of the couch. Nick approached her once more, and helped her balancing, giving some more attention to her lips. He kissed her hard, exploring her, tasting her, allowing her to dictate the dept and the rhythm this time. Sofia moved her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and he passed his arms around her back. He slid his hands down her back until he met the clasp of bra but the way that Sofia was running her nails on the back of his neck was making him incapable of do anything. He kept them still, while focusing on giving her all he could, in that kiss.
Nick pulled back after a while and made Sofia lean back. When she was comfortably lying on the couch, he ran his hand slowly down her face to her neck, collarbone, between her breasts to her stomach and then all this way back up. When he reached her neck again, she grabbed his hand and pulled him down on her and flipping him onto his back so that, all of a sudden, Nick found himself underneath her. She straddled his waist and adored his muscled upper body for a brief second, before leaning forward and gently starting to kiss him. She made him let out a small groan when she grounded her hips to his… If she kept teasing him this way, Nick was pretty sure she would kill him in a matter of seconds: her hands were caressing his neck, her lips were travelling all over his chest, planting soft kisses wherever she could, making his muscles twist at her touch and now she was also torturing him with those hip movements.
"Sofia…" – He moaned when she moved again. He slid his hands down her back again, this time on stopping on her thighs. He caressed them over the fabric of her jogging pants. She pulled herself up and nipped at his earlobe, making him tremble beneath her, before whispering – "I need you now… Make love to me, Nick..."
He reached for her chin and made her look at him and, with a smile, answered – "Gladly." She let out a little laugh, nervously, and moved aside, allowing him to sit back up on the couch. She stood up and held his hand, taking them to the bedroom. As they got there, Nick closed the door behind them and pushed her against the wall. He pinned her wrists above her head with one hand, letting his right hand roam down her body and caress every little part of her. He released her arms just to loop his fingers with the straps of her bra and pull them down, kissing her shoulders, biting gently at the same time. Sofia ran her hands down his chest once more, this time stopping on his jeans. She undid the buttons and the zipper but had a little trouble pulling them off. Nick looked at her, reaching for her hands. He helped her getting rid of his jeans and somehow, managed to kick off his boots and step out of them. Nick picked her up and carried her to the bed, setting her down carefully. She passed her finger through his short hair while he pulled down her jogging pants, slowly. When they were off, she pulled him up to meet her lips again. She wrapped her arms around his neck while his hands rested on her hips.
When they finally pulled apart after that breathtaking kiss, Nick looked straight in her eyes and caressed her face with the back of his hand. "You sure you want this?" – He asked, fearful of her answer. "I mean, I don't want to force you or anything and if…"
She pressed her finger against his lips "Schh… I want this… I want you, Nick."
He looked at her, amazed for a second, before kissing her again and giving her what she wanted. What, deep down in his soul, he had been wanting too, for a long, long time.