A/N: This is a response to forensicsfan's challenge on the yahoo Snickers group. The site won't let me post anything for some reason, though I fixed my little bouncing email problem. But whatever!! My story contains the following elements: tofu hot dogs, Bruno (Sara's dog), wet sleeping bag, chocolate, campfire, fireflies, KISS). Enjoy and review!
The familiar sound of the doorbell ringing sounded inside Sara's cozy apartment one Friday afternoon. Sara smiled and let the packet of her Hershey's chocolate fall into her overnight bag as her dog Bruno began barking excitedly to alert his human someone was at the door, in case, with her sub-superior ears, she hadn't heard. Sara sighed and ruffled the head of her nervous and excited golden retriever, who was barking at the front door.
She knew who poor Bruno wished it was – Grissom. And as heartbroken as Sara was, she did not need her beloved dog adding to the hurt of the break up. It had been a mutual decision between her and Gil, but it still hurt. They'd been together almost a year, and the Miniature Killer fiasco had of course put stress on the relationship. Was it some sign she was never supposed to be happy in a relationship? All of them seemed to end badly or contain some horrid event.
Bruno had completely adored Grissom. In fact, Sara hypothesized her dog had turned gay for her former boyfriend. He'd gotten "excited" on many occasions while Grissom came over. And all that passion in that dog's heart had been replaced with painful heartbreak and a fierce aching for his long-lost entomologist companion. That made two of them.
"Calm down, buddy." Sara told him soothingly, scratching behind his ears. She opened the door to see the familiar, kind face of her coworker and long time friend Nick Stokes. He held up a hand in a brief wave, his other shoulder holding his overnight bag. Nick smiled as Bruno dropped his head in disappointment. Sara's heart ached for her poor pup, and beat a bit louder when she smelled Nick's aftershave and the sight of his amazing arms saying hello from beneath his short-sleeved CSI shirt he was sporting.
"Hey." Sara grinned and stepped aside to let him in. Nick walked in and kissed Sara's cheek, answering a soft hey to her also, then ruffled Bruno's head.
"Hey, Bruno." He said and then bent down to give him some more attention as he let his bag drop to the floor gently. Bruno let out a sad yawn as Nick scratched his ears and pet him a little. "Why the long face, my man?"
Nick had a dog of his own, and knew their moods very well. This particular dog was indeed heartbroken, like Sara had described over the phone. Sara watched with her arms crossed, smirking a bit. Somehow she knew Nick would be up for the favor she'd asked of him. Sara had been so concerned about Bruno, she'd taken him to the vet for an exam. He'd always been a nervous dog, and it took him a while to get used to new people, but once he did, his heart belonged to you for life. The vet had suggested taking Bruno out and around for a more extended amount of time. He'd recommended camping, because Bruno could get lots of exercise, fresh air, and get to spend lots of time with his human. The exercise would help release endorphins, which made the mind and body happier.
Sara decided to take his advice, and it better be good advice since it cost fifty dollars for an office visit. However, she still had the jitters from her incident earlier that year, and didn't want to go camping alone. Sara was relieved that Nick agreed to go with her when she asked him.
"He's so sad." Nick frowned at the puppy, giving him some warm pats and scratches.
"Well, hopefully a little camping time will fix that." Sara smiled as he began to stand up.
"I hope so. I hate to see a sad face." He studied her face and concluded she was still feeling a bit down herself. That spark he loved about her was faded, and that cute gap between her teeth rarely peeked out to greet him anymore. Sara had simply not been herself lately, and he hated Grissom for it. She didn't deserve to be abandoned like that when she needed him most. Nick was just glad she'd asked him for help, because he would always help her in the blink of an eye. "Yours especially. How are you holdin' up?"
Sara's arms shifted slightly and she rolled her shoulders a bit. The way he was looking at her made her feel so safe and cared for, but she also knew Nick was one to see her through her problems by getting her to talk.
"I've been better." She admitted, knowing she could always be honest with Nick. "Hopefully, this little trip will help me too." She shrugged, as if to dismiss her own feelings.
Nick nodded in understanding. He would do anything to cheer her up and hear that laugh again. And good thing he was an experienced camper. He had all the supplies they needed and Sara knew she would be in good hands. It had been over a month now that Sara and Grissom had called it quits, and Sara was still acting like it was yesterday. He guessed it was even harder to survive a break up when your ex is your own boss. Talk about awkward. Sara needed to be woken up from this horrible nightmare and realize there were other fish in the sea, and that she was one heck of a catch for any guy.
"Yeah, well I'll see to it you two have a good time." He gave her a quick reassuring wink. Sara smiled and nodded, glad she had finally mustered up enough courage to ask him. "You have your stuff ready?"
"Um, yeah. I just need to grab a couple things, then we can go." She told him. "You can sit on the couch if you want." Sara offered, but he shook his head and knelt down again in front of Bruno, who was now laying on his side on the floor, looking quite pitiful.
"Nah. I'm gonna see if I can't have a little talk man to man with Bruno here." He looked up at Sara, and his eyes twinkled a little bit in playfulness. Nick felt encouragement when she let him hear a tiny chuckle, and that beautiful smile peeked out from beneath those solemn lips. As he looked back down at Bruno, he knew he had his work cut out for him, but if he could get Sara to smile, he'd have all the motivation he needed.
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About an hour later, Nick was pulling into the Pioneer Times Camp Grounds in the outskirts of Las Vegas. Camping in the summer would just be plain stupid, so he was glad Sara had asked him now in September. They split the cost of the campground fee, and Nick wheeled his way back to their site, right by a lake.
"Oh, this is nice." Nick commented as he pulled into the parking spot. There was a great view of the lake, treeline, and hopefully a marvelous sunset later that evening. The site was well-kept, and the trees displayed an impressive array of fall colors – gold, red, orange, brown, all mixed together to form a breathtaking palate of color.
They got out of the Denali, and Sara let Bruno out of the back seat. Sara was pleasantly surprised when he barked and started bounding around the campsite. Bruno had a bit of separation anxiety, so she knew he wouldn't go very far.
"He's gonna get really excited and piss." Sara told Nick out of the blue as they watched Bruno stand at the lake's edge, his tail wagging happily. Nick turned his head to look at her questioningly. It's not every day you hear a word even as non-vulgar as piss come of his coworker's mouth.
"Piss, Sara?" He waited for clarification.
Sara smiled again, feeling herself relax in the presence of Nick's company. "He's got some nervous disorder, and whenever he gets too excited or too scared, he pees, wherever he is. One of the reasons I have mostly hardwood floors."
Nick let out a chuckle and shook his head. "This dog of yours is pretty high maintenance." He commented as they watched the dog curiously watching a squirrel bounding by. Sure enough, he started peeing right where he stood. Nothing territorial about it, just pure excitement. Nick started laughing even more now, touching his fingers to the bridge of his nose in pure amusement.
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Later that evening, Sara and Nick decided it was time to eat, so he unloaded the cooler Sara had packed from the Denali and carried it to the little campfire they had going. It was just starting to get dark, and Bruno was now chasing fireflies around the camp area. He'd eaten a few, and one had gotten smudged on his nose, confusing the dog. The light freaked him out, so he'd peed again.
"I hope you packed me a nice Porter House steak." Nick joked as he plopped the cooler down next to where Sara was sitting.
"You bet. Right next to the cavier and fondue." Sara was really enjoying herself so far. It was easier than she thought to relax out here, probably mostly because she had Nick with her. She knew he would protect her from anything that would most likely not come their way. Bruno, despite his accidents, was more at ease, and definitely seemed happier already.
Nick had begun unpacking some of the items they'd need to cook, and cleared his throat as he held up a package of tofu hot dogs. Sara looked over to see what he was on about, and he raised his eyebrows at her. She smiled innocently.
"Tofu hot dogs, Sar?" He teased her, turning them over to read the ingredients. "I'll pretend I didn't see these. No true Texan would lay a hand on these things."
"Have you ever tried them?" Sara questioned, always prepared to defend her vegetarian nature. It took a while to get used to the taste, but now she actually enjoyed tofu products.
"No, and I don't intend to change that anytime soon." He tossed the package over to Sara to open them if she wanted any. Nick dug deeper and found what he'd been looking for – hamburgers.
"They're real, aren't they?" Nick checked as he examined one closely to check for non-beef ingredients.
"Of course, Nicky." She winked at him. "All natural."
Nick's laugh lines spread across his face at the comment and he blushed a bit as he focused on steadying the pan carefully on top of the campfire. "You havin' one of your tofu dogs?" He asked, holding his hand out to receive the sub-par food.
"Thanks. Bruno will have one too. He loves them." Sara smiled as she handed them over. Nick just shook his head as he added two of the hot dogs into the pan to cook along with his real meat. Once he'd gotten them cooking just right, he took a break and took the seat next to Sara, opening up a can of soda.
"So. Bruno seems to be enjoying nature." He commented as he observed Bruno chasing after another firefly.
"That he does." Sara agreed, watching her beloved dog act silly for the first time since their hearbreak.
"And what does his owner think?" He quirked and eyebrows as he waited for an answer.
"I think it's doing me well." Sara nodded, staring into the campfire. She didn't want to spill everything on Nick, but he always made her feel so comfortable. He was so easy to talk to, and a great shoulder to lean on. "It's good to get away from the apartment. I'm reminded of him everywhere."
Nick studied his friend closely and nodded as he listened to her venting. He didn't mind at all. Well, he tried not to think about the fact that Grissom had gotten to kiss her, and probably make love to her. Seriously, how could she be attracted to someone with so many wrinkles when she was still so young and toned herself. That, like most people who knew of their relationship, he could never understand.
"Is it hard going to work?" He inquired gently, hoping he wasn't pushing her too hard. It always helped him to talk about things that were bothering him. Nick guessed he came from a family of talkers and problem-solvers.
Sara nodded wordlessly for a moment, thinking of the many times she just wanted to crawl into a closet at the crime lab just catching a glimpse of him. She was reminded daily of their failed relationship, both at home and at work.
"It gets to be too much sometimes." She admitted as the fire crackled. Sara sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I've been thinking of transferring somewhere else, just because it's too weird."
Nick gaped slightly, but he guessed he shouldn't be all that surprised. "You wanna move? Why?" He asked, though it was obvious.
"Well, I basically moved here because of him. What's the point in staying, especially when he'll always be my boss." She shook her head and took a big swig of her soda.
"Have you thought of transferring to another shift?"
She shrugged. "I don't like the people on day shift or swing shift. I like you guys at night shift, all except him." She admitted. Was it really logical to give up so many friends just because she was uncomfortable around that ass?
"Well," Nick began, "I really hope you don't move, because I'd miss ya. And I think things will get better over time. A lot of things just take time."
He'd been through his fair share of challenging experiences. It was always awful for a while afterwards, but after a few months it got better, and a few years really helped ease the pain. Nick knew how much it sucked at the beginning though. Broken hearts were painful things.
"I think I'll try a little longer." Sara told him. "Thanks."
Nick smiled at her. "And if you ever need to take a little trip to get away, I'm here for ya." He promised her seriously as he reached over to pat her forearm supportively. Sara looked into his eyes and knew he meant every word he was telling her. Nick was such a great friend.
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After a scrumptious, but slightly burned dinner, they cleaned up the pan and mess kits a little down at the lake, and then it was time to set up the tent. Nick had set it up on many occasions, but he had always gone camping with his buddies, who knew what they were doing. As he began to set it up, the confusion set in.
"I think I may have gotten some of these rods mixed up." He admitted, surveying the damage. One arc was standing upright, going through the center of the tent, as Sara, Nick and Bruno looked on. Nick walked to one side to check out one of the other rods, and accidentally stepped on part of one, causing the large arc in the center to come crashing over. It frightened Bruno, who yelped at the sound, and then proceeded to start peeing again. Unfortunately, he had been standing right by Nick's sleeping bag, and it became soaking wet.
"Bruno!" Sara saw it and grabbed his collar, pulling him out of the way. Bruno moaned sadly at the scolding and finished elsewhere, away from Nick's sleeping bag, but the damage had already been done.
"Ummm, Nicky?" Sara winced as he tried to connect two rods together.
"Yea, Sar?"
"We may have a slight problem."
"I know, but I'm working on it. I'll have it figured out in a minute." He struggled with the two pieces.
"Another problem, I mean." Nick finally looked at Sara, who looked apologetic. "Bruno kind of pissed on your sleeping bag."
The smile left Nick's face. "Kind of?"
Sara bit her lip to keep from smiling. "Yea, sorry. He got scared when the rods fell over."
Nick sighed, "Great. The little piss-ant."
Sara had to laugh a little bit at their situation. It was getting dark, the tent wasn't set up, and now they were one sleeping bag short.
"I'm sorry. He has problems with his bodily functions. I'll buy you a new one." She offered, feeling really bad his sleeping bag was ruined with dog piss.
"It's okay. I'll take it to a cleaner." He decided. "I think I may have left some of the rods at home." Nick scratched the back of his head in thought.
"So, no tent?" Sara checked, putting her hands on her hips.
Nick shook his head and looked up at her apologetically, scratching his jaw. "No tent. And one sleeping bag."
"Well, we already paid our thirty bucks. We could rough it in the Denali." She suggested bravely. If they pushed the seats down, it would make for a nice make-shift bed. They'd have to share the sleeping bag, but was that really so much of an inconvenience when her partner would be Nick?
Nick pondered that for a moment, and didn't see why not. It was an excuse to cozy up with Sara for a night, which had always been a secret dream of his. He would be a gentleman, of course.
"Sure. That'd be cool." He agreed. Sara was relieved, and they began to pack the tent back up in the little bag it came in. Nick opened the Denali and began to prepare it for them to sleep in it. He unzipped Sara's sleeping bag all the way, so they could use it as a cover between them.
About an hour later, both were under the sleeping bag with the trunk door open as they listened to the sounds of wildlife amongst the trees. Sara couldn't help but wonder if she was with Grissom, whether he'd be naming off all the damn insects that were making sounds. She was certainly glad she didn't have to listen to any of that crap anymore.
Bruno was curled up in the second row of seats, contentedly sleeping after a tiring, but fun day. The camping trip seemed to have done the trick, at least for his depression, but had done nothing for his zany bladder.
"Sorry again about Bruno." Sara apologized, both laying on their sides now facing each other. Nick smiled at the reminder. He guessed it was kind of funny now that he'd thought about it. And the end product wasn't so bad.
"No problem. He can't help it." Nick dismissed it kindly, though his bag was going to reek in the back of their Denali on the way home tomorrow. Sara readjusted herself slightly under the bag, and her foot accidentally brushed his leg.
"Oh, sorry." She apologized immediately, though both had secretly enjoyed it. "I was laying on one of those plastic things."
"It's okay." He whispered, just looking at her face. Nick took a deep breath and continued. "Sar, I just want you to know I meant what I said earlier, about not wanting you to move. I don't know what I'd do if you left." Nick admitted, hoping Sara wouldn't laugh in his face.
"What do you mean?" She thought she knew what he meant, but didn't want to jump the gun.
"I, uh. I've never really said it, but I care about you a lot, Sar. A whole lot." Nick's facial expression was dead serious, and so caring she thought she might melt.
"I care about you too, Nicky." Sara whispered, reaching out to stroke his cheek gently. It was a friendly gesture, but to both of them, it felt like more in that moment.
"I just…I don't want that jerk to drive you away, because there's so many people here that love you and need you around. So that hope doesn't fade away."
Sara quirked her eyebrows a little at that last sentence. "The hope doesn't fade away? What hope is that?"
"Well, if you're gone, I'll know that nothing could ever happen between us, and that's what keeps me going. My poor soul would have no hope." He admitted sadly, but tried to keep the mood relatively light, now that he'd confessed his need for her. Not that he expected anything to happen; he just wanted to get his feelings out there, because the thought of her leaving literally crushed his heart.
"Oh, Nicky." She whispered, rubbing his cheek with her thumb still. "I've always wondered about us too, really. There's a certain excitement about that that makes it easier to come into work every day." Sara admitted her fondness of him also. It had always been just a little crush to her, kind of like a little girl wanting to meet the Backstreet Boys, but knowing it was never quite in the cards. But to hear it from Nick's own mouth – that was very exciting.
"Yeah?" He asked, reaching out to gently rub her forearm as they looked into each other's eyes.
"Yeah." She gave a tiny nod. "But right now…I think I'm just too confused and I'm still getting over stuff. If you're willing to wait…"
Nick smiled. "Sar, I've been waiting for about eight years now. I think I can last a little bit longer." He gave her a little wink.
Sara smiled widely back at him, and loved him so much right then. He was willing to wait on her to be ready; to deal with her feelings first. What an amazing guy, to be able to do that. And he worked for Grissom, too, so that must be weird for him. She wanted to let him know how much she appreciated his support, kindness and friendship, so Sara gently touched the back of his neck to pull him forward slightly, leaned in herself, and pressed her lips to his and a sweet, tender kiss. Just to keep them both going for a little while longer.
"Thank you, Nicky." She whispered as he looked at her, slightly bewildered, but very satisfied indeed. "Thanks for being such a great friend."