Second Chances
Chapter Nine: Together
Nick set a plate of eggs on the coffee table in front of Sara and walked back into the kitchen they shared.
She took one look at the food and grimaced. "Nick, are you kidding? I can't eat this, not unless you want to clean up the mess I make."
He leaned over the counter and held up a box. "Those are mine. These are yours." He carried the crackers and a plate over to her and arranged them like a tray of hors d'oeuvres.
Sara smiled graciously, but ignored the plate. She glanced at her nails and began to bite them.
"Is something wrong?" he asked after swallowing a mouthful.
"Grissom doesn't know. Everyone else knows, but he doesn't. I don't know why that happens every time. Maybe I should stop having secrets."
"Sara, you could just tell him."
"Or you could."
"We're not in the eighth grade. You can handle it. This is your thing."
"Excuse me? You're as much a part of this as I am."
"I'm not denying that, but you're the one whose work is going to be affected. And besides, you just love telling people other than me, so…"
She frowned and grabbed a saltine.
He patted her on the leg. "I'm going to get some sleep. Finish up and then you can join me."
"Oh I can? Thank you so much, Almighty Nick, for your permission."
With her eyes closed, Lexi knew something was different. Light filtered in through the curtains and it should've felt like a good morning. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and threw on a sweatshirt. Reaching into the back of her closet, she searched for a baseball bat. She twisted the knob on the bedroom door and felt her heart thumping wildly.
Her grip on the metal relaxed when she smelled the aroma of coffee. It puzzled her; she didn't have an automatic coffee maker. She heard footsteps on the wood floor and tightened up. She turned the corner and saw a man pouring sugar packets into a mug. She took a step forward and the wood creaked; instinctively, she raised the bat. The man turned around and smiled.
Alexis lowered the bat and set it against the wall. She rested her hand on her chest. "Greg, how the hell did you get in here?"
"Your mom gave me a key."
She arched a brow and took a seat at the kitchen table. Her breathing had started to get back to normal.
"Okay, not really. I needed to talk to you, so I came over. Did you know your lock is really easy to pick?" He placed a mug in front of her.
"You broke into my apartment? Now I'm really glad I'm moving back home." She took a sip and spit it back. "Eck. Blue Hawaiian. I didn't like this when I was sixteen; what makes you think my thoughts would change?"
He shrugged. "You're a woman. And you're related to your mother."
Opening up the paper he had been kind enough to bring in, Lexi said, "So you wanted to talk to me?"
"Yeah. See, I'm in a little trouble at work with a couple of people and I was wondering how to get out of it."
She took a bite of a cherry-red apple. "I'm going to need more information than that. What exactly did you do? Who do you need to woo? And how much are you going to pay me?"
"First, I told Warrick that Sara said Catherine was pregnant. Second, Sara and Catherine. Possibly Warrick. I'm not sure about that. And third, twenty bucks if all goes well."
"You're on your own with Warrick; I don't know him that well. Mom will be easy. Get her something baby related. I know she's probably going to want to buy everything herself, and so is my dad, but contribute. Try a blanket or clothes or something. For Catherine I'd have to say you should just punish yourself. Buying her something might work, but paperwork will be the key to forgiveness. Oh, you know what? Pay for a dinner for her and Warrick, and while they're out, watch Lindsey. That will be gold."
Greg smiled and whipped a twenty dollar bill from his pocket. He slapped it on the table. "You're a genius."
"Thank you."
"I'm going to go now. I'll talk to you later."
"Not so fast. I need you to fix my door. I can't get my security deposit back if the lock is busted."
"Do you have a screwdriver?"
At five o'clock that evening, a clock alarm rang and Nick and Sara awoke from a nice sleep. Sara was surprised she had managed to sleep the entire time. Nick headed off to take a shower and she went to the kitchen. The red light was flashing on the telephone, indicating they had a message.
"Hey, Mom, Dad, it's Lexi. I know you guys are sleeping, but this was the only spare moment I had. It'll take me a few days to get everything over there, but I'm going to make my first trip the day after tomorrow. I don't have rehearsal, so I'll be able to come by about noon. Do you think you can get the night before off? I'd really like to have you awake when I get there. I'll call you tonight. Bye."
Sara pulled a can of Sprite out of the fridge. Catherine's earlier suggestion had stuck with her and she was pleased that it worked. She looked at the floor of the living room. It was cluttered with junk from both Lexi's room and the spare bedroom. She was glad they had the extra space for people, but had no idea where everything else was going to go.
She entered her room just as Nick was coming out of the bathroom. His hair was tousled, but his clearly defined muscles made her weak in the knees. He caught her eye and she blushed. His classic Texas smile shined brightly.
"You better be careful," he said wickedly, "looking at me like that is what got you in your present situation."
She tossed a shirt his direction and he slipped it over his head.
Next time on Second Chances: Sara shares her secret with a friend and Lexi gets an unpleasant visitor.
Thanks so much to everyone who reads and reviews. You all are my favorite. I'd like to apologize to anyone who feels that there isn't enough Nick in this story. It isn't intentional; Sara is just easier for me to write. I will try to add more Nick scenes in later chapters. Please note that I do have this story written through chapter 18 or so. Thanks so much and please continue to send me your thoughts.
