DISCLAIMER:Don't own anything associated with the show… I just like playing with the characters in it.

RATING: T – Teen (language and adult issues)

PAIRINGS: GSR & Yo!Bling pre-established in previous fics of this timeline.

SPOILERS: Sequel to "Displacement" and "Transitions"

SUMMARY: Everything is changing around Nick Stokes. Can he deal with it, and how it will affect him in the end?

A/N: Well, obviously the language wasn't a problem for anyone, which is good, because there will be more in the future. I also have to give props to my new found friends for the use of one particular expletive. I was finding that string lacking, and upon hearing its use, I knew it had found a new home. :D

REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.

Chapter 10

11:30 – 2006.12.06

UNLV Earth Science Building: Parking Lot

Finally reaching the campus, Nick had spent the majority of the ride trying to figure out what possessed him to have behaved in such a brutish manner back at the research site. While he was concerned for the professor's safety, he was also forced to admit that he had been shown in numerous ways she was more than capable of taking care of herself, so his reasons were still unclear.

They had truly hauled ass back to the trucks, but were not able to outrun the rain. When they had gotten about halfway back to the trucks, the rain swiftly descended upon them making the rest of the journey an even larger nightmare. Nick had always heard a flash flood was one of the most violent forces of Mother Nature a person could witness, and what he saw on that ride proved it in spades.

Instead of a bumpy and dusty ride back, it was wind-blown, rain-soaked and mud-flying the whole rest of the way. A few times Nick had to hold onto the handlebars with a death-grip and make some quick decisions to keep from rolling the ATV into one of the streams forming around him as the water began to flow out of the canyon.

By the time they reached the trucks, the ATVs were completely covered in mud and so were three of the four members of the crew. All four were completely drenched from the downpour and they looked like a group of drowned rats as they managed to get all the equipment into the covered UNLV pickup for fear more rain exposure would destroy the items.

And so they left the site in their two trucks and worked their way back to the campus. Nick got the distinct impression that if he was not before, he certainly was now, a persona non gratis in the eyes of the professor. At some point the university truck pulled away from his vehicle and he assumed they either knew a faster way back, or they lost him on purpose. Considering the scowl on the professor's face as she got into her truck, he was putting his money on the latter.

As he and Sara were finally pulling into the parking lot at the Earth Science building, Nick noticed Sandi talking to someone in a sleek, tricked out, midnight blue pickup. The rain had stopped and so the professor's assistant was leaning against the driver's door when she caught sight of their arrival.

When Sandi waved at them as they turned the corner, Nick watched as she moved away from the mid-sized pickup and it peeled out of the lot. Nick tried to catch a glimpse of the driver, but the speed with which it left the parking lot told him everything his eyes had failed to register. Must've been the Doc, he thought as he pulled into the spot next to the university truck.

"Hey, guys… Get lost?" Sandi winked at the two through Nick's window and he hung his head down with just a hint of shame showing on his face.

Once again, it was Sara to the rescue. "Yeah, well we didn't realize it turned into the Indianapolis 500 out there." They both got out of the truck with Sandi laughing at the comment.

"Sorry 'bout that… Doc was worried about getting cleaned up before her afternoon meeting." Sandi reached over and put a hand on Nick's forearm to stop him moving toward the other truck for his equipment. "Hey, thanks for that."

Nick was shocked at the gesture and was having trouble processing what it meant. "What about?"

Sandi grinned and looked down at her feet a moment before she said, "Look, I know R.J. can be a royal pain in the ass, and what she said out there was way over the line, and if you value your life I wouldn't make a habit of it, but…she isn't good with limitations; real or perceived." Nick gave her half a smile to show he understood as Sara came around to his side of the truck.

The tall, lanky research assistant regarded them both with an uneasy smile and continued explaining, "Even if she won't say it, I will. Thanks for getting her out of there… The meeting this afternoon is crucial, and I had run out of ideas for getting her offsite. I really wasn't looking forward to having the rangers go out after her and running the meeting myself."

Sara's brow was creased when she asked, "She wanted the rangers to come out and get her?"

Shaking her head as she explained, "Oh yeah, once that arroyo floods, those ATVs are practically useless. The rangers have these special off-roaders or the horses to get in there for emergencies." Sandi flipped open the truck topper and then turned back to give them a sly grin as she finished, "But, while those guys practically worship R.J., that's a lot of wasted man-hours retrieving one very stubborn and ill-tempered scientist trying to prove a wasted point."

They both chuckled at her remarks as they reached in to retrieve their cases and packs. Sara, however, could not help but make a comment. "Yeah, well, I suppose it would depend entirely on how they worship her."

Nick audibly gasped at Sara's salacious comment, and then blushed furiously as he took the cases from her and quick timed it to his truck. He was completely aghast at her using such a sexually charged comment towards someone in the professor's condition. And upon the moment she uttered it, his mind suddenly made the connection that Dr. Desmaiseaux more than just some abstract resource of information on his case, or some disabled person for him to worry over, she was actually a living breathing woman. He was suddenly very ashamed at his own behavior, because he had let his preconceptions get in the way of his work and his actions.