XXIV - CONFESSIONS

"Hey, Warrick! It's Sara."

"Sara! What's up? How's Nick? Why are you whispering?" Warrick's voice through the phone was surprisingly loud. Sara glanced anxiously at Nick, who was sleeping fitfully, and stepped into her hallway.

"I'm trying not to wake Nick up. He's sleeping. He's doing okay, I suppose." Sara sighed. "Anything interesting happening there?"

"No. Which is a good thing. I don't think we could handle a busy night. Grissom's with Doc Robbins - Earl's autopsy." He chuckled dryly. "I opted out of that one. Catherine's around here somewhere. Brass talked to Sheriff Davis in Michigan, told him what happened. They found the bodies where Nancy told us they were. There are actually more than 13 skulls there, so the theory is he got some missing kids or runaways." Warrick sighed. "Thankfully, not something we'll have to worry about."

Sara sighed. "Well, that's good news, I suppose. Did they arrest the sister?" At Warrick's confirming grunt, she continued. "Listen, War. Could you do me a favor? You're coming for breakfast, right? Yeah. Could you grab some clothes for Nick? The ones he was wearing here are covered in blood, and - What? Yeah - was wearing. That's what I said." Sara was red. "NO! I am not blushing! What? No, I don't know the combination to his locker. Wal-Mart? Okay - take Greg with you and let him chose the shirt - Nick needs a laugh. Size? I don't know - 36 waist, maybe? If they're too big he can wear a belt. Yeah - thanks, Warrick! And make sure you bring Greg for breakfast, too. Bye."

She shook her head ruefully as she hung up, and padded down the hallway into her living room. It was only 10:30 pm, and she was wired. She flipped on her TV, quickly scanned the channels for an interesting program, and switched it off in disgust. Nothing. Glancing around the living room, she noticed Nick's shirt still lying in a heap on the floor, walked over and picked it up. She shuddered when her eyes spotted the scorch marks and hole from the bullet. So close! She folded the shirt neatly, and placed it back on top of the shoes.

Padding back down the hallway, she stuck her head in the bedroom hopefully. Nick was still sleeping; his face peaceful, his lips soft. He had twisted the sheets low around his torso, and Sara blushed even as she admired his form. Slipping as quietly as she could into her room, she leaned over and visually inspected the gauze patch on his side, before sliding her gaze up to his face again. Nick was looking at her.

"It's alright you know." His voice was low. "You don't need to worry about it Sara. I've been hurt worse." Nick's eyes were dark, his tone dry. He twisted to his side. "I've kept a spot warm for you."

Sara smiled as she slid in beside him, facing him. "Will you do something for me, Nicky?"

Nick had reached out, and was idly whirling a strand of her hair around his finger. He grinned at her question. "I thought I already did it," he teased. His grin got wider as Sara reddened. "I never pegged you as a blusher, Sara Sidle. It's cute."

She grimaced at him. "I'm not blushing, I'm just hot!" At Nick's laughing confirmation, Sara realized she had just opened herself up again. She sighed, smiling in spite of herself. "Until a couple of days ago, I would have never said anything that obvious! I just wanted to know - this - us - how long have you been thinking about it?"

Nick sobered up, suddenly serious. "Honestly?" At Sara's nod, he continued. "When did you join us?"

Sara rolled her eyes at him. "I'm serious, Nicky!"

"So am I. I've thought about you, and me, and us since the first time I saw you."

"But I - but you - you always treated me like a good buddy, or a sister! Why didn't you do anything or say anything?"

"I thought maybe you and Grissom -" he paused, looking at her intently. "I thought maybe you two had a thing going."

"Grissom and I? Well, maybe I was interested, but the feeling wasn't mutual." Sara didn't look at Nick as she said this, and her voice was very soft.

Nick weighed his words carefully. "He was interested Sara. He just didn't know what to do about it. That's why I stayed away, though."

"And now?"

"Now? You mean, is he still interested now?" Nick's voice had sharpened, and he extracted his fingers from Sara's hair, sitting up angrily and throwing his legs over the side. "You're in bed with me, and you're asking me if Grissom might be still interested in you? Is that where this conversation is headed, Sara?"

Sara sat up, touching Nick on the shoulder tentatively. He jerked away from her. "Nick. Nicky - look at me." Sara's voice was soft and insistent. "I meant - if you stayed away for two years because of Grissom - what made you change your mind?"

"I couldn't do it anymore! Damn it, Sara! I just couldn't do it." He felt Sara's hand on his back, and turned towards her, his anger evaporating. "You make me happy. You make me want things I never thought I would ever want. I am aware of you from the minute you walk into the room until the minute you leave, and I was tired of pretending. I didn't want to be just your friend anymore. I wanted to be your lover; your partner in more than just work. I wanted to see if the feelings I had for you were real - and you know what? They are. And I might have just made a big mistake telling you about Grissom, because I have no idea what you'll do. I know how I feel about you, but I don't know what you feel about me. This has all happened rather quickly. Maybe you'll decide it was the stress, or the case, or who knows what? Maybe -"

"You talk too much." Sara interrupted him. "I'm not going to deny that I have been - interested - in Grissom. And until just recently, I would never have even imagined that we would ever be here, like this. But you know what, Nicky? Now that I'm here, I don't want to be anywhere else. Grissom is a good friend. He's a fascinating man. But he's not you. You're the one I want."

Nick was now fully facing Sara, hope and caution warring on his face. "And Grissom is-"

Sara smiled tenderly, reaching up and caressing his cheek. "He's my friend, Nick. But you're my future."

* * * * *

Grissom dragged himself tiredly into his office. Earl's autopsy had been fairly standard, but there had been a surprise - Earl had a tattoo across his chest, which, like Timmy's, had read "Broken Boy". Robbins had surmised that the tattoo was well over 30 years old. Grissom shook his head in disgust. Although he would never be able to prove anything, he knew that Earl had been sexually abused as a child. He had wondered about a family that could produce a son like him, and had come to the conclusion the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree.

He looked up in surprise as he caught the subtle scent of Catherine's perfume. She was sitting in his chair, behind his desk, playing solitaire. He sighed.

"That didn't sound good."

"What are you doing, Cath?" Grissom asked her, sinking into a vacant chair.

"Solitaire. Warrick's sleeping in the lounge, and I was bored. You were?"

"Earl's autopsy."

"Yuck."

Grissom studied her. She was concentrating on the cards in front of her, chewing the inside of her lip. He smiled as she made a move.

"What?"

Grissom ignored her question. "I wonder how long Nick will be on suspension."

Catherine shrugged. "Not long, I don't think. How could they keep him away? It wasn't his fault, and no one could have stopped it from happening." She looked at Grissom from under her eye lashes. "Sara called earlier. Talked to Warrick. Nick seems to be doing okay."

"That's good. This case affected everyone, but him worst of all. He'll be happy when I tell him the DA has arranged for Nancy to go to an institution where she'll be looked after. That girl has suffered."

Catherine nodded. "I'm sorry if I was pushing you earlier about telling Sara. I don't think you should, anymore."

Grissom looked at Catherine, surprised. "You don't? Why not?"

"You're a strong man, Gil. Not just physically, but emotionally. You can handle this situation. I don't think Nick could. He needs Sara, right now especially. And, I think Sara needs him."

Grissom pondered her statement. "Would you care to elaborate on that?"

Catherine smiled at him. "You and Sara are like two peas in a pod. You're both intellectual, driven, workaholics. Neither of you have the best people skills. If the two of you got together it would probably work out, but it would be because you're comfortable with each other. There would be no surprises." She looked at him intently, "You see what I'm saying?"

"We wouldn't challenge each other to grow."

"Correct. Nick forces Sara to open herself up emotionally, to allow for different experiences outside of the job. He'll make sure she eats, leaves work when she should, sleeps. If you two got together -"

"We'd never leave the lab." Grissom smiled. "You're right. About everything." At Catherine's surprised expression, Grissom laughed.

"Do you know how good it felt when I threw Miss Piggy today? It was like a damn bursting. I had forgotten how good it is to lose my temper every once in a while. I will never be an overly emotional man, Catherine, but I am going to try opening myself up more - even if it means getting hurt in the process. And I need someone in my life who can do for me what Nick does for Sara." He grinned at her shyly. "Know anyone that could fit the bill?"

________

Author's note: Okay, for all of those wanting a G/C relationship this story merely hints - HINTS - that this will happen. I am working on another story that will pick-up where this one leaves off, and will focus on them. I still have a few chapters to go with this story though. I'll try to get them written and posted over the next week, when we get back from our day trips. SUGGESTIONS? Always welcome!