Warrick had gone over the evidence twice now and nothing new stood out to
him. Grissom had popped his head in to see how things were going,
"Anything, Warrick?"
"Nothing." Warrick replied adding, "I hope the others are having better
luck."
"Well, I just got a call from Sara, they're heading to the mall to help Nick pick out a cat." Grissom smirked.
"What?" Warrick was confused.
"The vic's son works there and after showing his wife the stills from the bus, she's convinced the son was in one of them. They're just going to do a little fishing." Grissom replied.
Warrick chuckled at the idea of Nick owning a cat.
"Warrick, try seeing if you can dig a little deeper on our vic and see if there is anything about his family life we haven't uncovered yet." He turned and walked out of the layout room toward his office.
Meanwhile at the mall, Nick, Sara, and Catherine had arrived in front of the pet store, which had just opened. It was a chain store, bright, clean, and highly organized. In the front windows puppies and kittens napped. Before they entered, Catherine suggested that Nick and Sara stick together and she would wander the aisles.
Catherine was the first to enter. She walked up and down the aisles taking in the amount of merchandise targeted toward animals. It was slow, and the employees were puttering around stocking shelves, not really expecting too many people this early.
Nick and Sara entered and Catherine could hear them from her vantage point. "Oh, Nicky, look at this little fluff ball over here. He's so cute."
Catherine could hear Nick chuckle at Sara. Nice, she thought to herself, they're playing the couple angle, and it seems to come so naturally too. Catherine laughed to herself.
Nick and Sara looked the part of the eager pet owner to be. Sara kept pointing at different kittens and Nick would give his opinions. Pretty soon, a young man stepped over to help them. His nametag identified him as Robby Stone. "Can I help you?" he inquired.
"Yeah, can we see that gray fluff ball there," Nick pointed at the kitten Sara had been cooing at and then smiled over at her.
Robby opened the display window and pulled out the gray kitten and handed it to Nick. "Here you go sir, he is a cute one, I've been begging my mom to let me have one, but my dad and my brother are allergic so I can't."
Trying not to sound too interested in Robby's comment, Nick replied, "Oh, that's too bad. My cousin had the same problem, his brother was allergic to dogs so they couldn't have one. They always thought he'd be allergic too, but he was adopted, so he was lucky that way."
Robby answered as he continued to pet the kitten, "Really, wow what a coincidence, I'm adopted too."
Sara took the kitten from Nick and smiled at him with doe eyes as she cuddled with it, "Can I have it, Nicky?"
He winked at her and replied, "I don't know, Sara, I thought we were just looking today. We need to get a few things first before we can bring one of these babies home."
"Well, just let me know if I can help you with anything else," Robby offered as Sara handed the kitten back to him so he could it back in the window.
Nick put his arm around Sara's shoulder and looked down at her saying, "Come on, Sara, let's go, ok."
"Ok, Nicky," She replied grinning at him playing at the collar of his shirt.
They exited the store and were joined shortly by Catherine, who had taken in the entire exchange inside the store. "You two ready to go, or do we need to go by the malt shop first?"
Nick's face flushed slightly at Catherine's teasing, "No, Catherine. Just playing a cover."
"Yeah, you look like you've had a little practice," She replied noticing that Nick's arm was still around Sara's shoulder.
Sara's face was flushed with a little color, "Hey, uh, let's get back to headquarters so we can brief Grissom." She set off ahead of them toward the Tahoe.
Once they were settled in the Tahoe, Catherine turned and looked at Nick and Sara. "Ok, you two, spill it."
"Whatever do you mean, Catherine?" Nick smiled pleasantly back at her.
"Yeah, I don't know what you're getting at, Cath." Sara added.
Catherine grinned wryly, "Last night, both of you late for work, cell phones, do I need to go any further?"
"What are you getting at, Catherine?" Nick asked innocently.
"Are you two sleeping together?" Catherine asked bluntly as she turned the key in the ignition.
Nick and Sara both turned red and exchanged glances. "It's not what you think, Cath." Sara defended.
"Really," She responded dryly pulling out of the parking lot.
"Catherine, I invited Sara over for breakfast after shift. We ate, we watched TV, and we fell asleep on the couch, fully clothed. End of story." Nick said firmly.
"Yeah, I was so tired I fell asleep while we were watching the New Detectives marathon on Discovery and I didn't wake up until you called me." Sara added. "So you see it's not what you think."
"Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me the whole story?" Catherine queried remembering the heavy breathing she'd heard over the phone.
Nick rolled his eyes, "Catherine."
"Ok, I'll drop it." Catherine replied adding, "for now."
They drove the remainder of the way back to CSI headquarters in relative silence. As they pulled into the lot, Catherine stated, "I'll go find Grissom, I think we're going to need to call Brass. I'll see you guys in the break room in 10 minutes."
"Ok." Nick replied. Sara didn't make a sound, she had fallen asleep in the backseat. "I'll wake up Sleeping Beauty back here."
Catherine grinned back at him, "You do realize what Prince Charming woke Sleeping Beauty up with don't you?"
Nick not sure what she was getting at replied, "No."
Catherine laughed and replied over her shoulder, " A kiss, Nick" before heading toward the building, leaving Nick with a red face.
Nick climbed out of the Tahoe and opened the back door where Sara was seated. "Hey, Sara. Sara." He shook her shoulder. "Sara."
In a sleepy voice Sara spoke, "No, Nicky, I don't want to get up. Stay with me for a few more minutes."
Nick chuckled. "Sara, we need to get inside and brief Grissom."
With her eyes still closed, she said, "Don't want Grissom, want you."
Nick leaned into the Tahoe and unbuckled Sara's seatbelt. He placed one hand on her waist and the other on her shoulder, "Sara."
With that Sara's eyes fluttered open and she smiled. "Nick, was I sleeping? I had the best dream."
"Really, what did you dream about?" Nick asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"You." Sara smiled reaching up to caress his cheek with her right hand.
Nick grinned and moved his hand from her shoulder to cup her cheek in his hand. Slowly, they moved toward each other glancing occasionally from each other's eyes to their lips. With a jolt, their lips connected in a soft kiss. Sara snaked her free arm around Nick's neck to pull him closer. He deepened the kiss. Sara allowed her lips to part and they began to explore each other's mouths as their tongues danced.
They weren't aware of how much time had passed until they heard someone clearing their throat. They turned to find Catherine and Warrick standing there with amused grins on their faces. Catherine broke the awkward moment, "So, is this still not what I thought? You two are so busted."
"Well, I just got a call from Sara, they're heading to the mall to help Nick pick out a cat." Grissom smirked.
"What?" Warrick was confused.
"The vic's son works there and after showing his wife the stills from the bus, she's convinced the son was in one of them. They're just going to do a little fishing." Grissom replied.
Warrick chuckled at the idea of Nick owning a cat.
"Warrick, try seeing if you can dig a little deeper on our vic and see if there is anything about his family life we haven't uncovered yet." He turned and walked out of the layout room toward his office.
Meanwhile at the mall, Nick, Sara, and Catherine had arrived in front of the pet store, which had just opened. It was a chain store, bright, clean, and highly organized. In the front windows puppies and kittens napped. Before they entered, Catherine suggested that Nick and Sara stick together and she would wander the aisles.
Catherine was the first to enter. She walked up and down the aisles taking in the amount of merchandise targeted toward animals. It was slow, and the employees were puttering around stocking shelves, not really expecting too many people this early.
Nick and Sara entered and Catherine could hear them from her vantage point. "Oh, Nicky, look at this little fluff ball over here. He's so cute."
Catherine could hear Nick chuckle at Sara. Nice, she thought to herself, they're playing the couple angle, and it seems to come so naturally too. Catherine laughed to herself.
Nick and Sara looked the part of the eager pet owner to be. Sara kept pointing at different kittens and Nick would give his opinions. Pretty soon, a young man stepped over to help them. His nametag identified him as Robby Stone. "Can I help you?" he inquired.
"Yeah, can we see that gray fluff ball there," Nick pointed at the kitten Sara had been cooing at and then smiled over at her.
Robby opened the display window and pulled out the gray kitten and handed it to Nick. "Here you go sir, he is a cute one, I've been begging my mom to let me have one, but my dad and my brother are allergic so I can't."
Trying not to sound too interested in Robby's comment, Nick replied, "Oh, that's too bad. My cousin had the same problem, his brother was allergic to dogs so they couldn't have one. They always thought he'd be allergic too, but he was adopted, so he was lucky that way."
Robby answered as he continued to pet the kitten, "Really, wow what a coincidence, I'm adopted too."
Sara took the kitten from Nick and smiled at him with doe eyes as she cuddled with it, "Can I have it, Nicky?"
He winked at her and replied, "I don't know, Sara, I thought we were just looking today. We need to get a few things first before we can bring one of these babies home."
"Well, just let me know if I can help you with anything else," Robby offered as Sara handed the kitten back to him so he could it back in the window.
Nick put his arm around Sara's shoulder and looked down at her saying, "Come on, Sara, let's go, ok."
"Ok, Nicky," She replied grinning at him playing at the collar of his shirt.
They exited the store and were joined shortly by Catherine, who had taken in the entire exchange inside the store. "You two ready to go, or do we need to go by the malt shop first?"
Nick's face flushed slightly at Catherine's teasing, "No, Catherine. Just playing a cover."
"Yeah, you look like you've had a little practice," She replied noticing that Nick's arm was still around Sara's shoulder.
Sara's face was flushed with a little color, "Hey, uh, let's get back to headquarters so we can brief Grissom." She set off ahead of them toward the Tahoe.
Once they were settled in the Tahoe, Catherine turned and looked at Nick and Sara. "Ok, you two, spill it."
"Whatever do you mean, Catherine?" Nick smiled pleasantly back at her.
"Yeah, I don't know what you're getting at, Cath." Sara added.
Catherine grinned wryly, "Last night, both of you late for work, cell phones, do I need to go any further?"
"What are you getting at, Catherine?" Nick asked innocently.
"Are you two sleeping together?" Catherine asked bluntly as she turned the key in the ignition.
Nick and Sara both turned red and exchanged glances. "It's not what you think, Cath." Sara defended.
"Really," She responded dryly pulling out of the parking lot.
"Catherine, I invited Sara over for breakfast after shift. We ate, we watched TV, and we fell asleep on the couch, fully clothed. End of story." Nick said firmly.
"Yeah, I was so tired I fell asleep while we were watching the New Detectives marathon on Discovery and I didn't wake up until you called me." Sara added. "So you see it's not what you think."
"Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me the whole story?" Catherine queried remembering the heavy breathing she'd heard over the phone.
Nick rolled his eyes, "Catherine."
"Ok, I'll drop it." Catherine replied adding, "for now."
They drove the remainder of the way back to CSI headquarters in relative silence. As they pulled into the lot, Catherine stated, "I'll go find Grissom, I think we're going to need to call Brass. I'll see you guys in the break room in 10 minutes."
"Ok." Nick replied. Sara didn't make a sound, she had fallen asleep in the backseat. "I'll wake up Sleeping Beauty back here."
Catherine grinned back at him, "You do realize what Prince Charming woke Sleeping Beauty up with don't you?"
Nick not sure what she was getting at replied, "No."
Catherine laughed and replied over her shoulder, " A kiss, Nick" before heading toward the building, leaving Nick with a red face.
Nick climbed out of the Tahoe and opened the back door where Sara was seated. "Hey, Sara. Sara." He shook her shoulder. "Sara."
In a sleepy voice Sara spoke, "No, Nicky, I don't want to get up. Stay with me for a few more minutes."
Nick chuckled. "Sara, we need to get inside and brief Grissom."
With her eyes still closed, she said, "Don't want Grissom, want you."
Nick leaned into the Tahoe and unbuckled Sara's seatbelt. He placed one hand on her waist and the other on her shoulder, "Sara."
With that Sara's eyes fluttered open and she smiled. "Nick, was I sleeping? I had the best dream."
"Really, what did you dream about?" Nick asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"You." Sara smiled reaching up to caress his cheek with her right hand.
Nick grinned and moved his hand from her shoulder to cup her cheek in his hand. Slowly, they moved toward each other glancing occasionally from each other's eyes to their lips. With a jolt, their lips connected in a soft kiss. Sara snaked her free arm around Nick's neck to pull him closer. He deepened the kiss. Sara allowed her lips to part and they began to explore each other's mouths as their tongues danced.
They weren't aware of how much time had passed until they heard someone clearing their throat. They turned to find Catherine and Warrick standing there with amused grins on their faces. Catherine broke the awkward moment, "So, is this still not what I thought? You two are so busted."