DISCLAIMERS IN CHAPTER 1
~*~
"Hey," Nick said, wrapping his arms around Sara's waist and kissing her cheek.
"Hey," Sara said, pulling away from him violenty.
'What did I do?' Nick asked himself.
"You okay?" Nick asked.
"I'm fine," Sara said, just a little too quickly.
"Is it something I did? Or said?"
"No, it's nothing you did or said. I have to go," Sara said, quickly racing for the door.
"Hey..." Nick grabbed her wrist.
"Don't touch me!" Sara said, pulling back her wrist.
"I was just going to ask you to dinner. What's going on Sara? Did something happen? You have to fill me in,"
"I don't have to do anything. I don't have to tell you anything..." Sara said, before walking out of the locker room.
~*~
"Sara, there you are. We had an earlier brief...you and Nick are on the dead cheerleader's case. Here's the file. I have to go," Grissom said before running after Catherine, who was miles ahead.
'Great, now I have to work with Nick. Why was he so hostile before? I mean, has he never been rejected before? I guess not.'
"Where was Grissom going in such a rush?" Nick asked, coming up behind her.
"He and Catherine have a lead on their case, I think. Ours is Charlene Walters. Cheerleader. Found dead in the bedroom of a house,"
"Her house?" Nick questioned.
"Nope, the house of her boyfriend. There was a party after the game," Sara told him, handing him the folder.
"Meet you at my car," Sara waved.
~*~
"So, you wanna talk?" Nick asked as they drove.
"Not really."
"We have to talk. At some point,"
"Do you mind? I'm trying to think," Sara snapped, staring out into the window.
"I do mind! We had a great time together last night! And now, you act as if I was the biggest jerk of all time," Nick said angrily.
"Well you're being a jerk right now. Why don't you just respect the fact that I don't want to talk to you right now?"
"When will you want to talk?" Nick asked.
"I don't know."
"Ok, fine,"
"Fine," Sara said angrily, before turning back to her window.
~*~
"Charlene was captain of the varsity cheer team. Of course she had enemies. Everyone knows she's captain cause her dad bribed the coaches with money." Amanda Hughes said to Sara.
"Was she a good cheerleader? Did her dad have a reason to bribe..."
"Charlene's all right, I suppose. But, the thing she really lacked was leadership. Anyone could talk her into anything..."
"Do you think someone could've talked her into taking drugs, or..."
"Anything," Amanda said.
"Thank you,"
"Your welcome,"
Sara made her way to Nick, who was examining the body.
"Looks like she either had intercourse before she was killed, or raped." Nick said.
"I'm going to bet she voluntarily had intercourse,"
"What makes you say that?" Nick asked, looking up at her.
"I just, have a feeling,"
"Well, in this job, we don't care if you have a feeling or not," Nick said.
"Yea, but a feeling's better than no feeling at all," Sara said angrily as she made her way across the room to talk to Brass.
'Why is he being so mean? I'm glad this thing between us isn't a thing. It wouldn't have worked out'
"Sara," Jim Brass said, smiling.
"Hey Brass. You talk to the boyfriend?"
"As a matter of fact, I did. Said they had intercourse, he left to get some drinks, found her dead."
"So, he called 911?"
"Actually, he didn't. It was Charlene's best friend, Amanda Hughes."
"Amanda Hughes? Wait, wait, I just talked to Amanda. From the way she talked about Charlene, it didn't seem as if they were best friends. More like, the worst of enemies,"
"Let's go talk to Amanda again," Brass suggested.
~*~
"I'm exhausted," Sara said, collapsing into her chair.
"Good for you. What have you guys got?" Grissom asked.
"Charlene had sex before she was killed. Boyfriend goes downstairs to get some drinks. When he got back, Charlene was dead."
"How long was he gone for?" Grissom asked.
"He said he got the drinks, stopped to chat with a couple friends. Couldn't have been more than 20 minutes..."
"Any suspects?"
"Amanda Hughes," Sara said.
"Wasn't she the girl who called 911?" NIck asked her in surprise.
"And, from what people have told us, Charlene's best friend. But when I talked to Amanda, she and Charlene seemed like they didn't get along very well,"
"Why did you tell me about Amanda?" Nick hissed.
"I'm bringing in a special consultant. His name is Mark Hayes. He's a specialist in handling cases involving teenage angst, drama, you name it. In fact, he should be here right about..." Grissom informed them.
"Hello," A tall, handsom man appeared at the doorway. Smiling at Sara, he made his way to Grissom's table.
"Mark Hayes. They told me to come to..." he said, shaking Grissoms hand.
"Right on time," Grissom said. "Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle," he gestured at the CSI's in front of him.
"Nice to meet you," Sara said.
Mark walked over to Sara, took her hand, and kissed it.
"It's completely, my pleasure,"
Nick watched Mark swoon his way, causing Sara to smile.
"I'm from French heritage," he told her.
"I like the French," Sara remarked.
"Nice to meet you," Mark said, shaking Nick's hand quickly.
"You'll be working with Nick and Sara on their case."
"So I've heard. If you don't mind, I've already checked the file. Jim Brass showed it to me,"
"Great, you're all caught up," Sara said warmly.
"Not quite. I don't know anything about you. How about dinner?" Mark flashed her a dazzling smile.
'What about Nick? Are we dating, or not? After today, I mean...'
"I'll have to check my plans. Can I get back to you later?"
Mark's disappointment showed in his face. Like he had never been told a "I'll think about it", or a rejection, at the very least.
"Sure, sure. Take your time." Mark said.
~*~
"Why didn't you go on the date with Mr. French guy?" Nick asked as they walked into the locker room.
"Not my type," Sara shrugged.
"Really? And what is your type?"
"Good personality. Humorous. Somewhat handsome,"
"And how come I don't fit into any of those categories?" Nick asked, putting his ID badge into his locker.
Sara poked her head out of her locker and stared at him blankly.
"You heard me."
"Nick...."
"I had a great time. I thought you had a great time too. I guess I was wrong,"
"Nick...I did have a great time. I had a superb time. It's just..." Sara looked away at the floor.
"Just what?" Nick asked.
"It's just, sometimes I wonder if I'm what you're...the type your interested in,"
"I don't have a type, Sara,"
"But, I'm afraid I can't make you happy. Or..."
"You do make me happy, Sara. You shouldn't worry about that..."
"But I do, Nick. I don't want to end up as one of your rejects."
"My rejects?" Nick cried, taken back.
"I didn't mean it like that," Sara said quickly. "Just, I don't want to be hurt..."
"This could be something really great, Sara. Why not, take the chance? You have to be willing to..." Nick said, stepping closer.
Sara studied his sincere, good looking, face. She decided that he was right. She needed to take the chance. They needed to take the chance.
"You're right, Nicky. But...I'm so afraid,"
"Of what?" Nick asked.
"Falling in love," Sara said, barely above a whisper.
"Don't be." Nick said, as he wrapped his strong arms around her.
'This embrace is nice. It's warm. It makes me feel safe. Content' Sara decided.
"I have an idea," Nick said suddenly.
Sara, who had been enjoying the warmth, felt the coldness when he sprung apart.
"What?"
"A picnic. On the beach..."
"It's too cold," Sara complained.
"I can warm you up," Nick teased.
Sara smiled at him.
"Let's stop by my apartment though. I need to pick up some stuff,"
Sara took Nick's hand, and the two of them walked out of the building. Hand in hand.
Behind them, a pair of envious eyes followed.
~*~
"That, feels, soo good," Sara moaned as Nick massauged her shoulders.
"You like it huh?" Nick whispered into her ear, as he began to trail kisses down her neck.
"Oh, Nicky, look at that dolpin. I didn't know there were dolphins on this beach. Given that we live in Las Vegas..."
"Come on," Nick grabbed her hand. "Try to follow it!" he said, jumping up and grabbing Sara along with him.
The two of them ran, trying to keep up with the dolphin, two shadows in the dark. But, finally, the dolphin beat them and Sara tripped, causing Nick to topple on top of her.
"That was fun," Sara said breathlessly.
"It was," Nick said gasping for air.
"How far did we run?"
"Pretty far, I'd say," Nick said, taking a look back to where their blanket and picnic basket lay.
Nick smiled at Sara, and they both realized what sort of position they were in. Nick leaned down and kissed her softly. Sara didn't pull back, but made it more passionate, and meaningful.
"Hmm..." Nick moaned, as he entangled his mouth into Sara's.
Pulling away slightly, Sara said, "Ditto,"
~*~
~*~
"Hey," Nick said, wrapping his arms around Sara's waist and kissing her cheek.
"Hey," Sara said, pulling away from him violenty.
'What did I do?' Nick asked himself.
"You okay?" Nick asked.
"I'm fine," Sara said, just a little too quickly.
"Is it something I did? Or said?"
"No, it's nothing you did or said. I have to go," Sara said, quickly racing for the door.
"Hey..." Nick grabbed her wrist.
"Don't touch me!" Sara said, pulling back her wrist.
"I was just going to ask you to dinner. What's going on Sara? Did something happen? You have to fill me in,"
"I don't have to do anything. I don't have to tell you anything..." Sara said, before walking out of the locker room.
~*~
"Sara, there you are. We had an earlier brief...you and Nick are on the dead cheerleader's case. Here's the file. I have to go," Grissom said before running after Catherine, who was miles ahead.
'Great, now I have to work with Nick. Why was he so hostile before? I mean, has he never been rejected before? I guess not.'
"Where was Grissom going in such a rush?" Nick asked, coming up behind her.
"He and Catherine have a lead on their case, I think. Ours is Charlene Walters. Cheerleader. Found dead in the bedroom of a house,"
"Her house?" Nick questioned.
"Nope, the house of her boyfriend. There was a party after the game," Sara told him, handing him the folder.
"Meet you at my car," Sara waved.
~*~
"So, you wanna talk?" Nick asked as they drove.
"Not really."
"We have to talk. At some point,"
"Do you mind? I'm trying to think," Sara snapped, staring out into the window.
"I do mind! We had a great time together last night! And now, you act as if I was the biggest jerk of all time," Nick said angrily.
"Well you're being a jerk right now. Why don't you just respect the fact that I don't want to talk to you right now?"
"When will you want to talk?" Nick asked.
"I don't know."
"Ok, fine,"
"Fine," Sara said angrily, before turning back to her window.
~*~
"Charlene was captain of the varsity cheer team. Of course she had enemies. Everyone knows she's captain cause her dad bribed the coaches with money." Amanda Hughes said to Sara.
"Was she a good cheerleader? Did her dad have a reason to bribe..."
"Charlene's all right, I suppose. But, the thing she really lacked was leadership. Anyone could talk her into anything..."
"Do you think someone could've talked her into taking drugs, or..."
"Anything," Amanda said.
"Thank you,"
"Your welcome,"
Sara made her way to Nick, who was examining the body.
"Looks like she either had intercourse before she was killed, or raped." Nick said.
"I'm going to bet she voluntarily had intercourse,"
"What makes you say that?" Nick asked, looking up at her.
"I just, have a feeling,"
"Well, in this job, we don't care if you have a feeling or not," Nick said.
"Yea, but a feeling's better than no feeling at all," Sara said angrily as she made her way across the room to talk to Brass.
'Why is he being so mean? I'm glad this thing between us isn't a thing. It wouldn't have worked out'
"Sara," Jim Brass said, smiling.
"Hey Brass. You talk to the boyfriend?"
"As a matter of fact, I did. Said they had intercourse, he left to get some drinks, found her dead."
"So, he called 911?"
"Actually, he didn't. It was Charlene's best friend, Amanda Hughes."
"Amanda Hughes? Wait, wait, I just talked to Amanda. From the way she talked about Charlene, it didn't seem as if they were best friends. More like, the worst of enemies,"
"Let's go talk to Amanda again," Brass suggested.
~*~
"I'm exhausted," Sara said, collapsing into her chair.
"Good for you. What have you guys got?" Grissom asked.
"Charlene had sex before she was killed. Boyfriend goes downstairs to get some drinks. When he got back, Charlene was dead."
"How long was he gone for?" Grissom asked.
"He said he got the drinks, stopped to chat with a couple friends. Couldn't have been more than 20 minutes..."
"Any suspects?"
"Amanda Hughes," Sara said.
"Wasn't she the girl who called 911?" NIck asked her in surprise.
"And, from what people have told us, Charlene's best friend. But when I talked to Amanda, she and Charlene seemed like they didn't get along very well,"
"Why did you tell me about Amanda?" Nick hissed.
"I'm bringing in a special consultant. His name is Mark Hayes. He's a specialist in handling cases involving teenage angst, drama, you name it. In fact, he should be here right about..." Grissom informed them.
"Hello," A tall, handsom man appeared at the doorway. Smiling at Sara, he made his way to Grissom's table.
"Mark Hayes. They told me to come to..." he said, shaking Grissoms hand.
"Right on time," Grissom said. "Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle," he gestured at the CSI's in front of him.
"Nice to meet you," Sara said.
Mark walked over to Sara, took her hand, and kissed it.
"It's completely, my pleasure,"
Nick watched Mark swoon his way, causing Sara to smile.
"I'm from French heritage," he told her.
"I like the French," Sara remarked.
"Nice to meet you," Mark said, shaking Nick's hand quickly.
"You'll be working with Nick and Sara on their case."
"So I've heard. If you don't mind, I've already checked the file. Jim Brass showed it to me,"
"Great, you're all caught up," Sara said warmly.
"Not quite. I don't know anything about you. How about dinner?" Mark flashed her a dazzling smile.
'What about Nick? Are we dating, or not? After today, I mean...'
"I'll have to check my plans. Can I get back to you later?"
Mark's disappointment showed in his face. Like he had never been told a "I'll think about it", or a rejection, at the very least.
"Sure, sure. Take your time." Mark said.
~*~
"Why didn't you go on the date with Mr. French guy?" Nick asked as they walked into the locker room.
"Not my type," Sara shrugged.
"Really? And what is your type?"
"Good personality. Humorous. Somewhat handsome,"
"And how come I don't fit into any of those categories?" Nick asked, putting his ID badge into his locker.
Sara poked her head out of her locker and stared at him blankly.
"You heard me."
"Nick...."
"I had a great time. I thought you had a great time too. I guess I was wrong,"
"Nick...I did have a great time. I had a superb time. It's just..." Sara looked away at the floor.
"Just what?" Nick asked.
"It's just, sometimes I wonder if I'm what you're...the type your interested in,"
"I don't have a type, Sara,"
"But, I'm afraid I can't make you happy. Or..."
"You do make me happy, Sara. You shouldn't worry about that..."
"But I do, Nick. I don't want to end up as one of your rejects."
"My rejects?" Nick cried, taken back.
"I didn't mean it like that," Sara said quickly. "Just, I don't want to be hurt..."
"This could be something really great, Sara. Why not, take the chance? You have to be willing to..." Nick said, stepping closer.
Sara studied his sincere, good looking, face. She decided that he was right. She needed to take the chance. They needed to take the chance.
"You're right, Nicky. But...I'm so afraid,"
"Of what?" Nick asked.
"Falling in love," Sara said, barely above a whisper.
"Don't be." Nick said, as he wrapped his strong arms around her.
'This embrace is nice. It's warm. It makes me feel safe. Content' Sara decided.
"I have an idea," Nick said suddenly.
Sara, who had been enjoying the warmth, felt the coldness when he sprung apart.
"What?"
"A picnic. On the beach..."
"It's too cold," Sara complained.
"I can warm you up," Nick teased.
Sara smiled at him.
"Let's stop by my apartment though. I need to pick up some stuff,"
Sara took Nick's hand, and the two of them walked out of the building. Hand in hand.
Behind them, a pair of envious eyes followed.
~*~
"That, feels, soo good," Sara moaned as Nick massauged her shoulders.
"You like it huh?" Nick whispered into her ear, as he began to trail kisses down her neck.
"Oh, Nicky, look at that dolpin. I didn't know there were dolphins on this beach. Given that we live in Las Vegas..."
"Come on," Nick grabbed her hand. "Try to follow it!" he said, jumping up and grabbing Sara along with him.
The two of them ran, trying to keep up with the dolphin, two shadows in the dark. But, finally, the dolphin beat them and Sara tripped, causing Nick to topple on top of her.
"That was fun," Sara said breathlessly.
"It was," Nick said gasping for air.
"How far did we run?"
"Pretty far, I'd say," Nick said, taking a look back to where their blanket and picnic basket lay.
Nick smiled at Sara, and they both realized what sort of position they were in. Nick leaned down and kissed her softly. Sara didn't pull back, but made it more passionate, and meaningful.
"Hmm..." Nick moaned, as he entangled his mouth into Sara's.
Pulling away slightly, Sara said, "Ditto,"
~*~