Nick woke early and decided to go for a swim. He was fairly certain that
both Warrick and Sara were still sleeping. After Warrick had gone to talk
to Sara last night, he had realized how tired he was from driving half the
night and hiking all morning. After he cleaned up from dinner, he had gone
right to sleep.
As he emerged from his tent he grabbed his towel and made his way down to the falls. It was early yet and no one else was around. He sat on the shore line for a moment enjoying the stillness of the morning. Coming from a large family, Nick enjoyed the opportunity for solitude. As Nick gazed out at the falls he chuckled at the contrast this place was with his day to day life. Working the nightshift as a CSI in Vegas was definitely not peaceful or beautiful. Although, when they were able to collect enough evidence to produce a conviction in court there was a certain beauty to it that brought a semblance of peace to the victim's families.
Nick stood up and dove cleanly into the water. He swam over toward where the falls plunged into the pool and then back toward shore. He pulled himself up into one of the smaller pools that ringed the larger one. He sat there for a while contemplating what had happened between him and Sara the previous day. He smiled as he thought about the kiss that had sent jolts throughout his body. His smile diminished slightly as he thought about the fear that had registered on Sara's face as she backed away from him. He silently cursed the reputation he had amassed from dating many different women. He hoped that they would have an opportunity to talk. He really cared about her and wanted her to know that.
Nick dove back into the larger pool for one more lap before he got out of the water, picked his towel up from the shore and headed back toward the campsite. As he neared it, he could see Sara, clad in another modest two piece swimsuit, contemplating a bucket of water. He let out a chuckle as he approached, "Practicing your mental telepathy?"
Sara looked up at him with a smirk, "No." She crossed her arms in front of her, "I'm trying to figure out how I can wash my hair."
A smile tugged at the corners of Nick's mouth, "Let me help you."
She gave him a warning glance, "If you pour that whole bucket over my head, you're dead. You do know that don't you?"
Nick chuckled, "I wouldn't risk the wrath of Sara Sidle since it appears you're talking to me again."
Sara tried to restrain a smile, "Let me get my hair wet and then I'll tell you when to pour the water, ok.?
Nick smiled and raised his hands slightly, "You're the boss."
A smug smile spread over Sara's face, "And don't you forget it, Stokes."
Nick chuckled.
Sara dipped the top of her head into the bucket to get her hair wet. She remained bent over and grabbed her small bottle of shampoo and poured a bit out to massage into her scalp.
Nick stood there watching, amused, "Anything I can do to help?"
Sara turned her head toward him with a slight smile on her face as she lathered her hair with the shampoo, "I think I can handle it, I have done this a few times."
A bemused grin spread on Nick's face, "Ok, just let me know when you want me to rinse."
Sara chuckled, "Now would be good."
"Ok." Nick picked up the bucket of water and slowly started pouring it over Sara's hair as she worked her fingers through it to rid it of shampoo.
"You can stop, Nick." She called out.
Nick stopped pouring, "Hey, Sar? You still have some shampoo in your hair."
She turned her head toward him, "Where?"
He touched the nape of her neck, "There."
"Ok, keep rinsing then." She answered.
Nick began pouring water again, this time using his fingers to make sure the rest of the shampoo was gone, "Ok, it's gone. Are you all done?"
Sara chuckled and turned her head to look at him, "Conditioner."
Nick handed her the bottle of conditioner and Sara worked a little throughout her hair.
She turned toward him again, "Ok, waterboy, I need you to rinse it out."
Nick began pouring water over Sara's hair, using the fingers of one of his hands to make sure it was all rinsed out, "Ok, I think you're done, Sara."
"Thanks." She replied, squeezing the excess water out of her hair and wrapping her towel around it before standing up straight.
"Anytime." Nick had a glint in his eye and a smile on his face as he looked at her.
A slight flush of color infused Sara's cheeks, "I need to find my comb." She disappeared into her tent for a moment and emerged with her hair let out of the towel and a comb in her hand. As she combed through her hair, she smiled at Nick, "Looks like you've already been for a swim this morning."
Nick grinned at her, "You're very observant, Ms. Sidle."
"That's why they pay me the big bucks," she teased.
Nick feigned surprise, "You mean you get big bucks?"
Sara laughed, "Ok, Mr. Smarty Pants." She finished combing her hair and set it down next to her shampoo and conditioner.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow at her, "Hey, Sar?"
She looked at him, noting his expression, "Yeah?"
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" He asked.
She shook her head.
"Are you ever going to tell me what I did yesterday that made you stop talking to me?" Nick queried.
Sara shook her head and tried to restrain a smile, "No."
Nick's eyebrows raised in surprise, "Why?" He rested his hands on his hips.
Sara chuckled and stepped toward him, "Why do you want to know?"
A smile played at his mouth, "Because I don't want to repeat whatever it was that made you stop talking to me."
Sara stepped closer to Nick and arched an eyebrow, a smile forming on her lips, "I told you it was my problem, Nick. You didn't do anything wrong."
Nick stepped toward her, grinning, "Really."
Sara nodded, reaching over and letting her fingers touch his arms.
Nick cocked his head at her, "So, are you saying it would be ok if I repeated what I did yesterday?"
Sara grinned and in a husky voice she replied, "Oh, yeah." Her hands rested on his biceps.
Nick tentatively put his hands on her waist, "You're sure?"
"Uh, huh." Sara whispered as she slid her arms around Nick's neck.
Nick slid his arms around Sara's waist and grinned at her, "You're not going to get mad at me are you?"
Sara shook her head and her fingers splayed at the nape of Nick's neck, "You talk too much, Nicky."
Nick smiled and leaned down and kissed Sara slow and sensuously. They explored each other's mouths at length with their tongues, occasionally breaking for air.
When they finally stepped away from each other some time later, they noticed a grinning Warrick standing in front of the opening to his tent, "It's about damn time, you two!"
Sara laughed and Nick just stood their with a dopey grin on his face.
As he emerged from his tent he grabbed his towel and made his way down to the falls. It was early yet and no one else was around. He sat on the shore line for a moment enjoying the stillness of the morning. Coming from a large family, Nick enjoyed the opportunity for solitude. As Nick gazed out at the falls he chuckled at the contrast this place was with his day to day life. Working the nightshift as a CSI in Vegas was definitely not peaceful or beautiful. Although, when they were able to collect enough evidence to produce a conviction in court there was a certain beauty to it that brought a semblance of peace to the victim's families.
Nick stood up and dove cleanly into the water. He swam over toward where the falls plunged into the pool and then back toward shore. He pulled himself up into one of the smaller pools that ringed the larger one. He sat there for a while contemplating what had happened between him and Sara the previous day. He smiled as he thought about the kiss that had sent jolts throughout his body. His smile diminished slightly as he thought about the fear that had registered on Sara's face as she backed away from him. He silently cursed the reputation he had amassed from dating many different women. He hoped that they would have an opportunity to talk. He really cared about her and wanted her to know that.
Nick dove back into the larger pool for one more lap before he got out of the water, picked his towel up from the shore and headed back toward the campsite. As he neared it, he could see Sara, clad in another modest two piece swimsuit, contemplating a bucket of water. He let out a chuckle as he approached, "Practicing your mental telepathy?"
Sara looked up at him with a smirk, "No." She crossed her arms in front of her, "I'm trying to figure out how I can wash my hair."
A smile tugged at the corners of Nick's mouth, "Let me help you."
She gave him a warning glance, "If you pour that whole bucket over my head, you're dead. You do know that don't you?"
Nick chuckled, "I wouldn't risk the wrath of Sara Sidle since it appears you're talking to me again."
Sara tried to restrain a smile, "Let me get my hair wet and then I'll tell you when to pour the water, ok.?
Nick smiled and raised his hands slightly, "You're the boss."
A smug smile spread over Sara's face, "And don't you forget it, Stokes."
Nick chuckled.
Sara dipped the top of her head into the bucket to get her hair wet. She remained bent over and grabbed her small bottle of shampoo and poured a bit out to massage into her scalp.
Nick stood there watching, amused, "Anything I can do to help?"
Sara turned her head toward him with a slight smile on her face as she lathered her hair with the shampoo, "I think I can handle it, I have done this a few times."
A bemused grin spread on Nick's face, "Ok, just let me know when you want me to rinse."
Sara chuckled, "Now would be good."
"Ok." Nick picked up the bucket of water and slowly started pouring it over Sara's hair as she worked her fingers through it to rid it of shampoo.
"You can stop, Nick." She called out.
Nick stopped pouring, "Hey, Sar? You still have some shampoo in your hair."
She turned her head toward him, "Where?"
He touched the nape of her neck, "There."
"Ok, keep rinsing then." She answered.
Nick began pouring water again, this time using his fingers to make sure the rest of the shampoo was gone, "Ok, it's gone. Are you all done?"
Sara chuckled and turned her head to look at him, "Conditioner."
Nick handed her the bottle of conditioner and Sara worked a little throughout her hair.
She turned toward him again, "Ok, waterboy, I need you to rinse it out."
Nick began pouring water over Sara's hair, using the fingers of one of his hands to make sure it was all rinsed out, "Ok, I think you're done, Sara."
"Thanks." She replied, squeezing the excess water out of her hair and wrapping her towel around it before standing up straight.
"Anytime." Nick had a glint in his eye and a smile on his face as he looked at her.
A slight flush of color infused Sara's cheeks, "I need to find my comb." She disappeared into her tent for a moment and emerged with her hair let out of the towel and a comb in her hand. As she combed through her hair, she smiled at Nick, "Looks like you've already been for a swim this morning."
Nick grinned at her, "You're very observant, Ms. Sidle."
"That's why they pay me the big bucks," she teased.
Nick feigned surprise, "You mean you get big bucks?"
Sara laughed, "Ok, Mr. Smarty Pants." She finished combing her hair and set it down next to her shampoo and conditioner.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow at her, "Hey, Sar?"
She looked at him, noting his expression, "Yeah?"
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" He asked.
She shook her head.
"Are you ever going to tell me what I did yesterday that made you stop talking to me?" Nick queried.
Sara shook her head and tried to restrain a smile, "No."
Nick's eyebrows raised in surprise, "Why?" He rested his hands on his hips.
Sara chuckled and stepped toward him, "Why do you want to know?"
A smile played at his mouth, "Because I don't want to repeat whatever it was that made you stop talking to me."
Sara stepped closer to Nick and arched an eyebrow, a smile forming on her lips, "I told you it was my problem, Nick. You didn't do anything wrong."
Nick stepped toward her, grinning, "Really."
Sara nodded, reaching over and letting her fingers touch his arms.
Nick cocked his head at her, "So, are you saying it would be ok if I repeated what I did yesterday?"
Sara grinned and in a husky voice she replied, "Oh, yeah." Her hands rested on his biceps.
Nick tentatively put his hands on her waist, "You're sure?"
"Uh, huh." Sara whispered as she slid her arms around Nick's neck.
Nick slid his arms around Sara's waist and grinned at her, "You're not going to get mad at me are you?"
Sara shook her head and her fingers splayed at the nape of Nick's neck, "You talk too much, Nicky."
Nick smiled and leaned down and kissed Sara slow and sensuously. They explored each other's mouths at length with their tongues, occasionally breaking for air.
When they finally stepped away from each other some time later, they noticed a grinning Warrick standing in front of the opening to his tent, "It's about damn time, you two!"
Sara laughed and Nick just stood their with a dopey grin on his face.