A/N: In response to the comment about them swimming a lot. Let me just
point out that it is HOT in Arizona in the summer. Swimming is a great way
to cool off. I spent a week at Havasu Falls in the middle of July and let
me just say, thank God for water.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Warrick continued to chuckled at Nick and Sara whom he had caught making out in the middle of their campsite, "So, do you guys want to hike down to Mooney Falls today?"
Sara touched her lips for a moment and glanced at Nick smiling, "I'm game."
Nick looked over at Sara, a dopey grin firmly etched on his face, "I'm in."
Warrick raised an amused eyebrow, "I take it you two worked out your differences."
Nick waggled his eyebrows at Sara sliding his arms around her waist again, "We may need to revisit the issue."
Sara glanced at Warrick for a moment, "Nick talks too much." She turned to Nick grinning, cupping the sides of his face with her hands and pulling him down for a lingering kiss.
Warrick rolled his eyes, "Well if we're going to get to the falls today, you're going to have to stop kissing each other."
Nick chuckled as he broke the kiss and stepped away from Sara, "Ok, Warrick. Who's making breakfast?"
Sara grinned waving her fingers, "That would be me."
Nick and Warrick exchanged a worried glance, earning a look of reproach from Sara, "Hey, I can cook, by the way. But if it will make you feel better, we're having instant oatmeal." She stood there with her arms crossed in front of her.
"Well I'm going to go change." Nick replied leaning in to steal a kiss from Sara before disappearing into his tent.
A smiling Sara glanced over at Warrick who was wearing a bemused grin. "Told you so," He stated.
Sara chuckled, "Yes, you did. Thanks."
"Anytime, Sara." Warrick replied. "Hey, why don't you let me make breakfast so you can get your things together for our hike. That way we can leave as soon as we eat."
Sara smiled, "Thank, War." She disappeared inside her tent and emerged a short time later with her daypack in hand wearing shorts, a tank top, and her boots.
Nick still had not emerged from his tent.
Sara raised a curious eyebrow at Warrick, "What's taking Nick so long?"
"You could pop your head in there and find out, but then we might never leave," Warrick teased.
"I heard that!" Nick called out.
Warrick chuckled, "What's taking you so long, man?"
"I'm looking for the Power Bars since we probably won't get back until late this afternoon." He replied from inside the tent.
Sara cleared her throat, "You mean the Power Bars you put in my pack before we hiked down here?"
Nick popped his head out of his tent with a sheepish expression, "Oh, I had forgotten that you had them. I've been a little distracted this morning." He flashed her an appreciative grin.
She raised her eyebrows and grinned at him, "I have them in my daypack."
Warrick finished making the oatmeal and the trio quickly finished breakfast before heading out toward Mooney Falls. They met many of the same people on the trail that Warrick had met the day before.
Nick commented, "Is there anyone out here you don't know, Warrick?"
Warrick chuckled, "Unlike some people, I actually left the campsite yesterday because I know how to play well with others."
Nick and Sara exchange an amused glance. Nick took her hand as they walked along the path and caressed the back of it with his thumb. Soon they approached the top of Mooney Falls and one by one they made their way down the cliff face. At the bottom, they crossed the river and laid their packs down in a shady area near the water. In short order the trio stripped down to their swimsuits and dived into the pool.
Sara emerged a short time later to take in the warm morning sun. As she lay on her towel, Nick joined her on the ground. He lay on his stomach and looked over at her smiling, "Hey."
She smiled up at him, "Hey."
Nick raised an eyebrow, "Can I talk to you about something?"
Sara propped herself up on her elbows and looked over at him, "Sure."
Nick smiled, "I just want to make sure you know something. I'm not playing you. I really care about you, Sara."
She tried to restrain a smile, "Up until last night I didn't think I'd believe that."
A curious expression crossed his face.
Sara chuckled, "Warrick talked some sense into me."
"Remind me to thank him." Nick chuckled in return.
Sara let out a deep breath and turned onto her side to face him, "You know, Nick, I care a lot about you too. And that kiss yesterday scared the hell out of me."
Nick grinned, "I haven't been kissed like that in I don't know how long, maybe never."
Sara blushed, "Me too." She glanced at the ground for a minute and then lifter her eyes to meet his, "How is this going to work when we get back to work?"
Nick furrowed his brow, "How do you want it to work, Sara? I care about you. I don't care if the whole world knows that."
"Do you think they'll separate us?" Sara queried.
Nick chuckled, "They shouldn't. Not unless I get distracted by you at crime scenes and start mislabeling evidence."
Sara rolled her eyes and laughed.
Nick smiled, "Seriously though, if we're professional there won't be any reason to. What we do outside of work isn't anyone's business but ours."
Sara lay back on her towel and reached up to trace Nick's brow, "Yeah."
Nick gazed down at her with a pensive expression, "Sar?"
She looked at him curiously, "Yeah?"
"Can I call you my girlfriend?" Nick queried with an expectant grin.
Sara giggled, "I feel like you've just ask me to wear your letterman's jacket."
Nick leaned over her and smiled, "Yeah, I know. There isn't any way to ask you that question that doesn't sound corny."
"Nick you talk to much," Sara pulled him down for a brief kiss. As she looked up at him, she smiled, "I'd love to be your girlfriend."
Nick glanced away from Sara toward the water and chuckled, "Take a look at Warrick."
Sara sat up, propping herself up on her elbows, "Looks like Warrick is making time with the ladies."
Warrick was obviously flirting with a couple of other hikers. One of which seemed to have take a shine to him. She was a dark haired beauty, and she was tall and willowy like Warrick.
Nick winked at Sara, "I have a sudden urge to go swimming. Want to join me?"
Sara chuckled and nodded as Nick helped her up and they made their way over to where Warrick stood in the water.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Warrick continued to chuckled at Nick and Sara whom he had caught making out in the middle of their campsite, "So, do you guys want to hike down to Mooney Falls today?"
Sara touched her lips for a moment and glanced at Nick smiling, "I'm game."
Nick looked over at Sara, a dopey grin firmly etched on his face, "I'm in."
Warrick raised an amused eyebrow, "I take it you two worked out your differences."
Nick waggled his eyebrows at Sara sliding his arms around her waist again, "We may need to revisit the issue."
Sara glanced at Warrick for a moment, "Nick talks too much." She turned to Nick grinning, cupping the sides of his face with her hands and pulling him down for a lingering kiss.
Warrick rolled his eyes, "Well if we're going to get to the falls today, you're going to have to stop kissing each other."
Nick chuckled as he broke the kiss and stepped away from Sara, "Ok, Warrick. Who's making breakfast?"
Sara grinned waving her fingers, "That would be me."
Nick and Warrick exchanged a worried glance, earning a look of reproach from Sara, "Hey, I can cook, by the way. But if it will make you feel better, we're having instant oatmeal." She stood there with her arms crossed in front of her.
"Well I'm going to go change." Nick replied leaning in to steal a kiss from Sara before disappearing into his tent.
A smiling Sara glanced over at Warrick who was wearing a bemused grin. "Told you so," He stated.
Sara chuckled, "Yes, you did. Thanks."
"Anytime, Sara." Warrick replied. "Hey, why don't you let me make breakfast so you can get your things together for our hike. That way we can leave as soon as we eat."
Sara smiled, "Thank, War." She disappeared inside her tent and emerged a short time later with her daypack in hand wearing shorts, a tank top, and her boots.
Nick still had not emerged from his tent.
Sara raised a curious eyebrow at Warrick, "What's taking Nick so long?"
"You could pop your head in there and find out, but then we might never leave," Warrick teased.
"I heard that!" Nick called out.
Warrick chuckled, "What's taking you so long, man?"
"I'm looking for the Power Bars since we probably won't get back until late this afternoon." He replied from inside the tent.
Sara cleared her throat, "You mean the Power Bars you put in my pack before we hiked down here?"
Nick popped his head out of his tent with a sheepish expression, "Oh, I had forgotten that you had them. I've been a little distracted this morning." He flashed her an appreciative grin.
She raised her eyebrows and grinned at him, "I have them in my daypack."
Warrick finished making the oatmeal and the trio quickly finished breakfast before heading out toward Mooney Falls. They met many of the same people on the trail that Warrick had met the day before.
Nick commented, "Is there anyone out here you don't know, Warrick?"
Warrick chuckled, "Unlike some people, I actually left the campsite yesterday because I know how to play well with others."
Nick and Sara exchange an amused glance. Nick took her hand as they walked along the path and caressed the back of it with his thumb. Soon they approached the top of Mooney Falls and one by one they made their way down the cliff face. At the bottom, they crossed the river and laid their packs down in a shady area near the water. In short order the trio stripped down to their swimsuits and dived into the pool.
Sara emerged a short time later to take in the warm morning sun. As she lay on her towel, Nick joined her on the ground. He lay on his stomach and looked over at her smiling, "Hey."
She smiled up at him, "Hey."
Nick raised an eyebrow, "Can I talk to you about something?"
Sara propped herself up on her elbows and looked over at him, "Sure."
Nick smiled, "I just want to make sure you know something. I'm not playing you. I really care about you, Sara."
She tried to restrain a smile, "Up until last night I didn't think I'd believe that."
A curious expression crossed his face.
Sara chuckled, "Warrick talked some sense into me."
"Remind me to thank him." Nick chuckled in return.
Sara let out a deep breath and turned onto her side to face him, "You know, Nick, I care a lot about you too. And that kiss yesterday scared the hell out of me."
Nick grinned, "I haven't been kissed like that in I don't know how long, maybe never."
Sara blushed, "Me too." She glanced at the ground for a minute and then lifter her eyes to meet his, "How is this going to work when we get back to work?"
Nick furrowed his brow, "How do you want it to work, Sara? I care about you. I don't care if the whole world knows that."
"Do you think they'll separate us?" Sara queried.
Nick chuckled, "They shouldn't. Not unless I get distracted by you at crime scenes and start mislabeling evidence."
Sara rolled her eyes and laughed.
Nick smiled, "Seriously though, if we're professional there won't be any reason to. What we do outside of work isn't anyone's business but ours."
Sara lay back on her towel and reached up to trace Nick's brow, "Yeah."
Nick gazed down at her with a pensive expression, "Sar?"
She looked at him curiously, "Yeah?"
"Can I call you my girlfriend?" Nick queried with an expectant grin.
Sara giggled, "I feel like you've just ask me to wear your letterman's jacket."
Nick leaned over her and smiled, "Yeah, I know. There isn't any way to ask you that question that doesn't sound corny."
"Nick you talk to much," Sara pulled him down for a brief kiss. As she looked up at him, she smiled, "I'd love to be your girlfriend."
Nick glanced away from Sara toward the water and chuckled, "Take a look at Warrick."
Sara sat up, propping herself up on her elbows, "Looks like Warrick is making time with the ladies."
Warrick was obviously flirting with a couple of other hikers. One of which seemed to have take a shine to him. She was a dark haired beauty, and she was tall and willowy like Warrick.
Nick winked at Sara, "I have a sudden urge to go swimming. Want to join me?"
Sara chuckled and nodded as Nick helped her up and they made their way over to where Warrick stood in the water.