Rating: P-to-the-G

Disclaimer:  As absolutely shocking as this might sound to all of you, I do not own the characters of CSI.  Well who the heck do they belong to you ask?  The fantastic owners and creators of the hit television show CSI.  So, no, I am not claiming any rights to them nor making any money off of them.  If I were, I would have a little more than the buck fifty in my back pocket.

Author's Note:  Special thanks and shout outs to:  drvvh, skyler, Jen, MissyJane, A Bloom, pdhtgal, Moose, Emily, forensicsfan, cRaZyPiXiE, and Sheinbaum!  You all are my daily delights and are the reason for my writing! Your comments are precious to me and when the fic is over and done with I plan on creating a special page for y'all.  There definitely will be personal replies to you sooner or later, either via e-mail or on the fanfic itself.  Thanks again!  You bring me many a smile! :o)

**If you replied on the review and I missed ya, thanks to you as well…your comments will not be overlooked! ;-)

Dealing: Chapter Five

*****

Nick stood upright, peering up at the bluish purple sky.  It was odd, he considered, how the ripple-like movements of the clouds made him swear he were gazing up at the ocean. The wind sounded around him.  It must have been cold, yet Nick could not feel it.

Nick breathed out and watched the circle like motion of the mist swirl into oblivion.

A flash of orange streaked the ocean sky, enchanting Nick. 

Waves of disappointment rapidly came over him as Nick glanced around, looking for someone who shared the image, finding nothing, finding no one.   Immersed in grief, he prayed for someone to be with him right then, someone to share the sky with.

A distant rumble vibrated inside his head.  And then a strange forced pulled Nick's focus to a figure swathed in light, entrancing him.  An intense curiosity mounted around him and Nick, wanting to be near the light, tried to move closer.  Struggling, his feet would not obey him.

Nick yearned for the figure; longed to be next to it, ached to be closer.

And then, suddenly…as if his mind granted his desire, he was pulled to her. 

And there she was.  Slender with fair skin, radiating wonder, standing right before him. Nick's attention was held captive by her presence.  He had never seen something so beautiful.

Her dark hair swayed back and forth although there was no wind. Nick wished his fingers to touch it.  The figure turned and he met her eyes, eyes which left him breathless and in awe.

Sara.

He whispered her name.

The sky opened up.  Rain exploded all around them.  Time slowed as Nick held his hand out to catch a rain drop.  It turned into glass with his touch.

Shards of glass poured down, reflecting off the suddenly bright ocean above, blinding Nick. 

Panicked, he reached out for Sara.  He felt nothing.  He cried out for her, yet could not hear his own voice.

And then her hand appeared on his shoulder and he spun around. 

"I'm right here."  Her easy whisper was heard in the wind.

Nick blinked open his eyes, heart pounding beneath his chest, and lay motionless for seconds there on his bed.  His mind, reeling from his dream, centered on images his brain had just previously created.  He dreamed of Sara. 

Sara.

The same feeling that had left him breathless in his dream, overcame him once again.  

"Oh my gosh," he spoke under his breath, terrified by this new revelation.

At that exact moment across town, Sara ear's pierced once again with a familiar blast of light, heat and glass.

Ten minutes later, sitting upright in bed and choking for air, she eyed the telephone on the other side of her room.  It seemed to be silently speaking to her in the form of Nick's tender voice.  She heard his words from the previous day, "Promise me…the next time you wake up from that dream, call me."  Swinging her legs over her bed, she slowly made her way to the phone.  Her unsteady hand wavered over the phone,

lingering there for seconds before finally resting on it. 

            Some wounds heal, others fester.  Sara's wounds were festering.  Although the explosion at the lab could have been so much worse, Sara was still dreaming about it.  The dream would lose its terror the moment it would jolt her from her sleep, yet it had not yet lost its power to disturb.  The images were haunting…worse than the actual explosion itself.  The dreams were gradually becoming more graphic with each night.  The images more clear.  That night Sara dreamt of the screams, yet they were louder, more distinct.  She saw the same burst of light, yet it burned her eyes in her sleep as it had not done before.  She was thrown back by the same exploding glass, yet this time the impact more severe, the force much stronger.  And for the first time she was alone in her dream.  She was alone in the lab during the all the terror.

            Now she stood there, staring at the phone, needing to talk to him. 

            Get a grip, Sara.  Gosh, why can't you just get a grip?

            She shivered as the sweat that covered her body turned cold.  Although the other dreams left her angry, confused, frustrated, and as exhausted as she was now, the one tonight left her with an overwhelming feeling of helplessness.

            What am I going to say to Nick when I call him, Sara wondered, suddenly angry with herself.  Hey, I had a bad dream, would you make it all better and sing me back to sleep? 

            No way.

            Angry tears stung her eyes. 

            He hasn't a clue as to what is going on inside my head.  I don't even have a clue what's going inside my own head.  

            Sara's throat burned as she held back frustrated sobs.

            She was scared that if she did call him, that if she did succumb to all her emotions and cried to him there on the phone, that it would change things dramatically.  She feared he would take pity on her.  She didn't want to threaten their professional working environment.  Would he look down on her?  Would he think of her as someone incapable of doing serious work? 

            There is no way, no way, I will let him be burdened with my problems.  He's got a life; I don't need to burden him with mine.

            I can't let him see that I'm not fine.

            Sara swallowed hard.

I'll deal.

            And that was that, Sara had made her decision.

            She clutched the phone against her chest and slowly sank down to the floor, back against the wall.  There on the floor, she let go of the phone that was hanging loosely in her hand, and it dropped to the ground with a thud.  She frantically rubbed her eyes, hoping in vain to push the tears back inside.  However, the tears of frustration, pain and anger were too powerful to contain.  Defeated, her shoulders shook with sobs while the tears streaked down her cheeks, leaving traces of themselves on her pajama pants.  Alone there in the darkness, she let out an angry wail and then spotting the phone resting near her, she pulled her leg up and kicked it across the room with a powerful blow, watching it slam against her dresser.

 With everything so built up within her the past week it felt good to just let go.  So she did.  For hours. 

******

            As Nick approached the lab, a cool breeze swept through the parking lot and rustled scattered leaves over the concrete.  Before entering the lab, Nick glanced above him, taking notice of the grey clouds and anticipated rain.

            He was tired.  His eyes clouded with sleepiness on the way to work that morning, and he found himself constantly having to rub them to keep them from involuntarily shutting.  After waking up from his dream in the wee hours of the morning he was too anxious to fall back asleep.  He lied in his bed for hours, thinking about what his dream meant, thinking about what all these new feelings meant.  As petrified and confused as he was with all these mixed feelings now towards his partner, he was overcome with a sense of tired giddiness.

            Sara.

            He sighed to himself as he thought of her.  Gosh, what does this all mean?

            "Coffee?"  A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.  He spun around and his breath caught in his throat.

            "Hey…"  He spoke softly at the sight of Sara.  She was holding two Styrofoam cups in her hands.  He stared at her for a long moment, recalling images from his dream, and found himself momentarily dumbstruck.  "Uhh—,"

            She lifted one eyebrow in question.  "Well?"  She paused.  "Coffee?"  She repeated, raising a cup up.

            "Yes. Lots. Buckets.  Loads of sugar."  He quickly snapped to, attempting to act casual.

            "Good….here."  As she handed him the coffee, their fingers brushed together, leaving Nick wondering why his were left with a tingling sensation.

            That morning Sara had made sure she was prepared and in order for work that day.  Despite her exhausting night, she managed to make herself look and somewhat feel okay.  She mentally psyched up and coached herself before heading into work. The hour shower and four cups of coffee she had seemed to contribute to her adjustment as well.

            "Been here long?"  Nick asked.

            Sara had arrived two hours before to begin work.

            "Nah.  Not long at all."  She answered.  "You look like you had a rough night." Sara attempted to change the subject, eyeing him over.  She wondered for a moment if his night was as exhausting as hers.  She hoped not.

            "I feel hungover.  I only wished I'd have gotten nice and buzzed to earn the feeling."  He tried to make the conversation light, although he felt anything but indifferent.  Sara smiled weakly.

            "Sara!" 

            They both turned their heads at the voice.

            Grissom approached the two of them, holding a folder in his hand. 

            Sara stiffened.  Grissom acknowledged Nick with a nod. 

            "I've got the files you requested earlier."  Grissom held out the folder.  "Randy McMasters.  We've got him in our computers."

            "Oh? Good."  She hesitated. 

            Nick eyed them back and forth, feeling awkward.  He couldn't help but feel a bit of tension present between them and felt a ping of jealousy watching Grissom speaking to her.

            "Yeah, sorry it took a couple hours to get back to you…I got hung up on another case momentarily." 

            Sara felt Nick eyeing her from beside. 

            "So, you got everything you need?"  Grissom spoke walking backwards, away from them.  "Is the case running okay?"

            "Yup," Sara lifted up the folder, turning away.  "Thanks." 

            Upon entering the break room, Sara turned to find Nick following in behind her.  The firm set in his jaw told her he was irritated.

            "So, you haven't been here that long, huh?"  He asked, staring.  "I don't know about you Sara but two hours is long to me…"  He walked closer to her.

            Sara slapped the folder on the desk before turning away from Nick and heading to the coffee maker.  She needed another cup of coffee…and to get away from Nick's weakening stare.

            "So why did you lie to me? Why were you here so early again?"

            "I didn't lie….I guess I just lost track of time."  Sara kept her eyes preoccupied.

            "So then tell me, Sara, what did you dream about last night?"  Nick prodded.

            "Nick," She shook her head.  "I had a dreamless sleep.  I was so refreshed this morning that I decided to come in a little early.  No big deal."  Sara way over fabricated her story.

            "Alright."  Nick's tone changed, became soft.  "I'm just making sure, you know, that…that you're ok." 

            If he only knew, Sara thought.

            "I know…..and I am." 

            She hated herself for lying to him.

*******

A/N:  Sorry it took longer than usual to update!  Another chapter coming up soon!  Please, please and please read and reply.  Oh, and did I mention please?  ;-)