I was in a good mood as I entered the lab that night. I had finally
decided where to take Sara on our first real date. I got in early, like I
usually do and as I was headed toward the locker room I heard shouting
coming out of Grissom's office. It didn't take me long to figure out that
the voices belonged to Grissom and Sara. My heart dropped to the pit of my
stomach. I stopped in my tracks.
I heard Grissom's voice almost pleading with Sara. "But, Sara, I thought you felt that way."
Sara was livid. "Grissom, don't ever, and I mean ever, touch me again! I told you by the time you figured it out that it would be too late. It's too late!"
"But, Sara." Grissom sounded pathetic.
I could tell by the hitch in Sara's voice that she was on the verge of tears. "Stop. I said it's too late."
Grissom's voice sounded resigned. "Is it Hank?"
"Does it matter?" Sara was beginning to sound annoyed.
"I guess not, I was just curious." Grissom continued. "If it's not Hank, then who?"
Didn't Grissom know if he pushed Sara much further he was risking life and limb? Of course he didn't. He was used to getting away with whatever he wanted with her and expecting her to sit at his feet in hero worship. Well, it sounded like the bug man was getting a wake-up call. I restrained a chuckle.
Sara's voice sounded edgy. "Grissom, my personal life is none of your business. And for the record, Hank was a louse."
It sounded like the conversation was over. Footsteps headed toward the door to Grissom's office in departure.
"It's Nick, isn't it?" Grissom sounded like he just figured out a difficult math equation.
The footsteps stopped. I could hear Sara let out a deep breath. There was a hint of a smile in her voice. "Yes."
"Be careful, Sara. Nick's got a reputation." Grissom sounded jealous.
I was ready to rip his head off. Who was he to tell Sara about me? He didn't know me, really know me. He'd never taken the time to know who I was outside of work.
I didn't have to defend myself, Sara did it for me. She sounded angry. "How dare you. You don't know Nick any better than you know me."
"How can you say that, Sara? We've known each other for years." Grissom tried to defend himself.
Sara laughed, but it wasn't the kind of laugh I'd heard over the last few days in California. It was a bitter sounding laugh. "Who drove four hours because he needed to know I was ok? Who stayed for three days to make sure I was ok? Who made me laugh again? It sure as hell wasn't you."
"Did you sleep with him?" Grissom was really stooping. The man was desperate. Did he really think that a comment like that was going to win her over? Especially since he'd spent the last three years jerking her around.
There was a warning tone in Sara's voice. I hoped for Grissom's sake he picked up on it. "No. I didn't sleep with him."
Sara walked out into the hallway. I rounded the corner and she glanced up. Her eyes said it all. She needed me. She walked over to me, her eyes pleading. "I need to talk to you."
Wordlessly, I followed her out into the parking lot. She leaned against her Tahoe and I stood next to her. She reached down and took my hand. I began to caress the back of hers with my thumb. A smile began to play at her lips, but I could tell that she was angry. She looked up at me. "He tried to kiss me, Nick. The bastard tried to kiss me."
Any doubt that she wasn't over Grissom was erased. I pulled her into a hug and she rested her head on my chest. "It's gonna be ok, Sar." We stood like that for few minutes.
When we pulled apart, she looked up at me smiling. She cupped the back of my head with her hand and pulled me in for a lingering kiss. She tasted faintly of coffee. I smiled. I love the way Sara's lips taste.
As we broke apart, I raised my eyebrows at her. "I overheard what happened in there."
She chuckled let out a deep breath and leaned back against the Tahoe with her eyes closed. "I figured."
"Thanks for defending my honor." There was a lightness to my tone.
Sara opened her eyes and smiled. "Nobody trashes my man."
I chuckled and raised a teasing eyebrow. "Oh, so I'm your man?"
"Oh, yeah." She grinned at me as she pushed off the Tahoe, she cupped both sides of my face and pulled me into a demanding kiss. So far the kisses we'd shared had been sweet and tender. This one spoke of want and desire. Sara opened her mouth inviting me to explore hers with my tongue. I readily complied. When we broke apart, we were both a bit breathless.
"Wow." My eyebrows shot up as I grinned at her.
Sara giggled. "Yeah."
We heard another vehicle pull into the lot. We stepped apart, still grinning. I gestured toward the building. "Think we should go in? Shift is supposed to start in a little while."
She nodded. "Yeah." She smiled at me as we walked.
"Hey, Sar?" I began.
"Yeah?" She glanced over at me curiously.
"Can I take you on a date after shift?" I don't know why, but I felt a little nervous.
She chuckled at me. "All you had to do was ask." She reached over and took my hand as we neared the front door. She gave it a squeeze before dropping it. "Where are you taking me?" She eyed me with an amused glint in her eyes.
I raised an eyebrow and teased her. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."
She laughed. It was a light laugh. The kind of laugh I'd heard in California.
I smiled. "Somewhere special for someone special." I caressed her face with my eyes.
Sara grinned.
We headed to the locker room, my original destination before I overheard the commotion coming from Grissom's office.
Warrick glanced up as we entered. "Hey. How are the lovebirds?"
An embarrassed smile crossed Sara's face.
I chuckled. "Uh, we're fine, but not everyone knows yet."
Sara nodded. "We're still trying to figure it out ourselves." She glanced at me and grinned.
Warrick smiled. "Ok, your secret's safe with me, but good luck keeping it from Catherine."
Sara and I just smiled at each other.
I heard Grissom's voice almost pleading with Sara. "But, Sara, I thought you felt that way."
Sara was livid. "Grissom, don't ever, and I mean ever, touch me again! I told you by the time you figured it out that it would be too late. It's too late!"
"But, Sara." Grissom sounded pathetic.
I could tell by the hitch in Sara's voice that she was on the verge of tears. "Stop. I said it's too late."
Grissom's voice sounded resigned. "Is it Hank?"
"Does it matter?" Sara was beginning to sound annoyed.
"I guess not, I was just curious." Grissom continued. "If it's not Hank, then who?"
Didn't Grissom know if he pushed Sara much further he was risking life and limb? Of course he didn't. He was used to getting away with whatever he wanted with her and expecting her to sit at his feet in hero worship. Well, it sounded like the bug man was getting a wake-up call. I restrained a chuckle.
Sara's voice sounded edgy. "Grissom, my personal life is none of your business. And for the record, Hank was a louse."
It sounded like the conversation was over. Footsteps headed toward the door to Grissom's office in departure.
"It's Nick, isn't it?" Grissom sounded like he just figured out a difficult math equation.
The footsteps stopped. I could hear Sara let out a deep breath. There was a hint of a smile in her voice. "Yes."
"Be careful, Sara. Nick's got a reputation." Grissom sounded jealous.
I was ready to rip his head off. Who was he to tell Sara about me? He didn't know me, really know me. He'd never taken the time to know who I was outside of work.
I didn't have to defend myself, Sara did it for me. She sounded angry. "How dare you. You don't know Nick any better than you know me."
"How can you say that, Sara? We've known each other for years." Grissom tried to defend himself.
Sara laughed, but it wasn't the kind of laugh I'd heard over the last few days in California. It was a bitter sounding laugh. "Who drove four hours because he needed to know I was ok? Who stayed for three days to make sure I was ok? Who made me laugh again? It sure as hell wasn't you."
"Did you sleep with him?" Grissom was really stooping. The man was desperate. Did he really think that a comment like that was going to win her over? Especially since he'd spent the last three years jerking her around.
There was a warning tone in Sara's voice. I hoped for Grissom's sake he picked up on it. "No. I didn't sleep with him."
Sara walked out into the hallway. I rounded the corner and she glanced up. Her eyes said it all. She needed me. She walked over to me, her eyes pleading. "I need to talk to you."
Wordlessly, I followed her out into the parking lot. She leaned against her Tahoe and I stood next to her. She reached down and took my hand. I began to caress the back of hers with my thumb. A smile began to play at her lips, but I could tell that she was angry. She looked up at me. "He tried to kiss me, Nick. The bastard tried to kiss me."
Any doubt that she wasn't over Grissom was erased. I pulled her into a hug and she rested her head on my chest. "It's gonna be ok, Sar." We stood like that for few minutes.
When we pulled apart, she looked up at me smiling. She cupped the back of my head with her hand and pulled me in for a lingering kiss. She tasted faintly of coffee. I smiled. I love the way Sara's lips taste.
As we broke apart, I raised my eyebrows at her. "I overheard what happened in there."
She chuckled let out a deep breath and leaned back against the Tahoe with her eyes closed. "I figured."
"Thanks for defending my honor." There was a lightness to my tone.
Sara opened her eyes and smiled. "Nobody trashes my man."
I chuckled and raised a teasing eyebrow. "Oh, so I'm your man?"
"Oh, yeah." She grinned at me as she pushed off the Tahoe, she cupped both sides of my face and pulled me into a demanding kiss. So far the kisses we'd shared had been sweet and tender. This one spoke of want and desire. Sara opened her mouth inviting me to explore hers with my tongue. I readily complied. When we broke apart, we were both a bit breathless.
"Wow." My eyebrows shot up as I grinned at her.
Sara giggled. "Yeah."
We heard another vehicle pull into the lot. We stepped apart, still grinning. I gestured toward the building. "Think we should go in? Shift is supposed to start in a little while."
She nodded. "Yeah." She smiled at me as we walked.
"Hey, Sar?" I began.
"Yeah?" She glanced over at me curiously.
"Can I take you on a date after shift?" I don't know why, but I felt a little nervous.
She chuckled at me. "All you had to do was ask." She reached over and took my hand as we neared the front door. She gave it a squeeze before dropping it. "Where are you taking me?" She eyed me with an amused glint in her eyes.
I raised an eyebrow and teased her. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."
She laughed. It was a light laugh. The kind of laugh I'd heard in California.
I smiled. "Somewhere special for someone special." I caressed her face with my eyes.
Sara grinned.
We headed to the locker room, my original destination before I overheard the commotion coming from Grissom's office.
Warrick glanced up as we entered. "Hey. How are the lovebirds?"
An embarrassed smile crossed Sara's face.
I chuckled. "Uh, we're fine, but not everyone knows yet."
Sara nodded. "We're still trying to figure it out ourselves." She glanced at me and grinned.
Warrick smiled. "Ok, your secret's safe with me, but good luck keeping it from Catherine."
Sara and I just smiled at each other.
