Sara was working at wrapping up a case in one of the layout rooms when Nick
walked in. As she glanced up at him, color immediately infused her cheeks.
He stopped next to her and leaned over, resting his elbows on the table. "Hi." A grin was etched onto his face.
A restrained smile spread across her face. "Hi." She looked back down at the file and was unable to focus due to Nick's proximity.
"How's the case going?" Nick queried, abundantly aware of what his presence was doing to her.
She glanced up at him again and raised an eyebrow. "Almost wrapped up." She tried to turn her attention back to the file.
Nick watched her silently for a few moments.
Sara looked up and laughed nervously. "What?"
Nick raised his eyebrows innocently. "Oh, nothing."
Sara raised an eyebrow. "Nick, you're distracting me. I need to get this done. Go find Warrick or Greg and see what they're doing."
Nick had a teasing smile on his face. "I'm distracting you, huh?"
Sara closed her eyes and shook her head and giggled. "Yes, you're distracting me."
Nick reached over and poked Sara in the side.
Sara grabbed his hand and both of her eyebrows shot up. The tone in her voice was a bit firmer. "Nick, stop. I need to get this done."
Nick pulled his hand away and stood up straight. "Sorry." His expression was somewhat disappointed.
She reached out and touched his arm. "Hey, I think we need to talk."
Nick furrowed his brow. "That doesn't sound good."
A half smile formed on Sara's face. "Nick, you should know by now in this business to assume nothing. I just think we need to talk about what almost happened before it actually happens that's all."
The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. "So then you're not opposed to it happening then?"
She giggled and a lopsided smile formed on her face. "No, otherwise when Warrick and Greg showed up they would have found a fresh crime scene. You are a little too sneaky for your own good, Stokes." She turned her attention back to the file.
Nick chuckled.
Sara glanced up and gestured with her pen. "Hey, just remember, the walls around here have ears. I hear that you and I are the object of a bet between our two friends."
Nick nodded. "I heard."
She grinned mischievously. "I think we could have a little fun at their expense if you're up for it."
Nick laughed. "Yeah."
She raised an eyebrow at him and gestured toward the door. "Now go. I'm never going to get this done with you standing there, Chunky." She giggled to herself.
Nick shook his head and smiled. "Ok, Princess." With that he turned and walked down the hall toward the break room.
**************************************************
Greg found Warrick working on a file in one of the layout rooms. "So, do you think anything happened before we showed up?"
Warrick glanced up. "Sanders, you need a girlfriend."
"Well, I don't think Sara is available for much longer." Greg had something akin to a pout on his face.
Warrick raised an eyebrow. "I doubt anything happened before we showed up, if it had, do you really think Nick would have answered the door? Besides, Sara's a slow mover."
Greg chuckled. "Well, Nick isn't."
**************************************************
After shift, Sara followed Nick to his house so they could talk. As they came to the front door, Nick's cell phone rang. He pulled it off of his belt and answered it. "Stokes."
He glanced at Sara and gave her a knowing look as he opened the front door. "Hey, Warrick." Nick dropped his keys on the counter. "Yeah, I suppose that would be ok." He nodded at Sara who was gesturing at a bottle of beer. "Ok, see you then." He ended the call. "Warrick and Greg are coming over."
Sara looked amused. "Oh, so they're calling this time." She handed him a bottle of beer taking a sip from her own.
Nick took the beer and took a sip. He glanced over at her and waggled his eyebrows. "We could give them something to talk about."
Sara rolled her eyes and blushed. "Uh, like yesterday didn't give them enough. It's a good thing they didn't notice that my top was inside out."
Nick's eyebrows shot up and he started to laugh. "It was?"
Sara crossed her arms in front of herself and just shook her head. "For a CSI you're not very observant."
Nick grinned. "Yes I am. I was just more interested in observing what was under your top."
The color in Sara's face deepened. "Uh, can we change the subject for a minute."
Nick tried to suppress his smile by taking another sip of his beer. "Yeah. What do you want to talk about?"
She tried to restrain the embarrassed grin spreading across her face as she looked at Nick. "I just want to know what this thing is. I mean what is this? Uh, are we having a fling? Or is this something else?" She bit her lower lip as she waited for him to respond.
Nick would have chuckled at the expression on Sara's face if she wasn't so serious. He smiled at her softly. "No fling."
She stopped biting her lip. "What then?" She studied him.
Nick regarded her seriously. "It's obvious we're attracted to each other, Sar. What do you want it to be?"
A vulnerable expression crossed her face. "I, uh."
Nick continued. "Because I'd really like to date you."
"Date?" She stated looking directly at him as if to reaffirm what she had just heard.
Nick nodded. "Unless you don't want to." He studied her.
A soft smile tugged at her lips. "I want to."
Nick walked around the counter into the kitchen where Sara was standing. He put his beer bottle down on the counter and took hers from her hand and put it next to his. He grinned at her as he reached up and cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand, caressing it with his thumb.
Sara's eyes fluttered closed as she felt Nick's warm breath against her face before he softly pressed his lips against hers.
As they broke the kiss, Nick's palm remained on her cheek, he rested his forehead against hers. His voice was a soft whisper. "I'm wooing you, Sara."
A smile spread across Sara's face. Her voice was slightly husky. "Woo away, Nick."
They looked into each others eyes smiling. Nick leaned in and kissed her again a little longer this time. As they broke apart, there was a knock at the door.
Smiles spread across their faces and in unison they whispered. "Warrick and Greg."
He stopped next to her and leaned over, resting his elbows on the table. "Hi." A grin was etched onto his face.
A restrained smile spread across her face. "Hi." She looked back down at the file and was unable to focus due to Nick's proximity.
"How's the case going?" Nick queried, abundantly aware of what his presence was doing to her.
She glanced up at him again and raised an eyebrow. "Almost wrapped up." She tried to turn her attention back to the file.
Nick watched her silently for a few moments.
Sara looked up and laughed nervously. "What?"
Nick raised his eyebrows innocently. "Oh, nothing."
Sara raised an eyebrow. "Nick, you're distracting me. I need to get this done. Go find Warrick or Greg and see what they're doing."
Nick had a teasing smile on his face. "I'm distracting you, huh?"
Sara closed her eyes and shook her head and giggled. "Yes, you're distracting me."
Nick reached over and poked Sara in the side.
Sara grabbed his hand and both of her eyebrows shot up. The tone in her voice was a bit firmer. "Nick, stop. I need to get this done."
Nick pulled his hand away and stood up straight. "Sorry." His expression was somewhat disappointed.
She reached out and touched his arm. "Hey, I think we need to talk."
Nick furrowed his brow. "That doesn't sound good."
A half smile formed on Sara's face. "Nick, you should know by now in this business to assume nothing. I just think we need to talk about what almost happened before it actually happens that's all."
The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. "So then you're not opposed to it happening then?"
She giggled and a lopsided smile formed on her face. "No, otherwise when Warrick and Greg showed up they would have found a fresh crime scene. You are a little too sneaky for your own good, Stokes." She turned her attention back to the file.
Nick chuckled.
Sara glanced up and gestured with her pen. "Hey, just remember, the walls around here have ears. I hear that you and I are the object of a bet between our two friends."
Nick nodded. "I heard."
She grinned mischievously. "I think we could have a little fun at their expense if you're up for it."
Nick laughed. "Yeah."
She raised an eyebrow at him and gestured toward the door. "Now go. I'm never going to get this done with you standing there, Chunky." She giggled to herself.
Nick shook his head and smiled. "Ok, Princess." With that he turned and walked down the hall toward the break room.
**************************************************
Greg found Warrick working on a file in one of the layout rooms. "So, do you think anything happened before we showed up?"
Warrick glanced up. "Sanders, you need a girlfriend."
"Well, I don't think Sara is available for much longer." Greg had something akin to a pout on his face.
Warrick raised an eyebrow. "I doubt anything happened before we showed up, if it had, do you really think Nick would have answered the door? Besides, Sara's a slow mover."
Greg chuckled. "Well, Nick isn't."
**************************************************
After shift, Sara followed Nick to his house so they could talk. As they came to the front door, Nick's cell phone rang. He pulled it off of his belt and answered it. "Stokes."
He glanced at Sara and gave her a knowing look as he opened the front door. "Hey, Warrick." Nick dropped his keys on the counter. "Yeah, I suppose that would be ok." He nodded at Sara who was gesturing at a bottle of beer. "Ok, see you then." He ended the call. "Warrick and Greg are coming over."
Sara looked amused. "Oh, so they're calling this time." She handed him a bottle of beer taking a sip from her own.
Nick took the beer and took a sip. He glanced over at her and waggled his eyebrows. "We could give them something to talk about."
Sara rolled her eyes and blushed. "Uh, like yesterday didn't give them enough. It's a good thing they didn't notice that my top was inside out."
Nick's eyebrows shot up and he started to laugh. "It was?"
Sara crossed her arms in front of herself and just shook her head. "For a CSI you're not very observant."
Nick grinned. "Yes I am. I was just more interested in observing what was under your top."
The color in Sara's face deepened. "Uh, can we change the subject for a minute."
Nick tried to suppress his smile by taking another sip of his beer. "Yeah. What do you want to talk about?"
She tried to restrain the embarrassed grin spreading across her face as she looked at Nick. "I just want to know what this thing is. I mean what is this? Uh, are we having a fling? Or is this something else?" She bit her lower lip as she waited for him to respond.
Nick would have chuckled at the expression on Sara's face if she wasn't so serious. He smiled at her softly. "No fling."
She stopped biting her lip. "What then?" She studied him.
Nick regarded her seriously. "It's obvious we're attracted to each other, Sar. What do you want it to be?"
A vulnerable expression crossed her face. "I, uh."
Nick continued. "Because I'd really like to date you."
"Date?" She stated looking directly at him as if to reaffirm what she had just heard.
Nick nodded. "Unless you don't want to." He studied her.
A soft smile tugged at her lips. "I want to."
Nick walked around the counter into the kitchen where Sara was standing. He put his beer bottle down on the counter and took hers from her hand and put it next to his. He grinned at her as he reached up and cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand, caressing it with his thumb.
Sara's eyes fluttered closed as she felt Nick's warm breath against her face before he softly pressed his lips against hers.
As they broke the kiss, Nick's palm remained on her cheek, he rested his forehead against hers. His voice was a soft whisper. "I'm wooing you, Sara."
A smile spread across Sara's face. Her voice was slightly husky. "Woo away, Nick."
They looked into each others eyes smiling. Nick leaned in and kissed her again a little longer this time. As they broke apart, there was a knock at the door.
Smiles spread across their faces and in unison they whispered. "Warrick and Greg."