Nick pulled into the parking lot at the trailhead of where Sara claimed
she'd seen a Madrona tree a ways up. It was just after dawn and the pair
had grabbed a bite to eat a few miles back in a nondescript small town
diner. Equipped with daypacks that held several bindles, emergency kits,
water, and Power Bars they set off up the trail with Sara in the lead.
Several miles up the trail, Nick queried Sara, "Just how far is this Madrona tree, Sara?"
She glanced back at him, "Just a little further. The vegetation in here is too dense for them to grow in here. There are several up there on that ridge."
Nick estimated that they had about another mile and a half before they reached the top of the ridge she was talking about. Damn they were going to be wiped out when they got back.
At the top of the ridge, they found a stand of Madrona trees, just as Sara had said they would. Nick and Sara took samples of bark, twigs, and leaves, just to be on the safe side. After they collected the samples and stowed them in their packs, they sat down on a log and admired the view.
Nick glanced over at Sara who was smiling at the view, "Hey, Sara."
She turned toward him, "What?"
"How did you know about this place?" He queried.
A bemused grin formed on her face as she answered, "Contrary to popular belief, I do get out sometimes."
Nick chuckled, "It just seems like you practically live at the lab."
"Unlike some people, who always seem to be checking out some new club," She quipped.
Nick raised an eyebrow, "You know, I log almost as much overtime every month as you do. Is it a crime that I like to be social?"
"I'm social." Sara defended.
Nick chuckled, "I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I grew up in a big family, Sara. I don't always like to go home to an empty house."
"Nick, can I ask you a question?" Sara had a curious expression.
"Yeah." He nodded.
"Why did you come to Vegas? Isn't your whole family in Texas?" She questioned.
Nick wore a suppressed grin, "I came to Vegas because I had an opportunity to work with Grissom. My whole family is in Texas, but I wanted people to know me for something other than being the youngest member of the Stokes clan. That's hard to do when your family is always in the limelight. In Vegas, nobody cares if you were somebody somewhere else."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Nick glanced over at Sara, "Hey, Sar?"
She glanced back, "Yeah?"
"What about you? I know why you came to Vegas, why did you stay?" He queried.
She smiled and glanced toward the ground, "Initially, I stayed for the same reason I came. Grissom. That's not a very good reason anymore."
He raised a concerned eyebrow, "You're not thinking of leaving are you?"
She glanced over at him and the concern on his face registered. She shook her head, "No, I'm not thinking of leaving. I love my job and I love the people I work with, except maybe Grissom." She chuckled and glanced over at Nick who was smiling. She continued, "Seriously though, you guys are like a family to me. I never expected to find that here."
Nick grinned, "Yeah, I know what you mean." He glanced at his watch, "Hey, we should start heading back, or neither one of us is going to get any sleep before next shift."
They stood up and made their way back down the trail. They were making good time, chatting along the way. Sara turned her head for a moment to say something to Nick, and didn't notice the small log across the trail in front of her. She tripped and went sprawling forward. Sara let out a stream of curses. Nick would have laughed too if Sara hadn't been hurt. She scraped up her arms and legs as she tumbled forward, but it was her immediate grab for her ankle that really concerned Nick.
Nick quickly shed his pack and crouched down beside her, putting his hand on her back to steady her, "You ok, Sar?" Concern was etched in his eyes.
Sara looked up at him and was having a hard time controlling the tears that had begun rolling down her cheeks in response to the pain in her ankle. She shook her head, "I think I might have sprained it. Damn, it hurts like hell."
Nick helped her settle back against a log and pulled her shoe and sock off to take a look at her ankle, "I don't think you broke it, but you're definitely not walking on this by yourself." He pulled out his first aid kit and cursed when he realized that there wasn't much in there that was going to help a sprained ankle, especially when it was swelling.
Sara grimaced as Nick helped her to stand, supporting her weight, "You tell anyone I cried and I'll kill you, Stokes."
Nick chuckled, "Well at least you have your sense of humor. You can't be hurt too badly." He pulled his pack onto his back and put his arm around Sara's waist. He glanced at the path and then back at Sara, "I don't think the trail is wide enough for us to walk this way, how do you feel about a piggy back ride?"
Sara glanced up at him in disbelief, "Nick, that's an awfully long way for you to carry me."
He raised an eyebrow and a lopsided grin formed on his face, "Well, it's either that, or I leave you here, because you're not walking on that ankle. But you're going to have to hold onto my pack." He took it off his back and offered it to her.
Sara felt embarrassed, but she let Nick pull her onto his back and she held onto his daypack as they continued the descent to the Tahoe.
Nick was glad to put Sara down when they reached the Tahoe. It wasn't that Sara was heavy, it was that she was gorgeous. Having her body pressed against him for that long was causing him to think things about her, that she'd probably slap him for.
Nick helped Sara into the passenger seat of the Tahoe and stowed their packs in the backseat. Sara was glad to be sitting down. She felt bad that Nick had to carry her for the last mile and a half. She tried to suppress a smile, she thoroughly enjoyed being that close to Nick, although it made her think things about him that were better kept to herself. She was not the type of girl Nick went for.
Nick settled himself in the driver's seat and they headed back to Vegas.
Several miles up the trail, Nick queried Sara, "Just how far is this Madrona tree, Sara?"
She glanced back at him, "Just a little further. The vegetation in here is too dense for them to grow in here. There are several up there on that ridge."
Nick estimated that they had about another mile and a half before they reached the top of the ridge she was talking about. Damn they were going to be wiped out when they got back.
At the top of the ridge, they found a stand of Madrona trees, just as Sara had said they would. Nick and Sara took samples of bark, twigs, and leaves, just to be on the safe side. After they collected the samples and stowed them in their packs, they sat down on a log and admired the view.
Nick glanced over at Sara who was smiling at the view, "Hey, Sara."
She turned toward him, "What?"
"How did you know about this place?" He queried.
A bemused grin formed on her face as she answered, "Contrary to popular belief, I do get out sometimes."
Nick chuckled, "It just seems like you practically live at the lab."
"Unlike some people, who always seem to be checking out some new club," She quipped.
Nick raised an eyebrow, "You know, I log almost as much overtime every month as you do. Is it a crime that I like to be social?"
"I'm social." Sara defended.
Nick chuckled, "I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I grew up in a big family, Sara. I don't always like to go home to an empty house."
"Nick, can I ask you a question?" Sara had a curious expression.
"Yeah." He nodded.
"Why did you come to Vegas? Isn't your whole family in Texas?" She questioned.
Nick wore a suppressed grin, "I came to Vegas because I had an opportunity to work with Grissom. My whole family is in Texas, but I wanted people to know me for something other than being the youngest member of the Stokes clan. That's hard to do when your family is always in the limelight. In Vegas, nobody cares if you were somebody somewhere else."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Nick glanced over at Sara, "Hey, Sar?"
She glanced back, "Yeah?"
"What about you? I know why you came to Vegas, why did you stay?" He queried.
She smiled and glanced toward the ground, "Initially, I stayed for the same reason I came. Grissom. That's not a very good reason anymore."
He raised a concerned eyebrow, "You're not thinking of leaving are you?"
She glanced over at him and the concern on his face registered. She shook her head, "No, I'm not thinking of leaving. I love my job and I love the people I work with, except maybe Grissom." She chuckled and glanced over at Nick who was smiling. She continued, "Seriously though, you guys are like a family to me. I never expected to find that here."
Nick grinned, "Yeah, I know what you mean." He glanced at his watch, "Hey, we should start heading back, or neither one of us is going to get any sleep before next shift."
They stood up and made their way back down the trail. They were making good time, chatting along the way. Sara turned her head for a moment to say something to Nick, and didn't notice the small log across the trail in front of her. She tripped and went sprawling forward. Sara let out a stream of curses. Nick would have laughed too if Sara hadn't been hurt. She scraped up her arms and legs as she tumbled forward, but it was her immediate grab for her ankle that really concerned Nick.
Nick quickly shed his pack and crouched down beside her, putting his hand on her back to steady her, "You ok, Sar?" Concern was etched in his eyes.
Sara looked up at him and was having a hard time controlling the tears that had begun rolling down her cheeks in response to the pain in her ankle. She shook her head, "I think I might have sprained it. Damn, it hurts like hell."
Nick helped her settle back against a log and pulled her shoe and sock off to take a look at her ankle, "I don't think you broke it, but you're definitely not walking on this by yourself." He pulled out his first aid kit and cursed when he realized that there wasn't much in there that was going to help a sprained ankle, especially when it was swelling.
Sara grimaced as Nick helped her to stand, supporting her weight, "You tell anyone I cried and I'll kill you, Stokes."
Nick chuckled, "Well at least you have your sense of humor. You can't be hurt too badly." He pulled his pack onto his back and put his arm around Sara's waist. He glanced at the path and then back at Sara, "I don't think the trail is wide enough for us to walk this way, how do you feel about a piggy back ride?"
Sara glanced up at him in disbelief, "Nick, that's an awfully long way for you to carry me."
He raised an eyebrow and a lopsided grin formed on his face, "Well, it's either that, or I leave you here, because you're not walking on that ankle. But you're going to have to hold onto my pack." He took it off his back and offered it to her.
Sara felt embarrassed, but she let Nick pull her onto his back and she held onto his daypack as they continued the descent to the Tahoe.
Nick was glad to put Sara down when they reached the Tahoe. It wasn't that Sara was heavy, it was that she was gorgeous. Having her body pressed against him for that long was causing him to think things about her, that she'd probably slap him for.
Nick helped Sara into the passenger seat of the Tahoe and stowed their packs in the backseat. Sara was glad to be sitting down. She felt bad that Nick had to carry her for the last mile and a half. She tried to suppress a smile, she thoroughly enjoyed being that close to Nick, although it made her think things about him that were better kept to herself. She was not the type of girl Nick went for.
Nick settled himself in the driver's seat and they headed back to Vegas.