A/N: Well would you look at that, two postings in less than 24 hrs, how
zany is that? I must be wild and crazy. or just extremely overtired, take
your pick.
***
Nick and Grissom had remained silent the entire ride back from the hotel, both of them lost in thought in regards to the case. They could only hope that this latest, albeit gruesome lead would be the one to help them track Rachel's killer down and bring Nick and his family the justice they deserved. Reaching the crime lab both men wordlessly set across the parking lot to the entrance, matching grim expressions on their faces.
Grissom had paged the rest of the team, asking them to meet in the break room and they found them all there already, anxiously waiting for their return.
"Hey," Catherine greeted, rising from the table. "How'd it go?" She of course was already aware of the news of Rachel's pregnancy and was looking worriedly at Nick.
He didn't respond, and although he could feel their eyes on him he didn't make eye contact with anyone, including Sara, but just went to the corner of the room and slumped into one of the chairs, resting his face in his hands. Sara stared at him concern etched on her face then shifted her eyes to Grissom in desperate search of some sort of explanation.
"Have you been able to find anything?" Grissom asked, holding his information for now in hopes of some good news.
"Well, I found a partial on that cigarette butt," Warrick informed him. "But when I brought it to Jackie she told me that there wasn't much there for her to be able to reconstruct. It could be a while waiting on CODIS to give us anything and the odds of a match are slim."
"Well, at least it's something," Grissom praised, taking a seat at the table.
"What about you guys?" Sara asked, anxious. It was obvious that their meeting hadn't been a pleasant one.
Grissom cleared his throat quietly. "We found out that our victim was-"
"Don't call her that," Nick spoke sharply with icy venom in his voice, his head still in his hands.
"Pard-?"
"She has a name," Nick interrupted coolly, looking up briefly at his boss, his gaze piercing. "Use it." He lowered his head again, the heels of his hands pressing into his eyes.
Sara moved from where she was at the table to sit beside Nick on the arm of his chair. She reached out a tentative hand to rest on his back finding his body tense under her touch, but he didn't make a move to acknowledge her presence.
Grissom blinked as though stunned at his own apparent lack of compassion.
"Christ, I'm sorry Nick, I'm so used to." he trailed off, pulling his glasses from his face to rub his eyes. Catherine reached over to touch his arm reassuringly and he met her eyes, appreciating the gesture. Sighing deeply, he replaced his glasses and started over again. " Doctor Robbins has informed us that Rachel was pregnant when she was murdered."
A soft gasp escaped Sara's lips and her hand came to her mouth; Warrick shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose; Catherine continued to sadly watch Nick but he still offered no reaction.
"Nick and I have also found out," Grissom continued, drawing the group's attention back to him. "That Rachel's husband, John, is not the father."
"What?" Catherine asked shocked.
"Jesus," Warrick muttered, eyes closed, a pained expression taking over his features.
Sara remained silent, her eyes still on Nick, silently begging him to even just look at her so she would know that he was okay. He didn't, but stood swiftly and left the room, muttering an "Excuse me," on his way out. The room was filled by heavy silence.
"Warrick, I want you to keep on that print," Grissom instructed after a moment. "Cath, I need you to come with me to see Al. We need to get a DNA sample for Greg as soon as possible so we can try to find out who the father is. Sara," his voice softened. "Stay with him?"
Sara nodded and rose to find Nick. She wandered the halls, looking in the labs, the locker room, even the men's washrooms without any luck. Eventually she decided to check outside and found him there, sitting on the curb off to the side of the main doors facing the parking lot. Wordlessly she sat beside him, watching his hands as they idly played with a dead twig. She could tell by his red-rimmed eyes and the tear stains on his cheeks that he had been crying again and she felt a tug on her heart.
"Nick, I." she trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I can't even begin to think of what I can say to you to make you feel any better. I'm so, so sorry."
He didn't answer at first, continuing to pick at the tiny stick. Sara reached out and touched his knee, squeezing gently and drawing his gaze to her hand. He sighed deeply and tossed the twig away, covering her hand with his.
"You don't have to say anything Sara," he said quietly, finally meeting her eyes. He wanted to ensure she understood what he was saying; that just by being there she was a comfort to him.
A soft knowing smile briefly touched her lips. She brought her free hand up, fingers lightly tracing his brow and down his jaw-line before she cradled the side of his face. She watched her thumb as it softly moved across his mouth. Nick's eyes closed and his hand came up to hold hers.
"I love you," he whispered against her palm, placing a kiss in its center. He leaned forward a wrapped his arms around her, his face buried into her neck.
"I love you too." Sara held him against her in a firm hug, one hand stroking his hair, and kissed his cheek. "Let's get out of here for a little while. Take a break?"
"Where?" he asked, pulling back slightly.
"When was the last time you ate anything?" she asked, concerned.
Nick paused, his fingers coming up to scratch his head, and thought a moment then scoffed. "I honestly don't remember. I haven't really been very hungry."
"I was afraid of that," she said, looking over his face worriedly. "You want to go to the diner?"
He shook his head. "No thanks, I really don't want to be in a public place at the moment and like I said I'm not really hungry. I'm not even sure I could keep anything down right now to be honest."
"I know that feeling, but you should try to eat something. How about we go to my place then?" she suggested. A small grin quirked the sides of her mouth and she leaned close to him, her chin on his shoulder and her voice low and full of mock seriousness. "I make some mean scrambled eggs."
Nick met her gaze with a skeptical look and tried to keep a straight face but Sara waggled her eyebrows suggestively at him making him laugh. Somehow she could still cheer him up even after all that had gone on. She really amazed him in every way. Her heartfelt concern for him made him aware of the feelings he had for her, feelings he had never felt before. He was in love.
"Now how can a man refuse an offer like that?" he asked and placed a soft, quick kiss on her mouth. "Okay. Let's go."
Sara called in to let Grissom know where they would be if needed, then hand in hand they walked to his Tahoe.
***
A/N: There's plenty more to come so stay tuned.
***
Nick and Grissom had remained silent the entire ride back from the hotel, both of them lost in thought in regards to the case. They could only hope that this latest, albeit gruesome lead would be the one to help them track Rachel's killer down and bring Nick and his family the justice they deserved. Reaching the crime lab both men wordlessly set across the parking lot to the entrance, matching grim expressions on their faces.
Grissom had paged the rest of the team, asking them to meet in the break room and they found them all there already, anxiously waiting for their return.
"Hey," Catherine greeted, rising from the table. "How'd it go?" She of course was already aware of the news of Rachel's pregnancy and was looking worriedly at Nick.
He didn't respond, and although he could feel their eyes on him he didn't make eye contact with anyone, including Sara, but just went to the corner of the room and slumped into one of the chairs, resting his face in his hands. Sara stared at him concern etched on her face then shifted her eyes to Grissom in desperate search of some sort of explanation.
"Have you been able to find anything?" Grissom asked, holding his information for now in hopes of some good news.
"Well, I found a partial on that cigarette butt," Warrick informed him. "But when I brought it to Jackie she told me that there wasn't much there for her to be able to reconstruct. It could be a while waiting on CODIS to give us anything and the odds of a match are slim."
"Well, at least it's something," Grissom praised, taking a seat at the table.
"What about you guys?" Sara asked, anxious. It was obvious that their meeting hadn't been a pleasant one.
Grissom cleared his throat quietly. "We found out that our victim was-"
"Don't call her that," Nick spoke sharply with icy venom in his voice, his head still in his hands.
"Pard-?"
"She has a name," Nick interrupted coolly, looking up briefly at his boss, his gaze piercing. "Use it." He lowered his head again, the heels of his hands pressing into his eyes.
Sara moved from where she was at the table to sit beside Nick on the arm of his chair. She reached out a tentative hand to rest on his back finding his body tense under her touch, but he didn't make a move to acknowledge her presence.
Grissom blinked as though stunned at his own apparent lack of compassion.
"Christ, I'm sorry Nick, I'm so used to." he trailed off, pulling his glasses from his face to rub his eyes. Catherine reached over to touch his arm reassuringly and he met her eyes, appreciating the gesture. Sighing deeply, he replaced his glasses and started over again. " Doctor Robbins has informed us that Rachel was pregnant when she was murdered."
A soft gasp escaped Sara's lips and her hand came to her mouth; Warrick shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose; Catherine continued to sadly watch Nick but he still offered no reaction.
"Nick and I have also found out," Grissom continued, drawing the group's attention back to him. "That Rachel's husband, John, is not the father."
"What?" Catherine asked shocked.
"Jesus," Warrick muttered, eyes closed, a pained expression taking over his features.
Sara remained silent, her eyes still on Nick, silently begging him to even just look at her so she would know that he was okay. He didn't, but stood swiftly and left the room, muttering an "Excuse me," on his way out. The room was filled by heavy silence.
"Warrick, I want you to keep on that print," Grissom instructed after a moment. "Cath, I need you to come with me to see Al. We need to get a DNA sample for Greg as soon as possible so we can try to find out who the father is. Sara," his voice softened. "Stay with him?"
Sara nodded and rose to find Nick. She wandered the halls, looking in the labs, the locker room, even the men's washrooms without any luck. Eventually she decided to check outside and found him there, sitting on the curb off to the side of the main doors facing the parking lot. Wordlessly she sat beside him, watching his hands as they idly played with a dead twig. She could tell by his red-rimmed eyes and the tear stains on his cheeks that he had been crying again and she felt a tug on her heart.
"Nick, I." she trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I can't even begin to think of what I can say to you to make you feel any better. I'm so, so sorry."
He didn't answer at first, continuing to pick at the tiny stick. Sara reached out and touched his knee, squeezing gently and drawing his gaze to her hand. He sighed deeply and tossed the twig away, covering her hand with his.
"You don't have to say anything Sara," he said quietly, finally meeting her eyes. He wanted to ensure she understood what he was saying; that just by being there she was a comfort to him.
A soft knowing smile briefly touched her lips. She brought her free hand up, fingers lightly tracing his brow and down his jaw-line before she cradled the side of his face. She watched her thumb as it softly moved across his mouth. Nick's eyes closed and his hand came up to hold hers.
"I love you," he whispered against her palm, placing a kiss in its center. He leaned forward a wrapped his arms around her, his face buried into her neck.
"I love you too." Sara held him against her in a firm hug, one hand stroking his hair, and kissed his cheek. "Let's get out of here for a little while. Take a break?"
"Where?" he asked, pulling back slightly.
"When was the last time you ate anything?" she asked, concerned.
Nick paused, his fingers coming up to scratch his head, and thought a moment then scoffed. "I honestly don't remember. I haven't really been very hungry."
"I was afraid of that," she said, looking over his face worriedly. "You want to go to the diner?"
He shook his head. "No thanks, I really don't want to be in a public place at the moment and like I said I'm not really hungry. I'm not even sure I could keep anything down right now to be honest."
"I know that feeling, but you should try to eat something. How about we go to my place then?" she suggested. A small grin quirked the sides of her mouth and she leaned close to him, her chin on his shoulder and her voice low and full of mock seriousness. "I make some mean scrambled eggs."
Nick met her gaze with a skeptical look and tried to keep a straight face but Sara waggled her eyebrows suggestively at him making him laugh. Somehow she could still cheer him up even after all that had gone on. She really amazed him in every way. Her heartfelt concern for him made him aware of the feelings he had for her, feelings he had never felt before. He was in love.
"Now how can a man refuse an offer like that?" he asked and placed a soft, quick kiss on her mouth. "Okay. Let's go."
Sara called in to let Grissom know where they would be if needed, then hand in hand they walked to his Tahoe.
***
A/N: There's plenty more to come so stay tuned.