Nick was looking into a high powered microscope in the trace materials lab
when Warrick walked in. "Nick, you got anything?"
Nick glanced up. "Well I found cat hair, but who doesn't have a pet?"
Warrick wrinkled his brow. "Brenda Sutton for one."
Nick tilted his head slightly. "Still, it doesn't really tell us anything. None of the other fibers seem out of place."
"Thanks, man." Warrick wrinkled his brow and headed back to the layout room. What he, Catherine, and Grissom had thought was a lead had ended up being a dead end. They were essentially back to where they started and now it was time to start thinking outside the box. Warrick walked into the layout room. "Hey, I'm going to go back and talk to Brenda Sutton."
Grissom glanced up curiously.
"Call it a hunch." Warrick replied to Grissom's silent question.
Grissom nodded and then added as he looked over his glasses. "Take Sara."
Warrick nodded and headed out of the layout room in search of Sara. He found her on the break room couch asleep, a troubled expression was on her face. Concern etched Warrick's face as he gently touched her shoulder.
Startled, Sara woke up with a start and screamed, recoiling in fright. She was breathing heavily and wrapped her arms around her body as she glanced up at Warrick. Her eyes narrowed. "Dammit, Warrick, you scared the crap out of me!"
Nick happened to walk by as Warrick woke her up. Anger clouded his face for a moment before he entered the break room. He glanced at Sara who looked up at him with a pleading expression. His face softened and he nodded.
"Girl, what is going on?" Warrick looked confused and concerned.
Sara stood up. "I'm fine, I'm just a little tired and I must have stayed up too late watching TV."
Warrick wasn't sure he was buying her story, but he let it slide. "Grissom wants you to come with me to talk to Brenda Sutton."
"I'll just get my coat." She glanced at Nick as she walked past him. He had concern on his face and she just glanced away as she walked out the door toward the locker room.
Warrick studied Nick for a moment. "Are you going to tell me what's going on? She jumped out of her skin when I touched her shoulder to wake her up."
Nick let out a deep breath and shook his head. "I'm not going to talk about it, man. Sorry." He turned and walked back out of the break room and headed toward the locker room in search of Sara.
She turned toward him as he walked in. "You didn't say anything did you?" Her expression was worried.
He shook his head. "I promised I wouldn't, and I haven't." He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "I'm worried about you."
Sara let out a deep breath and looked away. "Nick, I just have to deal with it." She wouldn't meet his gaze.
He lifted her chin with his fingers. "Sara, trust me, you need to talk about it."
She closed her eyes. "Warrick's waiting. I have to go."
Nick squeezed her shoulder. "Come over after shift. You're going to end up there anyway, this way I can get some sleep."
She glanced up at him with a curious expression and noticed that there was a hint of teasing in his eyes. She smiled.
He chuckled. "See, I made you smile again." He let out a deep breath. "Seriously though, Sara, come over."
She just nodded. "I have to go meet Warrick." She headed out of the locker room in search of Warrick.
Nick stood there and leaned against the bay of lockers with his hands resting on his hips. Neither he nor Sara had noticed that Catherine had been standing on the other side of the lockers.
She decided to make her presence known to Nick and cleared her throat.
Nick glanced up and finally noticed her. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough." Catherine stepped toward Nick a concerned inquisitive expression on her face. "Are you and Sara sleeping together?"
Nick closed his eyes and shook his head, a faint smile playing at his lips. "Cath, I can't tell you what is going on, but no, Sara and I are not sleeping together the way that you're implying."
Catherine raised a single eyebrow. "But she is sleeping at your house."
"Catherine, I can't say anything, I promised her." Nick answered trying to be evasive and firm at the same time.
"Ok, but let me know if I can do anything." Catherine had a look of compassion on her face.
Nick nodded. "I will." His expression made if evident that his heart was heavy.
Catherine walked over and gave him a hug. "You're a good friend, Nicky."
Nick smiled. "Thanks."
In the Denali:
"So what's your hunch?" Sara glanced over at Warrick curiously.
He glanced over at her as he drove. "That you're not telling me what's going on with you and Nick."
Sara shot him a glare. "Drop it, Warrick. I meant about Brenda Sutton and you know it."
Warrick let out a deep breath, his expression was serious. "Sara, I've woken you up from a nap on the couch before. You've never reacted like that before. I don't believe that you just didn't have enough sleep. I'm worried about you. What's going on? Did Nick do something? Do you want me to beat him up for you?" There was a hint of smile on his face as he asked the last question.
She tried to suppress an amused smile through her annoyance. "Nick didn't do anything, ok. I'm fine. Just drop it."
Warrick glanced at her again. "I'm not dropping, but I will set it aside for now."
They had just pulled up in front of the where Brenda Sutton was staying during the investigation. She was expecting them and ushered them into the living room. Warrick asked her a series of questions and then he and Sara headed back to the lab.
Sara was thankful Warrick didn't ask her any more questions about what was going on during the drive back.
The Locker Room:
Nick was stowing his gear getting ready to go home when Warrick and Sara walked into the locker room. He glanced up and smiled at Sara.
She gave him a soft smile in return.
Warrick noticed the interaction between the two, but didn't say anything. He quickly stowed his gear and headed to the door. "See you guys tonight."
Nick glanced up at Warrick. "Bye." He pulled his jacket on and closed his locker.
"Nick?" Sara's voice was tentative and she had a vulnerable expression on her face.
He looked at her and his faced softened. "Yeah?"
She glanced away for a moment. "Uh, can I really come over?" She seemed almost afraid of what he would say.
He nodded with a soft chuckle and pulled her into a hug. "Yeah, you can." He held her for a moment before releasing her. "Do you want to meet me there or just come with me?"
Sara looked scared. "Can I come with you?"
He nodded and the pair walked out to his Denali and headed to his house. Sara was asleep in the passenger seat by the time he pulled into his driveway.
Warrick wrinkled his brow. "Brenda Sutton for one."
Nick tilted his head slightly. "Still, it doesn't really tell us anything. None of the other fibers seem out of place."
"Thanks, man." Warrick wrinkled his brow and headed back to the layout room. What he, Catherine, and Grissom had thought was a lead had ended up being a dead end. They were essentially back to where they started and now it was time to start thinking outside the box. Warrick walked into the layout room. "Hey, I'm going to go back and talk to Brenda Sutton."
Grissom glanced up curiously.
"Call it a hunch." Warrick replied to Grissom's silent question.
Grissom nodded and then added as he looked over his glasses. "Take Sara."
Warrick nodded and headed out of the layout room in search of Sara. He found her on the break room couch asleep, a troubled expression was on her face. Concern etched Warrick's face as he gently touched her shoulder.
Startled, Sara woke up with a start and screamed, recoiling in fright. She was breathing heavily and wrapped her arms around her body as she glanced up at Warrick. Her eyes narrowed. "Dammit, Warrick, you scared the crap out of me!"
Nick happened to walk by as Warrick woke her up. Anger clouded his face for a moment before he entered the break room. He glanced at Sara who looked up at him with a pleading expression. His face softened and he nodded.
"Girl, what is going on?" Warrick looked confused and concerned.
Sara stood up. "I'm fine, I'm just a little tired and I must have stayed up too late watching TV."
Warrick wasn't sure he was buying her story, but he let it slide. "Grissom wants you to come with me to talk to Brenda Sutton."
"I'll just get my coat." She glanced at Nick as she walked past him. He had concern on his face and she just glanced away as she walked out the door toward the locker room.
Warrick studied Nick for a moment. "Are you going to tell me what's going on? She jumped out of her skin when I touched her shoulder to wake her up."
Nick let out a deep breath and shook his head. "I'm not going to talk about it, man. Sorry." He turned and walked back out of the break room and headed toward the locker room in search of Sara.
She turned toward him as he walked in. "You didn't say anything did you?" Her expression was worried.
He shook his head. "I promised I wouldn't, and I haven't." He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "I'm worried about you."
Sara let out a deep breath and looked away. "Nick, I just have to deal with it." She wouldn't meet his gaze.
He lifted her chin with his fingers. "Sara, trust me, you need to talk about it."
She closed her eyes. "Warrick's waiting. I have to go."
Nick squeezed her shoulder. "Come over after shift. You're going to end up there anyway, this way I can get some sleep."
She glanced up at him with a curious expression and noticed that there was a hint of teasing in his eyes. She smiled.
He chuckled. "See, I made you smile again." He let out a deep breath. "Seriously though, Sara, come over."
She just nodded. "I have to go meet Warrick." She headed out of the locker room in search of Warrick.
Nick stood there and leaned against the bay of lockers with his hands resting on his hips. Neither he nor Sara had noticed that Catherine had been standing on the other side of the lockers.
She decided to make her presence known to Nick and cleared her throat.
Nick glanced up and finally noticed her. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough." Catherine stepped toward Nick a concerned inquisitive expression on her face. "Are you and Sara sleeping together?"
Nick closed his eyes and shook his head, a faint smile playing at his lips. "Cath, I can't tell you what is going on, but no, Sara and I are not sleeping together the way that you're implying."
Catherine raised a single eyebrow. "But she is sleeping at your house."
"Catherine, I can't say anything, I promised her." Nick answered trying to be evasive and firm at the same time.
"Ok, but let me know if I can do anything." Catherine had a look of compassion on her face.
Nick nodded. "I will." His expression made if evident that his heart was heavy.
Catherine walked over and gave him a hug. "You're a good friend, Nicky."
Nick smiled. "Thanks."
In the Denali:
"So what's your hunch?" Sara glanced over at Warrick curiously.
He glanced over at her as he drove. "That you're not telling me what's going on with you and Nick."
Sara shot him a glare. "Drop it, Warrick. I meant about Brenda Sutton and you know it."
Warrick let out a deep breath, his expression was serious. "Sara, I've woken you up from a nap on the couch before. You've never reacted like that before. I don't believe that you just didn't have enough sleep. I'm worried about you. What's going on? Did Nick do something? Do you want me to beat him up for you?" There was a hint of smile on his face as he asked the last question.
She tried to suppress an amused smile through her annoyance. "Nick didn't do anything, ok. I'm fine. Just drop it."
Warrick glanced at her again. "I'm not dropping, but I will set it aside for now."
They had just pulled up in front of the where Brenda Sutton was staying during the investigation. She was expecting them and ushered them into the living room. Warrick asked her a series of questions and then he and Sara headed back to the lab.
Sara was thankful Warrick didn't ask her any more questions about what was going on during the drive back.
The Locker Room:
Nick was stowing his gear getting ready to go home when Warrick and Sara walked into the locker room. He glanced up and smiled at Sara.
She gave him a soft smile in return.
Warrick noticed the interaction between the two, but didn't say anything. He quickly stowed his gear and headed to the door. "See you guys tonight."
Nick glanced up at Warrick. "Bye." He pulled his jacket on and closed his locker.
"Nick?" Sara's voice was tentative and she had a vulnerable expression on her face.
He looked at her and his faced softened. "Yeah?"
She glanced away for a moment. "Uh, can I really come over?" She seemed almost afraid of what he would say.
He nodded with a soft chuckle and pulled her into a hug. "Yeah, you can." He held her for a moment before releasing her. "Do you want to meet me there or just come with me?"
Sara looked scared. "Can I come with you?"
He nodded and the pair walked out to his Denali and headed to his house. Sara was asleep in the passenger seat by the time he pulled into his driveway.