"How long do you think Nick's been in love with Sara?" Catherine and
Warrick were getting the slides and samples ready to send overnight to a
specialty DNA lab outside of Washington, DC.
Warrick's head snapped up. "Nick's in love with Sara?" He looked a little confused.
Catherine chuckled. "You must be a blind man if you can't see it, Warrick." She regarded her friend with amusement.
Warrick thought about her words for a moment and then started to chuckle. "I guess I never considered it. I mean I know that they're good friends, it just never occurred to me that he'd fall in love with her."
Catherine smiled. "Well I think he has. I'm just not sure how she feels."
Warrick chuckled. "She's in love with him." He glanced up and shook his head in amusement at Catherine's shocked face. "She just doesn't know it yet. Do you think she'd let anyone that close if she wasn't in love with them?"
Catherine raised a curious eyebrow. "What about Grissom?"
Warrick stood up straight and shook his head. "Nah, that was just infatuation. She never got that close to him, not that he would have let her."
Nick's House:
"I still can't believe I told them. I've never told anyone, Nick." Sara was in a state of bewilderment. She had shared her deepest darkest secret with the people closest to her and had survived.
"I told you they would be supportive." Nick answered softly.
They lay atop the comforter on his bed talking. Nick lay on his side and Sara leaned back against his chest. Nick's arm was slung over her waist and Sara traced his hand with her fingers. They remained like that for a while in the silence of each other's company.
Sara rolled over on her back and looked up at Nick, studying his face. Tentatively, she reached up and began to trail her fingers along his jaw line. Her hand came to rest on his cheek and she caressed it with her thumb.
Nick held his breath and studied her, not sure where this was going.
Sara soon made it abundantly clear as she leaned up and kissed him. The kiss was soft but demanding as Sara probed Nick's lips with her tongue, seeking entrance into his mouth.
As Nick opened his mouth to her and responded to the kiss, Sara pulled Nick toward her as she lay back on the bed. Her hand reached down between them and she began to pull at his zipper. He sucked his breath in sharply and grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away and breathing heavily as he broke the kiss.
Confusion clouded Sara's face and she turned away from him.
Nick put his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He whispered in her ear. "Sara, I can't do this right now. Not like this."
Her voice had an edge of hurt in it. "What do you mean? Don't you find me attractive?"
Nick chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?" Sara sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
"Do I find you attractive? Hell, Sara, do you have any idea how hard it's been for me to share my bed with you for the last few weeks and not kiss you? I've found you attractive since the day I met you." Nick sounded somewhat dumbfounded.
Sara sniffled. "Oh." She wiped at her face. "Why don't you want to make love to me then?"
Nick measured his words carefully. "Sara, it isn't that I don't want to make love to you, I do. I just don't want our first time together to be because you were upset and wanted someone to comfort you."
Her body stiffened.
He let out a deep breath. "Sara, I know from experience that you can't numb the pain of sexual abuse with sex, alcohol, or anything else. Believe me, I tried."
She wiped at her eyes again. "So you won't sleep with me until I see a shrink."
Nick smiled in spite of himself. "I didn't say that."
"Then what the hell are you trying to say, Nick? I'm feeling a little awkward here." She wanted nothing more than to bolt from the room.
Nick tightened his grip on her waist sensing her discomfort. "Sara, I'm in love with you. When I make love to you, I want it to be because you're in love with me too."
Sara didn't move. The words that Nick had just spoken hung heavily in the air. Her voice was barely a whisper. "What did you say?"
"I'm in love with you, Sara." Nick replied softly, hoping that she wouldn't hate him.
Sara began to relax. "I didn't really expect that."
Nick's voice was a whisper. "I should have said something sooner."
"Nick?" Sara's voice was tentative.
"Yeah?" Nick tried to make his voice belie his nervousness.
"Can I be alone for a while? I just need to think about this." She sounded unsure of herself.
"Yeah." Nick breathed out softly as he released his hold on her and pulled himself off of the bed, making his way out into the living room where he turned the TV on for a little distraction.
Grissom's Office:
"So, what you're telling me is, you think you can get a warrant based on this information?" Grissom asked in clarification.
"Yeah, we've confirmed that none of the guests owned a cat. None of their clothes had traces of cat hair. The only cat hair found at the scene was on the vic, and he didn't own a cat either, in fact he was so allergic to them, he couldn't even be around them. That's actually what makes this case so unique. Brenda Sutton met all of her guests in a medical trial for severe allergy sufferers. More specifically, people with severe allergies to cats." Warrick explained.
Grissom shrugged. "Well I guess truth is stranger than fiction." He wrinkled his brow. "Explain one thing to me. How did you even think of this?"
Warrick chuckled. "It was Nick that mentioned it actually. A while ago he was telling me about this case he saw profiled on the Discovery Channel. It was a landmark case up in Canada, Prince Edward Island I believe, where they used cat DNA to place a guy at the scene of a murder. The conviction held."
Catherine looked somewhat amused. "So, all that television Nick watches comes in handy once in a while."
Grissom shook his head in bewilderment. "I think I remember that case. It was profiled in one of my forensic journals. Snowball was the cat's name." He paused of a moment. "But how is this going to lead us to the killer?"
Warrick chuckled. "Leave it to Nick again. He said that the hair appeared to be from a unique breed of cat. So unique in fact that there's probably only a handful of them in Vegas, and cat DNA is almost as unique as human DNA. This guy in DC has an entire lab dedicated to the study of it."
Grissom looked at Warrick over the rim of his glasses. "Let me know what you find out."
Nick's House:
Nick sat on the couch flipping channels on the TV, trying to get his mind on something other than Sara.
Sara appeared in the doorway to the living room. "Hey."
He glanced up. "Hey."
She walked over and sat down on the couch near him. "I'm sorry about earlier."
He smiled at her. "No need to apologize, Sara. I'm flattered."
She smiled in spite of herself. "I just wanted to say thank you. For everything. I guess I didn't consider your feelings when I kept showing up and asking to sleep with you."
Nick waggled his eyebrows at her. "Every man's dream."
She swatted at him and a hint of color infused her cheeks.
"Got you to smile." He grinned at her.
She was silent for a few moments. "Nick, uh, about what you said earlier."
His expression was soft but serious. "You mean the part about where I'm in love with you?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
He looked at her in anticipation. "Yeah?"
She looked him in the eyes. "I care about you a lot. I don't think I've ever had a better friend than you, Nick."
Nick glanced away. The word 'friend' hung in the air as he anticipated the speech to follow.
Sara chuckled.
Nick glanced up.
Amusement flickered across Sara's face. "I'm not giving you the friends speech, Nick."
Nick chuckled softly and shook his head as he met her gaze. "Well, it always seems to start off like that."
Sara reached over and took Nick's hand in hers and looked into his eyes. "Nick, you are my best friend. I do love you. I'm just not sure yet if I'm in love with you. I'm definitely attracted to you, but I'm confused right now. I just need some time to process this."
"Ok." He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "You hungry?"
She considered his question for a moment and then started to laugh. "I guess I am."
He raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Pizza and beer?"
She raised both of her eyebrows. "No meat."
He grinned and reached for the phone. "Two pizzas."
Warrick's head snapped up. "Nick's in love with Sara?" He looked a little confused.
Catherine chuckled. "You must be a blind man if you can't see it, Warrick." She regarded her friend with amusement.
Warrick thought about her words for a moment and then started to chuckle. "I guess I never considered it. I mean I know that they're good friends, it just never occurred to me that he'd fall in love with her."
Catherine smiled. "Well I think he has. I'm just not sure how she feels."
Warrick chuckled. "She's in love with him." He glanced up and shook his head in amusement at Catherine's shocked face. "She just doesn't know it yet. Do you think she'd let anyone that close if she wasn't in love with them?"
Catherine raised a curious eyebrow. "What about Grissom?"
Warrick stood up straight and shook his head. "Nah, that was just infatuation. She never got that close to him, not that he would have let her."
Nick's House:
"I still can't believe I told them. I've never told anyone, Nick." Sara was in a state of bewilderment. She had shared her deepest darkest secret with the people closest to her and had survived.
"I told you they would be supportive." Nick answered softly.
They lay atop the comforter on his bed talking. Nick lay on his side and Sara leaned back against his chest. Nick's arm was slung over her waist and Sara traced his hand with her fingers. They remained like that for a while in the silence of each other's company.
Sara rolled over on her back and looked up at Nick, studying his face. Tentatively, she reached up and began to trail her fingers along his jaw line. Her hand came to rest on his cheek and she caressed it with her thumb.
Nick held his breath and studied her, not sure where this was going.
Sara soon made it abundantly clear as she leaned up and kissed him. The kiss was soft but demanding as Sara probed Nick's lips with her tongue, seeking entrance into his mouth.
As Nick opened his mouth to her and responded to the kiss, Sara pulled Nick toward her as she lay back on the bed. Her hand reached down between them and she began to pull at his zipper. He sucked his breath in sharply and grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away and breathing heavily as he broke the kiss.
Confusion clouded Sara's face and she turned away from him.
Nick put his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He whispered in her ear. "Sara, I can't do this right now. Not like this."
Her voice had an edge of hurt in it. "What do you mean? Don't you find me attractive?"
Nick chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?" Sara sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
"Do I find you attractive? Hell, Sara, do you have any idea how hard it's been for me to share my bed with you for the last few weeks and not kiss you? I've found you attractive since the day I met you." Nick sounded somewhat dumbfounded.
Sara sniffled. "Oh." She wiped at her face. "Why don't you want to make love to me then?"
Nick measured his words carefully. "Sara, it isn't that I don't want to make love to you, I do. I just don't want our first time together to be because you were upset and wanted someone to comfort you."
Her body stiffened.
He let out a deep breath. "Sara, I know from experience that you can't numb the pain of sexual abuse with sex, alcohol, or anything else. Believe me, I tried."
She wiped at her eyes again. "So you won't sleep with me until I see a shrink."
Nick smiled in spite of himself. "I didn't say that."
"Then what the hell are you trying to say, Nick? I'm feeling a little awkward here." She wanted nothing more than to bolt from the room.
Nick tightened his grip on her waist sensing her discomfort. "Sara, I'm in love with you. When I make love to you, I want it to be because you're in love with me too."
Sara didn't move. The words that Nick had just spoken hung heavily in the air. Her voice was barely a whisper. "What did you say?"
"I'm in love with you, Sara." Nick replied softly, hoping that she wouldn't hate him.
Sara began to relax. "I didn't really expect that."
Nick's voice was a whisper. "I should have said something sooner."
"Nick?" Sara's voice was tentative.
"Yeah?" Nick tried to make his voice belie his nervousness.
"Can I be alone for a while? I just need to think about this." She sounded unsure of herself.
"Yeah." Nick breathed out softly as he released his hold on her and pulled himself off of the bed, making his way out into the living room where he turned the TV on for a little distraction.
Grissom's Office:
"So, what you're telling me is, you think you can get a warrant based on this information?" Grissom asked in clarification.
"Yeah, we've confirmed that none of the guests owned a cat. None of their clothes had traces of cat hair. The only cat hair found at the scene was on the vic, and he didn't own a cat either, in fact he was so allergic to them, he couldn't even be around them. That's actually what makes this case so unique. Brenda Sutton met all of her guests in a medical trial for severe allergy sufferers. More specifically, people with severe allergies to cats." Warrick explained.
Grissom shrugged. "Well I guess truth is stranger than fiction." He wrinkled his brow. "Explain one thing to me. How did you even think of this?"
Warrick chuckled. "It was Nick that mentioned it actually. A while ago he was telling me about this case he saw profiled on the Discovery Channel. It was a landmark case up in Canada, Prince Edward Island I believe, where they used cat DNA to place a guy at the scene of a murder. The conviction held."
Catherine looked somewhat amused. "So, all that television Nick watches comes in handy once in a while."
Grissom shook his head in bewilderment. "I think I remember that case. It was profiled in one of my forensic journals. Snowball was the cat's name." He paused of a moment. "But how is this going to lead us to the killer?"
Warrick chuckled. "Leave it to Nick again. He said that the hair appeared to be from a unique breed of cat. So unique in fact that there's probably only a handful of them in Vegas, and cat DNA is almost as unique as human DNA. This guy in DC has an entire lab dedicated to the study of it."
Grissom looked at Warrick over the rim of his glasses. "Let me know what you find out."
Nick's House:
Nick sat on the couch flipping channels on the TV, trying to get his mind on something other than Sara.
Sara appeared in the doorway to the living room. "Hey."
He glanced up. "Hey."
She walked over and sat down on the couch near him. "I'm sorry about earlier."
He smiled at her. "No need to apologize, Sara. I'm flattered."
She smiled in spite of herself. "I just wanted to say thank you. For everything. I guess I didn't consider your feelings when I kept showing up and asking to sleep with you."
Nick waggled his eyebrows at her. "Every man's dream."
She swatted at him and a hint of color infused her cheeks.
"Got you to smile." He grinned at her.
She was silent for a few moments. "Nick, uh, about what you said earlier."
His expression was soft but serious. "You mean the part about where I'm in love with you?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
He looked at her in anticipation. "Yeah?"
She looked him in the eyes. "I care about you a lot. I don't think I've ever had a better friend than you, Nick."
Nick glanced away. The word 'friend' hung in the air as he anticipated the speech to follow.
Sara chuckled.
Nick glanced up.
Amusement flickered across Sara's face. "I'm not giving you the friends speech, Nick."
Nick chuckled softly and shook his head as he met her gaze. "Well, it always seems to start off like that."
Sara reached over and took Nick's hand in hers and looked into his eyes. "Nick, you are my best friend. I do love you. I'm just not sure yet if I'm in love with you. I'm definitely attracted to you, but I'm confused right now. I just need some time to process this."
"Ok." He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "You hungry?"
She considered his question for a moment and then started to laugh. "I guess I am."
He raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Pizza and beer?"
She raised both of her eyebrows. "No meat."
He grinned and reached for the phone. "Two pizzas."