Nick's mouth was slightly agape as he ended his call with Sara. He stared
at the phone in disbelief and then a dopey grin spread over his face.
Warrick watched his friend's face as they walked toward one of the layout
rooms to meet Catherine and Grissom. He chuckled. "Did Sara tell you she
liked your ass or something, man?"
Nick shook his head and mumbled. "Better."
"Well, whatever it was, you'd better get your mind back here on earth because when Grissom gets back with Brass, it's show time." Warrick turned into the layout room where Catherine was and nodded a greeting.
A bemused expression crossed Catherine's face as she glanced at Nick. She looked over at Warrick and raised an eyebrow.
Warrick just mouthed a single word to her 'Sara'.
Nick's mind was on another planet; Planet Sara to be exact. When he had confessed to her that he was in love with her, he knew that she might not return his feelings, although he knew that she was attracted to him, her actions made that abundantly clear. They had been friends for so long that it had taken her some time to let the idea that he was in love with her sink in. She had told him that she loved him as her friend, but had promised him that she wouldn't say those words to him again unless she meant it the way he did. Those three words she had just spoken to him had rocked his world. Sara Sidle was in love with him.
"Earth to Nick." Catherine's words finally penetrated Nick's reverie.
"Sorry, uh, what?" Nick felt slightly embarrassed as he glanced up at Catherine.
"Welcome back from Planet Sara." Warrick looked amused. "What did she say to you anyway?"
Nick crossed his arms in front of his body and he tried to restrain his grin as he answered Warrick's question. "She's coming with me to Texas for Thanksgiving."
Catherine grinned and looked like she was about to say something.
Nick wasn't done; his grin once again took over his face as he glanced from Catherine to Warrick. "And she's in love with me."
Interrogation Room:
Warrick, Catherine, and Nick stood in the viewing room watching Brass and Grissom interrogate a suspect.
"What, because I own a rare breed of cat, that makes me a murderer?" The man was indignant.
Warrick scoffed. "Doesn't this guy realize he's digging himself a deeper hole?"
"He has a point. I mean, unless we can prove that the DNA from his cat matches the hair samples, it may not stand in court. They had to do an extensive cross section of the cat population up on Prince Edward Island for this to fly in Canada." Nick informed the other two CSIs.
"Now he tells us." Warrick shook his head.
"Hey, I believe I told you all this when I relayed the details of this case to you in the first place. I didn't even know you were going to try and use the hair as a key piece of evidence." Nick replied. "I mean, it could stick, you know how judges are though."
Warrick and Catherine nodded. They were well aware of how fickle a judge could be about evidence after they'd busted their butts. If they didn't do everything by the book, it could casually get thrown out of court. They couldn't afford that luxury in this case, they needed this evidence.
Brass was wrapping up the interrogation. He had been given a warrant to seize the man's cats to have blood and hair samples taken, as well as a search warrant for his house. In this case, a judge had been extremely lenient in issuing the warrants simply because he was aware of the case in Canada. That and the fact that the man had a tenuous connection with the victim; he was his brother.
Nick's House:
Nick was exhausted. He had pulled a couple of extra hours at the end of shift and was ready to crawl in bed and go to sleep. When he pulled into his driveway, however, he got a second burst of energy. Sara's Denali was there, which meant that she was inside. He had ended up giving her a key so that she could just come in rather than wake him up if she was too afraid to be alone. Nick grinned as he opened the door.
Sara glanced up and smiled at him. There was a twinkle in her eyes. "Hey, I thought you might be hungry, so I came over to make you breakfast."
Nick walked up to her in the kitchen and rested his hands on her hips. "Hey, babe." A grin was etched on his face. "I got the strangest phone call today."
Sara giggled and let her hands rest on his biceps. "Really?"
He nodded and slid his arms around her waist. "Yeah, someone who sounds remarkably like you called me to tell me she loves me." He had a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Sara raised a single eyebrow as she slid her arms around his neck. "Hmm, couldn't have been me."
Nick raised an eyebrow in response. "Really."
She leaned closer to him, her lips stopping mere inches from his. "Yeah, if it was me, I'm sure I would have told you that I'm in love with you." Her eyes had a hint of teasing in them.
Nick chuckled as he closed the distance between them and softly pressed his lips against hers, pulling her firmly against him.
As they broke the kiss, Sara looked into his eyes and smiled. "So, where are we staying in Texas?"
He grinned at her. "I love you."
Sara's stomach fluttered at those words.
"I love you too." She grinned back at him.
Nick felt a surge of emotion as he looked in her eyes.
Sara raised an eyebrow at him. "But you didn't answer my question. Where are we staying in Texas?"
He leaned over and rested his forehead against hers. "Well, it's sort of a family tradition for everyone to stay at my parent's ranch on Thanksgiving."
Sara raised both eyebrows. "Ranch?" Sara could feel the nerves churning in her stomach.
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, ranch."
Sara leaned back with a curious expression on her face. "Just how big is this ranch?"
Nick looked a little sheepish. Even though the crew of CSIs regarded each other as a family, Nick didn't really like to talk about his in too much detail. They really had no idea how important his family was in Texas.
"Nick?" Sara pursed her lips urging him to answer.
"Uh, it's about 15,000 acres." He answered.
A look somewhere between amusement and fear crossed Sara's face. "So I've fallen in love with a rich cowboy, ex-frat boy, jock, turned crime fighter."
Nick chuckled and waggled his eyebrows at her. "You forgot handsome and charming."
Sara started laughing, before resting her forehead against his chest. "You are full of it, Stokes."
"Yeah, but you love it and you know it, science nerd, Ivy League brain, brilliant CSI, and the most gorgeous woman I've ever known." Nick leaned down and kissed the top of her head before releasing her from his embrace. "Didn't you mention breakfast?"
She giggled. "Yeah, I did, but I also wanted an excuse to see you since I'm on a forced vacation."
Nick grinned. "I'm glad you're here, but I'm also really tired."
"Well, let's eat then." Sara quickly served the food she'd made onto a couple of plates and they sat down on the couch in the living room as close to each other as possible. They grinned at each other like a couple of fools as they ate. Nick filled her in on the case and told her how Warrick and Catherine had made fun of him after he'd gotten off the phone with her earlier.
"I wish I could have seen that." She had a glint in her eye.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunity, babe." Nick caressed her face with his eyes and then leaned over and planted a sweet kiss on her mouth.
As they finished their food, Sara picked up the plates and took them into the kitchen. She noticed Nick yawning. "Hey, it looks like someone needs to get some sleep." She walked back out to the couch and sat down next to him. "I'm going to go home so you can get some sleep." She leaned over and kissed him softly.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow at her as they broke the kiss. "You can stay if you want to."
She smiled and shook her head taking his hand in hers. "Nick, I need to conquer this demon, and as much as I like sleeping next to you, I don't really think I'd want to sleep. Besides, I've got an appointment with my counselor in a couple of hours."
"I am so proud of you, Sar." Nick's voice was thick with emotion. He tangled his fingers in her hair and softly kissed her.
She giggled against his lips. As they broke the kiss, she grinned at him. "I'll come over before you go to work."
"Promise?" Nick grinned.
"Uh, huh." Sara leaned in and kissed him again, her eyes slowly fluttering shut.
Nick shook his head and mumbled. "Better."
"Well, whatever it was, you'd better get your mind back here on earth because when Grissom gets back with Brass, it's show time." Warrick turned into the layout room where Catherine was and nodded a greeting.
A bemused expression crossed Catherine's face as she glanced at Nick. She looked over at Warrick and raised an eyebrow.
Warrick just mouthed a single word to her 'Sara'.
Nick's mind was on another planet; Planet Sara to be exact. When he had confessed to her that he was in love with her, he knew that she might not return his feelings, although he knew that she was attracted to him, her actions made that abundantly clear. They had been friends for so long that it had taken her some time to let the idea that he was in love with her sink in. She had told him that she loved him as her friend, but had promised him that she wouldn't say those words to him again unless she meant it the way he did. Those three words she had just spoken to him had rocked his world. Sara Sidle was in love with him.
"Earth to Nick." Catherine's words finally penetrated Nick's reverie.
"Sorry, uh, what?" Nick felt slightly embarrassed as he glanced up at Catherine.
"Welcome back from Planet Sara." Warrick looked amused. "What did she say to you anyway?"
Nick crossed his arms in front of his body and he tried to restrain his grin as he answered Warrick's question. "She's coming with me to Texas for Thanksgiving."
Catherine grinned and looked like she was about to say something.
Nick wasn't done; his grin once again took over his face as he glanced from Catherine to Warrick. "And she's in love with me."
Interrogation Room:
Warrick, Catherine, and Nick stood in the viewing room watching Brass and Grissom interrogate a suspect.
"What, because I own a rare breed of cat, that makes me a murderer?" The man was indignant.
Warrick scoffed. "Doesn't this guy realize he's digging himself a deeper hole?"
"He has a point. I mean, unless we can prove that the DNA from his cat matches the hair samples, it may not stand in court. They had to do an extensive cross section of the cat population up on Prince Edward Island for this to fly in Canada." Nick informed the other two CSIs.
"Now he tells us." Warrick shook his head.
"Hey, I believe I told you all this when I relayed the details of this case to you in the first place. I didn't even know you were going to try and use the hair as a key piece of evidence." Nick replied. "I mean, it could stick, you know how judges are though."
Warrick and Catherine nodded. They were well aware of how fickle a judge could be about evidence after they'd busted their butts. If they didn't do everything by the book, it could casually get thrown out of court. They couldn't afford that luxury in this case, they needed this evidence.
Brass was wrapping up the interrogation. He had been given a warrant to seize the man's cats to have blood and hair samples taken, as well as a search warrant for his house. In this case, a judge had been extremely lenient in issuing the warrants simply because he was aware of the case in Canada. That and the fact that the man had a tenuous connection with the victim; he was his brother.
Nick's House:
Nick was exhausted. He had pulled a couple of extra hours at the end of shift and was ready to crawl in bed and go to sleep. When he pulled into his driveway, however, he got a second burst of energy. Sara's Denali was there, which meant that she was inside. He had ended up giving her a key so that she could just come in rather than wake him up if she was too afraid to be alone. Nick grinned as he opened the door.
Sara glanced up and smiled at him. There was a twinkle in her eyes. "Hey, I thought you might be hungry, so I came over to make you breakfast."
Nick walked up to her in the kitchen and rested his hands on her hips. "Hey, babe." A grin was etched on his face. "I got the strangest phone call today."
Sara giggled and let her hands rest on his biceps. "Really?"
He nodded and slid his arms around her waist. "Yeah, someone who sounds remarkably like you called me to tell me she loves me." He had a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Sara raised a single eyebrow as she slid her arms around his neck. "Hmm, couldn't have been me."
Nick raised an eyebrow in response. "Really."
She leaned closer to him, her lips stopping mere inches from his. "Yeah, if it was me, I'm sure I would have told you that I'm in love with you." Her eyes had a hint of teasing in them.
Nick chuckled as he closed the distance between them and softly pressed his lips against hers, pulling her firmly against him.
As they broke the kiss, Sara looked into his eyes and smiled. "So, where are we staying in Texas?"
He grinned at her. "I love you."
Sara's stomach fluttered at those words.
"I love you too." She grinned back at him.
Nick felt a surge of emotion as he looked in her eyes.
Sara raised an eyebrow at him. "But you didn't answer my question. Where are we staying in Texas?"
He leaned over and rested his forehead against hers. "Well, it's sort of a family tradition for everyone to stay at my parent's ranch on Thanksgiving."
Sara raised both eyebrows. "Ranch?" Sara could feel the nerves churning in her stomach.
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, ranch."
Sara leaned back with a curious expression on her face. "Just how big is this ranch?"
Nick looked a little sheepish. Even though the crew of CSIs regarded each other as a family, Nick didn't really like to talk about his in too much detail. They really had no idea how important his family was in Texas.
"Nick?" Sara pursed her lips urging him to answer.
"Uh, it's about 15,000 acres." He answered.
A look somewhere between amusement and fear crossed Sara's face. "So I've fallen in love with a rich cowboy, ex-frat boy, jock, turned crime fighter."
Nick chuckled and waggled his eyebrows at her. "You forgot handsome and charming."
Sara started laughing, before resting her forehead against his chest. "You are full of it, Stokes."
"Yeah, but you love it and you know it, science nerd, Ivy League brain, brilliant CSI, and the most gorgeous woman I've ever known." Nick leaned down and kissed the top of her head before releasing her from his embrace. "Didn't you mention breakfast?"
She giggled. "Yeah, I did, but I also wanted an excuse to see you since I'm on a forced vacation."
Nick grinned. "I'm glad you're here, but I'm also really tired."
"Well, let's eat then." Sara quickly served the food she'd made onto a couple of plates and they sat down on the couch in the living room as close to each other as possible. They grinned at each other like a couple of fools as they ate. Nick filled her in on the case and told her how Warrick and Catherine had made fun of him after he'd gotten off the phone with her earlier.
"I wish I could have seen that." She had a glint in her eye.
"Oh, I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunity, babe." Nick caressed her face with his eyes and then leaned over and planted a sweet kiss on her mouth.
As they finished their food, Sara picked up the plates and took them into the kitchen. She noticed Nick yawning. "Hey, it looks like someone needs to get some sleep." She walked back out to the couch and sat down next to him. "I'm going to go home so you can get some sleep." She leaned over and kissed him softly.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow at her as they broke the kiss. "You can stay if you want to."
She smiled and shook her head taking his hand in hers. "Nick, I need to conquer this demon, and as much as I like sleeping next to you, I don't really think I'd want to sleep. Besides, I've got an appointment with my counselor in a couple of hours."
"I am so proud of you, Sar." Nick's voice was thick with emotion. He tangled his fingers in her hair and softly kissed her.
She giggled against his lips. As they broke the kiss, she grinned at him. "I'll come over before you go to work."
"Promise?" Nick grinned.
"Uh, huh." Sara leaned in and kissed him again, her eyes slowly fluttering shut.