As Sara stood in front of her locker getting ready for the beginning of
shift, a smile played at her lips. She knew he was behind her even before
he had said a word or touched her. She had become intimately familiar with
the nuances of the scent that was just Nick. "Hey, cowboy."
A soft chuckle sounded near her ear as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist. "How did you know it was me, babe?"
Sara turned in his embrace and rested her hands against his chest, raising a single eyebrow. "No one else smells that sexy."
He grinned at her. "Did you sleep ok?"
She nodded, but a coy smile played at her lips. "I would have slept better with you, but I still want to conquer this damn thing."
He nodded, understanding. "I missed you too."
Sara tilted her head to the side, a smile playing at her lips. "How much time until shift starts?"
Nick chuckled. "We've got a little time."
"Good." She grinned as leaned up and kissed him softly.
Nick smiled against her lips before deepening the kiss.
Sara slid her arms around Nick's neck and leaned back against the bay of lockers as they made a leisure exploration of each other's mouths with their tongues.
An amused Warrick rested his shoulder against the door frame of the locker room and cleared his throat.
Nick's eyebrows went up and his eyes opened for a moment as he glanced over at Warrick without breaking the kiss.
Warrick started laughing. "So I take it you had a good trip to Texas."
Sara giggled and opened her eyes as she broke the kiss. She noticed a smudge of lipstick on Nick's lips and reached up to brush it off with her thumb before glancing over toward the doorway. "Hi, Warrick."
"Yeah, it was a great trip." Nick grinned and finally released his hold on Sara.
Sara straighten her shirt and put her ID badge on and closed the door to her locker.
Warrick smiled at Sara. "Welcome back, Sara. It'll be nice to have you back in the mix again."
She grinned. "Thanks."
Warrick raised an amused eyebrow. "Is that a hint of a twang in your voice?" He chuckled.
Sara glanced at Nick and tried to restrain a laugh. "If there is, it's his fault." She looked back over at Warrick and smirked. "You try spending almost a week with the entire Stokes family and see if you don't start sounding Texan."
Warrick chuckled and glanced over at Nick as he responded to Sara's comment. "Well, maybe you should join the family."
Sara's face turned red and she breezed past Warrick toward the break room without a word.
Nick raised an eyebrow at Warrick. "My nieces and nephews kept asking her if she's going to be their aunt the entire visit."
"Oh." Warrick replied apologetically. "I didn't realize it was a sore subject."
Nick tried to restrain a grin. "I didn't say it was a sore subject, it's just a little too soon to push the issue."
Warrick regarded Nick's statement for a moment. "So are you saying that you're that serious about Sara?" He was slightly dumbfounded.
Nick nodded. "Yeah, I am."
Warrick narrowed his focus. "How serious?"
Nick glanced around and spoke softly. "I bought a ring in Dallas."
Warrick's eyebrows shot up. "Damn. When are you going to give it to her?"
Nick chuckled. "When the time is right. I just wanted to be ready."
Warrick shook his head for a moment as if to clear his thoughts. "Wow."
Nick grinned. "Hey, we have assignments to get."
They headed out the door toward the break room.
Nick's Crime Scene:
"How did Sara do meeting your whole family?" Catherine queried Nick as she dusted for prints.
Nick grinned. "Surprisingly well. Two of my sisters made a big scene, but once we got past that, things seemed to smooth out. Although, my nieces and nephews asked some seriously embarrassing questions."
Catherine had a wry smile on her face. "I can imagine."
"Thanksgiving dinner in particular was notable." Nick chuckled.
Catherine stopped what she was doing and raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to share?"
Nick put a piece of evidence into a bindle and grinned. "My nephew Austin ask me if Sara and I were doing it, then his two brothers asked what 'it' was."
Catherine laughed a deep throaty laugh.
"I thought my sister Natalie and her husband Jake were going to crawl under the table and die." Nick wore a bemused grin. "However, my niece Celia informed me that she thought I should marry Sara, an opinion shared by her mom Lauren as well as several of my sisters and all my nieces and nephews."
"Oh, I bet Sara loved that." Catherine could just imagine how much that would freak Sara out. A smile played at the edges of her lips as she looked over at Nick. "So, Nicky?"
"Yeah, Cath?" Nick replied as he put another piece of evidence into a bindle.
"Did you answer your nephew's question?" Catherine had an amused grin on her face.
He chuckled as he glanced back at Catherine. "That was on a need to know basis and he did not need to know. He's twelve."
"You are, aren't you?" Catherine remarked with a smile.
"Huh?" Nick had turned his attention back to the task at hand. As he realized what she was asking, an embarrassed grin spread across his face with a hint of color.
Catherine laughed. "You two are good for each other."
Nick glanced up at her. His expression was a bit more serious. "I think I'm going to marry her, Cath."
Catherine looked a bit shocked. "I didn't realize things were quite that serious."
Nick grinned. "They're getting there. She doesn't know it, but I bought her an engagement ring when were in Dallas. I wanted to be prepared when I propose to her."
Catherine just looked at him with her jaw slightly agape. "Wow."
Sara's Crime Scene:
"So I'm thinking that the killer left the knife on purpose." Sara glanced up at Warrick to see what he thought of her theory.
"It's plausible, but I guess we'll have to wait to see what the lab reports say." Warrick replied taking a photo of the knife. As he finished he glanced at Sara. "You want to know what I think?"
Sara nodded, waiting to hear what he thought the scene was telling them.
"I think you're seriously in love with Nick." Warrick looked amused.
Sara tried to restrain an embarrassed smile. "That doesn't have anything to do with our crime scene."
Warrick chuckled. "Well, we're done processing our crime scene."
Sara began to silently gather the evidence that they collected into bindles.
"How did you like Nick's family?" Warrick queried her.
She glanced up and smiled. "I loved them."
Warrick folded his arms in front of him and looked down at Sara. "That boy has it bad for you, Sidle."
She grinned in spite of herself. "The feeling's mutual."
A soft chuckle sounded near her ear as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist. "How did you know it was me, babe?"
Sara turned in his embrace and rested her hands against his chest, raising a single eyebrow. "No one else smells that sexy."
He grinned at her. "Did you sleep ok?"
She nodded, but a coy smile played at her lips. "I would have slept better with you, but I still want to conquer this damn thing."
He nodded, understanding. "I missed you too."
Sara tilted her head to the side, a smile playing at her lips. "How much time until shift starts?"
Nick chuckled. "We've got a little time."
"Good." She grinned as leaned up and kissed him softly.
Nick smiled against her lips before deepening the kiss.
Sara slid her arms around Nick's neck and leaned back against the bay of lockers as they made a leisure exploration of each other's mouths with their tongues.
An amused Warrick rested his shoulder against the door frame of the locker room and cleared his throat.
Nick's eyebrows went up and his eyes opened for a moment as he glanced over at Warrick without breaking the kiss.
Warrick started laughing. "So I take it you had a good trip to Texas."
Sara giggled and opened her eyes as she broke the kiss. She noticed a smudge of lipstick on Nick's lips and reached up to brush it off with her thumb before glancing over toward the doorway. "Hi, Warrick."
"Yeah, it was a great trip." Nick grinned and finally released his hold on Sara.
Sara straighten her shirt and put her ID badge on and closed the door to her locker.
Warrick smiled at Sara. "Welcome back, Sara. It'll be nice to have you back in the mix again."
She grinned. "Thanks."
Warrick raised an amused eyebrow. "Is that a hint of a twang in your voice?" He chuckled.
Sara glanced at Nick and tried to restrain a laugh. "If there is, it's his fault." She looked back over at Warrick and smirked. "You try spending almost a week with the entire Stokes family and see if you don't start sounding Texan."
Warrick chuckled and glanced over at Nick as he responded to Sara's comment. "Well, maybe you should join the family."
Sara's face turned red and she breezed past Warrick toward the break room without a word.
Nick raised an eyebrow at Warrick. "My nieces and nephews kept asking her if she's going to be their aunt the entire visit."
"Oh." Warrick replied apologetically. "I didn't realize it was a sore subject."
Nick tried to restrain a grin. "I didn't say it was a sore subject, it's just a little too soon to push the issue."
Warrick regarded Nick's statement for a moment. "So are you saying that you're that serious about Sara?" He was slightly dumbfounded.
Nick nodded. "Yeah, I am."
Warrick narrowed his focus. "How serious?"
Nick glanced around and spoke softly. "I bought a ring in Dallas."
Warrick's eyebrows shot up. "Damn. When are you going to give it to her?"
Nick chuckled. "When the time is right. I just wanted to be ready."
Warrick shook his head for a moment as if to clear his thoughts. "Wow."
Nick grinned. "Hey, we have assignments to get."
They headed out the door toward the break room.
Nick's Crime Scene:
"How did Sara do meeting your whole family?" Catherine queried Nick as she dusted for prints.
Nick grinned. "Surprisingly well. Two of my sisters made a big scene, but once we got past that, things seemed to smooth out. Although, my nieces and nephews asked some seriously embarrassing questions."
Catherine had a wry smile on her face. "I can imagine."
"Thanksgiving dinner in particular was notable." Nick chuckled.
Catherine stopped what she was doing and raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to share?"
Nick put a piece of evidence into a bindle and grinned. "My nephew Austin ask me if Sara and I were doing it, then his two brothers asked what 'it' was."
Catherine laughed a deep throaty laugh.
"I thought my sister Natalie and her husband Jake were going to crawl under the table and die." Nick wore a bemused grin. "However, my niece Celia informed me that she thought I should marry Sara, an opinion shared by her mom Lauren as well as several of my sisters and all my nieces and nephews."
"Oh, I bet Sara loved that." Catherine could just imagine how much that would freak Sara out. A smile played at the edges of her lips as she looked over at Nick. "So, Nicky?"
"Yeah, Cath?" Nick replied as he put another piece of evidence into a bindle.
"Did you answer your nephew's question?" Catherine had an amused grin on her face.
He chuckled as he glanced back at Catherine. "That was on a need to know basis and he did not need to know. He's twelve."
"You are, aren't you?" Catherine remarked with a smile.
"Huh?" Nick had turned his attention back to the task at hand. As he realized what she was asking, an embarrassed grin spread across his face with a hint of color.
Catherine laughed. "You two are good for each other."
Nick glanced up at her. His expression was a bit more serious. "I think I'm going to marry her, Cath."
Catherine looked a bit shocked. "I didn't realize things were quite that serious."
Nick grinned. "They're getting there. She doesn't know it, but I bought her an engagement ring when were in Dallas. I wanted to be prepared when I propose to her."
Catherine just looked at him with her jaw slightly agape. "Wow."
Sara's Crime Scene:
"So I'm thinking that the killer left the knife on purpose." Sara glanced up at Warrick to see what he thought of her theory.
"It's plausible, but I guess we'll have to wait to see what the lab reports say." Warrick replied taking a photo of the knife. As he finished he glanced at Sara. "You want to know what I think?"
Sara nodded, waiting to hear what he thought the scene was telling them.
"I think you're seriously in love with Nick." Warrick looked amused.
Sara tried to restrain an embarrassed smile. "That doesn't have anything to do with our crime scene."
Warrick chuckled. "Well, we're done processing our crime scene."
Sara began to silently gather the evidence that they collected into bindles.
"How did you like Nick's family?" Warrick queried her.
She glanced up and smiled. "I loved them."
Warrick folded his arms in front of him and looked down at Sara. "That boy has it bad for you, Sidle."
She grinned in spite of herself. "The feeling's mutual."