It was Christmas Eve and the CSI night shift crew was in the middle of one
of the worst multiple homicides Vegas had seen in some time. A family of
seven had been slaughtered as they slept. At first glance it appeared to
be a murder suicide; however, they wanted to completely certain. The last
thing they needed was to be wrong about something of this magnitude.
They had almost finished processing the house when Nick approached Sara, who was packing up the bindles of evidence she had collected. He knelt next to her and waited for her to look up.
"What?" She looked at him curiously.
He furrowed his brow for a moment before he continued. "Sara, I don't want to wait." The tragedy of the crime they were investigating had underscored in his mind how short life is.
An understanding smile spread across her face. "I know, I don't either." She had reached the same conclusion.
Nick smiled. "Warrick and Catherine?"
She nodded. "Yeah, let's ask them."
"You about done here?" He asked her.
She nodded. "Yeah, let me just put this in the Denali. Meet you outside in about five minutes, ok?"
He nodded. "Yeah." A grin spread across Nick's face. "I love you, Sara."
She chuckled. "I know, I love you too."
He glanced around and then leaned in and kissed her softly before standing up and heading outside.
Warrick and Catherine stood at the rear of Catherine's Denali discussing the case and stowing the evidence they had collected.
Nick walked over to them and waited silently as they finished their conversation.
"I think it was the husband. His wounds are consistent with a self inflicted gunshot wound." Warrick recounted.
"Yes, but so are the wife's." Catherine remarked.
Nick thought aloud. "Maybe they're both responsible."
Warrick and Catherine looked up. Warrick remarked. "Maybe they are, I hadn't thought of that. I guess we won't know until after autopsy."
Nick grinned as he saw Sara approach. "Did you ask them, Nick?"
He shook his head and grinned. "I wanted to wait for you, babe." His tone was like that of a man hopelessly in love.
Warrick and Catherine exchanged a bemused grin. Catherine cleared her throat. "What were you going to ask?"
Sara grinned. "Nick and I want to get married after shift, and we wanted to see if you'd be our witnesses."
Warrick raised an eyebrow. "What's the rush, you just got engaged a few days ago." He turned his attention to Nick. "What about your family?" He glanced over at Sara. "You're not pregnant are you?"
Nick replied for both of them. "We just don't see a reason to wait, and no, Sara is not pregnant. As for my family, they can throw us a reception in Texas if they want to."
"We just want to be together, life's too short." Sara answered with a smile, leaning her body against Nick's.
Nick wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and leaned his chin on her shoulder. "So will you?"
"I would love to, but Lindsey is going to be chomping at the bit to open her presents." Catherine chuckled. "You know this being Christmas, a child's biggest fantasy."
"You could bring her." Nick's voice was a bit sing songy.
"Ok." Catherine grinned. "But you owe me."
Warrick chuckled. "I'm in."
Sara giggled as Nick began peppering kisses on her neck and mumbling. "I get to marry you."
Catherine and Warrick started to chuckle.
Grissom walked up with a curious expression on his face. "What's going on? Don't you need to get the evidence back to the lab?"
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Nick and Sara are getting married."
"I know that. They announced their engagement a few days ago." Grissom replied a little perplexed.
Warrick clarified. "No, they're getting married after shift."
"What?" Grissom looked shocked and then turned his attention toward Nick and Sara. "Is this true?"
Nick stopped nuzzling Sara's neck and nodded. "Yeah, it's true, we just don't feel like waiting, don't really see a reason to." Sara just grinned.
An uncharacteristically wide smile spread across Grissom's face.
Several hours later:
Sara murmured against Nick's neck. "I can't believe we're married." She was almost asleep as they drove back from the most modest wedding chapel they could find on the Strip.
Nick chuckled softly. "Believe it, Sara, we're married." He was still trying to wrap his mind around that thought also. In addition to Warrick, Catherine and Lindsey, Greg and Grissom had joined them as well.
Neither of them had worn anything special, just what they'd had in their lockers. Nick was clad in a pair of dark slacks and a charcoal gray ribbed sweater. Sara had worn a pair of low rise black slacks and a red ribbed sweater. They knew that the only ones who would be disappointed that they hadn't had a large wedding was Nick's family and they knew that they would get over it.
As Nick pulled into the driveway of his house, now their house, he noticed that Sara was asleep. He grinned and gently woke her. "We're home, Mrs. Stokes."
A sleepy grin spread across Sara's face. "I'm Mrs. Stokes."
Nick climbed out of the Denali and walked around to the passenger side of the vehicle. He scooped Sara up and carried her to the front door.
"I can walk, Nick." She chuckled.
"I have to carry you over the threshold, Sar." Nick grinned. "It's tradition."
Sara giggled. "It's the only thing about our relationship that's been traditional."
"Are you complaining?" Nick teased.
"Nope." She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder as he opened the door and carried her inside.
He closed the door with his foot and headed directly to the bedroom.
"Nick?" Sara murmured with her eyes closed.
"Yeah, Sara?" Nick gently deposited her onto the bed.
"I'm too tired." She blinked at him apologetically, barely able to keep her eyes open.
Nick chuckled and pulled her shoes off before kicking off his own. "I know. I am too." He climbed onto the bed and pulled her against him as he let out a yawn. "We'll have plenty of time later, Grissom said we didn't have to come in tonight."
Sara giggled sleepily. "That was awfully nice of him. I sure wouldn't want to miss out on the wedding night."
Nick laughed. "Well, we have all day to rest up for the wedding night. I don't want to miss it either."
Sara giggled again softly and snuggled closer to Nick.
Nick kissed Sara's forehead and they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, Mr. and Mrs. Nick Stokes.
They had almost finished processing the house when Nick approached Sara, who was packing up the bindles of evidence she had collected. He knelt next to her and waited for her to look up.
"What?" She looked at him curiously.
He furrowed his brow for a moment before he continued. "Sara, I don't want to wait." The tragedy of the crime they were investigating had underscored in his mind how short life is.
An understanding smile spread across her face. "I know, I don't either." She had reached the same conclusion.
Nick smiled. "Warrick and Catherine?"
She nodded. "Yeah, let's ask them."
"You about done here?" He asked her.
She nodded. "Yeah, let me just put this in the Denali. Meet you outside in about five minutes, ok?"
He nodded. "Yeah." A grin spread across Nick's face. "I love you, Sara."
She chuckled. "I know, I love you too."
He glanced around and then leaned in and kissed her softly before standing up and heading outside.
Warrick and Catherine stood at the rear of Catherine's Denali discussing the case and stowing the evidence they had collected.
Nick walked over to them and waited silently as they finished their conversation.
"I think it was the husband. His wounds are consistent with a self inflicted gunshot wound." Warrick recounted.
"Yes, but so are the wife's." Catherine remarked.
Nick thought aloud. "Maybe they're both responsible."
Warrick and Catherine looked up. Warrick remarked. "Maybe they are, I hadn't thought of that. I guess we won't know until after autopsy."
Nick grinned as he saw Sara approach. "Did you ask them, Nick?"
He shook his head and grinned. "I wanted to wait for you, babe." His tone was like that of a man hopelessly in love.
Warrick and Catherine exchanged a bemused grin. Catherine cleared her throat. "What were you going to ask?"
Sara grinned. "Nick and I want to get married after shift, and we wanted to see if you'd be our witnesses."
Warrick raised an eyebrow. "What's the rush, you just got engaged a few days ago." He turned his attention to Nick. "What about your family?" He glanced over at Sara. "You're not pregnant are you?"
Nick replied for both of them. "We just don't see a reason to wait, and no, Sara is not pregnant. As for my family, they can throw us a reception in Texas if they want to."
"We just want to be together, life's too short." Sara answered with a smile, leaning her body against Nick's.
Nick wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and leaned his chin on her shoulder. "So will you?"
"I would love to, but Lindsey is going to be chomping at the bit to open her presents." Catherine chuckled. "You know this being Christmas, a child's biggest fantasy."
"You could bring her." Nick's voice was a bit sing songy.
"Ok." Catherine grinned. "But you owe me."
Warrick chuckled. "I'm in."
Sara giggled as Nick began peppering kisses on her neck and mumbling. "I get to marry you."
Catherine and Warrick started to chuckle.
Grissom walked up with a curious expression on his face. "What's going on? Don't you need to get the evidence back to the lab?"
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Nick and Sara are getting married."
"I know that. They announced their engagement a few days ago." Grissom replied a little perplexed.
Warrick clarified. "No, they're getting married after shift."
"What?" Grissom looked shocked and then turned his attention toward Nick and Sara. "Is this true?"
Nick stopped nuzzling Sara's neck and nodded. "Yeah, it's true, we just don't feel like waiting, don't really see a reason to." Sara just grinned.
An uncharacteristically wide smile spread across Grissom's face.
Several hours later:
Sara murmured against Nick's neck. "I can't believe we're married." She was almost asleep as they drove back from the most modest wedding chapel they could find on the Strip.
Nick chuckled softly. "Believe it, Sara, we're married." He was still trying to wrap his mind around that thought also. In addition to Warrick, Catherine and Lindsey, Greg and Grissom had joined them as well.
Neither of them had worn anything special, just what they'd had in their lockers. Nick was clad in a pair of dark slacks and a charcoal gray ribbed sweater. Sara had worn a pair of low rise black slacks and a red ribbed sweater. They knew that the only ones who would be disappointed that they hadn't had a large wedding was Nick's family and they knew that they would get over it.
As Nick pulled into the driveway of his house, now their house, he noticed that Sara was asleep. He grinned and gently woke her. "We're home, Mrs. Stokes."
A sleepy grin spread across Sara's face. "I'm Mrs. Stokes."
Nick climbed out of the Denali and walked around to the passenger side of the vehicle. He scooped Sara up and carried her to the front door.
"I can walk, Nick." She chuckled.
"I have to carry you over the threshold, Sar." Nick grinned. "It's tradition."
Sara giggled. "It's the only thing about our relationship that's been traditional."
"Are you complaining?" Nick teased.
"Nope." She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder as he opened the door and carried her inside.
He closed the door with his foot and headed directly to the bedroom.
"Nick?" Sara murmured with her eyes closed.
"Yeah, Sara?" Nick gently deposited her onto the bed.
"I'm too tired." She blinked at him apologetically, barely able to keep her eyes open.
Nick chuckled and pulled her shoes off before kicking off his own. "I know. I am too." He climbed onto the bed and pulled her against him as he let out a yawn. "We'll have plenty of time later, Grissom said we didn't have to come in tonight."
Sara giggled sleepily. "That was awfully nice of him. I sure wouldn't want to miss out on the wedding night."
Nick laughed. "Well, we have all day to rest up for the wedding night. I don't want to miss it either."
Sara giggled again softly and snuggled closer to Nick.
Nick kissed Sara's forehead and they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, Mr. and Mrs. Nick Stokes.