"She knows I can do this case." Sara groused to Nick.
Without meeting her gaze, he replied evenly. "So can I." He continued to study the file in front of him.
Sara wrinkled her brow and considered his words. She had been so caught up in her own hurt in the situation that she hadn't considered Nick's feelings. They both had worked the original missing persons case, and they both were up for a promotion. Having the case taken away from them like this by Grissom and given to Catherine was tantamount to a slap in the face professionally. "You know, I would take you and I over Catherine and Greg any day."
Nick glanced up at her, and it was evident that there was tension in his jaw. "She has Greg working the case?"
She nodded.
For a moment, Sara thought Nick was going to lose it. Instead he let out a deep breath and began to mutter that Greg needed field experience and if he helped them find the girl, then it was ok. Sara could tell he was just as pissed off as she was, and for some reason, that made him all that much more irresistible.
They both buckled down and worked the case, helping Catherine and Greg where they needed them. Both of them knew that the bottom line was getting the perp behind bars. Catherine would be the one that would get to bask in the glory and they would have to be content with the knowledge that their work found the body, and helped to crack the case. Not that either of them would be on departmental radar as far as the promotion they were both vying for was concerned. With Grissom's dismissal of them on this case in favor of Catherine's years of experience, they could probably both kiss the promotion goodbye.
Sara was in the locker room muttering to herself, still pissed off at Catherine and Grissom when Nick walked in.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. Sara wore her heart on her sleeve when she was angry. He had tried to keep it contained and stay professional during the course of this case. He stepped up to his locker and opened it, glancing over at her. "Hey."
She glanced over at him and a glimmer of a smile crossed her face. "Hey." She shut her locker and let out a deep breath.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Wanna come over for a beer? I'll let you bitch all you want to."
Sara chuckled in spite of herself. "Yeah. I could use a beer or two."
Nick shut his locker and the pair made their way out to the parking lot. "See you in a few." Nick climbed into his Denali and headed home. Sara wasn't too far behind.
As they made their way into his house, Nick headed straight to the kitchen and pulled two beers out of his fridge and removed the caps, handing one to Sara.
Sara took a long swig from the bottle and followed Nick into his living room where he sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. A Discovery Channel special on the vegetation of Southeast Asia was on. Sara glanced over at him and smiled. "With as many channels as you have, do you ever watch anything besides the Discovery Channel?"
Nick grinned. "Yes, Ms. Sidle, I do. However, I was watching a documentary on the night of the pifflings and didn't bother to switch it to a more manly station before I left for work." Nick turned the TV off. A decidedly embarrassed expression was on his face.
Sara giggled in spite of herself, taking another long swig from her beer. "You know, you'd think you and I had the plague the way the rest of the team has been treating us lately."
Nick raised an eyebrow, taking a sip from his beer before commenting. "So, I take it that was your segue into the bitchfest."
Sara smirked. "You did say I could bitch as much as I wanted."
He nodded, a smile forming on his lips. "Yes, I did. I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss a word. Bitch away." He took another sip from his beer and settled in to listen to Sara.
"You know, we're damn fine CSIs. I don't know what the hell their problem is. I actually overheard Catherine telling Grissom that he should be harder on me. Who the hell does she think she is? I ask the man out to dinner, he turns me down and suddenly, it's as if I did a striptease in his office and propositioned him or something."
Nick chuckled at the mental image.
Sara raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Nick tried to restrain a grin. "Just the image of you doing a striptease."
"You find that funny?" Sara sounded a little indignant.
Nick shook his head. "Definitely not funny. Sounds sexy as hell."
Sara felt her stomach flip and stared at him for a moment before continuing. "Well, in any case, the man has hardly said two civil words to me since then and Catherine seems to have taken up some banner against me. Warrick isn't much better, and now they've got Greg working out in the field. He isn't even a CSI. I've worked my ass off and we get shelved in favor of Catherine and a trainee on a high profile case that is ours."
Nick nodded. "It sucks."
Sara took another sip from her beer. "I mean, you and I are both up for a promotion. If we'd gotten to finish working the case, we might have a chance at getting it. As of now, I'd say our chances were flushed down the toilet."
"Yeah, and Grissom pulled the handle." Nick mussed.
Sara chuckled. "You're just as pissed as I am."
"You got that right." Nick answered her draining the last of the beer from the bottle. He stood up and glanced down at Sara. "Want another one?"
She tipped the bottle up and drank the last traces. "Yeah."
Nick returned a few moments later with another bottle of beer for each of them. He handed one to her and sat back down.
Sara glanced at him. "So, if you're so pissed off, why don't you act like it?"
Nick chuckled as he looked at her, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "Sara, it's like this. I don't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing how much they've pissed me off. Because the second they know that, they've won."
Sara leaned her head back against his shoulder. "So, you're saying that every time they see how much they've pissed me off, that just makes them want to piss me off all the more."
"Maybe not consciously." He commented.
Sara furrowed her brow. "That really pisses me off."
Nick chuckled. "Sara, a lot of things piss you off. That's part of what makes you, you."
She took a sip from her beer and shot him an accusing look. "So you think I'm a bitch then?"
Nick tightened his grip on her shoulder and shook his head. "No, Sara, you're not a bitch. You just happen to wear your heart on your sleeve when you feel injustice. And quite frankly, this situation reeks of injustice. For you and for me. Grissom knew we could handle that case, and he knows we both want that promotion."
"He's an asshole." Sara muttered.
"Now that's something I'm not sure I would have expected out of Sara Sidle six months ago." Nick was mildly amused.
She chuckled softly. "Well, it's true. He is an asshole." She took another sip from her beer.
Nick studied her for a moment. "Hey, I know I said you could bitch as much as you wanted to, but don't you think it would be more fun to do something else?"
She glanced up at him with a curious expression, her tone was decidedly sarcastic. "What could be more fun than this? I'm sitting here with hard body Nick Stokes drinking beer. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll get you drunk enough that you'll give me a striptease." Though her tone was sarcastic, Sara was only half joking.
Nick let out a low chuckle and looked directly at her, calling her bluff. "You first, Sidle."
They were venturing into new and very dangerous territory. They'd flirted shamelessly with each other since the day they'd met, they'd even made suggestive comments to each other, but there was something in each of their voices that made the other realize that there was a bit of seriousness in their comments.
Sara turned to face Nick, studying his demeanor. "Let me get this straight. You want me to do a striptease for you."
Nick's eyes seemed to smolder as he looked at her. "Can you blame me? You're sexy as hell, Sara. I've always wondered what you look like naked." He took another swig of his beer.
Sara swallowed hard and she felt her stomach do something akin to a triple flip with a half twist. She considered her words carefully as she looked at him. "Would you do one for me?"
Nick realized that she was serious and his eyes widened as he choked on his beer. "You're serious."
She raised an eyebrow at him defensively. "You just told me that you wanted to see me naked."
Nick set his beer down, still trying to fathom that she wanted him to take his clothes off in front of her and suddenly he could feel that a certain part of his anatomy was beginning to like the idea. "You're the one who brought up the striptease to begin with."
Sara took another quick sip from her beer and turned away from him. "Uh, forget I said anything." She could feel her pulse quicken and at the moment the room seemed extraordinarily warm.
Nick shook his head and reached for her arm. "Uh, uh. You can't just expect me to forget that you just asked me to strip for you." A smile played at his lips.
Sara took a long swig from her beer and turned to look him straight in the eye. "Ok, so I wouldn't mind seeing you naked." Her tone was defensive.
"Ok." He just grinned at her.
She studied him for a moment and plunged ahead. "But if I get naked for you and you get naked for me, then what?"
Nick had amusement written all over his face. "Anything you want, Sara. Anything you want."
Sara's eyebrows shot up as she realized what he was suggesting. "This is dangerous territory."
Nick chuckled. "Agreed. But can you honestly say you've never once thought about what it would be like for us to have sex?"
"It would change everything." Sara couldn't keep her eyes off of him, and the fact that they were still having this conversation bewildered her.
Nick took another sip from his beer. "Would that be a bad thing?"
Momentary panic flashed across Sara's face. "I don't know. Besides, do you really think this is the best thing to be talking about while we're drinking?"
Nick chuckled. "Sara, we've both had a beer and a half. We're not drunk, if that's what you're implying."
Sara was quiet for a moment and took another sip from her beer.
Nick let out a deep breath. "You want me to go out on a limb, fine, I'll go out on a limb. You know I care about you as a friend, but I also think you're sexy as hell, and I'd be lying if I said that I haven't wondered what things would be like if we decided to be more than just friends."
Sara's face reflected a bit of shock. She had no idea that Nick felt the same way she did.
Nick mistook her expression for rejection and was immediately apologetic. "Sorry, I said anything."
Sara shook her head. "Don't apologize. I just didn't expect you to feel the same way I do."
Nick's jaw dropped slightly. After a few moments a smile took over his face and he let out a deep chuckle. "Hell, woman, if I had known that, I would have said something a long time ago. Do you have any idea how turned on I get just being in the same room with you?"
Sara glanced at his crotch, which still seemed to be struggling against the confines of his slacks, and tried to stifle a grin. "I've got a pretty good idea."
Nick's eyes followed her gaze downward and as he looked back up he didn't look the least bit embarrassed, he just grinned at the effect she was having on him. "Still want me to give you a striptease?"
Without meeting her gaze, he replied evenly. "So can I." He continued to study the file in front of him.
Sara wrinkled her brow and considered his words. She had been so caught up in her own hurt in the situation that she hadn't considered Nick's feelings. They both had worked the original missing persons case, and they both were up for a promotion. Having the case taken away from them like this by Grissom and given to Catherine was tantamount to a slap in the face professionally. "You know, I would take you and I over Catherine and Greg any day."
Nick glanced up at her, and it was evident that there was tension in his jaw. "She has Greg working the case?"
She nodded.
For a moment, Sara thought Nick was going to lose it. Instead he let out a deep breath and began to mutter that Greg needed field experience and if he helped them find the girl, then it was ok. Sara could tell he was just as pissed off as she was, and for some reason, that made him all that much more irresistible.
They both buckled down and worked the case, helping Catherine and Greg where they needed them. Both of them knew that the bottom line was getting the perp behind bars. Catherine would be the one that would get to bask in the glory and they would have to be content with the knowledge that their work found the body, and helped to crack the case. Not that either of them would be on departmental radar as far as the promotion they were both vying for was concerned. With Grissom's dismissal of them on this case in favor of Catherine's years of experience, they could probably both kiss the promotion goodbye.
Sara was in the locker room muttering to herself, still pissed off at Catherine and Grissom when Nick walked in.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. Sara wore her heart on her sleeve when she was angry. He had tried to keep it contained and stay professional during the course of this case. He stepped up to his locker and opened it, glancing over at her. "Hey."
She glanced over at him and a glimmer of a smile crossed her face. "Hey." She shut her locker and let out a deep breath.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Wanna come over for a beer? I'll let you bitch all you want to."
Sara chuckled in spite of herself. "Yeah. I could use a beer or two."
Nick shut his locker and the pair made their way out to the parking lot. "See you in a few." Nick climbed into his Denali and headed home. Sara wasn't too far behind.
As they made their way into his house, Nick headed straight to the kitchen and pulled two beers out of his fridge and removed the caps, handing one to Sara.
Sara took a long swig from the bottle and followed Nick into his living room where he sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. A Discovery Channel special on the vegetation of Southeast Asia was on. Sara glanced over at him and smiled. "With as many channels as you have, do you ever watch anything besides the Discovery Channel?"
Nick grinned. "Yes, Ms. Sidle, I do. However, I was watching a documentary on the night of the pifflings and didn't bother to switch it to a more manly station before I left for work." Nick turned the TV off. A decidedly embarrassed expression was on his face.
Sara giggled in spite of herself, taking another long swig from her beer. "You know, you'd think you and I had the plague the way the rest of the team has been treating us lately."
Nick raised an eyebrow, taking a sip from his beer before commenting. "So, I take it that was your segue into the bitchfest."
Sara smirked. "You did say I could bitch as much as I wanted."
He nodded, a smile forming on his lips. "Yes, I did. I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss a word. Bitch away." He took another sip from his beer and settled in to listen to Sara.
"You know, we're damn fine CSIs. I don't know what the hell their problem is. I actually overheard Catherine telling Grissom that he should be harder on me. Who the hell does she think she is? I ask the man out to dinner, he turns me down and suddenly, it's as if I did a striptease in his office and propositioned him or something."
Nick chuckled at the mental image.
Sara raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Nick tried to restrain a grin. "Just the image of you doing a striptease."
"You find that funny?" Sara sounded a little indignant.
Nick shook his head. "Definitely not funny. Sounds sexy as hell."
Sara felt her stomach flip and stared at him for a moment before continuing. "Well, in any case, the man has hardly said two civil words to me since then and Catherine seems to have taken up some banner against me. Warrick isn't much better, and now they've got Greg working out in the field. He isn't even a CSI. I've worked my ass off and we get shelved in favor of Catherine and a trainee on a high profile case that is ours."
Nick nodded. "It sucks."
Sara took another sip from her beer. "I mean, you and I are both up for a promotion. If we'd gotten to finish working the case, we might have a chance at getting it. As of now, I'd say our chances were flushed down the toilet."
"Yeah, and Grissom pulled the handle." Nick mussed.
Sara chuckled. "You're just as pissed as I am."
"You got that right." Nick answered her draining the last of the beer from the bottle. He stood up and glanced down at Sara. "Want another one?"
She tipped the bottle up and drank the last traces. "Yeah."
Nick returned a few moments later with another bottle of beer for each of them. He handed one to her and sat back down.
Sara glanced at him. "So, if you're so pissed off, why don't you act like it?"
Nick chuckled as he looked at her, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "Sara, it's like this. I don't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing how much they've pissed me off. Because the second they know that, they've won."
Sara leaned her head back against his shoulder. "So, you're saying that every time they see how much they've pissed me off, that just makes them want to piss me off all the more."
"Maybe not consciously." He commented.
Sara furrowed her brow. "That really pisses me off."
Nick chuckled. "Sara, a lot of things piss you off. That's part of what makes you, you."
She took a sip from her beer and shot him an accusing look. "So you think I'm a bitch then?"
Nick tightened his grip on her shoulder and shook his head. "No, Sara, you're not a bitch. You just happen to wear your heart on your sleeve when you feel injustice. And quite frankly, this situation reeks of injustice. For you and for me. Grissom knew we could handle that case, and he knows we both want that promotion."
"He's an asshole." Sara muttered.
"Now that's something I'm not sure I would have expected out of Sara Sidle six months ago." Nick was mildly amused.
She chuckled softly. "Well, it's true. He is an asshole." She took another sip from her beer.
Nick studied her for a moment. "Hey, I know I said you could bitch as much as you wanted to, but don't you think it would be more fun to do something else?"
She glanced up at him with a curious expression, her tone was decidedly sarcastic. "What could be more fun than this? I'm sitting here with hard body Nick Stokes drinking beer. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll get you drunk enough that you'll give me a striptease." Though her tone was sarcastic, Sara was only half joking.
Nick let out a low chuckle and looked directly at her, calling her bluff. "You first, Sidle."
They were venturing into new and very dangerous territory. They'd flirted shamelessly with each other since the day they'd met, they'd even made suggestive comments to each other, but there was something in each of their voices that made the other realize that there was a bit of seriousness in their comments.
Sara turned to face Nick, studying his demeanor. "Let me get this straight. You want me to do a striptease for you."
Nick's eyes seemed to smolder as he looked at her. "Can you blame me? You're sexy as hell, Sara. I've always wondered what you look like naked." He took another swig of his beer.
Sara swallowed hard and she felt her stomach do something akin to a triple flip with a half twist. She considered her words carefully as she looked at him. "Would you do one for me?"
Nick realized that she was serious and his eyes widened as he choked on his beer. "You're serious."
She raised an eyebrow at him defensively. "You just told me that you wanted to see me naked."
Nick set his beer down, still trying to fathom that she wanted him to take his clothes off in front of her and suddenly he could feel that a certain part of his anatomy was beginning to like the idea. "You're the one who brought up the striptease to begin with."
Sara took another quick sip from her beer and turned away from him. "Uh, forget I said anything." She could feel her pulse quicken and at the moment the room seemed extraordinarily warm.
Nick shook his head and reached for her arm. "Uh, uh. You can't just expect me to forget that you just asked me to strip for you." A smile played at his lips.
Sara took a long swig from her beer and turned to look him straight in the eye. "Ok, so I wouldn't mind seeing you naked." Her tone was defensive.
"Ok." He just grinned at her.
She studied him for a moment and plunged ahead. "But if I get naked for you and you get naked for me, then what?"
Nick had amusement written all over his face. "Anything you want, Sara. Anything you want."
Sara's eyebrows shot up as she realized what he was suggesting. "This is dangerous territory."
Nick chuckled. "Agreed. But can you honestly say you've never once thought about what it would be like for us to have sex?"
"It would change everything." Sara couldn't keep her eyes off of him, and the fact that they were still having this conversation bewildered her.
Nick took another sip from his beer. "Would that be a bad thing?"
Momentary panic flashed across Sara's face. "I don't know. Besides, do you really think this is the best thing to be talking about while we're drinking?"
Nick chuckled. "Sara, we've both had a beer and a half. We're not drunk, if that's what you're implying."
Sara was quiet for a moment and took another sip from her beer.
Nick let out a deep breath. "You want me to go out on a limb, fine, I'll go out on a limb. You know I care about you as a friend, but I also think you're sexy as hell, and I'd be lying if I said that I haven't wondered what things would be like if we decided to be more than just friends."
Sara's face reflected a bit of shock. She had no idea that Nick felt the same way she did.
Nick mistook her expression for rejection and was immediately apologetic. "Sorry, I said anything."
Sara shook her head. "Don't apologize. I just didn't expect you to feel the same way I do."
Nick's jaw dropped slightly. After a few moments a smile took over his face and he let out a deep chuckle. "Hell, woman, if I had known that, I would have said something a long time ago. Do you have any idea how turned on I get just being in the same room with you?"
Sara glanced at his crotch, which still seemed to be struggling against the confines of his slacks, and tried to stifle a grin. "I've got a pretty good idea."
Nick's eyes followed her gaze downward and as he looked back up he didn't look the least bit embarrassed, he just grinned at the effect she was having on him. "Still want me to give you a striptease?"