Three weeks had gone by since the earthquake and they had not been able to
track down their prime suspect, nor did they have enough evidence to get a
warrant to search his last known residence, so for now, things were at a
standstill until they either found Raymond Martin, or found the murder
weapon. If they had been able to get any evidence out of the rubble, it
might have supplied some clues of where to go next, but the case was
quickly becoming one that fit the category of the unsolved.
Grissom had split up Nick and Sara on cases and that hadn't set well
either. When they were apart, they were increasingly on edge. Not that
their skills as CSIs were being called into question, they had just started
snapping at everyone else.
Sara had pretty much moved in with Nick. They had gone over to her apartment several times and each time, they brought more of her things over to his house until there wasn't much left outside of her furniture there. With regards to their relationship itself, it had very much become more about sex and comfort than about the deep friendship they had shared. Not that they didn't love each other, they just found that it was easier to talk about what had happened and the fears they both still had in the afterglow of sex.
Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick had become even more worried about the pair. None of them knew that Sara had moved in with Nick, but they definitely suspected that things between them had intensified. So when three weeks after the earthquake the team met for the briefing before shift began, they got some shocking news.
"Excuse me? Can you repeat that, I'm not sure I heard you right?" Grissom looked at Nick and Sara with a dumbfounded expression.
Warrick and Catherine also looked at the pair in disbelief.
Nick held Sara's hand and squeezed it. "We got married this morning."
"Isn't that a little fast?" Catherine was still trying to process what she'd heard.
Sara narrowed her gaze at the trio. "I'm sorry that you all don't seem to approve of mine and Nick's relationship."
Nick squeezed her hand and shot her an expression that softened hers a bit. "I think what Sara is trying to say is that we love each other and life is just too damn short. We didn't really see a reason to wait."
"It's not that we don't approve, you just took us a little by surprise." Grissom tried to ease the tension in the room.
Warrick remained silent and just studied them both. He knew that things weren't as ok as Nick and Sara would like for them all to think they were. Over the last three weeks, neither Nick nor Sara had hardly spoken to him, and it hurt. Without a word, he got up and left the break room.
Grissom glanced at Catherine and she nodded, standing up and going after Warrick. Grissom turned his attention to Nick and Sara. "You know, if you want to take time off for a honeymoon, you both have more than enough vacation time stored up."
Sara shook her head. "No, we don't need to take time off."
Nick cleared his throat. "We're going to wait until next month, Gris. My family wants to meet Sara so we're going to fly to Texas."
Grissom nodded. His face still reflected surprise and it was obvious he was still trying to absorb the news. "Nick, you're working a 419 with Catherine. Sara, you and Warrick need to meet Brass at the Tropicana. I've got a meeting with the Sheriff."
Nick and Sara looked at each other as Grissom left he break room. Nick grinned at her. "Well that went better than I thought it would."
"I love you, Nick." She smiled at him and leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"I love you too, Sara." He squeezed her hand and pulled her up with him as he stood. "See you after shift, babe." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Warrick studied Sara as they drove to meet Brass. He hadn't said a word since he'd climbed into the passenger seat of the Denali.
Sara glanced over at him and caught him looking. "Warrick, why are you so quiet?"
Warrick let out a sigh. "I just don't think you want to hear what I have to say, that's all."
Sara knit her brows together. "You don't approve. You don't think that Nick and I should have gotten married."
Warrick shook his head. "It's not that, Sara. I think you and Nick are perfect for each other. I just think the timing, well, never mind."
Sara's tone was sharp. "You agree with Catherine then, don't you?"
Warrick was frustrated. "Sara, I just think that the two of you need to deal with what happened during that earthquake before you make major life decisions like getting married, that's all."
"We've dealt with it and moved on, why can't everyone else?" Sara was getting angry.
"Because none of us thinks that you've dealt with it because you both practically bite everyone's heads off any time they ask either of you a question." Warrick let out a deep breath and looked out the window.
"Give me an example." Sara's voice was louder than normal and her tone was abrupt.
"Just then, Sara. Just then." Warrick shook his head and continued to look out the window.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Catherine tried to keep her tone light as she drove the Denali toward the scene that she and Nick would be processing. "So you're married, huh?"
Nick nodded, knowing that Catherine was trying to handle him with kid gloves. "That's what I said."
Catherine gave up the pretense of being light and went directly to the motherly tone she'd used on Nick on more than one occasion. "Nick, we all like you and Sara. In fact, we're glad that the two of you are together. We're just concerned that maybe you rushed this decision."
"It was our decision to make." Nick's tone was sharp. Catherine could read him very well and at the moment, he didn't want to be read, he just wanted to be left alone.
"I'm not going to disagree with that, Nicky. We care about you both though and you just don't seem like you're really ok."
"I'm fine, Cath. Why does everyone keep asking?" Nick's voice had waver in it.
"Nick, it's ok if you're not fine, but if you keep pretending that you are when you're not, everything else is going to suffer; your performance at work and even your relationship with Sara. I care enough about you to tell you the truth. I think you both need to talk to someone, to make sure you're both ok, to make sure your relationship survives." Catherine reached over and touched Nick's arm softly.
"You don't think that Sara and I are going to last?" Nick's tone was almost bitter as he fought tears that threatened to spill.
"I didn't say that, Nicky. But I think I know both of you fairly well, and if I was going to venture a guess, I'd bet you both were spending a lot more time in between the sheets than talking about what's hurting you both." Catherine replied softly. "Not that I even want to compare you two to Eddie and I, but it's a lot easier to lose yourself in sex than deal with the real issues."
Nick let out a deep sigh and wiped at his eyes trying to stifle his tears. "I'll keep that in mind." His voice was barely a whisper. He felt his strength to shoulder this burden of his and Sara's alone beginning to ebb.
Sara had pretty much moved in with Nick. They had gone over to her apartment several times and each time, they brought more of her things over to his house until there wasn't much left outside of her furniture there. With regards to their relationship itself, it had very much become more about sex and comfort than about the deep friendship they had shared. Not that they didn't love each other, they just found that it was easier to talk about what had happened and the fears they both still had in the afterglow of sex.
Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick had become even more worried about the pair. None of them knew that Sara had moved in with Nick, but they definitely suspected that things between them had intensified. So when three weeks after the earthquake the team met for the briefing before shift began, they got some shocking news.
"Excuse me? Can you repeat that, I'm not sure I heard you right?" Grissom looked at Nick and Sara with a dumbfounded expression.
Warrick and Catherine also looked at the pair in disbelief.
Nick held Sara's hand and squeezed it. "We got married this morning."
"Isn't that a little fast?" Catherine was still trying to process what she'd heard.
Sara narrowed her gaze at the trio. "I'm sorry that you all don't seem to approve of mine and Nick's relationship."
Nick squeezed her hand and shot her an expression that softened hers a bit. "I think what Sara is trying to say is that we love each other and life is just too damn short. We didn't really see a reason to wait."
"It's not that we don't approve, you just took us a little by surprise." Grissom tried to ease the tension in the room.
Warrick remained silent and just studied them both. He knew that things weren't as ok as Nick and Sara would like for them all to think they were. Over the last three weeks, neither Nick nor Sara had hardly spoken to him, and it hurt. Without a word, he got up and left the break room.
Grissom glanced at Catherine and she nodded, standing up and going after Warrick. Grissom turned his attention to Nick and Sara. "You know, if you want to take time off for a honeymoon, you both have more than enough vacation time stored up."
Sara shook her head. "No, we don't need to take time off."
Nick cleared his throat. "We're going to wait until next month, Gris. My family wants to meet Sara so we're going to fly to Texas."
Grissom nodded. His face still reflected surprise and it was obvious he was still trying to absorb the news. "Nick, you're working a 419 with Catherine. Sara, you and Warrick need to meet Brass at the Tropicana. I've got a meeting with the Sheriff."
Nick and Sara looked at each other as Grissom left he break room. Nick grinned at her. "Well that went better than I thought it would."
"I love you, Nick." She smiled at him and leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"I love you too, Sara." He squeezed her hand and pulled her up with him as he stood. "See you after shift, babe." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Warrick studied Sara as they drove to meet Brass. He hadn't said a word since he'd climbed into the passenger seat of the Denali.
Sara glanced over at him and caught him looking. "Warrick, why are you so quiet?"
Warrick let out a sigh. "I just don't think you want to hear what I have to say, that's all."
Sara knit her brows together. "You don't approve. You don't think that Nick and I should have gotten married."
Warrick shook his head. "It's not that, Sara. I think you and Nick are perfect for each other. I just think the timing, well, never mind."
Sara's tone was sharp. "You agree with Catherine then, don't you?"
Warrick was frustrated. "Sara, I just think that the two of you need to deal with what happened during that earthquake before you make major life decisions like getting married, that's all."
"We've dealt with it and moved on, why can't everyone else?" Sara was getting angry.
"Because none of us thinks that you've dealt with it because you both practically bite everyone's heads off any time they ask either of you a question." Warrick let out a deep breath and looked out the window.
"Give me an example." Sara's voice was louder than normal and her tone was abrupt.
"Just then, Sara. Just then." Warrick shook his head and continued to look out the window.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Catherine tried to keep her tone light as she drove the Denali toward the scene that she and Nick would be processing. "So you're married, huh?"
Nick nodded, knowing that Catherine was trying to handle him with kid gloves. "That's what I said."
Catherine gave up the pretense of being light and went directly to the motherly tone she'd used on Nick on more than one occasion. "Nick, we all like you and Sara. In fact, we're glad that the two of you are together. We're just concerned that maybe you rushed this decision."
"It was our decision to make." Nick's tone was sharp. Catherine could read him very well and at the moment, he didn't want to be read, he just wanted to be left alone.
"I'm not going to disagree with that, Nicky. We care about you both though and you just don't seem like you're really ok."
"I'm fine, Cath. Why does everyone keep asking?" Nick's voice had waver in it.
"Nick, it's ok if you're not fine, but if you keep pretending that you are when you're not, everything else is going to suffer; your performance at work and even your relationship with Sara. I care enough about you to tell you the truth. I think you both need to talk to someone, to make sure you're both ok, to make sure your relationship survives." Catherine reached over and touched Nick's arm softly.
"You don't think that Sara and I are going to last?" Nick's tone was almost bitter as he fought tears that threatened to spill.
"I didn't say that, Nicky. But I think I know both of you fairly well, and if I was going to venture a guess, I'd bet you both were spending a lot more time in between the sheets than talking about what's hurting you both." Catherine replied softly. "Not that I even want to compare you two to Eddie and I, but it's a lot easier to lose yourself in sex than deal with the real issues."
Nick let out a deep sigh and wiped at his eyes trying to stifle his tears. "I'll keep that in mind." His voice was barely a whisper. He felt his strength to shoulder this burden of his and Sara's alone beginning to ebb.