WASTING TIME

Disclaimer: I don't own them, they own me, I own the plot. Capisci?

Author's Note: Keep in mind that, while there is definitely a plot to follow, this fic is more like a scrapbook where every chapter is hardly a continuation of the previous one.

By the way, I would like to thank the people who have reviewed my stories. You really made my day! *hint**hint*
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Chapter 2: Terms of Agreement (21 Things)

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The drive back to the crime lab was long and silent. He heard her sigh a couple of times, though.

It was common knowledge that when Sara Sidle was upset she refused to talk to anyone about it, denying her ever so obvious feelings.

Consequently the night shift had made it an unspoken rule not to try to get her to open up, seeing as it put both her and the designated interlocutor in a highly uncomfortable situation. Not to mention the posterior tension and awkward atmosphere that as a matter of fact affected everybody else as well.

Then again, he was all about breaking the rules nowadays, wasn't he?

She was perfectly still on the passenger's seat, a blank look in her eyes that told him how far gone in thought she really was. He could have easily believed she was in a catatonic state if he hadn't noticed her thumb rubbing a spot in her arm right above her left wrist.

"What's that?" He asked cautiously.

"This? Nothing, I just bruise easily" She informed raising her arm to show him the faint mark. He waited another couple of minutes to draw her attention again.

"You OK?" She turned her head to him with an expression that told him she had been expecting the words to come out of his lips.

Which didn't necessarily mean she was happy about it.

"How many times have I told you I'm fine? Do you *ever* listen to me?"

Now he remembered why he had agreed to that rule in the first place.

"We're --"

"Worried about me, I know." She interrupted, having heard that very same speech a thousand times on a couple of hundred different occasions. "What's the point in asking if you're not going to believe me anyway?"

"We believe you!" He defended.

"Right." She rolled her eyes while turning entirely to face him. At least now he was sure he had her full attention. "Grissom sent me back to the lab with you because he thought you might need help to drive the Tahoe."

She smirked bitterly. She hated it when people made decisions on her account, especially based on assumptions.

But she hated even more to disappoint her boss by revealing herself so weak. It made her feel ashamed of her lack of professionalism and threatened in what she considered she was best at, her job.

Silence fell upon them and laying his eyes on her one last time he was about to drop the topic when she started to talk again.

"I will be OK, eventually. I'm sorry for snapping at you, Nick"

A small smile from him reassured her to go on.

"I just hate that kind of cases. Is it just me, or this is getting harder?"

He shook his head promptly.

"It is getting harder." He agreed with a hint of pain in his voice. "I was just as affected as you in there. Why do you think Gris told me to leave? To improve my babysitting skills with you?"

His attempt at comforting her had resulted in a reluctant confession and Sara appreciated his honesty, knowing how hard it was for him to make the admission. She tried to find the words to lead the conversation to a less insightful subject, but decided to remain silent after a few seconds.

After all talking to him wasn't that hard, or so she had discovered.

And what made it easier was the fact that he never seemed to be surprised by anything she said. He often took into every detail, incorporating all the information he could.

That was partly what made him such a good CSI, and a good listener.

He smiled. It amazed him how quickly she drifted back to wonderland, but it didn't bother him. Especially not when he knew how awful she was feeling. Especially not when he was feeling the exact same way.

"Hey" He called her back "Do you want to go for a drink afterwards?"

**************

"I can't believe it" She muttered under her breath, her head between her hands.

"I thought you were the one totally comfortable with this"

A barefoot Nick was right behind her, leaning on the door frame of his bedroom, a slight smile on his lips mocking her. He looked far more comfortable than he had been at her house. A matter of hostile environment, she guessed.

"I appreciate you staying" He continued, walking past her into his living room. She diverted her attention from her shoelace to contemplate his fake amusement.

"I figured we might need to talk about *this*"

He frowned and sat on the couch, still focused on her.

"I thought there was no *this*. It was supposed to be a one-time thing if my memory serves well" He recalled. Sara smirked and moved onto the couch, next to him.

"Yeah, well a week ago it was, but it doesn't seem too much like it now."

He shrugged, afraid to voice the uncertainty she was pointing at.

"It won't happen again." He stated doubtingly "Right?"

Silence was all the answer he got. She was staring intently at her hands. He sighed tiredly, feeling that they didn't need that kind of pressure at the moment.

"We're having comfort sex, Nick. I'm not sure how 'in control' we are here." Her voice was barely a whisper, dripping with an honesty she felt both of them deserved.

"Well, you just institutionalized it"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, confused by his sudden quietness.

"It means that by saying it out loud you just made it real" He explained, making her smile in disbelief for the second time.

"We just slept together for totally selfish reasons. Believe me, Nick, it doesn't get more real than that"

He chuckled, determined to keep the situation from becoming a drama.

"Then we are already here, aren't we?" She nodded reluctantly. Some things were too embarrassing to freely acknowledge. "If we are going to do this, I suggest we better set up some rules"

Sara raised her gaze to check how serious he was being about it.

"Isn't the 'no strings attached' clause the whole point?" It wasn't like she had experience in the meaningless relationships field, at least not by conscious choice.

"Yes, but since we're friends and coworkers I have a couple of rules of my own to salvage our fraternal bond" She rubbed her temples with her fingers. She couldn't believe they were even considering it, much less agreeing on that kind of involvement.

"By all means, go ahead" She conceded. He looked much keener on the idea now, if not amused by the whole ordeal.

"First and foremost, we're not telling anybody about this."

"*Anybody*" She emphasized "That includes Warrick. And Greg." Her eyes became wide in horror at the thought. He laughed.

"Of course, this will be just between you and me." He clarified. "Which also entails rule number two."

He looked expectantly at her reaction as he said the words.

"When you're with me, you're with *me*"

Closing her eyes tiredly, she didn't know whether to slap him for making such and implication or hold his hand at the sudden display of insecurity.

"How dare you imply I could be thinking of somebody else?!" She reproached almost offended.

"For one you're supposed to be in love with Grissom, remember?" He hinted, knowingly. Sara softened.

"Fair enough." Was all she attempted to reply.

Nick leaned back happily, thinking that he had covered all the bases.

"There's one problem, though" She mischievously added, fully aware of his satisfaction. His questioning expression only increased her amusement. "How are we going to keep the secret?"

He reflected on it only for a couple of seconds.

"Well, my dear Sara, it's only a matter of being careful" He elaborated while putting his arm around her shoulders. "Be careful with what we say, be careful with what we do, and don't get caught."

"Nick we work at the number two crime lab in the country. They're going to pick up on something."

But his reassuring grin was enough for the both of them.

"Without a confession, material evidence or an eye witness it doesn't matter what they suspect, they can't prove anything." He said simply.

That might just work.

- END OF CHAPTER TWO.
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Written by Mary S.