Sara had almost finished getting ready for work when she noticed it. A
smirk spread across her face as she fingered the small bruise on her neck.
Nick Stokes was going to catch hell from her and she was going to have to
change her shirt if she didn't want the entire lab to notice the souvenir
he had left on her neck. Fortunately, the blemish wasn't too high up on
her neck and she found a button up shirt with a collar that covered most of
it. Hopefully no one would look at her too closely and see it.
As she drove to work, she considered the whole situation. Minus the hangover, was waking up next to Nick in the buff such a bad place to be? If she was honest with herself, she'd have to admit that she'd thought about Nick like that on far more than one occasion. Perhaps the reason she'd been so obsessive about trying to figure out whether or not they'd actually completed the act of sex was because it was something she wanted, just not under those particular circumstances. She certainly could remember Nick's hands in some very personal places and had thoroughly enjoyed the sensations they produced, but she had a vague recollection that they'd both fallen asleep before the main event and that Nick had said something she'd found funny. Maybe if she could remember what he'd said, the rest of the pieces would fall into place.
She was standing in front of her locker getting ready for shift when she heard someone walk in. She glanced over and noticed Nick approaching with a grin on his face.
"You look pretty smug." Sara commented, closing her locker and attaching her badge to her belt.
He raised a single eyebrow and continued to grin as he opened his locker. "I found something after you left."
Worry flashed momentarily across her face as she considered the possibilities. "What did you find?"
Nick leaned over and whispered conspiratorially toward her ear. "Sexy black underwear."
A hint of color infused Sara's cheeks. "Please don't tell me you have them with you."
Nick chuckled. "Now, Sara, I think you know me better than that." He closed his locker and attached his badge to his belt and glanced up at her. "I put them on the bulletin board in the lobby."
An expression of horror flashed across her face. "Nick." Her voice had an 'I'm going to kill you' tone in it.
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm kidding." He tried to restrain a smile. "They're still at my house. I was hoping you could come over later and model them for me."
"You think you're pretty funny don't you?" Sara looked mildly amused.
He gave up trying to restrain his smile. "I know I'm funny, not to mention charming and sexy."
She smirked at him and pulled the collar away from her neck. "Guess what I found after I got home?"
Nick noticed the mark on her neck and a self satisfied grin spread across his face. "Well, well, well, I gave you a hickey."
Sara rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like we're in high school."
Nick tried to restrain his grin and looked at her curiously. "Is that the only one?"
Sara crossed her arms in front of her body and pursed her lips in an effort to keep from smiling as she looked at him. "I didn't check."
Nick feigned a concerned expression. "Because you know, I could check that for you; make sure there aren't any others."
Sara glanced around to make sure that there was still no one else in the locker room. She tried not to blush as she whispered. "You just want to see me naked."
Nick leaned over and whispered loudly in return. "I already have." His grin returned to his face as he leaned his shoulder against his locker and looked at her.
Sara raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, you never answered my question earlier."
Nick looked at her curiously. "Which one was that?" She had asked a lot of questions earlier.
Sara looked somewhat amused at Nick's expression. "You know the one where I asked if we meant for what happened to happen?"
"And I believe I said that we didn't establish that anything had actually happened." Nick replied studying her.
Sara looked annoyed. "Nick, something did happen, just probably not that one little detail, as you put it earlier."
"Hey, don't get defensive." Nick raised a palm. "I don't think either one of us planned to be in that situation, because if we had, we both wouldn't have been freaking out earlier."
Sara looked uncomfortable, suddenly wishing she hadn't brought the subject up.
Nick reached over and put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze to get her attention. She looked up and met his gaze. "Sara, it might not have been planned, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad thing. I think it's pretty obvious that we're attracted to each other."
Sara glanced down at the ground and let out a deep sigh. She looked back up at him and furrowed her brow. "I don't want to be a fling, Nick. Our friendship is too important to me to risk it for a little fun between the sheets."
"I agree with you one hundred percent. However, I am attracted to you, and I'm not sure I'm satisfied with just being your friend any more, especially after what happened." Nick replied with a serious expression.
Warrick walked by the entrance to the locker room and called out to the pair as he paused in the doorway. "Briefing's starting in a couple of minutes in the break room, and watch out, Grissom's in a bad mood."
Nick raised a hand in acknowledgement. "Thanks for the heads up. We'll be there."
As Nick returned his attention to Sara, he noticed her serious expression. "Let's talk about this later, ok?"
Sara nodded. "Ok, but promise me you won't say a word about this to anyone."
He grinned at her and winked. "Don't worry, I only told Greg."
Sara's eyebrows shot up and she slugged him in the shoulder. "That is not funny."
Nick laughed and raised his hands in surrender. "What? He said he wouldn't tell."
"You'd better be kidding." Sara shot him a warning glare.
Nick couldn't help but laugh at her expression. "Ok, I didn't say a word, but the look on his face would be priceless if he knew."
Sara hissed at him. "Nick."
"Ok, ok. Not a word." He started for the door of the locker room and then stopped, glancing over his shoulder at her. "What about Warrick?"
Sara had an exasperated expression on her face. "How much do you value certain parts of your anatomy?"
As she drove to work, she considered the whole situation. Minus the hangover, was waking up next to Nick in the buff such a bad place to be? If she was honest with herself, she'd have to admit that she'd thought about Nick like that on far more than one occasion. Perhaps the reason she'd been so obsessive about trying to figure out whether or not they'd actually completed the act of sex was because it was something she wanted, just not under those particular circumstances. She certainly could remember Nick's hands in some very personal places and had thoroughly enjoyed the sensations they produced, but she had a vague recollection that they'd both fallen asleep before the main event and that Nick had said something she'd found funny. Maybe if she could remember what he'd said, the rest of the pieces would fall into place.
She was standing in front of her locker getting ready for shift when she heard someone walk in. She glanced over and noticed Nick approaching with a grin on his face.
"You look pretty smug." Sara commented, closing her locker and attaching her badge to her belt.
He raised a single eyebrow and continued to grin as he opened his locker. "I found something after you left."
Worry flashed momentarily across her face as she considered the possibilities. "What did you find?"
Nick leaned over and whispered conspiratorially toward her ear. "Sexy black underwear."
A hint of color infused Sara's cheeks. "Please don't tell me you have them with you."
Nick chuckled. "Now, Sara, I think you know me better than that." He closed his locker and attached his badge to his belt and glanced up at her. "I put them on the bulletin board in the lobby."
An expression of horror flashed across her face. "Nick." Her voice had an 'I'm going to kill you' tone in it.
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm kidding." He tried to restrain a smile. "They're still at my house. I was hoping you could come over later and model them for me."
"You think you're pretty funny don't you?" Sara looked mildly amused.
He gave up trying to restrain his smile. "I know I'm funny, not to mention charming and sexy."
She smirked at him and pulled the collar away from her neck. "Guess what I found after I got home?"
Nick noticed the mark on her neck and a self satisfied grin spread across his face. "Well, well, well, I gave you a hickey."
Sara rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like we're in high school."
Nick tried to restrain his grin and looked at her curiously. "Is that the only one?"
Sara crossed her arms in front of her body and pursed her lips in an effort to keep from smiling as she looked at him. "I didn't check."
Nick feigned a concerned expression. "Because you know, I could check that for you; make sure there aren't any others."
Sara glanced around to make sure that there was still no one else in the locker room. She tried not to blush as she whispered. "You just want to see me naked."
Nick leaned over and whispered loudly in return. "I already have." His grin returned to his face as he leaned his shoulder against his locker and looked at her.
Sara raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, you never answered my question earlier."
Nick looked at her curiously. "Which one was that?" She had asked a lot of questions earlier.
Sara looked somewhat amused at Nick's expression. "You know the one where I asked if we meant for what happened to happen?"
"And I believe I said that we didn't establish that anything had actually happened." Nick replied studying her.
Sara looked annoyed. "Nick, something did happen, just probably not that one little detail, as you put it earlier."
"Hey, don't get defensive." Nick raised a palm. "I don't think either one of us planned to be in that situation, because if we had, we both wouldn't have been freaking out earlier."
Sara looked uncomfortable, suddenly wishing she hadn't brought the subject up.
Nick reached over and put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze to get her attention. She looked up and met his gaze. "Sara, it might not have been planned, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad thing. I think it's pretty obvious that we're attracted to each other."
Sara glanced down at the ground and let out a deep sigh. She looked back up at him and furrowed her brow. "I don't want to be a fling, Nick. Our friendship is too important to me to risk it for a little fun between the sheets."
"I agree with you one hundred percent. However, I am attracted to you, and I'm not sure I'm satisfied with just being your friend any more, especially after what happened." Nick replied with a serious expression.
Warrick walked by the entrance to the locker room and called out to the pair as he paused in the doorway. "Briefing's starting in a couple of minutes in the break room, and watch out, Grissom's in a bad mood."
Nick raised a hand in acknowledgement. "Thanks for the heads up. We'll be there."
As Nick returned his attention to Sara, he noticed her serious expression. "Let's talk about this later, ok?"
Sara nodded. "Ok, but promise me you won't say a word about this to anyone."
He grinned at her and winked. "Don't worry, I only told Greg."
Sara's eyebrows shot up and she slugged him in the shoulder. "That is not funny."
Nick laughed and raised his hands in surrender. "What? He said he wouldn't tell."
"You'd better be kidding." Sara shot him a warning glare.
Nick couldn't help but laugh at her expression. "Ok, I didn't say a word, but the look on his face would be priceless if he knew."
Sara hissed at him. "Nick."
"Ok, ok. Not a word." He started for the door of the locker room and then stopped, glancing over his shoulder at her. "What about Warrick?"
Sara had an exasperated expression on her face. "How much do you value certain parts of your anatomy?"
