Sara entered the DNA lab to check with Greg on the status of the samples
they'd collected at the crime scene.
Greg glanced up and flashed her a cheesy grin as she entered. "Sara."
Sara smiled at him suspiciously. There was something in his tone that led her to believe he was going to interrogate her further about her headache. "Greg, how are the samples?"
"Couple of minutes and I'll have something for you." He continued to grin at her.
Sara raised an eyebrow at him in an attempt to quell his eagerness. "What?"
Greg chuckled softly. "Oh, nothing. I just think I figured out why you had a headache."
Sara rolled her eyes, hoping that this wasn't the case. "Oh, really."
Greg nodded. "You and Nick went out drinking after shift yesterday. A fact that I almost forgot."
"Your point?" Sara hoped her tone didn't betray the fact that he was right; she didn't want the entire lab knowing that she'd gotten drunk.
Greg leaned over and whispered conspiratorially. "Drinking a beer the morning after takes the edge off of a hangover."
She deadpanned. "Page me when you get the results, Greg."
As she turned to leave, Greg continued to chuckle. "Sara got a little drunk. Never would have expected that."
Sara turned around and narrowed her gaze at him. "Greg, not a word or you're a dead man."
He lifted a hand and smiled. "Your secret's safe with me." He lowered the tone of his voice. "I'm right though, aren't I? That's what Grissom smelled on your breath."
Sara just glared at him and turned on her heals heading down the hallway to process more evidence.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time Nick arrived at Sara's, she was not in a good mood. Not only had Greg figured out that she'd had a hangover, it seemed he'd managed to share the information with Archie, David, Warrick, Jaqui, and Catherine. When she opened the door to let him in, Nick raised his eyebrows at her quizzically. She narrowed her gaze at him. "You had better have my underwear."
Nick nodded. "I do. What's wrong?"
Embarrassment and hurt flashed across her face. "It seems that Greg told the entire lab that I got drunk."
Nick clarified. "Greg?"
She looked into his eyes and nodded. "He figured it out, but he said he wouldn't say anything."
Nick let out a deep breath and looked at the floor for a moment, his hands resting on his hips. "Actually, I don't think that Greg said anything."
"What do you mean?" Sara felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Nick looked up at her with a serious expression. "A couple of hours before the end of shift, Grissom hauled me into his office. He remembered that you and I were going to grab a beer after shift yesterday. He reamed me out for letting you drink too much. I'm pretty sure that's why everyone knows, he was pretty loud." Nick winced as he looked up.
Sara wrapped her arms around her body and tried to quell the angry tears that threatened to form in her eyes. "That asshole."
Concern flickered across Nick's face. He tentatively reached for her to give her a hug. "Hey, it's ok."
She shook her head and pushed him away. "No, it's not ok. I'm not ok. I don't like being talked about like that, especially by my boss."
Nick let out a deep breath and put his hand on her shoulder. "Sara, we can't do anything about it."
She nodded. "I know, but it pisses me off."
Nick caressed her shoulder with his thumb. "At least he doesn't know about what happened after we got drunk."
Sara considered that for a moment and a smirk spread across her face. "He would kill you if he found out."
Nick feigned innocence. "Me?" He put his hand on his chest. "You threw yourself at me."
She raised an eyebrow, a faint smile beginning to tug at her mouth. "After you hit on me."
Nick couldn't help but smile. "Ok, I did hit on you. Can you blame me?"
"You were drunk." Sara figured she might as well lay things out from the start.
"So were you." Nick offered. "But then, that's why we need to talk about this."
Sara looked a little nervous at the prospect of rehashing what had transpired between them not even twenty-four hours before.
"Do you want to talk or eat, because I seem to recall someone offering to make me breakfast." Nick tried to lighten the moment.
Sara let out a deep breath and smiled. "I'll cook, we'll talk. Ok."
He nodded.
They made their way into the kitchen and Sara started to make pancake batter from scratch.
"You know, they sell that stuff premixed in bags at the grocery store." Nick commented as he watched her with interest.
She shot him a withering glance. "Nick, I grew up in a bed and breakfast. I don't do pancake mix from a bag."
Nick looked amused. "I guess I won't be making you pancakes anytime soon at my house then."
She raised an eyebrow. "It's not that hard to make them from scratch."
"Unless you don't have flour in your house." Nick replied smirking.
Sara's eyebrows shot up and then she started laughing. "You don't have flour?"
"Hey, I don't cook that often. Why would I have flour?" Nick grinned.
Sara shook her head and then flicked flour in his face.
It took Nick a minute and then he started to laugh. "You're asking for it."
Sara squealed as Nick reached over, grabbed some flour and flicked it back at her. He kept peppering her with flour until she tried to block the bag of flour on the counter with her body while grabbing for his hands. Nick ended up grabbing her wrists instead and pinned her against the counter with his body.
They just looked at each other for a moment, not saying anything.
"You have flour on your face." Sara's voice was husky as she broke the silence.
"So do you." Nick whispered, his breath felt warm on her face as he slowly angled his face towards hers.
Sara glanced at Nick's lips.
Nick's face was just a fraction on an inch from hers, his eyes searching hers. "What are we going to do about this?"
"What do you want to do about this?" Sara felt her heart rate increasing and she could tell Nick's was too.
"I think you know what I want." Nick leaned a little closer.
Sara had to force the words out, his lips were too distracting. "This can't just be about sex." Her voice was barely a whisper.
Nick smiled. "It isn't."
"So, what is it then?" Sara was having a hard time remaining focused with his lips almost touching hers. She felt her eyes drifting shut, the lids seemingly too heavy to stay open.
"Most people would call it dating." Nick answered.
If Sara had to sum up what sexy sounded like she'd have to say that Nick's voice at that moment defined it. Sara barely managed a whisper. "Ok."
In the next instant, Nick's lips barely brushed hers in what felt like excruciating bliss. Sara let out a whimper and moved to press her lips against his in a more substantial kiss. As they began to deepen the kiss, they both suddenly pulled apart with grimaces on their faces and then started laughing as they took in each other's flour covered appearance.
"Flour doesn't taste very good does it?" Nick wiped at his mouth trying to get the taste out.
Sara shook her head. "Uh, uh."
Nick reached over and tried to dust some of the flour out of Sara's hair as they grinned at each other. "Maybe we should clean up and try that again."
Greg glanced up and flashed her a cheesy grin as she entered. "Sara."
Sara smiled at him suspiciously. There was something in his tone that led her to believe he was going to interrogate her further about her headache. "Greg, how are the samples?"
"Couple of minutes and I'll have something for you." He continued to grin at her.
Sara raised an eyebrow at him in an attempt to quell his eagerness. "What?"
Greg chuckled softly. "Oh, nothing. I just think I figured out why you had a headache."
Sara rolled her eyes, hoping that this wasn't the case. "Oh, really."
Greg nodded. "You and Nick went out drinking after shift yesterday. A fact that I almost forgot."
"Your point?" Sara hoped her tone didn't betray the fact that he was right; she didn't want the entire lab knowing that she'd gotten drunk.
Greg leaned over and whispered conspiratorially. "Drinking a beer the morning after takes the edge off of a hangover."
She deadpanned. "Page me when you get the results, Greg."
As she turned to leave, Greg continued to chuckle. "Sara got a little drunk. Never would have expected that."
Sara turned around and narrowed her gaze at him. "Greg, not a word or you're a dead man."
He lifted a hand and smiled. "Your secret's safe with me." He lowered the tone of his voice. "I'm right though, aren't I? That's what Grissom smelled on your breath."
Sara just glared at him and turned on her heals heading down the hallway to process more evidence.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time Nick arrived at Sara's, she was not in a good mood. Not only had Greg figured out that she'd had a hangover, it seemed he'd managed to share the information with Archie, David, Warrick, Jaqui, and Catherine. When she opened the door to let him in, Nick raised his eyebrows at her quizzically. She narrowed her gaze at him. "You had better have my underwear."
Nick nodded. "I do. What's wrong?"
Embarrassment and hurt flashed across her face. "It seems that Greg told the entire lab that I got drunk."
Nick clarified. "Greg?"
She looked into his eyes and nodded. "He figured it out, but he said he wouldn't say anything."
Nick let out a deep breath and looked at the floor for a moment, his hands resting on his hips. "Actually, I don't think that Greg said anything."
"What do you mean?" Sara felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Nick looked up at her with a serious expression. "A couple of hours before the end of shift, Grissom hauled me into his office. He remembered that you and I were going to grab a beer after shift yesterday. He reamed me out for letting you drink too much. I'm pretty sure that's why everyone knows, he was pretty loud." Nick winced as he looked up.
Sara wrapped her arms around her body and tried to quell the angry tears that threatened to form in her eyes. "That asshole."
Concern flickered across Nick's face. He tentatively reached for her to give her a hug. "Hey, it's ok."
She shook her head and pushed him away. "No, it's not ok. I'm not ok. I don't like being talked about like that, especially by my boss."
Nick let out a deep breath and put his hand on her shoulder. "Sara, we can't do anything about it."
She nodded. "I know, but it pisses me off."
Nick caressed her shoulder with his thumb. "At least he doesn't know about what happened after we got drunk."
Sara considered that for a moment and a smirk spread across her face. "He would kill you if he found out."
Nick feigned innocence. "Me?" He put his hand on his chest. "You threw yourself at me."
She raised an eyebrow, a faint smile beginning to tug at her mouth. "After you hit on me."
Nick couldn't help but smile. "Ok, I did hit on you. Can you blame me?"
"You were drunk." Sara figured she might as well lay things out from the start.
"So were you." Nick offered. "But then, that's why we need to talk about this."
Sara looked a little nervous at the prospect of rehashing what had transpired between them not even twenty-four hours before.
"Do you want to talk or eat, because I seem to recall someone offering to make me breakfast." Nick tried to lighten the moment.
Sara let out a deep breath and smiled. "I'll cook, we'll talk. Ok."
He nodded.
They made their way into the kitchen and Sara started to make pancake batter from scratch.
"You know, they sell that stuff premixed in bags at the grocery store." Nick commented as he watched her with interest.
She shot him a withering glance. "Nick, I grew up in a bed and breakfast. I don't do pancake mix from a bag."
Nick looked amused. "I guess I won't be making you pancakes anytime soon at my house then."
She raised an eyebrow. "It's not that hard to make them from scratch."
"Unless you don't have flour in your house." Nick replied smirking.
Sara's eyebrows shot up and then she started laughing. "You don't have flour?"
"Hey, I don't cook that often. Why would I have flour?" Nick grinned.
Sara shook her head and then flicked flour in his face.
It took Nick a minute and then he started to laugh. "You're asking for it."
Sara squealed as Nick reached over, grabbed some flour and flicked it back at her. He kept peppering her with flour until she tried to block the bag of flour on the counter with her body while grabbing for his hands. Nick ended up grabbing her wrists instead and pinned her against the counter with his body.
They just looked at each other for a moment, not saying anything.
"You have flour on your face." Sara's voice was husky as she broke the silence.
"So do you." Nick whispered, his breath felt warm on her face as he slowly angled his face towards hers.
Sara glanced at Nick's lips.
Nick's face was just a fraction on an inch from hers, his eyes searching hers. "What are we going to do about this?"
"What do you want to do about this?" Sara felt her heart rate increasing and she could tell Nick's was too.
"I think you know what I want." Nick leaned a little closer.
Sara had to force the words out, his lips were too distracting. "This can't just be about sex." Her voice was barely a whisper.
Nick smiled. "It isn't."
"So, what is it then?" Sara was having a hard time remaining focused with his lips almost touching hers. She felt her eyes drifting shut, the lids seemingly too heavy to stay open.
"Most people would call it dating." Nick answered.
If Sara had to sum up what sexy sounded like she'd have to say that Nick's voice at that moment defined it. Sara barely managed a whisper. "Ok."
In the next instant, Nick's lips barely brushed hers in what felt like excruciating bliss. Sara let out a whimper and moved to press her lips against his in a more substantial kiss. As they began to deepen the kiss, they both suddenly pulled apart with grimaces on their faces and then started laughing as they took in each other's flour covered appearance.
"Flour doesn't taste very good does it?" Nick wiped at his mouth trying to get the taste out.
Sara shook her head. "Uh, uh."
Nick reached over and tried to dust some of the flour out of Sara's hair as they grinned at each other. "Maybe we should clean up and try that again."
