Summary: Four months after Nick and Sara found each other, a life-altering, career-changing opportunity presents itself at the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Will this chance bring the Graveyard shift closer together, or tear them apart?
Author's Note: Do you guys like it? This is quite a neat lil fic – not too fluffy, but not too non-fluffy… get what I'm saying? LOL anyway, read on and review after and let me know what I'm doing wrong LOL if I'm doing anything wrong!
Disclaimer: No, I do not own CSI stuff. I do own Anisha, Maile, Dylan, All of Nick's family, Haylie and her family, and all the other characters you don't realize, k?
Rating: PG-13
Request: Read and review!
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"Hello?" Sara said as she answered the phone. She'd finished warming up and had just started on her treadmill when her phone rang.
"Hey Sara!"
"Hey Christine! Wow it's been a while since I talked to you, how are you?"
"I'm great - really busy trying to plan the wedding, but it will be worth it."
"Did your mom give you my measurements?"
"Oh yeah, that's all taken care of, don't worry."
"All right. What are you up to?"
"Not a lot, taking a much-needed break, how about you?"
"Working out a little before taking a shower and getting some sleep."
"I'm surprised you get any sleep when dating my brother," Christine said with a laugh.
Sara giggled, "Why?"
"He isn't calling you all the time, or stopping by a lot or anything?"
"Oh no, he calls, and he stops by, but we're not attached at the hip."
"Is he there?"
"No, I'm thinking he's at his place sleeping."
"Think I should call and wake him up?" Christine asked mischeviously.
Sara laughed, "No, that would be mean! He works nights, remember."
"Well, so do you but you're not asleep."
"I'm not tired yet," Sara replied.
"Good point. So, are you guys moving in together yet?"
"No. We talked about it on the way back from Dallas, and we both agreed that when we've been together for while, we'd talk about it again."
"How long is 'a while'?"
Sara shrugged, "I don't know. It's been four and a half months already."
"Yeah," Christine agreed over the phone, "Last time I talked to Nicky, he said something about a promotion."
"Yeah," Sara confirmed, "Both of us are going for it."
"Uh oh," Christine said.
"That is like the twelfth 'Uh-oh' I've gotten in a week. What is the big deal?" Sara asked.
"Well, you're both really competitive and stubborn, but you're both great at what you do too. I'll be surprised if you don't kill each other over it."
"We won't kill each other over it," Sara replied, "It's not that big of a deal. I'm not even really sure I want to leave the team we have."
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to go either," Christine agreed.
The women talked for a while longer before Christine let Sara go finish her workout and get some sleep.
"Kayla said she'll be calling sometime soon," Christine informed her brother's girlfriend before hanging up.
Sara shook her head as she went off to finish up and hit the sack.
~x
Nick felt her warm, thin body underneath his arm when he awoke at eight o'clock that evening. He'd come earlier that afternoon and found her asleep, so he'd decided not to disturb her and instead joined her. Nick closed his eyes with a small smile. She was amazing - she made every inch of his being feel more alive than anything. For him, it was the greatest feeling in the world. He silently wondered if he should thank Vanessa for leaving him. If she hadn't, he would be married to her (or divorced) at that moment. Instead, he was laying in bed with her.
Nick quietly sighed as he felt her shift as she woke up.
"'Evening, beautiful," he greeted her with a grin.
Sara scoffed, "Yeah, you're desperate if you think your girlfriend is beautiful when she just wakes up."
"You are," Nick replied.
Sara rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Romeo."
Nick laughed as he looked into her eyes. They lay on their sides, staring at each other.
"Sara," Nick said, "I love you."
Sara couldn't decide
whether to smile or scream. She didn't want this to come out now! She wasn't
ready! What if she told him and he left?
It'd be de ja vu, that's
what, she thought. She frantically tried to think of a way to avoid saying
it while he waited for a response.
"We have to get ready for work," she said, getting ready to get out of bed.
Nick gently grabbed her arm and looked her in the eyes, "Sara, why do you refuse to tell me anything?"
"Nick, what are you talking about?"
"You tell me a lot of things, but you never tell me how you feel."
Sara looked at the clock, "Listen, Nick," she said, "We really have to get ready."
"Sara," Nick pleaded as she walked toward the bathroom.
She stopped and looked back at him. He looked helpless, and it was strange to see him that way. She wanted so much to tell him, but just couldn't bring herself to do it. So she walked to the bathroom, leaving her baffled boyfriend on the bed, wondering many things.
~x
Warrick dialed 299-2394 as he drove to work that night. He knew Anisha would already be at work, so he prayed she had given him her cell phone number.
"Hello?" Her voice said,
"Hey, Anisha, it's Warrick."
"Oh, hi Warrick! Man, I've been waiting for your call."
"I'm sorry, I've been really busy at the lab."
"Yeah, I've seen the stories on the news. So, what's up?"
"Well, I wanted to know if you were free Saturday night?"
"That depends on what I should be free for?"
"Dinner with me at seven?"
Anisha laughed, "Oh, well for that, of course I'm free."
"All right. Do you want me to pick you up, or should I meet you there?"
"Oh, umm... it's all right if you pick me up. Are you coming in to breakfast this morning?"
"Yeah, I think so," Warrick said, "If I'm not, I'll call you."
"All right, I'll give you my address when you come in."
"Sounds good. I'll see you later."
"Absolutely. Bye."
"Bye."
As Warrick hung up the phone, he let out a long breath. It had been a while since he'd been on the dating scene, and he hoped he hadn't lost his touch.
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"So the van belonged to Vaughn Stables?" Grissom asked as he and Sara analyzed the tire treads from the crime scene and the tire treads taken from the vehicles at Vaughn Stables.
"Yeah," Sara confirmed, "The fibers match and so do the treads."
"Good. We've got our transport vehicle. The only question now is who, how, and why."
"Why is the easiest one," Sara replied, "Revenge. They were all pissed off when he broke their hearts. It seems to me they figured homocide was the cheapest and easiest therapy."
"Not if they end up serving life for it," Grissom objected, "But you do sound like you're speaking from experience."
Sara didn't reply to this comment.
"You are," Grissom answered his own thought, "I can tell you are."
"So I've had a few bad relationships in the past," Sara said as she paper-clipped the matching tire-tread papers together, "It doesn't matter now."
"It does if it keeps you from moving on in current relationships," Grissom said as they walked to the file room, "Seems everyone on this team tells Catherine everything, and that of course gets repeated to me. From what it sounds like, you haven't told Nick you love him."
"How the hell does everyone know this?" Sara asked in quiet anger.
"Catherine," Grissom repeated, "She knows all."
Sara couldn't hide the grin on her face, but tried her best to get rid of it, "Yeah, so I haven't said it yet."
"I was the same way," Grissom informed the younger CSI, "I thought I couldn't tell anyone anything until I owned them. To me, I had to own everything. Girlfriends, possessions, everything. Nothing is owned. Everything is borrowed to enjoy for the moment. You're afraid of being owned, Sara. Afraid of pain, and most ironically, afraid of happiness."
Sara absorbed what she was being told.
"I have to show you something," Grissom said, as they filed the evidence and left the room. Grissom walked with her toward the trace lab. Greg, however, was no where in sight. Grissom picked up a large beaker, and filled it with lukewarm water.
After it was halfway full, he placed it on the counter and motioned toward it.
"Put your hand in there," Grissom said.
Sara raised an eyebrow at him, but did as she was told.
"What does it feel like?"
"Water," Sara replied, preparing to take her hand out of
the water.
"Ah," Grissom said, and Sara put
her hand back in.
"Is it warm? Comfortable? Nice?"
Sara nodded.
"Now grab a handful."
Sara raised her eyebrow,
but proceeded to try.
"Come on, Sara. Grab a handful
of that water, and hold onto it. Squeeze it tight - hold onto it. Come on."
Sara tried several times, each time getting more and more frustrated. Little did she know that when Grissom had done the same thing with Nick, he'd also gotten frustrated.
"Why can't you grab me a handful?" Grissom asked.
"Because it's water," Sara
replied, "It's impossible."
Grissom smiled wisely, "Of course it is. It's the same with happiness. If you try to grab it and hold onto it, you won't get it."
Grissom handed her a towel, and placed his hand in it, "See? The water is warm, comfortable, pleasurable. But it isn't if I try to grab it and hold onto it."
Sara quickly got the point of what she was being told.
"You have to let go. Every second of warmth, comfort, and pleasure is a gift. It can be taken away, or given again. But if you try too hard, it's not warm or comfortable or pleasurable."
Sara nodded as Grissom dried his hand.
"You have to just let go. You can't hide from your past, Sara. If you were hurt, then learn from it. My guess is you tried too hard to hold on to every one of them, and it pushed them away. And if you're not careful, and if Nick isn't careful, the same thing will happen again, and you two will never work. You'll end up frustrated, alone, and unhappy."
Grissom spread his arms out in a carefree manner, "Just let go of everything. If you love him, tell him, and if you don't try to hold onto him, you'll be able to enjoy his presence."
Grissom, of course, had changed this lesson so that it would fit when he spoke to Nick. Nick's response had been a nod, and a grateful smile to his boss.
"Thanks, Grissom," Sara said, "It's definitely something to think about."
Grissom smiled as he watched the woman he almost called daughter walk down the hall and out of sight.
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"I used to be the kind of guy who never let you look inside at the smile when I was crying. I had nothing but a lot to lose, thought I had a lot to prove, in my life there's no denying. Goodbye to all my yesterdays. Goodbye, so long, I'm on my way..."
"Another classic," Maile said as she entered the Trace lab again to find Greg singing along with Bon Jovi.
Greg shrugged, "I know how to pick'em."
Maile laughed, "I'll bet."
"To what do I owe the honor?" Greg asked as he worked.
Maile shrugged, "Just wanted to see what song you were playing this time."
Greg grinned, winked, and said, "Well, you feel free to drop by anytime you want."
Maile nodded, "I will."
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A/N: LOL I have so much fun playin with you guys' emotions! One minute it's serious drama, the next it's lesson-learning time, and then GREG! Ahahah being an author has it's perks! Anyway, y'all know that lesson I had Grissom teach Sara and Nick? Well, my dear Daddy-O taught me that one when my life was confusing and I was running from things, so that is a true life lesson that my Daddy dear taught me, so learn from it, y'all. It'll save you guys time and tears! ANYWAY…
Next Chapter: Promotion stuff, Grissom teaches Sara and Nick a lesson, Catherine talks to Gil about Nick and Sara, and someone from Nick's past shows up at the lab and causes some trouble between Nick and Sara! UHOH read on and lemme kno who you think it is ;)