Nick and Sara stood in baggage claim at Dallas/Fort Worth International
Airport waiting for Warrick. The monitor above the carrousel they stood
near indicated that his flight was at the gate and was in the process of
deplaning. Nick had his arms around Sara's shoulders and she had hers
around his waist when Warrick finally arrived in baggage claim. A low
chuckle alerted them to his presence and they turned toward him.
Nick stepped toward his friend and shook his hand before pulling him into a manly hug, clapping him on the back. "Glad you're here man."
"Glad to be here." Warrick noticed a distinct change in Sara's demeanor as she stepped toward him. She seemed more relaxed than the last time he'd seen her a week and a half before and he couldn't remember the last time he'd really seen her smile. "Sara, Texas agrees with you." He pulled her into a hug. "Or maybe it's Nick that agrees with you."
"Warrick, I'm so glad you're here." Sara stepped out of Warrick's hug with a wide grin on her face.
Nick just grinned. "Hey, let's grab your bags and get out of here. I can think of a few places a little more exciting than the airport."
Warrick chuckled as he glanced at the pair. "Nick your twang's a little thick." He chuckled in amusement.
Nick just shook his head and helped Warrick gather his bags before they headed out to the parking garage where they'd left Chelsea's minivan. As they opened the doors, Warrick started to laugh. Nick looked at him quizzically. "What is it, man?"
Warrick glanced at Sara who also looked at him curiously before turning toward Nick. "Let's see, you've been gone a week and half and you're getting married and driving a minivan. All you need are a couple of kids and a golden retriever."
Nick and Sara exchanged a glance, both of them with their eyebrows raised. They spoke at the same time. "We are never getting a minivan."
Warrick just kept laughing. "I can't wait until Greg sees you two like this."
Sara furrowed her brow for a moment. "I wish the rest of them could have come too."
Warrick softened his expression and hugged her before they all climbed into the van. "Hey, they'd be here if they could. They want you to know that."
"I know." Sara smiled softly.
"Alright, you tired? Or do you want to see a little bit of Dallas?" Nick was grinning, happy to have the chance to show off where he'd grown up to his best friend.
"I came straight from shift, give me a couple of hours and I'll be good to go, it's hard to sleep in coach with these legs." Warrick replied.
"You need to work on sweet talking the ticket agents to get an upgrade to first class, man." Nick teased.
Warrick raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think that Clark would be too susceptible to my charms."
Sara couldn't help but laugh at the exchange.
"Ok, man. You're staying with us. Well, you're staying at Chelsea and Kevin's anyway. We're staying downstairs and you've got the guest room." Nick informed him.
Warrick let out a low chuckle. He just couldn't get over the transformation in his two friends in such a short period of time. "You know, you two threw everyone for a loop."
Sara glanced at Warrick who sat in the backseat. "What is everyone at the lab saying?" She looked a little nervous. Nick glanced at Warrick in the rearview mirror.
"Hey, it's all good. Grissom went to bat for you two with Cavello so you don't have to worry about not getting to work together." He informed them.
Nick and Sara exchanged a glance. Sara's voice was almost a whisper. "I didn't even think about that."
Nick nodded a bit solemnly. "I didn't either."
"I mean I haven't even really thought about work since the day we took Fiona to the zoo." Sara observed.
Nick and Warrick glanced at each other. This trip had definitely been good for Sara if it had gotten her mind off of work for that long.
Sara looked back at Warrick. "What did Greg say when you told him?"
Warrick chuckled. "Before or after he passed out?"
"He didn't?" Sara's eyebrows shot up.
Warrick shook his head. "No, he was cool. I told you, we all thought something was up when you decided to come down here with Nick." Warrick glanced over at Nick. "Hey, Nick, Greg wanted me to be sure and tell you that if you hurt Sara he'll kill you."
Sara smirked as she looked over at Nick.
"Oh, and someone started a rumor, actually it was Hodges, that the two of you have been secretly dating for a while and the only reason you're getting married is that Sara's pregnant." Warrick just shook his head.
"I'll kill him." Sara sounded pissed.
Nick glanced over at her and shook his head. "No, babe, I'll kill him."
Warrick chuckled. "Hey, Grissom already read him the riot act."
Sara gave Warrick a serious expression. "Just for the record, I'm not pregnant."
"Never had a doubt any other way, Sara." Warrick smiled.
Nick glanced at Warrick in the rearview mirror. "Hey, I should probably warn you that Chelsea will probably try and fix you up with one of her friends and that Conner or Fiona will probably wake you up with a staring contest. Fortunately, Conner's at school right now and Chelsea took Fiona out to buy a flower girl dress."
Warrick looked at Sara quizzically. "What does he mean about the staring contest?"
Sara smiled. "Oh, I've experienced it. There's nothing quite like waking up with a three year old inches from your face trying not to giggle."
Warrick looked at Sara and then at Nick and just shook his head. "Wow, I still cannot believe you two are getting married."
Nick chuckled. "Believe it, man. We even have a marriage license, and Sara has a dress she won't show me."
"Do you want to see it, Warrick?" She glanced at Nick and smirked.
"Hey, no fair." Nick whined.
Sara giggled. "There's nothing that says that the best man can't see the dress, only that the groom can't see the dress."
"Sara." Nick looked at her with a pout.
She chuckled and gestured toward him as she glanced back at Warrick. "He's been doing this since I told him I got it."
"And the image you've placed in my mind is killing me." Nick replied.
Warrick couldn't help but laugh. "I'd love to see the dress, Sara."
She grinned. "Oh, but you can't tell Nick what it looks like."
"Sara." Nick's expression pleaded with her.
She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "Not till Saturday, baby."
Nick stepped toward his friend and shook his hand before pulling him into a manly hug, clapping him on the back. "Glad you're here man."
"Glad to be here." Warrick noticed a distinct change in Sara's demeanor as she stepped toward him. She seemed more relaxed than the last time he'd seen her a week and a half before and he couldn't remember the last time he'd really seen her smile. "Sara, Texas agrees with you." He pulled her into a hug. "Or maybe it's Nick that agrees with you."
"Warrick, I'm so glad you're here." Sara stepped out of Warrick's hug with a wide grin on her face.
Nick just grinned. "Hey, let's grab your bags and get out of here. I can think of a few places a little more exciting than the airport."
Warrick chuckled as he glanced at the pair. "Nick your twang's a little thick." He chuckled in amusement.
Nick just shook his head and helped Warrick gather his bags before they headed out to the parking garage where they'd left Chelsea's minivan. As they opened the doors, Warrick started to laugh. Nick looked at him quizzically. "What is it, man?"
Warrick glanced at Sara who also looked at him curiously before turning toward Nick. "Let's see, you've been gone a week and half and you're getting married and driving a minivan. All you need are a couple of kids and a golden retriever."
Nick and Sara exchanged a glance, both of them with their eyebrows raised. They spoke at the same time. "We are never getting a minivan."
Warrick just kept laughing. "I can't wait until Greg sees you two like this."
Sara furrowed her brow for a moment. "I wish the rest of them could have come too."
Warrick softened his expression and hugged her before they all climbed into the van. "Hey, they'd be here if they could. They want you to know that."
"I know." Sara smiled softly.
"Alright, you tired? Or do you want to see a little bit of Dallas?" Nick was grinning, happy to have the chance to show off where he'd grown up to his best friend.
"I came straight from shift, give me a couple of hours and I'll be good to go, it's hard to sleep in coach with these legs." Warrick replied.
"You need to work on sweet talking the ticket agents to get an upgrade to first class, man." Nick teased.
Warrick raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think that Clark would be too susceptible to my charms."
Sara couldn't help but laugh at the exchange.
"Ok, man. You're staying with us. Well, you're staying at Chelsea and Kevin's anyway. We're staying downstairs and you've got the guest room." Nick informed him.
Warrick let out a low chuckle. He just couldn't get over the transformation in his two friends in such a short period of time. "You know, you two threw everyone for a loop."
Sara glanced at Warrick who sat in the backseat. "What is everyone at the lab saying?" She looked a little nervous. Nick glanced at Warrick in the rearview mirror.
"Hey, it's all good. Grissom went to bat for you two with Cavello so you don't have to worry about not getting to work together." He informed them.
Nick and Sara exchanged a glance. Sara's voice was almost a whisper. "I didn't even think about that."
Nick nodded a bit solemnly. "I didn't either."
"I mean I haven't even really thought about work since the day we took Fiona to the zoo." Sara observed.
Nick and Warrick glanced at each other. This trip had definitely been good for Sara if it had gotten her mind off of work for that long.
Sara looked back at Warrick. "What did Greg say when you told him?"
Warrick chuckled. "Before or after he passed out?"
"He didn't?" Sara's eyebrows shot up.
Warrick shook his head. "No, he was cool. I told you, we all thought something was up when you decided to come down here with Nick." Warrick glanced over at Nick. "Hey, Nick, Greg wanted me to be sure and tell you that if you hurt Sara he'll kill you."
Sara smirked as she looked over at Nick.
"Oh, and someone started a rumor, actually it was Hodges, that the two of you have been secretly dating for a while and the only reason you're getting married is that Sara's pregnant." Warrick just shook his head.
"I'll kill him." Sara sounded pissed.
Nick glanced over at her and shook his head. "No, babe, I'll kill him."
Warrick chuckled. "Hey, Grissom already read him the riot act."
Sara gave Warrick a serious expression. "Just for the record, I'm not pregnant."
"Never had a doubt any other way, Sara." Warrick smiled.
Nick glanced at Warrick in the rearview mirror. "Hey, I should probably warn you that Chelsea will probably try and fix you up with one of her friends and that Conner or Fiona will probably wake you up with a staring contest. Fortunately, Conner's at school right now and Chelsea took Fiona out to buy a flower girl dress."
Warrick looked at Sara quizzically. "What does he mean about the staring contest?"
Sara smiled. "Oh, I've experienced it. There's nothing quite like waking up with a three year old inches from your face trying not to giggle."
Warrick looked at Sara and then at Nick and just shook his head. "Wow, I still cannot believe you two are getting married."
Nick chuckled. "Believe it, man. We even have a marriage license, and Sara has a dress she won't show me."
"Do you want to see it, Warrick?" She glanced at Nick and smirked.
"Hey, no fair." Nick whined.
Sara giggled. "There's nothing that says that the best man can't see the dress, only that the groom can't see the dress."
"Sara." Nick looked at her with a pout.
She chuckled and gestured toward him as she glanced back at Warrick. "He's been doing this since I told him I got it."
"And the image you've placed in my mind is killing me." Nick replied.
Warrick couldn't help but laugh. "I'd love to see the dress, Sara."
She grinned. "Oh, but you can't tell Nick what it looks like."
"Sara." Nick's expression pleaded with her.
She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "Not till Saturday, baby."