Fortunately for the sake of the lab, Sara was working on processing a car
in the garage. She was pissed and she was taking it out on the vehicle.
The noise it was generating; however, was drawing attention quite a
distance down the hallway and most everyone was staying clear of the area.
That is except Warrick.
He stood in the doorway watching Sara for a moment before he stepped inside and then immediately had to dodge something flying towards his head. "Whoa, Sara."
She glanced up and was immediately apologetic. "Sorry."
He looked at her with concern. "You doing ok?"
"I'm fine. Why?" Her response was a little too forced.
"Because half the lab is afraid to come down here right now, and quite honestly, you don't look ok." Warrick wondered what had transpired to make her this upset. Only a few hours before she and Nick seemed happy, sickeningly so.
Sara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her body as she let out a snort. "He thinks I have too much stuff. Me. Does he realize just how much stuff he has? I mean his place is bigger than mine, so maybe it doesn't seem that way, but what does he expect me to do? Why should I be the one to get rid of all my stuff?"
Warrick watched with interest as Sara worked herself further into a frenzy. He cleared his throat. "So this is about Nick then?"
Sara looked on the verge of tears. "Yeah." There was a bit of a squeak in her voice.
Warrick smiled. "Sara, have you talked to him about this?"
She nodded. "That's when he told me I have too much stuff."
Warrick tried to restrain a chuckle. "So you haven't really talked about it then."
Sara looked at him curiously. "So you're taking his side?"
Warrick put an authoritative tone into his voice. "Sara, I'm not taking sides, I haven't even talked to Nick."
Sara looked a bit sheepish. "Oh."
Warrick let out a deep breath. "Sara, you need to talk to him and work this out."
Sara's expression reflected stubbornness. "He needs to apologize."
Warrick chuckled and Sara glanced at him a bit annoyed. "Does he even know what he did?"
Sara pouted her lips in an attempt to restrain a smile. "He said he didn't."
"I don't know what's worse; you two fighting or being nauseatingly cute." He quipped.
Her voice had a distinct whine. "He should know what he did."
Warrick raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh, and why is that? Can Nick read minds?"
"No." Sara finally admitted.
"So you'll talk to him then." It wasn't a statement, it was more of an authoritative statement.
Sara huffed. "Fine."
He chuckled. "It's not like you're being sent to the electric chair, Sara. You married him because you love each other, but happily ever after is a fairy tale."
She smirked. "I'm beginning to realize that."
Just then, Grissom stopped in the doorway with a concerned expression on his face. "Is everything ok in here? Hodges just stopped in my office and said something was wrong down here."
Warrick covered for Sara. "You know how Hodges is, Gris. Everything is fine. Sara was just having a little trouble with this car and I thought I'd stop and help."
Grissom looked at Warrick over the rim of his glasses. "Don't you have your own case?"
Warrick nodded. "Yeah, she just needed to borrow a little muscle for a moment."
Sara tried not to laugh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sara ended up working several hours into the next shift and had to postpone showing Greg the condo. By the time she got home, Nick was asleep. She wasn't sure why that upset her, but it did. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed next to him with tears streaming down her face. The more she tried to stop them, the more upset she became. She didn't realize that she was sniffling until she felt Nick's arm around her waist and his lips against her cheek.
"Hey, babe, it's ok." His voice was laced with sleep, but it was soft and soothing.
Sara's voice hitched. "I'm sorry, Nick. I didn't even tell you why I was mad."
"Shh. It's ok, honey." Nick soothed, kissing her cheek and pulling her towards him.
She rested against his chest. "I'm afraid."
Nick's eyes were closed and his chin rested on top of her head. "What are you afraid of?"
Sara's voice was small. "I'm not sure."
"I'm sorry that I said that you had a lot of stuff." Nick kissed the top of her head.
Sara sniffled. "It's not about that."
"What is it then?" Nick was confused.
She sniffled again. "I've been Sara Sidle my whole life. No one knows who Sara Stokes is."
It was all Nick could do to not laugh. "Honey, you're the same person."
Sara started crying. "But you got to keep your last name."
Nick stroked her hair. "You didn't have to change your name."
"So this is my fault?" Sara was tired and unreasonable.
Nick pulled her against him tightly. "No, babe. It's nobody's fault. I'm just saying if you want people to call you Sara Sidle, you can. You don't have to go by Sara Stokes."
"But I married you." She sniffled.
"Yes, you did." Nick couldn't hide the amusement in his voice.
"I want everyone to know that I married you, that's why I changed my name." She wasn't making a lot of sense to Nick.
He furrowed his brow as something finally occurred to him. "Hey, Sar. I'm sorry that we haven't made this place more ours than mine."
Sara didn't say anything, she just sniffled and began tracing lazy circles on his T-shirt with her fingers.
"I've lived here so long that I guess I didn't really think about the fact that there's more me here when you walk in than us." He continued. "Maybe I should go through my stuff and clear some things out so we can get the rest of your things over here."
Sara's voice was small. "You would do that for me?"
Nick lifted his head and looked at her in the dim light. "I'd do just about anything for you, Sar."
Sara smiled. "I love you."
Nick kissed the top of her head. "I love you too."
He stood in the doorway watching Sara for a moment before he stepped inside and then immediately had to dodge something flying towards his head. "Whoa, Sara."
She glanced up and was immediately apologetic. "Sorry."
He looked at her with concern. "You doing ok?"
"I'm fine. Why?" Her response was a little too forced.
"Because half the lab is afraid to come down here right now, and quite honestly, you don't look ok." Warrick wondered what had transpired to make her this upset. Only a few hours before she and Nick seemed happy, sickeningly so.
Sara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her body as she let out a snort. "He thinks I have too much stuff. Me. Does he realize just how much stuff he has? I mean his place is bigger than mine, so maybe it doesn't seem that way, but what does he expect me to do? Why should I be the one to get rid of all my stuff?"
Warrick watched with interest as Sara worked herself further into a frenzy. He cleared his throat. "So this is about Nick then?"
Sara looked on the verge of tears. "Yeah." There was a bit of a squeak in her voice.
Warrick smiled. "Sara, have you talked to him about this?"
She nodded. "That's when he told me I have too much stuff."
Warrick tried to restrain a chuckle. "So you haven't really talked about it then."
Sara looked at him curiously. "So you're taking his side?"
Warrick put an authoritative tone into his voice. "Sara, I'm not taking sides, I haven't even talked to Nick."
Sara looked a bit sheepish. "Oh."
Warrick let out a deep breath. "Sara, you need to talk to him and work this out."
Sara's expression reflected stubbornness. "He needs to apologize."
Warrick chuckled and Sara glanced at him a bit annoyed. "Does he even know what he did?"
Sara pouted her lips in an attempt to restrain a smile. "He said he didn't."
"I don't know what's worse; you two fighting or being nauseatingly cute." He quipped.
Her voice had a distinct whine. "He should know what he did."
Warrick raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh, and why is that? Can Nick read minds?"
"No." Sara finally admitted.
"So you'll talk to him then." It wasn't a statement, it was more of an authoritative statement.
Sara huffed. "Fine."
He chuckled. "It's not like you're being sent to the electric chair, Sara. You married him because you love each other, but happily ever after is a fairy tale."
She smirked. "I'm beginning to realize that."
Just then, Grissom stopped in the doorway with a concerned expression on his face. "Is everything ok in here? Hodges just stopped in my office and said something was wrong down here."
Warrick covered for Sara. "You know how Hodges is, Gris. Everything is fine. Sara was just having a little trouble with this car and I thought I'd stop and help."
Grissom looked at Warrick over the rim of his glasses. "Don't you have your own case?"
Warrick nodded. "Yeah, she just needed to borrow a little muscle for a moment."
Sara tried not to laugh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sara ended up working several hours into the next shift and had to postpone showing Greg the condo. By the time she got home, Nick was asleep. She wasn't sure why that upset her, but it did. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed next to him with tears streaming down her face. The more she tried to stop them, the more upset she became. She didn't realize that she was sniffling until she felt Nick's arm around her waist and his lips against her cheek.
"Hey, babe, it's ok." His voice was laced with sleep, but it was soft and soothing.
Sara's voice hitched. "I'm sorry, Nick. I didn't even tell you why I was mad."
"Shh. It's ok, honey." Nick soothed, kissing her cheek and pulling her towards him.
She rested against his chest. "I'm afraid."
Nick's eyes were closed and his chin rested on top of her head. "What are you afraid of?"
Sara's voice was small. "I'm not sure."
"I'm sorry that I said that you had a lot of stuff." Nick kissed the top of her head.
Sara sniffled. "It's not about that."
"What is it then?" Nick was confused.
She sniffled again. "I've been Sara Sidle my whole life. No one knows who Sara Stokes is."
It was all Nick could do to not laugh. "Honey, you're the same person."
Sara started crying. "But you got to keep your last name."
Nick stroked her hair. "You didn't have to change your name."
"So this is my fault?" Sara was tired and unreasonable.
Nick pulled her against him tightly. "No, babe. It's nobody's fault. I'm just saying if you want people to call you Sara Sidle, you can. You don't have to go by Sara Stokes."
"But I married you." She sniffled.
"Yes, you did." Nick couldn't hide the amusement in his voice.
"I want everyone to know that I married you, that's why I changed my name." She wasn't making a lot of sense to Nick.
He furrowed his brow as something finally occurred to him. "Hey, Sar. I'm sorry that we haven't made this place more ours than mine."
Sara didn't say anything, she just sniffled and began tracing lazy circles on his T-shirt with her fingers.
"I've lived here so long that I guess I didn't really think about the fact that there's more me here when you walk in than us." He continued. "Maybe I should go through my stuff and clear some things out so we can get the rest of your things over here."
Sara's voice was small. "You would do that for me?"
Nick lifted his head and looked at her in the dim light. "I'd do just about anything for you, Sar."
Sara smiled. "I love you."
Nick kissed the top of her head. "I love you too."
