From Fever To Death
By: Anti Darth Ani
Based on the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Author's Note:
Can you believe it is already the end? I don't want it to be!!! That's why I'm already working on the next story, which is called Breaking Point. I don't really think it should be called a sequel, because it is about a different case. However, the characters will act like they do and feel like they do in the next fan-fic like they do at the end of this chapter. If you are confused, just go on and read the rest of this fan-fic. At the end, I'll add something to help you understand.
For the latest scoop on the next installment of CSI fan-fics, visit my fan-site. I'll have something posted about it there, which will give you a synopsis and a sneak preview of the first chapter.
As always, I would love to thank all of my wonderful readers and reviewers. This chapter is here for you guys! So enough with this, read on and enjoy!
Synopsis:
Sara, Nick, and Warrick investigate the death of a ten-year-old girl who suddenly died in her kitchen while her parents were at a dinner party. But with the pressure of the case, Sara can't help having bad memories brought back up about her past. Emotions are heightened and things start to change with a few of the co-workers.
Action/Mystery/Suspense/Romance
PG-13 - For violence, language, and some sexuality.
----------
CHAPTER SIX
----------
"You think you solved the case?" Sara asked, astonished. Was that even possible? They had little to no evidence at all and here was Warrick, telling them that he might have solved it. God, she hoped so.
"Marge kept saying that Emily was sick, right? She had a slight fever, right?" Warrick asked.
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Nick asked, finishing off his coffee cup.
"Just hear me out," Warrick insisted. "I called up Marge McAllister to ask her a few questions. The main one would solve the case, if I'm correct." He paused for a moment to looked at Nick and Sara. "I casually asked her how she had known that Emily had had a fever. She told me that she had taken Emily's temperature and then reminded Emily to take her own temperature every hour. She had told her daughter if her fever got worse, to call them on the cell phone at the party."
"I still don't get it," Sara confessed.
Nick snapped his fingers, "The mercury and glass."
Warrick nodded and smiled, "Yes. She was taking her temperature with a glass thermometer and it somehow it managed to break. Mercury, what they put in the thermometer, is highly poisonous. So she went from having a fever to being stone cold."
Sara's hands started to shake again. She accidentally dropped her coffee cup on the floor. Nick and Warrick looked at her, "Are you alright?" they asked her.
Sara pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead. Her head was killing her and she was dizzy. "I'm fine," she lied. "I think we should go tell the McAllisters and Mrs. Johnson."
Warrick nodded, "I was just going to do that. You guys are coming, right?" he asked them. They both nodded. Nick glanced at Sara, "Just give us one minute," Nick asked. "We'll be out it just a minute."
Warrick agreed and headed out to the Tahoe. Nick waited for the door to close all the way before he turned to face Sara. "I don't know how you are going to feel about me saying this, but I think it would be better if you didn't go with us to tell the McAllisters."
Sara sighed, "Nick," she started to protest.
"Oh, come on. I know you realize it to. It's too personal for you to handle. And I don't think Marge McAllister has taking a liking to you at all."
Sara laughed softly and shook her head, "I think you might be right."
Nick nodded and grinned, "You might want to go get all the stuff you're going to need before they start to paint your apartment over. Do you need my address?" he asked her.
Sara grinned, "That might be useful."
Sara pulled into a brick driveway. Nick's SUV was in the driveway. The sun hadn't completely disappeared under the horizon yet. The sky was painted with oranges and dark pinks. Sara even noticed a slight purple here and there. She loved dusk more than another other time of the day. She locked her car door and walked up under the covering. She rang the doorbell on the wall.
It was a minute or two before Sara even heard anything. Then she heard the sound of a deadbolt being unlocked. Surprisingly, Sara felt nervous. Her heart was beating madly in her chest. She forced herself to try to relax. Being nervous out of her mind wasn't going to help matters any, she realized.
Nick finally managed to get the door open. He smiled and greeted her cheerfully. Sara didn't even know why she was she was so worked up. "Sara?" Nick asked softly when she didn't move. He was a little confused when she just stood there on his porch while he held the door open for her.
Sara finally seemed to hear him calling her name. She looked at him a little startled. As if remembering what she was doing at his house, Sara smiled. "Right," she said, more to herself than to Nick. She walked past him into the hallway. Nick closed the door and locked it before turning to face Sara. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked her. Sara nodded, but Nick looked at her, unsure. "I'm fine," she insisted.
Nick shrugged and led the way down the hall into the living room. Sara looked around, impressed. "Nice place you have here," she commented. Nick nodded and went into the kitchen, which looked over into the living room. Sara slowly slid her jacket off of her shoulders and placed it on the edge of the couch. "Thanks so much for letting me crash here," Sara yelled in the general direction of the kitchen. Although she loved the place, she was having second thoughts about being at Nick's.
"It's fine," Nick responded, entering the living room with a glass of water and Advil pills. He handed the pills to Sara and then set the glass down on a coaster on the glass end table.
Sara smiled, "Well aren't we the little neat freak?" she teased, popping the Advil into her mouth and picking up the glass, drinking all the water. She swallowed the pills quickly and started to put the glass back down on the coaster, but Nick gently took the glass and went to put it in the sink.
'Get a grip!' Sara screamed to herself. She was nervous as hell and being light-headed from the blood draining from her head wasn't going to help matters any.
"You look like you need some rest," Nick told her, coming back into the room. "You're really pale." Sara nodded slowly, the movement hurting a little. "Go ahead and sit down and I'll go get you some sheets and pillows. The couch pulls out, by the way." Sara smiled in a way of thanks as Nick walked off. She sank into his couch. What was she, a twelve year old with a crush or something? Sara rubbed her eyes and leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes. Man, was she tired.
Nick came back in less than two minutes. Sara slowly opened her eyes and then stood up. She took the sheets and pillows from Nick while he pushed the coffee table to the side of the room. He took off the cushions and then pulled the bed out. Sara's hands started shaking again and she glanced over to Nick, to see if he noticed. Nick turned to face her and smiled. He took the sheets from her arms and made the bed in a matter of seconds. He then took the pillows, leaving Sara empty handed. Before she had a chance to hide her hands, Nick noticed them. He set the pillows on the side of the mattress. "You're not fine. What's going on?"
Sara shrugged, "I'm sure it's nothing. It comes and goes and it never lasts too long. It'll be gone by tomorrow, I'm sure."
Nick sighed, "If you say so." He didn't say anything for a moment. "If you need anything, my room is down the hall. It's the last door on the right."
"Where's the bathroom?" Sara asked him.
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. The only bathroom is through the bedroom. It's a house, it's not a mansion."
Sara nodded. "Feel free to use it though, you won't wake me up," Nick added. "Anything else?" he asked her.
Sara shook her head and Nick started to walk off. "Hey Nick?" Sara called after him.
His head appeared on the side of the doorway. "Yeah?"
"Thanks," she told him. Nick nodded and walked back down the hall.
Sighing, Sara took off her shoes and pulled her hair tie out. She was glad she was wearing loose pants and a comfortable t-shirt. Moving the pillows to the top of the couch, Sara settled herself in and then turned off the light.
Sara woke with a start. She shot up straight and panted for air. Her whole body shook. Then she realized that it was quite cold. Agitated that she had woken up, Sara slid her feet off the edge of the bed. She had no idea where a spare blanket was, if there even was one. 'Great' she said to herself. 'I'm going to freeze my ass off.'
She flicked the table lamp on. It wasn't powerful and during the late night, Sara couldn't see much better. Sara flinched uncontrollably and started walking off down the hall towards the bedroom. Pausing in front of the door, Sara knocked on it softly before opening the door. She opened it just a crack and poked her head in. "Nick?" she hissed softly. She didn't want to wake him, but she wasn't going to get any sleep if she was cold all night.
When she didn't get a reply, Sara opened the door all the way. She sure hoped that he didn't sleep in the nude. Sara used what little moonlight there was coming through the window to guide herself to the bed. She misjudged the space and stabbed her toe against the nightstand. "Aw shit," she muttered under her breath. Sara heard a movement from the bed, but no words were spoken.
Sara walked to the side of the bed and saw the dark outline of Nick's body. She reached out and tapped his shoulder softly. She gasped in surprise when Nick woke awake suddenly, sitting up and grabbing her wrist painfully. "Sorry!" Sara shot out.
"Sara?" Nick asked, confused.
"I'm so sorry," she insisted when he released her wrist and turned on the night on the nightstand. "I was just wondering if you had any spare blankets. I didn't mean to scare you."
Nick run a hand through his unruly hair, "What time is it?" he asked her sleepily. Sara shrugged, "I have no idea. But it's still pretty early."
Nick tossed back the covers and stood up quickly. He went over to the large walk in closet and started looking around, turning on the overhead light. "Do you want a heavy or light blanket?" he asked Sara. Sara didn't even register the fact that he was saying something. She had fallen into a sitting position on the edge of his bed, dazed. She knew that he was muscular, but in only a pair of boxers, Sara almost passed out. He had a very fine six pack and she couldn't find a centimeter of fat on his whole body.
"Sara?" he asked, turning his head over his shoulder to glance at her.
"Huh?" she asked, snapping out of her trance. She could feel her cheeks burning with heat and she prayed that Nick couldn't tell she was blushing.
"Do you want a heavy or light blanket?" he asked again.
"Oh," Sara retorted. "Better go with a heavy one."
Nick pulled one out and turned off the light, walking back over to the bed. He handed the blanket to Sara, who didn't move an inch. "Thanks," was all she could manage to say.
"You're all red. Maybe you have a fever," Nick said, a note of concern in his voice.
"I'm fine," Sara stumbled over the two words. She stood up quickly and headed straight for the door. "I'm sorry I woke you up."
Nick shook his head. "It's no problem. Sleep well… and warm."
Sara nodded and shut the door close behind her and hurried down the hallway. She was glad she had made it out of there in one piece. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen a man in so little clothes and it had been ages since she had been in a man's bedroom. Sara climbed under the sheet and spread the blanket out. Turning off the night, she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Nick woke up as soon as the morning broke. He dressed in plain jeans and a baggy shirt. He made his bed and then went into the living room. Nick couldn't help but smile when he saw Sara asleep on the couch, covered in a plain sheet. The blanket he had been woken up for was pushed to the bottom of the mattress, most of it hanging off the end.
Nick made a pot of coffee and then started making pancakes. It wasn't until the coffee pot started whistling that Sara groaned and rolled over. Nick shook his head and pulled out two coffee cups - one from him and one for his guest. Sara rolled over and faced Nick, who just happened to be looking right at her. "What time it is?" she asked him.
"Around six," he answered.
"In the morning?" she asked, shocked.
"In the morning," he confirmed.
"What the hell are you doing at six in the morning?" she asked.
"I'm fixing coffee and pancakes," he replied, as if it was the most basic answer in the world.
"At six in the morning?" Sara asked, sitting up on the couch.
"Yes," Nick replied, pouring the coffee into the mugs. He walked into the living room and held out a coffee mug to Sara. Sara took it from him carefully, trying not to burn herself. Sara took one sip and then put it on the coaster. Nick went back to his pancakes.
"How can you possibly function with as little of sleep as you got?" she asked. "Especially since I woke you up early, which was only about two hours ago."
"I'm a light sleeper. I don't need much sleep to live."
"Well I do," Sara muttered. She slipped back under the covers, after pulling the blanket back up, and pulled a pillow over her head.
Nick shook his head and ate his pancakes in peace. He cleaned up after himself. He looked over to the couch. He wasn't sure he wanted to wake her up, but he was going for a run and he didn't want her to wake up to an empty house. Nick shook her shoulder softly. Sara groaned and pulled the pillow against her head tighter. Nick rolled his eyes and pulled on the pillow to get it away from her face so she would look at him. The pillow got only a few inches before Sara snatched it with her hands and pulled back on it.
"Sara," Nick protested, yanking it away before she could get a firm grip. Sara sat up on the couch. "What is so important that you had to wake me up for?" she snapped.
"I just wanted to inform you that I'm going to leave for about a half an hour and I'm going for a run."
"Well, good for you," Sara answered. "And you woke me up because????"
"I didn't want you to wake up to an empty house and worry."
"Oh, don't fret, I wouldn't worry at all," Sara smiled, a sly smiled forming on her mouth.
"Well thanks," Nick replied. He tossed the pillow back at her and went to leave.
Nick returned about a half an hour later. He locked the door behind he and pulled off his sweaty t-shirt. He glanced at the couch and was surprised to find it empty. He shrugged and went to his room, to take a shower. As soon as he walked into his room, he found Sara laying in his bed, sound asleep.
Nick sighed and threw his t-shirt in the hamper. Then he went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. He had a spare set of clothes in the bathroom, so he changed in there and run the towel against his hair until it was only a little damp. He brushed his teeth and spotted Sara's wet toothbrush on the counter.
Going back into the bedroom, he shut the bathroom door. He walked over to the bed. Sara was facing away from him, so he leaned over and put his mouth close to her ear, "What do you think you're doing?" he said, just a little louder than a whisper. Sara opened her eyes and rolled over onto her over side, bringing her face within inches of Nick's. "I'm trying to sleep."
"That's what the couch is for," Nick insisted.
Sara sat up and swung her legs over the edge, sitting and facing Nick, who stood up straight. Sara then stood up in front of him and smiled.
"The bed looked comfortable," Sara smiled and Nick couldn't help thinking how sexy she looked. Nick found her eyes staring straight into his. "It is comfortable," he told her.
"I know," Sara whispered, grinning madly.
Nick nodded slowly and kept his eyes glued on Sara. Sara looked at him. She felt a little uncomfortable, but she found that she couldn't do anything other than stare right back at him.
"Nick," Sara started, just above a whisper. She wasn't even sure if he had heard her. She wanted to move away from him, at least just a little. Her heart was pounding so hard, she was afraid it was going to jump right out of her body. She almost felt cornered, but at the same time, she had space to move. Her brain demanded for her to walk away a little, but her legs didn't move an inch.
Nick stared right down into her eyes and Sara wanted to melt. She knew it hadn't been an ideal situation of having to ask to crash at one of her co-workers' houses, but now she realized that Nick had been the worst choice. She had always thought of Nick as just a friend, but lately… Sara wasn't quite sure.
Before she had realized it, his lips had brushed against hers briefly. 'Oh God,' she thought. 'This is wrong. Very, very wrong. We shouldn't be doing this.' Sara let her mind wonder when his lips touched hers again. Sara closed her eyes. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all. When Sara didn't protest to this, Nick kissed her a little more forcefully, but still keeping it gentle. Sara began to kiss him back while she let her hands slowly travel up his undershirt. He hadn't managed to get a shirt on yet.
Even through the fabric, Sara could feel his well sculpted body. 'I guess that comes from playing football,' she thought. She let her arms find their way around his neck. Then she let her lips part to allow his tongue into her mouth. Sara moaned into his mouth when his hands started to travel upwards from her waist, slowly pulling her shirt up with it.
She knew she should have said something. There were clearly issues with what they were doing. But while her hands moved to started pulling her undershirt up, Sara wasn't thinking about the aftermath of what they were doing. She was just living in the moment.
By: Anti Darth Ani
Based on the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Author's Note:
Can you believe it is already the end? I don't want it to be!!! That's why I'm already working on the next story, which is called Breaking Point. I don't really think it should be called a sequel, because it is about a different case. However, the characters will act like they do and feel like they do in the next fan-fic like they do at the end of this chapter. If you are confused, just go on and read the rest of this fan-fic. At the end, I'll add something to help you understand.
For the latest scoop on the next installment of CSI fan-fics, visit my fan-site. I'll have something posted about it there, which will give you a synopsis and a sneak preview of the first chapter.
As always, I would love to thank all of my wonderful readers and reviewers. This chapter is here for you guys! So enough with this, read on and enjoy!
Synopsis:
Sara, Nick, and Warrick investigate the death of a ten-year-old girl who suddenly died in her kitchen while her parents were at a dinner party. But with the pressure of the case, Sara can't help having bad memories brought back up about her past. Emotions are heightened and things start to change with a few of the co-workers.
Action/Mystery/Suspense/Romance
PG-13 - For violence, language, and some sexuality.
----------
CHAPTER SIX
----------
"You think you solved the case?" Sara asked, astonished. Was that even possible? They had little to no evidence at all and here was Warrick, telling them that he might have solved it. God, she hoped so.
"Marge kept saying that Emily was sick, right? She had a slight fever, right?" Warrick asked.
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Nick asked, finishing off his coffee cup.
"Just hear me out," Warrick insisted. "I called up Marge McAllister to ask her a few questions. The main one would solve the case, if I'm correct." He paused for a moment to looked at Nick and Sara. "I casually asked her how she had known that Emily had had a fever. She told me that she had taken Emily's temperature and then reminded Emily to take her own temperature every hour. She had told her daughter if her fever got worse, to call them on the cell phone at the party."
"I still don't get it," Sara confessed.
Nick snapped his fingers, "The mercury and glass."
Warrick nodded and smiled, "Yes. She was taking her temperature with a glass thermometer and it somehow it managed to break. Mercury, what they put in the thermometer, is highly poisonous. So she went from having a fever to being stone cold."
Sara's hands started to shake again. She accidentally dropped her coffee cup on the floor. Nick and Warrick looked at her, "Are you alright?" they asked her.
Sara pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead. Her head was killing her and she was dizzy. "I'm fine," she lied. "I think we should go tell the McAllisters and Mrs. Johnson."
Warrick nodded, "I was just going to do that. You guys are coming, right?" he asked them. They both nodded. Nick glanced at Sara, "Just give us one minute," Nick asked. "We'll be out it just a minute."
Warrick agreed and headed out to the Tahoe. Nick waited for the door to close all the way before he turned to face Sara. "I don't know how you are going to feel about me saying this, but I think it would be better if you didn't go with us to tell the McAllisters."
Sara sighed, "Nick," she started to protest.
"Oh, come on. I know you realize it to. It's too personal for you to handle. And I don't think Marge McAllister has taking a liking to you at all."
Sara laughed softly and shook her head, "I think you might be right."
Nick nodded and grinned, "You might want to go get all the stuff you're going to need before they start to paint your apartment over. Do you need my address?" he asked her.
Sara grinned, "That might be useful."
Sara pulled into a brick driveway. Nick's SUV was in the driveway. The sun hadn't completely disappeared under the horizon yet. The sky was painted with oranges and dark pinks. Sara even noticed a slight purple here and there. She loved dusk more than another other time of the day. She locked her car door and walked up under the covering. She rang the doorbell on the wall.
It was a minute or two before Sara even heard anything. Then she heard the sound of a deadbolt being unlocked. Surprisingly, Sara felt nervous. Her heart was beating madly in her chest. She forced herself to try to relax. Being nervous out of her mind wasn't going to help matters any, she realized.
Nick finally managed to get the door open. He smiled and greeted her cheerfully. Sara didn't even know why she was she was so worked up. "Sara?" Nick asked softly when she didn't move. He was a little confused when she just stood there on his porch while he held the door open for her.
Sara finally seemed to hear him calling her name. She looked at him a little startled. As if remembering what she was doing at his house, Sara smiled. "Right," she said, more to herself than to Nick. She walked past him into the hallway. Nick closed the door and locked it before turning to face Sara. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked her. Sara nodded, but Nick looked at her, unsure. "I'm fine," she insisted.
Nick shrugged and led the way down the hall into the living room. Sara looked around, impressed. "Nice place you have here," she commented. Nick nodded and went into the kitchen, which looked over into the living room. Sara slowly slid her jacket off of her shoulders and placed it on the edge of the couch. "Thanks so much for letting me crash here," Sara yelled in the general direction of the kitchen. Although she loved the place, she was having second thoughts about being at Nick's.
"It's fine," Nick responded, entering the living room with a glass of water and Advil pills. He handed the pills to Sara and then set the glass down on a coaster on the glass end table.
Sara smiled, "Well aren't we the little neat freak?" she teased, popping the Advil into her mouth and picking up the glass, drinking all the water. She swallowed the pills quickly and started to put the glass back down on the coaster, but Nick gently took the glass and went to put it in the sink.
'Get a grip!' Sara screamed to herself. She was nervous as hell and being light-headed from the blood draining from her head wasn't going to help matters any.
"You look like you need some rest," Nick told her, coming back into the room. "You're really pale." Sara nodded slowly, the movement hurting a little. "Go ahead and sit down and I'll go get you some sheets and pillows. The couch pulls out, by the way." Sara smiled in a way of thanks as Nick walked off. She sank into his couch. What was she, a twelve year old with a crush or something? Sara rubbed her eyes and leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes. Man, was she tired.
Nick came back in less than two minutes. Sara slowly opened her eyes and then stood up. She took the sheets and pillows from Nick while he pushed the coffee table to the side of the room. He took off the cushions and then pulled the bed out. Sara's hands started shaking again and she glanced over to Nick, to see if he noticed. Nick turned to face her and smiled. He took the sheets from her arms and made the bed in a matter of seconds. He then took the pillows, leaving Sara empty handed. Before she had a chance to hide her hands, Nick noticed them. He set the pillows on the side of the mattress. "You're not fine. What's going on?"
Sara shrugged, "I'm sure it's nothing. It comes and goes and it never lasts too long. It'll be gone by tomorrow, I'm sure."
Nick sighed, "If you say so." He didn't say anything for a moment. "If you need anything, my room is down the hall. It's the last door on the right."
"Where's the bathroom?" Sara asked him.
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. The only bathroom is through the bedroom. It's a house, it's not a mansion."
Sara nodded. "Feel free to use it though, you won't wake me up," Nick added. "Anything else?" he asked her.
Sara shook her head and Nick started to walk off. "Hey Nick?" Sara called after him.
His head appeared on the side of the doorway. "Yeah?"
"Thanks," she told him. Nick nodded and walked back down the hall.
Sighing, Sara took off her shoes and pulled her hair tie out. She was glad she was wearing loose pants and a comfortable t-shirt. Moving the pillows to the top of the couch, Sara settled herself in and then turned off the light.
Sara woke with a start. She shot up straight and panted for air. Her whole body shook. Then she realized that it was quite cold. Agitated that she had woken up, Sara slid her feet off the edge of the bed. She had no idea where a spare blanket was, if there even was one. 'Great' she said to herself. 'I'm going to freeze my ass off.'
She flicked the table lamp on. It wasn't powerful and during the late night, Sara couldn't see much better. Sara flinched uncontrollably and started walking off down the hall towards the bedroom. Pausing in front of the door, Sara knocked on it softly before opening the door. She opened it just a crack and poked her head in. "Nick?" she hissed softly. She didn't want to wake him, but she wasn't going to get any sleep if she was cold all night.
When she didn't get a reply, Sara opened the door all the way. She sure hoped that he didn't sleep in the nude. Sara used what little moonlight there was coming through the window to guide herself to the bed. She misjudged the space and stabbed her toe against the nightstand. "Aw shit," she muttered under her breath. Sara heard a movement from the bed, but no words were spoken.
Sara walked to the side of the bed and saw the dark outline of Nick's body. She reached out and tapped his shoulder softly. She gasped in surprise when Nick woke awake suddenly, sitting up and grabbing her wrist painfully. "Sorry!" Sara shot out.
"Sara?" Nick asked, confused.
"I'm so sorry," she insisted when he released her wrist and turned on the night on the nightstand. "I was just wondering if you had any spare blankets. I didn't mean to scare you."
Nick run a hand through his unruly hair, "What time is it?" he asked her sleepily. Sara shrugged, "I have no idea. But it's still pretty early."
Nick tossed back the covers and stood up quickly. He went over to the large walk in closet and started looking around, turning on the overhead light. "Do you want a heavy or light blanket?" he asked Sara. Sara didn't even register the fact that he was saying something. She had fallen into a sitting position on the edge of his bed, dazed. She knew that he was muscular, but in only a pair of boxers, Sara almost passed out. He had a very fine six pack and she couldn't find a centimeter of fat on his whole body.
"Sara?" he asked, turning his head over his shoulder to glance at her.
"Huh?" she asked, snapping out of her trance. She could feel her cheeks burning with heat and she prayed that Nick couldn't tell she was blushing.
"Do you want a heavy or light blanket?" he asked again.
"Oh," Sara retorted. "Better go with a heavy one."
Nick pulled one out and turned off the light, walking back over to the bed. He handed the blanket to Sara, who didn't move an inch. "Thanks," was all she could manage to say.
"You're all red. Maybe you have a fever," Nick said, a note of concern in his voice.
"I'm fine," Sara stumbled over the two words. She stood up quickly and headed straight for the door. "I'm sorry I woke you up."
Nick shook his head. "It's no problem. Sleep well… and warm."
Sara nodded and shut the door close behind her and hurried down the hallway. She was glad she had made it out of there in one piece. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen a man in so little clothes and it had been ages since she had been in a man's bedroom. Sara climbed under the sheet and spread the blanket out. Turning off the night, she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Nick woke up as soon as the morning broke. He dressed in plain jeans and a baggy shirt. He made his bed and then went into the living room. Nick couldn't help but smile when he saw Sara asleep on the couch, covered in a plain sheet. The blanket he had been woken up for was pushed to the bottom of the mattress, most of it hanging off the end.
Nick made a pot of coffee and then started making pancakes. It wasn't until the coffee pot started whistling that Sara groaned and rolled over. Nick shook his head and pulled out two coffee cups - one from him and one for his guest. Sara rolled over and faced Nick, who just happened to be looking right at her. "What time it is?" she asked him.
"Around six," he answered.
"In the morning?" she asked, shocked.
"In the morning," he confirmed.
"What the hell are you doing at six in the morning?" she asked.
"I'm fixing coffee and pancakes," he replied, as if it was the most basic answer in the world.
"At six in the morning?" Sara asked, sitting up on the couch.
"Yes," Nick replied, pouring the coffee into the mugs. He walked into the living room and held out a coffee mug to Sara. Sara took it from him carefully, trying not to burn herself. Sara took one sip and then put it on the coaster. Nick went back to his pancakes.
"How can you possibly function with as little of sleep as you got?" she asked. "Especially since I woke you up early, which was only about two hours ago."
"I'm a light sleeper. I don't need much sleep to live."
"Well I do," Sara muttered. She slipped back under the covers, after pulling the blanket back up, and pulled a pillow over her head.
Nick shook his head and ate his pancakes in peace. He cleaned up after himself. He looked over to the couch. He wasn't sure he wanted to wake her up, but he was going for a run and he didn't want her to wake up to an empty house. Nick shook her shoulder softly. Sara groaned and pulled the pillow against her head tighter. Nick rolled his eyes and pulled on the pillow to get it away from her face so she would look at him. The pillow got only a few inches before Sara snatched it with her hands and pulled back on it.
"Sara," Nick protested, yanking it away before she could get a firm grip. Sara sat up on the couch. "What is so important that you had to wake me up for?" she snapped.
"I just wanted to inform you that I'm going to leave for about a half an hour and I'm going for a run."
"Well, good for you," Sara answered. "And you woke me up because????"
"I didn't want you to wake up to an empty house and worry."
"Oh, don't fret, I wouldn't worry at all," Sara smiled, a sly smiled forming on her mouth.
"Well thanks," Nick replied. He tossed the pillow back at her and went to leave.
Nick returned about a half an hour later. He locked the door behind he and pulled off his sweaty t-shirt. He glanced at the couch and was surprised to find it empty. He shrugged and went to his room, to take a shower. As soon as he walked into his room, he found Sara laying in his bed, sound asleep.
Nick sighed and threw his t-shirt in the hamper. Then he went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. He had a spare set of clothes in the bathroom, so he changed in there and run the towel against his hair until it was only a little damp. He brushed his teeth and spotted Sara's wet toothbrush on the counter.
Going back into the bedroom, he shut the bathroom door. He walked over to the bed. Sara was facing away from him, so he leaned over and put his mouth close to her ear, "What do you think you're doing?" he said, just a little louder than a whisper. Sara opened her eyes and rolled over onto her over side, bringing her face within inches of Nick's. "I'm trying to sleep."
"That's what the couch is for," Nick insisted.
Sara sat up and swung her legs over the edge, sitting and facing Nick, who stood up straight. Sara then stood up in front of him and smiled.
"The bed looked comfortable," Sara smiled and Nick couldn't help thinking how sexy she looked. Nick found her eyes staring straight into his. "It is comfortable," he told her.
"I know," Sara whispered, grinning madly.
Nick nodded slowly and kept his eyes glued on Sara. Sara looked at him. She felt a little uncomfortable, but she found that she couldn't do anything other than stare right back at him.
"Nick," Sara started, just above a whisper. She wasn't even sure if he had heard her. She wanted to move away from him, at least just a little. Her heart was pounding so hard, she was afraid it was going to jump right out of her body. She almost felt cornered, but at the same time, she had space to move. Her brain demanded for her to walk away a little, but her legs didn't move an inch.
Nick stared right down into her eyes and Sara wanted to melt. She knew it hadn't been an ideal situation of having to ask to crash at one of her co-workers' houses, but now she realized that Nick had been the worst choice. She had always thought of Nick as just a friend, but lately… Sara wasn't quite sure.
Before she had realized it, his lips had brushed against hers briefly. 'Oh God,' she thought. 'This is wrong. Very, very wrong. We shouldn't be doing this.' Sara let her mind wonder when his lips touched hers again. Sara closed her eyes. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all. When Sara didn't protest to this, Nick kissed her a little more forcefully, but still keeping it gentle. Sara began to kiss him back while she let her hands slowly travel up his undershirt. He hadn't managed to get a shirt on yet.
Even through the fabric, Sara could feel his well sculpted body. 'I guess that comes from playing football,' she thought. She let her arms find their way around his neck. Then she let her lips part to allow his tongue into her mouth. Sara moaned into his mouth when his hands started to travel upwards from her waist, slowly pulling her shirt up with it.
She knew she should have said something. There were clearly issues with what they were doing. But while her hands moved to started pulling her undershirt up, Sara wasn't thinking about the aftermath of what they were doing. She was just living in the moment.