The Way It Is
By: Anti Darth Ani
----------
Chapter X - Desperate
----------
Only two more chapters after this. This chapter is dedicated to all my die hard Sara/Nick fans who are still with me, through everything I've already put you through. I'm sure you'll appreciate it by the end. Or at least I sure hope so.
By the by, this chapter starts a week after the last chapter, meaning Nick's known about Sara and Hank for a week. Just thought you should know!
----------
Sara sat in her SUV, staring straight ahead. The vehicle had been turned off for a good ten minutes, but Sara couldn't force herself to get out and just go into the building. It had been a week since she had been in there and she didn't know how he was going to act. Hell, she didn't even know if he knew about her date.
Even on the darkest nights, Vegas was lit from the ground to the sky with all the numerous lights the casinos used to lure people, like bugs to the lights. Sara stared at the building, trying to work up the courage to just go in and work. She was going to be late if she didn't and Grissom wouldn't be too happy.
Why did she even care, she wondered. Even if Warrick had told him, Sara shouldn't have even cared. Sara opened the SUV door, glad to have her old vehicle back again, looking the same before the crash. She slipped her bag over her shoulder and shut the door, locking it with her automatic key ring.
Sara walked briskly through the front door, trying not to stop for anyone or anything. She just wanted to make it to the locker room with seeing him. If she could make it to the locker room, then there was a possibility that Grissom would put them on different cases and she wouldn't have to confront him. She was going to have to ask Warrick if he had mentioned what he saw to Nick. Sara hoped Warrick wouldn't ask why.
Opening the locker room door, Sara's heart fell when she saw Nick standing at his locker, clipping his ID tag to his shirt. When she let the door close behind her, he looked up. Sara saw a flicker of emotion on his face, but it was quickly replaced by his regular grin, "Hey," he barely whispered.
Sara forced herself to walk over to her locker next to his. She opened it and stuffed her bag in. Pulling out her ID tag and seeing Nick stealing glances at her, she couldn't help but remember the first night back at work after their game of strip poker. Sara hadn't been able to stop smiling and while waiting on Greg to process an important piece of DNA for their case, Nick had pulled her into the locker room. The left side of Sara's mouth formed a smile at the memory of the first time they had made out in the locker room.
Sara shut the locker door, only to find that Nick had left and Warrick was walking in. Sara leaned back against the lockers and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. How had she let things get so screwed up? Had she really let her past feelings for Grissom mess everything else up?
Warrick glanced over at her, "You look like you're feeling better," Warrick commented, trying to lighten the mood, even if that wasn't what he thought. Sara groaned and closed her eyes. She wanted to rewind back to the locker room and just pull away from Nick so Grissom wouldn't have known. She couldn't help but blame things on him.
"I've been better," Sara muttered, turning to face him. "Do you believe that smart people can be really stupid at times?" she asked. Maybe everything in the past week had been a mistake. She had sat in her apartment, staring at the only picture she had of her and Nick together. There was always the little cloud of doubt that things between them would eventually end, but Sara wasn't ready for that. Not yet.
Warrick chuckled, "The smart people are the ones who tend to screw up the worst." Warrick gave her a questioning glance, "Why do you ask?"
Sara shook her head, "No reason," she replied, heading out of the locker room to get to a busy night of work to take her mind off of Nick.
----------
Nick glanced at the clock on his VCR. It was already five in the morning. He was drained from work, even though the case he had worked with Catherine had been cut and dry, a simple robbery with a criminal who wasn't too smart. He had left as soon as shift had ended, but he couldn't manage to talk himself into sleeping.
His nights had all seemed to be this way lately. No matter what he did, whatever he tried, he hated getting in his bed all alone now. Whether he liked to admit it or not, he missed having Sara with him, in a sexual way or not, it didn't matter. Just having her to talk with and joke around with made him fill more complete.
When Warrick had told him he had spotted her with Hank, he had felt something he had never felt before. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew he was at least a little bit jealous. He couldn't explain any of this to anyone, because no one knew what had happened between him and Sara except Grissom. And Grissom only knew the tip of the iceberg. Nick wasn't about to talk about Sara with Grissom. He valued his life.
----------
Sara yawned, walking down the main corridor of the crime lab. After working a double shift, she was ready to go home and fall into her comfortable bed, or couch, which ever one she could get to first would be better. She did have to have a small discussion with someone first before she could leave, though. Warrick had just left and Sara was happy that not many other people we in the lab. That made things easier for her.
Sara knocked on his door and didn't wait for a response before opening it and stepping inside. She made sure the door closed tightly, just in case other members of the night shift haven't left yet. Grissom looked up from his desk, pulling off his glasses to look at her. "Do you need something, Sara?" he asked.
Sara walked up to his desk and leaned forward, placing her hands on his desk to balance her weight. "Why do you even care?" she asked him. She needed answers. Just a few to some questions that had been bouncing around in her head since the accident.
"Do you mean about you getting in that car crash?" Grissom asked, not quite sure what she was getting at.
Sara shook her head. "No, I'm not talking about the car crash."
Grissom looked down at the piles of paperwork he needed to do before looking back up at her. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about then."
Sara sighed and tried to calm down a little. She could already see her fingers around his neck, strangling him because he was so stupid at times. "About Nick," she clarified. "Why did you even have to bother with that, Gris? Couldn't you have just left it be without feeling the urge to butt in?"
Grissom felt like he had been slapped in the face. He didn't even realize that she would have been relating to her relationship with Nick. He knew something had changed because they rarely spoke to each other during shift. "Rules are rules, Sara. You and Nick both know that. I thought you should make sure you knew what you were getting into."
"I did know, Grissom. I knew what I was doing, and then you do that thing you always do. You planted a seed of doubt in my mind because you knew I'd go running. What? Did you think it was your job to make sure I wasn't happy? Why do you always to this?"
"I didn't know I bothered you so much," Grissom replied, an icy coldness to his voice. He put his glasses back on and looked back down at his paperwork. "Would it make you feel better if I apologized?" Grissom asked, not paying much attention to her.
"No, Grissom, it won't make me FEEL better," Sara snapped, truly annoyed. "Apologizes are just words." That sounded faintly familiar to Grissom. "You may be good with words, but you suck with emotions. Sometimes I wonder if you even have any." With that, Sara turned on her heels and left. That didn't sound so familiar.
By: Anti Darth Ani
----------
Chapter X - Desperate
----------
Only two more chapters after this. This chapter is dedicated to all my die hard Sara/Nick fans who are still with me, through everything I've already put you through. I'm sure you'll appreciate it by the end. Or at least I sure hope so.
By the by, this chapter starts a week after the last chapter, meaning Nick's known about Sara and Hank for a week. Just thought you should know!
----------
Sara sat in her SUV, staring straight ahead. The vehicle had been turned off for a good ten minutes, but Sara couldn't force herself to get out and just go into the building. It had been a week since she had been in there and she didn't know how he was going to act. Hell, she didn't even know if he knew about her date.
Even on the darkest nights, Vegas was lit from the ground to the sky with all the numerous lights the casinos used to lure people, like bugs to the lights. Sara stared at the building, trying to work up the courage to just go in and work. She was going to be late if she didn't and Grissom wouldn't be too happy.
Why did she even care, she wondered. Even if Warrick had told him, Sara shouldn't have even cared. Sara opened the SUV door, glad to have her old vehicle back again, looking the same before the crash. She slipped her bag over her shoulder and shut the door, locking it with her automatic key ring.
Sara walked briskly through the front door, trying not to stop for anyone or anything. She just wanted to make it to the locker room with seeing him. If she could make it to the locker room, then there was a possibility that Grissom would put them on different cases and she wouldn't have to confront him. She was going to have to ask Warrick if he had mentioned what he saw to Nick. Sara hoped Warrick wouldn't ask why.
Opening the locker room door, Sara's heart fell when she saw Nick standing at his locker, clipping his ID tag to his shirt. When she let the door close behind her, he looked up. Sara saw a flicker of emotion on his face, but it was quickly replaced by his regular grin, "Hey," he barely whispered.
Sara forced herself to walk over to her locker next to his. She opened it and stuffed her bag in. Pulling out her ID tag and seeing Nick stealing glances at her, she couldn't help but remember the first night back at work after their game of strip poker. Sara hadn't been able to stop smiling and while waiting on Greg to process an important piece of DNA for their case, Nick had pulled her into the locker room. The left side of Sara's mouth formed a smile at the memory of the first time they had made out in the locker room.
Sara shut the locker door, only to find that Nick had left and Warrick was walking in. Sara leaned back against the lockers and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. How had she let things get so screwed up? Had she really let her past feelings for Grissom mess everything else up?
Warrick glanced over at her, "You look like you're feeling better," Warrick commented, trying to lighten the mood, even if that wasn't what he thought. Sara groaned and closed her eyes. She wanted to rewind back to the locker room and just pull away from Nick so Grissom wouldn't have known. She couldn't help but blame things on him.
"I've been better," Sara muttered, turning to face him. "Do you believe that smart people can be really stupid at times?" she asked. Maybe everything in the past week had been a mistake. She had sat in her apartment, staring at the only picture she had of her and Nick together. There was always the little cloud of doubt that things between them would eventually end, but Sara wasn't ready for that. Not yet.
Warrick chuckled, "The smart people are the ones who tend to screw up the worst." Warrick gave her a questioning glance, "Why do you ask?"
Sara shook her head, "No reason," she replied, heading out of the locker room to get to a busy night of work to take her mind off of Nick.
----------
Nick glanced at the clock on his VCR. It was already five in the morning. He was drained from work, even though the case he had worked with Catherine had been cut and dry, a simple robbery with a criminal who wasn't too smart. He had left as soon as shift had ended, but he couldn't manage to talk himself into sleeping.
His nights had all seemed to be this way lately. No matter what he did, whatever he tried, he hated getting in his bed all alone now. Whether he liked to admit it or not, he missed having Sara with him, in a sexual way or not, it didn't matter. Just having her to talk with and joke around with made him fill more complete.
When Warrick had told him he had spotted her with Hank, he had felt something he had never felt before. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew he was at least a little bit jealous. He couldn't explain any of this to anyone, because no one knew what had happened between him and Sara except Grissom. And Grissom only knew the tip of the iceberg. Nick wasn't about to talk about Sara with Grissom. He valued his life.
----------
Sara yawned, walking down the main corridor of the crime lab. After working a double shift, she was ready to go home and fall into her comfortable bed, or couch, which ever one she could get to first would be better. She did have to have a small discussion with someone first before she could leave, though. Warrick had just left and Sara was happy that not many other people we in the lab. That made things easier for her.
Sara knocked on his door and didn't wait for a response before opening it and stepping inside. She made sure the door closed tightly, just in case other members of the night shift haven't left yet. Grissom looked up from his desk, pulling off his glasses to look at her. "Do you need something, Sara?" he asked.
Sara walked up to his desk and leaned forward, placing her hands on his desk to balance her weight. "Why do you even care?" she asked him. She needed answers. Just a few to some questions that had been bouncing around in her head since the accident.
"Do you mean about you getting in that car crash?" Grissom asked, not quite sure what she was getting at.
Sara shook her head. "No, I'm not talking about the car crash."
Grissom looked down at the piles of paperwork he needed to do before looking back up at her. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about then."
Sara sighed and tried to calm down a little. She could already see her fingers around his neck, strangling him because he was so stupid at times. "About Nick," she clarified. "Why did you even have to bother with that, Gris? Couldn't you have just left it be without feeling the urge to butt in?"
Grissom felt like he had been slapped in the face. He didn't even realize that she would have been relating to her relationship with Nick. He knew something had changed because they rarely spoke to each other during shift. "Rules are rules, Sara. You and Nick both know that. I thought you should make sure you knew what you were getting into."
"I did know, Grissom. I knew what I was doing, and then you do that thing you always do. You planted a seed of doubt in my mind because you knew I'd go running. What? Did you think it was your job to make sure I wasn't happy? Why do you always to this?"
"I didn't know I bothered you so much," Grissom replied, an icy coldness to his voice. He put his glasses back on and looked back down at his paperwork. "Would it make you feel better if I apologized?" Grissom asked, not paying much attention to her.
"No, Grissom, it won't make me FEEL better," Sara snapped, truly annoyed. "Apologizes are just words." That sounded faintly familiar to Grissom. "You may be good with words, but you suck with emotions. Sometimes I wonder if you even have any." With that, Sara turned on her heels and left. That didn't sound so familiar.