The Way It Is
By: Anti Darth Ani
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Chapter XI - Birthday
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Sara woke up breathing sharply. Another nightmare, just like all the other nights when she couldn't sleep. She would drift off and then awaken suddenly with the feeling that someone was watching, although no one ever was. The dreams had stopped during the short time she had spent with Nick, but now they were back and they had been the past few nights.
Sara had the strong urge to just call him out of the blue. She knew she never would, but the thought of hearing him calmly talking to her, maybe as if nothing had happened, helped her settle back down in bed. The thought that it would have been better if they had never ended up together never crossed her mind. Being with Nick had been the best thing in her life, even if it had ended horribly.
They had promised that if things hadn't worked out that they would still be friends. As Sara pulled the blankets back up close to her body, she knew they had been joking. After being with him, laying in his bed dozens of nights, Sara could never imagine looking at him again in the same way she had before.
Sleepiness pulled her back into the bed, her eyes finally closed. She had just drifted off when the phone started to ring. She didn't even hear it.
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Sara woke up the next afternoon, feeling better. She hadn't had another nightmare when she had finally managed to fall back asleep. She yawned and quickly changed into the first clothes she could get her hands on. She never really cared about what she wore to work. She had at the beginning, when she had tried to impress Grissom, but Grissom never even noticed, so she had given up.
Sara was surprised when she walked through the living room to the kitchen to eat a light meal. The number on her answering machine was blinking one, indicating someone had left a message after she had fallen asleep the previous morning.
After a moment's hesitation, Sara hit the play button. Sara smiled to herself when she heard Nick's comforting voice fill the empty apartment. All Sara managed to get out of the message was that he wanted her to come over to his place after work. He wanted a chance to talk to her away from all of their coworkers.
Sara wasn't sure what this message meant, but she felt a small sliver of hope fill her heart. Things may work out with Nick after all.
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Work was long and tedious, never ending in the cases they always had to solve. Sara, Catherine, and Grissom had worked on the case of a dead toddler, but it ended up being an accidental drowning. Sara didn't know which was worse - parents killing their own children on purpose or their children dying because their parents had neglected them. Neither was very comforting.
Sara wasn't quite sure what Warrick and Nick had been working on, but Sara didn't really care either. She was slightly disappointed that she hadn't seen Nick at all that shift. She had been hoping to bump into him so she could casually bring up the message he had left on her machine. She decided she would just have to show up at his house and hope for the best.
Sara pulled her tote bag out of her locker and replaced her ID card. She had to admit that she was a little nervous about just showing up at his house, but she couldn't help hoping for the best. Maybe things would go smoothly and since Warrick had told him about her date with Hank, she might get a chance to explain it to him. To tell him that it didn't mean anything to her. Hank meant nothing to her. But Nick did.
Sara closed her locker door and slipped her bag onto her shoulder, heading out to her car. Double shifts always wore her out and she was already close to her maximum limit of overtime for the month. She hadn't gotten much sleep lately because of her nightmares and she was ready to fall asleep.
As Sara made her way to her SUV, she decided she could go to her apartment and change, maybe grab a quick bite to eat if anything in her refrigerator was any good, and then head over to Nick's house. She didn't want to call him when she got home because she didn't want to face if it he changed his mind.
Sara slipped into the Denali and turned it on. She backed out of the parking lot and drove home with the radio playing softly in the background. She tried to never get into the music while driving, especially since the accident. She didn't want anything that could even slightly distract her. Another encounter with Hank would possibly kill her this time.
Sara arrived at home in record time. Quickly, she hopped out and locked it. Fumbling with her keys to find the one to the front door, Sara walked briskly up to the main hall. She opened the door and walked in, then unlocked the second door. It clicked and then Sara opened it and hurried into the sitting room on the main floor. Sara decided to take the stairs because she was on the second floor and the elevator took way too long to operate.
When Sara finally made it into her apartment, after taking the stairs two at a time, she unlocked the front door and flipped the light switch on. Her apartment looked the same as it had when she had left it only a little while ago. She wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or a good thing. She would think and worry about that a little later.
Rummaging through her fridge, she didn't find anything that looked even remotely eatable. She threw away all the Chinese take-out containers into her main trash can by the kitchen bar. Sara checked her messages on the way to her bedroom, not surprised that a solid zero appeared on the LCD. Maybe she did need more of a life outside of work.
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Sara stared at the front door in front of her face. Something didn't seem right to her. Maybe it was because the whole house was dark, or maybe something else she just couldn't place. She thought about leaving and calling, telling him she hadn't been able to make it, but what if he had seen her SUV parked in his driveway? Then what would she tell him?
Sara took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. To make sure he heard her, she also rang the doorbell. She didn't want to appear anxious, but she was. Very. She waited for a minute or two, thinking this whole thing was ridiculous. It was three in the morning and she was at Nick's house, in hopes of talking things out with him.
The door opened and Nick stood there. Sara looked at him questioningly, but he didn't say a word. He started to, but found it better to just keep his mouth shut. Sara couldn't find anything to say. She just needed to find one thing to say, one word to start a conversion with him. Do anything but just stand on his front step and act like an idiot.
The lights inside the house suddenly flicked on and Sara noticed that Nick hadn't touched anything. His eyes were staring into hers and Sara could see the hurt in them. Her heart sank when all of the night crew appeared in the living room and yelled 'Surprise'. She barely heard any of this, and neither of them moved. They both just stood frozen, staring at each other.
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Only one more chapter that I have to write and upload. It's going to be good, so hang in there just a little bit longer!!!
By: Anti Darth Ani
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Chapter XI - Birthday
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Sara woke up breathing sharply. Another nightmare, just like all the other nights when she couldn't sleep. She would drift off and then awaken suddenly with the feeling that someone was watching, although no one ever was. The dreams had stopped during the short time she had spent with Nick, but now they were back and they had been the past few nights.
Sara had the strong urge to just call him out of the blue. She knew she never would, but the thought of hearing him calmly talking to her, maybe as if nothing had happened, helped her settle back down in bed. The thought that it would have been better if they had never ended up together never crossed her mind. Being with Nick had been the best thing in her life, even if it had ended horribly.
They had promised that if things hadn't worked out that they would still be friends. As Sara pulled the blankets back up close to her body, she knew they had been joking. After being with him, laying in his bed dozens of nights, Sara could never imagine looking at him again in the same way she had before.
Sleepiness pulled her back into the bed, her eyes finally closed. She had just drifted off when the phone started to ring. She didn't even hear it.
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Sara woke up the next afternoon, feeling better. She hadn't had another nightmare when she had finally managed to fall back asleep. She yawned and quickly changed into the first clothes she could get her hands on. She never really cared about what she wore to work. She had at the beginning, when she had tried to impress Grissom, but Grissom never even noticed, so she had given up.
Sara was surprised when she walked through the living room to the kitchen to eat a light meal. The number on her answering machine was blinking one, indicating someone had left a message after she had fallen asleep the previous morning.
After a moment's hesitation, Sara hit the play button. Sara smiled to herself when she heard Nick's comforting voice fill the empty apartment. All Sara managed to get out of the message was that he wanted her to come over to his place after work. He wanted a chance to talk to her away from all of their coworkers.
Sara wasn't sure what this message meant, but she felt a small sliver of hope fill her heart. Things may work out with Nick after all.
----------
Work was long and tedious, never ending in the cases they always had to solve. Sara, Catherine, and Grissom had worked on the case of a dead toddler, but it ended up being an accidental drowning. Sara didn't know which was worse - parents killing their own children on purpose or their children dying because their parents had neglected them. Neither was very comforting.
Sara wasn't quite sure what Warrick and Nick had been working on, but Sara didn't really care either. She was slightly disappointed that she hadn't seen Nick at all that shift. She had been hoping to bump into him so she could casually bring up the message he had left on her machine. She decided she would just have to show up at his house and hope for the best.
Sara pulled her tote bag out of her locker and replaced her ID card. She had to admit that she was a little nervous about just showing up at his house, but she couldn't help hoping for the best. Maybe things would go smoothly and since Warrick had told him about her date with Hank, she might get a chance to explain it to him. To tell him that it didn't mean anything to her. Hank meant nothing to her. But Nick did.
Sara closed her locker door and slipped her bag onto her shoulder, heading out to her car. Double shifts always wore her out and she was already close to her maximum limit of overtime for the month. She hadn't gotten much sleep lately because of her nightmares and she was ready to fall asleep.
As Sara made her way to her SUV, she decided she could go to her apartment and change, maybe grab a quick bite to eat if anything in her refrigerator was any good, and then head over to Nick's house. She didn't want to call him when she got home because she didn't want to face if it he changed his mind.
Sara slipped into the Denali and turned it on. She backed out of the parking lot and drove home with the radio playing softly in the background. She tried to never get into the music while driving, especially since the accident. She didn't want anything that could even slightly distract her. Another encounter with Hank would possibly kill her this time.
Sara arrived at home in record time. Quickly, she hopped out and locked it. Fumbling with her keys to find the one to the front door, Sara walked briskly up to the main hall. She opened the door and walked in, then unlocked the second door. It clicked and then Sara opened it and hurried into the sitting room on the main floor. Sara decided to take the stairs because she was on the second floor and the elevator took way too long to operate.
When Sara finally made it into her apartment, after taking the stairs two at a time, she unlocked the front door and flipped the light switch on. Her apartment looked the same as it had when she had left it only a little while ago. She wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or a good thing. She would think and worry about that a little later.
Rummaging through her fridge, she didn't find anything that looked even remotely eatable. She threw away all the Chinese take-out containers into her main trash can by the kitchen bar. Sara checked her messages on the way to her bedroom, not surprised that a solid zero appeared on the LCD. Maybe she did need more of a life outside of work.
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Sara stared at the front door in front of her face. Something didn't seem right to her. Maybe it was because the whole house was dark, or maybe something else she just couldn't place. She thought about leaving and calling, telling him she hadn't been able to make it, but what if he had seen her SUV parked in his driveway? Then what would she tell him?
Sara took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. To make sure he heard her, she also rang the doorbell. She didn't want to appear anxious, but she was. Very. She waited for a minute or two, thinking this whole thing was ridiculous. It was three in the morning and she was at Nick's house, in hopes of talking things out with him.
The door opened and Nick stood there. Sara looked at him questioningly, but he didn't say a word. He started to, but found it better to just keep his mouth shut. Sara couldn't find anything to say. She just needed to find one thing to say, one word to start a conversion with him. Do anything but just stand on his front step and act like an idiot.
The lights inside the house suddenly flicked on and Sara noticed that Nick hadn't touched anything. His eyes were staring into hers and Sara could see the hurt in them. Her heart sank when all of the night crew appeared in the living room and yelled 'Surprise'. She barely heard any of this, and neither of them moved. They both just stood frozen, staring at each other.
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Only one more chapter that I have to write and upload. It's going to be good, so hang in there just a little bit longer!!!