iAnd how we laugh and how we smile
And how this heart was yours and mine
And how a dream was out of reach
I stood by you, you stood by me/i
Just as Nick was getting very aggravated by the ringing, the owner answered it. Not in his wildest dreams could he comprehend what he was going to hear… "Sidle."
He almost dropped the cup he was holding. "Sidle? Not Sara Sidle," he said to himself. "It just can't be." He listened to the conversation which was filled with "yeah" and "oh" and "It's okay". And he couldn't mistake the voice. "Don't risk a glance, Stokes. Don't…" But he just couldn't…
Sara's co-worker back at San Francisco Carrie Simpson was calling. "How are you girl?" she said excitedly. "How's Vegas? How are the guys there?"
"I'm fine and Vegas is fine… just how I left it. Uh, I don't know about the guys since I haven't been out much."
"Duh, like you go out! So it's like this… we have a case here that I just couldn't solve. We need your ass back here, Sara."
"Yeah? Oh well, you just have to cope without me for another 36 hours. By the way, I'm here in my old crime lab. You know… one of the best in the country."
"Where that Nick guy works… right. Is he there?"
Sara didn't risk a peek and quickly said, "No, he's not. Hey, girl… I have to call you back. Uh… good luck on your case and see you when I come back."
"All right then, make sure you bring me something back…"
"What a decapitated head, a decomp, or what?" she chuckled. "I'm kidding! This is Vegas after all. Okay …bye." She hung up and immersed herself back to the magazine.
Now Nick was sweating bullets. The coffee was done and he downed a whole cup and was pouring another one. "It's now or it's never, Stokes. You got to face the music…" Slowly, he wheeled around and his breath was caught in his throat. "Sara…" but no voice came out. He stared at her long enough to melt her.
His spine tingled when she chuckled at the article she was reading. He smiled when her eyes lit up in interest. He doesn't know how to approach her. Until he remembered the personalized coffee mugs Warrick gave them for Thanksgiving three years before. All of them has one, just like the one he was using. Sara left hers in the crime lab. He filled her cup with her usual mix… his mix… and gathered up the courage to approach her finally after two long and lonely years.
"Oh please, it's nothing but colored fingerprint powder," she whispered to herself. The smell of strong coffee filled her nose. This reminded her of her mix… Nicky's mix. She paused and fought back tears. She tried to push the thoughts of Nick from her mind until a familiar coffee cup materialized in front of her accompanied with a voice she knew very, very well.
"It's your usual blend, two lumps, two packets of crème, Hawaiian," Nick said trying to keep his voice sounding normal. Sara's hand came up slowly to grasp the cup. Their fingers brushed for a split second and electricity bolted through their veins.
"Thanks," she said without looking up. She took a sip and felt the temperature go up within her body and in the room. The heat increased as she felt the part of the couch beside her shift under the weight of Nick. She can feel their proximity suffocate her. She took a healthy quaff of the delicious coffee and tried to calm her pounding heart.
"So…" Nick started.
"So…" Sara echoed.
"You're back," he said with a lump in his throat. He looked like he was talking with the June-July issue of Cath's Vogue. "Permanently or just a visit?"
"Just a visit," she answered in a heartbeat. She was so uneasy being beside him once more yet looking at a picture of animated milk cartons on what she was reading.
"Sara…" he gasped as she said with him, "Nick…" They finally looked up into each other's eyes and felt the love they still felt for one another. "You go first…" Nick whispered.
She put down the magazine she was reading and took another sip, "Uh… thanks for the coffee. I… uh… kind of missed it."
His impending smile was diminished. "Damn it, why did you assume you'll hear those three words again from her?" he berated himself. "Oh… no problem. Well, Sara…" her heart broke as he murmured her name, "Welcome back." He stood up, gulped down his remaining coffee and said, "I'm only in half shift. I have to go. It's been nice seeing you again, my… I mean, Sara." He then turned to leave. For a second there, he was going to say 'my sweet'.
She watched him leave her alone in the break room. Suddenly the room lost its warmth and the tears fell from her eyes once more. He was still the same Nick Stokes. The same neat hair, tight shirt that showcased his muscles, unchanged Texan drawl that made her weak in the knees… he was still the same Nicky. What did he think about her? She curled up into a ball and sobbed quietly not to draw attention to herself.
Nick walked like he was in a walkathon to his Tahoe. He drove out aimlessly as he tried to digest what has happened. Sara Sidle… with him in the break room. The one he loved through all these years, finally back within his grasp. "But, Sara being Sara… she's untouchable." Then he remembered what Grissom said about being content. "She's the only one missing in my life. That's why I'm not content with myself. I'm not complete…"
And how this heart was yours and mine
And how a dream was out of reach
I stood by you, you stood by me/i
Just as Nick was getting very aggravated by the ringing, the owner answered it. Not in his wildest dreams could he comprehend what he was going to hear… "Sidle."
He almost dropped the cup he was holding. "Sidle? Not Sara Sidle," he said to himself. "It just can't be." He listened to the conversation which was filled with "yeah" and "oh" and "It's okay". And he couldn't mistake the voice. "Don't risk a glance, Stokes. Don't…" But he just couldn't…
Sara's co-worker back at San Francisco Carrie Simpson was calling. "How are you girl?" she said excitedly. "How's Vegas? How are the guys there?"
"I'm fine and Vegas is fine… just how I left it. Uh, I don't know about the guys since I haven't been out much."
"Duh, like you go out! So it's like this… we have a case here that I just couldn't solve. We need your ass back here, Sara."
"Yeah? Oh well, you just have to cope without me for another 36 hours. By the way, I'm here in my old crime lab. You know… one of the best in the country."
"Where that Nick guy works… right. Is he there?"
Sara didn't risk a peek and quickly said, "No, he's not. Hey, girl… I have to call you back. Uh… good luck on your case and see you when I come back."
"All right then, make sure you bring me something back…"
"What a decapitated head, a decomp, or what?" she chuckled. "I'm kidding! This is Vegas after all. Okay …bye." She hung up and immersed herself back to the magazine.
Now Nick was sweating bullets. The coffee was done and he downed a whole cup and was pouring another one. "It's now or it's never, Stokes. You got to face the music…" Slowly, he wheeled around and his breath was caught in his throat. "Sara…" but no voice came out. He stared at her long enough to melt her.
His spine tingled when she chuckled at the article she was reading. He smiled when her eyes lit up in interest. He doesn't know how to approach her. Until he remembered the personalized coffee mugs Warrick gave them for Thanksgiving three years before. All of them has one, just like the one he was using. Sara left hers in the crime lab. He filled her cup with her usual mix… his mix… and gathered up the courage to approach her finally after two long and lonely years.
"Oh please, it's nothing but colored fingerprint powder," she whispered to herself. The smell of strong coffee filled her nose. This reminded her of her mix… Nicky's mix. She paused and fought back tears. She tried to push the thoughts of Nick from her mind until a familiar coffee cup materialized in front of her accompanied with a voice she knew very, very well.
"It's your usual blend, two lumps, two packets of crème, Hawaiian," Nick said trying to keep his voice sounding normal. Sara's hand came up slowly to grasp the cup. Their fingers brushed for a split second and electricity bolted through their veins.
"Thanks," she said without looking up. She took a sip and felt the temperature go up within her body and in the room. The heat increased as she felt the part of the couch beside her shift under the weight of Nick. She can feel their proximity suffocate her. She took a healthy quaff of the delicious coffee and tried to calm her pounding heart.
"So…" Nick started.
"So…" Sara echoed.
"You're back," he said with a lump in his throat. He looked like he was talking with the June-July issue of Cath's Vogue. "Permanently or just a visit?"
"Just a visit," she answered in a heartbeat. She was so uneasy being beside him once more yet looking at a picture of animated milk cartons on what she was reading.
"Sara…" he gasped as she said with him, "Nick…" They finally looked up into each other's eyes and felt the love they still felt for one another. "You go first…" Nick whispered.
She put down the magazine she was reading and took another sip, "Uh… thanks for the coffee. I… uh… kind of missed it."
His impending smile was diminished. "Damn it, why did you assume you'll hear those three words again from her?" he berated himself. "Oh… no problem. Well, Sara…" her heart broke as he murmured her name, "Welcome back." He stood up, gulped down his remaining coffee and said, "I'm only in half shift. I have to go. It's been nice seeing you again, my… I mean, Sara." He then turned to leave. For a second there, he was going to say 'my sweet'.
She watched him leave her alone in the break room. Suddenly the room lost its warmth and the tears fell from her eyes once more. He was still the same Nick Stokes. The same neat hair, tight shirt that showcased his muscles, unchanged Texan drawl that made her weak in the knees… he was still the same Nicky. What did he think about her? She curled up into a ball and sobbed quietly not to draw attention to herself.
Nick walked like he was in a walkathon to his Tahoe. He drove out aimlessly as he tried to digest what has happened. Sara Sidle… with him in the break room. The one he loved through all these years, finally back within his grasp. "But, Sara being Sara… she's untouchable." Then he remembered what Grissom said about being content. "She's the only one missing in my life. That's why I'm not content with myself. I'm not complete…"