Nick glanced at Sara curiously as she picked at her food. "Something wrong?"
She glanced up at him and noticed his raised eyebrow. She shook her head. "Sorry, I just feel like you're babysitting me."
Nick looked at her for a long moment before he busted out laughing. "Babysitting you?"
She nodded a little sheepishly. "The only reason I'm here is because I got the feeling Grissom wouldn't let me work otherwise."
Nick smiled. "You're here because right now I think you need someone you can wake up and talk to if you have a nightmare." He speared a carrot with his fork and popped it into his mouth. "And I have a guest room." He smirked. "You were right about your couch."
She laughed in spite of herself. "I warned you."
"That you did." He grinned.
"I still feel like I'm putting you out." She mussed as she finally forked a piece of her vegetable stir fry and popped it in her mouth.
He shook his head in amusement. "Sara, I wouldn't have suggested that you stay with me if I felt you might put me out. Now if you start to alphabetize my spices, you're out of here." He smirked at her.
"Hey." She protested with a smile. "Spices should be in alphabetical order, that way you can find them easier."
Nick chuckled. "You're something, you know that?"
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Sara barbed back with a smirk.
He shook his head. "I just find it amusing that's all. You and my sister Angie would get along really well, except she alphabetizes her canned food too."
Sara became very interested in her plate at that moment as she seemed to have trouble getting a spear of broccoli on her fork.
Nick started laughing. "Don't tell me you alphabetize your canned food."
Sara looked up at him and shot him a withering glance.
Nick raised a hand in apology and then started coughing on his food as he tried to stop laughing. "I don't even want to see your medicine cabinet."
Nick's amusement suddenly became funny to her and she started laughing.
"See? Even you think it's funny." Nick teased.
She smirked at him. "Brat."
His eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. "Have you been talking to my sisters?"
"I bet you were a little brat, weren't you?" She giggled.
"I was a perfect angel." Nick grinned, popping another vegetable in his mouth.
"Uh, huh." Sara replied doubtfully.
Nick gestured towards her plate with his fork. "Better eat up there. We have a movie to watch."
She shook her head as she popped another forkful of food in her mouth. As she finished chewing, she furrowed her brow and looked at Nick curiously. "Do you have any cotton balls?"
Nick looked at her strangely. "Cotton balls?"
She smirked at him again. "I wanted to take the polish off of my toenails."
Nick wasn't sure what to say. "Ok."
Her expression could only be described as girlish. "Because I wanted to put a new color on them."
Nick chuckled and shook his head. "Sara, you amaze me."
She furrowed her brow a bit self consciously. "Why, just because I want to paint my toenails?"
He smiled. "No. I've just never seen this side of you before."
She smiled back. "You know I actually do more than just read forensic journals in my off time."
He gestured towards her plate again. "Finish that up and I'll see if I can find some cotton balls." He stood up and took his plate into the kitchen before heading down the hallway to the bathroom. When he returned about ten minutes later with a bag of cotton balls in hand, Sara had finished eating and was in the process of washing the dishes. Nick studied her for a moment. "You don't have to do that."
She smiled at him. "I want to. It's the least I can to do for what you've done for me."
Nick shook his head. "You don't owe me anything, Sara. If anything I owe you."
She turned and looked at him with an almost angry expression. "Nick, don't blame yourself; I don't. I'm the one that chose to climb on that railing. You pulled me off. Don't you understand that? You saved my life."
Nick felt emotion welling up in his throat. "But I wasn't there when you needed me. If I had said something earlier, you might not have done that."
"You were there when I needed you the most." Sara shook her head and set the dish she was drying down on the counter. "And besides, do you really think I would have listened to anyone earlier?"
Nick didn't know what to say.
Sara stepped towards him. "Look, I know that I'm far from ok, but I don't think I would be here right now if it wasn't for you." She reached out and pulled him into a hug.
Nick enveloped her in his arms. "I'm still sorry I didn't say something sooner." His voice wavered slightly.
Sara pulled out of his embrace and gave him a stern look. "Stop it. You can't change the past and neither can I."
Nick pulled her close again and hugged her before letting go of her completely. He put a smile on his face to cover up the tears that threatened. "Hey, I found you some cotton balls."
She took the bag from his outstretched hand and smiled. "Thanks. I'm just going to go put my pajamas on and get my nail polish."
Nick looked at her incredulously as she made her way down the hallway to his guest room. There was a whole lot about Sara that he didn't know and he had to admit that he was finding much of it highly amusing. He hadn't lived with a woman since he'd lived with his sisters at home. Sure he'd bedded enough, but he'd never actually lived with one. Suddenly he was finding Sara's habits highly entertaining.
He wandered into the living room and pulled out a couple of DVDs to let Sara choose from and settled himself on the couch.
She padded back into the living room in her tank top and pajama pants; her hair was up in ponytail and she had what looked like several colors of nail polish as well as a bottle of nail polish remover. She smiled at him as she settled herself on the couch next to him. "What are we watching?"
He tried to restrain his grin as he glanced at her toes, which were propped up on the coffee table. "Uh, I thought I'd let you chose."
Sara looked at the choices and Nick looked at her feet, wondering if he'd ever really seen them before and deciding that he hadn't. She glanced up at him. "What?"
"Uh, nothing." He pointed at her toes. "I just wondered what color that was."
She smirked at him. "Passion Punch, but I think I'm going to try Lilac Fusion."
"Oh." Nick pursed his lips together. "Sounds like a good choice. What movie did you want to see?"
She tossed the DVD case at him. "Pirates of the Caribbean."
She glanced up at him and noticed his raised eyebrow. She shook her head. "Sorry, I just feel like you're babysitting me."
Nick looked at her for a long moment before he busted out laughing. "Babysitting you?"
She nodded a little sheepishly. "The only reason I'm here is because I got the feeling Grissom wouldn't let me work otherwise."
Nick smiled. "You're here because right now I think you need someone you can wake up and talk to if you have a nightmare." He speared a carrot with his fork and popped it into his mouth. "And I have a guest room." He smirked. "You were right about your couch."
She laughed in spite of herself. "I warned you."
"That you did." He grinned.
"I still feel like I'm putting you out." She mussed as she finally forked a piece of her vegetable stir fry and popped it in her mouth.
He shook his head in amusement. "Sara, I wouldn't have suggested that you stay with me if I felt you might put me out. Now if you start to alphabetize my spices, you're out of here." He smirked at her.
"Hey." She protested with a smile. "Spices should be in alphabetical order, that way you can find them easier."
Nick chuckled. "You're something, you know that?"
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Sara barbed back with a smirk.
He shook his head. "I just find it amusing that's all. You and my sister Angie would get along really well, except she alphabetizes her canned food too."
Sara became very interested in her plate at that moment as she seemed to have trouble getting a spear of broccoli on her fork.
Nick started laughing. "Don't tell me you alphabetize your canned food."
Sara looked up at him and shot him a withering glance.
Nick raised a hand in apology and then started coughing on his food as he tried to stop laughing. "I don't even want to see your medicine cabinet."
Nick's amusement suddenly became funny to her and she started laughing.
"See? Even you think it's funny." Nick teased.
She smirked at him. "Brat."
His eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. "Have you been talking to my sisters?"
"I bet you were a little brat, weren't you?" She giggled.
"I was a perfect angel." Nick grinned, popping another vegetable in his mouth.
"Uh, huh." Sara replied doubtfully.
Nick gestured towards her plate with his fork. "Better eat up there. We have a movie to watch."
She shook her head as she popped another forkful of food in her mouth. As she finished chewing, she furrowed her brow and looked at Nick curiously. "Do you have any cotton balls?"
Nick looked at her strangely. "Cotton balls?"
She smirked at him again. "I wanted to take the polish off of my toenails."
Nick wasn't sure what to say. "Ok."
Her expression could only be described as girlish. "Because I wanted to put a new color on them."
Nick chuckled and shook his head. "Sara, you amaze me."
She furrowed her brow a bit self consciously. "Why, just because I want to paint my toenails?"
He smiled. "No. I've just never seen this side of you before."
She smiled back. "You know I actually do more than just read forensic journals in my off time."
He gestured towards her plate again. "Finish that up and I'll see if I can find some cotton balls." He stood up and took his plate into the kitchen before heading down the hallway to the bathroom. When he returned about ten minutes later with a bag of cotton balls in hand, Sara had finished eating and was in the process of washing the dishes. Nick studied her for a moment. "You don't have to do that."
She smiled at him. "I want to. It's the least I can to do for what you've done for me."
Nick shook his head. "You don't owe me anything, Sara. If anything I owe you."
She turned and looked at him with an almost angry expression. "Nick, don't blame yourself; I don't. I'm the one that chose to climb on that railing. You pulled me off. Don't you understand that? You saved my life."
Nick felt emotion welling up in his throat. "But I wasn't there when you needed me. If I had said something earlier, you might not have done that."
"You were there when I needed you the most." Sara shook her head and set the dish she was drying down on the counter. "And besides, do you really think I would have listened to anyone earlier?"
Nick didn't know what to say.
Sara stepped towards him. "Look, I know that I'm far from ok, but I don't think I would be here right now if it wasn't for you." She reached out and pulled him into a hug.
Nick enveloped her in his arms. "I'm still sorry I didn't say something sooner." His voice wavered slightly.
Sara pulled out of his embrace and gave him a stern look. "Stop it. You can't change the past and neither can I."
Nick pulled her close again and hugged her before letting go of her completely. He put a smile on his face to cover up the tears that threatened. "Hey, I found you some cotton balls."
She took the bag from his outstretched hand and smiled. "Thanks. I'm just going to go put my pajamas on and get my nail polish."
Nick looked at her incredulously as she made her way down the hallway to his guest room. There was a whole lot about Sara that he didn't know and he had to admit that he was finding much of it highly amusing. He hadn't lived with a woman since he'd lived with his sisters at home. Sure he'd bedded enough, but he'd never actually lived with one. Suddenly he was finding Sara's habits highly entertaining.
He wandered into the living room and pulled out a couple of DVDs to let Sara choose from and settled himself on the couch.
She padded back into the living room in her tank top and pajama pants; her hair was up in ponytail and she had what looked like several colors of nail polish as well as a bottle of nail polish remover. She smiled at him as she settled herself on the couch next to him. "What are we watching?"
He tried to restrain his grin as he glanced at her toes, which were propped up on the coffee table. "Uh, I thought I'd let you chose."
Sara looked at the choices and Nick looked at her feet, wondering if he'd ever really seen them before and deciding that he hadn't. She glanced up at him. "What?"
"Uh, nothing." He pointed at her toes. "I just wondered what color that was."
She smirked at him. "Passion Punch, but I think I'm going to try Lilac Fusion."
"Oh." Nick pursed his lips together. "Sounds like a good choice. What movie did you want to see?"
She tossed the DVD case at him. "Pirates of the Caribbean."