Three Weeks Later:
"I have to say that this is a much better idea for a hobby than the last few we've come up with." Nick commented as he crushed a clove of garlic with the flat side of the blade of his knife.
Sara smirked. "Well at least your toes aren't in any danger with this one." She reached across the counter for the bottle of extra virgin olive oil and drizzled some into a pan that she was heating up to sauté some diced onions and the garlic Nick was crushing.
"The last one had potential." Nick commented as he slid the crushed garlic into a bowl.
Sara scoffed. "No offense, Nick, but skydiving is something that I don't intend to repeat."
"But you had fun." He grinned at her and reached for the can of crushed tomatoes.
She smirked. "Yes, I did have fun, especially after I was safely on the ground." She slid the garlic and diced onions into the now hot olive oil and began to stir as the heat began to release a fragrant aroma in the air of Sara's kitchen.
Nick handed her the newly opened can of crushed tomatoes and watched as she added them to the onions and garlic. "Would you ever consider going again?"
Sara laughed. "Probably not." She looked at him and smiled. "That jump scared the hell out of me."
Nick chuckled and then tried to stifle his laughter as Sara raised a single eyebrow at him. "Sort of ironic don't you think?"
Sara nodded a bit soberly and then the corners of her lips curled upward. "It is isn't it? There is no way I would ever consider trying that again now that I've jumped out of a plane."
Nick nudged her with his elbow and smiled softly. "I'm really glad to hear that."
She chuckled. "I know I have my moments, but I really think I'm doing a lot better overall." Her brow furrowed momentarily. "Aside from a few weeks ago."
"But you didn't give in, and that's what's important." Nick reminded her as a timer went off. A grin spread across his face. "Ok, I suppose that's my cue to see how my first loaf of bread turned out."
Sara stepped away from the stove so that Nick could open the oven. They both looked at the lopsided loaf of French bread that he had made and then looked at each other before laughing. Sara smirked at him. "I hope it tastes better than it looks."
"You and me both." He looked at the bread skeptically and then glanced at the clock on the wall. "Hey, I think everybody is going to be here soon. Should we grill the eggplant so we can get it in the oven?"
"Crap, I forgot to pull my grill pan out." She pointed at a cupboard next to the stove as she began to stir the tomato concoction. "I need to keep stirring this. It's in the second one over."
He found the pan and then set it across two burners, turning the flame on underneath them as he retrieved two eggplants from the refrigerator and began to slice them so they could grill them before putting them in a dish and baking them in the oven with Sara's sauce and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Someone knocked at the door and Sara glanced over at Nick. "Do you want to get that?"
He nodded and nearly tripped over Harley who had curled up on the floor at the entrance to the kitchen and fallen asleep. "Hey, little man, you'd better be careful where you sleep."
"At least he's given up trying to sleep in the sink." She called out, glancing over at the still sleeping kitten and smiling at the memory of him soaking wet because she hadn't noticed him in the sink until after she'd turned the water on.
Catherine smiled widely as Nick opened the door. "Something smells good."
"Well I'm glad you think so." Nick gestured for her to come in. "Hopefully you'll still think so after you try our cooking."
Aside from the fact that Nick and Sara had decided that cooking together was a good choice for a hobby and it might be good to have other people try the dishes they prepared, Sara inviting people into her home was a big deal. In the entire time she'd lived in Vegas, she'd rarely ever had anyone there because she'd spent most of her time at the lab. Her apartment had served only as a place to sleep and study or maybe watch the occasional movie, it had never really felt like a home. At least until Harley had moved in. Since Nick had gotten the kitten for her, she had spent more and more of her off time at home and as a result she had put pictures on the walls, hung drapes over the standard issue apartment blinds, and had been able to keep her house plants alive; at least the ones Harley didn't try and sleep in. So for her to actually host this pre-work dinner party was a big deal for her. She was willingly letting people into the life she was trying to build outside of work and she was actually enjoying it.
"Can I do anything to help?" Catherine offered as she greeted Sara over the counter dividing the kitchen from the living room.
Sara shook her head. "I think we've got everything under control." She smiled. "Besides, I don't think my kitchen is big enough for more than two people."
Over the next few minutes, Warrick, Greg, and then Grissom showed up. They all settled themselves in Sara's living room and as the conversation increased, Harley began to stir. At first he wasn't sure what to make of all the extra humans in his world, but he slowly began to stalk towards the couch, making a leap for the back of it as he climbed up and came face to ear with Grissom. Wanting to become better acquainted, Harley leaned over and sniffed his ear before biting his earlobe.
Grissom jumped more from surprise than actual pain and quickly turned around to face the kitten who was now arching his back and hissing from fright. Grissom pursed his lips together and raised an eyebrow. "Harley I presume."
"Grissom, I'm sorry." Sara looked apologetic, while everyone else looked amused.
Nick walked over and scooped the kitten up, holding him at eye level. "Hey, little man, you can't be biting people like that."
"Merowrl." Harley squirmed in Nick's hands.
Grissom looked amused. "I suppose it was just his way of introducing himself."
The timer to the oven went off signaling that the eggplant parmesan was ready and Nick set the kitten down to retrieve it. Harley settled himself in the pot of Sara's aloe plant and curled up to go back to sleep as the group settled themselves around Sara's dining room table; another item Sara had added to her apartment since she'd gotten the kitten. She reasoned that if she was going to have people over once in a while, she needed a place for them to sit other than her couch.
Nick and Sara exchanged a few pleased glances as they watched the others try the food they had prepared.
"I cannot believe you made this bread." Greg looked at Nick a bit incredulously as he took another bite.
"Believe it man. Sara is my witness." Nick grinned at the compliment, despite the bread's lopsided appearance, the flavor really was very good.
"Might have to start calling you Betty Crocker." Warrick quipped good naturedly.
Grissom glanced at Warrick quizzically until Catherine leaned over and whispered. "Cooking reference." Grissom's eyebrows curved upward in understanding as he forked another bite of his food.
"Sara, you made the sauce?" Catherine asked as she took another bite of her food.
"She sure did." Nick grinned, pleased that the meal seemed to be going over so well, and even more pleased that Sara seemed to be doing so well. The person that she'd been up on that roof was slowly turning into someone who was very much alive, someone who was very much loving life.
She just smiled at him in response, thankful for having such a good friend. She really didn't think she would have come this far if it hadn't been for him, the gray ball of fur sleeping in her plant, and the rest of people around her table.
"I have to say that this is a much better idea for a hobby than the last few we've come up with." Nick commented as he crushed a clove of garlic with the flat side of the blade of his knife.
Sara smirked. "Well at least your toes aren't in any danger with this one." She reached across the counter for the bottle of extra virgin olive oil and drizzled some into a pan that she was heating up to sauté some diced onions and the garlic Nick was crushing.
"The last one had potential." Nick commented as he slid the crushed garlic into a bowl.
Sara scoffed. "No offense, Nick, but skydiving is something that I don't intend to repeat."
"But you had fun." He grinned at her and reached for the can of crushed tomatoes.
She smirked. "Yes, I did have fun, especially after I was safely on the ground." She slid the garlic and diced onions into the now hot olive oil and began to stir as the heat began to release a fragrant aroma in the air of Sara's kitchen.
Nick handed her the newly opened can of crushed tomatoes and watched as she added them to the onions and garlic. "Would you ever consider going again?"
Sara laughed. "Probably not." She looked at him and smiled. "That jump scared the hell out of me."
Nick chuckled and then tried to stifle his laughter as Sara raised a single eyebrow at him. "Sort of ironic don't you think?"
Sara nodded a bit soberly and then the corners of her lips curled upward. "It is isn't it? There is no way I would ever consider trying that again now that I've jumped out of a plane."
Nick nudged her with his elbow and smiled softly. "I'm really glad to hear that."
She chuckled. "I know I have my moments, but I really think I'm doing a lot better overall." Her brow furrowed momentarily. "Aside from a few weeks ago."
"But you didn't give in, and that's what's important." Nick reminded her as a timer went off. A grin spread across his face. "Ok, I suppose that's my cue to see how my first loaf of bread turned out."
Sara stepped away from the stove so that Nick could open the oven. They both looked at the lopsided loaf of French bread that he had made and then looked at each other before laughing. Sara smirked at him. "I hope it tastes better than it looks."
"You and me both." He looked at the bread skeptically and then glanced at the clock on the wall. "Hey, I think everybody is going to be here soon. Should we grill the eggplant so we can get it in the oven?"
"Crap, I forgot to pull my grill pan out." She pointed at a cupboard next to the stove as she began to stir the tomato concoction. "I need to keep stirring this. It's in the second one over."
He found the pan and then set it across two burners, turning the flame on underneath them as he retrieved two eggplants from the refrigerator and began to slice them so they could grill them before putting them in a dish and baking them in the oven with Sara's sauce and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Someone knocked at the door and Sara glanced over at Nick. "Do you want to get that?"
He nodded and nearly tripped over Harley who had curled up on the floor at the entrance to the kitchen and fallen asleep. "Hey, little man, you'd better be careful where you sleep."
"At least he's given up trying to sleep in the sink." She called out, glancing over at the still sleeping kitten and smiling at the memory of him soaking wet because she hadn't noticed him in the sink until after she'd turned the water on.
Catherine smiled widely as Nick opened the door. "Something smells good."
"Well I'm glad you think so." Nick gestured for her to come in. "Hopefully you'll still think so after you try our cooking."
Aside from the fact that Nick and Sara had decided that cooking together was a good choice for a hobby and it might be good to have other people try the dishes they prepared, Sara inviting people into her home was a big deal. In the entire time she'd lived in Vegas, she'd rarely ever had anyone there because she'd spent most of her time at the lab. Her apartment had served only as a place to sleep and study or maybe watch the occasional movie, it had never really felt like a home. At least until Harley had moved in. Since Nick had gotten the kitten for her, she had spent more and more of her off time at home and as a result she had put pictures on the walls, hung drapes over the standard issue apartment blinds, and had been able to keep her house plants alive; at least the ones Harley didn't try and sleep in. So for her to actually host this pre-work dinner party was a big deal for her. She was willingly letting people into the life she was trying to build outside of work and she was actually enjoying it.
"Can I do anything to help?" Catherine offered as she greeted Sara over the counter dividing the kitchen from the living room.
Sara shook her head. "I think we've got everything under control." She smiled. "Besides, I don't think my kitchen is big enough for more than two people."
Over the next few minutes, Warrick, Greg, and then Grissom showed up. They all settled themselves in Sara's living room and as the conversation increased, Harley began to stir. At first he wasn't sure what to make of all the extra humans in his world, but he slowly began to stalk towards the couch, making a leap for the back of it as he climbed up and came face to ear with Grissom. Wanting to become better acquainted, Harley leaned over and sniffed his ear before biting his earlobe.
Grissom jumped more from surprise than actual pain and quickly turned around to face the kitten who was now arching his back and hissing from fright. Grissom pursed his lips together and raised an eyebrow. "Harley I presume."
"Grissom, I'm sorry." Sara looked apologetic, while everyone else looked amused.
Nick walked over and scooped the kitten up, holding him at eye level. "Hey, little man, you can't be biting people like that."
"Merowrl." Harley squirmed in Nick's hands.
Grissom looked amused. "I suppose it was just his way of introducing himself."
The timer to the oven went off signaling that the eggplant parmesan was ready and Nick set the kitten down to retrieve it. Harley settled himself in the pot of Sara's aloe plant and curled up to go back to sleep as the group settled themselves around Sara's dining room table; another item Sara had added to her apartment since she'd gotten the kitten. She reasoned that if she was going to have people over once in a while, she needed a place for them to sit other than her couch.
Nick and Sara exchanged a few pleased glances as they watched the others try the food they had prepared.
"I cannot believe you made this bread." Greg looked at Nick a bit incredulously as he took another bite.
"Believe it man. Sara is my witness." Nick grinned at the compliment, despite the bread's lopsided appearance, the flavor really was very good.
"Might have to start calling you Betty Crocker." Warrick quipped good naturedly.
Grissom glanced at Warrick quizzically until Catherine leaned over and whispered. "Cooking reference." Grissom's eyebrows curved upward in understanding as he forked another bite of his food.
"Sara, you made the sauce?" Catherine asked as she took another bite of her food.
"She sure did." Nick grinned, pleased that the meal seemed to be going over so well, and even more pleased that Sara seemed to be doing so well. The person that she'd been up on that roof was slowly turning into someone who was very much alive, someone who was very much loving life.
She just smiled at him in response, thankful for having such a good friend. She really didn't think she would have come this far if it hadn't been for him, the gray ball of fur sleeping in her plant, and the rest of people around her table.