Disclaimer: I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I certainly don't profit from them, but a dinner cruise on Lake Mead with George sure sounds nice.
This is a gift to my fellow Snickers.
There was something vaguely familiar about the handwriting, but not so familiar that it was clear who had written on the envelope. Nick Stokes just looked at the envelope taped to his locker quizzically and pulled it off, glancing around as if he was trying to catch someone watching him. His eyebrows curved upwards as he regarded the contents of the envelope; a note with the words 'I think you know what to do with these' and two tickets to a dinner cruise on Lake Mead. He let out a soft chuckle and glanced around again, sure that someone was going to be there to tell him what this was all about, but he was alone and as he shook his head and grabbed his ID badge, he tossed the envelope onto the shelf in the top of his locker and promptly closed the door to head to the briefing.
He was the last one in the break room; the rest of the team of CSIs were already assembled and waiting for Grissom to finish his description of how his pet tarantula 'Fluffy' had devoured one of his errant racing cockroaches.
Catherine glanced up, rolling her eyes and flashing Nick a smile as he took a seat at the table between her and Warrick.
Grissom finished his story and then with a barely perceptible smile he began to hand out assignments. "Catherine, you and Warrick have a 427 out in Summerlin. Brass is on his way out there now. The victim is a fourteen year old boy. Possible abduction by non-custodial parent." He handed them a slip. He furrowed his brow slightly and then glanced at Sara. "Sara, you and Nicky have a 426. Detective Vega is already there."
Nick noticed Sara's jaw tighten at the mention of the 426. Rape cases were never fun for any of them, but he wondered if Grissom ever noticed how hard they were on her in particular. Nick took the slip from Grissom's hand and glanced at Sara with an impish grin and a wink as he stood up; the twitch upward at the corners of her mouth was his reward.
After they processed the scene they headed to the hospital to pick up the SART kit. The victim, a 21 year old college student living in a ground floor apartment close to the Western LVU campus, had been woken from her sleep by a searing pain in her groin area and a man pinning her down by her throat. She was able to push him away long enough to let out a scream and it was this that probably had saved her life. From what they could ascertain, the perpetrator had fled through an open window in her bedroom.
Once they had collected the kit and interviewed the victim, the pair headed back to the lab. Sara was more quiet than usual. Nick looked over at her a bit concerned. "You ok?"
She glanced over at him and nodded. "Yeah." She gazed out the window. "I just hate cases like this. If she had just put a dowel in the window frame to lock it shut he wouldn't have been able to get in."
Nick nodded. "Easy entry and egress."
Sara rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes for a moment. "Can I ask you something, Nick?"
"Shoot." He replied glancing over at her with a smile.
She let out a sigh and furrowed her brow. "Do you ever wonder what Grissom is thinking when he hands out cases?"
Nick shook his head. "I've stopped wondering why Grissom does things a long time ago. I have to believe that he assigns cases to the people he thinks are going to take the most care."
She cast him a doubtful look.
"All I'm saying is that he trusts the skills we have to do our jobs and to do right by the victims. How he chooses who goes where is a mystery to all of us." Nick concluded.
"I suppose it's a good thing that I have tomorrow night off." She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to massage the tension from her neck.
Nick's eyebrows arched upward in surprise. "You have the night off?"
Sara deadpanned. "Don't look so surprised. The department seems to have instituted a use it or lose it policy on vacation, so if I don't start using some I'll lose the ten weeks I have stored up."
"Ten weeks." Nick whistle. "I knew you were a workaholic, but that's a little ridiculous even for you."
Sara rolled her eyes.
"Sara, when was the last time you went out?" Nick looked at her curiously.
"What exactly do you mean by went out?" She pursed her lips together. "The last time I took your advice and went out, I met Hank."
"He wasn't good enough for you." Nick quipped.
"You've got that right." Sara quipped right back. "Too bad I didn't figure that out until after I'd gone out with him."
Nick decided to take a chance. "Hey, I, uh, do you want to do something tomorrow night?"
Sara looked a little surprised.
Nick continued. "I have the night off too and someone put a couple of tickets to a dinner cruise on my locker. Do you want to go?"
Sara wasn't sure if he was asking her on a date, or if he was just trying to find someone to use the extra ticket. Either way, it sounded like fun. "Uh, sure."
"Really?" Nick grinned at her. The thought of spending the evening with Sara outside of work was suddenly very exciting.
"Yeah. It sounds like fun." She smiled at him, a bit amused by the grin that had overtaken his face.
"You're sure?" Nick just wanted to make sure she actually wanted to go and wasn't doing it just to make him feel better.
"Down, boy." Sara teased. "Yes, I want to go. I suppose I should probably dress up or something."
Nick's expression visibly brightened. "I suppose you should."
"And you'll probably have to do a little better than shirt." There were a few shirts that Nick owned that Sara had a particular distaste for and the one he was wearing at that moment was her least favorite of all of them.
"Hey, what's wrong with this shirt?" He feigned a hurt expression.
"It's hideous." Sara grimaced. "I think I've mentioned that before. In fact, I think Catherine has too."
Nick chuckled. "Well I'd rather ruin an ugly shirt at a crime scene than one that I wear all the time."
Sara raised an eyebrow. "Nick, you wear that shirt all the time."
"So it's Murphy's Law that I never work a decomp when I wear this shirt. Maybe it's just my lucky shirt." Nick defended with a smirk.
"Maybe I should steal that shirt." Sara was only half joking.
Nick let out a deep chuckle.
"But if you wear that shirt, you'll be going to that dinner cruise alone." Sara smirked at him.
"Pick you up at seven?" Nick smiled.
"Yeah." Sara felt a faint blush creeping into her cheeks as they pulled into the parking lot of the lab.
This is a gift to my fellow Snickers.
There was something vaguely familiar about the handwriting, but not so familiar that it was clear who had written on the envelope. Nick Stokes just looked at the envelope taped to his locker quizzically and pulled it off, glancing around as if he was trying to catch someone watching him. His eyebrows curved upwards as he regarded the contents of the envelope; a note with the words 'I think you know what to do with these' and two tickets to a dinner cruise on Lake Mead. He let out a soft chuckle and glanced around again, sure that someone was going to be there to tell him what this was all about, but he was alone and as he shook his head and grabbed his ID badge, he tossed the envelope onto the shelf in the top of his locker and promptly closed the door to head to the briefing.
He was the last one in the break room; the rest of the team of CSIs were already assembled and waiting for Grissom to finish his description of how his pet tarantula 'Fluffy' had devoured one of his errant racing cockroaches.
Catherine glanced up, rolling her eyes and flashing Nick a smile as he took a seat at the table between her and Warrick.
Grissom finished his story and then with a barely perceptible smile he began to hand out assignments. "Catherine, you and Warrick have a 427 out in Summerlin. Brass is on his way out there now. The victim is a fourteen year old boy. Possible abduction by non-custodial parent." He handed them a slip. He furrowed his brow slightly and then glanced at Sara. "Sara, you and Nicky have a 426. Detective Vega is already there."
Nick noticed Sara's jaw tighten at the mention of the 426. Rape cases were never fun for any of them, but he wondered if Grissom ever noticed how hard they were on her in particular. Nick took the slip from Grissom's hand and glanced at Sara with an impish grin and a wink as he stood up; the twitch upward at the corners of her mouth was his reward.
After they processed the scene they headed to the hospital to pick up the SART kit. The victim, a 21 year old college student living in a ground floor apartment close to the Western LVU campus, had been woken from her sleep by a searing pain in her groin area and a man pinning her down by her throat. She was able to push him away long enough to let out a scream and it was this that probably had saved her life. From what they could ascertain, the perpetrator had fled through an open window in her bedroom.
Once they had collected the kit and interviewed the victim, the pair headed back to the lab. Sara was more quiet than usual. Nick looked over at her a bit concerned. "You ok?"
She glanced over at him and nodded. "Yeah." She gazed out the window. "I just hate cases like this. If she had just put a dowel in the window frame to lock it shut he wouldn't have been able to get in."
Nick nodded. "Easy entry and egress."
Sara rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes for a moment. "Can I ask you something, Nick?"
"Shoot." He replied glancing over at her with a smile.
She let out a sigh and furrowed her brow. "Do you ever wonder what Grissom is thinking when he hands out cases?"
Nick shook his head. "I've stopped wondering why Grissom does things a long time ago. I have to believe that he assigns cases to the people he thinks are going to take the most care."
She cast him a doubtful look.
"All I'm saying is that he trusts the skills we have to do our jobs and to do right by the victims. How he chooses who goes where is a mystery to all of us." Nick concluded.
"I suppose it's a good thing that I have tomorrow night off." She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to massage the tension from her neck.
Nick's eyebrows arched upward in surprise. "You have the night off?"
Sara deadpanned. "Don't look so surprised. The department seems to have instituted a use it or lose it policy on vacation, so if I don't start using some I'll lose the ten weeks I have stored up."
"Ten weeks." Nick whistle. "I knew you were a workaholic, but that's a little ridiculous even for you."
Sara rolled her eyes.
"Sara, when was the last time you went out?" Nick looked at her curiously.
"What exactly do you mean by went out?" She pursed her lips together. "The last time I took your advice and went out, I met Hank."
"He wasn't good enough for you." Nick quipped.
"You've got that right." Sara quipped right back. "Too bad I didn't figure that out until after I'd gone out with him."
Nick decided to take a chance. "Hey, I, uh, do you want to do something tomorrow night?"
Sara looked a little surprised.
Nick continued. "I have the night off too and someone put a couple of tickets to a dinner cruise on my locker. Do you want to go?"
Sara wasn't sure if he was asking her on a date, or if he was just trying to find someone to use the extra ticket. Either way, it sounded like fun. "Uh, sure."
"Really?" Nick grinned at her. The thought of spending the evening with Sara outside of work was suddenly very exciting.
"Yeah. It sounds like fun." She smiled at him, a bit amused by the grin that had overtaken his face.
"You're sure?" Nick just wanted to make sure she actually wanted to go and wasn't doing it just to make him feel better.
"Down, boy." Sara teased. "Yes, I want to go. I suppose I should probably dress up or something."
Nick's expression visibly brightened. "I suppose you should."
"And you'll probably have to do a little better than shirt." There were a few shirts that Nick owned that Sara had a particular distaste for and the one he was wearing at that moment was her least favorite of all of them.
"Hey, what's wrong with this shirt?" He feigned a hurt expression.
"It's hideous." Sara grimaced. "I think I've mentioned that before. In fact, I think Catherine has too."
Nick chuckled. "Well I'd rather ruin an ugly shirt at a crime scene than one that I wear all the time."
Sara raised an eyebrow. "Nick, you wear that shirt all the time."
"So it's Murphy's Law that I never work a decomp when I wear this shirt. Maybe it's just my lucky shirt." Nick defended with a smirk.
"Maybe I should steal that shirt." Sara was only half joking.
Nick let out a deep chuckle.
"But if you wear that shirt, you'll be going to that dinner cruise alone." Sara smirked at him.
"Pick you up at seven?" Nick smiled.
"Yeah." Sara felt a faint blush creeping into her cheeks as they pulled into the parking lot of the lab.