Nick smiled at Sara as he let her out of his embrace. "It's gonna be ok, Sar."
She wiped at her tear streaked face, sniffling a bit self consciously. "I just didn't realize until now how hard it was going to be to leave."
An impish smile flitted across Nick's face. "I could still get fired."
For whatever reason that statement made Sara laugh.
He laughed right along with her, knowing full well that it was true. If Grissom found out that he had been selectively truthful, he would get fired. As he stood there watching his friend laugh, her entire face lighting up, he found that he didn't care what Grissom did. At the moment, she was more important to him than the state of his career in Vegas.
"I'm sorry." Sara's laughter started to taper off. "It's not really that funny." She furrowed her brow as she looked at him. "I'd hate for you to get fired over this."
He tilted his head slightly, reaching over and tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear and smiled. "I'm not really all that worried. If I get fired, I get fired. That stupid promotion didn't pan out anyway."
Sara looked at him for a minute, her mouth slightly agape before dissolving into another fit of laughter, finally having to go sit down on the couch so that she didn't fall over.
As Nick sat down next to her, a wide grin on his face, shaking his head in amusement at her, he thought about all the times that they had worked cases side by side, somehow knowing what the other was thinking, and finishing each other's sentences. His expression faltered as he realized how much he was going to miss her.
Sara noticed the change in his facial expression and her laughter subsided as she scooted over and molded herself against his side, slipping her arms around his waist. "I'm going to miss you, Nicky."
He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I'm going to miss you too, Sar." They just sat like that for a long time, neither one of them saying a word. Nick's thoughts drifted to the other people they worked with and how each one of them had made a significant impact on his life. He knew that Sara had changed the entire chemistry of the lab when she'd arrived in Vegas four years before. She added a certain amount of spunk to the team that was lacking before, giving him a little friendly competition. Over the last year though, she had become more withdrawn from everyone but Nick as she tried to distance herself and her feelings from Grissom. Nick had become more protective of her and as they'd worked more and more cases together, they had gotten especially close.
Sara pushed away and looked up at him. "Hey, we still have a few days." Her lips curved up into a brave smile. "I'm not saying goodbye to you yet."
He let out a soft chuckle. "Fair enough."
She stood up and gestured towards her kitchen. "I just have a few more things to pack up." She pointed at a roll of packing tape and glanced at Nick with a smirk. "Wanna grab that tape and help me seal these boxes up?"
He grinned and they began to seal and label each box, finally collapsing back onto the couch several hours later. Nick glanced over at her smiling. "What time do you want to hit the road?"
She furrowed her brow and glanced at where the clock used to be on the wall and then at her watch before answering him. "I guess as soon as the movers get here, we can take off." She studied him for a moment. "We're going to have to swing by your house on the way out of town."
He looked at her quizzically. "Why? I brought my bag."
She smirked. "So you plan on leaving your rig here then?"
He thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "I should probably leave it at the airport, which reminds me that we need to figure out how long it's going to take us to get up there so I can buy a plane ticket to come back."
Disappointment momentarily flickered across Sara's face, but then she steeled herself and smiled. "Well, my laptop is one thing I didn't pack." She quickly had it set up on the coffee table as she and Nick looked at the available flights.
"Alaska Airlines looks like a good bet at $84 one way." Nick gestured towards the screen. "And if I take that flight I can be back just before shift starts."
Sara nodded, not really saying anything as the reality of the situation settled in a little further.
Nick watched her for a moment and then an idea formed in his mind. "Of course, I could just get an open ended roundtrip ticket."
She felt a smile form as she looked at him. "Roundtrip."
He nodded. "Just because you're moving doesn't mean that I'm gonna let you out of my life, Sidle."
Sara furrowed her brow. "But then you'd have to get another one way ticket."
His expression was serious, but he was still smiling. "Or I could just keep buying roundtrip tickets. I hear Seattle isn't all that bad. Besides, a good friend of mine lives there."
She looked at him with a curious expression. "You know someone who lives in Seattle?" She wondered why he hadn't mentioned this when she told him where she was moving.
He couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "You're priceless, you know that don't you?"
She looked a bit embarrassed and started to laugh. "What? I didn't know you knew someone who lived in Seattle."
He grinned at her and nudged her arm with his elbow. "I know you."
The realization dawned on her and she started to giggle. "I must be tired if I didn't pick up on that."
Nick reached over and patted her on the leg. "Let me just buy a ticket and then you need to get some sleep."
"Crap." Sara crossed her arms over her chest and smirked.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her as continued to check the flights.
"I packed everything. I didn't think about needing a place to sleep." She shook her head in amusement at her oversight.
Nick chuckled softly and logged off of her computer. "Ok, I have an idea then." He glanced over at her and smirked. "We'll go to my house and crash, and I can print out my E-ticket since your printer is somewhere in all of these boxes." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand.
She smiled softly. "Ok then, but I get your couch." She didn't want to put him out of his own bed and knew that being the consummate gentleman he was that he'd offer.
He shook his head. "No couch for you. That sofa in my spare room folds out into a real bed. You can have mine, and I'll sleep in there."
Sara rolled her eyes. "I'll sleep in there."
He furrowed his brow, knowing better than to argue too much with Sara when her mind was set on something. "What time should we be back here for the movers?"
"Seven." Sara concluded with a yawn.
He smiled at her. "Alright then, let's get out of here." And with that they stood up and made their way out to her parking lot to head to Nick's.
She wiped at her tear streaked face, sniffling a bit self consciously. "I just didn't realize until now how hard it was going to be to leave."
An impish smile flitted across Nick's face. "I could still get fired."
For whatever reason that statement made Sara laugh.
He laughed right along with her, knowing full well that it was true. If Grissom found out that he had been selectively truthful, he would get fired. As he stood there watching his friend laugh, her entire face lighting up, he found that he didn't care what Grissom did. At the moment, she was more important to him than the state of his career in Vegas.
"I'm sorry." Sara's laughter started to taper off. "It's not really that funny." She furrowed her brow as she looked at him. "I'd hate for you to get fired over this."
He tilted his head slightly, reaching over and tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear and smiled. "I'm not really all that worried. If I get fired, I get fired. That stupid promotion didn't pan out anyway."
Sara looked at him for a minute, her mouth slightly agape before dissolving into another fit of laughter, finally having to go sit down on the couch so that she didn't fall over.
As Nick sat down next to her, a wide grin on his face, shaking his head in amusement at her, he thought about all the times that they had worked cases side by side, somehow knowing what the other was thinking, and finishing each other's sentences. His expression faltered as he realized how much he was going to miss her.
Sara noticed the change in his facial expression and her laughter subsided as she scooted over and molded herself against his side, slipping her arms around his waist. "I'm going to miss you, Nicky."
He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I'm going to miss you too, Sar." They just sat like that for a long time, neither one of them saying a word. Nick's thoughts drifted to the other people they worked with and how each one of them had made a significant impact on his life. He knew that Sara had changed the entire chemistry of the lab when she'd arrived in Vegas four years before. She added a certain amount of spunk to the team that was lacking before, giving him a little friendly competition. Over the last year though, she had become more withdrawn from everyone but Nick as she tried to distance herself and her feelings from Grissom. Nick had become more protective of her and as they'd worked more and more cases together, they had gotten especially close.
Sara pushed away and looked up at him. "Hey, we still have a few days." Her lips curved up into a brave smile. "I'm not saying goodbye to you yet."
He let out a soft chuckle. "Fair enough."
She stood up and gestured towards her kitchen. "I just have a few more things to pack up." She pointed at a roll of packing tape and glanced at Nick with a smirk. "Wanna grab that tape and help me seal these boxes up?"
He grinned and they began to seal and label each box, finally collapsing back onto the couch several hours later. Nick glanced over at her smiling. "What time do you want to hit the road?"
She furrowed her brow and glanced at where the clock used to be on the wall and then at her watch before answering him. "I guess as soon as the movers get here, we can take off." She studied him for a moment. "We're going to have to swing by your house on the way out of town."
He looked at her quizzically. "Why? I brought my bag."
She smirked. "So you plan on leaving your rig here then?"
He thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "I should probably leave it at the airport, which reminds me that we need to figure out how long it's going to take us to get up there so I can buy a plane ticket to come back."
Disappointment momentarily flickered across Sara's face, but then she steeled herself and smiled. "Well, my laptop is one thing I didn't pack." She quickly had it set up on the coffee table as she and Nick looked at the available flights.
"Alaska Airlines looks like a good bet at $84 one way." Nick gestured towards the screen. "And if I take that flight I can be back just before shift starts."
Sara nodded, not really saying anything as the reality of the situation settled in a little further.
Nick watched her for a moment and then an idea formed in his mind. "Of course, I could just get an open ended roundtrip ticket."
She felt a smile form as she looked at him. "Roundtrip."
He nodded. "Just because you're moving doesn't mean that I'm gonna let you out of my life, Sidle."
Sara furrowed her brow. "But then you'd have to get another one way ticket."
His expression was serious, but he was still smiling. "Or I could just keep buying roundtrip tickets. I hear Seattle isn't all that bad. Besides, a good friend of mine lives there."
She looked at him with a curious expression. "You know someone who lives in Seattle?" She wondered why he hadn't mentioned this when she told him where she was moving.
He couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "You're priceless, you know that don't you?"
She looked a bit embarrassed and started to laugh. "What? I didn't know you knew someone who lived in Seattle."
He grinned at her and nudged her arm with his elbow. "I know you."
The realization dawned on her and she started to giggle. "I must be tired if I didn't pick up on that."
Nick reached over and patted her on the leg. "Let me just buy a ticket and then you need to get some sleep."
"Crap." Sara crossed her arms over her chest and smirked.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her as continued to check the flights.
"I packed everything. I didn't think about needing a place to sleep." She shook her head in amusement at her oversight.
Nick chuckled softly and logged off of her computer. "Ok, I have an idea then." He glanced over at her and smirked. "We'll go to my house and crash, and I can print out my E-ticket since your printer is somewhere in all of these boxes." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand.
She smiled softly. "Ok then, but I get your couch." She didn't want to put him out of his own bed and knew that being the consummate gentleman he was that he'd offer.
He shook his head. "No couch for you. That sofa in my spare room folds out into a real bed. You can have mine, and I'll sleep in there."
Sara rolled her eyes. "I'll sleep in there."
He furrowed his brow, knowing better than to argue too much with Sara when her mind was set on something. "What time should we be back here for the movers?"
"Seven." Sara concluded with a yawn.
He smiled at her. "Alright then, let's get out of here." And with that they stood up and made their way out to her parking lot to head to Nick's.