"How long of a drive did you say it was to your parents?" Nick glanced over at Sara as she drove. They had been on the road for about three hours and he was looking forward to stretching his legs again soon.
She smiled at him, the gap in her front teeth evident. "I told you that I could move some of the stuff in the backseat so you'd be able to move the seat a little further back." Nick's knees were dangerously close to the dashboard.
He smirked. "I'm good right now. I was just curious how long it would take us to get there, that's all."
She chuckled softly. "About five or six more hours, especially if we keep stopping every half hour."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey, I'm not the one that had to use the bathroom just after we left the Vegas city limits."
She smirked. "It was the coffee's fault."
He tried to swallow a grin. "You did find the biggest mug in my cupboard you know."
Her face held a slightly pouty expression. "There was a lot of coffee in that pot."
He laughed. "And you drank the entire thing."
In spite of herself, Sara started to laugh. A few moments later their laughter subsided and they lapsed into a comfortable silence, just watching the passing scenery. Sara was deep in thought about all the changes her life was going through that she didn't notice that she had let out an audible sigh.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Nick looked at her curiously.
She had a quizzical expression. "Huh?"
"That was some heavy sigh. Do you want to talk about it?" He could tell that although she felt compelled to leave Vegas that her heart wasn't really in it.
She glanced over at him and smiled a bit sadly. "It just seems really strange to be leaving. When I moved here I figured that I'd put down some roots and stay, but it hasn't turned out that way. I just ended up married to my job."
Testing the waters, Nick tossed out a comment. "You mean as opposed to married to your boss."
Sara winced slightly and then nodded as she glanced at him again. "You know, you're the only person I know that can get by with asking me questions like that."
He grinned and leaned his head back on the seat. "That's good to know."
"Don't press your luck." She narrowed her eyes, trying to be stern.
He chuckled. "You know he was a big fool not to fall for you."
A warm smile spread across her face as she regarded his words. "Yeah, he was. It doesn't matter any more though. It's too late for him. Even if he chased me halfway across the country, I just don't want to deal with him anymore, I'm over that."
Nick grinned. "Yeah, you are, and I'm glad." He reached over and patted her leg. "You deserve to be treated better than that by someone who knows what they want."
Sara didn't say anything for a moment, she seemed to be concentrating on the road, but her mind was on the fact that Nick's hand still rested on her thigh. She furrowed her brow as she considered why Nick Stokes would risk his career to drive with her to Seattle. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure that she knew, even though it wasn't clear if he did. A smile spread across her face and she glanced over at him; he didn't even seem to be aware that his hand was still on her leg as he looked out the window. She cleared her throat and put her hand on top of his, giving it a squeeze. "Hey."
He glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "What?"
"Thanks for coming with me." Her smile was sincere, she really was glad that he'd come. She knew that the journey of physically leaving Vegas was the easy part, leaving Vegas emotionally was a lot harder.
He smiled softly at her in return, not really thinking before he spoke. "I'd do just about anything for you, Sara." He turned his hand over and gathered hers within it's grasp.
Sara wasn't exactly sure what to make of his words, but the fact the he still held onto her hand spoke volumes to her. "I know you would."
Neither one of them said anything for a quite awhile. Nick just kept holding her hand while he looked out the window, his thumb occasionally caressing the back of it.
Sara spotted a rest area ahead and reluctantly pulled her hand from Nick's.
He glanced over at her curiously and then noticed her pointing to the sign. He smirked. "You haven't had coffee for hours."
She smirked back at him. "I thought maybe you might want to unfold your legs."
He chuckled. "Now that you mention it, I think the circulation is a little restricted." He winced as he shifted his weight. "I think my right leg is asleep."
"I told you I could rearrange that stuff." She reached over and patted his leg as she pulled off of the freeway.
He grinned at her, his thoughts drifting to the rest of the journey ahead and what was in store for him when Grissom found out where he'd gone. As much as being fired was a possibility, he realized that he truly wasn't worried about it. Even if he lost his job in Vegas, he'd never regret going with Sara to Seattle.
"Are you coming?" Sara tilted her head slightly as she reached for the door handle. She'd watched Nick over the last couple of seconds as she'd parked the car and he seemed to be in a bit of a daze.
He shook himself out of his reverie and looked at her a bit sheepishly. "Yeah." As soon as he stood up, he leaned against the car and let out a groan.
"Are you ok?" Sara looked at him with concern as she pulled herself out of the car.
He chuckled. "My leg's asleep. I just need to do a couple of laps around the car to get the circulation going again." He leaned his weight against the car and tested his right foot. "That is if I can even walk."
A smug smile spread across her face. "So, would you like me to move that stuff in the backseat?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Where are you going to put it? It's pretty full back there."
She crossed her arms and shook her head as she made her way around to his side of the car.
Nick winced again. "Damn. I hate this part when it starts to feel prickly."
Sara giggled.
Nick looked at her and noticed her amusement. "What?"
"You." She wasn't sure why, but at that moment he looked adorably cute.
He feigned a hurt expression. "Oh, so you enjoy laughing at other people's pain, huh?"
She giggled again and walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "No, just yours."
He looked at her a bit incredulously, but she simply flipped the passenger seat forward and began to rearrange the things that had kept him from moving the seat a bit further back. In a matter of a few minutes, she had finished and she pushed the passenger seat back as far as it would go, giving him ample leg room. As she straightened up, Nick spoke. "So, did you tell your parents what time to expect us?"
She furrowed her brow and shook her head. "I haven't talked to them in a couple of days, but they'll be fine with whatever time we get there."
Nick looked at her with a bit a confusion. "So they don't know that I'm coming then?"
She looked at him as is she didn't see why that would be a problem. "No, but it's no big deal. They run a bed and breakfast. There's always room."
She smiled at him, the gap in her front teeth evident. "I told you that I could move some of the stuff in the backseat so you'd be able to move the seat a little further back." Nick's knees were dangerously close to the dashboard.
He smirked. "I'm good right now. I was just curious how long it would take us to get there, that's all."
She chuckled softly. "About five or six more hours, especially if we keep stopping every half hour."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey, I'm not the one that had to use the bathroom just after we left the Vegas city limits."
She smirked. "It was the coffee's fault."
He tried to swallow a grin. "You did find the biggest mug in my cupboard you know."
Her face held a slightly pouty expression. "There was a lot of coffee in that pot."
He laughed. "And you drank the entire thing."
In spite of herself, Sara started to laugh. A few moments later their laughter subsided and they lapsed into a comfortable silence, just watching the passing scenery. Sara was deep in thought about all the changes her life was going through that she didn't notice that she had let out an audible sigh.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Nick looked at her curiously.
She had a quizzical expression. "Huh?"
"That was some heavy sigh. Do you want to talk about it?" He could tell that although she felt compelled to leave Vegas that her heart wasn't really in it.
She glanced over at him and smiled a bit sadly. "It just seems really strange to be leaving. When I moved here I figured that I'd put down some roots and stay, but it hasn't turned out that way. I just ended up married to my job."
Testing the waters, Nick tossed out a comment. "You mean as opposed to married to your boss."
Sara winced slightly and then nodded as she glanced at him again. "You know, you're the only person I know that can get by with asking me questions like that."
He grinned and leaned his head back on the seat. "That's good to know."
"Don't press your luck." She narrowed her eyes, trying to be stern.
He chuckled. "You know he was a big fool not to fall for you."
A warm smile spread across her face as she regarded his words. "Yeah, he was. It doesn't matter any more though. It's too late for him. Even if he chased me halfway across the country, I just don't want to deal with him anymore, I'm over that."
Nick grinned. "Yeah, you are, and I'm glad." He reached over and patted her leg. "You deserve to be treated better than that by someone who knows what they want."
Sara didn't say anything for a moment, she seemed to be concentrating on the road, but her mind was on the fact that Nick's hand still rested on her thigh. She furrowed her brow as she considered why Nick Stokes would risk his career to drive with her to Seattle. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure that she knew, even though it wasn't clear if he did. A smile spread across her face and she glanced over at him; he didn't even seem to be aware that his hand was still on her leg as he looked out the window. She cleared her throat and put her hand on top of his, giving it a squeeze. "Hey."
He glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "What?"
"Thanks for coming with me." Her smile was sincere, she really was glad that he'd come. She knew that the journey of physically leaving Vegas was the easy part, leaving Vegas emotionally was a lot harder.
He smiled softly at her in return, not really thinking before he spoke. "I'd do just about anything for you, Sara." He turned his hand over and gathered hers within it's grasp.
Sara wasn't exactly sure what to make of his words, but the fact the he still held onto her hand spoke volumes to her. "I know you would."
Neither one of them said anything for a quite awhile. Nick just kept holding her hand while he looked out the window, his thumb occasionally caressing the back of it.
Sara spotted a rest area ahead and reluctantly pulled her hand from Nick's.
He glanced over at her curiously and then noticed her pointing to the sign. He smirked. "You haven't had coffee for hours."
She smirked back at him. "I thought maybe you might want to unfold your legs."
He chuckled. "Now that you mention it, I think the circulation is a little restricted." He winced as he shifted his weight. "I think my right leg is asleep."
"I told you I could rearrange that stuff." She reached over and patted his leg as she pulled off of the freeway.
He grinned at her, his thoughts drifting to the rest of the journey ahead and what was in store for him when Grissom found out where he'd gone. As much as being fired was a possibility, he realized that he truly wasn't worried about it. Even if he lost his job in Vegas, he'd never regret going with Sara to Seattle.
"Are you coming?" Sara tilted her head slightly as she reached for the door handle. She'd watched Nick over the last couple of seconds as she'd parked the car and he seemed to be in a bit of a daze.
He shook himself out of his reverie and looked at her a bit sheepishly. "Yeah." As soon as he stood up, he leaned against the car and let out a groan.
"Are you ok?" Sara looked at him with concern as she pulled herself out of the car.
He chuckled. "My leg's asleep. I just need to do a couple of laps around the car to get the circulation going again." He leaned his weight against the car and tested his right foot. "That is if I can even walk."
A smug smile spread across her face. "So, would you like me to move that stuff in the backseat?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Where are you going to put it? It's pretty full back there."
She crossed her arms and shook her head as she made her way around to his side of the car.
Nick winced again. "Damn. I hate this part when it starts to feel prickly."
Sara giggled.
Nick looked at her and noticed her amusement. "What?"
"You." She wasn't sure why, but at that moment he looked adorably cute.
He feigned a hurt expression. "Oh, so you enjoy laughing at other people's pain, huh?"
She giggled again and walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "No, just yours."
He looked at her a bit incredulously, but she simply flipped the passenger seat forward and began to rearrange the things that had kept him from moving the seat a bit further back. In a matter of a few minutes, she had finished and she pushed the passenger seat back as far as it would go, giving him ample leg room. As she straightened up, Nick spoke. "So, did you tell your parents what time to expect us?"
She furrowed her brow and shook her head. "I haven't talked to them in a couple of days, but they'll be fine with whatever time we get there."
Nick looked at her with a bit a confusion. "So they don't know that I'm coming then?"
She looked at him as is she didn't see why that would be a problem. "No, but it's no big deal. They run a bed and breakfast. There's always room."