A/N: Psh. Too much GSR. Not enough NSR. Therefore, more NSR. Also, I don't
own them. I just wish I did. Although I am a big fan of NSR, I'm not a
Grissom-hater, so you won't see a super amount of Grissom-bashing.
Chapter One: Dress to impress
Sara Sidle sighed. After at least a hundred dresses, she still hadn't found anything. All the dresses had been too frilly, to prissy, and worst of all, too pink. Sara wrinkled her nose. If she saw one more pink dress, she was going to rip whatever gown it was into little, tiny, itty-bitty pink shreds. Catherine Willows, meanwhile was having an easy time of it. Red was a color that was very flattering on her. Especially deep red. Catherine had chosen to go with a sleeveless red A-line dress that flared lightly at the skirt. The dark red was very seductive on Catherine.
"See, this is why life is unfair. You find a dress that looks fabulous on you in less than five minutes and store clerks keep asking me why I'm ignoring my obvious potential for pink." Sara waved disgustedly at all the pink gowns the clerk at the store had forced upon her.
Catherine sighed. "I'll tell you what. Since the clerk seems to think you have some affinity for pink, I'll bring back a pink dress to satisfy her, then I will bring you some other dresses that you'd like better." She offered.
"Thanks Cath."
A few minutes Catherine returned with an armload of dresses with a pink one sitting on the top. It was immediately discarded. "Try this one." Catherine ordered, holding out a red silk dress that had a distinctly Chinese look to it. Sara tried it on, but the dress was so short Sara wouldn't even come out of the dressing room. "Maybe not that one." Catherine decided once she got Sara out of the dressing room. "Here, try this one." She handed Sara a strapless navy blue dress that clung to every one of Sara's curves. Except the one that would hold it up. "Maybe you're a little too small for that one." Catherine tried to suppress a grin. "I bet this one will work better."
When Sara tried the dress on, she knew she'd found it. The dress was simple enough to suit her tastes, yet had some fun and flirty flair to it. The dress was black with a tight bust and the silk clung to Sara's figure. The lining of the dress ended at mid-thigh, but the dress' overlay had sheer strips of fabric sewn so that you could see Sara's legs a bit. "Cath, I think we got it." She stepped out of the dressing room.
"I know we got it." Catherine grinned. "Now we'll go find you a push- up bra and some strappy stilettos and we're set."
"Great." Sara went back into the dressing room and stripped off the dress. After purchasing the dress, they headed to the lingerie department. Catherine found a lacy push-up bra that made Sara look like a C instead of the pitiful tiny B that she was. Slyly, Catherine purchased a pair of black thong underwear for Sara, knowing that Sara would never wear it herself. The shoe department was easy, there was a pair of heels with Sara's name practically written on them. The women were out of the department store in no time. "Shall we go meet the guys for some ice cream?" Sara inquired.
"Sure." Catherine nodded.
The two women walked to the food court of the mall where they found Nick Stokes, Warrick Brown, and Greg Sanders. "No Grissom?" Catherine asked.
"Said he'd get his tux another time." Nick glanced at Sara with a great amount of discomfort in his eyes. Ever since the two of them had broken up four months ago, everyone had been tense. The party at Sheriff Atwater's was hopefully a chance where Sara and Nick would talk and finally things in the lab would be right again. "So, ice cream." The group turned to the ice cream stand.
-------------------------
FIVE MONTHS AGO
-------------------------
"Well, I'm not going in." Sara folded her arms and stared at the pool. "My shirt is white, for Chrissake. You do it."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Tell you what, you go in and you can borrow my sweatshirt."
Sara stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "It's ninety degrees out, Nick Stokes. You honestly think I'm going to put on a sweatshirt? You must be getting heat stroke. Now in you get." Sara waited as Nick pulled off his t-shirt in one smooth move, admiring his well- defined chest and six-pack abs.
"Sidle, you're staring." Nick smiled wryly as he dove into the pool.
Sara pulled on a tank top just as the door opened.
"Hey." She nodded to Nick.
"Hey." He nodded back. "You wanna grab some breakfast? We can go get a movie and make some pancakes. I've had a major jonesing for your chocolate chip pancakes."
"Sure." Sara shrugged. "I'll meet you at your house after work."
"Chocolate chips." Sara held out her hand expectantly. Nick handed her half a bag of chocolate chips and she dumped them into the batter. They finished making the pancakes and then sat down in front of the TV. "Got anything new?" Sara poked through his DVD selection.
"Uh, how about –" Sara grinned. "You actually have 'Finding Nemo?'"
"Yeah. It's a good movie." Nick said defensively.
"I agree. Let's watch it."
The two settled in with their pancakes and glasses of water. Halfway through the movie, Sara's eyes began to droop. "You're tired." Nick observed.
"No." Sara shook her head. "I'm not." She yawned and struggled to keep her eyes open. "Maybe I'm a little tired."
"Yeah, and maybe Grissom's a little AR." Nick grinned. "Come on, I'll carry you." Nick scooped her up and brought her to his bedroom. He set her down carefully and started to leave. Sara, in a half-asleep stupor, tugged at his arm and murmured for him to stay. Nick, who was feeling a little tired himself, assented. He climbed under the covers, fully clothed, and draped his arm around Sara's stomach, savoring the perfect way she fit against his chest. "Goodnight Sara." He whispered. "I love you too." She mumbled, now entirely asleep. Nick just stared. Had she said what he thought she just said?
A/N: So if any of you have ever seen the movie Down To You, that's about how I'm gonna do this story. It's going to start at the end, flashback to the beginning and then kind of come full circle. Please don't be tremendously confused. You are my favorite people in the world for reading and commenting (hint HINT). Anyway, have an excellent day until I post the next chapter!
Chapter One: Dress to impress
Sara Sidle sighed. After at least a hundred dresses, she still hadn't found anything. All the dresses had been too frilly, to prissy, and worst of all, too pink. Sara wrinkled her nose. If she saw one more pink dress, she was going to rip whatever gown it was into little, tiny, itty-bitty pink shreds. Catherine Willows, meanwhile was having an easy time of it. Red was a color that was very flattering on her. Especially deep red. Catherine had chosen to go with a sleeveless red A-line dress that flared lightly at the skirt. The dark red was very seductive on Catherine.
"See, this is why life is unfair. You find a dress that looks fabulous on you in less than five minutes and store clerks keep asking me why I'm ignoring my obvious potential for pink." Sara waved disgustedly at all the pink gowns the clerk at the store had forced upon her.
Catherine sighed. "I'll tell you what. Since the clerk seems to think you have some affinity for pink, I'll bring back a pink dress to satisfy her, then I will bring you some other dresses that you'd like better." She offered.
"Thanks Cath."
A few minutes Catherine returned with an armload of dresses with a pink one sitting on the top. It was immediately discarded. "Try this one." Catherine ordered, holding out a red silk dress that had a distinctly Chinese look to it. Sara tried it on, but the dress was so short Sara wouldn't even come out of the dressing room. "Maybe not that one." Catherine decided once she got Sara out of the dressing room. "Here, try this one." She handed Sara a strapless navy blue dress that clung to every one of Sara's curves. Except the one that would hold it up. "Maybe you're a little too small for that one." Catherine tried to suppress a grin. "I bet this one will work better."
When Sara tried the dress on, she knew she'd found it. The dress was simple enough to suit her tastes, yet had some fun and flirty flair to it. The dress was black with a tight bust and the silk clung to Sara's figure. The lining of the dress ended at mid-thigh, but the dress' overlay had sheer strips of fabric sewn so that you could see Sara's legs a bit. "Cath, I think we got it." She stepped out of the dressing room.
"I know we got it." Catherine grinned. "Now we'll go find you a push- up bra and some strappy stilettos and we're set."
"Great." Sara went back into the dressing room and stripped off the dress. After purchasing the dress, they headed to the lingerie department. Catherine found a lacy push-up bra that made Sara look like a C instead of the pitiful tiny B that she was. Slyly, Catherine purchased a pair of black thong underwear for Sara, knowing that Sara would never wear it herself. The shoe department was easy, there was a pair of heels with Sara's name practically written on them. The women were out of the department store in no time. "Shall we go meet the guys for some ice cream?" Sara inquired.
"Sure." Catherine nodded.
The two women walked to the food court of the mall where they found Nick Stokes, Warrick Brown, and Greg Sanders. "No Grissom?" Catherine asked.
"Said he'd get his tux another time." Nick glanced at Sara with a great amount of discomfort in his eyes. Ever since the two of them had broken up four months ago, everyone had been tense. The party at Sheriff Atwater's was hopefully a chance where Sara and Nick would talk and finally things in the lab would be right again. "So, ice cream." The group turned to the ice cream stand.
-------------------------
FIVE MONTHS AGO
-------------------------
"Well, I'm not going in." Sara folded her arms and stared at the pool. "My shirt is white, for Chrissake. You do it."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Tell you what, you go in and you can borrow my sweatshirt."
Sara stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "It's ninety degrees out, Nick Stokes. You honestly think I'm going to put on a sweatshirt? You must be getting heat stroke. Now in you get." Sara waited as Nick pulled off his t-shirt in one smooth move, admiring his well- defined chest and six-pack abs.
"Sidle, you're staring." Nick smiled wryly as he dove into the pool.
Sara pulled on a tank top just as the door opened.
"Hey." She nodded to Nick.
"Hey." He nodded back. "You wanna grab some breakfast? We can go get a movie and make some pancakes. I've had a major jonesing for your chocolate chip pancakes."
"Sure." Sara shrugged. "I'll meet you at your house after work."
"Chocolate chips." Sara held out her hand expectantly. Nick handed her half a bag of chocolate chips and she dumped them into the batter. They finished making the pancakes and then sat down in front of the TV. "Got anything new?" Sara poked through his DVD selection.
"Uh, how about –" Sara grinned. "You actually have 'Finding Nemo?'"
"Yeah. It's a good movie." Nick said defensively.
"I agree. Let's watch it."
The two settled in with their pancakes and glasses of water. Halfway through the movie, Sara's eyes began to droop. "You're tired." Nick observed.
"No." Sara shook her head. "I'm not." She yawned and struggled to keep her eyes open. "Maybe I'm a little tired."
"Yeah, and maybe Grissom's a little AR." Nick grinned. "Come on, I'll carry you." Nick scooped her up and brought her to his bedroom. He set her down carefully and started to leave. Sara, in a half-asleep stupor, tugged at his arm and murmured for him to stay. Nick, who was feeling a little tired himself, assented. He climbed under the covers, fully clothed, and draped his arm around Sara's stomach, savoring the perfect way she fit against his chest. "Goodnight Sara." He whispered. "I love you too." She mumbled, now entirely asleep. Nick just stared. Had she said what he thought she just said?
A/N: So if any of you have ever seen the movie Down To You, that's about how I'm gonna do this story. It's going to start at the end, flashback to the beginning and then kind of come full circle. Please don't be tremendously confused. You are my favorite people in the world for reading and commenting (hint HINT). Anyway, have an excellent day until I post the next chapter!