A/N: Aw...this is so sad! Nick and Sara aren't together anymore. I'm
depressing myself. ( So um...not mine...I would love to get some ice cream with
George Eads (I would say coffee and totally imitate forensicsfan (who is
like, the greatest writer ever. ::shameless plug for somebody else I don't
actually know::) but I don't like coffee. I do like ice cream, though.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. More NS.
Chapter Three: Avoiding the issue
Nick carefully skirted Sara at CSI the next week, and Sara returned the favor. They wouldn't look at each other, if they spoke to one another it was brief and always about the case. They didn't flirt or toss each other looks anymore. The life had left their friendship. It was so cold and distant that even Grissom noticed.
"What's going on with Nick and Sara?" Grissom asked Catherine as Nick and Sara blatantly ignored each other in the break room that Monday.
"Didn't you hear?" Catherine whispered. "Nick and Sara have been dating for the last month. That's why Sara went to Dallas with him, to meet his parents. Apparently, Nick asked Sara to marry him, Sara said no, that their relationship was too much about sex for them to even think about making that kind of a commitment, Nick couldn't handle it, they broke up."
Grissom sighed. "I'll be sure not to put them on any cases together today. But I can't let this go on. What should I do, Cath?"
"If you want my advice –"
"And I do, that's why I asked you what I should do." Grissom raised an eyebrow.
"I think you should lock Nick and Sara into your office and force them to work it out." Catherine shrugged.
"Well, I can't think of a better plan." Grissom adjusted his glasses. "Now let's get to work."
"Sara Sidle." Sara answered her cell phone.
"Hey Sara, it's Grissom. I need to see you in my office right away."
"Yeah, sure thing. I'll be right there." Sara flipped her phone shut and headed for Grissom's office.
"Stokes." Nick grabbed his phone from the side of the table in the CSI garage.
"Nick, Grissom is on the warpath." Catherine spoke. "He wants to see you in his office. He's gonna come looking for you in a minute. Run."
"Sure thing. Thanks for the warning, Cath." Nick shut off his phone and strode into Grissom's office. "What's up boss?" He didn't notice Sara sitting in a chair for a moment.
"Nick, glad you're here. I've heard tales that you and Sara have been letting your personal lives interfere with your work lives. I'm afraid that just can't happen. I am going to make you two sit in here until you figure out what the hell is wrong and you fix it. I can put you on temporary leave if you don't." He warned, seeing Sara's openmouthed expression. "Now, talk." He stood up and left, locking the door behind him.
"Sara, I –"
"Nick, I didn't mean to hurt you." Sara cut him off.
"I didn't mean to hurt you either."
"I just – I ran. I couldn't. You know the adage, once burned twice shy. So, I guess, twice burned, four times shy. It was too fast, I wasn't in control, and I didn't know what was going on. You asking me to marry you was too much too fast." She stared at him, brown eyes big and full of regret. "I never wanted to hurt you. I never even thought it would get to this point. I thought it was gonna be that one night we were drunk, and then I thought it would be us just needing to lose ourselves in somebody else. It scared me to think you wanted more."
"Sara, you and I could never just be fuck buddies. We're too good for each other. So, tell you what, we'll go shopping with Catherine and Warrick and Greg today after work for that big party at the sheriff's, we'll hang out afterwards, have a few beers. It'll be like old times."
"That sounds good." Sara nodded. "But, no beer. That's what got us in this mess in the first place."
"Agreed." Nick laughed. "No beer." They both stood up. "So, we're good?" Nick asked nervously.
"We're good." Sara leaned in to give him a hug. Nick misinterpreted her advances and pressed his lips to hers. "Nick!" Sara squealed and pushed him off her. "What the hell?!"
"I thought, oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't –"
"Whatever. I gotta go." Sara flipped the lock on the door and stormed out of the office.
Chapter Three: Avoiding the issue
Nick carefully skirted Sara at CSI the next week, and Sara returned the favor. They wouldn't look at each other, if they spoke to one another it was brief and always about the case. They didn't flirt or toss each other looks anymore. The life had left their friendship. It was so cold and distant that even Grissom noticed.
"What's going on with Nick and Sara?" Grissom asked Catherine as Nick and Sara blatantly ignored each other in the break room that Monday.
"Didn't you hear?" Catherine whispered. "Nick and Sara have been dating for the last month. That's why Sara went to Dallas with him, to meet his parents. Apparently, Nick asked Sara to marry him, Sara said no, that their relationship was too much about sex for them to even think about making that kind of a commitment, Nick couldn't handle it, they broke up."
Grissom sighed. "I'll be sure not to put them on any cases together today. But I can't let this go on. What should I do, Cath?"
"If you want my advice –"
"And I do, that's why I asked you what I should do." Grissom raised an eyebrow.
"I think you should lock Nick and Sara into your office and force them to work it out." Catherine shrugged.
"Well, I can't think of a better plan." Grissom adjusted his glasses. "Now let's get to work."
"Sara Sidle." Sara answered her cell phone.
"Hey Sara, it's Grissom. I need to see you in my office right away."
"Yeah, sure thing. I'll be right there." Sara flipped her phone shut and headed for Grissom's office.
"Stokes." Nick grabbed his phone from the side of the table in the CSI garage.
"Nick, Grissom is on the warpath." Catherine spoke. "He wants to see you in his office. He's gonna come looking for you in a minute. Run."
"Sure thing. Thanks for the warning, Cath." Nick shut off his phone and strode into Grissom's office. "What's up boss?" He didn't notice Sara sitting in a chair for a moment.
"Nick, glad you're here. I've heard tales that you and Sara have been letting your personal lives interfere with your work lives. I'm afraid that just can't happen. I am going to make you two sit in here until you figure out what the hell is wrong and you fix it. I can put you on temporary leave if you don't." He warned, seeing Sara's openmouthed expression. "Now, talk." He stood up and left, locking the door behind him.
"Sara, I –"
"Nick, I didn't mean to hurt you." Sara cut him off.
"I didn't mean to hurt you either."
"I just – I ran. I couldn't. You know the adage, once burned twice shy. So, I guess, twice burned, four times shy. It was too fast, I wasn't in control, and I didn't know what was going on. You asking me to marry you was too much too fast." She stared at him, brown eyes big and full of regret. "I never wanted to hurt you. I never even thought it would get to this point. I thought it was gonna be that one night we were drunk, and then I thought it would be us just needing to lose ourselves in somebody else. It scared me to think you wanted more."
"Sara, you and I could never just be fuck buddies. We're too good for each other. So, tell you what, we'll go shopping with Catherine and Warrick and Greg today after work for that big party at the sheriff's, we'll hang out afterwards, have a few beers. It'll be like old times."
"That sounds good." Sara nodded. "But, no beer. That's what got us in this mess in the first place."
"Agreed." Nick laughed. "No beer." They both stood up. "So, we're good?" Nick asked nervously.
"We're good." Sara leaned in to give him a hug. Nick misinterpreted her advances and pressed his lips to hers. "Nick!" Sara squealed and pushed him off her. "What the hell?!"
"I thought, oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't –"
"Whatever. I gotta go." Sara flipped the lock on the door and stormed out of the office.