Title: Blackout
Author: DarkDreamer56
Archive: If you want it, ask please!
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: N/S
Disclaimer: If I owned them, I wouldn't have the need for student loans…
Spoilers: None that I know of
A/N: This is a response to a challenge from forensicsfan. It's the first challenge response I've ever written, so let me know how I did! Pure N/S fluff
"It's a good thing you're not afraid of the dark, Sar."
Sara reached out to smack Nick soundly on the arm, before she turned her attention back to the television in front of them, willing it to come back on. No such luck. A freak snowstorm had hit, dropping nearly six inches of snow in a matter of hours on Vegas. The power had gone out in the lab nearly an hour ago, and Sara found that her patience was wearing thin. Nick sitting so close to her on the couch, taunting her with the smell of his aftershave, was not helping matters either.
"Sar, no matter how long you stare at the screen, the power's not gonna come back on any faster. The damn snowstorm brought down half the power lines in Vegas."
Realizing that Sara's silence meant she was going to ignore him, Nick quickly switched tactics. If he was going to be stuck in the lab, in the dark, then he was at least going to have fun. And it didn't hurt that Sara was with him. He had always enjoyed flirting with her, even if he knew nothing would come from it, or at least from her. He'd take whatever moments he could get from Sara.
Grinning to himself, Nick slowly reached over, using his index and middle finger to lightly trail up Sara's arm. Then he leaned over, whispering softly, "But the dark does make it harder to find all the creepy-crawlies."
It only took a second for Sara to jump to the other end of the couch. She knew she would live to regret confiding in Nick about her phobia of spiders. "You ever do that again, and I will make sure that you are rendered incapable of reproducing."
"Come on, I'm just trying to have some fun," Nick grumbled. "I'm sorry about the spider thing. Won't happen again, promise."
Sara regarded him warily, unable to read his face in the dark. While Nick's fingers had felt quite nice, that had been a low blow. "Better not," she warned, but with a small smile. Still, the thought of spiders crawling over her skin kept invading her mind, making her jump up and move to a chair next to the couch.
"Don't move too far away Sar," Nick called, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
Sara settled herself into the chair, curling her legs underneath her body and rolling her eyes. "And why is that Nick?"
"Well," he paused as a grin spread across his face, "It's getting cold, and the power is still out. It seems we're gonna be stuck here for awhile, so we may have to share body heat to stay warm."
The temperature in the break room rose about ten degrees from that statement alone, and Sara was happy that Nick could not see her blush. It took a few seconds for her to gather her wits and think of an appropriate response. She and Nick flirted all the time, it meant nothing. He was just trying to pass the time; at least that's what she tried to tell herself.
"You wish Nick. Great, I had to get stuck in the blackout with the only CSI turned comedian."
"Ahh, you still love me," Nick drawled as he laid himself out on the now vacant couch. Sara smirked as he folded his hands behind his head.
"You're lucky," Sara replied, and Nick couldn't help but wonder at the ambiguity of her answer.
"Hey, it could be worse."
"And how is that, Nick?"
"Well, you could be the one stuck in the elevator with Hodges, instead of Greg."
Sara chuckled. When the storm cut the power to the lab, the generators kicked in to power only the necessary functions of the lab. Unfortunately, that didn't include the elevator, which both Hodges and Greg found themselves trapped in at the moment.
"He's had a bug up his ass all week, even more so than usual," Nick mused.
"And that had nothing to do with the stunt that you and Warrick pulled last night, I'm sure."
Nick feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Sar."
"So Mr. Wiggles just got up on his own two gelatinous feet, and walked himself into the passenger seat of Hodges car?" Sara failed at keeping a straight face.
"You'll never prove it was either of us."
"Oh, I don't know, I am a pretty good CSI. I'm sure Hodges would love to hear from an innocent bystander, who exactly 'violated' his car," she teased.
"Oh, that's low, Sidle. And innocent bystander my ass. Who stood lookout for Ecklie? You're going to have to pay for that one. Greg may just have to find out exactly who ruined his Abyssinia Infinite CD…"
"Like you weren't happy it was 'accidentally' scratched," she shot back with a smile, "I seem to recall someone complaining about, what did he call it?"
"Acoustic trance music," Nick supplied.
"Yeah, whatever. Hasn't the lab been a much quieter place because of that well placed scratch?"
"Truce?" he called, pulling himself up to hold out his arm. Sara grappled for his hand and they shook. Then Nick pulled her up from her chair and propelled her to the door. "Come on, let's go check on Greg."
Things were slightly better in the hallway, where the generator powered the emergency lights. Still, Nick didn't relinquish his hold of Sara's hand, an act that made Sara feel a little flushed. The dark, and the proximity to Nick, were definitely messing with her mind, and taking it to places that it shouldn't go.
"Hey Greggo, you doing okay in there?" Nick called as he and Sara sat down against the wall in front of the elevator.
"God, no! You have to get me out of here! He's talking about the aphrodisiacal qualities of oatmeal…for the love of God, call the elevator company again!" Greg's voice rang out from the elevator, loud and panicked.
Sara and Nick couldn't contain their laughter. While they felt bad that Greg was the one stuck in the elevator, and with Hodges of all companions…oatmeal? It took a good thirty seconds for them to get their laughter under control.
"You think it's funny?" Hodges sneered, "Don't laugh until you've tried it. Trust me, that, plus a little bit of Nannette's Naughty Flavored Lotion…"
"Make it stop!" Greg whined.
"Nick knows what I'm talking about, we all know he shops at the Erotica boutique…"
"I wouldn't start that," Nick warned.
"Just sit tight Greg, they'll be here soon. We'll get you out of there, I promise," Sara answered back, still wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "And David, just do us all a favor, okay? Stop talking."
"Go ahead, dismiss it. But when your love life starts to suffer, you'll be happy that I shared that little pearl of wisdom with you," Hodges retorted
"Starts to suffer?" Sara muttered under her breath, unaware she had voiced her dry spell out loud.
"What was that Sar? Are you saying that your love life is suffering?" Nick whispered. Sara shuddered at the feel of his breath hitting her ear.
"Uhh, I didn't say that," she stuttered, trying to regain control of her breathing, and desperately wishing that the lights would come back on and break this spell.
"Then what were you saying?" Even in the dimly lit hallway, Nick could sense the effect he was having on Sara, and it pleased him. They had flirted shamelessly for years; he was starting to wonder why they had never acted on it.
"Why the sudden interest in my love life, Nick?"
"Hey, you brought it up. I'm just concerned, as a friend of course. If you're love life is suffering, I'd like to help…"
"And what exactly can you do to help?" Sara asked softly, turning to face him. She knew what he was trying to do, and she was going to call his bluff. They had played on the edge of this line for years, but this time they were coming dangerously close to crossing it. Sara had been through enough in the past to keep her feet planted firmly on one side until she was sure what side Nick was going to come down on.
As a grin spread across her face, Nick knew that she was calling his bluff. Now the question was what to do. Maybe it was boldness under the cover of darkness, or maybe things had gone as far as they could go between them without a little push. Looking into her eyes, he searched for any indication that he was misreading her feelings. Finding none, he decided the best thing to do was to be direct.
Leaning in, he closed his eyes and brushed his lips against hers. She responded fully, infusing years of pent up passion into that one kiss. His hands cupped her face gently as she leaned against him, snaking her arms around his neck. Sara whimpered against his lips, barely able to remember her own name, let alone process what was happening between the two of them. They vaguely heard Greg ask what was happening out there, but soon both were too lost to care what else was going on around them.
It was until a loud cough infiltrated Nick's awareness that he reluctantly pulled away from Sara. He saw that he had left her lips swollen, a fact that he was proud of, until he noticed exactly how well he could see her lips. She came to a realization at the same time, and a panicked look crossed her face.
"We were wondering when you two were going to come up for air," Hodges proclaimed dryly, leaning up against the wall. "The power came back on about ten minutes ago, but you two were, well, let's say, distracted."
It was then that Nick and Sara realized that they were on the floor in front of the elevator, Sara straddling Nick's lap while his hands were firmly planted on her hips. Blushing, Sara gave Nick a weak smile before burying her head in his shoulder.
"Make them go away if you ever want that to happen again," she mumbled.
"And I thought walking in on Warrick and Catherine last week was embarrassing," Greg quipped. "I can't wait to tell them about this…"
FIN.
Let me know what you think in a review!