Deadly Kisses

Disclaimer: Will replace used characters back in their rightful boxes after use.

Summary: After Nick nearly gets killed, he decides to take the risk and tell Sara exactly how he feels. NS.

Spoilers: Post-Who Are You? (My favourite episode – Poor Nicky)

As Gil leads the woman out to the arresting officers, Nick takes his gloves off and places his hands on his hips. He sighs and allows tears to form track marks on his face. He collects his metal case and strides out to the Denali. Letting Gil know he's going back to the lab, he drives off down the road as fast as the speed limit will allow him. He was thankful that Gil didn't stop him and question him; he just needed to see her.

Nick parked the car in the CSI Crime Lab car park and ran up to the break room, taking the steps two at a time. He knew Sara would be in there, finishing off her paper-work.

He saw her back to the door and stopped in his tracks. Now he saw her, he didn't have a clue what to say. He sniffed and wiped a few stray tears away before tentatively opening the door and walking over to the coffee machine.

Nick's voice didn't allow him to speak yet so he busied himself by taking a sip of his scolding hot coffee.

"Hey Nick," Sara said to his back. He sighed, turning around to face her. She saw the tears well up in his eyes and dashed to his side. "Nicky. Nicky, what's wrong?"

Nick didn't say anything, just put down his cup and pulled Sara into a tight embrace, lightly sobbing into her neck. Sara put her arms around his neck, gently rubbing his back, waiting patiently until Nick was ready to speak.

As he pulled away, he spluttered. He reached for his coffee again and took a quick sip, before setting it down on the main table in the room and taking a seat in a chair. He gestured for Sara to sit next to him by pulling the chair closer to him. She did so.

"Nick?" she whispered, scared to push him too much at the moment. He placed his hands on her knees and sighed.

He cleared his throat and started. "I've just got back from a suspect's house where we arrested the husband." He took a deep, unsteady breath before continuing. "Turns out it wasn't the husband that killed Fay Green, but his wife. As the officers led him out to the car, I noticed the murder weapon in one of the pictures." He stopped. Sara put her hand on Nick's and smiled lightly. He tried to smile back, but couldn't so he spoke. "I turned to ask whether they did much rock-climbing and found that the wife was holding a gun to my face." At the mention of gun, Sara gasped, pulled her hand off of Nick's and brought it up to her mouth.

Fresh tears started edging their way down Nick's face. He sniffled. Sara leant over and wiped a tear away. He leant into her open arms as sobs began to rake his body. She rubbed his back again, reassuring him he was safe now.

Once the sobs had stopped and he was only sobbing lightly, Sara pulled away and wrapped an arm around his waist, rubbing the far side of his body and wiping her own tears away with her free hand.

Nick chuckled.

"What?" she asked, curious as to why Nick was laughing, especially at a time like this.

"It's just silly really. I was there with a gun in my face, desperately trying to negotiate with her, yet all I could think about was how I might never see you again." He sniffed in amusement and wiped his eyes.

Sara smiled nervously and leant into his arms, this time resting her head into his neck and sighing.

"I'm just glad you're still alive and here with me now." She put her other arm around his waist to meet her other hand and tightened her hold. "I'm never letting you go Nick. Never…"

"You're going to have to sometime, you know. I do have to go home in a while." He tried to lighten the mood with silly behaviour, but only earned a quick but, albeit, hurtful slap across the chest. "Owww…" he complained.

"Serves you right, mister. Now is not the time for jokes."

They both sat there for a few minutes; Nick gently stroking Sara's arm which settled back across his front and the other hand resting on her back, moving up and down in a sweeping motion. Sara was still holding Nick tightly, evidently letting Nick know that she was being serious about never letting him go.

Both sighed contentedly, and then laughed. Sara sniffled.

"I'd better tidy up. Gil will go mad at me for leaving my paperwork lying around." She pulled out of his warm arms, instantly regretting it as the coldness of the air-conditioning washed over her.

"Here I'll help." He stood up and grabbed the nearest piece of paper, the piece that Sara, too, had reached over to retrieve. As their hands touched, invisible sparks flew around the room like fireworks. Nick blushed embarrassingly and Sara grinned sheepishly. Nick let go. "Here."

Sara dropped it down on the table and crossed her arms in front of her. "Nick, I can't do this."

"Do what?" he asked, moving to stand facing her, Sara doing the same.

"Hide my feelings any longer."

"Er…I was thinking exactly the same. Partly why I came here first." He stepped closer to her so they were only inches apart.

Sara shuffled even closer so her arms were just touching his chest. She unclasped her arms and placed one on the table to steady her as her legs were already wobbly. She put the other on Nick's bicep and lightly caressed the skin through his thin shirt.

Nick placed on arm around her waist and the other on the back of her neck, pulling her to him.

Their lips briefly touched, before Nick pulled away.

"We can't do this here." He nodded to the room and looked around. They were still at work and it was wrong.

"Ok, well meet me out the front in ten minutes." Sara turned back to the table and collected the rest of her paper before striding out of the door and walking to Gil's office.

She left a note telling him that she and Nick had clocked out together and that she was taking him home because she thought that it waswrong for Nick to be driving himself home.

When she got to her Tahoe, she saw Nick leaning against the driver's door, grinning broadly, even though he still had tears running down his cheeks. It must have scared him worse then she thought.

Sara tottered over to him and said, "You're coming to my apartment, so you may as well leave your Denali here. Get in. And I'm driving." She sounded serious so Nick didn't argue. Instead he chuckled again.

He sauntered around to the passenger side and got in.

The drive to Sara's house didn't take as long as expected, maybe because he was thinking about other things at the time.

They pulled up and Sara killed the engine. She undid her seat belt and jumped out of the car. Nick did the same and met her at the building door. They went up to her apartment and no sooner had Sara shut the door behind them; Nick had got her held up against the door.

He put his hands on each side of her waist, and kissed her neck lightly. He moved up to her jawbone, across her chin and onto her lips.

Sara snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer to her body and, when they pulled out, she smiled.

"Wow," she sighed and hugged him close.

Nick pulled away and said, "There are plenty more where that came from…." He quickly added, "…and more." He leant back into her and kissed her again.

Nick's near-death experience just got that little more deadly. He loved it.