Chapter 9

The day flew by quickly for Sara and Nick. They ended up sleeping until after 10:00. They then ate a quick breakfast and headed out to Nick's doctor's appointment. The doctor had told him the wound looked well and in a few more days he would be able to take the sling off. After hearing the good news, Nick had decided to take her out to lunch. They had found a quiet, little Chinese restaurant down the street from the doctor's office. They had talked and laughed for over 2 hours, just enjoying one another's company. For a little while they were just Nick and Sara. After leaving the restaurant, Sara had told Nick they needed to go grocery shopping if he was going to be staying with her for the next few days. She knew she had nothing appealing for him in her cupboards.

It had taken them over an hour and a half to make they way through the store due to the fact that they had playfully bickered over just about every item they had intended to buy. They had received many curious glances from other customers as they stood in the cereal aisle debating over what was more nutritious Captain Crunch or Lucky Charms. Nick couldn't help but grin when a little old lady had stopped them and asked if they were newlyweds because she and her husband had been the same way when they had first wed. Too embarrassed to tell her otherwise, they stood there side by side with foolish grins on their faces as she had wished them luck and hoped they were blessed with a little one soon. Nick could clearly remember Sara's cheeks flaming red, as she had scooted the shopping cart quickly down the aisle ahead of him.

They had returned from their shopping adventure and put the groceries away in comfortable silence. They had a few more hours to kill before they could head into work so they had decided to watch a movie and order a pizza. The time passed swiftly and they found themselves on their way to the lab.

Nick glanced over at her as she gripped the steering wheel tightly. He knew she had gone into work mode. He had to admit he had a great time with her today. She had let down her guard and her playful side pleasantly surprised him. He had never heard her laugh so much. He had loved the sound of her laughter and the way her eyes would light up. Little by little he felt himself being pulled under. He was falling for her, seriously falling. And try as he might he couldn't get a feel as to exactly what she was feeling. He knew she wanted him. He could clearly see the desire in her eyes. But what he couldn't see was if she wanted more. He felt torn because he deeply wanted her too but he knew he would never be satisfied with having her halfway. He wanted all of her; her body as well as her heart and soul. When the time was right he would talk to her and tell her how he felt.

The sound of her sighing broke him out of his reverie. He glanced over at her and asked, "Are you going to be okay?" She smiled over at him and said, "Yeah, I'm just anxious to get back to work. But I have a feeling Grissom's not going to let us get too involved." Nick had to agree with her. If he were in Grissom's position he would not let Sara get involved. The case was too personal.

They pulled into the parking lot and sat for a minute just looking at one another. Finally Sara said, "Let's do it." They headed into the building and were warmly greeted by the security guard and the receptionist. As they walked by the girl behind the desk said, "Miss Sidle a beautiful bouquet of flowers came for you. Ms. Willows brought them down to the break room." "Thanks." Sara said. "Why is it that you seem to be getting all the flowers Sara when I was the shot trying to save you?" Nick said trying to sound hurt. " I'll send you some flowers if it will make you feel better you big baby," Sara said with a smirk. "I like roses particularly yellow." Nick said with a huge grin. Sara shook her head but she couldn't stop the smile from forming on her lips. They stopped outside the break room door and gave each other a reassuring smile. "After you sweetheart," Nick said playfully. Sara rolled her eyes and headed into the room.

Their coworkers were gathered in the room when they walked in. Greg was the first to noticed them and exclaimed, "Speak of the devil here are our favorite walking wounded now." He got out of his chair and gave Nick a pat on the back. He turned to Sara and smiled down at her. His eyes grew round when he saw the ugly bruises on her face and neck. "I thought I told you Sara, nobody can beat Rocky Balboa (the boxer), not even you." Sara couldn't help but laugh. Greg pulled her into a gentle hug and whispered in her ear, "I'm glad your okay." Sara was touched by his concern and she felt her eyes start to tear. She looked over his shoulder at Nick who gave her a comforting smile. She pulled away from Greg and smiled up at him, "Thanks Greggo." Warrick was next to sweep her up in his arms, followed by Catherine. They both told her they were glad she was okay. Hugs and handshakes were equally bestowed on Nick as well.

Grissom stood awkwardly off to the side watching the ease in which his coworkers moved with one another. He felt a pang of jealousy shoot across his chest but he shook it off. He watched as Sara turned and looked at him. She seemed to be searching his face for something, for what he wasn't sure. "I'm glad your all right Sara," he heard himself say. He watched as Nick came over and stood beside her. He shifted his gaze and said, "You too Nick".

From across the room came Catherine's' voice, "Hey Sara did you see this gorgeous bouquet of flowers someone sent you." Sara turned and gasped at the incredibly beautiful flowers in a large crystal vase sitting on a table in the corner. "Was there a card?" Sara asked. "No I couldn't find one. Looks like you have a secret admirer," Catherine said smiling at Nick who was staring at Grissom.

Sara looked at Nick out of the corner of her eye and saw him staring at their boss. Sara shook her head. The flowers couldn't be from Grissom. She just could not see him sending her 2 bouquets of flowers. It was over the top especially for him. She wondered if maybe Nick had sent them. She tried to catch his eye but he was staring at the flowers.

Nick couldn't believe that Grissom had sent her more flowers. What was he trying to prove anyway? He glanced over at Catherine and saw her smiling at him. Damn she thought he had sent them. He looked over at Warrick who gave him the same knowing look. Well they both thought he was the romantic hero sending his damsel in distress flowers. Little did they know it was their shy and meager boss making the grand romantic gestures to Nick's damsel in distress.

Nick heard Grissom clear his throat and say, "Let's get down to business and fill Nick and Sara in on what we have." As they went to take their seats around the table, Nick was so distracted by the flowers that he unwittingly pulled Sara's chair out for her. She shot him a heated look as she took her seat. The look did not go unnoticed by the rest of them. Warrick raised his eyebrow in question at Catherine who just smiled. She cast a quick glance at Grissom and saw his eyebrows furrowed together in what looked like displeasure. Greg's eyes were wide with surprise.

Catherine looked back at the two people in question. Sara's cheeks were a deep pink and she was looking down at her hands, obviously embarrassed. Nick was looking at her sheepishly and whispered, "Sorry". Catherine chuckled to herself, first the beautiful flowers and now the chair. She was going to have to keep a close eye on her two friends because it appeared they had finally seen the light and realized what everyone else already knew, they were perfect for each other.

Sara was mortified. She could feel everyone's eyes on her and Nick. She could especially feel Grissom's. She knew Nick hadn't done it on purpose. He had been the perfect gentleman the whole time he had been with her and he was still in the role, obviously forgetting he was not to do so at work in front of the others. She heard Grissom clear his throat again breaking the unbearable silence that had filled the room. She risked a glance at Catherine and was met with a knowing smile. Cath waggled her eyebrows at her and Sara could feel her face flame a brighter red. Damn Nick and his good manners.

Nick knew he was in deep shit as soon as he pulled the chair out for her. He knew how prickly Sara was about people knowing about her personal life and he knew for a fact she would not want anyone at work to know about their potential relationship. He tried to apologize but he knew he had make the situation even worse when he saw her face turn a deeper shade of red. He sat back in his chair and sighed inwardly. He shot a quick glace at Warrick and received a knowing smirk from his friend. Damn he was going to have some explaining to do.

Grissom proceeded to lay out all the facts for them. What they knew and what they didn't know. Unfortunately for Sara they didn't have a hell of a lot to work with. They knew the suspect was at least 6 foot 2 inches and that he weighed better then 200 pounds based on Sara's description. Their most promising lead was the boot print. Warrick found out that it matched a size 11 Merrill Pulse Mid Gore Tex boot. He was in the process of narrowing down how many retailers in the area sold this type of boot.

Little evidence had been pulled off the 2 victims. Greg had identified the powdery substance from both women's necks as material from latex gloves. Both substances had come from the same pair of gloves. Though both victims had been raped no semen had been found in or on either body. It appeared that he used a condom and some sort of antibacterial cleaner to wipe them off with after he was finished.

The latest victim had also managed to get some fibers under her fingernails from the ski mask as Sara had done. The fibers were still being tested. A handwriting expert was currently analyzing the message written in blood.

Doc Robbins had finished his autopsy and concluded that the same man had killed both women. The knife wounds were consistent with each other and appeared to be from the same pocketknife used by a right-handed person. Both strangulation patterns on each of the women's necks also appeared to have been made by the same set of hands. The hand size and strength used seemed to indicate the same person.

Catherine's task at the moment was to try to form a link between the two victims. Did they use the same gym, hair salon, or shop at the same stores? Where did the suspect come in contact with them? Because the binding link between the two women was the fact that they were both home alone when they were attacked. The suspect had to have known this important detail because he knew he had plenty of time to do what he needed to do. The only confusing detail was why he had come back to the first scene and attacked Sara. What they needed to do was go back to the house and go through the office more thoroughly. The suspect may have returned for a piece of evidence that he thought the victim might have had such as a receipt. If they were lucky he didn't have time to find it because Sara had walked in on him.

Sara sat back and digested everything Grissom had just said. They had some leads she just hoped they would pan out. She let out a frustrated sigh when Grissom said she and Nick could take over Catherine's task and look for the missing link between the two women. He sent Warrick and Catherine back to the first victim's house.

Sara grumbled the whole way to the lab with Nick trailing warily behind her. She opened the door and stared at the two tables filled with paperwork that consisted of the two victim's lives. "At least he's letting us help," Nick said as he stepped into the room beside her. She gave him a menacing look and pressed her lips together scowling. "About before," he started. She raised her hand in warning, "Forget about it. What's done is done. You pulling out my chair only added to their enjoyment of the situation because I think they think you sent me those flowers." She said turning to face him. She raised her eyebrows waiting for him to respond. "I," he started, "No I didn't." he said sheepishly, "I just assumed they were from Grissom." He finished meeting her eyes. She scowled even more and said, "No way. I thought maybe that the first one was but the second one is just overkill, not his style." "So Grissom has a style does he?" Nick said in a bitter tone. She locked eyes with him and coolly said, "I am not going to get into this with you again." She turned away from him and stalked over to one of the tables.

Nick sighed and said, "I'm sorry Sara, really. If you don't think Gris sent them then who?" "Greg?" she said over her shoulder. "Greg? Yeah maybe if he thinks he might have a shot now that your guard is down." "My guard's down huh?" she said looking over her shoulder at him. "Yeah, you know going through such a traumatic situation and being rescued by a handsome hero. Your head is in the clouds thinking about various ways you can thank your hero." He said with a smirk as he moved slowly toward hers. She turned around and looked at him trying to fight the sinking sensation he made her feel when he gazed at her that way. "Oh so you think I'm distracted thinking of various ways to get you naked?" she said. His eyebrows shot up at her words. "Naked? Did I say anything about thanking me naked? Exactly what are you thinking about Miss Sidle?" he said with a wicked grin as he stopped directly in front of her.

He leaned over and whispered hotly in her ear, "If you would like to thank me while were both naked that's fine. A hero would never tell his fair maiden no." " You…" she growled as she tried to push him away. He quickly grabbed her wrists and held then against his chest. Her beautiful brown eyes blazed with heat. "You know that lip of yours is looking much better. In fact I think it's begging to be kissed," he said huskily. She watched in a heated daze as his mouth descended onto hers.

The feel of his mouth against hers made her blood begin to boil. She rubbed her hands seductively up and down his chest. She felt him growl against her mouth as he deepened the kiss. His lips and tongue began a leisurely seduction of her mouth. She let him lead as she slowly followed his intimate movements. The feel of his hands against the skin on her back brought her quickly back to reality. She pulled away from him reluctantly and murmured, " You make it to hard for me to stay mad at you. You're just too damn irresistible. "Thank god you think so Sara because I don't want you ever mad at me. I am sorry about before." He said sincerely. "I know you didn't mean it. You're just a gentleman through and through and I would never want to change that about you Nick." He smiled down at her and caressed her cheek lovingly. The sound of a beeper going off caused them to jump apart and whirl toward the door. Grissom stood there with an extremely displeased look on his face.

Grissom looked down at the annoying beeper and scowled. He tried to hide his embarrassment at being caught spying on them. But when he had arrived outside the door he had become frozen to his spot as he watched their intimate display of affection. To say he was shocked was an understatement. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that Sara would fall for Nick Stokes. He thought she knew better, obviously not. From the kiss he had just witnessed it appeared they were beyond the early stages of a relationship. Just the way they whispered and touched one another it seemed like they were involved in a very serious affair. He wondered how long it had been going on? And why he hadn't noticed it before? He looked back up at them and was relieved to see their embarrassment clearly etched on their faces. "I want to see the both of you in my office before shift is over." he said sternly. He held up the beeper, "I have to call Brass. I'll be back and I expect to see the two of you as far apart from one another as possible." With that said he marched down the hall.

Nick ran his hand over his face and nervously looked over at Sara. She was staring at the empty doorway. Nick moved so that he stood in front of her. "You okay?" he asked tentatively. "Yeah, he already suspected something anyway. Now I don't have to tell him." "You were going to tell him what exactly?" Nick asked confused. She smiled up at him and said, " That my sexy coworker and I were going to test the bounds beyond our friendship to see if we could find ourselves a little bit of happiness." Nick's smile widened as he said, "You were going to tell Grissom that." "Well it sounds a lot better then Nick and I decided to screw each other senseless." Sara smirked. "Well yeah but I really like the idea of us screwing each of senseless." He said with a twinkle in his eye. "Nick," Sara sighed, "Remember what Grissom said. We need to stay away from one another while we're at work. So you need to move to the far side of that table and I'll work on this table." "Fine Sara but once we're outside of work all bets are off."

They smiled at one another from across the tables and got to work. Two hours later Sara sighed with frustration. They had yet to find a link between the two women. She straightened up and stretched the knots out of her back. "I could do that for you," Nick said with a grin. "Don't I wish," she replied with a grin of her own. Just then Grissom flew into the room. "There's been another murder," he said hurriedly looking from one face to the other. "I don't think it's a good idea that you go to the scene Sara," Grissom said. "But…" he said over her protests, "I know I can't keep you here either." She gave him a relieved look and glanced over a Nick. His face was full of worry. The situation was beginning to get out of control and Sara was right in the middle of it.

"Let's go," she said to the two men watching her. She knew if she stopped to think everything would catch up to her and her world would begin to spin out of control. She had to keep herself on the outside. She couldn't let him touch her because if she did she was afraid she might lose herself completely.