Title: Better Together
Author: Rachel
Email:
Category: CSI
Pairing: Nick/Sara
Disclaimer: Please. Me? Own anything? Hardly. It all belongs to Anthony Zuiker. I'm just playing.
Distribution: Ask please Rating: PG Spoilers: After Grave Danger, the S5 finale.
Notes: Title comes from a Jack Johnson song of the same name. Summary: When her asked her to run away with him, she couldn't remember how to say no.
Feedback: Is loved and much appreciated :)
She had missed him at work.
They were a good pair before the shift split "Always better together," he had said. She was inclined to believe that; she'd never found such a comfort level working with anyone else, not even Greg or Grissom. Greg was still too new and things with Grissom, even now, were still so strained. She and Warrick had become closer over the years, amazingly so considering the reason she had come to Las Vegas was to investigate him. But Nick had always been the soft touch to her hard edge.
Maybe that was why she hadn't been surprised when he showed up outside her apartment. A part of her had wished him there, even in his condition, barely a week out of the hospital after... 'can't think it, say it, speak it, breathe it...' A small selfish part of her wanted him there, but the larger more sensible part was wondering what he was doing out of bed so soon after what he'd been through.
Before she could open her mouth to speak, his lips were on hers in the sweetest, most desperate kiss she'd ever felt. There was so much need in him, not sexual, but that of love, strength and support. She wondered if she could be that person for him; she'd never been the strong one for someone else, and barely for herself. She could feel the love he was pouring into the kiss as his hand caressed her cheek; it was everything he had left, as broken and shattered as he was, he offered himself to her.
He pulled away slowly and opened his eyes to gaze at her. She could see right through his tearing brown eyes to see the tiny slices in his soul. He looked so fragile she was afraid he'd break in her arms.
That's when he asked her to run away with him.
He couldn't breathe in Vegas anymore, he had to get away, and he needed her to come with him. And she couldn't say no. Most people ran away to Vegas, very few ran from it, she thought as she packed her bag. It occurred to her that this might not have been the best thing for her career, but for once, she didn't care; she been reliable for so long, she needed to do something spontaneous and maybe a little irrational.
More importantly, he needed her.
She hoped she could do this, for him.
He waited quietly on her couch until she'd came out of her room with her bag over her shoulder. She pulled out her five hundred dollars of emergency money that she kept in her desk, put it in her purse and threw it over her shoulder. She stood in front of him; he still had that lost little boy look in his eyes and she wondered if he'd ever smile again. She didn't know what a world would be like without Nick Stokes' smile, and she didn't want to know. She was determined to bring it back, maybe not now, but someday.
She held out her hand to help him off the couch, and was still a little surprised when he didn't let go until they reached his car. The only stop they made was right by her front door, where he grabbed her CD wallet off the table.
His car was a classic convertible she couldn't remember the name of. At her slightly confused look, he explained that he'd been restoring it during what little free time he'd since he'd come to Vegas. Everything in it and on it was done by him, save the new sound system. She nodded and tossed her stuff in the back and got in. He got on the driver's side and dropped her CDs down by her feet, where she now noticed there was another zip case next to hers.
They pulled out and headed east, never looking back.
Four hours in, at their first rest stop, she called Grissom and told him that she wouldn't be in to work tomorrow or any day for a while; Nick was on a leave of absence, but she was still expected to be at work in the morning. She winced as Grissom snapped at her over the phone, and waited for him to calm down before she explained everything. He seemed exasperated, more so about what the hell was he going to tell Ecklie than her leaving, but sympathetic. She promised to call in a few days and hung up the phone, hoping she'd still had a job when she went home. After all, she did have twelve weeks of unused vacation time.
She'd fallen asleep some time after they'd started off again, and woke up a while later; it was still light out, and the car was moving, driving down a long stretch of highway, but the top was up and the air conditioning was blowing cool on her face. She shifted to sit more upright and pulled her hand across her mouth to wipe away any drool from her sleeping. They had barely spoken since they left her place, nothing had been said about the kiss, she wasn't even really sure what to say.
"Nick," she said quietly. He turned to look at her; his fingers touched her hair, trailed down her bare shoulder and arm, stopping at her fingers and laced them with his own, as if he was afraid she'd disappear. Love, warmth, trust, understanding, strength and need ran through them both. She squeezed his hand and she knew as long as he needed her, she would be there for him. And he knew that she would be there, for as long as he wanted. She slid over onto the seat next to him and kissed his shoulder.
"I'm not going anywhere, Nick."
A tear slipped from his eye and she reached up to brush it away before he had a chance. "I know," he said so softly she almost didn't hear.
She rested her head on his shoulder and held their clasped hands in her lap. He had more faith in her than she had in herself, but this time she was going to prove him right. She was going to bring back his smile and she was going to help him heal.
They were better together.