A/N: Ok, this chapter is an R, folks, for sexual activities later in the chapter. And, to clear things up for some of the reviewers, an emergency contraceptive, also known as the "morning after pill" can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus wall, i.e. stopping a pregnancy. However, this can only occur if the pill is taken quickly after intercourse.

"Altercation"

It still wasn't that easy to accept. Logically, the possibility of pregnancy had only existed for a short while, so it should have seemed…normal for Sara to not be. It should be familiar, right somehow. But it wasn't.

Sara seemed to have become even more enigmatic, even more isolated, in the two weeks since the possibility had been ended. She strayed from his touch, cold and distant. In the few times he had endeavored to take their physical contact past chaste kissing, she had gasped as if she were drowning and, with about as much subtlety and grace as an elephant in a clown costume, escaped from his grasp like an actress bowing out. It was frustrating, but he understood.

She thought it was her fault. She was guilty. He knew it on Monday morning, when he woke up to her soft crying. She had her back to him, curled up into a little knot of brown hair, smooth flesh and cotton pajamas. She was weeping, trembling, wrapped around her stomach with her arms pressed against it. Babies were a natural thing and a natural result of unprotected sex. So, perhaps she had wanted the baby. Perhaps she was hurting. In fact, he was sure of it. But then why did she avoid his touch? Why did she refuse comfort? Was there anyone else who could understand?

He almost reached out, almost touched her shoulder blade, the bone barely covered by skin that protruded from her otherwise flat back. He almost did, but couldn't bring himself to do so. There was some cadence in her sobs that let him know that Sara's anguish, whether heard by a family member, a coworker, or even a lover, was to be kept private. So he contented himself with logging it away, to gauging her sadness and emptiness, biding his time until he knew the dam would break.

And break it did, the very next day. Unfortunately, this particular event happened at work, in the midst of a meeting. Sara was seated across from him, picking absentmindedly at a loose seam in her sweater, when Catherine's sometimes-critical gaze flashed to the brunette. "Sara," she began sharply, "you're too quiet. We've got cases to solve, criminals to put away, and we don't have time for sulking. You've got to let private trauma stay at home, it has no place at work."

Nick couldn't bring himself to be angry with Catherine, since she was his superior and friend. However, though the blonde often thought it her job to counsel Grissom on his lack of politic, the woman herself wasn't that great at it, especially when it involved Sara. Ah, Sara, who was displaying quite an uncharacteristic response to Catherine's words.

She was crying.

There was stunned silence in the break room, broken only by Sara's quiet sniffles before she made a hasty exit. Catherine's blue eyes widened in response, making a quick, curious pass around the table. "Uh…" she said, "what did I do?"

It was with a small shake of his head that Nick left; deciding now was not the time to reveal his relationship with Sara, nor the circumstances that had brought about her sadness.

She was in the locker room, staring blankly as she opened and closed the door to her locker slowly, seemingly without purpose. He hugged the walls and entered slowly. Sara heard him anyway, or perhaps sensed his presence, and turned. Taking two steps before breaking into a run, she launched herself into Nick's open arms, wrapping her own around him. "Oh, Nick," she whispered, "I'm so sorry. I've been so cold, but it's like I don't even know what's going on in my own head, especially since the whole EC thing and, and…"

She trailed off, shaking her head against his chest, some unnamed emotion in her voice. In the recesses of his mind, Nick wondered what that emotion was.

It was to be revealed as she gave a hiccupping sob, her lips moving against his shirt, against his skin. "Nick, I don't know what I'm supposed to feel! Babies…they complicate things and we weren't ready for it. But," another hiccup, "but in a part of me it hurts, Nicky, oh it hurts so bad…"

Speech became impossible as she continued to cry, stilling only when he began to as well, comforted by the fact that he felt it too. He understood the mix of emotions, the tumult that was indescribable.

Life has many paths and it seemed that they had passed this fork relatively unscathed. The recovery would not be quick or easy, but as she wrapped her arms around his middle, crying in the locker room, they both knew that it would be okay. Eventually, it would be okay.

One Month Later

It was hard, fast and almost animalistic. It was seemingly violent, the sound of skin on skin, her fingernails digging savagely into the door frame, desperate for a hold as he took her from behind, spreading her legs apart with his knee, his chest against her back and her forehead resting against the cool plaster of the wall. She bit her lip as he thrust, giving a little cry as the sheer force shook her body and she felt as if she were about to crumble into a million pieces. He was brazen in his lust and desire, one arm wrapped securely about her stomach, tightening rhythmically to force her hips back against his and the other playing rather absentmindedly with her breasts.

It was almost unexpected when she came, all her muscles contracting, splinters driven underneath her nails as she clenched her fingers against the wood. Crying out his name she forced herself back, pressing her palms against the wall and pushing, her skin against his being the catalyst to his own release.

It was too savage, too fierce, too loveless and angry.

And she savored every moment of it.

He slipped from her slowly, receding like the tides, her wantonness already rising again and clamoring for more of him. She crumbled as if she were boneless to her knees, forehead once more pressed against the wall as she took heaving breaths, reeling from the passion between them.

"Nick…" she panted, "sweet lord…Nick…"

He was beside her, an arm tracing lazy circles over the small of her back as her skin slowly cooled, the intermingled sweat evaporating. His voice was hoarse, imbued with the ever-present ardor that he expressed only to her. "It was that good, huh?"

She gave a throaty laugh as she rolled onto her back, her spine pressed against the carpet and one arm giving a half-hearted swat at him. "You know it was, jackass."

Feigning a hurt expression he stooped over her form still lying on the carpet, shameless and making no attempt to hide his phallus. Sara gave him a wicked look as she extended one arm to grasp the offending appendage, pleased when it responded instantaneously. "You know," she mused, falsely oblivious to the semi-grimace on Nick's face, "I've never met someone with so much stamina."

She used a hard stroke of his shaft to punctuate that remark, wicked in her unabashed appreciation of his form. He responded with a drawn out groan, sweeping her up with both arms, one at her neck and the other at her waist. Pressing a hot, openmouthed kiss to her neck he attempted to give rise to a name for the woman in his arms. "False ingénue," he muttered, "harlot, jezebel, Casanova…"

His path was assured, steps leading them straight to the bedroom where they both knew interesting activities awaited. However, that was to be cut short.

The doorbell rang and Sara let loose a loud string of angry curses, leaving red scratches on Nick's back as he set her down on her feet. "We could just ignore it," he proposed, the lust and obvious hopefulness in his eyes nearly making Sara agree. She even opened her mouth, ready to do so, but the doorbell rang again. "I'll get it," she sighed resignedly, "seeing as you have a hard-on a pit bull couldn't put marks in. Though I am happy to know I have that effect on you…"

He groaned and continued his trek to the bedroom as Sara walked naked into the den of their apartment. Her clothes were ruined, lying in a shredded heap in the kitchen where Nick had divested her of them in quite a savage manner. Stooping she pulled his pair of forsaken boxers on, finishing with his unbuttoned shirt draped haphazardly on the couch.

"One second," she called as she furiously buttoned up the dark red dress shirt belonging to the man currently in her bedroom. Pressing an eye to the peephole she hissed "shit!" at the sight of who it was that awaited her.

Grissom.

She was going to have to open the door to her boss dressed in her lover's clothes.

No time like the present, I guess…

Unlocking it in a sense of almost serenity brought about by the fact that what she was doing was totally insane, she gave him a falsely sincere smile. "Hi, Grissom."

It did not take long for him to assess her appearance. A quirk of an eyebrow belied his surprise. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"No," she lied, pushing away thoughts of the naked man in her bedroom.

"Are you sure," he questioned, "I mean, you are in men's clothing…" He left the thought to hang in the air between them; not even giving rise to what they both knew was obvious.

"It's fine," she gritted out between clenched teeth, "now would you care to enlighten me on the cause of your visit?"

He refused to drop it, chiding her. "I hope you're being careful with whoever you're with, Sara."

Her fingers quickly formed a fist and she looked him straight in the eyes. Grissom had ceased being a love interest long ago; she only know realized how little of what she thought of her mentor was true.

"I'm being careful, Grissom." Not that it's any of your concern, she thought darkly.

"Oh, well I just stopped by to drop off some paperwork for today's case. I know you were planning on filling them out later, but the solve rate is being factored tomorrow and Ecklie wants all paperwork turned in ASAP. Try to have them on my desk by 8:00."

"Done," she hissed with more force than she mean to use, and yet still nearly triumphant at the almost hurt on her supervisor's face. "They'll be there as soon as I clock in."

He lingered, annoyingly aware of what she wanted and what he refused to do. "I guess I'll see you at work."

"Yes, now I really must get back to…to what I was doing. I'll see you soon"

Her door slammed and Gil Grissom knew that the heart had never taken hold of had already been claimed.


A/N: Now, more bad news. I know you're probably all tired of me leaving, but I'm going to be Houston for the weekend, so updates will be slowed. Also, if anyone has any ideas for where they want the story to go, I would love to hear them. Input inspires me and it's always welcome!

Rynn