Title: Pseudo Dating
Author: DarkDreamer56
Archive: If you want it, ask please!
Rating: T
Pairing: N/S
Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just like to play with them and return them (mostly) unharmed…
Spoilers: mild spoilers for Season 6
A/N: This is in response to Julie's newest challenge issued to the Snickers group. Pure fluff, indulge at your own risk. Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last two stories, "Intervention" and "Take Out"
Shelbers: It's okay, my sister thinks I'm nuts too. I prefer the term…passionate, myself
FoxRox1: I completely agree with everything you said. I've looked for the chemistry…but I just can't seem to find it.
Claire: Anticipating your question, most of the challenges are from the Snickers fanfic group on yahoo. I can send you the link if you want it. You know, it's funny, I find Warrick second only to Grissom in difficulty of trying to write naturally, so it totally made my day that you said that. I think it's hysterical when you review as you read….those reviews are priceless (I'm glad that it felt wrong, Sar. IT IS WRONG). And yes, Nicky could cheer me up with his southern charm anytime…but something else that would cheer me up would be to open my mailbox and see an update from you!
Julie: Hope this suffices for your Snickers fix. How's McGyver? I know my kitty likes to walk across the keyboard as I type too (at least I can blame her for some of my typos, hehe). Eagerly awaiting a new story from you!
Nick wasn't exactly sure when he and Sara started this pseudo-dating ritual, but as he sat next to her at Warrick and Tina's dining room table, he wished they could drop the pseudo part of it. He supposed it all started with a certain Hispanic beauty from the Desert Palm night staff making an honest man out of his best friend, and feeling like a third wheel whenever he hung out with the newlyweds, he had started inviting someone else along on their nights or days out. Seeing as things were still tense between Catherine and Warrick, and Greg had a new found fascination with Wendy the DNA tech, Sara became the most obvious choice. It didn't hurt that Nick was in an on again phase of his off again-on again feelings for her, at least in the beginning. But now he just thought he was engaging himself in a slow form of torture.
It had begun as breakfasts after their shifts ended, and an occasional dinner or movie before work. To Warrick and Nick's surprise, Tina and Sara had hit it off immediately, spending their free mornings shopping or running in the park. Nick thought that it was good for Sara to have a female friend, and he was happy to see her opening up to someone outside of the crime lab.
Somehow, their time together had evolved into a weekly ritual, and Nick and Sara had become Warrick and Tina's first set of couple friends, as Greg liked to tease them. The only problem with this being, Nick and Sara weren't even dating, a fact that screamed into Nick's face every chance it got.
"Tina, this lasagna is amazing," Nick announced, trying to force his thoughts in another direction.
She beamed back at him after directed a small smile towards her husband. "Thanks Nick…I got the recipe from Sara there."
"Sara?" Nick asked skeptically.
"Yeah, why do you sound so surprised? She helped me make this delicious pie the other day…"
Sara nudged his foot under the table with her own. "Don't even try to reason with him Tina…Nick seems to think that I can't even make toast without burning it."
"Hey, I never said that," Nick defended quickly. His voice softened however, when he saw the amused look dancing in Sara's eyes. "I've just never had a chance to judge this so called cooking of yours. When I come over, it's usually take out or popcorn, which yes, she does burn on occasion." Nick grinned back at both women before shoving another forkful of vegetarian lasagna into his mouth.
"But you're welcome to invite me over anytime for some home cookin," Nick added with a wink after he had swallowed, eliciting laughter from the rest of the table.
"Watch it there, or she might think you're hitting on her," Warrick teased.
"Nah, if I was, she'd know it," Nick countered, with another wink in Sara's direction. He was pleased to see her face take on a pinkish hue as she rolled her eyes and took a bite of her salad.
"So how's Casey doing?" Sara asked a few minutes later, taking a sip from the wine glass in front of her.
"She's not very happy with me right now. As soon as I put her in the cat carrier, she knew something was up…she cried the whole time in the waiting room." Tina sighed. "I think she's curled up on our bed sulking."
"Yeah, I guess getting her fixed will do that."
"Man, there's gonna be cat hair all over my pillow now," Warrick complained.
"Be nice, she's not feeling well," Tina admonished gently, grabbing Warrick's plate from in front of him. She piled it on top of hers and disappeared into the kitchen.
"The way she treats that cat, you'd think it was a kid or something…she's a little devil more like it," Warrick grumbled to Nick and Sara. To their credit, both tried to hide the amused looks on their faces as Warrick complained. "She buys the most expensive cat food, and the damn cat jumps up on the sink and tries to get the leftovers…we've got a closet full of toys, those little catnip filled mouse heads and strings that she won't touch, but she'll bite you trying to get the twisty tie out of your hand. Rubber bands…I even found her playing with a paperclip once."
Sara laughed. "Warrick...Casey's a cat. And a very cute one." Sara had fallen in love with the little ball of orange fluff the first time she had laid eyes on her.
"You wouldn't say that if she was trying to kill you…"
"Man, what are you talking about?" Nick was finding this entire conversation fairly amusing. Sara shot him a sideways glance, along with a tiny smile, and he knew she was thinking the same thing; domesticity had certainly changed Warrick. Nick felt something vaguely jealous about the situation, but dismissed it quickly. He was happy for Warrick and Tina, but having spent so much time with them recently, he had begun to realize how much he wanted what they had.
"She sleeps out in the hallway, in front of our door…I've tripped over her twice this week already, stubbed my toe on the doorframe…"
"That's only because you won't let her sleep in the bed with us. Is he still complaining about Casey?" Tina asked, peeking her head around the door. The chuckling from Nick and Sara confirmed her suspicions.
Sara reached for Nick's plate, placing it underneath her plate before picking both up "Need some help?" Tina nodded and disappeared back into the kitchen.
"She worships that damn cat," Warrick grumbled.
"This from the man that doesn't allow anyone to speak when his X-Box is on?" Sara teased.
Warrick eyed her suspiciously. "What's she been telling you?"
Sara only smiled. "Girl talk." She then disappeared into the kitchen after Tina.
Nick glanced over at Warrick, who still seemed to be moping over the cat. "Come on man, it's just a cat, you'll adjust."
"That's funny, coming from you," Warrick shot back, draining the rest of his wine glass.
"What are you talking about War?"
"You, you've been sitting their moping all night…man, just get it over with and ask her out already…put every one out of their misery."
"Man, it's not like that…we're just friends, you know that." Inside, Nick cursed; he thought he'd been a lot more subtle.
"If that's how I looked at women I was just friends with, Tina would have something to say about it…and unless I'm hallucinating, she's looking at you the same way."
"Whatever man…there's nothing going on. Come on, isn't there a game on right now?"
Warrick just rolled his eyes. "Fine…you don't have to admit it now, but I'm just saying…if you don't make your move soon, I'm sure that there are a couple other guys waiting in line." Warrick gave him one more look before rising from the table and walking towards the living room.
Nick sighed. They both knew that Grissom had been looking at Sara in a way that was not entirely in a supervisor capacity recently, something that had kept Nick up at night. It intrigued Nick to hear that Warrick thought that Sara felt the same about him, but he just wasn't sure. He wasn't sure he was ready to give up the time they spent together, hanging out with Tina and Warrick. Even if it was a pseudo relationship, he still got to hold her hand while they walked to the car from dinner, he still got to feel her head against his shoulder as they watched a movie. No, he was going to have to wait just a little bit longer.
In the kitchen, Tina and Sara were just about done with the dishes, and had started to clean up the counters.
"You still want to go shopping after work on Monday?" Sara asked, picking up a stack of bowls.
"Yeah, I've got to get a new pair of shoes for that wedding we've got next week…and I bet Warrick wouldn't mind if we made a little side trip to Victoria's Secret."
Sara laughed, but she couldn't help but wish that she had someone to justify buying high priced lingerie for, and she couldn't stop the thought that it would be nice if it happened to be for the man sitting out in the dining room with Warrick. But Sara knew that kind of thinking wasn't going to get her anywhere; while they spent a lot of time together, Nick would never see her as anymore than a friend. So instead, she continued searching for the cabinet where Tina and Warrick kept their bowls; it seemed that every time she came over, Tina had rearranged the kitchen cabinets. The cabinet that used to hold their bowls now contained graham crackers, a couple boxes of Jello, and a case of Chicken Top Ramen. "You know, being a nurse, you think you'd know how bad this stuff is for you…" she teased, closing the cabinet, and finding the rest of the bowls in the one beside it.
"What? Oh, the Ramen? Yeah, I know, but it's a hold over from nursing school…I spent weeks living on Ramen and instant coffee."
"I remember those days," Sara mused, grabbing the stack of plates they had used and then placing them underneath the bowls, "Always studying, no time for a life, much less time to eat…"
"So what's your excuse now?" Tina asked innocently, pushing the silverware drawer closed.
"S'cuse me?"
"You know, why exactly aren't you dating Nick right now? It can't be because you work too much, because, well, you work together. And you can't be in denial, because someone would have to be blind not to see how you two interact…they way he looks at you, I bet he wouldn't mind if you picked up a little something on our shopping trip…"
"We're just friends," Sara interrupted, suddenly nervous by the turn of conversation. She and Tina had gotten along since the first time they met, something that hadn't ever really happened with Sara before, and they had become good friends over the past several months; it was nice having a girlfriend that she could talk to and do girl things with, though the guys probably wouldn't believe that she, Sara Sidle, was interested in things like shopping and watching chick flicks once in awhile. Still, it scared her that someone could read her so easily.
"Okay, sure," Tina replied, drawing out her answer in a mocking tone. She began to wipe the counter. "So then, explain to me why he holds your hand when we go out, how he knows exactly what you're going to order…why he picks up your bill at dinner…"
"That's because I don't ask him what kind of car he drives." Sara couldn't help the tiny smile on her face as she recalled that particular conversation.
"Huh?" Tina looked confused as she threw the sponge into the garbage can next to her.
"Oh, nothing…look, that's just the way our friendship has always been. Nick's a nice guy…it's just how we interact." Sara shrugged her shoulders, and began to sweep up some non-existent crumbs from the counter in front of her.
"Well, it looks like we're done in here…let's go see what they're up to," Tina announced, pulling Sara away from the counter and out into the living room. Warrick smiled as they came into view and Tina settled herself on his lap, placing a soft kiss on his lips while simultaneously commandeering the remote control from his grasp.
Sara giggled as she settled down next to Nick on the couch. "It appears that Warrick has met his match," she whispered, kicking off her shoes and curling her legs underneath herself.
Nick smiled, watching Sara get comfortable as Warrick and Tina finally broke apart. Sara noticed him watching her out of the corner of her eye, and her conversation with Tina entered the front of her mind again; maybe there was something to what Tina had been trying to tell her. Sara turned towards Nick, and knowing he was caught staring, Nick gave her a sheepish smile. Sara returned the smile, and feeling a little emboldened by her earlier conversation, she slid a little closer to Nick on the couch until their thighs were barely touching, pleased when he threw and arm around her shoulder.
Warrick wrapped his arms around his wife's waist as she idly flipped through the channels.
"Hey Nick, can you grab the TV Guide? There's got to be something on…"
"You know, there's an option on the remote, you don't need the magazine," he teased Tina, leaning forward to search the coffee table, absentmindedly moving his hand between Sara's shoulder blades and rubbing over the fabric of her shirt. He momentarily gave up his search when he came across a pastel pink business card with black script writing. "Toys by Rhonda?" He quirked an eyebrow in the newlyweds' direction.
"Oh, I got that from one of the girls at work," Tina explained, "She does those home parties, you know, like the ones for candles or Tupperware, only they're for sex toys. She was passing them out the other day."
"People really have parties for those kinds of things?" Nick queried, trying not to let his tone betray his feelings about sitting next to Sara on Warrick's couch, talking about sex toys with Tina. To her credit, Sara seemed unfazed by the exchange, and maybe even a little curious.
"Oh yeah, I guess there's a real big market…there's such a bad connotation with the stores, I guess people would rather shop in the privacy of their own homes. She's having a party in a couple weeks, wanted to know if I was interested…hey, Sar, want to go? I bet Nick here wouldn't mind helping you break them in," she teased, shooting an innocent look in both Sara and Nick's direction.
Sara coughed once, surprised and embarrassed by how obvious Tina was being, and Nick could see her blush slightly; he realized with a smirk that she wasn't as unfazed by the conversation as she let on. "We'll see," she answered simply.
"Hey, we've got time to watch a movie or something before I've gotta head to work," Warrick interrupted, grabbing the remote back and hitting the guide button.
Two hours later, Nick was gently nudging Sara awake, as she had fallen asleep against his shoulder about halfway through the movie. He had to admit he hadn't been paying much attention to the movie either, more content to concentrate on her even breathing, and her warm hand settled on his thigh. Nick realized that as many times as this scenario had played out in the past, he would never tire of having her wake up beside him. As she snuggled closer to his side as she began to wake up, Nick wondered if maybe Warrick was right.
"We should get going, I'm parked behind Warrick," he whispered as her eyes finally fluttered open.
"Mm hmm," she mumbled, but promptly closed her eyes again as she sprawled a hand across his abdomen. Nick chuckled and nudged her again.
"C'mon Sleeping Beauty, I'll take you home." He disentangled himself from her and stood up before reaching his hand out to help her up. Warrick shot him a knowing look, but said nothing. Sara pulled on her shoes and then allowed Nick to pull her up.
"Next week, we're going out, unless Sara's cooking," Tina announced, hanging her legs over the side of the chair as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail.
"So then we're going out next week," Sara concluded, smiling as Nick wrapped an arm around her and propelled her towards the door. "I'll give you a call tomorrow, thanks for dinner."
Nick echoed her sentiments and started out towards the driveway. The short drive to Sara's apartment complex was long enough to wake her up, and by the time Nick reached the parking lot, she was fully awake.
"You want to come up for awhile? We do both have the night off…" Sara smiled at him with a look in her eye that Nick had never noticed before, and though Nick could think of several reasons why it was a bad idea, he found himself grinning back and nodding before running over to open her door.
The walk to Sara's door was short, but in that time, both sensed that something had changed between them. Perhaps it was all the pushing and prodding by their friends, or maybe everything was finally coming to a head, but the minute her door was closed, Nick had Sara pinned against it as his lips descended on hers in a hungry kiss, consequences be damned. There was no hesitation on her part, and soon she had fistfuls of his shirt in her hands, while he snaked one arm around her waist and slid the other up the back of her shirt.
He soon felt her pushing against his chest, and for a moment he thought she was pushing him away, but then realized that she was walking him backwards, in what he assumed was the direction of somewhere more comfortable to continue this. By the time they reached her bedroom door, he had lost his shoes, shirt, and belt, and Sara's bra was hanging precariously onto her shoulders, unfastened, while her shirt lay discarded somewhere on the back of the couch. Sara ran her hands up and down his chest while Nick turned them around in the doorway, practically carrying her the rest of the way to the bed. The mattress bounced as they fell onto it, lips still connected in a fiery kiss, and seconds later, Nick's fingers were deftly undoing the buttons of her pants.
Several hours later, Sara was spooned up against Nick underneath her enormous comforter. She smiled as Nick trailed his fingers lightly up and down her side.
"How on Earth did we go five years without doing that?" he whispered, gently squeezing her hip.
"I think we both spent a lot of time in denial," she answered, turning in his arms to face him. "I'll have to thank Tina for clearing some things up for me tonight…"
Nick grinned as Sara ran her fingers up and down his jaw line. "Yeah, we should do something nice for her and Warrick." He dipped his head down to capture her lips again.
"Does this mean we're dating now?" Sara murmured against his lips, running her hands across his shoulder blades before snaking her arms around his neck.
Nick chuckled. "Darlin, I think we were dating before, we just didn't know it. Now though, we get to do this." Nick leaned down and kissed her deeply before pulling back. His tone turned serious as he pulled away slightly to study her face. "Are you okay with this?"
Sara couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. "I'm more than okay with the way things turned out tonight." Her eyes were earnest, and no one could mistake the look on her face for anything other than happiness. Sara sighed and curled up against Nick's side, running her hand over his rock hard abdomen.
Nick pulled her closer, planting a kiss on her temple before pulling the covers around them. A cheeky grin spread across his face as he asked, "So, now does this mean you'll go to Rhonda's party with Tina?"
FIN.