Writing on a Blank Slate
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.
Rating: M for content of other chapters.
A/N: Once again, thank you for all the reviews. They make me so happy!
Chapter 25: "Are you serious?"
Another day on the road, another blend of highways and byways and towns that were all starting to look the same. The cold grey drizzle that had started to fall that morning didn't improve matters. Nick had to admit, if only to himself, that Sara wasn't the only one who was starting to miss working.
Not that he wanted to head back to Las Vegas. They had been reassured by Catherine and Grissom that they weren't going to be sued for breach of contract, but he doubted that the Powers That Be would be welcoming them back with open arms anytime soon, even if they wanted to go back, which they didn't.
"I still can't believe Ecklie quit," he remarked to Sara.
"Well, he didn't have a lot of choice." The rain intensified slightly, and she turned up the windshield wipers to compensate. "According to Catherine, the enquiry panel blamed his 'mismanagement' for us leaving. It was quit or end up as just another CSI: no way Ecklie could handle that."
"Do you think Catherine'll get his job?"
She shrugged.
"I don't know. She's got the people skills, and she can handle the politics better than Grissom ever could, plus she's a great CSI. She'll look good in front of the cameras too." Time and distance had succeeded where nothing else ever had in easing the tension which had always existed between the two female CSIs, at least on Sara's part. "They'd be nuts not to give it to her. She said she'd call us if she got it, right?"
"Yeah, she said she'd call."
They lapsed into silence again. Nick tapped his fingers idly on his knee as they waited at a stop-light.
"Hey Nick?"
"Yeah?"
"You still wanna get married?"
He laughed. "Yeah, of course."
She nodded, a wicked grin on her face. "Okay."
And with that she pulled off the road into the parking lot of a church.
"What're you doing?" Nick asked, surprised laughter welling up.
"I spent the last five years of my life in Vegas, Nicky. What do you think I'm doing?"
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I'm serious." Then she sobered. "What do you think? Should we do this?"
He looked at her for a moment, this woman he had known for five years, and yet had only really gotten to know in the past two months. The woman he had shared one of the craziest times of his life with. The woman he loved. As long as they were together, anything was possible.
"Let's do it."