Title: Confessions Between Friends

Author: Alysia

Category: Post episode/alternate universe

Couple(s): Well, I am a snickers fan, it's mainly a friendship piece, but you can take it how you want to.

Summery: I thought it blew that Nick was alone when Kelly showed up. This story is based on a few comments over on a snickers thread.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI characters.

Author's Note: I've been posting fan fiction for various shows for a few years now. I've recently 'discovered' CSI and fallen in love with it all over again. This is my first CSI fan fiction. I hope you guys enjoy it! Also, this is based on the episode Still Life...if you haven't seen it, then...you've been warned.

Walking into the locker room, Sara Sidle paused in mid step, surprised at seeing Nick Stokes sitting idly on the bench, as he stared off into space. She thought he would have been gone by the time she returned with Greg Sanders and Warrick Brown.

"Hey Nicky," she greeted softly, so as not to startle him too badly. She waited until his eyes roamed to her and she smiled at him.

At the sudden intrusion, Nick cleared his thoughts and offered his female brunette a weak smile. "Sar." He nodded at her, silently wondering how long she had been in the room with him.

Sara frowned at the distant tone in Nick's voice, it was so completely different from his usual cheerful one. She furrowed her brows in thought. "Are you all right?"

Nick pursed his lips. Was he all right? He didn't feel all right. He was still reeling in shock at the visit that Kelly Gordon paid him.

"I don't know actually," he admitted in a defeated tone. He let out a weary sigh and ran his hands over his face, suddenly feeling much more tired then he had felt half an hour earlier. "Kelly Gordon was here earlier..." He trailed off, not sure what else to say to that.

At the familiar name, Sara flinched as though she was physically assaulted. "She's out of jail?"

Nick shrugged, remembering what the blonde had told him. "A few days ago." He paused, not sure how he wanted to continue on with his news...not totally sure how Sara would act. "When we were processing the play ground, she was there."

At hearing the news, Sara narrowed her eyes in anger and turned away from Nick so he wouldn't see the look of pure hatred on her face. How dare that woman even come within a hundred yards of Nick! She cleared her voice, hoping to keep the anger out of it. "Why didn't you say something sooner?" Sara demanded after a moment.

Nick pulled back at the tone of her voice. "Uh...I thought I was just seeing things," he replied, a bit on the defensive side. He watched her shoulders drop in defeat and he realized that she hadn't meant to take her anger out on him. "It wouldn't have been the first time..."

His voice was soft, almost too low for Sara to hear his confession, but she had. She turned around and took in the sight of her cowboy. The last few months had been so very hard on him, she knew that much...but she had a feeling that none of their co-workers, herself included, knew just how much Nick still suffered at the hand of Walter Gordon. She took a seat next to him on the bench. "Are you...how do you feel about that?"

"I feel like an idiot," he replied truthfully, a humorless laugh escaping him. "I mean I just stood there in a dumb way...nodding her talk so...casually." To say it was awkward, would have been an understatement. He wasn't sure what their conversation should have entailed, what do you say to someone who's father tried to kill you? When he had met her after his ordeal...it was for more his comfort than her own.

Sara offered him a small smile. "It's better that you were here then me." After her last meeting with Kelly...when Nock was missing, she would have given anything if lightning had struck the blonde woman right then and there. She wasn't sure what she would have done if she had seen the woman, but she assumed that it would have led to a week long suspension...at the very least. "I think I would have attacked her."

At Sara's words, Nick turned his attention to her. Judging by the resolved look on her face, Nick didn't doubt that Sara would waste no time in attacking Walter's daughter if it meant saving him, or helping him achieve some much needed closure. Her jaw was set in determination, a hard look had entered her brown orbs. "You can't be so angry Sara," he told her softly.

Sara raised one eyebrow in a challenge. "Wanna' bet?" She let out a frustrated sigh at Nick's good heartedness. "That bitch was resolved in leaving you down there in that coffin! She even admitted that she hoped you would die!" Sara hadn't realized how worked up she had become during her spiel. She took a breath to calm her frazzled nerves and to keep her tears at bay. With a shaking hand, she pushed her hair out of her face.

Nick's abduction was never far from her thoughts, Her fears never left her alone, instead, when she was alone, memories of that treacherous time haunted her thoughts. The idea that they almost lost Nick was still fresh in her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see him down there in that box, listening to him struggle to remain as calm as possible.

"Sara..." Nick turned to her, grabbing her hands in his own. "I'm right here."

Sara's eyes stung with tears at his words and she shook her head in denial. "I know that," she breathed out in a small voice. "I don't know how you put so much faith in us. I don't think I would have lasted as long as you. The moment those bugs started coming into that coffin...that gun would have been my only and last comfort." Speaking about her fears, her memory of watching him slithered into her mind. She winced.

Nick milled around in his thoughts for a few minutes. He honestly had no idea how he had survived that event either. There were so many times he had wanted nothing more then to pull that trigger and end all that pain and fear. Scooting closer to her, he pulled Sara in for a hug, having decided that their previous position wasn't comforting enough.

Reveling in the feel of his arms surrounding her, Sara closed her eyes. She leaned her head down, her lips resting against the crook of his neck, breathing in his all too familiar scent.

From his position, Nick was trying to get his mind off the fact that he could feel Sara's lips burning in his neck. He inhales the sweet scent of her hair, subconsciously pulling her tighter against his body.

"Feel better?" Nick asked as they pulled away from each other.

Sara nodded, coming her hand behind ears. "Much. You?"

"Of course," he replied. "I had you in my arms didn't I?

At his words, Sara let out a giggle. "You have any plans?" Sara asked after a pregnant pause.

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Some tv and then bed. Why? You have something better in mind?" He finished his inquiry by waggling his eyebrows playfully.

"Yeah...food," she shot back dryly.

The End