Last Thing On My Mind
NS Set after S5 'Viva Las Vegas'. It all started when someone mentioned the 'M' word ……..
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or CSI. I do however own my imagination, my Muse, my insanity, my fangirliness and my dreams.
A/N:- Okay, I admit, it's pure fluff.
Sara leant back in her chair and looked at Nick across the coffee table. "I cannot believe the look on your face when the alien priest asked us if we were married." She said, smirking. "You looked like you were going to fall off the chair."
Nick put on his best laid-back look on that he could muster. "I'm sorry, I guess he just caught me by surprise."
"You know I'm really quite offended that you looked so petrified at being married to me." Sara said, pouting.
Nick grinned. She looked cute when she pouted. "I think 'petrified' is exaggerating it a bit too much." He said, pointing his sandwich at her. "I just don't get why civilians assume that because we work together and are around the same age, we must be married or something."
Sara raised her eyebrows. "I think he was just trying to do business just like all of the other alien priests and Elvis impersonators who were piling us with leaflets when we walked out of the place."
"Don't even get me started on those." Nick said, shaking his head.
Sara crossed her arms. "I get it … you just don't think I'm marriage material do you?" she challenged.
"That is definitely not it and you know it." Nick said, pouring himself and Sara a cup of coffee each.
"Because if it is, you can come right out and say it Nick. I think it's good that we're honest with each other …" Sara carried on.
"Now you're being silly."
"Oh, I'm being silly. I'm not the one who looked absolutely mortified when the subject of marriage and us was brought up." Sara huffed.
"You shouldn't take it so personally. It's an ingrained guy reaction." Nick said, leaning forward like he was explaining himself to a five year old.
"And it's stupid. I thought you weren't like other guys."
"You certainly said I wasn't last night." Nick smirked.
Sara shot him a look but couldn't hold it and giggled. She turned her attention back to her pasta and Nick thought she had dropped the subject. He should be so lucky. "So is it the commitment aspect that you're so afraid of or the fact that it might not work out and that you would have wasted all your time and money." Sara questioned.
Nick groaned. "Sara will you just drop it?"
"After you give me a straight answer." She said pointing her fork at him. In one swift motion Nick leant forward and ate the pasta that was on the end of it. "Jerk." Sara muttered, throwing a bit of bread at him.
"Okay, I'm afraid of my reputation getting tainted. You know, if the guys think I'm not out there playing the field I'll lose all the street cred I've got."
Sara looked at him. He was grinning so hard. "I know you're joking." She said. "Or you better be!"
"Look, you answer my question about not wanting people at the lab to know about us being together and I'll answer your question about marriage phobia okay?" Nick said. Sara was silent. "See. Not so easy is it?" Nick said pointedly.
Sara sighed. "Things have been so good between us and this has been the first serious relationship I've been in that hasn't been doomed to fail from start to finish. I just don't want to jinx that by having it under constant scrutiny all the time." She said honestly.
Nick looked at her and smiled. He was glad she was so happy and even gladder that he was the one making her feel that way.
"Well I haven't got a reasonable explanation as to why I reacted the way I did earlier. I think it's just an automatic reflex. I'm sorry, next time I'll try to act more like someone not of the male sex." Nick chuckled.
Sara glared at him and suddenly Nick started to grin. "Oh I get what this is all about." He said, his thick Texan drawl coming out strongly. "You want to get married." Sara looked shocked and tried to protest but Nick carried on talking over her. "Honestly Sara, why didn't you say so before? I thought you said we could talk to each other about anything? Besides it's not the 18th Century anymore, you could have gone down on one knee and asked me….." He laughed as Sara got more and more worked up.
"You know that wasn't what I was hinting at, I was just arguing the point that you couldn't have just told the guy 'No we're not married' and left it at that." She said, slightly flustered.
"So you don't want to marry me?" Nick said, raising his eyebrows questioningly.
Sara knew he had backed her into a corner she had put there and it really irritated her when someone managed to outsmart her. "It's not a question of … marriage, it's a question of guys' insecurities and-"
Nick stood up and walked over to where she sat. "You don't seem to be understanding my question so I'll reword it for you." He said, dropping down on one knee and holding out a small box. "Will you marry me?"
Sara looked at him. He looked perfectly serious and her eyes widened in shock before she realised he must just be playing with her. "That's very good Nick." She laughed, slapping him on the shoulder. "You carry that thing around with you everywhere in case you need to play a joke on your girlfriend?"
Nick didn't join her in laughing though. "No, I carry it around with me everywhere when I'm trying to find a good time to ask the girl I love to marry me." He watched as Sara sat there stunned. "Look, I've been trying to wait for the perfect time to ask you for the past couple of weeks but things keep coming up and our dates keep getting interrupted. I acted the way I did earlier not out of fear but out of annoyance because I wanted this to be a surprise for you and I didn't want it to be ruined because some perp put the idea of marriage in your head before I did."
"Oh, trust me I'm surprised." Sara said, still in shock.
"Look, asking you to marry me in the middle of the break room in Las Vegas's crime lab wasn't the most romantic way I had thought of asking you to be my wife but in the end the message is the same: I want us to spend the rest of our life together Sara." Nick said earnestly.
Sara looked at him. Never in a million years did she think she would be so lucky to find that perfect life with her best friend and soul mate. She felt herself break into a smile and tears come into her eyes. "Yes. The answer's yes." She said laughing with happiness as Nick gave her the biggest, sexiest grin she had ever seen and slipped the ring on her finger before picking her up and embracing her.
"I love you so much." She said, pulling away so she could look him in the eye before drawing him into a deep, passionate kiss.
"Nick, I've got your DNA report …" Greg said, looking at the file he was holding as he walked into the break room. He broke off, speechless as he saw Nick and Sara finally break apart for air.
"Sorry, you were saying Greg?" Nick grinned as if nothing unusual had just occurred.
"Y-you two are dating?" he asked, clearly in shock.
"Actually we're engaged." Sara smiled, slipping her hand into Nick's.
Greg's eyes widened as he dropped the file on the table and ran from the room before remembering his manners and quickly turning back.
"Congratulations you guys. I'm really happy for you." He said before racing through the building like a tornado looking for someone to tell.
"Well, I guess everyone's going to find out about us now whether you like it or not." Nick said looking down at Sara.
"I think I can live with that." She grinned.
A/N:- Short and fluffy for all the Snickers fans out there.
