A/N Hi all! It was more than wonderful to find your reviews when I got home!!!! Thanks for putting in the time to review – it really does mean the world to me. The exam went well – turns out I know more about Wuthering Heights than I suspected. I wrote Bio today. It was really bad so hold thumbs for me. Actually, this week and next are my busiest so this is the last update for the next few days.
I must confess to one thing before you read this: I enjoy GSR romances and, while this is most definitely a snickers story, I'm not keen to portray Grissom in too bad a light. Yes, he has hurt Sara many times, but never intentionally, I believe. I like to think that if Sara were to find happiness with someone else Grissom would be happy for her - much dismayed at his own loss, of course, but mature enough to realise that he really did have his chance.
C:7Dropping Grissom and Greg off had taken longer than he'd expected as they suddenly seemed to cotton on to the fact that Sara had come with him to the party when Greg questioned where her Denali was parked. Nick had shrugged it off as casually as possible without appearing as if he had something to hide. Greg lost interest fast and wondered off in search of Catherine and Warrick, but Grissom scrutinized Nick carefully. The young man appeared cool and indifferent, but he knew him well enough to notice the signs. Nick's thumb was slowly rubbing over his cuticles: he was nervous about something.
"Something wrong, Nick?" Grissom asked, "You look a little uneasy."
Grateful that he could be honest, Nick sighed. "I'm worried about Sara."
"I understand that. We all are Nicky," Grissom said, genuine sympathy in his voice. "We only hear about things like this. We think they'll never happen to us."
"Yeah," Nick heaved a sigh and pulled his car keys out of his pocket. "Anyway, I'd better get going."
"I'll join you," Grissom said, going over to his chair and picking up his jacket. "I want to stop and check on Sara on the way. I don't know if it was our best idea leaving her alone."
Nick froze. "Griss…"
"Yeah Nick?" Grissom raised an eyebrow.
"You don't need to check on Sara."
A frown furrowed across the older man's face. "Why not? We're all concerned about her."
"Because I'm going there already."
Grissom shrugged, "So we'll go together. Show her some support and ease both of our concerns."
Nick sighed and let go, "Grissom, you don't understand. I'm going to spend the night with her. We wanted to keep it a secret- so Ecklie wouldn't hassle us. Griss, Sara and I are… together. We don't know where it's gonna go, but we're taking each day as it comes."
Grissom's features froze. His mouth hung open for a few seconds and Nick began to panic. Oh. God. 'I shouldn't have told him!' Nick's mind screamed. To his relief however, a knowing smile that bordered on smug crossed Grissom's face.
"I thought as much," He said, pausing to scan Nick's shocked face. "Oh yes, I saw all that sneaky handholding- and those wistful glances. We are CSIs, you know." His joke seemed lost on Nick, who still looked a little shocked at his supervisor's lack thereof.
"So you're not mad?"
Grissom shrugged, "No. Should I be?"
"No!" Nick said hastily. He suddenly noticed Grissom's eyes drifting to the floor, his eyes glazed. "I…um… know you and Sara are pretty close. I hope this isn't a blow to you?" Nick asked softly.
Grissom shook his head. "No Nicky, it isn't. Sara and I respect each other and, while we do have history, there would never had been an us, if that's what you mean."
Unconsciously, Nick let out a breath of relief: beating one's boss to a girl they both liked could have created some serious tension.
"You know, Nick." Grissom added, looking to Nick with a slight smile on his lips, "I've known Sara for a long time. And I know that nobody has made her smile as much as you in the last couple years."
"You think?" Nick smiled at the thought.
"I know." Grissom confirmed. "And I also know that you're the only guy I can see her with."
Nick let out a semi-relived, semi-joyous laugh. "Thanks Griss. I really appreciate this."
Grissom returned his smile. "Now, about Ecklie?"
Nick's smile vanished "Is it against department policy?"
Grissom shrugged," I have no idea but I don't see why it would be."
"That's great!"
"But that doesn't mean you should advertise this." Grissom said sternly, bringing Nick down a notch. "After my little talk with Ecklie earlier, I suspect he's gonna be scrutinizing us for a while, especially Sara, I'm afraid."
"So… we keep it quiet? Wait a minute, are you advising me to lie?" Nick raised a curious and slightly mischievous eyebrow at his supervisor.
"It's my job to protect my people," Grissom said. "All I'm saying is is act normal."
Nick nodded in understanding, all too grateful for Grissom's understanding to disagree with him.
"Besides," Grissom added with a mischievous grin, "I'd like to see who in the team figures it out first."
Nick let out a laugh and shook his head. Typical Grissom.
Grissom walked up to him and showed him to the door. "Nick, I'm glad you told me about this. Thanks."
"Thanks Grissom, for understanding. You really are a great supervisor to us."
Grissom raised an eyebrow.
"And a great friend," Nick added. Before Grissom could argue, he turned to go. "I'll see you bright and late for shift tomorrow, boss. Thanks!" With that, Nick turned and left, feeling as if a huge weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. At least Grissom knew. That was a giant step in the right direction.
Grissom stood at the door to his office, watching Nick go. A thousand emotions were running through him. Most strong was the fierce disappointment in himself for letting Sara go. Deep down, however, he knew that it had been inevitable – he had never been able to take the leap to give her what she needed. Despite the love they'd shared in the past, their relationship had evolved over the past years: it had become less romantic and more respectful. The love that he felt for her now was based on that: respect for her as a criminalist, a woman and a devout friend whom he would always trust and love.
The second emotion was surprise. Nick and Sara. Right under his nose it had happened. Still, right under his nose, Sara had slowly fallen to pieces without him even blinking an eye. Besides, Nick and Sara would do well together. Both had the capacity to love unerringly. Nick would never hesitate to tell Sara that she was loved – something Grissom knew she desperately wanted – needed- to hear. They would compliment one another perfectly.
The third emotion was growing softly in his chest and Nicks' words rang through in his ears. As a supervisor, he'd always wondered if he was good at his job. While he always fought for his team, he never coddled them. He'd always believed that to learn for oneself was better than to be shown but he'd questioned whether that was the best way to guide his CSIs. Nick's words had given him that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from knowing you're doing something right – and that your effort is felt and appreciated. A slow smile crossed Grissom's face. Yes, he was doing okay. Hell, the way he was dealing with his shock at Sara's new attachment was impressing even him but to hear it from Nick made all the difference.
Down the corridor, he spotted Warrick, Catherine and Greg heading towards him. Grissom turned and switched off the light in his office and closed the door, then turned to face his companions, a smile on his face.
xxx
By the time Nick arrived back at Sara's apartment, it was nearing 11pm. After a short shower, he emerged from Sara's bathroom in a pair of boxers and a long-sleeved black t-shirt, feeling ready for a good night's rest. It was surprising considering that he'd usually be at the lab around this time. Still, he was glad for the time off.
Nick stood in the doorway to Sara's bedroom and let his eyes scan her sleeping form. By the look of things, she was out for the count, still snuggled deep under the blankets. Her body looked small and delicate on the huge bed and Nick allowed himself to drift closer. She was lying on her side, with her right hand resting palm-up on the pillow in front of her. Two nasty red scars crossed her palm, running parallel and Nick was suddenly reminded of the explosion Catherine had caused at the lab. Nick frowned. Sara had cut her left hand that day- and it had left only one scar. He still remembered her remarking how glad she was that she was right-handed and so, was still capable of writing. Where then, has this come from? As far as Nick knew, Sara had never been cut at a crime scene. And these could not have come from her encounter with Howard Phipps the previous day. Nick surmised that they were old scars, possibly from a childhood playground fall. No, something in his mind continued to scream at him. These looked more like defensive wounds.
Nick's thoughts were interrupted by a small sigh from Sara. A small frown crossed her face and she rolled over, a strand of hair falling over her face. On impulse, Nick reached out and brushed it behind her ear. He cast a glance at the empty pillow beside her, wondering. Eventually, he decided against getting in. Sara might not appreciate him taking liberties while she was sick. He turned and started towards the door when a sharp pain struck his foot.
"Aah – damn!" Nick cursed, looking down to see Sara's shoes where he'd dropped them beside her bed. God, who could have known that stilettos were not only dangerous on a woman's feet? Nick quickly shut his mouth, not wanting to disturb Sara, and mouthed several obscenities. As the pain faded, he turned back to the door to the living room.
"Nick? Is that you?" A soft voice asked from behind him. He turned to find a bleary-eyed Sara squinting at him over her shoulder in the dark room.
"Uh, yeah," he said, going back to the bed and sitting down. "Sorry. I didn't want to wake you."
"It's okay." She whispered. "I'm glad you came back." Slowly, she reached for his face, softly running her thumb across his cheek.
"Me too," he said.
A hoarse cough escaped Sara and her body shuddered. "Ugh," she muttered when it subsided, "This sucks."
"Damn," Nick muttered, "I forgot to stop at the pharmacy."
"There's cough syrup in the bathroom cabinet," Sara said.
I few moments later, Nick returned with the bottle. "Strawberry flavour. Sounds good."
Sara shrugged. "I don't actually care as long as it works."
"Guess that's true," Nick agreed. "Here, open up," he said, holding a spoonful out to her.
Sara swallowed it and frowned. "I feel like a five-year old."
Nick put the bottle down, "Well, you certainly don't look like one, gorgeous" he said, pressing his lips to hers for a kiss. When he finally pulled away, he sighed. "I'd better head to bed: catch a little extra shut eye one our night off. Do you have any extra blankets?"
"What do you mean?"
"The couch isn't very warm without a blanket," Nick shrugged. "Espeically not in this cold weather."
Sara frowned. "Actually, I was hoping you'd stay with me tonight," she said softly.
"Sara.. You're not…"
"Just to sleep. Please?"
Nick smiled tenderly at her. Truth be told, he desired nothing more than to do just that.
"Sure," he moved to the other side of the bed and climbed in, pulling the covers over himself.
"Come closer," Sara said. "I know this relationship pretty young but you're still my best friend and I want your arms around me."
Nick needed no further invitation. It was as if she was reading his thoughts. He scooted into the middle of the bed and reached out to pull Sara over to him. She snuggled into him, resting her head just under his chin and wrapping an arm around his chest. Nick's arms crept around her thin body protectively and he sighed contentedly.
"I love you Nicky," Sara took the words from his mouth. "Thanks for being here with me."
"I love you too, Sara," He whispered back and softly kissed the top of her head, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
A small smile crossed Sara's face and stayed there as both drifted into a deep sleep.
A/N Short? Yes. The end? Hell, NO! Any thoughts? Let me know and I'll have the next one up for you ASAP!