A/N Hi I'm back! I'm so sorry this took so long to get up. I came back from holiday with a thousand things to do. Still, thank you for all your very special reviews – I hope you enjoy this one!
C: 9"So, your second name's Louise, huh?" Nick asked as he dried off their breakfast plates.
"Uh huh," Sara nodded from her position next to the sink. "My dad's name was Samuel. My mom's name began with an L so she insisted I have a name that also had one since my first name started with an S. My parents were real hippies in that way."
Nick chuckled. "At least you got a normal-sounding name from them."
"So what's your second name Nick?" Sara asked, cocking her head to one side.
Nick paused, "A conversation for another time."
"Oh, come on. You know mine," Sara whined.
"I don't think so, sorry babe," Nick shook his head. Sara pouted and opened her mouth to complain but was stopped by a wide yawn. Nick glanced at the clock. 9:45. They'd usually be home from work by now, if they weren't working double, that is.
"You tired?" he asked.
"Yeah," Sara frowned, "But I've gotten so much sleep already. I shouldn't be."
"It's the fatigue: makes you need to sleep a whole lot more." Nick explained.
"Hmmm," Sara closed her eyes and leaned against his chest. Nick dropped his towel onto the counter and put his arms around her. He sighed, savouring the warmth of her body and gave Sara a gentle squeeze. She giggled lightly and squeezed back. It was small but brought home to Nick the significance of the unspoken language between them. They didn't have to say it to show it.
Sara's body shuddered in his arms as a cough rose in her throat. She pulled back from his arms to cover her mouth and grip her stomach. When it subsided, she smiled up at him as if nothing had happened.
Nick didn't buy it. "That's it. Into bed, now. Where did I leave the cough syrup?"
"Nick, I'm fine. I'm not-" another wide yawn interrupted Sara and she paused for a few seconds, forced to let it pass, "-tired."
"Uh huh?" Nick raised a doubting eyebrow.
Sara looked at him, ready to begin arguing but stopped. Her eyes floated past him and lit up with delight.
"Look!"
"What?" Nick spun around and followed her gaze. Outside, snow was slowly drifting down from the sky, silently blanketing the city.
"I love snow," Sara said, going over to the window.
"Really? I always had you pegged as a summer fan," Nick said, going to stand beside her.
"Mm hmm," Sara nodded. "I grew up in a warm area but I always liked winter more."
Nick put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him, sighing deeply. For a few minutes they stood in silence, watching the snow slowly cover everything. It seemed to quiet the frenetic life outside, muffling the noises of everyday life, numbing the pains and bringing magic to the world once more.
Five minutes later, Nick was pulling the duvet up over a semi-conscious Sara who was fast falling asleep. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and tiptoed out into the living room. Nick closed the bedroom door and reached out for the TV remote. Although Sara was tired, he'd slept well and felt wide awake. Some mindless entertainment was just what he needed.
BANG!
A loud knock on the door sounded and Nick scrambled up from the couch, swearing that he would personally execute the knocker if they'd woken Sara. He pulled the door open to find Mrs Maitland smiling sweetly at him. Smiling did not suit her and the overall effect was a grotesque wince.
"Hi Mrs Maitland," He said, sighing inwardly. Not again.
"Hello again young man. I came to see how Sara is doing?"
"She's okay. I just put her to bed actually."
"Oh, that's good. So she's asleep?"
"Er…yes." Nick nodded slowly, suspicious.
"That's too bad. I was hoping to have a word with her," Mrs Maitland looked genuinely disappointed.
"What about? I could give her a message?" Nick offered: anything to get rid of the old woman.
"Oh, it was just about the building's security plans. I'll come back later."
"Okay then, see you." Nick waved and closed the door. He returned to the couch and was about to turn on the TV when another knock sounded. Grumbling in irritation, he got up and opened the door. Mrs Maitland was there again, clutching a tin. She thrust it to him.
"I nearly forgot. I made these for you two," She explained. "They're bacon and cheese. I hope you enjoy them."
Nick was completely taken aback. "Er… thanks Mrs Maitland."
"It's my pleasure, young man – Nick, did you say your name was? Tell poor, sweet Sara that if there's anything she needs, I'm just down the hallway, okay?" She gave him the smile-wince again, exposing yellowing teeth.
"I'll tell her," Nick said, trying not to grimace. Nick closed the door and rolled his eyes. He peered into the tin and discovered hot bacon and cheese muffins- obviously freshly baked. So his confrontation with the old woman earlier had changed her mind about Sara. It was now her aiming for appeasement. Nick set the tin down and helped himself to one. Sara didn't eat bacon so he was sure she wouldn't mind him eating them. Satisfied, he positioned himself on the couch once more.
BANG!
"What now!?" Nick moaned, hauling himself from his seat for a third time. He hated being interrupted, especially if it was by the same witchy neighbour. Despite Mrs Maitland's apology and the muffins, he still felt ill disposed towards her. Their early morning encounter had shown him that she was as sly and fickle as she was sweet and considerate.
BANG!
And again? Anger rose in Nick and he growled as he ripped the door open. "Yes?!"
Catherine leaned back, her eyes wide. Nick stopped, his mouth hanging open.
"Catherine?"
"Nick?" she asked, unsure of which of them was more surprised to see the other.
"What are you doing here?" They said at the same time.
Nick recovered first, "Checking on Sara, you?"
"The same, actually," Catherine said, holding up a purple shopping bag.
Nick opened the door and stepped back to allow her to enter. "Sorry if I snapped at you. There's an old hag living down the hall who keeps coming over."
Catherine chuckled, "No worries." She looked around the apartment. "So where's Sara?"
"She's just gone to lie down for a bit," Nick explained, trying to give as little info as to his role in being there.
"She better?"
"Yeah. I managed to get her to eat something but she's still a little weak."
Catherine followed him through to the bedroom. Sara was lying on her side facing the door with the covers pulled up to her chin. Her eyes were closed and her breathing, slow.
"I think she's fallen asleep," Catherine whispered, glancing from Sara to Nick.
"Hey," a soft greeting came. Catherine turned around to see Sara blinking at her, clearly half-asleep. She stepped into the room with Nick close behind her and pulled up a chair next to the bed.
"Sorry. We thought you were asleep," she explained, feeling a stab of guilt at having woken Sara.
"The banging woke me," Sara explained, and, looking to Nick, she added, "I thought I heard Mrs Maitland again."
Nick nodded, "She came by a few minutes ago. Dropped off some bacon and cheese muffin thingies."
Sara pulled up her nose and frowned at the thought but said nothing.
"I'm going to make a cup of coffee," Nick said, heading for the door, "Anyone gonna join me?"
Both women nodded. When Nick left, Catherine turned back to the brunette before her. Sara's face was pale, almost unnaturally so and it was unnerving.
"So how are you feeling?" Catherine asked.
"Better," Sara smiled weakly. Suddenly the air caught in her throat and her body shuddered. The cough was rough and dry- grating. The force of it made Sara's head ache and her throat burned. When it finally subsided, she took a deep breath and turned her attention back to her friend. Catherine's frown was plastered with scepticism and she raised an eyebrow at Sara.
"Okay," Sara sighed, "I feel terrible. But I'm still better than yesterday."
"Well, I was taking Lindsay Christmas shopping and I …uh… thought I'd bring you some supplies," Catherine said, lifting a large purple bag onto the bed. "I know how bored you get without work." Sara raised a curious eyebrow and slowly pushed herself up. Catherine nudged the bag towards her and Sara accepted it with a tentative smile.
"Thanks." Reaching in, Sara found the latest copy of Cosmo, a huge bar of chocolate, a bottle of iced green tea and a crossword puzzle book.
"Grissom told me he didn't want anything to do with work near you so I decided to go with the next best thing to Forensics Monthly," Catherine explained.
Sara smiled, "Thanks Cath- this means a lot. You really didn't have to."
Catherine shrugged, returning the smile, "Us girls gotta stick together sometimes."
"Three cups of coffee!" Nick called brightly as he walked into the room.
"Bless you!" Catherine said, accepting a mug from him.
"Thanks honey," Sara said.
Honey? Catherine's mind jumped at the use of the word. She shook it off quickly though: Sara and Nick were good friends, and, although the she'd never heard the brunette utter the word before, Catherine had seen some pretty unexpected things happen with Sara over the past two days.Nick seated himself on the side of the bed next Sara and casually slipped his hand over her free hand. He squeezed gently and, a few seconds later, she squeezed back.
"Is that a maple dresser?" Catherine asked suddenly, her eyes fixed on the cupboard.
"Uh huh," Sara nodded.
"Wow," Catherine rose and ran her hand along the top. "Pricey. How did you afford this on a government salary?"
"Funny, Greg asked exactly the same question last night. I didn't afford it, actually." Sara said. "My folks owned a successful B&B back in Tamales Bay. When it closed, I got the furniture."
"Wow. That's lucky," Catherine said. A low beep came from her belt and she took a quick sip of her coffee before flipping her phone open. "It's Lindsay. I left her having coffee with a friend and she wants me to pick her up." She downed the rest of her coffee. "Sorry I can't stay longer."
"Thanks for coming by," Sara said, "We'll have more time later. And thanks for the supplies."
"My pleasure," Catherine smiled and waved to Nick, "I'll see you at the lab tonight."
Sara sat up a little straighter, "What about me?"
"You're on paid leave, remember? Grissom doesn't want you anywhere near the lab," Catherine said. When Sara pouted, she frowned, "Hey! It's Christmas Eve at home! I'd kill for that!"
Sara sighed, "I guess you're right."
"Feel better Sara," Catherine waved.
"Bye," Sara called as the blonde left the room. The front door slammed a few seconds later.
"Thanks for the coffee Nicky," Sara said, putting her mug down on the bedside table. She gave his hand another gentle squeeze. Nick set down his coffee mug and took Sara's hand into his.
"I'm sorry you got woken up," he said.
Sara shrugged, "It's okay. I'm used to it. Besides, it's worth it when I get to see you."
"Aaw, you really mean that?" Nick asked.
"Of course."
Nick smiled at her and gently kissed the palm of her hand. Something uneven against his lips caught his attention and he glanced down. It was the two scars across Sara's palm, the ones Nick had noticed the previous night.
"Sara? What happened to your hand?"
"What?" Sara pulled her hand back and looked at it. "Oh, you mean these," she said, rubbing her thumb over the scars. "They're from a long time ago."
"What happened?"
Sara's eyes stayed fixed on the scars as she spoke, "It was on the day before it happened. My parents got into a fight, started throwing things at each other. I generally avoided them when they fought but I'd forgotten the book I was reading in the living room, so I took a chance – neither of them wanted to hit me on purpose." Sara paused and sighed, "My mom had this thin rectangular vase that my father hated so he smashed the edge and hurled it. He was aiming for her, I think, but he'd had a bit to drink. I put up my hands just in time."
"God…."
"It bled like crazy so they had to take me to the hospital for stitches. The next day, the doctor who'd done the stitches pitched up at our house. He wanted to know how it happened. I guess he knew something was wrong. That night, my parents fought about it – about me. And that was the night it happened. The night that she killed him."
"Jesus Sara," Nick murmured.
Finally her eyes left her palm and met his. "It was an accident Nick. These scars are just the remains of an accident."
"That doesn't mean that it was okay," Nick said, keeping his eyes fixed on hers.
"It wasn't. But it was life then," Sara said, her face serious.
Nick shook his head, "You shouldn't have had to live like that."
Sara sighed, "We've been through this Nick. There's no point in getting bitter about it now." Nick scowled and cast his eyes downward, horrified and enraged by the injustice of the world. He hated that Sara had to grow up in such a brutal place; wished with all his being that he could do something to change it.
As if reading his thoughts, Sara took his hand, "I don't want pity Nick. I don't want my past to affect our present either. It's not something about me that can be changed."
Nick's eyes rose, "I want you to be happy Sara."
"I am happy. I have you."
"So you can just forget everything that happened to you?"
"No, I'll never do that. My past will always be there," Sara said, "But I won't let it spoil what I have now."
Nick paused for a moment, considering her words. Sara was strong – and she was right. "Are you mad at me for asking?"
"Of course not," Sara smiled, putting her palm against his cheek. "Thanks for listening."
He covered her hand with his and leaned in for a kiss. When he pulled back, the tension of the past few minutes was gone, replaced with a cosy sense of companionship.
"So what's in the bag?" Nick asked, gesturing to the purple bag.
"Reading material, chocolate, tea – everything a girl needs to laze at home, with the exception of a romcom."
"You like romantic comedies?"
"Not particularly, but the 'female night-in' cliché stipulates one so I figured I'd mention it."
"So what do you like?" Nick asked.
"I don't really mind. Action, adventure – there's of course nothing like a good mystery movie. I don't watch horror. I get enough of that at work."
Nick snorted in agreement.
"I don't dislike romantic comedies, I just find them predictable. With sweeping confessions of love right at the end and promises that the characters probably won't keep."
"Uh… speaking of confessions," Nick said, "I told Grissom about us."
Sara's face fell. "You did?"
"I didn't intend to. He was going to come over here and find out anyway."
"How did he react?" Sara's mind was reeling with questions. How would Grissom take it? Was he happy? Did he resent it? Did he regret having missed his chance with her? No, that wasn't possible. Grissom had made it clear that there would never be a romantic relationship between them. There relationship was friendly, amicable – platonic. But how would it affect the lab? Would they be forced to change shifts?
"He was happy," Nick said, "But he suggested we keep it a secret – just in case Ecklie's on the prowl."
"So he wasn't mad?"
"Nope, seemed to know about it already," Nick shrugged.
"Do the others know?"
"No, Grissom said he wants to see who figures it out first," Nick said with a mischievous flick of his eyebrows.
Sara shook her head incredulously, "Typical."
"Still, it's gonna be fun to see," Nick said.
"Only because we're in on it – we already know the answer," Sara corrected him. "I'd hate to have to guess at other people's relationships." A wide yawn escaped her.
"You gonna go back to sleep?" Nick asked.
Sara shook her head, "Nah. I'd rather sleep later. I feel like I'm burning daylight by sleeping so much."
"You need the rest," Nick pointed out.
"Yes, rest, but not a coma."
Nick thought for a moment and snapped his fingers. "I know what you could do!"
"What?"
Nick got up, "Stay right where you are. I'll be back!"
Sara frowned, "Nick? Where are you going?"
"To fetch it!" Nick yelled over his shoulder as he raced from the room.
"It?" Sara called behind him. But it was too late, Nick was already out the door.
Sara sighed to herself and lay down, staring up at the ceiling. Boredom was going to set in – and fast. She leant over to pull out the Cosmo when the phone rang. After her message tone, Andy's voice sounded from the machine.
"Sara, it's me again. Where are you? Is everything okay? I hope you're not doing one of those crazy shifts that keeps you there for like 36 hours!" He paused and took a deep breath, "Look, our DA called your supervisor and left a message for you but I thought I should tell you – that is if you don't already know. Laura's been released. Call me as soon as you can. I'm getting worried here Sara Lou – don't leave me hanging!"
The line went dead. So did Sara's heart. Her mind screamed. Released? Good. God.
A/N dun dun dun… so, I'd really love some reviews – hint hint. They really do motivate me to update sooner :)