A/N: This chapter takes place during the Season 11 episode "Targets of Obsession". There is some dialogue that is apart of the show. I literally had to sit watching the show and pausing to write all the lines.

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 11: It's Over

Success! Roxie was on the last case of the box. It has been a long few months getting these solved, but she'd done it. Not all alone, but they were solved. She was pleased with her work as she stood putting ink on the bottom of shoes and pressing their impressions to paper. She loved doing things like this on the job, they made it a little fun. She heard a throat clearing at the door. She looked to see Nick standing in the door. She gave him a smile as he walked in.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"Making shoe impressions." Roxie said as she sat down the shoe she had just finished. "Are you headed home?" she asked. She had been looking forward to a warm shower and snuggling into bed with Nick, but she wanted to finish what she was doing.

"Yeah I'm going to hit the gym first and then go home." He said as he watched her pick up another shoe. "I guess you aren't done here."

"No not yet. I want to get through these shoes and then I'll be coming home. You can warm the bed up for me." She said with a smile.

"Will do my best." He said as she gave her a small kiss. Roxie had moved in with Nick and had been there for at least a week at this point. Both of them loved it. Roxie loved the change of scenery from her small apartment and Nick loved having her there nearly all the time.

Once again there was something clearing their throat. Nick turned and Roxie looked to see Catherine in the door. She had her hands on her hips as she watched them.

"So here is where I have to do my job as supervisor." Catherine said to the two of them. "You guys have been showing a little too much PDA and I've gotten a complaint. Everyone loves your love. I love your love, but keep your love to a minimum around here."

"Sorry." Roxie said at once. They had been showing a little too much recently.

"It's cool. Just a warning." Catherine said giving a reassuring smile and a wave before leaving the room.

"You got us in trouble." Roxie then said to Nick.

"No you did missy." He said giving her a smile.

"Whatever." Roxie said rolling her eyes jokingly. "Who do you think complained?"

"My money is on Hodges. He doesn't seem too pleased with our relationship. I think he's jealous." Nick said as he looked out the room into the Trace lab where his eyes connected with Hodges' eyes.

"Maybe." Roxie said. "Well I'm going to finish up here."

"Alright my Rainbow. Don't work too hard." Nick said with a smile.

"I'll try not to and I'll be home soon." Roxie said sweetly. They gave one another a wave since kissing was out of the question. Roxie watched Nick leave the room. She then looked down at the pile of shoes she hadn't processed yet. She knew she was going to have to work quickly because she really wanted to make it home.

Nick's heart was beating hard and quick as he was given the ok to back away slowly from his own front gate. He'd nearly walked into a trap when he received a too timely phone call from Jason McCann. He was a strange mix of afraid and pissed off. He had been looking forward to just lying down after a long night of work, but that was now no longer going to happen. He slowly backed away down the path in front of his gate. He then went to walk towards Catherine and Vartann who were now there waiting a safe distance away. A bomb tech came over and put his hand on his arm.

"Get off me! I'm all right." Nick shouted out of frustration. He continued in the direction that he was originally going. He made it to Catherine and threw his jacket down. He was royally pissed off. "They came to my house! That kid has my private number! I'll tell you what if they are looking for a fight they found one. I'm not afraid to die. Let's see if they are."

"Nick come on now." Catherine said trying to calm him.

"I'm serious!" he shouted angrily.

"I know you're serious." She said. "Just dial it down. Come on. Did you see anything?"

"I don't know." He said with a frustration sigh. "There was a maroon van with an extended cab on the room. You know I didn't think anything of it."

"Neighbors saw that same van." Vartann said.

"You think they were sitting in that van, waiting for me to blow up?" Nick questioned.

"You said that Jason McCann called you?" Vartann then asked.

"Yeah I think that kid saved my life." Nick said.

"Nick that kid should be in jail." Vartann then said.

Suddenly a thought struck Nick. It took over his whole body. He sat on the curb. He suddenly felt violently ill just thinking.

"Nicky are you ok?" Catherine asked.

"What if Roxie had come home before me?" he questioned looking up at Catherine. "Roxie could have been hurt. I wouldn't forgive myself if Roxie got hurt in anyway."

"Thank God she didn't." Catherine said as she sat down next to him.

Roxie pulled onto her new street she'd barely lived on the street a week at this point. Suddenly there was a police block in the street. She could see a ton of emergency vehicles. She was so confused to what was going on. She parked the car and got out. After she left the lab she realized they hadn't done any grocery shopping so she stopped off at the store to pick up a few things. She started making her way up the street to see what was going on.

"Ma'am I can't let you past this point." A police officer said.

"I'm a CSI." She said as she pulled out her ID. She showed the officer who then gave her a nod. She made it up the street where she noticed that everything was centered at she and Nick's house. Her heart began to beat fast as she walked faster. She then spotted Nick sitting in the curb with Catherine. "Hey what's going on?"

"Oh my god Roxie!" Nick said as he saw her. He jumped from the curb and grabbed her into a hug. "So glad you are ok."

"Ok… what's happened?" Roxie asked concerned.

"You remember that guy I shot who had bombed Clark's funeral?" Nick asked her. Roxie just nodded. "Well as soon as I got home his brother calls me and just as I walk into the gate tells me to not go home. Just as he says that I walk into a wire. They left a grenade at our front porch." Roxie just gasped. She looked up at him concerned.

"They are sweeping the rest of the house and you guys should be allowed in soon." Catherine said to Roxie.

"I'm so glad you didn't make it home first." Nick said as he ran his hand down her arm.

"I would have been home sooner, but as soon as I left the lab I realized we hadn't gone grocery shopping. I went and picked up a few things." Roxie explained.

"We need to get to the bottom of this. I don't mind if something happens to me, but I'm not allowing Roxie to be in danger." Nick said.

"Babe…" Roxie started. She didn't know what to say to him. She could tell he was scared out of his mind. Truthfully she was afraid to. The thought that she could have come home first frightened her.

"Hall Jason McCann's ass into PD." Catherine said to Vartann.

"Will do." Vartann answered before he walked away.

"All clear!" called out a bomb tech.

"Well you guys can go home." Catherine said.

"No we're going back to the lab." Nick said.

"Babe I really want to shower and maybe go to sleep." Roxie said.

"No! You aren't staying here alone!" he shouted.

"Babe please… calm down." Roxie said as she held his hand. She'd never seen him this way. He was very agitated and very worked up.

"I'm sorry for yelling. Roxie please I don't want you here. The lab is the safest place right now. I'm sorry. Please just come for me." He said to her. Roxie simply nodded. She knew that he just wanted what was best for her and she knew the lab was most likely the safest place for her to be in the moment.

"Ok." Roxie answered. "I'll come."

Getting back to the lab Roxie figured if she couldn't do anything else she would work for a little bit. She was so tired, but if she had to be there she would be there. She looked up at the clock. It was getting close to noon. She knew Nick had gone down the PD. She went to the vending machine and got a couple sodas and a bag of chips. She figured she could at least give him what food she could muster in the moment and check on him. He was still pretty shaken up and she wanted to calm him. She walked through the station and saw a young teenage boy exit the interrogation room. She then saw Nick exit and stood in the hall talking to Brass. Roxie made it down to where they were.

"So that's the kid?" she questioned.

"Yep." Nick answered.

"I can't go home and sleep in my own bed because of some pre-pubescent kid who looks like he can be some Canadian pop star?" she said frustrated.

"You nailed it." Brass said. Roxie let out a sigh followed by a yawn.

"Well I brought you a soda." She said handing Nick one of the cans she had gotten from the vending machine.

"Thanks sweetie." He said as he took her by the hand. He walked with her down the hall and sat in a chair. Roxie took the chair next to him. "Hey I'm sorry about all of this."

"I get it. I'm just tired." Roxie said yawning again.

"Until we get these guys I don't feel comfortable with you going home." Nick said. Roxie just nodded. "Go get on the couch in the break room. Try and get some sleep. I know it's not our bed, but it's something for now."

"Alright." Roxie said giving him a weak smile. Nick felt terrible that Roxie had to be wrapped up in all of this mess. He suddenly wished he hadn't of asked her to move in with him. At least then she would still have her own home to go back to.

This day just couldn't be real. Nick was standing there watching a bomb being disabled. They had gone to this warehouse only to be trapped inside with a bomb counting down. He watched the clock as it counting down. His heart was beating quickly and his breaths shallow.

"45 seconds." Nick said informing Kip the bomb tech. After a few more slowly passing seconds the clock went blank.

"Hate to break it to you Stokes. You aren't dying today." Kip said with a smile on his face.

"Damn." Nick said jokingly. "Well I get to go home to my beautiful fiancée."

"Good man." Kip said. Nick then went walking towards Catherine and hugged her.

"He got it." Nick said happily.

"GET DOWN!" Kip suddenly yelled out. Nick grabbed Catherine and pulled her to the floor.

Roxie awoke where she had fallen asleep on the couch in the break room. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but she knew it was awhile. She at least felt a little bit refreshed though it wasn't her warm bed next to her man like she had been looking forward to. She looked around the room. She saw her soda sitting on the table. She stood and walked over to the table picking up her soda and taking a sip. Suddenly Greg ran into the room out of breath.

"Something wrong?" Roxie asked.

"It's Nick." Greg said. Roxie suddenly felt fear fill her body. She could only hope he wasn't dead. After she left to nap she didn't know what else had transpired during the day. Her heart beat quickly as she waiting for Greg to say something else. "It seems he will be ok. There was an explosion. I'm headed to the hospital now."

"I'm coming." Roxie said quickly as she grabbed her jacket from the couch and followed Greg out.

Roxie was so shaken up. She didn't know what to think. She knew Nick was alive and that settled her nerves a lot more than they would have been. She was sincerely hating this day and only hoped it would end soon. She walked quickly through the halls of the hospital. She then saw Nick with Catherine in the hall. Roxie nearly broke into a run. As soon as she reached him she wrapped her arms around him.

"Rox, Rox, I'm okay." He said as he held her close. He truthfully knew there was a chance that he wouldn't have been there. He remembered when he came to that Roxie was his first thought. He was grateful to be alive for Roxie. He could only hope all of this would be over soon. He just wanted to hold her close and be in the moment with her.

"Will this be over soon?" Roxie then asked. She didn't know how much more she could take.

"Very soon. I promise." He said smiling down at her. He then pulled her into a kiss. It felt nice to kiss her knowing that he could have never kissed her again. "I think you can go home now. I know you are tired. Take a long hot bath and relax." Roxie nodded. She was grateful that she could finally go home, but at the same time she was afraid of how things were going to end. This was still ongoing. It wasn't going to be over until it was over.

Nick walked to the front door of his house. He was exhausted. Today had been a whirlwind. He was grateful though to be able to walk into his home in the evening. He opened the door and the house was silent, but he could see light coming from the bedroom. He held a bouquet of pink roses in his hand as he made his way up the hall. Walking into the bedroom he saw Roxie sitting in bed in her pajamas. Her pastel pink hair pulled up in a messy bun. She was on her laptop and wearing her glasses, something she rarely did. She looked up at him and smiled.

Roxie was so overjoyed when she saw him. She sat her laptop down and jumped from the bed. She nearly tackled him throwing her arms around him. She looked up at him and she couldn't help, but smile.

"Is it finally over?" she asked.

"It's over." He said as he pulled her in by the waist and planted a kiss on her lips. They had lived through another day, but tomorrow was going to be an entirely different day. For now they had each other and that is all that mattered to either of them.