Disclaimer - I don't own CSI.

A/N: This one is longer than the first chapter but I hope it's worth the extra reading time. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 2

Nick sat on his parents' sofa early the next morning, yawning and sipping on some coffee. He wasn't convinced he was fully awake yet and was half dozing off again when his cell phone began to loudly vibrate on the glass coffee table.

He rubbed his face and yawned again before answering. "Stokes," was his automatic response.

"Hi, Nick," Sara greeted on the other end of the phone.

"Oh, hey," he suddenly perked up. "I was just thinking about you."

"Oh really? Nothing dirty I hope," Sara teased.

"As if I would tell you if it were," Nick countered, enjoying their usual flirtatiousness. "What's up? Missing me already?"

"It's nothing important. I just wanted to update you on the case. Brass has just finished booking the prep. It was the sister," Sara explained.

"Really?" Nick seemed shocked. "Well, I didn't see that coming. I mean, she definitely seemed suspicious but I guessed she must have just been sleeping with her brother-in-law."

"She was. There's a bit more to it but in a nutshell that's why she killed her sister. It's crazy but true, though nothing surprises me anymore," Sara replied. "And of course I'm missing you, I can't function without you."

"I knew it," Nick announced triumphantly, and Sara laughed in response.

"How's Texas?" she asked.

"Still here, right where I left it," Nick joked.

"Well, you go and enjoy it then. I've gotta go and finish my paperwork so I can go home. You probably won't hear from me again till you get back, unless of course the lab falls apart because you're not here," Sara stated, somehow sounding sincere.

"So I'm gonna be hoping that the lab falls apart then just so I can hear your voice," Nick insisted sweetly. It was obvious to Sara even down the phone that he was grinning.

"Have fun, Nick," she replied, ignoring his comments.

"I'll try. Have fun with you're paperwork," Nick teased playfully.

"Don't gloat," Sara insisted. "It's very unflattering."

"Speak soon."

Sara said her own goodbyes before hanging up. Nick put his phone back down on the coffee table, smiling uncontrollably. She had no idea what she did to him or what effect simply a phone conversation had on him. She made him feel like a teenager again, with some massive crush on a girl from school. But it was so much more than just a crush. It hadn't been a crush in such a long time. It had been his own fault really, he could have acted on things sooner but chose not to, chose not to be left heartbroken by her if she would have rejected him. Instead he had admired her from afar and for so long that had been enough, it had been enough to just be her friend and be near her. But just lately he wasn't sure how much more of it he could take.

"Who was that, sweetie?" Gillian wondered as she walked into the living room.

"Huh?" Nick shuck his head back into reality.

"Who was that on the phone you were just speaking to?" she rephrased her question.

"Oh, it was just Sara from the lab. She was just updating me on a case we were working before I left," Nick explained.

Gillian nodded in understanding. "So do you have any plans for today?"

"Why do I have the feeling you've already made them for me?"

"Angie, Jackie and Em are coming over for lunch with their families and they would all like to see you as much as they can before you go back to Vegas," Gillian explained, continuing on regardless. "It's going to probably be chaotic but I thought you would want to know about it anyway."

"I think I can put up with them for a few hours," Nick insisted, almost smirking. "Besides, where else am I going to be?"

Nick ended up just staying inside the house, pottering around whilst he waited for his parents to come home from work. It reminded him of his teenage years; and that wasn't the first time he'd thought back to 'the good ol, days'. Though he did enjoy the reminiscing, he soon got bored of rattling around inside the big house so decided to go for a walk and enjoy the wonderful Texas scenery. He had reluctantly grown to love Las Vegas over time but no where could ever compare to the wonderful place he grew up. Afterwards, he returned home to spend time with his lovely nieces and nephews. They were probably the strongest thing pulling him back to Dallas every few months, though he would always tell his mother it was her.

"Hiya, Uncle Nicky," Erin smiled widely. She was the youngest child, aged eleven, of Jackie

"Hey, gorgeous," Nick exclaimed, opening his arms wide in anticipation of a hug. "How's my favourite niece?"

Erin ran up to him and gave him a huge bear hug. She mumbled into his shoulder, "You say all your nieces are your favourites."

"But I only mean it when I say it to you," he grinned.

Erin giggled. "Will you come outside with me?"

"Of course I will," Nick agreed and followed her into the back garden.

They stepped outside into the large garden. Erin quickly stopped in her tracks, before running back inside and yelling something over her shoulder that was barely audible. Nick smiled to himself as she disappeared, noting how much taller and grown up she seemed now. He gazed round the garden before spotting Charlie, Erin's elder brother, sitting on the patio chairs. Talk about grown up... Nick could remember not so long ago a young man, almost six feet tall, incredibly lanky, often acting as though his arms and legs didn't even belong to him, totally socially awkward. Now here he was, all grown up, filled out properly, and thankfully he'd grown into his limbs, and ears.

"Hey, Chuck," Nick teased, as he walked over to him.

The only response he received was a audible grunt of disapproval.

"Oh, I see. You just go by Charlie now, huh?" Nick tried to joke as he sat down beside him but his nephew clearly wasn't in the mood.

"Whatever," he grumbled downwards, like a typical teenager, speaking more into his cell phone that he was busy tapping away at than to his uncle.

"What's up?"

"Nothing...," he rolled his eyes, still looking down.

"Let me guess... girl trouble?" Nick guessed, only moderately sympathetic but he was trying his best to be the caring uncle that he was supposed to be.

"Yeah," Charlie relented and shrugged, feeling embarrassed. He eventually put his phone down.

Nick let out a long sigh upon hearing his nephews' answer. "Been there..."

"Helpful..," Charlie looked up at Nick just to glare at him.

"Don't come to me for help. My love life is non-existent right now," he stated nonchalantly.

"Well, jeez, Uncle Nicky, thanks for all your help," Charlie said sarcastically.

"You want my advice?" Nick raised an eyebrow as he shifted in his seat so he was facing his nephew better, already feeling the bitter emotions boiling up inside him "I strongly suggest you stay far away from woman altogether. They are too much hassle and cause too much heartache. And they're complicated. Trust me, man, you're better off staying single."

"Wow, someone sounds a tad bit bitter and twisted..."

"I'm speaking from experience. I've decided that I'm done with woman," Nick maintained.

"Can I have that in writing?" Charlie smirked, obviously not convinced.

"I'm serious. I'm done with all of it," he insisted.

"Sounds to me like you're having some girl trouble of your own...," Charlie commented, almost smiling.

"It's completely different to your girl trouble," Nick insisted.

"How? Woman are all the same. They're all complicated."

"That's true. And trust me, Charlie, it doesn't get any easier as you grow up. In fact, I'm certain things get worse," Nick explained, looking deflated.

"Wow, thanks, now I feel so much better," Charlie stated sarcastically.

"That's why it's just easier being on your own. I have to move on. I have to stop thinking about her altogether," Nick insisted, unsure if he was speaking to himself or his nephew.

"I know as well as you do that that is easier said than done. You're still thinking about her now," Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"What do you know? You're what, twelve?" Nick gave his nephew a look.

"I'm eighteen," he corrected dryly.

"Whatever. Life gets a whole lot more complicated when you finish puberty," Nick quipped.

"God, not you too," Erin sulked, rolling her eyes as she came towards them.

Nick looked over at her, obviously confused.

"Charlie is always like this," she explained. "He's always mopping around. Mum says it's because of a girl."

"Shut it, squirt," Charlie exclaimed, rather too defensively.

"I'm not mopping, am I?" Nick asked thoughtfully.

"You are a little bit, and I heard Nana say you've been doing it a lot," Erin insisted. "I don't like it."

"He's got girl problems too," Charlie smirked.

"Really? Is she pretty?" Erin asked, her eyes bright.

"Very pretty," Nick answered, images of a certain someone floating into his head.

"So what's the problem then?" Erin questioned, showing her innocence.

Nick smiled, loving how simple children always managed to make everything. "Nothing. I'll sort everything out when I get back to Vegas. Don't you worry about that. But I shouldn't be thinking about Vegas when I'm here with my favourite niece and nephew..."

He was interrupt by Charlie scoffing in disbelief. "We're all your favourites," he muttered.

"But I'm here, and I should be enjoying my time off," Nick continued. "Vegas can wait."

After dinner Nick ventured outside onto the patio. He paced around a bit as he thought. Had he really spent so much time mopping about, dwelling on things? It would appear so. That had never been his intention. But he blamed it on being away from his everyday life, knowing that he wasn't going to have to investigate a murder for a week. Also, Nick was able to think things through a lot more clearly when he was outside of Vegas. It was a relief in a way. You'd think so anyway. However, he couldn't get his mind off someone very special to him, no matter how hard he tried. Normally, that didn't bother him too much, in fact he enjoyed thinking over the many reasons he liked her, finding new ones every time he spent time with her. Yet, this was different. His feelings had been slowly increasing for a while, making him doubt himself in almost every way. Nick had been mulling over his options for some years but now he felt he was at a crossroads and had to make a choice. He'd tried to squash his feelings for a long time with no success.

("Who are you trying to kid, Nick?" he asked himself aloud. "You've got it bad.")

They say that admitting something is the first step to accepting it. In order to accept that you have a problem you must first admit it. So here he was, admitting it to himself that he was in love with her. When feelings are as strong as they were in this instance Nick knew deep down - for as hard as it was to come to terms with what it meant - he couldn't keep it to himself forever. And for as much as he knew giving up on his feelings for Sara would be so much easier in the long run and a lot less painful, he also knew that no matter how hard he tried he couldn't give them up, and he wouldn't.

Moments later Bill silently stepped out onto the patio. It had taken him a short while to find Nick but when he eventually set eyes on his son again, Nick was sitting on one of the outdoor chairs daydreaming and staring aimlessly off into space. It was then that Bill decided that the softly softly approach wasn't going to cut it this time.

"Okay, I've had enough of this," Bill stated as he plopped himself down on a seat next to his youngest son. "Start talking."

"Huh?" Nick raised an eyebrow, not paying attention as he was caught up in his own thoughts.

"You've been here two days now and you've have had that exact same expression on your face ever since; you look like you've been smacked across the face with a wet fish," Bill explained.

"I haven't," Nick pouted like a small child.

"You have, and it's annoying me now," Bill rolled his eyes. "Is it work? Is a case bothering you?"

"It's sorta work related... I guess...," Nick shrugged, avoiding the subject.

"Nicky," Bill gave his son a pointed stare.

Nick let out a small sigh. "Do you remember me ever talking about a friend from work, named Sara?" he started.

Bill nodded. "I think I have a slight recollection. But what do she have to do with this?"

"Think about it, dad," Nick raised an eyebrow, giving his dad a knowing look.

"Oh... You and Sara...," Bill assumed.

"No, there is no me and Sara," Nick insisted.

"But you want there to be?"

"I think so... maybe," Nick shrugged, with an almost childlike expression on his face. "I don't know."

"What do you know?" Bill asked.

"I know I like her, a lot," Nick stated, gulping with the nervousness of saying it out loud for the first time.

"How long have you felt this way?" Bill wondered.

"I don't know... not long. A few months maybe," Nick shrugged, looking sheepish.

"Really?" Bill raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I'm not sure which one of us you're lying to, yourself or me."

"Fine. I can't exactly pinpoint the date but it's been a while. In all honestly it's probably been years," Nick admitted, glancing down towards the floor. "But the last few months it's gotten worse. I can't stop thinking about her and I find myself looking for her around the lab. And that's just the start of it."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Bill asked, sounding positive and enthusiastic.

"I don't know. I have no idea yet," Nick chuckled lightly, rubbing his face with his hands. "This is just pathetic. I'm pathetic."

"No you're not, you're human," Bill insisted.

"Why is everything so complicated?" Nick exclaimed.

"It isn't. It's you that's over-complicating it," Bill reasoned.

"I'm not meaning to, but I'm... I'm no good at this, apparently. I don't know what to do for the best," Nick tried to explain.

"Just go for it, Nick. It worked for your mother and I. We met at work and look at us now," Bill offered.

"This is different, dad. Sara's different. She's... she's amazing. She's beautiful. She's kind, caring, intelligent, funny, thoughtful, considerate. She's just... amazing. There's nothing more to say," Nick sighed, blushing slightly as his feeling poured out of him.

"So let me get this straight. You're saying you have strong feelings for this girl, Sara?" Bill raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Nick nodded.

"So why have your mother and I never met her?" Bill gave him a look that said 'you know where I'm going with this.'

"Well... because... well, she doesn't know... know that I like her...," Nick stuttered, not looking his dad in the eye.

"For goodness sake, Nicky," his father exclaimed. "You're acting as though she's just broken your heart into a thousand pieces, told you she never wanted to see you ever again and said the thought of loving you physically repulsed her."

"Thanks, dad," Nick smirked, giving him a bemused look.

"How can you possibly expect Sara to know how you feel if you've never told her?" Bill questioned rhetorically. "I mean I'm sure she's a highly intelligent woman but I doubt very much that she is the first person to master the art of mind reading."

"There's no need to be smart…," Nick huffed.

"You need to tell her how you feel. What have you got to lose?" questioned Bill. "You won't know until you confront her with how you feel, and you never know she might like you too."

"No, if I say anything now I'll ruin everything. We've been friends for too long. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself or live with myself if that happened," Nick insisted defensively.

"But would you be able to live with yourself if you don't?"

Nick stuttered for a moment, opening and closing his mouth like a drowning fish. "It's... It's really not that simple," he finally said.

"Sounds simple enough to me," his father shrugged. "You like her, Nick, face facts. Now that you accept how you feel you should tell her, you never know, she might just feel the same way. The shock might kill you but it's a possibility, isn't it?"

"Possibly," Nick gulped.

"Why not? Why wouldn't she like you back?" Bill questioned rhetorically. "You're a handsome man, you get that from me, of course..."

"And you're modesty too, right?" Nick smirked.

"My humour," Bill corrected his son. "My intelligence, my stubbornness, my easy going nature."

"So now that we've finished establishing all your best qualities...," Nick gave him a look.

"My point is that Sara would be crazy not to feel the same way you do," Bill explained.

"Well, unfortunately neither you nor I, or anyone else for the matter, have a say on it," Nick insisted. "And I wouldn't want to force her."

"I think you need to have a bit of faith in yourself," Bill maintained.

Nick shook his head. "I'm not her type."

"How do you know that? Have you asked her?" he questioned.

"Funnily enough it's never come up in conversation before," Nick stated sarcastically.

"See, so I'm right, you don't know," Bill exclaimed. "So there's a chance you might be wrong."

Nick let out a sigh, gazing down at the floor. "I don't know..."

"There's doubt there. And with doubt comes hope," Bill insisted. "What is it you want, Nicky? Do you want a chance to be with her? If that's the case then you're going to have to make the first move. You're the only one who's going to."

"But what if she knocks me back?" Nick wondered, sounding almost pitiful.

"Well, then you take it on the chin and you move on," Bill insisted.

"I don't know if I can...," Nick trailed off.

"Nick, sometimes in life we have to make tough choices and do things that maybe we don't really want to do. But these things have to be done in order for us achieve our goals and aspirations. You have feelings for Sara, that's clear, but now you need to know how she feels about you. You can't keep hiding from this. If you want to be with her you need to tell her how you feel," Bill insisted.

Nick leaned back slightly and let his fathers' words sink in. There was definitely a great deal of truth in what he was saying, though it was hard for Nick to admit it. He actually found it quite amusing how he couldn't tell Sara how he felt, knowing deep down that it meant she was different and meant so much more to him. That was why he couldn't risk losing her as a friend. He'd always convinced himself that if he could only ever have her in his life as a friend then that was enough, and better than not having her in his life at all. But he found it incredibly hard to deal with his feelings when she was always there, just being her amazing self. Enough was enough. He'd hidden these feelings for far too long now, and for whatever reason they had started to grow stronger with everyday making them even more hard to ignore. Nick couldn't just sit back anymore, he had to act.

Thank you for reading. Please review.