Title: Lips of Pink
Pairing: Sara/Nick, Amelia/Grissom
Spoiler: CSI up to about season 4, CSI: Miami up to season 3.
Summary: Amelia gives birth to Speed's child and is soon back at work. As she, Catherine, and Warrick work the case of a dead stripper, Amelia begins to wonder about her and Grissom's relationship. Nick tries to figure out if Sara wants him or Grissom as they work a case of a sociologist who ends up dead.
Disclaimer: I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.
My Note: Sorry this took so long. I've been busy with life and the first chapter of my new CSI fanfic "One Eye Open", so please check that out!
Chapter 3: Dinner for 2?
Grissom didn't have much experience with children, particularly newborns. He never saw himself getting married or having children. Now that he had Timmy, things had changed. He was settling into his new life with Amelia and Timmy, though it was a slow process.
He worked in a difficult job and he saw the terrible things that people did to each other, but every now and again, he saw the good things people did for each other. Standing in his home with Timmy in his arms, the world didn't seem so bad. He wanted to protect Timmy as best he could. He already had the strong urge to shield the young boy from the terrors of the world.
Grissom was glad to have Amelia back in his life. Not only was she back in his life, she loved him as much as he loved her. Certainly, she still had feelings for Tim and that would never go away. Grissom didn't expect her to stop caring about Tim, especially when it hadn't even been a year since the man died.
Grissom just wanted to be there for her and Timmy. They were part of his family now.
Most days before work, he would hold Timmy in his arms and stare at his tiny face. He wanted to give the little boy the best chance in the world.
A whole new part of the world had opened to Grissom; he could only hope that he could make a positive difference in Timmy's life. He just wanted to be there for the young boy and his mother.
Nick and Sara had been seeing each other for several months now, but they were still going slow. Sara wasn't ready to fully commit and Nick was ok with how things were. He was worried things would get weird at work.
Once a week, when they could find the time, they met up for dinner before their shift. Most weeks, they never got around to it. They were just too busy with work.
Nick knew Sara well enough to know that pushing anything would be a bad idea. He had to let her get comfortable and come to him, if she wanted to. So he waited. It wasn't so bad. When they were together, they had a good time. They would eat, talk, and laugh. It was the finding time part that was difficult.
Today had been a slow day for the grave shift. Nick knew the swing shift was busy with several cases, but grave hadn't had much. For today at least. So Nick and Sara were supposed to go out for dinner before shift.
Yet, Nick had a feeling it wasn't going to go the way he planned. He and Sara never made reservations anywhere. They found if they made reservations, then they never made the dinner. So they played it by ear.
Nick and Sara planned to meet at the lab, as usual. The day had been hot, of course. When did they ever have any other kind of weather in Las Vegas? Nick made his way into the lab, looking for Sara.
He found her in Grissom's office, talking with their boss. He stood in the hallway for a moment to watch them. Sara and Grissom had a past. What kind of a past, Nick wasn't sure. He hadn't been happy to hear that his sister and Grissom had started dating when she got out of the hospital. It wasn't that he didn't like Grissom. Nick was well aware of his sister's feelings for Grissom since she first came to Vegas all of those years ago.
As close as they were, Nick tried not to get too involved in his sister's personal life. But after the drama with Evan, Nick tried to pay more attention. At least he never had to worry about Grissom physically abusing Ames.
Nick just wasn't overly fond of the age difference between Amelia and Grissom. And Nick knew Gris well enough to know that he could be a bit abrasive at times. Nick just didn't want Amelia to get hurt again.
Nick shook himself out of his thoughts and walked into Grissom's office. "Hey Gris, Sara," he greeted them.
"Hey Nick," Grissom said. "Sara says you two are going out to dinner."
"Yeah, if that's alright with you. We're not busy, so we figured we could sneak out for an hour," Nick paused. "Did you-did you want to come with us?" he asked. He prayed Grissom did not want to tag along. That would not make it a good dinner.
"Oh no. No, I've got paperwork to do. Just make sure you keep an eye on the time and keep your phones out. This is Vegas, things could go wrong at any second," he told them.
Sara and Nick nodded. Sara stood up from her chair. "We'll be back soon. And then we can continue our discussion Gris," she said.
Nick watched her carefully as she gave Grissom a lingering smile, which Grissom didn't seem to notice. Grissom nodded and waved at them before looking down at the paperwork on his desk. Nick turned and walked out of the office, his thoughts clouding his mind.
Nick and Sara headed out of the lab and drove to a nearby burger joint. A quick and simple dinner for them. At first, as they waited for their meals, they sat in silence. Nick wasn't sure what to say after seeing her with Grissom.
Sara was a somewhat distant person; not easy to connect to. Her relationship, whatever it was, with Grissom was difficult to try and figure out. Nick just didn't know what to make of it.
"Something bothering you?" Sara finally asked.
Nick shrugged and he couldn't look her in the eyes. "Mostly just worried about Ames, ya know? I know she's happy to have a part of Speed, but I worry about her and Timmy. There's other ways of honoring the dead," he said. He looked at Sara.
She nodded. "I get it. You're worried about her coming back to work, having a son, mourning a boyfriend, and being with Grissom. It's all quick and it's all under less than perfect circumstances. It makes sense, Nick. Amelia is strong though. And she can ask for help, if she needs it. I don't think you have to worry too much, Nick."
Nick shook his head and looked away, sighing. "It's so much more than that. Of course she's strong, just look at what she's survived. I just don't want her to do something because it's easy."
Sara cocked her head. "What? You mean being with Grissom? You think she doesn't love him?" she questioned.
Nick shrugged and looked sheepish. "She's been busy with Timmy and I've never found a good time to ask. It could get messy if it doesn't work out though. I just want my sister to be happy," he explained.
"Who are you talking about now?" she asked. "Amelia and Grissom, or you and me? Relationships can get messy, that doesn't mean they're wrong or a bad idea," Sara paused. "Grissom isn't much for relationships, you know that. If he didn't think she was interested, I don't think he'd be there. Let them be adults."
"I can't help it. It's called being a brother."
Sara chuckled as the waitress came with their meals. "Sure, Nick, sure."
The pair dug into their burgers and fries. For several moments, neither spoke. Then finally, Nick said, "I don't assume anything about our relationship."
Sara ate a fry and remained silent.
"Whatever you want Sara, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to," he said.
Sara's face remained impassive and then she nodded. "I know, Nick, I know."