Rated T for language - maybe M for sexual innuendos.

I don't own CSI.

Oh Boy, I'm gonna catch a lot of slack for this chapter.

What can I say? It's not my fault...if YOU were Jules would you be okay with this scenario?

Tough pill to swallow, I must say.

But, perhaps being alone in a hotel room will help?

Or...

maybe not.

I can hear my faithful reviewers now... excuse me while I duck for cover....

*Special Note to Ash Marie...I'm not ignoring you, I just can't answer your question b/c ur set to private.

An awkwardness loomed inside the elevator as Jules and Nick took it to seventh floor. Jules was quiet because she was wondering if she made a huge mistake. Nick was quiet because he didn't want to have this end badly. They were both worried and it caused a deafening silence to envelope the elevator. Finally, Nick spoke in order to lighten the mood.

"What room are we in?" he asked smirking.

"710, why?" she looked over at him as the elevator doors opened and they stepped out.

"Just wondering if you were putting me in Murder Central…your plan to knock me off," he smiled wide as they continued to walk down the hall.

"Nah, I think you'll be safe right here in the middle," she laughed and stopped in front of Room 710.

Nick slid the key card in the slot and when the little light turned green he opened the door letting Jules walk in first. Jules asked Nick if he was hungry on the way into the room.

"Yeah, I am actually. How about you?" he asked looking around for a menu.

"Very. I planned on eating at The Fontana Bar but…well, that didn't quite pan out did it," she gave him a closed mouth smile and threw her purse on the bed. "It was really packed tonight, wasn't it!"

"And loud," he smiled a sweet smile.

"Was it always like that and I forgot? We haven't been there in years, right?" she asked unsure.

"I think we forgot and it's always like that," he nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…too bad, because I am hungry," she said matter of factly.

"No big deal, Darlin', we can just order Room Service," he said handing her the menu off the little round table next to the window.

She took the menu and sat at the edge of the bed. She looked through it and closed it putting it down by her side.

"Um, did ya want to pass that over here?" he said leaning against the dressed with his arms folded in front of him.

"You can have it but…"

"But what?" he jerked his head back with confusion.

"But you know you're just gonna get a bacon cheeseburger anyway," she laughed and held it out to him.

"Maybe not, Sunshine, maybe not," he said in a sing song tone and then laughed.

Okay, we'll see," she said giving him the "knowing look" and watched him peruse the menu. After he turned the page three times she got up and walked to the phone.

"Hi, I'd like to order Room Service," she told the gentleman on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, Ma`am, it would be my pleasure," he replied.

Jules looked over at Nick who was smiling wide and she knew why.

"Can I get a turkey club and a bacon cheeseburger… medium rare." she smirked and he laughed shaking his head. "Oh, and I need two bottles of ice tea, if you have it," she told him. "Ok, great, great. No, it's okay, we don't mind." she said and hung up the phone, turning toward him once again.

"We don't mind what?" he tilted his head and squinted his eyes.

"It's gonna be at least a half an hour…they're busy tonight…as if The Fontana didn't give us a clue!" she said referring to the crowd downstairs.

Nick chuckled and shook his head.

"How the hell did you know I would order that?" he laughed.

"Please, come on, how long have I been with you now?" she shook her head and laughed too.

She looked over at him and their eyes locked. The smile faded off each others faces. She realized she just made a remark about how long they've been together and how she knew him so well…and the whole sad reason they were meeting was to see if it was the end of the road.

The stare lasted a while… Longer than either of them wanted it to, but neither of them could look away.

Finally Jules breaks away from his eyes and looks over at the small, round, table in front of the window and walks toward it. Nick follows quickly behind her and pulls out the chair for her to sit down.

"Always the gentleman, huh, Texas," she winced inside again. She still loved talking with him and she wasn't supposed to be enjoying him as much as she still does.

Nick sat down across from her and he asked her the question he really didn't want to know the answer to.

"Where do you want to start?" he asked and wrung his hands together nervously.

"I guess…Brooke Latham is first up," she said with a pained look in her eyes just at saying her name.

"Wow, right to it, huh," he smiled.

"Yeah, well, she's the reason we're sitting here," Jules said and she didn't smile back.

Nick nodded.

Jules looked at him, "Why? I just want to know why…," she frowned trying to mask the hurt.

"Why? Why what?" he shook his head.

"Nick! Don't start," she snapped.

"How can I tell you why when I don't even know HOW," he implored.

"Do you realize how that sounds? Anyone who hears that would laugh and roll their eyes…probably throw in a 'yeah likely story' too," she sighed.

"I don't care what anyone else says…I care only about what YOU say," he rubbed the back of his neck.

"God, Nick, what do I say? What do I say? I say I should run out of here while I still can," she bit her bottom lip.

"Don't…don't run from this…don't run from me," he said softly.

"I want to know what Brooke said to you on the phone…why you called her five times," she stared at him finally asking the question she wanted to ask but never could.

"I told you! I told you the day you nearly gave me a concussion with that coffee mug you aimed at my head...I called her looking for answers…and I didn't get any. It was like talking to a brick wall," he frowned, "and I am telling ya, Babe, something is not right about her answers," he squinted remembering the things she said.

"How so?" she said tilting her head to the side unsure if she would believe what he was going to say.

"Well, to begin with she told me she knew nothing about those pictures," he told her.

"So, maybe she didn't take them, maybe she…" Jules looked down. She hated even talking about her.

"She told me she didn't know about the pictures but then she mentioned how many there were, how would she know that?" he said.

"Nick, I think that is nonsense…you are just looking too deep into it…it's not a crime scene investigation," she frowned.

"Well, I find our whole 'hook up' hard to believe. You find it hard to believe. Anyone who knows me finds…"

She cut him off.

"And yet there are pictures to prove it," she pressed her lips together and raised her eyebrows.

"And there are pictures that prove it…I know, I know," he ran his hand over his face.

"So you are sticking to your story that you don't remember," she sighed. "I think if you were just honest about it…about everything, we could build our trust back up. See where it takes us if we just go slow and you tell me the truth!" she insisted.

Jules was getting angry. She was tired of him saying he didn't remember …she saw the pictures and the phone bill and Brooke said it herself that he fucked her for hours. And those pictures showed he sure looked like he was having a hell of a good time. It was pissing her off and she wanted him to just admit it.

"But I am telling you the truth...you just wont believe me!" he raised his voice in frustration.

"Because it sounds fucking crazy, Nick!" she got louder too.

"I know! But I am telling you the truth and it is really starting to piss ME off that you wouldn't believe me after I have spent a month telling you the same thing over and over…I DO NOT REMEMBER BEING WITH HER!" he insisted.

"No, no, no, YOU don't get to be pissed off about how I feel seeing my husband being straddled by a half naked woman!" she said and looked at him with pure disgust. "Look, I did not come here to fight with you. I did not come here to hear the same bullshit. And you're right…I don't believe you! I think you are covering your ass…that's what I think. It's the oldest fucking line in the book!" she said nastily.

"It's not a line, Jules!" he insisted not backing down.

"YOU FUCKED HER FOR HOURS, NICK!" she felt her stomach literally churn as she said it but continued on, "Brooke told me herself! She told me and I happen to know first hand how you are! I know you can fuck like a machine! I just always thought it was because you were turned on by ME!" she slammed her hand down on the table and stood up.

"Oh, oh, there you go…ready to jump up from the table and run around yelling instead of talking this out!" he rolled his eyes with disgust and his jaw was tight.

"OH, oh, you think I gotta jump up to yell? How about I just get up so I can get my fucking purse and get the fuck out of here! This was a big mistake. BIG," she pointed at him as she yelled.

"No it is not! It is not a big mistake…it was a good idea but you have to run off like a fucking baby!" he yelled.

Jules glared at him.

"Whatever, Nick…yeah, you're right…I'm a runner, remember?" she shook her head in disgust at forever holding that title.

"I didn't say that," he stood up too.

"Enjoy your dinner and your cozy bed, Nick," she grabbed her purse off the bed and stormed out of the room.

The tremendous slam of the hotel room door echoed in Nick's ears. He sat on the end of the bed and groaned loudly before throwing himself backward on the mattress and staring up at the ceiling.