AN: Once again thanks for the continued support, here is the next chapter. (Sorry about the delay)
Chapter 14: Unexpected first-time meeting
After Grissom gave Nick a tour around the house, they ended up back in the living room, and Grissom gave him a few parting words. "Don't be shy making yourself at home, if you need a shower you know where three of them are, if you need to eat..."
Nick cuts him off with a smile. "I got it Griss."
Grissom nodded with a smile. "I know, I'm sorry, this is just a little..."
He cuts him off again. "It feels a little weird for me too. I never thought I would be in your home under these circumstances."
Grissom nodded in understanding before speaking with another smile. "I'm sure it won't feel that weird in time." Nick nodded in agreement, then Grissom finished. "I better get back to the lab. If you need to get out, there is a spear key under the frog statue outside, and to set the alarm code, it is 0693*." (Month & Year of their daughter's birthday)
"Ok, thanks again."
Grissom nodded one more time before he finally took his leave from the house.
Not long after Grissom had closed the front door once he walked out of the house, Nick decided he wanted to take a shower, so he headed for the the only bathroom that was downstairs to get cleaned up.
Once he was done about 20 minutes later, he stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out of the room with his dirty clothes, heading to the laundry room next, and when he opened the door he was not expecting anyone to be in there, and the person who was in there had just turned around with headphones in her ear, so they both gasped, then she cursed, slung her headphones out of her ear and grabbed the closest thing she could grab, which was a broom and spoke with a scared/hard tone. "Who the hell are you? What are you doing in this house?"
Nick took a breath, his clothes in one hand while holding up the other one, before speaking. "I'm Nick Stokes, I worked with Grissom in Vegas, and I had just transferred here. Him and Sara offered me a place to stay until I can find a place. Now who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
While she believes his 'story', Ashley kept her hands on the broom and replied. "I'm Ashley Gardner, started out as Sara's roommate at Berkley before becoming one of her best friends." There was a slight pause before she continued, both slightly relaxed at this point. "I come here to do my laundry every once in a while, well mostly when the machines are on the fritz in my apartment building. And sure, I could find a laundry mat in town, but nothing beats the view." Which she was looking at Nick's half naked body when she said that last thing, so she hurriedly corrected herself. "Of the ocean, of course, while you're waiting for your clothes to get done."
Nick nodded with a smile while Ashley looked away to hide from her embarrassment and to put the broom back in place. "I know what you mean, I barely got here, and I already find the view amazing." There was a slight pause as their eyes met before he cleared his throat and finished. "Sara and Grissom picked a beautiful place to build their house."
Ashley nodded with a smile. "Yeah they did."
They took a moment to just look at one another, then remembering he only had a towel around his waist, Nick excused himself so he could go change.
Hours later
With shift now over Sara and Grissom left the lab, and since Sara had her own vehicle today, she went to get the pizzas they had ordered over the phone before leaving the lab while Grissom went to get their daughter.
When Sara made it home, which she was first, she heard laughing coming from the kitchen the minute she walked into the house, and knowing why her friend had showed up she just smiled with the pizzas in her hand as she headed for the kitchen to see Nick and Ashley sitting at the kitchen table, and whatever they had been laughing/talking about had lit up Ashley like Sara hadn't seen in a while, if ever really.
A moment later, they greeted Sara, and Nick stood up. "I can help with the set-up, just point me to the plates."
Sara shook her head. "Nick, you don't have..."
But he cuts her off. "I want to, it's the least I could do for you guys for letting me stay here."
She nodded with a smile. "Ok."
As Sara pointed to the cupboard with the plates, Nick headed in that direction before stopping in front of it and opening it, then he looked back at the table to Ashley and asked. "You staying?"
Ashley then looked at Sara, and Sara spoke. "We have more than enough if you want to."
Ashely nodded with a smile as she looked at Nick. "Sure, I'll stay."
Nick nodded in return before getting the right number of plates and headed for the dining room to set up.
Once he was out of the room, Ashley practically went into teenager mode, she gets up from the chair she had been sitting in the last few hours and walked towards Sara, who was on the other side of the island. "Oh my god, Sara. Where have you been hiding him?"
Sara chuckled with a shake of the head. "I don't really know him, I've only met him a few times, he worked in Vegas with Grissom for a year before Grissom came here."
Ashley sighed dreamily. "I know, he said he transferred from there, and somehow ended up in my orbit. I just can't believe what I'm already feeling towards him, I would ask if you can believe it too." She then smirked. "But I'm talking to a woman who fell in love with a man before you even knew his name."
Sara chuckled as she asked with a raised eyebrow. "And whose fault is that?"
Ashley held up her hands with a smile. "Hey, we only gave you bet to kiss the man, not fall in love with him at first sight."
Sara took a breath before replying. "Sometimes you can't help it, and honestly I didn't believe in love at first sight until that moment, that's why I couldn't really explain what was happening to me."
Ashely nodded in understanding. "I get it, but I have to admit as encouraging as most of us was during those few days, we were a little afraid that you were moving way too fast, that you would get your heart broken."
Sara nodded, then smiled as she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "But I didn't, well ok, not everything was going smoothly in the beginning, but I don't regret the journey this has taken me. I don't even want to think of where my life would be if I hadn't jumped in with my heart on the line." Sara then took a breath as she finished with encouragement. "And as happy as I'm seeing that bright look in your eyes, I now want you to be careful."
Ashley nodded with a sigh. "I know, and you would think I would after all the losers I've dealt with in the past."
Sara wrapped her arms around her friend before speaking softly. "Well, for the record I don't think he'll be like the others, but he is going through something right now."
Ashley pulled out of Sara's arms and looked at her, but before she could reply, the front door had opened, and Belle came running into the kitchen. "Mommy!"
Sara smiled as she kneeled down so she could give her daughter a hug. "Hi sweetheart, did you have fun in daycare?"
Belle nodded with a smile, then she looked over at Ashley. "Hi aunt Ashley."
"Hi honey."
A moment later Grissom had walked into the room to greet them just as Nick walked into the room, and Sara spoke to her daughter. "Belle honey, you remember meeting Nick during Thanksgiving?"
She nodded with a smile as she greeted him. "Hi, Mr. Stokes."
Nick chuckled before replying. "How about calling me Nick, I feel too much like my dad when you say it like that."
Belle looked at her mother with questioning eyes, and Sara nodded with a smile. "It's ok to call him by his first name."
As Belle nodded she continued. "And I know he'll be staying with us, daddy said something while we were coming home tonight."
Now that everybody was on the same page, the group headed towards the dining room so they could eat.
Not long after dinner was over, Ashley took her leave with her now clean clothes, and the rest of the group headed for the living room while Belle was playing in her room, then a few hours later it was time to get ready for bed, so as Grissom was with his daughter, getting her settled in bed, Sara and Nick were in the kitchen cleaning up any dishes that were left out, and when they were done with that, Nick excused himself.
He had just reached the doorway when Sara spoke as she turned around to look at him. "Nick, Ashley is one of my best friends."
Nick had turned around to look at her while he spoke, shaking his head slightly. "Sara, I..."
Sara cuts him off. "She'll probably kill me for saying this, but she's dealt with more losers than I care to admit, especially the last few years, and I don't want to see her get hurt again. We are all adults and I know more than anybody that feelings can come out of nowhere, when you least expect them to and things just happen, but just promise me that if you ever do go there with her, that you're not using her to forget someone else."
Nick shook his head. "For the record I would never do that to someone whom I'm dating, they would get my full, undivided attention, and while I did enjoy her company this evening, I'm not looking to date anyone at this moment, I just want to concentrate on my new job right now."
Sara nodded with a smile. "Alright." She then took a breath. "And I'm sorry, I..."
This time Nick cuts her off, understanding exactly where Sara was coming from. "Don't be, she is one of your best friends, looking out for her is what you're supposed to do." He then finished with a smile. "I'm going to bed now, thanks again for welcoming me into your home."
"You're very welcome, have a good night."
"You too."
A moment later Nick had left the room, and Sara looked around to make sure everything was taken care of before she also walked out of the room, closing lights and setting the alarm in the living room by the front door before she made it upstairs, where she said goodnight to her daughter and met her husband in their bedroom so they could get ready for bed themselves.
AN: Thanks for reading, and please review, sorry it was on the short side, but next chapter should be longer. I hope you are all enjoying the New Year so far. Take care, be safe and until next time always remember, GSR4ever!