After Playing with Fire.
None of the characters are mine, if only I could be that brilliant to have created them.
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Sara leaned against her Tahoe, not quite wanting to leave, but knowing she had no reason to stay. She wasn't scheduled to work that night, so she'd stopped by to ask Grissom to dinner. Just to see what would happen. Who was she kidding? She had been acting like a love struck teenager for three years. She had harbored this notion that because Grissom had hand-picked her to join his team that she was somehow special to him. How wrong she was. And it was at that realization that the tears came.
She didn't know why she didn't see it before. She was one of many. LVPD CSI lab didn't obtain it's number two ranking by hiring second rate people. All of the people that she worked with were first rate. They were all dedicated to their jobs, albeit not as married to it as Sara was. She had a hard time separating her personal life from work, maybe that was why she had misinterpreted Grissom. He was just like her.
She heard footsteps approaching and tried to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her face. "Sara?" She heard Nick call. "Sara, are you ok?" By now he was standing in front of her.
She didn't meet his gaze, "I'm fine, Nick. I'm just getting ready to go home."
Making an observation, he queried her, "What are you doing here? Isn't it your night off?"
She sniffed, "It's not like I haven't come in before on my night off you know, Nick."
Taking note of the sniffing sound he put a hand on her shoulder, "Sara, you're not ok are you?"
With that, she lost it. The tears which had momentarily stopped, began again in earnest. Sobs which started out muffled soon wracked her whole body. The events of the last few days broke over her. She had been in a trance-like state since the explosion, making gross errors in judgement. She had pulled her weapon on a suspect, completely disregarding procedure, and put her own life in jeopardy. Grissom was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Nick pulled her into his arms just holding her close and letting her cry. "It's ok, Sara, go ahead and cry. It's ok, just let it on out." He soothed. They stood there like that a long time until Sara's sobs subsided to an occasional hiccup, Nick rubbing her back and telling her that everything was going to be ok.
Finally, Sara stepped out of Nick's embrace, "Thanks, Nick. I guess I kind of needed that." She continued to wipe her eyes.
Nick reached over with a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Sara, anytime. Are you going to be ok?"
She finally looked up and met Nick's gaze intending to tell him she was going to be just fine, but instead she whispered, "I don't know, " and the tears began again.
Nick put one arm around Sara's shoulder, "Sara, I'm taking you home." This wasn't a question, it was a statement.
She began to protest, but Nick had already pulled out his cell phone and called Warrick who Grissom had left in charge that night. "Hey, Warrick. Yeah, it's Nick. Listen, I need to do something. I'll be back in a while. Page me if anything comes in, ok. Thanks, man."
Nick put away his phone and guided Sara over to his Tahoe, "We can come get that later," he said referring to Sara's Tahoe. Sara just nodded and numbly followed Nick.
After they were seated in the Tahoe, Nick turned to Sara, "Do you want to talk, Sar?"
She shook her head without meeting his gaze lest the tears begin full force again.
"Ok, I'll just take you home then." He started the Tahoe and wove his way through traffic to Sara's apartment.
Somewhere on the way, Sara fell asleep, her hand on Nick's arm. Nick pulled into her apartment complex and turned off the engine of the Tahoe. He came around to the passenger side and opened the door. "Sara. Sara. Sara, wake up, we're here. You're home."
Sleepily, Sara opened her eyes and it took a minute for her to register where she was and what was going on. "Thanks, Nicky." She got out of the Tahoe and Nick walked her to the door. As she turned the key in the lock, she turned to Nick, "Do you want to come in for a little while? I could use a little company right now." She forced a smile, her eyes still full of tears.
Nick smiled at her, "Yeah, I can come in for a while. If Warrick needs me, he'll call."
As they entered the apartment, Sara asked, "Do you want a soda or anything?"
"No, I'm fine," Nick replied settling himself on her couch.
"I'll be right back, ok. I just want to throw a pair of sweats on and wash my face," she said with a half smile.
A few minutes later, Sara returned with sweatpants and a Harvard T-shirt, her hair up in a ponytail. She seated herself next to Nick on the couch.
"Feel better?" Nick inquired with a smile, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, uh, thanks for everything, Nick. I'm sorry to be so much trouble," Sara vowed she wasn't going to cry again.
"Sara, you're no trouble. I'm a good listener. If you want to talk, I'll listen." Nick replied with a concerned look.
Tears threatened Sara's eyes once more, "I don't want to talk right now, Nick."
Nick smiled reassuringly at Sara.
She smiled back. "I sure could use a hug though."
With that, Nick pulled her into his arms, and she curled up on the couch resting against him, arms around his waist. An occasional sniffle was the only sound, and it eventually gave way to deep even breathing as Sara fell asleep on the couch in Nick's arms.
None of the characters are mine, if only I could be that brilliant to have created them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Sara leaned against her Tahoe, not quite wanting to leave, but knowing she had no reason to stay. She wasn't scheduled to work that night, so she'd stopped by to ask Grissom to dinner. Just to see what would happen. Who was she kidding? She had been acting like a love struck teenager for three years. She had harbored this notion that because Grissom had hand-picked her to join his team that she was somehow special to him. How wrong she was. And it was at that realization that the tears came.
She didn't know why she didn't see it before. She was one of many. LVPD CSI lab didn't obtain it's number two ranking by hiring second rate people. All of the people that she worked with were first rate. They were all dedicated to their jobs, albeit not as married to it as Sara was. She had a hard time separating her personal life from work, maybe that was why she had misinterpreted Grissom. He was just like her.
She heard footsteps approaching and tried to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her face. "Sara?" She heard Nick call. "Sara, are you ok?" By now he was standing in front of her.
She didn't meet his gaze, "I'm fine, Nick. I'm just getting ready to go home."
Making an observation, he queried her, "What are you doing here? Isn't it your night off?"
She sniffed, "It's not like I haven't come in before on my night off you know, Nick."
Taking note of the sniffing sound he put a hand on her shoulder, "Sara, you're not ok are you?"
With that, she lost it. The tears which had momentarily stopped, began again in earnest. Sobs which started out muffled soon wracked her whole body. The events of the last few days broke over her. She had been in a trance-like state since the explosion, making gross errors in judgement. She had pulled her weapon on a suspect, completely disregarding procedure, and put her own life in jeopardy. Grissom was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Nick pulled her into his arms just holding her close and letting her cry. "It's ok, Sara, go ahead and cry. It's ok, just let it on out." He soothed. They stood there like that a long time until Sara's sobs subsided to an occasional hiccup, Nick rubbing her back and telling her that everything was going to be ok.
Finally, Sara stepped out of Nick's embrace, "Thanks, Nick. I guess I kind of needed that." She continued to wipe her eyes.
Nick reached over with a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Sara, anytime. Are you going to be ok?"
She finally looked up and met Nick's gaze intending to tell him she was going to be just fine, but instead she whispered, "I don't know, " and the tears began again.
Nick put one arm around Sara's shoulder, "Sara, I'm taking you home." This wasn't a question, it was a statement.
She began to protest, but Nick had already pulled out his cell phone and called Warrick who Grissom had left in charge that night. "Hey, Warrick. Yeah, it's Nick. Listen, I need to do something. I'll be back in a while. Page me if anything comes in, ok. Thanks, man."
Nick put away his phone and guided Sara over to his Tahoe, "We can come get that later," he said referring to Sara's Tahoe. Sara just nodded and numbly followed Nick.
After they were seated in the Tahoe, Nick turned to Sara, "Do you want to talk, Sar?"
She shook her head without meeting his gaze lest the tears begin full force again.
"Ok, I'll just take you home then." He started the Tahoe and wove his way through traffic to Sara's apartment.
Somewhere on the way, Sara fell asleep, her hand on Nick's arm. Nick pulled into her apartment complex and turned off the engine of the Tahoe. He came around to the passenger side and opened the door. "Sara. Sara. Sara, wake up, we're here. You're home."
Sleepily, Sara opened her eyes and it took a minute for her to register where she was and what was going on. "Thanks, Nicky." She got out of the Tahoe and Nick walked her to the door. As she turned the key in the lock, she turned to Nick, "Do you want to come in for a little while? I could use a little company right now." She forced a smile, her eyes still full of tears.
Nick smiled at her, "Yeah, I can come in for a while. If Warrick needs me, he'll call."
As they entered the apartment, Sara asked, "Do you want a soda or anything?"
"No, I'm fine," Nick replied settling himself on her couch.
"I'll be right back, ok. I just want to throw a pair of sweats on and wash my face," she said with a half smile.
A few minutes later, Sara returned with sweatpants and a Harvard T-shirt, her hair up in a ponytail. She seated herself next to Nick on the couch.
"Feel better?" Nick inquired with a smile, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, uh, thanks for everything, Nick. I'm sorry to be so much trouble," Sara vowed she wasn't going to cry again.
"Sara, you're no trouble. I'm a good listener. If you want to talk, I'll listen." Nick replied with a concerned look.
Tears threatened Sara's eyes once more, "I don't want to talk right now, Nick."
Nick smiled reassuringly at Sara.
She smiled back. "I sure could use a hug though."
With that, Nick pulled her into his arms, and she curled up on the couch resting against him, arms around his waist. An occasional sniffle was the only sound, and it eventually gave way to deep even breathing as Sara fell asleep on the couch in Nick's arms.