***CSI Vegas Fanfiction Challenge***

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SARA/NICK

HESTIA


Another long day of work, child abuse and torture - what a combination.

For Nick, these kinds of cases really got to him. But over time, he tried to develop a ‘thick skin’ so to speak. Despite trying to stay objective, his stomach turned at the thought of the father’s cruel words:
“They were nothing but a burden! Every day, I wished they were never born. I’m glad they’re gone!”

He knew this particular case would be hard on all his co-workers, but he didn’t expect to get a call from one of them.
The first thing that greeted him when he got home was the sound of his ringing phone. Rushing over to pick it up, he was surprised to hear who was on the other end.

“Hello, Nick?”
“Sara?”
“Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No… I just got home. How are you?”
There was a pause on the other end.
“I was hoping to catch you after shift for some drinks, but you left kind of quickly…”
“Yeah,” he sat down and removed his shoes, “That case kind of got to me.”
“Me too. I was hoping we could try and forget about it over some drinks. But you‘re probably tired or something.” She tried to back out.
“No, it’s okay. If you want we could meet up for drinks or maybe you could come over to my place?”
“Sure. Your place sounds good.”
He didn’t expect her to accept his invitation, but it was a pleasant surprise.
“Well, I’m sure you know where I live,” he gave her his directions just in case.
“I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“I’ll be waiting.”

When she hung up, he almost slapped himself for sounding so stupid.
‘I’ll be waiting? What the hell was that?’ he asked himself.
Of course, he knew what it was about. His feelings for Sara were growing for some time and he never bothered to address them. It was a sort of flirting thing between them and she probably only thought of him as a friend.
Still… why did she accept an invitation to his apartment when they could’ve just as easily met outside for drinks?

Well, he couldn’t dwell on that; he had to straighten up his apartment now that he was expecting a guest.
Exactly thirty minutes later, he heard his bell ring. With some quick motions, he smoothed his shirt and combed his fingers through his hair.

A lovely bottle of wine and an equally lovely Sara greeted him when he opened the door.
“You look great,” he managed to say.
“Thanks.”

After stepping inside, Nick took the wine and found a bowl of ice to keep it chilled. He already had some beers in the fridge, so he offered her a bottle and invited her to sit back and relax.
“Mi casa es su casa.”
She flashed him a smile, “Well, you sure know your Spanish.”
He shrugged nonchalantly, “I took a few years in college.”
“So, why are you so dressed up?”
Sara gave him a look, though it was easy to see why he asked. It wasn’t often that Sara Sidle wore a skirt - let alone one with a flowery print.
“I just felt like it,” She opened her bottle and took a sip.
“Well, let me just say, you look great. You should really think about wearing skirts more often… especially with those legs!”
“You’re staring at my legs?”
He nearly choked on his beer, his face turning an interesting shade of red.
“What? No… I mean… yeah… maybe?”
Walking over, she whacked him on his back and laughed it off.
“Thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The sudden sound of his doorbell spared him from any further embarrassment. Although he had no idea who it could be - especially at this time of night.
With a confused look, met by Sara’s own puzzled expression, Nick walked over and checked his peep hole. No one was out there.
“Do you see anyone?”
“No. Not a soul.”
“Maybe you should open the door and check,” Sara suggested.
It couldn’t hurt, so Nick carefully opened the door surprised to see the small ‘package’ on his welcome mat.

“You’re not going to believe this…”
He reached down and uncovered the small, blanketed figure in the bassinet. A small infant, lay sleeping in the frayed yellow blanket, along with a note pined to the cloth.
“Is that a baby?” Sara breathed.
“Yeah.”
He looked around, wondering if it was some kind of twisted joke. He heard of people leaving babies on doorsteps, but why his apartment?

After carefully carrying the baby inside, he set it down, bassinet and all. He read the note out loud for Sara to hear. Sure enough, his suspicions were confirmed:

‘I’ve been watching you for a while and I know you will do the right thing.
Please take care of my baby.’

That was it. There was no signature or anything identifying either the mother or child. The note was simply typed and pinned on this poor, innocent baby.

“I can’t believe someone would just abandon a helpless baby on your doorstep,” Sara was at a loss. Sometimes she didn’t understand why people did such stupid things.
“We have to call the cops,” he sighed.
“Now? It’s the middle of the night.”
“Well, I can’t take care of a baby.”
Sara looked torn, “But think about the mother. She wanted you to do the right thing, and she trusts you enough to take care of this child.”
“Calling the police is the right thing.”
“I know… but think about it. Maybe the mother will come back for the baby. Couldn’t you wait until tomorrow to call the police. I’ll stay and help you with the baby,” her voice softened considerably, “Think about those two kids… at least whoever left this baby here was kind enough to spare it’s life.”

Nick was torn. After the terrible case, he couldn’t just give up this baby. Maybe he could wait until the morning…

“Alright. A few hours won’t kill us.”
She looked notably relieved, but their attention soon focused on the baby, who’s eyes fluttered open.
“Oh no. We woke up the baby.”
Within seconds the infant opened it’s mouth and let out a screech. It started to cry and the two investigators panicked.
Nick quickly picked up the wailing infant and rocked it back and forth trying to lull it back to sleep.
“Shush, shush… uhhh.. Hush little baby don’t you cry…”
“It doesn’t seem to like your singing Nick,” Sara was getting anxious. She looked around for anything that could be used as a toy or distraction. After coming up with nothing, she reached into her purse and took out a box of Tic Tacs.
“Tic Tacs, Sara?”
“It’s a make-shift rattle,” she shook it around trying to entertain the fidgeting child. “Look at my little rattle. Be a good baby. Come on, how about a smile?”

No dice. The baby continued crying.
“Maybe it needs a change?” She stroked the little tufts of hair on the crying child, hoping to calm it down.
“Do I look like I have any diapers?” Nick was getting nervous, patting the baby on the back and murmuring soft words to try and calm it down.
“I’ll go pick some up,” Sara suggested.
“Do you even know which size?”
“There are different sizes?”
If Nick had a hard time with little kids, Sara didn’t have a clue.
“I’ll go get the diapers. And maybe some formula. There’s a pharmacy a few blocks away. Stay here with the baby.” Nick handed her the crying bundle.
“But I don’t know what to do!”

He was already out the door. And the baby was still crying.
‘Okay… don’t panic… maybe there’s something I can do to calm it down…’
She figured she might as well check the baby’s diaper, to see if it needed a change, and to verify the gender. Sara was tired of referring to the baby as an ‘it.’

With a couple of paper towels the determined woman was ready to tackle something she never attempted before… hopefully it wouldn’t be too much of a disaster.

~~~~~~

“Okay, I’m back. I brought some diapers, a bottle, some formula and this little teething ring just in case…”
He stopped as he saw a frazzled Sara wearing his shirt. But at least there was no more crying.
“Why are you wearing-?”
“The baby is a boy. I got caught in the vicinity when he had to… go.” She frowned.
Nick chuckled lightly, “He got you good, huh? Well, looks like the little guy isn‘t crying.”
“No. As a matter of fact, he smiled when he targeted my blouse as his personal bulls-eye. I washed it and left it in your bathroom to dry.”

Nick walked over and carefully put the diaper on the baby.
“He looks a lot happier.”
“I’ll say. You’re pretty good at changing diapers,” Sara noted.
“I helped out with my cousin’s kid whenever I visited back home. I’m not exactly an expert on child rearing, but I could diaper her kid in fifteen seconds flat!”
She shook her head and gave him a teasing smile, “You must be very proud.”
“As a matter of fact I am.” He gloated.
The baby cooed and kicked up his feet.
“He sure seems to think so, don’t you, little guy?”

Sara let out a laugh when Nick made faces at the wiggling infant. The two boys seemed to enjoy it, since they were both laughing.

Looking at Nick and the baby, she felt a small tug in her heart. She never thought she would be part of such a caring - almost intimately domestic - setting. But it was definitely nice.

“Now what?”
“We hope he doesn’t cry?”
Sara swatted his arm playfully, “What should we feed him? Is he even hungry? Maybe he’s tired.”
Nick held up a hand, “Slow down Sara. The baby’s calm for the moment, so he probably doesn’t need a thing.”
He spoke too soon. The baby in his arms started to cry again.
“Okay, now he probably needs something.”
Sara took the baby from Nick and watched him walk over to the stove and proceed to heat up a can of formula. He read the directions carefully, and while the milk was simmering he thoroughly washed the plastic bottle.
“Don’t cry. Dinner is almost ready,” Sara swayed the child back and forth, similar to how she saw Nick do it earlier.
“Alright, according to this,” he spoke while filling the bottle, “We have to make sure it’s not too hot. And if the baby doesn’t want it we shouldn’t leave it out.”
“Why not?”
“Germs, I guess.”
He did the tried and true method of squirting some milk on his arm.
“Feels about right,” he spoke quietly to himself.
With a steady hand he gave the baby the bottle and within minutes the formula was gone.
“So he was hungry.”
“And now he’s not crying,” Nick looked satisfied with himself.
“You’re much better at this than I am,” Sara sighed, looking a mildly stressed.
“Don’t let it get to you. Most new parents don’t know what to do, but they figure it out and learn along the way.”
She blinked. So she wasn’t the only one who noticed - new parents. It was a little overwhelming, so Sara placed the infant in his basinet.

“I should go,” Sara murmured, glancing up at the clock in his living room.
Nick was surprised. They were having such a nice time.
“Do you have to? I mean, your shirt is still here, and the baby will miss you.”
She placed her hands on her hips, “Just the baby?”
“Well, I will too.”
She looked around the living room, seemingly mulling it over. His puppy dog eyes were hard to resist.
“We’ll need to get some sleep soon. All of us. I can take the couch.”
He brightened up, “No way, you take my bed, I’ll take the couch.”
“Nick-”
“Sara,” his tone of voice was firm, but gentle, “You’re my guest, and it’s the least I can do. You helped me with this kid, and I want you to stay… in my bed.”
She swallowed a little, but knew when she was beat, “Fine. Have a good night.”
“You too.”

He watched her disappear into his room, then turned to the curious infant.
“She’s staying? Isn’t that great? Yes it is. I think it is,” He lifted up the baby and rocked him for a bit before setting him down in the basket. The child just giggled in delight and waved his arms up and down.
“Well, I’m gonna miss you tomorrow. But hey, let’s not think about that now. We’ll get some sleep, and hope for the best.”
Nick wearily walked over to the couch, keeping the baby close by just in case. He was a sucker for children, and this was no different.

With a yawn, he laid down and tried not to think how sad he would feel when he gave the baby over to child services.
‘What a night…’

~~~~~~

“Good morning sleepy head.”
“Sara?” Nick’s eyes opened and he wearily rubbed the sleep out of them. He sat up and saw Sara feeding the baby, via the new bottle he bought.
“Oh… you were talking to the baby.” He yawned.
She looked up at him, feeling a little embarrassed, “Yeah. Good morning to you too.”
He smiled as he watched the two. She looked so motherly - a side of Sara he never thought he would see. When he noticed her becoming self-conscious, he changed the subject.
“What time is it?”
“Four thirty pm.” She looked at him with sad eyes.
“Have you two been awake for a while?”
“I wanted to have some time with him before saying good-bye.”

He sighed and got up, waking to his bathroom.
“This is for the best Sara. He needs to go to child services.” Nick spoke while brushing his teeth.
“I know,” Sara responded obstinately, “But I still feel bad about it. I wish we could have some kind of say in this…”
“Sara, we can’t keep him, if that’s what your thinking. He’s not a puppy and we’re not his parents. This is for the best.”
He appeared from the bathroom, changed and ready.
“I know, Nick. I know.” She sighed and grabbed the baby’s basinet.

The two drove to the station in silence. Even the baby didn’t utter a sound.

“Hello, we’d like to talk to Brass?”
“Just down the corridor he’s taking a break, sir.”
“Thank you.”
The three made their way over to a room where Brass was drinking some coffee.
“Hey Nick…” His eyes widened at the site of the infant in Sara’s arms.
“Am I seeing things or is Sara holding a baby?”
Nick sat down and explained what happened.
“You got the note?” Brass shook his head in amazement. This was something he wasn’t expecting.
“Right here.”
“Alright. I guess we can try and find out who the kid belongs to, but since there’s no way to compare it, the chances are slim.”
He grunted, “Looks like whoever did this knew you pretty well, Nick.”
“I don’t know anyone with a baby.”
“Well, this person obviously knew you, so keep an eye out and report anything suspicious. I guess we’ll be calling child services.”
“Brass,” Sara butted in, “Is there anyway we can… keep in touch with him? I want to make sure he gets into a good family. We owe him that much.”
“I see someone got a bit attached to the kid,” Brass nagged.
“Yeah I know. But I am human and I have to make sure he’ll be taken care of.”
The old detective managed a smile, “Don’t worry about it. A cute kid like this will get adopted in no time. And I’ll try and keep you guys informed, although it’s not protocol.”
“Thanks Brass. We appreciate it,” Nick said.
The three left a perplexed Brass.
‘Was she wearing one of Nick’s shirts?’

Even as they waited for child services, the two kept telling themselves it was for the best. They took turns holding the dozing tot.
“Think he’s going to miss us?”
“He probably won’t even remember us.”
Sara gave her partner a mean look, “That’s not the answer I was hoping for.”
He shrugged, “Just think about how happy he’ll feel when he’s with his new mom.”
“Yeah. Sure. Happy.”
She looked down at the child who seemed to turn their lives upside down in a matter of hours. It was one of those moments where she wished she wasn’t so emotional or at least more rational.

“Child services is here, Sara.”
She looked up, her arms still around the baby.
“Oh. Yes,” She stood up and cleared her throat, “Here he is. Please make sure he’s okay.”
The woman carefully took the baby and nodded. “Of course.”
Nick handed her the basinet and the things he bought for the infant.
“In case he needs it,” He explained to the agent.

Just as the CS agent was about to leave, the baby opened his eyes and let out a cry. His little arm reached out, as if he could sense something was happening.
Nick grabbed Sara’s shoulder, practically holding her back. They just stood there, expressionless as the woman left with the baby.
“Good-bye, kiddo.”
“We’ll miss you, little guy.”

Nick took her to his apartment to pick up her shirt.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She looked at the shirt, seemingly remembering her time with the child… he could tell she was feeling down.
“He’ll be okay?”
“He’ll be more than okay, Sara.”
“Then… I’m okay, too.” She sniffed a bit, wiping away a few unshed tears.

Nick reached over and hugged her. She didn’t turn away and just heaved a sigh as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
“Part of me is upset about this, but another part of me is glad about all this… if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have gotten to spend so much time with you.” He whispered.
She managed a soft smile, “You’re right… I‘ll need you to get over him.”

It was a bittersweet moment for both of them
Click to expand...
 
Misery

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own anything. Believe me, I wish I do!
PAIRINGS: Nick/Sara
SYNOPSIS: one of them find a basket in front of their doors: there is a baby and a note "please take care of her (him)"

Don't be afraid

Sara left the lab feeling sad and pissed off all together. She and Grissom decided last night that they will announce their relationship to the rest of the crew tonight, but Grissom asked her to come to his office and told her how he thinks that it's just not the right time to announce their relationship. And she would've been fine with it...only; this was the fifth time he did exactly the same thing. So without any word she left the lab and went home. While driving she tried to imagine reactions from her colleagues. Warrick wouldn't even care probably; he has his own problems with Tina. Cath would probably talk to Grissom alone; but she wouldn't say anything unsupportive. Greg would probably tease them to death. And Nick...well, she just couldn't imagine what he would say. One part of her was telling her that he would be happy for her. And the other part wasn't that sure. Nick always surprised her. He was sympathetic when he was supposed to be tough. And he was strong when everyone expected him to break down. Yeah...she just didn't know.

She got so deep in though that she almost drove pass her house.

“Good one, Sara.”

She stopped the car and got out of it. Her legs felt heavy to her and she walked slowly. She wasn't tired from work, she was just emotionally drained. And to her, that was worse. Her line of thoughts was disturbed by the sound of a baby cry. She looked around the halls, but she didn't see anything. As she was approaching her door, the sound got louder.

”That's weird. None of my neighbors have children. At least they don't have little babies...”

She hardly finished that thought when she saw a small basket on the floor in front of her door. She stood in tracks and took a deep breath. Was she seeing things?

Slowly she approached the basket and looked down. A small baby was staring at her with big eyes and she looked up again.

”A baby...”

She walked to the end of her hallway to see if anyone was there. When she was sure that no one was there, she returned to her door. She gulped and got on her knees to take a look of that baby. Although that was a baby, she approached the situation as it was one of her cases. First, she looked at the basket and not noticed anything special about it. The baby stopped crying and it only observed Sara's motions. Then, for the first time, Sara's eyes connected with those little ones and she smiled. She couldn't help herself. Next to the head there was a small piece of paper and Sara took it.

“Well, little baby, what do you have here?”

She unwrapped the paper and she read:

”Please take care of her.”

“So, you're a girl, huh?” - she said out loud. Only than she noticed that she was talking to the baby. – “Do you have a name?”

Sara looked around, but she couldn't see a name written anywhere. She gently took the baby in her arms and lifted her up.

“Well, at least you stopped crying. Come on, let's go inside and call someone. Maybe you can help me decide who I should call, because no one will believe me.”

Sara unlocked the door with one arm, while holding a baby with another. She felt comfortable and by the look on baby’s face, so was she. She entered her apartment and, placed her stuff on the desk and she returned to pick up the basket from the hallway floor. Once again, she looked around, but no one was there.

”Now, what I wanna know is who in the world would leave you in front of MY door, none the less. Where’s your mommy, huh?” – she started talking to the baby again. – “Come on, let’s sit and call someone who can help us find out why are you here.”

Sara held the baby and she rocked her a little while dialing the phone. Everything felt natural to her and she was even surprised by it.

”Hello.”

“Hi, Grissom, it’s me.” – she said hearing the tension in his voice.

”Ah, Sara, I was just about to call you. I can’t come over later. Sheriff is here and he wants to talk…”

“Yeah, that’s not why I’m calling.” – she stopped him. – “I need your help…or opinion.”

”Is everything alright?” – he asked worried.

”Well, sort of. You see, when I came home, there was a baby in front of my door. It’s a baby girl, around 1 year old.” – she stopped and listened to Grissom’s breathing. He wasn’t saying anything. – “Gris?”

“Did you just say that there’s a baby in front of your door?”

”No, I said that there WAS a baby in front of my door. We’re inside now.” – she was irritated a little by Grissom’s confusion and obvious disbelief.

“Whose baby is it?” – he asked naively.

“I don’t know. There was only a note, written in feminine handwriting which said: Please take care of her.” – Sara said picking up the note again. There was nothing familiar about the handwriting also. She had no idea who would leave the baby in front of her door. She didn’t even know anyone who was pregnant.

“OK, Sara. I’m gonna send someone from the Social service there. You don’t need to worry. It will be out of your hands in an hour.” – his voice was professional and she was surprised by the fact he was implying that she’s not fit to take care of the baby which he called an “it”.

“It’s a girl, Gris. Not “it”. And don’t you think that we should find out whose baby is it and why she was in front of my door first?”

”Well, of course, but there’s no need for that baby to stay with you.” – he obviously wasn’t getting the point.

”This little girl was in front of my door and I’m perfectly fit to take care of her while this is resolved. Now, my question is: Are you coming over?” – her voice was stern and somehow she already knew the answer which was confirmed with the sound of his voice.

”Look, Sara…I really can’t leave the lab now. Like I said, I’ll call Social service and they will decide if it can stay with you or not. I’ll send Catherine and Nick over though. They just finished their case.”

”It’s a SHE!” – she was already losing her nerves, but she took a deep breath when she saw the baby fidgeting in her arms, upset from Sara’s tone of voice. – “OK, I’ll wait for them. Bye.”

With that she hung up and started rocking the baby again. She calmed down instantly and that made Sara calmer also.

“I’m sorry, little girl. That man can be insensitive sometimes. Now, I don’t have any baby food in the house, but I can make you some warm milk.”

She got up and went to the kitchen. She only hoped that Catherine and Nick will come before Social service. After warming the milk, she realized that she has no bottle in the house and the baby was too small to drink it any other way.

“Oh, baby, I’m sorry.” – Sara felt so sad looking into those big brown eyes. Somehow she felt that the baby is really hungry and she can’t help her.
She returned to the living room and started to rock the baby again. She could only hope that someone will come soon.

After only 15 minutes she heard a knock on her door. She got up slowly and walked to open it. She was so happy when she saw Catherine and Nick standing there, obviously amused by the look of things.

”Well, a lot has changed since we saw you last time.” – Nick chuckled trying to make Sara feel more comfortable. The thing was that he really enjoyed seeing her like that, with the baby in her arms. He made a silent promise to tell her that sometime during the night.

”Come on in. The Social service is not here yet.”

“Yeah, we called them and they said that someone will be here soon.” – Cath said looking around the apartment. – “So, I was informed the baby was in a basked and that there was a note?”

Sara nodded towards the direction of her couch.

“Yeah. There it is.”

“I imagine you were the only one touching it?”

Sara just glared at her, wondering how Catherine can even ask that question.

”Of course.”

“OK, then. I’ll take the note back to the lab and, Nick, you stay here and talk to Sara about the case until Social service comes over.”

She noticed Nick wasn’t listening to her, but was looking in Sara instead, who was completely oblivious.

“Nick!”

”Yes?” – both Nick and Sara looked at her.

”You stay here while I go back to the lab with the note and the basket. There’s no point me dusting for prints here, around the baby, and the basket is small enough to transport it.” – she noticed the redness in Nick’s cheeks and that was only another thing in a long line of things that convinced her that Nick has some feelings for Sara.

”OK. No problem.” – he said avoiding Sara’s look. The best thing is to avoid looking at her altogether which will be hard, of course.

“OK, I’m going. You two have fun.” – Catherine smiled and left leaving Nick, Sara and the little baby girl alone.

When the door closed, Nick forced himself to look at Sara who was staring ahead still rocking the baby.

”Are you OK?” – he gently asked.

“No. Well, actually, I am, but the baby’s not.” – she said her voice dripping with worry.

”She looks OK to me.” – Nick said coming closer to see baby’s face. He smiled when her eyes connected with his. – “In fact I would say that she’s perfectly happy in your arms, Sar. Isn’t that right, sweetie?”

He ran his hand over her little face and Sara only observed the interaction. She was also surprised that Nick was telling her how he thinks that she can take care of the baby. He was standing very close and the situation was making her uncomfortable a bit, so she sat down. Nick sat right next to her still looking the baby and playing with her little hand which grasped his finger.

“I think she’s hungry. And I have nothing to feed her with.” – Sara softly said breaking the silence. Nick looked up and saw the worry in her eyes. He also noticed the weirdness in the situation. Only, it wasn’t that weird to him. He was enjoying sitting this close to Sara while she was holding the little girl. He gulped and looked down at the baby afraid that he will get lost in her eyes and that it will break everything.

“So, baby girl, are you hungry? Yeah, I can relate.” – Nick smiled catching Sara rolling her eyes. – “Well, we need to fix that right away.”

He got up and walked over to Sara’s fridge.

“Nick, I have some milk. It’s already warmed but I don’t have anything to feed her with.”

He turned around smiling.

”No worries! We can improvise!” – he walked over to his kit and Sara just watched him. – “I remember seeing Greg drink like this.”

He took out a small pipette from his kit and Sara’s eyes widened.

”You’re a genius!”

”Nice of you to say so.” – he smiled back at her. – “Now, let’s feed this little angel.”

He went back into the kitchen and returned with the glass of milk. She observed him all the time at how relaxed he is.

“OK. Why don’t you hold her and I’ll feed her?” – he said realizing how strange that sounded. His blushed again and noticed that Sara wasn’t unaffected also.

“Yeah, that’s a ….good idea.” – she muttered and she positioned the baby so she was turned towards Nick.

“I think it’s not too warm.” – he whispered taking the small amount of milk into the pipette and giving it to a girl. – “Now, take a small sip, sweetie. This is not what you’re used to, but unfortunately we were not prepared for you…”

He stopped talking again cursing himself for saying something so blunt. He avoided Sara’s eyes, but he knew she was watching him. She exchanged her looks between the baby and Nick and she enjoyed the look.

“You look like you’ve done this before.” – she whispered waking him up from his thoughts.

“Well, not exactly this, but I’ve fed a few kids before. A lot of nieces and nephews.”

She nodded and she returned her attention to little girl. It wasn’t long before Nick woke her up from her thoughts.

“So, how come you haven’t called Grissom?”

She quickly turned her head around but he wasn’t looking at her.

“I did. He said he couldn’t come over himself. Didn’t he tell you that?” – she was surprised. She thought Grissom was the one who told them about this.

“No, Warrick told us to come here as soon as possible.” – he said and continued to feed the baby. He didn’t even know why he started this and he wasn’t completely surprised when she asked:

“Why do you ask?”

He stayed quiet as he continued to feed the baby. He couldn’t lie to her, but he also didn’t want to tell her the truth. Sara observed him and she nodded to herself.

”You know, don’t you?”

He glanced up to her and that was all it took for Sara to know she is right. The look in Nick’s eyes was enough. But, she could see that she was wrong before. Nick wasn’t happy for her.

“How did you know? – she insisted.

”I’m not blind, Sara. I saw the looks.” – he answered her but he wasn’t willing to go into specifics. It was best to keep things simple. But, Sara didn’t agree.

“The looks?”

“Yeah, it was obvious that things have changed.” – his answer was short again. He wasn’t looking at her, so he wasn’t able to see the discomfort on Sara’s face. Although Sara was the one pushing Grissom to tell everyone that they were in a relationship, she didn’t like that Nick knew.

“Well, since you know, what do you think?” – she asked quietly, hoping that the answer will satisfy her. If only she knew what that would be…

Nick thought about her question for a minute feeling her eyes on him. He was always a man who had one rule: you don’t mess with your friends’ girl. And this was the only time in his life that he felt like it would be worth to break that rule. His breathing got quicker as he thought about it. He realized that he was taking too much time to answer her question, so he cleared his throat.

“I think…that…I don’t think that it’s good for you.” – he said and got up to take the cup in the kitchen. He was prepared to hear her defense and he expected some yelling also. He didn’t expect her sitting there, holding the little girl and staring at some point on the wall.

“Here. I’ll take her. She needs to belch.” – he took the baby into his arms and Sara hasn’t said anything. He walked around gently rocking the baby and from time to time he glanced at Sara, but she hasn’t moved. Not until the phone rang. She reached for her phone.

“Hello?”

Nick could only hear her part of the conversation, but it was enough to know that Grissom was calling her.

“Yeah, everything is fine. Don’t sound so surprised. Catherine went back to the lab…So, they’re not gonna take her? I see…no, don’t insist on them coming over here. I can take care of her…Yes, I’m sure.”

Nick could hear that she was upset, but he wasn’t prepared to hear the end of the conversation.

“No, don’t come over. Nick is here. He’ll stay with me tonight, to help me with the baby. Bye.”

She hung up and looked at Nick who was staring at her.

“You don’t mind, do you?”

”No. I don’t mind. I do think that you don’t need any help though. This little girl would be very lucky to have only you taking care of her. Isn’t that right, sweetie? You like auntie Sara?” – the baby giggled and Sara joined her. It was great to see that someone thought she’s capable of taking care of the baby. He handed her the baby and looked at her while she adjusted her in her arms.

“What?” – she felt uncomfortable from his stares.

“You look good with her. You’ll be a great mom someday.” – he said what he wanted to say all night, since he came to her apartment and saw her. He saw that she wasn’t so sure that he was right, so he sat next to her and took her hand. – “I mean it. Look at you. Your children will be so happy to have you as their mom.”

She stared at his hand holding hers and she knew that something has changed in that room. Something changed in her also. Without any thinking she started to caress his palm with her thumb, and she felt Nick shiver. He stared at her hand also and enjoyed the sensation of it. It was so simple, but very intimate. He enjoyed it more than he knew he should. Quickly he got up and went to the kitchen without any words to pour himself some water.

Sara watched his struggle and every part of her being wanted to reassure him that she’s not playing with him. She got up and placed the baby back into her basket. She was already asleep. Slowly she walked into her kitchen to see Nick leaning on her counter.

“Nick?”

He looked up and noticed that she wasn’t holding the baby anymore. The baby wasn’t between them anymore, but another person was…a person who wasn’t in that apartment, but was still present.

“I’m sorry, Sara.”

“You’re sorry for what?” – she asked coming closer to him.

“For jumping like that from the couch. I don’t want you to think…” – he ran his hand through his hair in desperation. He didn’t even know why he was apologizing.

“Something is going on here. I know you feel it too.” – she stopped him.

He looked at her and he knew that he needed to tell her the truth.

“I’ve felt it for some time, Sara. But, you’re not available. I can’t tell you how that makes me feel. Ever since I noticed the change in you and Grissom I felt like I missed my chance. And I didn’t even try.” – he sighed wondering how he got into the situation where he was telling her how he felt.

“Why didn’t you try, Nick?” – she got even closer and now she was standing right in front of him. She reached and took both of his hands into hers.

“I was afraid.” – he whispered watching her face. He felt heat radiating from her and that made it harder for him to speak.

Her breath got more erratic as she prepared herself to ask one question she needed to know the answer to.

“Are you afraid now?”

Hope was radiating from Nick’s eyes as he absorbed the question.

“What are you saying, Sara?” – he whispered as he noticed her leaning in. His breath hit her lips and she shivered.

“Try.” – she managed to say before she closed the distance and kissed him. The feeling of his lips on hers made her feel weak as she felt Nick’s arms holding her. She knew that he will not let her fall. He never did before…

Nick kissed her back and when he heard her moan, he deepened the kiss and he never felt more complete. Suddenly, he remembered that he shouldn’t be doing this.

“Sara, stop. We can’t do this. I can’t do this.” – he moved away from her, but he kept looking at her lips which were now swollen from his kisses. Her hair was disheveled a bit and he loved how she looked. He loved what he did to her.

“I only need you to say that you’re not afraid to try, Nick. Because I’m not. It’s not working out with Grissom. I can’t live in a lie.”

He knew that she meant every word. He was always able to read her well. But, he was also an honest man.

”I’m not afraid Sara. But, officially, you’re still with Grissom. And he’s my friend and my boss. I need to be honest with him. And so do you.”

She smiled widely at him. She loved this side of him. She loved the man that he is; always honest and good to her.

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

He nodded and smiled. He felt his cheeks hurt and he laughed.

”Well, I wasn’t expecting this tonight.”

“Neither have I. I’m not sorry though.” – she smiled back.

“What do you say we go watch that angel in the other room sleep? – he asked knowing it was too dangerous to stay there alone with her.

”Let’s go.”

THE END
 
Phelipa

Surprise, Surprise

Sara rubbed her eyes lazily and crept out of bed, grabbing a robe and cinching it around her waist. She glanced at the clock, 3:24 AM, and wondered who in the world could be at her door.

She went quickly down the stairs as the knocking stopped, whoever it was seemed to have gone. Her fingers slid around the brass knob as she turned it hard to the left. Pulling it open, she glanced out,

“Hello?”

She stepped out onto the porch and tripped over a solid basket in front of her doorway.

“Shit,” She whined, rubbing her skinned knee, “What the hell was that?”

She limped over to the basket and bent down, snatching a note from the top of the wicker basket.

“Please take care of her.” The note was simple and to the point. As Sara slowly unfastened the basket and removed the blankets a feeling of dread settled deep in her stomach.

Underneath the layers of blankets was a baby, a tiny, black headed baby. She looked around once more and even tried calling out for someone, but no one came. Finally, gingerly, she lifted the basket and brought it in the door.

She didn’t bother going up the stairs, feeling with her clumsiness, scraped leg and a ten pound baby, she’d most likely take another tumble.

She set the baby on the living room floor and said, “Stay there.”

She went into the kitchen and got a band-aid, putting it over her knee. When she returned to the living room she sat down next to the baby. It was beginning to fuss and squirm so she gently poked the basket,

“Don’t do that,” She crooned, “I don’t have any idea what to do with babies.”

The baby persisted until it was letting out full blown wails.

Sara cringed before gently slipping her arms under the child’s and lifting her up. She held her about the feet away from her body, the tiny baby dangling from her arms.

She looked at it with an uncomfortable expression, she had never, EVER wanted a baby. They were too little and fragile for her clumsy self. Even with this one she was terrified she would drop it or somehow, break it.

Putting the baby back on the floor she ignored its’ cries and picked up the phone, punching in the most familiar number.

“Mjkjik.” Came the muddled reply.

“Hey…Nick?”

“Hmmm?”

“Nicky, wake up.” Sara said impatiently.

“Yeah…what is it Sara?”

“I think I need you to come over.”

There was a moment of silence, “Sara…why?”

“You’ll see when you get here, but I need you now.”

He moaned slightly over the telephone, “Fine, I’m coming.”

He hung up the phone and Sara did the same, returning warily to the baby.

She lay down, stomach to the floor and stared at it,

“What are you doing here?” She questioned.

The baby stared back at her, “See there, you didn’t have to cry.”

The baby’s lower lip began to tremble again and Sara groaned, “Stop it; I don’t know what to do with you.”

“We could talk?” She said, as the baby looked at her, “Well I could talk.”

There was a moment of silence, “Ok, maybe I can’t but that doesn’t mean you have to cry.”

She heard a sudden knock at the door and scrambled up from her position on the floor. She ran to the door and pulled it open quickly,

“Nicky, thank goodness.” She let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Sara, what is going on?” He mumbled, still looking half asleep.

She led him into the living room and pointed to the bundle on the floor, “That…was on my doorstep.”

Nick rubbed his eyes in disbelief, “What? A baby?”

Sara nodded, “Sara, what happened to your knee?” He asked, slowly noticing the bandage.

“Oh, I tripped over her.”

“Her?”

Sara nodded again as Nick moved closer.

“What’s her name?”

Sara thought a minute, “Baby.”

Nick looked at her in a strange manner, “Baby?”

Sara threw up her hands in disgust, “You think I sat around here trying to name her? I don’t even know how to hold her.”

Nick grinned and stepped closer, “It’s easy. You just slip your hand under her body, the other under her head and hold her close, they don’t like being cold.”

Sara looked on in disbelief as he gently picked up the baby and cradled it next to his chest.

Feeling somewhat left out she spoke up softly, “Can you show me…”

He nodded and explained to her what she had to do, then slipped the baby into her arms.

Sara looked at her and smiled softly, “You are pretty cute.” She murmured.

The baby moved her arms, hitting Sara in the chest and she laughed.

Nick sat on the couch and rubbed his hands through his hair, “Sara, what are you going to do with her?”

Sara shrugged, looking into the baby’s black eyes. She sat down beside Nick on the couch and rested her head on his shoulder,

“I don’t know Nick, but for now she’s staying with me.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sara wrapped the baby in her blanket and followed Nick out the door to the car. She hadn’t been able to take the day of work so she and Nick were bringing the baby with them.

Sara sat beside the baby in her new car seat on the way to work.

As the pulled up in front of the lab Sara adjusted the baby on her shoulder and carried it into work. They’d gone out the night before to pick up some essential items and Sara now carried it on her shoulder in a pink diaper bag.

She made her way to the lounge and settled the small baby into the carseat, leaving her on the floor beside the chair.

Catherine walked in and stopped dead as she saw the baby and Sara, holding a diaper bag in her left hand.

“Sara?!”

Sara looked up and smiled, “Hey Cath.”

Catherine came over, her face lined with confusion, “Is that…is that your baby?!”

“For now yes, Nick and I are watching her for now. Someone left her on my doorstep.”

Catherine squatted down next to the car seat and looked at the baby, “You know, for someone who was dropped off on your doorstep she looks an awful lot like you.” she said suspiciously.

Sara gave her an are you kidding me? Look and said, “Cath, if I’d had a baby I would have been pregnant.”

Catherine shrugged and gently touched the little girl, “What’s her name?”

Sara chuckled a little, “Baby.”

“Baby?” Catherine asked in disbelief as Sara nodded.

“Can I hold her?”

Sara nodded again and Catherine lifted the baby out of her seat, onto her shoulder. She spoke softly to the child and the baby cooed slightly.

Sara grinned but her smile wavered as she felt Catherine take the baby a little too far away,

“Cath, can I have her back now?”

Catherine smiled and slipped the baby back into her arms. Sara cradled the baby as it cuddled up to her shoulder.

Nick came wandering in a few moments later, “Is she ok?”

Sara nodded, “She’s fine…she’s just hanging out with me and Catherine.”

“Ok, well Grissom wants to hand out assignments, do you want me to take her?”

Sara nodded again and passed the baby to Nick. Catherine watched in disbelief as they exited the break room, taking the tiny bundle with them… that was not something you saw everyday
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LittleMissSnark

Playing House

Sara opened the door to her apartment slowly, calming her hyperventilated body down to seem cool and composed for her guest. She’d been panicking for the last half an hour, wondering what her next move was to be in futility and pacing her hallway for no reason but to calm her nerves. She eased herself into a falsely reassuring smile as Nick Stokes strolled into the foyer of her apartment.

“Howdy.” Nick beamed, revealing his true Texan roots through his thick accent and his faded jeans, a Southern classic, “Thanks for letting me crash for a while. When the contractor said ‘termite problems’, I had no idea it was going to take one whole month to redo all of my hardwood flooring…. Hey, Sar? Are you okay? You look kind of pale.”
Nick was right, Sara’s whole body had become almost transparent, and the stress mounting in her features and tense frame signaled to Nick’s unfailing observation skills that she was in a predicament.

Unable to explain her situation directly, she grabbed Nick’s hand and led him into the hallway to her kitchen, where a faint gurgling noise could be heard. The gurgling noise became louder as the coworkers neared the room, and a sort of suspense had stricken Nick, leaving his throat unusually dry and his hands uncommonly sweaty. What’s wrong with Sara? Nick thought, his eyes showing concern with the tall brunette who had graciously let him stay in her somewhat lonely apartment for a short time, Is she okay? What the heck is that gurgling noise?

Sara took another deep breath and walked into the kitchen, rushing over to the table in the center of the room. Nick followed suit, but stopped in his tracks at the sight before him.

Sara Sidle, the gun toting, tough-girl CSI, was lifting a little baby from a wicker basket on the table into her arms, soothing the infant’s uneasy whimpers.

“Nick,” Sara said, “We have kind of a problem.”

“We?” Nick responded in a slightly confused tone, still shocked to see the bewitching little baby in Sara’s arms, “Who? What? How did you—“

“It’s all explained here.” Sara interrupted as she strode over to the basket on the kitchen table and pulled out a note:

Dear Ms. Sidle,

I’m sorry for doing this, but you helped out with my brother’s murder last year and you’re the only person I know who can help. Her name is Lilah and she’ll be six months on the 28th. I couldn’t take care of her anymore, please make sure she leads a good life.
Thank you.

Nick couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping practically to the floor in surprise and bewilderment. He looked at Lilah, the small baby in Sara’s arms, and studied her striking features. She had large and inquisitive brown eyes and a wild mess of curly brown hair piled on top of her little head. If Nick didn’t know better, he’d think he was staring at Sara’s own child. Lilah stared back at him, and he smiled as Sara sighed and shook her head.

“I have no idea what to do,” She started in a semi-frustrated tone, “I’m a workaholic, I’m rarely home, and I can’t even cook! There’s no way I’m ready for a baby.”

Nick walked over to Sara and patted her slowly on the back before taking Lilah from her arms and instigating a brainstorming session. Surely with two highly intelligent scientists, they could think up a suitable answer to this mystery baby that Fate left on Sara’s doorstep. Lilah rested her head on Nick’s shoulder, obviously taken to him, as he leaned on the side of Sara’s counter.

“Well,” Nick proposed his idea tactfully, “Some poor girl probably left the baby here because she knew you work with cops and could get Lilah some help. Maybe if you bring her to the police station—“

“Absolutely not,” Sara interrupted resolutely, her thin nerves cracked by Nick’s suggestion, “ You and I both know the minute we give her to the cops they’re going to put her in foster care. Nick, I can’t just sit back and let another kid become a victim of the system. Trust me, we shouldn’t go to the police or the hospitals. I couldn’t live with myself if I did.”

“Okay,” Nick looked at her sympathetically; “I understand how you feel. But, Sara, you can’t take care of this baby alone.

“Well,” Sara looked into Nick’s eyes with a look he could only describe as the exact moment when a machine starts: Cogs began spinning in Sara’s mind, formulating the plan that had, in her own little world, solved their issue, “You’re staying here, right?”

“That’s why I’ve got a bag full of stuff lying out in the hallway,” Nick said with equal parts charm and sarcasm. Sara walked toward him, and began touching Lilah softly on her back, noticing the child had fallen asleep on Nick’s chest with a surprising ease.

“Well, between the two of us, we can raise a baby, right? I mean, we’ll check out other options, but we’re set for right now.” She shot him a wistful smile, arching her eyebrows in a pleading attempt to make her idea sell. Nick furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

“But, Sara,” Nick inquired, “We both work during the night, we can’t just leave an infant at your apartment unattended.”

“I have plenty of vacation time saved up,” Sara answered, “So I can take one night off a week. You probably have a day off coming up, too, so we can trade off. And, Catherine’s mom watches Lindsey during the night, right? So, we can drop the baby off there and she’ll be safe. Plus, I bet Cath still has all of Lindsey’s old baby clothes and crib. We can borrow from her until we think of the next plan.” Sara smiled to herself We can so make this work, she thought, We can give this baby a better life.

“So,” Nick sighed, “You’re talking about Playing House for a month?”

“What?” Sara replied, confused at Nick’s kindergarten reference.

“You play Mommy, I’ll play Daddy for a month?” Nick smiled at Sara, willing to help out his close friend any way he can.

“Deal.”

--
It had been a week since Lilah had been left on Sara’s doorstep, and Nick was surprised they made it out alive. Sara had decided to take the night shift off because Catherine’s mother had suspected that the poor infant had a cold. Not wanting to take any chances and more accustomed to the motherhood idea than she ever thought she would be, Sara planted herself firmly by Lilah’s hand-me-down crib and told Nick that she would be fine there.

Yet, the truth was he almost protested and rooted himself firmly by the baby’s crib along with her. The truth was, Nick was beginning to like the situation. He and Sara, although practically drowning in a sea of changed diapers and baby formula, had become a functioning team around Lilah. They treated almost every single event in the infant’s day like a new investigation. They had a system. It almost amused Nick how much of a regular part of his day taking care of this glorious and random little girl had become, and he felt a twinge of sadness the moment he left Sara and Lilah alone to begin his shift at the lab.

Lilah, of course, had accepted Sara and Nick and didn’t wail in fear every time she was held. Nick had smiled as he remembered the previous afternoon, the first time he and Sara took the baby to the park a few blocks away from the apartment. It was a warm day, but that didn’t stop them from bringing the baby to the sandbox and digging holes in the sand. Exhausted after working a double but as happy as ever, Nick took a seat on the requisite “Parent Bench”, sighing as he observed Sara crawling around on all fours and pushing sand around, bringing Lilah into her lap to make a tiny sand castle.

“You must be proud.”

Nick turned to see a man around his age next to him in a baseball cap, the obviously experienced father.

“What?” Nick looked at the man, who smiled and motioned to Sara and the baby in the sandbox.

“You must be proud of your daughter. You and your wife look like you’re having the time of your lives. Hell, I remember those days, but I don’t remember my wife Kendall being that enthusiastic about playing in the sand.”

“Yeah,” Nick grinned as he saw Sara pick up Lilah and bring her to a baby swing, sliding her in and gently pushing the little swing. Nick could hear Sara’s laugh distinctly and couldn’t help but chuckle to himself; they were obviously drunk on happiness. Nick hadn’t even cared the guy thought Sara was his wife, “It’s been great.”

“Well, it looks like Timmy’s done playing,” the father said to Nick, pointing to a little sprite of the father donned in the same baseball cap “Good luck with your daughter. I hope you and your wife have years and years of happiness.”

“Thanks.”

Nick sighed as he analyzed the evidence on the table, staring at the same photograph for half an hour much to Warrick’s chagrin. He’d been in a daze, but Warrick was intrigued by Nick’s recent actions. Of course, neither Nick nor Sara had mentioned the little fact that they’d been raising a baby together to anyone, and made Catherine swear she wouldn’t say anything until they found a more permanent situation for Lilah.

“Yo, Stokes, you breathing?” Warrick chuckled as he sat next to Nick and pulled out a bloody bed sheet from the evidence bin.

“Yeah, man, I’m cool,” Nick said as he flipped to the next photograph that he’d taken of the murder. Even though his body was at work, his mind was still off in Lala Land with his girls. MY girls? Nick thought to himself, Sara isn’t my girl…I mean, we’re together, but we’re not together and…. What am I even saying?

Nick was finished looking through his photos when he swore he saw Sara flash by the layout room in full-tilt. He rushed out into the hallway as she doubled back over, carrying the baby in her arms. Sara, obviously frenzied beyond all reason, began to catch her breath after running halfway through the lab with the baby in a desperate attempt to find the man standing before her. Nick pulled her close to him to comfort her; Lilah sandwiched in between them.

“Nick, something’s wrong,” Sara said amidst her own catatonia after sufficiently calming down.

“What’s going on?” Nick said after realizing that Lilah looked a bit flushed and she had also began to stir in whimpers of discomfort.

“It’s the baby,” Sara began as she tried to relax the infant in her arms, who was gaining volume in the quiet lab and threatening to make a scene, “Her temperature spiked and I don’t know what to do. It’s not a big jump, but she has a fever and I don’t want to take her to the hospital if we don’t have to, but I wanted to make sure that’s what you thought and I wanted to see you in case we decided to go to the hospital and--”

“Woah, Sara, calm down.” Nick said as he pulled away from her and gently pushed some hair off of her shoulders. He lifted the baby from the brunette’s tired arms and calmed Lilah’s howls of uneasiness.

“Look, Sara, I’ll just tell Warrick there was a family emergency and we can go home and wait this out together. My mom always used a humidifier when I had a fever, so we’ll stop by and pick up one of those, okay? Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

“Okay,” she sniffled in response as Nick put the baby back in her arms and gently nudged her in the direction of the lobby. He walked back into the layout room and didn’t give a second thought to Warrick’s surprised face.

“Sorry, man, family emergency.”

“I…. Understand.” were the only words Warrick could form as Nick strode quickly up the lobby to meet Sara and the baby.

Slowly, Warrick walked out of the hallway to partially follow Nick and to see whether or not his eyes had deceived him: He’d just seen Nick comfort Sara and a brown-eyed baby with curly brown hair and then lovingly hug her and lead her out to, no doubt, meet her in the front to leave for whatever reason.

He was confused as to how Nick and Sara could not only keep their relationship but her apparent pregnancy a secret. He shook his head and walked back into the layout room, unable to handle another mystery until he solved his 4-19.

--
Sara walked into the morgue with confidence in her gait. Everything had been going well since her near-breakdown at the hands of a tiny fever. She and Nick had continued to live in a sort of harmony for the next week, and they’d decided that Nick could sleep in Sara’s room with her to be nearer to the baby. Nick had become quite good at taking care of Lilah, almost as if it were second nature. Sara smiled as she thought of how funny Nick looked rolling on the ground, trying to get the baby to roll with him. She couldn’t imagine having anyone else to take care of the baby with, and she felt immense gratitude for Nick, who’d stepped up, been the gentleman, and helped her through the crazy situation she’d found herself in.

They’d both dropped the sleeping infant off at Catherine’s house, where Catherine’s mom was ready and willing to have Lilah over for another night. Even though she wasn’t physically present, Lilah was never far from Sara’s thoughts, and she assumed she wasn’t far from Nick’s either. In just two and a half short weeks, they’d crafted this little life for themselves, and had gotten good at “Playing House”. They’d even divulged their little secret to the rest of the lab after a puzzled Warrick had asked Sara how she could’ve gotten pregnant and take care of a baby on her schedule. After explaining everything, partially embarrassing Warrick for jumping to conclusions, Sara and Nick had felt like a giant weight had been lifted off. Life, for the first time in a long time, felt good.

“So, Doc, what do we have?” Sara said as she met Dr. Robbins, who had been hunched over an almost-flattened body lying on the slab.

“Shot. Thrown off of a roof into a busy intersection, and run over by a semi. Whoever did this really went to great lengths to make sure that no one recognized the body.”

“I’ll say,” Sara answered as she grabbed her gloves and began to take fingernail scrapings of whatever was left of a human. Dr. Robbins let out a sigh, and then put down his tools to look Sara in the eyes. Sara smiled at him, her giddy mood willing to answer any questions the good doctor had for her.

“Sara, I was wondering….” Dr. Robbins began as he grabbed a probe from the cold metal tray to continue examining the victim.

“Yes?” Sara said with an unusually bright tone as she sealed the scrapings into an envelope and began swabbing at an unusual substance on the victim’s right palm.

“Well… I’d heard about your present situation, with the baby girl, and I wanted to propose an answer.”

“What do you mean?” Sara felt oddly defensive. She didn’t want a solution at this point, because whatever was working, it was working, and she didn’t want to change so soon….

“My niece and her husband have been trying for years to have a baby, and it hasn’t worked out. They’d almost completed an adoption last February, but the birth mom backed out and they were devastated. I know that you and Nick are raising this baby temporarily, but I told my niece and she wanted to tell you she can offer the child a good home. They’d be willing to take the baby at the end of the month.”

“Oh….I…..Oh.” Sara was speechless. Here Dr. Robbins was, offering her an answer and giving the baby a permanent, stable home, but she wasn’t so sure that she wanted to. Her and Nick had become some sort of a happy, if nontraditional, family, and she’d enjoyed it. I don’t know what to do, she thought, Is this the right answer?

“Excuse me for a moment, Doc.” She said, her voice catching in her throat. He nodded in response as she walked out of the morgue.

She took three more steps before leaning into the wall and sinking into the floor in contemplation. In essence she had two options: keeping Lilah or giving Lilah to someone who can provide for her. Who am I kidding? I can’t raise a young girl. Everything is working so well because Nick…. Well, Nick is here. And, he’s willing to take all this on with me. Would he? Get a hold of yourself, Sidle, he’s got his own life with his own goals. Conflicting ideas flooded her brain and she sat in thought for another 10 minutes before coming to a decision.

Slowly, she got up and walked back to the doors of the morgue, ready to give her answer.

--
“And here’s her favorite stuffed animal, Mr. Donkey.” Sara said as she handed the fluffy gray animal to Jane Robbins-McClellan, a thirty-something blonde schoolteacher from Henderson.

“Thank you both, so much. You have no idea what this means to us,” Sean McClellan, Jane’s investment banker husband confided to Sara and Nick as they stood in the doorway of Sara’s apartment, cleared of all of Lindsey’s old baby toys and now, oddly empty again. Lilah was in Sean’s arms, lightly whining and staring at Nick, who felt a twinge of pain in his heart.

“Really, Sean, you can give Lilah a good home. Take good care of her.” Nick said with a hint of sadness in his voice. Nick was desperately trying to keep himself from breaking down, but it was time for him to go back to his old life. The month was up, Lilah had a good home, and he had a home to go back to as well. Everything was sort of falling apart.

“Sara, you and Nick will stop by soon?” Jane asked sweetly, forcing Sara to do nothing else but give into courtesy at the hands of the truly nice woman.

“Sure.” Sara choked. She and Nick both waved at the happy couple and their new baby. They exchanged farewells, and slowly Sara reached out and closed the door.

Sara stared at Nick in silence, unable to say anything at all. Lilah had gone, and somehow it was like a big chunk of her was missing. Her giddy feelings were drained, and she slumped down on her couch. She’d never felt this way before. It was strange how attached she’d become to a baby she couldn’t possibly have had time for, and that she felt terrible after insuring that Lilah could have a good future with a stable home and loving parents. She wanted to kick herself for feeling bad.

“Nick.”

“Yes?” Nick sat down next to her and slung his arm around her, something he’d become used to doing when both of them were exhausted with the baby. Strangely, it didn’t feel the same. He’d loved the bond Sara and he had developed over Lilah, but without the baby it seemed…well...awkward. He wanted so badly to reconnect, to be there for her again.

“I feel awful,” Sara sobbed, “Why do we feel this bad?”

It was then that Sara let her guard down and sobbed out all of her frustration, all of her loss. Nick pulled her close and held her through her sobs, trying to fight back tears as well. They’d grown to love the little baby, and it seemed ridiculous that they couldn’t continue to. It felt odd that there weren’t bottles everywhere, that Sara’s apartment didn’t smell like strained peas and baby powder. It felt odd that they couldn’t sleep in the same bed together, that they couldn’t raise the baby themselves.

Sara looked up at Nick and gently smiled at him. He’d been so nice her, he’d stepped up to help her out, and she was insurmountably grateful for his actions. He was wonderful. Nick had been the best person in the world for one whole month, and she’d loved every minute of it.

Then, whether it be out of gratitude, frustration, confusion, depression, or happiness, Sara leaned in and kissed Nick chastely on the lips.

“Sara…?” Nick asked after they’d pulled apart. They’d spent one single minute in a kiss that’d turned Nick’s world upside down. Before he was sad and upset, yet with this single kiss he’d felt alive, happy again, like he’d been feeling that whole month. Could this mean…. Have we fallen in love?

“Shhh…” Sara shushed as she kissed Nick again, relishing in the feeling of his lips. Whatever had driven her to kiss him was the most gloriously perfect instinct in the entire world, because she loved kissing him, and she loved him kissing her back. It was amazing, and she couldn’t get enough of it.

Their kisses became deeper and deeper, their bodies melding closer and closer together. Always taking the lead, Sara got up from the couch and pulled Nick up with her, never breaking the contact between their lips and their bodies. Walking down the hallway, they began a sort of waltz. They moved gracefully down Sara’s walkway into her bedroom, taking clothes off along the way.

Together, they reached the end of the hall, walked into Sara’s bedroom, and continued kissing as Nick kicked the door shut and focused on the only woman he wanted in his entire life.

--
Tangled up in her bed sheets, Sara rolled over and leaned into Nick, who had found himself in the same position. Wistfully, she looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back at her and draped his arm over her body, bringing her close to him. She nuzzled into his chest, and felt more alive than she ever had.

Somewhere through this ordeal, Sara realized that she couldn’t have taken care of Lilah alone. Nick had been the one to be her knight in shining armor, chivalrously aiding her when she needed him the most. He kept her grounded, he kept her whole. She hadn’t figured out when, but she knew somewhere in between caring for the baby and sleeping in the same bed with him every night that she knew that someday, she wanted this. She wanted Nick to be the one for her always, not just for a month, not because he had to. She had unwittingly fallen in love with him, and she knew it was going to be serious. She giggled to herself lightly.

“What?” Nick said, his tone reassuring yet playful as he pulled her up to look in his eyes.

“It’s just…. I was thinking.”

“Yeah?” Nick smiled at her. He couldn’t stop smiling at her.

“This is amazing.” Sara smiled back.

“I know.”

“So…” Sara looked at him, questioning where he wanted to go relationship-wise next.

“So…Ms. Sidle. I want to be with you always. Everyday, all the time. Screw my apartment, I’m staying.”

“Now that’s what I wanted to hear,” Sara said as she giggled lightly again, seized by the bug of laughter. They’d been on an emotional roller coaster for the whole month, and now it seemed that they’d found a way to slow it down and find some real happiness.

“So, does this mean we can Play House for real now?” Nick asked as Sara rolled her eyes.

“Deal.”

NOW VOTE!!!
 
oh, gosh this was not an easy choice but I have to go with LittleMissSnark's story

just one quick question -- wouldn't a poll be a better option to vote?
 
:eek: ooh its hard to chooose :confused: there so cute and well written,can they all win instead :D. i kinda torn between littlemissnark and hestia. :)
 
It hard to choose of the Arthur's story, I like them all about Sara/Nick but I'm going to choose littlemisssnark.
 
Touch choice! I loved them all, really. :)

Anyways, since I can only choose one, my vote would have to go to LittleMissSnark.

Great job everyone!
 
okay guys vote will be closed this sunday (just before the game italy/france lol) thans for everyone who ahd voted and i will say to the writers something about their work ;)
 
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