stokesmore
Civilian
(This is my first venture into CSI fanfiction so let me know what you think! This may just be a short story for now, but if I get good feedback then I may decide to keep it going. Enjoy!)
Sarah Reynolds still hadn’t gotten used to the fact that she had been dubbed “the new Sara”, nor did she appreciate it. Her fellow co workers at the Las Vegas crime lab had given her the nickname after the abrupt departure of their former friend and CSI Sara Sidle. Shortly after her leave, Sarah Reynolds had been hired in the lab while former lab rat Hodges had been promoted to take Sara Sidle’s place in the field. Sarah Reynolds knew little about Sara Sidle and she planned to keep it that way. It was obvious the woman’s presence still haunted the lab whether it was a random piece of paper Sidle had written notes on that had been lost in the stack that cluttered the offices or a memory one of her fellow CSI’s couldn’t help but bring up. “The new Sara” felt as if she was being pressured to take Sara Sidle’s place although everyone knew she never could. It was a tricky and somewhat awkward situation and Sarah blamed it on the fact that the women shared names, except Reynolds had the letter “h” to call her own.
Standing in the lab during an unusually quiet night, Sarah Reynolds stood at the microscope peering into evidence that Nick Stokes demanded she put ahead of all of her other case work. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the memory of the cocky Texan who hadn’t even bothered to exchange casualties since she began working in the lab. It was as if he was holding something against her, something she’d never be able to know or understand. Sarah could only guess it had something to do with Sara Sidle and that thought made her grip the microscope more tightly in annoyance.
Sarah was so engrossed in what she was looking at that she didn’t even hear the footsteps of Nick Stokes as he walked into the lab, arms crossed and looking as impatient as ever. Nick watched Sarah closely, hoping she was working on his evidence and not Warrick’s as his friend had informed him that he too had asked Sarah to hurry along with a sample he needed for a case he was also working on. From the first day Sarah Reynolds started, Nick knew there was something about her that unsettled him. Perhaps it was because there was a new Sarah so quickly after the old Sara had left. Stokes and Sidle had always been close, though they were never romantically involved the two shared a close bond. Nick couldn’t pretend he wasn’t hurt that she had left. He tried to understand but he knew it’d take time for him to forgive Sara and to forgive the new Sarah for taking her place, even though he knew that the young woman had technically done nothing wrong.
After deciding that he had been staring at her for entirely too long, Nick cleared his throat and came beside Sarah, crossing his arms over his chest. He heard her sigh and he guessed he hit a nerve because she looked up from the microscope to him with slight annoyance written all over her face.
“Once in a while you could try saying ‘Hello Sarah, how are you doing today? Oh that’s great! Got anything for me?’ I don’t know, maybe you could even throw a ‘please’ in here and there,” she said as she tucked a strand of dark reddish brown hair back behind her ear.
“Sorry Reynolds but I don’t have time for small talk, not with this case. I need something to put this creep behind bars sooner rather than later and I’d hate for you to have a guilty conscious just because you decided to have an attitude,” replied Nick with a smug smile on his face.
Clenching her fists, Sarah was tempted to say something else but she didn’t need to give him another excuse to give her a hard time so she reluctantly kept her mouth shut and forced herself to smile. “Well Nick, after spending some time on the samples you gave me I can tell you that they aren’t a match to your suspect. So maybe you should try doing your work a little better instead of putting all your energy into being a complete asshole to me.”
It was Nick’s turn to roll his eyes and bite back a smart ass retort. He knew he deserved the treatment she was dishing out, he just wasn’t going to take it lying down. “I’m not being an asshole to you. I’m sorry but just because your good looking doesn’t mean everyone’s gonna bend over backwards to keep you happy, darlin’. You’re going to have to work hard around here if you want respect. In this lab, you earn it and so far you haven’t done much to earn my respect. Do your job and let me worry about mine.”
“Oh I’m DOING my job!”
“You’re not doing your job! You’re yelling! And by the sounds of it, somebody needs to be doing you so you’re not so damn stuck up!”
Sarah Reynolds eyes widened and her mouth dropped, shocked that such a thing would come out of Nick’s mouth. Sure he had been rude to her but after all, they were co workers and a certain line could never be crossed no matter how little they thought of each other.
Sighing heavily, Nick rubbed the back of his neck slowly, knowing he never should’ve said that. Normally Nick Stokes was always the easiest to get along with. He was kind, funny, caring. Hell if there was an award for the nicest CSI, Nick knew his name would be the first mentioned. The drama of work had finally gotten to him and he was taking it out on the new girl. The new girl that didn’t remind him of Sara Sidle, only the place she’d be taking. The place Sara Sidle would probably never return to. His friend was gone and he knew he needed to accept it. He also knew he needed to apologize. “Sarah, I’m sorry. I know I’ve been a real ass to you-”
Sarah rolled her eyes and quickly cut him off, “Oh don’t give me this phony bullshit apology just because I threatened to go to HR!”
And there he was, annoyed again. Sarah Reynolds did something to him that he couldn’t describe. She certainly drove him crazy and there was something about it that he liked, even desired. Instead of arguing for another five minutes, Nick smirked and took a step towards her.
“Now you listen, I’ve been working here since you were picking out prom dresses and dancing to boy bands so I know exactly how to do my job and exactly how you’re supposed to do yours. If you’ve gotta problem with that then you’re gonna have to take it up with Grissom and with you being new and all, I’m pretty sure as hell you don’t want to do that.”
Sarah stood in silence as Nick hovered in front of her for a moment, almost daring her to make a move or a sound but instead she just stood there and stared, refusing to back down or to give in to his taunting. Sarah knew she wouldn’t report Stokes to HR, it’d only give him a reason to get her into trouble too. She watched as he finally backed away from her, looking satisfied and smug. A look she wanted so desperately to smack off his face.
“Now if you’ll excuse me,” he added as he smiled and moved towards the door, “I’ve got a job to do.” And just when Sarah thought she was safe again he popped his head back into the doorway with a grin. “Oh and if you ever need any help in that department, you know where to find me.”
Sarah Reynolds still hadn’t gotten used to the fact that she had been dubbed “the new Sara”, nor did she appreciate it. Her fellow co workers at the Las Vegas crime lab had given her the nickname after the abrupt departure of their former friend and CSI Sara Sidle. Shortly after her leave, Sarah Reynolds had been hired in the lab while former lab rat Hodges had been promoted to take Sara Sidle’s place in the field. Sarah Reynolds knew little about Sara Sidle and she planned to keep it that way. It was obvious the woman’s presence still haunted the lab whether it was a random piece of paper Sidle had written notes on that had been lost in the stack that cluttered the offices or a memory one of her fellow CSI’s couldn’t help but bring up. “The new Sara” felt as if she was being pressured to take Sara Sidle’s place although everyone knew she never could. It was a tricky and somewhat awkward situation and Sarah blamed it on the fact that the women shared names, except Reynolds had the letter “h” to call her own.
Standing in the lab during an unusually quiet night, Sarah Reynolds stood at the microscope peering into evidence that Nick Stokes demanded she put ahead of all of her other case work. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the memory of the cocky Texan who hadn’t even bothered to exchange casualties since she began working in the lab. It was as if he was holding something against her, something she’d never be able to know or understand. Sarah could only guess it had something to do with Sara Sidle and that thought made her grip the microscope more tightly in annoyance.
Sarah was so engrossed in what she was looking at that she didn’t even hear the footsteps of Nick Stokes as he walked into the lab, arms crossed and looking as impatient as ever. Nick watched Sarah closely, hoping she was working on his evidence and not Warrick’s as his friend had informed him that he too had asked Sarah to hurry along with a sample he needed for a case he was also working on. From the first day Sarah Reynolds started, Nick knew there was something about her that unsettled him. Perhaps it was because there was a new Sarah so quickly after the old Sara had left. Stokes and Sidle had always been close, though they were never romantically involved the two shared a close bond. Nick couldn’t pretend he wasn’t hurt that she had left. He tried to understand but he knew it’d take time for him to forgive Sara and to forgive the new Sarah for taking her place, even though he knew that the young woman had technically done nothing wrong.
After deciding that he had been staring at her for entirely too long, Nick cleared his throat and came beside Sarah, crossing his arms over his chest. He heard her sigh and he guessed he hit a nerve because she looked up from the microscope to him with slight annoyance written all over her face.
“Once in a while you could try saying ‘Hello Sarah, how are you doing today? Oh that’s great! Got anything for me?’ I don’t know, maybe you could even throw a ‘please’ in here and there,” she said as she tucked a strand of dark reddish brown hair back behind her ear.
“Sorry Reynolds but I don’t have time for small talk, not with this case. I need something to put this creep behind bars sooner rather than later and I’d hate for you to have a guilty conscious just because you decided to have an attitude,” replied Nick with a smug smile on his face.
Clenching her fists, Sarah was tempted to say something else but she didn’t need to give him another excuse to give her a hard time so she reluctantly kept her mouth shut and forced herself to smile. “Well Nick, after spending some time on the samples you gave me I can tell you that they aren’t a match to your suspect. So maybe you should try doing your work a little better instead of putting all your energy into being a complete asshole to me.”
It was Nick’s turn to roll his eyes and bite back a smart ass retort. He knew he deserved the treatment she was dishing out, he just wasn’t going to take it lying down. “I’m not being an asshole to you. I’m sorry but just because your good looking doesn’t mean everyone’s gonna bend over backwards to keep you happy, darlin’. You’re going to have to work hard around here if you want respect. In this lab, you earn it and so far you haven’t done much to earn my respect. Do your job and let me worry about mine.”
“Oh I’m DOING my job!”
“You’re not doing your job! You’re yelling! And by the sounds of it, somebody needs to be doing you so you’re not so damn stuck up!”
Sarah Reynolds eyes widened and her mouth dropped, shocked that such a thing would come out of Nick’s mouth. Sure he had been rude to her but after all, they were co workers and a certain line could never be crossed no matter how little they thought of each other.
Sighing heavily, Nick rubbed the back of his neck slowly, knowing he never should’ve said that. Normally Nick Stokes was always the easiest to get along with. He was kind, funny, caring. Hell if there was an award for the nicest CSI, Nick knew his name would be the first mentioned. The drama of work had finally gotten to him and he was taking it out on the new girl. The new girl that didn’t remind him of Sara Sidle, only the place she’d be taking. The place Sara Sidle would probably never return to. His friend was gone and he knew he needed to accept it. He also knew he needed to apologize. “Sarah, I’m sorry. I know I’ve been a real ass to you-”
Sarah rolled her eyes and quickly cut him off, “Oh don’t give me this phony bullshit apology just because I threatened to go to HR!”
And there he was, annoyed again. Sarah Reynolds did something to him that he couldn’t describe. She certainly drove him crazy and there was something about it that he liked, even desired. Instead of arguing for another five minutes, Nick smirked and took a step towards her.
“Now you listen, I’ve been working here since you were picking out prom dresses and dancing to boy bands so I know exactly how to do my job and exactly how you’re supposed to do yours. If you’ve gotta problem with that then you’re gonna have to take it up with Grissom and with you being new and all, I’m pretty sure as hell you don’t want to do that.”
Sarah stood in silence as Nick hovered in front of her for a moment, almost daring her to make a move or a sound but instead she just stood there and stared, refusing to back down or to give in to his taunting. Sarah knew she wouldn’t report Stokes to HR, it’d only give him a reason to get her into trouble too. She watched as he finally backed away from her, looking satisfied and smug. A look she wanted so desperately to smack off his face.
“Now if you’ll excuse me,” he added as he smiled and moved towards the door, “I’ve got a job to do.” And just when Sarah thought she was safe again he popped his head back into the doorway with a grin. “Oh and if you ever need any help in that department, you know where to find me.”
