Say My Name

Disclaimer: I do not own, profit, and I did not create. "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" - Jamie Cullum.


Chapter Sixteen: Lover, You Should Have Come Over

The heat of his body pressed firmly against her backside not only kept her but comforted her as well. She wasn’t used to waking up with someone so close to her, touching her. His arm was draped around her waist, his hand resting flat against her stomach. His face was buried in the back of her neck, his breathes caressing her flesh, sending little shivers down her spine. Craning her neck, she looked at the time and sighed. They would have to get up soon to go to work. Although she was tempted to just drift back to sleep, Sara wanted to keep her job and not arise any suspicions about why both of them were not there.

Sara didn’t know what they were going to do next. Were they now an exclusive couple? Not that Sara was wanting to see anyone but Nick but it was still something that coursed through her mind. Were they going to make it public or was it to remain quiet for now or forever? Would they tell Warrick? Catherine? Grissom? How long was she going to stay with Nick? Did she have to start looking for another place to stay immediately or was she living with Nick?

“You’re thinking too loudly,” Nick mumbled, wrapping his arm around her tighter, pulling her back against him a little more.

“Sorry,” she chuckled softly.

“What’re you thinking about?”

“Um, a few things.”

“We gunna dance around this or are you gunna tell me?” he yawned, nuzzling his nose against the side of her neck, breathing in the scent of her soap.

“Nick, what are we doing?” she asked quietly.

“Sleeping.”

“No, we. What are we doing?”

“You just asked me that, sugar, and I told you.”

Sara sighed impatiently and abruptly faced him. He opened is eyes and looked into hers, which were staring him down, demanding an answer to a question that he didn’t know.

“Are we together, like, a relationship together?”

“Would you like to be?” he wondered, yawning once more.

“Would you?”

“Yes, and I asked you first.”

She nodded softly.

“Say it.”

“Yes.”

“Anything else?” he wondered, tugging her with him as he rolled onto his back. Her head rested on his chest and her thigh wedged itself in between his. She smiled faintly as he began to run his fingers through her straight hair.

“Are people going to know?” she said slowly, looking up into his eyes.

His free hand was rubbing small circles into the small of her bare back. As he gazed down into her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Are we going to tell people or let them figure things out for themselves?”

“I think people’ll catch on quick enough, Sar. Unless you want to tell people, I don’t mind.”

“No, I think I’ll just let them figure it out,” she smiled, putting her head back down on his chest.


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No one noticed Sara and Nick arriving at the same time, in the same truck, to the lab. They were ten minutes early, which wasn’t out of the norm and when they walked into the building, smiling and talking about something, the receptionist just gave them her usual smile, not thinking anything different of the two.

They past by Grissom’s office, the door closed, and they could faintly hear him talking with someone. Greg wasn’t in the lab yet, probably making his coffee in the break room. They didn’t run into anyone on their way to and in the locker room.

“Where is everyone?” Sara said, grabbing her id, gun, and other necessities out of her locker.

“Maybe they’re not here yet,” was his simple reply.

After he closed the door to his locker and locked it, Nick turned to Sara who was still busy getting ready for their shift. He leaned in close and gave the side of her mouth a kiss.

“I’ll see you in a bit?” he said, beginning to leave.

“You’re not leaving until you give me a proper kiss, Nick Stokes,” Sara said smiling, her hands on her hips.

Rolling his eyes and feigning impatience, he walked back to her and stood in front of her, waiting for something it appeared.

“Well?” she asked.

His hand cradled the back of her neck, pulling her into him as his arm wrapped around her body. His lips were so close to hers and Sara was suddenly aware of how she was breathing. Her eyes watched his mouth until she needed to see the passion in his gaze because she could feel him watching her. The kiss he lured her into was dangerously slow and seductive. It made her knees weak and her mind melt as he leisurely took her. It wasn’t lazy though it did feel effortless and she knew that he was keeping a tight leash on his hunger. His body was pressing her up against the bay of lockers as she grasped his shoulders with a tight grip.

It was Nick who pulled away a moment later, a smug smile on his face before he left her leaning back against the lockers, a satisfied look in her eyes.


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Nick was back in the last three hours later after processing a particularly gruesome crime scene with Warrick. His partner was busy with Brass in the interrogation room with their prime suspect and Nick was now handing over some more DNA for Greg to process before he went to Trace to check on the fibers left on the victim’s clothing.

He was walking towards the lab room where he knew that he would find Greg, when he heard two people arguing down the fall. The female voice sounded familiar and when Nick finally recognized whom it belonged to and what she was saying, Nick sprinted down the hall, past Greg.

Hank and Sara were standing in a side hallway, not far from the lobby of the crime lab, arguing about something. Hank had his hand on Sara’s wrist and she was fighting to get loose. Sara’s lips were moving, spitting out nasty words but she had already forgotten them when Hank lifted his hand in the air and back handed Sara in the face.

There was so much anger in her. She was crying, tears freely streaming down her face but she wasn’t a mess on the floor like she half suspected herself to be. Instead, she was fighting back at Hank, trying to free her wrist and hit him with her weaker, left hand. He slammed her up against the wall with his body and a sick feeling was in the pit of her stomach. When she tried to cry out, his free hand closed over her mouth.

“Don’t say a fucking word,” he seethed, staring into her scared eyes.

Her belief that she was safe because she was in the building where she felt the most protected, where she had people that cared for her and would do anything for her, was shattered. No one was there helping her, saving her, and she wasn’t any more than thirty feet away from the reception desk.

It had surprised her when Hank hit her. He had always threatened it, looked like he would do it some times when they argued, but never did Sara believe that he would actually do it.

Nick couldn’t see Sara anywhere as he stood in the lobby of the crime lab where the young, red-haired receptionist was on the phone, obviously talking with one of her close friends. She didn’t even acknowledge him when he entered so Nick doubted that she had seen Sara. It wasn’t until swore he heard muffled talking that he knew where she was. Nick noticed a small hallway that he often past and ignored since it was the visitor’s washroom area. He saw shadows and hastily jogged to the other side of the lobby until he stood and saw them. Hank was pinning Sara to the wall, his hand was covering her mouth, and tears were stained her eyes.

“Get your hands off of her,” Nick growled, stepping closer.

Hank half turned and looked over his shoulder. His eyes were wide with shock, wondering how long he had been standing there.

When Nick took another step closer, Hank finally took his hands off of Sara. It took every bit of will power that she had, as well as dignity, to not drop to the floor and cry the tears that were welling in her eyes once more. She let out a choked sob of relief at seeing Nick. Nick allowed Hank to walk past him, not even looking at the man or else he would have killed him for just breathing.

Kneeing down so that he was eye level with her, Nick tried to grab her hand but she pulled away once his fingers brushed her wrist. Nick frowned and looked down. She was trying to hide something with her sleeves but he stopped her and pulled the cloth up, exposing bruises that were already forming in the shapes of fingers.

It was then that he looked up into her eyes and saw for the first time an angry red mark just below her cheek bone. Her face was pale, even with her anger and tears, and it was painfully clear what had caused the abrasion.

“He hit you?” he whispered in disbelief.

Sara pursed her lips together and tried to stop the fresh tears from falling. She muffled a sound and then just simply nodding her head lightly. He leaned forehead and kissed her forehead before looking her in the eye.

“Don’t move, sugar. I’ll be right back.”

“No, Nick!” she cried out, reaching out for him as he briskly walked off.

Throwing open the doors exiting the lobby, Nick frantically started to search for Hank’s vehicle. He saw the blond making his way to a little Honda parked a little ways away. Hank didn’t even see Nick jogging towards him, trying to catch him before he drove away. But what Nick didn’t see was that a familiar Denali was pulling into the parking lot as Nick reached Hank.

“Hey,” Nick said, waiting for Hank to turn around.

The voice didn’t even register in hank’s mind so when he turned around, he wasn’t expecting a fist connecting hard with his face. He fell back against his car, holding the side of his face below his eye where Nick had punched him. The Texan was shaking out his hand, glaring at the pitiful sight before him.

“Come near Sara again and it’ll be worse than my fist,” he threatened, slowly beginning to back away from the man that was making sounds in pain.

Rubbing his fingers over the knuckles of his right hand, Nick didn’t notice that he was walking towards Warrick’s truck, which was parked in front of the building.

“Hey man,” said Warrick worriedly.

Nick looked up and saw the surprised and confused faces of his best friend, a blonde, and his boss. There would definitely be some explaining to do but Nick needed to see Sara first.