coney

Sophia's words resounded in Sara's mind as she finished up her shift, pulling her duffel bag out of her locker before slamming the door shut. She knew the blond CSI was right, but for whatever reason, she felt she had to place the blame on herself for why Gil Grissom wasn't interested in her.

She let out a frustrated sigh as she walked out of the building to the parking lot. She'd worked for the Las Vegas Crime Lab for four and a half years and she had jumped at the chance to work with Grissom. They had connected at a continuing education seminar that he had taught up in San Francisco and she had to admit, there had been sparks. She had reasoned that when she was invited to come to Vegas to work with him that somehow she expected that those sparks would eventually ignite into a slow burning fire. How wrong she was. He had made it pretty clear when she overheard him interrogating Dr. Lurie several months back that whatever feelings he might have for her, she just wasn't worth the risk.

Sophia's words, however well intentioned, had just underscored the feelings of worthlessness that Sara struggled with. She tossed the duffel bag into the passenger seat and then climbed behind the wheel of her car. She had the next night off and she had been looking forward to spending some time catching up on her forensic journals, but now that was the last thing on her mind. She needed a diversion.

She wasn't really sure how she ended up wandering the aisles at Barnes and Noble, even she might have come up with a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon. But there weren't any movies playing that she was even remotely interested in and she really didn't have anyone she could call to spend time with.

"He's just not that into you."

Sara just couldn't get Sophia's words out of her mind as she perused the book titles on the shelves, sipping a latte that she'd gotten at the café on the way in. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to tell her that pining away after Grissom was a lost cause. And in reality, if she was honest with herself, she'd given up on him a long time ago. It was her own feelings of inadequacy that kept rearing their ugly head, and at some level, she felt that if she could have made him fall in love with her, it would have shown her that she was ok. No, the problem it seemed was with her, or at least it felt that way.

Sara almost snorted her coffee out through her nose when her eyes rested on the title of a book on the shelf in front of her 'He's Just Not That Into You'. Curious, Sara lifted the volume from the shelf and settled herself in one of the many overstuffed chair scattered throughout the store and began to read.

It was a much different Sara Sidle who walked through the doors of the crime lab the next night and if someone was looking closely, they might be willing to swear under oath in court that there was an extra spring in her step.

Nick was leaning against the counter and looked at her curiously over his cup of coffee as she breezed into the break room humming to herself. He quirked an eyebrow. "Someone's happy." He had seen her look sullen so much over the last few months especially that seeing a smile on her face made him smile.

"I am." Sara walked over and poured herself a cup of coffee, taking a good sniff before she brought the dark liquid to her lips in hopes that it was Greg's Blue Hawaiian and not the sludge that dayshift tried to pass off as coffee.

Nick arched his brows. "What's his name?" The tone of his voice implied that she'd better tell all.

Sara smirked as she regarded him. "What makes you think there has to be a him?"

Nick pursed his lips together for a moment in mock seriousness. "No offense, Sar, but I didn't think you swang the other way."

Sara nudged his ribs with her elbow and shook her head as a smile tugged at her lips. "No guy, or girl for that matter, I just feel very free and it feels good."

Nick could tell that her comment was genuine and he nudged her back with his elbow. "Does this mean I can stop buying you hazelnut mochas to cheer you up?"

A realization dawned on Sara as she glanced over at him and her smile broadened as she lifted her coffee cup to her lips. "You can always buy me hazelnut mochas."

Nick chuckled good-naturedly. "I always knew you wanted me." It was the same flirtatious banter that he'd dished her way for four and a half years.

Sara arched her brows for a moment and then set her coffee cup down in the sink and bumped her hip into his before tossing a comment over her shoulder at him as she sauntered away, her hips swiveling a little more noticeably than normal. "Only because I know you want me."

There was just something in her tone that made Nick wonder if it was just part of the banter, or if there was something else to it. He just shook his head and drained the last of his coffee before heading off to find out if Warrick had gotten that warrant yet.

Sara was feeling pretty good as she walked into the locker room, but when she realized that Sophia was standing there, she felt a momentary sinking feeling, but then she steeled herself. Sophia had been blunt, but she had been right. "Hey."

Sophia glanced up and smiled. "Did you have a nice night off?"

Sara nodded as she pulled her gear out of her locker. "I caught up on some reading." She gave Sophia a conspiratorial look. "Very enlightening. I really should thank you."

Sophia looked a little surprised. "Thank me? Thank me for what?" She didn't recall saying anything in particular to Sara to be thanked for. Her comment that she just didn't feel that Gil was interested in Sara hadn't been received very well, and she was surprised that Sara was so friendly.

"For what you said." Sara replied in explanation. "It really cleared up a few things."

Sophia looked at her a bit skeptically. She highly doubted that one comment from her would have changed something that had reached legendary proportions in the realm of lab gossip.

Sara smiled kindly as she pulled something out of her bag that she'd just placed in her locker and held it out to Sophia. "I found this book. It pretty much said the same thing you did. You were right."

Sophia let out a chuckle. "He'sJust Not That Into You." She glanced up and offered a smile. "I really didn't mean to offend you."

Sara replied a bit philosophically as she took the book back and stowed it away. "It was true, and this showed me the evidence." She clipped her ID on her belt and closed her locker door.

Sophia smiled reassuringly as she shut her own locker. "If it's any consolation, Sara, he's missing out."

A smile pulled at Sara's lips as she considered what else that book had helped her to see with absolute clarity. "Well his loss is someone else's gain." However, getting that someone else to admit what Sara already knew was another story altogether.