Feasibility Study
Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT

"Night and Day – Part 3 of 3"

July 29, 2005 (Day 98)
The Grissoms'
8:55 p.m. Pacific

In a steamy tub brimming with bubbles, Sara, grinning like a Cheshire cat who just enjoyed a bowl of fresh cream, reclined against her husband's chest. "So, what are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure I am yet." He sighed pleasurably while wrapping his arms around his wife's soapy body.

Resting her head on his shoulder, she said, "It's nice to know your overactive analytical brain gets a much deserved rest every time we get randy."

"I think of it as a mental vacation in paradise." His laughter ensued once more. "And the trip I just took was extremely pleasurable."

Feigning an ignorant tone, she inquired, "What was your favorite part?"

He scooped a handful of water and poured it over her head to rinse away some remnants of strawberry sauce. "You want the politically savvy answer or do you want the truth?"

Wiping a patch of bubbles off her face, she replied, "You stink at politics."

"Very true, so why even try?" He released another scoop of water. "I really enjoyed your demonstration of the principle of symmetry, but since you're a bright woman, I'm guessing you already surmised that."

"Uh yeah…you gave me enough evidence to figure it out." Splashing water in his face, she teased, "It's interesting how, even with diminished brain capacity you manage to keep talking."

"Obviously the Broca's Area of my Frontal Lobe is bypassed during the shut down process."

"Obviously." She rolled her eyes. "After all those years of not telling me how you feel, you've come a long way."

"Well…" Moving her wet hair off her shoulder, he brought his lips to her ear. "When I'm comfortable, I don't have a problem expressing myself and you've made me very comfortable."

Knowing his comment pertained not only to how she made him feel in the bedroom, but in their relationship as a whole, she smiled. "When I asked you before what you were thinking, I meant, are you still not a bubble bath kind of guy, or are you deriving some pleasure from the experience? Are you comfortable?"

"It's not something I'd do alone but, I don't think you'll have any problem getting me in here with you in the future." Nibbling on her neck, he said, "And you won't even have to get me sticky with whipped cream and strawberry sauce to coerce me into it."

Playfully she replied, "Then I'll just do that part for fun."

"If you insist." Cupping her cheek, he stole a kiss.

"Mmm…" Now she took a turn washing away the sauce in his hair. "You look like you used some of Greg's hair gel."

Flicking water from his eyes, he groaned, "Honey, I'd prefer to leave Greg out of our pillow talk...tub talk…any talk we have while naked."

"Fair enough." She doused him again. "Did you catch the tub scene in Pretty Woman when you were getting tutored on taking me to the opera?"

"No, I only watched on a 'need to know' basis."

"Might have got you in here sooner." Turning to check the state of his appearance, she carefully inspected him. "You can't have sauce in your hair when you head to the office. Every time I walked down the hall today, I felt eyes inspecting me from head to toe. I think they were hoping to find my shirt tail untucked or love bites on my neck…anything to fuel the scandal once they learned I wasn't pregnant."

"Very clever way to prove that, by the way." He wondered how she was going to do it and when he heard the details he was quite impressed.

"Thank you." Sliding slightly so she could look at him, Sara said, "Next time I test, I'm looking forward to you being with me instead of Greg and Hodges."

"Honey, now you're talking about Greg and Hodges while we're naked."

"I blame the Broca's Area of my Frontal Lobe."

"I agree with your statement. When you're testing for real, I want to find out the same time as you." Smiling, he glided his hand over her stomach. "And we'll know soon. If it worked, I'll be thrilled. If it didn't…" Salaciously, he said, "I really won't mind another month of trying."

"Considering our new schedule, when will we find the time? I guess we'll have to have a standing Happy Hour date. The books I've read said during the critical week, a daily schedule is best."

"I believe everything I read so, I'll follow the recommendation of a daily schedule without complaint."

Sighing, she said, "Speaking of schedules…"

He droned, "Is it that time already?"

Teasing, she said, "Have you started thinking again, or are you still blissed out and incoherent because you'll need your brain to do your job."

"I'm almost recovered." He laughed. "This new Happy Hour schedule of ours will make me a very agreeable guy at the office. I'm going to show up very relaxed."

"Don't worry, I'm sure everyone will appreciate the difference!" Quickly she took a breath before he plunged her head completely underwater.

The Stokes'
11:14 p.m. Central

Hand in hand, Nick and Carrie strolled through manicured landscape surrounding the Stokes's home.

"Nick, are you still looking for a place to lay down the blanket?" They had passed up several nice places already.

"Um…" When he pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it in his pocket a little while ago, suddenly the reality hit him. I'm proposing marriage! This is it! Forever! But I want forever with Carrie. I can't imagine life without her. Oh my god! What if she says no! Don't be ridiculous, you know she wants it as badly as you do.

"Honey?" Was it the moonlight, she wondered, or was the blood really draining from his face. "Are you okay? You look a little sick."

"Um…" Irrational insecurities aside, there was still another huge problem. Before leaving for the trip, Nick rehearsed his proposal dozens of times. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect…perfect for Paris! The problem of course being they weren't in Paris. They were in Dallas at his childhood home. So, mentioning the Eiffel Tower and Carrie's line from their first date, we'll always have Paris, would be a little out of context.

Sensing Nick was no longer up for a walk, she sweetly said, "Maybe we should return to the house and get some rest?"

"No!" He vehemently blurted.

"Okaaay." Trying desperately to figure out his problem, she thought maybe she'd tease it out of him. "If you're embarrassed about what your sisters told me, please don't be. I never thought you were a virgin when we met…" Running her fingertip over his bottom lip, she purred, "….and I certainly didn't think it after making love with you the first time."

Even though he was nearing serious coronary failure, her words made him smile. "It's not that."

"Then what is wrong?"

"It's…we're not supposed to be here." Heavily he sighed. "We're supposed to be in Paris…a romantic place."

"Honestly." She took his hand. "This trip is much more meaningful to me than Paris. I've been to Paris. I've never been taken to meet the family of a man I love. Of course, I've never loved anyone before, so that may have something to do with it."

Sensing the moment was right, he began. "Carrie, there's something…" When he felt the first drops of rain strike his face, he couldn't believe his horrible luck. "Damn it!" Glaring at the darkening sky above, he yelled, "What the hell do you have against me!"

"It's really okay." Carrie gave his hand a squeeze. "We'll go back to the house and…"

"No!" His free hand slapped his rain streaked face. "I can't in there."

"Afraid your mom is going to catch us and we won't have a condom to produce?" Giggling, she whispered, "Don't worry, I'll ask for a continuance and fax her copies of our negative STD test results and my birth control prescription, when we return home."

Nick stared into Carrie's eyes. She really doesn't know I'm about to propose. Oh my god! Why? Isn't it on her mind? Didn't she consider it was the reason I was taking her on this trip? Does her inability to guess the reason mean she's not in the same place as me? Is she going to say no!

"Sweetie…I'm getting soaked, here."

Grabbing her hand, he said, "Come with me," as he dashed across the lawn.

A couple of minutes later they were in the stables.

"Wow." Carrie twisted her hair, wringing the water out. "That storm came out of nowhere."

"Welcome to Texas in July." He grumbled while walking into the supply room. "There should be towels in here." When he spotted them, he grabbed a few and returned. "To dry off."

As she tussled her hair, she remarked, "Smells good in here."

"And I thought strolling on the lawn was unromantic. Now we're trapped with a bunch of smelly horses."

Suddenly a large white mare whinnied.

"Sorry, Cleo." Nick shouted. But I'm not happy about this! I can't propose marriage in a smelly stable! Then he glanced over at Carrie, her wet white blouse, clinging to her damp skin, and her brown hair curling wildly from the dampness. His desire mounting, he reached for her, pulling her close and devouring her with a kiss.

When the need for a minute of uninterrupted oxygen forced them to separate, Carrie stumbled back against the wall. "If I knew the scent of hay drove you so wild, I would have glued it to my bedroom walls months ago. I saw that on Trading Spaces once and wondered why the designer did it but now…I know."

The passionate kiss had served its purpose. Once again he was calm and confident. "I'll be right back."

"Now what?" She had never seen him act so erratic. It didn't help that thunder was rumbling in the distance and creating a volatile mood.

Once again, he disappeared into the supply room and when he reemerged this time he had a pile of blankets. "There aren't any horses at the other end. We used to have a lot more, but now Mom and Dad only have Cleo, who is Karen's, and a couple of ponies for the grandkids." Smiling, he took her hand. "Let's find a nice quiet spot."

When they reached the last stall, which was half full with bales of hay, Nick released Carrie's hand. "Now, I know what you're going to think," he announced while grabbing a hay bale and unleashing its contents on the ground. "You're thinking…Smooth Stokes has done this before." He reached for the next one and scattered it.

"Now that you mention it…" Leaning against the wall, she watched him build the love nest. "You do seem rather skilled."

"But I haven't…" He decided one more would be best. "After the incident you heard about earlier I never brought another girl onto my parents' property again." Reaching down he grabbed two of the blankets and spread them over the hay pile. "Try it out and tell me if it's comfortable enough."

Carrie sat down and mashed the blankets. "As perfect as a bed of hay can get." She tossed her wet sandals.

With the two remaining blankets in hand, Nick took a seat next to Carrie, kicking off his shoes and tugging off his damp socks. "That's better."

"Much."

"So." He inhaled sharply.

"Are you going to take off your wet clothes?" Carrie asked, slightly surprised they weren't already peeling each other's off.

"Not yet." He didn't want to propose in his underwear. Especially after the underwear story his sister told earlier. "I uh…" Rubbing his hands together, he fought to find his words…any words. Finally, nervous laughter manifested.

"Okay." Carrie planted her hands on her hips. "What is going on with you? Is being home making you crazy?"

"No. It's..." Damn it! I want it to be spectacular. I want to say something that will blow her away. But nothing is popping into my head. This would be so much easier in Paris! Just start talking. It will flow. "Carrie…I…I have something I want to say…I'm supposed to be saying it tomorrow night in Paris." Taking both of her hands between his, while swallowing the lump in his throat, he focused not on the thoughts swimming in his head but rather, the feelings in his heart. "From the moment I met you I felt a connection."

"And I felt one with you." Her heart skipped a beat as she finally realized why he was acting so erratic.

Locking his eyes with hers, he spoke softly. "That night, when I took you to see the sights, and we ended up on the sidewalks of Paris, my life changed. Before that night if anyone had said I would fall in love with someone on the first day I met her, I would have laughed. But that night, standing there under the Eiffel Tower with you, it happened."

"It happened for me too." Tears pooled in her eyes as she listened to his words.

"I know we've only been together a few months, and some people might not think that's enough time, but I can't wait another day…another hour. Hell, I can't wait another minute!" Releasing her hands, he dove into his pocket for the ring.

Carrie's hands rushed to her mouth. "You really are…"

"I can't wait another second!" Brimming with confidence, he held took her left hand. "Carrie Blake, I love you with all my heart and you will make me the happiest man alive if you'll agree to marry me, and spend the rest of your life with me. Please say yes."

"YES!" She shouted while throwing her arms around his neck and tackling him against the blankets.

It sounded better than all the practice ones combined. While his fiancée was choking him with a vice grip hug, he squeaked out, "Honey, don't you want me to put the ring on your finger?"

"YES!" Releasing him, she waved her left hand and waited for him to sit up.

Thrilled by the joyous expression on her face and the tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks, he excitedly glided the diamond on her finger. "It seems like it fits perfectly."

"YES!" Consumed by its beauty and meaning, she stared at her jeweled left hand with an open mouth.

Exhausted from the buildup and the moment, Nick crashed back against the blankets. "If only one thing was going to go according to plan on this trip, I'm glad it was your answer!"

Crime Lab
9:52 p.m. Pacific

On the way to the Break Room, Grissom had to pass by Mabel and Theresa who were huddled in the hallway. Taking Catherine's advice, instead of ignoring them, he smiled and politely said, "Hello."

"Did you enjoy your cheesecake earlier?" Mabel asked with a grin.

Stunned by the question, he froze. How could she tell what he just did with Sara? There was no physical evidence. Were these people that good at reading others? If so, they shouldn't be in the lab, they should be out in the field.

"Thanks for the drinks you sent us." Theresa smiled. Sensing he wasn't tracking, she clarified, "At the Cheesecake Factory today. Remember?"

"Oh!" Relieved they weren't reading his mind, he replied, "You're welcome. You do so much around here for the team I thought I would make a gesture on our behalf."

Trying to be nice to the quirky man, she made some more small talk. "So what flavor did you have?"

"Flavor?"

"What flavor Cheesecake?"

Flustered again, he hurried past them. "I didn't have any."

Mabel turned to Theresa. "Geez, for a genius, he's a little slow on the uptake."

Always up for a little speculation, Theresa offered her opinion. "Sara's what, fifteen years younger than him? Maybe more? He always seems like a nice, quiet man. Maybe keeping up with a younger woman is wearing him down."

"Not if he has a prescription."

"You think?"

Mabel nodded. "I hear one of the side effects is an increase in facial hair."

"It's also been known to cause heart attacks." Suddenly a thought occurred to Theresa. "Hey, maybe she's trying to get him to keel over dead so she can grab his assets, because I heard he lives in a multi-million dollar home."

Laughing, Mabel, replied, "You know the popular saying between gold diggers in this money-loving town…first grab his ass, then grab his assets."

Theresa was reluctant to buy into the new theory. "But, come on, Sara seems too quiet to be…"

"You know what they say about the quiet ones!"

"True." Theresa sighed. "My goodness. The poor guy probably never saw it coming. One day he's sitting in his office clueless and then all of a sudden she waltzes in and asks him out. Of course, he's thrilled by the offer and says yes! They go out and that night she takes him for a toss between the sheets. Naturally, the lonely nutcase falls hopelessly in love with her. Before her, he was playing with cockroaches!"

"Ugh!" Mabel shook her head. "How long 'til the conniving bitch rips his heart out?"

"Twenty bucks says by the New Year she's filing for divorce and calculating her fifty percent share."

Break Room
9:55 p.m. Pacific

When Grissom walked into the room, he noted Warrick sitting on the couch downing an extra large cup of coffee. "How are you doing tonight, Warrick?" He wondered how much Catherine had told Warrick. Does he know I brought home cheesecake? Does he know I know Catherine brought home cheesecake for him?

"Hey, Gris." He lowered his mug. "I'm doing real fine." Catherine had told him that Grissom was bringing home their favorite dessert for Sara. "How about yourself?"

Facing the wall while pouring a cup of coffee, he grinned. "I'm fine too."

Deciding to have a little fun, Warrick said, "Yeah…you look pretty relaxed. Married life must be agreeing with you."

"Definitely." He took his mug and crossed the room to take a seat on the opposite end of the couch.

"Can't be easy with Sara's shift change. I mean…how many hours did you have alone together?"

"Just two." Grissom took a quick sip. Yeah…two glorious hours.

"Damn. That's hardly enough time to eat a piece of cheesecake." Warrick broke into an easy laugh. "But from the look on your face, I'm guessing you managed to squeeze it in."

Dying of embarrassment, Grissom attempted to will his pager to beep. Instead, he got another distraction…Greg.

"Hey party people!" Greg strutted in and hit the java.

"What's got you bouncing?" Warrick quizzed. "Or bouncing more than normal?"

"Sugar rush!" With mug in hand he joined the guys, taking a seat on the edge of the coffee table.

"What the hell did you put in your hair tonight?" Grissom groaned. "It looks more screwed up than usual."

"What?" Standing up, he went to check his reflection on the stainless steel fridge. "Ha!" He realized the problem. "That's uh…Tawny brought home cheesecake from work. Said she had a sudden urge for strawberry sauce and whipped cream." Going to the sink, he wet his hands and attempted to work out the knots. "It was some good stuff."

Grissom and Warrick exchanged knowing glances.

"I'm here but I'm not happy!" Sofia Curtis snapped as she entered the room, making a beeline for Grissom. "I don't see why my life has to change because you scratched the itch to marry your employee. Where's the justice?"

Warrick, not in the mood to have his anniversary celebration buzz killed just yet, retorted, "You're here because you're not playing well in the sandbox with your Days pals. It just worked out that Sara had to leave."

Catherine showed up late for the party. "Hey everyone…and Sofia."

Twisting a wry smile, Sofia looked at Greg. "And just because everyone else on this shift paired up, don't get any crazy ideas."

Patting down his damp de-strawberried hair, Greg replied, "Uh…you scare me actually."

The Stable
12:17 a.m. Central

Finally rid of their rain-drenched clothes, Carrie and Nick warmed underneath the blankets.

"Look at this ring on my finger," Carrie breathlessly exclaimed as she pressed her hands against Nick's chest. "I love it! I'm engaged! I can't wait to show everyone! I'm so happy! We need to set a date…"

Slipping one hand behind her neck, he urged his talkative fiancée in for a kiss, hoping to celebrate the engagement and relieve some of the tension he had accumulated.

Deciding they could talk later, Carrie refocused on the physical, letting Nick take the lead and quickly succumbing to his charms. Everything seemed more intense…every touch, every kiss and the storm brewing outside only enhanced the excitement.

Suddenly disengaging, Nick jumped up and pulled Carrie to her feet. "I don't believe this!" He wrapped a blanket around her.

"What the…"

"That siren means a tornado was spotted." Pulling a blanket around his body, he declared, "We've got to get to the shelter because this place is a death trap." Taking her by the hand, he hurried for the stable door.

Outside the winds were fierce and they fought to make it across the enormous lawn to the shelter door. Trees were bending around them and rain pelted them from above.

When they reached the shelter, Nick saw his mom running toward him. He yanked open the in-ground door and let his mom and Carrie rush down the stairs first. Then he followed, securing the lock.

"They say it could be a four!" His mother nervously exclaimed as she turned on the transistor radio.

For several minutes they listened to the weather report and when an announcement was made declaring the twister had dissipated and veered away from their path, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"That was so scary!" Carrie felt her heart pounding in her chest. "It was just like the movie!"

Nick pulled her close. "Welcome to Tornado country, Baby."

For the first time, Mrs. Stokes realized her son and his girlfriend were only wearing horse blankets. Jokingly she needled, "What were you two doing when the siren sounded?"

"Well, mom…" With a boyish grin, he confessed. "I don't have an empty wrapper." He took Carrie's left hand in his. "But she has a ring on her finger!"

Mrs. Stokes took one look at the gem and shrieked, "YES!"

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!

The story continues in, Caving Under Pressure, 2nd in the FS series.

Maggs