Being There for Her
Summary: Nick Stokes never thought he could fall for the new blood spatter expert Julie "Finn" Finlay.
It had been a rather slow day and DB Russell decided it was best to let everyone go home once they had turned in their paperwork. Nick had entered the locker room and retrieved what he needed, closed the door and was about to leave when he thought he heard someone crying. Curiosity getting the better of him he followed the sound and what he saw broke his heart, Finn was in front of her locker but she had her hand in her head and crying silently. He gently walked to where Finn was sitting and quietly sat down. Gently placing a hand on her shoulder as to not spook her, Nick softly asked, "Finn is everything okay?"
Slightly startled Finn lifted her head and faced her co-worker with red eyes and a splotchy face. Sobering up quickly and wiping her nose with the back of her sleeve Finn answered hastily, "Um nothing is wrong, you are on your way out Nick?"
Nick knew Finn was tough most of the time but he right now he was not buying the faux-toughness act she was displaying. Nick asked in a calm voice, "Finn, are you sure you are all right?"
Finn took a deep breath, Nick was the person she wanted to talk about her problems but his disarming and caring personality literally caused her to tear up again. Feeling sorry for his co-worker he gently pulled her in to an embrace and let her cry it out, not minding that his favorite shirt was getting soaked with tears. Five minutes later Nick could tell her sobs had subsided, when Finn sat up Nick offered her his clean handkerchief which Finn graciously accepted. As she was dabbing her eyes and wiping her nose Nick quietly asked, "Do you want to me tell what is wrong?"
Taking a deep breath to get rid of the sudden hiccups, Finn said in almost a whisper, "Moreno broke up with me. He said his ex-girlfriend was pregnant and that she needed him."
Nick grumbled a few choices words and thought that when he had said to Moreno 'watch your step' he should have also meant don't hurt Finn, someone Nick had become close with in the short amount of time she had been with them.
Nick knew Finn had a ways to go in order to heal her broken heart and he made an instant promise to spend time with Finn and be there for her in her time of need. Soothingly rubbing her left arm he said, "How about we get out of here and go get a bite to eat, come on my treat."
Finn smiled a little; she was thankful to have a friend like Nick. Standing up she opened her locker, got what she needed, closed it and she walked with Nick out of the locker room and out of the crime lab.
Nick stayed true to his word and was there for Finn, he baked her favorite cookies—which was Turkish Coffee Cookies, offered a shoulder to cry on, a lending ear, made sure she and Moreno didn't cross paths when not working on a case and it meant that he had to be careful not to get into a confrontation when the opportunity presented itself. What had helped the most was Nick encouraging Finn to write down either in a journal or in poetry in which she chose to write in a journal; it took time but six weeks later with Nick's support and that of everyone else's on the team (after they had found out) she began to grieve less and less.
As time went on they became even closer as friends, which a dilemma. Following a long shift, Finn and Nick went home and after getting some sleep they decided to get some chores done; however, a problem has arisen for both Finn and Nick.
They were trying to work hard wasn't able to concentrate—Finn had gotten a load of laundry done and was about to do a second load but her mind kept wondering to Nick. For about two weeks now she had been feeling giddy around Nick whether on a case or not…might it be possible that she had begun developing feelings for Nick? She quickly pushed the idea away, the thought that she liked him more than a friend seemed a bit ridiculous and thought to herself, no this cannot be happening I am barely over Moreno and now I am having feelings for Nick? Oh my word I think I am having feelings for him.
One the other side of town, Nick was doing the dishes as he was listening to music and he was also having trouble concentrating. When he almost broke a glass cup trying to load into the dishwasher, he decided to take a break. He walked around his living and he saw something that got his attention. There on the mantle over the fireplace was a picture that Greg had taken of him and Finn at their annual Christmas party with his arms wrapped around her shoulder.
Seeing her beautiful smile made his heart skip a beat now he knew why he was having trouble sleeping, is it possible that he had developed feelings for his friend and co-worker? No, he shook his head trying to reason that office romances usually ended badly and she was his assistant supervisor. The question was did spending more time with Finn really lead him to liking her more? Did it bring out feelings in him that he had never felt with anyone before?
There was only one for the two of them to find out.
