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Sitting alone, bellied up to the bar, Jim racked his brain trying to figure out where he'd gone wrong. In his mind he'd done and said everything right. He'd showed her how much he loved her. He'd told her how much he loved her, but apart from that he didn't know what else to do. She wasn't being difficult; he'd actually screwed up royally this time, although he wasn't exactly sure what he'd done. In his mind he tried to play things out, figure out where he'd gone wrong what he'd said, done or didn't do.
After maybe an hour or so Sara entered the same bar, but was not seen by Jim. She had taken a table in the back and was ordering double Irish, one after another like a marathon drinker. She'd been there for about an hour or so when Nick came in and went straight to Sara's table, noticing Jim at the bar, but not immediately mentioning it. He could tell by her call that she was in dire need of a friend and some counsel. He'd never seen her like this before and it troubled him to see her in such a state. Watching her drink her drinks, he just drank water lest he need to drive her home, which was very probable.
After a while Nick got up and went to the bar and stood by Jim, who hadn't noticed him until Nick nudged him. Turning to look at him, his eyes were glossed over and Nick could tell that Jim was drunk. He though to himself that now he had two drunkards on his hands and how he'd get them out of the bar without them seeing each other. From what Sara was saying, the next time she saw Jim she'd claw his eyes out. She didn't readily give details of their argument, but from what Nick gathered it was heated and severe. The best thing he could think of was to keep the two of them apart, lest they see each other and make a scene.
"Whatcha' doin' here?" Jim asked
"Just felt like a drink." Nick replied quickly
From the way Jim looked he'd hit bottom. There was a row of tumblers lined up in front of him; at least five of them and he looked as though if he stood up to use the restroom he'd fall over. Nick felt for his colleague. He knew Jim and Sara had been going out for quite some time; at least for the better part of the last six months. He was surprised at how the two of them successfully kept their relationship from the other lab crew; especially Grissom who seemed as though he always had his eye on Sara. Nick knew that Grissom had a thing for Sara, but due to his stunted emotional growth and lack of nerve, he never asked her out.
Returning to Sara's table, he sat down and Sara just looked at him quizzically. Knowing that the inevitable was coming, Nick prepared himself. After a few seconds it came.
"Who were you chatting up at the bar"
"Just a friend." he replied
Looking over to the bar, she could not mistake the broad back and shoulders of Jim. Immediately she turned red and downed the rest of her beer in one series of gulps. That's when it happened. She got up and walked over to the bar and stood next to Jim and from what Nick could see, they were having a less than amicable conversation ending in her throwing his drink in his face and walking out of the bar. Jumping up, Nick ran to Jim.
"Back in a sec." he said as he followed Sara out of the establishment
Outside, Sara had just reached her car and was pulling out her keys. Nick caught her and took the keys from her, pointing out that she was drunk and in no state to drive. Nick stepped onto the curb and hailed a cab and gave the driver instructions to take Sara home. Concerned about her car, she protested, but Nick assured her that he would take care of it.
Watching the cab pull away and head down the street, Nick went back inside and joined Jim at the bar. After about an hour of Jim still drinking and Nick drinking water, Nick offered Jim a ride home. Standing up and plopping several bills on the bar, Jim turned to Nick.
"I think I'll walk. I need to clear my head……..sort some things out." he said
Nick was glad to hear this and watched as Jim left the bar. With no reason for him to stay any longer, Nick left shortly thereafter. On his drive home he saw Jim walking and offered him a ride, to which he was turned down, so he continued on home.
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Reaching his house, Jim was surprised to see Sara sitting on the stoop with her head in her hands. She looked as if she'd sobered up some, as had Jim. Seeing him coming, Sara stood up and approached him. Jim thought she was going to hit him or something, but she just wrapped her arms around his neck, enveloping him in a tight embrace that lasted several moments before Jim backed off and scratched his head. He couldn't figure out what had changed, but for that moment he was happy to have been in her embrace.
They sat there on the stoop for a while hashing things out in regards to their heated discussion at his place and then again at the bar. Sara explained that she had done some serious thinking and that logically, Jim would not cheat on her. Sure, he had opportunity enough, but every morning he'd come home to her or she'd come home to his place. Jim explained that, in his eyes, he was no prize and for him to come home and crawl into bed with Sara each morning was the highlight of his day. For the world, he couldn't see what he saw in him, but apparently she saw something that no one else saw and loved him for it.
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That night, before the argument, it was Jim's intention to propose marriage to Sara, but things changed and he kept the ring in his pocket, not even alluding to it. However now, he thought that things had calmed down enough to speak the words he'd been thinking while he walked home.
Looking into her eyes and giving a slight grin, he reached into his pocket and produced a beautiful sapphire and emerald ring. Seeing the ring, Sara gasped and if she were standing up she most probably would have fallen over. Thankfully she remained seated as Jim spoke.
"It was my intention, earlier, to ask you to marry me, then all this crap happened, but I don't believe its nothing we can't work through together. I love you and I know you know that and seeing as neither of us is getting any younger I thought I'd ask you if you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me. Sure, we'll have arguments and the like, but as long as we talk things out, I don't see any problem we can't weather."
Taking the ring from Jim's hand, Sara looked at it and simultaneously grinned as tears began to streak her face.
"I take it that this is a good sign." Jim said as he took the ring from her and put it on her finger
She looked down at her hand as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Suddenly her hand was adorned with a beautiful ring that Jim said belonged to his mother and her mother before her. She couldn't believe it; after an Earth shattering argument, she was suddenly engaged to the man she loved from nearly the first time she met him. She'd always been drawn to him, but didn't really know why. Even now, she couldn't explain it.