Disclaimer - I don't own CSI.

A/N: Thank you for my reviews so far! Sorry this is a bit long. Here's the next part…

Chapter 2

Sara flopped down on the sofa in the break room. She was exhausted. It had been a very long night, and subsequently a long day after the entire team ended up pulling a double. Running on about 8 hours sleep and nearly as many cups of coffee, Sara had nothing left to give. That's just who she was; she'd push herself to the limit till she could give no more. She was beyond frustrated with herself when she finally knew she had to give up searching for fingerprint matches in AFIS and go home for some well needed sleep and come back the next day with fresh eyes and more importantly a fresh mind. However, Sara being Sara and being as stubborn as she was, she inwardly refused to leave. She was determined to finish this last task and then go home. She just needed more coffee. But on entering the break room she lost that battle with herself and collapsed on the sofa instead; it seemed like the rational thing to do when one is too tired to even go home.

"Wow, you look like…," Nick smirked as he swiftly walked into the room and headed straight for the coffee machine.

"Don't you dare say it," Sara insisted. "I'm not in the mood."

"When are you ever?" he asked rhetorically, knowing it would provoke a reaction.

"Just get me coffee," Sara demanded, leaning her head against the back of the sofa.

"What would you do if I said no?" Nick wondered, filling her coffee cup with fresh coffee anyway.

"Do I even have to answer that?"

Nick merely rolled his eyes and slowly walked towards her, carefully balancing a cup of coffee for himself and one for his tired co-worker.

Sara looked up upon hearing him approach. She looked slightly stunned to see him carrying two cups of coffee, but gratefully accepted one. She didn't actually expect him to do as she'd asked, or more accurately demanded from him. "Oh. Thank you," she smiled sheepishly.

"See, now that's much more ladylike," Nick winked as he sat down beside her.

"I'd hardly call myself a lady right now," Sara scoffed before taking a long sip of her hot coffee.

"Well, trust me Sar, you don't exactly look like a guy," Nick arched an eyebrow.

"But I still don't feel very ladylike," she insisted.

"How would you describe yourself then?"

"Hmm, perhaps something similar to a zombie?" Sara stated, though it came out more as a question as she waited for Nick's approval.

"Well, I can say with full confidence that you are by far the prettiest zombie I've ever seen," he grinned.

Sara blushed and averted her eyes to the floor.

"Sara, you don't give yourself enough credit," Nick stated. "And you most certainly don't look after yourself half as much as you should."

"Sorry, mother," she smirked.

"You know exactly what I mean," Nick insisted, ignoring her comment. "You know full well that no human should ever be as tried as you are now."

Sara sighed, reluctantly. "It's just this case…"

"It's just every case," he gave her a 'you know I'm right' look.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "I… I can't help it, it's just who I am."

"I know. And I get it. But you could still make time for yourself," he reasoned.

"I don't want to talk about this right now," Sara shook her head as she stood up and walked over to the sink. "I've got much more important things to think about at this moment in time."

Her statement had a double meaning. Not only did she have the case to think about but Catherine's words had imprinted themselves on her brain. Sara wasn't about to forget what she'd said in a hurry, no matter how hard she tried. Should something like that really have effected her so much? She supposed that it didn't help seeing Nick. Well, perhaps, it was the timing of their meeting that was worse than actually seeing him. But every time their eyes met Catherine's words would echo in her ears again.

Sara sighed and downed the majority of her coffee, despite the fact it was pretty much still as hot as it was when Nick first poured it. She forced a smile as she turned to face him. "I've got work I should be doing."

And off she went, before Nick had a chance to say anything else. He hoped he hadn't said anything that offended her, that was the last thing he wanted. In his head, he was merely telling her the truth, telling her things from how he saw them. He cared about her and he wanted her to look after herself. That's what friends do. He hoped that if the tables were turned she would talk to him and make sure he was alright. They did a stressful job, he had a few grey hairs to prove it, and he knew that sometimes it's easy to just get sucked in. He wanted Sara to know he was there for her should she ever need him, day or night. They'd both been through a lot; if he couldn't sympathise with her, no one could.

Nick stood up and walked through the halls, deciding what was his best plan of action. He eventually decided to head back to the layout room where the evidence of their case was still on display. He picked up one of the sealed plastic bags containing some fibres, car fibres as Hodges had deduced, so chose to put his mind to good use. He'd thought about going home but figured if Sara was sticking around then he would too.

Nick worked away, clicking and typing on the computer, searching through car manufacturers websites to hopefully spring up a lead. He was beginning to get frustrated, both at himself and at the horrendous case. He just wanted some answers now, for his own peace of mind if nothing else.

Nick's pager soon buzzed, causing him to jump slightly. The DNA results he'd been waiting for were finally ready. He shook his head as he stared at the computer screen, at a total loss. He hoped that stepping away from the screen would focus his mind again. But it was late, almost early really into the start of their usual shift, and he was very tired. Maybe he was best just heading home. After he'd got the DNA results.

He slowly made his way back to the break room first, half looking for Sara and half trying to remember if he'd finished his coffee or not. Sure enough, he hadn't. Now that wasn't like him, Sara really must have distracted him. The coffee was barely lukewarm, yet he drank it anyway. He placed his empty cup next to Sara's in the sink and stared off into space for a moment. He only snapped back into reality when he felt as though he was being watched. Nick looked up to see Greg standing one side of him and Warrick standing on the other. He was sandwiched in.

"What?" he asked, continually glancing between both men. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," Greg said, feigning innocence.

"Really? Well, if you don't mind I've got things I have to do," Nick insisted, still looking thoroughly confused. "And I wanna go home at some point today."

Nick pushed his way past Warrick and Greg and headed towards the door but they quickly caught up with him, placing a hand on a shoulder each and pulling him backwards towards the sofa.

"Not so fast, Nicky," Warrick grinned. "We need to have a little chat."

"Can't it wait? I really just want to go home…," he trailed off as they pushed him down on the sofa.

"No, it can't," Greg smirked, taking a chair from underneath the table and sitting almost directly in front of Nick.

"What are you up to?" he repeated, glaring at them.

"We just wanted to talk," Warrick insisted, as if it justified their use of mild force as he perched himself on the arm of the sofa opposite Nick .

"About?" Nick questioned, becoming impatient.

"Just stuff," Greg stated, remembering Catherine's words. "Man to man."

"Right…," Nick looked between the two men, searching for answers. "Can I ask why?"

"We thought you may need some brotherly advice," Warrick smiled.

"Can you just get to the point, please?"

Warrick sighed. "Thought you might want to talk about a certain colleague of ours."

"You've lost me," Nick shook his head.

"A certain brunette," Greg offered, giving him a knowing look.

"Sara? Why would I want to talk about Sara?" Nick asked.

"I don't know, Nick. You tell us," Warrick sat poised, waiting for Nick to elaborate.

"What? You think I like her?" Nick asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

Greg leaned over to Warrick. "Wow, he's smarter than he looks."

"You've got it all wrong…," Nick tried to deny it, perhaps a little too hard.

"Really? Does it look like I was born yesterday?" Warrick raised his eyebrows.

Nick sighed. "No, but…"

"But nothing. It's time to fess up," Greg insisted.

Nick gulped. "Fess up to what?"

Greg looked at Warrick, looking rather annoyed. "Do you wanna hold him while I slap him?"

"None of this is any of your business," Nick insisted. "Either of you."

"We're just trying to help," Greg stated.

"Well, don't. I don't remember asking for any help," Nick exclaimed. "Just stay out of it."

"Look, Nick," Warrick said calmly, hoping to be the voice of reason. "Chill out, man. You might not have asked for our help but maybe we can be of service anyway."

"How?"

"You should ask Sara out," Greg told him, looking rather pleased with himself.

"What? Are you crazy?" Nick scoffed, looking back and forward between the two of them.

"Don't look like I've just told you to ask Warrick out on a date," Greg shook his head in despair. "This is Sara we're talking about."

"And that's exactly why I can't do it," Nick insisted.

"What have you got to lose?" Warrick questioned.

"What if she says no?" Nick countered.

"What if she doesn't?"

"But she might, and that's enough of a risk for me," Nick insisted. "I don't want things to be awkward between us. It's not going to happen."

"Are you chicken?" Warrick bit his lip to prevent himself from smiling.

"No," Nick snapped.

Greg did his best chicken impression.

"Shut up. I'm not scared," Nick maintained. "But it's not going to happen."

"You should do it," Greg insisted. "I can picture the two of you now, falling in love, getting hitched at some big country wedding and making beautiful babies."

Nick glared at him. "Not helping."

"Ignore him," Warrick rolled his eyes. "We… I… just want to help."

"Why should I take your advice?" Nick continued.

"We've given you some good advice in the past," Greg insisted.

"When?" Nick scoffed, evening Warrick giving him an unconvinced look.

"Okay, maybe we haven't be we can start now," Greg shrugged. "Ask her out."

"You want to, right?" Warrick raised an eyebrow. "Judging by the look on your face you do. We know you like her. You just need a bit of encouragement. That's what we're trying to do."

"I do appreciate it, really, but there's no need," Nick shook his head. "I've got everything under control."

"Promise you'll think about it?" Greg requested.

"Can I go now? I've got results to pick up and I really want to go home," Nick complained.

"Promise?" Warrick narrowed his stare.

"Okay, I'll think about it," Nick sighed, standing up.

He rolled his eyes as he walked past Warrick and Greg. When he was near the exit Greg whispered to Warrick, "It means he's gonna do it."

"It means I'll think about it," Nick shouted over his shoulder.

Nick made his way to the DNA lab at long last. He smiled to himself slightly at the thought that maybe Henry was thinking he'd got lost. Worse, he was virtually kidnapped.

Nick filed away the DNA report once he'd read it with the other processed evidence and results and then headed to the locker room. He was more than ready to go home. He still couldn't believe the way Warrick and Greg had acted. He wasn't going to be bullied into anything. But then again, did they have a point? Maybe, a little. He'd thought about asking her out a few times, half serious and half testing himself and his feelings for her. He knew deep down he'd love to be with Sara, and the life Greg planned out for them in just a sentence was beyond idyllic. Did he really have much to lose? He had potentially everything to lose, but maybe he was willing to risk it all. Nick had never really been much of a gambling man, until now. Was he seriously considering it? He suddenly felt very nervous. Yep, he was considering it, considering asking Sara out on a date.

Greg's words floated into his head as she walked through the door. Ask her out.

"Hey, Nick," Sara smiled as she walked into the locker room in a much better mood than before. Her persistence had paid off and she'd eventually got a hit on the fingerprints collected from the scene. She now allowed herself to go home, knowing there was nothing else she could do at that moment until the warrant for their suspects arrest was signed.

"Oh, uh… hey, Sara," Nick nodded, trying to think straight. Was he actually about to do this? Had Greg and Warrick actually convinced him this was a good idea? It seemed so, as the question formed in his head. It was now or never. But what if she said no?

"You alright?" Sara asked as she opened her locker to collect her belongings, sensing Nick had spaced out.

"Um, yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Um, you know, just, uh, tired… I guess," Nick shrugged, slightly embarrassed.

Sara nodded in agreement. "It's been a long twenty-four hours. And I wanted to apologise for the mood I was in earlier. It wasn't your fault the case wasn't going anywhere. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Nick smiled. "No harm done."

"Still, I shouldn't have taken it out on you," she insisted.

Sara massaged her forehead. Her mind was still spinning from everything Catherine had tried to convince her was true several hours ago. Perhaps she was being paranoid, maybe Catherine's words were having an effect on her but she thought something was different about Nick. He seemed distracted. Sara would have thought that he would have had some cheeky comment to make about her working too hard yet he said nothing. Could there have been some truth in what Catherine had said?

She stood there like a spare part, waiting for Nick to say something else. When he didn't Sara chose to continue instead.

"Well, then, I'll um…," Sara didn't even finish her sentence before she started backing out the room.

"Um, actually I, uh, I wanted to ask you something," Nick said, straightening up to face her.

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow and stood in the doorway.

"Yeah," Nick nodded for confirmation.

"And?" Sara urged him to go on.

"Oh yeah," he laughed nervously. He took a deep breath, cleared his throat and somehow found the courage to ask one of his closest friends out on a date. "Do you want to get a drink, sometime?"

Sara looked puzzled. "Sure, Nick. But why sometime? Why not now? I seem to have gotten a sudden boost in energy. Or tomorrow, if that would be better for you?"

She lifted her gaze to meet Nick's and gage his reaction and was shocked by what she saw. The look he was giving her made her think something was going on. It was then that she saw the hopeful look in his eyes that she realised what he was doing. "Oh. Oh…"

Nick nodded sombrely, clenching his lips together and ducking his head. He whispered under his breath, "No going back now."

"Oh, wow…," Sara continued to stutter, very much in shock. "Were you…? Are you asking me…?"

"Out on a date?" Nick sighed. "Yep, I am. But never mind. It's okay. I mean, if you're not interested… I get it, I understand. I just thought I'd… well, you know, I just thought I should ask. You don't know if you don't ask, right? Anyway, it doesn't matter. Forget I said anything."

"No, Nick," Sara insisted before she even knew what she wanted to say. "It's okay, really. I mean… sure."

Nick's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

Sara nodded, exhaling deeply. "Yes. I'd… I'd love to go on a date with you. But only if you promise to wear that red shirt you look so good in?"

Nick gulped. "I… I can do that."

Sara smiled widely. "Alright then."

"I'll call you," Nick said, still looking bewildered.

"Tomorrow?" Sara asked, maybe a bit too quickly.

"Careful, you don't want to sound too eager," he teased.

"I just wondered…," Sara trailed off, fidgeting slightly.

"Yeah, I'll call you later, you know, so you don't have a chance to see sense and change your mind," he joked.

"I'm not likely to do that. If anyone's going to see sense, it'll be you."

"Nope, that's not going to happen," Nick shook his head. "It's taken me this long to get this far, I'm not backing out now."

"So we're actually going to do this?"

"It would definitely seem that way," Nick smiled.

Sara stepped out into the hallway as she addressed Nick for the last time. "Speak to you later."

And she was gone.

Thank you for reading. Last part up tomorrow. Review please.