Nick's face was still slightly red when he reached Catherine's Tahoe. He couldn't suppress a grin as he got in the passenger seat and buckled the seatbelt. Catherine smiled at him with a knowing look as she started the ignition. "You still have a smudge right there." Catherine reached over and pointed to the smudge of lipstick on Nick's lips.

The color in Nick's face intensified as he reached up and wiped the last trace of Sara's lipstick from his lips. "Uh, I guess it's pointless to try and hide."

"I told you I'd figure out what you were hiding, Nicky. This is me we're talking about." Catherine replied with a wink.

Nick chuckled. "That's why you're one of the best."

"Just one thing, Nick." Catherine looked over with concern etched on her face.

"What's that, Cath?" Nick replied.

"Since when did Sara stop having a thing for Grissom?" Catherine was clearly concerned that Nick was in for a broken heart.

Nick turned toward Catherine with a serious look on her face, "Since she finally realized that Grissom just doesn't see her that way."

Catherine raised an eyebrow, "And how did this happen?"

"You're going to have to ask Grissom." Nick replied.

"Ouch." Catherine turned to look at Nick. "He said something to her didn't he?"

Nick's face clouded a bit, "Oh, yeah."

With a roll of her eyes, she replied, "Grissom can be such an ass!"

A smiled tugged at the corners of Nick's mouth, "You said it, I didn't."

"Nick, I've known Grissom for 15years. I know he can be an ass. I also know that even if he was interested in Sara, he wouldn't do anything about it. Because he's a bigger chicken than he is an ass." Catherine concluded and then smiled remembering the revealing view she had gotten of that very portion of Grissom's anatomy.

She focused back on Nick, "So, how did you two get together?"

Nick blushed. "Right place, right time, I'm still trying to figure it out. She needed a friend and I was there. It just sort of snowballed from there and I'm still not sure how we got here."

Giving him a look only a mother could, Catherine asked, "You haven't slept with her have you?"

With a slightly embarrassed chuckle, Nick calmly replied, "No, Catherine, Sara and I have not slept together, and before you ask, this is not just a fling."

Catherine gave him a sly grin, and raised an eyebrow, "Nicky, you got it bad."

Nick just grinned at Catherine, "Yes, I do."