A/N: In the first chapter it says the pairing is Nick & Sara, which means there will be a Nick & Sara pairing. Grissom and Sara are friends. They're allowed to have dinner together.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Grissom debated on what to wear with his date with Sara.  'Wait a minute, this isn't a date.  This is just a dinner with a co-worker.  Right?'  He thought to himself.  Either way, Grissom decided he still wanted to look presentable.  He told Sara that he would pick her up and if he didn't get to going, he was going to be late.  Grissom pulled a navy blue button up dress shirt and a pair of khaki pants out of his closet and quickly changed.

On the way to Sara's apartment, Grissom kept thinking about his phone call earlier with Lady Heather.  She seemed fine until he told her he had plans with Sara.  She hung up the phone rather quickly. He thought for a moment that Lady Heather might be jealous, but he quickly dismissed the idea. She should know by now that there was nothing between himself and Sara. They were friends. Good friends. Nothing was going to change that. But still, he wondered why Lady Heather was acting the way she had been. He made a mental note to call her later and explain to her his relationship with Sara.

Grissom pulled up to Sara's apartment complex, and sat in silence for a moment before getting out of his Tahoe and walking into the building and up to the third floor where she lived. He knocked quietly and stood back, waiting for her to open the door.

          "Hey."  She greeted him with a smile. She moved aside and allowed him access to enter her small home.

          "Hey Sara," he greeted as he walked passed her. He gave her the once over from head to toe and smiled. "You look nice." And she did. Sara was clad in a pair of black dress pants, and a maroon fitted sweater.

          "Thanks.  So do you."

          "Are you ready?"  He asked.

          "Yes, just let me get my keys." She reached past him to a small table sitting just inside the door and grabbed her cell phone and keys. "Ready," she announced. They both exited the apartment, and headed down to Grissom's Tahoe.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Grissom and Sara were seated at a table towards the back of the tiny Italian restaurant. It was just a few miles away from the lab. The whole night shift had been there once before for lunch while discussing one of their many cases.

          "Thanks for having dinner with me."  Sara said, breaking the uneasy silence.

          "You're welcome," Grissom replied. "The last time I came here was when we were all working on that quadruple a few months back. I need to come here more often. The breadsticks are great."

          "I've been one other time besides that. Hank took me. I like it because there's so much more than just meat. So many different pastas and salads," Sara explained as she pushed the noodles around on her plate.

          Grissom watched for another moment before placing his fork down and folding his hands on the table. "Sara," he started. "Is something wrong?"

          Sara knew he was worried about her. Even though he'd probably never admit it. Grissom just wasn't the time to express his emotions. She glanced down at her bandaged hand and sighed. "I wanted to talk to you about my job," she whispered.

          Grissom had to strain to hear her. "What do you mean?"

          Sara looked up and met his gaze for the first time that night. His icy blue eyes bore deep into her soul, and it sent a shiver up her spine. He never had to tell her that he was worried about her, because she could see it in his eyes.

          When she didn't respond, Grissom cleared his throat. "Sara, if this is about the accident-"

          "It is," she stated simply, cutting him off.

          "I wish you'd take a few days, or maybe even a week off. You should be on paid leave, you know? I don't want one of my best CSI's burning out so soon."

          Sara looked back down at her plate. "I was so scared."

          "Sara," there was a pleading tone in his voice that Sara had only heard once or twice in the past.

          "I don't want to quit. I don't want to burn out," she admitted.

          "I know you don't. But you will if you don't take a break." Grissom sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do you remember Pamela Adler?"

          "How could I forget?"

          "Do you remember what I said to you then?"

          "Yes."

          Grissom looked back up at her face. "Well, it's true Sara. You need to get a diversion," he paused for a moment. "And you need to see a therapist."

          "What?"

          "About the accident, Sara. I don't want you to be haunted by that. I don't want to lose you just because you bottled up all of your fears. Please just go make an appointment with her."

          "Do you think it'll help?" Sara asked timidly.

          "Yes, I do. Ask Catherine. She has been to see Dr. Freeman a few times. Remember she was attacked at a crime scene. And now, after the explosion, I'm sure both she and Greg will be going."

          "Greg," Sara breathed. "How is he doing?"

          Grissom sighed. "I'm not sure. You know Greg. He probably won't tell us the truth. Catherine went to see him earlier."

          "I should, too."

          "Yes, you should," Grissom agreed. "I think talking to him could help you as well."

          "Maybe."

          "Sara, it will help you to talk to the people who were also involved. Trust me. And if in two weeks you're still feeling the same, then we can talk about your job. I can cut back on your hours."

          "I hate to admit it, but it might be for the best," Sara whispered.

          "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

          Sara glanced down at her watch. "Oh, I need to get going. I have a doctor's appointment in the morning, and I'd like to try and get a little sleep before then."

          "Yes, you do need to sleep." Grissom motioned the waiter over to get the check and a couple to-go boxes.

          Fifteen minutes later, Grissom pulled his Tahoe up to Sara's apartment building again, and turned the engine off. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call me, okay? I may be your boss, but we were friends before that."

          Sara was silent for a moment as she digested what he was telling her. "Thank you."

          "You'll get through this Sara. You're strong."

          "I know. I'll see you tomorrow night."

          "I wish you'd take the night off." Grissom had that fatherly tone in his voice again.

          "I'll think about it. Good night."

          "Good night."

          Grissom waited until she made it into the building before pulling out of the parking lot and heading back to his townhouse. He was completely oblivious to the dark blue SUV that had been following him the whole night. And he was completely oblivious to the brunette who followed Sara into her building.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Sara entered her apartment, shutting and locking the door behind her. She glanced down at the answering machine, and to her surprise there was a flashing number '3' indicating she had not one, not two, but three messages. She pushed the play button and listened as a soft Texan voice filled the room.

          "Hey, Sara, it's Nick. I just wanted to call and check up on you. Call me tomorrow and let me know how your doctor's appointment went. Okay, well, I'll talk to you later. Have a good night. Bye."

          Sara smiled as his concern for her, and then listened to the second message.

          "Hey, Sar, it's me again. Where are you anyway? I thought you were going to go home and relax. Well, I just thought that if you want, I can go to your appointment with you. I mean, if you want. I don't mind. Give me a call later, and let me know. Bye."

          Sara's smile grew and she picked up the phone and dialed the very familiar number as the third message began.

          But her smile faded as she heard the heavy breathing. She felt a shiver go up her spine, and it wasn't the good kind either. After a few seconds she heard the click of the telephone, and she noticed that she had begun sweating.

          Then Nick's voice broke her thoughts, making her drop the phone she had forgotten she was holding. She picked it up off the ground and with a shaky voice asked, "Nick?"

          "Sara? Is that you?"

          "Yeah."

          "Are you okay? It sounded like you dropped the phone, or something." She could hear the concern laced in his voice.

          "I did. I guess it just slipped."

          He let out a chuckle. "Okay. So what's up? Did you get my messages?"

          "Yes, I did."

          "Where were you tonight?"

          "I went out to dinner with Grissom."

          Nick was silent for a few minutes. "Oh."

          "It's not what you think, Nick. I just wanted to talk to him about my job, and other things."

          "Okay."

          After a few more seconds of uncomfortable silence, Sara spoke up again. "Nick?"

          "Yeah?"

          "I do want you to come with me. To the doctor, I mean."

          "Good. Do you want me to drive you? I'm sure your hand doesn't feel so great when you have to hold the steering wheel."

          "Yeah, that'd be great. My appointment is at-"

          "9:30," Nick finished for her. "I know."

          Sara smiled. "So could you be here around 9:00?"

          "Sure thing."

          "Thanks Nick."

          "Don't mention it. Have a good night, Sara. Get some sleep, and I'll see you bright and early."

          "You too. Good night."

          Sara hung up the phone and walked down the hall to her bedroom. She quickly changed into her flannel pajamas, went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

          She never heard the woman enter her home. She never heard her walking down the hall. She never saw the gun. And by the time her body hit the ground, she was already unconscious.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

TBC

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~