When Nick finally got home, Sara was sound asleep on the couch in her pajamas. The TV was on, and Harley was crouched below the screen, watching the images flashing by. Remembering that Harley had soiled Sara's sheets, Nick headed towards the laundry room only to find that they seemed to be somewhere in process. He lifted the lid of the washing machine and then opened the dryer to finally locate the freshly washed bedding.

He glanced over at Sara and felt a smile pulling the corner of his lips upward as he carried the sheets and blankets into the guest room and began to make the bed. When he emerged a few minutes later, Harley was stalking across the living room carpet towards one of Sara's feet which was dangling off of the couch. He intercepted him before he had a chance to pounce and picked him up. He talked to the kitten in a whisper. "Hey, little man, I hope you've been keeping Sara company, one of us had to work late."

He had the cat at eye level and didn't notice that his voice had caused Sara to stir until she let out a sleepy laugh at the way he was talking to the cat. "How was your case?" Sara began to sit upright on the couch.

Nick gave her a tired smile and sat down on the couch next to her, putting Harley on the floor. "It was ugly, but then aren't they all. This guy shot two of his kids because his wife was cheating on him and then he shot her when she called 9-1-1. He turned the gun on himself when PD showed up. Fortunately, he was the only fatality. Looks like the kids and the woman will recover. How was your missing persons case?"

Sara let out a yawn. "Dead end. We had a couple of leads, but they didn't yield much. Hopefully she just went out with a friend and wasn't smart enough to call anyone. We sure don't need another Julie Waters."

Nick nodded in agreement. They had both worked that case initially before it had become a high-profile media frenzy and Catherine had taken it over; the ending for Julie Waters hadn't been a happy one. "Is your cell phone not working?"

Sara smirked. "The battery died. I forgot to charge my phone. Sorry I didn't get your message; Catherine told me you were trying to get a hold of me."

He had a serious expression on his face. "I was just wondering how your night went, that's all." He wanted to tell her that he was worried about her, that it had been hard for him to concentrate on his case because she wasn't there, but then he thought that she'd probably think he was being overprotective, and she was right, so he left it at that.

Sara could pick up on his worry as his brow furrowed a bit and read between the lines. She let out a sigh. "Nick, I know you mean well, but I'm going to be fine, even if you're not there."

He looked at her a bit sheepishly. "Can I help it that I care about you?" He almost laughed at good she was at reading his mind. Sometimes it was scary the way she finished his sentences too.

"I know you do." Sara's smile was simple. "I care about you too." She studied him for a long moment and then decided that she really needed to tell him what she'd intended to after her appointment with Dr. Colby. "Nick?"

There was that tone again that cause a sinking feeling in the pit of Nick's stomach. He tried to keep his tone light. "Yeah?"

Sara bit her lower lip for a fraction of a second before she spoke. "When I talked to Dr. Colby yesterday afternoon, he gave me a couple of suggestions."

"And what was that?" Nick didn't want his voice to betray the disappointment that was forming.

That expression that Nick found so endearing and utterly girlish crossed Sara's face. "He thought maybe it would be best if I moved back to my apartment."

Nick couldn't hide a flash of disappointment before he smiled softly. "He did? Are you ready for that?" He knew that it was inevitable, but he didn't think that he was ready for her to go back.

Sara wasn't sure if it was his disappointment or his smile that caused her to falter momentarily. "Uh, I don't know. I mean, I need to try. I just think it would be a good idea if I wasn't around you all the time."

Hurt flashed across Nick's face, but he didn't say anything.

Sara rested her face in the palm of her hand, silently cursing herself. "That's not exactly what I meant." She lifted her head and smiled at him.

Nick smirked. "Way to give a guy a complex, Sidle."

Sara rolled her eyes, glad that the moment was lightened somewhat. "I just meant that aside from last shift, we've been around each other non-stop since this happened and I, you, uh, we." She suddenly felt like there was no easy way to say what she was thinking and there was no easy out either. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Nick reached over and took her hand giving it an encouraging squeeze. "I think I know what you're trying to say." He smiled at her. "I don't know about you, but I'm confused as hell right now about how I feel about you."

A mixture of relief, amusement and surprise washed over Sara. "Yeah, I think that pretty much sums it up." She studied his face for a moment and then glanced down to where he still held her hand.

He furrowed his brow. "And this isn't really the time to explore this is it?" He knew the answer to his question, but wanted to hear what she had to say.

Sara shook her head and met his gaze. "No, it's not. I've got a lot of things to figure out and I don't think that complicating it with this is a good idea." She knew deep down that if she and Nick decided to cross a line from friendship to something romantic, there was a lot a stake, and she just wasn't ready to do that. She needed time to sort out the issues she was dealing with and to figure out if what she was feeling for Nick was the result of the events of the last week or if it was something deeper.

He smiled at her and let go of her hand. "When do you think you want to move back to your apartment?"

Sara let out a deep breath. "Probably as soon as possible." There was a hint of worry on her face about being alone.

Nick nudged her with his elbow. "You know you can still call me anytime."

She smiled. "I've got Harley too, thanks to you."

He chuckled. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

She leaned against him for a moment. "It's a good thing." She let out another yawn and then stood up. "I'd better get the bedding out of the dryer so I can go to sleep."

Nick stood up and tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. "I already made your bed."

She looked at him a bit surprised. "Thanks." A smile spread across her face as she regarded him for a moment. "Thanks for everything, Nick. I appreciate it more than you know." She loosely wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a hug and then placed a peck on his cheek.

Nick pulled her close for a moment and hugged her back. "Anytime, Sara."