They descended the steps to the lower deck where their table was and realized at that moment that the boat was quickly approaching the marina. Sara cast a regretful glance at Nick and he let out a soft chuckle as he squeezed her hand.
"I had a good time too." He grinned at her and was rewarded with a smile that revealed the gap in her front teeth.
Sara found herself leaning her head against Nick's shoulder, oblivious to the rest of the crowd as they waited in a meandering line until they could disembark. Hand in hand they made their way off of the boat and out to the parking lot where the Porsche Nick had borrowed was parked. After settling Sara in the passenger seat, he jogged around to the driver's side, overhearing a comment just before he opened the door.
"Now there's a guy looking to get laid. I knew Stokes was only going out with her to get into her pants." Hanks voice carried farther than he probably realized.
"Hank, shut up, that wasn't very nice." Elaine had a bit of exasperation in her voice.
Nick glanced over to see the newly engaged couple in an argument over his motives with Sara. He shook his head and opened the door, glancing over and grinning at Sara as he slid behind the wheel of the sports car. He was so glad that she hadn't ended up with that self absorbed jerk; he was only sad that she'd gotten hurt in the process.
"So, what do you want to do when we get back to my apartment?" Sara looked at him, her smile still wide and bright.
"Do you want to rent a movie?" His eyebrows arched as he looked at her quizzically.
Sara reached over and rested her hand on his arm, caressing it with her thumb. "Sounds good. There's a video store near my apartment if you want to stop there."
Nick reached over and placed his hand over hers for a moment, giving it a quick squeeze before turning the key in the ignition. "It's a plan then."
They shared the drive in a comfortable silence. After they'd gotten out on the main highway, Nick had reached over and taken Sara's hand in his, only letting go when he needed to downshift. As they approached the city, however, he turned his attention to the thicker traffic and followed Sara's directions to the video store.
Walking up and down the aisles of the large video rental chain store, they browsed the different titles, exchanging soft touches and smiles.
"Hey, this is a good one." Nick held out the DVD case to 'About a Boy' to Sara, his hand resting in the small of her back.
Sara let out a chuckle and leaned against Nick. "I heard about this one, but I've never had a chance to see it."
His ever present grin spread across his face as he reached over and tucked a curl behind her ear. "Ok, then, let's get it."
They waited in a relatively short line, their hands linked together, and then paid the rental fee before heading back out into the parking lot. They had only been in the video store about a half an hour, but in that time it appeared that a man sitting in the driver's seat of a BMW had been shot because several police vehicles and a CSI Denali were in the parking lot a few cars down from where Nick had parked the Boxster.
They exchanged a glance and made their way over to where they saw Grissom and Catherine standing near the crime scene tape; Nick and Sara both a bit oblivious to the fact that they were still holding hands.
Catherine saw them approaching and did her best to keep her smile at bay as she noticed their linked hands. "Little dressed up for a crime scene."
Grissom glanced over at her a bit perplexed as to what she was talking about until he followed her gaze to Nick and Sara. His eyebrows went up in surprise, not only at the two of them holding hands, but at the dress Sara was wearing. He had seen her dressed up a few times at holiday parties the department held each year, but that dress was something else. "You two have the night off. What are you doing here?" He furrowed his brow, realizing that he hadn't seen either of their cars in the parking lot.
Nick gestured towards the building. "Uh, we were renting a movie and noticed you guys here when we came out."
Grissom noticed that the pair was still holding hands. He looked at Sara quizzically. "Are you two on a date?" There was a hint of accusation and disbelief in his voice.
Sara smirked at him, somewhat pleased that the dress she was wearing would in fact have gotten its desired reaction out of him, but also in irritation that he obviously thought she would have waited around for him forever. She squeezed Nick's hand before letting go. "As a matter of fact, we are."
All restraint Catherine had put on her smile was released as it spread across her face. "So you dressed up to rent a movie." Her comment was designed to get a little more information out of the pair.
Nick shook his head in response. "No, we went on a dinner cruise on Lake Mead and decided to rent a movie on the way back."
Catherine mouthed 'I want to hear more later' as she turned to begin processing the car.
Grissom furrowed his brow and gestured towards the BMW. "Did either of you see anything out of the ordinary?"
Nick shook his head. "I don't recall seeing the car when we pulled in." His expression became a bit sheepish as he looked over at Sara. "But then, I wasn't really paying attention to the rest of the cars in the lot."
Sara felt a blush color her cheeks. "Uh, I know I didn't see it, I think an SUV was parked there when we pulled in. I remember that Nick was worried that the guy was in a hurry to leave and was going to back out and hit the car."
Grissom glanced at Nick with a curious expression. "Where are you parked?"
Nick gestured towards the gray Boxster. "Over there."
Just then, Greg jogged up, his expression a mixture of delight and disappointment as he noticed Nick and Sara's attire. "Hey, guys." He nodded in acknowledgement of Nick and Sara, taking an extra long glance at Sara before turning to his boss. "Grissom, the only car I can't find the owner for is the hot Porsche over there." He pointed towards the Boxster.
"I'm the driver of the Porsche." Nick admitted sheepishly. "It belongs to a buddy of mine and I borrowed it for tonight."
Greg's grin widened mischievously. "Are you two on a date?" He held out a faint glimmer of hope that the answer would be 'no'.
Nick smiled at Greg as he felt Sara slip her hand into his again. "Yeah."
Catherine walked back up. "Grissom."
Grissom turned, noting her knitted brow.
"I don't think he was shot here." She gestured towards the car.
Grissom looked at Nick and Sara one last time before turning and following Catherine. "Give Brass a statement before you leave." Neither of them saw the wistful expression on his face as he walked away.
Greg took in Sara's appearance again and smiled a little too wide. "So, Sara, how come you went on a date with Nick and you wouldn't go out with me?"
Before Sara could answer, Nick interjected. "Greg man, save yourself a little dignity."
The inordinate amount of attention was making Sara a little self conscious and she squeezed Nick's hand to get his attention, looking into his eyes as she spoke. "Let's go give Brass our statement so we can get out of here."
"Ok." He flashed her a grin and let go of her hand, resting it in the small of her back as they headed in the direction of the homicide detective, oblivious to the several sets of CSI eyes watching them as they walked away.