Sara couldn't seem to run fast enough. Her feet pounded the pavement and her heart raced as she gasped for breath trying to outrun her pursuer in the darkness. With every step the footsteps behind her seemed to get closer. If she could just run a bit faster then maybe she could get away. All too soon, she felt something grab her around her ankles as she tumbled to the ground.

She woke with a start and sat straight up in bed gasping for breath, her heart still racing. She hadn't realized that she'd screamed until a few moments later when she heard a soft tap on her door as a groggy but concerned Nick slowly pushed her bedroom door open.

"Sara?" His voice was gentle and he approached her carefully, wanting to make sure she was really awake so he didn't scare her.

She looked up at him wide-eyed still trying to catch her breath.

Nick tentatively sat down on the edge of her bed. "You ok?" He tried to keep his tone soft.

Sara's heart rate was slowing but her breathing was still labored.

Nick reached out and touched her arm. "Do you want to talk about it?" He knew from personal experience that sometimes talking it out helped.

As Sara's breathing began to slow to a normal rate, she considered whether she really did want to talk about it.

Nick smiled softly at her. "You screamed pretty loud, Sar." He gave her arm a squeeze.

As much as she was thankful that Nick was there, she realized that by allowing him to be there, she'd opened herself up farther than she'd realized. When she'd accepted his offer for him to sleep on her couch in case she had another nightmare, the idea was comforting, but now that he was here and reality began to seep in, she realized that she might have to talk about what it was that was causing them, and she wasn't sure that she was ready for that.

Nick could see the inner turmoil reflected on her face. "Hey, you don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to." He understood very clearly how hard it was to reveal your inmost torment, and he knew that pushing Sara would just cause her to push it down even deeper. "Sometimes it helps though."

She blurted out her words. "I couldn't get away." There was a pained expression behind her eyes that spoke volumes to Nick. She wanted to trust him and she felt like if she could explain at least a little bit that maybe he wouldn't push her to tell him everything. "I was running, and I couldn't get away."

Nick rubbed his thumb across her arm in a soothing gesture.

"Something was around my ankles and I fell." She seemed to be breathing more labored again. "They caught me."

"Shh." Nick furrowed his brow and reached out and pulled her into a hug. "You're ok, Sara. I've got you. No one's going to hurt you." He rubbed her back as he felt her relax against him. "It's ok. I won't let anyone hurt you."

The security of Nick's arms was so comforting and felt so safe; Sara just wanted to linger there. She finally pulled away a few minutes later and looked him in the eye. "Thanks, Nick."

He grinned. "That's what I'm here for." He raised both eyebrows in concern. "Do you think you're going to be able to go back to sleep?"

A flash of fear shot through Sara's eyes and she swallowed hard.

Nick noted her expression and reached up and began to stroke her hair. "Sometimes when I can't sleep a drink or two helps."

Sara shook her head. "I can't."

Nick looked at her quizzically.

Sara felt vulnerable as she spoke. "About three months ago I got pulled over for DUI; they called Grissom to pick me up. Technically, I probably should have been cited, but the law had just changed so they cut me some slack because I'm a CSI."

Nick didn't say anything, he just continued to stroke her hair.

Sara bit her lower lip before she looked into his eyes. "It was that night that I went out with you and Warrick to celebrate you getting the promotion."

Nick winced in surprise. "I didn't think you were drunk." His voice was a whisper.

"I didn't go home right away." Sara confessed. "I stopped for a couple more drinks."

"I'm sorry." Nick's expression held remorse.

Sara looked startled. "What are you sorry for?"

Nick furrowed his brow. "For being too wrapped up in myself to not notice that you needed a friend. For gloating about getting the promotion that wasn't."

Sara shook her head. "You deserved that promotion; you worked your ass off."

"I'm still sorry that I didn't notice that you needed a friend that night. Maybe if I had, you wouldn't have gotten pulled over." He knew he couldn't change the past, but as he thought back, he realized that there were signs all over the place that she needed a friend.

"It's not your fault." Sara didn't want him to feel guilty over something that she had already come to terms with as being her fault.

Nick let out a deep breath. "I wasn't the kind of friend I should have been, and I'm sorry for that."

"You're here now." Sara answered softly.

Nick's thoughts returned to why he was there in the first place. "Yeah, I am." He pulled her into another hug. "I care about you, Sara."

Sara stiffened slightly and then relaxed. "I know." She wanted to let him in, to let him care without her putting a wall up. She knew that his feelings went deeper than friendship, but she just wasn't sure she was ready to go there quite yet and allow her heart to risk being broken again.

Nick hugged her tightly for a quick moment and then released her from his embrace. "I should let you try and go back to sleep." He moved to stand up.

"Nick?" Sara looked up at him with a hint of a smile on her face.

"Yeah?" Nick looked at her expectantly.

A genuine smile spread across her face. "Thank you." She cleared her throat. "For being here."

He smiled. "I'll always be here for you, Sara." He turned and left her room, closing the door softly behind him.

Sara lay back down, gathering her pillow in her arms as she closed her eyes and slowly drifted back to sleep.