Sara didn't want to show it, but she was full of doubts about her newfound relationship with Nick. They'd been dating for a little over a month and while he was constantly telling her that she was beautiful and his kiss could make her forget her name, she had this nagging doubt that she was not really the kind of woman that he wanted to be with. Part of that came from the family that she had grown up in and part of that came from the fact that she had always derived her significance and security from her intellect and having someone focus on something other than that felt foreign. She hadn't told Nick how his doting made her feel because she wasn't sure he would understand, but then one night while they worked a case together, things came to a head as they ran into a woman that Nick had dated several years before, and as Sara watched Nick talking and laughing with her for a few moments, she estimated that this woman was everything that she wasn't and her insecurity began to run rampant.

They were on their way back to the lab to log in evidence and then spend some time together before they went their separate ways to get some sleep. Sara seemed unusually quiet and Nick kept stealing glances at her as he drove. He had known her long enough to know when to give her a little space, but at this moment he wasn't sure that was what she needed. Something else was going on here, but he just wasn't sure what to say.

As they pulled into the parking lot of the lab, the vehicle had barely stopped when Sara jumped out and strode purposely towards the building, leaving Nick to bring the bags of evidence in. He very methodically carried the bags in and logged them into evidence, knowing that Sara was upset and he had a feeling that it had something to do with running into Kira.

He was in love with Sara, there was no doubt about it in his mind, but she seemed to doubt it, but he felt deep down that the reason she doubted the security of his love for her had nothing to do with him and everything to do with something that had happened in her life. As he logged in the last bag of evidence, a smile stole across his face. He was a patient man, and he could wait as long as it took for her to be sure, but for the moment he needed to do some damage control and reassure her so that she could let go of her doubts.

He found her sitting on the bench that ran the length of the locker room with her locker door open. He sat down next to her and nudged her elbow with his. "Hey." He grinned at her.

She glanced up and smiled. She loved looking at that face of his. No one had a smile quite like Nick Stokes and every time he directed it at her she felt her heart skip a beat. "Hey." She leaned over and softly kissed him, letting out a sigh as she pulled away. The more time she spent with him the more she felt pieces of her heart slipping out of her control and into his. The closer they got, the more risky this whole venture felt to her; she was afraid that he'd wake up and realize that he'd made a mistake and leave her, just like every other man she'd ever cared for had.

Nick looked at her with concern. "You ok? You left pretty quick." He knew that she had to tell him what was going on in her time, but he also needed to let her know that he was ready to listen.

"I'm sorry." She glanced at her hands which she held in her lap. "I just needed a few minutes alone." She knew she owed Nick more of an explanation than that, but she didn't want to do it there in the middle of the locker room.

Nick's voice was soft and reassuring. "Look, I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but I just want you to know that I'm in love with you. I don't want any other woman but you, Sar."

Sara felt the corners of her mouth tug upwards. He had this endearing habit of being able to read her like a book and at times she found it annoying, especially when she wanted to hide how she was feeling. Being transparent with someone was scary as hell. "I know you love me." She looked over at him, her eyes pleading with him. "Can we get out of here and just spend some time alone?"

Nick grinned at her and whispered. "Yeah." He leaned over and kissed her. He looked into her eyes as he pulled away. "Are we still going over to my place?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Later they sat on Nick's couch finishing up the remnants of breakfast as they watched TV. Sara had been quiet the entire time they had been eating and as she set her plate on the coffee table, Nick decided to test the waters to see if she'd tell him what was bothering her. He set his plate down and then reached over and caressed her cheek, a smile spreading across his face. "You are so beautiful to me."

Sara stiffened at his touch and let out a sigh. She wanted so desperately to believe his words and she felt her emotions getting the best of her.

Nick furrowed his brow. "Hey, what's wrong?" He looked truly worried about her.

She couldn't quite look at him. "This is all so overwhelming and I'm just not used to being told that I'm beautiful." She braced herself for his response.

Nick pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

Sara's voice began to waver. "I just keep thinking that you're going to wake up and realize that you want someone else and I don't know if I could handle that." She let out a sniffle as she began to realize what she was saying.

Nick kissed the top of her head. "I don't want anyone else."

"I mean your parents have been married for so long and your family sounds so nice and my family is this huge disaster and you don't know anything about them. I'm afraid of what you'd think if you met them." Sara sounded small and vulnerable.

Nick pulled her a little closer. "Hey, part of who you are is because of who they are and I love you; all of you. I'm not going to stop loving you because you think your parents are a little wacko."

"Completely wacko is more like it." Sara quipped with a snort.

Nick let out a chuckle. "Sar, I've known you for a long time, and the longer I know you the more I love you."

She relaxed against him and a smile began to spread across her face as she came to a satisfying realization. A realization that explained why she had felt so riddled with doubt for the last few weeks. She didn't want to lose Nick, and the closer they got, the more it would hurt if something went wrong. She pulled away and looked up at him. "Nick?"

"Yeah?" He looked down at her as he held her in his arms as they sat on the couch, he just couldn't get over how beautiful she looked to him and it made him smile.

She didn't waver, she simply smiled. "I love you."