Nick was disappointed to see the diner so crowded; it would mean that he and Sara would have to get their food to go. That was good for the case, but it also meant he wasn't going to be able to test the waters about that date he wanted to take her on.

On the way back out to the Denali, Sara noticed Nick's slightly dejected expression. She elbowed him and smirked. "Why the long face?" Of all of the people that she worked with, Nick had the tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve. She always seemed to be able to tell when something was bothering him.

He smiled at her, not wanting to really tell her the truth. "I was just sort of looking forward to having a little break." It was true; he'd get to the part about asking her on a date another time.

"Slacker." She grinned at him as they climbed into the truck.

He let out a soft chuckle and grinned back.

They took all of five minutes to gulp their food down once they'd arrived back at the lab and then they descended on the AV lab to begin analyzing the surveillance footage. As they watched the first video, it revealed nothing beside the fact that their victim had cut in line and had triggered a stampede towards the door. The second tape, however, was shot from a slightly different angle and as they watched, something became abundantly clear.

"We have another crime scene." Sara muttered under her breath.

"So whoever stabbed her didn't do it because she cut in line, although the way those people were acting earlier, it would have been a good motive." Nick replied rewinding the tape to see if they could catch any more details than they'd gotten the first time.

"That would explain why we didn't find any ID or credit cards on the body." Sara began to think out loud.

"Yeah, I wondered about that. What kind of woman goes to the mall the day after Thanksgiving without her purse?" He glanced over at Sara and smirked. "Or in your case, her crime scene kit."

Sara swatted at him and let out a soft laugh.

Nick leaned back in the chair he sat in. "I think maybe we need to go back to the mall and get a few more security tapes, see if we can spot the primary crime scene."

Sara let out a groan. "Maybe we should wear flack jackets this time."

"Hey, it's not that bad." Nick teased. "I thought you liked the mall." He knew she must shop, he'd seen her wear several new outfits lately and he had to admit that they brought her eyes out and did amazing things for her figure. Of course, he had to also admit to himself that it wouldn't matter what she was wearing, he'd always thought she was attractive.

"I shop." Sara felt embarrassed for some reason. "I just don't like large insane crowds." She reasoned that she'd spent more than enough time in clothing stores lately. She'd been trying to liven up her wardrobe a little bit to see if she could get the attention of the dense man sitting next to her. So far it hadn't worked; he seemed oblivious. Although, he did seem to notice that she'd gone shopping so he must have at least noticed the new clothes.

"You want me to drive this time?" He studied her a bit too intently. Why he hadn't noticed that her eyes were the exact shade of her shirt before this moment he wasn't sure.

Sara looked at him a bit quizzically. The way he was looking at her was making her feel self conscious. "What?"

He looked sheepish at being caught staring. "Uh, your shirt is the same color as your eyes." He hoped that he wasn't getting himself into hot water by saying something; he just didn't know what else to say that would have been plausible.

"Oh." Sara looked surprised that he even noticed her eyes. "You drive." The last thing she wanted to do was focus on her appearance. As much as she had found herself becoming more and more attracted to Nick, she really wasn't sure what she would do if he actually felt the same way.

"Ok." He grinned at her and then gestured towards the doorway. "After you."

Sara stood and then stopped, looking over at Nick. "We should probably get a warrant for those tapes."

"Yeah." Nick found himself staring at her again and quickly cleared his throat and glanced away. "I'll just give Brass a quick call and he can meet us at the mall."

"Sure." Sara felt like she sounded sixteen. Why she was feeling a flutter of butterflies in her stomach all of a sudden she wasn't completely sure and from her estimation Nick seemed to be a little flustered too. "I'll meet you in the parking lot." Fresh air was exactly what she needed at that moment. She needed to remain calm and professional and refrain from swooning, which is what she'd felt on the verge of in the AV lab.

Nick quickly punched in Brass' number and filled him in on what they'd found. He let out a chuckle as Brass informed him that he'd anticipated that and had a warrant in hand and would meet them back at the mall. Nick ended the call and trudged out to the parking lot to find Sara pacing in front of his Denali. He pursed his lips, hoping that he hadn't offended her by noticing her eyes. That wasn't exactly the way he'd pictured testing the waters.

Sara glanced up as he approached and hoped that her face didn't belie the nerves that were forming again in the pit of her stomach.

Nick didn't say anything about her behavior as he climbed behind the wheel and it wasn't until he had pulled out into traffic that he really had any clue that maybe just maybe Sara might be open to that date.

"Why were you looking at my eyes?" The words were out of Sara's mouth before she could stop them. Curiosity had taken over and there was apparently nothing she could do to stop it. She needed to know if there was some chance that maybe Nick might actually see her as something other than a friend and a coworker. She wasn't going to come out and say it, she was going to do her best to read between the lines; that is if she could control her tongue.

Nick felt a sudden flip in the pit of his stomach. He had hoped she wasn't offended, but apparently she was. He knew he was just going to have to face the music so he said the first thing that came to his mind. "Because they're pretty." It was the truth, she had beautiful eyes; it was just that his statement fell far short of the whole truth.

Sara's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she had difficulty restraining the smile that threatened to take over her face. "Oh." She was pleased. Surprised, but pleased.

Nick caught her smile out of the corner of his eye and felt a smile of his own forming. Yes, the waters definitely seemed to be warming. The question was, just when was the time to jump in with both feet?