Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Dedication: To all the Snickers out there, but especially Space-Case7029 and LisaMR. I hadn't even planned on continuing this, but you asked for it, so here it is!

A/N: Well this is a little bit late, but I decided to go on and continue this fic with Christmas Day. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, "Secret Santa," and all those who have reviewed my other stories. You guys rock! The final chapter, "New Year's Eve," should be up (hopefully) before the 31st. And on with the story…

Chapter 2 Christmas Day

Sara found herself standing nervously in front of Nick's front door Christmas Day. She smoothed out the invisible wrinkles on her cranberry sweater while waiting for Nick to answer his door. The butterflies in her stomach had been working overtime the past several days; she tried to reason it was only a coincidence that she felt them whenever she was thinking about, or in close proximity, to Nick. He had absolutely nothing to do with it; nothing at all.

So why did her stomach somersault when he answered the door, looking so nice in his jeans and snug black sweater?

"Hey Sar, Merry Christmas," Nick greeted her with a smile as he ushered her into the foyer. The modest sized living room was decorated cheerfully for the season, with a few strands of garland hanging over the fireplace, and a tiny lighted Christmas tree in the corner. Nick had even hung two stockings on the mantle; one for himself, and one for his giant golden retriever, Lucky. She worked hard to crush her verging-on-dangerous-territory thoughts as she settled herself on the couch between Warrick and Greg.

"So can we eat now? I'm starving," Warrick proclaimed as he pulled Sara back up and towards the kitchen.

Sara swatted his shoulder as they entered the kitchen. "You guys didn't have to wait for me."

"Yeah we did," Greg grumbled, "Nick wouldn't let us raid his fridge until you got here."

Nick rolled his eyes as he began pulling food from his fridge. "Manners Greg; you should learn them sometime."

Sara tried to suppress a smirk as she watched Nick, Warrick, and Greg assemble massive turkey sandwiches while bantering back and forth. She missed the closeness of the shifts at the lab, more than she would ever admit to anyone.

"Hey Sar," Nick called, pulling her out of her thoughts, "I didn't forget about you. What do you want on this thing? I've got hummus…"

"What, No tofurkey?" Greg teased. Sara gave him a playful shove as she pushed past him and grabbed the plate from Nick's hands. She would take the moments when she could get them.

Several hours, and two football games later, Sara found herself nearly asleep between Nick and Greg. She would never understand her friends' fascination with the sport, and had given up trying to follow the game a half hour before. Instead she laid her head back, resisting the urge to let it fall "accidentally" onto Nick's shoulder, and listened to the three guys discuss players and shout when someone scored. She vaguely heard Greg and Warrick arguing about one of the team's chances in the playoffs, and the next thing she knew Nick was gently shaking her awake.

As her eyes fluttered open, she saw him smile, and prayed that she hadn't drooled, or snored, or done anything else particularly embarrassing, during her nap.

"Ah, Sleeping Beauty awakes," Greg commented, nudging her in the side.

Warrick chuckled. "Yeah, another five minutes, and Greggo here thought he would try to wake you up another way."

"Hey, everyone knows that Sleeping Beauty won't awaken until her true love gives her a kiss. I was just going to do my part to help the effort…"

"Yeah, Greg, and take your life into your own hands in the process. It would have almost been worth it to let you try though, just to see Sar here kick your ass." That comment earned both Warrick and Greg a glare as Nick watched with amusement. Warrick glanced over at him for help, but Nick merely held up his hands.

"Nope, you two started this. I'm staying out of it."

"Way to have my back there Stokes. Alright man, I'm out. I told my grandmother I'd stop by tonight. You ready to go Greg?"

Greg nodded and got up to gather his things. After giving Sara a hug and kiss on the cheek, Warrick and Greg headed for the door. Before leaving, Warrick turned around and shot Sara and Nick a grin.

"Besides Greg, I think Nick would have killed you, if you kissed her before he did…"

With that, the door slammed shut, leaving a stunned Sara and Nick sitting in the living room. Sara could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks, and she was sure she would see the same stain on Nick's if she dared to look over. After a few awkward moments of silence, Nick cleared his throat and stood up.

"I…uh, I should start cleaning some of this up. I'm going to get a garbage bag."

Sara watched Nick retreat into the kitchen, trying unsuccessfully to bite back a grin at the sight of Nick so unnerved. She found herself happy that Nick could become so flustered simply from Warrick's comment, and the idea that Nick might actually want to kiss her…well she couldn't say she would be opposed to the idea.

By the time Nick returned to the living room, Sara had begun to gather up the plates and cups that had accumulated over the course of the day. He smiled at her sheepishly, and she just grinned back at him. The tension dissipated slightly as Nick gathered up empty bottles and chip bags while Sara worked on the dishes they had used. She was just finishing up washing when Nick came into the kitchen and picked up a dishcloth.

"You didn't have to do that Sara…I would have gotten to them eventually."

Sara waved him off as she grabbed her own towel. "It's no big deal. You fed and entertained us; it was the least I could do."

"No. The least you could have done was bring some of those cookies," Nick teased.

"Who says I didn't?" Sara lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Maybe I was just saving them for when Greg and Warrick left…"

A huge grin broke out across Nick's face, and Sara was happy to see the tension disappearing between them. She was surprised at how calm she was herself; she thought she should have more doubts about the way things seemed to be changing between her and Nick, but instead she was content to see where things might go.

"Well, what do you say I finish up the drying here, and then we watch a movie and polish off those delicious cookies of yours? Unless you need to get home…"

"No, I think a movie sounds good. But really, I'm almost done, I can finish these up…"

Sara was surprised by arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her away from the sink. In her attempt to wriggle out of his hold, she ended up pinned between Nick and the kitchen sink. Looking up, she realized the proximity of his lips to hers, and her breath caught in her throat. His eyes locked on hers, and she felt herself drawn magnetically towards his waiting lips. Her eyes closed in anticipation as she waited for his lips to meet hers in a kiss that she had only recently realized she'd been waiting forever for, when she was startled by a shrill ringing.

The moment passed, and as Sara opened her eyes, Nick smiled ruefully at her while he braced himself against the sink.

"Why don't you go find a movie, and I'll get that," he sighed, gesturing to the phone, and lifting one of his arms so that Sara could pass. She nodded, letting out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, and headed into the living room.

As she grabbed the tinfoil wrapped cookies from her purse and settled onto the couch, Sara let her mind linger over what had almost happened in the kitchen. She subconsciously began to play with the locket around her neck. By the time she had found a movie playing on TV, Nick had returned and plopped down on the couch next to her. They looked at each other tentatively before silently agreeing to talk about what had almost happened later on.

"Warrick left behind his phone, he's going to pick it up tomorrow. And you had to pick this movie, didn't you," Nick smirked.

"It's a classic!" Sara defended her choice.

"Only one that has been on a million times since Thanksgiving."

"Hey, you said I could pick…you can pick the next movie we watch."

A wide grin spread across Nick's face. "Next movie, huh? Fine, but only because it's you…and by the way, that necklace looks really nice on you."

Sara gave him as a soft smile as she blushed and fingered the necklace one more time before letting it fall back against her throat. She tried to concentrate on the movie, but with Nick in such close proximity to her, it proved to be difficult. It didn't help matters when he reached out and grasped her hand in his.

"Hey Sar?"

"Hmm?" she responded hazily, extremely aware of the sensation of their two hands entwined.

"I was wondering…do you have any plans New Year's Eve?"

Sara shook her head and smiled as she rested back against the couch. And this time, she did lean her head against his shoulder and snuggled in to watch the remainder of the movie.

What did you think? Send it in a review please!!!