When his lips descended on hers, Sara was pleasantly surprised. But left bewildered when it ended all too quickly and he moved away. She looked at him and tried her best not to chuckle. He was looking down at the carpet and looked like a little boy that was waiting for his mother to punish him for something he had done wrong.

Sara's sense of mischief came into play and she leaned close to Nick and whispered 'Was that the best you could do Nicky?' She chuckled as his head snapped up and he looked at her in shock. Deciding to speed things up, Sara put her lips to his.

She slid her hands into his hair and deepened the kiss. Nick gave in to the temptation that was Sara and gave his all, hoping that she would get what he could not yet put into words.

As they broke apart, Sara laid her head on Nick's chest and snuggled closer to him on the couch. She took his hand into hers and put their entwined hands on her stomach as she waited for him to speak. She knew that he had something he wanted to tell her, and she wished it was what she had been waiting to hear.

To tell the truth, Sara had always had a soft spot for Nick. He was her rock, a good friend that had always been quietly supportive. He was also one of the few people that could flirt blatantly with her or tease her and get away with it relatively unscathed.

After the graveyard shift was split up, they had not seen much of each other and had unconsciously started to drift apart. But when she had shouted at Catherine and been suspended, Nick had shown up at her doorstep. From that point on, they were closer than ever.

It had even reached the point where Sara felt that she was starting to fall for her best friend. Before she could do anything about it however, yesterday happened. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought that anything like that could happen to one of their own on the job. And the fact that it was Nick had made it all the harder to take in.

It had hurt so much to watch the man who meant so much to her struggle to stay alive. It was such a relief when they had gotten him out. But she knew that the emotional scars ran deep and he would be affected by this for a long time. She hoped that he would give her a chance to help him through it. She hoped that he would give them a chance, whatever that may be.

'Nick.'

'Yeah?'

'I so glad you're ok.'

'Me too, Sara, me too.'

She felt him shift and move their positions a little so that he could look at her. 'Sara, I…ah…would you…like to … go…onadatewithme?' Nick stammered before finishing in a rush.

At that, Sara laughed out loud. He was just so cute when he was nervous. 'Oh Nicky…'

Nick thought that a rejection was coming and disentangled his hands from Sara's, trying to get away and lick his wounds in private. But Sara tugged him closer and whispered in his ear.

'I had been waiting for you to say that for some time now. The answer's yes. I'd love to.'

Nick stopped in his tracks and looked at her. What he saw in her eyes erased his doubts and took his breath away. She was looking at him with a smile on her face and a look in her eyes that he hoped was love-- for him. To him, she never looked more beautiful, although she had tear stains on her face and looked as though she had not slept for days.

He pulled her into an embrace and kissed her, wanting to feel her, to make sure that this was true and not a dream. Sara Sidle had just agreed to go out with him, Nick Stokes. Maybe there was hope for them yet. It was still too early to tell, but Nick hoped that whatever happened between them -- was something special.

A/N: Let it be said that I'm not too pleased with the ending, but my muse, having been on an extended holiday, is not yet in fully functional mode and run out of steam at the end. This is where my story ends and I have no plans to continue this, simply because I have no idea how to. Thanks for reading and reviewing!