A/N: Sooo… A Christy, I guess I win, huh? ;) Muahaha! And I know just what my prize can be- a new chapter from you! (hint, hint!)

Thank you for the reviews, and a special thanks to those who offered me coffee and cookies ;)

Oh yeah, and what is with these freakin' words always sticking together?

Nick drove to Sara's place as smoothly as he could, not wanting to wake her up in the back seat, checking up on her in the rear-view mirror every few minutes. He contemplated driving Sara back to her own place, using his spare key she'd given him soon after they became friends, but decided it would be just as easy to bring her back to his house; she could take his bed, and it would save him having her pick her up the next morning. He made a last-minute turn and headed for his own residence, which he figured, being one-storey, would be easier to carry Sara through anyway.

He pulled into his paved driveway, and then went carefully around to the back door to retrieve his slumbering passenger, being careful not to wake her. She didn't stir as he leaned down and unbuckled her. He pulled her gently from the seat, one arm wrapped around her back and the other resting against the backs of the thighs, pulling her close to him. He smiled to himself at the comfortableness of their close proximity, and the way she lay her head sleepily against his shoulder, her hair tickling his neck. Her arms rested lightly around his back, and he could faintly smell her subtle perfume. Swinging around to close the car door as silently as possible, he couldn't help but think to himself about how comfortable, and natural, it felt, having her in his arms. He found himself stroking her lower back gently at the thought, as he walked slowly up to his front door, and let himself in.

For a moment, he thought about leaving her to sleep on his fold-out sofa in the study, but decided it would be too much work to set it up without waking her, and went with his original plan of just leaving her in his bed to get some evidently much-needed sleep. He could sleep on the couch, or just sleep beside her in the bed, although he wasn't going to let his mind wander too much on that thought. Instead, his busied himself with planning to get her a spare towel and toothbrush for later on in the day, when they had to go back to work.

He entered the bright light of his bedroom, pulling back the cover on his king-sized bed and lying Sara lightly down. He eased her shoes off, and she let out a sigh in her lethargic state, before instantly curling her legs up and rolling over to face the side of the bed where he stood. With her lips slightly parted, her lay splayed across the pillow, and her hand resting delicately beside her face, he couldn't help but think of anything other than how beautiful she really was. He wondered if choosing to sleep in the bed with her would be too bold a move at this stage in their developing friendship- was this any more than a friendship? With his head full of questions, he decided it was probably a better idea to take the sofa, instead of lying awake next to the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He pulled the soft blanket up to her shoulders, stroked her cheek lightly and then kissed her hair, whispering softly to her. "'Night, Sara."

He grabbed his necessities from his en suite bathroom and dresser as quickly as possible, closed the curtains, and then left the bedroom entirely, closing the door behind him. He returned not more than ten minutes later, in boxers and a loose grey t-shirt, having left his alarm clock on his bedside table, and not wanting to sleep in for work later on, as he had accidentally done a couple of times during the summer. He walked over to get it, and was surprised to see Sara staring up at him, a sleepy smile on her face before she spoke.

"Hey."

"Hey. I'm sorry I woke you."

"I don't think you did." She stretched herself out a little. "Uh, how come I'm at your place?"

"You fell asleep while filing your shift report." Nick smiled at the memory. "You looked so exhausted, so I figured I'd take you home. I was gonna drop you at your place, but I figured here was just as easy. I have towels and stuff, and you have some extra clothes at work, right?"

Sara smiled at his kindness, speaking softly to him. "Yeah, I do. Thanks. For… everything." She yawned, half-closing her eyes. "You're so sweet."

Although assuming her not-fully conscious state was affecting her thoughts a little, Nick still felt his heart leap at her remark. He stroked her hair. "Get some rest, 'kay?"

"Mmm." She suddenly flicked her eyes open to look at him as he turned to leave the room. "Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"I feel bad about taking over your bed."

"Don't you even worry about that, sweetheart."They both smiled at his use of the affectionate nickname."I'll come wake you up later tonight." He grabbed his alarm clock and stepped towards the door, flicking the switch on as he walked.

Sara didn't say anything for a moment, then called after him again. "Nick?"

Nick turned around, a look of amusement on his face. "Yes, Sara?"

Although she couldn't exactly explain herself, Sara again found herself not wanting him to leave. She spoke quietly. "Do you want to sleep here?"

"Sara, I told you, it's okay. The bed's really comfy, and you need the sleep–"

She interrupted him. "No, I don't mean…" She suddenly found herself unable to actually say what she was thinking, without it sounding rather like something else. Not that she'd be protesting to either idea, but this was not the time, place or scenario to be discussing such matters. She looked away awkwardly, hoping he'd understand what she was trying to say, as he always did.

Hoping he wasn't misinterpreting what Sara was saying, Nick just looked at her for a moment, the silence in the air making Nick wish he could say something, and Sara wish she hadn't said anything at all. Nick finally decided to say what he'd originally been planning to, before wondering if it was perhaps too forward for their current situation. He tilted his head and gave her a lopsided grin, causing Sara to breathe a sigh of relief. "Well, the bed would be comfier than the couch…" He raised his eyebrows in caution. "You sure?"

"Positive." Sara smiled happily. She spoke more quietly as he climbed in beside her, placing his clock on the bedside table. 'Thank you for letting me crash here."

"No problem. When you fall asleep at work, I know you must be tired." They both chuckled, before Nick turned on his side to look Sara in the eye as he spoke to her more intently. "Seriously, Sara… you're the girl who stays up for three days straight without a second thought. You not been sleeping well lately?"

Sara sighed inwardly, hearing the question shed been praying no one would ask her. She answered truthfully, surprising Nick and herself, especially after she'd promised herself that she'd snap into vigorous denial if anyone asked her what was wrong. "I've just had a lot on my mind these past few weeks."

Nick smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, I bet." He thought about asking why she hadn't talked to anyone about it, but decided against it, already knowing what her answer would be. "But you're doing okay now?"

"Y'know, I am, actually. Thanks to you." She reached out under the blanket and squeezed his hand. He smiled at her.

"Good. To be honest, I was worried about you, these past few weeks. You didn't seem like yourself." Sara sighed self-consciously.

"Yeah, I figured. But since nobody asked me about it, I figured no-one really cared, so I didn't see much point in going to whine to anyone." Nick could hear the loneliness in her tone, and his heart filled with regret.

"Oh, Sara, I'm sorry– "

She stopped him suddenly, squeezing his hand a little tighter. "Don't be. I should have known that you'd be there for me. And you were." She yawned as she spoke, the both of them closing they eyes. "What would I do without you?"