A/N: Thank for the reviews, peeps (ahhh, my dear A Christy, you're just too much fun to annoy :P ). Sorry this chapter took so long; busy, busy, busy couple of weeks, so thanks for hangin' in there. It also makes one less inclined to write when one ends up jabbing oneself in the eye with one's glasses because one cannot be bothered to take them off while changing into one's pajamas, resulting in slightly blurry vision in one's right eye. Now I'm an insomniac, procrastinating, visually-impaired idiot, I guess. :)
The next few hours at the lab were so busy that neither Nick nor Sara had any time to complain; they worked non-stop on processing everything from their crime scene as the blood evidence was processed. They worked in separate rooms, with hardly a spare moment to even think about each other, though this did provide for fewer distractions from their diligence.
Greg finally matched the DNA recovered from their suspect's house to that of the victim, and their case again Damien Murdock was air-tight. Catherine's triumphant shout from the DNA lab down the hall diverted Nick's energy from the pad of paper he and Ronnie were processing with the ESDA equipment, and he excused himself from the room, walking briskly down the hall to check his hopes were correct in the matching of the DNA samples. He pushed open the glass door and walked in with a smile.
"Cath, tell me he's our guy…?"
Catherine's victorious grin gave her away. "Ahhh, Nicky, you know I hate to tease, so let me just tell you we got him." Her and Nick's heads both turned towards the end of her statement at the sound of the door behind them opening once again, where Sara's smiling face met their own.
"We got him?" Sara's grin grew wider at their nods, and she pumped her fist in the air, ignoring Greg's offer for a high-five. "I'm gonna go see Brass." She raised her eyebrows a little at Nick as she left the room as quickly as she had entered, and Nick coughed awkwardly, hoping desperately that Catherine wouldn't comment. Though her expression indicated she was at least contemplating saying something, her intentions were deflected when her pager suddenly went off. She smiled as she checked it.
"Grissom. Asking if we have any clear leads on the case. That man's instinctual timing is amazing." She chuckled. "I'm gonna go update him with everything. Excuse me." She too left the room, leaving Nick alone with Greg.
"So, Greggo, any chance of a taste of your Blue Hawaiian, as a celebratory cup? I've been drinking the department-provided coffee all shift, and let me tell you-"
Greg interrupted him. "Well, considering I've been working almost thirty-six hours straight, I too could use a little caffeinated pick-me-up. On one condition: Sara joins us." Nick tried to stifle his smile as he patted Greg on the shoulder.
"Never mind, G. Later."
Greg grinned at him as he headed towards the door. "I always knew you liked her."
After Brass confirmed their warrant would be obtained as soon as possible, Nick headed back to the break room to refill his empty coffee mug, although over the double shift he'd already drunk at least seven cups. Checking in at Grissom's office on his way, he saw Catherine and the boss exchange a smirk at something she said, and he decided not to intrude. Instead, he kept walking, and smiled when he saw Sara sitting on the couch through the window of the break room. He pushed open the door, and Sara's expression lit up when she saw him enter.
"Hey."
"Hey." He filled up his mug, and then went to sit beside her on the couch, his tired body unconsciously leaning back into the soft cushion behind him. He turned to face the woman next to him.
"So." He sipped his coffee. "You still up for hanging out after shift?"
He was unpleasantly surprised when Sara groaned exasperatedly. "Are you kidding me?"
Nick was confused. He'd thought…
"Nick, I'm so tired." She elaborated when he still looked like he slightly misunderstood. "All these double and triple shifts are starting to catch up with me." She titled her head at Nick's apparently relieved expression. "What?" He shook his head.
"Oh… nothing. I thought you meant… never mind." He smiled. "I'm tired, too. It doesn't mean we can't hang out." His smile turned into a grin and he grabbed her hand, waggling his eyebrows at her, though stopping when her smile turned awkward. "What?"
"Nick, what is this?"
"What?"
"You and me. What are we doing? What are we?" Sara had tried to fight her analytical mind, but eventually she needed to confirm to herself that what she was getting into wasn't something she would painfully regret later. She needed to be sure.
Nick thought for a moment before he replied. "I don't know, Sara. I mean, what do you want this to be?" He still held her hand, and she tapped one of her fingers against his in thought, sighing.
"I don't know, Nick. I mean… after everything that I've been through recently, I would have thought this was the last thing I'd want to get myself into." She paused, but spoke again before he had the chance to. "But it feels different with you, even though I have no idea what we're doing. I have no idea what making out in the bathroom signifies in your books. I mean, are we… dating?"
Nick smiled thoughtfully. "Would you want to date me?"
Squeezing his hand a little as she spoke, Sara smirked as she answered him. "Okay."
"Okay then."
As stupid as they both felt, sitting alone together in the break room and grinning like idiots at their sudden revelation, they couldn't stop themselves. Nick leaned in to kiss her, and Sara darted her glace to the window behind the couch, leaning to check outside, so that Nick's lips landed on her cheek. She giggled.
"Sorry. It's not that I want to hide anything… I just don't want to be caught doing this here." Nick smiled gently in understanding. He released his hand from hers to stoke her knee, and their peaceful togetherness was suddenly interrupted by Catherine barging in.
"There you are. Brass doesn't think the warrant's gonna be through for at least another twelve hours, and since all the rest of the physical evidence is processed, we're off the clock." Her tired eyes came to rest on Nick's hand resting on Sara's leg, and she exhaled exasperatedly, placing her hands on her hips. "Okay, are you two dating, or what?"
Nick grinned at her. "As a matter of fact, we are. Now, if you'll excuse us…" He stood up, pulling Sara with him, and the two of them made their way to the door, not looking back once.
Taking separate vehicles for the first time that week, Sara followed Nick back to his apartment. Knowing their chances of being called in over the next day were slim, especially since they'd just pulled a double, they'd decided to stay together after shift, after Nick promised Sara that they would actually sleep.
Sara giggled as she walked through Nick's front door and past his kitchen. "You still have the pasta in the sink."
"Oh, yeah. I guess we didn't really get around to eating it, huh?" They both blushed lightly at the memory. "I could heat it up again now, if you want?"
"Oh, I know you could." Nick chuckled at her meaning. "Yeah, pasta sounds good."
"Just make yourself comfortable in the living room. I'll be in in a sec."
"Nah, actually, I think I'd much rather help you in here." She walked over to where he stood at the sink, wrapping her arms around his waist and lying her head against his back, the reality of her exhaustion finally setting in. Nick turned himself around slowly and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against the top of hers. Sara was tall for a woman, but being wrapped up in his strong arms somehow made her feel so small and secure, and so oddly feminine. She smiled to herself.
Nick spoke quietly. "Do you really want dinner?" She shook her head. "Okay. Let's go to bed." He slipped his hand into hers and pulled her gently towards his bedroom. After brushing their teeth and slipping under the covers, Sara snuggled up to Nick and fell asleep almost straight away, feeling more comfortable and content than she had in a long time.