Disclaimer: see first chapter
A/N: Well, apparently it seems like the updates won't be coming quite as fast as I anticipated, (something about HR forgetting to enter my vacation into the system, so now I've got to wait until the other people in my department get back from their vacations in a couple weeks. Not that I'm bitter, or angry, or anything like that…grrrr) but I'm going to do my best to finish this story up soon. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, you've really pushed me to finish this story. Enjoy!
Two weeks later:
Sara look nervously around the room, making sure that everything was in place. It had taken awhile, but with the help of her friends, Sara had finally gotten settled into her new house. The time she spent folding towels and arranging knick knacks gave her time to really think about her conversation with Catherine. And the more she thought about it, the more that she started to believe that Catherine could be right.
Nick had never done anything to hurt her; Sara didn't even think he had that kind of capability in him. He had been nothing but supportive since she found out she was pregnant, and his admission that he had feelings for her, indirectly as it had been, gave her the confidence she needed that she was doing the right thing. Sara had decided that she was ready to take the next step, and see where things were going between them. Catherine's observation that Nick seemed completely serious about her had made the decision easier, but she still found herself smoothing down the blanket on top of the couch in a nervous gesture, waiting for Nick to arrive.
She had the night off, so she had invited Nick over for dinner before his shift started. Not that it was much different than most nights, Sara realized with a smirk, just this time she would actually be making something to eat, instead of ordering take out or heating up something frozen. She'd spent all afternoon cleaning as much as she could, and working on a homemade spaghetti sauce she'd seen one of the chefs make on the Food Network.
She'd decided to keep it casual, opting to forego candles and music, though she did concede to breaking out one of her nicer tablecloths, and she had lit some candles earlier to bathe the house in a cherry vanilla scent. Dressing up would have seemed out of place, so instead she had picked a pair of jeans and a navy blue v-neck shirt; at this point in her pregnancy, comfort often won out over style, but she figured Nick would at least appreciate the nice view of cleavage provided. She'd often caught him staring at her chest at work, or while they were spending time together, and she couldn't help but laugh at how horrible he was at disguising it.
"Hmmm, whatever it is, it smells good," Nick called out from the foyer, and snapping Sara back to reality. Butterflies swam in her stomach, and this time she knew it wasn't the baby causing them.
Nick appeared seconds later, shrugging off his jacket and shooting Sara a smile. Suddenly, she wasn't as nervous as she had been all day; for some reason, she just knew that things would be okay. One look into Nick's eyes showed her how much he adored her, and that warmed her to the core and banished all the butterflies.
He dropped down next to her on the couch and yawned. "I'm half tempted to call in tonight, but I think Gris would kill me…"
"Did you get any sleep?" Sara felt a little guilty, Nick had spent the morning after their shift helping her finally get the bookshelf in order and sort through the boxes in the spare room, and then he'd had to get up earlier to come and eat dinner with her.
"Yeah, I got some. I just couldn't fall asleep right away," he admitted quietly, "But I'll live, though I'd rather spend the night off with you…" He gave her a quick smile, leaning his back against the couch and closing his eyes.
"Well, why don't you stay here, take a nap, and I'll wake you when dinner's ready. It shouldn't be too much longer."
"No, it's okay," Nick answered, rubbing his eyes, "I can help."
"Nicholas Stokes," Sara replied sternly, pushing him back onto the couch, "you're going to stay right here."
Nick chuckled, but nodded his head. Sara knew that she could still scare him with the power of her glare if need be; it worked with the rest of the team as well, and she liked having that kind of control at times.
"Well, at least let me help you up, or else it could be days before I get dinner."
Sara rolled her eyes. "I am perfectly capable of getting up on my own." To prove her point, she braced herself on the arm of the couch and pushed upwards. Unfortunately, she only got partway up before her balance faltered and she fell back.
"Darlin, that's just not true." Nick stood up and held his hand out to Sara, who grudgingly took it and used it as leverage to rise from the couch.
Twenty minutes later, Sara had lifted everything from the stove and assembled two heaping plates of linguine and sauce, as well as cut the large loaf of garlic bread. After placing everything onto the table, she went to get Nick, smiling when she found him stretched out on the couch, snoring lightly.
Careful not to topple herself, Sara leaned down and tousled his hair a little. "Dinner's ready."
Nick sighed, and opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He ran a sleepy hand across his face and slowly sat up. Sara couldn't help but smile at the adorable picture in front of her, a sleepy Nick Stokes waking up on her couch. Hopefully, after tonight, she'd have the chance to watch him wake up every night, and in some place other than her living room.
Dinner was quiet; Sara was still trying to find the right moment to bring up the subject. She figured that Nick's silence stemmed from still being tired and knowing the long shift he had ahead of him. It didn't seem to affect his appetite, however; Nick had already nearly devoured everything on the plate in front of him.
By the time that Sara finally finished her plate, Nick whisked away the plate and glass from in front of her.
"That was really good Sar, thanks. I'll get these."
Sara shook her head. "Nah, I'll get them later. You can just put them in the sink. We can watch tv or something until you have to go." She smiled up at him as he helped her out of the chair and propelled her gently towards the couch.
He joined her a few minutes later, settling down next to Sara on the couch. She surprised him by snuggling into his side and sighing in contentment.
"What's this about?" he asked, throwing an arm around her and slyly grabbing the remote out of her hand.
"Does there have to be a reason? No…we're not watching PTI…"
Nick flipped through the channels, finally settling on a Law and Order episode. Sara spent the first half of the episode trying to work up the courage to broach the subject of their relationship. At the commercial break, she finally gathered the resolve, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, Nick beat her to it.
"Hey Sar…there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."
Sara tried to bite back the grin that was threatening to overtake her entire face. "Really? I've got something I want to tell you too…but you first."
"I know we've talked about it before, and you weren't exactly receptive to the idea, but…" Nick took a deep breath, and Sara wondered if maybe she wouldn't be the one to start the discussion. "I've been thinking about it, and I really think that you need to tell him. The father I mean. I think he deserves to know."
And that was that. Sara's face fell, and she stiffened beside him as the words hurriedly tumbled from his lips. It was definitely not was she was expecting, and not what she wanted to hear right before she was going to profess her love for him.
She pulled away from him as gracefully as she could, and settled on the other side of the couch.
"I knew you weren't going to like it, but I had to say it. If it were me, I'd want to know. I'd want to be a part of her life…"
"Well, I think we've determined that it's not you Nick," Sara interrupted tersely. "I have my reasons, and the more I think about it, the more I realize it's really none of your business."
From the look on Nick's face, Sara realized her words were akin to slapping him across the face. He sighed and rubbed his hand over his head in frustration. "Look, I better get to work, before either of us says something else that we're going to regret tomorrow, okay? Can you tell me what you wanted to tomorrow? I'll pick you up for shift?"
"I have a doctor's appointment, and then Catherine and I are going baby shopping," she whispered, trying to hold back her tears. Nick stood up from the couch and grabbed his jacket.
"Then I'll see you at work tomorrow."
As Sara heard the door close behind him, she choked on a sob before completely breaking down on the couch.
A/N: I'm evil, I know. But I promise everyone will get their wish soon, so don't start throwing things yet (I'm looking at you, Claire : ) ).