Wow… I am SO incredibly sorry for taking such a long time updating. Honestly I have been so busy with school and marching band and such. EEK! I really hope all of you are still with me. I hope to NEVER take that long updating again. I also hope to get over this horrible case of writers block…

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I really appreciate it a lot! :)

Three Months – A Week Later

"Are you ready to do this?" Nick asked as he pulled the Tahoe into the parking lot of CSI headquarters.

Sara, brought her gaze up to meet his, and smiled nervously. "We have to tell them eventually. I mean, it's only so long before they start to notice that I've gained a couple of pounds."

Nick turned the ignition off, pulled his keys out and shoved them into his pocket. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I'm not ready"

"What?" Sara asked, shocked.

Nick turned to her, with a tinge of color in his cheeks. "I'm really scared, Sara. I mean… what if Grissom gets mad at us or something? What if we can never work together again? What if-"

Sara brought her finger to his lips, and broke into slight fits of laughter. "Nick, calm down" She smiled.

"How can you be so calm?"

"Think positive, Nick. Grissom can't get mad at us for this." She took his hand in hers and placed it gently on her stomach. "And if we never get to work together again… Well… He'd be making a big mistake, since we're both so good at what we do… And we'd get to see each other at home anyway." She smiled again, this time a little bit broader.

Nick looked into her eyes, and then back down to where his hand was rested on her belly. He gently moved his thumb back and forth making Sara giggle. He looked back up at her, and seeing the twinkle in her eye made him feel more at ease. "Okay. I'm ready now."

The pair hopped out of the Tahoe, and walked together into the building, heading straight for the break room where Warrick, Catherine, and Grissom were sitting around the table, looking over case files. Greg walked in shortly after Nick and Sara arrived, and immediately went towards the coffee pot, to brew another batch for the night shift.

Nick looked over at Sara who looked back at him and winked. "Hey guys?" She started. "We have something to tell you."

Catherine looked up first and smiled wildly at Sara and Nick.

Warrick and Grissom both stopped what they were doing and leaned back in their chairs. "Make it quick" Grissom said. "Shift starts in a few minutes"

"What's up?" Greg asked as put his stash of coffee beans away.

"Well…." Nick started.

"I'm pregnant" Sara cut him off.

Nick looked over at her, surprised that she came out with it so quickly. She just smiled at him, and reached for his hand, gently squeezing it.

"We're pregnant" she corrected herself.

Never in his life had Nick seen this group of people so still and so quiet. Not even when they were all out in the field together… Never. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach start to flutter just a little bit more and the silence was becoming extremely uncomfortable. Sara, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed. 'How does she do that?' He asked himself.

A smile spread across Catherine's face as she rose from her seat and headed for her two younger co-workers. She gave them each a hug. "Congratulations, you guys. I was wondering when you'd tell us. It was killing me keeping it a secret from all of them."

Greg blinked a few times. "You knew?"

Catherine turned to face him, and winked. Then she took the assignment slip Grissom had given her earlier and headed out the door. "I'll wait for you in the car, Warrick" she called before disappearing down the hall.

Greg was the next to approach the two CSIs. "You're her baby's father?" He asked Nick.

"Uh huh"

Greg looked from Sara to Nick, and then back to Sara again. "Congratulations" He pulled Sara into a warm embrace, and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks Greg" she replied.

Greg patted Nick on the back before stepping out of the room and heading back towards his lab.

"So when did this happen?" Grissom asked suddenly.

Nick and Sara exchanged a nervous look.

"Cath's waiting for me. Congratulations guys. If you need anything…. At all" Warrick stood and headed for the door.

"Thanks man" Nick replied blankly.

After Warrick left, Nick and Sara both looked back at Grissom, who still had not moved from his seat at the break room table.

Grissom just looked up at the both of them waiting for them to respond to his previous question. When neither of them spoke he stood up and took a step closer to them. "Well?"

"Grissom, look-" Nick started.

"Don't worry. It won't affect our work" Sara spoke with no emotion in her voice. The smile that had once occupied her face was now gone and replaced with a slight frown.

"This is why you've been calling out sick?" He asked Sara.

She nodded and looked down at her shoes, suddenly finding them extremely interesting.

Without a word, Grissom handed an assignment slip to Nick and left the room.

Nick let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Well, at least they know now"

"Yeah" Sara's voice was barely above a whisper. She moved over to the couch and slumped down, allowing the cushions to swallow her body.

Nick joined her on the couch, and held her hand with both of his. "We had to tell them"

"I know"

"It just sucks that he has to be such an ass"

Sara wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "This is Grissom we're talking about here."

"I know, but why can't he be happy for us? Especially since you're such good friends and all."

Sara shrugged her shoulders and looked down at their joined hands. "You better go"

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I don't need him to be happy for me, Nick. I have us. I have this baby. I have Catherine, Warrick, and Greg. I don't need Grissom." She forced a smile to her lips as she spoke, hoping Nick would believe her.

"Call me if you need anything at all. I don't care what it is… If you need something, call me" Nick said before he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Okay"

"I'll be back later"

"Bye"

Nick stood and walked out of the break room and down the hall to the locker room to gather his kit and jacket. He was working solo tonight on a DB found in a dumpster behind a mall on the strip.

A few minutes after Nick left, Sara wondered out of the break room and towards the parking lot. Technically she had the night off, but she had put in for overtime. Now all she wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed. Grissom probably wouldn't even notice that she'd left, so she didn't bother telling him. Since Nick had driven them to work, she had no way of getting home, so she called for a cab, and within an hour she was back at her apartment, which she still had not completely moved out of. Her bed and most of her furniture were still there. She quickly kicked off her shoes and crawled into bed, finally letting go of the tears that had been wanting to cascade down her cheeks for so long.

~~$~@~$~~

Nick was on his way back to the lab when his cell phone rang, breaking his thoughts about everything: from Sara and the baby to the case he had been assigned. "Stokes"

"Nick, its Grissom. Is Sara with you? I tried her cell phone, but only got her voice mail."

Nick felt his heart rate speed up. "No. She's not with me. She said she was staying at the lab tonight to work on some paperwork that she needed to get done from her case last week."

Grissom took a deep breath. "She's not here, Nick. I called her home phone, but it just rang and rang."

"That's because she lives with me now. She still has the apartment, but there isn't a phone over there anymore." Nick pulled into the parking lot of the lab, and quickly hopped out of the SUV and ran into the building. "Hey" he said breathlessly as he ran into the break room to find Grissom sitting at the table with his cell phone to his ear.

"Oh. Hi" Grissom said hanging up his phone.

"I'll try calling my house." Nick said dialing the number on his cell phone and hitting 'send'. A few seconds later he hit 'end' and threw the phone down on the couch. "No answer"

"Do you know where she could have gone?" Grissom asked.

"She said she was going to stay here. I don't know!" Nick shouted. Then he turned to Grissom. "This is your fault you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"She was finally ready to tell all of you about being pregnant. She was so nervous. And then she finally agreed to do it, and you go and treat her like shit!"

"Nick, lower your voice. If this is anyone's fault, it's yours! Who got her pregnant, Nicky?"

Nick was shocked at Grissom's tone. He took a step back and blinked a few times, registering Grissom's words in his brain.

"Shift's over, Nick. Go home."

"But-"

"Just go"

Without a word, Nick quickly left the lab, and headed for Sara's apartment, hoping to find her there. His mind was full of questions. Like what did Grissom want Sara for anyways? And where did that last outburst between the two of them come from? Grissom was the last person Nick expected something like that from. Whatever it was didn't matter. He just needed to find Sara.

He pulled into the parking lot, and quickly hopped out of the Tahoe, and up to Sara's apartment.

~~$~@~$~~

Sara woke to the feeling that she was being watched. She had buried her face in her pillows so she couldn't see if someone was in her bedroom with her. She didn't want to move, for fear that the person in her room would see her and harm her somehow.

"Sara?"

When she heard Nick's voice, she suddenly felt at ease. She rolled onto her side, and saw him sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he looked tired.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"How did you find me?"

Nick got up off the floor, and sat down on the bed, next to her. He slowly put his arms around her and pulled her into his body, holding her close. He kissed the top of her head and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Nick?"

"Grissom was trying to get a hold of you. He couldn't find you, so he called me. You weren't at my house or at the lab, so I thought maybe you'd come here. I was really worried that something happened to you. When Grissom told me he couldn't find you, I felt sick to my stomach." He squeezed her body a little tighter, and rested his chin on top of her head.

Sara's heart began to ache, and soon a few tears slid down her cheeks. "Nick. I'm fine. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Sara. Don't apologize."

The two remained quiet for a few more minutes while holding onto each other.

Nick pulled away first. "Sara, do you know what Grissom wanted?"

She looked away from him, and got out of bed. She walked over to the window, and wrapped her arms around her body. "Yeah. I think so" she said quietly.

Nick joined her at the window, and put his hands on her shoulders. "What?"

Sara dropped her head, and slowly turned to face him. "I gave him my two weeks notice"

Nick's jaw dropped. "Wh-Why?"

"I can't work there anymore."

"Why not? Sara, come on! You said it yourself: You're job is your baby"

Sara looked up at him, tears settling at the brim of her eyes. "Not anymore."

"Sara, you can still work and have a baby. Catherine's doing it."

"Yeah, but she is a good mother. She probably wanted kids. I didn't. I'll find a job somewhere else when I'm ready. But for now, I just can't work there anymore."

"Is this because of Grissom?" Nick asked.

She turned her gaze away from his worried one, and closed her eyes.

"Why do you let him do this to you? Come on, Sara. You can't leave this job for good just because Grissom reacted the way he did." Nick cupped her face with his hands, and turned her head so she was facing him again. "Please, don't leave."

~~$~@~$~~

TBC!

Please review and let me know what you think.