A/N: Hi everyone! So sorry for taking so long to update…had a Statistics test to study for this week, and I had been tired out from the ball I went to on Sunday. But enough of my excuses…thank you all so much for the lovely reviews!

Isabell89: sorry for making Nick retreat from his feelings, but where's the fun in not torturing him (and my readers)? But I promise you, maybe not more talking, but more actions…especially towards the end of this chapter!

LisaMR: I am so glad you like the natural progression of their relationship…I think it suits them better, and I like fics that way too! And I think it's much more fun to see how they interact when it's drawn out like this.

GeorgeEadsLover: I have to say…I absolutely love your quote at the end of your review!

Now, on with the chapter!

Chapter 3

Nick leaned back against the booth at the dinner, proudly surveying the three empty plates that sat on the table in front of him. Across the table, Sara eyed her own tiny plate of her half-eaten vegetable omelet and compared it with Nick's. "I am vaguely reminded of the time you devoured those five In 'n' Out double, animal style burgers like you had been exiled in Zimbabwe for the last ten years," Sara commented.

"Hey, at least you didn't have to pay for it."

"Yeah, because I won the bet," Sara said smugly.

"Of course, you always do…," Nick chuckled at her expression, thinking, "You always win the bet…the cases…my heart-" Nick's eyes went wide as he was surprised by his last thought, immediately pushing it to the farthest depths of his mind.

"What's wrong, Nick? Did you forget something?"

"Uh, yeah, I uh…I forgot to…feed my fish!" Nick stammered, cursing his wit for taking a vacation on the worst day.

With a look of skepticism on her face, Sara said, "You have a fish?"

"Yeah…I named it after you!"

"Uh huh…. Just to let you know, Stokes, I don't fall for that Texan charm," Sara said as she picked up the check and started to take money out of her wallet.

"Hey, you never know…and what are you doing? We agreed that I'm picking up the tab today," Nick objected as he reached across the table and tried to grab the check out of Sara's hand.

"I never agreed," Sara said, keeping the check out of his reach, with a smirk. "Stop trying to be a gentleman. Like I said, I'm not that easily charmed." She placed her half of the bill on the table and proceeded to walk out of the restaurant.

"Yeah, I've noticed…" grumbled Nick as he followed Sara out to the car.

For the next three months, Nick and Sara continued to spend time with each other, by themselves or with the others at the lab although when Greg tagged along, Nick tended to get annoyed more often than he usually does.

"So Sara, you and me, sappy movie, dark theater, seats in the back, isn't this a great date?" Greg said excitedly.

"This isn't a date, Greg…" Sara replied, casting Greg a suspicious look out of the corner of her eyes.

"No, but who says it can't turn out to be something more, hm?" conspired Greg as he not so inconspicuously slid his arm across Sara's shoulders.

"Hey, Romeo, cool it…we're trying to watch a movie. I didn't pay ten dollars to see you try to seduce Sara," Nick snapped, and just as Greg opened his mouth to say something, Nick interrupted, "And could you move your arm…it's poking my shoulder."

"Fine…don't need to get your panties in a bunch. Ruining Romeo's game…" Greg mumbled surly as he moved his arm back to his side.

However, he had noticed that Catherine and Grissom didn't join them as often as the rest of the team, something Sara had started to pick up on too. Since the two of them had grown much closer over the past few months, Nick wasn't surprised when Sara brought up her suspicions on Grissom and Catherine's absences, and their implications, with him.

"Why do you think they never hang out with us anymore? I mean, they used to at least join us for breakfast, but now, we see less and less of them. Do you think there's something going on between the two of them?" Sara asked, clearly frustrated with the way the older CSI's seemed to be hiding something.

"Well, they are best friends and after the break up of the team last year, I'm sure they've just been catching up a lot. Anyway, why do you care? I thought you were over Grissom."

"I am, it's just-," Sara hesitated, "old habits die hard?" She sighed, adding, "Sorry, I'm sure you're right…that it's nothing. Anyway, what movie did you rent this week?"

A few days later, the team was discussing the current case in the break room, and try as she might, Sara couldn't get past the doubts that Grissom and Catherine's friendship was just a platonic one.

"So the blue fiber we found in the vic's hair matched the one lodged in the gun that was registered to the vic's brother, but he claimed he hadn't seen her in a week because he'd been busy organizing his firm's networking party. He didn't have a solid alibi, but I did some digging around, and I found a pair of blue gloves in the vic's husband's car, stashed in the door compartment on the driver's side. Printed the car, only found one set of prints in it – the husband's," Catherine said, smiling slightly. Sara noted that Catherine hardly made eye contact with anyone else in the room besides Grissom while she talked about the case.

"Great thinking, Cath. Might have to take you out to coffee for saving all of us from a double shift," Grissom said, reciprocating the smile, holding Catherine's gaze for a second too long.

"Hey, how come you never take me out for coffee when I solve a case?" Greg asked indignantly.

"Man, have you ever solved a case single-handedly?" Warrick said with a laugh.

"Well, maybe if I worked solo…"

"Yeah, don't think that's going to happen anytime soon, Greggo," Nick said, clapping Greg on his back, but not without seeing the glares Sara was sending across the table to Catherine.

"Okay, case is solved, shift is over, let's go!" Catherine said, trying to clear everyone out of the room. As everyone got up from their seats and walked out of the room, Grissom walked back into his office, and they could all hear Catherine say, "Hey, you coming, Gil?"

"No, you go ahead. I have to finish up this paperwork. But I'll see you at dinner tonight at Andre's?"

This response stopped all the younger CSI's in their tracks and they turned around slowly to stare questioningly at their supervisor. They all knew that Andre's was one of the most upscale restaurants in Vegas, and no one went there if it was not for a special occasion, unless they are rich, and Grissom is not one to splurge on gastronomic indulgences.

Realizing what he had said, Grissom peered around his office door and stammered, "Uh, you know, to um, meet with the mayor to discuss the budget increase he's proposing for the lab."

"At Andre's?" Greg exclaimed incredulously.

"Doesn't hurt to suck up to the guy who's financing the lab, Greg," Catherine replied smoothly, guiding the rest of the CSI's toward the locker room.

"Wow, what do you guys thing that was all about?" Warrick asked the younger CSI's when they were out of Catherine's earshot in the locker room.

"I think those two are getting more action than I am," Greg said, closing his locker.

"Greg, everyone gets more action than you do," Nick said with a chuckle. "But hey, they could be telling the truth…maybe they are just taking the mayor out to dinner."

"Yeah, well, whatever's going on, it's none of my business. See ya, guys," Warrick said as he and Greg left the room.

After staying quiet through this whole exchange, Sara finally burst out, "See, even Greg thinks there's something going on! Come on, Nick, how do you not see it?"

"Sara, like Warrick said, it's none of our business, even if there is something going on between them. And you should stop sending death glares to Catherine before anyone else notices." Nick said, trying to comfort Sara while also trying to stop himself from feeling let down that Sara was still getting riled up about Grissom.

"…you saw?" Sara said sheepishly.

"Yeah, and maybe you wouldn't get so angry and preoccupied with this Grissom and Catherine thing if you just stared at me more instead of Catherine," Nick said as he flashed her a smile.

"You're right," sighed Sara, letting the corners of her mouth curl up slightly. "Let's go."

As they walked out of the locker room, neither noticed the board placed near the entrance of the room that warned them of the slippery floor that had just been mopped. When Sara pulled open the door, her feet flew from under her and her bag went flying. Nick instinctively reached out his arms and grabbed her waist, steadying her footing while pulling her closer to him at the same time.

The two of them, frozen by the closeness that Sara's accident had resulted in, could only think of the sudden desire to close the small distance between them with a kiss they both had been resisting to giving into. They searched each other's faces for a sign of the other's feelings, for the longing they had both been suppressing.

All of a sudden, the door flew open with a surprised Greg nearly trampling over them as he tried to get to his locker.

A/N (number 2): I have another test coming up next week, and I apologize in advance if I can't have the next chapter up earlier! Hope you liked this chapter!