It was Nick's turn to work longer than one shift that night, Sara had signed out after her shift was over having spent the night in the lab going over the file.

When she had gotten back to Nick's Sara had taken a shower until the water ran cold.

Sara had attempted to sleep, but after an hour of tossing and turning she had gotten back up. She slipped on one of Nick's shirts over her tank top and boxer shorts combination she had worn to bed.

Flicking through forensic journals she had read numerous times didn't distract her, nor did flicking through the 500 cable channels Nick received.

Pacing around didn't help matters much either.

Sara changed into some jogging shorts and a t-shirt, after stuffing a few dollars and the door key in her pocket she set out for a run.

But after ten miles, other than her muscles and feet protesting, Sara's brain was still racing a mile a minute.

Nick still wasn't back when she returned. After downing a bottle of water and staring at the fish for a while, Sara decided she needed to take another. She stripped and stood under the warm flow of water which hadn't quite finished warming up from her last shower.

"Hey honey I'm home." Nick jokingly called out when he finally got home a few hours later.

"Hey." Sara whispered as she was on the phone.

"Sorry." Nick apologised.

"No he's not that subtle." Sara had to agree with the person on the other end of the phone. "Okay, just let me know… Thanks Andy, you too Carrie…. I'll tell him." Sara hung up.

"Andy and Carrie?" Nick questioned.

"It seems when you hire one Stokes attorney you get another two thrown in for free."

"That's what you get for having a big family."

Nick sat down next to her.

"There's no hot water." Sara told him.

"I'll survive." Nick paused. "Can they get you out of it?"

"They'll push it back until Monday." Sara replied. "But I still need to go."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Nick offered.

"No this is something I need to do by myself." She paused. "Besides you need to save your time off so we can get a honeymoon."

"Any idea where you want to go?" Nick inquired

"Any where with room service and a bed we don't have to get out of." Sara replied.

"So the nearest hotel is fine." Nick half smiled.

"Works for me."

"Are you okay with having to see her?"

"How about next week?" Sara suggested ignoring his question.

"Next week for what?"

"Running a marathon." Sara deadpanned.

"You want to get married next week?" Nick questioned.

"You don't?"

"I just don't want this to be a reaction to…"

"Nick, trust me it's not." Sara put his hand on hers. "Do you know what I've been thinking since I got home? Why I couldn't sleep? Why running couldn't switch my brain off from this one thought?"

"What thought?" Nick asked.

"Why wait? Life is too short."

"Sara…"

"Nick, I love you, I want to marry you, why wait?"

"You're serious?" Nick questioned.

"I'm serious."

"Wow."

"Do you need a minute? I need to call Grissom and tell him I have to go to San Francisco."

"Okay." Nick agreed.

Sara took the phone into the kitchen to call Grissom.

Nick sat for a few minutes not knowing what to say, he wanted to marry Sara, and he knew she wanted to do it soon but next week was a whole new ball game. But Nick was a sucker when it came to Sara, he knew he would take her anyway he could get her, if she wanted to get married the following week before she had to go and face her mother for the first time in almost twenty years, he wasn't about to say no.

Nick pulled his cell phone off his belt and hit speed dial.

"Brown." Warrick answered.

"I think I'm going to need a best man." Nick stated.

TBC