Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. I got caught up with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas. I hope you all had a good one by the way. Happy Holidays and thanks so much for checking this out. :)

"Crap…" Nick muttered under his breath as coffee spilled from the table down to his kitchen floor. He couldn't even have his coffee in peace. Glancing at his watch he ignored the fact that he should have left ten minutes ago and just proceeded to drinking his coffee, or what's left of it anyways. He shouldn't even be contemplating on meeting her because Lord knows he was not in any condition to. There were a million thoughts running on his mind and he was certain that none of it would go well with her. He could start with, say, what the hell was she thinking?!

He glanced at his watch again. Twelve minutes. Grabbing a roll of paper towel he cleaned up the mess and got delayed for another two minutes. There would be no point in avoiding her for he knew he had to see her sooner or later. After all, they're working in the same freakin' floor during the same freakin' shift. And when they do see each other she'd sense something was wrong and ask him about it, which is exactly what he wanted to avoid at all costs. That is one of the reasons why he didn't want to see her just yet, another being the fact that she has trampled on his soul without even realizing it.

She would be waiting for him though and he could not, not go.

Half an hour later, Nick was swinging the door of the diner open and quickly spotted Sara sitting near the windows. Sliding onto the booth in front of her he gave her a brief nod and then busied himself with the cup of black coffee set before him. He meant to act normal around her but the simple act of looking her directly in the eyes was proving way more difficult than he expected. To say that it hurt too much would be cliche, but cliches are there for a reason.

"Hey…" Sara greeted cheerily. Out of habit she passed him the cream, and then gave him a small smile before taking a sip from her own drink. "I've already ordered your usual. I figured you might have trouble getting up from bed, after the shift you had last night… Yeah I heard about the missing six year old…"

From whom, he wondered. Luckily, the waitress arrived saving him from having to say what he thought. Thanking her politely he took a look at the plate in front of him and almost smiled… almost. Sara got it perfectly: steak, medium rare, potatoes on the side, and extra gravy. He wasn't in the mood to eat but the simple gesture was doing wonders for his ego. "Yeah, Warrick found him just a few hours ago…" Taking a chance he lifted his head and dared to look at her and immediately regretted it afterwards. All it did was remind him that she was out of reach, which is a new and an unwelcomed idea.

Sara leaned back on her chair and watched him carefully. "How are you?" she asked sincerely.

"I'm…" he started to say he was fine but then stopped when he realized he was farthest from it. Why did he need to act normal, anyways? He was pissed and it may not be justified but that's just how he felt. At least he could have her answer some questions that have been bugging him ever since he found out about her and Grissom. "He turned you down before, right?"

"Excuse me?" Sara squinted at him, not certain if she heard him correctly.

He considered taking it back but even if he wanted to he can't, for the question was already out in the open. Sara damn well knew what he was talking about. She was just surprised that he dared say it out loud, which could be the reason she was staring at him with her mouth half open. "Years ago… you asked him out. He turned you down, and—"

"Why would you even bring that up?" Sara cut him off; the tone of her voice getting a notch higher. She was clutching the cup so tightly he was sure she was about to haul it at him any second.

He considered the question for a moment and was only able to come up with the fact that he had lost. Grissom had hurt her multiple times in the past but it doesn't seem to matter because he still got the girl. Nick was thinking he himself would be the one for her, but then realized sadly that he didn't do much either. Not once did he say anything about her feelings for her, nor ask her out on a real date. Truth be told, he was no better. "No reason… forget about it. Oh wait, you've already forgotten about it." He then bit his tongue for the snide that came out.

"I can't believe you…" Sara said quietly. Letting go of the cup she placed both of her hands on the table and merely stared at them.

"I can't believe you."

"You were always telling me I need to go out more," she retorted and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Go out more? Grissom doesn't go out, he stays in. Tell me where he brought you last night."

"It was a very lovely dinner… didn't include chocolate bugs anywhere in it." Sara said lightly kidding. "Come on, Nick. You can't be seriously against this?" She looked at him seriously, obviously waiting for what she wanted to hear.

Nick paused for a long while and then merely shrugged. "I don't know," he said truthfully. He wished there was some way he'd wake up the next day feeling okay with it so he could go on with his life. Taking in a deep breath he stood up, ready to leave the conversation at that. "We should get going…" Glancing at Sara he noticed she had not moved an inch and was looking right through his uneaten food, deep in her thoughts. Softening at the sight, he slid on the booth next to her and nudged her arm gently. "Hey…"

"I just needed to talk to you about it… See what you thought… Have someone I trust to know what's going on with me," she said quietly and turned towards him. "I didn't think you'd get like this…"

Right then he saw how much his opinion mattered to her. She may be currently with someone else but their friendship still remains. "I'm just saying… it's not gonna be easy. Ecklie, the under-sheriff, the sheriff… they might make it hard for you. He's still your boss and some people may not get it," including Nick himself, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "But if you're happy, then I guess everything would be okay." He paused for a while, not wanting to ask the impending question but just had to. "Are you?"

Sara took a moment and then nodded.

"Okay then." Nick decided he would just have to deal with it on his own. However, he had noticed the slightest hesitation from her, which gave him the tiniest bit of hope.

Please let me know what you think so far. :)