Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Author's Note: Hey all. Thanks so much to those who have read and reviewed so far. It really means a lot to me. Anyways, I read all sorts of spoilers so when I made the outline for this story I knew Grissom was going to be away for a few weeks. Just in case anyone's wondering.

She sort of knew he was going to do this. He never told her anything but in the back of her mind she was expecting him to leave any minute. How many times did it feel like he was slipping away from her grasp? Way too many for comfort, that's how much. And all those times she had told herself that he's just eccentric and is even more socially inept than she is. That's how he has always been, and isn't that what she loves about him in the first place? Yes, she does love Grissom... but damn him for making it difficult for her.

Sara reached for the doorknob and turned it midway through, hesitating on what she would do. It was her day off and she was about to spend it working, just as she had spent almost all the previous ones. Letting go of the knob, she took a quick glance at her kitchen and considered cooking instead. With Grissom gone she could do just about anything, if only she could think of something. She had a feeling that neither going to work nor trying her hand in the kitchen could make her feel any better.

She was about to turn around when she heard her phone ring inside her pocket. Looks like the lab had made the decision for her, she thought to herself. "Sidle," she answered, expecting to get the address to some crime scene she had to go to.

"Hey!" Nick's voice came through the other end. "Greg, Wendy, and I are going out for the night… wanna come?"

Sara was already out the door, stopping in the middle of the hallway trying to figure out if she heard him right. He was asking like they do it all the time, which they don't. 'Going out' for them usually meant having a meal at their usual diner, and somehow this doesn't sound like one of those times. "Aren't you working tonight?"

"I took a leave. So are you going? Greg promised the food would be great or else it would be on him." He paused waiting for an answer, and when he got nothing he went on. "Are you already doing anything?"

"No…" As if.

"It's just dinner and a few drinks, Sar. You can leave whenever you want, I'll even take you home myself… I mean, to your home. Take you to your home…" He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. A long pause dragged on as neither of them contemplated on what to say to the other. "You're allowed to have fun without him, you know." It was pretty clear who he was talking about.

Sara took a look at her apartment and realized she didn't really want to be alone that night. "Yeah I know…" She heard him breathe a sigh of relief, making her smile. "I'm already out the door, Einstein."

ooo

Nick paced in front of the club, looking around for a familiar brunette amongst the crowd passing by. Everything has gone according to plan so far, which only made him more nervous. Something wrong is bound to happen sooner or later. He had thought of taking her out with just the two of them, but then that would constitute as a date and would therefore be against all the rules. So he planned on a night out with friends instead, something that could turn out to be nothing. He doesn't know what he was doing exactly. He just wanted to spend time with her and take care of her while the man she loves was doing a poor job of it.

He felt a smack on his arm making him turn around quickly.

"Nick! Why didn't you tell me it's going to be fancy?" Sara looked down on her jeans getup and then frowned at his dark blue pinstripe shirt.

"Don't worry about it… you look great," he said sincerely as he looked her up and down, his eyes lingering just a tad bit longer on her hips encased in tight jeans. Shaking his head he looked away for a second and then motioned towards the door. "They're already inside. Come on…" Bringing his hand to the small of her back he gently pushed her forward and nodded at the attendant who opened the door for them.

The blast of modern rock music greeted them as they entered the club. Nick caught the smile on her face getting broader as the band got louder. Thank God he was wise enough to ask Greg about their type of music and hopefully, Greg got the food right as well. Or maybe he should just quit thinking that it was a freaking date.

ooo

"Admit it, Greg… it was darn funny. You should've seen the look on Cath's face…" Sara giggled, lifting her glass to her lips to down her nth drink of the night. Handing it to Nick she motioned for him to have it refilled and muttered thanks. She turned back to Greg just in time receive a wink from him, making her laugh even more. Leaning back she felt a warm arm across her shoulders instead of the chair's steel spine. She found herself snuggling closer and shifting comfortably beside Nick… smart, kind-hearted, dependable Nick. Turning to him she held out her hand expecting him to hand her glass back, looking up him confused when she didn't get any.

"Um, you sure you want another one?" Nick leaned close to her ear, keeping his voice low. "You're getting a bit tipsy… I can take you home now if you want. I'm pretty sure I'd get your wrath tomorrow if I let you do something you'd regret doing," he said laughing a little.

"I'm…" She was about to tell him she wasn't drunk, but then the idea of kissing him right there and then flashed through her mind making her think otherwise. "Yeah… we should probably go now." She was sober enough to know what was going on around her but she didn't want to take any chances. And if Grissom called she wouldn't be able to explain being drunk. He might think it's a lapse in her long-over therapy, and well she'd rather not get into an argument especially when he's miles away.

Getting into Nick's truck moments later, Sara looked out the window and watched the lights from the billboards dance before her eyes. She welcomed the feeling of lightness, worry-free state which she hadn't experienced in such a long time. It was bound to be fleeting, but she was going to revel in it for as long as she could. Who would have thought a night out with friends was all she needed? Nick did, she realized and smiled as she turned to him. He was saying something about giving her a ride the next day to get her car, but pushed that aside as a more pressing question came to her. "Hey Nick… can I ask you something?"

"Yep…" He glanced briefly at her before setting his eyes back on the road.

"Where did you go?" It was a question she had been meaning to ask him for such a long time, but for some reason never got around to. The timing wasn't always right it seemed. "After you got released from the hospital… where'd you go?"

A smile crossed his face. "Cancun Island. I'm telling you, it's the best beach out there… at least among all that I've seen."

"You're kidding…" Sara laughed as well, thinking back on how she got herself worried over nothing. What he went through underground was one of the worst things she'd seen, and she wouldn't be surprised if he decided to run away and never come back. "I called your home in Texas and sort of freaked out a bit when they said you weren't there… and all the time you were only getting the suntan of your life… you ass…"

"A well-toned, even-tanned ass…" Nick joked earning another slap on the arm. "Seriously, Sar… we should go there sometime. Long beach, white sand, endless sky… it gives you peace just when you're about to give up on having one. "

Sara looked back at him catching his gaze, and for a moment she truly believed that it was really going to happen. She smiled and set her eyes on the road as she let herself briefly imagine what it would be like. "I was afraid you weren't coming back," she said quietly after a while.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again changing his mind of whatever it is he was about to say. Coming to a stoplight he took the opportunity and turned completely towards her. "Not possible. This is my home now, Sara."

Sara stared at the red light for a second as she thought how she felt exactly at that moment, sitting beside him in his car somewhere in the middle of the city. "Yeah, me too."

I should probably warn you all that this story would be a bit long. :)