Grissom seemed pensive on the ride home from the lab, Sara glances over at her husband from where she's sat in the passenger seat "I thought I'd be the quiet one today." She grins at him.

"Did Warrick say anything to you about us?" Grissom asks.

"Uh he asked, I told him but we didn't really say much."

Flashback

"Hey." Sara says as she slips under the tape.

"Hey." Warrick smiles as he carries on snapping photos.

"This is a mess." Sara takes in the scene in front of her.

"Yeah, the BMW being driven by the drunk 17 year old pinballed down the road bounced off several cars before swerving into the oncoming lane, flipping and landing on top of the angry redneck's truck."

"Any injuries?"

"None. It's amazing."

"It's luck." Sara shakes her head and Warrick lets her know what still needs to be done.

"So that new jewellery you and Grissom are wearing… anything you want to say?"

"We're married, close to a year." She answers truthfully.

"So before the Walter Gordon thing then."

"Yeah."

"Cool."

End Flashback

"Did Nick say anything to you?" Sara asks

"Not in as many words." It's a typically Grissom answer

"What does that mean?" Sara shakes her head, sometimes if you want answers you've got to push.

"He's mad about something." Grissom shrugs and doesn't say much else beyond asking Sara what she'd like for breakfast.

… … … … … …

"You're off the schedule tonight?" Grissom looks up from his crossword as Sara shuffles into the kitchen.

"Don't you make the schedule?" Greg asks from where he's pouring himself a cup of coffee and Sara just raises her eyebrow at Grissom to show that she agrees with Greg.

Grissom smiles at his wife and looks back at his puzzle "Just trying to find out if you were going to turn up at work tonight." Greg snorts with laughter.

Sara rolls her eyes "Actually, Nick's off as well. I was going to see if he wanted to get a beer." Grissom shrugs

"Sounds good honey." He says lightly, before looking at her again "Hey, 15 letter word for forming nuclei from lighter nuclei."

"Nucleosynthesis" Sara just shakes her head and smirks at Greg as she pulls out her phone and walks out the kitchen dialling Nick's number.

"Hey Nicky"

"Sara, what's up?" It sounded like his normal greeting but Sara can hear a hint of ambivalence in his voice it's not the warm greeting she'd have expected from her long-time friend.

"We're both off the schedule tonight and I figured you'd have some questions." She says hoping her nervousness isn't coming though.

"Now you want to talk about it?"

"Nick… You deserve an explanation. Let me take you out for a beer and explain things."

"Look Sara…"

"Please Nick. I'll even let you pick the place."

She hears him sigh in resignation "First drinks are on you."

"Just tell me where." He gives her the name of a country bar, it's one they've been to a few times and she tells him she'll be there at 10 and goes back to the kitchen with Grissom and Greg. "You were right, he's mad about something."

"Told you so."

"Smugness is unbecoming Gilbert." She peeks over his shoulder "5 down is Olio. A Spanish stew and English salad known as Salmagundi"

"Yes dear."

"Hey Gilbert? Can I get a ride to work later?" Greg interrupts the moment of marital bliss.

"When are you moving out again?" Grissom responds instead.

"Hey, it's not my fault the building failed its inspection." Greg shrugs and leaves them to it.

… … … … … …

Sara walks in and sees Nick sat at the bar beer in hand, she walks over "I thought the first drinks were on me?"

"Oh don't worry there's plenty of beer that you can buy." Nick responds after downing what's left of his beer as Sara slides in the seat next to him and orders two more drinks.

"Grissom thinks you're mad about something."

Nick chuckles "I guess I am mad."

"At us?" Sara asks nervously.

Nick sips his beer, he doesn't answer directly "Why didn't you tell us?"

"We didn't tell anyone."

"Anyone?" He says incredulously. "Greg obviously knows, he's been staying in Grissom's spare room and I bet Brass and Catherine already knew."

"Brass and Catherine both found out by accident and Greg asked outright if we were together. We weren't hiding it…"

"You didn't say anything at all." Nick interrupts.

"We had our reasons Nick." Sara says defensively. "We feel bad for not saying anything, we really do but it was really important that people didn't know. We never lied, we never denied it if anyone asked. Nicky what you need to understand is, we didn't need anyone thinking I only got my job because of who I was sleeping with or that my position in the lab, the cases that I'm allocated are because of who I married."

Nick's silence after her outburst is telling, despite the reassurances from Grissom that nobody that knew her or her work ethic would dare think such things, here she was. Looking at her friend thinking those things. "Wow." Sara nods as she says it. "That's exactly what you think isn't it?" When Nick stays silent again Sara stands "You don't need to answer. Your silence says it all." She throws some cash down on the bar for the drinks and a tip before walking out.

Nick sighs and wonders if that's what he really thinks "Damn it." He mutters to himself. He signals to the bartender that he'd like another one.

"Have a fight with your girlfriend?" He asks him as he pours the beer.

Nick shakes his head "She's not my girlfriend."

"She seemed pretty pissed off." The bartender hands him the beer "I'm sure you can fix it."

"We're co-workers, she's just told everyone she's in a relationship with our boss. They got married and didn't say anything to anyone."

"Man that's rough. You liked her?"

"When I first met her, yeah maybe. She's one of my best friends, I just didn't see her as the sleep her way up type."

"You think that's what she's doing?" He asks genuinely. "I see y'all in here a lot, you know each other pretty well right?" Nick frowns, he thought he knew her well. "Before she told you, did you ever think that's what she'd do?"

"No." Nick takes a swig of his beer.

"So what makes you think that's what she's done?" The bartender asks genuinely. "If she never seemed like she'd do that why do you think she's done it now?" Nick didn't answer. He couldn't help but think the bartender was right. "I always thought you two were a couple, Brandi always said you seemed like brother and sister and now I owe her twenty bucks." Nick downs his beer and signals for another which is handed with "I think you're mad they didn't tell you and given your reaction maybe they were right to keep it secret."

Nick contemplated the bartenders point over another few bees before realising the bartender was right. paying up and leaving a generous tip to cover the $20 now owed to the waitress and stumbled outside for a cab. Realising he needs to apologise to Sara but being too drunk to realise maybe he should wait he gives the driver Grissom's address.