Disclaimer - I don't own CSI, but hats off to those that do.

A/N: This is it, the third and final chapter. I told you it was only short. But thanks anyway to loads of you who reviewed and those of you who didn't review and just read. It really makes me smile when I get a review, so be sure to post another one after you've read this if you have the time. I will have something else up after this, just not sure what yet. In the meantime, enjoy!

Chapter 3

In the morning when they woke up, both still more or less in exactly the same positions they went to sleep in, Nick and Sara continued to lay next to each other awkwardly, neither knowing who should make the first move to get up.

"I'm so telling everyone at the lab about this," Nick grinned. "I slept with Sara Sidle."

"You slept next to me," Sara smirked and slapped Nick on the chest. "Get up. You can take a shower first."

"Yeah. I did work up quite a sweat last night, didn't I?," he wiggled his eyebrows.

Sara just rolled her eyes, climbed out of bed and headed towards the kitchen to make some coffee. She couldn't help but smile as she heard Nick laugh before getting up himself.

An hour later:

"Good morning," Angie grinned as she answered the door.

"Hey," Nick yawned.

"Ooh, someone not get much sleep last night?" she teased.

"That's none of your business," Nick smirked, stepping inside his house.

"Hey, I don't care what you kids get up to," Angie defended herself. "Just make sure your prepared when you get her pregnant."

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that," he blushed.

"Where's Sara?" Angie asked.

"She's here," Sara announced as she came in and closed the door. "That brother of yours can't park a car to save his life."

"I can so," Nick argued. "You're just picky."

"Anyway," Angie interjected. "I just got off the phone with Chris and he's only an hour away."

"Aw, does that mean we are blessed with your presence for one more tiny hour?" Nick smirked.

"Shut up," she chuckled. "Yes, so we'll be out of your hair soon. And leave you two to do whatever it is you do during the day."

"About time," Nick smiled, casually wrapping an arm around Sara's shoulders. "Her bed isn't very comfy."

Sara could feel her cheeks burning as she found herself automatically retorting back. "Oh so was that why you weren't very good last night?"

Nick's eyes widened the moment he realised what she'd implied. His arm slipped of her shoulders as he turned slightly to look at her, to read her expression. Sara merely raised a suggestive eyebrow and winked. Angie could only bite her lip so she didn't start whole-heartedly laughing at the expression on her little brothers face.

"Uncle Nicky," Abby exclaimed as she bounded through from his bedroom that had been theirs for the evening.

"Hey, kiddo," Nick smiled and lifted her up. "What you up to?"

"We're doing a jigsaw," she stated. "It's really big, 200 pieces."

"Wow, 200 pieces, huh? Would you like some help?" he asked.

"Yes, please," Abby nodded enthusiastically.

"Go on then, I'll catch you up," Nick insisted as he placed her down on the floor and she ran off.

The three adults stood together in an awkward silence for a few moments, Sara's previous statement still hanging in the air. She couldn't believe she actually said something like that out loud. It's one thing to think something but as soon as those words leave your lips there's no taking them back. Sara had absolutely no idea why she was even thinking about such a private, intimate thing about a friend, albeit a rather attractive friend and she was his 'girlfriend' for the day but still, you just don't cross that kind of barrier, the friendship type, and wreck the friendship they had. Right?

"Uncle Nicky!" Abby stormed back in the room, pretending to be angry that he hadn't followed her. "Come on."

"I'll just…," Nick pointed in the direction of Abby as she walked away.

Sara nodded, completely avoiding all eye contact with him. As if the situation hadn't been awkward and embarrassing enough she had to go and make it worse, didn't she? Well done, Sara. You excelled yourself this time.

"Coffee?" Angie suggested once Nick had disappeared.

"Please," Sara nodded.

Just over an hour later there was a knock at the door and Lauren ran to answer it first. It was, after all, her daddy on the other side. After Chris had been introduced to Sara and Angie had packed all of Abby and Lauren's things together they were ready to leave. Much to the two little girls' dismay.

"You two behave yourself, okay?" Nick insisted as he gave Lauren and Abby a hug at the same time. "That goes for you too, Chris."

"Funny," he smirked, and glanced over at Sara. "What do you see in this guy again?"

"Good question," Sara smiled. "But it would take me way too long to answer."

As soon as the girls released their Uncle Nicky, the only one left to say goodbye was Angie.

"Whoa, Ang," Nick gasped as Angie almost jumped him.

"Try not to let this one go this time. Sara's a keeper," Angie whispered.

"I'll, um… I'll bear that in mind," he sighed.

"Come on ladies. Time to go home," Chris stated.

"Bye, Uncle Nicky," Lauren pouted as they walked out to the car.

"Bye, sweetheart," he smiled.

"It was lovely meeting you, Sara," Angie commented, glancing back at Sara who was leaning against the front doorframe.

"Yeah, you too," Sara smiled.

"Until next time?" Angie asked.

Sara nodded, as the family piled into the car and drove away.

Nick let out a sigh and closed the front door. He was glad that he'd gotten to see his nieces which he, sadly, rarely gets to spend time with due to his terrible work schedule. But at the same time he was sort of glad they were gone. Maybe it was because for the first time in goodness knows how long he'd introduced a fraction of his family to his 'girlfriend'. Maybe the fact that he was trying to lie to his family, something he wasn't all that proud of, that the time whole he and Sara had spent with his sister and nieces he felt on edge and hadn't relaxed at all. Now, however, he could relax. He'd successfully lied to his sister and she'd believed him.

"You want to stay for a while?" Nick asked as he flopped down on his sofa.

"Um…," Sara hesitated for a moment, not quite sure why though.

"Come on, it'll be better than sitting at home on your own until shift starts. Or is my company that bad?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"No, not at all. It's just…," Sara sighed.

"It's just, what?" he asked, getting frustrated.

"It's just that we've just spent the last day together, and we'll be seeing each at work in a few hours. I don't want you getting tried of seeing me," Sara lied.

"I could never get tried of seeing you, Sunshine," Nick winked, causing a slight blush to form on Sara's cheeks.

"You know what they say, you can have too much of a good thing," she stated.

"Not too much of you."

Sara mocked an exasperated sigh, genuinely enjoying his flattering comments and flirtatiousness. "Why do you have to be so damn charming?"

"It's a gift," Nick smirked.

Sara finally gave in. "Fine, I'll stay…"

"Well I wouldn't want to force you into doing something you didn't want to do," Nick insisted, still half smirking.

"But only if I get to pick the movie we watch," Sara continued.

"What makes you think we're gonna be watching a movie?" Nick questioned.

"Well, what else would we be doing?" Sara countered.

Nick was about to answer but Sara cut him off.

"Are you seriously thinking about that and me in the same sentence?" Sara raised an eyebrow.

"Thinking about you? No," Nick shook his head. "Dreaming about you tonight? Most definitely."

Sara let out a low breath as she tried to keep a straight face. "Where's your movie collection again?"

Sara glanced at Nick, trying to locate his eyes and not his lips. Truth be told, the just over an hour and a half she'd spent sat next to him, trying to pay attention to the movie they were watching and not the arm he had lounged over her shoulders, had been pure torture. Could anyone actually blame her for not wanting to stay and be subjected to that level of hell? Did Nick have any idea what he did to her?

Nick looked at Sara at the same time. He could have sworn he saw a glint of something in her eye. Longing? Lust? Need? Passion, maybe? Which ever, Nick couldn't help but like what he thought he saw; it could have easily been his own clouded mind that wanted Sara to give him a reason to act on the tension between them. Either way, whether it was real or not, Nick had to do something. He wanted to do something.

Nick sucked in some air, and perhaps some courage, as he leaned towards Sara fairly quickly, not wanting Sara to reject to what was happening until it actually had. And not wanting to second guess himself at all; he wanted this, to hell with the consequences. He wanted her to want this. As their lips met, Nick wondered what had taken him so long not to have kissed her already.

Sara was slightly stunned as she felt his lips on hers. But his advances weren't unwanted or discouraged. She found herself automatically responding to the feel of his soft lips moving against hers. Sara smiled against his lips as she felt his hands come to rest of her hips, triggering her owns hands on a mission along his arms and to the back of his neck. After a few minutes of sweet, gentle kisses, they began to transform into everything Nick had thought he'd seen in Sara's eyes moments before he made his move. Sara opened her mouth slightly to let out a soft whimper and Nick took this as an invite for his tongue to explore her mouth. And she happily obliged, leaning back against the left arm of the sofa and pulling Nick down on top of her.

When they finally pulled apart, both Nick and Sara were extremely breathless, yet extremely happy and overwhelmed, the good kind of overwhelmed, by what they had just done. Sure they hadn't slept together, yet, but that kiss had changed their relationship permanently.

Sara licked her lips and was about to say something when Nick kissed her again, fully convincing her that this wasn't a dream. It was way better than any dream she'd ever had. Nick then unceremoniously found his feet and stood up, still partially hovering over her. Panic flickered in Sara's eyes for a second, instantly coming to the conclusion that Nick must be about to ask her to leave, about to tell her it was the biggest mistake of his life. Much to Sara's surprise, Nick leaned down and stole one more kiss before reaching for her hand and he gently pulled her to her feet. Stood mere inches from him, Sara felt her heart do back flips as Nick began to guide her in the direction of his bedroom.

"You don't mind joining me, do you?" Nick grinned.

Sara shook her head. "Only because it's you."

A month later:

"Hello," Nick greeted as he answered his phone.

"Nicky," his mum, Jillian, exclaimed down the phone. "I thought you were ignoring me; I've been calling you all week."

"Sorry, mum, been super busy at work," he tried to explain. "I did get all your messages though, and I was gonna call you back later."

"How are you?" she asked. "You must be tried."

"Yeah, I am, but I'm still making time to see Sara whenever I can," Nick smiled.

"How is she?" Jillian asked.

"She's fine, but like me she's tried," Nick answered. "Sick and tried of pulling double and triple shifts."

"But you are still coming to see us next week, aren't you?" she questioned.

"Yeah, I think so. I think Grissom gave us a couple of nights of so I think we're coming," Nick nodded.

"You think?"

"Mum," Nick chuckled. "I know we're coming."

"Good, because we keep hearing so much about Sara from you and Angie and the girls keep telling us about her and how nice she is, how gorgeous she is, that your father and I can't wait to meet her," Jillian insisted. "And I still can't believe that you've been dating Sara for so long and we didn't even know you were seeing anyone until your sister came to visit you, and that we still haven't met her. Angie seems to think she may be the one."

Nick gulped. He instantly felt guilty that his family wanted to meet Sara and they hadn't been already. He knew why though, because much to the contrary of what they all thought, he'd really only been seeing Sara on a romantic level for a month and so they were working on getting to know each other as more than just friends. And Nick was enjoying every minute of it, and was so pleased when Sara had said she wanted to meet the rest of his family.

"Nicky?" Jillian's voice broke Nick out of his thoughts. "You still there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here," Nick sighed. "Um, mum?"

"Yeah, Nick."

"Um, I, uh, I have a slight confession to make," Nick took a deep breath before continuing. "See, um, Sara and I haven't really been dating for as long as you all think, for as long as we told Angie. We've really only been together a month."

"What?" Jillian gasped. "Nicky, what are you talking about?"

"Um, it's a… it's a long story," he replied sheepishly. "But you'll laugh when you hear it. I hope."

"I'm listening."

Thank you for reading. That was just a bit of fun inspired by the season 12 episode Malice In Wonderland that I saw over a week ago. It was the one when Mrs Hodges came to visit. It got me thinking. And I just had to Snickerify it. So tell me what you thought of it. Good? Bad? Review please.