Title: Christmas fever in the Rockies

 

By: Cindy

 

Email: sara.grissom@skynet.be; sg1phileshipper@skynet.be

 

Disclaimer: Grissom and Sara don't belong to me; they are property of CBS Productions, Alliance Atlantis and Anthony Zuiker. No copyright fringe is intended. I promise to return them as soon as I've cloned them.

 

Rating: PG (Language)

 

Category: Humour/Romance and just a little angst

 

Keywords: Sara/Grissom; Holiday fluff

 

Spoilers: Up until PwF

 

Summary: Response to Rox's Christmas challenge. Must contain the following:

1. Nick, Warrick, Grissom, Sara, Catherine and Greg each pick a name out of a hat

2. Pair whom ever you like together

3. Has to have humour and romance

4. Blinking Christmas boxers have to be given to someone

5. Two people have to give each other identical presents and the line "Great minds think alike" needs to be used.

6. Mistletoe has to fit in somewhere

 

Archive: Anywhere friendly is just fine. An addy would be nice so I can pay a visit.

 

Author's Note: For the travel freaks among you, I can only advise a trip to the Canadian Rockies. It's the most beautiful place on earth I've ever been to.

 

Dedication: For Leslie. I wish you the best of luck in your future career.

 

Thank you to Ann and Xant for the ideas, beta-reading, for making it look nicer and for the nice words. You guys are great.

Thank you to Ellesha for the encouraging words

 

CHRISTMAS FEVER IN THE ROCKIES

 

December 10th 2003

 

It was a little after midnight when an excited Greg Sanders came bouncing into the break room. Grissom looked up from his forensic magazine and frowned. "Are you high, Sanders?" he raised an eyebrow when he took in Greg's work attire. Under his lab coat he was wearing his usual outfit of wide pants, a large shirt covered in flowers and a pair of shoes that looked a few sizes too big. To top it off, he had donned a Santa hat, which was decorated with awful blinking yellow lights. "You are high, aren't you?" stated Grissom.

 

Greg caught his breath for a minute, before sitting down next to Grissom. He looked at his supervisor and a huge grin spread across his face. "I just had a wonderful idea."

 

Grissom clenched the muscles in his jaw, awaiting an explanation. "Well? Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" he asked impatiently.

 

Greg's grin fell from his face. "No..um... As I was about to tell you..."

 

"Spill it Greg, I don't have all night," Grissom interrupted him. "But if this has something to do with Christmas, you can spare me the details."

 

Greg smiled sheepishly. "Well, the point is..." Greg was clearly uncomfortable in Grissom's presence. "I have a great idea for Christmas."

 

Grissom groaned. "Didn’t I tell you I hate Christmas?"

 

"So you did, boss," replied Greg, wincing slightly.

 

Grissom was biting his lower lip and gave Greg an angry glare. "How many times have I told you not to call me boss?"

 

He nodded. "Sorry, Grissom."

 

Grissom's lips curled at the corners into a small smile. "Tell me all about your idea."

 

Greg swallowed nervously. "Um, okay. Well I was thinking we could put up a Christmas tree and we all have to buy a gift for one person. Each gift is then placed in the tree until we hand them out on Christmas Eve." Greg smiled broadly. "Oh yeah," he added secretively, "and nobody is allowed to say who they bought a present for."

 

Grissom smiled at the enthusiastic young lab rat. "That's actually a pretty good idea. But how do you suggest we prevent anyone else from using our tree?" Grissom wasn’t much into Christmas, but he had to admit that Greg’s enthusiasm was contagious. The idea of picking Sara’s name was driving him to put his negative feelings towards Christmas aside. The idea of putting that smile on her face was very appealing; the beaming smile would be the best present he could ask for.

 

Greg was quiet for a few seconds, before another smile formed on his lips. "How about putting it in your office?"

 

The nightshift supervisor pretended to think it over for a minute and chuckled. "You read my mind."

 

"Great minds think alike," Greg softly mumbled under his breath, earning a glare from Grissom.

 

"Don't push your luck, Sanders," Grissom deadpanned. He got up from his chair and turned on his heels, stopping in his tracks when he felt Greg’s hand on his arm. "What?"

 

"Where is everyone?" Greg inquired.

 

"Let's see." Grissom paused. "Catherine is making a phone call in my office; Nick and Warrick are cleaning out their locker and Sara dug up some cold case. She is examining it in the layout room."

 

"Slow night huh?" quipped Greg, his smirk quickly disappearing as he observed the unimpressed look on Grissom’s face.

 

"You can say that again,” sighed Grissom. “Greg, don’t you have better things to do than bother me?”

 

He shook his head. "No actually, I don't."

 

"Well, I'm sure you'll find something," as he snatched Greg’s hat and walked off to the layout room. "Hey," he greeted the tall brunette hunched over a bunch of photographs.

 

Sara looked up from her pictures and smiled widely when she saw his blinking Santa hat. "Hi, nice hat," she said, trying to suppress the burst of laughter that threatened to escape her mouth.  "Do we have a case?" she asked as she rose from her chair and walked to where he was standing.

 

Grissom held his hands up to stop her. "Sorry." He scratched his facial hair and motioned towards the pictures with a nod of his head, which only served to make his hat jiggle and blink even more. "Which case are you looking at?"

 

Sara’s smile disappeared. "The Davis case." Her mouth was set in a thin line and she was biting her lower lip anxiously. "I guess the case will remain what it is: cold."

 

Grissom took a step closer to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can't solve them all, Sara."

 

She lowered her eyes to the floor. "I know. I just wish I could."

 

Grissom gave her shoulder a soft squeeze. "Don't beat yourself up over it."

 

She smiled thankfully as she met his gaze. Their relationship had been strained and extremely difficult ever since Sara had asked Grissom out and he had so adamantly refused. Grissom had avoided her for a couple of months, and had barely spoken to her. But since they had worked the Davis case together just over a month ago, they had slowly and carefully rekindled their difficult friendship. The case had been strenuous for both Sara and Grissom; it was never easy to investigate the murder of a young girl. It was even more difficult when the case remained unresolved.

 

Sara had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Luckily, Grissom had noticed something was wrong with her and had pulled her out before things got too serious. He had proven to be just the friend she needed, their long talks helping her more than she would ever be willing to admit. Their relationship had been going from good to better ever since.

 

Grissom took a step back from Sara. "Why don't you join us in the break room in ten minutes? There's something I need to discuss with all of you," he said mysteriously, before leaving in search of Nick and Warrick. As he walked down the corridor, the end of his hat bounced from left to right, making him look like an overgrown kid.

 

Sara smiled to herself as she watched him disappear from sight.  Turning her attention back to the table, she let out a defeated sigh and gathered the pictures she had spread out earlier. Sometimes she just wished she couldn't feel anything at all.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Ten minutes later everyone, including Greg, sat around the table in the break room, waiting for Grissom. When he walked in, everyone eyed him suspiciously, trying to contain their laughter. He stood in the centre of the room, in a blinking Santa hat as if it were the most natural thing in the world. 

 

"Okay people, here's the deal," Grissom started, only to be interrupted by a soft cough coming from Greg’s direction. Grissom shook his head, making the Santa hat jiggle around dementedly. "Actually, this is Greg's idea. We all know that Christmas is coming and Greggo has proposed that we should all buy a present for someone else and hang it in the tree that will soon be put up in my office. Any questions?"

 

Sara just stared at him, Catherine scowled and Nick had a confused look on his face.

 

Catherine was the first to recover. "You're gonna put a Christmas tree in you office?"

 

Grissom shrugged his shoulders. "Why not?"

 

Catherine put her palms flat on the table. "In all the years that I've known you, you have never even put a tree in your house."

 

"People change, Cath," he looked at Greg, forcing an end to the discussion with Catherine.

 

Grissom took the Santa hat off, and Greg smiled when Grissom threw in a few pieces of paper. "Pick a paper out of the hat and you have to buy that person a present. Any questions?"

 

"What if we pick our own name?" Greg asked him, smiling broadly.

 

"If you pick your own name, you're out," Grissom deadpanned.

 

Greg pretended to pout, but smiled when Catherine passed him the hat. He fished a piece of paper out of his silly hat and scowled when he opened it. His face turned red as he threw the paper back in.

 

Sara held her hand in front of her mouth and let out a muffled laugh. Grissom chuckled and Warrick burst out in laughter. Greg sheepishly took out a new piece and smiled when he opened it. "Cool." The hat was passed around until everyone had picked out a name. 

 

Grissom held his hands up. "Nobody is allowed to tell anyone else who they picked out of the hat, not even after everyone receives their present. Anyone who tries to pull the slightest stunt will be on decomp for the next month."

 

Greg grinned and kept his mouth shut, almost jumping from his chair when Grissom threw his hat back at him. "Thanks for the idea, Greg."

 

He scanned around the room and could easily tell how bored his CSI’s were. "Since it's a slow night and you have all put in extra hours over the last few days, three of you can go home." He looked at Greg. "Sorry Greg, you have to stay." He looked from Warrick, to Sara, to Nick and smiled. "I also need a volunteer to stay." He looked at all four of them, his eyes lingering on Sara longer than on the others.

 

Sara smiled widely and let out a chuckle. "I'll stay."

 

"Thank you." He smiled back at her, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Catherine. She would have to ask him about that later. After a quick round of thanks and goodnights, everyone left the break room, leaving Grissom and Sara behind.

 

"What can I do for you, Grissom?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

 

"Is that an indecent proposal, Sidle?" One side of his mouth curled into a grin.

 

She smacked his arm and started laughing. "You're nothing but a jerk, Gil Grissom," she said as she stood up. "What do you have planned for me?" she quipped.

 

"Care to help me with some paperwork?" he pleaded.

 

"I knew this was a bad idea," she muttered under her breath, but followed him to his office, a smile plastered on her face.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Grissom was sitting behind his desk finishing his last piece of paperwork for the night. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a second. It had been an incredibly slow night, with only a burglary to process. He and Sara had wrapped it up in no time, and the remainder of the shift had dragged on indeterminably. He let out a sigh when he finally closed the last folder of his stack of paperwork. He put it on top of the pile and smiled to himself.

"What are you looking so smug about?" an amused voice asked from the doorway. He lifted his head to be greeted by a smiling Sara Sidle, casually leaning against the doorframe. "You look like the cat that just caught the canary."

He opened his mouth to speak, only to close it straight away. One side of his mouth curled into a grin.

"What?" Sara asked innocently.

"Nothing." He smiled at her and leant back in his chair. "Actually, I've got something to ask you." He got up from behind his desk and walked over to her, leaning against the other side of the doorframe. "I got a call from Atwater while you were in the bathroom."

Sara’s brow furrowed. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

 

Grissom shuffled his feet on the floor and leaned closer to her. “It may be a good thing for me, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good thing for you.”

 

Sara slapped his arm and groaned. “Why don’t you quit playing games and tell me what’s going on?”

 

“There’s an entomologist convention in Banff,” he said excitedly.

 

Sara smiled warmly at him. “Cool. You’re gonna love it up there, it’s so beautiful,” she paused, waiting for him to speak. When he didn’t she went on, “I don’t see what that has to do with me though.”

 

Grissom grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “Well, I’m not expected to go alone. Atwater told me to take an assistant with me because it would make the Las Vegas Crime Lab look better.”

 

Sara drummed her fingers against the door and leaned into his personal space. She brought her mouth next to his ear and whispered, “Are you asking me to go with you?”

 

“No, I’m just trying to make you jealous because I might take a good-looking colleague along,” he deadpanned. “Of course I’m asking you to go with me.”

 

“Why?” Sara asked seriously, resuming her previous position against the doorframe. “Why don’t you take someone else?”

 

“Why would I take someone else if I can take you?” Grissom shuffled closer to her and smiled sheepishly. “Please come with me?”

 

Sara put a hand on his arm, lazily rubbing circles with her thumb. “What’s the catch?”

 

His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly. “Who said there was a catch?”

 

“I know you, Grissom.” She backed away and sat down on his couch. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and cocked her head sideways. “Are you gonna tell me, or do I have to drag it out of you?”

 

He walked over to where she was comfortably sitting and sunk down next to her, their thighs touching. He turned to look at her and chuckled nervously. “There might be a slight problem.”

 

“Which is?” she asked, nodding her head.

 

Grissom scratched his chin, before folding his hands in his lap. “The convention starts on the 19^th and runs until early afternoon on the 24^th.”

 

Sara’s eyes grew wide. “But that’s Christmas Eve.”

 

“I know,” he answered nervously, “and there’s another problem.”

 

She raised her brows in mock surprise. “That’s not all?”

 

He shook his head. “No. The other problem is that there’s no return flight available until late in the afternoon on Christmas Day.” He looked into her eyes and gave her a lopsided grin. “If you decide to come along, you’ll be stuck with me.”

 

Sara let out the deep breath that she had been holding in and gave Grissom a mocking glare. “And you assumed that because I’m single, I have nothing better to do?”

 

Grissom’s look turned from amused to hurt. “Do you?” he asked softly. He turned away from her to hide his expression, and picked up a magazine lying on his couch.

 

Sara put a hand on his arm to prevent him from fidgeting in his seat. “Do I what?” she asked, as she reached out to gently turn his face back towards her.

 

Grissom swallowed and briefly closed his eyes. “Do you have something better to do?”

 

She shot him a beaming smile, his uneasiness melting like snow under the blazing sun. “I’d love to go with you.”

 

This time it was his turn to let out a deep breath, relief clearly showing on his face. “Thank you,” he said, before rising from the couch to take a seat behind his desk.

 

She followed him closely, taking a seat on the edge, her legs dangerously close to his. He looked at her, a questioning look crossing his features. “You didn’t tell me when we are leaving,” she offered.

 

He raised his left eyebrow and cocked his head. “You’re right. We’re leaving Thursday the 18^th, early in the afternoon. I’ll pick you up around noon.”

 

Sara motioned with her head for him to continue, which of course he didn’t. “More details, Grissom,” she prompted.

 

His lips curled into a smile, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously. “What do you want to know?”

 

Sara shrugged her shoulders. “Everything.”

 

Scratching his throat, he started telling her everything he knew. “Okay,” he leant back in his chair and drummed his fingers on his desk. “We’re leaving McCarran at 1.55 pm, on a plane to Calgary; where we’ll pick up our rental car. From there, we’ll drive to Banff. The convention starts around 10 am the next morning, and I was asked to give the opening speech. Don’t ask why they chose me, but that’s the way it is. The speech is scheduled to take about half an hour and that should be all for the first day. Of course, if it’s anything like last time, half an hour will turn into two hours,” he said proudly.

 

She smiled at him. “And what am I supposed to do?”

 

“Not much, you just need to smile and look good,” he grinned back at her. “Oh,” he added, his eyes twinkling, “and every now and then, you’ll have to hand me my notes.”

 

Sara growled. “That sounds really hard to do. I’m no Claudia Schiffer you know.” She stuck her tongue out at the teasing look on his face. “Do you have to be there every day?”

 

Grissom shook his head. “No, just a couple of days. I’m not scheduled to speak on Sunday or Monday.”

 

She grinned excitedly. “We can do whatever we want then?”

 

He smiled sweetly. “I take it you have some sightseeing in mind?”

 

“You bet I do,” she retorted sheepishly. “You gotta see Banff National Park, Jasper, Atabasca Glacier, and the Icefields Parkway. I would also suggest a visit to Yoho National Park, Lake Louise and Lake Maligne. Of course, as scientists, we can’t forget the Great Divide and Moraine Lake. There’s also…”

 

Grissom put a hand on her arm to stop her. “Sara, slow down, you’re rambling.”

 

“Do you realize we could go rafting? In the Canadian Rockies nonetheless, imagine that,” she squeaked.

 

“Imagine that, going rafting in the Rockies in the middle of winter,” he mockingly shot back. “What a sickening idea.”

 

She put her hand on his leg and squeezed him just above his knee. Grissom let out a muffled cry and Sara smiled sweetly. “You were saying?”

 

“Nothing. I would love to go rafting with you in the middle of winter.”

 

“Technically, it’s not really winter yet.”

 

“Is so.”

 

“Is not.”

 

“No, no, no, Sara. Winter starts on the 21^st.”

 

“Not scientifically. Winter officially starts when it’s snowing,” she said, trying to hide her laughter.

 

“You gotta be joking,” Grissom moaned, miserably failing to contain an infectious smile.

 

“No,” she chuckled, before the two of them burst out laughing. Sara was hiccupping and holding her stomach. “Hurts,” was all she said, causing Grissom to laugh even harder.

 

He was laughing so hard, he didn’t notice he was slipping from his chair, until he fell flat on his ass. “Damn.”

 

Sara immediately stopped laughing and hopped off his desk. “Are you okay?” she asked, concerned that he might have hurt himself.  She raised her eyebrows as she noticed he was still giggling and sunk down on the floor next to him, leaning back against his desk. She fought a grin, but one look at Grissom sent her over the edge, and she soon joined him in his craziness.

 

Five minutes later they were still sitting on the cold, hard floor, trying to catch their breath. They both looked up when Big Mouth Billy Bass started singing and Greg stuck his head in the door. He rolled his eyes at the sight before him. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

 

Grissom put his hands on the floor and pushed himself up. “What can I do for you?” he asked abruptly.

 

Greg swallowed nervously. “Um… I just wanted to know whether there was anything you need me for?”

 

Grissom shot him an amused look. “You just want to leave early, don’t you?”

 

Greg smiled sheepishly. “Shift ends in thirty minutes and I kinda got a hot date.”

 

Grissom smiled at the younger man. “Just go on your date Greg and try to get some rest later, tonight might not be as boring.”

 

“Thanks,” Greg nodded, before practically bouncing out of Grissom’s office.

 

“He’s gonna make me crazy one of these days,” Grissom muttered to no one in particular. He turned around to find Sara standing closely behind him, a smug look on her face. “What?”

 

“Nothing. But I don’t think you need to worry about Greg driving you nuts.”

 

“And why’s that Miss Sidle?”

 

“I know for a fact that you’re already crackers,” she replied sweetly.

 

“Is that so?” he asked gently, before grabbing her wrist and pulling her closer to him. “I think you need to be punished.”

 

“Really?” she quipped, their faces only a few inches apart. The feel of Grissom’s breath on her lips sent a bolt of electricity through her body. She smiled nervously when she felt his gaze on her face. She locked eyes with him and shuddered when she saw his gaze landing on her lips. Her smile grew broader and she licked her lips in anticipation. He moved his head closer to hers, but before he had the chance to touch her lips with his, a noise in the hallway made them jump apart.

 

“Sorry,” Grissom said hoarsely. “I don’t think this is such a good idea.”

 

Sara blinked once, then twice, his words slowly sinking in. He was pushing her away again. She was so certain they had rekindled their friendship over the past month, but she had obviously been wrong.

 

Grissom’s heart nearly stopped beating when the passionate look in her eyes turned to anger. He felt her hands on his chest, and before he had time to react, she had pushed him aside and was walking towards the door. He jumped forward and grabbed her arm. “Sara.”

 

She spun around furiously, nearly knocking him over in the process. “Let go of me!” she spat at him, her eyes dangerously close to tears. “I hate what you always do to me!” she shouted through clenched teeth, pulling her arm away from his grasp as she stormed from his office.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Grissom stood glued to the spot where Sara had left him.  She was long gone from his office and if he didn’t react soon, it would be too late.  Before he knew what was happening, his feet and legs moved of their own accord and he was running after her. He caught up with her in the parking lot, just as she was about to open the door of her Yukon. “Sara, wait!” he shouted, not caring if anyone heard his desperate plea.

 

“What!” she shouted angrily, turning around in one swift movement and defiantly meeting his gaze. “You gonna crush me some more?”

 

Grissom looked down at his feet. “No,” he whispered softly. “I’m sorry,” he looked up to meet her gaze. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Sara,” he said honestly.

 

“You wanna know what the worst part is, Grissom?” she asked tearfully. “That you keep doing it again and again. You suck me in by acting all friendly and flirty, then when you decide that you’ve had enough, you pretend that I don’t exist anymore,” she took a deep breath, putting some more distance between them. “You get a kick out of hurting me, don’t you?” she said accusingly, a lonely tear rolling down her cheek. She furiously wiped it away with her sleeve.

 

“That’s not what I was talking about,” Grissom managed to say, while taking a hesitant step towards her.

 

Sara defensively crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I’m sick of your games.”

 

“Sara,” said Grissom, reaching out gently to place a hand on her arm.

 

His hand however, did not get a chance to stay there as she pulled away forcefully. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “Don’t ever touch me again,” she spat at him, her voice full of anger. She moved to open the door of her Yukon, only to have it slammed shut by Grissom.  She spun around to face him, her fury clearly showing on her face.

 

He leaned forward, and pressed her against the car forcefully, his body leaning heavily against hers. “You’re not listening to me!” he growled. A touch of fear crept into Sara’s eyes and he backed away a little, suddenly realising how overpowering he was being. “I need to talk to you,” he pleaded, his voice becoming soft. “I’m so sorry about what happened back there, I really wanted to kiss you....I still do. But we both know that it was neither the time, nor the place.”

 

Sara looked up at him, her eyes full of unshed tears. “Will there ever be a right time for us?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

 

Grissom smiled sadly. “I honestly don’t know, Sara,” he said, tentatively taking a step closer to her. “But I promise I’ll do everything I can to make things right,” he added, feeling her body tense when he pulled her into his arms.

 

She resisted his embrace at first, still feeling confused by everything that had just happened.  When she realised that he wasn’t going to let go of her, she started to relax and draped her arms loosely around his waist. She buried her head in his chest, and inhaled his masculine scent.

 

Grissom enjoyed the sensation of holding her in his arms, and smiled into her hair when she pulled him closer. They stayed this way for a while, both realising that they had a lot to resolve, but for now, this was enough.

 

Grissom was the first to pull away, an unanswered question lingering on his lips. “Are we gonna be okay?” he asked softly.

 

Sara smiled and kissed his cheek. “I think so,” she choked out, her voice thick with emotion. She reluctantly let go of him and got into her car. As she looked up, their eyes met and a multitude of unspoken thoughts passed between them.  Knowing that one of them had to make a move, he mouthed the words “Goodnight” and gave her a small smile.  “Goodnight,” she mouthed back and slowly drove away.

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

December 14^th, 10.45 p.m.

 

 

Grissom walked into his office just before the start of shift, his arms full of medium sized brown boxes. He nonchalantly threw his briefcase onto the couch, casting a glance at the huge Christmas tree sitting in the corner of his already cramped office.  He made his way towards the break room, juggling the boxes as he went.

 

Half an hour later, the nightshift, including Greg, sat gathered around the table in the break room. Each one of them was holding a brown box in their hands. They all looked expectantly at Grissom, waiting for him to explain what was going on.

 

“I’m sure you’re all wondering what the boxes are for,” he said, looking around the room. “In order to maintain a degree of secrecy, I want each of you to place your gift into a box and then give it to me, to be placed in the tree.”

 

Greg raised his arm, trying to catch Grissom’s attention. “But how will we know which present is which?” asked the young man with the funny clothes.

 

Sara giggled at Grissom’s groan and he shot her a bossy look. “No giggling allowed, Sidle,” he said in mock seriousness. He turned back to Greg and shook his head. “If you hadn’t interrupted me so rudely, I would have told you,” he sighed. “As I was saying,” he said, casting a glance at Sara, “use the computer to make a label for your gift and stick it to the top of the box,” he managed to finish.

 

Grissom was about to leave the room when Catherine called him back. “Assignments?” she asked amused.

 

Grissom turned around, a huge smile on his face. “Right,” he sighed dramatically and sat back down. “Christmas is messing with my brain,” he grumbled. Noticing the looks from his coworkers, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What?”

 

Sara chuckled. “I never thought the great and wise Gil Grissom would let something as simple as Christmas mess with his brain,” she said in a highly amused voice.

 

“Watch your mouth, Sidle,” Grissom growled playfully, smiling when she grinned back at him.

 

Catherine watched the interaction between the two CSI’s with amused interest. “Well, well, well,” she muttered under her breath.

 

Grissom turned his head in her direction. “Care to share with the rest of the class?” he asked, not really surprised when she didn’t answer. Subtleness had never been Catherine’s forte.

 

 “Okay, if we’re all done talking, I’ll hand out assignments.” He passed a piece of paper to Warrick. “Burglary at a liquor store. Nick and Catherine, you’ve got a DB at the Monaco,” he ordered. He looked at Sara, an unanswered question in her eyes. “As for you, young lady, you’re with me. I’ve got something special,” he said mysteriously.  “Good luck everyone,” he said, rising from his chair, totally oblivious to the glances being traded by the others in the room. “Young lady?” mouthed Nick to Catherine, raising his eyebrows.

 

Sara followed him out of the room. “What are you up to?” she asked him curiously.

 

“Follow me and you’ll see,” he replied.

 

Sara followed him out to the parking lot and was surprised when he opened the trunk of his Tahoe. Grissom took out a small box and handed it to Sara, keeping a large box for himself. They walked back to his office in companionable silence, and found five similar small boxes standing under the tree. “Can you put the small ones on my desk please?” Grissom asked. Sara complied and helped him to open the bigger box. It was filled with beautiful Christmas ornaments.

 

“Is this my special assignment?” Sara asked, while taking out a beautiful angel in plaster.

 

“You and I get to decorate the tree and open the boxes.” He looked at her as she traced the angel with her fingers. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

 

Sara nodded. “It sure is. Where did you get it?”

 

“I can’t really remember. I haven’t put up a tree in over ten years, and I found that box going to waste in my attic,” he said, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

 

“Isn’t it sad that you don’t have a tree in your house?”

 

He shrugged. “I’ve never really cared about Christmas as an adult,” he said despondently.

 

“Why?” she paused to look at him, gauging his reaction. “I mean, it’s a beautiful holiday.”

 

“I guess I never had anyone important enough to share it with,” he whispered softly. ‘Besides you,’ he added mentally.

 

To say Sara was surprised at his sudden outburst of honesty was the understatement of the year. He was starting to open up to her, which was a really big step for him. “I’m sorry,” she said gently, while putting a comforting hand on his arm.

 

“I guess I’m used to it,” Grissom said matter-of-factly.

 

“That’s why you wanna go to the convention, isn’t it?”

 

Grissom sighed. “There’s something you need to know.” He took a deep breath and met her questioning look. “I lied to you,” he added.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I lied when I said there wasn’t a flight back until Christmas day,” Grissom managed to get out. He swallowed hard, waiting for her reaction.

 

“Gris,” she simply said.

 

The muscles in his jaw tightened. “There were several flights back on Christmas Eve,” he continued.

 

Sara was confused at his behaviour. “But why?” she stopped her question as she noticed the look on his face. His heart was on his sleeve.

 

“I didn’t feel like being alone on Christmas Eve,” he mumbled in one breath.

 

“What did you say?” she asked, a smile playing around her lips.

 

“I think you heard me,” he choked out. When he saw her staring at him with a raised eyebrow, he decided the time was right to put everything out in the open. “I just wanted to spend Christmas with you,” he said calmly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

 

Sara’s surprise at his admission, showed openly on her face, she hadn’t seen that one coming. “You could have just asked me to spend Christmas with you, I don’t bite you know,” she said in a soft and caring voice.

 

“I know Sara, but...I didn’t know how to ask you,” he paused, searching for the right words.  “Things have been so strained between us these past few months and.....well, I didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” he admitted, taking her hand in his.

 

“How would you do that?” she asked, a little confused.

 

“You would have expected more, and at the end of the day, you would have been disappointed,” he said candidly.

 

She understood where he was going with this and smiled; a genuine Sara Sidle smile. “So you just thought it was easier to trick me into spending Christmas with you?” she stated.

 

“Yeah,” he smiled sheepishly. “Are you mad at me?” he asked.

 

“Of course not,” she let go of his hand and placed a tender kiss on his cheek. Her lips lingering longer than necessary. “You’re awfully sweet, Gil Grissom.”

 

He turned to meet her gaze and frowned as he saw her making a face at him. “What?” he asked, surprised.

 

“Your beard is making me itchy. You should really consider shaving it you know.”

 

“I take it you don’t like it,” he said with a hint of humour in his voice.

 

“Nope. You’re cuter without it,” she said seductively.

 

“So if I ever want to kiss you, I have to get rid of it?” he blushed at his honesty. It was more of a statement than a question.

 

“You’d better believe it, bugman,” she replied sweetly.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Sara resumed unpacking the box of Christmas ornaments, rummaging through the various colours of tinsel. ‘I’d say we go for silver and blue tinsel,’ she thought to herself, pulling it from the box.

 

Grissom had his back turned and was leaning over the boxes containing the ‘secret’ presents, mentally cataloguing the gifts as he removed the labelled lids. “I’m not really into Christmas decorations. I just know that blue and silver are beautiful together,” he said, turning around upon hearing her chuckle. “What?” he asked nonchalantly.

 

She held her hands up with the blue and silver tinsel dangling from her fingers. “Great minds think alike,” she deadpanned.

 

“Right,” he grinned at her and took the tinsel from her hands, throwing it in the tree.

 

“Hey,” she frowned at him when it landed on the floor. “That belongs in the tree,” she grumbled. She froze when he walked to where she was standing, invading her personal space. She looked at him with wide eyes as he reached out to touch her hair.

 

“You were saying?” he teased lightly, as he pulled a small piece of tinsel from her hair. “In the tree, Sara?”

 

“Oops,” she grinned sheepishly.

 

They went back to unpacking the remaining decorations, hands occasionally touching and hips bumping. Neither of them felt the need to apologize, both of them knowing they liked the closeness. It was only a matter of time before they took the next step.

 

They worked in a comfortable silence, with Grissom selecting the ornaments and Sara hanging them in the tree.

 

Half an hour later, the tree was nearly decorated and it looked gorgeous. Various glass and plaster figurines were hanging everywhere. There were angels, babies and even a few Santa’s.

 

Sara backed away from the tree, wanting to admire their work. She didn’t see Grissom standing behind her, and bumped into him. Without thinking, he loosely put his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he breathed into her ear.

 

Sara swallowed and fought back the urge to turn around and kiss him. She leant back into him and felt his arms pull her closer. “It sure is,” she said softly, placing her hands over his. She let out a squeak when he rubbed his cheek against hers and elbowed him in the ribs. “Get rid of it or I’ll do it myself,” she said adamantly.

 

Grissom backed away from her. “As interesting as that offer sounds, I’d rather do it myself if you don’t mind,” he said.

 

Sara turned around and gave him a cool look. “Don’t you trust me?” she asked sweetly.

 

“With my life,” he replied seriously. “Just not with my beard.”

 

“You afraid I might shave too much off?” she grinned at him.

 

“It’s nothing personal. I just never trusted anyone else to shave me,” he replied, equally amused.

 

“I’ll make you a deal,” she offered. “You let me shave your beard and I’ll let you shave my legs.”

 

“You’re nothing but a shameless flirt, Sidle,” he replied, his cheeks much pinker than usual.

 

“You gotta admit though, you’re thinking about taking me up on my offer,” she said, eyes twinkling at him.

 

Grissom smiled shyly and picked up one of the presents. “Shall we do the honours of hanging the gifts in the tree?” he asked the younger CSI, trying to change the subject before things got out of control.

 

“Cool,” Sara said excitedly.

 

“You’re beginning to sound more and more like Greg,” he said with a raised eyebrow.

 

 “And you get grumpier each day,” she teased.

 

“I’m not grumpy,” he said defensively.

 

“I was kidding Grissom, will you just loosen up?” she slapped his arm.

 

He passed the first box to her and she gasped when she saw what it contained. Sara took out a glass Cupid, which was holding a big heart in his hands.

 

Grissom watched her as she stared at the statue, not making a move to place it in the tree. “What’s wrong?” he asked, taking a step closer to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

 

She swallowed hard. “It’s beautiful,” she said softly, silently hoping the Cupid was for her.

 

“Not as beautiful as you,” Grissom said honestly, his voice barely above a whisper. He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but he found it harder and harder to hide his true feeling for the beautiful woman that was Sara Sidle. She made the walls around his heart melt little by little.

 

Sara blinked a couple of times, before she was able to catch her breath again. She looked at him with wide eyes, not really believing what she had just heard.

 

Grissom caught the uncertain look in her eyes, and gently put his hand on her cheek. “You didn’t dream it, Sara.”

 

“Thank you,” she nuzzled his hand with her cheek and smiled lovingly.

 

“You’re welcome,” he took the statue out of her hand. “Shall we?” he asked, dropping his hand from her cheek. He took a small iron wire from his desk and turned it around Cupid’s heart, cautiously hanging it in the tree.

 

“It’s gorgeous,” said Sara, eyeing it from a distance, an adoring look on her face.

 

“Yes it is,” said Grissom softly, looking at her and not the ornament.  He turned and bent down to pick up the next box. He let out a small chuckle. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

 

“What?” Sara said, as she approached him and peered inside the box. She grinned and put her hand inside. From her index finger dangled a pair of black boxers, covered with tiny blinking Santas. “I bet these are for Greg.”

 

“No assumptions, Sara,” Grissom gently reminded her.

 

“I can’t help it if this looks like something Greg would wear,” she defended herself.

 

“How would you know?” He tried to keep the jealous undertone out of his voice, but he failed miserably.

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she smiled sweetly. Even if she had heard his jealousy, she didn’t say anything about it.

 

“Whatever.” Grissom took the blinking boxers from her hand and hung them in the tree. “I wonder whose ridiculous idea this is,” he mumbled.

 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she snapped at him. “One minute you’re all sweet and nice, and the next minute you make me wanna strangle you,” she dropped the box she was holding and walked to the door. She stopped and spun around when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

 

“I’m sorry,” he said as he met her angry glare.

 

“So you keep saying, Grissom. I could really do without that misplaced jealousy of yours,” she mumbled through clenched teeth.

 

He was biting his lower lip and took a step closer to her, gently cradling her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. When he pulled her into his arms, she stiffened and pulled back. “Sara?” he asked, confused by her reaction.

 

“You can’t solve everything like this,” she gently reminded him. Her features softened as she saw the hurt look in his eyes. “We need to talk, Grissom.”

 

Grissom pursed his lips together. “I care about you Sara, don’t ever doubt that. It’s just that…” he paused, swallowing hard. “I’m just not very good at this and I don’t want to ruin what we have.”

 

“Neither do I,” Sara mumbled softly. “But it’s like you’re taking one step forward, and two steps back. It’s confusing, Grissom,” she exclaimed.

 

“I know that’s what I’m doing, but I can’t help it. You’re going to have to be very patient with me,” he offered honestly.

 

“I am, Grissom. But you need to learn to relax around me, or it’ll do more damage than good,” she added.

 

“I’m sorry,” he said once again.

 

“Stop being sorry for once,” she said gently. “I know you’re sorry, and believe me, I appreciate it. But your constant jealousy isn’t winning you any points.”

 

“I’m not into winning points. I just want to be honest with you,” he took a step closer to her.

 

“How about being honest with yourself for once?” she said openly.

 

“I could try doing that,” he offered, a smile playing around his lips. He hesitantly took one of her hands in his, cradling it between his. “We’re still okay?” he asked unsurely.

 

“We’re still okay,” she answered calmly. She flinched a little when he gently kissed her forehead, but immediately relaxed when she saw the mischievous look in his sparkling blue eyes.

 

Sara picked up the box she had dropped earlier, and looked at the contents. “You’re not gonna believe this,” she said, giving Grissom a full-fledged grin.

 

He stood behind her, peering over her shoulder. “That looks like something Greg would buy,” he replied, offering her a lopsided grin.

 

“No assumptions, Grissom,” she reminded him in return.

 

Sara was holding an altered version of Miss Liberty in her hands, wearing nothing but a small bikini. She hung it in the tree and proceeded to the next box.

 

Grissom took out another pair of blinking boxers. On them, it looked like the giant beetles were bobbing their heads. “I kinda like those,” he smiled.

 

“They’re pretty cool,” Sara agreed. “But you can’t have them now,” she smiled at him, while taking the next box. They were clearly for him and she grinned as she watched him hang them in the tree.

 

“Wow,” Sara suddenly exclaimed. “I’ve been wanting a pair of these since I was a kid.”

 

“A pair of what?” he turned around, and Sara was wearing a pair of pink sunglasses. “Aren’t those Dame Edna’s glasses?” he asked curiously.

 

“You know Dame Edna?” she asked surprised.

 

“Sure. She’s quite a phenomenon,” he said with a grin on his face.

 

The next box revealed a silver chain with a small glass angel. Sara took the gift out, and was left speechless. She softly traced the angel with her fingertips, a smile on her face. “This is beautiful,” she said in an emotional voice. “Who ever bought this has great taste.”

 

“I agree,” Grissom bobbed his head. ‘And that person cares deeply about someone,’ he added mentally.

 

Sara carefully hung the chain in the tree, admiring its beauty. She had her back to Grissom, and failed to notice the loving smile he had on his face. His grin turned wider when he saw her dreamily watching the gift. This had indeed been one of Greg’s better ideas.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

December 17th, 11.15 pm, Computer Room

 

Sara was floating; everything was bright and she felt truly happy. Children were running around and playing and everyone had wonderful smiles on their faces. She groaned when she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder.

 

“Leave me alone,” she slurred, moving her body away from the intruding touch.

 

“Sara, you’ve got to wake up,” someone said gently, her brain slowly registering whose voice it was.

 

“Tired,” she mumbled, holding her hands over her ears. She flinched when she felt two strong, warm hands take hold of hers.

 

“Sara,” the voice said again. “Open your eyes honey,” it whispered lovingly.

 

She slowly started to leave her perfect world, her real surroundings starting to sink in. She lazily opened her eyes, only to be greeted by two blue, smiling orbs. “Grissom,” she mumbled incoherently. She yawned and sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

 

“Welcome back,” he smiled at her. “Sleep well?”

 

“Sorry,” she yawned again. “I was closing up the case and I fell asleep.”

 

“How long have you been here?” Grissom enquired.

 

“Actually,” she paused to look at him. “I can’t remember,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

 

“Have you been home at all?” he asked.

 

“Well,” she smiled innocently.

 

“You haven’t?” he reprimanded her.

 

“I was so wrapped up in the case, I lost track of time,” she excused herself. She knew how Grissom felt about her getting so involved, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

 

“What have you found out?” he asked curiously.

 

“Case is wrapped up and the file is on your desk,” she said nonchalantly, rubbing at her eyes furiously.

 

“I’m impressed,” he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and gently rubbing the knots. “Time for you to go home,” he said softly. “You look exhausted,” his concern plainly showing on his face.

 

Sara tilted her head back, enjoying his soft ministrations. She looked back at the blinking computer screen, and moved her hand over the mouse. “There’s one more thing I need to find out,” she turned to look at him, his hands stopping their movements.

 

“Sara, you closed the case,” Grissom reminded her. “You need to rest.”

 

She put her hands on the desk and pushed herself up, Grissom holding the chair out for her. She turned around in a swift movement and caught hold of Grissom’s arms to steady herself as the room started spinning. “Whoa!” she exclaimed.

 

“You okay?” he gently held onto her arms.

 

“I guess you were right. I am really tired,” she shrugged her shoulders.

 

“Ain’t I always right?” Grissom said smugly, in a horrible British accent.

 

“Stick to American Grissom. Your English sucks,” she giggled, holding her hand in front of her mouth.

 

Like a true gentleman, he bowed his head. “Yes, Madam,” he replied cheekily. “Hey, can you spare five more minutes?” he wanted to know. “Since we’re leaving tomorrow, I thought we better hand out the presents,” he said excitedly. With his hand on the small of her back, he guided her to the break room.

 

Everyone sat gathered around the table, looking at Grissom expectantly when he walked in. “I want everyone in my office,” he said mysteriously, smiling at the curious look that Catherine gave him.

 

“Now?” Catherine asked.

 

“Yes Catherine, now,” he ordered.

 

They all trudged out of the break room, Grissom trailing behind them with Sara by his side. He still had his hand on the small of her back and he chuckled when she yawned again.

 

“What?” she asked innocently.

 

“Nothing,” he shrugged. “You’re awfully cute when you’re tired,” he said honestly.

 

Before Sara had the chance to reply, he guided her inside his office. They all found a spot to sit down and Sara sunk into Grissom’s chair. “You don’t mind, do you?” she inquired sweetly.

 

“Not at all,” he said, rising his eyebrows. He looked around the room, tension obvious on the faces of the others. “Could someone please ask Greg to join us?” he asked, looking directly at Warrick.

 

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Warrick exclaimed. “I’ll get Greg,” he said as he got up from the couch and left the office.

 

“I can see you’re all curious,” Grissom stated, Catherine looking at him suspiciously. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he grinned.

 

Greg came waltzing into the room, followed by a grinning Warrick. “You needed me, boss?” he asked, sitting down. His funny Santa hat was jiggling around on his head, the bell at the end ringing annoyingly.

 

Grissom strolled over to the young lab technician and snatched the hat from his head. “How many time have I told you not to call me boss?” he asked, throwing the hat as far as he could. It landed on the floor next to Sara, who casually picked it up.

 

Greg smiled at her and tried to get up from his chair, only to be held back by a strong hand on his shoulder. “Leave the hat,” Grissom begged. “It’s driving me nuts.”

 

Greg stared back at him, his mouth wide open. “Close your mouth, Greggo. You’re catching flies,” Grissom exclaimed theatrically.

 

“You’re the expert, bugman,” Sara muttered quietly, a big grin forming on her face.

 

Grissom turned around to look at her, and narrowed his eyes. “Be nice to your boss, Miss Sidle,” he said with a straight face.

 

“Yes boss,” she saluted, propping her feet up on his desk.

 

“Do you mind?” he walked over to his desk and retrieved a few envelopes. “I’ll put this down to the fact that you’re tired,” he lifted her feet from his desk and carefully put them on the floor. “Thank you,” he grinned at her and turned back to the rest of the team, ignoring the amused look on Catherine’s face.

 

“You all know that Sara and I are leaving for a convention tomorrow and we won’t be back before Christmas,” he paused to pour himself a cup of coffee. “ So, I think now is a good time to hand out the presents,” he finished.

 

“Cool,” Greg shouted, a huge grin on his face.

 

Grissom opened the first envelope and smiled. “Statue of Miss Liberty,” he read, while walking to the tree and taking down the horrific statue. “For Nick,” he chuckled.

 

Nick took the statue from Grissom’s hand. “Very original,” he smiled. “Too bad she’s wearing a bikini,” he quipped in a heavy Texan accent.

 

Grissom smiled and pulled out the next piece of paper. Walking over to the tree again, he took down the glass Cupid and handed it to Catherine.

 

“It’s beautiful,” she stammered, tracing the heart with her finger. “Thank you,” she managed to say.

 

“Gris,” Warrick caught Grissom’s attention, motioning with his head towards a sleeping Sara. “Is she okay?” he asked worriedly.

 

“She’s fine,” Grissom smiled weakly. “She worked all night until she closed her case,” he announced, a tinge of pride in his voice.

 

“She did?” Catherine whistled. “Way to go Sara,” she said appreciatively.

 

Grissom walked towards his desk, and sat down on the edge. He put a lock of hair behind her ear, and gently caressed her cheek. “Wake up, Sara,” he whispered softly. When she didn’t wake, he gently traced her jawbone with his finger. “Sara,” he tried, but she merely stirred. Catherine watched the tender exchange in awe.

 

Completely ignorant to the people around him, Grissom put his hand on her shoulder, and caressed her neck. Sara slowly opened her eyes. “Grissom,” she mumbled.

 

“You fell asleep,” he explained.

 

“Sorry,” she fidgeted in her seat. She yawned and looked at her co-workers. “I’m back,” she quipped. “Did I miss something?” she straightened her blouse and grinned at Grissom.

 

“Nope,” he said. “Unless you hoped the Cupid was for you,” he sat further on his desk.

 

“Let me guess,” she paused a second, “Catherine.”

 

“Yeah, it’s me,” Catherine held Cupid up.

 

“Damn,” Sara exclaimed, watching Grissom closely as his eyes scanned over another piece of paper.

 

Grissom walked to the tree and took out the pink Dame Edna sunglasses. He walked to Warrick with a huge grin on his face. “These are for you, Warrick,” he put the glasses on Warrick’s head and smiled. “They suit you,” Grissom deadpanned.

 

“Right,” Warrick snorted, taking off the glasses and giving them a close look. A smile spread across his face. “They’re not that bad,” he put them back on and chuckled. “I can see pink elephants already,” he blurted out.

 

“I can see pink elephants without those glasses,” Sara chuckled, leaning back in her chair, her hands behind her head.

 

“You should try counting sheep,” Grissom said, giving her a mock serious look before proceeding to the next gift. He took the blinking Santa boxer shorts and handed them to Greg. “Uh, these are for you,” he winced at Greg.

 

“Wahoo,” Greg exclaimed. “One more pair for my collection,” he said, strutting around Grissom’s office with the boxers on his head.

 

“Let me guess, you have a closet full of those,” Grissom said.

 

“I’m wearing a pair right now,” Greg replied, reaching for his belt.

 

“Leave it, Greggo,” Grissom stilled his hand. “I still want to be able to sleep at night,” he growled.

 

“Awww, c’mon Gris, let us have a little fun,” Sara complained.

 

Grissom shot her one of his ‘don’t mess with me’ looks, and eyed the other pair of boxers in the tree. “These then, are mine,” he stated, pulling them from the tree.

 

 “Did you really expect those to be for someone else?” she questioned him.

 

“Not really,” he mumbled, and took the necklace from the tree. “So I guess this awful thing is for you,” he handed it to Sara.

 

Sara remained quiet, and looked at necklace with total adoration. She put it in the palm of her hand and admired the pendant. “Thank you,” she whispered softly without looking up. “I love it,” she added in an emotional voice.

 

Grissom watched her from the corner of his eye. “It’s gorgeous,” he agreed. “If we’re all done,” he changed the subject, “I’d like for Nick and Warrick to go over the evidence of their case from last night. Maybe you guys missed something,” he looked at them, watching as they reluctantly left his office.

 

“Catherine,” he picked up a piece of paper and handed it to her. “I want you to take over while I take Sara home,” he motioned with his head toward Sara, who had slumped back down on his desk. “I don’t want her to drive,” he explained.

 

“She’s not capable of driving, Gil,” she replied, giving her long time friend a knowing smile.

 

He watched as she left his office, before turning his attention back to Sara. She lay with her head on his desk, her arms tucked under her head protectively. She had the necklace clenched tightly in her fist. “Sara?” he called softly.

 

“Sorry,” she lifted her head and smiled. “I should really go,” she yawned.

 

“I’ll drive you,” he offered.

 

“I would like that,” she got up from her chair and walked towards him.

 

“Want me to help you put that on?” he asked, looking at her necklace.

 

“Yeah thanks, it’s so beautiful,” she said softly.

 

“Not as beautiful as you,” he said quietly, making her wonder if he had really said it.

 

Sara handed him the necklace and turned her back to him. She shuddered as he tenderly wiped her hair away from her neck.

 

He gently fastened the necklace and peered over her shoulder. “It suits you,” he said, turning to kiss her cheek, failing to notice she turned her head to him at the same time. His lips landed softly on hers and for a moment, time stood still.

 

“Sara,” he whispered hoarsely.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Sara looked up at Grissom. “I’m…” she whispered, her eyes never leaving his. “I’m sorry,” she said, taking a step back from him.

 

Grissom regained his composure, and warily ran a hand over his face. “I’m sorry too,” he apologised. “I didn’t mean ...”

 

“I know, Grissom. Don’t worry about it,” Sara finished for him.

 

“Let’s get you home,” he said, taking hold of her elbow and steering her out of his office. They slowly walked to his Tahoe and Grissom opened the door for her. They locked eyes for a few seconds, before Sara got in and Grissom followed suit.

 

The ride home was spent in an uncomfortable silence, neither of them really knowing what to say. Sara sat staring out of the window, occasionally stealing glances at Grissom from the corner of her eye. He was concentrating hard on the road and the muscles in his jaw were set tight.

 

Grissom parked his SUV in front of Sara’s apartment building. He slowly unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to look at her. She sat motionless in her seat, tentatively biting on her lower lip. “Sara,” Grissom put his hand on her arm, gently rousing her from her reverie.

 

“Sorry,” she mumbled, “I was thinking,” she turned to meet his gaze and his eyes bored into hers intently, their sparkling depths holding something unexplainable.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked concerned.

 

“I’m fine,” she said softly, reaching for the door handle. In her hurry, she forgot to unbuckle her seatbelt. As she reached back to undo it, her hand collided with Grissom’s. She shuddered at the sudden contact; a single touch from the man that been holding her heart for so long, set her whole body on fire.

 

Grissom looked up from their hands to meet her eyes. Her expression was one of confusion and Grissom smiled reassuringly at her. He turned his hand and laced his fingers through hers, gently caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. He put his other hand on her cheek and traced the outline of her face.

 

“Grissom,” Sara whispered hesitantly. “Do you want to come in for coffee?”

 

Grissom swallowed the lump in his throat and chuckled nervously. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he reasoned in a hushed tone.

 

“Things are changing, aren’t they?” she questioned him.

 

“Yes,” he replied honestly.

 

“Are you scared?” she intensified the hold on his hand.

 

“Immensely,” he replied, surprisingly relaxed. “The question is, what are we going to do about it?” he asked.

 

“I don’t know anymore,” she replied honestly.

 

“This thing isn’t going away by itself,” he reasoned matter-of-factly. “And I still don’t know what to do about it,” he added quietly.

 

“You’re trying Grissom, and I really appreciate it,” she smiled as he dropped his hand from her cheek. “I guess we’ll have to take things as they come,” she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Night Gris,” she said softly.

 

“Sweet dreams,” he whispered, watching her as she left the car and entered her apartment. As he drove off, he wondered why life was meant to be so difficult sometimes, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

December 18^th, 11.45 a.m.

 

 

Sara was just closing her suitcase when she heard a soft knock on the door. She left the suitcase on her bed, and walked to the door. After a quick look through the peephole, she let her visitor in.

 

“Morning sunshine,” her extremely relaxed boss greeted her.

 

“You’re in a good mood today,” she opened the door wider and he followed her inside.

 

“I slept like a baby,” he replied cheekily. “You look like you didn’t sleep at all,” he observed.

 

“I didn’t,” she grumbled, walking to her bedroom.

 

“Are you okay?” he leant against the doorframe casually, watching as she struggled with her oversized suitcase. “How long are you planning on staying?” he cocked his head in amusement.

 

“A boy scout is always prepared,” she grunted, sitting on top of her case and trying to pull the zipper.

 

 Grissom walked over to her bed.  “Here, let me have a go,” he offered.

 

Sara hopped off the case and stepped back. “Be my guest,” she said, gesturing at the stubborn suitcase.

 

After a few minutes, she giggled. “Um…do you need a hand, Gris?” watching him fight with her suitcase.

 

“No, I’m fine,” he shook his head and managed to the close enormous thing on the second attempt. “Tada,” he announced, spreading his arms wide and grinning proudly.

 

“You’re quite the man,” Sara chuckled, making a move to pick up her suitcase.

 

“I’ve got it,” he held his hand up to stop her and grabbed the handle of the suitcase. “You ready to go?” he asked, lifting the case from the bed. The weight almost tore his arm off and he gasped loudly. “What on earth did you put in there?” he groaned. “Bricks?” He followed her out of the room, cursing loudly with each step he took.

 

“Grissom?” she turned around to look at him.

 

“Yeah,” he puffed, still fighting with her suitcase.

 

“You can put it down,” she stopped in her tracks.

 

“Huh?” he mumbled.

 

“That thing,” she pointed her finger to the bottom of the suitcase. “That thing has got wheels,” she chuckled.

 

“Now you tell me,” he scowled. “My arm has gone numb,” he complained.

 

“Awww poor baby,” she rubbed his arm gently, setting the sparks flying between them.

 

Grissom boldly met her gaze and smiled. He let go of the suitcase and stepped closer, taking her hands in his. “You confuse me, Sara,” he said unexpectedly, letting go of her hands and wrapping his arms around her body.

 

“I confuse you?” she mumbled against his shoulder. “How so?” she asked as she raised her head to look at him.

 

“I don’t know what to do with you,” he shrugged nervously. “My feelings for you are so intense that they confuse me,” he looked into her chocolate brown eyes. “I care a lot, Sara,” he said in a highly emotional voice.

 

Sara just stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly open in surprise. “Are you gonna say something?” he asked. “Don’t stare at me like I’ve suddenly grown a second head,” he said, giving her a half smile.

 

“I’m shocked,” Sara managed to mumble.

 

“I…” Grissom paused to gather his thoughts. “I didn’t mean to,” he mumbled incoherently, and took a step back from her.

 

“No Gris,” Sara stopped him from retreating with a hand on his arm. “I wasn’t rejecting you,” she found her voice again. “Gris,” she took a hesitant step closer to him and put her arms around him.

 

“I’m sorry I ever hurt you,” he mumbled in to her hair. He pulled her closer to him, crushing her tiny frame against his strong, muscular body.

 

Sara inhaled his scent and smiled against his chest, gently playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. She was pleasantly surprised when he placed a light kiss on her temple.

 

Grissom stepped back from her and took one of her hands in his. “I promise that from now on, things will be better,” he said honestly.

 

Sara gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you,” she whispered softly. “Thank you for putting your fears aside,” she smiled.

 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” his voice catching in his throat. ‘I think you’re more than worth it,’ he added mentally, still afraid to say it aloud. “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She gasped in surprise as he grabbed her hand and pulled her after him, the suitcase in his other hand, occasionally colliding with his heels.

 

The short walk to the car was spent in awkward silence, Grissom not letting go of Sara’s hand. “Gris?” she asked hesitantly.

 

“Yes,” he stopped and turned around to look at her.

 

“You do realize that we’re walking hand in hand?” she asked with a raise of her eyebrows.

 

He shrugged. “Does it bother you?” he met her gaze.

 

“No,” she smiled shyly. “I kinda like it.”

 

“So do I,” he answered softly. He turned back to his Tahoe and opened the passenger’s door.  Offering her his hand, he helped her inside.

 

“You’re going all gentlemanly on me,” she grinned.

 

“What? You don’t like it?” he asked in mock surprise.

 

“You never seize to amaze me, Gil Grissom,” she pulled his hand to her mouth and placed a tender kiss on his palm. “I love it when you hold my hand,” she whispered shyly.

 

“Why thank you, my lady,” he bowed his head and closed the door with a mischievous grin on his face. He put her suitcase in the trunk and joined her in the car. “You ready to go?” he turned to look at her.

 

“Yep, let’s go bugman,” she stared out of the window and smiled when she saw his reflection. He was gazing at her adoringly and he smiled when he caught her eyes. She turned to look at him and chuckled. “ We’re quite a pair,” she grumbled in amusement.

 

“You can say that again,” he agreed, leaning over to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek longer than necessary.

 

She put her hand over his, holding it against her cheek, his warmth encompassing her. “What am I gonna do with you?” she smiled.

 

“You could always kiss me,” he whispered bravely, leaning over the console to place a tender kiss near the corner of her mouth.

 

 * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

They stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. Sara was the first to break contact and sighed as she pulled away. “We can’t keep doing this, you know,” she whispered softly.

 

“I know,” he said quietly, not in a hurry to get out of her personal space. “I’m scared,” he admitted reluctantly. “I’m scared that if I don’t do something fast, I’ll lose you. And I’m scared that if I do something now, I’ll make a mistake and lose you anyway,” Grissom whispered in a broken voice.

 

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Grissom,” Sara smiled at him. “I don’t want to push you into something you’re not ready for,” she said tenderly. “But this tension is becoming almost unbearable. We have to do something about it.”

 

“I know,” he pulled back and put his hands back on the wheel. “One of these days I’m going to do something about it,” he smiled at her.

 

She leaned back in her seat and glanced at him. “How spontaneous of you,” she muttered quietly, a mischievous grin playing around the corner of her mouth.

 

“What?” Grissom asked, a little harsher than he intended, totally missing the teasing tone in Sara’s voice. He glared at her intensely.

 

“Never mind.” She turned her head away from him and stared out of the window as he started the car, mentally kicking herself for that little slip of the tongue that was supposed to be a joke. Grissom was retreating into his shell again and it was her fault.

 

The rest of the drive was spent in an eerie silence. They had taken one step forward, only to take three steps back, straight away.

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

The doors of Calgary International Airport opened and Grissom stepped out, pushing a cart with two bags on it. Sara followed closely behind, talking to a nice young man that she had met on the plane.

 

Grissom muttered something under his breath and strode towards the Alamo Car Rental booth, leaving Sara to say goodbye to Mike.

 

“It was very nice to meet you, Sara,” Mike smiled at her.

 

“Same here, and remember what I told you,” she replied, shaking his hand warmly.

 

“I won’t forget,” he winked at her and turned to look at Grissom. “He doesn’t look too happy,” he said, nodding his head towards an almost fuming Gil Grissom.

 

“I’m used to it,” she replied sadly. “Don’t worry about it, just concentrate on making things right with Kate,” she prompted. “And don’t forget to keep me informed,” she added as an afterthought.

 

“I will,” he waved at her and strode happily towards his future.

 

Sara and Mike had talked quite a bit on the plane. Seated between him and Grissom, she had totally ignored her boss the entire flight. Ever since her little remark in the car, he had given her the cold shoulder. Mike had been a nice distraction and a good companion to talk to. He had been in dire need of some good advice from a woman, and Sara had felt happy to be able to help him. Now however, she felt guilty about ignoring Grissom.

 

She walked towards him, noticing that the muscles in his jaw were set tight. When she was nearly next to him, he wordlessly pushed the cart forward.

 

“Grissom, can you please stop doing that?” she sighed sadly.

 

He turned around in one swift movement, causing Sara to bump into him. “I can’t believe what you just did,” he spat angrily. “You were flirting with that guy right under my nose!” he shouted at her.

 

“Grissom,” she tried calmly.

 

“Whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear it,” he turned around and smiled falsely at the clerk behind the booth.

 

A few minutes later, Grissom was handed the keys to their SUV and Sara followed him quietly to the car park. After finding the Chevrolet Blazer and putting the luggage in the trunk, Grissom drove off in a hurry.

 

They reached Banff two hours later, after a long and uncomfortable drive. Grissom pulled up at the Banff Park Lodge hotel and expertly parked the car. Neither of them spoke, Sara nervously biting on her lower lip to stop the tears from falling. She was hurt, scared and afraid that they wouldn’t be able to fix things this time. She was tracing the angel on her chain absentmindedly.

 

Grissom put the car into park and turned to look at Sara when she let out a deep groan. “I can’t stand this anymore,” she said to herself.

 

“Excuse me?! You can’t stand this anymore?” he laughed harshly. “And who’s fault is that?” he questioned.

 

“Grissom,” she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.

 

“You started this!” he shouted coldly. “So don’t even try to put the blame on me.” He slammed his fist on the wheel and glared at her angrily.

 

Something inside Sara snapped and she couldn’t keep quiet anymore, she’d had enough of him shouting at her. “Okay, you’re gonna shut up now and listen to me!” she yelled at him. “Why is it so hard for you to understand that I don’t want to be with anyone, unless it’s you?” she questioned him. “I was just talking to Mike. Nothing more, nothing less,” she said, lowering her voice slightly. “He was debating whether to ask his girlfriend to marry him or not. I just gave him some friendly advice and told him to go for it,” she muttered. “I can’t believe what an ass you’ve made of yourself,” she whispered.

 

Grissom stared at her, his mouth hanging open, not knowing what to say. He really had made an ass of himself. He had been as jealous as hell, without really knowing why.

 

“Aren’t you gonna say something?” she pressed.

 

Grissom clamped his mouth shut and just stared at her, unable to form a reasonable reply.

 

“Fine!” she spat at him. “I hope you have a nice life,” she opened the door and got out, slamming it shut behind her.

 

She walked angrily towards the hotel, failing to notice the slippery path that lead from the parking lot. Suddenly, her feet slipped out from under her and she tried to break her fall with her left hand, letting out a painful yell as she landed on it.

 

Grissom watched as she slipped, the images registering in his brain in slow motion. As she lay writhing in pain on the ground, he ran to her as if his life depended on it. “Sara!” he shouted worriedly. He knelt down next to her and touched her back. “Sara,” he whispered tenderly.

 

Sara let out a low moan. “It hurts,” she whimpered.

 

“I know, honey,” he whispered, tenderly brushing a tear from her cheek. “Where does it hurt?” He gently kissed her hair.

 

“My hand,” she groaned when Grissom lifted her from the cold ground. “I can walk you know,” she muttered through clenched teeth.

 

“I’m sorry,” he apologised, putting her down and lowering his head in embarrassment. “I’m really sorry,” he said quietly.

 

Sara lifted his head with a finger under his chin, gritting her teeth to stop yelling in pain. “Why is it so hard for you to trust me?” she asked.

 

Grissom sighed. “I do trust you, Sara,” he said honestly.

 

“You don’t show it,” she retorted.

 

“I know, I’m sorry,” he paused to look at her. “Every time I see you with someone of your own age, I’m scared I’ll lose you,” he admitted.

 

She took his left hand in her right. “That kid was barely 25, Grissom,” she told him. “Why is it so hard for you to understand that it’s you that I fell in love with.” The words slipped easily from her tongue. She lowered her head shyly as she realized what she had just said.

 

“You did?” he asked, a grin appearing on his face.

 

“I did what?” she enquired as she met his gaze again.

 

“Did you really fall in love with me?” he asked her.

 

Sara couldn’t lie anymore. She needed him to know how she really felt; she owed it to him and to herself. “Yes,” she whispered quietly.

 

“I’m glad you told me,” he smiled, staring into her eyes. “Let’s get that hand checked out.” He took her other hand in his and walked towards the hotel. “I’m sure they have a doctor on the premises.” He pushed the door of the lobby open and guided her inside.

 

Grissom walked over to the desk and smiled at the young man behind the counter. “I’m Gil Grissom and this is Sara Sidle,” he gestured towards Sara. “We’re here for the convention,” he finished.

 

“Ah yes,” the young man behind the counter stammered. “You’re that famous entomologist,” he said in awe. “I’ve read your books, Dr Grissom,” the fascinated young man explained. He scanned the reservation book and retrieved two keys. “We have two rooms booked for you, adjoining doors. They both have king sized beds. One room has a balcony and the other one has a whirlpool. I hope that’s fine with you,” he continued.

 

“That’ll be fine,” Grissom lowered his head to look at the clerk’s nameplate. “Thank you, Tim,” Grissom smiled.

 

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Tim was looking at Sara.

 

“Actually, can you send a doctor up to Miss Sidle’s room,” Grissom asked.

 

“Of course Sir,” Tim nodded. “He’ll be right up. Did you need help with your luggage?” he enquired.

 

Grissom shook his head. “It’s still in the trunk. I’ll get it later,” he answered.

 

“Well,” Tim said hesitantly. “If you write down your licence plate and leave your keys with me, I’ll get someone to bring it up to your room,” Tim offered helpfully.

 

“That would be very nice, thank you Tim.” Grissom handed him the keys and with his hand on the small of Sara’s back, he guided her to the elevators.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked once the doors were closed, pushing the button to the second floor.

 

“The pain has gone away a little,” she admitted.

 

Grissom cradled her left hand in his, gently probing it. “I don’t think it’s broken,” he said as he examined her hand. “Probably bruised, but not broken,” he met her gaze. “I’m really sorry, Sara,” he whispered.

 

“It’s okay,” she swallowed hard when he took a step closer to her and eyed her lips. He leant in closer until she could feel his breath on her face.

 

Grissom put his hand on her cheek and gently touched her lips with his thumb, jumping back when a loud ping interrupted them. The elevator came to a stop and the door opened. “Sorry, we keep getting interrupted,” he grinned. “I’m starting to think that someone doesn’t want us to kiss,” he said, taking her hand in his and walking towards their rooms.

 

* * * * * * * * * * *

 

Sara groaned as the doctor left the room. She cradled her left, injured hand in her right and hissed in pain when she touched her knuckles.

 

“Thank you, Doctor,” Grissom called after the dark haired man.

 

“I’m just doing my job,” he said, turning and smiling at Grissom. “Call me if you need anything and take good care of her, because her hand will be quite sore for a couple of days,” he added helpfully. “Make sure to change the bandages regularly and put ice on her knuckles.” He waved at Grissom and disappeared around the corner.

 

“Will do,” Grissom called after him and closed the door softly. He turned his attention back to Sara. “How are you feeling?” he asked worriedly.

 

“I’ll live,” she hissed through clenched teeth, holding her bandaged hand and fingers. “But it sure hurts like hell,” she added quietly.

 

“Wait until the painkillers kick in,” Grissom offered.

 

“Technically, this is entirely your fault,” she glared at him, her back resting against the headboard of the bed.

 

“I’m sorry.” Grissom lowered his head guiltily, his fingers suddenly seeming very interesting. He sat down on the bed and a second later he felt it move. Looking up, he saw Sara awkwardly trying to crawl towards him. He met her in the middle of the bed. “I can’t believe what an ass I’ve been,” he admitted, gently taking her good hand in his and lacing their fingers together.

 

“It’s only bruised, Gris,” she reminded him gently, a smile playing around her lips.

 

“I guess you were lucky,” he mumbled and pulled her to him. “Is it okay if I hold you?” he asked sheepishly.

 

“Do you even need to ask?” she grinned at him. “I think I’d like that very much,” she smiled sweetly at him, her gaze settling on his adorable blue eyes. Sara put her head on his chest and put her arms around his neck, holding him as close as their current relationship would allow.

 

They stayed like that for a little while, both silently enjoying their closeness. Grissom grinned into her hair and smiled when she lifted her head. “I could get used to this,” she admitted softly.

 

“So could I,” Grissom stretched back on the bed lazily and pulled Sara with him. “Want to catch a movie?” he asked casually.

 

“Sure,” Sara put her head back on his shoulder. “What did you have in mind?” she asked as she reached for the remote.

 

“I don’t know,” Grissom shrugged. “I’m sure they have a very wide choice of in-room movies.” He took the remote from her hand and flipped through channels.

 

“Stop there,” Sara exclaimed when he stumbled upon the Movie Channel, stilling the movement of the remote with her hand on his. “Let’s see what they have,” she said, lifting her head from his shoulder and looking at him expectantly.

 

“What?” he asked innocently.

 

“You have to press the menu button in order to look at the movies they offer,” she replied, taking the remote from his hand and starting to examine their choices.

 

“Oh,” he grinned. “That’s how it works,” he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

 

“You’re such a brilliant scientist, but you’re unable to figure out how in-room movies work. Don’t tell me you’ve never watched one,” she grinned.

 

“Actually no,” he smiled at her and rolled onto his side. “I usually have other things to do rather than watch movies,” he quipped.

 

“Other things?” she asked. “As in better things?” She turned on her side facing him and leant her chin on her good hand.

 

“Most certainly not,” he replied adamantly. “This is nice,” he whispered softly. He leaned towards her and placed a tender kiss on her cheek. “Find anything you like?” he asked, watching her eyes read the screen intently.

 

“Yeah,” she turned her head and caught him staring. She grinned at the blush creeping onto his cheeks. “But I’m not really sure if you’ll like my choice,” she said sweetly, licking her dry lips.

 

“Try me,” Grissom replied, taking a glass of water from the nightstand and handing it to her.

 

Of all the things Grissom could have done, he chose to hand her a glass of water. ‘He could have kissed me,’ Sara thought and chuckled.

 

“What?” Grissom asked.

 

“Nothing,” she shook her head. She took a gulp of water from the glass and handed it back to him. “Thanks for the water,” she smiled. “Who’s your favourite actor,” she asked unexpectedly, taking him by surprise.

 

“Um.” He contemplated the question for a minute, not knowing if he should lie to her or tell her the truth. He settled for the latter. “I’ve always had a soft spot for British humour,” he admitted.

 

“Really?” she asked, grinning widely at him.

 

“Believe it or not,” he said. “Don’t tell anyone, but I have been meaning to see the latest Hugh Grant film,” he whispered, holding his finger in front of his mouth. ‘But I didn’t have the guts to ask the girl out,’ he added mentally.

 

“Hugh Grant, I can’t believe it.” Her grin grew even wider. “You are so full of surprises Gil Grissom,” she whistled. “Anything else you want to share with me?” she asked innocently.

 

Grissom’s mouth curled into a grin and he leant on his elbows, his face hovering above hers, their mouths dangerously close. “You’re too curious Miss Sidle,” he whispered. “I don’t share my secrets with anyone,” he added.

 

Sara held his gaze for a few seconds. “Well, then I should feel honoured,” she said, before getting up abruptly from the bed and walking to the bathroom.

 

“Sara,” he called out after her, but she slammed the door shut. He plopped backwards on the bed, covering his face with his hands. “Darn,” he groaned loudly and slammed his hand against the headboard in frustration. “Ouch,” he yelped in pain and stretched his fingers to check for possible injuries, but everything seemed to be working fine. He took some ice from the fridge and held them against his fingers.

 

“Are you that jealous of me?” asked an amused voice from the doorway of the bathroom. “What happened?” she questioned him.

 

“Nothing,” he lied. “I just hit my hand.”

 

“Right,” Sara shook her head and walked to where he was standing. “I may have had an urgent need to use to bathroom a minute ago, but I’m not deaf you know. It sounded distinctly like someone hitting a wall,” she explained. “So what gives?” she asked him.

 

“I hit my hand, okay,” he yelled at her, flinching at the confused look in her eyes. “Sorry,” he said softly. “But you left in such a hurry and I thought,” he closed his eyes and let out a puff of air.

 

“And you thought I was angry at you,” Sara finished for him.

 

“Yeah,” he replied, opening his eyes to meet her gaze. “Can you forgive me?” He cradled her cheek in his hand, his touch as soft as a butterfly.

 

Sara nuzzled his hand with her cheek, enjoying the growing sensation in her stomach. “I can’t blame you, you know,” she said. “I’ve been a real pain lately,” she added as an afterthought.

 

Grissom pulled his hand away and smiled. “Well, I haven’t been a Saint either,” he confessed, as he gently touched her injured hand and kissed her knuckles under the bandages. “I think it’s about time we stopped hurting each other,” he whispered.

 

“I’d like that very much,” she nodded in agreement. “How’s the hand?” she asked.

 

“It’s okay.” He kissed her cheek and took her good hand in his, pulling her to the bed. “How about that movie?” he asked as he fell back on the bed, pulling her with him. 

 

“Okay,” she whispered, as she felt him putting both of his arms around her waist, and pulling her even closer to him. As she lay close to him, it was hard to see where he ended and she began.

 

Sara picked up the remote and pressed the okay button and a second later the billing message appeared on the screen. She pressed okay again and a few seconds later the movie started to play. She looked at Grissom and caught him staring at her, before he turned his attention back to the screen.

 

Grissom was smirking when he looked back at Sara a few seconds later. “How did you know?” he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

 

“I’ve been meaning to go and see that movie myself,” she answered, moving even closer to him, her head on his shoulder. From a distance, they looked like a tangled heap of body parts. “I’ve always been a Hugh Grant fan,” she admitted finally. “Never missed one of his movies,” she sighed.

 

“I should have known.” He placed a kiss on the top of her head. “So, why do you like him?” he asked as the opening credits played.

 

“He’s a good actor,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

 

“And I’m sure his good looks have nothing to do with it,” Grissom quipped, flinching when a lost hand started tickling his side.

 

“Yeah, he’s good looking, I’ll admit that,” Sara explained. “But that’s not all,” she said. “He has an incredible sense of humour and he is the best possible actor for romantic comedies,” she concluded.

 

“I think you might be right,” Grissom nodded. “And he is a very good actor,” he agreed. “I’ve enjoyed most of his movies,” he admitted, blushing slightly.

 

“I knew there was more to you than meets the eye,” Sara chuckled and kissed his chin.

 

Grissom swallowed hard as the emotions rose inside him. He tried to push them back, but it was getting harder and harder to keep them at bay. The longer he thought it over, the more he wondered why he was always fighting against the all consuming feelings he had for the wonderful woman, lying comfortably in his arms.

 

When the end credits started rolling, Grissom tried to move, but Sara wouldn’t budge. He hovered over her face and found her soundly asleep. “Sara,” he said quietly, but she was far away in dreamland. He traced her cheek with his finger and she stirred, turning on her back.

 

As he looked at her, his eyes travelled to her bandaged hand. The Doctor had told him to put ice on it and that was exactly what he was going to do. He removed the bandages as gently as he could and stared at her knuckles, which were now turning a colourful shade of blue.

 

He retrieved some ice from the fridge, put it in a towel and held it against her hand. Sara flinched at the cold, but she didn’t open her eyes. She seemed to be in a restful slumber and Grissom didn’t want to wake her.

 

After 10 minutes of holding the ice against her hand, he removed the towel and discarded the ice in the bathroom sink. He put some ointment on Sara’s fingers and bandaged her hand again. She turned in her sleep and clasped his hand. He removed her hand gently and got up from the bed but Sara held onto his arm.

 

“Don’t go,” she mumbled sleepily.

 

Grissom swallowed and looked at her. She was looking at him through sleep heavy eyes. “Sara,” he started.

 

“Stay with me, Gris,” she whispered, and pulled him into a sitting position next to her.

 

Grissom closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He opened them a moment later, only to find her staring at him intently, a pleading look in her eyes.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Sara was pulled from her heavenly slumber when she heard a soft knock on the door. She yawned and stretched lazily. She heard another knock and ground her teeth. “Come in,” she said softly. The adjoining door opened and Grissom poked his head in.

 

“You awake?” he asked casually, walking further into the room and sitting down on the foot of the bed.

 

“No, I’m still asleep. Can’t you tell?” she grumbled, causing Grissom to raise an eyebrow in typical Grissom-manner.

 

“You’re quite the morning person,” Grissom pondered, amused, rolling his eyes at the angry look on her face.

 

“I’m not a morning person, so excuse me,” she snapped at him.

 

“Sorry,” Grissom held his hands up in defence. He got up from the bed and left the room, closing the door behind him. A few seconds later, he knocked again.

 

“Come in,” Sara muttered.

 

The door opened and Grissom walked in. “Good morning,” he said quietly, looking at her from the corner of his eye to study her reaction.

 

“Hey,” she answered sheepishly. “I’m sorry about before. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just that this is not my day,” she mused.

 

“How do you know?” he asked. “You’ve been awake for about five minutes and you already know this isn’t your day. How can you tell?” Grissom questioned her.

 

“I don’t know why, but I didn’t sleep very well last night,” she said adamantly. Grissom stared at her, but she didn’t meet his eyes. When she finally turned her head to look at him, she shrugged. “What?” she asked.

 

“Nothing,” Grissom mumbled, already starting to feel guilty for leaving her last night. He had been very tempted to stay with her, but he doubted she had been fully awake and she probably wasn’t aware of what she was asking.

 

“You think I don’t remember,” said Sara. “I don’t know exactly what’s going through your head right now, but I have a feeling you think I wasn’t fully awake last night. I know what I asked you last night, Grissom,” admitted Sara.

 

“Oh,” Grissom muttered shyly, then snapped his mouth shut, not knowing what else he could say to her right now.

 

“I asked you for a reason,” she continued. “It’s not as if I asked you to get naked under the covers with me,” she said as she leant back against the headboard.

 

“I know, Sara,” he said. “But I got scared,” he admitted softly.

 

“I know you’re scared, Grissom, and so am I. But if you keep pushing me away, we’ll never move forward,” Sara explained.

 

“I really am trying, Sara,” he whispered. “You’ll have to give me some time to get used to having you in my life day and night,” he said quietly.

 

Sara’s eyes turned wide in surprise and she stared at him.

 

“What?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

 

“Do you realize what you just said?” Sara asked him, surprise still written all over her face. Her mouth hung slightly open as she awaited his response.

 

“Um, I think so,” he paused and looked at her. “But from the look on your face, I’m not really sure,” he said uncertainly.

 

“I’m not sure I heard you correctly, but I heard something about you wanting me in your life day and night,” she whispered.

 

“That’s what I said.” He shrugged his shoulders innocently.

 

“And you mean it?” Sara asked him.

 

“Yes,” he answered simply. “I want you in my life.” He smiled at her and sat down on the bed. “How’s the hand?” he asked, as he took her hand in his and removed the bandages, gently kissing each knuckle. They had now turned a light shade of purple.

 

“Hurts a little, but I’ll live.” She moved closer to him and put her hands around his neck, pulling him nearer to her.

 

He gave in to her request and gave her a gentle hug. “You seem to have developed this obsession to hug me,” he muttered into her hair.

 

“You feel nice,” she said and smiled at him when he released her.

 

“Let me take care of your hand,” he said. He walked to the fridge and retrieved some ice. He handed it to her, and she held it against her knuckles. After a good ten minutes, she removed it and passed it back to Grissom, who disposed of it in the sink. “I’ll bandage your hand after you’ve finished showering.” He smiled at her and wiped his wet hands on his pants.

 

“Thank you,” she smiled back at him admiringly. “You make a good Doctor,” she grinned.

 

“I AM a Doctor,” he quipped.

 

“Right,” she chuckled. “If you don’t mind, I’m gonna get ready for your speech, Bugman.” She got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom.

 

“There’s no hurry. We still have a good two hours in front of us,” he said, as he started to make her bed. He looked up when he heard her laugh. “What?” he asked.

 

“A good Doctor and a good maid,” she pondered. “You’re quite a catch,” she said amused.

 

Grissom ignored her and sat down on the bed. “Can I take you out for breakfast?” he questioned her.

 

“Sure. What did you have in mind?” she asked as she walked back into the room to retrieve some clothes from her suitcase.

 

“There’s a nice little café just around the corner. Best breakfast in town,” he whistled.

 

“You’ve been talking to Tim, haven’t you?” she smiled at him.

 

“I can’t help it; the kid loves me,” he grinned back at her.

 

“Well, he’s not the only one,” she whispered as she closed the door.

 

Grissom grinned from ear to ear and shook his head. It was wonderful how he and Sara were becoming so at ease with each other. He walked back to his room and closed the door behind him.

 

* * * * * * * * *  * * * *

 

They were sitting in a quiet corner of the restaurant. The booth was located near the end and they were rarely interrupted in their hushed conversation. Grissom was flipping pages in the menu, and Sara was eyeing him curiously. He looked at her and shrugged innocently. “What?” he grinned.

 

“You have no idea what you’re gonna have, do you?” she asked.

 

“No, I don’t. They have so many good things here, and I’m so hungry…” He didn’t finish his sentence.

 

“We can come back tomorrow morning before our trip to the Icefields Parkway,” Sara told him.

 

“Is that an invitation, Miss Sidle,” he asked with a hint of humour in his voice.

 

“I guess it is.” She took his hand in hers to stop him from madly flipping through pages. “Do you trust me?” she asked boldly.

 

“Of course,” he stated simply. “I trust you with my life.” He let his menu fall to the table and intertwined their fingers.

 

“Let me order for you then,” she explained sweetly.

 

Grissom didn’t say anything; he just nodded and kept staring at her. The waitress arrived and Sara ordered the same thing for them both, but Grissom was so mesmerized by the beauty of her face that he didn’t hear what she had ordered.

 

They sat staring at each other until the waitress returned with their food. Sara briefly thanked her and looked at Grissom expectantly. “Um, Gris,” she started.

 

“Yeah,” he replied dreamily. He was still not over the fact that Sara had let him hold her hand in public. It felt so good to be able to hold her and touch her, despite the fact that they hadn’t kissed yet. He was quietly wondering what Sara wanted. He knew she meant a great deal to him, more than anyone else had ever meant in his life and he wanted more from her, but his old fears remained. He was afraid of commitment; he was afraid of hurting her and he was afraid of her hurting him.

 

“Grissom,” she chanted, pulling him out of his reverie.

 

“What,” he stuttered.

 

She smiled at him and looked at her hand. “Can you please let go of my hand,” she said with a hint of humour in her voice.

 

“Huh?” He was utterly confused now. ‘Stupid daydreams, luckily I can just scratch everything I was thinking. She doesn’t want to be with me,’ Grissom thought mentally. He forced a smile to his lips and let go of her hand.

 

Sara narrowed her eyes when she saw the hurt look on his face. “Gris?” she tried gently.

 

“What?” he answered a little harsher than intended, flinching at the tone in his voice. He wanted to say something, but his voice caught in his throat.

 

She waved her bandaged hand in the air. “Unless you want to feed me,” she explained softly.

 

Grissom closed his eyes in confusion, the muscles in his jaw set tight. When he looked at her and saw her holding her toast in the hand he had just reluctantly let go of, everything clicked into place. She hadn’t rejected him earlier, nor had she been afraid to be seen with such an old man holding her hand in public. He couldn’t stop the huge smile from forming on his face and he chuckled, shaking his head at his own stupidity. He was finally starting to see a little clearer in the huge puzzle that was Sara Sidle. Piece by piece, everything was falling into place.

 

Sara was munching on a piece of toast, and she kept her eyes on him. When the huge smile spread on his face, she couldn’t stop her own smile. She shook her own head in amusement and swallowed her piece of toast when he looked at her. “How many times do I have to tell you, that it’s you I want to be with,” she muttered softly.

 

“But why?” he asked, staring at her intently.

 

“Because you’re Grissom,” she said simply.

 

He raised his eyebrows. “Why, Sara?” he asked, not giving her time to answer. “Why does a beautiful young woman like you, want an old man like myself,” he said seriously. “Let’s face it, I’m no spring chick anymore,” he mumbled sadly.

 

Sara let go of her toast and took his hand in hers. “There are so many reasons why I want to be with you, Gris,” she explained, taking a deep breath. “But since you are so insecure, let me just explain a few,” she paused to look at him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “You are the most intelligent man I have ever met. You are honest, caring and under that brick wall of yours, I know that you are extremely tender. You are highly desirable and I could get lost in those wonderful blue eyes of yours,” she smiled at him when she saw him fighting the huge grin that threatened to break out at any minute. “I’m not only attracted to you physically and emotionally, I’m also attracted to you intellectually. You’re the ying to my yang,” she finished.

 

Grissom swallowed hard and smiled. “Thank you,” he whispered softly. “You don’t know what it means to me,” he continued in a hushed tone. Sara leant across the table and kissed his cheek. As their eyes met, he immediately became lost in the depths of her chocolaty brown orbs.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Sara held her position, hovering dangerously close in front of Grissom. His gaze flicked quickly from her eyes down to her mouth and he leant in, slowly closing the distance between them. He could feel her soft breath tickle his lips and as he closed his eyes in anticipation of the contact, a soft cough coming from the side of the table interrupted his progress.

 

“Excuse me,” a young girl stuttered, “but aren’t you Gil Grissom?” she asked.

 

Grissom’s eyes snapped open and he pulled away from Sara before their mouths touched, groaning inwardly. “Yes,” he sighed and managed to smile at the young girl, who was clearly impressed by his presence.

 

“Would you um,” she fumbled to find her words. “Could you sign this for me?” she asked shyly and retrieved a book on entomology from behind her back.

 

“Of course.” Grissom took the book from her trembling hands and signed the front page. “What’s your name?” he asked.

 

“Helen,” she stuttered.

 

He quickly scribbled her name on the font page and looked up at her. “I take it you like bugs?” Grissom asked, interested.

 

“I love them,” she nodded her head. “I’ve been fascinated with them ever since I was a kid. I’m actually doing an entomology course in college,” she explained proudly.

 

“Good for you,” Grissom smiled at her.

 

“Thank you, Doctor Grissom,” she grinned thankfully. “Enjoy your breakfast, and I’m sorry for disturbing you,” she flashed him a toothy grin, turned on her heels and left.

 

Grissom turned to look at Sara when he heard her chuckle. “What?” he smiled at her.

 

She shook her head in amusement. “You’re quite popular in Banff,” Sara exclaimed. “Maybe you should consider moving up here,” she quipped.

 

“Why move away from all the wonderful things I have in Vegas,” he waggled his eyes suggestively and finished the rest of his now almost cold breakfast.

 

After a breakfast spent in companionable silence, they left the small restaurant and headed back to the hotel. Grissom retrieved his notes from his room and joined Sara in the lobby. She was sitting in a large, fluffy couch, reading today’s newspaper. He plopped down next to her and scanned the page she was reading.

 

“What’s happening in the world?” he asked, looking at her sideways.

 

“Not anything good,” Sara muttered. She turned her head to look at him. “Do you want to kiss me?” she asked bluntly.

 

Grissom swallowed hard and flashed her a thousand Watt smile. “Yes,” he answered simply. “I really want to kiss you. More than anything,” he added in a voice barely above a whisper.

 

Sara said nothing and just smiled at him. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he put his head on top of hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Grissom reluctantly pulled away. He stood and offered her his hand, helping her to her feet. With a light hand on her lower back, he guided her towards the conference room.

 

‘Let’s get this over with,’ he thought and entered the room, surprised at the eager crowd awaiting him.

 

* * * * * ** * * * * * * * *

 

Grissom’s half hour speech turned into a three hour appearance. He was asked a million questions from around the room, showing what a reputation he had built as an entomologist. Sara had always known he had a good reputation, but this was clearly more than either of them had expected.

 

As they walked out of the large conference room side by side, Sara elbowed him in the ribs. “You’re quite the man, Gris,” she said in awe. “It looks like your reputation is starting to take on a life of its own,” she quipped.

 

“Don’t start with me,” he groaned. “I knew there was a reason why I had second thoughts about coming here,” he added as an afterthought. He pushed the call button on the elevator and grumbled as every other person passing by, looked at him as if he were God. “Oh please,” he muttered silently, relieved to get into the elevator and escape the prying eyes in the lobby.

 

“Can I have your autograph?” Sara asked in a sweet voice when the door shut.

 

Grissom leaned back against the wall and threw his hands up in the air helplessly. “Can I have some normality please?” he pleaded to no one in particular.

 

Sara stood next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I can’t seem to help myself. I find it very amusing to tease you,” she smiled at him.

 

Grissom turned his head sideways and gave her a mock glare. “You’ve got a big mouth, Sidle,” he mumbled amused. “One of these days it’s going to get you into trouble,” he added.

 

Sara didn’t reply, she just flashed him a grin. The elevator came to a halt and they got out. Sara walked to her room, followed very closely by Grissom. “Hey Sara,” he started. She turned around to look at him. “Want to go out for lunch?” he asked softly.

 

“I’d love to,” she nodded her head. “I just have to take care of my hand first,” she said as she fumbled with her key card.

 

“Let me help you,” he took the card from her hand, opened the door and steered her inside. He sat her down on the small couch in the corner of the room and removed her bandages. “That looks a lot better,” he said as he examined her hand.

 

“It feels a little better too,” she stretched and kissed his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered. Her lips lingered on his cheek a little longer than necessary. Grissom turned his head towards her just as she pulled back, leaving their mouths only a few inches apart.

 

They stared at each other for a few seconds, when Grissom gently took her chin between his thumb and his forefinger. He closed the tiny distance hesitantly and rained butterfly kisses all over her face; he kissed her eyebrows, her nose, her cheekbone, before he moved to her mouth and gently brushed his lips over hers. He kept the kiss light and short, pulling away to gauge her reaction. Her eyes were closed and she had a smile on her face.

 

Sara opened her eyes to find him gazing at her adoringly, a huge smile on his face. “You’re more than welcome,” he whispered. He got up from the couch and came back with ice. He took her hand in his and gently held the ice against her knuckles. “You okay?” he smiled at her.

 

“I’m,” she paused. “I’m better than okay,” she whispered softly. She put her good hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

 

“I’m really glad you’re here with me,” he said suddenly, removing the ice from her hand. He spread some cream on her fingers and bandaged her hand. He looked at her and she was staring at him with a gloomy look in her eyes. “You don’t believe me?” he asked.

 

She nodded, swallowing the lump that had started to form in her now very dry throat. “I do,” she whispered.

 

He took her hand in his and pulled her to her feet. “You ready to go?” he twirled her around and pulled her towards the door, taking their coats from the rack, still holding her hand in his strong grip.

 

* * * ** * * * * * * * * * *

 

They were walking down the streets of Banff, the road covered in a thin layer of snow. It had started snowing while Grissom had given his speech, adding a fairytale look to the already very picturesque city. After a quiet lunch in the best restaurant in town, they had decided to go for a walk. Sara stopped when she noticed Grissom shivering slightly, pulling his jacket tighter around him.

 

“Are you cold?” she asked concerned.

 

“Just a little,” he lied.

 

“What are you wearing under that jacket?” she questioned him.

 

“A shirt and a thick sweater.” He looked at her when she raised her eyebrows. “What?”

 

“The secret is to dress in layers,” she explained. “You’re better off with three or four thin layers, than with two thick ones.” Seeing the questioning look on his face she continued. “I don’t think you realize how cold winters in Boston are. And you would probably be better off with a Gore-Tex jacket too," she said adamantly as she eyed his choice of jacket.

 

“I don’t need one in Vegas,” he chuckled. “So,” he changed the subject. “What do you want to do tomorrow?” He took her hand in his and they slowly walked down the street.

 

“I was thinking about checking out the Icefields Parkway and Lake Louise, but since you’re a little underdressed for any kind of hiking, I think we’d better hang around the hotel,” she grinned.

 

“I’m wearing Gore-Tex hiking boots,” he defended himself, pointing to his brand new boots.

 

“Work with me Gris. I’m talking clothes here,” she grumbled.

 

“Want to go shopping?” he quipped, as he pulled her to the other side of the street and entered some sort of camping store. He turned to her. “Tell me what I need?” he asked as he pulled her inside she store.

 

“Are you angry?” she asked tentatively. “I didn’t mean to boss you around,” she mumbled softly. “And –”

 

“Sara,” he put his finger on her lips to silence her. “I’m not mad. I’m just asking you for advice.” He ran his hand over his beard and sighed. “I really have hurt you in the past, haven’t I?” he pondered.

 

She lowered her head. “Yes,” she whispered quietly, feeling the burden of the past coming back to haunt her, all sorts of negative images filling her mind. She tried to fight the wetness forming in her eyes, but when she realized it was futile, she pulled away from him and left the store in a hurry.

 

“Sara,” he called after her, earning curious glares from the other customers quietly doing their shopping. He opened the door and ran after her. “Sara!” he yelled, crossing the street to follow her. She increased her pace when she heard him coming after her. “Sara, stop!” he screamed frantically, the urgency in his voice causing her to stop and turn around. She came face to face with a slightly out-of-breath Gil Grissom. “What’s wrong?” he asked concerned.

 

“Nothing,” she lied. “I just - um – I have stuff to do,” she turned around, but was held back when Grissom’s hand grasped her arm.

 

“I’m sorry about everything. I never meant to hurt you,” he confessed.

 

She looked straight at him. “I know. And that makes it so sad,” she smiled bitterly.

 

“Tell me how to make it up to you,” he pushed.

 

“Never mind,” she responded as she tried to free herself from his grasp, but he wouldn’t budge.

 

“What are you afraid of, honey?” he asked gently. “Tell me what it is, so I can make it all better,” he pleaded.

 

“I’m afraid of you,” she stated. “Once we get back to Vegas, you will forget everything that has happened between us. You will put up that protective wall around your heart again and you’ll push me away. Like you have been pushing me away all these years,” she explained sadly.

 

“I won’t,” he said honestly.

 

“How can I be certain of that?” she asked stubbornly, raising her voice a notch.

 

“You have to trust me, Sara,” he said a little louder than intended.

 

“Tell me why I should trust you?” she spat.

 

He walked towards her and pushed her against a building, pinning her body with his, his face dangerously close to hers. “Because I am in love with you!” he yelled at her, shocked by his own confession. “I love you, Sara. And I have been in love with you for a very long time,” he whispered hoarsely. “If you don’t believe that, there’s nothing more I can do.”

 

He started to pull away, but jerked back towards her when she grabbed his jacket. Caught up in the emotional moment, he leant forward to place his lips on hers and kissed her so gently she thought she might cry.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Grissom and Sara walked slowly back to the hotel. Grissom’s arm was wrapped around Sara and her head lay against his shoulder. They walked along in silence, merely content to enjoy the closeness of each other. When they reached the hotel, Grissom removed his arm from Sara’s shoulder, and held the door open for her. Their eyes locked for a few seconds, and Sara smiled gratefully at him. In the lobby, she started removing her gloves, but she was stopped by a soft hand on her arm. Grissom had already removed his own gloves and scarf, and had tucked them into his jacket pocket. He put his bag containing his new jacket on the floor, and tenderly removed Sara’s gloves, his eyes staying on her beautiful face. He discarded her scarf and put them in his bag, opening Sara’s jacket and taking her hand in his.

 

Once they were in the elevator, Grissom still didn’t let go of her hand. Again, they didn’t feel the need to talk to each other. Every unspoken word was now out in the open. Grissom silently steered her towards his room. He let go of her hand to take out his key card, and she immediately missed his warmth. He guided her inside his room with his hand on the small of her back, and closed the door behind them. Grissom put his hands on Sara’s shoulders and turned her around. He removed her jacket, and placed it on the couch, putting his on top of it. Sara turned to stare out of the window, her back to Grissom and her arms crossed over her chest.

 

He watched her from a close distance as her eyes roamed over the scenery outside. He could see her reflection in the window and he smiled at the content and peaceful look she had on her face. He approached her from behind, and met her smile in the reflection. He put his chin on her shoulder, and put his arms around her waist. “I love you, Sara,” he breathed in her ear, watching her smile grow broader.

 

She turned her head towards him. “I believe you,” she spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I love you too. More than anything in this world,” she gently brushed his lips with hers.

 

Grissom caressed her jaw line with his forefinger, while gently brushing his lips over hers. Soon the gentle kiss turned hungrier. Grissom traced Sara’s lips with his tongue and she opened her mouth under his passionate touch. Sara snuck her tongue out, and as soon as she met Grissom’s, she moaned. Tongues danced around each other and hands started caressing backs. While Sara was rubbing circles on his lower back, Grissom was hungrily devouring her mouth. They stayed like that for several minutes until they both pulled back, breathing heavily, trying to catch some air.

 

Sara laid her forehead against Grissom’s, still breathing rapidly. Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other. “Wow,” Sara breathed, as she put her head on his shoulder.

 

“That doesn’t even come close to covering it,” he managed to mumble, putting both of his arms around her slender frame, and pulling her closer to him.

 

Sara lost herself in his gentle and warm embrace. “I could say like this forever,” she whispered softly as she pulled away from him and sat down on the couch. “Do you think we should talk?” she asked bluntly.

 

“About?” Grissom raised his eyebrows in confusion, and sat down next to her and took her hand in his.

 

“Us,” she blurted, not meeting his eyes.

 

“Us,” he repeated, still not following where she was going. “I thought we talked about everything,” he said.

 

Sara chuckled nervously, as she played with his fingers. “Um,” she stuttered as she looked at Grissom shyly. “There are some things we still haven’t discussed,” she explained.

 

Grissom creased his brow in frustration. “I’m not sure,” he started, before it dawned on him what Sara was trying to say. “Oh,” he lowered his head, trying to hide the redness that started to creep over his face. A finger under his chin caused him to look up again and he was met by Sara’s grinning face. She was clearly amused at his uneasiness on the subject. “I’m glad you find it entertaining,” he deadpanned.

 

Her grin turned into a tooth-gapped smile. “Relax, Gris. It’s not the end of the world,” she smiled at him.

 

“That’s easy for you to say,” he grunted.

 

“Oh please,” she chuckled at him. “Don’t tell me you have never talked about it,” she quipped.

 

He shook his head. “Of course I have, but it has never been my strong suit,” he explained.

 

“The world is not gonna end if we talk about sex,” Sara stated plainly.

 

Grissom stared at her with his mouth hanging wide opening. “Sara Sidle, I am shocked,” he blurted. “You keep fading like a flower,” he kissed her lips quickly and pulled her into a gentle embrace.

 

Sara chuckled against his chest. “We still need to talk about it,” she said as she lifted her head.

 

“I know,” he smiled at her and kissed her gently on the forehead. “I don’t want to rush things between us,” he said simply.

 

She smiled widely at him. “Neither do I,” she said honestly, meeting him halfway for a tender kiss. Grissom nuzzled her neck and she caressed his curls. They stayed in each other’s arms for a little while, enjoying their closeness. “The way I see it, it’ll happen when it happens,” Sara said out of the blue.

 

“My point exactly,” Grissom said as he lifted his head and stole a kiss from her. “I’ve been good at planning those things,” he said honestly. “They always sort of happen,” he added.

 

“Lady Heather?” Sara asked him, the question burning hard on her lips. She needed to know if the gossip that had been going around the lab were true.

 

“No,” he said softly. “But I was aware people were saying I slept with her,” he explained as he cradled Sara’s hand. “I’ve never been a guy for one-night stands,” he said as he met her gaze. “I never slept with anyone without being in love,” he confessed.

 

Sara just stared at him, totally fascinated with the wonderful man that was Gil Grissom. “Me and Hank were just friends,” she explained as she sensed his question. “All we did was go out to the movies, and we had the occasional dinners,” she said as she turned her head and stared out of the window, her smile slowly fading away.

 

Grissom put his finger under her chin and made her look at him. “What’s wrong, honey?” he asked gently.

 

Sara met his eyes and forced a smile to her lips. “It hurts when you realize that friendship has been based on nothing but lies,” she whispered softly.

 

“What do you mean?” he tried tentatively.

 

“I thought we were the best of friends. I thought we told each other everything,” she paused and leant back in the couch. “That bastard never mentioned he had a girlfriend,” she grunted through closed teeth.

 

“He was not worth it,” Grissom said gently. “The way I see it, he never deserved your friendship,” he whispered as he took her hand in his and softly kissed her palm.

 

“I just needed a friend, Gris. Is that so much to ask?” she questioned him gently, not giving him a chance to reply. “I was trying to replace the friendship I lost,” she said sadly.

 

Grissom gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You never lost my friendship, Sara,” he mumbled. “I’ve just been a real ass for the last few years or so,” he finished off.

 

She moved closer to him, and put her arms around his neck. She gently pressed her forehead against his. “You weren’t being an ass. You were just being Grissom,” she said as she kissed his cheekbone.

 

“Thank you,” he said in a highly emotional voice. “Thank you for being so patient. Thank you for pushing me. And most of all, thank you for making me love you,” he pondered thoughtfully.

 

Sara pressed her lips to his and smiled into the kiss. “I ought to thank you for allowing me into your wonderful life,” she whispered hoarsely, putting her head on his shoulder and pulling him closer to her. She couldn’t get close enough, and ended up on his lap.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Sara woke the next morning with a warm body pressed against her back. She snuggled closer to the source of the heat, putting her head on the soft material of his flannel clad arm. She sighed contently and fell back asleep in no time.

 

An hour later, Grissom awoke with a weight draped half over him. He opened his eyes and smiled. Sara Sidle was indeed laying half on top of him and she was smiling in her sleep. He tenderly traced her face with his finger and put an errant lock of hair behind her ear. He gently took her necklace between his fingers and stared at the angel. When he looked back at her, two adoring brown eyes stared back at him.

 

“It was you,” she said simply, as she tenderly kissed him on the lips.

 

“Yes,” he admitted, running his finger through her soft locks.

 

“Why?” she asked.

 

“Because you remind me of an angel in many ways,” he explained. “Without you, I would have been in hell a long time ago,” he stated honestly.

 

“I love you, Gris,” she whispered hoarsely, losing herself in another languid kiss. When she pulled away from him, she was grinning. “You’re a wonderful kisser,” she breathed into his ear. “And as much as I would love to stay in bed and kiss you all day, I believe we had plans,” she said cheekily. She hopped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. “We need a shower,” she called from the doorway.

 

“Really?” he quipped, jumping out of bed and following her. “I thought you’d never ask,” he deadpanned.

 

Sara turned around and held him back with her hand on his chest. “Separately,” she chuckled as she shot him a beaming smile.

 

He kissed her lips softly and grinned. “You can’t blame a guy for trying,” he winked at her and walked towards the connecting door.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Fifteen minutes later, Sara heard a soft knock on the connecting door. “Are you decent?” Grissom asked from behind the door.

 

She chuckled softly and walked to the door, pulling it open in a swift movement, revealing a clean-shaven Gil Grissom. “What have you done to Gil Grissom?” she quipped, quickly kissing his soft cheek. “Are you still the same man who wanted to hop in the shower with me just a little while ago?” she asked amused, as she took his hand and pulled him towards the fluffy couch.

 

“I think the guy you mentioned just went down the drain in the shower, since his girlfriend didn’t want him to wash her back,” he deadpanned.

 

“Cute and funny,” Sara shrieked, as she lightly tapped his chin with her finger. “I really don’t understand why you have been hiding in that shell of yours for all those years,” she pondered amazed.

 

“Because I’m irresistible otherwise,” he teased. He lightly kissed her and smiled thankfully. “You made it happen, Sara,” he whispered tenderly.

 

She threw her arms around his neck and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “You’re an amazing man,” she whispered back at him, as she tried to hide the tears that started rolling down her cheeks.

 

Grissom put his hands on her cheeks and wiped them away with his thumbs. “What’s with the tears, honey?” he asked hesitantly.

 

She shot him a beaming smile that made his heart explode into a million pieces. “Because I’m happy,” she said simply, as she took his hand and kissed his knuckles.

 

He pulled her into a tender embrace and sighed contently. After a few minutes, he kissed the top of her head and pulled away. “We really should get going, honey,” he told her quietly.

 

“Do we have to?” she mumbled in his chest.

 

He cradled her chin with his finger, and lifted her head. “I thought you were so excited to go to the Icefields Parkway,” he exclaimed gently.

 

“Yes, but,” she paused and sighed deeply. “I don’t want to share you with anyone just yet,” she whispered shyly.

 

Grissom just smiled at her. “Wherever we are, you’ll always have me to yourself,” he answered hoarsely. “Anywhere in the world, and any time of the day; any moment is ours,” he whispered, claiming her lips for a tender kiss that made both hearts explode at the same time.

 

THE END.