Chapter one: Getting Away

 

For once, Gil Grissom was happy to be getting away from work; to be taking a vacation. He sat in his office, pen in one hand, his head in the other, reading reports, signing papers, and giving his attention to all the paperwork that was due to the sheriff’s office before he’d be back.

 

Closing a folder, he pulled himself away from his administrative duties for a minute to sit back and take a long pull of coffee. He let his eyes roam around his office. It wasn’t often he was away from here for any period of time, and it seemed almost unnatural to be leaving. His eyes fell to the box by the door, packed with books. Ok, so it wasn’t exactly a vacation he mused as he took his glasses off.

 

Technically it was an entomological convention being held on a cruise ship. He was going, and the Vegas PD was picking up the bill since it was work related. The whole cruise to Bermuda was just a bonus.

 

He had asked Dr Robert Vincent, the entomologist in charge of the convention, why it was being held in such a way. Bob had just laughed and replied, “Gil, we deal with bugs and death... most of us are workaholics. Have you ever tried to take a vacation? You get a day, tops, before they’re paging your ass back to the office. This way, short of sending a helicopter, we can all get some R and R!” Gil had laughed, then confirmed his place on the voyage. After all, it wasn’t every day he got a chance to completely get away from work. Sure, it wasn’t something he’d normally do, but he couldn’t deny the need to get away.

 

Two months ago he had taken some time off to get his stapendectomy. Though the surgery was successful, he seemed to be regaining his hearing at a snails pace. Frustrated with this, it left his demeanor little better than when he’d left. Between that and his mystery absence he could see the strain it caused on his relationships with his fellow CSI’s. Catherine was angry with him because he wouldn’t tell anyone. Brass was so confused he had convinced himself as well as Nick, Warrick and Greg that he had a new girlfriend. And then there was Sara. He could see the pain in her eyes every time he looked at her. Their relationship, platonic or otherwise, was falling apart.

 

Before he could muse any further down that route his Big Mouth Billy Bass started singing, signaling he had a visitor. He turned his head to the doorway.

 

“See you changed the batteries,” Sara said, a grimace on her face. She walked into the room, willing the offending fish to stop singing.

 

“Actually Greg did. Apparently he decided to take it upon himself when I asked him to feed my tarantula.” Grissom tried to smile at her as she stood across from him, resting her hands on the chair in front of her, seemingly undecided about wether or not to sit.

 

“Why Greg?” She looked at her hands, picking at her nails, waiting for an answer.

 

She didn’t have to ask the rest of the question, “...and not me?”

 

“I see a lot of myself in him, Sara. Besides, I told him if he could keep my spider healthy ‘till I got back, I’d start taking him out in the field.” She eyed him suspiciously. “I did it to Catherine, too, when she started as a tech. Consider it a right of passage. If you wanna be a CSI instead of a lab tech, you gotta take care of my spider.” He shot her a smile. She gave him a weak one back.

 

“You know, you’re already a CSI Sara, but you could take care of my spider any time you want.” He hoped that it sounded less stupid to her than when he’d just said it. It came out quickly, anything to get her to talk to him than look so pitiful standing there.

 

That received a small laugh, followed by a bigger smile and her moving to sit in the chair. She still didn’t look in his eyes, though. “It’s not about--”

 

“I know that,” he cut her off. She looked at him a bit surprised. “Just tell me what it IS about.”

 

“That means you told him.” She looked up at him, her brown eyes as big and soulful as he’d ever seen them. “And you didn’t tell me.”

 

He dropped his eyes from hers. It was too painful to see the hurt there. He took a deep breath and spoke. “I couldn’t tell you. I didn’t know how. It wasn’t right. But it was just easier to not say anything. But I know it wasn’t right. I’m sorry.” He looked back to her. She was letting her eyes roam around the room, anything to avoid his sapphire gaze.

 

“How long’s the convention?” She seemed satisfied leaving the conversation and moving on to a new one, and he was still wary where she was concerned, so he followed her lead. He must have been quiet for too long, because she looked at him expectantly and asked again, “You know, the one you’re leaving for tomorrow? That you told us about during assignments today?”

 

“A week.” He replied, snapping back to her, letting his eyes center on hers. “I’ll be getting back here Sunday night, back at work on Monday.”

 

She considered something for a moment, then shook her head as if she were shaking the thought away. She smiled and looked into his eyes again. “My flight leaves in a few hours... think they’ll miss us?”

 

“I know they will. Catherine just about had a heart attack when she found out we were on vacation the same week.” He tiled his head slightly to give her a half grin, with a twinkle in his eyes. It was almost like old times. Almost. He could still feel a bit of a cloud hanging over them, but it wasn’t going to be resolved now. That was for another time.

 

“I thought you were going to a convention, you know, work related? Isn’t that why Mobley picked up the bill?” She eyed him with a suspicious smile, hoping to catch him in a lie.

 

“Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe...” Just as he said that, Greg ran down the hall outside his office, followed by a very irate Catherine, screaming obscenities at him. Grissom and Sara both stared at the ajar door, then slowly looked at each other. “Besides, getting away from THAT, in any form, is a vacation.”

 

Sara shook her head and stood. He could almost feel the nervousness slip into the room again. She was being hesitant, hiding her face with her hair. “Well,” She slipped the rogue hairs behind her ear and looked him in the eyes again. “Enjoy the bugs, Griss.”

 

“Enjoy your vacation Sara.”

 

And with that, she left his office.

 

Looking down at his watch, he realized he now had a lot less time than he had planned on. Grissom slipped his glasses back on and turned to the files still demanding his attention before he escaped Las Vegas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2: In Transit

 

Grissom sat in the airport terminal reading over his notes for the presentation he was supposed to give at the convention. It wasn’t anything new, just a few bits and pieces he’d picked up since the last time they’d met. For the most part it was about how tightly wrapped bodies could throw expected results off. He sighed, thinking about how long it was since he’d been to one of these meetings. Probably too long, but it didn’t mean that he wasn’t updated on the latest discoveries.

 

It just meant he was a workaholic.

 

He inwardly groaned. He stuffed the pages back into the briefcase that sat next to his carry-on. He rubbed his eyes, the din of the airport was starting to give him a headache. He’d barely had time to get home before the cab to the airport arrived at his townhouse. He didn’t even change, just grabbed his two bags and briefcase and ran to the cab, only to find out once he was at the airport, that his flight was delayed by a half hour.

 

It wasn’t enough to jeopardize him making it to the ship, but just enough to be annoying. He was now officially looking forward to sleeping on the plane.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“What do you mean you sold my seat!” Sara Sidle exclaimed, irate and beyond trying to hide it, “I booked this flight three months ago! I have all my confirmation numbers right here!” She pulled a stack of papers out of her already open purse and shoved them at the scared airport employee in front of her. “I HAVE to be on that plane! And it’s bad enough it’s already half an hour delayed...”

 

“Miss Sidle, let me get my supervisor, I’ll see if he can do something for you.” The girl started to pick up the phone to page her boss.

 

“Good. You do that. I need to be on that plane.” Huffing, Sara turned to rest her back on the desk. Dressed in blue jeans and a tank top, she was slightly warm, but hadn’t had time to really change. Her taxi was late, and she had thought she would barely make the flight. Now she had bigger problems to deal with.

 

She pulled out her cell and sent a short text message. Knowing the recipient wouldn’t be able to answer her right away, she put her phone away and started looking around the terminal impatiently. She thought she saw a familiar head poking over the rows of seats, but was pulled from further exploration by a gruff voice.

 

“Miss Sidle? Is there a problem?”

 

Turning, she took a deep breath and counted to ten. “Yes, there’s definitely a problem...”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

He was finally snuggled into his first class seat and was waiting for the plane to take off. His seat belt was fastened, his eyes were closed, and he was ready to get going.

 

Someone in coach apparently, wasn’t.

 

“Could you PLEASE move that bag, sir?”

 

The voice seemed familiar, strained, and ready to burst at any moment.

 

For a second he thought it was her.

 

Then he recalled her conversation with Catherine from earlier.

 

“So what are you doing for your vacation, Sara?” Catherine had asked, as nosy as ever.

 

Evasively, Sara was able to reply with just enough information to quell Catherine’s curiosity. “A bunch of girls I went to Harvard with are getting together, you know, rehash old times, probably look for some guys, get drunk and cry about how pathetic we are, then go look for guys again.”

 

Sara smiled, Catherine smirked, then Grissom cleared his throat and began to hand out assignments.

 

The voice from coach was politely arguing with the flight attendant about where to put her bag when the fasten seatbelts light came on.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Sara!” Marybeth yelled as she flew at her. Sara caught the slightly shorter brunette in her arms and hugged her back.

 

“MB! It’s so great to see you hun! Where’s everyone else?” Sara stepped back then followed the woman out to the side of the terminal, away from all of the ruckus.

 

“They went to go sit in the bar and get some lunch after they heard you were ‘delayed.’” Marybeth made quote marks in the air and smiled at her friend.

 

“Oh, you mean the fat guy who got stuck in the isle? Yeah- all the first class passengers got out, then we were stuck in there for an extra fifteen minutes waiting for the flight crew to get the guy out!” Sara let out a long breath as they walked toward the airport bar to pick up the rest of their group. “As if I didn’t have enough problems getting on the plane!”

 

“I know,” Marybeth smiled sympathetically and took her friends hand, “But we’re not gonna let that stop us, right? C’mon.. Just like old times, hun. We’re gonna terrorize that damn boat!” She let out a huge grin and Sara matched it. Just then she heard screaming.

 

“Sara!”

 

“Sassy!”

 

Sara turned and threw her arms up, accepting hugs from the women running at her. “Erika! Keri!”

 

Squealing and smiling, the four friends began to go through the usual pleasantries as they made their way to the baggage claim, three of them lugging their bags, Sara shouldering her carry on.

 

“Oh my God Sara, you’re never gonna guess who I saw right here in the airport not half an hour ago!” Keri squealed. The shortest of the group, with dark hair and slightly Asian features, she was always known as the most excitable.

 

“Who?” Sara was searching the carousel for her bags and asked absentmindedly.

 

“That teacher that everyone thought you were doing!” She looked at Erika for confirmation. “You know? The, uh... bug guy!”

 

“Griss?” Sara looked up horrified. She let the bag she was grabbing for move past her on the belt, then realized it and lunged for it, not wanting to wait another fifteen minutes for it to come around again. She landed on the ground, bag in hand, a stunned expression still on her face.

 

“That’s his name! Grissom!” Erika exclaimed. “We couldn’t think of it for the life of us!”

 

Sara stood up and composed herself. “Well, it wasn’t him.”

 

The three looked at each other with confusion written across their faces as a stoic Sara counted her bags and decided she had them all.

 

“What?” She looked at them while she arranged her luggage to make it easier to carry up to the taxi stand. “I work with him now. And that wasn’t him. Couldn’t have been.” She turned and started to walk away.

 

Marybeth, Keri, and Erika looked at each other before running after her, Keri shouting, “You work with him?”

  

 

 

Chapter 3: All Aboard

 

“Like I’ve been in Taiwan!” Sara laughed as she and her friends hugged a wall to try to fill out the bright blue sheets. The four of them were shouldering only their carry-ons now as the porters had already taken the rest of their luggage to the ship. The four were a sight to behold, juggling passports, picture IDs, and cruise documents in one hand, trying in vain to fill out the questionnaire with the other.

 

“Oh, c’mon Sara, we all know you have SARS!” Keri elbowed her in the ribs with the comment laughing.

 

“One more comment like that out of you munchkin, and I’m telling them you lied and LIVE in Hong Kong!” Sara laughed back at her, almost dropping her birth certificate in the process. “Damn it! Why do we need these again?”

 

“Because Bermuda is British- we’re technically leaving the country. Now finish that stupid form so we can go get on the boat and be at the welcome party! Pina Coladas and hot waiters! C’mon!” Erika began dragging MB to the metal detectors. “I want to meet hot waiters!”

 

Keri and Sara looked at each other, rolling their eyes before following.

 

Sara couldn’t help but shout out, “Well, if YOU want to meet hot waiters, then I guess we have to go!”

 

From farther up the terminal she heard a “Damn straight!” echo back to her. Sara and Keri broke into fits of laughter and made a run for the end of the hallway.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Welcome to the Royal Empress. I see you’re with the entomological convention?” The young man smiled at Grissom and pointed to his badge that identified him as part of the special group on the cruise. Grissom nodded. “Please,” the boy paused to read the name tag, “Dr. Grissom, right this way.”

 

Setting his briefcase’s strap more firmly on his shoulder, Grissom followed the young man down one of the halls. The little of the ship he was able to see was truly spectacular. No less than any of the more upscale Vegas Hotels, he mused. Grissom made a mental note to explore the ship further after the primary meeting that he was on his way to.

 

The young man led him to a door marked “Conference Center,” then wished him a good voyage before disappearing back down the hall. Entering, he found seven men, sitting around the table, well on their way to getting drunk.

 

“Gil!” Dr. Bob Vincent shouted, “C’mon in!” Pleasantries and handshakes were exchanged around the large table as a drink was shoved in his hand. This was going to be a very good vacation, indeed.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sara, Keri, and Erika had settled themselves on the pool deck at a small table. Having planted themselves on the top deck, the vistas of New York climbed high into the sky around them. The three ladies, however, daiquiris in hand, didn’t seem to notice.

 

“Ok, ten o’clock, blue shorts, navy shirt, sunglasses.” Keri pointed out her choice of “hook-up” for her friend. “Your turn Erika.” Keri smiled evilly at the girl.

 

Erika almost spit out her drink when her eyes found the guy Keri was talking about. “Well, besides the fact that he’s about as hairy as Chewbacca the Wookie...”Sara and Keri burst into laughter. “...He’s balding!” She took a sip from her tropical drink. “I want a guy who knows where hair is supposed to grow.. And where it’s not!”

 

The three girls tried to stifle their laughter as they were drawing stares from other passengers.

 

“Hey, where’s MB? Shouldn’t she be back by now?” Sara asked after their laughter had died down.

 

Erika twirled the straw from her drink around the glass. “Nope. You should have seen the Purser’s Desk. Seriously, if she gets her key fixed by dinner I’ll be surprised.”

 

Keri leaned back and took her sunglasses off, putting them on the table and blinking at the sunlight. “Totally sucks her key didn’t work.” A smile crossed her face. “But that nice cabin boy said that a lot of people were having trouble with their keys. At least she’s not the only one.”

 

“Nice cabin boy, huh?” Sara smiled and nudged her.

 

“Mine!” Keri shouted, throwing Sara a playful yet predatory glance.

 

“Ok, ok... back down!” Sara leaned back in her seat, letting the sun hit her face. She thought about the possibility of actually getting a tan. Night shift kept her pasty white and she envied the tans her other three friends sported. A sigh escaped her lips as she thought about how early she’d have to wake up to get a deck chair. A smile crept across her face; it would be well worth it.

 

“Yo, Sassy? Earth to Sassy!” Erika snapped her fingers in front of Sara’s face, startling her to attention.

 

“What?” She sat up in her chair to the amused stares of her friends.

 

“You totally zoned out there.” Keri said.

 

“Oh, sorry. I was thinking about getting up early tomorrow to snatch a deck chair and maybe get a tan. You guys game for that?” Sara leaned back in her chair again, tipping her face back to let the hot sun hit it.

 

“Definitely.”Erika agreed. “But while you were zoning out, we elected you to go get food.” Erika pointed toward the doors at the other end of the deck that led to the lunch buffet. Sara raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, that’s what you get for zoning out on us. Now go, and when you get back we’ll have picked out the perfect guy for you to get your hands on during this cruise!”

 

Grumbling, Sara stood. “Ok, fine. But no more Wookies.” Sara pointed an accusing finger at Keri, who just shied back, an innocent expression on her face. “What do you guys want?”

 

Erika smiled, “Desserts, Sara. Go right for the chocolate. Everything else is just wasted calories.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Dr. Grissom, I must say I am a huge admirer of your work. I was fascinated by the paper you published on the homicide where the suspect used bullets made of meat.” The young Dr. Daniel Williams was the newest addition to the study group, having only received his doctorate a few years ago. He continued to ramble on to Grissom, who nodded his head every so often, accepting the compliments the young man offered.

 

Affectionately known as “Danny Boy” by the rest of the group, this was the first time Grissom had met him. His enthusiasm, knowledge, and intent need to please reminded him of Greg, Grissom thought with a smile. It was actually refreshing to be talking to someone with the same love for entomology that Grissom had, but who lacked the jaded quality that years of working as a CSI brought.

 

Grissom and the young Dr. Danny Boy had escaped the “meeting” on pretense of getting some air. Grissom had asked the young man to join him after he noticed the strained expression on his face; a mix of confusion and discomfort. The rest of the men were quite inebriated, and Bob had laughingly explained that no real work would be taking place until tomorrow morning at the earliest, and the next order of business was to visit the cigar lounge. Grissom quietly wondered if there was going to be any actual work taking place this week, but was slightly surprised to find that he didn’t really care if there wouldn’t.

 

Grissom and Danny stepped from the elevator and walked out the double doors to the pool deck. Danny did a three sixty, falling behind Grissom a bit, as he watched a tall brunette make her way to the dessert table at the buffet. As Danny caught back up the him, Grissom cocked his head to the side in a silent question.

 

“Sorry, I uh... something caught my eye.” His mind still in CSI mode, Grissom’s face again asked a question. They young man turned red and stammered over his answer, “Uh, rather, a leggy brunette caught my eye.”

 

Grissom smiled at him and let out a little laugh. He gave Danny a pat on the shoulder and led him towards the back of the ship where there was supposed to be a good view of Liberty Island. “Unattached?” Grissom asked as they walked.

 

“Very.” Danny smiled.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Grissom saw two young women pointing in their direction as they passed the small tables in front of the bar. The small dark haired Asian woman and the lithe blonde sitting next to her watched as he and Danny crossed the deck, surprised looks and smiles on their faces. He figured they must be checking out the young Danny and smiled inwardly. The uncomfortable young man would probably have a blast this week.

 

 

 

Chapter 4: Tossed Around

 

“I can’t believe you missed him again!”

 

Sara returned to the table, a plate filled with chocolate cake and cookies in hand. She looked at Keri as if she had spouted three heads as she sat back down in her chair. She picked off a piece of chocolate cake and shoved it in her mouth. “Who?” she asked, teeth slightly blackened.

 

“I swear to God that it’s him!” Erika threw up her hands, her words playful, yet insistent.

 

Sara craned her neck forward, getting slightly annoyed, “WHO?”

 

As Erika opened her mouth, MB ran up behind her, breathless. “You guys are never gonna guess who I just saw!”

 

All three turned their attention to her, their minds off of Sara for a second.

 

“Besides the hot cabin boy who helped you into your room?” Keri smiled mischievously. Sara, Erika, and MB just looked at her, and she shrank back in her chair. “OK, ok, I get the picture... who did you see?”

 

“Dr. Grissom!”

 

Sara’s jaw dropped.

 

They stared at each other. Erika and Keri smiled at each other, then spouted “I told ya so!” at the same time, erupting into fits of laughter.

 

Sara closed her mouth and grumbled to herself. “I’m gonna say this for the last time you guys, Grissom’s not here! He’s at an Entomology convention.” She paused, taking in their looks that ranged from ‘yeah, right’ to ‘What aren’t you telling us?” She took a deep breath and began again. “No, really guys. I work with him. We went over this on the ride here. He’s not on the ship. Can we please move on to another topic?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Grissom turned away from Danny. He could have sworn he heard someone call his name. A female someone.

 

It was probably just his hearing playing tricks on him again, though. He turned back to the young man. “Sorry, thought I heard someone calling my name. Go on.”

 

“Oh, well, like I was saying, I’m truly fascinated by their work ethic. I mean, back in that room are probably some of the smartest men in the country, and they’re acting like college kids trying to get drunk!” Danny threw up his hands, baffled.

 

Grissom pondered the young man’s objective, and leaned his crossed arms on the rail, watching the New York Skyline, and land, rapidly disappear. “Danny, my boy, it’s all about escapism.”

 

“How so?” He looked so innocent, so unexposed to the underbelly of the life of a CSI that Grissom hated to mar his untainted mind.

 

“The job...” He paused, searching for the right words, “The job can become all encompassing. Every minute of every day you’re absorbing information that you might one day use. You become a human encyclopedia and computer. Your mind is constantly working, constantly solving puzzles. It may seem like that’s easy to leave at the office, but the mind never stops.” Grissom wasn’t even stopping for a breath, the words just came tumbling out, as if they had been trapped in him for ages. “It keeps thinking about the evidence while you’re at home, while you’re making your coffee, while you’re shaving. Your mind never rests, even when you want it to. And if it’s not enough that the evidence won’t leave you alone, once you meet the victims, their families, the suspects, that’s all you can see. It’s like they follow you around, watching your every move, waiting for you to solve the case. And you can hear them, whispering quietly to you, or sometimes shouting, but you can never quite hear what they’re saying. They’re trying to tell you something, always looking to give you that last piece of the puzzle. Sometimes you find it, and sometimes you don’t. When you solve a case- you feel great, it’s over. But even though justice is served, you haven’t prevented the crime from happening. When it’s left open and unsolved, they still follow you around, and you just know that somewhere out there someone just got away with murder. Figurative or literal. And it’s all because you couldn’t find the evidence and they may just do it again.”

 

Grissom’s eyes grew dark and far away. Danny could only stare and watch the older man get carried into memories. When it was apparent he wasn’t going to continue, the silence hung like a pall over them. There was nothing either of them could say, so they just stared at the ocean, watching the engines churn up white trails off of the back of the ship.

 

After a few minutes, Grissom cleared his throat. “Sorry to, uh, get so heavy on you there. It’s just– you have to understand what you’re getting into. Every day we see people on the worst days of their lives and it just doesn’t go away that easy. Especially when you care. Those guys in there...” Grissom tipped his head to signal the conference room, “...they’re workaholics. They deal with the science and the politics and it’s running them into the ground. Every once in a while you need to just get– well, to get drop dead drunk and make it go away.”

 

Danny rubbed his face in his hands. “If you don’t mind me asking, what about you? You said it’s running them into the ground... you work at the number two lab in the country in Sin City for Christ sakes. How do you deal with it?”

 

“Avoid the politics mostly.” Grissom turned to Danny and smiled. “Or at least I try. Plus I have a wonderful team of scientists around me. It’s like.... like a family. They’re amazing investigators and wonderful friends.” Grissom’s voice became low and woeful. “It’s not always easy, but knowing that there’s someone there you can trust who’s not vying for your job makes it a little easier.” He paused, choking down a lump in his throat. “Even if you don’t always tell them that.”

 

Danny stared at the older man in amazement. Of all the stories he’s heard about Gruesome Grissom, all the staunch, scientific articles he’s read by him, and all of the other uptight examples of entomological professors he’d encountered, not for one minute did he imagine the depth of emotion this man carried. Watching his old professors, he thought that it would be easy to separate himself. He now saw that it was impossible, even for one of the most brilliant minds in the field. Danny smiled at the older man.

 

“Dr. Grissom?”

 

“Just Grissom.”

 

“Grissom? Would you let me buy you a drink?” Danny was determined to lighten the mood.

 

Grissom laughed. “For what? Convincing you to escape forensic entomology while you still can?”

 

“No. For being honest with me. And reaffirming why I wanted to do this in the first place.”

 

“And why would that be?” Grissom tipped his head.

 

“It’s an exceptionally difficult job, for exceptional people, who want to make a difference the only way they know how.” Danny smiled, feeling that he’d finally found a mentor in Grissom. Not only was he an exceptional scientist, but he was a human.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sara lunged across her cabin and grabbed the phone, landing on the floor as the ship lurched with the tide, throwing her off balance. “Sidle,” she choked out as she slipped her other sandal on.

 

“Sassy! Get your ass down to the lounge!” The voice was obviously drunk, and obviously Keri’s.

 

“Ker, I’m almost dressed. I’m not used to this whole dressing up for dinner thing. I’m usually just getting up to go to work now!”Sara sat in the desk char, holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder and searching through her still unpacked carry-on.

 

“Whatever... Look, we’re having a blast, and while you went for a nap, I got the cabin numbers of three guys! Three!” Keri changed her tone from exuberant friend to disappointed mother, “if you’re not up here in 15 minutes you’re going to miss the beginning of the show and all the hot guys are gonna be snatched up! We are DETERMINED to get you a guy for this trip. To get each of us a guy. Fun college days, remember?”

 

“I know, I know!” Sara dug her arm all the way into the bottom of the bag, finally pulling it back out with a small cosmetic case. “Look, I just have to brush my hair and throw on some make up- then I’ll be there, ok?”

 

“Fine. But any boys I meet until you get here are fair game!”

“Fine, fine! I’ll be right there.” Sara hung up the phone and stood, looking at herself in the full length mirror. Her hair was down, a slight curl playing at the ends, leaving it to bounce just over her shoulders. Her black skirt ended just below her bare knees, but sported a slit that ran up to the middle of her right thigh. It was sweet and demure one way, and damn sexy if she crossed her legs another way. Her top was a red halter, that showed just a little too much cleavage and most of her back. Flat black sandals encased her feet, and the only jewelry she wore was a sophisticated silver ankle bracelet and her watch.

 

Content with her appearance, Sara turned back to the dressing table to throw on some make up.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Grissom slipped his shoes on and stared in the mirror. His black polo and slacks were casual, yet dressy enough for the evening’s show and five course dinner that followed.

 

He’d accepted Danny’s offer for a drink, then bought the next round. He enjoyed the young man’s company, but had been up for almost twenty five hours. He’d excused himself back to his room where he’d napped for a few hours before waking up to get ready for dinner.

 

Night shift was catching up to him. This vacation was going to flip his nights and days. It would be hell getting back to work. He again found himself surprised that it didn’t really matter.

 

Grissom grabbed his wallet and room key and slipped it in his pocket.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sara grabbed her clutch that held her room key and pass card that was the key to paying for anything on the ship, as well as being the ship’s ID card, and huffed at her reflection.

 

If Keri was trying to pick up guys for her, she’d have to kill her.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The doors to rooms 4633 and 4635, which faced each other, opened at the same time.

 

Their respective occupants faced in towards their doors as they closed them.

 

The occupant of room 4635 turned before his door was totally closed.

 

The ship hit a wave.

 

Sara Sidle lost her balance and fell backward. The heavy door of room 4633 fell closed.

 

The occupant of room 4633 fell into Dr. Gil Grissom. Startled, he wound his arm around her to keep her from falling to the floor.

 

The wind knocked out of her and her brown hair obscuring his view, they fell back into room 4635.

 

The ship lurched the other way. The door to room 4635 swung shut.

 

They both jumped up, talking at the same time, quick to try to move away from one another.

 

“Are you alright, Miss?”

 

“I am so sorry, Sir!”

 

The second their voices filled the room they ceased moving.

 

Sara turned to face that familiar voice.

 

Grissom let his hands linger on the woman’s elbows as she turned to him, keeping her closer than he would a stranger.

 

Blue eyes met brown, both startled and surprised.

 

They muttered each other’s names at the same time, afraid that what they were seeing was an illusion, a figment of an over active and wishful imagination.

 

Sara grasped his forearms to keep her balance as she felt the ship move again.

 

Grissom pulled away a hand to push her unruly curls behind her ears before cupping her elbow again. He stared at her, emotions playing over his face.

 

She tipped her head to the right: a question.

 

He shrugged with a half-smile: an answer.

 

She shook her head in disbelief and smiled so widely she had to close her eyes.

 

Grissom let out a chuckle.

 

Sara looked back up at him, a specific timbre sneaking into her voice, one that he’d heard the day before when she thought she had caught him in a lie. “Entomological convention, huh?”

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5: Not a Drop to Drink

 

By the time Grissom and Sara made it to the lounge, it was dark and the show had already started. A quick glance from the doorway showed that neither of their groups were at the back of the auditorium. They paused to watch the comedian on stage as he made fun of a fifty-something bald man in shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, black socks and sandals who was making his way through the first few rows, arriving late. A glance at one another was all that was needed before they turned and quickly made their way out of the lounge.

 

“My friends are gonna kill me when I don’t show up.” Sara let out with a slight laugh.

 

“Mine won’t even notice- that is, if they’re in there at all.” A smile hinted on Grissom’s face, but Sara felt the comment deeply, her face falling a bit. Seeing that his joke wasn’t getting the desired reaction, he held out his arm. “Can I offer you a stroll on the Promenade Deck? I meant to explore it before, but got sidetracked.”

 

With a smile, Sara took his arm and slowly made her way with him to the staircase descending another level. “Sounds like fun. So far the only places my friends have wanted to see are the bars.” She mentally kicked herself for mentioning her friends again. She let her head fall in embarrassment as he opened the door to the deck for her.

 

Grissom could feel the discomfort flowing off of her, and hoped that it wasn’t because of something he’d said, or that she was uncomfortable out here with him. He offered her his arm again. “You didn’t say you were going on a cruise.”

 

She looked up, surprised that her words hadn’t hurt him. She took his proffered arm. “Neither did you.” She smiled at him. “So, like I said before, this is a convention?” After she had fallen into his room, they’d just silently accepted that the other one was there, and Grissom had offered to escort her to the lounge after she realized how late it was.

 

“Yes and no. It’s not your typical convention. The organizers wanted to find a place where we could get away from work for a while with absolutely no possibility of being called back.” He paused and smiled at her, “This may come as a surprise, but forensic entomologists tend to be workaholics.”

 

“No!” Sara spat out in mock horror.

 

“It’s true. So, short of sending out a helicopter, which I don’t even think Mobley would be desperate enough to do, there’s no way any of us can be called back to the office.”

 

“Is there actually going to be any work done?” Sara looked over at her hand clasped in the crook of his arm before letting her eyes travel to his face. His eyes were wandering over the horizon. His voice almost startled her when he actually spoke.

 

“Maybe. I came here to do work, but even though I haven’t been going to the meetings these past few months I’ve been keeping up. There isn’t really much that’s new that we can discuss. Besides, it doesn’t seem like they want to get anything done. They spent the day getting drunk on over priced bourbon and smoking cigars.” Grissom looked down at her. He smiled a little. She smiled back.

 

They walked in silence until they reached the back of the boat. Grissom stopped and rested against the rail. Sara leaned against the rail next to him. A soft, sighed “wow” escaped her lips.

 

“Quite a site, isn’t it?”

 

“I haven’t been outside since just after we left. You could still see land then.” Their arms barely touched as they leaned on the rail, content to stare at the view. If either of them were disconcerted by it, it didn’t show.

 

“‘Water, water everywhere, and all the boards did shrink; water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.’ Kinda puts that into perspective, don’t you think?” Grissom leaned slightly into Sara, but looked straight out into the darkening evening sky.

 

“Definitely.” She could feel the warmth from his body contrasting the cool ocean breeze. After letting herself indulge in the feeling of him next to her, her mind whirled and she spoke. “I thought it was ‘Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink’?”

 

“Common misconception.” Grissom turned so he was facing her, leaning on his right elbow. He missed the warmth of her arm, but enjoyed being able to look at her. “It’s from Coleridge’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.’ Probably one of the most often misquoted lines.” She was still looking out at the water, and it gave him a minute to take in her beauty. The halter top and black skirt were items he never thought he’d see her in considering her usual work clothes. Her hair, boasting a bouncing curl at the bottom, flew around her face in the evening ocean breeze. He couldn’t help himself when his hand reached out to tuck and unruly lock behind her ear.

 

Sara’s eyes snapped to his face, but he couldn’t move his hand. He let it linger just below her ear for a second, before dragging it down her jaw line. A half smile grew on Sara’s face. Grissom licked his lips and looked back to the ocean, slightly embarrassed.

 

Sensing his embarrassment, Sara leaned into him for a second, hoping that her ease in contact would bring him some. She turned to smile at him again, and this time was met with a happy gaze from him.

 

They both turned back to the disappearing horizon that was colored by a sunset hidden in far off clouds, content to share some time alone together.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Grissom kept stealing surreptitious glances at Sara during dinner. He thought he was being sly.

 

“Grissom?” Danny waited a second before he nudged the man next to him. Grissom snapped back to attention. Danny smiled at the older man. “I see you found my brunette.”

 

“Your brunette?” Grissom felt a pang of jealousy surge through him as Danny talked about Sara possessively.

 

“Yeah,” Danny more felt than heard the strange tenor in Grissom’s voice, and turned his face to his plate, shoving the remainder of his food around as he continued. “Remember, this morning? She’s the one I saw going into the café...” his voice faded and he cleared his throat. “She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?”

 

“Absolutely.” Grissom turned his eyes back to Sara’s form a few tables away. She was far enough that he couldn’t hear the belly laugh she was emitting, but close enough so that his eyes could dance over each feature as she leaned back, her neck bared and eyes sparkling.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sara licked the rest of the chocolate from her spoon, savoring its richness. Seeing that the other three were deep in conversation about their supposedly ruggedly handsome waiter, Sara turned slightly in her chair to peer deeper into the dining room. Her eyes finally focused on his table, but found it sitting empty. A frown crossed her face as she turned back to her friends.

 

Sara felt the distinct urge to run as far away from them as possible. She pushed it down and tried to look interested but inconspicuous at the same time.

 

When she’d first met them in the dining room she was faced with their disapproval of her missing the show, followed by their teasing when she’d announced they were right, that Grissom was indeed on the ship. But their incessant blabbering about the “hot with a capital T” guys mixed with ingesting heavy doses of liquor were starting to drive her up a wall. It seemed so far removed from who she was now, and she found herself wondering if she had ever been so shallow and self-indulgent. It was one thing to talk about the less important things of life, to be back acting like the 18 year old she once was, but right now, it had gone too far. Sara’s mind could only take so much blabbing about sex and alcohol before she felt that it was enough.

 

She began wracking her brain for a formidable excuse to get herself out of the dining room. Maybe it was the alcohol she’d had today: it was more than she normally drank, or maybe it was the fact that Grissom provided more intellectually stimulating conversation as compared to this drivel, but no matter the reason, she couldn’t stand to sit here any longer.

 

Sara felt the ship lurch again and an idea formed in her mind. She took a few minutes to slowly adjust her body language, hoping that it would be subtle enough for her friends not to notice. Sara took a deep breath and then said a quick prayer her little acting job would do the trick. Sara waited for just the right moment and then interrupted Keri in mid-sentence.

 

“Hey guys, I’m gonna go back to my cabin...” Sara carefully avoided their eyes and let her shoulders slump a bit, keeping both hands in her lap as she made a move to stand.

 

“Hey, Sara, you ok?” Mary Beth’s eyes were glazed as she looked up at Sara, who was now standing shakily next to the table.

 

“I’m uh, not feeling too good. I’m gonna go take some Dramamine and lie down.” Sara started to hope they believed her when Erika make a face.

 

“I thought you said you don’t get sea sick?” Erika was obviously onto her. Sara made a quick decision and hoped it would work, and then told herself that she’d leave even if it didn’t.

 

“I usually don’t- but I usually don’t drink when I’m on boats, either.” Sara paused, held her breath, clamped her lips shut and pushed her rib cage out in a quick contraction while making a deep moan in the back of her throat. She threw her hand to her mouth and watched with hidden satisfaction as her three companions cringed back into their seats.

 

“Sara, get the hell out of here before you throw up on us!” Keri screeched.

 

“Oh God, Sara. Please- go!” Erika threw out, a little more than disgusted.

 

“Hun, call me if you need anything...” Mary Beth was able to slur out at Sara’s retreating form.

 

As she exited the dining room and started to descend the staircase to her floor, she let out a sigh of relief. All she wanted to do was take a nice, hot shower and curl up in bed, letting the rocking of the boat lull her to sleep. A smile crept onto her face as she staggered down the hall to her room, more from the boat’s rocking than any amount of alcohol she’d ingested.

 

Sara slipped the key in her door and pushed it open. As she went to close it she saw Grissom’s door and the feel of his arms around her flooded back to her; a tactile and warm memory. The smile on her face grew as she realized that for the next week he’d never be more than a couple of hundred feet away from her at any given time.

 

 

Chapter 6: Midnight Rendevous

 

Grissom lifted his hand to his face and touched his nose, but he still couldn’t see it. He waved it around in front of his face a few times. This was an amazing anomaly to him. He was plunged into complete and utter darkness. It was something he wasn’t used to with the blinding lights of Vegas creating false daylight while he was working and the sun invading his hours of sleep. After contemplating the darkness a few more seconds he sat up and fumbled for the light next to his bed. His eyes shut automatically and shied away from its false radiance.

 

Sighing, he picked up his watch off the night stand and stared at it. 12:48. He was wide awake. He should be sleeping. This time of night he was usually knee deep in a crime scene, logging and processing evidence. His brain was screaming for activity, his body insisted it didn’t need rest.

 

Putting his watch down he reached for the tiny remote control for the impossibly small TV perched in the corner of the room.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

For over fifty stations, there were actually only three channels. Sara had watched the guided tour of the ship, the guide to the engine room, and seen the headlines on CNN so many times she had them memorized. If she were home she would have gone into work. She leaned her head back against her pillow and fumbled for her watch. 1:03.

 

Chances were that they’d be in bed now, she mused. While Sara didn’t want to run into her friends and have to explain why she wasn’t passed out and drugged up on Dramamine, she didn’t want to be a prisoner to her own room, either.

 

Her eyes fell on the phone across from her and she thought about calling Grissom. But what would she say?

 

“I was awake and bored and you’re more stimulating than my drunk friends?”

 

“Hey boss, do you miss work yet?”

 

“Hey Griss, come over here and screw my brains out.”

 

Sara shook her head at the last line that made it’s way through her brain. Ok, calling Grissom was not a good idea. She knew this was going to be an interesting cruise, but if she couldn’t keep her urges to herself, it was going to be hell.

 

As she swung herself out of bed and searched through the closet she mumbled to herself, “He said no. He said no....”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The cold sea breeze was harsher on Sara’s face. Instinctively she pulled her sweatshirt tighter around her, wishing she had the foresight to bring another pair of pants. Her legs, clad only in the thin cotton shorts she was planing on sleeping in, started to get tiny goose bumps on them. The ship seemed to be moving faster now, and she could hear the waves crashing against the side of the ship.

 

Her restlessness had forced her out onto the pool deck. In the dark of night there was a serine quality to the top deck where only hours before there had been gaggles of people in the throes of excitement over their vacations. Her initial reaction to the cool air subsided and she rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. The very front of the boat was cordoned off with yellow caution tape, she could only imagine it was because of the fierce wind or it was being cleaned. She turned and followed the rail to the very back of the ship.

 

She could see another form leaning at the rail, silhouetted in the moonlight. Approaching slowly, more of his features were revealed in the dim lighting. A smile slid across her face.

 

“You got a case for me?” Her voice carried over the wind to his ears. If she surprised him, he didn’t show it.

 

He turned his head to the side, only able to see her a little out of the corner of his eye. “I do believe you’ve already maxed out on overtime for this month, Miss Sidle.” Sara laughed and sauntered up next to him, mimicking their position from earlier in the evening. “You couldn’t sleep either?” His eyes were studying her face, a hint of a smile on his lips.

 

“No. And I can now tell you just about anything you want to know about this ship. Like there are seven passenger elevators. Or that the ship weighs forty-five thousand tons.” Sara returned his stare, a playful smile on her lips and a airy manner about her.

 

“Or that our cruising speed is nineteen-point-five knots?”Grissom chimed in. Sara raised her eyebrows at him, Grissom just shrugged.

 

Suddenly uncomfortable under his gaze, Sara dropped her eyes as her hand went to play with her messy pony tail. The meaning of her movements was not lost on Grissom, but he refused to yield. Sara turned back out to the ocean, resting her chin on folded hands.

 

“Isn’t this amazing and scary at the same time?” Her voice was wistful, and the sparkle had returned to her eyes.

 

“What do you mean?” Grissom mirrored her position, hoping to better understand.

 

Sara motioned her hand to encompass the sea. “This. A forty-five thousand ton tin can floating out in the middle of nowhere, the sea and the sky just going on infinitely...” She tipped her head up, then cupped her hands around her face, “and God, just look at all of those stars!”

 

All Grissom could think was the she was so beautiful reveling in this obscenely scientific moment. So many thoughts crossed his mind in the seconds he stared at her: an explanation of the mathematics and architecture behind the floating “tin can,” The fact that the sea and sky would not go on infinitely, but that it was just an optical illusion, how sailors used the horizon line to guide them, but finally settled on just cupping his hands around his eyes and searching the heavens like she was. He felt like a kid again in those few moments, just awed by nature, science, and its simple, hidden beauty.

 

Sarah turned from her skyward explorations, only to see Grissom mimicking her pose. She drank in his form, only tearing her eyes back to the horizon when he began to move his hands from his face.

 

His voice came in a whisper. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many stars...” He turned to her in time to see her nod her head, her eyes still trained on the ocean. She tipped over the rail a little to get a better look at the white water being churned up by the engines, then leaned back on the rail.

 

“God, I can’t imagine doing it!” Sara was so content in that moment, quietly surrounded by natural beauty and in the best company, that she jumped when she heard Grissom’s voice again. His exclamation wasn’t loud, but filled with wonderment.

 

“Doing what?”

 

“When Christopher Columbus set sail for America he did so with three ships not much larger than our lifeboats and a belief that the world was round, not flat. There was no sonar, no Global Positioning Systems, no maps, nothing. Can you just imagine doing it? Throwing caution to the wind and going thousands of miles out to sea with only a prayer?”

 

“Well, you know, Christopher Columbus didn’t really discover America...” Sara couldn’t help but point out his scientific inaccuracy, a smile barely hidden. When she saw the sparkle fade from Grissom’s eye, however, she was immediately sorry she did it. She rushed to cover herself. “But I know what you mean. To make a discovery you weren’t just risking a reputation, you were risking the lives of your crew and their families. And now we do this for fun.”

 

The sparkle came back to his eyes. “It’s slightly safer now, you know. Rates for the contraction of scurvy have severely declined.”

 

Sara’s laughter bubbled out of her, and Grissom soon followed. At that moment, they were alone in the infinitely beautiful universe, filled with science and wonder.

Chapter 7: The View

 

The sun beat down on her exposed skin, spreading a tingling warmth through her body that she hadn’t felt in a long time. With her eyes closed behind her sunglasses, she enjoyed the sounds of life starting to emerge on the Pool Deck: soft music was being pumped through the speakers, children begging their parents to jump in the pool with them, and the cheery wait staff created a natural song around her that she hadn’t enjoyed in a long time. Content to spend the day relaxing in the glow of the sun, Sara reached for the headphones next to her and adjusted them on her head, hitting play and tucking the cd player under her deck chair.

 

Half way through the second song she felt a shadow fall across her, hiding her skin from the sun’s tingling rays. She opened her eyes to see Erika standing in front of her, a scowl on her face. Plucking the headphones away from her ears, she sat up. “Good morning!”

 

“They’re all taken!” Erika pouted in front of Sara. “And you seem to be feeling better!”

 

“See those three towels?” Sara pointed to the three chairs to her left. “They’re saved for you guys. All yours. What crawled up your butt last night?” Sara put her headphones away and tilted her chair up so she was sitting and could talk to Erika as she tried to get herself situated in the chair next to Sara.

 

“We went to the disco last night after dinner,” she practically spat. “Chewbacca tried to hit on me... it was just sad. He was all drunk and slobbering...” She laid on her chair and threw a dramatic hand over her eyes. “It’s way too early.”

 

“Why didn’t you just sleep, then? You’re on vacation!” Sara leaned back and readjusted her sunglasses, intent on not letting her friend damper her mood. Her night with Grissom had been indescribable, and her mood since then had been much better. She was actually looking forward to spending some time alone with him now. “No one said you have to be out here at nine in the morning just because I am.”

 

“Whatever. Where’s a waiter? I need a Bloody Mary...” Hoping to tune out Erika’s incessant whining, Sara reached back down for her headset and pushed play.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sipping on the thick coffee, Grissom leaned back in his chair and let his eyes roam over the deck. As the waiter came to take away their empty plates, Danny and Dr. Roger Thomas returned to the table, their own cups of coffee in hand.

 

“So what do you think, Gil?” Roger’s deep baritone added with a laugh as he sat down. Grissom turned his head around and raised an eyebrow at the man about ten years his senior. “Danny and I were just talking about the view.”

 

Grissom tried to hide a smile as he glanced over to what he had finally found, then turned back to the two men across from him. “Awe-inspiring.”

 

“Are we talking about the women, or the ocean?” Roger laughed.

 

“I think I’m going to go with both!” Danny smiled, hoping his joke would go over well with his mentors. When they chuckled at it, he smiled broadly.

 

When the laughter had died down to silence, Grissom turned to more serious topics. “So what’s on the agenda for today?”

 

“Ahhh, always work with you Gil!” Roger put his coffee cup down and leaned back “Actually, it should be pretty interesting. Jon has a study on a new form of mutated beetle he found at a crime scene. We’re spending a few hours on that, I believe, this afternoon, then...” He trailed off as his gaze followed a young woman walking by in a barely-there bikini, “back to enjoy the view.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sara turned back over and sat up, reaching for the sun block next to her. She began to work it into her warm skin when she felt another shadow pass over her and assumed it was the waiter that had been serving Erika. After she left to go meet the girls for lunch almost an hour ago he kept coming around.

 

“No thanks. I don’t want a drink just now.” She held up a hand as she continued to massage the cream into her calve.

 

“I was thinking more about food.” Grissom sat on the chair Erika had vacated and smiled at Sara when she looked over, embarrassed.

 

“Oh, hey Griss. How’s your morning been?” Sara smiled and leaned back a little to rub the cream onto her exposed stomach.

 

“Uneventful.” His eyes, shielded by his sunglasses, roamed appreciatively over her body and the tiny scraps of cerulean blue material that kept her from being indecent. “Mostly just enjoying the view.” He smiled up at her, and watched a half smirk form on her face.

 

Sara tipped her sunglasses low on her nose and looked at him over the tops of them. “Good view?”

 

“Gorgeous.”Their eyes locked and held for a second before a devilish grin overtook Sara.

 

“Griss, do you think you can give me a hand with something?”

 

“Sure. What do ya need?” Grissom scooted to the edge of the chair.

 

Sara handed him her sun block. “Do my back?” A glimmer in her eye accompanied her grin as she turned away from him, presenting her back to him. In the sun her lithe muscles played under her skin as she wiggled closer to him. He could feel his heart beating faster, and his throat was suddenly as dry as the Nevada dessert in a heat wave. “Well?” Sara turned her face, raising an eyebrow at him.

 

“Yeah, sure.” He squirted the white, coconut scented lotion into his hands and began to rub it onto her back. He took his time, reveling in this indulgence and memorizing the curve of her hips as they flared from her stomach, and the way her shoulders stood; broad and sure. Soon, without realizing it, he was massaging the lotion into her back, locating small knots and deftly working them away with his fingers.

 

Sara’s head lolled forward as she felt her senses being seduced by this simple task. She knew he always took his work seriously, but this was above and beyond what she had expected when she asked him. In fact, she had almost expected him to barely touch her, but here he was rubbing away the vestiges of civilization from her body and pulling her deeper into the fantasy world that she hoped existed on this ship: no crime scenes, no police scanners, just the two of them spending time with each other as people.

 

She felt him move closer to her, his breath sending shivers down her spine. She lifted her head and turned towards the source of her chill. His eyes met hers, the color of the sea, and so close that she couldn’t see anything else. Her lips parted slightly, and she felt his slick hands move to her waist. She craned her neck as far as it would go, coming closer but still being so far away. His right hand slipped around to her stomach, pulling her infinitely closer to him.

 

All she could think about was that she’d finally know what it was like to kiss him; to feel his lips move over hers in one perfect moment.

 

He couldn’t tear himself away from her if he tried, his goal to taste her at long last.

 

They were so close they could feel each other’s breath.

 

As the first, single cell of each of their lips touched, they were ripped apart by a shrill voice.

 

“Sara! Hey, Sara!”

 

They jerked away from each other like two teenagers caught by their parents. Sara turned to the offending voice, and if looks could kill, Keri would have been dead many times over. “Hey, Keri.”

 

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Keri looked at her friend, seeing past the man behind her, and sat down in the free chair on the other side of Sara. “Great. Look, I just met this great guy.. I think you’d like him. Job’s kinda like yours.. I think. Name’s Dan, I think.”

 

“Look, Keri,” Sara leaned her elbows on her thighs and whispered to Keri, tilting her head to allow for a view of a very embarrassed Grissom, “I was in the middle of something... Besides, I told you I didn’t want you picking up guys for me!”

 

Keri bounced on her chair, oblivious to the stare she was getting. “Look, I told him we’d meet him and one of his friends for drinks at 6 before the formal dinner. You in?”She got up without waiting for an answer. “Great! I’ll be by your room later to help you pick out your dress.”

 

Sara let out a frustrated grumble at the retreating figure of her friend, and barely restrained herself from making a few rude gestures. She turned around, only to find that Grissom was standing at the foot of her deck chair. “Look, Griss, she’s a royal pain when it comes to...”

 

“It’s ok,” he cut her off. “Look, I have a meeting I have to get to. Are you properly protected?” Sara raised an eyebrow. “Sun block?”

 

“Oh,” she smiled broadly at him. “More than properly. Can I, uh, count on your assistance again? Say, tomorrow morning?” A sensuous gleam invaded her eyes.

 

Grissom nodded, smiled, and walked away without a word. Watching his retreating form, Sara couldn’t believe how close they were to actually kissing. She let a hand glide over her lips, wondering if there had truly been the electrical charge between them she thought she felt.

 

She leaned back into her chair and replaced her headphones, tossing the sun block back in her bag, and wondering how she could get out of cocktails this evening.

Chapter 8: The Way You Look Tonight

 

The showroom was bustling with people in formal wear, some still stumbling about trying to get their sea legs as the boat rocked gently back and forth, chatting and drinking to the soft music playing in the background. While guests were lined up at the second entrance to greet the Captain, a few filtered in through the other door, forgoing the formality of standing in line to get their picture taken with the man.

 

In a far corner by the first door, Sara, Keri, MaryBeth, and Erika sat, entertaining the young men they’d met for cocktails. Among them was a dashing young Forensic Entomologist who, at Keri’s request, was dominating the conversation, attempting to keep Sara’s attention. He rambled on about his profession, most of which Sara barely listened to, instead picking up parts of her friend’s conversations or staring through the crowd.

 

“So Sara, where are you from? What do you do? I feel like I’ve been talking all night!” Danny leaned forward and waited expectantly. While the young man was sweet, and quite dashing in his tuxedo, he held no interest for her.

 

As her mind kept replaying this morning’s events, Sara pushed away her wish that the man in front of her were a different entomologist. She tried to put together a coherent thought to answer the young man. “I work on the Vegas PD as a Forensic Physicist, but mostly I spend my time in collection and research: crime scenes hardly ever call for hard core physics anymore.”

 

“Well, then you must work with one of the men in my group, or at least heard of him: Gil Grissom?” The young man smiled and was excited to be talking about his mentor. Sara smiled back at him.

 

“Yeah, you could say I know him.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Grissom straightened his jacket as he walked in the room, his eyes immediately scanning the crowd. There were only a few minutes until the start of dinner, and though Grissom could have just gone straight to the dining room, he preferred to see if he could possibly find Sara. The thought of her even sharing a drink with another man after their...encounter... that morning made him sick. Though he truly wasn’t sure what he felt, he knew he couldn’t just forget it this time. This week was an opportunity that he had to take.

 

His eyes were drawn to Danny who was now standing, waving at him to come over. Peering at him over the back of the seat in front of him were two chocolate brown eyes full of desire. She stood as he carefully dodged people and waiters on his way to her, rushing to imprint the picture she made in his mind. Her skin, freshly kissed by the sun, glowed. Her face showed only the slightest hint of make up, but didn’t need anymore. Her hair was pulled up so that curls cascaded to the base of her neck, and smooth tendrils framed her face. Her dress was spaghetti strapped black, and floor length, barely hiding the dainty sandals on her feet. It hugged her perfectly, displaying a tantalizing amount of cleavage. Grissom swallowed as he approached them, his tux suddenly suffocating.

 

Sara smiled broadly as he approached, and Danny reached out and handed him a drink. They exchanged pleasantries and Danny began to talk at full speed again, but Sara and Grissom didn’t seem to notice. The only seat available was next to Sara on the sofa-like seat, so she stepped out into the isle to let Grissom in. He looked at her questioningly, but sat at the insisting nod of her head. Sara followed, but only by perching herself precariously on the edge of the seat. Her legs reached out into the isle while she twisted her upper body to be able to look at Danny while he rambled.

 

Grissom watched in amazement for a moment as she tried to keep her balance on the edge of the seat while keeping her legs closed in a lady like manner. It was now that he could see that her dress sported two extreme slits that ran to the middle of her thigh, but that were practically hidden while she stood. Tearing his eyes from her shapely legs, he saw that she was still struggling to keep herself on the seat while pretending to listen to Danny’s inane story.

 

Without thought, and acting only on feeling, Grissom snaked his right arm out and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her back towards him and closing the tiny gap of personal space she had created for him through her balancing act. He felt her stiffen slightly and then relax in the embrace. A small smile formed on his face as he felt her arm cover his.

 

Danny, oblivious to the dance playing out before him, continued to talk. Though Grissom felt bad at not truly paying attention to the bright young man, he was infinitely more interested in the delicate curve of Sara’s neck and the feel of her body’s heat on his.

 

When the lights began to dim and the ship’s entertainment staff took the stage, Danny turned his chair around to watch the festivities. Sara, however, was not interested in such things. She moved her left hand to find Grissom’s right one, which was resting on her stomach, almost imperceptibly stroking the material of her dress, and joined her fingers with his. She slowly turned her head to find his face, her bottom lip caught in the anxious trap of her teeth. She could feel the raw desire in her eyes, and was afraid of his rejection.

 

In his azure reflection she only found a warm, comforting gaze that barely veiled the passion deep within him. His left hand came up to touch the skin of her upper arm, lazily making patterns and eliciting gooseflesh in its path. Their eyes locked, and images from this morning’s interrupted moment flooded their minds. Moments passed without their knowledge as their fear at breaking the connection between them overran their motor functions.

 

The band finished and the lights came up, breaking the spell. Sara cleared her throat and stood, but held onto Grissom’s hand as she did, pulling him up beside her. Suddenly feeling like a silly school girl again, she couldn’t meet his gaze as she spoke. “Care to escort me to dinner?”

 

His free hand tipped up her face till he could see her nervous smile. “It would be my honor.” He moved her hand to the crook of his arm and, smiling down at her, began to lead her to the back of the ship.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Throughout most of the five course meal Grissom had been able to subtly keep eye contact with Sara, who was at her table half-way across the dining hall. Her sometimes shy, sometimes sultry glances were threatening to send his heart into palpitations. As the waiters were coming around with coffee, however, he caught Danny’s conversation with a colleague, and he could feel his blood pressure rising for the wrong reasons.

 

Danny’s appreciative, if hormone driven, description of Sara seemed like sacrilege to Grissom’s ears. He kept his mouth shut, and the happiness that had permeated him was gone, replaced by an empty feeling in his stomach. Doubt saw its opportunity and crept into his mind, invading his every thought and keeping him from finding Sara’s gaze again.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Maybe it was some kind of sick compulsion, Grissom thought as he made his way onto the pool deck for the formal dance. He had watched Danny go up to Sara after dinner and coax her out of the dining room, followed by her friends. Now, here he was, like some sick voyeur in his own mind, trying to catch a glimpse of exactly how close they were.

 

He spotted them dancing on the small dance floor, fairly close, and laughing. The doubts that had flooded his mind during dinner came back full force, and he could do nothing but resign himself to the fact that Danny was a superior specimen. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he dropped his head and started out for the back of the boat.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sara saw Grissom’s face fall in defeat, and knew she had somehow caused it. She stared at him, hoping to catch his eye, but he quickly made an exit to the back of the ship. Sara suddenly felt guilty, as if she had cheated on him with his young colleague. She turned back to Danny, who her friends had practically forced her to leave with anyway, and tried to think of a way to let him down easily.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Not satisfied with your fillet minion?” Sara crossed her arms over her chest to ward off the chill of the wind as she approached the lone figure leaning on the railing. He turned his head, but didn’t move or speak. She slowly inched closer until she was standing right behind him. “Because, you know, for meat, it actually looked pretty good. I was only slightly nauseated by it.” She reached her right hand on his left shoulder and let it slide up and down.

 

When he spoke his words were quiet, and she had to lean in closer to hear him. “‘O! how I faint when I of you do write, knowing a better spirit doth use your name, and in the praise thereof spends all his might, to make me tongue-tied speaking of your fame. But since your worth, wide as the ocean is, the humble as the proudest sail doth bear, my saucy bark, inferior far to his, on your broad main doth wilfully appear. Your shallowest help will hold me up afloat, whilst he upon your soundless deep doth ride; or, being wracked, I am a worthless boat, he of tall building, and of goodly pride: then if he thrive and I be cast away, the worst was this, my love was my decay.’”

 

“Shakespeare?” Sara leaned against the railing, keeping her hand on his shoulder, and trying to catch his sad yet intense gaze, which he tried to keep from her.

 

“Sonnet number eighty.” Grissom’s voice was choked, and he stared straight at the sea.

 

Sara removed her hand and assumed his position, her hands rubbing her own arms to fight the goose bumps. “It’s beautiful, but not relevant.” Grissom finally turned to look at her, but remained quiet. “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong.”

 

He turned his gaze back tot he never-ending sea and began to protest, “Sara, I know...”

 

“No, you don’t, Grissom. Yes, he’s sweet, and... sweet, but in the end,” she turned and faced him, placing a hand under his chin so he was looking at her with hopeful eyes, “in the end, he’s not you.” She moved her hand from under his chin to cup his cheek. “You need to understand that.”

 

He reached up and grabbed her hand with his, and finally met her gaze. “You’re cold.”

 

She smiled broadly and let her head circle away from his eyes before recapturing them. “There’s no need for name calling!” As he went to open his mouth to explain, she laughed and cut him off. “I know, it was just a joke. It is a bit chilly out here.” She shrugged her shoulders.

 

When he suddenly pulled away from her she was a afraid that her joke had shattered the last vestiges of trust available to them. But then tears sprung to her eyes as he deftly removed his tux’s jacket and draped it over her shoulders. It was arguably the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her. He stayed behind her and rubbed his hands over her arms as she pulled the edges closer to her.

 

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his chest, resting his head on her shoulder. Sara sighed and snuggled closer into his embrace, nuzzling her face up against his.

 

“Dance with me?” Grissom asked as he nuzzled his nose into her neck and absorbing the scent of a perfume he’d never smelt on her before. Slowly, Sara stepped away and slipped her arms into the sleeves of the jacket before melding her body against Grissom’s and drowning in his gaze.

 

They swayed gently to the soft piano melody that drifted back to them, closing the tiny gap between them and melting into one being. With her head buried in Grissom’s neck and her hands roaming his back, she thought the moment couldn’t get any more perfect, until she heard a soft murmuring in her ear.

 

“With each word your tenderness grows, tearing my fear apart...and that laugh that wrinkles your nose, it touches my foolish heart.” Sara leaned back and smiled at him in surprise. Her hands moved around his body to rest on his chest. Her eyes were drawn to his lips, the gates from which his velvety baritone tumbled, and suddenly couldn’t help herself.

The kiss was soft, chaste, yet electric and cataclysmic. When they pulled apart mere seconds later, they found that the world hadn’t ended, civilization hadn’t crashed down around them, and the only sight that greeted them was each other.

With another small peck on the lips, Grissom leaned in towards her ear and sang again, “‘Cause I love you, just the way you look tonight.”

Chapter 9: Second Night

Sara lay in bed, her fingers playing over her smiling lips. Her mind replayed the images of that day, the smoldering looks, the longing, and finally the feel of being in his arms, his lips moving over hers. The lights were still on and a novel lay, open and forgotten, on the sheets next to her.

Though it was almost two in the morning, she yearned to be back in his arms; dancing, talking, kissing. The ethereal quality the night held had yet to wear off. Even after brushing out her hair, taking off her dress and washing her face, her body still held a tingle of energy. The promise of five more uninterrupted days with him was too much to pass up; too good to be true.

But for all her day dreaming, her body was still on night shift time. Restless, she was starting to give up on the idea of sleep when there was a light knock at her door. Jumping out of bed, she ran her fingers through her hair and ran to the door, taking only a second to look through the peep hole. Seeing who it was she opened the door wide, a smile on her face.

Grissom began to speak, but his mouth hung open and Sara could see that he was fighting to keep his eyes on her face. She looked down and with a horrified look, jumped behind the door so that only her face was showing, and gave Grissom an embarrassed smile. “One minute!” She breathed out before shutting the door again.

She was wearing the same thin cotton shorts as she was last night, but this time a thin pink lace and cotton camisole was all that kept her from being indecent. Grissom closed his eyes and leaned against the doorframe. That picture of her: barely covered, slightly rumpled, and wide-eyed with contentment was an image he didn’t think he’d ever be able to erase from his mind. He took a few deep breaths to slow down his pulse, and slowly the flush of excitement that had over taken him retreated.

The door opened once again and Sara was now sporting the large sweatshirt she’d worn the other night, the cotton shorts still peaking out at the bottom. She pushed herself out towards him, but still held onto the door frame, creating a seductive pose.

“Hey,” she breathed, a smile spreading across her face.

“Hey.” He added back. “I, uh, couldn’t sleep, again, and was wondering if maybe you’d want to take a walk.”

“Yeah, definitely. Let me get my shoes...” But she didn’t move from her pose at the door, she only stared deep into his eyes. After a few seconds she slipped in the open door, and only a quiet rustling could be heard. In a moment she was back out, shoes on and key in her hand.

Their leisurely stroll took them through all of the open decks, simple and comfortable silence pervading the night. Every once in a while they’d stop to look in the windows of the shops or at the many amenities the ship had, but they quietly ended up, hand in hand, at the rear of the ship again.

The sky was clear, the night quiet, and the air was brusque. Sara started to head towards the rail, but Grissom stopped her, instead pulling her to sit on a lone deck chair. He scooted to lean against its back, and then pulled her down between his legs, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back to his chest.

With a content sigh, Sara leaned back and nuzzled her face into his neck, breathing in deeply.

“Yeah,” Grissom agreed as he leaned down, dropping tiny kisses anywhere he could reach.

They sat there, alternately gazing at the endless night and reveling in each other through kisses and caresses. The world was empty and theirs, time morphing, stopping and staying endless as they sat there. Hours, however, did pass. It was when Grissom saw the first warm hues playing over the water and brightening the inky sky that he realized they should return to their cabins.

Grissom leaned down and placed a kiss on Sara’s forehead, “C’mon. We should go back.” But she didn’t move. He tilted his head to see her face, and saw that she was sound asleep. “Sara,” he whispered a little louder. He began to rub her arm, but the only reaction was her burying herself deeper in his embrace. He rubbed her arm a little more vigorously, and she moaned, shifted, and opened her eyes.

“Sleeping Beauty awakens,” Grissom whispered as he watched her eyes flutter open and the cloud of sleep clear from them. "C'mon, back to your room with you." He couldn't move with her between his legs, so he just pushed at her side, trying to coax her up.

"Aww, you're no fun," Sara slurred as she began to stand, pulling him up with her. He stood and pulled her into his arms, smoothing down her hair as it whipped around her face.

"We're going to be pulling into port tomorrow. I can't have you all tired now, can I?" He said with a devilish smile.

"Well, I guess not then."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Griss, hurry up!" Sara said, pounding on his door.

"What?" He asked as he opened the door, his shirt still undone and a towel around his neck that his hand was rubbing over his wet curls.

"You can't see it out your window! C'mon!" Sara proclaimed excitedly, bounding into his room and shutting the door behind her.

"You're chipper this morning," he said, a smile spreading across his face as she leaned over his bed to look out the window. He moved behind her and leaned over her shoulder, placing his hands on her hips for leverage. "What are we looking at?"

"Nothing!" Sara said as she straightened up, pressing her body into his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him before she could bound away again. "At least not over here! Hurry up!" The smile on her face was contagious as she wiggled around in his arms. Her jean shorts and white tank top covered her tan lines, leaving only gorgeous bronze skin for his eyes to feast on. Her jubilant exuberance excited him.

Holding her tightly to stop any escape, he turned her in his arms and quickly molded his lips over hers. The kiss was intense, yet short, and Sara moaned as Grissom pulled away. A slow smile spread across her face, her eyes still closed as he brought a hand up to caress her cheek.

"Try this again. What am I supposed to be seeing?" He whispered to her as she looked up at him.

"Nothing... absolutely nothing..." She mumbled dreamily as she wrapped her arms around him, leaning up to capture another kiss. Grissom ducked out of her arms and moved away, a smirk on his lips.

"Oh no," He said as he threw the towel around his shoulders aside and began buttoning his short sleeved shirt, "You were excited about something. Spill it."

Sara moved over to him, her hands undoing the buttons as fast as he could button them. "It's not important," she laughed out, a gleam in her eyes as she fought with him over his state of dress. His hands followed hers, buttoning as soon as she released one, and matched her pace so that neither was getting anywhere with their task.

Their hands bumping, they quickly dissolved into fits of laughter as he gently slapped her hands away.

"Oh, you're no fun!" Sara playfully pouted as she moved to lean against the wall to allow him to finish getting dressed. "Now hurry up!"

Grissom turned, fully dressed, and held his hands out to the side. "Let's go."

Smiling, Sara grabbed his hand and led him out of the cabin. Holding hands, she led him to the top deck where, just on the horizon, a tiny strip of green and white was emerging. Grissom wrapped his arms around her as they stood and watched with the other passengers as the tiny strip slowly became a tropical paradise.

Chapter 10: Land ho!

"Didn't you have a seminar this morning?" Sara asked as she snuggled into him, trapped in his arms up against the railing as they watched the island paradise approach in the late morning light.

"Did I?" he asked playfully, pulling her back into him. She could almost feel the smile on his face.

"Grissom!" She spun in his arms, a smile trying to burst through her stern countenance.

"No one else was taking it seriously," he said with a slight frown, moving his hand to caress her cheek. "So instead of getting frustrated trying to get some work done, I decided my time would be much better spent here. With you."

Sara tried to keep the smile off of her face, but found she couldn't. She let it spread across her lips, and with a barely suppressed giggle she dropped a kiss on his cheek before turning her gaze back to the sea.

~~~~~~~~~~

The huge dining room was even emptier than usual. From their vantage point at the back of the room, Grissom and Sara could see only a few other groups of people, but they were quickly forgotten. Their lunch was ordered Grissom and Sara were now quietly watching as the ship entered the harbor out of the wall of glass windows their table was next to.

The water was a bright azure in the sunlight with white foam from the engines playing in the wake. Land began to surround them in vivid greens, whites, and pastels as the tropical paradise they'd imagined finally appeared before their eyes.

"This was a great idea, Sara," Grissom whispered as their first course of a chilled fruit soup arrived. She had suggested they take advantage of the cool and less populated dining room while the rest of the boat's population squeezed onto the top decks.

"I think–" A sudden rattling of the ship, the entire bulk vibrating so that the silverware jumped on the table, cut off Sara's reply. Grissom calmed the panic he saw in Sara's eyes with a gentle hand on hers.

"Probably just the engines," He said, his eyes sweeping the dining area. "See? None of the waiters are reacting. I'm sure it's perfectly normal."

Sara watched the waiters move about, but didn't look convinced. "You know the band on the titanic played until they sank."

He simply stared at her, asking if she was serious with his eyes. He twined his fingers with hers and with his other hand continued eating. "When the waiter comes back you can ask him, but I'm sure it's just the engines preparing to dock."

When the waiter came back to serve their main courses Sara indeed asked her question. "Ahhh," the young waiter answered with a wink as he left, "that's all the young newlyweds like yourselves."

"See?" Grissom asked, only slightly caught off-guard by the waiter's comment. Sara simply smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~

"So you'll come, right?" Keri asked as she hung in Sara's doorway.

"Can't you tell me more about it?" Sara was wary of her friend's invitation as she pulled apart her suitcase in her tiny closet, looking for the purse she had packed.

"All we know is that it's an 'adult game show' and that the cruise director said it'll be a wonderful time." Keri thought for a moment, intent on getting Sara to join them. "You can bring Dr. Grissom." Sara stiffened at her comment and turned around. "What? You think we haven't seen how you two are acting? There may not have been anything going on when you got here- but there sure as hell is now!" Keri smiled at her friend. "It's ok, hun. Besides, I think Erika is trying to get her hooks into that Danny fellow. Look, we'll talk at dinner. Why don't you guys consider it? If you don't like it you two can always leave."

~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as Grissom opened the door to his room Sara molded her body to his, engaging him in a slow, sensual kiss. He groaned when her lips left his and she pushed into his room.

"Ready?" She asked. The boat had docked a half hour ago and the passengers were lining up to disembark. Grissom closed the door and turned to her, the gleam of desire in his eyes.

"No." He silently stalked closer to her, a smile on his face.

"No?" she asked coyly, sitting and leaning back on his bed. Just as he was nearing her she turned and crawled up the bed to the window. "Look! Isn't it gorgeous out there? And you want to stay in this silly little room!" She saw his reflection moving to her over the bed.

"I think what's in here is more gorgeous..." He crawled beside her and captured her mouth in a breathless kiss. She curled into his body as he pulled her against him, their mouths hot on each other's skin. Short kisses turned into languid, deep kisses. Hands roamed and caressed. They lost themselves in each other and time stood still as their kissing turned into a teenaged make-out session.

Sara leaned back on the bed as Grissom made his way down her neck with tiny kisses to rest his head on her chest. She tangled her fingers in his hair as they both took deep, heavy breaths.

Sara sighed, content. "Maybe it is more fun in here..."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, God, this is just beautiful..." Sara's breath caught in her chest as she disembarked, followed by Grissom. He took her hand and walked along the cobblestone path to the clock tower and fort. They were docked at an old British naval port, and in the distance they could see the old cannons-turned-relics. The afternoon was waning, but it was their first of almost three days on this side of the island and they had decided that at least a walk would be a good idea.

"It is," Grissom added as he took in his surroundings.

A cheerful ship employee wielding a camera stopped them. "Would you like your picture taken?" He asked.

Grissom raised an eyebrow at Sara, who shrugged in return. "Sure," he said.

"Step right this way please." The employee said, pointing them to a spot on the cobblestone so he could get the bow of the ship in the picture.

Sara moved to just stand next to Grissom as she took her sunglasses off, but he slipped an arm behind her and molded her to his body. She looked at him in surprise, and a smile spread across both their faces.

 Chapter 11: The Quest

Sara leaned back into Grissom's arms as they lounged in the back of the theatre, watching the pre-dinner show. They had wandered the areas surrounding the clock tower, sharing in the intellectual allure of the historic aspects and reveling in the romantic landscape as the sun set over the azure waters. Hand in hand they'd wandered back to the ship as a pure, black night started to settle in.

As the lights came up they wandered back to the dining room in their own little world, though there were people milling about all around them. They reluctantly parted. Though to any casual observer it would have seemed a cool goodbye, their subtle body language and eye contact spoke volumes to those who best knew the two.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"Look at that!" Mary Beth laughed as Sara walked towards them, conspiring with the other two girls around the table.

"What?" Sara asked as she sat herself, smoothing the sun dress she wore for the casual dinner and picking up her menu.

"Awful chummy with him there..." Erika led, a huge smile on her face.

"So?" Sara asked, trying to hide behind her menu as she felt a blush moving up her face.

"Good for you hun," Mary Beth said, whispering into Sara's ear as the waiter walked up to their table, "you needed to get laid!"

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"You lucky dog!" Roger laughed and patted Grissom on the back as he took his seat. "Where did you find that one?" Gris smiled a bit, unsure of what to say. Roger had always had a reputation for trying to rob the cradle, his appreciation of younger women apparent and consistent.

"She's..." Grissom slowly chose his words as he perused the menu, "She's an old friend."

"One of those..." Roger laughed.

"No, Roger. Not one of those." Grissom smiled a bit as he watched her joke with her college friends, quickly turning serious. "She's the one."

Roger stopped and smiled at him. "Well, it's about damn time, Gil."

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"So we'll see you tonight then?" Erika asked as she held up her shot, waiting for the rest of the girls to do the same. When it was apparent Sara was looking across the room Erika reached a hand out to snap her fingers in Sara's face. "Sassy, you with us?"

"Yeah, sorry," She smiled at them, tearing her eyes from Grissom across the room. She picked up the souvenir shot glass in front of her, mirroring her friends. Every night they'd taken the 'shot of the night' after dinner, collecting the souvenir glasses in the process. While Sara wasn't much for drinking, her good mood prompted her to join in the fun. Tonight's shot: a "blue eyed blonde."

"Ok, before we lose Sara again, let's meet in the lounge tonight, ok?" They all nodded.

Keri smiled and pushed her shot higher, "To getting laid tonight, ladies!" After a few laughs they threw the shots back and smiled at each other, but Sara's gaze was again directed at Grissom, who had fallen back into his dinner conversation. Keri rolled her eyes at the other two while standing up and pulling Sara with her. "You two go mingle, " She winked at Erika and Mary Beth. "C'mon, Sara, let's go claim our men."

Two pairs of hungry eyes watched the girls saunter over. Sara stood next to Grissom at his position at the end of the table, resting a hand on his shoulder, while Keri practically fell into Danny's lap. Grissom lifted Sara's hand into his, bringing it quickly to his lips in a show of gentlemanly class, as opposed to the blatant make-out session the other two were engaged in.

After a quick introduction, Grissom excused himself from the table to lead Sara out of the dining room. "C'mon," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the elevator.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she molded her body to his, reveling in the feel of his arms around her. It was still so new and novel that she relished every moment.

"On deck." He said nothing more, but his eyes twinkled. They made their way up the two flights and out onto the sunset bathed observation deck silently. Grissom led her around until he found a fairly secluded spot, and then gathered her in his arms to watch as the tropical island fell into twilight.

"So," he whispered in her ear before dropping a tiny kiss there, "What were you girls talking about at dinner that made you blush so much?"

Sara smiled as she turned her head to whisper in his ear, "Getting laid."

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

As soon as Sara and Grissom walked into the theatre, Keri shoved drinks in their hands. She led them over to the alcove by the front of the stage where the other three girls, as well as Danny, were seated.

"You two! You were almost late, you know!" Erica tried scolding them, but couldn't in her intoxicated happiness.

"We know," Sara said, taking a big gulp of her drink. Though Grissom tried to give Sara the only open seat in the little alcove where the six were trying to sit, she laughed as she shoved him down and dropped in his lap.

Before the girls could even talk, the lights dimmed and the so-happy-he-had-to-be-on-drugs cruise director came out. "Hey everyone, and welcome to 'The Quest,' our adults-only game show!" Shouts and applause filled the room as the entertainment staff went to each group giving out numbers. "So here's how it works: Your teams, no more than six, please, each get a number. I'm going to start to ask for things. The first ten teams up here with the thing I ask for and the table number gets a point. At the end of the game the team with the most points gets a fabulous prize!"

While the director went over the finer points of the game and Erika and Keri rejoiced at their group number of 21, Sara was trying to ignore the fact that Grissom was placing tiny kisses up her collarbone. She was also trying to forget that they'd been in the middle of a very adult game of their own when she'd realized they were going to be late for her promised rendezvous.

"Ok, let's get this game started!" The director shouted to another round of whoops and applause. "I'm looking for red lipstick. Someone bring me your number and a tube of red lipstick!"

All at once a stampede of women rushed to the stage, holding out their lipstick and their numbers. As he promised, he called out the first ten numbers to his assistant and sent them all back. Erika returned triumphantly holding up her tube of lipstick to the girls' cheers. As everyone settled down again the director asked for a sock with a hole in it.

All the girls looked at their feet, then stared at the two males. Grissom lifted a heel out of his loafers: no socks to even have a hole. All eyes turned to Danny, who quickly toed off both his shoes to show no holes in his black socks. Keri simply huffed, pulled the sock from his foot, and tore at the thin material with a sharp nail as she ran it up to the stage. She returned with a smug huff as she tossed the sock back to Danny.

"Now this is where the adult part comes into this game," teased the director. "I want to see..." everyone leaned a little closer, "a false tooth!" Everyone groaned and watched as a few geriatrics rushed up and popped out their dentures and one woman tried to pass off a tictac as a tooth. The small group looked at each other and they all shrugged. Not a false tooth among them. Grissom gave a tiny sigh of relief when he wasn't singled out in the search for the false teeth. He didn't even have so much as a filling, but he was the oldest in this group.

"Ok," Laughed the director, "let's get to the racy stuff. I want to see a bra! And let's not see anything else, please... Just a bra!"

In a flash Mary Beth was up and wriggling around to the cheers of the other girls as she pulled her bra out from under her tank top with a flourish. Erika pulled it from her hands and was off and running. Somewhere between the atmosphere and the alcohol it became imperative to everyone in the room to win this silly game.

"And the next thing I want to see is a lady bring me a pair of men's pants, sans the man!" The director announced.

Before anyone else could react Danny was up and stripping, tossing his pants at an eager Keri to run up to the stage. When Grissom looked at him he simply shrugged: he was going to impress her even if it meant taking off his pants in public.

Keri returned triumphant, and winked at Danny as she gave him back his pants. The next series of items sent them rooting through their purses and pockets, coming up empty most of the time. They had the compact, Chap stick, floss, and daily itinerary. They did not have the wedding ring, the sunglasses, the movie ticket stub, or the sticker. They were laughing, though.

Grissom sat back and watched most of the time, having brought nothing with him except his room key, reveling in how Sara was laughing and smiling around her friends in this silly game. It made him feel incredibly happy and lucky to be with her like this.

"Ok, ladies and gentleman. I have a serious question!" the director yelled over everyone. "How many people here tonight are with someone?"

Loud cheers went up from the audience as well Keri and Sara. At Sara's enthusiasm Grissom let out a loud whistle, joining in. While he never was one to join in, something about all of this made him feel like he couldn't help but be a part of all of this.

"Great, then you'll have no problem showing me a condom!" The director shouted.

Sara dug in her purse and held her hand high, the tiny foil packet grasped in it. She tossed it over to Erika, who ran to the front. She sauntered back, waving the packet.

"I'll need that back," Sara challenged her friend.

"Oh, I'm sure you will..." Erika laughed as she tossed the packet back.

"We will?" Grissom whispered before nibbling her ear a bit. Sara only raised an eyebrow as she packed the tiny package away in her purse.

"Remember that bra from before?" The director announced cheerily. Mary Beth pulled it out of her purse and tossed it over to Erika, who caught it and picked up the number, ready to run. "Well, I want a man to bring me two of them!"

Erika tossed the lingerie to Danny as Sara jumped off of Grissom's lap and wriggled around to pull her bra out from under her top as well. She tossed it to Danny who ran it to the stage, successfully getting their group a point. It was only as he was walking back that he noticed the lacy and satiny composure of the lingerie in his hands. When he got back he held the two garments out to Sara and Mary Beth, deeply blushing.

Sara took hers; mauve satin and lace designed to give just a little extra lift, and stuffed it into her purse despite Grissom's best attempts to take it from her.

"Ok, so, just to make this fair, I want a woman to bring me two pairs of men's pants!"

Sara stood up, a hand on either side of Grissom's chair and her eyes twinkling as they bored into his. "Pants. Off. Now."

Grissom raised his eyebrows as he stood up. He had no choice but to comply. As he started to undo his belt he saw poor Danny being practically stripped by Keri. His head shot to his belt buckle when he felt another pair of hands there, however.

"Too damn slow!" Sara laughed as she quickly removed his pants and tossed them out to the aisle. Grissom suddenly pulled Sara's back to him, winding his arms around her so she could stay in front of him. "Embarrassed?" she laughed.

"Mmm, not yet," he said as he pulled her toward him so that she could feel him stiffen against her rear. "But I will be if you don't stay put." He kissed below her ear as they watched Erika get the point for the pants. "I like you ordering me around, it's very sexy," Grissom purred in her ear.

Sara shifted her hips back in a little circle, a smile on her face. "I'll have to remember that."

Sara caught the khakis and handed them back, still standing in front of him as he pulled them on. He pulled her down in his lap as he sat back down and they shared an amused look. "You move, and you'll pay," he jokingly threatened.

Sara's eyes danced as she bit her bottom lip. "Oh, I don't know about that..."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we've come to our final thing, and it's a doozie!" With the director's booming announcement everyone fell silent. "Now, this last one is worth five big points, and it has several parts, so no one move until I say go!" The director stopped and looked around the room. The girls were all poised to make their move, Danny looked terrified, and Grissom was charting blow fly stages in his head. "We need the first ten men, shirtless, wearing a bra, red lipstick, and a woman's purse up here. Go!"

Mary Beth, Erika, and Keri stood. Their eyes darted to Grissom, who was happily body blocked by Sara and a death glare before they turned to Danny. In minutes he was on his way up to the stage, the seventh man standing up there with three very proud ladies and an amused couple staring at him.

"Thank you," Grissom whispered with a kiss on her shoulder blade.

"You owe me," she laughed.

"Oh, don't I know it!"

"Now that we've got our 10 men up here, we're ready to tabulate the scores. But while we're doing that, we could use some entertainment. Gentlemen, we neglected to add that to get the five points, you are the entertainment. Let's see some dancing!" And with the point of his hand, Right Said Fred's 'I'm Too Sexy' was pumping through the theatre.

The intoxicated men started dancing around, most without rhythm, to the cheers of the ladies around them.

"Oh, you owe me big time," Sara laughed.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Grissom pinned Sara up against the outside of her cabin door, their mouths fiercely meshing. She moaned as he made his way down her neck, slipping his hands around her back.

"Lost to a bunch of geriatrics...." Sara sighed as he kept kissing her.

"One point," he said as he made his way back up to her lips, "must have been the false teeth."

Sara felt one of his warm hands leave her as his mouth found hers again. Suddenly he produced his room key between the two of them and pulled her across the hall to his door.

"C'mon," he said huskily.

"An adult game of our own?" she asked coyly, a smirk failing to mask her blatant desire.

Grissom nodded and pulled her into his room.

Chapter 12: Keeping Pace

Sara's eyes fluttered open to the darkness of the cabin and she sighed happily. Though she was practically flattened against the wall by Grissom's body, she was content. She twisted and stretched, only to be pulled closer to the pillar of warmth behind her. His head burrowed into the back of her neck, a rumble low in his throat as he planted a sloppy, open mouthed kiss on her shoulder.

It was like a dream come true, she thought as she rubbed her hands up and down Grissom's muscled forearm. They were here, in paradise, together. "Morning," she whispered as she twisted around so she was facing him, a quite perilous operation in the tiny space of the bed.

"Morning," He almost barked, burying his head into her once again as she settled down, wrapping his arm up around her back.

Sara dropped a kiss on his hairline smiling. "Not a morning person?" He groaned again, but this time began kissing up her neck.

"No," he whispered when he got to her ear, "Not when you're in my bed." He sucked the lobe in his mouth and nibbled as his hands moved down her naked body.

"Mmm..." Sara moaned. "I'd suggest a shower together but we'd never fit."

Grissom pulled away and looked at her. He thrust his hips into hers, making sure she could feel his reaction to her as he raised an eyebrow. "You want to shower now? What, do I smell?"

"No," Sara laughed, kissing him soundly. "I just always had this fantasy about you and me and a shower..."

"Really?" He asked, kissing her back.

Sara raised her eyebrows. "We'll just have to find out when we get home, won't we?" She had meant it as a joke, or maybe even as the truth, but all of a sudden the two froze, fear flashing in both their eyes. Shit, Sara thought, I ruined it. "I'm sorry," she whispered, trying to get out of his grasp. To her surprise he yanked her back down to the bed, holding her eyes with an intense cerulean gaze.

"I don't want to lose this... not yet, not when it's just started," Grissom quietly confessed. He reached a hand up to stroke her cheek.

"I don't either," Sara said gently as she kissed his knuckles. "Maybe," she sighed, "Maybe we shouldn't think about it. We think too much for our own good... it always gets us in trouble when it comes to this..."

"Yeah," Grissom smiled, holding her close again. "Let's just... do."

"Mmm, sounds good to me!" Sara said as she leaned in for another slow kiss. After a moment she pulled back, her brows knit and a smile on her face. "Why am I squished against the wall?"

"You don't remember?" Grissom asked, laughing.

"What?" she asked, becoming concerned as he laughed.

"You fell out of bed. Twice. You must still have been half asleep." Sara rolled her eyes as he started laughing harder. "I had my arm around you, but you kept rolling over that way. After the second time you climbed right over me and told me not to let you out."

"Ever?" She smiled.

"Ever..." he smiled as he kissed her deeply.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"Why isn't she answering?" Erika whined to Mary Beth.

"Why are you trying to ruin her morning? If she's lucky, she got lucky, and is laying in bed right now with her bug doctor." Mary Beth smiled and leaned back in her chair, sipping on her coffee.

"But she'll miss out on the beach with us!" Erika protested like a spoiled child.

"Hun, we're gonna be guy watching. Do you really want two love birds cramping our style?"

"I'm gonna call Keri!"

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"Where are we going?" Sara asked, delivering a cup of coffee to Grissom a few hours later as he finished dressing.

"You don't have to come with me, you know." Grissom smiled, sipping his coffee with one hand and pulling her over to him with the other. "You can go with your friends."

Sara took his lips in a short, soft kiss. "Now why would I want to do that?"

"You did come on this trip with them. It only figures that you might want to spend some time with them." He rubbed their noses together before dropping a kiss on the tip of hers. "I won't be offended, you know."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Sara laughed, planting herself on his bed. "Are you doing some super-secret entomologist thing?"

"Nooo," Grissom laughed, sitting beside her, "but it's not exactly exciting."

"Hum, let's think about this: Beach with hung over college friends who are going to be looking for ass, or a not exactly exciting trip with my own personal piece of ass." Sara turned and straddled Grissom's lap. "Not exactly a hard decision on my part."

A small moan slipped out of Grissom as Sara kissed him soundly. Their tongues mingled languidly for long moments before Grissom pulled away with tiny kisses. "Plenty of time for that later. Let's get going or we'll never see anything except the inside of my cabin."

Sara smiled. "Fine. Have it your way. Off to our 'not exactly exciting' adventure."

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Sara gripped Grissom's hand as the bright pink bus that was taking them to the interior of the island swerved around another tight curve, throwing branches against the open window.

"And I thought Warrick was a crazy driver..." She whispered, "Thank God we decided not to moped."

Grissom laughed and kissed her neck just below her ear. "We'll be there soon, I promise."

A few tense minutes passed by before they stopped at the small square alcove. A few passengers filed off with them, and cautiously crossed the street to the landscaped and sprawling building.

"Leave it to you to find something educational in the middle of an island paradise..." Sara laughed.

Grissom simply shook his head as he tugged on her hand.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Something was different, Grissom mused, as he and Sara walked around the indoor aquarium before heading out into the zoo. He couldn't quite place his finger on what it was as they quietly strolled, hand in hand, and paused at each window to read the blurb and take in the animals housed there.

Grissom waited as Sara searched a tank, finding the eel the that matched the color of the coral it was hiding in. His eyes lingered over the curve of her neck, visible and accentuated by her low ponytail. He watched as a tiny smile lifted the corner of her mouth when she found the animal. Then he realized exactly what it was that was different.

Sara was still standing beside him. In fact, she hadn't let go of his hand since she'd tried to pay for her own entry fee at the door, which he'd emphatically refused. While that in itself was fairly unspectacular, especially seeing the recent shift in their relationship, what made it spectacular was the setting. Grissom had grown fond of going to museums and zoos alone for one reason and one reason alone: he always ruined everyone else's fun. He could always remember as a little boy being the one on the class trip that was always left behind, then rushed out of the exhibit to the next one. Even his mother, though patient with him, had never understood his need to both study what he was supposed to be looking at, and to read every word available to him on the subject.

Sara was the first person, no matter how silly it sounded, that both understood his 'museum pace' and seemed to enjoy it as much as he did. Just one more sign, he thought, that this really is as right as it feels.

"Griss?"

"Hum?" He asked, realizing that he'd been lost in thought.

"What is it?" Sara smiled and squeezed his hand. "You're smiling at me."

"You make me smile," He said simply, slowly walking to the next exhibit window. He watched as she shrugged and began to read the tiny blurb about the fish inside. "Are you enjoying yourself, Sara?" It came out a bit more serious than he intended, but he softened it by rubbing his thumb over her hand.

"You mean our 'not exactly exciting adventure'?" She asked, and he nodded. "Best time I've had in ages."

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

The Bermuda heat was more humid than Vegas' dry heat, and Sara felt the sweat dripping down her back as they quietly walked out of the Alligator exhibit and along a shaded tree lined path.

Most of the afternoon had been spent in silence, but it was an incredibly comfortable silence filled with science and smiles. Sara felt Grissom slow and gently pull her to the side of the path with him. Her eyes widened as he led her over to a tree lined spot just off the trail. Caged in by a black fence, it overlooked clear blue water and opened up to bright blue sky.

"Oh, Grissom..." She whispered as she leaned over the rail, looking down to where the dirt and sand dropped into a cliff and met the crystal water. Sara felt his strong arms wrap around her from behind, his body melting into hers.

"Beautiful?" He whispered just behind her ear.

"This place is more beautiful than I ever imagined."

"It's nothing compared to you," he moved and turned her in his arms until they were staring at each other, their hips resting on the black railing.

"Oh stop, I'm all sweaty and-" Grissom cut her off with a soft kiss that lingered slightly longer than it should have in public.

"You're beautiful," He sighed, rubbing a thumb over her cheek. "And I've waited entirely too long to tell you that."

"You're going to make me believe that one of these days, you know," Sara added with a smile. She silenced Grissom's protests with a sound kiss, and then pulled away. "Come on," She said, pulling away and grabbing his hand. "There have to be some bugs around here for you to look at,"

"Ahh, a woman after my own heart..."

Chapter 13: Panic

Sara woke up next to the wall again the next morning, but the squishing sensation was oddly absent. She heard movement and turned her head, squinting as Grissom came into focus, dressing by the light of the bathroom, and trying in vein to keep quiet.

"Hey," Sara squeaked out as she sat up, covering her nude form with the sheet.

"Oh, hey," Grissom smiled and walked over. His pants still undone and his shirt untucked, he leaned in for a smoldering kiss. He threaded his hand into her hair, and pushed her back down to the mattress, his lips moving onto her soft neck.

"Mmmm, nice wake up," Sara said, threading her arms around his torso. Grissom moved back up to her mouth, gently pecking. "What's... with... the... clothes?" Sara asked between kisses.

"Oh," Grissom said, sitting up, suddenly a bit nervous. "I got a call last night after you were asleep." Sara raised her eyebrows, she didn't remember even hearing the phone ring. "One of the guys has arranged a meeting with a local wildlife expert. Apparently he's going to introduce us to some of the more unique species around here." He shrugged, letting a hand linger on Sara's covered thigh. "Super-secret Entomologist thing," he added with a smile.

"That sounds wonderful," Sara smiled and laughed at his nervousness. "Go and have fun," she said, leaning up to kiss him.

"Oh, ok," he said, pulling back before her lips met his, a blank expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Sara asked, suddenly feeling very nervous as she pulled the sheet closer to her.

It took almost three seconds: Sara counted, for the spark to ignite back behind Grissom's blank eyes, signaling that he had come back to her mentally. "Nothing. I'm just going to be late if I don't hurry."

"So you couldn't kiss me?" Sara teased, dropping the sheet back down to her waist and leaning back on her elbows.

Grissom huffed as dropped down onto the bed over her, roughly taking her lips in a heated kiss that was far too brief for Sara's tastes. "If I keep kissing you, there's no way I'm going to want to stop!" Grissom practically growled, pushing himself off of the bed to finish getting dressed.

Sara dutifully covered herself again, "You're no fun..."

"You're a distraction!"

Their eyes met and held a second before smiles crept up. "Do you know what you're doing today?" Grissom asked, checking his wallet for his ship ID card.

"I was hoping you..." Sara said, locating her underwear on the floor and trying to demurely dress herself under the sheet.

"We can still do that..." Grissom laughed, and tossed Sara her bra from the counter where it'd been discarded last night. "I meant today. If this doesn't take too long I can try to meet you somewhere."

"Oh, um..." Sara stood, clad in her matching white cotton underwear, and pulled on her shorts before walking over to Grissom and laying her head on his waiting shoulder. "I don't really know. I'm sure the girls are going to the beach, so I'll probably just tag along with them. The boat's moving to the other side of the island today, so I don't want to repeat the lovely rumbling sensation."

Grissom leaned down to kiss her gently, "That's for tonight..."

Sara barely held back a girlish giggle. "Oh the things you say..."

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

As Sara showered the night's dried sweat off of her body in the coffin-sized corner they tried to pass off as a shower, she began to worry. She could take her friend's ribbing about their relationship; hell, she'd done it in school when there was no relationship.

But what about when they got back?

It was obvious that it was something that weighed on both of their minds. Could they really make this work between them? As she scrubbed her scalp free of her shampoo she prayed that there was more to their relationship than just sex. Deep in the recesses of her mind she knew there was, but she doubted herself.

Sara shut off the water and stepped out of the coffin and into the tiny closet of the bathroom, grabbing a towel and barely maneuvering it around herself. All those years wasted in Las Vegas couldn't have been for nothing...what if this lost all of it's simplicity as soon as the ship docked?

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Grissom picked up the small piece of paper on his floor as he stepped into his cabin.

G-

At the beach, will be back later.

-S

When Grissom suggested she leave a note for him as to where she was going, he'd hoped that she would have put the location as well so he could join her there. His stomach sank. What if she didn't want him there?

What if she didn't want him anymore, period?

Doubt settled in thicker than it had in a long time as he sank onto his bed. The ship was already docked on the other side of the island, the port facing a large main street and brightly colored buildings of all kinds. Somehow, the tropical setting depressed him even more. If she couldn't love him in paradise, where could she love him?

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Sara stared at her door, knowing he was only a hallway away.

She should talk to him. She should. He didn't ditch her today. It was his job- his passion... and she'd gone to the beach. Separate but equal.

But she didn't feel so equal right now. She wanted to barge over there and hold him and simply stay on this wonderful ship forever.

But deep in the pit of her stomach a memory of less than a week ago festered: she stood, nervously, before his door, trying to decide if she should go in when that damn singing fish gave her away. They stood across from one another, talking about feeding his spider but meaning to say so much more. They'd parted on barely comfortable terms in Vegas, and all of a sudden everything was fine?

So Sara sat, staring at the door, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Grissom wanted to simply hold her. He knew she was probably back: it was nearing their dinnertime. He couldn't seem to make himself move, though.

So many times in the past he was paralyzed with fear, not knowing if either move were right, so he wouldn't move at all. Or, by the time he was ready to move, Sara had already made her next one, and she was long gone, leaving him frustrated and stunted.

That's what led you to this, though: years of pent up frustrations.... Grissom rubbed his forehead. He didn't understand this worry, this fear, that had somehow built up in him over the last few days and ambushed him this morning when he was getting dressed.

What if she changed her mind when they got back? What if this was just some vacation fling for her? What if she had changed her mind already and spent the day at the beach with Danny. Was that why she didn't put where she had gone?

Grissom tried to stop that train of thought. He knew Sara. He knew her. She wouldn't do that. She just wouldn't.

But what if it all fell apart when they got home?

If only it wasn't so complicated.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

They stared at each other from across the dining room, loneliness and sadness veiling regret, confusion, and passion.

For Grissom, dinner lost its taste. Nothing was as sweet as Sara's lips against his, or as salty as the skin on her neck when they were making love.

For Sara, dinner had no meaning. She couldn't eat thinking that somehow something had gone horribly wrong. She nibbled around her meal, forcing herself to eat it, but remembering how Grissom had nibbled her flesh that morning sent nauseous ripples through her whole body.

The two stared coolly through the meal, and silently waited and watched as most of the dining room left.

Screw it, Sara thought to herself. If he wanted her, he'd have to come get her. Standing up slowly, she held her head high and left the dining room out of the doors closest to her, which avoided Grissom all together. Outside of the dining room her shoulders slumped sadly as she headed for her room. On the stairs she stopped to listen, but heard no footsteps behind her.

Sara wanted to cry.

Chapter 14: Worth It

Sara was pacing in the tiny cage of a room, hoping to turn the almost inevitable tears into something she knew how to get out of her system: anger. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't feel angry, she just felt heart broken.

She didn't know how long she'd been in her room when she heard a knock on the door, but it couldn't have been too long; she still had her heels and sun dress on. She turned and stared at the door as if something cataclysmic had just happened, as if no one had ever knocked on a door before. She stood staring so long that it happened again, this time louder and more urgent.

In a few quick strides she was at the door, and threw it open, eager and nervous all at the same time. He was there, on the other side, just as she'd hoped.

His sparkling blue eyes pierced the confines of the emotions she felt, and all of a sudden the only thing that mattered was that he was here, on her doorstep, and he had come after her.

"Why did you leave?" he quietly asked.

"So that you'd come after me." Sara dropped her eyes. "I had hoped you would, at least."

Grissom brought a warm, strong hand up and cupped her face, his thumb rubbing soothing circles over her cheek, coaxing her to look up at him. "I don't know what happened today..." Sara shrugged a bit and shook her head in agreement, "but I hated it."

"Me too," Sara whispered. They gazed into each other's eyes and shared a moment of stillness and stasis, where they simply were.

That ended when their bodies flew together like magnets seeking their polar opposites, their lips meshing together and sliding over each other, tasting and savoring like they should have their dinners. Grissom pushed them back into her small cabin, the door swinging shut behind them. Grissom turned and trapped Sara between him and the wall, never wanting to let go as he kissed down her neck, her fingers tangling in his hair.

"Sara?" came his breathy question. All she could do was moan in response as he kissed the sensitive flesh behind her ear. "Please... please tell me this... this isn't about sex." He got out between kisses, his hands moving up and down every piece of exposed, tanned skin he could find.

"It's not..." Sara said as her hands flew around his torso, pulling his polo from his khakis and running her hands over his back as his lips took hers again and they slowly moved toward the bed, undressing as they went.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Grissom pulled Sara's sweet sheen body closer to his, gently kissing her lips.

"Don't fall," he chided.

"I won't if you don't let me go." Sara smiled and buried her head in his neck. She sighed in the simple moment of contentment: her nails absentmindedly running through the sparse hairs of his chest, his arms wrapped around her, their breath gently slowing after their love-making. Doubt still gnawed at her, however, and made her stiffen in his embrace.

Grissom felt the shift and pulled her closer. "What is it?" he asked, terrified of the answer.

"I..." Sara stuttered a bit, stopped and started again. "What happens when we get home?"

"We take a cab back from the airport, go home, and unpack. Then I believe we both start work the next night, so we have one day to get used to sleeping during the day again." Grissom stated it as if it were the only logical conclusion.

"Riiight...." Sara sighed, dejected.

"You meant about us, though, didn't you?" Grissom quietly asked, stroking her arm lightly.

"Yeah."

"Well," Grissom took his time, planting a lingering kiss on her forehead, "I don't want this to end. But it won't be easy."

"I know that," Sara sighed, and snuggled closer to Grissom's warm body. "But I think it'll be worth it... worth the time and energy."

Grissom sighed deeply, but happily. "It will."

"So then?" Sara prodded, kissing the exposed flesh under his jaw.

"Then what?" he asked, distracted by Sara's wriggling.

"Maybe we should make an addendum to our trip home." Sara brushed up against Grissom, stretching like a cat to whisper in his ear.

"Yeah?" he practically moaned, grabbing her by the waist and almost having to flip them around to get her under him on the small bed. "Like what?"

"Like...cab home from the airport," Sara giggled a little as his beard tickled the sensitive skin of her arms as he kissed up the inside of her elbow, "go home, unpack, maybe catch a quick nap... then..." Sara trailed off as Grissom kissed up her neck. She arched into his lips, leaning her head back into the pillow with a moan.

"Then?" He asked between kisses.

"Then?" Sara laughed, pulling away and practically slamming herself against the wall as she ducked from under Grissom's arms with a smile. "Then... your place or mine?"

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

"I want to take you on a date."

Sara moved on Grissom's chest and sat up, trying to find his face in the dark. Her hands sleepily swatted at her eyes. "Huh?"

"Had you fallen asleep?" Grissom asked, His face contorting with guilt in the dark.

"Um, maybe?" Sara was still fussy and warm, and had no concept of time. "Yeah, I think so."

"Sorry." Grissom whispered, letting his arms drape over her and coax her back to the pillow of his chest.

"No, what did you say?" She asked sleepily, snuggling back down into his arms.

"I want to take you on a date," he repeated, smiling into her hair and letting his hands graze over her back. Their voices dropped to the whispers that the dark and sleep brought, but didn't require.

"Like, a real date?"

"Yup." Grissom laughed a bit as Sara yawned.

"Where would we go?"

"Anywhere you wanted to."

"What about," she was interrupted by another yawn, "excuse me–what about where you want to go?"

Grissom was quiet.. Thinking for a moment. "That would be anywhere you are."

"Romantic." Sara chided.

"Truth." Grissom declared.

"I'm sleepy," Sara whispered after a moment of silence. Grissom kissed the top of her head, one of his new favorite things to do.

"Then sleep," He said simply, wrapping her deeper in his embrace.

Chapter 15: A Feeling

"It's worth it," Sara laughed, leading Grissom down the winding path.

"If I don't die before we get there!" He grabbed her shoulders and leaned on them as they traveled downhill, huffing dramatically.

"Big baby..." Sara mumbled, laying her hands over his as they continued down the hill. The curving path hid the beach they were heading towards. "Just a little farther..."

"Are you sure you want to go to the beach with me, Sara?" Grissom asked, not even conscious of the words as they flowed out. Sara stopped short and Grissom ran into the back of her and several other beach goers mumbled, moving around them.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked, starting to move again, and covering his hand on her shoulder with her own hand.

"I'm not exactly..." He trailed off, well aware of his deficiencies, but somehow feeling if he actually voiced them it would make them real.

"I want to be here with you. I want to be anywhere with you. In public, in private, around people, by ourselves..." Sara turned and stared at him. "You need to understand that." She smiled. "I'm not going to run and hide. I'm not going to start drooling over other guys. I'll start drooling over you..." Sara pushed one of his shoulders back with two fingers, then grabbed his hand and kept moving. "Don't make me nervous..." She whispered.

"I'm sorry..." He said, stopping her by the cabana that held chair rentals and shower stalls. "I'm not... I'm not really used to this yet." He sighed and pulled her in for a hug.

Sara hugged him back, squeezing tight. "I'm not either. But I need you to trust me."

"I do trust you," Grissom said, pulling back to lean his forehead on hers. "It's me I don't trust."

Sara wanted to laugh, might have laughed, if his admission hadn't been so heartfelt and sad. She reached down and took his hand in hers. "Then it's a good thing I trust you." Sara turned and tugged him down the beach, hoping that he hadn't seen the beginnings of tears in her eyes, hoping that her admission of trust would be enough impetus to get him to trust himself with her. "You're gonna love this beach..." Sara said as she turned the corner, pulling Grissom behind her.

Grissom stopped and stared at the expanse of paradise. Even the ridiculous number of tourists and screaming children couldn't take away from the scene. The pink sand dropped off delicately into the low waves of electric blue water, black and green cliffs rising on either side of the bay, and islands of black rocks in the distance bursting from the clear water were the only indication that there was any land in the crystal blue depths that melded with the sky on the horizon.

The "wow," the fell from his mouth seemed wholly inaccurate and ridiculous in the situation.

"Come on," Sara pulled him down the beach to a fairly open spot, and began to spread out their towels.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

After dinner, Sara pulled on comfortable clothes and sat in her room, staring at her hands. The time, the feelings that she shared with him, they were worth the anticipation, the sinking feeling when they weren't together, right? It wasn't dread, exactly, that she felt. It wasn't the butterflies of love, either, though she knew that she loved Gil.

Finally, she stood, and didn't care what it was. With a quick look up and down the hall, she disappeared out of her door, and into his.

Later that night, wrapped in his heavy, sated, sleeping arms, she knew that she was afraid of this ending because of what they were going back to, not because of who they were, or that their feelings would change. She imagined trying to walk into the layout room, or the conference room, and how she would act now. How he would act now. And she felt that feeling again.

She rolled and snuggled into his warmth, his arm tightening around her even in his sleep. She didn't want to think of it. Not yet.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Grissom felt very small at the back of the ship, looking out into nothingness. At least, it what he felt was nothingness. They'd left the island, their ship heading back for shore, and in the black of night the sea melded into the horizon. If he fell, or jumped, or if the ship miraculously hit an iceberg right now- no one would be around, there would be no bystanders to question and the evidence would be swept away by unceasing ocean waves. In a few hours, there would be nothing, and no one, to bare witness to anything.

In another day, they'd bare witness to it all.

He didn't know how to approach work, other than the fact that he was not going to sacrifice either of the two things that he felt defined him: his job and his love for Sara. He turned when he heard footfalls behind him.

"I kinda freaked out when I woke up and you were gone."

"Couldn't sleep, didn't want to wake you." He put his arms around her as she joined him by the rail. Sara rested her head on his shoulder, looking up into the sky.

"Still so many stars..." she whispered.

"Same number as are in the sky in Vegas, but there's too much light to see this many except in the middle of the desert." Grissom felt that sinking feeling again, and cursed himself for bringing up the subject of where they were going back to.

"Would... would you take me there? To see the stars?" Sara's words were whispered, and a little more than tentative as she avoided Grissom's stare.

"Yes." His answer was simple, and quiet, but did not assuage either of their fears.

After a few quiet moments of rocking in each other's embrace with the movement of the boat, Sara moved away. "I... I need to know what's going to happen when we get back." Grissom looked at her, but said nothing, his face a mask of indifference. "I don't think I can go back to pretending I don't have feelings for you. No, I know I can't go back to doing that."

"I can't either." Grissom's words were quiet, but powerful.

"What?"

"I said, I can't do that either." He pulled her closer until they were looking into each other's eyes. "I'm not willing to sacrifice you anymore, but I can't sacrifice my work, either. Unfortunately I haven't quite figured out how to rectify that."

Sara leaned her forehead into his. "I haven't, either," she whispered. "But I don't want to lose you. I'm... more flexible and I've been thinking, and there are sacrifices I'm prepared to make..."

Grissom brought his hand up to her lips. "Stop. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. And we'll do it together."He moved his hand away and kissed her lightly. "Let's enjoy what's left of our time here, ok?"

Sara dropped another soft kiss on his lips, "Ok." She silently turned in his arms, letting him mold to her back, his arms wrapped tightly around. They stared out into the inky black night, watching what they could see of the water disappearing into the darkness.

Grissom held her in his arms, smiling. Somehow, their tormented decision to be together didn't seem nearly as momentous when they were surrounded by the vastness of nature. He was reminded that they were insignificant in the true way of things: time would march on no matter what they chose, and he didn't want to be without her anymore.

Chapter 16: Going Back, Moving Forward

Sara sat on the sun deck, listening to the announcements over the loud speakers that interrupted the live music. Her luggage tags were blue, and it seemed that blue was going to be one of the last colors to disembark.

She and Grissom had watched the sun come up, then caught a few hours of sleep in his cabin before packing and sharing a quick breakfast. They were on different flights, and he'd been given white tags, which meant he was on the first wave of passengers to disembark.

With a smile and a kiss, he was gone.

Even with all of their whispered promises the night before, she still couldn't help but wonder if he was going to change his mind.

She watched her now estranged friends on the other side of the sun deck, and realized how much she had changed. For good or bad, she was happy with the person she was now, and didn't think that she was missing much. She stood, shouldering her purse and picking up her bag and began to make her way around the crowded deck. At the very least, she had to say good bye to them, and maybe even explain herself.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Grissom sat on the plane staring out the window into the bright clouds. Each second brought him closer to some sort of reckoning. There was no answer, in his mind, to the problem of how to be together and how to work together. It turned his stomach sour and his mind to mush every time he thought about it.

Frustrated, he reached into his bag and pulled out a book of brainteasers. Maybe he just needed to get his mind thinking some other way to find the answer to this puzzle.

Twenty minutes later he finally reached a solution to the puzzle he'd chosen. He closed the book and fiddled with his pen.

It couldn't be that simple.

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Sara tossed another load of laundry in her washer and put her suitcase away, finally finished with her post vacation rituals. She was making a list for the grocery store when there was a knock at her door.

Grissom's profile greeted her in the peephole, and she immediately opened the door. "Hey."

"Hey." As she opened the door he walked past her into her apartment. His demeanor was casual, but as soon as she had the door closed his eyes darkened, and he pinned her against the door. His lips hovered over hers, his breath on her skin causing shivers. "I miss having you right across the hall."

Her heart was pounding and she let her hands roam over his back. "It's only been twelve hours."

"Which is entirely too long." His lips claimed hers hungrily, his arms almost roughly moving down her sides to pull her closer to his body. He pulled her leg up over his hip, getting as close as humanly possible in the confines of their clothes. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, their lips barely touching. "I think I have a solution to our problem."

Sara smiled, leaning closer and rubbing herself against him. "Good. Because you're right, twelve hours is far too long."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The next night, Sara sat in the break room tapping her pen on the table trying to finish a crossword puzzle that had been left half-done from the evening shift. The rest of the crew floated in: Nick commented on her newly tanned skin, Catherine and Warrick chatting about something Lindsay had done in school. Greg was the last to bound in, chatting a mile a minute because Grissom had promised to take him out into the field tonight since all his spiders were alive and kicking.

Sara could feel the seconds ticking by like Chinese water torture. It had been hours since she parted from Grissom, but she was already in withdrawal. It was like he was some new drug, something she couldn't be without. She'd never wanted to admit she had an addictive personality: being a strong, independent woman demanded that she could stand on her own two feet and not rely on a man, anyone, or anything else to get her through the day.

There was something about this man that simply drew her in. It was like she couldn't breathe when she wasn't with him. They meshed so well it felt like he was simply an extension of her; a missing piece she had never known was missing.

Not that she'd ever tell anyone that.

She looked back at the crossword puzzle and tried to hide her smile. She could hear his voice down the hall. She was half excited, half nervous to see how this was going to go down.

All eyes turned to Grissom as he walked into the break room, his face the normal mask of indifference. Sara didn't pay attention to any of the particular pleasantries exchanged about his vacation, but watched as he tried to hide that his eyes kept flicking over to hers. She smiled at him, he lifted the corner of his mouth, but didn't let it blossom into a full-blown smile. He passed out assignments, then sat down at the head of the table instead of dismissing everyone like he normally would.

"In addition to tonight's assignments, there's a piece of information that you need to know, but that I'll expect you'll keep it to a need to know basis." Everyone's eyes were on Grissom as Sara tried to hide my smile. "Sara and I are in a relationship outside of work."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Epilogue: 2 years later

Sara stood in the circle of Grissom's arms, the sounds of churning ocean below them as the wind rushed by them on the back of the cruise ship. It was the first time they'd finagled any kind of real vacation time at the same time since they'd gotten back from their eye-opening cruise.

She sighed, leaning back into the warmth of his body to ward off the chill of the wind. He'd been right- their relationship wasn't a problem unless they made it a problem. Grissom had talked to the team very matter of factly, as if he'd been going over evidence or the growth stages of flies. He's asked for discretion, but also their trust and their vigilance.

"We're working on the assumption that it won't become a problem unless we make it one, unless we let it become one. Sara and I have both proven, as have you all, that we can separate our home lives from our work lives. That is what we intend to continue to do. I will be approaching several people with this information, but we're not broadcasting it. I will not show favoritism, I will not show preference, and I need you all to believe that I can continue functioning in the same capacity that I have. I want you all to feel comfortable confronting either of us if you feel that we're not acting in a professional manner. What I really need to know is if you can trust us to make this work?"

Through surprised looks came smiles and choruses of "Finally!" Since then, there'd only been a few times, when they'd been fighting or when one of them put themselves in unnecessary danger, that Catherine or Warrick had come up to one of them and set them straight. So far they'd had no problems on any higher level, even when changing Sara's address and contact information to match that of Grissom's.

He leaned his head down, resting his chin on Sara's shoulder. "Sweetheart?"

"Humm?"

"Got something I want to talk to you about." His voice was a little louder than a whisper, almost normal talking volume, but with the roar of the wind and water it seemed like an intimate gesture all the same.

Sara closed her eyes, tipping her head back on his shoulder, but still seeing the inky water merging into the dark blue night sky behind her eyelids. "Gil... nothing serious. Nothing work. I want to enjoy this moment."

"Well..." His voice trailed off, and she could tell he was thinking. He gently kissed the delicate skin just below and behind her ear, then started talking again. "It's just that, I'll be eligible to retire in another two years. Early retirement, mind you, but still retirement."

"Gill, you love your work," Her arms wrapped around his own that were holding her, her hands rubbing up and down in a now familiar gesture. "You'd go crazy."

"I can still give lectures. And I can write some of those papers I've been meaning to start. I'll be able to go to other states and share my expertise. Maybe I'll build a lab in the house and start doing some new research. There's plenty to do."

"You'd miss the lab too much."

"I'd still have you to keep me in touch with the cases, and out there in the desert it's surprising how often they need a forensic entomologist so I'm sure they'll be calling every so often. But I'm thinking bigger, Sara."

"Bigger?"

"If I retire, we can get married." Grissom spun her around in his arms, catching her eyes and smiling. It had been the one rule they hadn't been able to get around: no spouses working in the same department. Since neither had been willing to abandon the lab that had grown into a family, they'd simply abandoned hopes of nuptials any time soon.

"You'd really retire early just to get married?"

He tipped his head in the style that she'd come so accustomed to, and looked her right in the eyes. "Honestly? I'm not sure. I just... thought it was something we should be talking about... considering as a real possibility."

Sara laughed and hugged him tightly. "We'll consider it. But we'll do it some other time." After a gentile kiss, Sara turned back to her former position in his arms where they were both gazing out into the sea, watching the water disappear into the horizon without a spec of land in sight. "We never did get out to the desert in Vegas to see the stars..."

Grissom sighed and gave her a quick squeeze. "No, I guess we didn't."

"Stop thinking, Gil, and look at the stars, and the ocean, and just relax." She sighed as she felt tension drain from him, and fought the desire to fall boneless into his embrace. "Do you remember that poem you recited for me last time? Shakespeare?" She felt him nod against her shoulder. "Recite it again?"

He cleared his throat, and when he spoke, she could feel the smile on his face reflected in the tone of his smooth, deep voice. "'O! How I faint when I of you do write, knowing a better spirit doth use your name, and in the praise thereof spends all his might, to make me tongue-tied speaking of your fame. But since your worth, wide as the ocean is, the humble as the proudest sail doth bear, my saucy bark, inferior far to his, on your broad main doth willfully appear. Your shallowest help will hold me up afloat, whilst he upon your soundless deep doth ride; or, being wracked, I am a worthless boat, he of tall building, and of goodly pride: then if he thrive and I be cast away, the worst was this, my love was my decay.'"

"It's beautiful."

"You're beautiful."

She sighed, not wanting to break the spell of the moment. A bright, full moon hung low in the sky and sent rays of reflected sunlight streaming onto the water, stars twinkling in the darkness, the water's gentle ripples fading into an inky smudge of a horizon that blurred into the sky... She couldn't help but feeling small in the face of the enormity of nature, but the arms of the man behind her made her feel safe, and strong, and a contentment that she didn't think she had ever felt before. She didn't realize that she had spoken until the words were already out of her mouth, and after they were, she realized that it simply described how she was feeling. She whispered the Shakespeare gently, "...wide as the ocean is..."

End

8/?/03-5/19/06

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