Sara walked quickly down the hallway toward Gill Grissom's office. She was nervous; and not because staff reviews had been handed out earlier that day. Actually, her review had been stellar, and she was usually ecstatic about that; but she was going to talk to Grissom about something totally unrelated to work. Sara had been attracted to her good-looking supervisor ever since she had first met him and she had decided that she would quit beating around the bush, and ask him out to dinner. She'd been thinking this over for days, replaying the offer in her mind several times. Now, she was wondering if she were crazy. She hadn't missed the fond looks Grissom had given her over the past few weeks, and hoped he wouldn't be too taken aback or, God forbid, angered at her for asking him out. She already had the restaurant picked out, and she would insist on picking up the tab.

Now she stood just outside his office and could see him sitting with his back to the door, peering down the microscope at a DNA sample taken from a triple homicide they had worked earlier that afternoon. Deciding to get it over with, she tapped softly on the door frame, causing Gill to turn around. He smiled, and Sara's nervousness bubbled even more furiously as she gave a small wave.

"Sara, come on in," he invited, taking off his reading glasses. Sara swallowed, finding her mouth dry. Rubbing her sweaty palms on her pants, she entered the office and stood in front of his desk, speechless. Grissom raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" He asked, lacing his fingers together and propping his chin upon them. Sara clasped her own hands tightly behind her back, unconsciously causing her shirt to tighten across her chest. Grissom's eyes flicked to the swell of her breasts, before returning back to her face. Sara inhaled deeply.

"Grissom," she began, and looked away before deciding to launch right into it. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming to dinner tonight." She was surprised by her steady voice. She had expected it to betray her nerves by trembling, but to her relief, she sounded professional and cool. Not cold; just calm and collected. Gill's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Sara," he began, dropping his glasses on the desk beside his computer, "are you asking me out on a date?" he asked, a smile at the corners of his mouth. Sara shrugged.

"I guess you could call it that," she said, "but nothing serious. I just thought you might want to sit and chat for a change; away from the lab." God that was lame, she thought, and mentally kicked herself. She should've just stuck with going out with Greg. He'd asked her last week, and she'd turned him down cold. Grissom smiled, and she thought he was going to gently turn her down, but she couldn't have been more wrong.

"I'd like that," he said, and looked at his watch. "What time?" He asked, and Sara went blank. Time? She'd not thought of that.

"About seven," she said, pulling the number out of the air. Grissom nodded.

"Shall I pick you up?" he asked, writing the time down on a Post-It note. Sara felt the tension leave her body for the time being.

"If you want," she said, and added; "or we could just meet there." Grissom agreed. Sara couldn't believe she'd already made a date with him, or how easy it had been. Grissom was watching her with what she swore was amusement in his eyes. When she didn't move, he asked,

"Where should I meet you?" His question was a whisper, and Sara wondered how it would sound for him to whisper loving, suggestive words in her ear. Focusing on the present, not her daydreams, she responded,

"Do you like Thai food? There's a great new restaurant across from the Bellagio," she suggested, and Grissom nodded.

"I've not had a chance to try that one yet, so that would be fine, Sara," he confirmed, and smiled again. Sara had always thought he had the nicest smile she'd ever seen, and when directed at her, it caused her to go weak in the knees.

"Okay then; see you tonight."

Gill smiled, and Sara turned, walking slowly out of his office; giving him time to retract his acceptance of her offer. He didn't; instead Grissom watched as Sara walked down the hall until she was out of sight before grinning broadly to himself. He'd been toying with the idea of asking Sara out, but she'd beat him to the punch. Now, maybe over a nice dinner, they could get to know each other on a level more personal than colleagues.

Dinner had gone smoothly, even though Sara's order had been mixed up with the table's next to theirs. She'd been embarrassed about the mix-up, but Grissom had taken the initiative and had it sent back. Soon Sara's dinner of vegetable fried rice was set before her and the evening went quickly. Sara was relieved to see that Grissom was obviously enjoying her company, and hoped that this would be a start to a deeper nuance to their relationship as friends. Now, as she stood beneath the soft white glow of her porch light, Sara was disappointed that the evening was almost over. Gill stood in front of her, and she felt nervous all over again. Gill could see her hesitance, and wondered if she'd slap him if he gave her a good-night kiss.

"I had a good time," he began, and added; "thank you for dinner." Sara smiled a small, shy smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said, looking up at him expectantly. She wished he'd just quit being so damn formal and kiss her, but she wasn't going to initiate it. Definitely not. Grissom's expression turned serious as he moved closer to her. Sara's heart began to pound. Good Lord, he was thinking the same things, she realized, as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders. They felt strong and warm, and Sara could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Gill's words floated on the night breeze as he whispered,

"Next time, I'm buying." Suddenly, his lips touched hers in a feather-light kiss. Sara felt as if she were dreaming, and slowly wound her arms around his waist. After what seemed an all-to-brief moment, Gill broke contact and stepped away. But to Sara's sheer delight, he didn't release her completely. Instead, he slid his hands down her arms to grasp her hands. They felt small and delicate in his, and Sara realized how often she'd longed for this to happen. Now that it had, she hoped fervently that it would again. If the promise in Gill's eyes was any indication, she was very sure they would be going out again very soon.