A/N: Many thanks to Alison the beta! Any mistakes belong to me but I don't think that they're worth much. This is just a short little fic that I couldn't get out of my head until I wrote it down. I'm sleeping much better now.

"Sara, you can't just open it!" Greg pulled the box from her grasp. He and Sara were sitting in the break room waiting for assignments. He thought it would be the perfect time to give her the birthday present he'd had hiding in his closet for the last six months. "You have to guess what it is." She started to protest and he quickly added, "I'll give you three hints." 'This was going to be fun,' he thought as he grinned at Sara devilishly.

"Alright," she agreed reluctantly, not trusting his smiling face.

"They come in different sizes."

"Shoes."

"Sara! Would I give you something as boring as shoes for your birthday?"

"I give up."

"Not so fast. Two more clues." He ignored her huff of impatience. "It has moving parts."

"A vacuum."

Greg rolled his eyes and groaned. "No!"

"Okay! Sorry, give the next clue," she smirked; she was starting to have fun.

"This is your last clue," he warned seriously. "It has been known to cause explosions."

Sara eyed him warily. "Greg you did not get me a bomb."

"Nope. Okay you can open it." He handed the box back to her.

Sara tore the bright colored paper from the small box in her lap and opened the flaps. Inside she saw pink tissue paper. She looked up at Greg with a questioning glance, and asked "Pink?" He shrugged. Sara pushed past the offending paper and stared at the object in the box. "Greg!!"

"What'd you do now Greggo?" Nick asked as he and the rest of the night shift filed into the break room. Sara swiftly closed the box and aimed a deadly glare at Greg.

"He got me a birthday present."

"I didn't know it was your birthday." Nick looked hurt that Greg knew and he didn't.

"I don't know how he found out Nick."

"I went through your purse and looked at your drivers license." Greg immediately regretted disclosing this bit of information despite Warrick's snicker. He redirected the conversation. "Why haven't you told anybody when your birthday is?"

"Because I don't celebrate by birthday," Sara answered distractedly, trying to figure out how to get the gift out of the building without anyone finding out what it was. She soon realized her mistake.

"Since when?" Catherine could not imagine not celebrating a birthday.

"Ah." Sara looked around at their faces. Even Grissom was interested now. She sighed. "Since ever."

"Ever! You've never had a birthday?" Warrick was shocked.

"I've had birthdays. One per year in fact. I've just never celebrated them." She could sense more questions and held up a hand. "My parents don't believe in birthdays. To them, celebrating a birthday is celebrating aging. They don't believe in aging or keeping track of a person's age. They said that every day is a celebration of your birth or existence. Chronological age doesn't matter."

Grissom was looking at her funny. Everyone else was looking at her with pity in his or her eyes. She continued, "I agree that age doesn't matter. You are as old as you feel." Grissom watched her quietly as the rest of them wished her a happy birthday anyway.

"So what did Greg get you?" Nick reached for the box.

"Nothing!" Sara snatched it away from him. "Private joke." She laughed nervously. "I, uh, I'm going to go put this in my car. Greg, will you give me a hand?" She cringed as she realized how that sounded but Greg just grinned and nodded. She quickly left the break room with him right behind her.

When they got to her car she put the box in the trunk and rounded on him. "Greg, it is a very funny gift but if you tell anyone about it…let's just say that I know how to hide a body." She said seriously as she advanced on him.

He laughed and held is hands up in surrender. "Don't worry I'm not telling."

Sara smiled at him. "Thanks for thinking of me though."

The rest of the shift went smoothly but slowly. By the time Sara got home she had almost forgotten about her gift. Almost. She took it out of the trunk and trudged up to her apartment. She set the present on the counter in the kitchen and got a bottle of water from the fridge. She was trying to decide if she wanted to take a bath or go to sleep when someone knocked on her door.

With a frown Sara went to look through the peephole and reeled back in shock when she saw Grissom pulling nervously at his collar. Pulling open the door she smoothed her shirt.

"Grissom."

He looked at her for a moment. "May I come in?"

Sara nodded and stepped back pulling the door open wider. He went inside and watched as she closed the door, letting his eyes wander over her lean body.

"What are you doing here?"

He licked his lips. "Do you really believe that age doesn't matter?"

Her eyes widened in comprehension and she nodded.

"I brought you a present." She raised her eyebrows as he unzipped his jacket to reveal a large red ribbon tied around his chest. She grinned and stepped close to him, laying her hands on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat racing against her palm.

"Thank you," she murmured and leaned up to place a light kiss on his mouth. She tilted her head back and allowed him to deepen the kiss as his arms came around her and settled low on her back. When they broke apart for much needed air, she fingered the bow. "Can I open it?"

He nodded slowly and whispered, "Happy birthday Sara."

That evening Sara walked into work looking happier than she had in a long time. She was carrying Greg's gift in her hands. She went into the DNA lab and plopped the box down on the counter. Greg looked at her inquiringly.

"Thanks Greg but I don't need that after all." She grinned and left the room. He looked at the box in confusion. Just then he caught sight of Grissom walking down the hall with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh."

End