Gil Grissom had met Sara Sidle a few years ago when she had taken one of his classes.
Sara intrigued him, she was a beautiful woman - perhaps not in the way that some men would think beautiful but she was beautiful to him.
Gil was fascinated with her thirst for knowledge and captivated with her smile and chocolate brown eyes.
While Gil was still teaching in San Francisco he and Sara had several casual dates, even though he thought he wanted more he just was not sure of himself. He wasn't sure of how Sara felt about "an old man" like him. She was young and beautiful, how could she be interested in him.
So he went back to Vegas with the question of a relationship unasked and therefore unanswered.
Gil and Sara had talked a few times after he left San Francisco, he knew that Sara was not happy where she was so he was fairly sure she would take the position he was going to offer her.
Much to his delight she did.
Over the next couple of years Gil tried to think of Sara as only a co-worker, but try as he did, he couldn't.
With her this close to him he was even more sure that he wanted a relationship.
The question in his mind was not DID he want a relationship. The question in his mind was whether Dr. Gilbert Grissom should risk a new exciting relationship with Sara Sidle. He suppressed a smile. Was he kidding himself? Could someone with his reputation ever do anything but dream about a woman fifteen years his junior?
Gil smiled as he thought back to a very depressed eight year boy sitting on his front porch with a question burning in his mind that needed asking but he was to afraid to ask. More then anything else young Gilbert wanted to play little league baseball during the summer school break, but he couldn't without permission form his father. The elder Mr. Grissom was not big on sports, he was big on academics and had planed on enrolling young Gilbert for several classes designed for advanced children at a near by university.
Several times the elder Grissom had said that there was no way that sports could be useful in anyone's life and defiantly not for HIS son.
Gil's mother, Betty walked on to the front porch and offered her only son a cool drink.
"What is bothering you?" his mother questioned him.
"Nothing," Gil signed back to his mother.
"Gilbert Grissom," Betty signed, "Don't lie to your mother."
Gil told her of his dilemma, he knew his fathers plans and he knew how his father felt about sports.
Betty kissed his forehead, "You'll never know the answer to a question unless you ask the question. Talk to your father."
Gil smiled at his mother, gathered every ounce of courage he could possibly find and walked into his fathers den.
Young Grissom knocked on his father's door.
"Sir," young Gil said, "I need to talk to you."
Gils father sat down the book he was reading and looked at his son, "Yes."
Gil told his father what he wanted to do and then proceeded to tell him all the benefits that he felt he would gain by playing ball.
The elder Grissom sat and listened to his son.
"How will playing ball further your education," his father asked.
Young Gil even had an answer for that, "As you know baseball is comprised of a lot of different stats. Along with catching I can request to be the teams records keeper."
"You bring up a good point, son," his father said, "I will discuss it with your mother."
One week later Gilbert Grissom was starting catcher for the JUNIOR MUD CATS. His coach remarked several times that he never had a better record keeper. Gil stayed with the team right through his senior year.
I guess you could say that is where his love of baseball came from. He even played ball in collage for a while.
Little did Gil know that his father came to this decision only after his mother convinced him that young Gil needed more interaction with children his own age.
Several times during the course of his life Gil would ask his mother a similar questions and she would always smile and gave him the same answer - "You never know the answer to the question unless you ask the question."
Gil stood, let of a slow breath and said, "You'll never know unless you ask."
Gil walked to the break room and found Sara sitting at one of the tables fiddling with her sandwich.
He cleared his throat, Sara looked up at him.
"You don't like it?" he asked, trying to find a way to break the ice.
Sara smiled, "A lot on my mind. Did you need something?"
"Yes," he said, sitting next to her, "I was wondering if you had plans for tomorrow night? We are both off and I would like to take you to dinner?"
"No and I would love to," Sara said, smiling.
"I'll call for you around 6," he said.
"Where will we be going?" Sara asked.
Gil looked at her.
"I need to know how to dress," Sara said, smiling.
"Mario's," Gil said.
"Mario's." Sara said to herself.
Mario's is one of the finer restaurants in Vegas.
Sara smiled, stood and tossed her sandwich away. You see, she was thinking of asking Grissom to dinner too.
Sara had been battling the same feelings and thoughts that Grissom had, she was in love with him too but she thought that there was no way a man of his stature would be interested in someone like her.
"What would someone wear to a place like that?" Sara said, not realizing she had said it out loud.
"What place?" Catherine asked.
"I was just asked out to dinner," Sara said, "He is taking me to Mario's."
"Fancy," Catherine said.
"I know," Catherine said, "How about that stunning blue dress you wore to the chiefs retirement party. He couldn't keep his eyes off you."
Sara looked at him, "Who?"
"Grissom," Catherine said, "And Don't deny it. We all know you two have the hots for each other."
Sara laughed, "The powder blue one it is."