DISCLAIMER: CSI belongs to CBS and Alliance-Atlantis Productions. No infringement intended.
SPOILERS: 8x04

SUMMARY: Spoilers for 8x04. This is my interpretation of the promo and how I would like to see that scene go. GSR of course

FEEDBACK: Love it, but no flames please I'm fragile!!

AUTHORS NOTES: I wanted to write something to cheer everyone up a little. I hope this small offering does something to make you smile.

Huge thanks to Mingsmommy for the beta and to TDCSI and Julie for their constant encouragement.

Honey

Grissom couldn't seem to keep the smile from his lips as he walked into the townhouse after shift that morning. So much had happened in the last few hours that he didn't know which way was up or down anymore.

He'd been thinking about how much he wanted to marry her for a very long time now. He'd planned various ways to ask her but had always lost his nerve at the last moment. But earlier that morning it seemed that every plan, every proposal had been lost somewhere in time as the perfect moment sought him out instead.

Something about the way she smiled at him when he was rambling on about bees and their habits, had brought a surge of love straight through to his heart. Yes, he loved her…he had only ever loved her, and being with her forever was something that he knew he both wanted and needed.

"You know, maybe we should get married." As soon as the words left his lips he chanced a look in her direction and wasn't surprised to see her watching him with her mouth wide open in shock

"It's just a suggestion," he told her quietly when she still hadn't spoken. "I just thought—"

"No," she said shaking her head with a smile, as she quickly held her hands up when his eyes clouded over with sadness. "I mean, not no, to your question…I'm just…wow…really?"

Grissom released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and silently just nodded his head before turning back to his bees. "You don't have to answer right now."

"Oookaaay," she nodded skeptically. "This isn't because of—"

"No," he told her quickly, turning his eyes back to gaze into hers. "Almost losing you has definitely made my feelings for you stronger, but this is something I have been thinking about for a long time before Nat—before you were taken."

Sara nodded, she knew where she stood in his life, he'd made that pretty clear after the whole Heather fiasco, but marriage? She wasn't sure if either of them would ever be ready for that.

"I thought you never wanted the whole deal of marriage and the white picket fence," she told him softly. "I thought the whole idea of commitment scared the crap out of you."

"Honey," he sighed, "I have been committed to you for the last nine years."

"And out of those nine years, how many have you loved me?"

His eyes found hers again as he reached out for her hand to cradle it gently between his own. "I fell the moment I saw you," he whispered.

Sara gulped visibly when she saw the depth of emotion welling in his eyes. She wanted to tell him right there that she wanted him back then too, but somehow she could see that he hadn't finished talking.

"I have never had that feeling before, you know," he told her. "I've never seen someone for the first time and fallen so hard that I don't even know what time of day it is."

"Then why didn't you stay with me?" she asked quietly as her mind transported her back to that moment nine years ago when neither of them had wanted to say goodbye.

"Honestly," he smiled sadly, "I didn't think it would last."

"What?"

"I didn't think the feelings I had would last when we parted…I—"

Before he could finish Sara snatched her hand from his with a gasp. "Ouch…that little shit stung me."

Grissom reached for her again and turned her hand to the side to gain a better look. "I'm sorry, honey."

"Why?" she grimaced with a smile as he placed a pair of tweezers in her hand. "You didn't sting me."

"I distracted you."

"Yeah, but it was a good distraction," she told him as she offered him the tweezers.

Grissom couldn't keep the smile from his lips as he turned her hand to the side and began trying to pull the imbedded stinger from her flesh. He heard her sharp intake of breath and stopped to look up at her worriedly.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?" he asked, "Am I hurting you?"

"Babe," she whispered as she moved her free hand up to stroke his face. "I'm okay."

Nodding, he turned his attention back to the tiny spike sticking out of her hand and clamped the ends of the tweezers around it, pulling it out. "There you go."

"Thanks," she nodded, moving her other hand to rub the smear of blood away. "I'm going to go and put some antiseptic on this and I'll be back, okay?"

Grissom watched her turn away from him and sighed, maybe she didn't want to get married after all. She had practically been anti marriage in all the time he'd known her…perhaps…

"Oh, Gil," she called out before she turned to walk out of the door.

He looked up at her, hoping she couldn't see the dejection in his eyes, but he offered her a small smile anyway.

"The answer's yes," she beamed a huge smile at him before turning back towards the half open door. "I'll…be back in a minute."

Grissom's mouth hung open in shock, had she just said yes? But before his legs would cooperate with the rest of his body and move, she'd already gone. Staring down at his trembling hands he could already feel his heartbeat thundering inside his chest as he replaced the cover over the bees before unzipping his lab overalls to reach inside his pants pocket to pull out a small silver ring. This was it, he mused with a smile. Nine years had been leading up to this moment.

He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the door open again and Sara coming to stand by his side.

"Hey," she smiled uncertainly. "You changed your mind already?"

Grissom's head snapped up and stared at her in shock before a warm smile transformed his face in to one of pure joy.

"Not at all, honey," he told her almost giddily as he reached for her left hand to slide the ring onto her finger.

Sara stared down at the sparkling diamond gleaming back at her as she tried to blink the tears from her eyes. This was actually happening, she was actually going to be part of his life forever.

"I love you," she whispered tearfully. "You know that, don't you?"

"I know," he nodded as he took a step closer to wrap her in his arms to pull her closer. "I love you too, so very much."

Sara relished the feel of his arms around her for a few more moments before pulling back slightly to look up into his eyes. The love she saw emanating back at her was enough to cause a welling tear to spill from her eyes and roll down over her cheek.

Leaning closer, Grissom kissed the droplet away before placing tiny butterfly kisses over her cheeks, her nose, her chin and then finally her lips. They met half way, both of them sealing their promise of forever, knowing that from this moment onwards they would face whatever life threw their way, together.

End