September 16th, 2007.

He placed the 10 candles neatly on the cake and they seemed to come alive as he lit them.

"Happy birthday, honey." He carefully placed the cherry filled cake on the table in front of her and she flashed him her widest grin.

He grazed her cheek with his lips as he slid into the seat next to her. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and once again Grissom was overwhelmed by the love he felt for this wonderful woman who'd been robbed of too many birthday cakes.

Gathering her hair in his hands, he held it back as she blew out the candles.

She dipped a finger in the whip cream topping, eager for a taste of the black forest cake but Grissom wrapped his tongue around her digit before she had time to protest.

Leaning forward, she licked a remnant of cream off his mouth and moved the cake closer to her. "Get your own, this is all mine." She popped a cherry in her mouth, deliberately swirling her tongue around it before playfully flicking the stem at him.

His gaze lingered on her mouth. "All I want is you." He encircled her waist and she didn't offer any resistance as he pulled her into his lap and showered her face with kisses.

Nuzzling her neck, he held her close and breathed in the subtle fragrance of herbal shampoo and vanilla musk that was undeniably hers. "So what did you wish for?"

"What do you mean?" Her breath tickled his skin as she spoke.

"When you blew out the candles-" He stopped when her confused expression didn't waiver. Sighing, he continued, "Don't tell me I have to explain to you the technicalities of blowing birthday candles. You're supposed to make a wish."

Her eyes widened. "I've wished the same thing since I was a little girl…. This year I didn't-"

"It's not too late-"

"No you don't understand. It didn't cross my mind this year because it's already come true. You…." Her voice quivered. "You've made it come true."

September 16th, 2006.

She froze when she heard the knock at the door. Placing the book face down on the coffee table, she ran a hand through her hair.

Her heartbeat quickened and her palms grew moist. Logic be damned, she always knew when it was him knocking. Not that she had many visitors but the recognition went beyond the rhythm of his fist against the door, it was a kind of sixth sense that she felt anytime he was near.

She glanced down at what she was wearing, deeming it acceptable, before grabbing the door handle.

Her mind flashed back to the last time they'd stood at her doorstep, and butterflies swirled around in her stomach. She refused to see more into the kiss than a friendly good night gesture, even though she had willingly let his tonge slip pass her lips. She took a deep calming breath before greeting her uninvited if welcomed guest.

Her eyes widened and her mouth hung opened as she took in the party hat he was wearing and the noise maker he blew on cue. He handed her a colorfully wrapped gift before letting himself in to deposit a black forest cake on the kitchen counter.

He turned around to find a stunned Sara with her mouth still slightly open and he couldn't help but laugh. "It's your birthday in case you forgot."

"I…I...Yeah."

"You did remember right?" He wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't, she hadn't mentioned it all week.

"I…Yeah."

"You thought I'd forget?"

Her gaze grew somber for a moment and she lowered her eyes to the box she was still holding. "I didn't expect anyone to remember…" It was a rushed whisper that made his heart sink.

Her eyes fell to the brightly wrapped box in her hands as she tried unsuccessfully to remember the last time she'd been given a birthday gift.

Her smile was tentative but genuine when she looked back at him. She brought the gift to her ear, giving it a slight shake before placing it next to the cake. "Thank you."

They were simple words but he was rendered speechless by the gratitude he found in her bright eyes. He hadn't expected a simple birthday acknowledgment to move her so deeply and he immediately regretted not having done this the previous years. Their newly found camaraderie was a godsend and he swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to make sure she knew how much she meant to him.

The sudden warmth of her hand on his cheek caused his eyes to flutter shut briefly as she let her fingers roam up to nudge the hat that spelled Happy Birthday.

"I like that look on you." She chuckled.

He pursed his lips and dug in his pocket to produce an identical hat. "Got one for you too."

She gently slid the elastic string past his chin to remove his hat and snatched the one he was holding. "How about we keep those for later." She tossed them over the counter.

Grissom immediately missed the feel of her palm across his face but was soon rewarded with a squeeze of his hand and a roguish grin.

"So what's first, the gift or the cake?"

"It's your birthday, you decide."

Her eyes wandered from the colorful box to the delicious looking cake. She took a cherry off the top and dangled it in offering. "Did you bake it?"

He shook his head as he popped the cherry in his mouth. "I have many skills, but I'm afraid baking isn't one of them."

"What kind of skills are we talking about?" A pink hue crept up her cheeks as she spoke.

Grissom's eyebrows shot up but he didn't venture a reply. The awkwardness between them seemed to have faded away since they rekindled their friendship; the mutual attraction was stronger than ever there and innuendos slipped in their conversations quite regularly.

Their last encounter had ended up in a lingering kiss that he kept replaying in his mind. The taste of her mouth had left him wanting more but he was letting Sara take the lead. He owed her that much, whatever good grace had allowed him back in her life; he had every intention to not screw it up.

"Present."

"What?"

"My present, I want to open my present."

He took the stool next to hers as she carefully unwrapped the gift. The box didn't give her any clue about its contents and she held her breath as she looked inside.

She lifted the object with reverence and turned to him with unshed tears.

"You went back for it…"

The wooden jewelry box was carved with yin yang signs, stars, a sun and a moon. Sara had pointed it out when they'd gone to a flea market weeks ago but neither of them had any cash on them at the time so she had to leave it behind.

"You seemed to really like it." He offered her a shy smile.

She traced the carvings on the lid and opened it slowly. She didn't expect anything to be inside and her breath caught when she saw the jewel: a beautiful heart pendant set with an amber stone on a delicate gold chain.

She lifted the necklace and her words failed her as she pondered the significance of the gifts. She'd try to shield her heart by convincing herself that Grissom only wanted a friendship, one with benefits maybe, because she couldn't allow herself to think that he might love her as much as she loved him.

"She stirs the soul, delights the eye, warms the heart and excites the world's scientific imagination." He took the necklace from her trembling hands and held it against her neck to secure it. "That's what Andzia said about amber but I could say the same about you."

He framed her face with his hands, seeing so much vulnerability in her eyes. He knew he was the only one to blame for casting so much doubt on the nature of his feelings. Denying them both of the truth wasn't a possibility anymore.

"This necklace represents us." His voice was failing him as he searched for the perfect words. "That's my heart holding you." He placed the palm of her hand on his heart. "You've always been in here Sara, ever since I've met you. Even when I didn't know it or didn't want to acknowledge it."

She let her tears run freely and tried to smile all at once. She'd never felt so wonderful, never felt so loved. "I'm glad… you finally told me." It was all she could whisper as emotion flowed through her rendering her weightless, leaving her feeling like she could fly.

He gently wiped the wetness off her cheeks. "Do you know why there are 9 candles on the cake?"

"Because it wouldn't be very polite to remind me how old I am." She said in a voice that was somewhere between a laugh and a cry.

He brushed his lips against hers. "There's one candle for each year that I've known you. Each year that I've been blessed with your presence… You might not care about your birthday, Sara, but I do. I want to celebrate the day you were born because my life would be meaningless without yo-" Her mouth was on his before he had time to finish his thoughts.

She leaned into him, her fingers tangling in his short curls as their eager tongues dueled with unhindered passion. She'd find a new meaning to her life since she'd met him and to hear him echo her own feelings was more than she'd hoped for. She knew now that his heart had always been hers, just as hers had been his.

He angled his head to deepen the kiss when he felt her pliant hands under his shirt. He relinquished her mouth and as she pulled the shirt over his head he took the opportunity to remove hers, marveling at the naked flesh he found underneath.

"You're perfect," he whispered as he skimmed the curve of her breasts. Their lips met again and he helped her prop herself on the counter. He stood between her legs, kissing every expanse of exposed skin when his hand touched something moist. He lifted chocolate and whip cream covered fingers and with deliberate strokes he painted her breasts with it, his tongue darted out to taste the sweetness of her cake covered chest.

Her head rolled back in a throaty moan as his mouth closed on one pert nipple, lingering there, before turning his attention to the other one. She arched her back under the relentless caress of his tongue, and her hips lifted of their own accord as he tugged on her pants to remove them. He slid her jeans and underwear down her legs, leaving a trail of frosting that he licked on his way up.

Her mouth sought his and she tasted the chocolate on his tongue.

He teased her folds and she moved her hips forward in a cry. "More, I need mor-" Her plea melted into a moan as two fingers easily slid in, his thumb spreading the moisture over her clit.

Her hips moved wildly under his touch and he pushed his pants as low as possible with his free hand while the other one kept a regular pressure on her sensitive flesh. He knew she was very close and he held on to her thighs as he pressed himself against her core. "Honey, look at me…"

Two glazed eyes held his gaze as he connected with her on the most intimate level. They both knew the moment represented more than the consummation of their love; it was about soul recognition, a silent acknowledgment that this was the beginning of the rest of their lives. With each movement of his hips, each probe of his tongue he promised her eternity and beyond.

Their bodies moved in a perfect rhythm, setting a pace that pushed them closer to the edge. His thrusts met the rise of her pelvis in a harmony that confirmed to Sara what she'd always believe, they were meant to be together, body and soul.

Just as he thought he couldn't possibly hold it any longer, he felt her muscles clench around him and he pressed on her clit as she came undone under him, giving in to his own climax only as her spasms subsided.

He kissed the moisture off her temples as her fingers came to rest on the necklace around her neck. She gently rubbed the stone that represented the part of her he'd always carried in his heart and she felt overjoyed.

A lazy smile sprawled across her features as she broke the comfortable silence with a soft voice. "Happy Birthday to me."

September 16, 2007

Grissom tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and held her closer. He raised an eyebrow as he asked. "I've helped realize a wish you've had since you were a little girl?"

She grazed her thumb on his cheek, bringing it down to rest in the dip of his chin. "Yes…In the past year, you've offered me something I thought I'd never have again… You gave me a home…All I ever wanted was a forever home."

He drew her in a fervent kiss. "I guess you'll just have to come up with a new wish."

"Hmm…I'm sure I'll come up with something… In the mean time…"

She moved her hips slowly across his lap. "I'm thinking we could…eat that cake. And…open my present?" She bit her lower lip and looked around the room. "That is if you got me anything."

His hands roamed under her shirt to unhook her bra. He brought his hand around to cup a soft breast. "You want the cake and I want you…I'm sure we can work something out."

"What about my present?" She asked with her best seductive grin.

He smirked before teasing a nipple with his tongue. She was rendered silent as he brought his hand down her pants to stroke her flesh gently.

For now, he wanted to make love to her but later, as they lay spent and satisfied he would give her the birthday gift.

He would drop on one knee and offer her the eternity he'd already promised, the very forever home for which she'd wished all her life.