'Tis the Season
Summary: An unexpected Christmas present for Grissom and Sara. Some mindless fluff involving Geeks and mistletoe and a manipulative little old lady. Response to the Unbound Improv Challenge. First and last lines are provided, with 1,000 words to fill in the rest.
A/N: No spoilers. Thanks to Burked for the quick beta. All mistakes are mine.
Disclaimer: Unless CSI shows up in my stocking this year, it still ain't mine.
Rating: PG

Chapter 1

Sara raised a lone eyebrow as she watched the chaos unfold around her. Even the cherubic child who had sat giggling in the stroller through the parking lot started to scream unmercifully the second she was pushed into the interior of the MegaMart.

With a sympathetic shrug to the overwhelmed mother, Sara worked her way through the crowds of early morning holiday shoppers. A cacophony of angry wails mingled with the cooing sounds made by frantic parents as the scene was repeated throughout the store.

Sara wondered if the universal reaction of the infants was due to a sensory overload. When a hellion pushing a cart loaded with Christmas candy and television sets ran over her foot, she let out an angry yelp and reconsidered her hypothesis. Maybe the babies had a survival instinct that civilization hadn't driven out of them yet.

Her goal was the middle of the store – there was no easy way to get there but forge her way through the mass of holiday-crazed shoppers. It was a one-day sale, and she wanted to update her DVD collection. If she waited until her middle of the night break, the selection would be lousy.

With a resigned sigh, she continued her trek, using the observation skills honed by years of working dangerous crime scenes to avoid any more run-ins with out-of-control shopping carts. Stepping back to avoid a collision with an elderly man, Sara bumped into another patron.

"I'm sorry," she said, pausing when a familiar voice echoed the phrase.

Turning around, Sara bit her lip at the sight of a completely frazzled Grissom holding different boxes of ink cartridges in his hands.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he responded distractedly as he rifled through the boxes. "What brings you to this insanity?"

"I wanted to pick up some DVDs. How about you?"

"I need an ink cartridge!" he complained, squatting down to examine the lower shelves. "Don't they have people that work here? Nothing is in order!"

Leaning back to escape a woman barreling through the narrow aisle, Sara grinned broadly. It wasn't often she saw Grissom when he wasn't completely in control. There was a definite cuteness factor going on.

"They don't have it!" Grissom growled, giving her an annoyed stare. "I've been to all three MegaMarts in town. None of them have the ink cartridge I need!"

"Can't it wait until you get back to the lab tonight?"

Grissom stopped his arranging of the ink cartridge boxes. There was no way he could print that file at work. The odds that Ecklie would see it were slim, but that wasn't a chance he was willing to take.

"It's … personal," he answered vaguely.

"Oh, really?"

He gave her a patient look over his shoulder. "It's for Christmas."

His quest to leave the boxes in some semblance of order was interrupted by another shopper. She walked directly beside him, bending over to check out something on a lower shelf, effectively shoving her polyester-clad rump into Grissom's face.

"Excuse me!" he sputtered, leaning back in disgust.

"Oh, you don't bother me none," the woman insisted.

With a laugh, Sara grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the crowded aisle. "Do you have the file with you?"

"It's on my laptop," he answered.

"Then come over to my place. You can print it there."

Grissom stopped short. "I can't."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "It's part of your Christmas present."

A grin lit up her face. "What is it?"

A sneaking suspicion came over him. She was far too eager. "You do wait until Christmas morning to actually open your presents, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course," she said, nodding. "So, what is it?"

"I'm not telling. You'll have to wait," he said calmly, shooting her an amused look. Her eagerness was infectious, and he enjoyed the look of anticipation in her eyes. But his mischievous streak was awakening from a long slumber "I think I'll give it to you on Christmas day."

"Fine! Let me pay for these, then we can leave. I won't read over your shoulder while you print it," Sara promised.

Thirty minutes later, Grissom was following Sara upstairs to her apartment. They were just getting off the landing when a voice screamed out for them to stop. He scanned the area rapidly, but Sara waved and stepped to the side quickly.

"Hi, Ms. Peters," she called out.

Using her walker, the gray-haired woman moved to join them, surprising Grissom by how close she got. He was even more startled when she pointed to the sprig of mistletoe over their heads.

It took a loud throat clearing from Sara before Grissom realized the old woman was waiting for a kiss. "I can't," he said kindly.

"Why? You married? Got a steady girl?"

"Well, no," he stammered, trying to figure a way to turn down her request. The thought of explaining his entire private nature seemed counterproductive.

"Some people," the woman said sadly. "I'm eighty-seven. This is probably my last Christmas. Some people got to spoil an old woman's holiday."

Feeling mortified, Grissom leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. Smiling, he leaned back, pleased that he had made an elderly woman's day. Instead, he found her glaring at him.

"Hell, boy, if that's the way you kiss, it's no wonder you ain't hitched yet."

Grissom stood still, his mouth dropping as the woman crept back to her apartment, managing to slam the door loudly.

Trying to contain her laughter, Sara walked back towards him. "Ms. Peters has been using that trick ever since I moved in here."

"And you didn't warn me?" he asked incredulously, his eyes narrowing. "This is payback for not telling you what you're getting for Christmas."

"I'm pleading the fifth, but giving a lady a Christmas kiss is hardly a chore."

"Is that so?" Grissom asked with a grin. When he had Sara's attention, his eyes darted to the mistletoe over their heads.

"Oh, my."

His lips pressed against hers suddenly, before he chickened out or Sara had a chance to back away. It was a quick kiss, but unlike her neighbor, Sara had no complaints about it.

"Wow," she whispered, stepping away and heading to her apartment with a deep blush.

A silly grin on his face, Grissom followed. Sara waved him in the direction of her computer station as she headed into the kitchen. She stuck her head in the fridge in an attempt to cool the hot rush going through her body. After a minute, she grabbed some drinks.

"You stay over there," he said with a satisfied air. "You aren't getting your Christmas present early."

Sara leaned against the breakfast bar with a challenging glare. He was entirely too smug. "I think I already did," she said huskily.

The smile vanished from his face as Grissom swiveled around to stare at her. With a laugh, Sara tossed him a bottle of water.

TBC