A/N: If we go by CSI time, there's a summer in between each season. So we can assume that between Grave Danger and Bodies in Motion, Sara and Grissom have been "dating", or at least seeing each other outside of work, for at least three months. That should make this chapter make more sense :)

Spoilers for episode 6x1, Bodies in Motion.

"I'm so much older than you."

"I'm damaged goods."

I looked at her.

"I'm not good at communicating," I said.

"Neither am I."

"I hate confrontation."

"I have trouble asking for help," she put in.

I paused.

"I tend to withdraw when I shouldn't."

"I get way too emotional."

We both stopped walking side-by-side and turned to face each other. Face what we were up against.

"Well, it's all out there," I said slowly. "You think we can get over it?"

"I think we can give it a good try," she said, smiling.

"Good."

We resumed our walking, criss-crossing and weaving around the crowds of people gathered at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum – the perfect place to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon. I knew it would be crowded, but I didn't want to take Sara anywhere else. We had spent the summer enjoying each other's company, talking – really talking – sharing breakfasts and making dinner at each other's places, alternating between Sara's apartment and my townhouse. By August, I was calling her every morning after shift, and it no longer felt uncomfortable or out of place to have her in my home. We were cautious, we were taking things slow. We were making no long-term promises, just seeing how things would go.

But I liked how they were going. I liked having Sara to myself in this context, not crouched over evidence or over a body or in a crime scene. We were two entirely different people, people who were relaxed in each other's company, talked openly and genuinely enjoyed being around each other. It was nice.

We decided from the start to keep what was between us, well, between us. For the logistical reasons as well as the more personal ones. Sara and I had spent years complicating our relationship in front of everyone. We wanted to uncomplicate it by ourselves.

But when it got to be September, I decided it was time for us to have a real date together. We just had to be mindful of where we went, and careful not to run across any one who might spoil our lovely, burgeoning little secret.

That's how we ended up at the museum.

We stopped in front of a huge dinosaur display, and though I knew every word written on the plaque in front of it (I'd come to the museum a lot in the past, albeit, alone), I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Sara and pretended to read with her. My fingers lingered towards hers, and I took her hand. She looked up at me and smiled. We stared at the enormous replica of a Tyrannosaurus Rex as a huge group of kids from a day camp ran past us.

"So, did you hear the news?" I asked.

"What news?"

"Warrick's married."

"Warrick's what?" she cried. "What, just because I hang around Greg now, I'm out of the loop?"

I laughed.

"Of course not," I said. "Nick only told me yesterday. He bought Warrick, Greg and I dinner as a pseudo bachelor party."

"You went?" she asked, eyebrows high and looking impressed.

"Yes, I went," I said, elbowing her.

"Wow," she said, shaking her head. "Warrick's married. That's just… crazy."

"Well, we all did some crazy things after Nick was taken," I said, squeezing her hand. "When we realized how much there was to lose."

She beamed at me and squeezed my fingers back. I started leading her towards my favorite gallery, the marine life.

"You know, the other day Nick asked me if there was something wrong with you," she said out of nowhere.

I turned my head to her in surprise.

"What?"

"He said you'd left shift on time six days in a row," she said, suppressing a laugh. "I think he's concerned."

"I didn't know he paid such attention," I remarked. "Guess I better leave late for a little while or he'll call an intervention for me."

We stopped in front of an aquarium full of colorful fish and marine life, but even from the corner of my eye, Sara looked distracted.

"You okay?" I asked her.

"You think we're doing this right?"

"What, us?"

"Yeah," she said. "I mean, we work with trained investigators. They're bound to figure it out some time."

"Not if we're sneaky," I tried to joke. She didn't laugh. "Are you saying you want them to know? What about everything we talked about?"

"No, I don't want everyone to know," she replied. "Not yet, anyway. I just think we have to realize that at some point, we might… get caught."

I leaned close to her.

"Are you telling me I should stop holding your hand?"

This time, she did smile.

"No," she said. "No, I'm not saying that at all."

"Good."

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the museum's exhibits and enjoying each other's company. As we walked out, the rainy afternoon had cleared into a beautiful blue sky. We both squinted in the sunlight as we made our way to our cars. We had driven separately, since Sara had to work later that night, and it was my night off. I opened the door for her.

"Hey, Sara?"

"Hm?"

"I had a good time today," I said.

She grinned.

"Me too."

"And… for the record," I began. "I don't really mind who knows, but right now, I'm enjoying having you all to myself."

In the glaring sun, her grin grew even wider.

"Me too."