Greg took the first swig of his ice cold beer, setting it down on the table. He was at the end of a long rectangular table, surrounded by friends and colleagues celebrating his fortieth birthday with him. NIck, Catherine, Sara, Finn, Russell and even Hodges and Henry had come out. He was just waiting for one more person to make the celebration complete. Once again, he turned his head towards the door of the bar, waiting for a certain person to come walking in.

"Relax, Greg. She's coming. She just texted me to say she was running late." Nick said, leaning towards Greg and grinning.

Mentally Greg kicked himself for being so transparent. Ignoring Nick, he turned to Catherine, sitting beside Nick. Changing the subject, he asked Catherine about her new job. Listening to Catherine's excitement about her new casino was quite interesting. However, he tried as hard as he could, but couldn't resist taking another peek at the door. As luck would have it, at that second Morgan opened the door and stepped inside. Unconsciously, Greg leaned back in his chair to get a better look at her. Morgan was wearing a low cut, fitted red sleeveless shirt, black cigarette pants and a pair of impossibly high heels. Greg swallowed hard.

Nick elbowed Catherine, who was watching Greg as well. They turned to each other and smirked.

Greg stood up to greet Morgan as she approached the table, waving at the group already assembled.

"Hey, Happy Birthday." smiled Morgan as she walked up to Greg and gave him a hug.

Greg returned the embrace. If that was his birthday present, he'd take it. They broke away as Nick spoke up. "Hey, Morgan, glad you could make it! Let me grab you a beer." He gestured for Morgan to take his spot beside Greg. She smiled and took a seat, accepting a beer Nick poured from one of the pitchers on the table.

"Sorry I'm late to the party. Are you having a good birthday so far?" Asked Morgan, turning towards Greg. For some reason, she had butterflies in her stomach. Seeing him out of work always felt a bit different. She couldn't quite place why it was different though. She subtly looked Greg over. He looked really good this evening. His navy button down shirt was neatly pressed, as usual. He had rolled up his sleeves, giving him a slightly more casual look than he usually sports at work. He'd spiked and gelled his hair, giving him a more youthful appearance.

"I am,"Replied Greg, smiling back at her.

Morgan had no idea what to say in return. Her mind had gone blank. Conversational topic ideas had vanished from her mind. She could only think of her pep talk to herself while getting ready. It was not a conversation she wanted to share with Greg, of all people. She had made a plan for this night. Wrestling over her decision to finally make Greg hers. She'd been plotting her moves for the past couple of weeks. But sitting here beside him, she was starting to lose her nerve.

After a few more sips of beer, listening to the banter around her, Morgan started to feel a bit more talkative and joined the group in reminiscing. People took turns telling stories and recounting tales of their younger years. Since Greg was the birthday boy, the majority of stories were focused on Greg's younger years as a lab rat. Morgan smiled warmly at Greg as each person took turns telling tales from Greg's first years on the job. He sounded so young, carefree and even a little immature. He certainly didn't seem to be that person anymore.

A little while later, Sara nudged Catherine and said, 'it's time for cake!" She flagged over a waitress and asked her to bring the cake. 'Before you get your cake, you should know that we decided that the theme of your birthday is 'Old Vegas', combining your love of Vegas history as well as your increasing age! Things from here on out are going to reflect Vegas and your advancing age!" Everyone laughed as the waitress placed the cake in front of Greg. It was a simple cake, decorated in flat white icing, but placed strategically around the cake were logos from casinos long gone from the strip. The Algeirs, Castaways, Desert Inn, Sands and the Hacienda among others, all had their logos represented in brilliant colours on the cake. Sitting in the middle of the cake was a solitary sparkler, flashing and sparking.

Greg's eyes widened in amazement when he got a good look at the cake placed before him. "Wow, what a cake! Where did you get it?" He asked, turning to Sara.

"Ask Morgan, she ordered it. I just picked it up on the way here." she replied.

Greg turned towards Morgan. "This is really nice," he smiled. "Thank you."

Morgan looked down at the table, suddenly feeling a bit shy. "I know a place." she said simply, reaching for her beer.

Once the cake had been served up, Nick announced they'd gotten Greg some gifts, all fitting the "Old Vegas' theme in some way.
Catherine, Sara and Finn all went in on a vintage leather Jacket that had reportedly been worn by a mobster. Greg tried it on and it fit perfectly. He modeled it the ladies before sitting back down and opening the small envelope from Nick. Taking a small, debit sized card out of the envelope, Greg read the writing on the card. To the group, he announced, somewhat quizzically, "It's a season pass to Red Rock Canyon." he took a look at Nick questioningly.

"Red Rock canyon is very, very old Vegas. Can't get any older. Sam and I go there all the time to get some peace and quiet." Said Nick, referring to his dog. "It's a great place to take the ladies. Great date opportunity. Perhaps you can actually use it once before it expires!" there were chuckles from the group.

"It is a nice place to go hiking. Great for seeing the meteor showers in the summer too." Agreed Catherine.

"You just have to try to forget about the odd crime scene you've processed out there." Suggested Sara.

"I've never been." said Morgan. "Not even for a crime scene."

"I guess you have your first date then, Greg!" Smiled Nick. He couldn't have asked for a better opening to give the two a little push towards each other. He sat back, feeling quite smug.

"As long as there are no dead bodies, I'd be happy to see Red Rock canyon." said Morgan boldly. Greg looked over and smiled before he dropped his eyes, embarrassed. "Here, my gift next!" Morgan reached down under her chair and pulled out a small bag.

Again, Greg smiled gratefully at Morgan for getting them out of an awkward situation. Taking the small red bag from her, he set it in front of him. He couldn't read Morgan really well. She was a bit of a mystery to him. He accepted the fact that she must know he had feelings for her, but he was never sure if she felt the same way. She kept her feelings to herself and the rare times she said something that may have hinted at wanting more, he just couldn't be sure enough to make a move.

Looking down at the gift, he truly had no clue what present she may have come up with. Pulling the tissue paper out of the bag, he unwrapped a small cylinder. Upon closer inspection, it was an old silver lighter. There were some rust spots along the bottom of the lighter, and some of the plastic outer lining was starting to flake off. Flipping it over, he noticed the logo, "El Rancho." His eybrows shot upward in surprise. The El Racho was the casino that started Las Vegas on its path to what it was like today. It was the first casino on what would eventually be known as the strip. Astonished, he looked at Morgan. "Where on earth did you get this? This is a very rare piece of Vegas memorabilia. How on earth did you find it?" He looked back at the lighter, flipping the top up and down. He looked back at her and smiled. "I love it."

Morgan Smiled. "I knew that Police were discharging some old evidence storage a few weeks ago, so I volunteered my time to see if any of the evidence would be related to Old Vegas. I pulled a few strings and this didn't make the police auction list." Around the table, eyebrows raised. Every person around the table knew it wasn't that easy to just get something that was being discharged from old cases.

Nick smiled again. Maybe 40 would be lucky for Greg.

After the last present had been opened, the "old" jokes started coming, despite everyone but Morgan being older than Greg. At first Greg laughed along with them, but some of the jokes started making him feeling a little down. He looked down at his beer and took another sip. He had a great job, spent quite a lot of time there, but maybe it was because he felt a little lonely at home.

Pretty soon Henry and Hodges moved over to the claw machine, continuing their argument from the table,. They had started arguing about the physical capabilities of the machine in relation to the stuffed unicorn in the middle of the machine. Finn had moved to the bar to get a drink and was flirting heavily with the bartender. Russell had said his goodbye and best wishes to Greg and headed home to his wife.

"Must be nice to have someone to come home to." Thought Greg. He was still feeling a bit bummed over the recent jokes about his age. For some reason, turning 40 was starting to get to him. He needed to get a bit of air. He stood up and excused himself quietly. The rest of the table were in a heated debate over an old case and he didn't think anyone even heard him.

Morgan turned to look at Greg, noticing he didn't head to the bathroom, but to the door outside. She debated with herself whether or not she should follow him, or give him a few minutes to himself. She'd noticed he had gone quiet when the 40 jokes started. Before she could talk herself out of it, she headed for the door.

Once outside, Morgan stepped into the parking lot, scanning it for Greg. She found him sitting on the bumper of his SUV, arms resting beside him. He hadn't noticed her yet. Taking a deep breath, not confident she could make him feel better, she went over.

He heard Morgan approach and looked up to meet her eyes. He could see her concern and he didn't want to bring her down at a party. Without speaking, she moved to sit beside him and leaned against the car. They didn't speak for a few seconds, letting the sounds of the night fill the silence. Morgan made the first move. She lifted her hand and placed it over his hand, squeezing it slightly. "You okay?" she asked, looking up at him.

He turned and smiled down at her. Just seeing those beautiful blue eyes cheered him up slightly. "I'm sorry for being a bit of a downer. I guess turning 40 has kind of bothered me a little more than I thought it would have." He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to look at the cars parked in front of him. Morgan didn't say anything, letting him continue. "You know, I love my job and being a CSI is so rewarding, but I guess thought I'd have more in my life by the time I hit 40. You know , some sort of personal life. When I was in my 20's, If you'd have asked me, I'm sure I would have said I'd be married and have a couple of kids. But now that I am 40, is there a male equivalent to a 'crazy cat lady'?"

Morgan looked up and smiled at him. "Hey, I'm in a similar boat . Men like you get better looking with age, and I'm closing in on being too old to have kids. I only have a few years left before needing help." She paused for a second to collect her thoughts. But I know what you mean, about your age being something that defines who you should be, not who you are." Unconsciously, she put her arms around herself. The night was cooler than she expected, which left her shivering in her sleeveless shirt in the cool night.

Greg noticed her actions. "If I had a jacket, I'd give it to you. But can I do this?" Reluctantly he moved his hand from under hers. Reaching around Morgan's shoulders, he put his arm around her, rubbing her upper arm. It felt so good, and Morgan made no move to break away, in fact, she leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. Greg's heart started to beat a bit quicker. They sat there in silence for a minute, before Morgan continued their conversation.

"All of our lives, an arbitrary age has defined what we can and cannot do. At age 16, we can get a driver's licence. At age 18 we can vote. At age 21, we can drink. And then all of a sudden, age isn't arbitrary anymore, but there are still social conventions that we need to conform to." Taking a deep breath, Morgan decided to go for it. "There is a guy I've been interested in for a little while." She felt Greg stiffen slightly at the mention of another guy. She stood up somewhat reluctantly, but she wanted to get closer to Greg. She moved to stand and face him, then bravely, she reached for his hands to hold in hers.
Greg held his breath, hoping she'd continue. Could this mystery guy be him? Looking down at her hands resting in Greg's, she continued "There are many reasons why I hadn't made a move. But to be honest, I've hesitated a bit due to an age gap that was slightly bigger than what i'd usually go with. I've tried to ignore these feelings, but he just makes me feel so... good." Morgan said, looking up at his face, smiling.

Greg's eyes were boring holes into her skull, waiting for confirmation that she was speaking about him. He didn't even want to breathe until it was confirmed. Morgan moved closer yet again. Her face was now inches from his. "I realized recently that I've wasted 2 years thinking about this guy, when I could have been dating this man and maybe if I hadn't ignored this... this..." Morgan searched for the right words, but didn't need to. She saw Greg smile and bring his hand to her face, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear before leaning in to kiss her. Morgan sighed as his lips met hers. She closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. Greg wrapped his arms around her and drew her closer, not quite believing his good fortune. The kiss intensified.

Just then Nick came out the doors of the bar. Nobody had seen Greg in a little while and he wanted to check on him. He wasn't in the washroom and wasn't with the girls. Sara mentioned she'd seen Morgan go out the front door, so Nick decided to see if she'd found Greg first. He walked into the parking lot and looked to his right. Morgan had found Greg alright. He chuckled to himself. The two were locked in quite a passionate kiss. Neither of them were aware of their surroundings as they continued to kiss.

Nick started to feel uncomfortable, watching the two. "If Greg was feeling down before, he sure isn't now." Nick though to himself as he turned to walk back in the bar. "Happy birthday, buddy."

Out in the parking lot, Greg and Morgan pulled away from each other, and smiled. "Happy Birthday" said Morgan softly.

"I would have turned 40 years ago if that meant, I would get you."