David's Wedding

A/N: Yeah it's fluffy; do you all expect anything less?

On the morning of David's wedding, the sun shone brightly and Gil Grissom was glad. He had grown very fond of the assistant coroner during the past few years and was looking forward to the wedding, especially as he had Sara as his date. After their trip to New York, they got home, and under much protest from Grissom, parted ways, since Sara was complaining about doing laundry and paying some bills before work. Grissom acquiesced with the promise that Sara would pack an overnight bag and spend the night and all day on Sunday with him at home.

They worked well together on Friday night, and Grissom resisted the temptation to put them together on a case, lest they should give away their courtship. While he was normally considered oblivious to people, Grissom missed less than people gave him credit for, and knew that his dating anyone, much less Sara would be a cause for a big brouhaha, and he did not want to distract any attention from David. After shift ended, on Saturday morning, Grissom snuck a kiss with Sara and promised to pick her up at 5:00pm, so they could be on time for the 6:30 wedding, given traffic and the vehicle inspection they would probably have to endure since the ceremony took place in the chapel at Nellis Air Force Base, with the reception in the officer's club and surrounding gardens.

Five cam quickly and Grissom pulled in to the visitor's spot at Sara's apartment complex. Since it was a beautiful day and not too warm, he decided to take his BMW Z4 roadster out. He loved the sleekness and speed of the car, thinking that it reminded him of Sara. He would also die before mentioning it, but when he drove the car, he felt just like James Bond. Grissom practically ran up the steps to Sara's apartment, as he was so excited to see her, and rang the bell. When Sara opened the door to greet him, his salutation died in his throat as he was struck mute by her beauty.

Sara did indeed look beautiful. Some might say that it was the dress, which was a sleeveless raw silk sheath, the color of orange sherbet. Others might say it was the way she let her hair fall in waves, with the front pulled back gently to reveal almost all of her face. But Sara's beauty really came from within, the beauty of a woman who is loved and satisfied by her soul mate.

Grissom took Sara by the hands and pulled her in for a kiss. The two spent several minutes kissing and luxuriating in the taste, smell and feel of the other.

When the pair finally broke apart, it was Sara who broke the silence. "Gilbug, you look wonderful." And indeed Grissom did. The charcoal suit was well cut, with preciseness of fit that screamed that this was a bespoke suit, and not something off a rack. The shirt underneath was a soft grey, and the slightly darker grey tie, had glimmers of blue in the fabric, that reflected the blue sparkles in his eyes. "Grissom, we have to get going or we are going to be late."

Grissom pulled Sara for another blistering kiss. After he broke the kiss, Sara stood there radiating warmth. Grissom grinned wickedly. Part of him could not believe that he had this effect on any woman, much less Sara. He waved his hand in front of her face and Sara jumped. "Oh, the wedding. Right we should get going." Sara turned to the counter to get the gift. Grissom, beat her to the counter, and wagged his finger in a gentle scold, not believing that Sara thought that she would carry the gift. She handed Grissom the card and a pen for him to sign. Grissom smiled when he saw the card. It was simple and had the verse that Sara was reading at the wedding, engraved on the front. When looking at the inside he noticed a greeting from Sara wishing them every happiness. With a flourish he signed 'and Grissom' underneath Sara's name. Then he sealed the envelope with Sara watching every movement of his tongue.

Grissom went to pick up the gift and struggled briefly with its weight. "Jeez, Sara, did we get David and his bride their own dead body?"

Sara laughed and swatted Grissom on the arm. "No, we got them the Kitchen Aid, with all the attachments from their registry. I'll show you the receipt later." Sara picked up her overnight bag and the two of them headed towards the car.

Sara grinned when she saw the Beemer. "Nice ride." Grissom put the gift in the trunk and took Sara's bag and placed it in the trunk as well. Then he pulled an item out of the trunk and went to Sara and kissed her on the cheek. "Nothing is too special for my girl." As Sara blushed, Grissom pulled out a cream silk scarf with great flourish. Sara looked at him with an air of confusion on her face. Grissom gently placed the scarf over Sara's head and tied it tenderly around he long neck. "Wouldn't want to mess up your hair." Grissom murmured. Sara was touched by the thoughtfulness of the gesture, and soon, the two of them were on their way.

They managed to arrive at the church at 6:20, after having their car inspected by the base security. Sara was sure that their car was chosen since that was the closest some of these guys would ever get to such a fine machine. Once they reached the door of the chapel, Sara greeted Warrick and Nicky with exuberance, and fussed over how handsome each of them looked in their tuxedo's as they were both in the wedding party. Sara kissed the groom, while Grissom fought the urge to put his hand on the small of Sara's back and claim her in front of everyone.

They took their seats and the wedding began.

Idly Grissom watched the bridesmaids. He wondered if Sara was a large or small wedding party person. The wedding march began, and Samantha walked down the aisle beaming, while clinging gently to the arm of her father. Grissom saw that Samantha's father's eyes were moist with unshed tears of joy. Grissom looked at Sara, pleased to see her smiling. He laughed to himself as he pictured Sara walking down the aisle on Brass' arm, or perhaps Uncle Sol.

The ceremony began and it was soon time for Sara to do her reading. Sara was reading from Paul's letter to the Corinthians. Grissom sat drinking in her beauty until the first set of words from her reading hit him. "Love is patient and kind." Grissom thought of Sara and her gentleness. Sara paused to take a breath and continued. "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." After their trip to New York, Grissom finally understood the depth of Sara's love for him, and once he opened his own heart was thrilled to see that it matched his own. He sent a silent prayer up to God to thank the almighty that he finally came to his senses, and also cursed himself for all the years he wasted thinking that Sara's feelings were a schoolgirl infatuation, years that he had denied their love, and was grateful that it was not too late. He heard Sara's voice tremble continued her reading, "…But when the perfect comes the imperfect will pass away." Grissom mentally blew Sara a kiss and promised himself that he would devote the rest of his life to making himself worthy of the gift; she had given him, the gift of her true love.

Sara finished her reading, and walked back to the pew. As she sat down, Grissom squeezed her hand and whispered in her ear, "Well done, Minnie." Sara gave his hand a squeeze in return and picked up the prayer book to follow along with the ceremony.

Soon it was Grissom's turn to read. David and Samantha had asked him to read a poem by the philosopher Thomas Kempis called "On Love". He walked up to the pew, unfolded his paper and began.

Love is a mighty power,
a great and complete good.
Love alone lightens every burden, and makes rough places smooth.
It bears every hardship as though it were nothing, and renders
all bitterness sweet and acceptable.

Grissom took a breath, looked directly at Sara and only at Sara, and continued, each word a caress;


Nothing is sweeter than love,
Nothing stronger,
Nothing higher,
Nothing wider,
Nothing more pleasant,
Nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth; for love is born of God.

Several people in the church who did not know Grissom began to get teary at his passionate reading of the poem. Those who knew Grissom wondered what had inspired that passion, and those who knew him best, only needed to observe the faint blush on Sara's face and neck to realize exactly where the passion came from. Grissom, so intent on his focus on Sara, simply continued.


Love flies, runs and leaps for joy.
It is free and unrestrained.
Love knows no limits, but ardently transcends all bounds.
Love feels no burden, takes no account of toil,
attempts things beyond its strength.

Love sees nothing as impossible,
for it feels able to achieve all things.
It is strange and effective,
while those who lack love faint and fail.

Love is not fickle and sentimental,
nor is it intent on vanities.
Like a living flame and a burning torch,
it surges upward and surely surmounts every obstacle.

Finishing, he walked back to the pew and sat down. It took every bit of Sara's restraint, to not kiss him right there in front of everyone. Instead she squeezed his hand. Grissom responded by tapping her lightly on the knee. She looked down and noticed that Grissom was using his free hand to sign 'I Love You'.

When they came to the part of the ceremony where David and Samantha were married and the couple shared their first kiss, the church cheered as they shared a passionate embrace. As was then tradition, the minister instructed the congregation to share the peace with each other, the part of the ceremony where people would shake hands, hug, or kiss the people closest to them. Grissom leaned in and gave Sara a quick chaste kiss on the cheek. Sara whispered her love for Grissom in his ear.

The ceremony ended and the new couple lined up for the others to greet them. Grissom and Sara congratulated the couple, and Samantha and Sara joked about how David was off the market. David had told Samantha about her crush about Sara, and after meeting Sara, was a very good sport about it.

Sara and Grissom walked to the Officer's Club, while the wedding party took pictures. Sara excused herself to go to the rest room while Grissom went to the bar to get drinks for the two of them. While he was at the bar, Catherine swooped upon him, and dragged him into the hallway.

"What gives bugman?"

Grissom looked at her, trying to look unknowing and innocent. However, despite her distaste for dress code, was a crack CSI, and was very talented at eliciting confessions.

"Gil, you can give it up the easy way or the hard way."

Grissom sighed, knowing that there was no escaping Catherine once she turned on the full investigative mode.

"Sara and I are pursuing something outside of the boss/subordinate relationship, but we are not willing to share it at this time."

"So, when did this happen?" Prodded Catherine.

"When we were in New York. Catherine?"

"Yes Gil?"

"Who won the pool?"

Now it was Catherine's turn to feign innocence. "Pool?"

Grissom snorted, "Catherine, lord knows I did not become a supervisor due to my stellar people skills or political acumen. Who won?"

Catherine grinned, "David. I can't wait to tell him! Can we tell him today?"

Grissom shook his head in amusement. "Sure, he could probably use a few bucks for the honeymoon."

Catherine looked surprised. Grissom knew about the pool, but not the size of the pot.

She was about to tell Grissom, when Sara came in. Catherine walked up to Sara and enveloped the woman in a hug. She whispered in her ear. "Good for you baby." She then kissed Sara on the cheek. Sara smiled and returned the gesture and laughing, the two women linked their arms around Grissom's waist and the three of them headed into the reception.

During the reception the men took turns dancing with the bridesmaids, Sara and Catherine. Finally after dinner, David and Samantha came to the CSI table. The bride and groom kissed everyone and Catherine, who was fully enjoying the open bar, couldn't resist. "So Daffid, guess who won the geekluv pool?" Sara blushed, Grissom tried to look angry and the rest of the table just sat there smiling, glad that they didn't have to pretend that they didn't know what was going on. Grissom noticed Samantha and David beginning to jump up and down. "Guys, I can't believe you're that excited about a few dollars!"

Catherine snorted, "Bugman, do you haf annny idea how much money was in the pool?"

Grissom snickered, "What a few hundred dollars?"

Brass took the opportunity to explain that the pool had been going on for four years. Every year people could buy a week for $100 dollars. This had ended up with over $20,000. Samantha and David were planning on using the money for a down payment on a house.

The reception continued and the cake was cut and shared with the bride and groom without incident. Then it was time for the bouquet toss. Sara gamely lined up with the other women. As Samantha tossed the bouquet, Catherine knocked over the other women and nearly dove to catch the bouquet. After catching it, she jumped up and down like she won the lottery and sat in the chair and waited for the garter toss. David shyly removed Samantha's garter and got ready for the toss. Warrick had hoped to catch it, but was no match for Greg, who had also greatly enjoyed the open bar. Greg literally dove and slid across the floor and caught the garter.

Before the scene could get any more embarrassing, Sara began to head outside for fresh air, and Grissom followed. The grounds surrounding the Officer's Club were beautiful, illuminated by an intense moon. Grissom sat on a bench next to Sara and watched the moonlight reflect on her hair and eyes.

"Penny for your thought, Gilbug?" Sara breathed gently.

"Is that all they're worth?" Grissom laughed. He then turned silent. "This is the type of evening that makes a man dream?"

"And what do you dream about, being the next Sherlock Holmes, discovering a previously unknown species of bug?" Sara teased.

"You know Sara, I am a simple man." Sara tried not to laugh at the greatest enigma she had ever known referring to himself as 'simple'. "Seriously, Sara I have simple dreams. I dream of Sunday suppers, 4th of July barbeques, a big Christmas tree, with stockings stuffed to the point where they fall. I dream about children, with curly hair and chubby knees, about catching fireflies on a summer night. I dream about growing old with someone."

Sara nodded, looking pleased. "All my life I thought I could never have these things. I thought I was too remote, too weird, too married to my job. Then I met you, and these dreams all seemed within my reach, and foolishly I pushed you away time and time again. And thankfully you persisted, and I stopped resisting. This week has been perfect, and with this perfection, the imperfect has passed away."

Sara reached over and kissed Grissom passionately. "Gil, I love you. I have since the day I met. I had often wanted to give up, despaired of never having your love, of being alone and lonely. I told myself a million times it was hopeless, that I should give up, move on, and get over you. I had almost convinced myself that I had. Then you came along, and offered me all of you, and I feel blessed and grateful."

Grissom kissed Sara and drew her near. He held her hands and asked her, "Do you remember what you said Wednesday night?"

Sara blushed at the memory of the many things she said Wednesday night. Words that might get her struck by lightning this close to a chapel. She continued slowly, "I said many things that night." Her blush deepened. "Which words exactly were you thinking of?"

Grissom gave Sara the softest kiss possible. If it were not for the gentle tickles and prickles of his beard, Sara might have not realized she had been kissed at all. "The words I was thinking of were 'You have done enough holding back for the past eight years to laugh a lifetime'. You were right about that. I don't want to hold anything back anymore. Grissom reached into his coat pocket and sank to one knee in front of an incredulous Sara. "Sara Moonbeam Sidle. I love you. I love how you can still blush; I love how you sing while investigating evidence, and how you never once truly lost faith in me, even as I lost faith in my own heart. I want your face to be the first thing to see when I wake up and your lips on mine to be the last touch I feel before going to sleep. I am hoping that you will take me, and keep me for life. Sara, will you marry me.?"

With tears in her eyes and a song in her heart, Sara accepted Grissom's proposal with a hearty yes and a kiss that left him reeling. Grissom slid the engagement ring on her finger. Sara admired the ring. The center stone was a carat and a half princess cut, and around the platinum band there were baguettes of diamonds in a zigzag pattern.

Grissom tugged on the ring. "I bought this when we got home on Thursday, and picked it up today. I had it engraved." Sara looked at the inside of the ring, Grissom noticed her squinting, so ever the practical gentleman, took his miniature maglite out and beamed the light onto the inside of the ring. The words 'Fulmine 1997' was engraved on the inside. Sara smiled. "Thunderbolt?" Grissom nodded. "The day I met you, I knew what we had was something extraordinary, I wanted to celebrate it."

They kissed again and began to dream of their lives together.

EPILOGUE

Three months later Grissom and Sara were married. They got married on the boardwalk at Jones Beach and held the wedding in the old ballroom that had been restored to its former glory. Sara had Brass give her away, and Maddie, and Catherine and Lindsey as Bridesmaids. Paul's letter to the Corinthians and Kempis' "On Love" was read. The reception tables groaned with Italian delicacies. Finally dessert time came, and a Viennese hour loaded with pastries came out. Following the delectable pastries came the cake. Grissom had insisted on taking care of the cake, and Sara let him, although part of her worried that the cake would be shaped like a lady bug or have chocolate covered ants on it. Grissom however, did not disappoint. He had ordered a traditional three tiered cake, made by Carvel. It was delicious.

END

A/N: Well the Trilogy is complete. Hope you all had as much fun reading it as I did writing it.