Sara sat across from the other woman and absently rubbed the rim of her glass. It was true that she and Catherine had a rocky start but over time they had become friends. , in fact Good good friends.

Sara understood that older women had been through a great deal in her life.

"So you are asking me what I would do?" Catherine said pointing her gaze at Sara.

"Hypothetically speaking."

"For the man I love, I would fight to the death."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sara sat outside of the house, it was large and ominous in the dark. In the fifteen minutes that she had been sitting in her car, she had seen several men and women come and go. At one point she even heard screams come through the door when it was opened.

The main house was not her concern though, as Sara headed to the cottage that rested on a small plot of land behind the dark mansion.

She could not believe that she was doing this but she had made a decision and she was committed to following through. She was not going to go one more day or hour letting her destiny rest in the hands of others.

She got out of her car and strolled up through the cobbled walk and towards the cottage.

She knocked on the door.

When the door opened, a very pretty brunette dressed in black slacks and soft black sweater greeted her. Her dark hair fell past her shoulders and a generous mouth curved up in warm greeting.

"Yes?"

Sara was surprised to find out how husky her voice sounded, "Hi. You don't know me but I work at the Las Vegas Crime Lab and....."

The other women interrupted her, "Sara?"

"How did you know who I am?"

"Gilbert talks about his work and his friends all the time. Come in please."

She called him Gilbert? Sara exhaled sharply.

Sara followed other women to a small sunroom that was filled with the morning light. On the white table sat a teapot, a cup and a saucer. Lady Heather motioned for her to take a seat.

Sara sat.

Lady Heather brought out another cup and saucer and poured Sara a cup unasked. Sara found herself pleased to be sipping the warm liquid on the chilly morning.

Lady Heather took her seat across from Sara.

"I am so glad to finally meet you. You are just as stunning as Gilbert described. I see what he means. , On some people that jaw line would be overpowering but on you it's just absolutely perfect and that hair. Oh my. Just lovely. Mine is bone straight. I would just kill for hair like that."

Sara twisted a lock of her curly hair around her forefinger. This was not what she had expected. This Heather woman was complementing her and being nice. What did she do or say now?

"So what brings you to my little place in this world?" Lady Heather smiled as she took a sip of tea.

"I wanted to talk to you about...about Grissom."

"Well of course. Why else would you be here?"

"I don't know where to start." Sara looked down at her long fingers bare of polish. Lady Heather elegant hands were painted a deep red and contrasted with the stark white tea cupteacup that she was holding.

"I would like to know what exactly is going on with you and Grissom," Sara said.

"Well Gilbert and I are very close but you know that." Lady Heather continued to smile at Sara.

"Well yes but what I need to know is...What, what I need to know is if you are seeing him... umm intimately."

"You mean do we have a sexual relationship."

"Yes and no. I need to know the exact nature of your relationship. That is to say, I need to know if you are dating. If it's serious..." " Sara faltered and heat flooded her face.

"Why don't you ask Gilbert? Lady Heather leaned closer to the other woman."

Sara had wrestled with the same question for days now. She could give a concrete answer.

Sara shrugged, "I want to hear it from you."

"Mmmmm. Yes. , I see."

"I'm glad someone does," Sara" Sara muttered.

"Have you eaten?" Lady Heather asked.

Sara was disconcerted by the change of subject, "No. I skipped breakfast and came straight here."

Lady Heather stood, "Well we can't have that. Gilbert tells me that you are not a woman to miss meals. I can't stand women who barely eat. They make me nervous. There is something deceptive about them. I was justwas just preparing something for myself. It won't be too much trouble to prepare for something for you as well."

She returned in a few minutes with bowl of fruit, cereal and selection of bagels on a wooden tray painted stark white.

"Gilbert tells me that you don't eat meat. I hardly eat it myself anymore. There is something barbaric about it."

After Lady Heather had prepared both their plates, she settled back in her chair.

"Now Gilbert"

"Yes Grissom"

"Gilbert is a perfectly lovely man but you know he can be a bit difficult when it comes to his private life."

"Of which I gather you are part of."

"Well yes. I believe that I am," Lady Heather speared a strawberry and chewed delicately. "I gather the rumor mill has is abuzz about Gilbert and myself?"

"Yes. For sometime now."

"And so what does the rumor mill say about you and Gilbert?"

"Me? Nothing I don't think."

"Oh my you can't believe that. The people you work do investigate for a living and if they work with you and Gilbert they must be very sharp."

Lady Heather poured more tea for Sara; "The problem is that I don't know what to tell you about Gilbert. I mean I don't know what there is to say that you don't already know on some level."

Sara stomach began to turn in knots. What was this woman telling her?

As Lady Heather watched the distress on her face, she made a decision.

"Gilbert will be very upset with me for telling you this but he will get over it. Then again maybe he won't. I do think he owes me at least one forgiveness in this friendship."

Sara frowned at the other women.

"Gilbert and I are very good friends. We talk daily. We have dinner. Watch old movies. We go the opera. He even took me dancing once," Lady Heather smiled at the memory.

At that recollection, Sara shoulders slumped slightly.

Lady Heather continued, "He is an absolutely lovely man. He reminds me very much of my late husband. All that passionate surface energy that he tries to keep bottled up with his books and his bugs. My late husband was a botanist. People looked at us and thought it odd. That was even before I started my business. He seemed awkward. I saw through all of that. He died in a car crash."

Sara saw the deep sadness in the dominatrix 's eyes, "I am so sorry."

"Sshhh" she" she held her hand up, "We had a perfectly wonderful life together. He never tried to change me and I never tried to change him. Although when he met me, he ran for the hills. He thought I was the worst thing that ever happened to him. Jonathan was a bit older than I was like Gilbert is with you."

Lady Heather threw her head back with laughter as she remembered the late husband.

Sara's face showed confusion.

"I am not going to pull any punches Sara because I know that you did not come hear here for that. In the beginning, I did hope that Gilbert and I would be something more and for a few evening we were. However, it became abundantly clear that this heart, among other things, was somewhere else."

Lady Heather put her hand over the other woman's "For the past few months many of our conversations have revolved around you and what Gilbert's intentions are."

Sara was confused, "Intentions?"

"Well yes. You know, despite the fact that one of his best friends is a dominatrix and another one is an ex-stripper; Gilbert really is very conventional about sex and dating. He is also very concerned about the age difference and the fact that you both work together. He is also very concerned that he will loose control. He is afraid of the effect that you will have on him. He is worried that his love...his passion for you will consume him and that it will destroy you both."

The words slowly began to seep through her mind. She barely noticed Lady Heather leave the table to answer the door and she almost passed out when she saw Grissom standing before her.

"Sara?" he frowned as he observed the breakfast and tea cupsteacups.

Sara watched his fists clench at his side.

"Grissom...I," she" she didn't know what to say.

He immediately wheeled around and spat, "What the hell did you tell her!! Did you invite her hear? What are you doing Heather? What exactly are you playing at?"

Sara opened her mouth to protest but she was transfixed by white hot anger that seemed to glow around him.

Lady Heather sat down and said plainly, "Gilbert I did not invite her hear here but she is most certainly welcome and I told her the truth."

"Which is?" he grunted through clenched teeth.

"Gilbert. Sara is not a child. You always seem to forget that. She came hear here on of her own accord. Now are you going to stand in the middle of the floor bellowing kitchen or would you like to have some breakfast?."

Gil turned to Sara. He peered down at Sara. His expression was a mask of confusion and fury. "Is this true? Did you come hear here on your own?."

"Grissom. I..." Sara could not seem to find the words. "I did it because I wanted to know. I just needed know."

He glared at Sara. She had really messed things up this time. He was never going to forgive her for this. She found herself staring at the teacup. She was surprised to see that it was covered in various species of insects.

With a firm but gentle hand, he pulled Sara from the chair, "We are leaving."

Sara was too stunned to argue. He guided her from the small house to his Tahoe. He helped her into the passengers seat, slammed the door and got in on the drivers side.

Lady Heather smiled after the couple and said to herself, "Those two just might be alright after all."

She congratulated herself for having the forethought to page Grissom when she saw the other woman coming down the walk.