Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.

Blind Date

When Catherine walked into the DNA lab at the start of shift, she found Greg listening to his Ipod and filling out some sort of form. Even from across the room, she could hear the music blasting from his earbuds. She sighed and tried to talk to him anyway.

"Got my DNA results yet Greg?" She asked in a loud voice.

Greg heard a distant muffled sound and looked up. "Oh, hey Catherine. What'd you say?"

Rolling her eyes at his nearly shouted answer, Catherine stepped towards him and pulled out his left earbud.

"DNA results Greg. What do you have for me?"

Without getting up from his chair, Greg rolled over to the other side of his lab where he flipped through a stack of papers, pulled a sheet out and handed it to Catherine.

"No match. Sorry," he said, and uncharacteristically became silent as returned to his forms. Catherine looked at him suspiciously, Greg never just gave them the results and let them leave.

"Greg... What are you doing?" Catherine asked, trying to get a look at whatever he was writing.

"Oh, nothing," he said causally.

"Well it's gotta be something. You're never this quiet."

"All right, but don't laugh. I figured I'd try out one of those dating services. It's a free trial, and with all the stuff you guys have been pushing me to process lately I haven't had time to go out and mingle with the ladies."

Catherine just smiled.

"What? I said don't laugh! Besides I blame Grissom, he has more samples coming in than I can deal with."

"I'm not laughing Greg. I think it's a very good idea." With a smile on her face Catherine walked out of the lab with an idea of her own.

Catherine didn't know who it would be harder to convince, Sara or Grissom. She decided to try the the latter first.

Catherine stood in Grissom's office, waving a piece of paper in his face.

"No," Grissom said flatly.

"Come on Gil. You haven't been on a date in forever!"

"Hey, who said I haven't been on a date recently?"

Catherine just gave him one of her looks.

"Alright, so I haven't been on a date in a while. I'm still not doing this."

"Why not? And don't say it's because the people that do these things are weird. You're not the epitome of normal you know."

"I know and I wasn't going to say that. I just don't think dating should be based off of matching personality surveys. Just because I share similar interests with someone, doesn't mean anything."

For a moment, Catherine considered giving up the fight. It would probably be easier to lock them in a room together and let them hash this out, she thought.

Then again, if Grissom said something stupid, and he probably would, Sara might hurt him. Catherine took a deep breath, she was determined to make this work.

"OK, I'll make a deal with you. See that huge pile of paper work on you desk?"

"Yes. Another reason I can't do this. No time."

Catherine smiled. "If you go I'll take care of it. All of it."

Grissom weighed his options. He really hated paperwork...

Catherine could almost see the way his mind was working. "Seriously Grissom. I'll do it. It's one night, one date. Even you wouldn't rather do paperwork than go on a date."

Grissom sighed, then conceded. "OK I'll go. But make sure you do everything correctly here, or Ecklie will have my head over it."

"Deal."

Now all Catherine had to do was convince Sara to fill out one of the dating service's forms.

Easier said than done was the understatement of the year, Catherine thought.

In the end Catherine decided her best bet was Greg. She almost felt bad about what she was going to propose to the DNA analyst, but it wasn't too hard for her to overcome the guilt.

"Hey Greg," Catherine said walking into his lab, "I was thinking, you still like Sara right?"

Greg nodded, "But she won't have anything to do with me. I always get the vibe she's really into someone else. I can never get her to say who though."

"You know I've always thought she should've given you a shot."

"Really?" Greg asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Here's an idea, why don't you get her to fill out one of those forms from the dating service. If your personalities match up, she can't argue that you aren't meant to be together."

"She would anyway," Greg grumbled.

That made Catherine laugh, "Okay fair point, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Just think about it."

Catherine knew he would go through with it, she just hoped he could get Sara to agree. She left the DNA lab and headed for Grissom's office. She had a lot of paperwork to do. She just hoped it was worth it. When she got to her supervisor's office she was pleasantly surprised to see Sara there. She was just leaving when Catherine walked in.

"Hey Sara, I think Greg has some DNA results for you. Why don't you go see him?"

Sara nodded and headed in that direction.

"Pleeeeease Sara? Just one date."

Sara could only look at Greg and shake her head. He reminded her of a begging puppy.

"I can't get a DNA match without a dinner invitation. Are you ever going to stop asking me out?"

"Yes."

"Yes?" Sara asked, astonished. "Okay, what's the catch?"

"The catch is this," Greg said and handed her the paper. He watched her pretty brown eyes scan over it, then he winced as he saw a frown from on her face.

"No. Absolutely not."

"Come on Sara, do you really want me to start using pick up lines on you?"

"You wouldn't dare."

Greg just smiled.

"Greg..." Sara said warningly.

"Baby, somebody better call God, cuz he's missing an angel!"

"Oh gosh Greg, STOP!"

"I will... if you fill out one of these forms. If we match up-"

"Which we won't."

"If we match up," Greg continued, "then you'll know we're meant to be together. If not, then I'll leave you alone about this for good. And no more pick up lines."

Sara didn't think she could deal with If I could rearrange the alphabet I'd put U and I together, every time she wanted DNA results.

"Fine, but you'll pay if you go back on your word."

By the look in her eyes, Greg didn't doubt it. He gave a small smile and handed her the form, which she almost ripped when she grabbed it from him. She turned on her heel and walked from the room.

Catherine was sitting in Grissom's office, doing his paper work, when she saw Sara walk by. Judging by her angry step and the paper in her hand she guessed Greg got her to agree to fill out the form. She'd have to remember to pay him back one day, if this worked. The only thing Catherine was worried about now was Grissom and Sara's survey's matching up. She didn't think there was too much of a chance that they wouldn't match up though. Besides Sara and Grissom themselves, only and idiot could see them together and not think they were meant for each other.

Sara and Grissom each filled out their forms and mailed them back to the dating service. They would receive a call when their forms were matched. Meanwhile, Catherine waited patiently, watching for any sign that her plan had worked.

It was a week before the calls came from the dating service. They gave a time and place for each date, but no names. It was a "blind date" dating service, and they didn't want people looking up each other before they actually met.

Sara was vaguely familiar with the restaurant she was supposed to go to, but she'd never been there before. She was just glad she'd never worked a case there. It was supposed to be a nice place, but not ritzy. This was something she was glad about. She felt out of place almost every time she went out in public, but never so much so as when she found herself in an upper-class setting.

Saturday was Sara's day off. Instead of catching extra sleep like she normally would have done, Sara used her extra time to get ready for dinner. Assuming it wasn't Greg, no, praying it wasn't Greg that she'd been matched up with, Sara thought some good might come of this. She'd been really down lately because of Grissom. Even if she didn't find a lifelong partner tonight, maybe she would at least find someone to take her mind of Grissom for a bit. She'd been trying to live a little outside work anyway. With that in mind, she took care in getting dressed that night. The dress code at the restaurant was "casually formal". Sara didn't have any idea what that meant, but she'd rather be over-dressed than under-dressed. Her wardrobe didn't have much color, especially bright colors. The dress she wore tonight was an exception. It was a spicy red that matched nicely with her hair and skin tone, and it complemented her long legs. It was low cut in the front, but it fell even lower in the back. There was also a small slit that went up her left leg. After showering and blow-drying her hair, she slipped on the dress, strapped on some shoes, and put on some simple jewelry. She finished up by applying some light make-up. She glanced at the clock and her face fell. It was only six. Dinner wasn't until eight. How did it take every other girl she knew hours and hours to get ready? Shaking her head, Sara headed towards her living room trying to find a book or something to help pass the time.

A few miles away, Grissom just woke up. He was looking forward to this quite a bit less than Sara. The only upside he could see was not having to do paperwork, but now he wondered if this was really worth it. He thought about backing out; his date didn't know who he was, but ever the gentleman, Grissom decided to go through with it. With what everyone told him about his people skills, Grissom probably wouldn't have to worry about rejecting the idea of a second date. He did however have to make it through the dinner. After delaying getting out of bed for as long as he thought possible, he finally got up and started to get ready.
Grissom arrived at the restaurant at exactly eight that evening. However it took him a few moments to get inside; he had to wait for a valet to park his car.

He walked up the stairs of the restaurant and was greeted by the maître d'.

"Yes, Mr. Grissom. Your table is ready, but you're the first to arrive. Would you perhaps like to sit at the bar while you wait for the rest of your party?"

"No, thank you. I'd rather just sit at the table."

"Very well, enjoy your dinner, sir," he said pleasantly, signaling for a waiter to show Grissom to his table.

Sara took a cab to the restaurant so she wouldn't have to worry about having a glass of wine. She arrived about a quarter after eight, and hoped her date was already there.

A friendly maître d' greeted her, and informed her that her date was already seated. Feeling slightly nervous, she followed the waiter to her table. Looking around, she seemed to have guessed correctly about her attire. Relieved she'd done at least one thing right, she focused her attention on the table to which they were headed. The man seated there looked up from the wine list when Sara was only a couple of feet from her chair. They looked at each other and Sara stopped walking. A stunned silence followed. Grissom wasn't just shocked that Sara was his date, he was shocked by her appearance as well. He'd never seen her look as beautiful as she looked now. The dress she wore complimented every feature of her body. Sara was just as shocked, this was the last place she'd expected to see Grissom.

Finally Sara managed to speak. "Grissom?" she said disbelievingly, "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, I'm having dinner."

"Right." Sara turned to the waiter, "Excuse me sir, but are you quite sure this is my table?"

"Yes miss. Is there a problem?" he asked, looking between her and Grissom.

Sara didn't know how to answer that, but she shook her head and moved towards her seat. The waiter moved to pull her chair out for her, but something clicked in Grissom's brain. He stood up quickly, "Thank you sir, but I can take it from here," he said to the waiter and pulled Sara's chair out for her.

"Thank you," she said quietly. She was shocked Grissom had just done that, but took it for a good sign. At least he hadn't gotten up and walked off.

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, until another waiter appeared for their drink orders. Sara glanced over at Grissom only to find him staring at her.

He blinked and cleared his throat.

"So... cheers," Grissom said, breaking the awkward silence and raising his glass.

"Cheers," Sara said with a small smile, and clicked her glass against his.

They sat sipping their drinks in silence for a few moments. Sara was able to see several other tables from her position. As she observed her fellow diners she noticed she and Grissom were the only ones sitting around not talking. She realized how ridiculous it was this was. They'd known and worked with each other for years. This was her chance to make things work between her and Grissom.

She looked at him and gave a light laugh.

"What?" Grissom said, slightly alarmed that Sara was laughing.

"I've got to know, what are you doing here?"

"I told you I'm having dinner."

Sara raised an eyebrow at him, "I know what you're here for. How'd you get here? And I don't mean mode of transportation."

Grissom sighed, "Catherine."

Sara gave a true laugh now, "That explains a lot. What exactly did she do?"

Grissom was smiling now as well, "My paperwork."

"Come again?"

"She kept pushing me to fill out this personality survey for a dating service, which is what I'm guessing you did too," he said, waiting for her to answer.

"Yeah," said Sara with a shrug.

"When I wouldn't do it she offered to do all my paperwork for me. You saw the mountain that was on my desk last week. Her offer was simply overpowering."

Sara smiled at him, "Okay, I was starting to worry this was something you did regularly."

"What's your story."

"Greg."

Unlike Catherine, Greg's name didn't offer much of an explanation.

"Greg wouldn't stop asking me out," Sara explained in response to Grissom's confused look. "He told me he would stop if I filled out that dating survey, but I still said no. Then he threw a low punch. Pick up lines. One for each time I came into the DNA lab."

"And since you need access to that lab..."

"I gave in," Sara said with a defeated sigh, "He said that my survey would match up with his and it would prove I was wrong and that we were meant to be together."

It was Grissom's turn to laugh. Sara joined in, but Grissom suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Sara asked, confused. She was just starting to enjoy herself and think that things might work out. What could she possibly have done this time?

"I was just thinking. You said Greg was doing a survey too?"

"Yes," Sara answered, not seeing where Grissom was going with this.

"Did he say why?"

"No, but it's Greg. He's always doing weird things."

"I think Catherine was responsible for getting you here too."

"How? I never talked to her about this. Greg didn't mention her."

"I think she suggested that idea to Greg. Getting him to get you to fill out that form, I mean."

Sara thought about it. Until last week, Greg had really slowed the dinner invitations. Slowly she nodded, "Yeah, I can see that. I think she stole an idea from Greg too."

"Seems like she did. I bet Greg was filling out those papers and she saw him and came up with this idea."

"She was trying to set us up?" Sara asked, surprised.

"Yes." Grissom said simply, but unlike Sara he wasn't surprised at all, and he wondered how he hadn't seen this coming.

"But... how did she know our forms would match?" Sara asked. An embarrassed silence followed her question. They both knew why. Even if their relationship was dysfunctional at times, they both thought they were meant for each other.

Grissom smiled and broke the silence, "Maybe she paid off the guys at the dating service."

Smiling again, Sara said, "So, who do we get back at for this? Greg or Catherine?"

"Well it looks like Greg was just a pawn in Catherine's master plan; an innocent bystander."

Before Sara could respond, a waiter appeared to take their orders. To Sara's surprise they enjoyed a nice meal together. They were able to talk about other things than work for once. She wondered why Grissom couldn't act like this everyday. He was making her laugh, telling her stories about his childhood, and things about himself.

Half-way through dessert, Grissom chose to issue one of his rare compliments. "I was so surprised to see you earlier, I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look this evening."

"Thanks," Sara said, trying not to blush, but failing miserably.

Grissom looked at her for a moment. With a soft twinkle in his blue eyes he said quietly, "You're always beautiful Sara Sidle."

Sara wasn't sure he heard him correctly. But her doubts vanished when he reached across the table and placed his hand on top of hers and smiled. She felt her heart race as she smiled back, well aware that her skin must have turned a darker red than her dress.

"Check sir?"

Yet another waiter appeared, breaking the moment. Grissom release her hand and nodded to the waiter who handed him the bill.

Grissom placed a few bills on the table and moved around to help Sara out of her chair. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes, but..." she looked over at the restaurant's checkbook.

"I've got it covered Sara,"

She only continued to frown.

"Is it going to be like this every time we go to dinner?"

What does he mean by that? Sara thought.

"Let me be a gentlemen."

"Thanks," Sara said as they left the restaurant together.

"It was my pleasure," Grissom said opening the door for her, but Sara had stopped walking.

"I'm sorry Grissom. I forgot. I need to have someone call a taxi for me. I didn't bring my phone, did you?"

"Yes, but let me give you a ride home."

Sara smiled and continued to walk out with Grissom.

Sara was very quiet in the car. Grissom began to worry he'd done something wrong again.

"You alright? You're very quiet."

"Oh you know, a good meal always makes people sleepy," Sara said with a smile, but the smile seemed forced.

Grissom slowed the car down a little and looked over at her, "Sara Sidle, tired?" he said skeptically. "Really, what's wrong?"

"I..." Sara didn't know how to answer him. She'd just had an amazing evening with the man she loved and it was ending. She didn't know if things would ever be like this again. Grissom was such a different person tonight, and she was worried she might not see this side of him again. She took a deep breath and decided to tell him the truth, "Griss, I had a really great time tonight."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"No. It's just... it's been forever since we've been able to have fun like this. And I don't want things to go back to the way they were before, you know?"

Grissom knew what she meant. He felt awful about letting things get so bad between them.

"Not ready for the night to end yet?" he asked gently.

"No," Sara admitted.

"I think I can fix that," Grissom said, taking a slow U-turn.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see. And don't worry Sara, I promise things won't go back to the way they were before. I like things better like this."

"OK."

Sara looked out her window, the street they were on looked very familiar, but she couldn't remember what it lead to. Then she saw Grissom's townhouse on the end of the block. She hadn't been there in years. She looked over at him and he gave her a nervous smile.

"I was thinking you might like some coffee, but you don't have to come in if you don't want to."

"No I'd like to come in."

Grissom parked in the driveway and together he and Sara walked to the front door.

While Grissom made coffee, Sara looked around his living room before taking a seat on the couch. His house hadn't changed much since the last time she'd been there, but this didn't surprise her much. A few minutes passed before Grissom walked in with a tray of coffee.

They sat together and talked for almost an hour discussing various ways to get back at Catherine. When all the coffee was gone Sara decided to leave. She didn't want to stay too long.

"Are you sure you don't mind giving me a ride home?" she asked as they walked to the front door.

"Not at all."

They walked out to his car and Grissom once again opened the door for Sara. Before she got in she turned to face him, "You'd better not do that at work."

A light breeze out of the desert blew some of Sara's hair into her face.

Grissom smiled, "I won't." He smoothed Sara's hair back behind her ear. Her heart began to pound again. They were very close, much closer than she'd meant for them to be. And Grissom still hadn't moved his hand from the side of her face. Then he pulled her closer and kissed her, very gently. Sara was sure he could feel her heart racing. When they broke apart he said, "I think we should be thanking Catherine instead of getting back at her."

Sara only laughed and kissed Grissom again. He picked her up and twirled her around once before carrying her back into the house.

The End