Grissom stood for a moment, staring at Jim and Sara. Jim looked like a deer caught in headlights; his eyes wide open and his law slack. Sara turned her head to look at Grissom and witnessed the look of sheer and utter horror on his face. Grissom was bright red and he was clenching his fists; knuckles white with fury. Sara cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak.

Before the words could come out, Grissom turned on his heels and left the lounge in a huff. Catherine gave chase and flew out of the bar. Once outside, she descended on Grissom, taking his elbow in her grasp. He whipped around and glared at her.

"Grissom, what's the matter?" she asked, knowingly
"It would seem as though Sara has made her choice already." Grissom said, flexing his fingers

Catherine racked her brain, trying to think of the appropriate thing to say, but came up empty. She stood riveted in place as she watched Grissom cross the parking lot and climb in his truck. As Grissom left the club, he burned rubber and peeled out and onto the main drag. Catherine stood outside for a moment before going back inside. As she approached the booth, Jim and Sara were still joined at the hand and leaning on each other. Catherine cleared her throat and took her seat next to Nick and Warrick.

The deafening sound was silence, for the longest time. Finally, Warrick spoke up.

"What's his deal?" Warrick inquired, looking at Catherine
"He's just having a bad night, that's all." she replied in half truth

Nick looked down at his watch and yawned. He stretched out his arms and cracked his back. Greg and Warrick took notice and followed Nick's lead. Catherine reached down and opened her purse, dropping some bills on the table. Warrick, Greg and Nick did the same then stood up.

"Well, I guess its time to turn in." Catherine commented "You two coming?" she asked, looking at Jim and Sara.

Jim and Sara looked at each other and Jim spoke up.

"I think we'll take a cab." he replied

Nick, Warrick, Catherine and Greg all turned to leave. When they were halfway to the door, Greg turned around and ran back to Sara. He kissed her on the cheek then dashed out after the rest of his colleagues.
##########

Jim and Sara stayed at the bar for about another hour before leaving for home. As they stood from their seats, Sara locked her arm in Jim's and drew him closer to her. Jim looked down at their arms and smiled to himself. Once outside, he pulled out his cell phone and called for a cab. While they waited for their ride, they sat on a bench. Sara was feeling a bit tipsy and Jim honed in on this. He turned to face her and cleared his throat.

"Why don't you stay at my place tonight. You look like you could use the company, especially after the little scene earlier." he offered

Sara looked up at Jim and chuckled softly.

"I see, you get me drunk, and ask me home with you. So subtle, Jim."
she replied

"Well, you don't have to. I just thought I would offer." Jim said, running a hand through his hair

Sara gazed at Jim and when he looked back at her, he saw the twinkle in her eyes. Just as she was about to respond to Jim's comment, the cab pulled up and Jim helped her to her feet. He held the door open for her and guided her in. They pulled away from the curb and headed for home.
##########

Grissom's fists crackled under the pressure of clenched knuckles. He sat in his truck and watched as Jim and Sara sat, waiting for heir ride. As he watched them talking, he felt the strong urge to jump out of his truck and knock the living feces out of Jim. However, as soon as he reached down for the door handle, their ride pulled up and they got in.

Grissom followed Jim and Sara, making sure to keep a safe distance. As they drove through town to the 'burbs, Grissom hung back a bit further. He watched as the cab drove past Sara's apartment and headed to the outskirts of town. Minutes later, the cab pulled up in front of Jim's house. Grissom parked a few house lengths down the street and watched as Jim helped a very wobbly Sara out and up the steps. Jim unlocked the door, then, hand on the small of her back, guided her inside.

Grissom sat outside until the house lights went out. After a dew minutes, he pulled away and headed home. The entire ride home, his mind was cluttered with various ways to punish Jim. He thought of covering him with honey and burying him to his neck, letting fire ants eat his flesh. However, the course of action that appealed to him the most was hanging coupled with evisceration. He cracked a smile as the image of Jim hanging from a tree, bowels dangling about , floated around inside his mind.
###########

As Jim and Sara walked through the house, Sara made her way to the couch, plopping down. Jim turned to her and asked if she wanted some coffee. She accepted his offer and kicked her shoes off, propping her feet on the coffee table. While the coffee was perking, Jim wandered to his room and changed into some sweats and a t-shirt. When he emerged, he offered Sara a pair of soccer shorts and t-shirt. She took them from Jim and went to change in the bathroom. Minutes later, she came out, clad in Jim's comfy clothes. Sara dropped back down on the couch and Jim approached, coffee in hand. Sara reached up and took one of the mugs, setting it on the table in front of her.

Jim propped his feet on the coffee table and clicked the television on. He flipped through the channels and settled on an infomercial for a RONCO rotisserie roaster. Sara sipped her coffee and after about twenty minutes, she yawned. Jim reached his arm out and draped it around Sara's shoulders, drawing her closer to him. She purred as she nuzzled into Jim's neck and closed her eyes. The last thing she remembered before passing out, was the feeling of Jim's arm around her and the sense of security he exuded.
##########

Sara woke in the early afternoon to find that she and Jim were asleep on the couch. She looked up from her position in his lap and smiled to herself as she watched Jim sleep. His head was tilted back on the head rest of the couch and he had the cutest look on his face. Sara thought to herself that Jim looked angelic in his current state. She made to get up, but felt something on her stomach. Sara looked down to see Jim's arm draped around her waist, hand resting on her abdomen. She smiled and gently lifted his arm off of her. Gently placing his arm in his lap, she took in his features one more time before tottling off to the bath room.

When Sara finished her business, Jim was still asleep on the couch. She shuffled into the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on. She leaned against the kitchen counter and watched as the coffee dripped through the filter and down into the pot. Sara looked around the kitchen, making a mental list of the food available and searched for a piece of scrap paper. She found one and scribbled a grocery list down. Then, she tore it in half and wrote Jim a note.

"Jim, went to the market for breakfast stuff. Will be back soon. Hugs, Sara."

She placed the note on the coffee table and slipped into a pair of Jim's
sneakers. She snatched his keys up off the hall table and dashed out of the house. Sara jumped into Jim's truck and drove to the market.
##########

Jim woke to find that he was alone. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and his gaze settled on the coffee table and the note that Sara had left. He picked it up and read it. He smiled to himself and headed for the lavatory. Having finished his business, he walked back to the couch and stretched out, feet propped up on the arm rest. He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Sara pulled back into Jim's drive and grabbed her bags. She took the steps of the porch two at a time and unlocked the front door. Quietly, she made her way through the house and into the kitchen. She carefully set the bags on the counter and removed the contents one by one. Looking down at her watch, she noticed that it was around 15:00hrs.

She poured a mug of coffee and walked into the living room. Sitting on the edge of the couch, she lightly ribbed Jim's cheek and smiled when his lips twitched. She took his hand in hers and gently rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. Jim's eyes fluttered open and he looked up into Sara's eyes, smiling. Sara smiled back at him and handed him his mug of coffee. Jim sat up and yawned.

"Its around 15:30. Time to get up, sleepyhead." she greeted him

Jim looked to the clock on the wall and then to the watch on his wrist.

"What time did we pass out?" he asked
"Well, I was out by 01:00hrs. So, after that, I have no idea." she explained

Jim stood and stretched his stiff limbs. He looked in the kitchen and noticed the items on the counter. Jim turned around to see Sara sipping coffee, staring out the window. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She reached her hand down and placed it atop Jim's hand.

"Why don't you run home and shower and change. I'll do my thing, and when you get back, breakfast will be ready." Jim suggested

"Ok, I'll be back soon." Sara said, planting a kiss on Jim's cheek.
###########

Sara had just stepped out of the shower when she heard a knock at her door. Clutching her towel tightly to her, she looked through the peephole and jumped back at the sight on the other side of the door. She unlocked the door and slid the chain off its rail. Clearing her throat and taking a few deep breaths, she shouted to her visitor.

"Count to thirty, then open the door." she said, making her way to her room

She closed her bedroom door behind her and began to rifle through her drawers. She heard the front door open and close. The footsteps could be heard as they went from the hallway to the living room, then stopped. Sara pulled out a pair of jeans and t-shirt. She stood there in her thong and bra, trying to think of why her visitor felt the need to come to her home, instead of waiting till she got to work. Pulling her jeans up and slipping into the shirt, she scouted around for a pair of shoes. When she had fully dressed, she placed Jim's tennis shoes, shorts and shirt in a gym bag along with a separate change of clothes.

Sara opened her bedroom door and walked into the living room. She could see the back of his head as she approached him from behind. She passed through the living room and into the kitchen before she addressed him.

"Why are you here?" she asked in short tones

He stood up and approached the breakfast bar. Leaning forward on it, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"I just wanted to apologize for last night. My behaviour was uncalled for." he said sincerely

"Grissom, whatever you thought was going on between you and I never happened. I am done with patiently waiting for you to come to your senses." she replied

"I just had no idea that you and Jim were together."
"Technically, we aren't. Right now, we're just friends. But, I can't
predict the future. All I know is that I like Jim, and he's a good man."
she responded

Grissom stood frozen. He could not believe his ears. From they way it
sounded, Sara and Jim were on the verge of a relationship. However, her words rang out in his ears, "Technically, Right now and can't predict the future". His mind swelled as he cleared his throat.

"So, if I asked you out, what would you say?" he asked

Sara glared at him and carried on with her business. Packing a few items into a zip lock bag, she looked up at him.

"Grissom, I think you're too late." she replied
"So, you are........"
"Grissom, look, I have to go." she said, zipping up her gym bag

Sara walked to the hall and picked up Jim's keys off the table. She opened the front door and motioned for Grissom to exit. Seeing that she was serious, Grissom approached her and passed through the threshold. She closed and locked the door behind her and walked down the stairs to Jim's truck.

Opening the door and hopping in, she jammed the keys into the ignition. She closed the door and shifted into reverse. She looked up and saw Grissom standing on the other side of her door. She rolled down her window and huffed at him.

"What, now?" she demanded

Grissom said nothing as she pulled out, not waiting for his answer. He watched as she pulled out of the lot and onto the main street. As she drove to Jim's place, she thought about Grissom's visit and what he said. How dare him ask her out at a time like this. He waited for her to stop pursuing him to finally get the balls together and ask her out.
###########

Sara pulled up in front of Jim's house and shut the truck off. She snatched her bag off the front seat and climbed out. As she climbed the steps of his front porch, the door flew open and Jim stood there, grinning. He reached his hand out to her and drew her inside.

TBC?--