A/N: God I'm so horrible for not updating this one. I've just had such major writer's block for it. But I'm hoping to finish it soon! In this story Grissom and Sara's relationship has already been established. Thanks everyone for reading :)

Sara walked down the hallway in a huff, a little more than exasperated; Grissom had confined her to the lab for the duration of the day. How much that angered her… a little was a huge understatement and a lot wasn't quite the word she was looking for. She hated being cooped up in the lab because she had a horrible tendency to get a little stir-crazy, and sitting in the break room with a cup of coffee listening to the police scanner about what was going on around her that she couldn't see definitely didn't help.

And the worst part was Grissom knew that it irritated her. Oh did he know… The last time he had intentionally done it just to see that cute little stubborn look on her face he had slept on the couch. In his own home.

Oh he was going to get it now, Sara knew. Just wait until tonight- he's going to be sorry he ever—then something caught Sara's attention- the sound of breaking glass in one of the labs. Flipping around on her heels Sara turned and saw the DNA lab was closest. It had to come from there.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked, walking through the doorway. She didn't see any broken glass, only the figure of their newest DNA tech slumped over one of the work tables. "Hi Monica," Sara greeted her with a wide smile, "How's your first day? I hope Greg didn't leave any of his Playboys in here…" Among other things, she knew.

The younger woman seemed to tense, the gesture almost inhuman to Sara as she turned and looked at her. She looked less than enthused to see Sara there. Sara, though, had been given that look a lot in her lifetime. "What?" There was that hostility to her tone again.

"How's everything?" Sara tried again, trying to peer around her to see what she was working on. "I'm guessing Catherine already told you her stuff is on the top of the priority list."

"…Yeah." What was the matter with this girl, Sara thought? She wasn't one to judge other people but there was something peculiar about her. She was like that shy girl at school who never uttered a word and got picked on for it.

"Well if you need any help with anything, I'm in the lab today," Sara offered, "Grissom confined me to the lab, damn him," she added with a small chuckle. Monica did not laugh. Not even a flinch. "I guess I'll see you later, then," Sara told her.

Monica nodded, facing away from Sara and shooting the wall (and Archie who was unfortunately in her line of fire) the coldest glare she could muster. In her hand was a glass beaker she had forgotten about and her fist was clenching it with a death grip until it finally crunched into pieces.

"You're bleeding," Sara softly told her. She then noticed the liquid dripping from her hands that had been in the beaker, and offered, "Here, let me help you. I've gotten that stuff all over me before and it's a pain to get out. It ruined one of my favorite shirts," Grissom's favorite, actually, "Just follow me to the—"

"Shut up," Monica hissed.

Sara immediately grew silent, staring at her blankly. Did she hear her right? Up until this point Sara had assured herself that Monica was just one of those people who didn't trust people easily- she was one of them herself. But now she knew that Monica Stevens definitely did not like Sara Sidle.

"Please leave," Monica said, reaching over for a paper towel near the sink. She could clean the damned mess up by herself- she didn't need her there to baby her just because she was younger.

"Okay," Sara dumbly said, turning around and heading for the locker room. Well that was… awkward to say the least, she thought. She felt as though she had made her first enemy working at the Las Vegas Crime Lab, Catherine and Warrick had quickly become good friends of hers shortly after their little arguments when she first came.

Shaking it off though, she walked into the locker room and walked to the locker that belonged to her, clicking the lock off of it and opening it up. Inside she had a small mirror which she fixed so it was straight. Straightening out the sides of her hair, she let out a long sigh. You look like hell.

"You look exhausted," came Grissom's voice. She turned around and saw him standing just inside the doorway.

She shot him a small grin. "Well thanks for pointing out the obvious."

"Look," he sighed, putting a hand on his hip, "I know you're mad that I kept you in the lab today but I did it because I know you're tired. You didn't come to bed last night."

Sara raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were asleep."

"Assume nothing, Ms. Sidle," he simply replied, "So how about you accompany me to an early dinner and then you go home and get some rest?" he asked.

Sara pondered this for a moment even though she knew her reply already. "Well… let's see- a dinner with Gil Grissom, possibly hours if not more talk about the wonders of entomology in the line of forensics, how baseball is undeniably the best sport—"

"It's a beautiful game," Grissom cut her off with a smile.

Sara cracked a smile in his direction, one of the ones only Grissom saw. "I think I could live with that."

Unbeknownst to them, Monica was watching from the DNA lab, dropping ten or more droplets of water onto a dry slide sample when she should've only dropped one. She was too distracted by the exchange. She couldn't believe it- they were in a relationship? Why did she get to be in a relationship? Like hell she deserved it! That bitch had ruined her life and had taken her only guardian away from her. Did she even know what those people did to her in foster care?

"Good," Grissom said, "Meet me at my office in ten minutes," he told her. Then walking toward her, he sniffed the air. "You smell, dear," he whispered in her ear.

Sara playfully swatted at him, shooting him a look. "Well if someone hadn't made me work overtime last night…"

"Point taken," Grissom said, turning to walk out, "Ten minutes!" he called over his shoulder.

Once Grissom was gone, Sara lifted up her shirt sleeve and sniffed, cringing. "God, I do smell," she mumbled. She hadn't been able to take a shower the day before because Grissom had used up all of the hot water when she had gotten home (the man liked his showers hot, Sara had learned) and she was running late this morning. Reaching into her locker, Sara pulled out a clean shirt and walked around the corner to change in privacy.

After she was changed, had drowned herself in far too much perfume and had put a new change of shoes on Sara headed down the hallway toward Grissom's office. When she reached his office she stopped inside the doorway, knocking to get his attention.

"Punctual as always," Grissom said, turning around and looking at her. "I like that shirt," he told her, turning off the light and walking past her.

"I thought you liked the shirt I ruined," Sara said, raising an eyebrow as she looked around trailing behind him.

"That one was ruined, I had to pick a new favorite shirt to like," Grissom informed her as they walked past the DNA lab.

"I see," Sara said. Then she noticed something strange- Monica was no longer in the DNA lab. It was the day-shift DNA tech now, complaining about pieces of shattered glass littering the floor. Where was she?

"Are you coming?" Grissom's voice brought her back to reality. There was a hint of impatience to it and she looked up and he was already at the door, propping it open for her.

"Sorry," Sara told him with an apologetic smile, walking out the door with him behind her. "I was just thinking."

They walked down the sidewalk to Grissom's Denali and got inside, driving off to their destination. But they didn't notice the car trailing behind them.

TBC