Grissom had to admit it–dinner was impressive. His steak was grilled to perfection, his vegetables were hot, with just the right amount of spice, and the service was wonderful. The waiters were particularly friendly, and Grissom had quickly realized that he could order whatever he wanted and it would be brought right to him, no questions asked. Even if he had asked for the salmon with a side of crunchy peanut butter, the waiter would have nodded and then rushed off to get it. Not that he would ask for that; if anyone could possibly want fish and peanut butter, it would be Greg Sanders. And even that was unlikely.

At least, Grissom thought it was.

He sighed, half-hiding behind his dessert menu. As he scanned the long list of choices, he pulled at his tie, wishing that he hadn't been forced to dress up for dinner, but understanding why. The moment he'd walked into the main dining room he'd realized why there was such a strict evening dress code. His dress shirt and tie seemed almost too casual for the elegantly decorated dining room, and although Grissom dreaded the two nights he would be required to wear a tux to dinner, he knew that it would feel more appropriate.

He would also feel better when he didn't begin dinner with a brief period of clueless wandering. After an hour of seriously considering room service, he had decided to meet the rest of the group in the large dining room. Unfortunately, he had gotten himself completely lost in tables, chairs and hungry cruisers, and it had taken him a good twenty minutes to find his colleagues. Greg was still laughing about it, but at least now he was trying to cover it up.

"So what are you gonna have, Grissom?" Greg asked cheerfully. "Cake? Mousse? Pie? Truffles? Ice cream? Sherbert?"

Grissom sighed. "I'm full, Greg. Unlike you, my digestive system can't tolerate large amounts of food."

"But all of it looks so good, Grissom. Come on. Indulge."

"Not tonight. I'll save some room for dessert tomorrow."

On the other side of the round table, Nick chuckled. "What are you having, Greggo? Everything?"

Greg smirked. "No. I'm only gonna pick a couple. The Chocolate Supreme is sounding really good, and the Coconut Creme pie might be good with it. Or maybe I'll go with the Fudge Fantasy and the Strawberry Shortcake. Decisions, decisions." He leaned back in his seat, contemplating.

"I think he'll go with the Chocolate Supreme and the Coconut Creme," spoke up Sara. "Just because it rhymes."

"I think he'll go for the Fudge Fantasy and the Strawberry Shortcake," countered Warrick. "Just because it sounds good."

"And I'm thinking he'll go for Lindsey a la mode," Brass declared. He was staring at Greg, who had already finished contemplating and was now poking a sleepy Lindsey with his fork.

"I'm awake..." Lindsey mumbled, her eyes barely open. "I am...I'm just...resting my eyes."

"You almost did a face plant in your main course," Greg teased. "You're not awake, Miss Willows."

"Yes, I am...I heard what you were talking about...get the Fudge Fantasy."

"And the Strawberry Shortcake?"

She yawned. "Nope...Coconut Creme pie."

"I'm not sure I can choose." Greg licked his lips. "Maybe I'll just get all of them."

"...Cool..."

Catherine reached over to her daughter, rubbing her back. "Come on, Linds. I'll walk you to the room." She stood up, helping Lindsey do the same, even though the young teen was mumbling something about being old enough to stay up under her breath. Her drooping eyelids did nothing to back up her muffled claim...and she knew it.

"Night everyone," Lindsey said, giving in. "Buffet...for...breakfast, Greg?"

"Of course!" Greg patted her arm as she hobbled past him. "Sleep well."

"Thanks." She gave him a tired smile, and by the look in her eyes, she really didn't think much of going to dinner at eight-thirty. It was now ten o'clock, and it had been a very long day. "I don't think I've...ever been this tired," she sighed.

"Then lets get you to bed, sweetie," Catherine said gently. She turned and called over her shoulder, "Nicky, Warrick–I'll meet you in the lobby at eleven." And then she and Lindsey left the table.

"Lobby at eleven?" Greg eyed Nick and Warrick curiously. "What are you guys doing tonight? And why didn't you ask me to hang out with you?" He tried to make his chin tremble, just so it would look like they had actually hurt his feelings.

"We don't know what we're doing," Nick replied."We were talking earlier and we wanted to meet up and do something. We haven't had a chance to talk to you about it yet."

"Well, go ahead. Invite me now."

Warrick let out a wry chuckle. "Okay, Greggo, would you like to hang out with us?"

"No."

"What?"

Greg shook his head. "No," he repeated.

"Okay...what are you gonna do then?"

"I was planning on hanging out with Sara tonight. We don't know what we're doing yet either. Maybe we'll go up to the arcade and play a little air hockey, huh Sar?"

Sara's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

He shrugged. "You. Me. Air hockey. Come on, it'll be great."

"Um...really?" Sara winced, her mind spinning, searching for a believable excuse. "I, uh, I was thinking of–"

Grissom–who dared to notice how radiant Sara looked in her flattering black dress–cleared his throat. He couldn't suppress the sudden urge to come to her rescue. "Actually, Greg," he said, interrupting softly."Sara's going to...show me where the library is. I wasn't able to find it earlier, so she, uh, she offered to help me find it after dinner."

Sara instantly turned bright red. She eyed Grissom in surprise...and carefully concealed delight."Um, yeah..." she said, playing along. "I did tell Grissom I would help him out...sorry, Greg."

The youngest CSI nodded. "That's cool. No problemo. That'll only take like ten minutes. Then we can go to the arcade! Of course, you're invited too, Grissom. And you too, Brass. But, uh, Nicky and Warrick...since you already have plans..."

"I'm, uh, I'm going to need Sara for more than ten minutes," Grissom continued, his words making Sara's heart flutter nervously. "I'm assuming that this library will, at least, have a good selection of Shakespeare, and...uh...when Sara and I were working on the Calehill case last week, I was explaining how Shakespeare can be extremely relevant to forensics. Since we're going to be in the library...I was going to show her the scene I was quoting from...and then we were going to discuss its similarities to the case."

Jim Brass frowned. "This is a cruise ship. Why would a cruise ship have Shakespearean plays?"

"This ship has a library. And almost all libraries have Shakespeare."

Sara bit her lip; she couldn't believe Grissom was actually making all of this up for her, just so she could have a breather from Greg. She couldn't believe that he was even aware that she needed a break from her buffet-loving friend.

Greg pursed his lips. "The Calehill case...I remember you two working that." He lowered his voice. "The daughters who were fighting over their father's assets. They forced him to give them everything and then they left him out to dry...in the desert." He sighed, eyeing Sara suspiciously. "So, Sara, which play was Grissom quoting from?"

Sara wanted to laugh; she could actually answer that. "King Lear," she replied, without missing a beat.

Greg groaned."Okay, okay. Have fun at the library. I'll hang out with Brass." He looked over at the detective with hopeful eyes. "Arcade?"

"Sorry, no can do, Sanders," Brass said, standing up. "I'm about as baked as Lindsey right now. I'm hauling my old ass to bed."

"So I'm all alone? Nobody wants to party with the Grand Party Master?"

"Um, earth to the Grand Party Master," Nick said, giving him a little wave. "We want to party with you."

Warrick clearly agreed. "Yeah, man, you never needed an invitation to hang out with us. We didn't even know we were hanging out with us. The arcade sounds good, Bro."

Greg tried to snivel, but ended up smiling a second later. "Okay, but what about Cath?"

"We'll meet her at eleven and then...we'll see. If we hit the arcade right after dessert, we'll at least get a couple games in."

"Excellent."

Brass grinned. "Well all you kiddies have fun tonight. I'll see you in the morning." He turned to Grissom. "Gil, just so you know, tomorrow I'm going to make it my personal mission to make sure you do absolutely nothing that is work related. We have the whole day at sea, and if I hear one thing about Shakespearean plays, their relevance to forensics, or the library, I may actually toss you overboard. Goodnight."

And with that, he left.

Nick, Warrick and Greg stayed for dessert and then they also took off, all of them claiming that they were really good at air hockey. Greg was still chewing the last bites of his Fudge Fantasy–which he had finally decided on, after miraculously coming to the conclusion that he should only order one dessert–when he left the table. All three of the arcade-bound CSIs seemed oblivious to the fact that they were leaving Grissom and Sara alone...together.

Sara took a sip of her tea, smiling shyly as she broke the ice. "Thank-you, Grissom," she said softly. "Thanks for...saving me from Greg. I...don't think I would have been able to take much more of him tonight, and I...I didn't want to hurt his feelings and say no again. Seems like I've been trying to say no to him all day. "

Grissom nodded, and he smiled back, just as shyly. "I'm glad I could help."

"Me too." Sara laughed lightly. "You know, that was pretty convincing. I didn't know you were...good at improvisation."

Grissom wrapped his hands around his coffee mug and he tried to take a few deep breaths. "Well, it wasn't all improvisation," he admitted quietly. "I...I was already planning on asking you to help me find the library. And I did refer to King Lear on the Calehill case...although I don't remember telling you that it was, in fact, King Lear, so you should know that I'm...impressed that you recognized it."

"Thanks." Sara blushed at his praise and at the fact that he really did want her to help him. She had been pretty sure that he'd been making all of it up."You really haven't found the library yet?" she asked. "I thought that would be the first you place you'd go."

"So did I."

"What stopped you?"

"The ship." He hesitated. "I...I really had no idea that it was going to be this big. It's so big that I'm thankful every time I find the elevators."

"Oh, I'm thankful for that too," Sara assured him. "I think everyone is."

"Everyone might be," he agreed. "But I'm...not used to this. I'm not very good at...not knowing."

"I can understand that," Sara said gently, her eyes finding his. As she gazed at him, she suddenly realized just how out-of-his-element he was. The idea of Grissom on vacation was strange enough, but to actually see him surrounded by unfamiliarity was so...indescribable. He was the same person, and yet he was so different. He wasn't surrounded by yellow tape and lab equipment, and for once, he didn't know all the answers. He was even admitting that he felt vulnerable...to her.

He took another sip of his coffee. "At least I know where the lobby is. That's encouraging."

"Right–you managed to find out about the seminars." Sara licked her lips. "You found your way around then..."

"Yes, but the lobby is easy to find. Centre of the ship." He stopped, and then in a very surprising move, he winked at her. "I'll...I'll figure it all out eventually."

Sara was glowing now."You will. In a day or two, we'll all know where everything is."

"Patience is a virtue."

"So I hear."

Hoping to avoid an awkward silence, Grissom looked at his watch. "Should we...head to the library?"

"Yeah." Sara quickly drank the rest of her tea. "But..."

"But?"

She smiled faintly. "I don't know where it is, Griss. I haven't been able to find it either."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess we'll be consulting the deck plans then. That is, uh, if you're interested in going...with me...anyway." He cringed, hoping to God that he didn't sound as desperate and idiotic as he thought he did.

Sara didn't seem to think so.

"I...I would like that," she said, as she stood up and reached into her purse. "And I think I have the deck plans right here..."

Grissom and Sara were very surprised to find out that the library was on Deck 9, right down the hall from their rooms. It seemed so fitting that it was located there, and even though it was very small, it was cozy, and it had a complete collection of Shakespearean plays and poetry. It also had exactly one book about entomology, and even though Grissom had already read it several times, he couldn't resist making himself comfortable and flipping through the pages. It made him feel more at home.

He must have lost himself in the familiar text, because the next thing he knew, an hour and a half had passed and Sara had become very quiet on the other couch. He looked up from his book to discover that she was asleep. Her head was resting against one of the cushions, and the book she had been reading had fallen into her lap, her fingers still keeping her page. She was sleeping so quietly, so delicately, and he found himself staring at her with a pounding heart and a mind that was frantically trying to decide on what he should do.

Should he wake her and help her back to her room?

Or should he let her sleep and keep her close to him, for just a little while longer?

He could wait a little bit a longer before waking her, he realized. He knew it was selfish, but he really did want to keep her there. He wanted to keep on stealing glances and wishing and wondering. After all, she would never know...

Unless she opened her eyes suddenly and caught him.

Grissom took a deep breath, and after taking a moment to memorize the peaceful picture in front of him, he moved over to Sara, ready to do the right thing. She was clearly exhausted and he knew that she needed to be in her bed, not on the couch in the library.

So, with reluctance, he hovered over her and he began to rub her arm. "Sara?"

"Hmmmm?" Her eyelids fluttered and she sighed. "...Sleep."

Timidly, Grissom reached for her hand and pulled it away from the book. "Sara? I know you're asleep. We have to get you to your room, honey."

"Mmmmm. Tired."

"That's okay. Come on, I'll help you..."

With another soft mumble, Sara opened her eyes slowly and she studied his face, wondering why he was so close to her. "Grissom?"

"Hi..." He took the book from her lap and set on the table next to the couch. Then, feeling very awkward, he began to help her up. "You fell asleep," he explained, as she stood carefully. "I...didn't notice until now."

"I...I fell asleep?" Sara continued to struggle with her eyelids. "But...I was only on page five."

"That's okay. It's been a long day, Sara," Grissom replied, his voice very soft. "You're exhausted."

"No...I'm not...I'm never...exhausted. I'm just...tired."

Grissom chuckled gently, and fighting back nerves, he wrapped a steadying arm around Sara's shoulders. "It's okay to be tired," he said, as he helped her out of the library and into the hallway. "It's perfectly natural."

Sara sighed. "But I...never...sleep."

"I know."

"I never...ever...ever...sleep."

Grissom smiled to himself. This semi-conscious Sara Sidle was completely adorable. "You'll sleep tonight," he told her, as he continued to guide her along. "I'm sure you'll sleep better than you have in a long time."

She looked up at him, eyes half-open and hopeful. "Promise?"

"Well...the movement of the ship should help," he said warmly. "It's barely noticeable right now, but when you lay down, you'll probably feel the sway. You might even feel like you're being rocked to sleep."

Sara bit her lip. "That...would be good. I never thought...of that. Probably because I...never...thought I'd ever be on a...cruise ship." She yawned and closed her eyes again for a moment. "Wow...can't...keep them...open."

Grissom battled weak knees as he wrapped his other arm around Sara's waist, bringing her to a stop in front of her room."Uh...Sara...is your key in your purse?"

She nodded, her eyes staying closed. "Yeah..." With one hand, she searched inside her small black handbag. "Yeah...here it is." She held it up and Grissom took it, sliding the card into the slot in the doorhandle. He waited for the green light and the small click before pushing the door open.

"Are you okay from here?" he asked carefully, as Sara wandered into her room. He wasn't sure what he wanted her to say in reply, but he did know that he wanted to make sure she actually made it to her bed.

"I'm okay," she replied, her whole body leaning against the door to keep it open. "Thank-you, Griss. I...I guess I am...exhausted."

"I think we all are, Sara."

"Yeah." She smiled softly. "Well...thanks again...especially for the improvisation."

"It was my pleasure."

"I'm...very grateful."

"I know you are," he whispered. "Now go to bed."

Sara gave him a sleepy grin and then let the door slide. "Night, Griss," she whispered back. "Get...some...sleep."

"I will. Goodnight, Sara."

And with that, the door closed.

And Grissom found himself wishing that he was on the other side of it.

TBC

Author's Note: Thank-you so much for all the reviews. I'm sorry I wasn't able to send out individual replies to reviews for chapter three, but please know that the feedback is always appreciated and I will be back on track with the replies for this chapter! Hope you enjoyed chapter four!

Thanks!

Jazz