A/N: Thank you so much for all your comments. It means so much to me to know that you're enjoying this story.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

I don't own CSI.

The Meeting of the Minds

"My name is Gil Grissom, and I'll be working with you on the role of entomology in forensic science for the next few weeks. I am both an entomologist and a forensic scientist, so these are two fields that are very important to me. I work with the crime lab for the Las Vegas Police Department in Las Vegas, Nevada …"

Sara's face turned a bright shade of red as she walked into the room, realizing that the lecture had already begun. She went straight to the nearest row, hoping to blend in and make it look like she wasn't late for class. Plenty of others had had the same idea; the back of the room was far more populated than the front. This meant that Sara was denied her back row seat; she had to move up to the middle of the room to find an empty desk.

Admittedly, she wasn't too concerned with missing out on the introduction portion of the lecture. Sara had done plenty of research on the teacher, Dr. Gil Grissom, in the weeks leading up to the seminar. She was always diligent about knowing as much as she could about her professors before a class started; seminars were no exception. She had already read his extensive educational background, noting the papers he had published and the lectures he had given. With all her prior knowledge, she was surprised to see how young he was. She had expected to see a man old enough to be her grandfather; instead, she found someone young enough to be her friend.

Grissom noticed the young woman who came in late, noting how red her face turned when she realized that she had arrived after the lecture had begun. He started to feel slightly annoyed that she was late, but checked himself. He had no idea what she had been doing before the lecture; she could have been in another class that ran late. Clearing his throat to return his focus to his work, he continued his introduction.

Dr. Grissom continued speaking, but Sara barely heard another word of his introduction. She was busy setting herself up for class; getting out her notebook and pen.

The introduction finally ended and the lecture began. Sara sat up straighter in her chair with her pen poised against the first page of her notebook; this was the part she had come to hear. As soon as Dr. Grissom began to speak, however, her focus was gone. She was completely mesmerized by the tone of his voice, the passion he infused into every word, and the extensive wealth of knowledge he possessed. He was, in a word, brilliant. She was certain that he could go head to head with any professor she had had in her educational career – either at Berkley or at Harvard – and come out on top. She could learn so much from him.

Suddenly realizing that she had missed even more information as she sat daydreaming, she grabbed her notebook. Her pen slid effortlessly across the page as she took notes in a linear, outline form. One thing that Sara prided herself on was her ability to take notes. She copied down practically every detail in an attempt to make sure that she would be able to recall everything later. This was yet another reason that she hated study groups – everyone always wanted to copy her notes.

Her notes had never been so detailed as they were that night. She wished that she could somehow record more than the words that Dr. Grissom spoke. He said so much with the expressions on his face, the movements of his hands and the inflection of his voice. They all added meaning and depth to the lecture.

Even without having a physical record of Grissom and his expressiveness, Sara was sure that she would never forget what he said. There was something about him … she knew she would never forget any of his lectures.

All too soon, the class drew to a close. Grissom smiled slightly as he noticed the students starting to shift in their seats, to pick up their pen caps and to close their notebooks. He glanced at his watch, even though it was more a formality than a necessity. The students always had an innate sense of when a class was scheduled to end; he merely needed to follow their lead.

"It would appear that that is all we have time for tonight," he said. "We'll pick up here on Thursday. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen."

A murmured "thank you" ran throughout the room as the students packed up their belongings. Grissom turned to the podium to organize his own notes and books before putting them back into his bag.

"Dr. Grissom? I have a question."

Grissom turned to look at the young man before him. He gave him an encouraging smile. "Of course. What is it?"

Sara sighed in frustration as she watched Tony monopolize Dr. Grissom's time. He always stayed at the end of class to ask the teacher questions, regardless of the fact that he rarely misunderstood anything. Tony was a professional kiss-ass, and knew that the best way to be on a teacher's good side was to ask intelligent questions.

All Sara wanted to do was to introduce herself and to apologize for being late. Now, Tony would talk to Dr. Grissom forever, and she'd be even later getting home.

Well …

Maybe this wasn't really about apologizing. Maybe she just wanted to talk to Dr. Grissom. Maybe she just wanted to speak to the man she considered to be one of the most intelligent speakers she had ever heard. Maybe she hoped that she'd have the chance to pick his brain. Maybe the more time that Tony spent talking and the more time that she spent waiting, the less confident she was becoming.

Maybe she needed to calm down.

Grissom answered Tony's questions good-naturedly, impressed that the young man had managed to pick up on so many of his more subtle points. This one would be an excellent student.

Glancing past Tony as what he presumed to be the last of the students left the room, Grissom noticed that Tony was not the only one with a question. Another student, this one the young woman who had come in late, sat at one of the desks, waiting her turn to speak with him. Her long legs were crossed as though she were prepared to wait as long as necessary, but her pen drummed a fast tattoo against her notebook, suggesting that she was not the most patient person in the world. Grissom found himself wanting to hurry Tony along, but he knew that he could never rush a student.

"Okay," Tony said at last. "I think I've got it. Thank you so much, Dr. Grissom. You really cleared that up for me."

"It was my pleasure," Grissom replied. "I'll see you on Thursday."

"Right," Tony agreed. "Good night."

As Tony made his way out the door, Grissom turned his eyes on Sara.

A jolt of electricity shot through her as they made eye contact for the first time. She just stopped herself from jumping. In order to buy herself some time to calm down, Sara took her time slowly and methodically capping her pen. She stood and crossed to where Dr. Grissom awaited her.

"Hi," she said, pleased that her voice did not come out as the high-pitched squeak she had feared. "I'm Sara Sidle."

Grissom smiled at the young woman and offered his hand. "Hello, Sara Sidle. I'm Gil Grissom."

A second jolt of electricity shot through Sara as she shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said.

"And you," he replied. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to apologize for coming in late," she said. "My roommate and I had a bit of a problem with dinner … our pizza was late …" She trailed off, feeling her face heat. "That is probably the lamest excuse I've ever given, but it's completely true."

Grissom smiled. "Well, I appreciate your honesty. Just don't let it happen again, all right?"

"I won't," Sara promised.

When she made no move to leave, Grissom raised an eyebrow. Did she have a question? Expect him to continue the conversation? He didn't know what to do in situations like this. Catherine was right. He was socially backward. He finally settled on a safe question. "Did you enjoy the lecture?"

"Oh, yes!" Sara exclaimed. "This is truly fascinating … I had never realized that this world existed."

"Forensics, entomology or both?"

"Both, I guess," she replied. "Well, I mean, I knew that they existed, but I had never considered studying them. But, truly … I'm very interested now."

"What are you studying?"

"Physics," she replied promptly.

He nodded. "An excellent field."

"I suppose," Sara said, doubting her choice in major for the first time. As much as she loved physics, there was something about forensics that called to her.

"It is," Grissom assured her. "I'm sure your background will make all that we discuss during our classes a bit easier to follow."

"That's encouraging," Sara smiled. Realizing that she truly had nothing else to say, or at least no power to phrase the thoughts running through her head, she smiled again. "Well, I just wanted to apologize," she said. "I should be going."

"Thank you for taking the time to apologize," Grissom replied. "Consider yourself forgiven."

"Thanks," she smiled. "And, thanks for the lecture. I really enjoyed it."

"You're welcome. I'll see you on Thursday, Sara."

"See you then," she replied.

She collected her things and made her way out of the classroom, feeling a bit giddy. This man had managed to spark her interest in his field after only one class. What did the rest of the seminar hold?

Grissom smiled to himself as he watched her leave. Sara seemed like a very sweet girl. She was obviously a very eager student; she had to be very bright to make it as a physics major. Between Sara and Tony, he was sure that this seminar would keep him on his toes.
Looking back years later, Sara had no idea how she made it home that night. Her mind was completely occupied with the last hour and a half, and all that she had learned. A new interested had jumped into her mind, and she didn't know how to process it quickly enough. She didn't remember walking across the dark campus or arriving at her apartment. The first thing she remembered was opening her front door and walking inside, still in a daze. She dropped her keys on the table strictly out of habit, and slowly made her way into her home.

"Hi, Sara!" Mary called from the living room. "How was your seminar?"

"Oh, man," Sara said, collapsing onto the couch. "Amazing."

Mary raised her eyebrows. "Forensics are that interesting?"

"Mm-hm."

She looked at her closely. "Sara, I know that you're a science geek, but even you never get this excited about a class. What aren't you telling me?"

"No, really, it was that interesting," Sara said earnestly. "You wouldn't believe everything that I learned … he knows so much …"

"Who knows so much?"

"Dr. Grissom."

"The teacher?"

"Yes."

Mary's eyes widened. "Sara. Are you telling me that you have a crush on your teacher?"

"No!" Sara exclaimed. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I haven't seen you this excited about a class since intro to philosophy sophomore year."

Sara laughed. "Oh, come on. Everyone had a crush on Henry."

"Well, he was a great TA," Mary laughed.

"But this has nothing to do with that," Sara insisted. "It's not like that. I mean, I don't even find this guy physically attractive. He's just … brilliant."

"Brilliant?" Mary repeated.

"Yes."

"Okay. Tell me about him."

Sara raised an eyebrow. "You agree that I don't have a crush on him?"

Mary shrugged. "If you say you don't, you don't. But, you're obviously enamored with the class. I want to hear all about the man who's teaching it."

"I don't even know what to say," Sara replied slowly. "He's brilliant. I'd love to pick his brain."

Mary rolled her eyes and smiled tolerantly. "You truly are a geek. What girl starts a description of her crush by talking about how smart he is?"

"I thought we had established that I don't have a crush on him?"

"Right," Mary agreed. "That was just a random commented based on the fact that you always have gone for smart guys."

"You don't need to say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's not!" Mary exclaimed. "Ugh, I'm making a mess of this. Let's try again. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me about him?"

"He's nice," Sara replied. "Understanding. I guess … sort of handsome."

Mary grinned. "There's my Sara. Always saving the physical description for last."

"Maybe I'm not as shallow as you," Sara teased. "Besides, like I said, I don't find him physically attractive. He's just …"

Mary smiled, ready to save her roommate. "He sounds great, Sara." She paused and looked at Sara cautiously. "Just … don't go changing your major yet, okay?"

"I never said I was planning to change my major."

"Believe me, it was implied in every word."

Sara laughed, her face flushing slightly. "So I find forensic science interesting. I'm a science geek; you said so yourself. Repeatedly."

"Just … be careful, all right?" Mary said gently.

Sara looked at her with a slight frown. "Be careful? What do you mean?"

Mary smiled gently. "I think you know what I mean," she said softly.

"Mary," Sara said. "I. Do. Not. Have. A. Crush. On. My. Teacher."

"Of course, you don't," Mary said in a rather placating tone.

Sara rolled her eyes. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Because I know you better than you know yourself," Mary replied. She sighed. "But, I'm willing to live in denial with you for as long as it takes."

Sara had a hard time falling asleep that night. Her mind was still buzzing with all she had learned during the seminar. Even as she reviewed all the facts that had been presented, Mary's accusations floated around the back of her mind. She rolled over, punching her pillow into a more comfortable position.

"I do not have a crush on him," she told herself. "I just don't. He's so much older than me … he's not even that cute! Well, he does have pretty eyes … and he doesn't really look his age … whatever that might be …"

She could feel heat creeping across her face and neck and knew that they were turning red, even though no one was there to observe her embarrassment. She turned her face into her pillow.

"He's just a brilliant teacher and an excellent speaker," she whispered. "I'm going to learn about forensics from him. That's all. That's all I want, and that's all that's going to happen."

Having convinced herself of her feelings, she rolled over and tried again to fall asleep.

"Mary! I'm leaving for my seminar!"

"Wait!"

Sara stopped with her hand on the door, listening to the sounds of the water at the kitchen sink stopping. Mary came running into the foyer.

"I need to tell you something."

"What?" Sara asked.

Mary smiled. "Look, I know you have this crush on the teacher and all, but I swear, if you come back here with a new major tonight, I will beat you with the thickest book in my collection … and you know how many anthologies I have."

"I do not have a crush on my teacher!" Sara laughed. "And, I am not going to change my major."

"You have been to one, I repeat, one lecture in this seminar, and forensics are all you've talked about since then. I'm a little concerned."

Sara's smile widened. "I won't change my major tonight."

"Sara Sidle!"

Sara laughed again. "Just let me go, Mary. I promised Dr. Grissom I wouldn't be late again."

"Heaven forbid I come between you and Dr. Grissom," Mary laughed. "I'll see you later, Sara."

"Bye."

Sara felt like she could have skipped across the campus. She was so excited to go to another class with her new favorite teacher. She decided against skipping, but made it to the lecture hall in record time. Trying to make sure she didn't have a goofy grin on her face, she slowly opened the door to the classroom.

Despite her quick pace, she wasn't the first one there. There weren't that many students in the room yet; she had a wide selection of desks. She chose a seat toward the front of the room, and opened her bag to pull out her notebook and pen.

"Hello, Sara."

Sara felt a nervous blush sneaking across her cheeks as she looked up at Grissom. "Hi, Dr. Grissom," she said with a slight smile.

Grissom smiled back. "I'm glad to see that you could make it on time today."

"I made a bit more of an effort," she replied. "I wouldn't want to break my promise."

"You are a woman of her word," Grissom smiled. He glanced at his watch. "We'll begin in just a few minutes."

Sara nodded and reached for her bag. "I'd better get ready, then."

"Yes … I should do the same."

She stole a glance at him as he prepared for class, watching the way his eyes seemed to notice everything. She wondered if he had learned to be a careful observer because of his field, or if that was a trait that he had always possessed.

As he had during the first class, Grissom kept a careful eye on the time. He began his lecture as soon as his watch turned to seven.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said. "How are all of you tonight?"

A general murmur ran throughout the room.

"I'll take that as a 'fine,'" Grissom said. "Tonight, I'd like to discuss using entomology to construct a timeline for use with a crime scene …"

Again, Sara's pen raced across her paper as he spoke, trying to capture as much information as possible. Her mind felt like it was in over-drive, working to keep up and absorb all the new knowledge that Grissom offered. A slight frown crossed her face from time to time as she made a connection between two points or was confused by something. She wrote questions in the margins of her notes, hoping to stay after class to discuss some of the finer points of the lecture with the teacher.

Grissom watched all the students carefully as he spoke, but his eyes kept moving back to Sara. He had already noticed during their first meeting that she was a very pretty girl, but watching her during a lecture was a new experience. Her face told the story of what went through her mind; judging by her expressions, she was getting more out of this class than he had hoped any of his students would. He hoped that he would have the chance to talk to her after class. He wanted to see if she would tell him what she had learned.
Again, the students signaled to Grissom when the class should end. Again, he dismissed them right on time. Again, Tony remained to ask him several questions on key points. Again, he was impressed by the young man's grip of science. Again, Sara sat at her desk, waiting for her turn to speak with the professor.

For the first time, he was excited to have the chance to speak with her.

Sara grew more and more frustrated as she waited for Tony to end his conversation with Dr. Grissom. She was afraid that she would forget her questions by the time her turn came to speak with him.

Finally, Tony left and Grissom turned his blue eyes on her. He gave her a smile.

"May I help you?"

"Yes," Sara said at once. "I had some questions about what you said tonight."

"All right," Grissom said, sitting down at the desk next to hers. "Ask, and I'll try to answer them for you."

Sara nodded, and flipped to her first page of notes for the evening. Grissom looked down at the organized notes and raised his eyebrows.

"You take copious notes."

Sara smiled, flushing slightly. "I'm a good listener," she said. "I try to write down everything I hear … it makes it easier to recall lectures later."

"An excellent habit," Grissom commented. "Tricks to help us recall events are invaluable in forensics."

"Yes, I suppose they would be," Sara agreed.

"Now, let's hear your questions."

Sara scanned through her notes quickly, and began asking her questions. Grissom patiently answered them, giving her a far more thorough understanding of the evening's topics than any other student.

He was floored by her. Sara was, in a word, brilliant. He was sure that she could go head to head with any CSI in his lab – some of the most intelligent science minds he had ever known – and come out on top. This girl had an amazing ability to get to the heart of a matter, and, judging by the line of questioning she was employing, to continue on until all her questions were answered and curiosities satisfied.

He truly felt that he could discuss this with her forever. Her mind was quick enough to keep up with his in-depth explanations, and her questions made him think like few other things did.

Sara was thrilled by the consideration he gave her. She had never expected him to give her such detailed answers. She had expected even less that he would take such pleasure in answering her questions. He spoke as though she were the most interesting person in the world, and her questions were the most thought-provoking he had ever been asked. His interest in her questions made her ask even more, leading them to a very detailed discussion about entomology and forensics.

Neither of them realized how long they had been talking until a janitor came into the room. He gave them an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, folks, but I have to lock up the building," he said. "The coffee shop will still be open for a few hours, if you need somewhere to continue your tutoring session."

"That's fine," Grissom said. "I think we were about done, right?"

"I think so," Sara said, looking at all the new notes that she had scribbled in the margins of her original notes. "I can't think of any other questions right now."

"Well, if you do, bring them to class on Tuesday," Grissom said.

Sara nodded. "Thank you so much, Dr. Grissom. I really appreciate all the time you spent with me on this."

"It was my pleasure," he said.

They packed up their things silence. Sara was done first. She looked at him uncertainly, wondering if she should wait so they could walk out together. He glanced up at her.

"Good night, Sara," he said.

"See you Tuesday," she replied.

He nodded, and she took her leave.

This time, she nearly danced back across the campus. She had never found a class so … exhilarating ... before.

Maybe Mary was right. Maybe she did have a little crush on her teacher.

She giggled to herself as the thought went through her mind. For some reason, she found it utter ridiculous … yet, at the same time, utterly perfect.