A/N: I know I kinda disappeared for a while, but real life got in the way big time and I had to deal with some pretty major issues. But life is so much less fun without my favorite fandoms, so I found the time to jump back into the story. Here's a little togetherness for you, as Allyson and Tim's relationship continues to grow :-)

Chapter 7: Making Plans

Tim stood in the laundry room in Allyson's house, bent over the washing machine throwing handfuls of dirty clothes into the tumbler. In went his shirts and Allyson's blue jeans, his socks and her slacks. He chuckled to himself, realizing how strange it was that washing their things together wasn't strange at all.

Just like our first kiss, he marveled. It feels perfectly natural for me to be doing our laundry while she hangs up the pictures we picked out together.

His thoughts were interrupted when he reached down for another handful of clothes and discovered one of Allyson's cotton nightgowns. Dropping the other articles, he held the light garment up by the straps, flashing back to the day of her attack. He had stood in the Layout Room at the lab in the same way, examining a similar nightgown for evidence of the man that had tried to kill her. She trusted me then to find him and make sure he got what he deserved.

A small smile developed on his lips as a new image formed in his mind, one of Allyson lying beside him in bed, his fingers trailing over the satin trim. And she trusts me now with a lot more.

"Hey Tim…c'mere a minute," he heard her call from the living room.

He quickly stuffed the rest of the laundry into the machine and dumped in a cupful of detergent, turning the dial and lowering the lid. When he reached the living room, his eyes automatically searched for Allyson. "What's up?"

She was standing on a kitchen chair in front of the far wall, a hammer in one hand and a box of nails at her feet. "Do these look okay here?" she asked, stepping down carefully to avoid the nails.

His gaze lingered on her as she approached him, his smile returning as she looped her arm through his. Flicking his eyes back to the wall she'd been working on, he asked, "Those the pictures we bought the other day?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded. "What do you think?"

"I like 'em there," he told her sincerely. "You've got good taste."

She grinned in response. "In pictures and in men." Tim shoved his hands in his pockets as the color began to creep into his cheeks, and Allyson laughed lightly, patting his chest. "See? So cute." Leaning up and kissing him, she then released him to gather up her hammer and nails, changing the subject as she moved. "You know, my kids at school reminded me that Thanksgiving is coming up."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, following her across the room and picking up the chair she had been standing on. "Your kids reminded you? Because you didn't remember."

She flashed him a smirk. "Of course I remembered—they're just very excited for the time off and keep bringing it up in class."

"So," he replied, carrying the chair back to its place in the dining room, "do we have plans yet?"

She smiled softly, opening the hall closet around the corner where she kept her tools. He said "we" without even thinking about it. "I figured we should talk about it together."

"What do you normally do?" he asked, taking the nails and hammer from her and placing them on the shelf she couldn't reach.

"Amanda sometimes comes over and we cook dinner, watch football," she told him, leaning against the wall. "What about you?"

He leaned against the same wall, his dark lashes sweeping over his cheeks. "Work," he answered, exhaling slowly. "Delko's mom usually feels sorry for me and sends him over with a plate of food," he chuckled. "But otherwise, I'm at the lab."

"What about this year?"

He took her hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "I took the day off."

Her smile lit up the hallway. "So turkey and football here?"

Sliding his arm around her shoulders and leading her back to the living room, he dropped down onto the couch and pulled her close. "Just the three of us?"

"Unless there's someone else we should invite," she replied, relaxing against him. "Eric, maybe…or Alexx…Horatio…Calleigh?"

"Calleigh?" he snorted. "After the way she behaved at Delko's party?"

"She has every right to be upset, Tim," she told him. "We even planned on people not reacting well to me because I was the victim in one of your cases, remember?"

He pressed his lips together. "Yeah, but I didn't think it would be one of my friends," he explained quietly. "She knows me well enough to know that I might push the envelope sometimes, but I would never do anything to jeopardize a case or the lab."

"Maybe she does know that," Allyson responded, playing devil's advocate. "Maybe she was just shocked at seeing me out with you."

Tim frowned. "Maybe, but I don't think Thanksgiving dinner is the time to find out. Or for her to find out that we're together now."

"Good point," she conceded. "What about the others?"

"Eric's family has their own celebration," he answered, "but he might come over to watch the later football game, since you and Amanda will be watching it. Alexx has her husband and kids…but I don't know about H. He might be having Thanksgiving with Yelina and his nephew or he might be alone."

"Would it be weird having your boss over?" she wondered.

He tilted his head to one side, his cheek coming to rest against her hair. "For some people, I'm sure it would be."

"But it's different at the lab, isn't it?"

He didn't say anything for a moment, allowing his mind to process her words. Then, "I'll ask him tomorrow when I see him."

"And you'll—"

"—call as soon as I find out," he chuckled.

"I have to know how much food to buy," she defended lightly. "And besides, I'm a planner," she laughed, patting his leg. "It's in my DNA."

He smiled in return, kissing her hair and squeezing her shoulders. "I know."

She was quiet for a moment, enjoying the feeling of Tim so close to her, before she spoke again. "You think we should tell them about us?"

"Tell who?"

She shrugged. "Anyone…everyone, I don't know. I'm thinkin', though, that whoever is over for Thanksgiving is going to figure it out."

I'll be the one to give it away, he thought sheepishly. As soon as they see the way I look at you, they'll know. Aloud he replied, "True. But—"

"—we don't need to go completely public," she finished with an understanding nod. "Especially around the lab."

"It's not that I'm ashamed," he added quickly, making sure to catch and hold her gaze. "It's just no one's business but ours."

She smiled reassuringly. "I know—you're all about the low profile. And it makes sense. Why go looking for trouble?"

"Yeah," he agreed, running his fingers gently over her shoulder. "So close friends only?"

Allyson grinned, picturing Amanda's enthusiastic reaction to the news. "Sounds good to me."

The next day, Tim stood in the Fingerprint Lab with Eric lifting some thirty sets of prints for their most recent case. Their conversation hovered mainly around work items, but as the lifting and scanning rolled on they turned to more personal subjects.

"So how's Allyson doing?" Eric asked, a sly smile on his lips.

Tim kept his head down when he answered, his eyes trained on the tape-lifter in his hands. "She's good."

"Just good?" Eric persisted.

Tim carefully folded the lifter shut before gazing pointedly at his friend. "Were you expecting something else?"

Eric chuckled, going back to the eyeglasses he was working on. "I just know you've been spending a lot of time with her since my party."

"Yeah, well," Tim drew in a breath and let it out slowly, "you tend to do that when you're seeing someone."

"You two are…you're together?" Eric stuttered.

Tim raised an eyebrow at him. "You sound surprised," he deadpanned. "And here I thought you had me all figured out."

Eric's smile returned. "I'm surprised it took you this long," he tossed back. "I thought you two would have gotten together before now." He watched his colleague pick up a wallet and reach for a fingerprint brush, then decided to go for it and ask the question that had immediately jumped into his mind. "So, how serious are you?"

Tim laid down the wallet and brush, folding his arms across his chest and lowering his eyes. "It's not…" He pressed his lips together, his forehead wrinkling as he tried to come up with the right words. "It's not just dating," he managed. "But I don't know what else to call it.

"What does she think?"

A tiny smile formed on Tim's lips at the memory of his bedtime discussion with Allyson. "We talked about it—decided we'd just be together."

"Just be together?" Eric repeated skeptically. "What exactly does that mean?"

"It means," Tim glared, "that I care a lot for her, and she feels the same way about me. It means we're together…that she's my—"

"Speed." Both men turned to find Horatio standing in the doorway, looking expectantly at them. "Can I have a word?"

"Sure H." With a glance at Eric, Tim nodded and turned toward his boss, meeting him at the door. "What's up?"

"Well I came to ask about the Toritti case, but I think there's something else we need to talk about first," Horatio responded, a bit of fatherly concern in his voice.

Tim nodded again. "Allyson."

"Allyson," Horatio agreed.

"You overhead me and Delko talking?" When Horatio confirmed that with a nod of his own, Tim continued, "So you know how I feel about her."

Horatio frowned in thought. "I think I do, yes." He paused a moment, carefully choosing his words just as Tim had done. "But, uh…is it really a good idea, the two of you?"

Tim immediately became defensive. "We're not doing anything wrong!" he insisted quietly, trying not to draw the attention of two techs walking down the hallway.

Horatio stepped further into the Fingerprint Lab and closed the door, mindful, too, of prying ears. "No one is saying you are…"

"Look," Tim interrupted, remembering all too well how Calleigh had reacted to Allyson, "nothing improper happened while the case was open, and Aaron Polanski agreed to a plea, so he has no right to appeal. I'll never have to testify, so there's no conflict of interest."

Horatio noted the vehemence with which his subordinate spoke. "You've thought this through."

"Hundreds of times," Tim affirmed. "I don't want to jeopardize Ally's case or the reputation of this lab, H, but I'm not going to just stop seeing her, either."

"Okay, no one's asking you to," Horatio responded gently. "I just want to make sure you know what you're doing—" Tim opened his mouth to speak, but the older CSI held up a hand to stop him, "—and it's very clear that you do."

His last phrase seemed to calm Tim. "I do…we do."

"And you really care about this girl?"

The small smile returned to Tim's lips. "Yeah." He let that hang in the air a moment, then remembered the plans he and Allyson had discussed. "In fact, we're having Thanksgiving together."

Horatio smiled gently, seeing the affection in the younger man's eyes. "That's great, Speed. That's great."

Tim relaxed visibly, having encountered none of the resistance he was expecting. "And, actually, Ally and I were thinking you might want to join us…y'know, if you don't already have plans."

"You're inviting me to Thanksgiving dinner?" Horatio asked softly.

"Yeah."

His smiled widened. "I'd love to, Speed, but, uh…I do have plans."

Tim saw the light in his supervisor's blue eyes and drew his own conclusion. "Family," he replied knowingly.

"Family," Horatio echoed. After a brief pause, he shifted subjects back to the matter at hand. "So tell me about the Toritti case."

Tim gave him an update on the work that he and Eric had accomplished, sending him on his way to chase down a new lead with the detectives. Turning back to where Eric was still dusting, he lowered his chin and stepped up to the table. "That invitation goes for you, too."

"What?" Eric asked innocently.

"Don't pretend like you didn't just listen to that entire conversation," Tim scolded. "I know your family has their thing, but Ally and I thought you might like to come watch the game after dinner."

Eric laughed. "You're watching football?"

Tim decided to ignore his tone. "Ally's watching football."

The smiled remained on Eric's face as he reached for a lifter. "I knew I liked her."

When he had a few minutes free, Tim flipped open his phone and hit the speed dial number he'd reserved for Allyson, smiling his patented small smile when he heard her voice.

"Hey," she answered cheerily. "You still at work?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Doesn't look like it's gonna be real late tonight, though, so I should be at your place before you go to bed."

"Good," she told him softly. "I don't like trying to sleep alone—I miss you too much when you're not here."

His smile grew the tiniest bit and his brown eyes shone. "I know, I miss being there." He allowed his mind to settle on the image of Allyson lying in his arms for a moment before bringing himself back. "Oh, and I, uh, asked H about Thanksgiving."

"Is he coming?"

Walking down the hallway at that moment was Eric, and, spotting Tim, he moved toward the open door to let his friend know about their next assignment. He halted, though, just inside the door when he realized Tim was on the phone.

Tim shook his head even though Allyson couldn't see him and answered her question. "No. He's got plans with his brother's family. But Eric said he'd come by when he got a chance."

"So there'll be four of us," she calculated.

"And you can start planning dinner," he teased, "and stop planning our anniversary, or whatever you're working on."

Eric didn't hear Allyson's reply, but he was startled by Tim's statement. I know he's just joking with her, but he's talking about their anniversary? That means he's thought about them having an anniversary. He cleared his throat, realizing his friend didn't know he was there, and gestured that he had something to share. Turning away to try and give Tim some privacy for his good-bye, Eric smiled. There goes my clubbing partner!