Disclaimer: Please refer to Chapter one. I'm just not creative enough to think of something new for each chapter...


A/N 1 – Okay, I must admit, I'm not a vegetarian, but I am not a fan of meat. It's strange, I know, and people make fun of me for it. I think it's because I'm lazy and I hate cutting anything. My weak spots are a steak about once a year, a hamburger about once a month, and for some reason I love meatloaf. Oh, and, cheese is a horrid weakness of mine. I don't like fish – of any kind. I quite possibly could be a vegetarian, but I'm too lazy to change. I'm just lazy... and cheap. Meatless things are more expensive that meat itself.

Anyway... back to why I started telling you this: a note about the last chapter. I have never had tofurky, but it does intrigue me. I know of two people who have tried it. One adored it, while the other abhorred it. I have no idea where to get it, and buying something like that over the internet... well, it just plain scares me. I think I need to take up residence in a more cultured area of the US.

A/N 2 – Thanks for your continued support. You reviewers are awesome. I love hearing from you. I do hope you're enjoying yourselves so far and will continue to do so until the end.


Kiss And Tell


It was a gorgeous night, stars out in all of their glory. They stood on the balcony that was part of the restaurant at Mandalay Bay. Together, they stared up at the sky waiting to be called inside and be seated at their table.

"Mmm..." Sara hummed, brushing her shoulder against Grissom's shoulder.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked rhetorically, placing his arm around her waist.

"I'm so excited my boss gave me tonight off so you and I could spend the evening together and actually go out on a date." Sara case a sideways glance at him. "He's a really nice guy sometimes."

"I hope that's in a platonic sense. I don't want to have to be jealous of him."

Sara's response was cut off abruptly by the shrill ringing of Grissom's phone. She frowned in serious disgust as he pulled it out, never checking the Caller ID and answered it. Her mind was filled with the possibilities of the romantic evening cut short.

"Grissom."

"Gil, it's Jim. Swing's tapped out, and we've already called in Grave early. We've got a double homicide with your name all over it." He neglected the pleasantries and got right to business.

"Tapped? What happened this evening?"

"We've got two single DBs – one in a parking garage, and one in the parking lot behind Hard Rock Café, a B&E somewhere in suburbia, a trick roll at the Palms, a missing person from the high school, a rape/murder in the park, a double at the Luxor, and the double for you on Mesa Vista Ave."

"That's behind Mandalay Bay, right? I'm close by. I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll call Sara in to back me up." He clicked the phone shut abruptly after Brass gave him the specifics.

Sara turned to face him, encircling his neck with her arms. "Bad night, huh?"

"I'm sorry, honey. There're two DBs that need our attention." Grissom heaved an exaggerated sigh.

"It's not your fault – It's the job. You don't honestly expect me to be upset, do you?"

"I know you were looking forward to tonight. I was, too. We haven't even had a chance to eat, yet." He paused, looking very apologetic. "I'll drop you at the lab so you can pick up the kit from my office and use one of the SUVs, and I'll drive over to the scene. You can meet me there."

HR

"Gil," Brass called out to him, seeing his friend walking up the sidewalk to the front door of the house, "it's so good to see you this evening." Taking in Grissom's appearance in a suit, Brass whistled.

"What do we know so far, Jim?" Grissom ignored the reference to his attire.

"Some dimension of Hell has unleashed untold demons on our fair city," he joked.

"That's nothing new. So, tell me what is new."

Brass opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short when he saw Sara, crime scene kit in hand, striding up the path Grissom had just walked. Sara Sidle was wearing a dress – a short black dress which showed off her legs. Brass found himself staring until Grissom cleared his throat.

"Did I miss the memo on crime scene attire for the month?" Brass finally asked.

Grissom turned to face Sara. "That's not exactly fitting for a crime scene, is it, Ms. Sidle?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, scrutinizing her appearance from head to toe.

"I could say the same for you. Anyway..." Sara did her best at looking perturbed. "You didn't ask me where I was, what I was doing, or what I was wearing when you informed me my presence was necessary. You merely said to get here, so here I am."

"Do you have something to change into?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I didn't plan on needing anything other than this when I left the house, thank you very much. I can look in the Tahoe if my dress is bothering you." She smiled bitterly.

"Tahoe?" Grissom was working hard at feigning ignorance.

"I got dropped off at the lab to pick up the Tahoe. My car is still at my apartment. You said it was urgent. So, I assumed time was off the essence and didn't bother to go home for anything... Do you have a problem with that? Because... I'd be more than happy to go finish my date." Sara continued acting agitated.

Brass perked up at the word date. "That's what happened. You two caused this circle of Hell we've been transported to."

"As long as you can process in that," Grissom said, ignoring Brass's comment, "you can wear anything you please."

"Thank you for your approval, Dr. Grissom. Now, that that's settled, let's get to work."

Brass had watched the unusual banter with an amused smirk. He was not completely sure what he was watching, but somehow it did not seem strained... almost flirtatious. Sara brushed past the two men and walked through the front door of the house. Both watched her disappear through the doorway before either moved.

Before Brass was able to utter a word, Sara walked back outside the door. "Where are the bodies?" she asked with a frown.

"Out back – by the pool. Husband and wife were having a romantic interlude out there when things went south. Both peacefully sipping cocktails in lounge chairs, and boom, someone with a gun interrupts the party." Brass flashed her a devilish smile. "Looks like date night went awry... in more ways than one."

"Anyone have a pair of shoes I can borrow? These heels are killing me," Sara remarked while walking back down the path towards them, pulling her strappy shoes off as she went.

Grissom regarded her coolly for a moment. "I believe I had a pair of tennis shoes in my car." He held out his hand expectantly towards her.

"What?" Sara asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm taking your shoes as collateral," Grissom replied flatly, brandishing a lopsided grin. "You can't fault a guy for making sure his belongings are secured, can you?"

Reluctantly, Sara handed the shoes over, earning a chuckle from Brass. He was sure right at that moment that what he was seeing was flirting. The only thing confusing the detective was the semi-coldness coming from Grissom. The CSI supervisor was hiding something.

After Grissom returned with the shoes, Sara immediately recognized them. Not hard to do when they were her own shoes – the shoes she had been missing for about a month. The glare she gave Grissom would have withered flowers. Grissom merely shrugged and showed nothing other than his usual poker-faced façade.

Brass, against all the training he had ever received, misinterpreted the glare. "Women's shoes, Gil? Secret life we don't know about?"

Grissom responded with a trademark glare of his own. His lips pursed in agitation that was not a front. "Jim, don't you have someone to interview?"

Sara stood and shivered against the cool breeze that blew across her bare shoulders. Brass looked at Sara a moment longer, gauging her readiness to be alone with Grissom. Feeling the sting of the comment from moments ago, Brass took his cue and left the two CSIs to walk together to the backyard to work the scene.

A short while later, having found nothing new to report, Brass found himself wandering towards the back of the house where the CSIs were huddled together. He stood in the shadows, looking on with interest as they processed everything fluidly. Sara was doing her best at making it look easy to process a crime scene in a dress, and a short dress at that. At least it was not a long dress that hindered her movements, but hunkering down to pick up a piece of evidence in a dress barely hitting her knees required elegance that no one knew Sara Sidle possessed.

Brass saw Sara shudder slightly again. The wind had taken on a mildly bitter chill with the time approaching midnight. He deliberated over walking to his car to see if he had a spare jacket in there. He stopped contemplating that thought when he saw Grissom remove his suit jacket and hold it out for Sara to slip her arms inside. No words were exchanged, but there was a small smile of appreciation on Sara's face that Brass would have been remiss to miss.

The scene having been completely processed a few hours later, Sara began carrying the items to the SUV to store for the trip back to the lab. Brass walked gingerly over to Grissom as he was surveying the scene one last time. He stood silently beside his friend for a few moments, letting him store away the details of the case in his mind. When Grissom finally turned around, indicating it was time to leave, Brass frowned at the CSI.

"What?" Grissom found himself asking, looking the detective straight in the eyes. For a moment, Grissom hoped it was the case and not the slightly personal nature of the conversation of earlier that had the man vexed.

"You were at the same restaurant tonight," Brass stated, not mincing words. "That's how you knew that no one had called her in, yet."

"Your powers of deduction never cease to amaze me," Grissom merely responded, wondering whether he should ignore the detective's insinuation, offer a flippant remark, or outright deny the accusation.

"You know, Gil, we've been friends for a while... I only have one thing to say, and I'll let it go at that. If you're going to let yourself have a life outside of the lab, don't begrudge her having one either." He turned and walked away without another word.

Grissom studied the back of the detective as he walked away. Feelings of elation and disbelief at Brass's wrong assumption mingled together creating a cacophonous maelstrom of thoughts swirling around in his brain. He almost felt traitorous for deceiving his friends and coworkers... almost. When he saw Sara wink at him before climbing in the SUV, Grissom silenced the turbulent thoughts in his head.

At that moment, Grissom liked playing their unintended game. Outsmarting these trained individuals was actually kinda fun. He had worked with every one of these people and respected their insights and intelligence at catching the bad guys, but something about toying with their instinctive natures was invigorating. This was indeed the most enjoyable, albeit sometimes stressful, time in his life.

He winked back at the brunette. She was his little secret, and what a wonderful secret it was.


To Be Continued...