AN: Thanks for the reviews, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 11: Getting to know him

Later that night

Once they had their breakfast, they went to the ballroom to attend the conference, which was the last day of it, then a few hours after the lunch break the conference was concluded, and once they made the rounds again, Sara and Grissom agreed to have dinner again, but this time she insisted that she wanted to change, so after saying bye to the Vegas team and Will, they headed for the elevators that would lead them to their own rooms.

As the Vegas team watched Sara and Grissom walk away, Nick asked with a smile. "Ok, do we smell or something, because we can't seem to get those two to come out with us."

They had offered to pay for dinner tonight, and of course the pair politely declined.

Will chuckled, then once he saw the elevator closed, he looked at the group. "No, it's just been a year since they seen each other."

Without mentioning the whole drama behind it, which wasn't his place to say anyways, he decided to get right to the point, and technically what he said wasn't a lie anyways, it was just in a different context.

As realization came to the team after Will had said that, they all smiled before Catherine spoke. "Good for them then, in our line of work you sometimes feel there isn't enough love in the world."

They all nodded in agreement before Will cleared his throat. "Well, I'm still up for dinner, and how about it's my treat?"

They all smiled a little wider as Warrick commented. "Free food, I could go for that."

They all chuckled as they headed towards the exit of the building.

30 minutes later

Now changed in a suit with a nice dress coat, Grissom was standing in front of Sara's hotel room, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door.

A few seconds later the door opened, and Sara came in view, wearing a blue dress with medium-sized straps that went down to her knees, a slightly low cut in the front, light on the make-up and her hair was up nicely.

It took a Grissom another moment to speak. "Wow, you look beautiful." Then he smiled. "Of course, you already established you look beautiful in anything that you ware."

She shyly smiled. "Thank you." Then she stepped back so he could come in, and as she closed the door, she continued after clearing her throat. "This isn't my normal attire, but I wanted to dress up a little bit more for you."

He was really touched and showed that with his eyes, but he also wanted to make sure she knew that she never had to change into anything she wasn't comfortable in, which Sara was also grateful for his words, but assured him she was fine before complimenting him on his attire.

He shyly smiled as he whispered. "Thank you."

She just nodded with a smile, and after a long moment of just looking at one another, Sara cleared her throat again before speaking as she was heading for the end of the bed. "I just have to get my shoes, then we can..."

Before she finished, Grissom's cell phone rang in his pocket, so he pulled it out, opened it and said his usual greeting once it was at his ear. "Grissom."

A girl's voice on the other line chuckled. "I'm not a colleague, dad."

Grissom chuckled with his eyes sparkling, then after holding up a finger to Sara, which she nodded, he turned towards the balcony door and slipped outside.

"Hi sweetheart, are you ok?"

Ashley's smirked. "Does something have to be wrong for me to call?"

"Of course not, I just thought you would be too busy to spare a second of your time to call me, I thought I would have to call you later."

"To answer your question, nothing is wrong, I just miss you and wanted to hear your voice."

"That's very sweet, and I miss you too."

"So, everything ok on your end?"

He knew there was much to tell her, but he certainly wasn't going to tell her over the phone, this conversation needed to be said face to face, so he just told her how he felt in this moment.

"Everything is great, perfect even."

Ashley laughed again before replying. "Perfect? It must be some conference."

When he replied again, it wasn't the conference part he was thinking of. "It is." Then he took a breath and finished. "And I'll tell you about it when I get home."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah you will. I love you."

"Love you too dad, I hope you enjoy your evening and night, and tell Uncle Will I said hi too."

"I will tell him, and you too enjoy your evening and night."

"Bye, dad."

"Bye, sweetheart."

He pulled his phone from his ear, closed it and placed it back in his pocket as he looked out towards the Vegas lights.

A few seconds later, he hears Sara's voice behind him. "Everything ok?"

He turned around and gave her a smile and said the same words he told Ashley. "Perfect."

She smiled in return, but because she wasn't on the phone when he said that to her, she could see something in his eyes, so she asked in a concerned tone as she stepped fully out of the balcony and stopped in front of him. "But?"

He nodded and took a breath before replying. "I have to tell her about you, about us."

Sara nodded in agreement, then asked after clearing her throat. "Do you think there will be a problem?"

He shrugged a little as he answered. "Honestly, I don't know." He sighed before finishing. "I mean don't get me wrong, she's seen me go out on a few dates before, but that's all they really were, nothing lasted beyond a couple of times with the same person."

Sara took a breath as she started saying softly. "And I'm..."

Grissom cuts her off with a smile as he took her hand. "More than just a date to me."

She couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed as she cupped his cheek. "And you are more than a date to me too." He brings her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her as she wrapped her arms around his waist, and after a sigh from the both of them, she smirked, but was completely serious. "Wow, did we just get hit with a reality bomb."

He couldn't help but chuckle a little and nod, then he pulled back and cupped her cheek again before replying in a comforting tone. "Outside of walking away from us, I'll do everything I can to make her see that this a good thing, but she might need a little time to get use to this, so when it comes to you two meeting we should take it slow."

"I agree." Then she gets a little teary-eyed again. "I just don't want her to feel that I'm taking her place."

He ran his thumb up and down her cheek for more comfort. "And you're not, you're only giving me another layer of happiness in my life."

She smiled brightly. "Good to know."

He smiled in return and brought her back into his arms so he could just hold her for a little bit longer.

Several minutes of comfortable silence passed them by before Sara spoke softly. "I think I changed my mind."

Trying to hide his nervousness on what she was talking about, he whispered. "About?"

She pulled back and gave him a reassuring smile, feeling a little tension in him, no matter much he tried to hide it. "Relax, I just meant for dinner. Can we stay in tonight?"

He gave her a concerned look. "Are you ok?"

She nodded with the smile still on her face. "I'm good, I just don't want to share you with the world tonight, especially in that suit."

He shyly smiled, making her chuckle, then he whispered. "I should have been the one to say that to you."

She smirked next. "Then I guess great minds think alike."

He nodded before speaking a little sadly. "Although, I hate to think you bought that dress for nothing."

She smirked again. "Oh, as much as I spent on it, it will definitely be worn again, you can count on that."

He just chuckled, then a second later he held out his hand and said softly. "Well, before you change into something else, it should be useful for one thing tonight. Dance with me?"

She smiled as she placed her hand in his. "Out here? We don't even have music."

He brought her closer to him and wrapped his other arm around her waist as he whispered in her ear. "We don't need it."

If this was any other man she would think it was a smooth line, but with Grissom, she knew he truly meant it. Besides he was right, they didn't need the music, so she kept eye contact with him as their feet started moving in rhythm, like one, there was music playing, and two, like they've been doing this for years.

About ten minutes later while her cheek was against his chest as they held one another close, he whispered again. "There is something I think you should know."

Feeling something shift between them, they stopped their feet before she pulled back and looked in his eyes, seeing a little uncertainty in them, so she squeezed his hand as she replied. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

He hadn't planned on telling her this when they were just getting started, but Sara trusted him enough to share the biggest secret of her life, and he should do the same. Of course, providing they are as long term as he wished, she would eventually know part of it, like Sheila, Will and Ashley, but there is more to it, that not even Ashley knew.

He nodded before telling her. "My mom, she's deaf and it's hereditary. It's not a forgone conclusion that I will become deaf too, but there is a chance, and while there is a surgery for it, there is no guarantee that it will work."

There was a moment of silence, which Grissom was a little worried on what that meant, then she sighed in relief as she released him and walked to the railing of the balcony to look at the Vegas lights. "Damn Griss, I thought you were about to tell me you are dying or something. Don't scare me like that."

"Sara, you do underst..."

She cuts him off as she turns to look at him. "That something may or may not happen in the future that you can't control, yeah I understand." He stepped closer to her and was about to speak, but she continued in a more confident/determined tone before he could. "And if you expected me to walk away after telling me this, then you'll be very disappointed. I'm not going to, which I hate to admit this, but pine away for you for a year, then get this close just to walk away when you tell me you're not 'perfect' after all." Then she had tears in her eyes as she cupped his cheek, close to his ear so she could move her thumb up and down it as she finished. "But I know that you are, because deaf or not, you're already perfect for me."

Grissom got a little misty as he asked with his voice cracking a little. "Really?"

She chuckled with a nod. "Yes, really." Then she wrapped her arms around his neck as she finished. "You're not getting rid of me that fast."

He just smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist before he explained. "Me telling you what I did, wasn't me trying to make you walk away from me." As she saw the truth in his eyes, he finished. "You told me something major that happened in your past, and I felt that you needed to know something about my future."

She corrected him softly. "That might happen."

He nodded. "Yes."

They placed their foreheads together with a content sigh as they closed their eyes, enjoying the closeness, then she started to laugh a little, so he pulled back and opened his eyes before asking with a small smile. "What?"

She shook her head before replying. "It's just we know these major things about one another and we haven't even had our first kiss yet."

"True, but isn't that how friendships start?"

She smiled warmly. "As much as I love being your friend, I want..."

Grissom cuts her off with a nod. "I know, me too."

She looked at his lips for a few seconds before whispering while looking into his eyes. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Feeling the air between them shift again, and while he looked into her eyes, he said the most honest thing he could say in this moment. "I'm afraid if I start, I may not want to stop."

Knowing what he was talking about, and with her racing, she asked. "And who's asking you to?" After a pause, he was about to speak, but she placed a finger to his lips to stop him as she continued. "I know what you are thinking, you want to wait for that perfect moment, where no one has to leave the next morning, but face it Griss, that's how this relationship is going to be for awhile, only visiting a few days at a time between months, and I fully accept that, but can you honestly tell me you can wait for that perfect moment?" When he looked down, she finished with a comforting tone. "Let me put it another way, if you're hesitating because you're not ready and want to wait, then ok, I respect your decision, but..." She trials off for a second so she could lift his chin up and look into his eyes. "If you are hesitating because you think I'll be hurt, then I assure you, I will be just fine, just as long as we don't take 10 steps backwards afterwards."

He shook his head and took her hand. "I wouldn't do that to you."

"Then we'll be ok." She leaned toward him and kissed his cheek before whispering in his ear. "I'll be inside to give you a little space from temptation while you make a decision."

When she pulled back, they share a warm look before she slipped her hand out of his and walked inside, shutting the sliding door behind her as an internal war within Grissom was going on.

AN: Find out next chapter if he'll give into temptation. Please Review.