A/N: I was going to wait until the weekend to post because I'm supposed to be writing my other story (which I am doing, don't fret!) but...you've been very good to me and there doesn't seem to be much GSR to read at the moment. I hope you continue to enjoy.

"You seem a bit edgy," Grissom said as he quietly slid inside the Mercedes besides Sara.

"Do I?" Grissom smiled, nodding slightly and Sara grudgingly lifted a shoulder, turning on the seat to face him. She took a breath and his hand in hers, and nervously played with his fingers. "I'm surprised you're not more so yourself."

"What, edgy?" he asked. To which she nodded. "Is this too much for you?"

"What?"

"This," he said, lifting their joined hands. "The hand holding, the kissing…I-I've not done this before and I'm-"

"Me neither."

He looked down toward their hands, stilling her fingers. "I'm not so good at all that stuff, you know, dating."

She lowered her head until she made eye contact. "Me neither," she said. "That's not what's troubling me. This…is just perfect. No, I can't help thinking…" she paused, her gaze flicking to the car lot around them.

"That someone might see us?" he prompted. And cut the dream short, he almost added.

"Aren't you?"

"I guess." He shrugged. "We could always say we bumped into each other."

His comment raised a giggle. "Literally?"

Grissom conceded the point with a crooked smile. "We'll just have to make sure that when we do go out we go somewhere no one will see us."

Sara's brow furrowed. "What do you suggest? Dark cinemas? Some secluded place out in the desert?"

"My place?" he chanced.

A smile tugged at Sara's lips. "Or mine?"

"To be honest, Sara I haven't thought that far ahead. I'm still getting used to the idea that this is simply happening."

"Wondering how we got here?"

"Oh, yeah," he conceded softly. "I can't promise we'll be like other, more conventional couples. For one, the job's going to get in the way. Then, there'll be no romantic dinners on the Desert Princess or in fancy restaurants, no trips to the shops walking hand in hand or-"

"I know. And that's fine. I expect that. I do. There can be no other way. It's-" Sara stopped short, suddenly averting her eyes to her lap.

"What is it, Sara?" he asked with concern. "What were you going to say?"

She shrugged and met his gaze. "It's more than I could ever wish for," she said quietly. "I keep thinking my bubble's going to burst at any moment or that my alarm clock's going to ring or worse, my cell, and it'll be dispatch cutting this beautiful dream short."

Grissom nodded, lapsing into a thoughtful silence. "I can promise you this isn't a dream, Sara." He shifted and leaned his right arm over the passenger seat's headrest, stroking the tip of his fingers to her hair. "I don't want the bubble to burst either but we've got to be realistic." Sara nodded, her face looking serious. "But I want us to try to make this work…despite the obstacles."

"And there are many."

"And there are many. Work is going to complicate things."

"Not if we don't let it," she argued. "We just need to keep our professional and personal lives separate." His smile was doubtful. "We could have rules," she added uncertainly.

We could work with rules, his inner voice said. We've had stringent rules our whole life.

"Rules?" he asked.

Sara lifted her shoulder in shrug and she smiled mischievously. "Yeah, like…no touching in public, ever."

"Not even accidentally?" Grissom exclaimed. "Like let's say…if we were at a crime scene and I was to pass you my pot of red creeper and my hand unintentionally lingered over yours?"

Smiling, Sara shook her head. "Not even then."

He lifted their joined hands, his face in a pout. "No holding hands?"

Sara shook her head again, her smile widening. "No holding hands."

He pressed a kiss to the tip of her fingers. "No kissing?"

Sara swallowed. "Definitely no kissing."

I have never desired a woman more than I desire you now, he thought, his heart bursting with love.

Tell her.

Swayed by the intensity of his feelings, he leaned forward a little, his expression turning solemn, the gaze of his darkened blue eyes locking on hers. "Not ever?" he asked in a barely audible whisper.

Sara shook her head, her eyes mirroring his deep yearning. "Not e-"

Grissom surged forward and captured her lips into a searing kiss before she could finish her word. Dropping her hand, he shifted on the seat and took her head into his hands, deepening the kiss. Sara let out a low moan of pleasure and brought her hands up to the back of his head, pulling him closer still, her fingers raking through his curls as she desperately tried to satiate her need for him. When they eventually pulled apart, they were panting and laughing with disbelief.

God, she makes me feel alive! "Come on," he said, grinning. "Let's go."

They had been in the car five minutes when Sara asked, "What made you change your mind?"

He smiled, instinctively knowing what she was referring to, and flicked his gaze from the road to her. "About doing something about this?"

Understanding the allusion Sara replied, "Yeah," with a slight purse of her lips.

The question hung between them for a long moment while Grissom negotiated a tricky left turn before he replied, "Honestly? I don't know." His lips twisted into a small smile as he watched the road. "Okay, well, maybe I do know but I'm not telling you."

"You're not going to tell me?" she asked with surprise.

"Nope." He threw her a cheeky wink. "I think some secrets are best kept private."

Sara sulkily pursed her face at him, her gaze narrowed but she didn't probe further.

Grissom was making the turn off Sahara toward his street when she asked hesitantly, "We're…going back to your house?"

"Sure," he said, keeping his eyes on the road. Then he turned a cheeky grin toward her. "You said you wanted to meet Charlotte," he shrugged easily, "She lives with me."

Sara did a double take, her eyes widening in fright. "She what?"

Returning his eyes on the road, he repeated softly, "She lives with me."

"I thought you said-Stop the car!" she instructed unexpectedly.

Grissom's head whipped round, his smile vanishing. "What?"

"You heard me. Stop the car now!"

What's happening? his inner voice asked, panicking. What have you done?

I haven't done anything, Grissom lamented helplessly.

You must have said something!

I didn't!

There was a pause. Maybe that's the problem.

"This is a mistake," Sara was now saying. "I should never have trusted you. I should have listened to her."

"Her?" Grissom was looking more and more befuddled. "You're not making any sense, Sara. Listened to whom?"

"Stop the car now," Sara repeated firmly. "What do you take me for?" she continued in a mumble, turning away from him to hide her emotion. "I'm no other woman. I'm no bit on the side. Been there, done that, got the damn T-shirt."

Grissom's face was a picture of disbelief. "Sara, you got this all wrong!"

"I can't believe you're asking me to enter into some kind of…twisted ménage-à-trois. Stop the car! Stop it now and let me out!"

Grissom slammed on the brakes, jerking them both forward abruptly. "Ménage-à-trois?" he squealed in disbelief. "Jesus Christ, Sara, what do you take me for?"

Sara was struggling to keep her composure. She had her hand on the handle, her shoulders shaking, ready to bolt.

Grissom checked his mirrors and manoeuvred the car to the side of the road. He cut the engine and turned toward her.

Do something before it's too late, his inner voice panicked. If you let her go she's never coming back. Fix this! Kiss her, goddamnit! Kiss her!

Grissom kept his cool. "Sara, honey, listen to me," he said in a pleading tone, his hand on her shoulder, coaxing her round. "You got this all wrong."

Sara turned a menacingly dark look on him. "How?" she said. "She called your house phone yesterday. She called your house, HOME, Grissom. Hell, she called you 'Gil'!" She paused, her bosom heaving. "Gil, for goodness sake."

What the hell is going on? "Listen, Sara," he said. "I don't know what you think you know but you totally got the wrong end of the stick. Charlotte can't have called my house yesterday."

"No? And how do you explain her voice on your machine, huh?"

Tell her, you doofus. "Sara, Charlotte's… not a woman. She's female all right, but not a woman. And believe me, I do know the difference!"

Sara looked far from convinced. "You're telling me Charlotte's not the voice on your machine?"

Grissom shook a slow head and leaned across to make eye contact. "No, she's not."

But Sara couldn't keep it together any more. She brought her hand to her face as her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably.

Oh, look what you've done now. You've made her cry.

And yet, something in her behaviour told him it wasn't as straightforward as that. There was no hysteria in her voice, no tears, no… Hang on a minute! Grissom thought. Could she be…?

"Sara…" he said in a warning tone.

Knowing she was rumbled, Sara immediately stopped the pretence, and burst out into uncontrollable laughter. "I'm sorry," she said, laughing. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist."

Grissom threw her a 'it's not that hilarious' look.

She pinched her lips in a futile attempt at stopping laughing. "Secrets are best kept private," she mumbled to herself, mimicking in his tone. "I don't think so."

Gob smacked, Grissom could only gape at her in disbelief. Oh, this is how it's going to be, huh? Well, two can play that game, Miss Sidle. Without another word, he turned the key in the ignition, checked his mirrors and pulled out.

"You should be watching the road, not me," Sara said as he stopped at the next intersection.

"I was thinking of the best way to get my own back," he said broodingly. He arched a brow. "Did I detect…a little jealousy, then?"

"Maybe," she reluctantly conceded with a pout. "Just a little. Well, you're not supposed to have a private life, Grissom, are you? It's common knowledge."

"Is that what you think? That I have no life?"

"Well, no. I-I didn't say that. But you know…when do you get the time?"

Grissom snorted in disbelief. "I make time, Sara," he said a little disparagingly before letting out a sigh.

Sobered up, Sara gravely nodded her head. "I'm sorry. I-I'm just…a little on edge about all this us. It's a big deal for me."

"It's a big deal for me too, honey. Believe me." Sara nodded her head, looking down to her lap. "Sara," Grissom said, reaching out a hand to hers. "There hasn't been a woman in my life for years. Not like that anyway. And certainly not one that matters." He sighed, lifting his hand to her face, and gently brushed his thumb over her cheek. "I'm sure I can make a little time for us in my busy schedule."

The playful pout was back. "Just a little?"

Grissom smiled. "I can't believe we've had our first argument already. It's been what?" He checked his watch. "Two hours?"

"We've argued before," Sara countered.

"As supervisor/subordinate, sure. But not as boyfriend/girlfriend."

"Is that what we are?" Sara asked, gasping. "Boyfriend, girlfriend?"

Grissom shrugged. "Is…that what you'd like us to be?"

Sara turned her head and smiled, her eyes shining with delighted pleasure and adoration. She didn't need to reply, the answer was plain to see. "Come on," she said, "let's go home."

Grissom was pulling into his drive when he said, "Come on ask me. I can tell you're dying to."

"Ask you what?" she asked.

"Her name," Grissom said over-dramatically. "The woman on the phone yesterday. The one who calls me…Gil."

Sara pursed her lips in mock-annoyance. "And your house, home?"

Grissom nodded, conceding the point. "And my house, home." Sara remained silent. "Her name's Pammie," he said quietly. "And the rumours flying around the lab are correct. I am seeing her Sunday night but she doesn't live here with me. And no, she's not my girlfriend...or a horse," he added, pinching his lips in amusement.

"You heard?"

He nodded. "I appreciate you speaking up for me, though." His expression turned serious. "Pammie's a fellow racer and I know she'd love to meet you."

"She knows about me?"

Grissom nodded. "Yep. She knows all about you."

Sara lit up like a proverbial Christmas tree, his words visibly hitting the right spot.

Good work, Gilly! his inner voice congratulated. You did good. Now, kiss her.

Grissom did just that. And as they parted, he said, "Remind me to have a quiet word with Greg, will you?"

Sara smiled mischievously. "No. Don't. Let him think you have a girlfriend. It might work to our advantage and could be a lot of fun."