Gerri sat curled into the corner of her couch, staring intently at the TV. As many times as she had watched the movie, she never got over it. She wondered what her psychology professor would say if she told him that she was cheering for the bad guy. She laughed it off as she watched the characters on screen. She was so intent on the movie that the doorbell nearly scared her out of her wits. Thumbing the pause button in the remote, she grumbled as the previously quiet beagles ran for the front door, baying and paws skittering on the hardwood. She followed them, peering out the stained glass windows that stood on either side of the door. To her surprise, Grissom stood on the front porch, just shy of the welcome mat. She unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door.

"Good morning, Gil. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" she grinned as Frank slid past her leg, jumping excitedly against Grissom's leg.

"Would you believe I was in the neighborhood?" he replied, bending slightly to pet the beagle. Daisy leaned forward from the threshold to sniff at Gil's pants.

"No, you live on the other side of town, unless you moved recently." she grinned, "Care to come inside?"

"Thank you. Truthfully, I wanted to talk to you, Gerri." Gil said, stepping out of the mid morning sun and into the cool interior of Gerri's home. He removed his sunglasses and slid them into a coat pocket. "Nice house."

"Thanks." Gerri shooed Daisy outside and closed the front door. "Craig insisted I take it in the divorce. Unusual, I know."

A nod from Grissom as she led him down the hallway and into the dim living room. She waved him to take a seat as she settled back into the corner of the couch. Grissom took a seat in the overstuffed chair that sat catty-corner from her corner of her couch. Grissom opened his mouth to say something but she held up her hand, stopping him.

"One rule, Gil. I get to finish watching my movie first."

Grissom looked at his watch, then at Gerri, who was smiling and waving the remote. "Okay. By the way, what are we watching?"

A grin spread across her face as she unpaused the DVD. A man onscreen stood holding a limp woman in his arms, surrounded by what looked like wild boars. "Hannibal."

*****

"This is really going to hurt, you know." came Hannibal Lecter's voice from the TV. Gerri leaned forward slightly, gearing up for her favorite scene from the movie. Grissom watched her out of the corner of his eye, noticing as she tensed up. She really seemed to enjoy this movie, especially the interaction of Hannibal and Clarice. He wondered what about the relationship, or lack thereof, attracted her so much to the film. She giggled a few minutes later as Hannibal fed a piece of brain to a little boy on the plane. She looked over to Grissom, grinning madly as the movie came to an end and the credits began rolling.

"I always wonder after I watch this movie, what my psychology professor would say if I told him that I was going for the bad guy." she told him, turning off the TV and turning to face him, leaning on the couch arm. "Surprised?"

"You always surprise me Gerri." Grissom replied, not really disturbed by her revelation.

"Typical Grissom. I'm holding to my promise, you said you wanted to talk."

He shifted slightly in his seat, looking at Gerri, who had her head laying on the arm of the couch. She looked nothing like the intense woman that he had dated nearly ten years earlier. Yet, at the same time, the same intensity burned in her eyes. Outward appearances had changed, but her spirit hadn't. "We got results from the blood test."

Her head shot up as she pulled herself into a more attentive sitting position. "Damn, Gil. Did it match anyone?"

"Father Thomas."

Her eyes narrowed as she slipped into thought. "The quiet one. He was the one in the shadows when we were talking with Father Dominick. Quiet, unassuming, no one notices him. He's young, they all see him as a kid." she smiled grimly. "How did he know McKnight and Blake?"

"He was their marriage counselor. Brass went over to St. Patrick's to make the arrest, but Father Thomas has disappeared."

"He ran?" she grabbed the remote and turned the TV back on, flipping through the channels until she found a midday news program. Sure enough, the story was on the news. It was the same reporter on scene at St. Patrick's as before. Gerri muted the sound, looking at Grissom. "Anything else?"

"Not at the moment. Warrick and Sara are going to go over his office again this evening."

"Good. Maybe that'll give us an idea where he went. Something tells me that Father Thomas didn't go too far. He's probably still somewhere in Vegas." she shook her head.

"There is something else that I wanted to talk to you about, unrelated to work." She looked up, attention focused fully on Grissom.

"And that is?" she prompted.

"I was thinking about what you said to me last night, about Sara. I was wondering what you would think if I asked her out to dinner."

Gerri looked aghast and began to clutch her chest. "You're kidding right? Gil Grissom goes out to dinner of his own avail? Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she giggled and grinned at him.

"Yes, I feel fine, Gerri. Thank you for your concern. Are you finished?"

"Yes," she sighed, hushing her giggles. "Hey, this is a good thing Gil. Really. Stop giving me that look like you don't believe me. I'm proud of you, Grissom. Have you asked her yet?"

"This morning before we left. I think I sounded like an awkward teenager."

"You never really outgrew that Gil. You're not exactly the most social creature in the world. As for what I think; it doesn't matter what I think. I don't own you Gil, or Sara." she paused, and let the grin slip into a warm smile. "Go have fun, maybe something good will come of it."

*****