Sara resumed unpacking the box of Christmas ornaments, rummaging through the various colours of tinsel. 'I'd say we go for silver and blue tinsel,' she thought to herself, pulling it from the box.
Grissom had his back turned and was leaning over the boxes containing the 'secret' presents, mentally cataloguing the gifts as he removed the labelled lids. "I'm not really into Christmas decorations. I just know that blue and silver are beautiful together," he said, turning around upon hearing her chuckle. "What?" he asked nonchalantly.
She held her hands up with the blue and silver tinsel dangling from her fingers. "Great minds think alike," she deadpanned.
"Right," he grinned at her and took the tinsel from her hands, throwing it in the tree.
"Hey," she frowned at him when it landed on the floor. "That belongs in the tree," she grumbled. She froze when he walked to where she was standing, invading her personal space. She looked at him with wide eyes as he reached out to touch her hair.
"You were saying?" he teased lightly, as he pulled a small piece of tinsel from her hair. "In the tree, Sara?"
"Oops," she grinned sheepishly.
They went back to unpacking the remaining decorations, hands occasionally touching and hips bumping. Neither of them felt the need to apologize, both of them knowing they liked the closeness. It was only a matter of time before they took the next step.
They worked in a comfortable silence, with Grissom selecting the ornaments and Sara hanging them in the tree.
Half an hour later, the tree was nearly decorated and it looked gorgeous. Various glass and plaster figurines were hanging everywhere. There were angels, babies and even a few Santa's.
Sara backed away from the tree, wanting to admire their work. She didn't see Grissom standing behind her, and bumped into him. Without thinking, he loosely put his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he breathed into her ear.
Sara swallowed and fought back the urge to turn around and kiss him. She leant back into him and felt his arms pull her closer. "It sure is," she said softly, placing her hands over his. She let out a squeak when he rubbed his cheek against hers and elbowed him in the ribs. "Get rid of it or I'll do it myself," she said adamantly.
Grissom backed away from her. "As interesting as that offer sounds, I'd rather do it myself if you don't mind," he said.
Sara turned around and gave him a cool look. "Don't you trust me?" she asked sweetly.
"With my life," he replied seriously. "Just not with my beard."
"You afraid I might shave too much off?" she grinned at him.
"It's nothing personal. I just never trusted anyone else to shave me," he replied, equally amused.
"I'll make you a deal," she offered. "You let me shave your beard and I'll let you shave my legs."
"You're nothing but a shameless flirt, Sidle," he replied, his cheeks much pinker than usual.
"You gotta admit though, you're thinking about taking me up on my offer," she said, eyes twinkling at him.
Grissom smiled shyly and picked up one of the presents. "Shall we do the honours of hanging the gifts in the tree?" he asked the younger CSI, trying to change the subject before things got out of control.
"Cool," Sara said excitedly.
"You're beginning to sound more and more like Greg," he said with a raised eyebrow.
"And you get grumpier each day," she teased.
"I'm not grumpy," he said defensively.
"I was kidding Grissom, will you just loosen up?" she slapped his arm.
He passed the first box to her and she gasped when she saw what it contained. Sara took out a glass Cupid, which was holding a big heart in his hands.
Grissom watched her as she stared at the statue, not making a move to place it in the tree. "What's wrong?" he asked, taking a step closer to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.
She swallowed hard. "It's beautiful," she said softly, silently hoping the Cupid was for her.
"Not as beautiful as you," Grissom said honestly, his voice barely above a whisper. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but he found it harder and harder to hide his true feeling for the beautiful woman that was Sara Sidle. She made the walls around his heart melt little by little.
Sara blinked a couple of times, before she was able to catch her breath again. She looked at him with wide eyes, not really believing what she had just heard.
Grissom caught the uncertain look in her eyes, and gently put his hand on her cheek. "You didn't dream it, Sara."
"Thank you," she nuzzled his hand with her cheek and smiled lovingly.
"You're welcome," he took the statue out of her hand. "Shall we?" he asked, dropping his hand from her cheek. He took a small iron wire from his desk and turned it around Cupid's heart, cautiously hanging it in the tree.
"It's gorgeous," said Sara, eyeing it from a distance, an adoring look on her face.
"Yes it is," said Grissom softly, looking at her and not the ornament. He turned and bent down to pick up the next box. He let out a small chuckle. "You've got to be kidding me."
"What?" Sara said, as she approached him and peered inside the box. She grinned and put her hand inside. From her index finger dangled a pair of black boxers, covered with tiny blinking Santas. "I bet these are for Greg."
"No assumptions, Sara," Grissom gently reminded her.
"I can't help it if this looks like something Greg would wear," she defended herself.
"How would you know?" He tried to keep the jealous undertone out of his voice, but he failed miserably.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she smiled sweetly. Even if she had heard his jealousy, she didn't say anything about it.
"Whatever." Grissom took the blinking boxers from her hand and hung them in the tree. "I wonder whose ridiculous idea this is," he mumbled.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped at him. "One minute you're all sweet and nice, and the next minute you make me wanna strangle you," she dropped the box she was holding and walked to the door. She stopped and spun around when she felt his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he said as he met her angry glare.
"So you keep saying, Grissom. I could really do without that misplaced jealousy of yours," she mumbled through clenched teeth.
He was biting his lower lip and took a step closer to her, gently cradling her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. When he pulled her into his arms, she stiffened and pulled back. "Sara?" he asked, confused by her reaction.
"You can't solve everything like this," she gently reminded him. Her features softened as she saw the hurt look in his eyes. "We need to talk, Grissom."
Grissom pursed his lips together. "I care about you Sara, don't ever doubt that. It's just that…" he paused, swallowing hard. "I'm just not very good at this and I don't want to ruin what we have."
"Neither do I," Sara mumbled softly. "But it's like you're taking one step forward, and two steps back. It's confusing, Grissom," she exclaimed.
"I know that's what I'm doing, but I can't help it. You're going to have to be very patient with me," he offered honestly.
"I am, Grissom. But you need to learn to relax around me, or it'll do more damage than good," she added.
"I'm sorry," he said once again.
"Stop being sorry for once," she said gently. "I know you're sorry, and believe me, I appreciate it. But your constant jealousy isn't winning you any points."
"I'm not into winning points. I just want to be honest with you," he took a step closer to her.
"How about being honest with yourself for once?" she said openly.
"I could try doing that," he offered, a smile playing around his lips. He hesitantly took one of her hands in his, cradling it between his. "We're still okay?" he asked unsurely.
"We're still okay," she answered calmly. She flinched a little when he gently kissed her forehead, but immediately relaxed when she saw the mischievous look in his sparkling blue eyes.
Sara picked up the box she had dropped earlier, and looked at the contents. "You're not gonna believe this," she said, giving Grissom a full-fledged grin.
He stood behind her, peering over her shoulder. "That looks like something Greg would buy," he replied, offering her a lopsided grin.
"No assumptions, Grissom," she reminded him in return.
Sara was holding an altered version of Miss Liberty in her hands, wearing nothing but a small bikini. She hung it in the tree and proceeded to the next box.
Grissom took out another pair of blinking boxers. On them, it looked like the giant beetles were bobbing their heads. "I kinda like those," he smiled.
"They're pretty cool," Sara agreed. "But you can't have them now," she smiled at him, while taking the next box. They were clearly for him and she grinned as she watched him hang them in the tree.
"Wow," Sara suddenly exclaimed. "I've been wanting a pair of these since I was a kid."
"A pair of what?" he turned around, and Sara was wearing a pair of pink sunglasses. "Aren't those Dame Edna's glasses?" he asked curiously.
"You know Dame Edna?" she asked surprised.
"Sure. She's quite a phenomenon," he said with a grin on his face.
The next box revealed a silver chain with a small glass angel. Sara took the gift out, and was left speechless. She softly traced the angel with her fingertips, a smile on her face. "This is beautiful," she said in an emotional voice. "Who ever bought this has great taste."
"I agree," Grissom bobbed his head. 'And that person cares deeply about someone,' he added mentally.
Sara carefully hung the chain in the tree, admiring its beauty. She had her back to Grissom, and failed to notice the loving smile he had on his face. His grin turned wider when he saw her dreamily watching the gift. This had indeed been one of Greg's better ideas.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Grissom had his back turned and was leaning over the boxes containing the 'secret' presents, mentally cataloguing the gifts as he removed the labelled lids. "I'm not really into Christmas decorations. I just know that blue and silver are beautiful together," he said, turning around upon hearing her chuckle. "What?" he asked nonchalantly.
She held her hands up with the blue and silver tinsel dangling from her fingers. "Great minds think alike," she deadpanned.
"Right," he grinned at her and took the tinsel from her hands, throwing it in the tree.
"Hey," she frowned at him when it landed on the floor. "That belongs in the tree," she grumbled. She froze when he walked to where she was standing, invading her personal space. She looked at him with wide eyes as he reached out to touch her hair.
"You were saying?" he teased lightly, as he pulled a small piece of tinsel from her hair. "In the tree, Sara?"
"Oops," she grinned sheepishly.
They went back to unpacking the remaining decorations, hands occasionally touching and hips bumping. Neither of them felt the need to apologize, both of them knowing they liked the closeness. It was only a matter of time before they took the next step.
They worked in a comfortable silence, with Grissom selecting the ornaments and Sara hanging them in the tree.
Half an hour later, the tree was nearly decorated and it looked gorgeous. Various glass and plaster figurines were hanging everywhere. There were angels, babies and even a few Santa's.
Sara backed away from the tree, wanting to admire their work. She didn't see Grissom standing behind her, and bumped into him. Without thinking, he loosely put his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he breathed into her ear.
Sara swallowed and fought back the urge to turn around and kiss him. She leant back into him and felt his arms pull her closer. "It sure is," she said softly, placing her hands over his. She let out a squeak when he rubbed his cheek against hers and elbowed him in the ribs. "Get rid of it or I'll do it myself," she said adamantly.
Grissom backed away from her. "As interesting as that offer sounds, I'd rather do it myself if you don't mind," he said.
Sara turned around and gave him a cool look. "Don't you trust me?" she asked sweetly.
"With my life," he replied seriously. "Just not with my beard."
"You afraid I might shave too much off?" she grinned at him.
"It's nothing personal. I just never trusted anyone else to shave me," he replied, equally amused.
"I'll make you a deal," she offered. "You let me shave your beard and I'll let you shave my legs."
"You're nothing but a shameless flirt, Sidle," he replied, his cheeks much pinker than usual.
"You gotta admit though, you're thinking about taking me up on my offer," she said, eyes twinkling at him.
Grissom smiled shyly and picked up one of the presents. "Shall we do the honours of hanging the gifts in the tree?" he asked the younger CSI, trying to change the subject before things got out of control.
"Cool," Sara said excitedly.
"You're beginning to sound more and more like Greg," he said with a raised eyebrow.
"And you get grumpier each day," she teased.
"I'm not grumpy," he said defensively.
"I was kidding Grissom, will you just loosen up?" she slapped his arm.
He passed the first box to her and she gasped when she saw what it contained. Sara took out a glass Cupid, which was holding a big heart in his hands.
Grissom watched her as she stared at the statue, not making a move to place it in the tree. "What's wrong?" he asked, taking a step closer to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.
She swallowed hard. "It's beautiful," she said softly, silently hoping the Cupid was for her.
"Not as beautiful as you," Grissom said honestly, his voice barely above a whisper. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but he found it harder and harder to hide his true feeling for the beautiful woman that was Sara Sidle. She made the walls around his heart melt little by little.
Sara blinked a couple of times, before she was able to catch her breath again. She looked at him with wide eyes, not really believing what she had just heard.
Grissom caught the uncertain look in her eyes, and gently put his hand on her cheek. "You didn't dream it, Sara."
"Thank you," she nuzzled his hand with her cheek and smiled lovingly.
"You're welcome," he took the statue out of her hand. "Shall we?" he asked, dropping his hand from her cheek. He took a small iron wire from his desk and turned it around Cupid's heart, cautiously hanging it in the tree.
"It's gorgeous," said Sara, eyeing it from a distance, an adoring look on her face.
"Yes it is," said Grissom softly, looking at her and not the ornament. He turned and bent down to pick up the next box. He let out a small chuckle. "You've got to be kidding me."
"What?" Sara said, as she approached him and peered inside the box. She grinned and put her hand inside. From her index finger dangled a pair of black boxers, covered with tiny blinking Santas. "I bet these are for Greg."
"No assumptions, Sara," Grissom gently reminded her.
"I can't help it if this looks like something Greg would wear," she defended herself.
"How would you know?" He tried to keep the jealous undertone out of his voice, but he failed miserably.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she smiled sweetly. Even if she had heard his jealousy, she didn't say anything about it.
"Whatever." Grissom took the blinking boxers from her hand and hung them in the tree. "I wonder whose ridiculous idea this is," he mumbled.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped at him. "One minute you're all sweet and nice, and the next minute you make me wanna strangle you," she dropped the box she was holding and walked to the door. She stopped and spun around when she felt his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he said as he met her angry glare.
"So you keep saying, Grissom. I could really do without that misplaced jealousy of yours," she mumbled through clenched teeth.
He was biting his lower lip and took a step closer to her, gently cradling her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. When he pulled her into his arms, she stiffened and pulled back. "Sara?" he asked, confused by her reaction.
"You can't solve everything like this," she gently reminded him. Her features softened as she saw the hurt look in his eyes. "We need to talk, Grissom."
Grissom pursed his lips together. "I care about you Sara, don't ever doubt that. It's just that…" he paused, swallowing hard. "I'm just not very good at this and I don't want to ruin what we have."
"Neither do I," Sara mumbled softly. "But it's like you're taking one step forward, and two steps back. It's confusing, Grissom," she exclaimed.
"I know that's what I'm doing, but I can't help it. You're going to have to be very patient with me," he offered honestly.
"I am, Grissom. But you need to learn to relax around me, or it'll do more damage than good," she added.
"I'm sorry," he said once again.
"Stop being sorry for once," she said gently. "I know you're sorry, and believe me, I appreciate it. But your constant jealousy isn't winning you any points."
"I'm not into winning points. I just want to be honest with you," he took a step closer to her.
"How about being honest with yourself for once?" she said openly.
"I could try doing that," he offered, a smile playing around his lips. He hesitantly took one of her hands in his, cradling it between his. "We're still okay?" he asked unsurely.
"We're still okay," she answered calmly. She flinched a little when he gently kissed her forehead, but immediately relaxed when she saw the mischievous look in his sparkling blue eyes.
Sara picked up the box she had dropped earlier, and looked at the contents. "You're not gonna believe this," she said, giving Grissom a full-fledged grin.
He stood behind her, peering over her shoulder. "That looks like something Greg would buy," he replied, offering her a lopsided grin.
"No assumptions, Grissom," she reminded him in return.
Sara was holding an altered version of Miss Liberty in her hands, wearing nothing but a small bikini. She hung it in the tree and proceeded to the next box.
Grissom took out another pair of blinking boxers. On them, it looked like the giant beetles were bobbing their heads. "I kinda like those," he smiled.
"They're pretty cool," Sara agreed. "But you can't have them now," she smiled at him, while taking the next box. They were clearly for him and she grinned as she watched him hang them in the tree.
"Wow," Sara suddenly exclaimed. "I've been wanting a pair of these since I was a kid."
"A pair of what?" he turned around, and Sara was wearing a pair of pink sunglasses. "Aren't those Dame Edna's glasses?" he asked curiously.
"You know Dame Edna?" she asked surprised.
"Sure. She's quite a phenomenon," he said with a grin on his face.
The next box revealed a silver chain with a small glass angel. Sara took the gift out, and was left speechless. She softly traced the angel with her fingertips, a smile on her face. "This is beautiful," she said in an emotional voice. "Who ever bought this has great taste."
"I agree," Grissom bobbed his head. 'And that person cares deeply about someone,' he added mentally.
Sara carefully hung the chain in the tree, admiring its beauty. She had her back to Grissom, and failed to notice the loving smile he had on his face. His grin turned wider when he saw her dreamily watching the gift. This had indeed been one of Greg's better ideas.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
