Grissom and Sara walked slowly back to the hotel. Grissom's arm was wrapped around Sara and her head lay against his shoulder. They walked along in silence, merely content to enjoy the closeness of each other. When they reached the hotel, Grissom removed his arm from Sara's shoulder, and held the door open for her. Their eyes locked for a few seconds, and Sara smiled gratefully at him. In the lobby, she started removing her gloves, but she was stopped by a soft hand on her arm. Grissom had already removed his own gloves and scarf, and had tucked them into his jacket pocket. He put his bag containing his new jacket on the floor, and tenderly removed Sara's gloves, his eyes staying on her beautiful face. He discarded her scarf and put them in his bag, opening Sara's jacket and taking her hand in his.

Once they were in the elevator, Grissom still didn't let go of her hand. Again, they didn't feel the need to talk to each other. Every unspoken word was now out in the open. Grissom silently steered her towards his room. He let go of her hand to take out his key card, and she immediately missed his warmth. He guided her inside his room with his hand on the small of her back, and closed the door behind them. Grissom put his hands on Sara's shoulders and turned her around. He removed her jacket, and placed it on the couch, putting his on top of it. Sara turned to stare out of the window, her back to Grissom and her arms crossed over her chest.

He watched her from a close distance as her eyes roamed over the scenery outside. He could see her reflection in the window and he smiled at the content and peaceful look she had on her face. He approached her from behind, and met her smile in the reflection. He put his chin on her shoulder, and put his arms around her waist. "I love you, Sara," he breathed in her ear, watching her smile grow broader.

She turned her head towards him. "I believe you," she spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "And I love you too. More than anything in this world," she gently brushed his lips with hers.

Grissom caressed her jaw line with his forefinger, while gently brushing his lips over hers. Soon the gentle kiss turned hungrier. Grissom traced Sara's lips with his tongue and she opened her mouth under his passionate touch. Sara snuck her tongue out, and as soon as she met Grissom's, she moaned. Tongues danced around each other and hands started caressing backs. While Sara was rubbing circles on his lower back, Grissom was hungrily devouring her mouth. They stayed like that for several minutes until they both pulled back, breathing heavily, trying to catch some air.

Sara laid her forehead against Grissom's, still breathing rapidly. Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other. "Wow," Sara breathed, as she put her head on his shoulder.

"That doesn't even come close to covering it," he managed to mumble, putting both of his arms around her slender frame, and pulling her closer to him.

Sara lost herself in his gentle and warm embrace. "I could say like this forever," she whispered softly as she pulled away from him and sat down on the couch. "Do you think we should talk?" she asked bluntly.

"About?" Grissom raised his eyebrows in confusion, and sat down next to her and took her hand in his.

"Us," she blurted, not meeting his eyes.

"Us," he repeated, still not following where she was going. "I thought we talked about everything," he said.

Sara chuckled nervously, as she played with his fingers. "Um," she stuttered as she looked at Grissom shyly. "There are some things we still haven't discussed," she explained.

Grissom creased his brow in frustration. "I'm not sure," he started, before it dawned on him what Sara was trying to say. "Oh," he lowered his head, trying to hide the redness that started to creep over his face. A finger under his chin caused him to look up again and he was met by Sara's grinning face. She was clearly amused at his uneasiness on the subject. "I'm glad you find it entertaining," he deadpanned.

Her grin turned into a tooth-gapped smile. "Relax, Gris. It's not the end of the world," she smiled at him.

"That's easy for you to say," he grunted.

"Oh please," she chuckled at him. "Don't tell me you have never talked about it," she quipped.

He shook his head. "Of course I have, but it has never been my strong suit," he explained.

"The world is not gonna end if we talk about sex," Sara stated plainly.

Grissom stared at her with his mouth hanging wide opening. "Sara Sidle, I am shocked," he blurted. "You keep fading like a flower," he kissed her lips quickly and pulled her into a gentle embrace.

Sara chuckled against his chest. "We still need to talk about it," she said as she lifted her head.

"I know," he smiled at her and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I don't want to rush things between us," he said simply.

She smiled widely at him. "Neither do I," she said honestly, meeting him halfway for a tender kiss. Grissom nuzzled her neck and she caressed his curls. They stayed in each other's arms for a little while, enjoying their closeness. "The way I see it, it'll happen when it happens," Sara said out of the blue.

"My point exactly," Grissom said as he lifted his head and stole a kiss from her. "I've been good at planning those things," he said honestly. "They always sort of happen," he added.

"Lady Heather?" Sara asked him, the question burning hard on her lips. She needed to know if the gossip that had been going around the lab were true.

"No," he said softly. "But I was aware people were saying I slept with her," he explained as he cradled Sara's hand. "I've never been a guy for one-night stands," he said as he met her gaze. "I never slept with anyone without being in love," he confessed.

Sara just stared at him, totally fascinated with the wonderful man that was Gil Grissom. "Me and Hank were just friends," she explained as she sensed his question. "All we did was go out to the movies, and we had the occasional dinners," she said as she turned her head and stared out of the window, her smile slowly fading away.

Grissom put his finger under her chin and made her look at him. "What's wrong, honey?" he asked gently.

Sara met his eyes and forced a smile to her lips. "It hurts when you realize that friendship has been based on nothing but lies," she whispered softly.

"What do you mean?" he tried tentatively.

"I thought we were the best of friends. I thought we told each other everything," she paused and leant back in the couch. "That bastard never mentioned he had a girlfriend," she grunted through closed teeth.

"He was not worth it," Grissom said gently. "The way I see it, he never deserved your friendship," he whispered as he took her hand in his and softly kissed her palm.

"I just needed a friend, Gris. Is that so much to ask?" she questioned him gently, not giving him a chance to reply. "I was trying to replace the friendship I lost," she said sadly.

Grissom gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "You never lost my friendship, Sara," he mumbled. "I've just been a real ass for the last few years or so," he finished off.

She moved closer to him, and put her arms around his neck. She gently pressed her forehead against his. "You weren't being an ass. You were just being Grissom," she said as she kissed his cheekbone.

"Thank you," he said in a highly emotional voice. "Thank you for being so patient. Thank you for pushing me. And most of all, thank you for making me love you," he pondered thoughtfully.

Sara pressed her lips to his and smiled into the kiss. "I ought to thank you for allowing me into your wonderful life," she whispered hoarsely, putting her head on his shoulder and pulling him closer to her. She couldn't get close enough, and ended up on his lap.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sara woke the next morning with a warm body pressed against her back. She snuggled closer to the source of the heat, putting her head on the soft material of his flannel clad arm. She sighed contently and fell back asleep in no time.

An hour later, Grissom awoke with a weight draped half over him. He opened his eyes and smiled. Sara Sidle was indeed laying half on top of him and she was smiling in her sleep. He tenderly traced her face with his finger and put an errant lock of hair behind her ear. He gently took her necklace between his fingers and stared at the angel. When he looked back at her, two adoring brown eyes stared back at him.

"It was you," she said simply, as she tenderly kissed him on the lips.

"Yes," he admitted, running his finger through her soft locks.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you remind me of an angel in many ways," he explained. "Without you, I would have been in hell a long time ago," he stated honestly.

"I love you, Gris," she whispered hoarsely, losing herself in another languid kiss. When she pulled away from him, she was grinning. "You're a wonderful kisser," she breathed into his ear. "And as much as I would love to stay in bed and kiss you all day, I believe we had plans," she said cheekily. She hopped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. "We need a shower," she called from the doorway.

"Really?" he quipped, jumping out of bed and following her. "I thought you'd never ask," he deadpanned.

Sara turned around and held him back with her hand on his chest. "Separately," she chuckled as she shot him a beaming smile.

He kissed her lips softly and grinned. "You can't blame a guy for trying," he winked at her and walked towards the connecting door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Fifteen minutes later, Sara heard a soft knock on the connecting door. "Are you decent?" Grissom asked from behind the door.

She chuckled softly and walked to the door, pulling it open in a swift movement, revealing a clean-shaven Gil Grissom. "What have you done to Gil Grissom?" she quipped, quickly kissing his soft cheek. "Are you still the same man who wanted to hop in the shower with me just a little while ago?" she asked amused, as she took his hand and pulled him towards the fluffy couch.

"I think the guy you mentioned just went down the drain in the shower, since his girlfriend didn't want him to wash her back," he deadpanned.

"Cute and funny," Sara shrieked, as she lightly tapped his chin with her finger. "I really don't understand why you have been hiding in that shell of yours for all those years," she pondered amazed.

"Because I'm irresistible otherwise," he teased. He lightly kissed her and smiled thankfully. "You made it happen, Sara," he whispered tenderly.

She threw her arms around his neck and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "You're an amazing man," she whispered back at him, as she tried to hide the tears that started rolling down her cheeks.

Grissom put his hands on her cheeks and wiped them away with his thumbs. "What's with the tears, honey?" he asked hesitantly.

She shot him a beaming smile that made his heart explode into a million pieces. "Because I'm happy," she said simply, as she took his hand and kissed his knuckles.

He pulled her into a tender embrace and sighed contently. After a few minutes, he kissed the top of her head and pulled away. "We really should get going, honey," he told her quietly.

"Do we have to?" she mumbled in his chest.

He cradled her chin with his finger, and lifted her head. "I thought you were so excited to go to the Icefields Parkway," he exclaimed gently.

"Yes, but," she paused and sighed deeply. "I don't want to share you with anyone just yet," she whispered shyly.

Grissom just smiled at her. "Wherever we are, you'll always have me to yourself," he answered hoarsely. "Anywhere in the world, and any time of the day; any moment is ours," he whispered, claiming her lips for a tender kiss that made both hearts explode at the same time.

THE END.