****Xant and I would again like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who has been given us feedback on our story. We realize that while Christmas is over, we hope that there is still and interest. So as always reviews are encouraged, and welcomed!! Thanks again for all the support! ****

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Chapter 5: All the Who girls and boys. They'd rush for their toys!

Catherine retrieved the gifts from under the tree by the doorway and made her way back to the living room. She sat on the floor next to Nick and began placing the gifts around his ankles.

"Um...Catherine." said Nick, tentatively. "What are you doing?"

"Well the real tree is too heavy to move in here, so I thought I'd put the presents under you instead," she stated matter-of-factly. "You know, it would be a lot better if you could stand over there," gesturing to an empty spot in the corner of the room.

"Don't push it Catherine," growled Nick. "I let your daughter dress me up, but there is no way that I am going to play pretend Christmas tree for the rest of you," he said, looking around the room.

"Okay, okay," Catherine placated. "Keep your tinsel on," she said, smirking at the others as they chuckled.

As she positioned the gifts around Nick's feet, she couldn't help but wonder what Sara and Grissom had bought for each other. So far her devious little plan was working beautifully, aided by the unwitting twosome in their choice of costume.

"Okay, I see everyone had the good sense to type out a label for their present, so that no-one will be able to tell who their secret Santa is," she paused, looking from Sara to Grissom. "Of course, if you wish to reveal that later, it's completely up to you," she smiled cunningly.

"Just get on with it Catherine," grumbled Grissom, giving her an irritated stare. "This fur is starting to itch."

"Ooooo, someone's really getting into character aren't they?" she teased. "Alright, the grumpy Grinch can take first pick." She waved a Santa hat at Grissom.

He reached in and drew out a name. "Greg," he read out.

Catherine located Greg's present and passed it to the young man who snatched it from her like an excited kid. He attacked the wrapping paper viciously, tearing it away until he could get to the box inside. The rest of the group watched his child like antics with amused expressions.

He eventually won his fight to open the box, only to reveal another box inside. He read the attached note aloud, "These are so that no one else has to suffer the pain of that which you call music, but still allow you the freedom to do your work!" He demonstrated his youthful enthusiasm once more, ripping the second box open. "Sweet!" he exclaimed, pulling out a pair of wireless headphones. "Now I can listen to my music, jump around and not get yelled at! Five bucks says that Grissom gave me these!" Greg said looking at his supervisor.

Grissoms' face remained impartial as he stared back at Greg.

"Oh well," said Greg, his enthusiasm unaltered. "Thanks secret Santa, whoever you are!" he grinned.

"Your turn to pick, Greg," said Catherine, shaking the hat at him.

He dipped his hand in and rummaged around.

"Today Greg," said Warrick, rolling his eyes.

Greg smiled back and finally pulled a name out. "Grissom," he announced.

"Here you go," said Catherine, trying to hide her curiosity as she passed Grissom his gift.

Grissom discarded his furry hand coverings and took the present. He meticulously began to remove the paper. Catherine returned to her spot on the floor and watched impatiently, struggling to keep herself from jumping back across the room to tear it open for him. Eventually he got the paper off and placed the neat ball on Sara's lap, giving her a smile. He opened the box and pulled out a book, reading the title out loud, "'Sentimental Sayings, what to say when you are stuck for words'." A slow blush crept over his cheeks.

Catherine looked at Sara, who had suddenly become very interested in the ball of wrapping paper that Grissom had placed on her lap. It was obvious that Sara had purchased the book while remembering the plant that Grissom had sent her when she had threatened to leave the lab. It was well known amongst all of them, that Grissom had sent her a card with only two words on it, 'from Grissom'. Catherine glanced at her co-conspirators, only to notice how hard they were fighting to retain their composure.

All of this was lost on Grissom however, as he studied the book. He noticed that it had been book marked and opened it to the relevant page. Silently he read the words. 'Every time I see you, I try to hide away. But when we meet, it seems I can't let go. Every time you leave the room, I feel I'm fading like a flower.

Grissom sat in stunned silence, not daring to look at anyone. At first, he had thought that the book had been a joke from someone, making fun of his lack of emotions. Now, as he read the verse over and over, he wasn't so sure. Before he could analyze it further, Catherine interrupted him.

"You get to pick again," she announced, dangling the hat under his nose once more.

Reluctantly he closed the book and reached in to the hat to pull out another name. "Catherine," he read, giving her a small smile.

"About time," she huffed, retrieving her parcel from underneath the 'Nicky' tree.

She tore through the paper like a woman possessed, almost matching Greg's display but without the childlike enthusiasm. Opening the box inside, she pulled out a bag of fake chest hair and a bottle of massage oil. Looking completely confused, she pulled out the card to see whether it offered any explanation. "To the woman with a fetish for hairy chests," she read out. "Now you can teach your caveman the joys of massage." Her cheeks flushed as she looked at everyone, trying to figure out who had been audacious enough send her such a gift.

"Uh..Catherine," Warrick prodded her. "Are you gonna pick a name or are you just gonna sit there with your mouth open."

"Yeah..right," she stammered, grabbing a name out of the hat. "Nicky," she said, handing him his gift.

Ripping open the paper, he pulled out a muscle shirt, which read 'Purebred Texan'. "Oh yeah," he agreed with the shirt. "This is going on as soon as someone frees me from my Christmas tree prison," he said, gesturing at his costume.

"Which won't be any time soon," teased Catherine, waving the Santa hat in his direction.

Nick poked his tongue out at her and delved in to the hat. "Hmmmm," he said. "Only two left," casting a glance at Sara, then Warrick. "Who will it be?" he intoned mysteriously.

"Quit clowning around and pick a name will ya," complained Sara.

"The grumpy Grinch mood must be catching," Nick whispered to Catherine, who smiled back at him.

"Ahhh," said Nick, reading his piece of paper. "The lovely Miss. Sidle gets to go next," giving Sara a mock bow, no mean feat in his ornate costume.

"I hope you sit on a light bulb," she teased back, trying hopelessly to keep the grin from her face.

As Catherine passed Sara her gift, Greg piped up. "Man someone sure was stingy with your gift, look how small it is!" he observed.

"Thanks for pointing that out Greg," Sara said rolling her eyes, "You know what they say though, 'good things come in small packages'."

"But I'm good and I don't have a small package!" Greg quipped, winking at her.

Catherine gave a small snort and Warrick shook his head at the young man's impudence.

Grissom's eyes however, remained on Sara as she carefully removed the wrapping from her present. She opened the card attached to the box and read it silently.

I spied a tiny butterfly,

'twas floating in the air,

It danced about, and stole my breath,

with beauty, grace and flare.

Pure elegance in every move,

such sadness spoke to me,

with every flutter of its wings,

'neath blossom covered tree

It saw my vulnerability,

felt every tear I cried,

it understood each pain of mine,

knew how I felt inside.

A single tear fell down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away with the palm of her hand.

"Well," asked Catherine curiously. "What did it say?"

Unable to trust her voice, Sara passed her the card and began to undo the small bow that held the box closed. She was oblivious to the captivated looks of the others in the room. They had all witnessed the silent tear that had fallen down her face and were spellbound as they watched her open the box.

She set the lid aside as she removed the tissue paper inside the box. A small gasp escaped her lips, as she pulled out an exquisite gold chain. Attached to it was a small intricate butterfly pendant and it was one of the most beautiful things that she had ever seen in her life. It was finely crafted from gold and each wing was decorated with tiny diamond chips, which sparkled in the light.

Sara looked up at the faces staring back at her. "I....who," she stammered, still reeling from the sheer beauty of the butterfly. "I can't possibly accept this," she whispered. "It's far to expensive for a secret Santa gift."

Catherine was the first to speak, her eyes moist with emotion. "There aren't any rules about the gift Sara," she said softly. "It's entirely up to each person to choose what they want to give."

Sara returned her eyes to the necklace sitting in the palm of her hand and she gently stroked the butterfly wings. "Thank you," she choked out, her voice thick with emotion. "It's absolutely gorgeous."

"You're welcome," said the voice beside her. Grissom was so caught up in the emotionally charged moment that the words tumbled from his lips before he could stop to think about it.

Sara turned her head to look at him and instantly became lost in the depths of his beautiful blue eyes. Neither of them spoke, there was no need to; their eyes silently communicated their feelings for each other.

Finally Grissom spoke. "Would you like me to put that on for you?" he asked tenderly, gesturing to the necklace in her hand.

Still unable to speak, she simply nodded and passed it to him.

He carefully unclasped the chain and placed it around her neck. Slowly he let go of the chain, his fingers staying on her neck for a moment too long. He felt her shiver at his touch and he smiled to himself. As Sara turned to face him, his eyes drifted down to the butterfly, which now lay so perfectly against her skin. "Beautiful," he whispered, his eyes travelling over her face until he became lost in her once more.

The room had become completely silent as the others watched the scene before them. None of them had expected to witness such a beautiful moment and each one of them felt extremely privileged.

Suddenly, Sara became acutely aware of the several pairs of eyes that were locked on her and Grissom. She reluctantly broke her gaze away from the man that she adored and turned to Warrick.

"Well I guess you're the last one huh?" she said, trying to act as if nothing had happened.

"Uh...yeah.I guess," sputtered Warrick, still not believing what had just occurred. "Cath?" he asked, breaking the other woman out of her trance.

"Oh, right," she replied, picking up the last gift. "Here you go hun," she said, still staring at Grissom and Sara, completely oblivious to her slip of the tongue.

Warrick noticed the silent grins exchanged by Greg and Nick but said nothing. Instead, he busied himself with the unwrapping of his present. He removed the paper and laughed as he pulled out a pair of green satin boxers. He held them up for everyone to see and they blinked the words 'Who's your Santa?' in bright red lights.

"So who is your Santa War?" asked Greg, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Like I'd tell you," replied Warrick with a smile.

Catherine decided that now was a good time to change the subject. "I'm going to make some more eggnog, Griss can you give me a hand please."

"Me?" asked Grissom, clearly confused at such a request.

"Yes you," Catherine replied, motioning with her head towards the kitchen, indicating that she wanted to talk to him in private.

Grissom sighed. "Excuse me a moment," he said to Sara as he rose from his seat. "It seems that I've been summoned."

Sara offered him a small smile. "Lucky you," she mouthed and watched as he trudged out of the room.

"Okay," Grissom said, joining Catherine in the kitchen. "What's wrong now?"

"Wrong?" Catherine asked in surprise. "Nothing is wrong, in fact, things couldn't be more right!" she said excitedly. "Where on earth did you get that beautiful pendant?"

"I had an old family friend make it for me" he said casually, as if it were an every day occurrence.

"Well you did good," she said, giving him a smile. "The poem was an especially nice touch, I had no idea you were so romantic."

"Well Sara's a special woman Catherine, it just took me awhile to see that," he paused for a moment, obviously struggling with his thoughts. "But.I um.well.never mind," he said, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Spit it out Gil," probed Catherine. "But what?"

"It's just that I'm not sure what to do next," he admitted somewhat sheepishly. "I mean you saw what happened in there. I just don't want to screw this up," he sighed, stuffing his hands in his Santa pockets and looking down at his green furry feet.

Catherine smiled. "Well it just so happens that I can help you there. Let me fill you in on a little secret." she said, linking her arm through his.

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