I would like to credit my anonymous collaborator in this story. He's a great guy and one of the best friends I've got. I will, forever, be in his debt, for all the help and guidance he's given me; my "Godfather". (Sara's massage, courtesy of my co-conspirator)
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Waking in the middle of the night, Jim noticed that the television had been turned off and Sara was nowhere around. Standing and stretching his arms, legs and cracking his back, he quickly turned his head when he heard a sound from the bedroom. Having to relieve himself and being that the bathroom was off the bedroom, Jim tip-toed as quietly as he could through the sleeping quarters. Two steps before he reached the bathroom, Jim's foot pressed on a loose floorboard and he whispered his curse.

"Shit."

Unbeknownst to Jim, Sara was lying awake in bed listening to the howl of the wind through the slightly open bedroom window. Reaching out and resting her hand on the hanging toggle of the lamp switch, she fingered it and pulled. The light came on and Sara sat up in bed, looking at Jim, who was now slightly more red than he was before.

"Ah, methinks we have a prowler." she said chuckling a bit

"Sorry, 'bout that." Jim said

"S'ok. I wondered when you'd be getting up anyway." she replied

Jim continued on his way to the bathroom and closed the door behind himself, but leaving it open a crack. When he was done, he washed his hands and brushed his teeth. Wiping his hands on the towel hanging from the back of the bathroom door, Jim turned off the light and stood in the doorway, looking at Sara. Much to his surprise, Sara peeled back the bedclothes from the other side of the bed and patted her hand in invitation to him. Contemplating his choices, Jim stood still for a moment. "Well, I could sleep on the couch or I could climb in with Sara." he thought to himself. Seeing the conflict on Jim's face, Sara giggled and patted some more.

"Come on, Jim. We're both grown-ups and I think I can restrain myself from jumping your bones." she said

"If you're sure. I don't want to intrude." Jim replied

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure. Now climb in before your feet get cold and you freeze me out. If there's on thing I hate is frozen feet in bed." she stated

Shedding his jeans and socks, Jim climbed into bed with Sara and lay on his back. Sighing loudly, Jim looked at his watch; 02:00. Raising his arm to let his head rest in the crook of his elbow, Jim looked over at Sara, who was still awake. Thinking to himself for a moment, Jim whispered.

"You still awake?"
"Yeah, I've gotten a few hours of sleep, so I'll probably be awake for the rest of the night."she replied

"So, that's common for you, then, only getting a few hours of sleep?" "Yeah, sometimes I go for days without sleep. I guess you could call it an occupational hazard."she joked

"I've got some Ambien if you want some." Jim commented

"Nah, that's ok, besides, if I take some, it'll knock my clock out of whack, and that's the last thing you want. I turn into a bitch and I don't think you want a bitch as your weekend companion." Sara stated

Jim tried his best to fall back to sleep, but found it hard. He shifted his weight and rolled over several times before finally finding a comfortable position. Still on his back, but with his left arm stretched out over the top of Sara's head, his fingers quickly found their way to strands of her hair, twirling them around his digits. Apparently unaware of this, Jim was a bit startled when Sara began to purr and whispered.

"Jim, what are you doing?" she asked

"Huh, what?" he replied

"You're twirling my hair, Jim."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even realize I was doing it." he commented "That's cool, just try to go to sleep." she directed

Jim left his hand where it was, but stopped twirling Sara's hair. Moments after he stopped, Sara grunted and rolled over to face Jim. Opening her eyes, she could see that Jim was still awake. She propped herself up on her elbow and waved her hand in front of his face. After a few seconds , she spoke.

"Um, Jim?"
"Yeah?" he replied

"You know, that actually felt good. I was almost asleep." she commented

Taking this new information into account, Jim sighed.

"Come here." Jim said, motioning for Sara to rest her head atop his chest

Placing her head on Jim's chest, Sara closed her eyes and sank within herself as the sensation of Jim's fingers twirling her hair around his fingers warmed her inside. She could hear Jim's heartbeat, strong and steady beneath her ears. The rhythmic sound of the blood pumping through the ventricles of Jim's cardiovascular system lulled Sara to sleep within a matter of minutes. Jim, on the other hand, wondered what he had done to deserve this moment, here and now.

##########

The sun was up and so was Jim. He had woken about an hour earlier and not wanting to wake Sara with his flopping around and such, he got dressed and decided to go for a walk in the woods. It had been quite sometime since Jim had been awake with the sun on a day off, but for some reason, he woke this morning with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. As he padded down the path towards the lake, his mind wandered on thoughts of last night and how good it felt to hold Sara in his arms.

"Maybe it was just comfortable for her, after all, she did seem tired." he said aloud

Passing through the underbrush along the banks of the lake, Jim found a log and copped a squat to watch the forest creatures come alive with the dawn of a new day. As he watched a family of deer drinking from the water, Jim's mind wandered back to the events of last night; the way that Sara rested her arm across Jim's midsection and how good it felt to run his fingers up and down her spine and the way she would shiver when the touches were too light. Jim tried not to delude himself into thinking that Sara's closeness last night was anything other than simple human wanting for companionship, but there was a part of him that thought, no, wished that it meant something else. Truth be told, he did have certain feelings for her, but he had kept them in check, knowing that she had a thing for Grissom. But, knowing that Grissom would never entertain thoughts or feelings that he may have for Sara, Jim allowed himself to hope and dream.

For the better part of an hour, Jim sat and just stared into space, trying not to let his thoughts steer themselves towards the negative, but he knew that Sara was a very attractive woman that could literally have just about any man that she wanted, so, why, then, did she seem the be expressing an interest in him?

He was deep in thought when he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, what appeared to be a large lump by the lakeside about 200 yards away. Curious as ever, he stood up and made his way along the bank. As he approached, he could hear what sounded like the pathetic cries of an animal at the animal shelter. The low, drawn out howling, almost like that of an injured animal, made him quicken his pace. When he was within 20 or so feet, Jim realized that the lump was in fact a burlap sack that had washed ashore. Standing over it, he jumped back when the sack came alive. Kneeling down and taking it in hand, Jim held the opening up and untied the string that was knotted, keeping the sack closed. Inside, Jim saw quite possibly one of the most horrific sights he had ever seen; a lone kitten, clambering over the bodies of its deceased brothers and sisters. Jim's stomach turned as he reached in and around the bodies of the other kittens, taking the one, live kitten in his hands. It was shivering from being soaked and the cold air, so Jim took off his shirt and wrapped it around the little creature and turned, heading back to the lodge. Looking down at his new charge, Jim noticed that he seemed to be around 6 months old,
give or take a few weeks. Regardless of the kitten's age, he was definitely full of spit and spirit

Ascending the steps to the porch, Jim cradled the kitten in the crook of his elbow and walked to the kitchenette where he ran some warm water in the sink and dropped in the rubber stopper. As the sink filled, Jim looked around for some mild soap, finding only a bar of Ivory. When there was about 4 inches of water in the basin of the sink, Jim set the kitten down and proceeded to wash the dirt, grime and funky smell from its fur. Not in the least bit surprised, Jim tried to calm the kitten from freaking out as the little creature hissed and tried to claw its way free. After a few minutes, the bath was done and Jim took the hand towel from the fridge door and dried the cat off. Holding him up in front of his eyes, Jim sighed.

"You're a lucky one, you know that?"

###########

The sunlight crept through the shades of the bedroom and as a beam of light settled in Sara's eyes, she reached over and took Jim's pillow, throwing it at the window. The disturbance in the air and the impact of the down pillow on the drapes caused the drapes to open even further as Sara cursed out loud. Rolling over, she looked at her watch sitting on the bedside table; 09:00. Lying in bed for a few minutes, she resigned herself to the fact that she had to get up or she would be out of whack all day.

Searching for something to put on, she found a pair of sweats that she had cast to the floor during the night. Tying them snug, she shuffled her way to the bathroom to relieve herself and brush her teeth. Having freshened up, she made her way through the bedroom and out to the living area. Looking around, she could not see Jim, so she stepped outside on the porch to find Jim seated in an Adirondack chair, cradling a very fluffy lump of black and white fur. Jim was dozing, as was the kitten, and as Sara stood over him, her heart swelled from the sight of seeing this rough on the outside, but obviously big softy on the inside, homicide captain.

Quickly Sara rushed inside to fish through her travel bag for her camera. Finding it, she quietly tip toed back outside and standing over Jim and the kitten, snapped a few photos of her knight in shining armour and his new companion. With a smile on her face, Sara walked back inside and headed for the coffee maker to pour herself a cup. Having added cream and sugar to her morning drink, she walked back outside and sat next to Jim in the other chair.

Watching the wind play on the tops of the trees, Sara thought about the previous evening and how it felt to sleep in the same bed as her best friend; and for all accounts and purposes, Jim was her best friend. He knew things about her that no other person knew, he knew of her love for swords, her love for horror films, her love for children and family and that she had played Dr. Doolittle as a young girl. Over the last 24 hours, she and Jim had shared sides of themselves that they had kept hidden from everyone; they knew each other's secrets.

After sitting and watching the trees and Jim with his new companion for the better part of an hour, Sara felt that little feeling in her nose, the feeling that is immediately followed by a big, honking sneeze. Covering her mouth and turning her head, she tried to hold it in, but only succeeded making it worse. The sneeze must have startled Jim's little friend, because he puffed up and hissed, raking his claws out in a sort of protective manner. Feeling the shift in weight, Jim rubbed his eyes and looked around. Seeing the state of his furry friend, Jim smiled at Sara.

"What time is it?" he asked

"Its about 10:30. Where did you run off to this morning. I woke up and you were gone." she said

Feeling like he should apologize, but not quite sure why, Jim turned to face Sara.

"I'm sorry, I woke up and didn't want to wake you with my tossing and turning, so I went for a walk." he explained

"Is that where you found your new friend?" she asked

"Yeah, poor thing was in a burlap sack with dead kin. So, I rescued him." Jim stated

"He's adorable." she said, reaching out a hand to pet the little guy

When Sara's hand was no further than a few inches from the kitten, he lashed out and swiped at Sara's hand. Recoiling out of a desire not to be scratched, Sara looked at Jim and how the kitten was looking up at him, almost seeking approval. Jim looked down and smiled.

"He seems to be asking you if he did good, Jim." Sara commented "Well, I think I've found a new guard critter. Lord knows that the dog is useless in that fashion." Jim commented

"What's his name?" Sara asked

Thinking to himself, Jim considered Sara's words carefully. He had rescued the critter, cleaned and fed him, but the whole time, he had not even thought of what to call the pint sized protector. Rubbing his face with an open hand, Jim thought to himself for a moment.

"Well, what was the first thing you said to him?" she asked

Taking a moment to recall, Jim remembered.

"You're a lucky one, you know that?" Jim replied

"Well, then, that's his name; Lucky." Sara stated

Looking down at the kitten, Jim smiled as he addressed him.

"How you like that, hmm, Lucky?"

As Jim addressed the kitten, he sat up and cocked his head to the side, as if to acknowledge Jim's question. Smiling at Sara, Jim laughed.

"I think he likes it." he commented

"Well, that settles it, then. Lucky, it is." she replied

############

Afternoon and Jim and Sara had just returned from the market with several tins of tuna and calcium fortified milk for Lucky. They had also purchased a plastic tub that they designated as a litter box. Sara had wanted to buy some toys for Lucky, but Jim insisted that cats like toys they find around the house, like balls of tin foil, paper bags and shoelaces.

"I'm telling you Sara, there's no use in wasting all sorts of money on stuff that he's never gonna use, you know?" Jim stated

"Yeah, I guess you're right." she replied

Jim and Sara watched as Lucky batted a wadded up ball of tin foil around the kitchen area and on through to the living room. Sara laughed as she watched Lucky play around while she put the groceries away. Jim had gone out to the tree line to fetch some firewood for the evening's fire in the hearth. Last night they had been too tired to even bother with thinking about a fire, but tonight, Sara said she would have liked one.

It was around 14:00hrs when Sara and Jim were sitting down to a late lunch, in the middle of their meal, Sara's cell phone rang. Looking towards the bedroom, she started to get up. Jim placed his hand on hers and gestured for her to sit back down.

"Sara, you're on holiday. Let it ring." he said

"It might be important." she replied

The cell stopped ringing and for a moment, she returned to her meal. Moments later the cell rang again, this time she jumped up and walked to the bedroom and snatched up her phone. Flipping it open, Sara spoke into the speaker.

"This is Sara Sidle. I'm on holiday, so this better be good." she said,
watching Jim grin from ear to ear

"Sara, this is Catherine. There's been an accident. Gil's hurt; he's at Desert Palms." she said, trying to keep her tones low

"What happened? But more importantly, why are you calling me?" she replied

"Well, he was broad sided and you're listed as next of kin. So, I'm calling you."Catherine relayed

"Well, Catherine, we're up in Tahoe, so it'll be at least 3 or 4 hours till I can get back."she explained

"Who's we?" Catherine inquired

"That's not important, the fact remains that I know next to nothing about Grissom or his needs, besides, you've known him longer; you play next of kin." Sara countered

"Sara, I can't believe you. Gil's in hospital and you're being selfish." Catherine snarled

"I'm not being selfish, I'm merely pointing out the facts, Catherine." Sara hissed

"Fine, I'll sit at his bedside and when he asks where you are, I'll just tell him that your mini-break was more important to you than his health and welfare." Catherine snapped

"You do that." Sara said in raised tones, then hung up

Returning to the dining table, Sara plopped herself down across from Jim and resumed her dining. Jim glared at her from his seat and after a few moments, he gave into his curiosity and asked the problem.

"So, what's this about Gil being in hospital?" he asked

"He was broad sided and has me down as next of kin. Why, I'll never know." she replied

"And Catherine wants you to come back to town?"
"Yeah, but I don't see what service I could be to him." she said

The rest of the meal was spent in silence with Sara contemplating her decision not to return to Vegas. In the back of her mind, Sara felt a bit guilty for not leaving, but the larger part of her saw no point in leaving, instead, she would call the hospital and check on him. She stood up and walked back to the bedroom for her phone. Having the number on speed dial, she hit the number 9 button and listened as the phone rang.

"Yeah, this is Sara Sidle, I'm calling in regards to a man that was just brought in. His name is Gil Grissom and he was in an auto accident. I see, how is he? That's good, so, he's out of the proverbial woods, then? That's good to hear. Thanks."

Throughout the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, Sara's mind was about as far from Lake Tahoe as one could get. Jim tried, however fruitlessly, to change her focus from that of regret and second guessmanship to one of someone that was actually on holiday. Lucky helped a bit in his own way, by jumping up on Jim's lap and seeking affection. However, he was still a bit leery of Sara, but that was ok, she figured he would warm up to her in his own time.

Sitting on the couch in the living area, Sara stared blankly at the television screen as Steel Magnolias had Jim firmly in its grasp. Turning to Sara, Jim placed his hand on her shoulder and rubbed firmly. Sara rolled her neck and groaned a bit. Seeing that Sara was in dire need of a massage, Jim stood up and walked around the back of the couch. As he laid one hand on each shoulder, Jim proceeded to rub the knots and stress from her upper back. When he finished with the shoulders, Jim asked if she was ok.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A little stressed out, though." she said

Patting her shoulder with a firm hand, Jim rounded the back of the couch and stood in front of her. Looking up at Jim, Sara wondered what he was thinking. Extending a hand to her, Sara took it and stood up. Hands joined, they walked to the bedroom and Jim directed Sara to remove her shirt and lay on her stomach. Jim turned and went into the bathroom and to his toiletry kit. He had brought some lotion with coco-butter and shea-butter that smelled like marzipan. Jim loved the smell and knew it to be a very good product, and he should know, in the cold season Jim's skin had a tendency to get overly dry, and he had found this product years ago while back east.

Jim stood in the doorway to the bathroom and gazed at quite possibly, the most beautiful sight he had ever seen; a nearly naked Sara Sidle lying in bed, wearing only a pair of small sized boxer shorts, waiting for him, although she was waiting for something different from what he was waiting for, but he would be patient; after all, Jim was a very patient man. With her head resting on her crossed forearms, Sara looked at Jim as he approached her and smiled.

"You've got that look in your eyes, Jim."

Realizing that he was busted, Jim cleared his throat and sat beside her, looking down at her. Laying a warm hand on her bare back, Jim explained what he was going to do.

"Ok, you're in need of a massage and some acupressure. So, just lay there and let Jimmy do his thing." he explained

"I am putty in your hands." she replied "That remains to be seen." Jim stated as he climbed on the bed beside her

Straddling her back and resting on her butt, Jim applied some lotion to his hands and rubbed them together to heat the lotion and make it expand. When his hands were sufficiently warmed, Jim placed his hands on her upper back and began to rub the lotion into her skin, marveling at the silky softness of her body, similar to Lucky's clean, washed fur coat. As he worked his way down her back, Jim applied more pressure in some places than in others. Knuckling his fists, he proceeded to rub firmly on both sides of her spine, up and down in slow, deep and consistent strides. Having finished with her back, Jim scooted down her torso and sat, squatting, at the foot end of the bed. Taking her right leg in hand, Jim worked some lotion into her thigh and down to her calf. Sara was a bit overwhelmed by the sensations she was feeling; never in all her years had she been given a full body massage by anyone, let alone her best male friend.

"Ugh, that feels sooooooo good, Jim. You have no idea how long I've been needing this." Sara groaned

"I'm happy to be of service." he replied

Finishing the other thigh, Jim began on the soles of her feet. Less lotion was needed there, but when he rubbed his knuckles across the arch of her foot, Sara giggled almost uncontrollably. "Ahh, she's ticklish" Jim thought to himself. He worked his way from the heels of her feet right down to the tips of her toes, and when he was done, he trailed the tips of his fingers up her thighs to the nape of her neck, eliciting a body spasm, the likes of which he had never seen before; like a full body shiver. As Jim stood up and walked back into the bathroom, Sara rolled over and plucked Jim's tank top from the foot end of the bed and put it on. By the time he returned from the bathroom, Sara was sitting up knees to her chest, head on her knees, looking at Jim. She motioned for him to have a seat next to her and when he sat down, she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging the life from him.

"Thanks, Jim. I really needed that."
"Well, you looked like you could use a bit of pampering. I was happy to be of service." he replied

Taking a moment to collect herself, Sara was having thoughts of a less than pure nature; thoughts she had not had in the longest time. She was seeing Jim in a whole different light; seeing a soft, caring and loving side to him. Sara tried not to get her signals crossed, not to read anything into what had just happened, but there were questions that she wanted answers to. So, organizing her thoughts, she sighed. Seeing the look on Sara's face, Jim had a clue as to what was going on in her mind, so, before she could say anything, Jim spoke.

"What's on your mind, Sara?" he asked

A bit surprised at his observation, but at the same time, in awe of his abilities of deduction, Sara gave her best attempt at a half hearted smile and smirk, but only succeeded in making herself more beautiful in Jim's eyes. She watched as his eyes twinkled and replied to his question.

"I think we need to talk about us." she stated simply

Not surprised that this was on her mind, Jim rubbed his face with an open hand before replying.

"Is there an us?" he asked

"That's what I want to talk about; our relationship, such as it is." she countered "Where do you see us?"
"Well, I see us as having a very special connection; a kinship, as it were." he replied

"Now, bearing that in mind, what do you want from what we have?"
"What we have is luck; luck in finding each other, luck in having so much in common and providence plays a hand as well." he explained

"How so?" she asked

"Well, think of it this way, both of us were drawn to Las Vegas, for our own reasons, but it was serendipity that brought us together. We both, more or less, have the same job, we, both of us, understand what the other goes through on a daily basis and thusly, we're in a unique position to comfort, console and cope with each other and our demons, as they may be." Jim stated rather succinctly

Sara had not expected Jim to have such a profound response at the ready, but was glad to see that he had obviously thought about this matter before. Jim's words echoed in Sara's mind as she considered her response. After a few moments, she replied.

"That having been said, which direction would you like things between you and I to take?"
she asked

"Well, I'm willing to take whichever direction you are, so, I'm game for whatever, you know?" he replied

"How 'bout this, we stay friends, but take things slow and comfortably where romance is concerned. Its been a while since I've been with anyone, if you take my meaning." she explained

If Jim were being honest with himself, he would have to admit that slow and comfy was the proper course of action, even though he would have readily and gladly jumped into nookie with her, but since it had been a while for him as well, he agreed.

"Agreed." he stated

That matter having been settled, he and Sara made their way back to the living area and out to the front porch. The sun was beginning to set behind the horizon line and as a stiff gust blew by, Sara shivered. Seeing this, Jim came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her,
transferring some of his warmth to her. Sara leaned her head back on Jim's shoulder and rubbed the tops of his hands that were hugging her to him. They stood there for what seemed an eternity, and only went inside when Jim heard Lucky making a commotion.

As Sara followed Jim inside, she thought about the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her and how she wished she could wake up every morning to his embrace.

TBC?--