DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from 'CSI'. They're not my property.

When she exited her car and found the tents set up a few feet away, Sara smiled. She shouldn't have been surprised when Mark told her the location of their meeting. "A crappy motel wasn't good enough?" she joked.

Tending to the fire, Mark took a glimpse of her over his shoulder. "Are you serious?"

Sara chuckled briefly. "I always am, Mark." She shoved her feet through the thick piles of fallen leaves and even managed to trip on a raised root of one of the trees. "Nothing like nature."

"Less annoying than the city," Mark said and gestured to her to sit on one of the logs that were placed around the warm fire.

"I see two tents," she noted while lowering herself to sit down.

"Ah, the left one would be mine and Lydia's and the other one is where Sanja and Christian are."

"And where are they now?"

"Sanja had a cousin here so she and Christian went over there for a visit. And Lydia went to see a sick friend. Nothing serious."

"Didn't go with her?"

"She wanted to go by herself."

"Okay. Lydia... So, that's the name of the new chain around your neck from now on?" Sara smiled.

"Very smart, geek-worm."

"I wanted to meet her."

"If she gets back sooner, you might get the chance."

"Ah. It was more likely for me to see a pig fly than you getting married."

"You don't choose who your heart attaches itself to."

"Is that what happened with Lydia?"

"Yeah. She understands me and puts up with all my shit; I understand her and put up with all her shit."

"And...?"

"And that's it."

"Oh." Sara turned her stare to the fire. "That's sweet." She glanced at her fingers. "She must have a mountain of patience to understand you," Sara quietly, almost jealously.

Mark took the hint. "I wish we stayed close..." He looked at her.

"Me too."

"What's going on with you, geek-worm?" he asked her.

"Despite work you mean? I don't know... can't say there is much."

Mark chuckled. "You really need to find some friends."

"Hey, I have them! I just don't ... hang out with them so often."

"Are they co-workers?" he asked.

Sara glared at him.

"Let's be honest. From what I've known about you since you left college, your 'group of friends' usually consisted of people you see often at work. Am I right?"

Sara looked back at the fire. "I'm picky."

"You really are."

"Not like you're much different."

"No, but then again I've never stayed in one place too long," Mark said and nudged her elbow with his.

"You've been like that since you hit puberty."

Mark took out a small apple and stuck it on a small branch. "Here." He handed her the branch.

"Huh." Sara twirled the branch, looking at the fruit. "Just like when we were kids..." She spoke quietly and lowered the branch.

"By ourselves..." Mark took another branch with an apple and lowered it to the fire.

"Was a good escape from home at times."

"Yeah." He sighed. "So that was Gil Grissom there," he changed the heavy subject.

"That's him."

"He doesn't get out often."

Sara glanced at him.

"I didn't say that as a bad thing."

Sara smirked. "He likes his work."

"Just like you."

Sara shrugged.

"So, what is he to you?"

"He's my supervisor."

"Don't shit with me, geek-worm."

"I'm serious!"

Mark looked at his sister.

Sara sighed and closed her eyes. "Don't start staring at me, Mark, or I'll break your neck." She knew he did not believe her response concerning Grissom.

Mark looked back at the fire. "What is he to you?" he repeated his question.

Sara opened her eyes and looked up. "Why?"

"'Cause he's the only person I've heard you mention more than once."

Sara didn't respond but looked down at her hands and back at the burning fire. Her brother had a way of making her answer questions she would usually persist on keeping quiet. She hoped he would be unsuccessful this time.

"'Cause you didn't know anyone in Vegas when you came and you moved anyway."

"He needed a favor. And the lab is the second best in the country."

"You left everything because he needed a favor."

She was quiet.

"And you stayed," Mark continued.

"I always adapt to my work environment sooner or later."

"He's a friend?"

Sara didn't answer.

"So, you like it here?"

"It's okay."

"Lover?" he asked her about Grissom.

Sara swallowed an annoying lump in her throat.

He looked at her. "Oh, my, god..." he laughed. "He's neither," he said softly.

Sara brought the apple to her lips to cool it with a cold blow of air.

"My little geek-worm, what happened to you?" He was watching her with near astonishment. He lifted his hand and brushed her hair.

Sara moved her head away. "Because I choose not to give you an answer, you find that odd?"

"Oh, you gave me plenty of answers."

"Stop asking questions like that then."

"My..." he brought the apple closer for a bite. "He already has a huge chunk of you in him..."

"That's a bit immature."

"You betrayed yourself."

She huffed and looked sharply back at him. "You knew I would crack, that's why."

"The power of matching DNA," he said and laughed.

"Funny," she didn't sound impressed.

"I'm good."

"Why did you bother anyway?"

"Because..." he put his arm over her shoulders, "...sis, I wanted to know if you were going to be taken care of." Mark kissed her forehead and removed his arm. He then took a bite of the apple. "I do wonder about you, you know."

Sara stared at him. "I've been doing fine by myself, Mark."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Then?" she sounded demanding now.

"He's getting under your skin. I know you, whether you'd like to admit that or not."

"You only met him for five minutes."

"Yes, I did."

Sara looked at her burned apple. "No one knows me or him. Don't judge like that, it's not you."

"You've never mentioned anyone else you've met the way you have with him, and your reactions earlier? It's a deep penetration. I'm right."

"You think you are," she said and ate the apple.

Mark glanced at her and smiled. Sara was his little sister. He wanted her to finally find something good. He would need another look to be sure of this, although he had little doubt that he was wrong about Gil Grissom.

Sara stood in the hallway, looking at the entrance of Grissom's office with her arms crossed. Last night became longer than expected. She and Mark had a lot of stuff worth catching up to.

She sighed. It would lead to this and it made her feel slightly uncomfortable. Her left foot found itself on her right one as she tapped her fingers on the soft fabric of her shirt. Grissom was the only person who came to mind for her following plan. Mark would certainly be pleased if her plan materialized successfully, but she was not quite certain about herself. It felt strange.

She finally took a deep breath and stepped forward.

When Sara entered Grissom's office she was quite surprised to find her supervisor reading a book about dream interpretation.

"Since when are you interested in the meaning of dreams?" she asked him.

"Since you appeared in them..." he told himself. "It's about a case. Killer used the interpretation of his dreams to commit murder," he made an excuse.

"Well, that's pretty frightening."

"Yes." Grissom closed the book and looked up at her. "Is there a reason for your visit?"

"Uh, yeah." Sara closed the door of the office before she walked over to the chair and sat down. "Met up with Mark yesterday and... well, he's having this get-together for friends in honor of his engagement and he asked me to come."

"Okay." Grissom leaned forward.

"He also... asked me to bring someone with me if I wanted."

Grissom could tell where this was going but he decided to play clueless to it. "Aha."

"But, he asked me to bring someone that actually met him. So, because you're the only one around here that actually has met him, I figured you'd be a good guest."

"A good guest." Grissom sounded amused.

"A good companion as you once put it?"

Grissom smiled. He found her invitation to be a good sign for her gradual acceptance of him.

"When?"

"Sunday."

"Sure."

Sara watched his reaction a while longer before nodding. "Great." She then stood up and went toward the door.

"Sara?" Grissom called her.

"Yeah." Sara turned around.

"Thanks," he said and smiled softly.

Sara smiled back gently. "My pleasure, Grissom," she almost whispered. She opened the door and walked out of his office.

Grissom leaned back in his chair, watching the empty doorway and playing with the frames of his glasses. Sara was a much closed person when her family had been in question... This must've been a big step for her. He felt honored in a way, even if his first impressions of Sara's brother were a little strange and not all that positive.