Disclaimer: The characters of CSI:LV belong to their creators, not me. I'm just borrowing them so they can have more ... fun ... than they do on the show. At least, unless they prove me wrong. That would be very cool.

Spoilers: through Season 4.

Status: Incomplete

The creative process is much more involved than I had ever imagined. The only external encouragement that I get is from you, my reviewers. Thank you for your kind words.

Grissom's eyes traced the lace pattern on the delicate purple lingerie in his hands, examining it like a vital piece of evidence, head cocked to one side. Unconsciously he pulled his hands apart to feel the tug of the elastic, and felt the warm, tingling burn of arousal spreading from his center outward. With a start he realized what he was doing and in a flush of embarrassment shoved the panties back into the pocket they had fallen out of.

The warmth had turned into a slow burn, and Grissom strode quickly to his bedroom and placed Sara's clothes on the bed. He quickly headed for the shower, stripping his clothes ruthlessly from his body. Before he opened the door he realized he could hear Sara singing over the hum of the jets. He couldn't make out the words, but her voice further fueled his desire.

He pulled the door sharply behind him and turned the shower on. The warm water sluiced over his body, stimulating his already heightened senses. He briefly thought of turning up the cold water to shock his system back to the normal order of things but in a decisive move decided against it. He ran the soap thoughtfully between his hands working up a lather.

Sara's indulging herself, why shouldn't I? But Grissom refused to let himself imagine Sara's lean naked form stretched out in his tub just a few feet away. Sighing he thought to himself, being a gentleman was certainly a difficult thing to do at times. Facing the shower head he tipped his head back and let the warm spray beat down on his chest, his hands gliding down across his chest inadvertently following the path of the water.

Sara heard the shower start and turned her head towards the wall on her right towards the sound. Picturing Grissom in the shower, she smiled and gave a mental growl of approval. Why am I so attracted to him? It was a facetious question, having gone over the same thought in her mind countless times before. "Smart is sexy, Mulder," she smiled at the thought of her favorite television characters. Trouble was, her attraction had started when she had first heard his voice lecturing at a seminar she had attended on a whim so many years before. She was so used to the attraction between them that she couldn't separate the thought of Grissom without knowing she was still interested.

Trouble was, it's getting harder and harder to work with him and keep it separate. She sighed. My PEAP counselor would be proud that I realize that work is my life. I was trying today to get a life outside of work and look what happens... She glanced around at her surroundings and smiled she wiggled her injured foot propped out of the water. Hmmm. Maybe I should get her some flowers.

She leaned over to move her jogging shorts further away. Not that she cared that it got wet, but her cell phone was in the pocket. Her thoughts wandered back to Grissom. It wasn't just his intelligence, though that was a big part; it wasn't just his intensity and drive, the things she herself understood viscerally. His compassion and often odd sense of humor were certainly things that interested her. And he's just plain hot, she added.

Realizing she was getting a little too comfortable and that the shower beside her had long since stopped, Sara grasped the side of the tub to lever herself out.

Oh shit.

Grissom had finished his shower and was tidying up the spare bed when he heard the ringing of the house phone. "Grissom," he stated into the receiver.

"Griss it's me."

"Sara?" Grissom automatically looked in the direction of his bath.

"Grissom...I can't get out of the tub." Grissom's eyebrows shot up, realizing what had happened. The hot water relaxing muscles, the awkwardness of the ascent angle, coupled with an injured foot all added up to ... him helping a naked Sara Sidle out of his tub.

"You still there?" Sara inquired tentatively.

"Ah, yes. Okay. Um, I'll be right in." Grissom hung up the phone.

Sara shut off her phone and blew the away the strands of hair that had fallen in one sharp exhalation. I can't believe this...

Grissom touched his forehead to the door and took a deep breath in. Straightening his shoulders he knocked decisively. "Sara?"

"C'mon in Grissom."

He opened the door and stepped into the warmth and humidity of the bathroom and placed her extra clothes on the counter near the sink. Glancing quickly at Sara's face before he averted his eyes, he approached the tub and sat down on the ledge of the tub facing Sara.

Sara looked down at the arms she had crossed over her chest. "I can't believe this is happening to me today."

Grissom spread his hands. "Just one of the those days I guess." Her damp hair distracted him. "Did you get to wash your hair?" Sara shook her head then shrugged her dismissal. "How should we do this, Sara? We could drape you with one of the towels first..."

Sara was silent long enough for Grissom to look down into her eyes. "Grissom, you know I wouldn't mind you seeing me. It's just that I don't know if you'd mind." Sara looked straight at him, her chin raised.

Straight-forward, fearless... Grissom heard his thoughts echoing back to him as a flush of desire, much stronger than the one he had experienced in the kitchen with her underwear struck him. The world seem to tip on its axis, reality cast astray. He felt like a dreamer in a dream.

She stared back defiantly. Her lips trembled and he was lost.

"Sara." He leaned down and with his left hand he gently cupped the side of her face while his eyes dropped to her lips. Rubbing his thumb across her moist skin, barely brushing the corner of her mouth, he replied, "you should know better than that."

Sara jerked her head back in shock and Grissom almost fell forward into the tub himself. "How the hell would I know better, Grissom? You already know how much I'm attracted to you and you don't do a damn thing! I don't know anything about how or what you think of things outside of work!" Grissom leaned back as she shot him a glare that would have killed him if he was a lesser man. "I don't even know why you would even have a whirlpool tub."

She leaned back and crossed her arms in anger instead of modesty while Grissom tried to gather his thoughts.

"Sara..." Grissom stopped.

Oh no, she wasn't going to let him off the hook. She was through playing that game. Besides, he couldn't avoid her, she was stuck in his tub. Refusing to become amused at that thought, she kept silent, raising one eyebrow while he floundered.

"I almost lost my hearing." What? Okay, Haviland trial... Grissom continued on, knowing Sara would put the pieces together herself. "I was developing otosclerosis like my mother. Genetic." Grissom ran his fingers through his hair, emotionally tired but figuring there wasn't any other way to deal with the situation. "I had a risky operation, a stapedectomy, and I was fortunate that it was successful." He gestured to the tub. "I felt the need to celebrate."

"I guess you already have an annual rollercoaster pass." Sara tentatively smiled, hoping he would take her statement as an offering of peace.

"Yes, I do." She felt grateful when he smiled back. "This was truly an indulgence." He looked down to the slate in front of him. "Catherine came to see me the day of the surgery." Sara looked away, trying to conceal the hurt his words caused. "She had to know in case it wasn't successful." Sara looked back at him, gauging that statement. "And I needed to tell her." She nodded, accepting his honesty and understood he wasn't going to explain why he didn't talk her.

Relieved she wasn't going to push him more about it, because he wasn't sure he could give her one, he gestured to the tub. "Catherine doesn't know about this."

Sara stretched her arms out to the sides of the tub. "Yeah, you'd have her over every weekend! Maybe even after every shift!" She let out a short laugh. "Heck I might come over every weekend!"

Grissom didn't respond, so Sara looked up at him questioningly. Her amusement sank like a stone at his expression. He stood up and walked away towards the door. Hello Sara! I forgot I'm sitting here naked and I'm talking his ear off about Catherine ... Appalled at herself and the situation, she crossed her arms again, but this time in mortification.

TBC