Grissom gave a hearty laugh at Sara's words and said, "Why, pray tell, do you think you should feed me Corona more often?"
Sara sat up and wrapped her arms comfortably around herself. "Because you're being extremely honest, which I appreciate." She paused. "I'm still not sure what your final answer is, though. You said you want children, but I sense a big 'but' coming on…" She looked at him questioningly.
He rubbed his hands nervously down the front of his swim trunks and took a big breath. "May I be ridiculously honest for a moment, without freaking you out?" Sara nodded. Grissom took another huge swig of beer for good measure. Swallowing, he said, "Yes. I want to have children, and I no longer think it's too late for me. But…" Sara raised a single eyebrow, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "I don't want to have children unless it's with you."
Gil Grissom seemed to have a pretty good grasp on how to stun Sara Sidle into silence, and he had just once again demonstrated his skill in this particular area. She sat there in wordless shock for one minute, then two, and as time dragged on, Grissom began to get squirmy. Had he gone too far, presumed too much? Finally, he could stand it no longer. "Sara?" he asked tentatively.
His voice broke her out of her reverie, and her brown eyes looked up to meet his. "Is that a proposition?" she asked.
Grissom considered this. "No. Just an evaluation of things as I see them. I mean…" he considered how to properly voice his thoughts. "Well, in a way, yes, it's a proposition—I'm telling you what I want. But I know it's probably too fast for you to be considering things like that. So I'm not asking anything of you. I'm trying to be honest. I mean, even if we were both gung-ho about having children, I would want to give us both some more time first. On the other hand, I am pushing fifty, so I probably wouldn't want to wait too awfully long. I'd like to be able to pick my own kid up, you know," he chuckled.
Sara laughed at this, then said, "Well, I'm not exactly getting any younger myself. The biological clock's ticking…"
Grissom lowered his chin in a please-tell-me-you're-kidding look.
Sara shrugged her shoulders. "What??" she asked indignantly. "Well, it is!"
Grissom just shook his head and reached for another Corona.
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With two days left before their return to Las Vegas, Sara and Grissom went full-steam ahead, trying to experience everything Destin had to offer.
Grissom finally went to a swank cigar shop and bought a box of Dominicans for Jim. "They're just as good as Cubans, but people always want Cubans just because they're illegal," he explained to Sara. Shrugging he added, "I doubt Jim will care, though. He'll appreciate the gesture."
Per Sara's suggestion, Grissom went in search of a nice old bottle of brandy for Jim, as well. Finding a 1979 vintage, he purchased it and added it to their rapidly growing stash of gifts for the team.
On the last day of their vacation, Grissom took Sara to Big Kahuna's, a Destin waterpark. He thoroughly surprised Sara with his enthusiasm for the water rides. Then again, Sara mused, they were just like roller coasters, only wetter. He turned out to be a load of fun in the wave pool, as well. Sara got an uncharacteristic display of his strength when he beckoned her into about 5 feet of water during a period when the waves had stopped so the lifeguards could take a break. He gave her a sly look and said "Wanna fly?"
She bunched her eyebrows together in confusion. "What?"
"Here," he said. He clasped his hands together, palms up, and held them down in the water. "Put one of your feet in my hands, and put your hands on my shoulders."
Understanding, Sara grinned and eagerly placed her left foot in his hands. Placing her hands securely on his bare, muscular shoulders, she looked him in the eye as he counted to the ready. "One, two, THREE!" Sara bounced on her right foot with each count, and on three she pushed up, hard, as he launched her into the air. With a squeal, she did a back flip and landed in the water about five feet behind where she started.
When she surfaced, she shook the water from her face and laughed in delight, the Sara Sidle Smile lighting up her tanned face. She swam back toward him and begged him to do it again. He gladly acquiesced. Showing no signs of tiring from the exertion, Grissom continued flipping Sara in the air until the waves started again. Sara found herself extremely aroused by his display of strength. She figured that his stocky build lent itself to a quiet and subtle strength, but he had tossed her really high. "Grissom…you're really strong," she finally said.
He shrugged. "You're not heavy," he said modestly.
"No, I'm not, but I'm still a human being, and throwing any person around for an extended period time can't be easy. I have to admit, I found that incredibly sexy," she admitted.
"Note to self: spend more time in weight room to impress Sara Sidle," he deadpanned.
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Grissom lugged the last piece of luggage down the stairs and set it by the door. "Hon, you ready?" he called to Sara.
"Yeah, I guess," came the sad voice from upstairs. "I was taking in the view one last time. This week has been…amazing," she finished as she appeared at the top of the stairs. Brightening, she said, "But at least I get to get my pictures developed when we get back!"
Grissom laughed as he opened the door and began setting the suitcases out by the car. He gently fingered the gift box in his pocket as he turned to Sara and asked, "So what was your favorite part of the week?" hoping she would say what he wanted.
Sara leaned her head to the side and considered his question. "Well, dancing at AJ's was really fun…" Grissom's heart sank. "But I'd have to say that Crab Island was the best day. So romantic," she said dreamily. A grin began to spread across Grissom's face as he pulled the box out of his pocket.
"I was hoping you'd say that." Handing the box to her, he said, "This is for you, to remember that day by…"
Sara looked at him in wonder as she fingered the small box. Looking down, she slipped the paper off, and opened it to reveal the silver chain and crab charm. Tears filled her eyes as she looked back up at him. "Griss…" she whispered. "I love it. Thank you." He pulled her into his arms and breathed in her scent.
"No, Sara. Thank you for helping me live again."
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Their flights back to Las Vegas were smooth, and better yet, on time. They landed at McCarran at 2 pm, plenty of time to get home and get changed before shift started. They made their way to the luggage carousel, and as they waited, Grissom kept Sara entertained by regaling her with his best Nick impression, complete with Texas drawl. Before long, tears were running down Sara's face as she doubled over in laughter.
"You clearly had too much to drink on the plane," she giggled. "I swear, get a little bourbon in you and you positively cannot be taken out in public!" She panted this last, trying desperately to regain control of her breathing.
When their luggage finally came around, Grissom reached over and hauled it off the conveyer belt. They turned around to go hail a cab, Sara still giggling and wiping her eyes, and came face to face with Conrad Ecklie. Sara's face quickly morphed into a look of total horror as Ecklie leaned forward and sneered, "You're both fired."