Disclaimer: Again, I am but a poor college student who owns nothing more than what fits in my dorm. CBS and affiliates, please don't sue me.

Pairings: G/S, what else is there?

Rating: PG- 13, possibly R

Summary: This is my take on the way some of our favorite GSR moments should have gone, starting from the beginning.

Chapter Two- Vegas Baby

Las Vegas, Nevada

August 2000

"Norman pushed-"

Grissom snapped a picture.

"Norman jumped-"

Another picture.

"Norman fell-"

"Wouldn't you if you were married to Mrs. Roper?"

Grissom smiled to himself, "I don't even have to turn around. Sara Sidle."

Sara smiled at him as he turned to face her, "That's me. Still tossing simulation dummies? There are other ways to tell, you know."

"How? Computer simulations? I'm a scientist, I like to see it."

"You're old fashioned."

Grissom shrugged and the feeling that passed through Sara was one of impatient excitement. It had been three months since their last rendezvous in Frisco. She felt a sudden heat rush through her body and she shook it off. She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself into him.

"How's the girl?" she whispered, burying her face into his neck, feeling his hands on her back.

"Not good."

Sara picked up on the tone of his voice and she pulled back a little, looking into his eyes. Her hand went to the curls at the back of his neck and in that moment she ached to kiss him.

"I'm sorry."

For a moment neither of them moved, keeping their eyes and bodies locked. Grissom moved his head slightly and Sara took that as her cue to move in. She dropped her mouth on his and reveled in the feel and the taste of him. He kissed her back. With no hesitation, Grissom clung to her, needing to be a part of her again.

"Uh, hey Grissom?"

Nick's voice startled them both and they stepped back. Sara noticed the flush on Grissom's face and she had to turn away to keep from laughing.

Nick Stokes stared at his boss, completely lost for words. Gil Grissom was standing at a crime scene, making out with a beautiful woman, blushing like a horny teenager. He coughed to cover his urge to laugh, causing Grissom to scowl at him.

"Sara, this is Nick Stokes," Grissom said tersely, "Nick, Sara Sidle."

Nick and Sara shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Sara," Nick said, then turning to Grissom he said, "Just a friend, huh, Griss?"

At that, Grissom earned a nice slap in the arm from Sara and a playful glare from Nick. It only took him a quick minute to realize that Sara had turned and was stalking off in the other direction.

"You'll pay for that, Nicky," Grissom called, going after Sara, "You'll be working every decomp for the next six months."

Grissom caught up to Sara just as she reached her car, stopping her before she could get away from him. He took her by the arm and turned her to him.

"'Just a friend' Grissom?" she snapped, pulling back, "God, why do you always do this to me? Drag me out here under false pretenses?"

"What 'false pretenses'? Damn it Sara! I'm sorry that I don't feel the need to announce every detail of my personal life to my team," Grissom snapped at her, "But I didn't lie to you when I asked you to come here, I needed your help, Sara."

Sara stopped her movements and gave Grissom a quick kiss.

"I'm gonna head to the lab, get going on my case," Sara got into the car, "Find me later."

"All right, I love you Sara."

She didn't say it back. She turned over the engine and Gil turned to go back to where Nick was waiting. After a moment, a car horn caught his attention and he turned toward Sara's car.

She signed 'I love you too' in ASL and drove away.

Grissom smiled to himself and went back to his experiment.


Sara's day began with disappointment and, at the announcement of Holly Gribbs death, it only got worse. She left Warrick Brown alone at the diner, needing a moment of privacy for herself. She locked herself in her car, her hands shaking as she placed them on the steering wheel, anger boiling in her and directed at the CSI she'd just left.

"Damn it Brown," she muttered, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Her cell phone rang, startling her slightly, and Sara had to dig around in her purse to find it.

"Sidle."

"Sara, honey, it's me," Grissom's voice soothed her immediately, "Holly Gribbs was pronounced dead a few minutes ago."

Sara sighed heavily, "Yeah, I know. The OR paged me. I'm sorry, Gil."

She heard him shrug and neither of them spoke for a moment. Sara could sense his hesitation and thought it would be best to change the subject.

"Gil, if I'm going to be staying with you, I might need directions," she told him lightly, "I'd like to go by the house and drop off my bags. Not to mention a hot shower and some coffee would be nice."

She could feel Grissom's mood change the second he started talking to her again, "I forgot about your bags. I can give you directions from the lab. Where are you?"

"The diner down the street," Sara told him, glancing up at the neon sign that read 'Mike's All-Night Eatery', "I can be at the lab in about five minutes."

"Good, I'll meet you in the parking garage, third floor is the lab," he told her, "I've got to give you a key."

Sara's body tingled at the thought. Living with Grissom was, until now, just a fantasy she'd been harboring for years. Now he was asking her to stay, asking her to wake up in bed with him every evening before work, asking her to share his shower, his personal space. She got to Gil Grissom like no other woman could and it made her smile.

"I'll be there in a minute."

"I'll be waiting."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Sara. Drive fast."

They disconnected and Sara started the car.


Sara pulled her car into the third floor parking deck of the crime lab approximately three minutes and thirty one seconds after she'd disconnected her call with Grissom. As she pulled in, she noticed Gil leaning against the back of his truck. She smiled when she saw him there, hands in his pocket, eyes on some incriminating evidence on the pavement.

Sara pulled her car into the empty space beside Grissom's and parked. She waited for him to come around before she opened the door to get out.

"Hi."

She barely managed to get the word out before his mouth came crashing down on hers. She was pinned to the side of her car, Gil's big hands covering her smaller ones on either side of her face. She felt no reason to fight him off, she wanted him to have her, she wanted to taste him. They'd been apart for so long enough and Sara was just as sexually frustrated as he was. Her tension was beginning to uncoil and it was sending hot, wet heat straight to the pit of Sara's stomach and she started to push him away.

"Whoa, slow down there, sweetheart," Sara muttered out of breath, "I don't plan on having sex in the backseat of one of our vehicles."

Gil laid his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.

"God, I've missed you," he breathed.

Sara smiled, reaching up and massaging the back of his neck, "I missed you, too."

He pressed a gentle kiss into her forehead before stepping back and leaning against his truck.

"Did you leave the rest of your things in San Francisco?" he asked.

"Like my furniture and stuff?"

"Yeah, your bed, your dresser, couches, a table and chairs, everything necessary to make a house a home," Grissom asked, smiling at her.

Sara shrugged, "I figured, why put myself through the trouble of dragging all of that stuff all the way out here when I didn't know if I would be staying?"

She risked a glance at Grissom and he wasn't smiling.

"Sara..."

"Hey, its okay, I know now. I know this is permanent for us. I guess I was just- I was scared."

"Of what?"

"This," she said, gesturing between them, "I guess I just didn't know how it would play out. I wasn't sure if I could trust myself not to screw this up."

"Oh."

His head dropped again and Sara stared at him.

"Hey, I'm past that feeling now," she said lightly, "I'm here, Gil. I've been reminded of why I came and I couldn't make myself leave even if I wanted to. Which, by the way, I don't. I'm here for you. I love you. And I won't leave unless you want me to."

Gil nodded, not sure what to say, his pulse racing.

"Okay, now that we side-stepped that obstacle," Sara said quickly, trying to remove the awkwardness she felt, "Can I have your keys so I can go home? I need a nap and a shower."

Her use of the word 'home' in reference to his townhouse sent a spark of hope through Grissom. She meant it, he knew, that she was here in Las Vegas, that she was here for him. He pulled a key ring from his pocket and pressed it into Sara's hand. She fingered the enamel butterfly key chain for a moment before smiling up at him.

"Mine to keep?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded, blushing slightly. Sara didn't push him. Instead, she leaned into her car and emerged with a pen and a piece of paper. She handed it to Gil, smiling at his confusion.

"Map, honey, I need directions."

"Well, I could use a shower myself so..."

Sara shot him a playful look, "Shower my ass, Gil Grissom, I know what you want."

He smiled at her and Sara could feel the heat in his gaze. She looked away quickly but Gil caught her around the waist and pulled her into him.

"I've really missed you, Sara Jane Sidle."

"Trust me, the feelings mutual."

Grissom's mouth covered hers and Sara opened herself to him. His hands were in her hair and hers were on his chest. They both seemed to be trying to crawl into each other. Sara could feel all of the emotion and tension she'd kept bottled up for the last three months starting to resurface. Gil obviously felt it, too, because he pushed her away, breathing heavily.

"Get in the car, Sara."

Sara glared at him, becoming frustrated at the tone of his voice.

"You were the one who said you weren't willing to have sex in the backseat of the car," he explained at her look, "So the quicker you get in and drive, the quicker we can get home and get out of these clothes."

Sara smiled at him then, kissing him hard on the lips, "I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you."

Gil smiled back, gently shoving her behind the wheel of her car.

"I'll see you there."