"Batting a Thousand"

August 11, 2005 (Day 111)
Shoreline Cabins
5:17 p.m.

As the perfectly warm and sunny summer afternoon slipped away, the honeymooners lay head to toe in the luxurious hammock Gil had purchased at the outdoor store. Each still clutching the books they were reading, they had nodded off without warning…the balmy breeze off the lake providing just enough movement to maintain the gentle rock of the hammock and lull them into a deep sleep. A slumber so sound, Gil barely roused in time to answer his cell phone. "Grissom," He announced in a voice thick with sleep.

"Did I wake you?" Catherine asked in a perky tone.

"Uh…" Noticing Sara's peaceful state, he answered in a whisper, "Yes, and Sara is still sleeping so I have to keep it down."

"Why don't you go to another room, Stud?" She cackled. "Or does she have you so worn out from deploying the troops that you can't retreat?"

Smiling, he told the truth, knowing she'd love hearing they were doing something whimsical. "I can't, because we're in a hammock and if I try to peel myself out of it I'll send her flying."

"A hammock? Atta boy!" She snickered, "Very romantic. Tied to trees by the beach?"

"No, on a stand in our backyard."

"Your backyard?"

"Well…it won't be official until next month but…" He beamed as he watched the gentle rise and fall of his wife's chest. "We bought a cabin on a nice piece of property by the lake. It's going to be our place to come and decompress."

"That was your plan? Show up in Tahoe and buy her a cabin as a peace offering? That had to set you back half a million. Ugh…I thought you were done with the Sugar Daddy approach? What would your therapist say? Ha! Do you know how many years I've been waiting to say…Gil, what would your therapist say? Now I can!"

"I'm so glad I've made one of your fantasies come true. Look…we bought the cabin together after she forgave me. My therapist will love the idea…she thinks I need to utilize some of the twenty four weeks of vacation I've accumulated." Savoring the delicious fresh air, he sighed, "Sara and I made some nice memories here and…"

"The make-up sex was that good, huh? Awww…first-timers…you thought it was so mind blowing that it drove you to buy the place. Cute."

Thinking he wasn't giving anything away, he added, "No…we also enjoyed the lake and…"

"No way!" She laughed skeptically into the phone. "You got the germ-phobe naked in a lake? Wow…she really must have missed you. Hey, I bet you enjoyed that…all those bugs buzzing around in the great outdoors while you…"

"Enough about me." He squirmed in the hammock. "When I called earlier…"

"Sorry about that," She chuckled. "I was uh…doing a little making up of my own. This supervisor role isn't good for my personal life."

The wrench she just threw into his plan caused him to stammer. "Well…funny you should say that because I was calling to tell you that I'm taking a new position at the lab, one that will allow Sara and I to have the same hours and I was planning on offering you my old job. You don't have to apply because we're within department timeframe for pulling from the applications I had all of you fill out when I was selecting someone for the Days position."

"Oh. Wow…I can't believe you're moving on. Something bigger and better I hope."

"Yes. Non-supervisory analysis to get the lab back to number two." Sensing her hesitation, he offered, "Look…take all the time you need and…"

"No…I need to turn it down. Things are going too well here…today being an exception," She chuckled briefly. "I don't want to screw this up, especially not for Lindsay. She needs Warrick just as much as I do. It's weird…I turn into a different person when I'm in the supervisor role. And, because you know I have to think about me…supervising sucks the fun out of the job for me. So, thanks but no thanks."

Glancing up at sky, he considered his options. "You know who my next choice is…you think you could handle that?"

"It might be good for me…then again, it could be a disaster. In any case, my feelings shouldn't factor in before you make the offer. You need to make the offer and then he can talk to me…at least I hope he would."

"Understood."

"So what are you two lovebirds going to do tonight now that you're rested? You promised to be more open with me, remember? So dish!"

Lighting up, he relayed the exciting details. "We're heading down to the beach to watch bats eat their body weight in insects. They eat a thousand insects an hour and it's quite amazing to witness. I bought night vision binoculars so we don't miss a thing."

"Please tell me that's some kind of code."

With pride, he explained, "No, it's the truth. It's my reward for winning at Scrabble earlier today."

"Gil…I think I know why Sara's not pregnant yet."

Carrie and Nick's Apartment
6:01 p.m.

Under the bedcovers, Nick and Carrie worked on their second bottle of champagne while leafing through bridal magazines and chomping on food from two different surprise romantic meals.

Giddy from the bubbly, Carrie remarked, "This is a very eclectic dinner…stuffed mushrooms, egg rolls, cream puffs and strawberries."

"I'm loving it," Nick announced as he brought another strawberry to his fiancée's mouth. "It's part of the wedding planning…well, the honeymoon planning anyway." Stopping to kiss the juice dripping onto her chin from a bitten strawberry, he came up chuckling. "For the record, I will plan and practice the honeymoon portion of the event any time you want because I think it's very important that we get it right."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Honey."

"Not a problem," He growled as he dove in to clean up another non-accidental strawberry juice spill.

"Where do you want to go on our honeymoon?" Her mind raced with the possibilities…exotic islands, romantic hideaways…

"The stars, Baby," He teased, knowing he'd be chided for not being serious. "With a side trip to the moon."

"Seriously!" She playfully shoved him away. "If we want to get the best deals we need to book well in advance."

"Planner!" He groaned.

"Player!" She snapped.

"Come on…you expect me to think when I'm totally relaxed from passion-fueled make-up lovin' and feeling the bubbly?"

"Passion-fueled make-up lovin?" She shook with laughter. "Where did you get that ridiculous phrase?"

"Sanders." He burst out laughing. "But I swear that's the only thing I gleaned from him when it comes to women. Hell, I taught him everything he knows." Nuzzling into Carrie's neck, he growled, "Tawny should personally thank me."

Peeling him away, she sneered, "Uh, Love Professor, did Greg sleep through your lecture on birth control or did you skip that one?"

Shaking his head, he informed her of the cold hard facts. "Hey…I can only share my knowledge, I can't enforce it."

"You think he's going to handle the responsibility of fatherhood? Do you think he'll marry Tawny?" Tilting her champagne flute, she gulped until she needed to come up for air.

Not enthused about the subject, Nick groaned, "Baby, why are we talking about Greggo when we're naked in bed?"

"Don't you care about your friend?" She sighed, "He's already been irresponsible twice…getting Tawny pregnant and getting into a brawl that almost cost him his job. I'm worried for the baby…it's one of my triggers, to use your word. I've seen too many abuse cases stemming from unwanted pregnancies."

"I do care…really…just not when I'm in bed with my fiancée practicing for our honeymoon. But for the record, yes, I think Greg will step up to the plate. He's a good guy…in spite of the image he projects with that ridiculous hair." He returned to smothering her with champagne induced kisses.

"We should have them over and show our support."

Nick collapsed against the sheets. "Most women would appreciate the fact their fiancé is still awake at this point."

"Sorry!" Rolling onto her side, she explained, "Tawny called me this afternoon. Last week I gave her my card and told her to call me any time she needed someone to listen. Today, she called."

"What did she say?"

"I can't tell you," She announced while snagging another stuffed mushroom. "I have to respect her privacy."

"Wait…you insist on talking about this and then when I engage in the conversation, you say you can't tell me?" Shaking his head, he pleaded, "Can we go back to talking about napkins because at least I understood that conversation."

Shoreline Cabins
6:22 p.m.


Standing at the kitchen counter chopping mushrooms, Gil periodically glanced over at Sara setting the table for dinner. "Still smarting from the loss?"

"A loss I could handle," She half-laughed while cinching her pink robe tighter. "A humiliating ass-whooping by four hundred points is harder to swallow than that whole raw trout you have splayed on the counter. You got all the great letters…X, Q, Z…while I faced an endless parade of E's, A's and O's. I still can't believe I challenged you on gneiss because you said it was a female relative of a gnat. You made it sound like such bullshit."

"Pretty cute, huh?" He was proud of himself.

Sara on the other hand, wasn't amused. "I didn't expect you to bluff on the meaning of a real word just to get me to doubt it. Gneiss…granitelike rock, I'll never forget that one now! Ugh! You and your bluffing skills…you had me so off balance I didn't even know what I really knew anymore." Sniffing her arm, she moaned, "I just took a shower but the stench of embarrassment is still clinging to me."

"Don't worry…" Picking up a lemon, he assured her, "…I won't tell anyone. It will be our secret that I'm the indisputable Scrabble King and you're blown away by my bluffing prowess."

Placing the silverware on the table, she groaned, "Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness. After I finish setting the table I'll start scrubbing the floors so they're worthy of you walking on them."

Squeezing lemons into the sauté pan, he sweetly scolded, "Hey, even though I'm royalty, I'm still cooking you a very nice dinner, Cinderella." From across the room, Gil's cell phone rang and he asked, "Can you grab that, Honey, my hands are covered in juice."

Knowing that he was waiting for a call, she hustled to the phone. When she saw it was Warrick's cell, she grinned and answered, "Sorry, your boss can't come to the phone right now, he's too busy catering to my every whim."

"As it should be."

"Actually, he's catering dinner and his hands are covered in lemon juice. Pretty studly, huh?" Crossing the room she saw Gil wiping his hands on a dish rag. "But he's cleaning up his act so hold on." Handing over the phone, she said, "I'll chop the veggies while you take care of business." When she saw his momentary grimace, she snipped, "Oh please…I'm not going to ruin the meal slicing mushrooms and artichokes! And don't even think about standing here supervising."

Slinking away, Gil put the phone to his ear, "Hey, Warrick. You make a decision already?" Checking his watch he noted only a half hour had passed since he made the offer.

"Yes, I've talked it over with Catherine and…I'm going to take the job."

"Fantastic."

From the kitchen, Sara yelled, "Don't you mean frabjous, Your Majesty!"

While throwing his wife a look, he said, "I'll feel much better leaving the team knowing it's in your hands, Warrick. And I trust that you and Catherine will be able to uh…work things out in your own special way so your work life doesn't interfere with your personal one."

"No worries. We'll handle it."

Circling back toward Sara, Grissom said, "I'll call Brass and let him know you've accepted with an August 22nd start date. We'll work out the transition details when I'm back in the office Saturday night." Stealthily, or so he thought, he peered at Sara's vegetable handiwork but was promptly busted.

"I'm looking forward to it, Gris. Now I'll let you get back to your honeymoon."

"Good idea." He smiled directly at Sara. "So Warrick, you've got the shift tonight and tomorrow instead of Catherine. Good luck, I'll see you Saturday…unless you're tied up."

"Bye!" Sara shouted into the phone for the both of them and when Gil tossed it on the counter she sneered, "You had to come and check out my chopping, didn't you? What is it with you and your anal-retentive cooking phobia?"

From behind, he slipped his arms around her waist and joked, "I guess I'll have to blame my mother for that too. She taught me how to cook."

"She did a great job, you're an excellent cook." She was pleased he didn't take over her slicing. "But when you pass the talent onto our child, I'd appreciate you chilling out just a tad."

"Deal." After moving her hair off her neck, he sprinkled tantalizing kisses.

"Okay, now if I mess up the chopping I'll blame you for distracting me." When he continued his amorous assault, she shook her head. "If you think I'm going to let you…" When he found her ear lobe, she whimpered, "Come on…you know we need to wait because…"

Murmuring in her ear, he corrected, "I need to wait…but you don't."

A smile exploded on her face as he tugged at the belt of her robe. "How noble of you," She giggled from the light touch of his fingertips on her waist. "Wait a minute, Scrabble King…is this another one of your infamous bluffs?"

Without saying a word, he assured her it wasn't.

Greg's Apartment
8:59 p.m.

"Time to wake up, Greg," Tawny whispered in his ear as she hovered over him. Exhausted, he had fallen asleep in her arms earlier and when she slipped away around three, she didn't set the alarm for his usual eight o'clock rise and shine.

"Hey," He groggily greeted as he stretched. "Is it eight already?"

"Nine actually. I let you sleep in because I know you only get up at eight to hang with me a little longer before leaving for work." She kissed his cheek. "Your shower's heatin' up and there's a Subway sandwich in the fridge for dinner."

Sitting up, he smiled, "Thanks."

"Are you sure you won't let me find a night shift job?" She thought she would ask one more time. "Don't you think it would be so much better to be on the same schedule? The cocktail uniforms at some of the casinos are pretty tasteful and…"

"Nooooo." He shook his head vehemently. "Besides…the smoke from the casinos is bad for the baby. I don't want my kid popping out jonesin' for a Marlboro."

His use of the term my kid brought a smile to her face. "What about a less risqué place? Like a hospital? They have night shifts. The money wouldn't be as good as waitressing or cocktailing but…"

After considering the option, he said, "That I could handle."

"Good." Proud for coming up with an acceptable alternative, she smiled. "I'll look online for job openings while you're working." Taking his hand she yanked him out of bed. "Now hit the shower."

Lake Tahoe
9:31 p.m.

Snuggled in their double-seat portable lawn chair on the beach, Gil and Sara had everything a couple of bat watchers needed…warm clothes, blankets, hot cocoa, night vision binoculars, a shared passion for science, and a sense of humor.

Focusing her binoculars, Sara enthused, "I'm not even going to pretend this isn't totally cool. I'm embracing my inner-geek and unapologetically admitting I'm having a swell time watching bats ingest bugs on my honeymoon."

Filling her cup with steaming cocoa, Gil radiated with satisfaction. "I'm pretty sure only die-hard geeks still use the term swell, so I think you would have outed yourself anyway." Lowering her binoculars, he handed her the cup. "Cheers."

"Is it spiked?" She inquired through a devilish grin.

"You tell me."

Gingerly she took a sip. "Holy Hot Toddy Batman!" She exclaimed in the style of the old TV series. "What did you put in here? Is there even cocoa in here?"

Laughing at her nostalgic Batman lingo, he replied, "Chocolate liqueur, Hazelnut liqueur and brandy. The cocoa is just the binding agent."

"As if I wasn't relaxed enough from the um…consolation prize you treated me to earlier, followed up by a delicious dinner…now you're filling my veins with this heavenly treat while we sit under the stars watching bats fill their guts." Caressing his cheek, she chuckled, "You really are The King."

"And I'm not done surprising you yet," He taunted. "I have a little more self-sacrificing to do by the end of the night."

"Really, Honey," She choked on her cocoa. "You did such a frabjous job the first time I'm quite sated so…"

"Not that." He laughed before downing a big swig from his mug.

"Oh." She raised her binoculars and tried not to obsess over what he was planning. "I'm going to hate going home tomorrow. This vacation thing is fun."

Scanning the skies, he sighed, "I feel the same way."

Jokingly, she said, "Let's quit and rough it, living off the land…and our multi-million dollar bank account." Loving the warmth of her drink, she downed it with vigor.

"You wouldn't last a month," He replied. "You'd be in the woods trying to solve animal murders and printing raccoons to nail them for breaking and entering trash cans."

"I could set up CODIS for wildlife," She mused in between sips of cocoa. "Do you know how many female animals are victimized each year? It's about time the Alpha Males got what's coming to them."

"And you're just the gal to do it." He smiled easily. "How do you think you're going to deal with maternity leave? Or being away from the field in the latter half of your pregnancy?"

"I think I'll be able to deal with the field ban because, even though it's not as exciting, I know I can do just as much in the lab to help as I can in the field." Settling further into his arms, she pondered the other half of the question. "Three months seems like an eternity away from the job but it's hard to know how I'll feel once I hold our baby in my arms. Sometimes I think the moment will come and it will still feel unnatural…that it won't click with me. Other times I think it will be so overpowering I won't want to do anything else. I'm hoping for middle ground…it feels perfect but it doesn't consume me to the point that I can't focus on work. You know my work is a part of me. If I stopped, I'd feel lost."

"Obviously I can empathize since technically I could have retired on my investments years ago." Kissing the top of her head, he said, "I'm not worried about motherhood not clicking for you. Your maternal instinct, while unpracticed, is quite strong. I see it every time we deal with cases involving children."

"What do you worry about?" She asked while closing her eyes and enjoying the intimacy.

"The paramount worry of any father is providing. Look no further than my own father to prove that…he became a workaholic to provide for his family and prove his father wrong. It's instinctual to want to take care of your offspring."

"You've got that covered."

"Financially yes, but I also want to stick around long enough and be physically able to be there. Starting out so late I realize it won't be the same experience for me as it will be for Greg or Nick."

"That's why we're getting you healthy and less-stressed, right?"

"Right." He squeezed her closer. "Which allows me to focus on the other worries."

Sensing his hesitation, she prodded, "Such as?"

"For one thing, I worry that I'll never be able to let our child out of the house because I know what lurks out there…not just in the shadows but on the playgrounds and in neighborhood houses." Resting his head on hers, he lowered his voice, "How are we going to block that out enough to let our child live a normal life?"

"I've thought of that too and I'm afraid I don't have an answer. Let's jot that one down to ask Dr. Myers."

"When in doubt…"

"Ask your therapist!" Pointing to the sky she lurched and drew her binoculars, "Bat at two o'clock!"

"And he's hungry," He remarked in an excited tone.

The hot toddy kicking in, Sara giggled, "I think our child will love coming here to watch bats scarf! How lucky will he be to have a dad as creative as you!"

"You think?"

"Hell, yes. Running after a football is a mindless waste of time but this…this is science…and science existed well before a bunch of Neanderthals started tossing pigskin." She searched the skies for more bats as she excitedly spoke. "And science, in all its glory, is the only thing that will exist when this world as we know it blows apart. And after it does…science will continue on. So I ask again…what kid needs football when he has science?"

"Not our little geek offspring," He replied, knowing she was trying to allay his concern and loving her for it. "But he will need self-defense training."

"Hell, we have plenty of money. Let's hire him his own personal bodyguard! That way, he won't get harassed going to Chemistry Club on his way back from his latest Chess victory while carrying a backpack full of books. No one is going to give our future Nobel Prize winning child a hard time! Boris the Bodyguard will make sure of it."

Gaping at her, Gil offered his opinion. "I was thinking more along the lines of good verbal negotiation skills and Tae Kwon Do."

"That works too." She winked. "I blame my maternal instinct for getting carried away."

Crime Lab
Garage
11:17 p.m.

With Warrick working the front seat of the Mercedes that he was assigned by Catherine to process that morning, and Greg working the back, they were making excellent progress.

"So, Warrick, you're sure everything's cool between Grissom and Sara?"

"Definitely." He snickered, "They're in full honeymoon mode in Tahoe."

"Excellent," Greg remarked while tape lifting. "Hey…can I run something by you and you promise to keep it between us? Not even Catherine."

"Sure, man." He kept his eyes on the dashboard, combing for evidence.

"This morning on changeover, I heard Trey from Days mention to Nina that he was looking to switch shifts to either Swing or Grave. Nina said she was going to put in a bid and beat him to the punch because she wanted to go back to school for her Master's during the day."

"And this has you concerned?" Warrick asked wondering why Greg would care about Trey and Nina's problem.

"No…it got me thinking." Stopping to pick up a fiber, he waited until it was bagged to start talking again. "Tawny really wants me working the same hours as her, so I was considering swapping with Nina." Concern dominating his voice, he asked, "How do you think Grissom would take it? Do you think he would be disappointed that I'm bailing on him?" Conflicted, he confessed, "I'm really torn because, no offense to Nick, I know I can learn the most technically if I stay with Gris, but I have to think of Tawny's needs and the baby's…working Grave makes a normal family life kind of hard. So…I'd like your unbiased opinion."

"Uh…" Technically he wasn't the supervisor yet, but Warrick was already facing his first personnel dilemma. The thought of his team containing Catherine, Nina and Sofia, the ultimate diva trio, made him shiver. On the other hand, he would need to fill his own spot and at least now he wouldn't have to worry about hiring because if Greg swapped with Nina and Trey wanted on Nights too, they'd be full. Plus, everyone would be CSI 3, which would make for the most experienced team in the lab. Nick, on the other hand, would have two entry level CSIs…Jas and Greg. Plus, Greg had a flagged personnel file because of his fight with Hodges. Also, if Sara got pregnant she would be restricted in the lab and the field, which would leave Nick with only one experienced and fully deployable person, Pete, a CSI 3.

From the look on Warrick's face, Greg knew there was a problem. "You think Grissom would be upset, don't you?"

"No…uh…I think he'll be fine with the decision." Warrick nodded confidently. "Cath told me Gris has a real soft spot for Tawny, so if you go in with that angle I'm sure he'll agree it's a good call."

"Thanks, Warrick." Greg nodded. "I'll talk to him as soon as he returns from his belated honeymoon."

"Hey…it's never a bad time for a honeymoon." He snickered, "Hell, Cath and I aren't even married and we've had two already. She has special white lingerie she only wears on our honeymoon nights…makes me weak in the knees."

"You guys really are kind of weird," Greg quipped.

"Who's not?" Stepping out of the car and yanking off his latex gloves, he said, "You know what Sara and Grissom are doing tonight on their honeymoon? Going down to the beach to watch bats eat bugs through night vision binoculars."

"Really?" Greg backed out of the car. "I've always wanted to do that!" Then he saw Warrick's reaction and realized he was losing serious cool points. "But not on my honeymoon. I uh…would choose the white lingerie thing you were talking about."

Shoreline Cabins
11:57 p.m.

After stowing their outdoor gear in the garage, Sara and Gil, buzzing from a combination of seriously spiked cocoa and successful bat watching, hurried into the cabin. And with plans to cozy up in front of the fireplace, they wasted no time tossing logs in and starting a roaring blaze.

What Sara didn't know was that her husband had a special surprise for her. And in a symmetrical twist, Gil, likewise, didn't know his wife had a pleasant surprise for him. Both were waiting for the right opportunity to spring theirs.

"I had a great time tonight," Sara announced in liqueur-fueled honeymoon euphoria.

"Me too." His smile turned to a chuckle. "This is funny, I feel like we're dating. I don't know whether or not to go for the kiss goodnight."

"Do you have to say goodnight already?" She flirtatiously replied while placing her hands on his hips. "My curfew isn't for another hour."

Getting into the spirit, he checked his watch. "That gives us plenty of time. There's something I want to ask you…"

"No, I've never gone all the way." Try as she might, she burst out laughing. "Sorry…I'm a terrible actress."

"I wouldn't say that." Her laughter was contagious and he caught it. "Your recurring role as Boom Boom is Emmy worthy in my book." Taking her hand he said, "Anyway…I want you to be my wife tonight."

Catching her breath, she inquired, "What was your real question?"

"Well…as we both know, you lost at Scrabble today, so this evening we did what I selected, instead of what you wanted…dancing in public." Letting go of her hand he crossed the room, turned on the small stereo on the shelf and fished out a CD case from behind it, displaying it for Sara.

"That has our song on it!" She excitedly announced.

"I tracked it down when I was out shopping." Feeling confident her answer would be yes, he asked, "Will you dance with me?"

"No."

Stunned, he blurted, "No?"

"I mean yes…just not right this second." Holding up a hand, she explained, "I have a surprise for you too. Wait right here."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." With curious eyes he watched her scurry into the bedroom and shut the door.

Ten minutes later he began to wonder if she had passed out on the bed. "Sara?" He called while tapping on the door.

"Just one more minute! Why don't you um…go toss another log on the fire?"

"Okay." Relieved she wasn't asleep, he strolled over to the fireplace and did as requested. Once the log was in place, he retrieved the poker and mindlessly stoked the flames while waiting for his wife to emerge.

"Sorry I took so long," Sara greeted in a raspy voice as she stood behind her husband.

From his position, squatting in front of the fire, he turned and when he did, his eyes happened upon a sea of virginal white silk. His attention captured, his gaze headed due north and was pleased to encounter…heavenly lace…an elegant bodice dotted with pearls…delicate straps and Sara's gleaming smile. "Wow," Was all he could manage as he soaked it all in. While he was familiar with his wife's 'sexy' look in lacy underwear or a certain red dress; her 'cuddly' look in her comfy pajamas or favorite pink robe; and her 'sinful' look when she broke out the La Perla every now and then…he had never seen her 'innocent feminine' look. "Wow," He repeated as he stood before her, glancing at the plunging back of the gown and the way her hair delicately cascaded over her shoulders.

"I went shopping too," She grinned wildly in response to his reaction. "It's from the bridal sleepwear collection. Even though we've been unofficially married for months and legally married for exactly two weeks…Happy Anniversary by the way…"

"Happy Anniversary," He repeated as he was swept further away by her beauty.

"Even though we've already consummated our relationship, have tried to make a baby several times, and have been on our honeymoon for two days, I decided to declare tonight…our wedding night." Feeling rather confident his answer would be yes, she asked, "If that's alright with you." When he didn't reply, she nudged him. "Honey?"

"Sorry…what was the question?"

Amused by his blissful stupor, she replied, "I asked if it's okay that we declare tonight our wedding night."

Looking like the cat who ate the canary, he nodded, "I think that's a frabjous idea." Then he remembered the ban. "But I'm in a holding pattern until tomorrow."

Taking his hand, she pointed to his watch. "It's after midnight," She purred, "it is tomorrow. I'd love that dance now."

Hand in hand they walked over to the stereo and Gil eagerly pressed play. "You look amazing, Sara," He whispered as he pulled her into his arms, enjoying the feel of silk under his hands. "Thank you for this."

Sweetly she replied, "Thank you for the compliment and for asking me to dance."

As they swayed to the familiar song, they focused on the joy in each other's eyes.

Bringing his forehead to hers, Gil whispered, "Here's to no more nights without the one I need."

"I'll dance to that." Sara eased into his body letting his arms wrap as tightly as possible.

Everything about the moment fueled his senses…the scent of sugar cookies on her creamy skin, the feel of her sensuous gown, the vision of her dressed just for him, and the sound of her purring in his ear. For the second time since his arrival, Gil was overcome with emotion-fired passion. "I love you, Sara," He breathed against her lips before burning a kiss into them.

"This could be the moment," She breathlessly exclaimed, while he whisked her to the bedroom. And as they fell against the sheets, Sara released her amorous reply, "I love you, too."

August 12, 2005 (Day 112)
Crime Lab
Nick Stokes' Office
6:47 a.m.

"I love Krispy Kremes!" Nick rejoiced as Greg tossed the box on his pal's desk. "Donuts and you're giving me four hours to help out my backlog. Thanks, man."

"I was coming back from the field and made a sugar run. Thought I'd share the wealth." He took a seat and grabbed a glazed donut from the box. "I uh…also wanted to talk to you about something. Just between you and me, okay?"

"Is this about Tawny?" Nick asked after swallowing half a donut. "By the way, I am supposed to invite the two of you over for brunch Sunday. Think you can make it?"

"Yeah…Tawny is working at three on Sunday so as long as it's earlier in the day."

Wiping his hands on a napkin, Nick answered, "Carrie said eleven-thirty, will that work?"

"Perfect."

"Sorry…what did you want to talk to me about?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Greg dove right in. "Tawny really wants me on the same work schedule with her. I think it would best if I worked Days because I'm not crazy about the idea of her working at night. So I was thinking…just in case an opening comes up on your team, I'm going to put in a bid. If it's okay with you that is…if you'd want me on your team." Tensing he waited for a reply.

"I'd love to have you on my team, Greggo," Nick boomed. "And your timing is perfect because Nina just left here telling me she put in a bid for a spot on Grave."

"Really?" Greg feigned surprise. "Cool! And thanks for wanting me on your team."

"You run this by Grissom yet?"

"No, I'm going to catch him first thing when he gets back from his honeymoon." He chuckled, "I'm thinking he'll be in a really good mood."

Shoreline Cabins
9:14 a.m.

Lounging in bed wearing his favorite blue pajama bottoms and a dopey grin, Grissom waited for the news of the day.

To pass the time, he reflected on the last twenty-four hours. A damn near perfect period of time…no, he changed his mind…it was perfect…absolute perfection…no matter what he did, it turned out well. He batted a thousand.

"Guess whaaat?" Sara sang as she emerged from the bathroom. "The handy dandy ovulation predictor indicates I've moved into the high fertility zone. Last night was great timing."

"Among other things," He replied with satisfaction saturating his voice.

Thrilled with the forward movement, she continued sharing her plans. "High fertility should switch to peak fertility by Sunday. Soooo we need to give it another go late tonight and then go for bull's-eye on Sunday."

"We'll be on a plane tonight." Wiggling his brows, he teased, "Too bad gravity would work against us standing, because I've been having that fantasy about you since we had that little chat on the subject while processing that case what…five years ago? Six?"

"Oh really?" Taking a seat on the bed, she needled, "Tell me more."

"You don't remember?" He was floored. "You remember everything! How could you forget…"

"I remember it perfectly," She assured him. "I just never heard your thoughts."

"Oh I had plenty of thoughts," He laughed. "Why the hell do you think I bolted out of there? I had to walk around the terminal and cool off. Hell, every time I flew somewhere for a conference after that, I thought about it." Seeing her amusement building, he added, "You were such a little vixen about it too. And then you tried to downplay it like you were shy. Drove me crazy, not to mention fueled my fantasies." Curious, he asked, "Was it really as bad as you said, or did you just say that for my benefit?"

Cracking up, she fell against her pillow.

"What?" Baffled, he loomed over her. "What's so funny?"

Gasping for air she informed him, "I never had sex on a plane in my life!"

Confused, he stammered, "But…you said…"

"I was bluffing!" She shouted, thrilled that she had bluffed the Bluff Master.

"Bluffing?" His brows knitted. "Why?"

"To see if I could get a rise out of you!"

"Let me assure you…mission accomplished."

Pleased with the results back then and the new information he just provided, she giggled, "Yeah…I just didn't know how much until now."

Optimistically he asked, "So can we?"

"Nope." Seeing his hopes deflate she said, "Okay, okay…maybe."

His hopes soared. "Really?"

"Nope…I was bluffing!"

Appealing to her competitive nature, he suggested, "How about we play Scrabble and the winner gets to decide?"

"Get the box!" She ordered, determined to win this time. And while he was fetching the game, she wondered…what I will demand when I win?

Greg's Apartment
11:22 a.m.

Rushing through the front door, Greg called out, "Tawny? Are you still home?" He knew she had to be at work by noon.

"Just finished getting ready!" She responded from the bedroom before hustling into the living room. "Kiss me then I have to run."

Happy to indulge her, Greg delayed his news in favor of a smooch.

"I'll be home by seven." She snuck another kiss. "I'll bring home dinner from the restaurant."

"Wait." He grabbed her hand as she dashed for the door. "I have good news."

"What?" Intrigued by his cheery look, she waited with baited breath.

"I'm switching to Days!" He reported. "I didn't talk to Grissom yet though so don't say anything, okay?"

"That's fantastic news!" Tossing her arms around his neck, she jumped. "So I can study in the morning after you leave for work, then I'll go to work and we'll both be home by seven unless you're pulling a double."

"Yep." Her jubilant expression made it all worthwhile. "Okay, you better get going. Sorry, one more thing…Nick and Carrie invited us for brunch on Sunday. Eleven-thirty."

"Really?" Pleasantly surprised, she said, "Carrie wants to be my friend?"

"According to Nick she already is." Taking her hand he led her to the door. "We'll talk more tonight." Framing her face with his hands, he stole one more kiss. "Have a good shift."

"I love…" She caught herself and finished her thought differently "….this idea of us working the same shifts!"

Captivated by her appreciative smile, he stumbled over his words. "I love…it too."

Southwest Airlines
Flight 140
Midnight

Twenty minutes into the seventy minute flight, Gil and Sara had their noses buried in books as they reclined in the seats in the second to last row of the plane.

Although she was reading a depressing part of the dramatic novel, Sara couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Still elated from her Scrabble victory, a fantastic win by a 93 point margin, she knew that Gil was sitting next to her thinking about 'what might have been' if he had won. And she loved every minute of it.

Earlier in the day when they were setting up for their rematch, he was so certain of success that he didn't even make Sara specify her reward before the start of the game. His exact words were, you can have anything you want if you win, but we both know that's not going to happen. To which she replied, fine…when I win, I'm going to make you suffer by holding a non-specified reward over your head…a reward that I can demand anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

"How's your book?" Sara casually inquired of her mate.

Without looking up, he droned, "Rather banal, but I'm stuck on a plane so I'll keep reading it."

"I'm going to hit the restroom," She announced while clicking open her seatbelt.

"Okay." Again, Gil didn't take his eyes off his page.

Leaning in, Sara seductively whispered in her husband's ear, "Maybe…in about thirty seconds…you should go to the restroom too."

Snapping his neck to meet her gaze, Gil stared for a moment and then cautiously asked, "Are you bluffing?"

With a devilish glint in her eyes, she replied, "Maybe I am…maybe I'm not." Standing, she taunted, "I guess you'll find out in thirty seconds."

Tossing his book on his wife's open seat, Gil watched the second hand on his watch tick ever so slowly.