Title: Adventures in Teamwork

Author: Lifeguard

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I am a poor student, so I have no money for you to take from me.

Archive: Sure, just e-mail me and tell me where.

Spoilers:Anything and everything is game, except next week's finale

Rating: PG for some language

Summary: The CSI team is sent to a "teamwork seminar" which involves a camping trip. This leads to some funny situations, as well as some romantic ones. CWR/GSR

Author's Note: I actually had a dream the other night about the team on a camping trip, and when I got up, I felt compelled to write this. It was just there in my head. Tell me if it was worth putting down on paper or if it should have stayed in my head. Read and Review Please!

"So does anyone actually know why Ecklie called this meeting?" Catherine asked, looking at her watch, then at Grissom.

"He just said that he wanted to see everyone at the end of shift, that's all I know," Gil replied.

The rest of the team, as well as Hodges and Mia milled around the break room, drinking coffee, and getting annoyed at being detained at the end of shift. Finally Ecklie entered the room and it fell silent.

"I guess you're all wondering why I called this meeting. Well with the swing shift rejoining graveyard, and in light of recent problems," he said glancing at Sara, "it's been decided that all of you will attend a team work seminar."

A few people stifled groans as Grissom glared at Ecklie.

"Conrad, you know that my team works well together already. I really don't think the seminar is necessary," challenged Grissom.

"It's not my decision, nor is it yours. It was handed down from higher powers, and I was asked to go as well, but unfortunately I will not be able to make it."

"Translation: The lucky bastard weaseled his way out of it," Warrick whispered to Catherine, who suppressed a snort of laughter.

"What about those of us who are going back to swing, and will not be a part of this team?" questioned Sofia.

"You will not have to attend."

"Kiss ass," Nick whispered to Sara, who smiled slyly.

"Now I think everyone will be pleased to know that this is not going to be a normal seminar, it in fact will be a camping trip this weekend. You will be asked to navigate a hiking area, using only a map and compass to find a certain location. It will take place over two days, so you will be provided with tents and other necessities."

"Sir, with all due respect, you can't be serious! How do you expect us to willingly give up our weekend time off to do this?" Catherine protested.

Nick, Sara, Warrick and Greg nodded in agreement.

"As I said before, this was not my decision. You will all be compensated by having two days added to your vacation time. But may I remind you that this weekend is mandatory, so I expect to see you all here Saturday morning," Ecklie finished, distributing an information package about the weekend to Grissom. With that he left the room, leaving the disgruntled bunch of people to discuss their new weekend plans. Grissom glanced over the papers Ecklie had handed him and then cleared his throat to regain everyone's attention.

"I know you are all as upset about this as I am, and that none of us actually want to do this, but like he said, it's mandatory. I will read you some of the instructions we've been left with. We are all to be here Saturday morning at 6am…"

The room erupted into groans and sighs at the thought of a morning sleep in lost. Grissom continued,

"We are to pack only clothes and personal items that are weather appropriate. Sleeping bags, tents, food and cooking supplies will be provided. Myself and one other person will drive, and only these two vehicles are to be taken and left at a certain point. We will receive our map and compass on Saturday. That's all of the instructions for now. Any questions?"

"This is mandatory for lab techs as well?" Hodges asked.

"For you and Mia," Grissom nodded.

"And there's no way to get out of it?" Sara questioned.

"Nothing short of severe injury or illness."

"Well I think it might be fun," piped up Greg, who in turn received death glares from the rest of the room.

"Well I guess it's home to pack then, see you all on Saturday," Mia said, leaving the room.

The group dispersed, still grumbling about the trip.

Saturday morning dawned and at 6am, the CSI's and lab techs met in front of their building. Brass pulled up in his truck, and joined the group carrying a backpack.

"I didn't know you were coming," Grissom said.

"I got roped into it, considering I don't spend enough time with you people," he replied sarcastically.

"Where's Ecklie so we can get this stupid show on the road?" yawned Catherine.

As if on cue, Ecklie's truck rolled into the lot, and he stopped in front of the group. Getting out of his car he surveyed the group to make sure everyone was there.

"Who will be driving?" he asked.

"Myself and Warrick," Grissom answered.

Ecklie handed both men a map with a marked route on it. He then handed Grissom a sealed envelope.

"This is the area you will be hiking in. You can open it when you get there. Good luck everyone," he finished, then got in his car and pulled away.

"You know Grissom, we could probably open that map up, locate where we have to go, and then we could all go home and meet back there Sunday," suggested Nick.

"That would be cheating."

"Grissom, are you taking this whole trip seriously?" exclaimed Catherine.

"I am. It's mandatory, so we might as well do it and get it over with. Maybe we can make the best of it. Now who is riding with me? Let's get the cars loaded."

The team begrudgingly started loading the supplies that had been waiting for them into the trucks.

Two hours later, the vehicles pulled into a small camping ground where they were to leave the cars and begin their hike. They unloaded the supplies and divided up who was to carry what. They then all hovered around Grissom as he opened the mystery envelope. Inside was the map leading them over what seemed to be a large stretch of land that would eventually end at a cabin. The cabin was promised to hold food, wine and other luxuries to celebrate their team work victory.

"Does this remind anybody of that episode of The Simpsons where Homer and Mr. Burns get paired up on a team work hike?" Greg smiled, looking around the group. In response he only got quizzical looks. He shrugged.

Holding out the compass, Grissom found north and said,

"I think we should be heading that way," he pointed.

"Out into the wild blue yonder we go," Brass sighed, picking up his backpack and heading in that direction. Slowly the rest followed and soon they were deep in the woods.

The day wore on, and they forged forward. The walked in silence for a few hours, only talking to navigate, each still tired and saving their breath and energy for hiking. The day grew warmer and soon it was afternoon.

"Hey Grissom! It's past noon. Can we stop and eat?" Warrick called to the front of the group.

"Yeah! It's hot and I'm starving!" echoed Sara.

"My feet are killing me already! So is my back!" Mia complained.

Grissom turned back to face his team and looked at his watch. They had been going for a long time, maybe a break was an order.

"Alright, but only for half an hour. We still have a long way to go."

The team found a small clearing and settled down for lunch. Grissom, who had been carrying the lunch bag handed out the pre-made sandwiches to the group. Nick unwrapped, then bit into his sandwich, only to spit it out a moment later.

"Gross! Anyone wanna trade? I got peanut butter. I hate peanut butter!" he exclaimed.

"Over here Nick. I have tuna, and you know I don't eat meat," Sara answered, glaring at Grissom. Holding his hands up in defence Grissom shot a look back at Sara;

"I didn't pack the food."

"How much further do we have to go today?" Hodges mumbled through a mouthful of sandwich.

Grissom pulled the map out of his pocket and looked it over. Pointing out an area circled in red he replied;

"This is supposed to be our camp ground for tonight. If we continue at the rate we are going, we should be there by about four or five tonight."

Catherine glanced down at her watch,

"It's just after one now, that's still another four hours of hiking! This is worse than that marathon we ran! I want to kill whoever made us do this!"

"Hey, does anyone know how David got out of this one? I know Doc has a good reason." Brass asked.

"I don't know but he might have another body on his table if Catherine or I find out who cooked up this idea," Mia grumbled.

Greg, who seemed to be the eternal optimist piped up,

"Look how far we've come already. We can do it team!"

"That's the spirit Greg. Now we should get going," Grissom added.

"Shut up Sanders!" hissed Hodges as the team began their hike again.

As promised, just before five that evening, the team found themselves at a small campground. Gratefully they dropped their heavy loads and noted that there was a water pump and an area for a camp fire.

"I want to congratulate everyone on our teamwork so far. You've all done very well," Grissom smiled tiredly at the group.

"So what's next boss man?" asked Warrick.

"Pitching the tents I guess. There were only four, and I believe they hold up to three people,"

"Wait! Three of us in one tent? I don't think it would fit," Nick questioned.

"Well, maybe Catherine, Sara and Mia could share one, and then the rest of us can double up."

"Whatever. Let's just get this thing pitched so I can rest," agreed Catherine.

"Alright, well I choose Nick as my tent partner," said Warrick, grabbing a tent kit.

"I guess I'll double up with you Gil," added Brass.

"Hold on a second! I am not sharing a tent with Sanders!" Hodges spat angrily.

"Like I want to be in the same space with you," Greg retorted sarcastically.

"Is anyone willing to trade?" Hodges pleaded, looking around the group.

"Looks like you're stuck. Tough luck," Warrick replied.

Nick chuckled as he and Warrick continued putting their tent together.

The group successfully managed to get their tents pitched and a campfire going. Soon they were roasting hotdogs over the fire, while Sara cooked a baked potato for herself. As the sun went down and the team sat round the fire, Mia said,

"This reminds me of when I used to go camping with my dad. Anyone else camp when they were younger?"

"Yeah, I used to with my family," replied Nick, smiling at the memories.

"My grandfather used to take me on fishing trips," Greg added.

"Did anyone happen to see if there were marshmallows in that bag of food? We should make smores," Sara said.

Grissom looked in the backpack of food and produced a large bag of fluffy white marshmallows. The group cheered as they were passed around.

"Damn! Burned it again!" Catherine cursed as she looked at the charred remains of her marshmallow.

Warrick turned his stick one more time around, and then produced from the flames a perfectly golden brown marshmallow.

"Now that's how you do it," he said, pulling it from the stick and popping the gooey treat in his mouth. Catherine watched,

"Help me make mine like that, instead of this," she pointed to her burned one and then flicked it into the fire. Warrick placed another marshmallow on his stick and handed it to Catherine.

"Now the trick is to keep it moving in a slow circle for about a minute," he said as he helped Catherine move the stick into the fire. Soon another perfect marshmallow emerged and Warrick pulled it off the stick and placed it in Catherine's mouth.

"That's really good," she mumbled, as she savoured the taste. Warrick grinned.

"Well as much fun as this is, I'm dead tired, so I'll see everyone in the morning," Brass sighed, getting up and walking to his tent.

"Sleep sounds like a good idea. Good night everyone," waved Mia as she made towards the girls tent. The others remained for awhile, creating small talk. Soon nearly everyone was in their tent, preparing to rest for the long day ahead.

Greg unzipped the flap and entered the tent he was to share with Hodges.

"You don't snore do you Sanders?" asked an annoyed Hodges.

"I don't think so. Do you?"

"No."

Hodges promptly rolled over and shut his eyes. Greg, using his flashlight felt in his bag until he found what he was looking for. He laid back on his sleeping bag and flipped on the little black box he held. Instantly his rock music could be heard filling the tent.

Hodges sat up and glared at Greg.

"What the hell is that?"

"My PSP. I figured I might need it. I'm not sleepy yet."

"Shut it off will you?"

"Touchy aren't we?"

"Don't test me Sanders!"

"Whatever," Greg shrugged plugging his earphones into the PSP and rolling to face away from Hodges.

Outside the tent Warrick sat by the campfire, mindlessly throwing little sticks on the slowly dying flames. He heard a tent flap being unzipped and looked up as Catherine sauntered towards him.

"What are you still doing up?" she asked.

"Can't sleep cause Nick snores like a bulldozer. What are you doing up?"

"Need to use the bathroom, even if it is some gross little shed. I'll be back in a minute."

Warrick watched her as far as the fire light allowed him to, and then closed his eyes for a few moments, just listening to the fire crackle and the sounds of the night. He heard the water pump being used a few minutes later, and soon Catherine was back. She sat next to him by the fire and he turned to look at her. Warrick watched her for a few moments, lost in thoughts about how he wanted to just kiss her and tell her how much he wanted her.

"Earth to 'Rick. What are you thinking about?"

"How beautiful you are."

She blinked, and looked at him askew. He immediately plunged back into reality when he realized that he had said what he was thinking out loud. Before he could even begin to think of something else to say or regain his composure she whispered,

"You think I'm beautiful?"

Rather than risk his voice to give him away, he nodded.

"But I'm all gross from today…" she continued.

"You've never looked more gorgeous," he replied and realized his mouth had gone before his brain again.

She smiled at him revelling in the compliment.

"You know you never did take me out to dinner after I won that bet," she smiled slyly.

"Then there's nothing I'd like better than to take you out to dinner when we get back."

"I'd like that…" she softly said, brushing his cheek with her hand.

He closed his eyes at the touch of her fingers, feeling the sensation, like an electrical pulse, move through his body. He reached up and put his hand on hers, and she moved closer to him. The heat from the fire nearly matched the touch of his hand on her hand, as their faces came closer together.

Suddenly the moment was broken as Catherine slapped the back of her neck.

"Damn bug!"

She swatted at the air and then checked her hand she hit her neck with.

"Sorry…"

"You know, Grissom wouldn't like you killing bugs," Warrick chuckled gently.

"He wouldn't like this either…"

She leaned in and their lips made contact. In shock for a moment, his brain finally registered what was going on and he deepened the kiss, pulling her into his arms. As they parted for air Catherine managed to gasp,

"Wow…" before Warrick pulled her into another passionate kiss.

The sound of a tent flap being opened forced them to pull apart quickly.

"I thought I heard someone up," came Greg's voice.

"Damn..." Warrick muttered.

"What's up Greg?" Catherine asked, mildly annoyed.

"Hodges is a tent hog! He moves in his sleep. He's lying across the damn thing so there's like no room!"

Warrick thought about this for a moment, then realized helping Greg could work in Catherine and his advantage.

"Greggo, if we help you, will you help us?"

"What do you have in mind 'Rick?"

"Say we get rid of your Hodges problem, will you let us have your tent?"

Greg looked from Catherine to Warrick suspiciously.

"There's no room in the girls tent," Catherine said quickly.

"Well where would I sleep then?" Greg questioned.

"You can have my space with Nick."

"Why aren't you sleeping in the tent with him?"

"Umm, you brought that PSP thing right?"

Greg nodded as Warrick continued,

"It has earphones right? Can you sleep with your music on?"

"Yeah, but why?"

"Nick snores."

"Oh…alright. So how do we get rid of Hodges?"

Nick rolled over, and yawned. He hadn't slept that well in a long time. He figured it was from being physically exhausted. He thought that he could faintly hear music coming from somewhere, so he slowly opened his eyes. He did a double take as he watched Greg, sound asleep with his earphones in next to him. That's where the rock music was coming from. Sitting up, Nick shoved Greg a few times until he began to stir.

"Stop…quit it…" Greg mumbled, rolling over.

Nick yanked Greg's left earphone out of his head.

"Wake up man!"

Greg cracked an eye lid and saw a very annoyed Nick.

"How the hell did you get in my tent? Where's Warrick?" Nick demanded.

"My tent…Catherine…one more hour…" Greg muttered, shutting his eyes.

Nick shoved him again, and Greg let his eyes open into tiny slits.

"Are you saying 'Rick and Cath are in your tent?" insisted Nick.

"If this is how you wake up every morning, I wouldn't want to room with you."

Nick glared down at the former lab tech.

"Yeah, their in my tent," he yawned, "something about there not being enough room in the girls tent, and you snoring really loud…" Greg shut his eyes.

Nick punched Greg's shoulder to wake him again saying,

"What? I don't snore! Wait…if their in your tent, where's Hodges?"

"SANDERS!"

Nick unzipped his tent flap and poked his head out along with almost everyone else.

There at the edge of the camp ground, by the outhouses was Hodges looking very mad in his sleeping bag.

Nick stuck his head back in his tent and stifled a grin.

"You didn't did you Greggo?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"Warrick and Cath helped too," he said, replacing his earphone and closing his eyes.

Nick could hear Warrick chuckling from the next tent while Hodges dragged his sleeping bag back towards them.

"Where is he! Where is that bleached blonde CSI wannabe? I'll kill him!" Hodges raged, as he ripped open the zipper to his tent.

"Hey man! Ever hear of knocking?" Warrick exclaimed.

"What! What are you doing in my tent! Where is Sanders!"

"Calm down Hodges. How do you even know he did this?"

"Who else would pull this stunt? And what are you doing in my tent!"

"Well, Nick snores like a freight train, and apparently you're a tent hog, so I solved both problems," Warrick said calmly.

"I don't…" Nick started.

"You did this? What the hell is wrong with you Brown!" bellowed Hodges.

"Can't take a practical joke?"

"Sure, play the jokes on the new guy! That wasn't funny!"

Grissom who had been watching quietly from the side decided to intervene.

"Hodges, please calm down, it was only a joke…"

"Sir, I woke up outside! I could have been mauled by a bear!"

"Hodges please," the lab tech wisely shut his mouth and let Grissom continue.

"I don't think that Warrick meant you any harm, but maybe it wasn't the best idea, was it?" he finished eyeing the CSI.

"Maybe not, but we did use teamwork to do it," Warrick tested.

"This trip isn't about that kind of teamwork, but let's just say now that there are to be no more practical jokes alright?"

Warrick nodded, smiling.

"Now let's get up and moving, we have a lot of ground to cover today," Grissom added.

As Grissom made his way back to his own tent, Nick approached Warrick.

"So you traded me for Greg man?"

"You weren't letting me get any sleep."

"I do not snore!"

"Wanna bet?"

"So Greg says you were rooming with Catherine."

"Really…are you going to believe everything he tells you?"

"I dunno, you tell me."

"Why don't you take a look over at the girls tent and tell me Nick."

Nick turned and saw Sara emerge from the girls tent, followed by Catherine.

"Dude, she only helped Greg and I move Hodges, then she went back to her own tent."

"Alright, alright I believe you," Nick said, heading off to find some food.

Warrick watched Catherine, and she winked at him before helping Sara start to roll the sleeping bags.

After finishing a quick breakfast and packing up camp, the team started out on their trek to their final destination, the cabin. Again they hiked all morning until Grissom had heard enough complaining to stop for lunch. They had come upon the edge of a small lake, where they stopped to sit in the shade of the trees and eat.

Catherine settled down next to Warrick with her sandwich, and he whispered to her;

"I didn't even hear you leave this morning. Did you have any trouble getting back in your tent without any questions?"

"Not at all. But I promise you that I won't leave so early next time."

He smiled at her and had to resist the urge to kiss her in front of everyone. Warrick was thankfully distracted by a sudden splash coming from the lake.

"Hey everybody! The water's fine! Come on!" Greg called, splashing the water in their direction.

"Did he seriously just jump in that lake? How does he know there aren't leaches or other creatures in there?" Hodges looking disgusted said.

"I don't know about you, but I'm hot as hell, and that doesn't look like a bad idea," Nick replied, stripping off his t-shirt and walking towards the water.

"Maybe their onto something. You know we aren't going to get to shower till we get home late tonight…I'm going!" Mia added determinedly, putting down her sandwich.

The rest of the group watched the first three frolic in the water.

"That does look refreshing. Maybe I'll go put my feet in," Brass said, wandering down to the water.

Warrick stood up and pulled Catherine to her feet. She gave him a quizzical look before he to stripped of his shirt and headed for the water, dragging her giggling with him. Sara, Grissom and Hodges were the only ones still dry as Nick and Greg emerged from the water, dripping wet.

"Sara…" Greg called.

Nick had a wicked smile on his face, as Sara sat shaking her head.

"You know you want to…" Nick taunted, coming closer to her.

"Come on Grissom!" Greg added.

Sara looked to Grissom for help as Greg and Nick came up on either side of her. Grissom only smiled playfully in response.

"If you can't beat them, join them," he said simply before getting up to go join Brass to put his feet in.

Nick grabbed Sara's left arm, and Greg had the right, pulling her to her feet. She let out a squeal as they half dragged, half carried her to the water.

"Guys! Grissom! Let me go!" she laughed, then screamed as they unceremoniously dumped her in the water.

Hodges sat on the ground still, watching the others laughing and splashing. Mia called to him and he finally relented and walked to the edge. He began to wade in up to his knees not to far from where Grissom and Brass were standing.

"Come on Hodges!" Mia called again, beckoning for him to go deeper.

He waded further forward, now up to his waist. It was very refreshing. He went a little deeper till he was up to his chest and stopped where Warrick, Catherine, Nick and Sara had started a splashing war.

Out of the blue, something grabbed his ankle and Hodges let out a rather loud, long, high pitched scream.

"Get it off!" he wailed, and suddenly Greg's head popped up from the water, choking for air as he laughed. The rest of the group joined in when they saw Greg, as Hodges lunged for the CSI, and Greg swam away as fast as he could.

"I'll get you Sanders!" Hodges yelled as he went after Greg.

Even Grissom couldn't help but laugh at Hodges expense.

Much to the dismay of the team, the swim was cut short when Grissom announced they had to continue hiking. He promised it wouldn't be to much further till the cabin and that they should all be in their own beds that night. So they trudged forward for the better part of the afternoon. By early that evening they were still in the woods, Grissom holding the map while Brass used the compass.

"I think we should go that way," Brass said, pointing to his right.

"But according to the map the cabin is that way," Grissom pointed to his left.

"Guys, can we please figure this out before the sun goes down?" complained Mia.

"If I've read this map right then we should be about five minutes from the cabin," Grissom continued.

"Let me see that," Nick said, looking over Grissom's shoulder.

"Has anyone else seen that log before? I think we're going in circles," Hodges whined.

"I think we're supposed to go back the way we came and then turn left Griss," Nick tried.

"Not only do you snore, but you're directionally challenged man. We've gotta go north west," Warrick said, taking the compass from Brass and looking at the map.

"I do not snore!"

"Hey guys…" Greg called, but nobody was paying attention to him.

"I think we're going in circles," Hodges complained.

"Let me see that! If we leave you men alone we'll never find our way," Catherine said, grabbing the map and showing it to Mia.

"Will everyone please LISTEN TO ME!" Greg suddenly shouted.

They all stopped what they were doing and starred at the newest CSI.

"I think we've got a bigger problem then being lost…"

"What is the bigger problem Greg?" Grissom asked, almost annoyed.

"Sara's missing."

All the colour drained from Grissom's face, and the rest of the team was shocked.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Nick spat out.

"Exactly that. She's gone!"

"When was the last time anyone saw her?" Grissom finally managed to say.

"Maybe about ten minutes ago. She was behind me, and when I turned back, she was gone."

Grissom surveyed the group, silently asking them the same question.

"Last time I saw Sara was around the same time. I think she was last in the hiking line," Nick volunteered.

"Alright, so she couldn't have gotten to far if it's only been ten minutes. How come you didn't say anything before Greg?" Brass questioned.

"Because I didn't notice she was gone until we stopped, and nobody was listening to me."

"Ok, let's split into pairs and search within the area. Nick and Mia, go back the way we came, Catherine and Warrick go to the left, Brass and Hodges you stay here, and Greg and I will go to the right. Don't go to far, and keep within voice range," Grissom ordered.

Bags were dumped on the ground and the search began.

"Sara! Sara!" everyone called.

Greg and Grissom moved further away from their trail and kept calling her name.

"Sara! Where are you?" Grissom called out into the woods.

"Uh, Griss, don't you think we've gone too far?" Greg asked nervously, noticing how far from Brass they had gotten.

"Sara! Just a little further Greg, we're not that far. We have to find her!" he answered with determination.

All of a sudden the forest began to grow thinner and the two men stumbled into a clearing, and half way across it was a cabin, with Grissom's and Warrick's trucks in the driveway.

"We found it! We found the cabin!" exclaimed Greg.

"Well that's all well and good Greg, but we need to find Sara."

"Over here!"

"What was that Grissom?"

"Sara!"

Grissom took off to his left and then was down on his knees. In front of him was Sara lying on the ground rubbing her ankle.

"Are you alright? Thank goodness we found you! How did you get over here?" Grissom gushed as Greg rushed over to them.

"Greg go get the others," he finished.

Greg ran back to find the group as Grissom knelt over Sara.

"Well I was following everyone when I stopped to tie my shoe. I don't think anyone noticed and kept going. I heard you all stop up ahead and start fighting over directions. That's when I thought I heard a car. I veered off the path a little, maybe a little to far, and found the cabin. But before I could get to it, I tripped. I think I sprained my ankle," Sara explained, looking sheepishly up at her supervisor.

Grissom then put a hand on her shoulder and said quietly,

"I was worried about you."

She put her hand on top of his and answered,

"I'm alright. It was stupid to go off on my own. I'm sorry."

They looked into each others eyes for a moment, and Grissom was about to say something else when the team emerged into the clearing and spotted them led by Greg.

"Sara! Where were you?" Catherine said.

"Don't do that to us!" Nick exclaimed.

"Girl, you gave us a scare," Warrick added.

"Are you ok?" Mia asked.

"It's just my ankle," Sara answered.

"Hey! The cabin!" Hodges yelled.

The rest of the group noticed it as well and cheered.

"Well let's get going then," said Grissom.

Nick came over and helped Grissom get Sara to the cottage. Inside the team was surprised to see Doc Robbins waiting for them.

"Congratulations everyone! Ecklie unfortunately couldn't be here, so he asked if I would come and greet you instead," he said smiling.

"We'll take you over Ecklie any day!" Catherine grinned.

"Anyone for some champagne?" Greg asked, holding up the bottle.

As the party progressed into the evening, Grissom made his way outside for a little quiet. He sat on the cabin's little stoop looking at the stars that were not always visible above the lights of Vegas. He was lost in thought when the door opened and Sara hobbled out, her ankle wrapped in a tensor bandage.

"I was wondering where you got off to," she smiled at him.

"It was getting a little loud in there, and the stars are so beautiful out here."

"I think Greg is a little drunk actually. The stars are gorgeous," she replied looking up.

Sara gazed up at the constellations, while Grissom could now only gaze at her. She seemed to pick up on him starring at her and brought her eyes down to meet his.

"Are you ok Griss? You didn't have to much bubbly did you? Cause remember, you're driving."

"I was really worried about you today Sara. It was scary not knowing if you were ok or not."

She was shocked at his words. He had been worried about her? He was telling her this? She was even more shocked that he continued speaking;

"In those ten minutes you were missing, it made me realize how short life really is, and that we can loose it all in such a short amount of time. I don't want that to happen, I don't want to waste any more precious time."

"What precious time Grissom?"

"The time I could be spending with you."

He took her hand in his, and she starred at him, dumbfounded by how open he was being.

"Sara, tell me it isn't too late."

Tears formed in her eyes at the realization that Grissom was finally admitting he had feelings for her and was actually going to act upon them. She managed to speak past the lump in her throat, choking out;

"It's never to late Grissom."

He leaned in then, and captured her lips with his. It was a short, sweet kiss and afterwards, they sat in silence, both caught up in what had just happened.

The door to the cabin burst open at that moment and Grissom and Sara whipped around to see Greg holding up the nearly empty champagne bottle.

"Go…team…made it! There Sara is…" he slurred, before turning around and attempting to go back inside. He didn't get very far before tripping and landing on his backside.

"Ouch…" Greg muttered before taking another swig from the bottle.

They watched as Nick helped him to his feet.

"I think you may have had a little to much there Greggo," he said.

"No…not me…"

"Hey Grissom, are we going to be heading back soon?" Nick asked.

"Get everyone together Nick, we'll leave in five minutes."

Nick nodded and instead of getting ready to leave, Grissom shut the front door and sat down beside Sara again, leaned in and kissed her. She smiled through the kiss before deepening it. As they parted she whispered into his ear;

"I can think of a few different ways I want to spend our time together."

Grissom's face erupted into a wicked grin.

Warrick concentrated on the road as he drove back to Vegas. Catherine was in the passenger seat, resting her head on his shoulder. In the back Greg was still mumbling incoherently while drifting in and out of sleep, while Nick was already deep in slumber.

"Is that Nick snoring? Sounds like a jack hammer. I'm glad you don't snore," she whispered, smiling at Warrick.

He leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead,

"I do other things," he grinned as Catherine giggled.

On Monday night the team met back in the break room as Grissom gave out assignments.

"I trust you have all rested and are ready to get back to some real work," he started.

The team nodded in response.

"I would just like to once again thank all of you for doing a great job on the weekend and showing excellent teamwork. Catherine, Warrick and Nick, you will all be working a 419 in the suburbs, and Greg and Sara will be with me tonight on a possible suicide," he finished, handing out the folders.

"As the team began to disperse Hodges poked his head in the room and Nick smiled;

"Hey thanks for that video from the party last night!"

"Yeah, I got it in my e-mail today. It was hilarious!" added Catherine.

"What video?" asked a concerned Greg.

"Just the one of you drunk off your ass Greggo," chuckled Warrick.

"What!"

"I had my digital camera with me, and now courtesy of it, the whole building is enjoying your antics from last night. I'm thinking of posting it on the net Sanders," Hodges answered sarcastically.

"You wouldn't!"

"I told you I'd get you Sanders," Hodges smiled, leaving the room.
Greg got up and ran after him as the team laughed.

I hope you all enjoyed this story. I promise that within the next week or so I will update Truth in the Matter/Truth of the Matter, my other neglected stories.

So if you smiled when you read this story, make me smile by hitting that little button that says Submit Review, cause I really love to get them! Thanks! L