:tips hat: Marlou... rockage. For the rest of you lovely people, here be some fluff, I guess.

There were nights when Las Vegas was sleepy, nights when the criminals decided to take some down time and not commit any crimes. Tonight was absolutely not one of those nights.

Night shift was in chaos and some of it had spilled over to dayshift. Coffee was being brewed in copious amounts and doled out in large mugs. Grissom was more frazzled than usual, the ever-calm, ever-ready nightshift supervisor seemed to be letting the chaos get to him. He grabbed a mug and took a few pulls on his coffee and readjusted his glasses. "Okay, we've got... a 419, a smash and grab, suspicious... suspicious circs, I think." He squinted and looked at the paper, Brass's tiny handwriting clustered together. "Suspicious circs,(.)" He held up the paper, and Nick grabbed it, much to Warrick's chagrin.

Grissom blinked the sleep out of his eyes and took another sip of his coffee. "And we have another 419." People murmured in irritation as he put the papers down on the table. "I'll work one of the 419's... Catherine, you can take the smash and grab since you have to leave early for that... thing," Grissom waved his hand as he said it and sat down tiredly.

"Thing," Warrick asked.

Catherine nodded, adding more creamer to the coffee. "Nature walk, fun huh? Yeah, I get to spend four hours in the forest with a bunch of twelve year olds." Everyone looked at her. "I haven't slept in three days."

Warrick smiled and finished off his mug. "Should be a blast." Catherine shot him a look and took a seat across the table from Grissom.

"So," Grissom continued in a harried voice. "Sara, Warrick, you've got the other DB call... and I think that's it. Don't bother with reports tonight, I know we've all worked a triple..."

Several votes of 'thanks' passed about the room but Grissom waved them off and opened a file as everyone got up to leave.

"Later, Gil," Catherine tossed over her shoulder.

Sara passed by, "Bye Griss,"

He didn't bother looking up, just tossed a casual, "Love you," over his shoulder.

And time stopped. Everyone paused en route to the doorway and waited for Grissom to explain his faux pas. Sara's cheeks blushed and her mouth hung open in shock. Catherine had grasped Warrick's arm as he attempted to walk by. Nick sputtered up his coffee. All four nightshift employees stared at the back of Grissom's head.

It was a page flip and a sip of coffee later that he realized what he had said. "Oh. God."

A mischievous smile passed over Catherine's face and she moved up behind him. He'd gone stock still, his eyes wider than Sara's. Sara glanced around at Warrick and Nick who were both fastidiously holding back their laughter.

Catherine smacked her lips and poked Grissom in the shoulder. "Gil..." she began, low and sickly sweet, "You have something you want to tellllllll us?" Her hands landed on his shoulder and Sara smacked a hand to her forehead.

"Oh Gooooood," she muttered, licking her lips, wondering exactly how Grissom was going to work his way out of his little slip-up. 'Little slip up? Be real Sidle, this is a huge fucking landslide.' She cringed again as Catherine moved herself around in front of Gil.

"Giiiiiiil, still waiting on that an-swer." She sing-songed the last part and Warrick burst out laughing. Nick soon followed, placing a hand on Sara's shoulder and shaking her. That just made it all worse.

"I uh, what?" Grissom cleared his throat and mentally bitchslapped himself for being such an idiot. It was a hard slap too, it resounded throughout his mind and left his frontal lobe pink and sore. "Catherine I-"

"Love who? 'Love you?' Who? Oh goodness, is it Warrick? I knew it I-"

"Okay, okay," Grissom began, sounding pissed off, but a slight smile twitched at his lips. "Okay, stop it."

And they all stood before him like some holy congregation, smiling and silent. Sara's eyes were on the ground. Her cheeks were still pink and burning, waiting to see what he would say.

Grissom sighed and threw his hands up in tired surrender. "I love Sara, okay? Now get to work!"

But they all still stood before him like nothing had changed. Sara's face however, had straightened and her lips had quirked up just a bit and she shot him a tiny smile. But still, the nightshift minions stood before him, waiting for something more.

Grissom threw his hands up again, amused and exasperated. "What do you want from me?"

Catherine chuckled. "A better explanation than," Catherine dropped her voice and droned, "'I love Sara'. That's not very romantic Gil." The blonde wore a look of elation and mischief and he wanted to wash it off of her face.

"It doesn't have to be romantic because," he gave a short glance at Sara. "She already knows... and has known... for the past five," Gil thought for a moment. "Five and a half months." A smug smile crossed his face and he set his shoulders. Catherine gaped at him and then moved to punch him in the shoulder.

"Five months! I knew you were getting laid!" Catherine shrieked, and she shoved him. "I knew it!" Luckily everyone in the lab was too wrapped up in their own worlds to concern themselves with the actions taking place in the break room. Well, all but Greg.

"Did I just hear that someone's getting laid?" His eyes were glittering and schoolish and Nick laughed again, loud and thorough, clutching his stomach. Greg looked around in confusion, especially at Sara's horrified expression. He went to go to her but she shook her head and stepped back towards the wall.

Catherine slapped Gil on the back and turned to leave. "Let's go people," she said and ushered people out of the break room. The last he heard of her was her making a joke to Greg about the 'birds and the bees'. Grissom shook his head, wanting nothing more than to disappear. But, alas, he had a job to do and retreated to his office to grab his field kit.

He didn't bother flicking on the light, just made his way over to his desk.

The door to his office shut and he was left, surrounded by the dull light from his terrariums. He looked up to see Sara advancing on him. "I'm sorry Sara, I-" But was cut off when she pressed her lips to his, kissing him deeply for a long moment. When she pulled back, he was in a daze, so she simply made her way to the door.

"You can be sweet when you want to be, you know?" And then she was gone.