Thanks to Laura Katharine who stepped up to the plate and played beta for me!

Sorry this took awhile to post. Too busy lately. Kids and summer equal little time to write. I hope to not go this long between updates again.

Even though it was in the name of investigation, Grissom still had a slight problem rummaging through another person's belongings. It didn't bother him with suspects as much as it did with the victims. It wasn't typical that people asked to become victims. They don't ask to have their lives violated and searched through with a fine tooth comb. As he searched through Clark Higgins' desk drawer, he wondered what Higgins would have thought about this invasion. They search for answers, for justice, but Grissom knew that he himself would be mortified if his home was studied by knowing, prying eyes. He'd been afraid of people seeing the real him – a man too consumed in work and the lives of others to have a life of his own. He used to be terrified that his colleagues would discover that he wasn't as fearless or indifferent as they'd thought – that his biggest weakness was loving too much and losing.

Things were different now but he was still a man with a secret. Sara. His heart wanted to make it public, but his head wanted it to remain under wraps – away from work, from Ecklie, from judging eyes who would think that he was way too old and that she was way too impulsive and attracted to authority figures. This secret couldn't last forever and he wondered how long they had before they were discovered. He wondered why the thought of it unsettled him even though he had never been this happy.

He looked over at Sara as she stood from her crouching position and walked over to her kit to reload her camera. She glanced at him before she resumed taking pictures and gave him a quick smile. Even her smile held a secret. He could have both his job and her, right? This wasn't just a fantasy kept pure by the exclusion of the real world, was it?

So far they had been able to not let their home life interfere with their work, but the same couldn't be said about keeping work from home. They had tried, but being the workaholics they were, they hadn't found that balance. Their earlier argument was still fresh in his mind and for the life of him, he couldn't understand how it turned into a matter of trust. He just didn't want them to be in a situation that they couldn't work their way out of. Not for the first time, he wished he could be as sure as she seemed to be.

"It looks like he lived alone. One set of dishes, one toothbrush." Sara moved the couch cushion and found another random pair of men's underwear. She grimaced, replaced the cushion and turned back toward Grissom. "This place is definitely lacking a feminine touch."

"I'd say it's lacking any kind of touch." Grissom replaced the contents in the drawer and shut it swiftly; disappointed with the lack of anything probative. Pulling open another drawer, he sent a wry smirk in her direction. "Not all single men live like slobs – I didn't."

"True."

"Here we go - I found his bank statements."

Sara settled herself against the desk, looking over his shoulder. "Anything interesting?"

"No. He wasn't broke by any means – seemed like he managed his money well."

Grissom handed the statements to Sara and looked around the apartment. "What's missing here? This guy's bank account contradicts his home."

Sara dropped the papers on the desk and walked the perimeter of the living room. The walls were barren and with the exception of a few books, there was nothing that hinted to the type of person he was. The furniture was nice but the place lacked any sort of personality. "Identity. There aren't any pictures or albums. The landlord said that he's been living here for just a few weeks and we haven't been able to secure a place of employment – he could've been still settling in or just didn't need or want anything more than the necessities."

"Food, clothes, a roof over his head – the simple life?" Grissom supplied.

"And love … respect. Sometimes that's all people need."

Grissom hated moments like this - moments where you question if there was a double-meaning to a person's statement. He knew that he'd been guilty of the same thing in the past but was always aware that Sara was better at it. Clearing his throat, he turned back to the desk and collected the statements. "Love and respect – you kind of take away the 'simple' when you add those elements."

"He was murdered – I don't think his life was that simple. Besides, would you really want 'simple' if it meant leaving out those elements?"

With a heavy sigh Grissom leaned against the desk and ran a weary hand over his face, bringing the topic back to work. "He didn't leave us much to go on did he?"

He watched as Sara ignored the question and left for the kitchen. Yeah, definitely not simple. Grissom followed her into the kitchen and began to search the cabinets while she rummaged through the trash.

"Hey, I found some receipts."

"How old?" Grissom asked over his shoulder.

"All of them dated last week. He bought a pack of cigarettes, a hot dog and a beer three days straight." Sara stepped up and handed him the receipts. "Look at the address."

"This gas station is minutes from the crime scene, just outside that housing community."

Sara nodded, turning her head to face him directly and giving him a satisfied smile. "I know."

Grissom finally felt as though they were getting somewhere. "We're going to have to go door-to-door in the morning. Somebody there knows something."

"And maybe we'll find the kid that called it in – he may have seen more than he realized."

As they entered the lab, Sara began to question the reason for his silence. The drive over she'd been thinking mostly about the case and assumed that it was also on the forefront of Grissom's mind. When she'd brought up the receipts and how they should see if anyone at the gas station recognized their vic, he had turn his head in surprise, taking a moment too longto catch up. It was obvious that his thoughts weren't anywhere close to the case.

Did he really crave simplicity so much that he'd forsake love? Was that what held him back for so long? She shook her head and sighed at the sadness of it. Even if that was one of the reasons, he would never talk to her about it.

"I know this wonderful spot in the break-room."

His statement came out of nowhere. Confused, Sara stopped walking and scrunched her face. "Huh?"

"Yep. The privacy is lacking and the ambiance is even less desirable."

His head was in a file and his tone seemed nonchalant, but Sara knew better. He always wanted things to be right between them - and so did she – she just preferred not to sweep every problem under the rug. Maybe she was focusing too much on this; maybe she should let it go. "I've heard about that spot."

Grissom lifted his eyes and his slight smile revealed his pleasure over her playing along. "Rumor has it that since a certain lab tech got promoted, the coffee has improved tremendously, and I happen to know that there is enough egg salad for two in the fridge."

"Yeah, I know – I made that egg salad this afternoon," she said, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.

"We may have to check this place out." He spoke in total seriousness but the gleam in his eyes exhibited the playfulness of the moment. She was helpless against that look and smiled in return.

"I agree." As soon as the words left her mouth, Grissom's beeper chirped to life, making its presence known. "Duty calls?"

"It's Jacqui. Listen, you go ahead and eat – I'll grab some later. Afterwards, look over the bank statements again; go back as far as you can and see if we can find out more about our vic. I promised Greg a little help on his case so if you need me -"

"I'll find you," she said, waving him off.

When she turned toward the break-room, Sara caught a glimpse of Catherine, staring at her from behind her desk across the hall. From the looks of it, Catherine overheard their conversation.

Sara had no idea why she walked across the hall - or why she asked to come in - but as she sat down across from Catherine, she realized that this may be the chance to set things right.

Catherine leaned back and gave a tired sigh. "I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Thank you." Sara pursed her lips and nodded, at a loss as how to continue. She decided that the best course of action was to bite the bullet. "You uh … wanna share a coffee?"

"Seriously, I won't tell. I know how … private Gil is. I wouldn't betray him like that."

"I know. I wasn't asking because of that." Sara twitched in her chair and was slightly comforted by the fact that Catherine seemed just as unsettled. How could two intelligent women such as themselves not make it through a simple conversation? "You're here pretty late. I know that things have been busy but I, uh … I just thought you could use the break."

Catherine didn't answer immediately – instead, she studied Sara with narrow but curious eyes. Sara couldn't blame her for her hesitation for she knew that she would be just as wary.

Sara blinked in surprise when Catherine rose and pushed her chair in. "I'm hungry, too. I hear you have some egg salad."

"I do – enough for two. You in?" Sara asked, following her down the hall and wondering if a truce between them could really be this easy.

"What about Gil?"

"He was being nice – he hates my egg salad."

And for the first time in ages, the two women shared a laugh.

"You paged?"

Jacqui looked up from the table and gave Grissom a quick nod. "I did. I ran the prints for your John Doe – didn't find a name. I -"

Grissom nodded and cut her off with a wave of his hand. "We have a name – hoping that he was in the system was a long shot. Thanks anyway."

"Wait, we did get a hit."

"You did?" Grissom asked, settling in beside Jacqui at her computer station.

"It came back as an unidentified print of interest in an unsolved case. The file has been purged, but I did get the case number and the CSI assigned to it for you," she said, handing the printout to Grissom. "I hope this helps with your case."

"Thanks Jacqui."

Grissom's attention quickly went to the page in front of him and he wondered why he was filled with a sense of dread over an unsolved case. He tried telling himself that the reason wasn't because it was Sara's.

To Be Continued …