Sitting in his office, Gil Grissom tried, hard as he might, to get the image of Jim and Sara laughing it up out of his mind. However, he could not forget the look on both of their faces as they laughed at whatever joke or story was being told. She, Sara, that is, did have a beautiful smile. Pity she didn't wear it more often. Jim was as close to a best friend as Gil had ever had, but to see him with Sara like that, for some reason, enraged him. He had no right to be jealous, as Sara wasn't his girlfriend, but at the same time he liked her more than he should, he being her supervisor and all. It would never work out, he knew that and on more than one occasion he'd told her to find a life outside of work and now that it seemed that she had, he wasn't happy; to the contrary, he was livid. Not livid at her finding a life, but with whom it seemed she had.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Still in the car, Jim and Sara were talking about general things; the cases they'd worked together, the time they'd spent together out of work and something that he'd had on his mind a lot as of late. For the last few months Jim had wanted to ask her out for a proper meal, just the two of them, or have her over for supper one night. He'd cook, of course, as he was a good one. His specialty, though not vegetarian, was beef roast with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. He'd tried substituting the meat with tofu one time but it tasted like some nasty trainer that had been left out in the rain for a week. He wasn't sure if she'd accept his proposal, but it couldn't hurt to ask, right? Turning in his seat to face her, he gave a lopsided smile and sighed. Looking into his eyes, Sara knew something was up and had an idea as to what it was, so without hesitation she said that one word.

"Yes."

A bit confused, he cocked his head to the side like a confused dog and blinked several times.

"Yes?"

No hesitation on her part.

"Yes, but we'll have to coordinate our schedules."

The acceptance was generic, as she would do anything he asked, so "Yes" seemed to be the right answer, knowing that he'd never ask anything untoward of her. Jim was a good man with a good heart, so she figured if he wanted something from her she'd gladly give it if it was within the scope of her abilities. After all, he'd made the first move by kissing her in the storage closet. Granted the kiss was meant to stop her freaking out, but it was a kiss nonetheless, and a nice one at that. In a way, she could still feel the sensation of his lips on hers and his tongue in her mouth, forcefully massaging her tonsils. It was a bit rougher than she liked, but DAMN, the man could kiss.

"Um, ok." was his stunned response

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The week was a long and stressful one and when the weekend came (which was actually a Thursday and Friday) Sara was more than ready for some downtime. It wasn't until Jim caught her climbing into her car that she remembered their dinner date. Not one to break her word, she sighed internally and smiled.

"Your place or mine?" she asked

"Mine. I'll cook and you can nap."

"Ok, I'll meet you there."

And with that, she turned the ignition and was off to her place to repack her overnight bag. She'd bring it just in case there was a repeat performance of her passing out on the couch. She wasn't tired, but there was just something about Jim's couch that was so inviting. It was long enough that she could stretch out in comfort and the cushions were soft, but at the same time firm, which was good, as she liked a firm mattress; better for the back and all.

By the time she arrived at Jim's house he had already started cooking and from the smell of things it would be delicious. She could smell the basil, rosemary and garlic. She was a big fan of garlic because it was good for the immune system and heart. She knocked on the slightly open door and heard him call out for her to come in. She opened the door further and once inside she could smell the whole of Jim's culinary delight. Dropping her bag by the front door and kicked her shoes off, walking to the kitchen in her stocking feet. Coming up behind him, she could see that he obviously knew his way around the kitchen as he minced fresh garlic cloves. He set his knife down, washed his hands and turned to face her, smiling.

"May I?" he asked

"You may." She replied

Leaning in, he planted a kiss on her cheek and wrapped his arms around her in a loose sort of embrace. This was all so new to both of them. Realistically speaking they weren't the perfect match. They were far apart in age and experience, but for some reason they just seemed to click in that way. They had similar taste in non work related activities and television programming as well as sports and intellectual pursuits. They were both history buffs and had a passion for foreign lands as well as the culinary arts and sports, though she would never admit to being nearly as big an ice hockey freak as he was. There were a lot of things that they kept private; figuring the proper time to "show" would present itself in time. Being loosed by Jim's grasp, she leaned against the counter and licked her lips.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked

Handing her a pot, he smiled.

"Fill this about half way and put it on the range, then slice this lemon and drop it in. When the water boils, drop these in and cover it. They should take about half an hour to forty five minutes to cook." He said, handing her the lemon and two artichokes

"Will do." She replied, doing as she was told

"And if you don't mind, could you drain these beans and add them to the pot while I see to the sea shells?"

"Ok. What are we having, by the way?"

"Home made Minestrone soup with salad and artichokes."

"Mmmmm, sounds divine." She said, licking her lips again

Having done what Jim had asked, Sara went to the couch to lay down. She didn't intend on falling asleep, but as soon as her head hit one of the fluffy pillows, she was out like a light. Half an hour later, when Jim looked from his business to the living area, he saw her asleep and smiled. God, she's beautiful when she sleeps, he thought to himself. He'd seen her sleep many times. Sometimes he'd walk into the break room at the lab and she'd be asleep on the couch or the one time she had brought a pillow to work and lay down in his office, claiming back problems. He'd sat at his desk going over case files, periodically looking over at her against the wall stretched out, her arms above her head and her legs crossed at the ankles. She had this cute little nose whistle that she did when she slept that he thought was precious. However, to see her asleep in his house, on his couch……there was just something about that sight that warmed his heart.

A couple of hours later, when the soup had finished slow cooking, Jim went to join Sara on the couch, gently and carefully lifting her feet and placing them in his lap as he sat down and turned his attention to the tellie. There was currently something on the History channel about the Seven Wonders of the World. Stonehenge was being discussed when there was a knock at the front door. Craning his neck to see who it was, Jim let out a low growl when he saw Grissom there with his arms full of files. Reluctantly, he got up, covered Sara up and quietly walked to the front door, opening it.

"What's up, man?" he asked

"These need to be signed off on." Gil said

Slowly closing the door behind him, Jim sat in one of the Adirondack chairs on his front porch and held his hand out for a pen which Gil handed him. Quickly, Jim scanned each file and signed them. When he was done, he got up and went to go back inside when Grissom halted him.

"So, whatcha' doin' ?" he asked

"I've got company and food on the range. I gotta go." He said, rushing inside and closing the door behind him

By that time, Sara had woken up and hearing the voices on the front porch, she'd sought refuge in the bathroom for a quick shower. It wasn't until Jim called out that it was safe that she emerged, wrapped in a towel and smiling heavily at him.