Author's Notes: Ahhhhh! I haven't updated but it isn't my fault I SWEAR! Apparently, my Myspace sent me a virus and my internet has been down for about two weeks now. I've been dying and I'm in the middle of 'No-man's-land' as my friend Cat likes to call it. And I haven't had access to the internet. I'm so sorry. But the good news, I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico. (lol) but seriously, I've updated all my stories and even started a new chapter book. (The other one isn't going so well)

Any ways, this chapter may be confusing. All you need to know is that Grissom and Sara's conversation is looking back on their first date so…the present time (aka-her distracting him from the party by taking him to a nice restaurant) is in normal text, and the flash back is italicized. It switches pretty quick so try to keep up. I tried to make it as easy to read as possible but I can only do so much.

Well, now that I have covered everything…on with the book.


Birthday Surprise

Written By: Chella Belle/Edited By: Tigger

Chapter 5: Memories

"Oh no!" Greg yelled. Catherine had abandoned them to run to the store for more refreshments, she and Warrick had used most of them in their ears, and the decorating team was falling apart with out her…literally. "I'm falling!" Greg hollered and waved his arms wildly.

"I told you not to mess with the banner!" Warrick shouted. He ran to the young lab tech's side. "Greg let go!"

"No!"

Greg was hanging from the frame of the Grissom's living room double doors…nine feet high double doors.

"Just let go!"

"Never! I'm not dying like this!"

"You're not gonna die! I'll catch you!" Warrick reasoned.

"No you won't! You're gonna let me fall and die to pay me back for staring at Catherine's butt!"

"I promise I'll catch you! You have my word." Warrick promised. Greg paused a moment, then closed his eyes, and let go. He fell perfectly into Warrick's arms. Greg clung to him for dear life.

"Oh thank you! You're my hero! I could just kiss you!" Greg exclaimed. At that moment Catherine walked in. She cleared her throat and took in the sight before her.

Warrick was holding Greg in his arms like a bride, Greg was clinging to Warrick, and he was flustered. "I leave them alone…and look what happens." She shook her head and set down the bag. "So quick to replace me Warrick. And with Sanders too."

Warrick looked at Greg and dropped him quickly. He ran to Catherine and picked her up. "Hell no I ain't replacing you with Sanders. No way could he measure up to you."

"Well I should hope not. If I'm not better than Sanders in bed…than I have nothing to live for." She joked and began to place the refreshments on the table. Warrick helped her while Greg replaced the banner back above the door.

"We have some weird conversations." Greg commented five minuets after the initial conversation had ended.

"Thanks to you Greg." Catherine teased. Greg made a face at her. On cue, Warrick slapped him upside the head.

"You think you'd learn Greg." Warrick remarked. "Stop disrespecting Cat, and I'll stop slapping you."

Greg sighed, "Sorry Catherine."

She nodded and continued decorating.


"I want you to dance one more song with me." Gil announced. Sara looked at him suspiciously but smiled.

"Okay…"

Grissom turned to the band and requested a song. He turned back around and smiled at her. "I heard this and immediately thought of you."

"Okay…" Sara repeated as Gil took her into his arms and waited for the song to begin. The beginning chords of, The course of love, filled the room. She smiled. "I like this."

Grissom nodded. "For some reason this reminds me of our first date. The title I mean."

"Not the best one." She smirked and he chuckled.

"I'd have to agree to that."

The doorbell to Sara Sidle's apartment rang at exactly 7:00. "Coming!" She called. Sara gave herself one last quick look in the mirror. Her hair was piled on top of her head with ringlet curls grazing her cheeks. Her green knee length dress hugged her in all the right places. She adjusted it's spaghetti straps, pulled on her jacket, adjusted her high heels, fixed her emerald earrings Catherine had lent her, and she was on her way out the door.

She opened the door to see Grissom in a stunning black suit and tie. "Wow." He replied. "You look beautiful."

She blushed and grabbed her purse. "Thanks. You look handsome too."

He coughed, "Well, thank you." He smiled nervously. "Let's go."

They arrived at the restaurant and walked through the doors to see a long line. Grissom frowned when he got to the waiter's stand. "Grissom party of two."

"Oh…you're here. I'm sorry sir, but we gave your table away."

"What?"

"You're an hour late."

"No…I made reservations for 7:15. Its 7:12."

"Noooo…you made reservations for 6:15. We gave your table away."

"What!"

"I'm sorry sir. I can seat you as soon as a table opens. Or you can sit at the bar." The young woman suggested. Grissom sighed and turned back around to Sara. Before he could even open his mouth to ask her what she wanted to do she smiled.

"Do whatever you think is best." She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "But I don't think that bar is very sanitary."

Grissom chuckled and turned to the hostess. "We can wait."

Sara moaned and ducked her head in Grissom's shoulder, "Ugh! I wish we would have just gone with the bar and got it over with!" She admitted and Grissom laughed.

"Saint Basil said 'Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger'."

"Literally!" Sara exclaimed.

"Oh no!" Sara exclaimed as the waitress spilled her wine all over her dress. She jumped out of her seat and began to dry her dress. Grissom jumped up also and tried to help her, knocking his plate over in the process. "Oh it's ruined!" Sara sighed sadly and sat down right on Grissom's calamari. A look of horror crossed her face.

"Oops."

"You gotta be kiddin me." Sara shook her head and stood up. She glared at Grissom who blushed and grinned apologetically. She sighed and shook her head. "It's okay." She sat back down and sighed.

"Do you want to leave?" Grissom asked smirking sadly.

Sara kept her head buried in her hands and mumbled, "Yes please."

Sara moaned again. "We should have ended the night right there and started over the next night."

"I agree."

"I want a time machine so I can go back and undo that night."

"Sara," Grissom groaned affectionately, "you know time machines are physically and molecularly impossible. Come on, you majored in physics. I bet your professor would be lecturing you right now. Besides….we wouldn't have had this wonderful memory."

Sara huffed. "Yeah." She said sarcastically. "Wonderful memory."

"At least we know it's a happy ending." Grissom smiled and Sara shook her head.

The drive back to Sara's house was silent. Grissom's fear had come true. He had ruined their date and now she would never talk to him again.

He pulled into her drive way and they sat there…in silence. Feeling suffocated, Grissom broke the silence. "Well this was…"

"Interesting." She finished for him and looked over giving him a small smile. Grissom nodded slowly. His hands were shaking, so he gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"I'm sorry I ruined your night Sara." He apologized and she looked over at him shocked.

"Grissom, it wasn't ruined. Like I said, it was interesting." She explained. Grissom scoffed and she reached over to lay a hand on his forearm. "It could have been worse." Seeing that he still wasn't reassured. "Tell you what, let me go in and change and we'll start over. The night is still young."

Grissom nodded and she smiled.

"Second mistake; changing so I could ruin another dress." Sara joked.

"Wait…you told me that the dresses weren't ruined."

"Oh, I lied to make you feel better."

"Sara," Grissom sighed, "I'm sorry. I have to make it up to you." He vowed.

"You already did." She smiled and held up her left hand and wiggled her ring finger flashing him the diamond and gold bands.

"Alright let's go." Sara hopped back into the car and they took off.

"How many nice dresses do you own? I was shocked you had one." Grissom teased and Sara swatted his arm.

"This is the last one."

Grissom nodded. "Where to?"

"I don't really know. Just…somewhere."

"I know this great little restaurant above the strip. It's fancy. Very clean, don't worry and they have an entire vegetarian menu."

Sara smiled, amazed and floored that he remembered. "Sounds fantastic."

"And it would have been fantastic if a certain someone hadn't shown up."

Grissom hung his head and sighed. "I feel awful about that."

Sara scoffed, "Me too." She teased.

After being caught in traffic for an hour, popping a tire, being stranded on the side of the rode for an hour, and arriving at the restaurant late, they were finally seated.

"Wow Grissom, this is amazing." Sara praised and looked out the glass window at the city below. The city was lively and vibrant but the sounds were blocked by the glass. A single rose was placed in the center of the table and two candles sat on opposite sides of it. A white table cloth was draped over it.

"Sara, that's the second time tonight you've called me Grissom."

"Yeah…"

"Well, I don't call you Sidle. We're out on a date. You don't have to act like you do at work."

"Well, what do I call you?"

"Gil."

"Gil?"

"Yes." He confirmed.

"But that's what Catherine calls you."

"Yes, because that's my name."

"Hm." Sara thought smiling. "Okay, Gil. I could get used to that."

Grissom smiled and handed her the vegetarian menu. She smiled and took it. Instead of reading it like Sara was, Grissom admired her beauty by the candle light. Nothing could go wrong now.

"Gil?" A woman's voice asked. Grissom froze and Sara looked over to the source of it. Her mouth dropped open and a look of horror crossed her face. "Gil is that you?"

Terri Miller came forward to the table. Grissom sat facing Sara wishing Terri away. Sara refused to meet his gaze. She looked out the table and hurt, anger, sadness, and painful emotions crossed her face. Grissom cringed and slowly dragged his gaze to the woman next to him. "Hi." he replied shortly.

"I thought that was you. Are you here alone?" She asked smiling sickeningly sweetly.

"No…" He replied and gestured to Sara. Sara glared at Grissom but slowly looked over at Terri and gave a forced smile.

"Oh. Yes. I remember you. The gorilla girl." Terri replied mock innocently. Sara narrowed her gaze and opened her mouth to reply but quickly shut it and gave another forced smile.

"Sara."

"Yeah…" Terri smiled fakely, "So Gil, I guess this is your date spot huh?"

A look of pure terror, dread, and angst crossed his face.

"What?" Sara asked confused looking between the two.

"Isn't this the same table we sat at when you took me here?"

"What?" Sara asked shocked and a little angrier.

"Oh, what a great night. We had lots of fun. Remember Gil? Kind of looks the same except, you bought me roses." She smiled mock pleasantly again.

Sara looked at Terri, then to Grissom, then to Terri again. Grissom hung his head.

"Oh my, did I spill the beans?" Terri asked. Sara pushed her chair back wards and stormed from the room. "Well," Terri began.

"Terri," Grissom stood up and threw down his napkin. "Please leave. I'm on a date."

"Well you're not now."

"Don't you have someone to go torture with your presence?" Grissom stormed out following Sara's path. Terri sat there shocked.

"I still cannot believe you said that! How did she take it?" Sara asked.

"I don't know or care, I never looked back. I was too focused on finding you." Grissom said sincerely and Sara gave him her famous gap-toothed smile.

Suddenly the song ended and they pulled apart. Grissom approached the band and requested another song. He walked back over to her, "Sorry but we have to finish the story." He replied and she chuckled.

"Okay, where were we?" She asked as Sara McLachlan's Angel began to play.

"Well I believe…"

Grissom chased Sara all down the hallway until finally catching her just as she was about to walk out the door. "Sara!" She didn't stop. "Sara wait!" Grissom touched her back and she flinched away and stayed facing forward. "Sara I-"

"I want to go home." She whispered.

"What?"

"I want to go home." She said more forceful. This time their eyes met and Grissom was crushed.

"Sara if you'll let me exp-"

"Grissom…please."

Grissom's heart broke hearing her use his last name. He nodded his head and held the door for her.

The drive back to Sara's house was, once again, silent, stuffy, and uncomfortable. Grissom pulled into her drive way and instead of waiting like last time, she immediately got out of the car. Grissom opened his door to walk her to her house. He stood on the porch as she fiddled with her keys. "Sara." She ignored him. "Sara, please let me explain."

She turned around abruptly with her keys still in hand. She looked tired and hurt. "Grissom. I really don't want to talk about this. I thought the night sucked when the waiter spilt our meals all over my dress. I figured we should end it when we sat in your calamari. I thought the night hit rock bottom when we were caught in traffic, stranded on the side of the road, and late to dinner. But then…then you take me to the same place you took that witch Terri Miller, sat in the same spot, and guess who shows up?"

Grissom was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"You know, I don't want you to be sorry. You're sorry with everyone. Once again, you show no sign that I'm different from everyone else. I want to be different. I want to be special. I don't want to go to the same places you went with your other dates, or do the same things, see the same movies, or eat the same food. I want a different you. And I know that sounds like a lot to ask from a first date but…if you think about it…we've known each other almost five years. So, I can't think that I'm askin too much. I don't want you to floor me or adore me just…make me different." She finished.

Grissom stared at her for the longest time and Sara sensed he was searching for the words, but couldn't communicate them. Deciding to help him out she stood a step closer and grabbed his hands in her own and looked into his eyes. Gaining confidence, Grissom took a step closer to her and said, "I've never rented a movie and ate pizza with a date."

Sara smiled. "That's all I ask for."

"I must say, that was pretty awesome."

Sara scoffed, "Yeah. After I gave you a little push and practically spelled the words out for you."

"True…you're my better half." Grissom complimented and Sara blushed.

"That actually was a good night…sort of." Sara joked.

"Remember what happened next?"

"Honey, it's burned to my brain." Sara teased and laid her head on his shoulder. "I hate this part."

"What do you want to see?" Grissom asked.

Sara only shrugged, "I'm not really into movies. What do you want to see?"

"Well…"

"Nothing bugs. Sorry Gil but I'm not working, I don't want to think about work."

Grissom looked up at the mention of his first name. Sara kept scanning the rows of movies and smiled when she found one. "How about this?" She held up a copy of Nightmare on Elm Street. "Goodness knows we've seen gorier things so…"

Grissom smiled. "I do love a thriller."

Sara smiled a gap-toothed smile and picked up the rental copy, placing the demo back on the shelf.

"Gil?" A woman asked.

Sara and Grissom abruptly turned to see Lady Heather standing behind them. "Oh good God!" Sara threw her arms up in defeat.

Grissom mocked her movements. "Why? Why God, why?"

Sara rolled her eyes and glared at Heather. "Oh my God Gil. Is there a murder here? Is that why you and Samantha are here?"

Sara huffed, "At least Terri remembered my name." She mumbled and Grissom shot her a sympathetic look.

"No Heather. There isn't. Sara and I are on a date."

She scoffed, "A little informal isn't it?"

"At least it's unique." Sara retorted and glared further. "Listen, we have to go. It was wonderful to see you again. Hope we can do this again sometime." Sara's voice was dripping with sarcasm. She turned on her heel and Gil quickly followed.

"I must say Sara; I sure put you through a lot. You're an amazingly strong woman." He stated affectionately.

"I had a great motivation." She hugged him and got a glance of her watch. "Oh wow." She pulled away. "We need to go. I'm getting tired."

"Alright Sara." He went back to the table and laid down the check. He grabbed their coats and approached her on the dance floor again.

"I just need to go use the bathroom." Sara said and Grissom nodded. She walked off into the direction of the ladies room and when she was out of view of Grissom, pulled out her phone. "Catherine?"

"Sara! Finally! Geez even Nick got here before you."

"Well, we're leaving the restaurant now, make sure you have all the presents organized and everyone is hidden well. The cars can be hidden around the back so…just make sure everything is done. And cover up the tire tracks."

"Got it Sara. And…I laid out a comfy outfit for you to change into when you both get home. Warrick picked one out for Grissom."

"Thanks Cat."

"You're welcome Sar."

They hung up and Sara walked out of the bathroom. She met Grissom at the end of the hallway and smiled. He slid her jacket on for her and the two walked out of the restaurant.

Sara silently prayed that everything would fall into place.