Disclaimer: These characters belong to Paramount Pictures, CBS Alliance Atlantis and other sundry corporations. No money passes hands.

As usual, I thank my beta readers, Joan and Sheeny. You guys make it better.

Not a Working Relationship

Chapter One

Grissom sat in his car listening to a report on East African fisheries on NPR. He was scheduled to meet with the director of the Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park to consult about the new bug exhibit but was early. He had gone straight to the zoo after shift and arrived before they opened. So here he sat, in the one parking spot in the lot that was shaded from the rising sun, waiting for the gates to be unlocked by a zoo attendant.

A khaki-clad worker came to the gate with a key in hand, placed it in the lock, turned, and swung the gates back. Grissom wanted to hear the end of the fish story so stayed in his car, occasionally nodding in agreement or shaking his head in dismay at something the reporter said. Engrossed, he didn't notice Sara pull into a spot on the other side of the parking lot, along with numerous other visitors hoping to glimpse the flora and fauna of the zoo.

When the reporter wrapped up the report, Grissom got out of the car, reaching into the back to get his briefcase. Heat already rose from the cement of the parking lot. It would be another warm day in Las Vegas. Approaching the gate, he put on his professor smile and said, "I'm Dr. Gil Grissom, here to see the director. I believe he's expecting me."

The attendant nodded. "He's already in the special exhibits building dealing with an air conditioning issue. Just follow the path around to your left." Grissom walked along the path, watching the signs on the buildings in search of the special exhibit building. When he came to a fork in the path, he stopped, confused. The arrows all indicated what exhibits were in which direction but none mentioned the special exhibits building. As he stood in the middle of the path, bewildered, he heard a tentative yet familiar voice.

"Grissom?"

Grissom turned to see Sara standing a few feet away. "Sara! What are you doing here?" he said, confusion knitting his brow.

"I'm waiting for the River Otters' feeding time. I haven't been here for a couple of months and forgot about Daylight Savings Time. Otters don't eat by our clocks. They go by their own internal clocks. The feeding time is later now. At least by my watch.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for a consult on the new insect exhibit. But I can't seem to find the special exhibits building."

Sara laughed. "It's the education building. The zoo is too small for anything as grand as a special building for temporary exhibits. But education is integral to the mission of the zoo. So a building for educational programs is essential." She waved with her hand. "It's the path to your right. This way." Sara led the way down the walk.

"You know your way around. You must come here often." Grissom cocked his head, trying to look at her as she walked at his side. Although he had long ago trained himself to look at Sara in only a professional capacity, he still enjoyed looking at her when she talked.

"I come two or three times a month. I have a membership. And I volunteer some. Here it is." Sara stopped in front of a rather small building. Grissom couldn't quite believe an insect exhibit of any worth could be housed in such a building and still provide space for educational programs as well. He raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

Knowing exactly what he was thinking, Sara smiled. "They can do a lot with what they have. You'll be surprised."

Sara continued to smile and Grissom was certain later that he experienced a moment of madness when he spontaneously asked, "Would you like to come in with me? You can get a sneak preview of the exhibit."

"I doubt if they're expecting anyone to be with you," Sara said tentatively.

"I'll tell them you're my assistant and you can help."

"Your assistant?" she asked with a look of disbelief that perplexed him. What was that look about? Was she turning down his invitation? Was she offended by the term 'assistant'?

Grissom shrugged. "I thought it might be interesting for you. I'm sure your day here is already planned though, so I won't be offended if you don't want to come."

"No, I'd love to see the exhibit. But I'm not sure how I can assist you."

Grissom smirked, "You'd be surprised how much you know compared to the average person. You don't give yourself enough credit, Sara." Grissom moved toward the door. Looking back toward Sara, who was still standing in contemplation of his last comment, he queried, "Coming?"

Sara, mentally shaking herself from her reverie, followed Grissom to the door of the building. Upon entering, they removed their sunglasses and looked around the room for someone to give them direction. The room was quite warm. A man in his thirties was talking to some technicians outside a utility room. He looked up as Grissom and Sara entered. After giving some direction to the workers, he approached the two with an outstretched hand.

"Dr. Grissom. I'm Derrick Bodi. It's good to meet you after all of our correspondence."

Gripping Dr. Bodi's hand firmly, Grissom answered, "Yes, e-mail is a wonderful tool for initial communication. But it isn't the same as talking to someone face to face." Grissom turned to Sara and introduced her. "This is my colleague, Sara Sidle." He hoped the term 'colleague' was more satisfying to Sara. He certainly liked it better.

Dr. Bodi stretched his hand out to Sara. "Dr. Sidle, good to have you with us."

Sara smiled, shook his hand firmly and attempted to tactfully correct him. "I'm afraid I'm never going to complete that PhD."

Dr. Bodi smiled and nodded. "I know how you feel. I thought the same as I was working on mine. But I'm living proof that it eventually is attainable." He looked appreciatively at Sara and continued to hold her hand.

Embarrassed, Sara started to clarify, when Grissom interrupted. "Where exactly are you hiding the exhibit, Dr. Bodi?"

Releasing Sara's hand, Dr. Bodi moved toward a door to their right. "It's in the east wing. I'm afraid the air conditioning is malfunctioning in this area, so it's pretty warm in there."

"We're used to working in the heat," Sara explained as she followed Grissom and Bodi into the room.

The room was only 40 feet long and 30 feet wide. Although the room itself was dark, light illuminated each display. The insects were housed in about 30 cases set up strategically around the room. Because of the heat, there was little movement in any of them. Each case was set against a colorful and delightfully illustrated display board that would surely grab the attention of any youngsters visiting the exhibit.

Grissom perused the room as if it were a crime scene and inquired, "What exactly do you expect from my, our, visit?" Grissom was grateful that he had corrected himself. After inviting her to help, he wanted Sara to feel a part of the process.

Bodi pursed his lips. "I'm hoping you'll confirm, or correct, all the information we've compiled and give us any suggestions you may have on presentation or anything, actually, that might make the exhibit better."

Grissom nodded. "Very good. Then we'll get started. Where will you be when we're finished?" Grissom continued to scrutinize the room. When he got no answer he looked at Bodi, who was watching Sara. Grissom also glanced her way to see what had caught Bodi's attention. Sara had begun closely examining the first display and was oblivious to the two men watching her. Forcing himself to view her as a coworker and subordinate all these years, he had forgotten how mesmerizing Sara's graceful form and ability to concentrate could be. Grissom shook himself from his reverie, mentally kicking himself. He thought he had broken himself of this. He cleared his throat and again tried to get Bodi's attention. "Dr. Bodi, where will you be when we are finished?"

Bodi, embarrassed, said, "I thought I'd stay here with you," adding hastily, " in case you need anything."

Struggling to hide his smile, Grissom responded, "I think we'll be fine. You should attend to getting this air conditioning back up. Not all of these insects tolerate the heat of Las Vegas. It would be a shame to lose the exhibit to a cascading air conditioning malfunction. Shall we look for you where we found you earlier?"

Disappointed, Bodi nodded his head. "I'll just be in the utility room when you're done."

After nearly an hour of careful scrutiny, Grissom had found only two errors, one lacking a zero in statistical calculations and the other a typographical error. Derrick Bodi and his team had done their homework. He straightened up and looked at Sara, who was just to his left, making notes. He moved behind her and looked over her shoulder at her scribble. She had listed suggestions on improvements to the presentation of the exhibit, mostly in the esthetics of the area immediately surrounding each display case. He nodded his approval. When she finished writing and looked up, Grissom smiled and said, "And you thought you wouldn't be any help. I would never have thought about putting potted roses around the Japanese beetle display."

"That's because you only see the beauty of the bug, not the beauty of the plant it damages in its search for food," Sara smirked.

"Shall we find Dr. Bodi so you can get to the…what was it you were waiting to see?"

Sara smiled good-humouredly. "The River Otters being fed their breakfast. But I suspect they are already full. It started about ten minutes ago." She moved toward the door. Grissom moved with her.

Grissom looked at his watch. "I'm sorry. I was hoping this would be a bonus to your day, not a distraction from it."

"The otters aren't the main reason I come. Their breakfast normally coincides with my arrival and I've gotten used to seeing them. I really come to see Gil."

Grissom stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned his head, dipping it in an inquiring tilt. "Gil?"

Sara let out a raucous laugh. Her laugh was boisterous and quite unique. Grissom wrinkled his brow, perplexed as to the joke he had apparently missed.

"Gil is a chimpanzee I've adopted in the Adopt an Animal program. I come here to help clean up the chimp area. That's my main volunteer stint."

Feeling a bit self-conscious, Grissom opened the door of the room and felt a refreshing rush of cool air. He stepped aside for Sara to exit and followed her to the utility room.

Peering into the room, she tentatively called out, "Dr. Bodi?" A disembodied head peeked from around a large piece of machinery. A smile spread across his face and he came around the machine, tripping on the parts lying on the floor in the process. Attempting an air of savoir faire, he asked, "How does our little exhibit measure up?"

"Quite impressive, considering your limited resources. I've noted two errors in the information, and Ms. Sidle has some suggestions on how to improve the presentation." Grissom and Sara handed their notes to Bodi. He looked them over with fervor.

"Ms. Sidle, I was unaware that you would be involved in this consult. I assume the customary fee is acceptable? If you give me your address, when I cut Dr. Grissom's check, I'll mail you a check as well for your time."

Sara was at a loss for words. Grissom could tell she was uncomfortable accepting money and came to her rescue. "Ms. Sidle is a member of the zoo, as well as a volunteer. I'm sure you can simply consider this part of her volunteer service."

Sara hastily concurred, "Yes, please. I expect nothing for my meager contribution to this exhibit."

"No, please. Let me at least buy you lunch," he said hopefully.

Grissom was surprised and a little apprehensive. Why hadn't he considered that Bodi might pursue his obvious attraction to Sara? And why shouldn't she take him up on it? Bodi seemed like a nice guy. Sara was an attractive, desirable young woman. She deserved to be admired and pampered. Wasn't that part of the reason he had refused to deepen their relationship four years ago? He was a science geek, not a lover. He couldn't possibly give her what she needed, what she deserved. So why should he be so unhappy at the prospect of Sara receiving attention he wasn't willing to give her?

Sara's expression indicated she hadn't even considered that the good doctor was interested in her until that moment. She seemed flattered, but uncomfortable. She looked at Grissom, whose face revealed nothing. She pondered the question carefully before responding, "I'm afraid I have a previous commitment. Perhaps on my next visit to the zoo, I can look you up?"

Grissom let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His momentary relief was replaced by the realization that Sara had not outright refused the good doctor's advances. She might still go out with him - and have a nice time. He knew he should want that for her. He really should.

"I'll look forward to it." Bodi was encouraged. He likely felt that he would have a much better chance at impressing her with some preparation. "Until then."

Grissom and Sara left the building. Grissom stopped and looked around in confusion.

"Grissom, I'm heading this way, to the chimpanzee exhibit. Do you think you can make your way back to the front gate?" Sara was poised to leave.

Sizing up the area, Grissom shook his head. "I'm not sure. I'm still turned around."

Sara turned and started to move away from her original direction, obviously to guide Grissom back to the entrance. Grissom was embarrassed that he was taking up so much of her time.

"Sara, I don't want you to waste anymore time dragging me around." After a moment of thought, he asked, "Would you mind if I just went with you to see Gil?" Sara was shocked. "I'm here. I might as well see my namesake, and enjoy the zoo at the same time. And how better than with someone who is familiar with it?" A disturbing thought occurred to him. "Unless you'd rather be alone?"

"No, no," Sara hastened. "I'm just surprised. We haven't done anything outside of work in…well, ever."

"Then I'd say we are overdue. This way?" Grissom pointed in the direction Sara had been facing and started walking. Sara, nodding, walked next to him.

The heat shimmered on the pathways as they walked. Sara pointed out several of her favorite plants as they passed by. "People refer to this as the Las Vegas Zoo. But it's really the Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park," she said, stressing botanical for emphasis. "There are more plants than animals here, which is the case in most zoos. Yet everyone comes to see the animals and rarely notices the plants. They're missing an amazing element of the park."

Grissom became infected with her enthusiasm. "I tend to notice plants because insects are often found on them. But, as you pointed out in the education building, I notice the bugs more than the plant." Sara shared that quirky smile. "I'll try to be more observant." Grissom ambled a bit closer to Sara and started looking more closely at the plants, reading the information tags provided for each of them. Sara pointed out some of her favorites, of which Grissom took special note. The short distance to the chimpanzee enclosure took half-an-hour to traverse.

When they came in view of the enclosure, Grissom could see several people in khaki with buckets, brooms, and brushes tidying up one of the cages. Another woman, also in khaki, was holding a chimpanzee and talking to a small gathering of children. Suddenly, the chimp began jumping in the woman's arms and making the exited sounds one expects from a chimp. The woman looked around and saw Sara as they approached. Smiling, she said loudly, "I see Gil's stepmother is with us today." Several of the children turned and watched Sara and Grissom approach. The animal became more and more excited the closer Sara got to the group.

Grissom thought he had seen Sara smile before. Solving a case made her grin. Occasional jokes made her laugh out loud. But the beaming countenance he saw now was beyond anything he had ever seen. The animation in her face brought a smile to Grissom's face that spread all the way to his heart.

Sara walked up to the woman and reached for the chimp, who flew into her arms. The chimp's long arms wrapped around Sara's neck. She returned the hug, the smile never leaving her face. The woman, whose nametag read 'Kathy', began explaining the Adopt an Animal program in which interested parties sponsored an animal with a yearly donation. She explained that Sara had been sponsoring Gil for five years and they had become quite fond of each other. The uniqueness of Gil and Sara's situation was also explained so that the children, in hopes of holding an animal as Sara was now, didn't go home and pester their parents to sponsor an animal. This tactic of enticing kids would have been a good way to get more donations for the zoo. But proper education was more important, it seemed. Grissom was impressed by this and resolved to return his consultation fee.

'Gil' began making faces at Sara. She returned them, to the obvious delight of the children. Grissom couldn't stop himself from laughing along with them. After about ten minutes of this frivolity, Kathy announced that Gil's housekeepers were now done and it was time for him to go back into his home. Sara nodded and carried him back into the cage, where several other primates were already perched. As she began to put him down, Gil wrapped his arms around her again and kissed her, with Sara responding in kind. The chimp then climbed onto a fake tree limb with another chimp and waved goodbye. Grissom shook his head in amazement. Kathy locked the cage after Sara exited. They walked over and entered the next cage where the other volunteers were already cleaning.

This cage held a different type of primate and Grissom went over to look at the information sign. It read, 'Barbary Apes'. They were in danger of extinction. But later, Grissom couldn't tell you any more than that. His eyes kept wandering to Sara. She chatted light-heartedly with the other workers while scrubbing away at the back walls of the caged area. Grissom had never seen her so at ease.

But then, Grissom had only seen Sara in the context of work. Even when they first met, it was a forensic seminar that brought them together. All of the subsequent conversations had been focused on the same topic, with only tangent subjects broached in relation to forensics. He realized that he really knew nothing about Sara outside of forensics. He had known Sara for years. There was so much he should know about her that he didn't. He was determined to resolve that.

After aboutthirty minutes of scrubbing, the cage was deemed clean and the workers filed out. Sara noticed Grissom sitting on the bench near the cage and called out to another worker. Handing him her brushes and bucket, she turned to Kathy and motioned toward Grissom. The two women walked his way.

"Grissom, I want you to meet Kathy Nichols. Kathy, this is my supervisor, Dr. Gil Grissom. Grissom is an entomologist and was here this morning to consult on the new exhibit." The woman extended her hand and Grissom grasped it firmly.

"I'm so glad to finally meet you, Dr. Grissom. Sara has mentioned you often." Kathy's eyes were assessing him. A sense of unease crept up Grissom's spine. He was pretty sure this was how suspects felt during an interview.

"I wish I could say the same, Ms. Nichols. But until this morning, I was unaware of Sara's involvement here at the zoo. It seems she leads a secret life."

"Please, call me Kathy. Sara's life is not so secret, Dr. Grissom. She just needs a little encouragement to talk about it." Grissom was pretty sure he hadn't passed Kathy's inspection.

Or maybe he was just feeling guilty? After all, his self-scrutiny only moments ago had uncovered a lack of interest in Sara's personal life and established a determination to remedy that error.

"Well, Kathy, I intend to do just that."

Kathy smiled openly. "Good. Sara needs to talk about herself more. She is an amazing person. I wish there were more of her in the world."

Grissom shook his head. "No, I'm afraid she's one of a kind."

Sara, who had been watching this little exchange with embarrassed interest, sighed. "Hey, you two. We've just spent nearly an hour cleaning up this type of stuff out of the cages."

They all laughed.

"Yes, and I had better go dispose of it before the smell chases the customers away. See you next week, Sara?"

Sara nodded her head. "Unless work gets in the way, I'll be here."

"Nice to have met you, Kathy. I trust I will see you on my next visit." Grissom liked this woman. She obviously was a good judge of character.

Kathy nodded and waved as she walked away.

"Sorry to leave you alone out here so long. I didn't think you wanted to join us in the clean up." Sara began walking. Grissom fell in next to her.

"No, I've had my share of excrement cleanup in my life. But I enjoyed watching the rest of you working around the animals. They all seem to just accept your presence with little interest. Except that little one on the tire. He kept his eye on you the entire time. Probably heard what a great date you are from Gil."

The double meaning was unintentional and Sara looked askance, laughing nervously. "Yeah, funny faces and cleaning up messes. I'm lots of fun."

"Well, they seemed to enjoy it. I know I did. Are you hungry? Because I realize I'm famished. Let's go get something to eat. Is there a restaurant on the property?"

Sara shook her head. "It's just a snack bar. I usually stop at the Hungry Hippo, a little dineron my way home."

The couple had reached the main entrance to the zoo.

"You lead the way and I'll follow in my car. Last one there pays."