Hide 'n Seek

Chapter 7 or Dinner With the Grissoms-Part One

A/N: This chapter was supposed to be a nice little epilogue where I got to fangirl out a little. Then the characters took it over, and it ended up waaay longer than I had planned. To make it easier to read, I will post it in two chapters. The second one will be up Thursday morning.

And these last parts are fluffy. Big time fluffy.

Thanks again for the kind reviews. Hope you like this chapter.

And EllipsesBandit, thank you for all of your hard work :)

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Mid September 2006

"Mmmmm. That smells really good."

"Thanks, but it's the same soap I always use."

"I was talking about the sauce."

"Oh."

Sara grinned into his shoulder at the sound of disappointment in Grissom's voice. She nuzzled the back of his neck while he continued to fill the cooked pasta shells with ricotta cheese.

Gently squeezing his middle, she asked, "When is everyone supposed to come over?"

"Jim just called; he's riding with Warrick and Tina, and they'll be here in twenty minutes. Al and Judy will be coming at 6:30. And Greg and Nick are coming with Catherine and Lindsey, but they're going to be late; Nick has to pick something up."

There had been no formal housewarming party after the townhouse was redecorated and Sara had moved in. At the time, their relationship wasn't common knowledge and they still wanted to maintain their privacy. But after they became engaged, Grissom and Sara decided to invite the team to their house for dinner.

When Grissom tentatively broached the subject of marriage earlier in the summer, Sara explained that she wasn't against it; she didn't like the obsession with the wedding itself. She felt people put too much stock into picking the right flowers or the color of the bridesmaids' dresses. All the attention had been taken away from the vows and placed on insignificant details. She wanted the promises they made to each other to be the main focus.

After their discussion, she wondered how Grissom would propose, if he planned to do so. One cool evening in August, he bravely asked her to marry him in the most romantic way she had never considered. It didn't include flowers or candlelight or Grissom in a tuxedo or Sara wearing some beautiful designer gown; none of those clichéd romantic things.

He proposed while they had been snuggling in bed with him wearing his favorite pair of Snoopy boxers and her in a red tank top and snowman pajama pants. She accepted, and they somehow ended up missing their shift.

Since their guests were arriving soon, Grissom suggested they pull out the appetizer; bread pieces with different flavors of oil for dipping. As Sara poured the oil into bowls, Grissom stood behind her and mimicked her pose from earlier. He rested his cheek against her own and she smiled at the feel of his soft, bare face.

About two months ago, Sara had come home to a clean shaven Grissom. After she spent several moments utterly speechless, he shyly asked if she liked it. Her reply was to touch his face thoroughly with her hands and lips, exploring all the skin that was hidden by the beard, including the dimple on his chin.

She loved his new look because not only did she feel physically closer to him, but mentally as well. It seemed as if he had let go of the last barrier that separated them.

"You didn't have to make manicotti," she told him. "You could've done your Italian meat lasagna and I could've made myself something else."

"It's not a big deal. Besides, I wouldn't want you to eat food that would be burned."

She elbowed him in the ribs. "Shouldn't you be filling those pasta shells?"

Letting go of her, he answered, "I finished, but the sauce needs a few more minutes."

Grissom pulled out the bag of bread pieces, and Sara stood in front of him with another bowl. Instead of emptying the contents in the dish, he started dropping the pieces one at a time.

"You think you're sooo cute, don't you?" Sara's tone was full of sarcasm.

"Of course." He tilted his head to the side. "Isn't that the reason you're marrying me?"

"Nope. I'm marrying you because you happen to be the perfect human furnace to keep me warm while I'm asleep and I don't have to remind you to take out the trash," she deadpanned.

Frowning slightly, he put the rest of the bread in the bowl. "Excuse me. The furnace must finish cooking the meal so it'll have plenty of fuel later." He turned back to the stove to stir the sauce.

She walked back from the table to stand next to him. "Baby, I was just kidding. I'm not marrying you just because of those reasons."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yup," she replied easily. "I really want to win my bet with Greg that you won't die an old bachelor."

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"So Grissom's house doesn't look like some sterile hospital room anymore?"

Catherine sighed. "No, Greg. The walls are painted, the living room has carpet, and the windows even have curtains."

"Don't forget about the landscape pictures," Lindsey added.

After picking up Nick and Greg, Catherine stopped by a small furniture store so they could pick up Nick's gift for Grissom and Sara. Now the group, including Lindsey, headed over to the townhouse.

Nick shook his head. "Grissom must be whipped if he let Sara do all that stuff to his place. Did they at least get rid of that thing Grissom had as a couch?"

Lindsey craned her head around the front seat to look at Nick. "Yeah. They got a recliner and these two big brown couches that are really comfy."

"You would know," Catherine chuckled. "You dozed off on one of them before we started painting the bathroom."

"Taking all those frames down was a lot of work!" Her daughter exclaimed. "And I wasn't the only one; Uncle Gil and Sara slept on it too."

"Those two actually sleep?" Greg snorted. "What, did you actually see this?"

"Yeah. Mom and I went over and help them with the living room," Lindsey explained. "After we finished painting and got all those bugs on the wall, Mom and I went to Silver Mine to get some sandwiches. And when we came back, Sara and Uncle Gil were all curled up on one of the couches taking a nap."

"Just the thought of those two acting like a couple is way too weird," Greg said. Even after the department found they were together, Grissom and Sara didn't behave much differently than before, with the exception of them being more friendly to each other. Only a few people had seen how they acted outside of work. "I knew this whole thing was totally strange when Sara told me last year."

Catherine's eyebrows rose slightly. "You found out last year? When?"

Greg thought for moment. "Umm, last August. Right before the bake sale."

"I found out last July," Nick added.

"Wait a second," Catherine demanded, "You two knew before I did. They told you guys first."

Nick just shrugged. "It's not like Griss sat me down and explained the situation. I found out through Sara."

"Me too," Greg said.

"So Sara told her friends, and Gil didn't even bother to mention it to me," she spat.

Leaning forward in his seat, Greg smiled. "The clues were kind of obvious: they both smiled, they hardly maxed out on overtime, and Grissom actually turned down a case when Ecklie called him in." His grin broadened. "Maybe your investigative skills aren't what they used to be."

His eyes widened in fear at Catherine's death glare.

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"You did knock before you came in, right? I know you have this problem with interrupting Gil and Sara."

Warrick huffed. "How did you find out about that?"

"You told Nick, Nick told Greg, and Greg told me." Brass smirked. "I always wondered who would find them getting busy at the lab."

Brass, Warrick, and Tina had arrived at the townhouse about ten minutes ago. Warrick and his wife sat on one couches while Brass had taken up residence in Grissom's leather recliner.

Sara walked into the living room with two glasses of wine and set them on the coffee table. "We weren't 'getting busy,' Jim. What happened in the supply closest was…a lapse in judgment." She turned to Warrick. "And why did you tell Nick?"

"Hey, I had my reasons."

Rubbing his shoulder, Tina smiled. "He claimed he had to share his trauma."

Grissom joined them, and sat next to Sara on the other sofa. "Trauma, Warrick?" He cocked his eyebrow in question.

Warrick opened his mouth for a moment, but no words came out. "Okay, maybe trauma is too strong of a word, but I only told Nick after he said he knew you guys were together."

Brass took a sip of water from his glass. "Nick never knew how to keep his mouth shut." He then turned his attention to Grissom and Sara. "So can we safely assume what's going on when you two are alone in Gil's office?"

"Jim, would you like more bread?" Grissom sharply offered.

Grinning evilly, Brass just answered, "I know you're looking for something to keep my mouth busy." Then he delightfully added, "But we all know how you like to keep your mouth busy."

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"What's the reward for finding and returning lost teenagers?"

Sara had just opened the door to find Al and Judy. Her forehead wrinkled at Al's question. "What are you talking about?"

Lindsey gave her a small wave. "Hey, Sara."

"Hi, Lindsey. Where are your mom and Nick and Greg?"

"They're in the car," the blonde girl replied.

"Why would they still be in the car?"

"Mom found out Nick and Greg knew about you and Uncle Gil before she did."

Sara leaned her head against the frame. "Great," she drawled. "Come in you guys. Hopefully they'll be in soon."

Lindsey trailed in after Al and Judy. "If they stay out there all night, you guys at least get some presents," she said, holding up two gift bags.

"We brought you something too." Judy set a card on an end table in the living room where the other gifts sat. "Al also has the cheesecake for dessert."

"Cheesecake?" Lindsey's eyes brightened.

"Yes, dear; chocolate swirl with a cherry topping. I figured everyone could indulge tonight."

After Al joined his wife on the other couch, Warrick hesitantly questioned, "Who made it?"

Al looked at him skeptically. "Why?"

"I'm just wondering."

"I did," Judy announced, "I wasn't going to let Al taint it with all that low carb, low fat, and low sugar stuff. It defeats the purpose of a cheesecake."

"The pie wasn't that bad," Al adamantly defended.

"Yes it was," Brass muttered.

Grissom brought more drinks for the new arrivals and sat next to Sara on the sofa with Al and Judy. Lindsey plopped on the end from Warrick and Tina. Brass asked Lindsey about the argument.

She leaned back into the cushions. "They were talking about it the whole way over here. Then we pulled into the parking lot, and they were still talking. I don't think any of them knew we were here." She shrugged. "I wasn't going to sit in there all night so I got out when I saw Dr. and Mrs. Robbins."

Nodding his head slightly, Brass commented, "Smart girl."

"I wasn't going to miss one of Uncle Gil's meals."

Just then the door opened and Catherine brusquely walked inside. Everyone watched as she silently went to the kitchen to pour herself some wine. Brass was the first to speak when Catherine stood next to him.

"Hey, Cath. How was the ride over?"

Looking down at his grin, she took a deep, controlled breath. "It was fine, Jim," Catherine finally managed. "Although I do have to wonder why Greg Sanders is entitled to certain information about my friend's life," at this, she stared pointedly at Grissom, "before I am."

Grissom held his usual stoic expression since she had came inside. "Catherine, it wasn't that Greg was entitled to the information; he just followed the evidence." A small smile appeared. "He's becoming an excellent investigator. You could learn something from him."

Warrick turned to face the wall; Sara visibly bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to keep from laughing; and Lindsey's shoulders shook as she quietly giggled.

Catherine opened her mouth to give Grissom what would be an immediate tongue lashing, but was stopped by the loud voices coming from outside.

"Open the door, man!"

"Greg, it's rude to just walk in. Lemme knock."

"Dude, Brass' Charger was out front. We know everyone's here. Just open the stupid door."

There was a loud thump, then, "Ow! All right. Hold on."

Greg and Nick stumbled in holding opposite ends of a tall wooden book shelf. They moved a few feet inside before carefully setting it against the wall.

"Thanks for your help Catherine," Nick huffed.

"Yeah, we totally appreciate it," Greg agreed.

Sitting next to Lindsey, she answered, "You're welcome, boys."

"What did you bring?" Sara asked, eyeing the furniture.

"It's from me; it's a book shelf," Nick told her, "It's your engagement slash wedding present." He handed her two envelopes. "The one on top is from the lab techs and the other one's from me. And by the way, that's a nice shirt, Jim."

Brass glanced down at his black polo shirt and pressed jeans and then raised an eyebrow. "Thanks."

Greg scowled at Nick before smugly announcing, "Well, I brought a present that is far more superior to any of your presents." He showed off a beautifully wrapped box that he had stuck on one of the shelves.

"Oh, yeah. What is it?" Warrick didn't sound optimistic.

"Just something to remind Sara of the life she could've had." Greg waggled his eyebrows at her. "Last chance. You're not married yet."

Sara smiled apologetically. "Uh, no thanks."

"You know, Greg, some cultures have severe punishments when one man tries to steal another man's wife," Grissom casually mentioned.

Greg just sighed. "That's fine. But no matter what you say, I still got to be in a shower, naked, with your future wife." As Grissom's eyes hardened a bit, Greg got bolder. "Thanks to Doc Robbins."

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What can I say? I want Greg to have the last word sometime.