A/N: Hey, thanks to everyone who replied to the previous chapter. I guess I just wanted to make sure that people were still enjoying this story, even though I'm technically writing for myself… if that makes any sense! But thanks to: the swedhis aliasfan (I won't stop just yet! I still have some more things to say, I think); odeepblue (I'm glad you liked it, and it's coming soon!); somebody 101 (thanks for your continued support!), wraiths-angel (GSR kind of grows on you after time, I think! But I'm glad you're still enjoying it. Oh, this is basically one massive GSR chapter, so prepare yourself now!); JenB (I really appreciate your opinion; thanks for leaving it!); anneruhland (Starbucks.. hehe. It could have been Dunkin' Donuts, so I think the cat got lucky!); Brightfang (thanks for your encouragement, and I'm glad you're liking this!); The Lovely Desdemona (I know, I know, and you're not Swiss cheese! None of you are, which is part of the reason why I keep trying to write chapters! And a marshmallow fight? YOU JUST GAVE ME THE BEST IDEA! Mwahaha…). San (We're not quite done yet! Hang in there!).
The dolphin facts came from the Dolphin Institute .org!
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Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS.
Title: A Night of Firsts
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The drive home
"What's that noise?" Nick asked from the back of the van, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"I'll give you one guess, man," Warrick replied from the driver's seat, staring at Nick through the rearview mirror.
"No, that's impossible," Nick mumbled, yawning.
"Nope, nope it isn't! Welcome to my world!" Greg chuckled, sitting forward in his seat.
"Are you serious?" Catherine asked, glancing up at Grissom. "Does he really snore that loudly?"
"Uh-huh!" Greg confirmed. "Uh-huh, he does. Doesn't it sound like a bear, trying to move a large boulder or something?"
Sara raised an eyebrow, trying not to laugh. This is nothing, really; I've heard worse. "It's more like a bear with a severe head cold," she spoke up.
"Well, make him stop, man," Nick grumbled. "I'm really tired."
"And again, welcome to my world," Greg laughed. "And for the record? I call dibs on a new tent mate next year."
"I'm not sleeping with him," Warrick immediately shook his head no.
"Neither am I," Nick added.
"Well, I'm sure as hell not staying with him," Catherine announced.
"Sara? I'll arm-wrestle you for the joy of sharing a tent with Grissom."
"Nah, I think I'm good, thanks, though, Greg," she grinned at him, glancing over at Catherine. "Tent mate?"
"Tent mate," Catherine agreed.
"Hey, Nick?" Warrick called out.
"Yeah, man?"
"Tent mate?"
"You betcha," Nick chuckled.
"That's not fair," Greg grumbled, frowning, as Grissom's snores seemed to intensify in sound.
"But it sure is funny," Nick laughed.
"Uh-huh," Greg sighed. "Right."
Thirty minutes later, Warrick pulled up in front of Greg's apartment, putting the car in park. "Good luck with the cat shopping tomorrow, man," he nodded at him, as his colleague dragged his suitcase out of the trunk of the van. "Are you really going to do it?"
"Yeah, I think so," Greg replied. "And actually, I was wondering if anyone wanted to come along with me?"
"I would," Warrick apologized. "But I have some work to do."
"And so do I," Catherine added, glancing up at Warrick for the briefest of moments. "But I would definitely like to see your cat, once you get her."
Greg nodded, looking over at Nick. "What do you say?" he asked his friend. "Lunch, and then the pet store?"
Nick pursed his lips together for a moment, thinking about Greg's suggestion. "Sure, might be kind of fun," he finally admitted with a smile. "But I'm not carrying all of the heavy stuff, understood, man?" he added.
Greg just rolled his eyes as he closed his door, and poked his head back through the open window. "I'll see you tomorrow at eleven in the morning, then. I'll pick you up?"
"Sounds like a plan, Greggo; sounds like a plan."
"Goodnight, Greg," everyone except for Grissom chorused. Grissom simply continued to snore.
Ten minutes later, Warrick glanced at Catherine through the rearview mirror. "You're up," he smiled at her, pulling up to her house. And then after catching her expression, he raised an eyebrow. "It'll be fine; we promise you."
"I know," Catherine sighed. "I'm just uneasy about this whole situation. But you're right; everything will be okay," she tried to smile at Nick, Sara, and Warrick.
"Just get some rest, Cath," Nick advised her. "And then Grissom will give Lindsey a call tomorrow evening, after she gets home from school."
"Right," Catherine simply nodded, climbing out of the van. "Goodnight, everyone!"
"Night," they replied, before Warrick headed off toward Nick's place.
After arriving at his place ten minutes later, Nick cleared his throat. "So, uh, I guess I'll talk to you both tomorrow?" he asked, trying not to stare at Sara as he got out of the van. This still stinks, he bitterly thought to himself, grabbing his gear. Time, just give me some time.
"Yup, and have a nice night," Sara smiled at him, missing the hurt expression on his face.
"Yeah, you, too. And bye, Rick," he mumbled.
"Night, Nicky…" Warrick trailed off, before pulling out of his apartment complex. You've got to get over her, man. Seriously. Who can I set you up with? Shaking his head for a moment, Warrick then glanced over his shoulder at Grissom. "So, should we wake him up?"
"No," Sara chuckled. "Just let him sleep. We can drop you off next, and then I'll take care of it from there," she shrugged.
"You sure, girl?" Warrick raised an amused eyebrow.
"I'm sure, Warrick," Sara grinned, holding back another soft chuckle. "Just go… I'm getting tired."
Warrick nodded, as he sped off toward his own place, arriving in his driveway ten minutes later. "If you're sure—" he repeated, frowning at Sara.
"I'm not only sure," Sara told him. "But I'm positive, too," she added, climbing up to the driver's seat. "Talk to you later," she told him.
"Yeah, later," Warrick grinned, before swaggering off toward his front door.
Fifteen minutes later, Sara pulled into her own parking lot, lightly shaking Grissom. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty," she teased him. "Wake up."
"What?" Grissom snorted, snapping to attention.
"We're at my place. Hop out, and come have a cup of coffee with me," she suggested, already getting out of the van.
Grissom yawned, before unbuckling himself, and getting out. "Have I been sleeping for long?" he asked, stretching.
"A couple of hours," Sara shrugged, locking the van's doors, and grabbing her luggage out of the trunk. Walking to the front door of her apartment, she chuckled, as she walked right in, Grissom on her heels.
"What's so funny?" he suspiciously asked her.
"Nothing," she smiled, depositing her keys by the front door. "But the entire team now knows how lovely your snoring sounds."
"Oh," Grissom sheepishly replied. "I see," he added, as he passed Sara, moving into her living room. Sitting down on one of her couches, he waited for her to join him.
"Does you sitting there remind you of anything?" she softly asked, immediately sitting down beside him, and lightly kissing his cheek.
"Ecklie," he simply replied, as he wrapped his arms tightly around Sara. "Oh, and of you, of course," he amended his answer.
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The fourth date, ten months prior
"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Grissom cautiously asked Sara, as they stood on top of the Stratosphere, waiting for their turn to ride the famous rollercoaster. "We don't have to, really," he added, glancing over at her with something akin to concern etched onto his face.
"No, it's okay," Sara absentmindedly replied, as she watched a group of people slide into the coaster. Thanks to work and other outside commitments between the two, it had been almost a month since their last date, and she was not about to ruin it for anything."This thing is safe though, right?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Of course it is," Grissom replied, as he stood just beside her. "The mechanics check it out every day, and it is one of the safest coasters in the country."
"You can't possibly know that for sure," Sara nervously smiled, turning to look up at him for a moment.
"Would I lie?" Grissom asked, raising an eyebrow, as they moved forward in line. "But I have to admit it, Sara, you do look extremely uneasy."
"I'm fine; this is just my first time riding this thing," she reminded him. "And besides, a deal is a deal, right?" she asked, as another group of people climbed into the coaster. "After this, we're off to the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat."
"I suppose so," Grissom mused. "Although I don't understand the reference to the 'secret garden.' Can it really be considered a secret, if the entire city knows about this place?"
Sara rolled her eyes at him, as the occupants of the previous trip exited their seats, leaving room for her and Grissom to sit down. "I guess this is it," she commented, as she hesitantly sat down on her seat.
"You'll be fine," Grissom assured her, securing the restraints around himself.
"Yeah, for your sake, I hope so," Sara mumbled, as she locked herself into place, and the attendant hit the switch, starting the ride.
Grissom tried not to chuckle at her obvious discomfort, as he glanced over the side of the rollercoaster. "We're pretty high up here," he commented, as their car crawled up an especially high hill.
"Shut up," Sara told him, as she screwed her eyes tightly shut. "I didn't think that I had a fear of heights, but, uh," she cleared her throat, only opening her eyes when she felt Grissom's hand covering her own.
"Just try to relax, and enjoy the view, Sara," he calmly told her, before gazing back down at the city lights.
Right, easy for you to say, she thought to herself, as she glanced over the side of the rollercoaster. Shit! What would possess someone to build a fast-moving object all the way up here? And what if it falls? She continued. We're so high up here, that we wouldn't even survive the impact!
Grissom turned to look at Sara, trying to hide his amusement. I can't believe that you're this scared of a rollercoaster. Then again, I can't believe that I'm finding this funny; I'm just used to you being so strong with everything. What I wouldn't give to—his mind trailed off, causing a slight blush to permeate his otherwise stoic expression.
Minutes later, when the rollercoaster rolled to a stop back at the gate, Sara let out an extremely relieved sigh. "Well that was, uh, fascinating," she told him, climbing out of the car on slightly shaky legs.
"Yes, it was," Grissom replied, still somewhat distracted.
"Grissom? Are you okay?" she asked, a little bit concerned.
"I'm fine," Grissom assured her, as he pointed toward the elevator to get back down to the ground. "Are you ready for the dolphin habitat?"
"Yeah, I am," Sara smiled at him. Where did your mind go to all of a sudden? Did something just happen that I'm unaware of? "I think you'll like the dolphin show," she added, as they entered the elevator. Quietly sliding one of her hands into his, she frowned, when she noticed him studying their hands as if something was wrong with them. "Grissom? What's going on?"
"What? Nothing," Grissom shook his head.
"Do you, uh, not want to hold my hand for some reason?" she asked in confusion. This isn't anything new to us, so what's the problem?
"It isn't that," Grissom hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck in nervousness with his free hand.
"Then what is it?" Sara tried to press him.
"Nothing," he quietly replied, as he walked her out of the elevator, and toward his car. "Nothing at all," he repeated, opening the passenger-side door for her, and waiting for her to get situated.
If nothing's wrong, then why do you suddenly look so unsure of yourself? Why are you being so quiet, and why can't you just talk to me? Sara wanted to ask him. But she knew that Grissom did not have the ability to come right out and say whatever it was that was on his mind; he needed to process his own thoughts, before he could share them with her. Maybe someday, she wistfully thought to herself. Maybe someday, you'll be able to confide in me almost immediately. "Okay," Sara simply said, staring out of the window, as they drove to the Mirage.
Pulling into the parking lot, Grissom again anxiously rubbed the back of his neck, before hopping out. I really just want to, uh—he tried to tell himself. Can I just, you know? "Ready?" he swallowed, as he took a couple of steps toward the hotel, and waited for Sara to catch up to him. Not bothering to hold out his hand for her, he started to walk toward the habitat, a slight frown on his face.
What the hell is wrong with you? Sara wanted to ask, glancing over at him in confusion. You went from slightly flirting with me, to comforting me, to completely isolating yourself from me. What happened while we were on that rollercoaster? Sara followed Grissom in silence, waiting for him as he paid their admittance fees. "So, uh, where would you like to sit?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"In the back?" Grissom suggested. "It's more… private up there," he hesitantly explained.
Sara slowly nodded her agreement, before flashing him a small smile. "Are you sure you're okay?" she tried to prompt him again.
"I'm fine," he gruffly replied, before shyly grabbing her hand.
Then why are your hands so sweaty? Sara asked herself, raising an eyebrow in surprise. No, something is definitely up with you. "Okay," she shrugged as they walked down the path toward the dolphin exhibit. "Then the back it is," she added, as they climbed the bleachers to take a seat.
"Did you know that bottlenose dolphins have between 88 and 100 cone-shaped teeth?" Grissom asked, sitting down beside Sara.
"No, can't say that I knew that," Sara smiled, gently squeezing his hand, as she rested their hands on his knee. "But did you know that adult bottlenose dolphins are anywhere from eight to twelve feet long?"
Grissom chuckled, glancing down at their joined hands. "No, I didn't know that," he replied, trying to hide his growing discomfort. "But they are very fascinating creatures; very humanistic in nature."
"True," Sara agreed, studying his face for a moment, before looking down at the currently empty dolphin habitat. I wish that you'd just tell me what was going on in your mind, she sighed to herself.
"Can I kiss you?" Grissom suddenly blurted out, immediately turning a deep shade of red as he attempted to avoid Sara's gaze.
"Wh-what?" Sara whispered in surprise, turning to look at him.
Grissom cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "Can I kiss you?" he repeated his question, staring down at the ground in embarrassment.
"Is that what's been bothering you for the last hour?" Sara hesitantly questioned him, holding back a chuckle of relief. "I could tell that something was wrong, but I had no idea—" she trailed off.
"It's okay, I understand," Grissom sighed, slowly releasing Sara's hand from his own.
"What are you doing?" she asked, looking at him in confusion.
"You don't want me to; I understand," he told her.
"Grissom, I never said that," Sara pointed out.
"But you said—"
"That I knew something was up with you, but that I didn't know what it was. Grissom," Sara cleared her throat. "You don't have to ask me to do things like this. Hell, we've been dating for two months now, and the most that we've ever done together is to hold hands, with the occasional awkward hug. You don't have to ask to kiss me; that's a part of being in a relationship," she encouragingly smiled at him. Besides, I've wanted you to kiss me for over ten years now… ever since you gave that lecture at Harvard.
"But do you want me to?" Grissom persisted, his face flushed, as he continued to stare down at the ground.
Sara slowly nodded, hesitantly lifting his chin up so that he would be forced to look at her. "Why are you so nervous?" she quietly questioned him, blinking. "It's just you and me sitting here," she told him, tuning out the other people who were starting to join them for the upcoming dolphin show.
"This is a little out of my comfort zone," Grissom admitted. "Not the act of kissing itself, but the act of kissing you—in public."
"You don't have to kiss me, then," Sara whispered.
"I know, but—" Grissom licked his lips, leaning toward Sara. "But I want to—if you want me to, that is."
Sara again nodded, a small smile gracing her lips. "Then go ahead."
Grissom very carefully leaned even closer to Sara, his lips barely grazing hers.
"It's okay," Sara repeated, as she moved a fraction of an inch closer to Grissom.
Before he actually had the opportunity to fully press his lips to hers, he heard someone coughing from a couple of rows below them. "Gil? Ms. Sidle?" came Ecklie's un-amused voice.
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The present
"I couldn't believe his expression," Sara grinned, resting her head against Grissom's chest. "I thought that he was going to drop-dead with a heart attack right then and there." And actually, how'd you get him to let us continue dating, anyhow? I'll have to ask you about that later on. I just don't want to ruin the mood that we have going on, because I'm sure that you had to go through a lot to smooth things over with him.
"I know," Grissom nodded, as he very gently rubbed Sara's back. "And I was furious with him for ruining the moment."
"That's okay," Sara shrugged, turning her face to look up at him for a moment. "You made up for it later on, if I do recall."
"I did, didn't I?" Grissom chuckled, remembering what happened next.
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The fourth date, later that night
"That wasn't good, Sara," Grissom anxiously told her, as they walked back to his car after the dolphin show. "I'm your boss, and he's my boss."
Sara raised an eyebrow, climbing into the car. "We weren't doing anything wrong, Grissom. It's not like we were going to do anything illegal; you were just going to kiss me," she pointed out. A kiss which Ecklie so very nicely ruined.
"I know, but—" Grissom sighed, sliding into the driver's seat, and putting the key in the ignition. "But now he has something else to document against the two of us: fraternization between superior and subordinate."
Sara stared out the window for a moment, waiting for Grissom to start driving. "So what if he knows?" she suddenly asked. "He's an ass, and this is none of his business!"
"But he's still in charge of the lab," Grissom reminded her. "We need to be more discrete."
"No," Sara shook her head. "I refuse to live my life in hiding."
Grissom furrowed an eyebrow, clearing his throat. "So what do you propose that we do?" he softly asked her.
"I propose that you kiss me," Sara instantly replied. "Right here, right now."
"What…?" Grissom asked, staring straight ahead. "But we're in a car right now."
"People do kiss in cars, Grissom," Sara gave him a wry grin.
"I know, but—" he swallowed in unease.
Sara bit her lip, staring down at her hands. "You wanted to kiss me out by the dolphins, right?" she quietly asked him.
"Yes," Grissom replied without hesitation.
"And now we're in the isolation of your own personal car. Why don't you want to kiss me anymore?"
"I do, but—" he tried again. "There's nothing special about kissing in a car. We're not teenagers anymore," he told her. "You've waited for me to do this for quite some time now, right?"
"Yeah?" Sara replied, almost as if asking a question of her own, rather than answering his.
"Then wait ten more minutes, until we're back at your place," Grissom frowned, putting the car into gear, and pulling out of the parking lot.
Sara raised her eyebrow in surprise, a smile once again gracing her lips. "Okay," she agreed.
Twenty minutes later, Grissom and Sara were both sitting on her couch, with Grissom staring at her in slight discomfort. "This would have been so much easier to do at the dolphin show," he mused.
"Why?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because then it would have been a surprise," he sighed. "Now, I'm thinking about it too much."
"Yeah, don't think about it," Sara smiled at him. "Just do it."
Grissom nodded, as he leaned in toward Sara. "But this is so difficult," he muttered under his breath.
"No more difficult than any other woman you've ever kissed," Sara whispered to him, as his lips just barely touched hers.
"Yes, it is," Grissom quietly replied. "This time it actually means something," he swallowed, before pressing his lips to hers for the first time.
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The Present
"I was definitely surprised, you know?" Sara smiled up at him.
"So was I," Grissom admitted. "I'm not usually that… bold about things."
"Could have fooled me," Sara chuckled, pulling away from him for a moment. "So I guess you need to be leaving now…?" she sighed, glancing at the clock. Grissom usually hated to stay after midnight, on non-work nights.
"Yes," he confirmed, pulling Sara back to himself for a moment, and not bothering to get up from the couch. "But have a good night," he told her, as he once again lightly pressed his lips to hers.
"I will," Sara smiled, pulling away from Grissom. "And you, too." Standing up, and walking him to her apartment door, she looked up at him. "You can stay, you know…" she whispered. "You don't always have to leave."
"I know," Grissom nodded, gently brushing his hand against her face. "And I appreciate that fact; but I have a lot of work to do tonight, and I wouldn't want to bore you with all of the details." And staying with you always proves difficult for me, because then I feel, uh, he tried not to blush. Let's just say that I have a difficult time controlling myself around you, and I'm afraid to actually have sex with you. And as much as I'm sure that you would understand my rationale once you find out what it is, I need to build up enough courage to mention it—which won't be tonight.
Sara frowned, opening the door for him. "Another time, maybe?" she softly asked. Even though they had been dating for over a year now, Grissom had only spent a handful of non-sexual nights with her, coming up with excuse after excuse as to why he couldn't stay more often. If I didn't know you any better, she thought to herself, I'd think that you were trying to avoid me. But you're not, right? I know that you like to move slowly, I mean, hell, it took us two dates just to hold hands, three dates just to hug, and two months just to start kissing, but… how slowly do you feel like moving? Is there something wrong with me? You even told me that you loved me; you do love me, right? Because, I love you, and I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone other than you.
"Another time, definitely," Grissom assured her with a slight smile. "And before I forget," he continued, suddenly stopping in his tracks. "I was wondering if you'd like to go back to the butterfly observatory with me in the next couple of months? I have some, uh, research that I would like to conduct, and I could really use your help with it."
"Sure," Sara agreed with a smile, kissing him once more. "I'd love to."
"Good," his eyes twinkled. "And goodnight, Sara, I love you," he nodded, kissing her once more.
"Goodnight, love you, too," Sara sighed in confusion, closing the door behind him.
As he was walking down the hallway, Grissom started to panic. That will be one hell of a date when it happens, that's for sure. Although… he frowned. What if she says no, because we've never crossed that intimacy boundary before? What if she doesn't think that I'm seriously in love with her? I only told her that I loved her for the first time this weekend! Maybe I shouldn't propose to her. I need to think about this, and possibly talk to someone. Swallowing heavily, Grissom left Sara's apartment building, glancing at her door once more in anxiety, before getting into the van, and leaving.
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TO BE CONTINUED
