They had agreed, a long time ago after the haze of their reunion, that it was going to be a fresh start. So, while they had been married before, the decided to mark their anniversary from the day that they had recommitted themselves to a life together. He had taken his mother's advice seriously and so now, unless something really could not wait, they spent every night together. They created a small habit of sitting down before sleep and discussing their days and any issues that were starting between them or within themselves. It had ironed out a lot of the communication issues that they had and somehow managed to deepen the intimacy between them. They had learnt from their previous mistakes and things had never been so good. This morning marked their anniversary, and it was a lazy one. There was chill in the air and Grissom and Sara had remained in bed, curled under the blankets, discussing nothing, drinking coffee and having breakfast in bed. He had made her favourite breakfast of burritos, loaded with fresh eggs and homemade vegetarian sausages. She had eaten and snuggled back into him, a smile and glint in her eye.

"So, are you going to tell me what your secret is?"

He had hardly been subtle about his gift to her. The need to tell her outright had been a strong one. After all, he had gotten into the habit of telling her everything. But he had decided that this was something she would forgive the secrecy for. He knew she had noticed the quiet, secretive phone calls, the emails that would quickly disappear and the avoidance of her questions. He played idly with a strand of her hair twisting it between his fingers.

"I'm having an affair."

"Do I know her?"

"One of the fish wives."

"Makes sense if you like seafood."

"My thoughts exactly."

She nodded seriously as she drew small circles on his chest.

"I understand. At least there isn't much to sort."

"You can have the dishes if you want."

"Good. I do love those dishes. Also dibs on the pot and pan set."

He pulled her closer, giving her a soft kiss.

"Have I told you how much I love you lately?"

She smiled slightly.

"Last night but I fully encourage repeats."

"I love you. Best person I know."

She sat up a little.

"I love you too. But will you just hurry up and tell me what you have been up to?"

He ignored her, pulling her close for another kiss. Even after all this time, kissing her still took his breath away. She sunk into his embrace, pressing her body into his, her long legs pulling him closer to her. She pulled away before he could deepen the kiss further.

"Stop trying to distract me. What have you been hiding, Bug Man?"

Grissom sighed, like it was a huge effort, pulling out the box from under their bed. He had wrapped in in plain cream paper with a soft grey ribbon. She sat up, her face excited. He placed it carefully on her lap and watched as she carefully opened it. She glanced at him when she found the book inside.

"It's not what you think."

She removed it from the box and ran her finger over the faux leather cover and the gold gilded spine. She frowned before she opened the front cover.

For Sara,

My guiding star, my love, my home

Gil

He watched her smile before she began to go through the pages. He saw the second she realized what he had done. Her voice was soft when she finally spoke.

"You wrote a book about us?"

"Well, more about you. Things that remind me of you, memories of us. All the good things. Then I got a good friend of mind to bind it for you. And it's not real leather, so- "

She reached over a put a hand over his mouth, her eyes still on the book.

"Shush."

He did as he was told and just watched. She read the sonnets he had so carefully picked and had written in flowing script, the pictures of them with Hank, the songs that he would forever associate with her, the butterfly that he had found and carefully pressed that matched the exact shade of her eyes, the countless photos of their adventures and all their moments together. All the things that made them who they were. On the final page, a group shot of the whole team, looking happy and optimistic over a shared breakfast. He felt that familiar tug in his stomach at the image of Warrick, smiling broadly beside Catherine. He still had trouble thinking about that night and remained haunted by what could have been. That picture was a snapshot of a perfect time for all of them and it was ringed with sadness for the events that Grissom knew that followed.

"You made me a book."

"Yes. That's what has been keeping me so busy."

"Gil, I can't believe you did this. It's beautiful."

She went back to the beginning and thumbed through it again, paying closer attention to the gilded pages and the tea-stained colour of the paper.

"How, after this many years, do you still manage to surprise me, Gilbert Grissom?"

Grissom chuckled.

"Now you know how I feel."

She gave him a grin.

'Well, my gift feels completely outdone now. Here we go."

She handed him a box with black wrapping paper and he opened it curiously. He could feel her eyes on him, trying to gauge his reaction. Inside, in a completely solid block of glass, was the most beautiful thing he ever owned.

"Sara, where did you find this?'

"Took about six months. The collector was super reluctant to part with it, but I managed to persuade him."

"Euspinolia Militaris. I can't believe you found this."

He quickly put on his glasses, sitting up much straighter now and began to examine it. The preservation was incredible. It was one of the rarest wasp species often referred to as Panda Ant because of the black and white fuzz over its body. Clearly a female, wingless and a bit smaller than the male. They were rare and the research on them was minimal because of their reclusive nature.

"The way they mate is fascinating because the male just lift's the female in the air."

"Well, that's one way to do it."

He smiled, his eyes still on the wasp in front of him. Sara leaned into him slightly, her book still in her hands.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you."

He finally tore his eyes away and glanced at her and Sara chuckled.

"You look like a kid at Christmas."

He put his arm around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"It's incredible."

"You know, someone once told me that the only reason that the Panda Ant is endangered is because only 5% of the larvae make it to adulthood."

"Oh really?"

Sara nodded, pointing out the small stinger on the wasp.

"Super painful sting too."

"Well, hopefully, one day, we can see it for real."

Sara frowned.

"You want to get stung? That's a step too far, even for you."

Grissom laughed.

"No but to see one in action would be pretty incredible."

They both sat in comfortable silence as they examined their gifts and when Grissom looked back up at her, Sara was staring at the photo of the team.

"You miss it, don't you?"

Sara shook her head slightly.

"It's not that. I miss them. I miss what it was."

"Me too."

Grissom examined her face for a moment, his hand stroking the soft skin of her arm.

"You're happy though, right?"

Sara laughed.

"Of course I am. I just have moments of feeling nostalgic. Getting old does that to you."

"I can relate to that."

Sara put down the book, resting it gently on her knees, sighing as she ran her hands through her hair.

"I have to get ready for my meeting with Michael tomorrow. And you, my dear husband, have to finish that report on the local turtle population."

She went to make a move to get out of bed, but Grissom was faster, tugging her back to him and under the sheet. He started kissing the soft skin of her neck again, getting that same little happy sigh as she tried to negotiate her escape.

"Gil, we can't stay in bed all day."

He ignored her protests, rolling them over so he was above her, lightly pinning her arms over her head. His free hand ran over her ribs and under her shirt, seeking her warm skin. He pushed aside the material and started his favourite game of connect the dots with the freckles that dotted her stomach and chest. First with his fingers then with his mouth, nipping at sensitive skin as he worked his way down to the top of the boxers that she had 'borrowed' from him. His hand slid the boxers from her hips as he leaned forward to kiss her again. He released her hands to remove her shirt, allowing her to take off his as he settled himself, pressing his body to hers. He played with her hair, stroking her face, speaking softly.

"All these years and you still take my breath away."

She gave him a wicked grin.

"It's just because you're getting old."

"It's because you're a vixen."

Sara chuckled as his careful fingers stroked her shoulders and her collarbone.

"Ah yes, a handful of boyfriends and being in love with the same man for over a decade. Very sad vixen."

"Technically- "

He shifted, pulling her legs up to wrap around his waist. She watched his face as she reached between them, grasping his firmly and making his gasp.

"Defined as a spirited or fierce woman. Especially one that is sexually attractive."

"You-"

His hand went between them also, making her arch her hips and groan.

"Are just proving my point."

He shifted again, sinking inside of her, making them both moan in pleasure. Nothing in the world felt as good as she did. Flushed beneath him, her body holding him tight, her long legs pulling him in further, her nails digging into him back lightly, nothing could be as beautiful as this. He started to move, urged on by her quiet moans and his name torn from her lips. They reached the crest of pleasure together, their heavy breathing filling the room and he remained where he was, resting his face on her chest, her heart pounding beneath his ear. She stroked his hair, still holding him tight to her.

"I love you, Gil. Happy Anniversary."

He looked up at her and returned her lazy, satisfied smile.

"Happy Anniversary, beautiful wife of mine."