Disclaimer: I don't own the main characters

Summary: Follow Sara as she thinks about her past birthdays, and find out where she is now and who's she celebrating the big 5-0 with.

AN: Hi everybody, I know another story when I already have a few unfinished, but this one had been planned for months, just waiting for the right time to start posting, and considering what this story is about, you know what time I've been waiting for. :) I hope you enjoy it.

AN#2: And thanks to those who have supported me through a very rough time of my life.

Title: Happy Birthday
Genre: Romance, Comfort/Hurt, Angst, Drama
Rating: T
Spoilers: Slight mentions of the whole series
Time-line: Pre-series-beyond Finale
Warnings: Implied/suggestive adult behavior
Main Parings: GSR
Minor Parings: None
Other Characters: Mentions Only

Chapter 1: The start

September 16, 2021

September 16, while it was just an ordinary day for most people out in the world, it should be a special one to Sara. In fact, it should be one of her favorite days, right? It's her birthday after all, and who doesn't like to celebrate their birthdays?

Well, depending on what year she was celebrating it, Sara could say it had been the best day/year of her life, but then there were times, even a stretch of them throughout her life when she just wanted to crawl under the covers, put a blanket over her and forget the day even existed.

Now, it was currently that time of the year, but this wasn't just any birthday. This was a big one, the big 5-0 to be exact, and as Sara was waking up and getting use to her surroundings, remembering what day it actually was in the process, she took a breath and shook her head. She couldn't believe she was 50 years old today, and if someone would have told her that she was living the life she has now, she would have never believed them.

She took another breath as she moved in bed so her back was against the mattress and she was looking up at the ceiling, thinking, 'Wow, 50 years old today. Where has the time gone? How did I get here?'

She obviously couldn't remember her first few birthdays. In fact, her first solid memory was around her sixth one, and she was in a place that became very common growing up...the hospital.

So, to say she didn't have a lot of fun during those birthdays up until she turned thirteen, when her life really took a turn and she ended up in foster care, was an understatement.

From 13-16 she wouldn't necessarily call it the time of her life, but least, despite her being in foster care, she wasn't celebrating it while being tense, afraid something was going to set someone off and that they would end up in a hospital. There was actual joy, laughter, even a few presents.

Her college years (17-22) she would say were her most enjoyable, she obviously had a lot more freedom, and at that point in her life she actually had friends who cared and wanted to celebrate that day with her. She was brought out of her shell a little more during those years.

Her 23-26 years was spent focusing on the start of her career. She had lost touch with a lot of those college friends she made and she was mostly single during that time of the year, so she didn't really have any one close to celebrate with, so those years felt like 'ok, I had a birthday, I'm one year older, moving on' for her.

Sara took a breath and ran her right hand down her face before moving so she was laying on her side again, then started to smile as she thought about the first of the last 21 birthdays she went through.

Her 27th year was a big one, she could have never imaged that it was the year that wasn't only going to change her life, but forever alter it.

Flashback

October, 1998

It was a month after Sara's 27th birthday and she was the first on her team to volunteer, which no one was surprised, to go to a seminar that was being conducted at a local college to help their CSI skills.

It started out as a normal day, although she was running a little late, so she put her hair in a ponytail and rushed out the door after grabbing her shoulder bag that contained everything she needed, and her car keys. She took a quick stop at a close coffee shop before heading for the college.

Once she was there, she grabbed her bag and coffee before rushing her way towards the classroom, which when she got there, the room was packed and she had to find a seat in the back, a place she was not familiar with since she's always been the type of person/student who would sit in the front.

A few moments after taking her seat, the noise level in the room started to die down, and the man who was conducting the seminar had turned from the chalk board, cleared his throat and started speaking. "Morning everyone, I am Dr. Gilbert Grissom and I am here to..."

Sara was already awestruck that she drowned out whatever he said for the next couple of minutes, but the second he started to actually teach, she was focused 100%, and when it came to the question part of the seminar, she raised her hand, he pointed to her, she stood up, and the moment his blue eyes locked on to her brown ones, the rest they say, is history.

She asked him her multiple questions, they ended up having a meal after, and the following four days once the seminar was done for the day, they talked about their schooling and jobs, shared stories and she showed him around the city, even though he's been here multiple times with his mother when he was younger, building a bond that held tighter than either one could have imagined.

End of Flashback

Once Grissom found out when her birthday was, the following year he sent her a gift certificate to any restaurant she wanted and a bouquet of flowers, which she called him and told him that he didn't need to do that, but he told her he wanted to, and the next year he did the exact same thing.

Then a month later (the exact day of meeting one another two years prior), he changed her life again, this time with a phone call asking for her help before asking her to stay in Vegas.

The first birthday she celebrated while living in Vegas, that happened to have been her 30th, was a special one because instead of being gifted with flowers and a gift certificate to any restaurant, Grissom took her to a restaurant himself, which turned out to be a surprise party that involved the rest of the team, but it still meant a lot to her, and she thought things were only going to get better from there on.

Sara sighed and closed her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose while her thoughts continued.

However, it turned out not to be the case, especially the next two years, things between her and Grissom, at that point, were at their lowest, so while she did enjoy some time with the team, particularly with Nick, Warrick and Greg during those birthdays, they weren't her favorite years.

Her 33rd year started to take a very nice, happy turn in her personal life, which was much needed after the previous year she had.

Flashback

September 16, 2004

After being surprised in the break room from her team after shift, she was talking to the guys when Grissom walked up to her and cleared his throat. "Sara?"

Sara turned around and gave him a small smile. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She nodded and excused herself from the guys before her and Grissom walked towards a more quieter part of the room, then Grissom spoke again. "I uh, I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me later tonight before shift?"

Thinking this was a group thing, Sara nodded. "Sure, should I ask the team if they want to come?"

Grissom shook his head. "Actually, I was hoping it would be just us."

Things have been getting a little better between them since he picked her up at the police station after she was pulled over a few months ago, but this invitation still surprised her.

"Oh, really?"

Grissom nodded, then continued quickly. "Yeah, but if you want..."

She cuts him off with one of her special smiles. "No, it's ok, I accept."

He nodded again with a smile. "I'll pick you up later tonight then."

She nodded with the smile still on her face. "Ok."

The smile remained on her face until she could no longer see him once he walked out of the room.

Hours later

After picking her up at her apartment, Grissom drove them to her favorite Chinese restaurant, and once they were seated in a somewhat secluded area and had ordered their food and drinks, Sara takes a sip of her ice water before asking in a curious tone. "Grissom, it's not that I don't appreciate this, but what are we we doing here, why did you want it to be just us?"

Grissom reached for his glass of ice water and took a sip before speaking after clearing his throat. "I was hoping we could start over." When she looked a little shocked, he continued. "You know as friends, and I know with how I pushed you away these last few years, I don't..."

Sara couldn't help but ask since 'that' door was finally cracked opened. "Why did you?" Her voice grew a little softer as she looked down at the table, not able to look into his eyes. "I thought we...well, I mean..."

She trailed off and he nervously placed his hand on hers, as she became flustered. "You weren't wrong on what you were thinking." For the third time that day/night he surprised her, and she lifted her head up in shock to look into his eyes again as he continued. "And I want nothing more than to tell you all the whys, but for right now, I just want our friendship back."

She gives him a smile and nod, it may have not been the declaration she was hoping for, but it was a start, a very good start at that, and if he was finally opening the door, even if it's just a crack for the moment, there was no way she was saying no, she waited years for this chance, so she grabbed her water and lifted it up towards him. "To starting over."

He gave her that boyish grin that she always loved seeing on him, and come to think about it she hadn't seen much of that the last few years, as he picked up his water and replied. "And to a Happy Birthday to you."

End of Flashback

AN: Interested in more? You know what to do, thanks for reading and please review.