AN: Thanks for the reviews, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 6: Five Months later

Flashback

A week after getting Grissom's tree, and that certain significant moment between them, had passed, they were back at his condo for one of their breakfast times, which had been the first time she's been here, or even them having any alone time since that day, because work on Swing and Night shift had slammed them hard, so things felt a little awkward through their meal, both not sure how to act.

After their meal was done and the dishes in the dishwasher, he asked after clearing his throat. "Do you have to leave now?"

She gave him a little smile as she asked. "Do you want me to leave?" He shook his head, so she continued. "Then no, I don't have to leave, so what do you have in mind?"

He suddenly became a little nervous. "How about uh, uh movie? I mean I don't have the latest early releases, but..."

Sara cuts him off softly. "Whatever you have is fine, and only if you're really up to it. I don't want you to be too tired for shift."

He smiled at her concern before replying. "I'll be fine."

"Ok, a movie it is then."

He nodded, and as she headed for the couch, he went to his bookshelf, where the last two rows were filled with movies/documentaries, he was always more of a book guy so he never really thought of updating his movie collection, but when he saw how old a lot of them were, he sighed and shook his head, then stood up and looked over at her with a shy smile. "How about we just find something on TV?"

She gave him a warm smile with a nod while she sat on the left side of the couch. "Ok." He nodded in return before walking towards the right side of the couch and sat down, grabbing his remote in the process so he could turn on the TV, thankful he did have most of the movie channels, even though he hardly watched these either.

As they were sitting there watching a comedy movie, which they still felt awkward, both now feeling they were teenagers on their first date, he kept sneaking glances at her hand, and occasionally she could see him doing that, so after about 15 minutes, she moved her hand to the middle cushion so her palm was up, and he saw her action from the corner of his eye before they looked at one another and she smiled, he smiled in return before he finally placed his hand on top of hers so their palms were touching before they slipped their fingers through one another's, both secretly sighing in content.

By the time the movie had ended, she was now sitting next to him with her head on his shoulder as their hands remained clasped together, and as the credits were rolling, she lifted her head and spoke softly. "I should go and let you get some rest."

He didn't want to her leave, but knew she was right, so he nodded and cleared his throat. "I'll walk you to the door."

She nodded as they stood up, their hands still clasped together, before he walked her to the door, and once they got there, they finally release hands so she could get her coat and bag, and he asked a little shyly. "Did you enjoy the movie and breakfast?"

She smiled as she turned to look at him. "Very much, thank you."

He nodded with a smile in return before it got a little shy again. "So, uh you wouldn't be opposed to do it again, as you know more like uh, like a..."

Sara cuts him off, saving him before he gave himself a heart attack. "A date?"

He took a breath with another nod. "Yeah, like a date."

She then smirked. "Are you asking your girlfriend out on a date?"

He chuckled before replying with a smirk of his own. "As her boyfriend, I think he should every once in awhile."

With her eyes sparkling, she replied. "Good answer, and I wouldn't be opposed to doing this again."

"Ok, good to know."

They stood there for several seconds just looking at one another with smiles on their faces before she cleared her throat and turned towards the door. "Have a 'goodnight', Griss."

Before she placed her hand on the doorknob, Grissom spoke softly. "Sara, wait."

When she turned around he was standing real close to her now, then he took a breath and slowly raised his hand to cup her cheek, and when she didn't shy away from his hand, it touched her skin, almost making her want to close her eyes, but she was too mesmerized by his blue eyes as he leaned forward, then just as their lips touched, her eyes closed automatically, and as if they have been doing it for years, their lips moved together softly in sync.

When he pulled back after several seconds had passed, she slowly opened her eyes and once again his shy look came to his face as he asked. "How was that?"

She had a feeling he wasn't only talking about the kiss itself, but the timing was included in that small question, so her response was the same for both. "Perfect."

His shy look went away and his sparkling blue eyes came alive as he replied with a little more confidence. "I'm glad you feel that way, because now that I know what it feels like to kiss you, I don't think there will be a moment in time when I won't want to kiss you."

She placed her hand on top of his that was still cupping her cheek as she whispered in return. "And the feeling is definitely mutual."

It only took a second before their lips were against one another again, this time with a little more passion, but still very tender.

When they pulled back again, they placed their foreheads together before she whispered without even thinking. "I don't think I want to leave right now." He smirked as she pulled back in shock that she said that out-loud. "I mean..."

But he cuts her off with a smile as he held his hand out. "Then don't, stay."

She shyly smiled. "Griss..."

He cuts her off again with honesty and sincerity. "I don't mean it like that. We can lie in each other's arms or you can be completely on the other side of the bed, it's up to you how close you want us."

Seeing the truth in his eyes, she nodded with a smile as she hung up her jacket and messenger bag. "Ok, I'll stay."

After slipping her hand back into his, he led them towards his bedroom, and even though they knew they weren't going to be doing anything, other than maybe a few kisses here and there, their hearts still raced a little.

But once they laid down and her head landed on his chest while his arms wrapped around her shoulders, everything felt right, like this is what should have been happening all along, and they now knew after that moment they had no reason to feel shy or awkward around one another, just be themselves and they knew they would be ok.

End of Flashback

Five months later

May, 2005

As Grissom was lighting the second candle on the table, his phone starts to ring from his pocket, making him sigh a little, hoping it wasn't work.

"Grissom."

"Hey, I'm just letting you know that I am almost out of the lab."

Grissom smiled, hearing her beautiful voice before replying. "Ok, dinner should be done or close to it by the time you get here."

With Grissom not working tonight, which was very rare before his relationship with Sara since he rarely took time off, they get to enjoy a rare diner meal together, rather than the usual breakfast meal.

"Alright, I'll see you when I see you."

"Ok, be safe."

"I will, bye."

"Bye."

Grissom hangs up his phone with a sigh of content before he looked at the table that was set up with the candles, plates, silverware, and the wine glasses, then he smiled before turning around so he could walk in the kitchen to check on the vegetarian lasagna.

Standing so her backside was against the counter in the break room, Sara sighed in content as she pulled the phone from ear and hung up, but as she was still looking down at it, Warrick's voice came into the room with a smirk. "So, you thinking about calling your secret boyfriend?"

Sara looked up in surprise. "What!?"

Warrick chuckled as he stopped in front of her. "I know something's been going on with you for awhile now, I don't think I've seen you as happy as you have been the last few months."

Sara couldn't help but smirk in return. "So what, it has to be a man that's making me happy?'

He held up his hands, which he had a coffee mug in his right one, in surrender before smiling back as he walked towards the sink to clean it out. "Point taken." Sara chuckled, and after he finished with his task and placed it back in the cupboard, he looked over at her and continued in a sincere tone. "All I'm trying to say is, that whatever is making you happy these days, don't let it go."

Sara pursed her lips while nodding. "That's the plan."

He smiled again while she walked towards the table to get her report, and as they were walking down the hall towards Nick's office, Sara asked with a raised eyebrow. "And you seem to be sprouting a smile these last few weeks yourself, so do you have a secret girlfriend you're not sharing?" There was a short pause before she chuckled. "You are, who is she?"

Warrick took a breath before replying. "She's wonderful, beautiful, smart, and works at the hospital."

They got close to Nick's office door before they stopped their feet and he stopped talking, and she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why am I sensing a 'but' here?"

Mentally he thought. 'But she's not Catherine.'

While he did like the woman he started seeing, he couldn't deny that a small part of him was still holding on to his feelings for the beautiful Catherine Willows.

Before he could speak or mentally shake his head from those thoughts, him and Sara both hear Nick's voice from his office. "Hey, you two heading out?"

They moved closer to the opened door and Sara nodded. "Yeah, what's up?"

He sighed as he lifted an assignment sheet up. "A new case just came in. I could give it to graveyard, but I think I'll give Grissom a break."

They chuckled before Warrick asked. "You sure, man? I don't mind doing it."

Nick waved him off with a smile. "Nah, get out of here, go enjoy the rest of your night. I'll see you tomorrow."

Warrick nodded while saying goodnight to Nick and Sara before walking away while Sara walked into the office and handed him her report with a smile. "Here you go, boss."

Nick smiled in return and took the folder before placing it on his desk. "You too go enjoy the rest of your night."

She really wanted to, and didn't want to cancel on Grissom, but she was always known to volunteer, so to keep up appearances, she asked. "You sure?"

"Yeah." Then he smirked. "I would hate for you to cancel on your secret boyfriend."

Sara chuckled and shook her head. "Not you too, you and Warrick, I swear."

He chuckled in return as he stood up from his office chair. "Face it Sidle, when you're showing your happiness to the world, people are bound to notice."

She just chuckled again before speaking as she turned around. "Goodnight, Nick."

As she started to walk towards the door, Nick spoke with sincerity. "Whoever he is, better realize how lucky he is."

Sara turned around to look at her friend/boss with caring eyes. "Thank you, Nicky. I think that's the nicest thing you ever said to me."

He chuckled while shaking his head. "I'm sure it's not, but if it is, I mean it, and if I never said it before, you're like a sister to me, and I'll protect you if you ever need it, so make sure he knows that too."

There may have been some flirty moments between them when she first got here, but they both knew very quickly that friendship was all they were going to have between them, and they were just fine with that.

Feeling a little emotional from what Nick said about him seeing her as a sister, she nodded with a smile. "I'll keep that in mind, you know the whole brother protection part if I need it."

"Any time."

After saying goodnight again, Sara finally left Nick's office and headed for the locker room to get her things before walking out of the lab so she could go enjoy dinner with her boyfriend, which made her heart skip a few extra beats just thinking of Grissom as her boyfriend, even after five months with him, that feeling hasn't gone away. In fact, it has only gotten stronger.

20 minutes later

Grissom was finishing up the salad when there was a knock on his door, so he placed his knife down on the cutting board and headed for it, and after opening it, he smiles at Sara as he moved to the side to let her in, then once she was, she hung up her jacket and messenger bag while he closed the door before he was a little surprised when she just wrapped her arms around him for a hug without saying anything.

Even after five months with Sara, he was still getting use to hugging, kissing, and even hand holding without warning, but he would never turn any of it down coming from her, and this was no exception, so he wrapped his arms around her in return while asking in concern. "You ok?"

She nodded against his shoulder while mumbling. "Yeah, I just felt like a hug."

He smiled against her temple before replying. "Then hug away."

She smiled in return. "Thank you."

"No problem, and anytime."

After a few seconds of silence, she sighed in content before speaking again with a smile. "I guess I should let you know that Nick thinks of me as a sister and that he'll protect me from you if he has to." She then smirked. "Well, from my secret boyfriend that is, since he doesn't know it's actually you." He pulled back with a raised eyebrow and she continued with her eyes glowing. "I guess my happiness has been showing off a little bit more than usual, and Warrick and Nick has informed me that they've noticed, both guessing that I have a secret boyfriend."

Grissom couldn't help but smile at that, happy it was because of them that was making her so happy, then he took a breath as he cupped her cheek and said softly. "Sara..."

But she cuts him off, knowing what he was going to say. "No."

He raised his eyebrow again. "But I..."

She cuts him off again. "I know what you were going to say, and I'm not ready yet." She sighed as she took his hand off her cheek before slipping her fingers into his as they walked towards the couch, continuing as they sat down. "I mean this probably is really now the best time to tell everybody, but if we ever do get the team back together, I uh, I don't want to be left..."

He cuts her off as he uses his free hand to cup her cheek. "Left behind."

"Yeah, I'm so..."

He cuts her off again with a small smile. "No, I get it. They are your team, like your family."

She nodded with teas in her eyes. "Just know I don't want to keep us hidden forever."

He wiped the few tears off her cheek as he nodded. "I know that, I don't either, and we won't. But I promise when that time comes, and if there are major consequences, nothing will happen to you, you will still have your job."

Looking at him with concern. "What about you?"

He took a breath before continuing. "If worse comes to worse, I still have a backup plan."

She shook her head and closed her eyes as she lowered her head. "I never wanted to make you have to choose between me or your career."

He lifted her head back up, and waited for eyes to open before he spoke again. "I know that, but if it really comes down to that, I pick you." To hear Grissom say that made Sara feel warm and loved all over, and admittedly slightly overwhelmed. In fact, so much she couldn't even open her mouth to reply to that, but Grissom was kind of happy because he wanted to continue without her interrupting as his heart started to race. "Because while Nick wants to protect you as if you were his sister, I want to protect you as..."

Fortunately for him she still couldn't utter a word to interrupt him, but the oven timer had other plans and it started to go off, so he took a breath and said. "That's our dinner, I should get that."

Sara just nodded as he stood up, but before he could take a step towards the kitchen, his cell phone rang from the kitchen counter, so he sighed and shook his head. "Why do I have a feeling dinner is about to be interrupted?"

Sara's dazed state was snapped and she looked at him with sympathy as she stood up. "You get your phone, and I'll get dinner out of the oven." He nodded and followed her towards the kitchen before picking up his phone while she opened the oven door.

"Grissom." A second later he gasped. "Ok, yeah, I'll be right there, bye."

After he hung up, and before Sara could ask what was wrong, he spoke with an urgency as he walked to the kitchen table to blow out the candles. "Cover dinner and put the salad in the fridge, please, we have to go now."

As she was doing that, she asked. "What's wrong?"

They have eye contact when he told her, worry on his face and in his eyes. "Nick's been kidnaped."

She gasped too as she placed her hand up to her mouth. "Oh my god."

Not much time was wasted after that, both heading for the front door, wanting to get their friend/colleague back.

AN: More to come with a special guest visit. Thanks for reading and please review.