They didn't travel with Danny to the hospital this time. The child was in such rough shape that he didn't know what was going on, he was barely conscious. Rather than going through it all again, Horatio let the EMT take the small form from his arms. As the child left him, he felt the last of his energy go with him. Case closed. He went and collapsed in the passenger seat of the Denali as Grissom spoke with his team members and made phone calls.

An hour later, Grissom turned to see where Horatio had gotten to and spotted him inside the truck. Speaking one last time with one of the day shift crew who had been called in early, Grissom turned his back on the loading bay. He opened the driver's side door and was about to speak to Horatio when he looked over and saw that the red head was asleep, head resting on his chest as it moved steadily up and down. Grissom smiled and started the engine. Horatio did not wake.

He drove them back to his place, taking the less travelled roads, knowing his mind was tired and not having the heart to wake Horatio to put a seat belt on him.

####

When he finally put the truck into park, Grissom turned the keys and sat for a moment, listening to the engine die and tick with left over heat. He turned to look at Horatio who was still asleep. In that moment, while his mind was sleepy and susceptible to ideas he would normally struggle with while alert, Grissom came to know it was not simply respect and admiration he felt for his counterpart. And because his mind was in that space, it did not truly surprise or trouble him that he found himself attracted to Horatio Caine.

Grissom smiled as he reached over and gently shook the shoulder of Horatio. His eyes flickered open before becoming wide as he sat upright quickly.

"It's okay, we're at my place," Grissom said to Horatio as he looked at Grissom with a hint of panic. "You fell asleep at the scene, in the truck."

Horatio made a grumbling sound of disgust at himself as he rubbed his face with his hands.

"Don't worry about it, I don't think anyone noticed you." Grissom said as he opened the door.

"You did," Horatio said, looking aside to Grissom.

Grissom cocked an eyebrow at him as if to say 'who cares?' before shutting the door. Horatio smiled as he let himself out of the Denali.

Grissom stood at the refrigerator, taking sips from a bottle of water and casting surreptitious glances at Horatio, trying to decide whether or not to talk to him about what was on his mind. On the one hand, Horatio hardly seemed in the proper place to have such a discussion but on the other, Grissom knew he wouldn't be able to stay in Las Vegas for long now that the case was over. This was a limited opportunity, if an opportunity it was, and Grissom found himself questioning what it was he hoped to gain from it. For the second time that night, his heart raced and he looked at Horatio.

Horatio was, accurately sensed by Grissom, in a poor position to be doing any kind of thinking. He was sending text messages to his team to let them know that they had caught Callum. He was also sending a text to Yelina to let her and especially Ray jr. know where he was. He then set a reminder to call the prison in the morning and let Kyle know where he was. That done, he flipped his phone shut and placed it on the kitchen counter, along with his wallet. He gave Grissom a small smile as he made to move towards the bathroom.

Grissom acted. He moved his hand quickly and caught Horatio's wrist as he was walking past. Horatio turned and looked at Grissom who held his gaze intently. He pulled Horatio towards him slowly, keeping their eyes locked, giving him every opportunity to pull away.

Right before their lips touched, Horatio smiled, a feeling of disbelief cropping up along with a familiar quickening of his pulse. As he felt soft lips contacting his, he couldn't believe he'd managed to overlook it. A person vying for his affection and he had been, yet again, too wrapped up in a case to see it coming. This was a fault of his which often caused women to become disinterested long before he'd realized what was going on, before he had a chance to respond.

Grissom, fuelled by Horatio's compliance, reached his other hand up to cup the taller man's head, running his fingers through the fine hair as their mouths opened and their kiss intensified.

Once he was done processing how oblivious he felt, his shock at Grissom's overture and how he felt about it, Horatio wrapped an arm around Grissom's shoulders. His other hand he brought up to Grissom's face and ran his thumb along the coarse hairs on his jaw.

The only sound in the house was the fast inhale and exhale of breath against skin and a soft thud as Grissom pushed Horatio against the wall. Grissom took this opportunity to run his hands along Horatio's shoulders and arms as Horatio kept their mouths joined with his hands on Grissom's cheeks.

When they finally broke apart, they stood wrapped in one another's arms, breathing shakily. Horatio moved his head to rest against Grissom's and favoured him with a soft smile. "Now...how long have you been waiting to do that?" He rumbled softly.

Grissom, his stomach clenching in response to Horatio's sultry tone, grinned. "About five minutes."

Horatio lifted his head from Grissom's and raised his eyebrows in surprise. Grissom also stood up.

"What? When was their supposed to be time for me to think about kissing you in the last two days?" Grissom defended himself reasonably.

Horatio leaned back against the wall and looked at the ceiling, laughing softly to himself. Grissom stood back and looked at him, puzzled.

When Horatio looked back down at Grissom, seeing the concern there, he smiled. "You...you just made me feel better."

Grissom only had a moment to look confused about this before he found strong hands switching their places and pinning him to the wall. The playfulness was gone from both of their demeanours, replaced with an intense focus on each other.

Lifting his hands to the collar of Horatio's stained dress shirt, Grissom began undoing buttons. Horatio kept looking from the fingers carefully parting his shirt to Grissom's face. He was never one to think of the consequences of potentially risky decisions, he trusted his intuition too much for that. He wasn't over thinking this right now. Every fibre in Horatio's body had responded with a resounding 'yes' to the kiss. As he had time to ponder it while his shirt was being removed, Horatio's mind simply asked what his gut thought. His gut thought this had the potential to be one of the least complicated and most fulfilling relationships he had ever had. And that made Horatio smile as Grissom, coming to where the buttons met his pants, pulled the shirt out from them.

Grissom's hands slipped up Horatio's bare chest and over his shoulders, causing the shirt to fall first to his elbows and then to the floor. He was thinking about how slowly undressing Horatio Caine could possibly be among the most erotic things he had ever done. His gaze drifted over the pale skin he had uncovered before his hand grasped Horatio's belt and tugged the taller man to him, allowing Grissom to kiss him again while his fingers moved across warm skin. Inhaling deeply, he thought he could smell the ocean on Horatio, a freshness with a salty tang. His mouth sufficiently occupied, Grissom began undoing the fine leather belt and clasp of Horatio's pants.

Before he could reach the zipper, Grissom's hands were stopped with a firm grip from Horatio as he moved them to Grissom's side.

"You've got to let me catch up," the red head whispered, brushing his lips against Grissom's ear. His deep, gravely voice combined with the feel of his lips caused Grissom to inhale sharply.

Horatio fumbled near the hem of Grissom's shirt, catching his under shirt so as to lift both off at the same time. Dropping the shirts, he started kissing Grissom's neck and working his way down, tasting his skin, smelling his scent, as his hands gripped Grissom's shoulders, arms and chest. He knelt in front of Grissom and looked up into the smoke of his grey eyes as he undid his belt, unzipped his fly. He couldn't say why it was reassuring to find that Grissom wore boxer-briefs but he ran his hands over the dark blue fabric with a smile anyway. His hands worked the skin of Grissom's calfs and thighs, marvelling at the fine but dark hair covering them.

Horatio tended to enjoy the differences in his partners. Different shapes, skin tones, freckles, smells, all of it. He buried his face in Grissom's skin, just above the band of his boxers, kissing, biting, taking him in. He smelled earthy and vaguely of soap.

Grissom was moaning, the feel of Horatio's teeth driving him crazy. He laced his fingers through Horatio's silky hair and gripped tightly. Horatio slipped his fingers into the band of Grissom's boxers and pulled.

Staying on his knees, Horatio satisfied his curiosity and desire causing Grissom to throw his head back and breathe faster, faster. Having never been with another man before, Horatio explored and teased Grissom, taking his time.

Pulling Horatio's head back, Grissom fell to his knees and covered his mouth with his own, preventing himself from giving in completely to Horatio's touch. He kissed him fiercely as he again reached for Horatio's pants and worked them down. They knelt like that, facing each other, kissing, groping and groaning for some time, building the heat in one another.

Pushing Horatio away from him somewhat, Grissom looked him over. Tousled red hair, freckled and pale skin with fine blond hairs covering his wiry arms. He didn't have the toned and cut look Grissom knew he likely had when he was younger but the six-foot-one man looked very good for his age. Smiling and touching Horatio's cheek, he rose from the carpet and walked to his room.

Horatio finished escaping from his pants just as Grissom returned with a small container and foil square. As he sat down, Grissom frowned at the condom wrapper, searching for a date stamp.

A smile split Horatio's face, "Are you making sure that hasn't expired?"

Grissom frowned at him, "I haven't done this in a while...not at home anyway."

The smile still very much on his face, Horatio's eyebrows shot up. "Really," he murmured.

Their eyes met again, both feeling a bit nervous about the next part. Horatio gently wrapped his hand around Grissom's, covering the condom. He placed his other hand on Grissom's chest, feeling the rapid pace of his heart. The tender gesture calmed them both a little.

Having never slept with someone he hadn't first professed his love for, Grissom was wondering if he was making the right decision here. He hadn't necessarily intended that it would go quite this far. If there was a time to say 'stop', it was now.

But he didn't want to.

Neither did Horatio. He opened and slipped the condom on with the same ease that he seemed to do everything else. Then he grasped Grissom by the shoulders and half pushed, half guided him to the floor. Taking his time, he touched and licked almost every inch of Grissom's body, sometimes tickling, sometimes hurting just a little. He clutched the big muscles of Grissom's arms, pecs and thighs, enamoured with the strength there. Not because Grissom was or looked particularly strong, he was shorter and a bit stockier than Horatio, but because he didn't possess the softness of a woman. No feminine curves, no lack of muscle tone. He was different and it drove Horatio wild.

One hand on Grissom's chest, Horatio completed the last step of their dance, causing Grissom to screw his eyes shut at the unexpected intensity of the pain. Bending over so their chest's touched, Horatio looked at Grissom, waiting for his eyes to open.

"You still with me?" He asked breathlessly.

Grissom nodded and wrapped his arms around Horatio. Horatio wriggled one arm around Grissom's shoulder and touched his face with the other, feeling the scratchy hairs of his beard. Then they kissed deeply, passionately, not moving for a while.

When Horatio finally moved his hips, it was just a little bit and slowly, encouraging Grissom to rock with him. Their foreheads met and the sweat there mingled as their grunts and pants filled the room, filled the small space between them.

Grissom threw his head back, emitting all the noises you will never hear from a person except during sex and grasping Horatio's thigh. Feeling the spasms from Grissom where they met, Horatio rasped out a plea to God in Spanish as he continued pushing, pushing them both to the sweet edge, pushing them over it.

####

They held each other so tightly, there would be bruises on Horatio's back the next day but not Grissom's for he never bruised easily. Sticky, slick with sweat and heaving, neither man moved to leave the fullness of their embrace. Instead they savoured the closeness, the almost unbearable heat of each other's bodies.

After several minutes, Horatio felt his mind drifting to sleep and roused himself from Grissom's grasp. He slowly stood and offered Grissom his hand, pulling the other man to his feet. They kissed briefly before Horatio started slowly herding Grissom towards the bed.

Grissom lifted the cover and sat on what he thought of as 'his' side of the bed because it was closer to the door but shifted over to make room for Horatio.

Stretched out to his full length with his head cradled in his hands, Horatio stared at the ceiling with a smile on his face. He felt exhausted but good, like his body was a living thing. It was a feeling that took him back to his days sweating under a sun that baked you from above as it baked you from below, heating up the pavement of his childhood basketball court in New York. A simple, good feeling.

He looked over at Grissom, who was still sitting, and noted a twinge of anxiety in his face. Shifting to lie on his side with his arm cradling his head, he asked, "everything okay?"

"Yes," was his simple response.

Horatio tried again. "What are you thinking about?"

Grissom ran a hand through his salt and pepper curls before turning to look at Horatio. "I'm wondering if I made the right decision."

Horatio heard the purely curious front that Grissom put on that question but knew there was more there, something the other man was avoiding. "And...how will you know if you have?"

Grissom smiled and quirked an eyebrow but there was no amusement in his face. "You'll still be here in the morning."

Exhausted though he was, Horatio sat up and looked Grissom steadily in the eyes. He wasn't one to have casual sex because his life had been anything but casual. He thought he sensed this same conviction in Grissom, though possibly for different reasons. So he started talking in his calm, measured tone, keeping his eyes on Grissom's until he had to look away.

"My father would disappear on us for days. It was a bad habit that my brother picked up but I...I can't stand the thought of not being there, of letting down the people I care about."

He was looking at the bedsheets now, painful memories being harder to wrestle with when one is tired. "So...I'm only going to tell you this once. If you ask me to be here," He looked at Grissom again, "then...that's where I'll be. And I mean here, in this, with you. I don't fool around and I am not interested in one night stands."

"Even when the person you're seeing is 1200 miles away?" Grissom's smile had warmth in it now.

Horatio laid back down. "Sex is fun...but I can wait."

Grissom lay down beside him, their faces an inch apart. Horatio snaked an arm over and around his waist. The last week caught up with both men and they were asleep. If they had slept alone, the Renfrew case would have caused them both insomnia because it had been traumatic. Children involved cases were a sore spot for both of them. But as it stood, Grissom dreamed of his future and Horatio did not dream at all.

####

Irony being what it was, Horatio woke up fumbling through empty covers to discover that Grissom was not in bed with him. He sat up, bleary eyed, and looked about the room. The door was shut but the smell of coffee emanating from it's direction was unmistakable. Slipping on his Knicks sweats, Horatio emerged from the bedroom into the full blown, early morning Nevada sunlight and the smell of breakfast. Grissom was chopping something and humming along to softly playing classical. He was wearing white a t shirt sporting the Yankees logo and a number '7', coupled with black sweats.

Silently, Horatio crept up to Grissom before wrapping his arms around Grissom's shoulders and burying his face in Grissom's neck. He had showered. The soap smell was stronger.

Grissom smiled and leaned back into the embrace. "Good morning."

"It is...it is a very good morning, isn't it?" Horatio's voice was coarse with sleep.

"Coffee?"

Horatio's response was a rumble from deep in his throat that tickled the hairs on the back of Grissom's neck. He took the cup of coffee and sat across the counter from Grissom.

"Do you take anything in it?" He inquired, pushing some greens off of his cutting board and into a skillet.

Horatio shook his head.

"Surprise surprise." Grissom smiled at him. "Now, when was the last time someone made breakfast for you?" Grissom meant it light heartedly.

Horatio paused behind his coffee cup, brow furrowed. He exhaled and set the cup down. The last time, he distinctly remembered, had been with Marisol two days before the shooting.

Grissom looked up from the stove and lost his smile. Horatio looked at him with eyes that just hinted at sadness.

"I have...so much to tell you." He rumbled.

Grissom set a plate of food down in front of him and put both hands on the counter, watching him for a moment. "You know, I want to have all the time in the world to hear it."

Horatio felt, looking into those grey eyes, that he had never been taken so seriously in all his life.

Grissom sat down next to him and sipped his coffee. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Horatio picked up his phone off of the counter and looked at it. He ran his thumb over the smooth exterior before flipping it open.

"Will you excuse me?"

Grissom, figuring it was starting, that Horatio had to get back to the real world and the paperwork, nodded absent-mindedly. He only started listening to the conversation over the music halfway through. It was then he noticed that Horatio had been looking at him the entire time.

"...well, there will be paperwork from the Renfrew case but I will have to deal with that. I need you to handle the lab for three days. Okay. I understand. I," he smiled and laughed with an exhale of breath, "I will Calleigh. Don't hesitate to call me, all right?"

Horatio closed the phone and set it aside, refocusing on the plate of food in front of him. "This is delicious," he said casually.

"Did you just do what I think you did?" Grissom asked, brow furrowed, lips pursed.

"I can't buy us all the time in the world but," he paused, "I can give us just a little more."

Grissom sat looking at Horatio for a moment before taking a forkful of food. After several seconds of chewing in silence, Horatio cleared his throat.

"The last time someone made me breakfast, it was my wife and it was two years ago..."

####

Grissom called in and went to work late that day. After doing the most thorough job of clearing his desk of paperwork that Catherine had ever seen, he announced he was taking a couple of days off.

"Going on a trip?" Catherine asked, suspicious.

"No. I have a friend in town and they've never been to Vegas. Thought I'd show them around." Grissom was deadpan, unreadable.

"Really?" Catherine asked sceptically, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorway to his office.

"Yes," Grissom replied, turning to look at her. "I thought I'd start with the body farm."