A/N: *~*HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! *~* I didn't plan for this chapter to be published on this day but I'm glad it is! – this is my favorite – I hope you like it too!

Sara – with half of my heart.

"Grissom, I can explain I swear"

"Do you have any idea how much damage you could have done to this case?"

The case. It was always about the case but she wondered if somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind he actually was jealous. It may be wishful thinking on her part but he was certainly acting like a jealous person. Like it or not he had admitted he had feelings for her once. Albeit a long time ago and never directly to her, but he had voiced an inner longing. Despite his shell the great unbreakable Gil Grissom did have feelings, somewhere. At least she hoped he did.

"He was there when I arrived"

"I should never have taken you out here" he mused to himself as he began pacing the room. The anger radiating from him in a way she had never witnessed before. Grissom was never the kind of person to allow emotions to take over; he didn't seem to have the ability to lose control like that.

"Why Grissom? Why shouldn't you have taken me out here? I have done nothing wrong!"

"aside from sleeping with our only suspect?" he spat, she almost reeled back from his comment there was so much anger in it but instead she reached out and held onto his arm, forcing him to look at her as she almost pleaded with him.

"I didn't sleep with him Grissom! I … I couldn't"

"You probably don't even remember" his comment brought the anger back, she struggled to control her anger at the best of times but her emotions were going haywire right now. His resentment hurt; regardless of what had caused it he had pushed it too far with her. She had chosen to ignore his comments about her drinking the previous night, she had chosen to let it slide and put it down to pig headedness on his part. The truth was she could remember that like it had just happened. The way he had assumed he could control her, the way he had looked at her with such patronization, the way he spat those words out.

"Oh I remember alright. I remember just fine." She glared at him as she spoke. "I didn't sleep with Robert because it wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be fair to him when I was in … when I am….in love with someone else"

She wasn't even sure she was finished with her rant before she felt his lips pressing against hers and his hands grasping her waist. He pushed her against the wall, his kissing angry but passionate and she almost relented and allowed him to kiss away all the anger and hurt she was feeling. It should have been everything she had hoped for, it should have been everything she dreamed of but somehow she felt as though she was being cheated out of her big moment.

Surely it should have been more magical than this. She didn't want Grissom kissing her out of anger or lust or jealousy. She wanted Grissom to kiss her because his heart told him too, because he couldn't bear to live another minute without kissing her. That's when the sparks would fly, that's when the fireworks would sound and her knees would get weak. Not like this, not in the midst of an argument.

She pushed him away, roughly by the shoulders but he didn't go far. He hovered close to her, the confusion in his eyes evident.

"No, it's… it's too late Grissom. You're too late"

"No it's not"

Tentatively his hand cupped her face and he moved forward once more, pausing for a moment barely a space between their lips. His eyes locked with hers; there was a depth there, a confession that stunned her to submission. She closed her eyes, both in an effort to savor the moment and to calm her racing mind. She was so confused about what she wanted; her mind was so conflicted with her heart.

When his lips gently brushed against hers she forgot herself for a second, she found herself responding to the soft caress, melting into the beauty, the glory of the moment, her lips parting briefly, inviting him closer. This time she felt the magic, this time the taste of his lips lingered on hers and his touch sent ripples of excitement across her skin.

"Grissom…"

He silenced her by brushing his thumb across her cheek and she felt like her heart was pounding right out of her chest, it beat against her skin so hard and so fast she could feel the blood rushing all over her body, flushing her cheeks with pink in contrast to her usually pale white skin. Their lips molded together as he pressed her against the wall. The balmy scent of his skin invading her brain and overwhelming her senses.

"Please…"

She moved her hands to his chest in what was supposed to be an attempt to push him away. Instead she found herself powerless and weak. She faltered almost the second her hands rested on his body. She really had to convince herself it was real. That she was actually standing there, pressed against the wall knotted in an embrace with the man who had held her heart for so long.

"Grissom…"

She really tried to make her voice sound forceful and in control but it came put more like a sigh, a whisper almost. Grissom pulled back from her mouth, he met her eyes and for a second she thought that maybe he was as confused about this whole situation as she was.

"I should never have waited this long…" he whispered as though they were sharing a secret.

That was all she needed to hear. Her hands were instantly on either side of his face and rather than pulling her body away from him she relaxed into his arms. Their kissing deepened, the dormant passion that had been locked away resurfacing like a volcano.

Then there were fireworks, then her body pulsed with electricity under his touch, her tongue danced with his supposedly detached from her control. They stumbled across the floor still tangled in their embrace, their hands exploring each others bodies with hunger and awe. He sat heavily on the edge of the bed, obviously disappointed to break their lip contact. She raised her knees onto the bed on either side of him as he pulled her shirt over her head in one smooth movement.

And then they were kissing again. Hungry, feverish and passionate kissing. She trembled under his touch, almost as much as his hands trembled against her skin. His feathery touches sent shivers up her spine, he looked at her like she was the only woman he had ever laid eyes on and that was both exciting and intimidating. His lips found her neck as her erratic breathing broke into sighs and her trembling hands fought with the buttons on his shirt.

His fingers tangled in her hair as he brought his lips to hers again. If she stopped to think about it for long enough she was sure she would be terrified, she would be questioning the motives behind this, she would be wondering exactly where it was going but right now she was so consumed, so exhilarated by their mutual passion that her doubts were quickly filed in a dark corner of her brain and ignored. Now was not the time to be analyzing and rationalizing, now was the time to indulge, to throw caution to the wind and live for once.

As she slipped his shirt over his shoulders with a lingering look into his eyes they seemed to be frozen in time. The passion momentarily replaced with pure, heady romance. Her hands still gripped his shirt as it was gathered at his elbows and he softly, carefully and slowly danced his lips over hers. A tease, just enough to reignite the spark, just enough for her to bunch the shirt a little tighter around her hands and pull him towards her so that their bodies were pressed up against each other, just enough to cause a warmth to spread over her body and a knot form in her stomach.

And then the door.

A strong agitated knock broke the silence, they paused in position. Unsure of what to do and hoping that if they sat very quietly whoever it was might go away but Nick's voice called through the wooden barrier.

"Hey Grissom, you in there? There's been a development in the case. I tried your cell…"

"I'll… I'll be there in a sec Nick"

When he met her eye after that the unspoken humiliation between them suddenly struck her as hilarious. Here she was entwined in his arms, barely dressed, her hair had just seconds ago been running through his fingers, her lips had been pressed against his not more than a minute ago and she could not do anything to suppress the laugh bubbling up inside her. It was apparently contagious too; Grissom's face broke out into a wide grin as she slung her arms around his back and buried her face into his shoulder. His strong hands rested on the arch of her back and the hilarity was instantly quashed. She pulled back and met the soft expression in his eyes.

They had come so close, so many times but they had never crossed that line. They had never touched each other inappropriately; their lips had never met, until today. He tightened his grip around her to kiss her once more, lightly and gently. A million words were communicated in that kiss. That kiss held every promise they had ever uttered to themselves when the pull they both felt towards each other had proved too difficult to fight, that kiss was the beginning.

"Griss let me in I need to use the bathroom"

Now they were faced with an entirely different challenge, the room was tiny. There was no way he could feasibly let Nick in without him spotting Sara. Their shirts were hastily replaced, their ruffled hair flattened, the flustered faces and embarrassed expressions almost successfully disguised as Sara slipped into the chair by the window and tried to look casual. Grissom opened the door wide with a dramatic flourish and Nick frowned at his unusual behavior.

"Sara, I was looking for you too. Good. I gotta pee though"