Thanks guys! Here's chapter five. Next update will be Friday/Saturday, so I've made this one long.

Chapter 5

Sara packed her satchel bag - notebook, pens, money and Grissom's case file. She'd spent last night reading over it several times, before she'd realized the clock had hit 6am, and after a long run and shower, she was about ready for day three of her lectures.

Nerves filled her stomach as she pulled on a pair of flat white canvas shoes. Today was sunny but cooler than previous, and she opted for jeans, a black t-shirt and thin khaki jacket. She was nervous about her coffee 'date' with Grissom after today's lecture; she felt ridiculous, embarrassed, about her feelings for him - she thought he was brilliant, a genius. A gorgeous genius. His wonderful voice that drew her in, his dark subtly curly hair that she yearned to run her fingers through, she wondered what it'd be like to kiss his soft lips, to be so close to his body...

"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it." she snapped at herself, heading across the academy's parking lot towards the building's entrance.

"Starting the day positively, Sara?"

She spun around to see Grissom walking up behind her. "Oh... yeah." she smiled uncomfortably.

"A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes." Grissom said simply and walked off ahead of her.

Sara sighed, watching him head off. He had no idea.

By the time she'd bought a bottle of water from the vending machine and got into the classroom, Grissom had scribbled on the blackboard 'First opinions are crucial, but if the evidence changes, so must the theory'.

Sara took her usual seat, although again she was the first student to arrive. Surprisingly Grissom stayed silent whilst the rest of the class arrived, resting on his desk, a book in his hands. Not wanting to interrupt his thoughts, Sara too stayed silent.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Grissom closed his book, "So, what goes through the mind of a murderer?" an open question he posed to the students. "Don't say anything, just write. You've got an hour."

Sara put pen to paper and began to write.

An hour passed, a lot of people had stopped writing a long time ago, and were now making quiet conversation with each other, but Sara felt like she'd only just begun. She loved writing, the openness of her thoughts on paper in front of her, plain to see; sometimes when things just sit in your head they don't make as much sense as being in written form.

"Have you finished, Sara?" Grissom came over to her last after collecting everyone else's notes.

She nodded, although reluctant to hand over something she felt was so unfinished.

"If you can think like a murderer, you can search for evidence, trace routes or journeys that may have been taken, and produce your findings much more effectively, but remember," he pointed to his words on the board, "one of the biggest CSI rookies make is to choose their perpetrator and that's it. You cannot make the decision, the evidence must."

After a few hours of discussing thought processes of criminals and basic human instinct, Grissom called a break.

Sara could feel herself tiring, she could normally go a few nights without sleeping but these past days everything had been so intense, it was starting to take its toll on her. As the class cleared out she unscrewed the top off of her bottle of water and took a few glugs, she was thankful for the cool liquid and hadn't realized how thirsty she really was.

Grissom was immersed in the papers he had collected from the class, sat behind his desk. For the first time since she'd met him, he hadn't jumped straight into a conversation with her. Had she said something wrong?

"Do you eat burgers?" his voice broke into her thoughts.

"Yes." She looked up at him from the doodles she was making on her notebook, and he was looking at her.

"Good, because I don't know about you, but I couldn't stomach another cup of that coffee." He grinned at her.

She let out a giggle, she'd drink a thousand cups of it if it meant spending that time with him, but was grateful that he had decided he'd had enough of it. He went back to reading the papers in front of him, and Sara went back to doodling.

Soon enough the clock hit 5pm and after thanking everyone for their time, Grissom started to pack away all his books and papers as they left.

Sara slid her bag onto her shoulder and waited for him to finish, before they both left the room, Grissom locking the lecture room door behind them and handing the keys back into reception. The sun still shone outside, its warmth was a pleasant change from the repeatedly-processed air that the conference academy churned through their air-con units. Heading over to Grissom's car, he pushed the key into the lock and they both got in.

"This car is rented you know," he turned to Sara as they both fastened their seatbelts. "I normally have a car from the lab, but they wouldn't let me drive it on holiday. I had a choice in the Vegas rent-a-car of this one, or some orange disaster, so I went for this one; I like green, but I hate this car."

Sara smiled at him, he was wittering. Was he nervous? She knew she was.

"I've don't know where to get a burger in San Francisco, but I quite fancy one. Is that okay?"

"Mhmm. There's a place called Bistro Burger not far from here, on Sansome Street. It's nice." The bright sun made her squint and she rummaged through her bag for her shades, sliding them onto her face.

"Very cool." He winked at her as he drove through the streets of down town San Francisco, eventually pulling into a parking space available opposite the restaurant.

Sara climbed out and pushed the door closed behind her, waiting for Grissom to lock up before they both walked across the street. There were a fair few seats outside, but Sara took his lead and headed inside, they both stopped when they got inside to see the menu board above the counter.

"A Cheeseburger Royale, please," Grissom ordered at the counter, a young man in a stripy apron punching buttons on the till, "Sara, what are you having?"

"Oh, ah… the same, please." She reached to her side to open her bag for cash.

"I'm paying." Grissom said to her, before ordering her burger at the counter too. He turned round to her once he'd paid, "A lady never pays."

"Bit sexist." She teased.

"I think you'll find, Sara, that I am a gentleman." He smiled playfully at her.

She grinned at him and the boy behind the counter called to say their burgers were ready. Grabbing the tray from the counter, Grissom walked over one of the empty tables inside the building.

"Working nights for so many years, it's easy to forget what the day looks like. I could easily be turning nocturnal…" he paused, a cheeky smile on his face, "and I left my sunglasses in Vegas, hence the sitting inside."

Sara took a seat opposite him, at ease in his presence and enjoying the playful banter between them.

They both ate their burgers in silence. Sara feeling energy build inside of her again after her sleepless night. After they'd both cleared their plates, Grissom sat back in his seat, "did you read that case file?"

Sara nodded and pulled it out of her bag, passing it back to him. "It was great." It felt bad to be saying such a comment over the content, but it really had interested her deeply.

Grissom smiled.

"But it the suspect continued his plea of innocence? Even after you'd discovered the murder weapon, his prints, his DNA?"

"Some people don't ever admit what they've done. But the evidence is there, it doesn't matter if they plead innocent or guilty, they're still caught." It was when Grissom finished his sentence that his cell phone started to ring. He pulled it from his pocket and answered it, mouthing 'sorry' to Sara. "Grissom here… can it not wait?... okay, have you got a warrant?... well then get one… if the judge won't let you have one, you need more evidence… I don't know, Catherine. You sort it… Okay, fine, I'll ring her." He hung up his cell phone and jammed it back into his pocket. "Sara, sorry, I've got to ring a judge and…" he sighed, exasperated.

"It's fine, Gris. Honestly."

"I'll give you a lift home."

They left the Burger Bistro and got back into Grissom's car. "Tomorrow's my last lecture." He started the engine.

It hit Sara like a tonne weight, she hadn't even realized.

"The lecture's going to be a little bit boring compared to other days, lots of paperwork so I can hand over certificates," he explained, "but I'd like to see you after. Are you free?"

"Yes." She didn't know what else to say.

"Not only am I a criminologist, I am also an entomologist - I study insects in my spare time. I'd like to take some time in San Francisco to look at the wildlife, if you'd like to join me."

"That sounds good." She nodded, relieved that she would get one more chance to spend time with him before he went back to Vegas.

They spent the rest of the car ride in a comfortable silence, and Grissom pulled up outside Sara's apartment block.

"See you tomorrow, Sara." He smiled.

"See you." She pulled her keys from her bag and got out of the car, heading inside the building. Torn between sadness for her unrequited feelings for Grissom, and the excitement of spending tomorrow evening with him, Sara decided sleep was the best medicine for her troubled mind, and once in her bedroom, she kicked off her shoes and climbed right under the duvet, falling straight to sleep.