A/N: Ok so, I have no concept of time differences or flight durations or any of that jazz so just go along with me on this ok?
There was only one case called in the next day, a robbery and assault on a security guard in a jewellery store, which Nick and Warrick went out to take care of. The rest of the team stayed in the lab finishing their final case reports before their big vacation.
"I can't do this!" Greg exclaimed throwing his paperwork down on the table. "I'm just too excited!" He shook; Greg really was just like a child sometimes. Catherine and Sara looked up from their own paperwork.
"Tell you what Greggo, why don't you put some of that energy of yours to use and do a coffee run?" Catherine suggested. Greg thought about it.
"Okay then I will!" He sprung up from his seat and bounced out of the room.
"Thank you!" Sara sighed when she was certain Greg was out of earshot.
"I know! Where the hell does he get all that...bounce from?" Catherine asked rubbing her head.
"I don't know. Must be that Blue Hawaiian coffee he drinks or something." Sara shook her head.
"Whatever it is I just needed a break from it." Catherine groaned. For the past hour and a half Greg had been restless, to say the least. It started with a few sighs every once in a while; that they could deal with. Then as time went on he started to fidget, tapping his foot, shaking his leg, clicking his pen; all of which was driving the two women crazy.
"Look on the bright side, at least shifts nearly over." Sara pointed out. They only had another ninety minutes of work left before their vacation.
"Yeah." Catherine smiled. "Do you think Grissom will let him go home early?" Catherine asked hopefully. Sara laughed.
"You can ask him." She shrugged.
"I think we'd have a better chance of getting what we wanted if you asked him." Catherine teased.
"What do you mean?" Sara gave the older woman a confused look. Catherine held her hands up and gave an innocent shrug.
"I'm just saying that Gil has a definite...soft spot for you." Catherine gave a small smile as Sara blushed slightly. 'If only you knew Cath.' she laughed to herself.
"No he doesn't!" Sara said defensively, shaking off the comment. The conversation was interrupted by Greg's return with a tray off coffee cups. He handed out the coffee and informed them the remaining one was for Grissom.
"I'll bring it to him in his office." Greg volunteered.
"No! Page him to come get it." Catherine instructed him. "I'm sure he could do with a break." Grissom had been in his office since assignments trying to finish off the mountain of paperwork on his desk before they left. Greg paged him and sat back down and engaged in his newest restless activity, swinging on his chair.
"I heard there was coffee." Grissom's voice came from the doorway. They all turned to look at him.
"You were waiting for a distraction weren't you?" Sara smirked.
"No!" Grissom replied defensively. Sara gave him a look that broke him down. "Maybe." He admitted taking a seat at the table and reaching for his coffee. They talked about the impending trip; or rather Greg talked about the impending trip while Grissom, Sara and Catherine listened. When he paused to take a breath Grissom seized the opportunity to speak.
"You know, it's quiet tonight and there's only what 45 minutes left of shift. Why don't you guys take off early?" He suggested.
"Really?" Asked Catherine.
"Yeah go on. Just keep your cell phones on for the next 45 minutes. After that you can switch them off or throw them out if you want to because we are officially on vacation." He smiled.
"Thanks Boss!" Greg sang and wrapped his arms around Grissom's head from behind his seat. Greg liked the new boss.
"Let go Greg!" Grissom instructed him and he obliged then disappeared from the break room.
"Yeah thanks." Repeated Catherine, refraining from hugging Grissom she also left the room. Grissom looked at Sara. She smiled back at him.
"I'm going to head home too." She informed him. He nodded. "And you," she leaned forward and poked him in the chest, "better go and finish that paperwork!" She reminded him as she got up to leave. Pausing in the doorway she turned back and smiled.
"Don't be late." Was all she said before she disappeared down the hall leaving Grissom with new motivation to finish his paperwork.
-
The next day in the midst of all the packing Grissom and Sara noticed that they were missing a few essential items, he needed new sunglasses and Sara wanted new shorts and a bikini, so an impromptu trip to the mall was required.
Firstly they went in search of Grissom's new sunglasses before looking for new clothes for Sara. Shopping was a lot easier for him now, he just stood there and let Sara pick everything out for him making suggestions only when he felt like it. She picked out a pair of sunglasses for him that she told him made him look sexy and he bought them without question. They walked out of the store together and straight into Catherine.
"Last minute shopping as well?" She asked.
"Yeah." They both nodded, trying to act casually; for all Catherine knew they just bumped into each other. Before anyone had a chance to say anything else Warrick walked over to the group, thinking it was Catherine and two strangers he placed his hand on the small of her back when he greeted her. He quickly dropped his hand when he noticed that it was Sara and Grissom she was talking to.
"Wow! Seems like everyone is out shopping today." Sara joked. "All we need now is for Greg, Nick, Sofia and Brass to show up." Everyone chuckled and made small talk before excusing themselves to go their separate ways.
"You know I was thinking." Grissom spoke to Sara through a curtain as she tried on clothes in the changing room. "Maybe we don't have to work so hard at hiding our relationship on this holiday. Would it be so bad if everyone found out?" He asked.
"Well I don't think so. If you're ready for them to know." She called back through the curtain.
"Yeah I think I am." He said firmly. "I love you so much Sara, I'm sick of hiding it."
"Ok then." She smiled and stepped out of the dressing room wearing a tiny black bikini. Grissom stood up a little straighter when he saw her. Her legs, her waist, her hips, and so much skin on show it was driving him wild.
"We're buying that bikini!" He informed her with a low growl in his voice as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. She giggled and slapped him off her and went back into the changing room to get dressed.
"Well then I think that's everything." She smiled after paying the clerk. His hand sat in the small of her back as they walked out to their car.
"You know Griss, I've been thinking." Sara began as he drove them back to their town house. "Maybe we shouldn't tell the guys out rightly about our relationship."
"Having second thoughts?" He asked.
"No, more like a better idea. I was thinking maybe we should just let our guard down and see if they figure it out first." She had a devilish glint in her eye when she spoke. A sneaky grin crossed Grissom's face.
"Yeah...let's have a little fun with our team of trained investigators, shall we?"
-
The next day they all met at the lab to be escorted to the airport. Sara and Grissom were the first to arrive, as usual, followed closely by Sofia and Brass.
"What? Greggo's not here yet?" Brass asked in shock. Everyone else laughed.
"He is now!" Sofia pointed out, motioning in the direction of the front entrance where Greg had just pulled up. He jumped out of his truck and bounded into the building.
"Everyone ready for vacation?" He shouted excitedly, waving his hands in the air. His face fell and his arms dropped when he noticed the small size of his audience. "Where's everyone else? Why aren't they here yet? They better not be late!" He was speaking so fast they struggled to make him out. Pulling out his cell phone he continued to mutter indignantly to himself as he dialled. The foursome looked at each other with amused smiles.
"It's ok!" Greg breathed a sigh of relief when he hung up the phone. "They're on their way." He flopped down into a seat beside Sara.
Shortly after the arrival of Catherine, Nick and Warrick a minibus arrived to take them to the airport.
"What no limo?" Greg asked at the sight of the minibus.
"Sorry Greggo!" Nick laughed at the younger man's hopefulness as they all piled into the mini bus. Grissom, Sara and Brass took the back seat while Warrick, Catherine and Sofia sat in the middle row, leaving Nick in the front to handle Greg. He was so giddy that by the time they got to the airport Nick was gritting his teeth and fighting hard to restrain himself from strangling him.
"We're here!" The youngest member of the team cried out when they pulled up at the airport.
"We can see that Greg!" Catherine shot him an evil look. The driver handed their tickets and accommodation information over to Grissom before getting back in the car and driving off at record speed, no doubt to get away from Greg.
The group checked in and were waiting in the departure lounge for their flight to be called. Greg babbled incessantly the whole time. When he went to the bathroom Grissom turned to the group and said as fast as he could, "I'm not sitting beside Greg on the plane!"
"Not it!" Sara, Brass and Sofia were the fastest to respond and they grinned to themselves.
"What no way! That doesn't count. That doesn't work!" Catherine looked furious.
"I'm afraid it does Cath!" Grissom said smugly. Nick and Warrick looked defeated as they contemplated the 6 hour flight with Greg!
-
On board the plane Grissom, Sara, Sofia and Brass sat in one row with Warrick, Nick, Greg and a very bemused looking Catherine sitting in front of them. They were almost two hours into the flight and Greg had been restlessly squirming and bouncing around in his seat the entire time.
"Would you sit still!" An irritated Nick snapped at him through gritted teeth.
"I can't help it I'm too excited!" Greg threw his arms wildly to the sides as he finished his sentence, hitting one of the cabin crew in the process.
"Shit! Sorry. Sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" He apologised to the scowling brunette.
"It's fine, sir!" She forced a smile.
"I didn't mean to I was just...and then...and sorry..." He babbled on.
She held her hands up to stop him.
"It's fine!" She sighed and walked off. Nick gave the stewardess an apologetic look and she returned it with one of sympathy. Greg returned to moving around in his seat.
"Seriously!" Nick snapped in exasperation. "Look, man let me out I'm going to the bathroom or to stretch my legs or something and don't be surprised if I'm not back for a while." He pushed his way past Greg's legs and headed towards the bathroom bumping into Grissom on his way. As he approached the bathroom door he heard the lock click open and found himself face to face with a very flushed looking Sara.
"Nick! Hi!" Her eyes widened in shock as she hoped he hadn't been standing there too long.
"Hey Sara!" He responded casually. "First Grissom, now you then me...guess it must be that time of the flight." He joked with a small laugh. Sara chuckled and blushed slightly.
"...Yeah."
"Ok I'm just trying to escape from Greg for a little while." He said, sounding exhausted. Sara laughed then looked sympathetically at him.
"Yeah good luck with that!" She smiled at him and made her way down the aisle back to her seat.
Coming out of the bathroom Nick bumped into the stewardess that Greg had hit.
"Sorry!" They both said at the same time.
"Don't worry about it." The brunette smiled.
"Seems like me and my friends are really beating you up today." Nick gave her his best smile.
"It happens." She smiled back and shrugged it off.
"I'm Nick by the way." He held out his hand as he introduced himself.
"Nick, hi. My name is Jenny." She smiled back at him, her big brown eyes sparkling.
"GREGORY SANDERS!" Catherine's voice could be heard all over the plane. Nick grimaced as he looked back towards his seat where he saw Catherine standing up, clearly yelling at Greg, with what looked like peanuts all over her hair and shoulders. Nick sighed.
"Uhh...do you want a valium for him?" Jenny said with a giggle. Nick laughed.
"No...no thanks. To be honest, I'm not sure if it would work." He flashed her another smile, then looked to the floor with a slight frown. "But I...uh...I better get back there, you know make sure she doesn't kill him. But it was nice meeting you Jenny." He smiled.
"Nice meeting you too!" She smiled back. He held her gaze a little while as he walked away before turning his attentions to stopping Catherine from strangling Greg.
Three long and very tense hours later the plane landed in Cape Town.
"We're here!" Greg squealed all over the plane as soon as the wheels touched ground.
"We know!" Seven exhausted and frustrated voices shouted back at him.