xxx

Little over a week later, Sara was back in Vegas. She was staying in a hotel for the moment, just until she finalised the details of her new apartment. Grissom had really come through on his end of the deal, and put together a pretty good list. She was feeling a little nervous about the team, among other aspects. Nick had come through with his email, confirming he had been promoted to a CSI level three. She had a feeling that they would get on very well.

Things had went much better than she thought they would in San Francisco. Mark, her boss, was easier to deal with than everyone else. Of course, he had been a little shocked that she was leaving, he wondered if it was something he had done, but he made a comment that stayed with her. He said he had expected it, he had noticed a change in her since the Forensic Academy Conference. Had it really been that noticeable?

In the end, he gave her a glowing reference, his best wishes and a tight hug. She had him to thank for a lot of her skills as a criminalist. He really did his best teaching her, but he knew himself, she would be a great CSI, one of the best. She wouldn't get there unless she had one of the best labs, with one of the best CSI's. That was Grissom.

Orla had been quite understanding too. They had remained close since college, and Orla had given her a knowing look which Sara had shaken off. Why did everyone seem convinced that she was moving for a reason other than work? She had made herself a promise when she was eight years old, to be the best she could be in whatever she chose to do, to not have the same life as her parents. There were many obstacles she had to overcome so far, but now she was confident. She could go to Vegas and be the best. She could just be his friend, and work with him, they were both capable of being professional. Things were much different now. With a promise to keep in touch, Orla had been satisfied.

Doug was a different story. He took some convincing that she was going for the right reasons, he didn't believe her, heck, she didn't fully believe herself, but she convinced him in the end. She had told him everything about Grissom and her. She needed to tell someone, and he was the only person she trusted. The two of them were close since they had worked together on an NTSB crashed plane, when Sara had first started her training. They had dated for a while, but now they were just close friends, despite the rumors in the lab. A guy and a girl could just be friends, and do a little flirting, it was harmless, why did people have to make more out of it?

He helped her pack, and box some of her things, her furniture was to be sent to storage in Vegas until she had an apartment ready. Her car was being picked up and transported to Vegas too, she couldn't face driving the distance. Doug dropped her to the airport, and walked with her as far as he could go. Once again, there was a hug and a promise to keep in touch. Sara felt more of an effort would be made on both sides with Doug, than with Orla. As she walked away he called her name and she turned to face him.

"Look after yourself, Sidle."

She knew he didn't just mean on the job, he meant her heart too.

xxx

This was it, her first case as a CSI of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. An abduction case, she had worked many before, so she had some experience in areas like this. Time was of the essence, every piece of evidence was vital in making the next step as quickly as possible. She was nervous and excited. She had a lot to prove, to herself, to the team and to Grissom.

She stepped into the house, setting her case down before she entered. There seemed to be plenty of hands, typical of an abduction case. As she processed, she had another CSI behind her documenting the evidence.

"Get a picture of that security pad." She called first, and the young CSI nodded. "If someone touches it before it's printed, I break their fingers." She wasn't joking. His eyes widened and he nodded.

She smiled a little as she turned her back, surveying the scene before her, markers in hand. "Shoot the mirror, point of disturbance." She said as she set the first marker down on the mirror. "The lamp, point of disturbance." She said as she knelt down by the lamp, taking another look of what was ahead of her.

Her eyes lit up as she spotted something. Carefully, she made her way to the door frame, but before she could take a closer look, she felt a warm breath on her neck.

"You're standing in my crime scene." She said as she turned to face the dark haired Texan.

He shot her a smile and shook his head. "No, you're in mine." He grinned as he flashed a tape at her.

"You're doing audio? I wanted that."

"I outrank you." Not for long, Nicky.

"Technicality." She called over her shoulder, turning to face him. "Who did Grissom hand pick to work here?" She beamed, still feeling proud over that little bit of information. It wasn't about their history, it was about her ability as a CSI. She knew this was not a case of nepotism.

"Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that."

xxx

This was the moment of truth, her time to impress Grissom, show him that she was a good CSI, that he would not regret hiring her.

She had moved to the bedroom, documenting the disturbances as she went, the obvious signs of struggle.

He came into the room as she snapped pictures, and she instantly turned to look at him, but he wasn't paying attention to anything other than the crime scene. See, they could be professional.

She turned her attention back to snapping more photos, collecting her thoughts on the theory she had developed so far, in preparation for when Grissom asked.

"First recall, looks like a professional job." She stated as the other CSI left the room, her heart was pounding. "Our guy, bypasses the security system, surprises the wife in the back hall. Drags her in here, she grabs onto the doorway, sign of struggle. No sign of sexual assault. He's in, they're out probably egressed through those doors." She said as she motioned towards the open french doors.

He didn't seem to be paying attention as he knelt down to examine something on the carpet. In actual fact, he had heard every word and he was impressed. She had come a long way since he had last seen her. He never doubted her talent, her resume spoke for itself, graduated as class Valedictorian at sixteen years of age, and won a scholarship to Harvard, went on to Berkley afterwards. Not many people had such achievements. And she had plenty of experience, working in a coroners office before she started as a CSI.

"Excuse me, is my evaluation interrupting you?" She asked with an arched brow, watching him. Had she said something wrong, did he disagree?

He shook his head, eyes focused on the carpet. "No, no, no. I barely heard you."

Sara shook her head in disbelief. Typical, that man never changed. "Glad I have a healthy ego." Just not when it comes to you. "You find something interesting?" More like something she had missed. She made a mental note to not let it happen again.

"Dirt." He stated simply.

"You're so... Technical, I can hardly keep up but..."

"Well sorry, but eh," He stood up. "Out of context it's just dirt." He shrugged it off, and made his way outside through the open doors, Sara following behind him.

"Did you just slap on bad cologne?" She asked after sniffing the cool air, making a nice change from the heat.

"I never wear it, it interferes with the job." He did wear it in San Francisco though. A lot. But that was to impress, not to work.

"It's almost sweet." Sara glanced around her, as Grissom smiled. "Hmph." He knelt down once more, drawing his tweezers and picked up a cloth, with no doubt that it was the source of the sweet smelling scent. He sniffed it to be sure, stood up and held it out to Sara, who in turn sniffed it again.

"Can't be chloroform." She deduced as he examined it once more.

"Halothane maybe?"

"We'll confirm it with the G-C-Mas Spec." She pulled an evidence bag from her pocket.

"Looks like a professional job, I think you said. Care to amend your evaluation." He said, teasing lightly as he placed the cloth into the bag and Sara sealed it. "I mean if the guy forgets the rag he used to knock her out, he can't be much of a pro."

Sara looked up to him, and shrugged her shoulders sightly. "I... Keep trying to be your star pupil." She admitted honestly.

He sighed ever so slightly, but remained composed. She had been, without a doubt, his star pupil. But she had also been so much more than that. He couldn't allow that to happen here. "Sara, that was a seminar, this is real."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked down. It never did to dwell on things, especially when it came to Grissom, but that stung a little, she couldn't hide it. Was that his way of telling her it had not been real for him? A wave of guilt washed over him, but he didn't let it show. He couldn't allow them to get close as they had been. She deserved better now.

He found it hard to forget the conversation that he had overheard between Nick and Greg last week, how they had both noticed her very obvious beauty, but when Greg toed the line with his comments, Nick the gentleman, defended her immediately. She deserved someone like Nick, young, handsome, smart, caring, completely unselfish, and he could appreciate her and give her everything she wanted.

She didn't reply, and he kept going. "Pebbles, tile. The front is all concrete."

"No dirt, context, but there is dirt on the carpeting inside."

"In an otherwise spotless house."

"You're saying, the kidnapper dragged the dirt in."

"Possible. As of now that's about all we have, so... I guess we follow the dirt."

She smiled and shook her head as he brushed past her going back inside. Ever the enigma.

xxx

Grissom burst into the breakroom, beaming, his present for Lindsey in his hands.

"You have to see the birthday present I got for your daughter." He grinned.

Sara was behind him, even without seeing her, he could sense her presence, and the sweet scent of vanilla that seemed to follow her. "What's the rule?" She asked. "How long do I have to be here before I start kicking in for gifts."

"When the spirit moves you, Sara, so in your case, I guess, never."

Sara raised her eyebrows, taken aback. What was her problem?

Grissom noticed it also, and made a mental note to speak to Catherine about it, but for now, a change of subject was the best he could do. "I got one of these chemlabs when I was six, I almost blew up the whole house." He chuckled at the fond memory, even though it had resulted in a stern lecture from his mother and father, and they took it off of him.

"I hope you can return it, 'cause eh, Lindsey doesn't want a party."

Grissom laughed in disbelief. "Yeah right, what kid doesn't want a party?"

"My kid."

"Hey Catherine," Nick said as he came into the breakroom, carrying his present. "What time is your little girl coming by?"

"She isn't." Catherine said flatly, getting annoyed now.

"Yeah but," Nick beamed as he held up her present, "I got her a chem set." Then his eyes fell on Grissom's present and the pair exchanged glances.

"You keep that," Sara teased, "You might learn something."

"Stop flirting with me." He mocked. "Cath, really, when's the party?"

Grissom's head snapped up and he looked from Sara to Nick, not hearing Catherine's little outburst. Flirting? Was she really? Surely not. But, if Nick was saying it, there had to be some truth to it. He knew Nick was attracted to her. Who wouldn't be. Intelligent, beautiful and charming were only the tip of the ice berg when it came to describing Sara Sidle.

The question was, did she feel attracted to him? Nick was a good looking, young man, (young being a big advantage in Grissom's eyes), he was also intelligent and charming, and an all round nice guy, yet Grissom felt himself getting jealous.

He tried to focus on Catherine, as if he was looking at her, listening to her, not fighting the raging internal battle in his head. Snapped from his thoughts when all the beepers went off at once, he glanced at his.

He watched Sara leave, and so badly wanted to go after her, to ask her the question burning on his mind, he wanted to know the answer to this one.

As he passed Nick, he handed him the chemistry set. "We'll play with these later." If I can bare to be near you without thinking about you and Sara, that is.

xxx

She was working on the suspects truck, working on a theory. She felt her adrenaline was still pumping from the helicopter ride earlier, being a part of finding the woman alive. She was shocked that human beings were capable of doing such things, but she had seen a lot worse, and at least she was alive.

She also felt the adrenaline was still pumping for another reason. He was sending her mixed signals, hot and cold, putting her thoughts and emotions in a spin.

"You okay?" He asked as he rested his hand on her cheek as the paramedics had taken the woman away.

"Never ceases to amaze me what people do to each other." She said as she shrugged off his touch and walked away, calling for the box the woman had been buried in to be transported to the lab.

She needed some time to figure out what was going on with them, but she couldn't do that now. She needed to focus on the case, she wanted to close this.

She had a hunch she was working on, and she felt she was right. She seen Grissom and Catherine walk past the garage, and she quickly made her way out after him.

"Hey, Grissom." She called after him, and he turned to look at her. "Could you come tape me up?" She asked, holding a roll of duct tape in her hands, before smirking and disappearing back into the garage.

He couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes, or the smile on his lips when he turned to look at Catherine, that one statement brought back so many memories of nights they had spent together. "I love my work." He said, cocking his eyebrows in his smirk.

"It shows." Catherine countered.

Momentarily he glanced down at his trousers, just in case 'it' did happen to show, but for now, he had not given his true feelings away, but he was yet to be near her. It could change.

He all but raced into the garage after her, his eyes travelling up the long legs that often kept him awake at night. She was perched on the edge of the passengers seat, holding the duct tape in her hands, smiling innocently at him.

He said nothing as he took it from her and did just as she had asked (not for the first time). Their eyes remained locked the whole time, her lips pursed, his heart pounding. As he put the last bit on, she smirked at him, and he unconsciously licked his lips. He straightened up, trying not to focus too much on her. Stick to the case, Grissom.

"So," He cleared his throat, "You found Laura's hairs here." He motioned to the passenger seat and she confirmed with a nod. "Passenger side, front seat."

"Right." Sara nodded, not taking her eyes off of him. He leaned against the door of the truck, crossing one leg over the other, just in case something became a little obvious to her. "Not in the back." She continued, playing the professional game. "Which made me ask, what kind of a kidnapper puts a woman bound and unconscious in the front seat."

She pulled her legs into the truck, and sat back properly, her hands still bound before her. "The back of my arm isn't touching the sheepskin seat."

"Yeah, so?"

"But," Sara announced almost proudly as she leaned in towards him. "There is sheepskin fiber on the back of Laura's sleeve. That tells us that Laura sat back like a normal person would, cut me, Mick." Grissom smirked as he leant forward and cut the tape from her wrists.

She leaned back and pressed her arms back against the seat, as one would do while sitting in a car. "Like this." She demonstrated.

"So, she wasn't bound at all." Grissom mused.

"Correct, but," She leaned towards him again. "Would a kidnapper risk putting an unconscious woman in the front seat of his car, even unbound? The answer is usually in the question, you taught me that." And so much more. "So, was she unconscious? We found halothane on the patio. Halothane knocks you out... If you take it."

Grissom smiled, nodding, feeling himself proud that she had figured this out. He didn't know why he was surprised. "So, you're saying she never inhaled the halothane."

"Proof would be in the blood. Halothane stays in the system, up to forty-eight hours."

He was battling to contain his smirk, knowing she would not appreciate this. "How pleased am I that I got a sample of her blood?"

She shook her head, smiling in disbelief. How could she think she would get one past him. She was so close to being ahead of him.

"So, you can go check it at the lab, see how it turned out."

She stood, smiling. "Damn it. I wanted to carry the ball over the line." She said, very close to him, her scent intoxicating, smile blinding, and eyes smoldering.

He looked away from her, trying not to succumb to the effects of her presence. "I know."

Sara sighed slightly to herself as Jim Brass came in, putting an end to the flirting, but it wasn't over.

xxx

He sat in his office at the end of shift, staring blankly at the files on front of him. He should be signing off on the reports from the cases today, but there was a certain brunette he just could not get out of his head.

What on earth was he thinking that he could pair her with him and focus one hundred percent on the case. She was overwhelming his senses, and they were pretty important for a CSI. Even now, when she was not near, his thoughts were consumed by her.

She was as beautiful as always, maybe even more so than the last time. Her dark eyes, chocolate curls, and red lips were a contrast to her pale skin. He was not the only one who noticed. Every male head, even some female, turned when she walked past, their eyes followed her until she was completely out of sight. She had that effect on people. But, she had even more of an effect on him.

It was not just her beauty that amazed him. It was her mind. Sharp as ever, that much was apparent working the case with her. It intrigued him, he loved to know what was going on in her head, he loved to hear her whole thought process. It was fascinating to him, an intelligent mind was incredibly attractive.

He had tried to be as firm with her as he could, trying to show her that the professional relationship had to happen, he thought he made it clear at the house, he knew he had hurt her with her comment, but it would be better for both of them in the end. So he thought.

She seemed to have gotten over it, and sprung back, referring to him now as 'Gruesome Grissom'. Then he heard Nick's comment, and his dominant side went into overdrive. Sara was his, even though she wasn't.

She hit back with her 'tape me up' stunt, knowing what that did to him. He played it over and over in his head, he couldn't get it off of his mind. She knew him too well, she knew how to get to him. It scared him that he could be effected so easily by her. He was not a man who liked to lose control, but he continually felt on the verge of loosing that control when she was near. He wasn't comfortable with that. Yet, he didn't want her with anybody else. If he thought of that, his blood boiled with an impossible surge of fury, and he wanted nothing more than to claim her as his own, so everyone else knew she was his. She was, his. And he was hers. Even if they didn't admit it. It was one of the aspects of their relationships, one that he loved. They did not have to say anything to know how the other felt, most of the time.

He jumped as a hand touched his shoulder. "Sorry, Grissom, I did knock, but you didn't seem to hear me." Sara offered him a smile.

He regained his posture, and cocked his head up to look at her, his eyes following her as she rounded the table to sit on the chair in front of his desk.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, knowing that something had to be on his mind to consume him so that he did not even hear her come in, or speak his name. A selfish part of her hoped it was her on his mind, but she was doubtful.

He shook his head as he straightened up, and started closing over the files. "Just thinking about the cases. There is a lot more to deal with as a supervisor." He said, which was true, he had a lot more paperwork to do now that he was in charge of the shift. "Are you okay?" He asked as he looked up to her, and started putting the files away.

"Yeah, I was just swinging by to say goodnight, that's all, but something seemed to be on your mind."

"Just a lot of work." He smiled, trying to sound genuine. "Speaking of which, excellent work on the case today, you really have come a long way since San Francisco. You ah, can expect a difference in your paycheck next week, you are now officially a CSI Level Three." He had been thinking about it during the day, was it too soon? But she proved her capability to him, this was nothing about their past, this was about her ability as a CSI, and she deserved this.

She grinned, that one hundred and fifty watt smile, and his heart skipped a beat. It was good to know she had impressed him, and he had recognized it. "Thank you." She beamed, still trying to let it sink in. "Wait until Nicky hears this." She smirked, now Nick had nothing over her, they were both equal.

Grissom stiffened and his jaw locked as he looked at her. He felt guilty immediately for feeling jealous. "You and Nick seem to be getting along very well." He commented, looking away, as he picked up his briefcase, and started to put a few files in it, but really it was to keep his hands busy.

"Yeah, he's a great guy. He doesn't seem to hate me." She got that vibe from Catherine and Warrick.

"And eh, how do you feel about him?" He asked, before his brain could catch up with his mouth, and he knew what he was saying. He cursed inwardly, he shouldn't have let that slip.

Sara understood straight away what he meant, and she smiled, looking down to her hands, folded in her lap. He was jealous. "Gil..." She trailed off, pausing for a moment. She had been careful to only call him Grissom, or her newly invented Gruesome Grissom. She felt his eyes on her. Hearing her use his first name, as she had so many times before made him look to her, despite his embarrassment.

"Nick is just a friend. That is all. That is all any of them will ever be." She said honestly, her voice shaking slightly. This was the closest they had come to discussing their relationship since she had been in Vegas.

"I didn't mean anything by it, it's none of my business, Sara." He fumbled to cover up.

She sighed, a little frustrated. "Stop lying to yourself, and to me, Gil. It won't make things any easier, it won't make things go away."

He tried to tear his eyes away from her, but he couldn't, he only nodded slowly, agreeing with her, his mouth agape.

"You know what I feel, that hasn't changed, and despite everything, despite the past, and the present, I know it hasn't changed for you either."

He was quiet for a moment, before he nodded, holding his hands up. "You're right. It hasn't changed." What he wanted to really do there was tell her just how much he loved her.

They were silent for a moment, both searching the others eyes, looking for some sort of answer, or some clue as to how to proceed.

"Come back to the townhouse with me?" He asked, his voice low, and she knew exactly what he meant by it.

Desire burned through her body like wildfire. He stood and picked up his briefcase, as she stood, feeling a little lightheaded at what they both knew was going to happen.

She wasn't thinking of the consequences, she wasn't thinking of tomorrow, she was only thinking of right now, of him, and how much she loved him, and how she missed him.

His hand found the small of her back as he led her out of the lab, both in a comfortable silence that neither wanted to break. He led her to his Denali, and she was glad her car had not arrived yet.

Minutes later they were in his townhouse, and as soon as the door shut, his lips were on hers, her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him to her, as his arms circled her waist. The kiss was hungry and passionate, yet sweet and loving all in one.

Everything else was forgotten, San Francisco, Las Vegas, her job, his job. The only thing that mattered to them was their love for the other, not caring about the consequences it could have.

The kiss broke only when they needed air, and he took her hand, leading her through to his bedroom.

She smiled and kissed him softly, but pulled back. "Got any tape lying around?" She asked with an arched eyebrow and pursed, semi-swollen lips.

"I'm sure we can come up with something."

xxx

A/N: Well, I needed to write something after the promos for 13x15! How are we all feeling about that? Anyway, most people said they liked that I include the moments from the episodes, so as long as it fits well with what I'm doing, I'll include the big moments :) Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, specifically the ending, and how you think it might turn out for them. Thanks so much for all of the reviews and support so far, guys!