CHAPTER 14: The Night

She was amazed. Sara had always disputed the glamor and glitter of the casinos and how they could draw people from far and wide like moths to a flame. Everyone at the lab joked that she took her ALS when she traveled out of town. And yet, here in a hotel inside a casino, she unpacked her clothes and hung them up while she mentally prepared for an unbelievable evening.

Gil hung up his clothes and put on a dark blue tie to go with his suit. Less than thirty minutes later, they walked to the elevator, arm in arm. It was a short walk to the restaurant. The maitre d' knew Grissom by name as well and showed them to a quiet table. They ordered and the talk turned to the mysterious tickets.

"Several times, I have heard you singing or humming under your breath," he started. "You have a great voice and you seemed to like rock music. The song I remembered most was One Way or Another. When I realized that Blondie was playing here in the big arena, I thought you might enjoy seeing the group in concert."

Gil slid the front row tickets across the table towards Sara.

She was speechless. Sara vaguely remembered a discussion with Nick about her singing. She loved rock and roll music and realized that Gil had gone all out to make this date special for her.

"The concert is at 8 p.m. so we should have plenty of time for dinner," he said. A few minutes later, their salads arrived. Shortly after, the chef brought their entrees out to the table and thanked Grissom for visiting. The chef had prepared a classic crepe dish as a vegetarian entree for Sara. Grissom was having salmon. They shared a bottle of white wine from Oregon. Grissom signed for the check while Sara was away at the restroom and asked if they could send two deserts up to the room and place them in the refrigerator. When Sara returned, Gil whisked her away to the concert venue.

Gil excused himself and headed for the restroom, while Sara looked at the concert merchandise. She had been to lots of concerts in the park in San Francisco and she and Greg had caught a couple of groups in Las Vegas, but this was special. They bought a couple of bottles of water and took their seats with the others. The opening group was more punk than rock, but the show that Deborah Harry and her band put on was first rate. The arena was packed with over 7,000 fans. Gil didn't have to worry that Sara's dress was too short, because she spent most of her time standing and clapping and singing along. When Blondie did a cover of Pink Floyd's Eclipse, even Gil became a fan.

After two encores, the fans started spilling out of the arena and into the various bars and gaming tables. Gil and Sara waited for the crowds to leave and then he took her hand and threaded their way towards the exit. He located an outer door and led her to the gardens that stretched between the two big hotels. The night was warm and there was much less wind than when they were up in the canyon. In the quiet of the night, they walked out to a large fountain.

"Thank you." "I really enjoyed the dinner and concert," said Sara. To prove it, she wrapped her arms around Gil's waist and looked up into his deep blue eyes. She sealed her approval with a sensuous kiss.

"I hope this was the kind of date you had in mind," he said. "You are the first person I have brought here and I hoped it would be a nice getaway. What else would you like to do tonight?"

Sara was still holding Gil and she slid her hands up his back, wrapping them around his neck.

"You worked all day," she said. "Would you mind taking me back, so we can just unwind in our suite?"

"Sure, I can help you unwind," he said. He gently kissed her mouth and then held out his arm for Sara.

They were back in the room in record time. Sara was a bit confused by the room service cart until Gil explained that he ordered some desserts in case they wanted a light snack after the show. They had a coffee maker in the suite, so he put on a pot of Jamaican Blue while Sara went to change. Gil found the stereo and tuned in a soft rock station.

Sara came back in to the room and realized that Gil was overdressed. She took off his suit jacket and hung it up. She undid his tie. He pulled Sara into his arms.

"Dance with me," he whispered. He pulled her into the oversized living room of their suite and picked up the beat without hesitation. Gil spun Sara and then pulled her back. She slid her arms around his neck and molded her body into his. His hands rested on her hips, touching the silky green fabric of her robe. When the song ended, Gil pulled back slightly.

"Coffee first?" he asked.

"Sure, I think I need to take this all in....Gil Grissom can dance?"

"My mom made sure that I had all the basic life skills...how to cook, clean, do laundry, drive, and dance," he said with a smile. Gil poured the coffee and placed the chocolate mousse and tiramisu on the coffee table near the couch.

They shared the desserts and sipped coffee while they recounted their third "date".

"Most dates end with a kiss at the door," she said. "I don't want this one to end that way."

"What did you have in mind, Sara?"

"The kind of date where I wake up in your arms," she replied, "plus the kiss."

"I think I can mange that," he replied. "I was thinking that we might want to head home early Monday morning, so we can get back on our regular sleep routine. I was also hoping that you would just come home with me so we could have one more day in bed together."

Sara curled against Grissom and finished her coffee. She wanted to ask him so many questions...how did he know everyone here, why did this take them so long, does he really want to ride the roller coaster? For now, she was content to be here with the one person she truly loved with all her heart. She pushed the thoughts from her mind and tugged him towards the king sized bed.