A/N: Well, here we are again. Smut hat is smiling as we begin the final stretch of the story. I feel sad saying that after all this time but we are now well into final quarter. A little while to go but not too much. So, let's see if Grissom can let his beast out shall we? Thanks for your thoughts and reviews and to calim for the super beta :)

NOTE – Rating change to 'M' for sexual language and content, please read responsibly.

Chapter 157

The items on top of the dressing table went flying as Grissom cleared it with one swipe of his hand. Sara's hairbrush, jewelry box and two candles went one way while her perfume bottle went another and shattered into half a dozen pieces upon the wooden flooring.

"Gil!" Sara shouted as he plonked her down on the cold wood. "That was expensive," she half complained, half laughed.

"It was almost empty and you know it. Plus, I thought you told me to stop worrying about money," he answered, not giving her a chance to respond, engulfing her mouth with his in a long, hard kiss.

Her hands slid through his hair, her entire being burning for him. Ripping her lips from his, she looked him in the eyes. "If father could see us now, he'd be very upset."

Grissom's brow inclined. "If your father could see us now, I'd be highly disturbed," he countered playfully. "And I'm sure he would be, too."

More of her laughter filled his heart and he kissed her again, his scorching erection rubbing against the inside of her thigh.

"Are we," she mumbled around the kiss, "going to christen the furniture? Or am I just…going to sit here all night?"

Growling against her lips, he cupped her backside and pulled her to him, guiding his excitement towards her welcoming opening.

"Ooooooooooooh…..yes…," she sighed, tipping her head back as soon as he entered her but he didn't give her much chance to breathe. Cupping the back of her neck and pulling her lips back to meet his, he inhaled her very soul, thrusting over and over as she moaned into him.

After a generous amount of necking, Sara managed to break the kiss, gliding her hands up her husband's now slick back to grip onto his shoulders. "Harder," she gasped, latching her lips upon his throat and sucking for all she was worth and he immediately responded.

"Jesus, Sara, you…feel…so good," he strained to say, his head tilting back, the veins in his neck pulsing as she sucked a little bit harder.

"Humph…" was all she managed to get out as her ankles locked tightly behind his thighs, the burning deep inside her reaching heights she had yet experienced.

Looking in the mirror attached to the dresser behind his wife, Grissom watched as her luscious lips worked over his throat and then he caught the mark on her own neck, the mark he had caused. "Bite me," he whispered.

Sara immediately froze then moved her head back to look at him, her own glazed and dreary eyes narrowing. "What?" she panted.

He gave a single, hard thrust and her eyes rolled back, nails digging deeply into his shoulders. "I said…bite me." Her mouth opened but no words came out and she just looked confused. "I marked you," he continued, thrusting again and her eyes fluttered, "I want you to do the same to me."

"By biting you? I don't think…"

He cut her off with another kiss and she sighed into him, feeling his fingers pinch her nipple. She knew what he was doing and pulled back again giving him a stern look. This time he stilled his movements.

"So far," she began, licking her lips and running a hand down his cheek as sweat trickled from his hairline, "I'm enjoying our little transgression to a wilder side but I think that's a little…"

"Too much?" he finished for her and she softly kissed his lips.

"Ugh, huh," she agreed.

Kissing one cheek, he then rested his own against the other and nibbled on her ear. The heat of her body flowed through him like a hot knife melting butter and he sighed deeply. "I just…want you to give me something that will always be a part of me, no matter where I am."

Pulling away from him, she took his face gently in her hands and looked deeply into his eyes. "You have my heart, Gil. And that will always be with you."

She could see that her sentiment had hit home by his small smile but there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes. He really did have a wild side and that made her tingle all the more. Lowering her hands, she dipped her mouth back to his throat. She wasn't about to bite him but she could cope with returning his gift from earlier.

Inhaling deeply at the power and determination of her suction, he held her close and lifted her from the dressing table. Keeping himself sheathed inside her, he turned around and slowly made his way back to the bed, the feeling of her lips upon his throat making his entire body tingle in a way he'd never felt before. It was as if he was walking upon hot coals and every pore in his body was on fire.

"Be careful of the glass," she muttered, running her tongue over his Adams apple.

Doing just that, he sidestepped the area and settled them both atop the covers.

"Are you happy?" he asked softly.

She giggled. "Very."

As she ran a finger over his neck, he smirked. "I gather you left a mark?"

Her lips pursed. "I gave you a little bit of what you wanted."

"Hmmm," he breathed, dropping a quick kiss to her lips while skimming gentle fingertips down her ribs. "What else do I want?"

Bucking into him and locking her ankles around his waist, she smiled. "Why don't you show me?"

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Grissom lay on his side, head resting on his right fist, watching his wife sleep beside him. Reaching out, he brushed over the locket and then carefully to the mark on her neck which was now showing a warming glow of a bruise. Feeling a slight throb on the right of his neck from his own mark, he smiled. That was something he'd never shared with another but then again, so was everything else that followed.

His smile faltered a touch at the sight of her silk scarf still loosely wrapped about her left wrist. Just a short while ago he used that that scarf to tie her to the headboard. She'd seemed to thrive under his animalistic needs. But now he was worried. Had he taken things too far?

Yes, she'd willingly participated in their most extreme lovemaking to date. Yes, she'd appeared to enjoy it but he'd surprised himself at allowing that side of himself to show especially after what she'd been through. They'd talked about it but actually doing it was another matter. But, then again, maybe it was a sign that she'd truly put her ordeal behind her and they could bury it forever.

He smiled softly then shivered as he thought back over the last few hours and how good Sara had made him feel. Her taste, her touch, her smell and oh, boy, when she'd cried out his name…

Hearing her mumble snapped him from his thoughts and glanced back to her face just as her eyes opened. "Hey," he whispered a little nervously, trying to give her a smile.

She smiled back. "Hey," she replied sleepily. Raising her arms and stretching contentedly, she yawned. Feeling the silk on her wrist brushing over her chest, she looked at it and giggled, holding her arm out to him. "Would you like to do the honors?"

A small smirk caught his mouth and he gently took her hand, kissing the back before going to work on the knot. "Are you all right?" he asked, pulling the scarf free before bringing her wrist to his lips.

Blinking lazily at him, she inhaled deeply then nodded. "I'm fine," she answered truthfully, shifting to snuggle up against him, wrapping her arm around his waist. "I'm sorry for falling asleep right…you know…after. You kind of wore me out."

Clearing his throat, Grissom felt himself blush at her words. "It wasn't something I said then?" he joked, running a finger over her lips.

"Far from it," she replied, bringing her fingers to his neck. "And, thank you for showing me your wilder side. It was...different, but immensely pleasurable."

He smiled truly now, leaning to softly kiss her. "Thank you for wanting that part of me."

"I want every part of you," she said swiftly, her fingertips running over his mark. "I'm just curious as to what might be left that I don't actually know about you."

His lips puckered in thought. "I think you know just about everything now."

She snickered. "Oh, I don't know about that. I'm sure something else will pop up at some point."

Now he laughed. "You never know." He looked out across the room. The dying candles around them just about emitting enough light for him to see. Their earlier passion had overtaken any desire he had to get out of bed and blow them out before they slept. "I'm thirsty," he told her and she yawned again. "Are you?"

"Thirsty? A little." Sitting up, she looked out across the room, her eyes first following where he was looking and then a rumble of laughter filled the air. "Oh, my. Look at the state of our room, Gil. It looks like a hurricane has passed through."

He shrugged. "We can blame the kitten."

Laughing again, she looked at him with a frown, trying to be serious but failing miserably. "For one, Dickens is sleeping with the children and two, I highly doubt anyone would believe that."

Snorting, he looked over his shoulder at the small clock on the dresser beside the bed.

"What time is it?" she asked, suddenly feeling a little stiff as another yawn spilled from her lips.

"Almost four," he replied, looking back at her before pulling back the covers.

"Where are you going?" she questioned.

He pointed to the small table at the far side of the room. "To get us some water."

Frowning again, Sara followed his direction. "Oh, I didn't see that. Is that…" Her eyes tried to focus through the candlelight, "…champagne, too?"

"Looks like it," he answered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "I would suspect Rana put it there last night. I did see it when we came in but, honestly, more alcohol was the last thing on my mind."

Wriggling her eyebrows at him, she flashed him a tooth filled smile. "I noticed." Grinning, he stood on a groan, stretching his arms high up into the air. "Be careful where you step," she warned. "Lord knows how much glass is on the floor."

"Yeah," he breathed, taking a candle from the dresser to aid his sight. Getting a chunk of glass in his foot would not be a good plan. "Remind me not to do that again, won't you?"

"Oh, I don't know," she began as he carefully stepped across the room. "I kind of enjoyed that little wild flurry you had." Stopping, he looked over his shoulder. "I'm not so sure how pleased the dresser was though." Smirking, he faced front again and continued towards the water, placing the candle down and pouring two glasses.

"I wonder if I should go and get a broom and clean up a little," he said, the smell of perfume catching his nostrils. Grabbing the glasses and retaking the candle, he carefully walked back to his wife to hand her the drink.

"At this hour?" she questioned, taking the water from him.

He shrugged. "I'm worried we may hurt ourselves if not."

"Well," she began, taking a hefty gulp from the glass, "as long as we avoid that area of the floor, I'm sure we'll be all right. I think walking around the house at four in the morning looking for a broom will spark more questions if you are caught than it would if we simply get it cleaned up tomorrow and say we just accidently broke the perfume bottle."

Sitting on the bed, he quickly drank, enjoying the refreshment on his dry throat. Placing the now empty glass down, he lay back down, facing her. "And threw the contents of the dressing table everywhere and our clothing and…"

Silencing him with a swift hand over his mouth, she smiled. "We are capable of picking those up you know which I suggest we do in the morning." His right eyebrow rose as she removed her hand and placed her glass down.

"It's already morning," he answered.

Her eyes narrowed at him and he grinned. "Yes, Mr. Clever Pants, I'm well aware of that and I would suggest…" She yawned one more time, "…if we are going to do a little tidying before breakfast then we should get some sleep. Or we may very well get interrupted and someone will see exactly what's happened in here this evening."

"Would it bother you if they did?"

Sara looked around again and she scratched her forehead. "Would you care to explain to mother how the room got in this state? Because I'd rather not."

"All right." He held up a conceding hand. "You win."

Snickering, she kissed him and cuddled back up to him. "I certainly do."

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It was a little before 8:30am and Sara, with a very happy smile, sat at the dressing table brushing her hair. Her eyes caught her husband behind, picking up his shirt and throwing it into the laundry basket.

"I think that's everything," he said, looking around. "Just the glass left to clean up."

Sniggering, she dropped the brush and stood, turning to face him. "I know it's cold outside, but maybe open a window for a little while before we leave to try and get rid of the smell?" He nodded his agreement. "And when the weather clears you'll have to take me into town so I can replace what was broken. That was my favorite perfume."

"Sorry," he apologized.

She smiled, heading to the wardrobe. "It was worth it," she said casually, opening the door, pulling out a scarf and dropping it over her shoulder. She then reached for a neckerchief and approached him, holding it out. "Best to hide the evidence I think."

"Thanks," he said, taking it from her and wrapping it around his neck. Sara held her hand to her mouth and exhaled a long yawn. "Still tired?" he asked, knotting the tie just in the right place to conceal the evidence of their lovemaking.

"Hmmm, a little" she mumbled, stepping back to the mirror and arranging her own scarf around her neck. "We didn't really get much sleep now did we? Plus all that alcohol…" She held a hand to her head now satisfied the scarf would hide her secret. "I'm amazed I haven't got a headache."

Sitting on the bed, he grinned as he reached for his right boot. "I have plenty of aches," he admitted and she spun around. "But not in my head."

"Do you now?" she asked. He nodded, grabbing his other boot while trying to hide his smile. "Well, that's your own fault. Being all masculine and all."

His eyes flicked to her, his lips twitching. "I suppose we will just have to have a very lazy day and an early night to make up for it."

"I like that idea," she replied as he stood.

"Ready?" he asked. "My stomach is demanding sustenance."

Smiling, she held up a finger. "One second, I have something to give you first."

"Oh?" he questioned, his eyes narrowing as she moved back to the wardrobe, rummaged around for a second then stepped back with something in her hand.

Slowly she approached him and held out a small wooden black box. "Here," she encouraged.

His right eye twitched in curiosity as he looked over the offering. "What is it?"

"Take it and find out." With a frown he took the box. "I was waiting for the right time to give it to you," she continued. "And I was planning on doing so last night but I got a little distracted."

Flipping the box open, Grissom sucked in a breath when he saw what was inside. "Sara," he whispered, looking back to her.

"I…um…know it isn't customary for the man to receive a wedding band but…" She shrugged as he plucked the golden ring from its casing. "It's been on my mind ever since I read the inscription you put on mine."

Holding the ring up, he smiled as the band glistened in the morning light. "It's beautiful," he sighed softly.

"There's…um," she began, pointing to the ring, "…an inscription."

Bringing the band closer to his eyes, he read the words on the inside of the ring. "Ab imo pectore," he read, his eyes drifting back to her.

"It means...," she started but he cut her off.

"From the bottom of my heart," he said quietly and her lips pursed. "How on earth did you ever do this?" he asked delightedly.

"I had a little help when we went into town yesterday," she answered.

"When we had lunch?"

She nodded. "It was my one and only opportunity but, thankfully, they managed to do it in time for me. And," she said plucking the ring from his fingers, "last night you said you wanted a part of me you could always take with you and now, you have it."

His heart swelled as she took his left hand, removed the eagle ring and slipped it onto the fourth finger on his right hand. "Do you like it?" she asked, swirling the new golden band through finger and thumb.

A bright smile found his lips. If it had been dark it would have illuminated the room. A bite would have been an act of passion where this was purely an act of love. Honestly, at that particular point in time, he was more than content with the ring. "I adore it," he replied tenderly and truthfully. "And I'm impressed with your Latin."

Matching his smile, she retook his left hand and slipped her gift onto his finger.

Dipping his head towards hers, he kissed her. "I love you," he said softly then pulled back.

"Semper et in aeternum," she replied slyly, tapping him on the nose and he laughed heartily, pulling her into an adoring and strong hug.

*** - "She was the golden thread that united him to a Past beyond his misery, and to a Present beyond his misery: and the sound of her voice, the light of her face, the touch of her hand, had a strong beneficial influence with him almost always. Not absolutely always, for she could recall some occasions on which her power had failed; but they were few and slight, and she believed them over."

*** - Extract taken from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A/N: I never think my smut is any good so I hoped you liked that. I fear I may be getting too fluffy though and Evil hat is agreeing with me. Should he make another appearance? But why would he when they seem so happy? Hmmmm :P