The door to Grissom's office was closed when Sara arrived but he wasn't inside. Shaking her head in annoyance, she opened the door and headed inside to the back shelf where she knew he kept his additional field kit. It was missing from its usual place so she stood and left, closing the door behind her. Sticking her head in various labs, she didn't find him but she knew he was in the building so she headed towards one of the few places windows wouldn't show occupancy. Her first guess was right as she found him in the garage observing a sheet of blood splatter.

"Gil?"

"Yes Dear?"

She walked towards him and stopped to observe the sheet also, the case having been a murdered prostitute. They were still unsure who was relevant in the case as the woman was known to see at least fifteen men a day and she'd been left for over a week. "Where's your secondary field kit? It used to be on the back shelf."

"You need something?" He turned to her and saw her annoyance, the expression pointed at him for a first time in a while. "Whatever happened, I didn't do it."

She folded her arms and looked back at the sheet. "The clasp broke on mine. I'm down a kit and until I can find one or order one, I'm out of the field." Rolling her tongue across one cheek, she shrugged. "I'm sure that'll make Ecklie happy considering the last two months when we all maxed out overtime. I half expected Ecklie to bring in Days or Swing just to make us all stay home."

"We were down Nick so exceptions were made." He turned to see her gazing at the sheet still, "I'll order you a new kit and put a rush on it. Until then, I could use your help with this."

"My annoyance is at myself; in case you were wondering." Sara sighed and took a few steps towards the wall. "I knew it's been faulty for a while and I kept forgetting to order a new one."

Grissom held out the nearby UV flashlight and glasses, "after you."

"Connect the dots?" Sara asked innocently before continuing towards racy for a half second. "I remember when I once asked you to hold me down. Those were chaotic times."

He chuckled softly, "well, times change and we mellow with age."

"I'm going to remember you said that next time you throw the age argument at me." She pointed while reaching for a nearby permanent marker.

"Speaking of age, Catherine wants to know what you want to do for you birthday. I told her I wasn't sure yet."

Sara paused in placing the glasses on her face. "Nothing, I just want to come to work like it's a normal night. If you're lucky, and I mean lucky, I might let you take me to dinner this weekend." A smile crossed her face, "you though, not the team and definitely not Catherine."

The sound of argument brought the two to the breakroom towards the end of shift. Catherine was trying to make a point but the boys were providing counter arguments. "It's a matter of practicality. Every year we do the same thing for everyone. It's always a birthday cake with sparkling grape juice and maybe a single present if we're lucky. God knows Grissom doesn't have a party bone in his body so we have to take over for Sara."

"I don't want a party." Sara stated and everyone turned to see the two standing in the doorway. "I'm not big on birthdays."

Grissom glanced at Catherine while speaking. "Who said I didn't know how to plan a birthday. If I remember right, I helped you with the first one and ended up pissing Sara off because of it."

"He's right, you remember the blow up in his office." Warrick interjected, "the whole lab was in the hall when she came barging out of the office after screaming."

"Oh right." Catherine spoke upon remembering. "Alright, how about this. If not a party, would dinner do?"

Sara pointed to Grissom, "already taken care of, dinner for two."

Nick shook his head, "Cath, you're not going to win. Just let Sara act like she doesn't have a birthday and I'm sure that's the best present you can give her."

"Thank you, Nick, you are so correct." Sara smiled at him and he nodded to her.

"I got you girl." He looked at the clock, "and that leaves us out of time. I have a date with my bed. See you guys tonight."

"Night."

As Catherine passed, Sara turned to her. "I would settle for a drink sometime on a day of my choosing."

"You got it." Catherine squeezed her arm and brushed Grissom's arm as she walked between them.

Sara found Grissom watching her, "what? Peace offering, so she just thinks she won."

"Oh to be at war with you, I envy no one."

"Shut up." She shook her head and walked towards the locker room, knowing the statement just made him smile.

Sara was brushing her hair in the bathroom an hour before the beginning of shift when Grissom appeared in the doorway. She smiled even without looking away from the mirror, Hank lay at her feet half asleep so she'd clearly been there for a bit.

"I know you said no presents but I ignored your request." He moved in behind her and held up a necklace for her to see through the mirror. Sara pulled her hair away from her neck and let him put it around her neck, clasping it closed. "Costume obviously because you'd balk at anything of real metal or gemstones. I saw it at the air market a few weeks ago and thought of you."

Rolling the red leather and false jade in her fingers, Sara met his eyes in the mirror. "You are so lucky I love you."

"No honey, I'm the lucky one." Cupping her arms, he kissed her clothed shoulder. "Happy Birthday."

Heading out into the living room, picking up her overnight bag along with her messenger bag along the way, Sara was ready for work. She paused at seeing two identical field kits on the table and looked over to see Grissom feeding Hank while he waited on her.

"My kit arrived?"

Grissom joined her as she walked to the table, pushing hair behind her ear as she did. "No, it's my secondary one. I never lost it; I just relocated it." He pulled the black cloth from around the grip and she saw the engraving on the handle.

S. Sidle

"What?" She turned to him with her hand against her chest, "you had it engraved, like your own?"

"I did. I noticed the clasp on yours a few months ago and when you still hadn't replaced it when I was trying to find a gift for you…" He let the sentence trail off, "I figured you'd appreciate it a lot more than anything else. Besides me taking you to dinner earlier tonight."

Sara nodded and turned to him, hugging him. "I do, thank you."

"I'd give you the world if you'd just ask." He spoke as they pulled apart and Sara cupped his cheek, kissing him softly.

"I don't want the world. I only want you. I've only ever wanted you." Sara hugged him a second time and Grissom held her for a few seconds more. "You know me so well."

Grissom pulled back a fraction and brushed her hair behind her ear. "The sentiments are mutual, my Dear."

"Now I'm going to be racking my brain for an entire year for your birthday." She shook her head, "so unfair."

Chuckling, he picked up both cases from the table. "We'll be late if we don't head out now."

Catherine was the one to find Sara in the restock room loading up her new kit. "Thought I'd find you in here. I decided to give it to you because if I give it to Grissom, the man will short-circuit."

Sara glanced to the side and saw Catherine holding out an envelope. "Do I even want to ask?" She finished twisting the jar of powder and put it on the shelf before accepting the envelope. Opening it, Sara read the money order that had been inside. "Oh wow, that's uh, that's a lot."

"It's enough for just a weekend stay at one of the hotels on the strip; the boys, Brass, and I pitched in. I was going to go with a gift certificate for Eclipse but I knew you'd be wary of it because of Sam. We figured if you didn't want to celebrate with us, we'd at least pitch in to help."

"Catherine…"

The redhead reached out and rubbed Sara's arm. "I get it, I thought about it and I get it. You and Gil are so alike it's scary, except you're the hot head between you." She watched the corners Sara's lips turn up. "It's what makes you two a good couple. One of those strange quirks you share is that you two are deeply private."

"You got more out of me than anyone else so don't count yourself short." Sara pocketed the small envelope and turned to the counter. "You want to see what he got me for my birthday?"

"Do I want to?" Catherine looked at her concerned.

Sara closed her case before standing it upright and turned it so the engraving on the handle would show. "My kit's clasp was damaged and I put off buying one, but it broke before I eventually did. He wouldn't tell me where his second one was," she gave a fraction of a shake of her head, "typical Gil. Anyways, he promised to order me another and rush it. Imagine my surprise when he didn't."

"Oh, I'm sure you being kept out of the field earned him the couch."

"No." Sara cocked her head to the side only a fraction. "Possibly could have but no, the man sent his secondary to be engraved."

Catherine reached out for the handle and read the engraving. "Well I'm sure you loved this."

"He's been planning this for weeks and if dinner and sex didn't round out the day, this did." She leaned in as she spoke so the statement wasn't any more than a whisper.

"Okay, I just have one question." Catherine turned fully to her, "the beard, does it work for you? Because I've never…"

Sara couldn't help the smirk that emerged on her face. "Oh yeah. The man is skilled, but that's all you'll get out of me sex wise." The brunette picked up her case and headed out of the room.

"You can't just leave me with that!" Catherine turned to the counter and shook her head while trying not to laugh too loud.

After putting her kit in her locker, Sara headed to the breakroom to see the boys sitting at the table with a cake and plates. Nick saw her and grinned, "we figured if we didn't try to surprise you, we wouldn't get beat."

"Move over." She sat down and took the knife that Warrick handed her. "Tell me it's chocolate."

"As if it would be anything else." Warrick told her before turning to Greg. "You got chocolate, right?"

Greg shot Warrick with an exasperated expression. "And risk Sara's ire, surely you jest."

Taking the first piece, Sara sat back as the rest of them cut themselves cake. "Thanks for the gift. It's much appreciated."

"We figured you prefer something private instead of public." Nick told her with a smile. "It took Warrick nearly strangling Catherine into submission to get her to go with it."

Sara chuckled, "now Nick, don't spread rumors before Ecklie comes asking about Warrick and Catherine."

"Oh God." They turned to actually see Ecklie turn walking out of the room just as he'd walked in.

The four couldn't keep the laughter from erupting, both Catherine and Grissom walked in a few minutes later while they were trying to control their laughter. Concern filled Grissom's face as the four tried to rein in the laughter but only Sara was having any success.

"What is going on in here?"

Catherine rolled her eyes, "don't tell me the cake was spiked."

Sara shook her head, "no, nothing like that." She put up a hand and looked straight at Grissom. "I'll tell you later, trust me it's better later."

"How about now."

"No, you'll want it later." Nick stated as he stood, trying to take some deep breaths. "Okay, what do we have for assignments?"

Grissom looked at the slips in his hands, "as per birthday tradition, the person gets choice of assignment and partner. Sara, you can choose between a 419 at the MGM, 419 at Circus, Circus, or a body in a car at Lake Mead."

"Lake Mead and you." She stated and accepted the slip and looked at it as Catherine was given Greg for Circus, Circus, and the boys got the MGM.

Let me know what you think of this, I'd love to know. Next three chapters covers 6x01 Bodies in Motion. It was so expansive that it took three chapters to cover the one episode.