Grissom woke to the sound of his alarm and the sensation of something tickling his nose. He opened his eyes to see brunette hair not even an inch from his face, the owner sound asleep. His arm was wrapped around her and he felt as his knee rested between both of hers. Sliding his knee away, Grissom rolled over to turn off the alarm. Sara was dead to the world, which would sound bad when attributed to anyone else, but for Sara, it meant she slept soundly through the day.

Rolling back to where he'd been before, Grissom raised up onto his elbow as he ran his hand down her arm. Leaning his head down a fraction, he kissed her bare shoulder and brushed back her hair. "Sara, wake up Honey."

"Go away." She groaned and tried to roll away from him but he pulled her closer by her middle.

"My Dear, it's time for us to get up for work." He brushed his fingers down her arm so lightly she shivered inadvertently. "Come on."

Sara groaned again before speaking, eyes still closed. "I hate you." As she opened her eyes, she rolled over onto her back.

"You love me."

"I shouldn't." She reached up a hand to her face to wipe away the sleep in her eyes. "I'm so tired."

Grissom reached down to pull her tank top down over bare skin before running his hand across her belly and left it curled on her opposite hip. "You slept almost nine hours. That's why you feel exhausted."

"Nine hours?" She looked up at him, "how did I do that?"

"I suspect my cooking, a good movie, and a relaxing bath." He smiled at her. "I guess I know how to cure your insomnia now."

Sara leaned up and wrapped a hand around his neck, kissing him. It took little for her to push back against him till he lay under her while their lips and tongues met in a rhythmic dance. Maneuvering like she had a dozen times, Sara threw a leg over his own and kissed him deeper all while he sat up with her settled against him. She felt as Grissom ran his hands up her back from her sides to her shoulder blades. They pulled apart for only a few seconds before resuming their battle for control. Rising up onto her knees as the kiss deepened, Sara wrapped her arms around his neck. As they parted to breathe a second time, Sara tilted her head to the side as he kissed her neck and shivered when his hand brushed against the bare skin at her waist. The shiver broadcasted her bare skin so he slipped his hand under her shirt to rub against her bare back. She moaned as his lips reached the junction between neck and shoulder.

Before anything else could happen, Hank jumped onto the bed and proceeded to start licking them. Laughter erupted from Sara as she pushed Hank away. "Hank, why?"

As she started to sit back down to get off her knees, Grissom's arm tightened around her waist. She glanced at him and he met her eyes with his own, a look she hadn't seen before crossed his face. "Not a good idea."

She smirked, "I see, well I consider it a compliment that I can get a rise out of you with just kissing." Sara kissed him gently and moved off of him, "I'll make dinner while you deal with that." He groaned as she disappeared out of the room.

The night gave no cases and that was a rarity to the point Sara was reviewing continuing education options. She also was explaining to Greg how they worked and how he had to start picking and choosing options at least once a year. Grissom spent the whole night in his office reviewing the Hoyt case he had to testify about sometime in the upcoming week. Sara had taken him some coffee halfway through shift.

"Okay, so let me see if this straight." Greg started speaking. "I can log over sixty hours of lab specific time not related to a case. Or I can audit four seminars. Or attend a one week-long course. Am I understanding that correctly?"

Sara nodded, "correct. Now, I personally attend four seminars because it allows me to take seminars of my choice. A week-long course is more stringent as it has to meet certain criteria."

"Okay, how do I work it into my schedule?"

Smiling, the woman pushed a blank request form towards Greg. "This is a request form; we've all filled out one at one time or another. Look down at the options," she pointed to several codes at the bottom of the form. "See C-E-D, that is what you're going to put down. You'll still get paid but only regular hours. You'll have to provide evidence afterwards to Grissom for him to date and file. At the end of the year, when we get longevity pay, if you meet requirements, you'll get an increase in pay. It's only a percentage but a percentage is something. A pay increase like a half a dollar to two are usually yearly evals."

Greg nodded, "okay. Thanks for letting me know."

"Now, I'm going over the seminar options at UNLV as they're presented at the beginning of the semester. Every year the dean emails CSI a list for us to know what options we have."

"You've circled a couple." He looked at the list before chuckling. "You selected Grissom's yearly seminar. Isn't that a conflict of interest?"

Sara shrugged, "I go every year and no one has said anything. You want to join me?"

"Uh, I'm not into bugs. At least not like you."

"Grissom and I met at a seminar he gave at the Forensic Academy Conference in San Francisco in 1998. I go because I can follow his lectures in my sleep, I usually just fill out my paperwork while he speaks. At the end of the seminar he gives out a questionnaire for us to fill out and I always get…"

"A hundred percent." They turned to see Grissom. "I never knew you filled out paperwork during my lectures."

Sara shrugged, "I may fill out paperwork but I could tell you the basis of all your seminars and what you spoke about. I absorb it all."

"Got a case for us?" Greg asked.

"I do, grab your kits and meet me in the parking lot." They both started out of the breakroom but Grissom caught Sara's arm. "Not you, I need a word with you."

Looking to Greg, the brunette nodded. "I'll be right there."

"Okay." He headed down the hall while Sara turned to Grissom.

"Is everything okay?" Sara met his gaze while smiling, "surely I'm not in trouble for doing paperwork during your lectures."

His gaze fell to her neck, "wear your blue jacket today."

"Uh, any particular reason why?"

"Check your neck." He told her before turning to leave but paused a second. "I apologize."

In the locker room, she saw Greg changing his shoes and diverted to the unisex bathroom. Once inside, she went to the mirror and brushed away hair from her neck to see a pinkish rash. Knowing it was due to Grissom's beard when they got frisky before shift, she pulled her hair forward and combed it down. Once in the locker room, she opened her locker and pulled out her blue jacket and work shoes.

As she pulled on the jacket and rearranged her hair after switching her shoes, she heard Greg's voice. "Must have been embarrassing."

"What?"

"Grissom seeing the hickey on your neck."

Sara turned to Greg. "Yeah, I uh didn't realize he'd make a big deal out of it. Wants me to wear a jacket so I look more professional at the scene."

"Who is the lucky guy?"

"Oh, no one." She looked straight at Greg as he closed his locker and got near her. "I got frisky with this guy I was sleeping with. Not anything to be worried about." It wasn't a lie because she had slept beside Grissom the previous day and they had gotten frisky.

Greg looked at her surprised. "Sara Sidle doing the one night stand, I'm impressed."

"Yeah, well after the EMT I'm a lot more careful of who I sleep with."

"You guys done?" They both turned to see Grissom in the doorway. "I got two dead kids over at UNLV."

Sara looked at Grissom as Greg winced. "I'm sorry, Greg was just asking questions. I really shouldn't have answered given the topic isn't work related."

"Yeah Boss, totally my fault."

Grissom's brow furrowed. "I was just asking if you were done. I don't care what you talk about as long as you're working."

"Right, two dead kids." Sara picked up her kit from inside her locker and closed it.

Waiting to be called to testify was always a long process but Grissom found himself occupied with a crossword. Due to the crowding, he was stuck in the hallway where lawyers, judges and people just milling about. He got a text from Sara that made him decide to call her instead.

"Hi, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm well. I got two dead kids, a death consistent with carbon dioxide, and no idea how it happened. Oh, and sex seems to be all these kids think about. I had to be told what a trophy condom was. Please tell me you know what that is."

Grissom's face furrowed with confusion. "I can deduce. A condom kept afterwards as a sign of victory."

"Worse, these boys take their used condom and put it on their neighbor's door to announce their conquest." He could tell Sara was annoyed. "I do have some news that you'll love though."

"Do tell my Dear, my crossword is finished and I'm still waiting to testify."

She chuckled, "I need to get you a book of crosswords for you to have for court, difficult level obviously. Anyways, due to everyone being on a case, Ecklie had to take a case solo. Then his body got stolen from the morgue."

"Really? Well that is interesting."

"I'll keep you updated on that. David is spinning in circles because Ecklie blames him. He called me since I have a history working for a coroner. He asked if it ever happened to me and I told him no but told him if he needs to vent, to text me. I, of course, am willing to let you know so you can use it to annoy Ecklie."

Grissom smiled as she spoke. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday evening."

"Babe, not a big deal. In fact, I'm proud of myself at the fact I can get you all worked up by just kissing you. We already knew passion won't be a problem, it's just a matter of timing. We'll figure it out and as for reactions, don't be embarrassed. Just keep talking to me, that's all I ask. No matter how embarrassing or strange, keep talking to me and I'll do the same."

"'Ultimately the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or friendship, is communication.'" He quoted to her.

"Oscar Wilde. I love you too." He could see her smile as clearly as if she was beside him, her voice said it all. "I have to go back to the campus so I'll let you get back to waiting. I'll pick up Hank from the sitter on my way over to the townhouse, just let me know when you'll be there. I'll have the night off due to us working a triple."

"Check your keyring, I put a key to the townhouse on it last week."

"You did? Bold move Dr. Grissom."

He chuckled, "I trust you my darling, with my life and my home."

"Charmer. Get back to waiting while I go check on Greg."

"See you at home."

"You definitely will."

Entering the townhouse, Grissom was greeted to the sound of music and Sara's soft singing. He paused at the top of the stairs to listen and watch her move around the kitchen as if it was her own. No one else got to see this side of Sara, the one where she sang to music while cooking. He considered himself lucky to see the softer side to Sara Sidle because she hid that part of herself well. She felt safe in the townhouse and felt safe with him so she dropped her guard. Her past still reared its ugly head some days and he always was with her, holding her hair, and her, once her stomach was empty. He finally learned why she preferred insomnia over sleeping and why for years she'd stay up for days.

"I love it when you sing." He stated as he walked downstairs.

"Only for you." She smiled as she looked up from preparing the fruit she was cutting to make into a fruit salad. "How as court?"

"Long but my testimony is over so it now is left to others and the court." Seeing her reach for the apple she had yet to cut, her bare left foot brushing against her right leg. She wore her usual pajamas of a tank top and shorts. "How was your day?"

Sara chuckled, "Greg and I got to blow up a toilet. We proved that the cause of death was due to dry ice being stacked against a hole in the room next door. Brilliant chemistry student calculated the right amount to make our victim sick but didn't account for a teenage boy's sex drive." Sara looked up at Grissom, "didn't account for him being on the floor with the girl. With carbon dioxide being heavier than air, it settled on the floor where the victims were."

"And where does the toilet come in."

"A toilet exploded down the hall, pretty much after you left. The killer put the excess dry ice in the toilet and after sublimation, explosion." She shrugged, "Greg figured it out by himself so I let him have some fun."

Grissom took the two steps towards her and placed a kiss against her temple. "I missed you today."

"Hmm, well I guarantee you'll have me all night." She smiled as he watched her. "Why don't you get out of that suit and come help me with dinner."

Glancing at the island, he knew she hadn't started cooking yet. "Go get dressed. It doesn't matter what you wear, just something decent."

Sara looked up at him, "why?"

"I'm taking you on a date."

She looked at the counter. "Okay, go get changed and I should be done in here by the time you're finished.

Thirty minutes later they were in his SUV and Grissom was driving, Sara was holding his free hand that rested on her knee. After about ten minutes, Sara finally asked about where they were going and Grissom glanced over at her.

"Lake Mead."

"At night?"

"Trust me Honey, it'll be worth it."

Sara smirked, "this another one of those dates that Catherine would question your sanity over?"

"This one is nice and regular, even she'd tell me so."

"I managed to get Greg and I signed up for our seminars. I mean, we were at UNLV so I took him to get registered since he's unaware of the process. Yours truly is going to be auditing you but Greg backed out. He decided to take Dr. Kilmer's forensic accounting seminar which I questioned heavily but it's Greg."

"Was it due to a girl?"

Sara grinned. "I doubt it, but he's going to have to retake it if he sleeps through the seminar. I warned him that our credits are only covered once and only if we pass. I did manage to convince him to take History of Forensics with me. We'll do the other two later in the year."

"Just keep me up to date on the situation."

"Hey Gil?" He glanced over at her, "why are you having me keep track of Greg? He's your employee."

"That's true, but you've handled a lot of his training. You know him best. All I have done is the paperwork." He smiled and in turn, so did she. "I trust you with him Sara. I know you'll teach him what he needs to know and how to apply it properly. This most recent case, he ran with the information and discovered something that help the case. I used to let you do that and look where you are now."

Sara smirked, "dating you."

"Not where I was going with that statement." He glanced at her in disbelief.

"I know, I just wanted to see your reaction."

They arrived at the lake and got out of the vehicle. Grissom held out her coat as she walked around the car and helped her put it on. He pulled his own on and locked the door to the SUV after collecting a blanket and small bag from the back seat. Reaching out a hand, he waited until she took it and started walking with him. They walked for a little while till they came to one of the firepits that were on the beach.

After a few minutes of collecting driftwood, they sat down as the fire grew within in the firepit. Sara warmed her hands; it wasn't cold yet but Nevada nights could be cool. Grissom sat beside her and pulled her into his side. "Lay down."

They both laid down and Sara gasped as she realized why he'd brought her out to the lake. With very little light pollution, the Milky Way could be seen across the night sky. "It's so beautiful."

"I figured you'd like it."

"You read about it in books and see it on TV but real life, it's indescribable." She burrowed into his side and just watched the stars. "You must know all the constellations."

With his right arm wrapped around her, he pointed to one of the constellations with his left forefinger. "Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Big and Little Dipper. The north star, Polaris, is at the tip of Ursa Minor."

"Tell me more." She loved listening to his voice as he taught her about the constellations. Ones she likely wouldn't understand without pictures but the experience is what she was there for.

So I finally got to 5x21 Iced after two three tries. Things are starting to heat up and I will warn that anything more than T-Rated isn't my wheelhouse. So, don't expect some smutty or descriptive scene. There are hints and that's as far as I go. So, in a few chapters where sex happens, it'll be a fade to black, next morning type thing.

Let me know what you think of this if you so choose.