Grissom and I agreed on dinner at his townhouse before shift. He said we had a lot we needed to discuss, and he didn't want any interruptions. He wanted to cook for me and asked me to come to his place around seven. Needless to say, I was barely able to get any sleep. Now I'm standing in my closet, freshly showered, trying to decide on what to wear. I rarely dress up, unless I have court, but I want to look good for Grissom. I've waited far too long for this chance, and I don't plan on screwing it up.

After rifling through the closet for almost thirty minutes, I decide on a black pair of slacks, a sleeveless red blouse and black flats. I curl my hair in loose waves and put on a minimal amount of makeup, giving my eyes a smoky look. I add a thin, silver necklace to complete the look before grabbing my keys and heading out of my apartment.

It's six forty-five when I pull into Grissom's driveway, parking beside of his Tahoe. I'm an anxious ball of energy. This is Griss, the one person that I'm most comfortable with in the world. I shouldn't be nervous but I know that this evening could potentially change the entire trajectory of our relationship. Tonight, we will either begin or end something between us.

I climb out of my car and head toward Grissom's front door. Taking a deep breath, I knock on his door and wait. After barely a minute, the door opens to reveal a very delicious looking Gil Grissom. He's wearing a pair of dark jeans with a gray polo shirt and his glasses. He's also barefoot. Oh God. I think I just had a mini orgasm at the sight of him.

"Hello, Sara." Grissom greets me with a smile as he ushers me inside.

"Hi, Griss." I smile back at him as I cross the threshold into his home.

"You look absolutely stunning." He says and I watch his eyes travel from my face, down my body and back up.

"Thank you." I reply, hoping he doesn't catch the shiver that goes through me at his words. "You look pretty good yourself."

Grissom gives me another smile that I swear I feel down to my toes. He steers us toward his kitchen, directing me to a bar stool at his kitchen island. He walks to one of the cupboards, pulling out two wineglasses before setting them on the island separating us. He takes a bottle of wine out of the fridge, Pinot Noir, and pours us each a glass, handing me one. I smell something heavenly in the air as I watch him pull something out of the stove.

"Whatever that is, smells amazing." I say as I watch him move around his kitchen.

"Vegetarian lasagna with garlic bread." Grissom smiles as me.

My mouth drops open. I'm floored that he's remembered me being a vegetarian, especially after the whole blow up we had over ground beef a while back. My face must register my shock because Griss gives me a questioning look.

"You remembered that I'm a vegetarian?" I ask him, my voice full of surprise.

"I remember everything when it comes to you, dear Sara." Grissom blushes as he goes about dishing our food onto plates.

This man never ceases to surprise me. I think I know him and then he throws a curve ball like that and completely throws me off balance. He places the plates down on the island before grabbing his glass of wine and taking a seat on the bar stool beside me. I give him a small smile as I dig into my food. Before I can stop it, I let out an appreciative moan once the lasagna hits my tongue. Holy hell, Gil Grissom can cook.

"Good?" He chuckles from beside me as he takes a sip of his wine.

"Oh my God. This is amazing." I moan through another bite, not even the least bit embarrassed that I'm talking with my mouth full.

"I'm glad you approve, Miss Sidle." He gives me a brilliant smile.

We continue to eat, talking about mundane things like our open cases and Greg's wacky escapades in the lab. Once we're both finished with our meal, we sit in silence for a few moments.

"We should talk." Grissom finally speaks as he stands from his stool.

He takes my hand and pulls me from my stool, leading me toward his living room. We take a seat on his leather couch, him settling on one end and me on the other. We sit and look at each other for a few moments before he clears his throat.

"Talk to me, Griss." I speak softly, hoping to ease the nervousness I see on his face.

"You are so young and beautiful, Sara." He looks at me, his blue eyes shining bright. "The most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on. You can't even begin to imagine how many nights I've dreamed about you."

I start to speak but he holds a hand up to stop me.

"I'm 15 years older than you, Sara. I've never even dared to let myself hope that I could have a life with you. What could you possibly see in me?" Grissom just shrugs at me.

"Oh Grissom." I simply sigh. "Your age has never even crossed my mind. I mean, do you not look at yourself in the mirror? Have you not noticed how women look at you? You're the most gorgeous man I've ever seen in my life."

Grissom just sits on his end of the couch, staring at me as if I've suddenly grown an extra head. He really doesn't get it. I don't know about his past relationships, but I've often gotten the impression that something happened to shape the way he sees himself. I will gladly spend the rest of my life showing him how truly amazing he is, if given the chance.

"Sara." He sighs deeply. "I'm losing my hearing."

There it is. What I've suspected for such a long time but never knew for sure, until now. Given how private of a person Grissom is, I'm a little shocked that he's actually sharing this with me. Willingly, at that. I don't say anything. I know that he needs to get this out on his own, so I sit patiently and wait for him to continue.

"I have what's called Otosclerosis. It's a hereditary condition. My mother has it. She's been deaf since I was a child." He watches me closely.

"Griss, I'm so sorry." I finally scoot over closer to him, taking one of his hands in mine. "So, that's how you know sign language."

"Yes." He nods his head. "I always knew there was a possibility of it happening to me. It's gotten worse over the last year or so."

"Can anything be done?" I look at him, toying with his fingers.

"There is a surgery, called a stapedectomy." Grissom looks down at our hands. "It's not a guaranteed fix, though. In some cases, it may even worsen hearing."

I can see him retreating into himself at this admission. I know exactly what he's thinking. He thinks he's too old for me. That the possibility of him losing his hearing will affect how I feel about him. He couldn't be more wrong.

"Grissom, look at me." I cup his face in my hands and look straight into his eyes. "This doesn't change a thing. What I feel for you... it's beyond explanation. Nothing could ever change that. Nothing."

Grissom's blue eyes bore into my brown ones. I can see every single thing he's not saying reflecting back at me. My eyes start to pool with tears from the intensity of his gaze.

"Sara." He whispers softly as his eyes fall to my lips.

He's waiting for permission. I nod my head slowly as I feel my heart trying to beat out of my chest. Grissom leans toward me, his lips finally touching mine again for the first time since that night in San Francisco. My eyes close and the world explodes behind my eyelids. I feel his tongue running along my bottom lip and I immediately open my mouth. Our tongues meet and I swear, I feel like my entire body is on fire. I may very well prove my theory of spontaneous human combustion tonight.

The kiss deepens, our tongues now battling for control. I feel Grissom's big hands slide down my back, gripping my ass and pulling me into his lap. His right hand goes around the back of my neck, while his left hand snakes up under my shirt. Both of my hands are on his hard chest. God, I love the feel of his body against me. I gasp into his mouth as I feel his hand rubbing the underside of my bra. We finally break apart when the demand for oxygen can no longer be ignored. His lips immediately go to the side of my neck.

"Sara. Sweet, sweet Sara." Grissom murmurs into my skin.

My hands move into his curly hair as he nuzzles my neck. I can feel him growing hard under me and I slowly begin grinding my hips. He pulls his hand out from underneath my shirt, his arms wrapping around my back and holding me against him.

"Honey, you have no idea how much I want you. How much I need you." Grissom speaks as he pulls back to look at me. "But, we have shift in a few hours. I want to take my time with you and not be rushed."

"Griss." I pant and I can hear the neediness in my voice.

"Trust me darlin'. When I make love to you..." He runs a hand through my hair. "I plan on worshiping every single inch of your delectable body."

I shiver at his words and the look on his face, that can only be described as pure unadulterated lust. Grissom pulls me down to him for another kiss, this one slow and sweet. We spend the next half hour making out on his couch like two horny teenagers. I finally pull myself off his lap, knowing that I need to go home and change before shift. Grissom walks me to my car, holding my hand the whole time.

"Thank you for dinner, Griss." I smirk at him as his blue eyes roam my face.

"I assure you, the pleasure was all mine, Miss Sidle." He replies softly, his eyes falling on my lips.

He leans down and cups my chin as he kisses me, pinning me against my car with his big body. My arms go around his neck, pulling him into me. Grissom finally ends the kiss and pulls back. I can see that he's about as eager for us to separate as I am. His big hand softly strokes my cheek as his blue eyes lock with my brown ones.

"Soon, darlin'." Grissom tells me as he opens the car door for me. "Soon."

Reluctantly, I climb into the driver's seat and start the engine. Grissom leans in and gives me one last soft kiss before closing the door of my car and stepping away. I give him a wave as I reverse out of his driveway and head back to my apartment. I let out a rough sigh as I drive. Knowing how badly we both want each other now, this is sure to be a long shift.