Bobby Dawson was just going over the ballistics evidence from an open murder investigation when Grissom’s cell phone rang. With an annoyed roll of his eyes Grissom pulled the offending devise from his pants pocket, flipping the phone open as he placed it to his ear.

            “Grissom” His greeting was curt as he tried to multitask.

            “Grissom, Catherine” Catherine’s voice was heavy with concern catching Grissom’s full attention as he took the ballistics report from Bobby absentmindedly.

            “What’s up, Catherine?” Grissom asked nodding to Bobby as he made his way to leave. Catherine was a great many things, even a drama queen at times but rarely did she worry unless there was something to worry about.
           
            Traversing the shiny hallways of the lab, Grissom made his way to his office as he tried to ignore the tiny cold spark that danced along his spine. His mind instantly recalled the start of shift. He had assigned Catherine with Sara on an apparent drug overdose at a local rave. That had been seven hours ago. What had happened in the meantime to have Catherine sounding so concerned?

            “Listen” Nothing good ever came from a conversation that started with listen. “Sara is fine but …”

            “Where’s Sara?” Grissom cut in, his heart skipping a beat as he came to an abrupt stop just outside the door to his office. Lowering his head he squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he physically attempted to clamp down on the unexpected wave of panic that had crashed over him.

            “Were at Desert Palm…”

            “Desert Palm?” Grissom turned away from his office and immediately headed for the exit that lead to the parking ramp where he had parked his Denali earlier.

            “Yea, look Gil, she’s going to be fine. It’s more for observation than anything else,” Catherine explained trying to alleviate any worry. Grissom was very good at hiding his emotions in person, on a phone it was near impossible to get a read on the man.

            “What happened?” Dozens of scenarios raced through Grissom’s mind like a strobe light going off. From the most innocuous to anything that would have Catherine concerned enough to call him. After the initial rush of panic, Grissom regained control of himself and realized that it couldn’t be anything life threatening. Catherine would not candy coat the episode if it was serious.

            “The short and quick of it…she…when…jackass…”

            Grissom frowned as he tried to make out what Catherine was telling him. “Catherine, Catherine,” Grissom raised his voice as he tried to break in “You’re breaking up.”

            “What?” Catherine’s voice broke through.

            “I’ll be at the hospital in fifteen minutes,” Grissom informed her not knowing for certain if she had been able to hear him. Like most technology, cell phones were both a blessing and a curse.

            Grissom entered Desert Palm Memorial Hospital exactly fifteen minutes after hanging up the phone with Catherine. A quick check at the information desk in the ground floor lobby area let Grissom know that Sara was in room 321. Exiting the elevator on the third floor he checked the plaque on the wall directly in front of him and headed in the direction of Sara’s room.

            The door to the hospital room was partially open. With a cursory knock, he pushed the door wider and entered the room. Catherine was sitting in one of the two chairs in the room shaking her cell phone angrily as if she could actually throttle the devise. At his knock and entrance she turned with a look of relief on her face.

            “Catherine?” Grissom queried as he scanned the small room for Sara.

            Catherine pointed to the door that obviously lead to the room’s bathroom. Grissom nodded.

            “What happened?” he asked coming to stand near the end of the bed, his boot accidentally kicking the roller just underneath. Grissom and Nick had been out near Echo Bay last night investigating a body dump and although he had changed his shirt he still wore his jeans and hiking boots.

            “We went to Zazus on that O.D., found out that we had two O.D.s, one being deceased the other was about to be transported here to Desert Palm.” Catherine gestured to their surroundings emphasizing her words. “Sara was able to get the where, what and who out of the survivor before they transported the zipperhead.” Catherine rolled her eyes remembering the girl that had been lucky enough to survive her stupidity. Her friend who had died ignobly in the bathroom was not as fortunate “We finished up processing the club and then had Sofia help us run down the supplier.”

            Grissom was trying to be patient. He knew he needed to know all the pertinent details but really all he wanted to know was what had happened to Sara and how was she doing. Hiding behind one of the many facial masks he had perfected over the years, Grissom listened to Catherine’s account of the case hoping desperately she would come to the most important part soon.

            “The kid was using his dad’s body shop at night to cook up and package his own brand of ecstasy. He even put a candy stamp on the pills- “XTC UNLESHD” was what this marketing genius came up with,” Catherine explained.

            “Okaaay, but why is Sara here?” Grissom rolled his eyes at their surroundings.

            “The jackass ground the stuff up. When we showed up Sofia went about clearing the premises but this kid jumps out of a metal cabinet, right there in front of us,” Catherine’s eyes grow large at the memory of the moment “and takes off for a side door.”

            Grissom tilts his head to one side, in a gesture that Catherine always equated to him saying, “What the hell?”

            Catherine nodded, “Yea, well, I yelled for Sofia, Sara ran after our suspect, who didn’t get far and before I knew it this walking mental defect throws the bag he was caring into one of those giant exhaust fans.” Catherine paused to make certain Grissom was getting the whole picture. When he quirked an eyebrow at her she continued. “Only thing is, is it isn’t pulling air out of the building it’s bringing it in and the bag explodes and dust is flying everywhere.”

            Grissom’s eyes went wide as he realized where Catherine’s story was taking him.

            “Where was Sar-“

            “GRIS!” Sara exclaimed exiting the bathroom, interrupting Grissom’s question. “You came,” she sang happily as she threw her arms around the stunned man’s neck, laying her head on his wide shoulder.

            “Yessss,” Grissom replied turning a quizzical eye to Catherine.

            Catherine tried to hide her I tried to warn you look from her face as she mouthed Stoned!

            Grissom turned his startled gaze from Catherine who was starting to become amused at the woman clinging to Grissom’s chest and the red bloom that was quickly creeping up Grissom’s neck. She was going to time the best for last so allowed Grissom to squirm under the overly attentive hands of a very touchy-feely Sara Sidle.

            “Sara?” Grissom croaked as the woman began to nuzzle his neck. He was torn. He didn’t want to deny her his attention but at the same time he was becoming concerned at how much attention she wanted from him at that precise moment.

            Catching Catherine’s raised brow, Grissom steered Sara towards the hospital bed hoping to get her to lie down and in the process put a little bit of distance between them. “Here…you…” he stammered as he got her to sit upon the mattress “you rest, okay?”

            Catherine ducked her head to the side in an attempt to hide her growing mirth. She knew that if it had been physically possible, little horns would be sprouting through her skull at this very moment. This was just too good to resist, especially after Sara had developed “motormouth”, a side effect of the drug. Sofia had actually become so shocked at Sara’s verbose recollections that she had choked and had to excuse herself to the water fountain down the hall.

            “Gris,” Sara whined holding onto his left hand with both of hers, trying to pull him into the bed with her.

            “Oh, hey Grissom glad to see you’re here,” Sofia said cheerfully as she entered the room. “So…” she said, her eyes darting from Catherine who continued to duck her head and Grissom who was valiantly trying to stay on his feet, much to the disappointment of Sara.

            “Umm… when, no…how long is this supposed to last?” Grissom was truly flustered. Sara was eyeing him hungrily, licking her lips as she tugged on his arms in a sexually charged tug-of-war. He was dressed casually with a dark blue, short sleeved polo but was fairly certain the room’s thermostat was set much too high.

            “Mmm, maybe a three hour tour,” Catherine replied with a grin. Sofia snorted and turned away from Grissom as she tried not to choke again.

            Grissom’s brows knit in frustration and confusion as he divvied his attention between Catherine and Sofia and their odd behavior and Sara as she wiggled her way up and out of the bed and reattached herself to Grissom’s torso.

            “What…is going on?” Grissom asked his eyes wary as he looked between the women.

            Sara wrapped her arms around his midsection, her right arm covering the waistband of his jeans while her left hand restlessly wondered his chest. Grissom sighed, capturing the wandering appendage and holding it tightly against the middle of his chest. It was not exactly the detached pose he had hoped for but at the rate Sara was going he was going to be half bare before all to see.

            “Sara was just relating her immense knowledge of the sea from her days in San Francisco,” Catherine put on her best attempt at an angelic smile. Since she’d never been an angel, her attempts always failed miserably.

            Grissom frowned and twisted slightly in Sara’s grasp. “Sara!” he admonished quietly.

            Catherine couldn’t help herself and chuckled at the fact that Sara had been feeling up Grissom’s rear-end right in front of her and Sofia. Sofia bowed and ducked her head but couldn’t hide the squeak of laughter that escaped her, causing Grissom’s annoyed gaze to descend on her.

            “What was the goddess’s name?” Sofia asked looking to Catherine and away from the intense blue eyes that stared at her.

            “Amphitrite,” Catherine answered a knowing gleam shining brightly from her eyes.

            “Oh yeaaa,” Sara pulled her smiling face from Grissom’s flushed neck “Amphtrite’s Carriage.”

            Grissom’s had snapped so quickly Catherine was afraid the man may have broke his neck, his eyes frantically searching Sara’s serenely happy one.

            “You remember Gris. Oh, how I loved that boat. I was telling Cath-“

            “WHAT?” Grissom nearly yelled as he pulled slightly away from Sara to look at her more fully.

            Grissom turned frightened, stunned eyes on Catherine and Sofia his lower jaw dropping. He was now certain that he had fallen into some perverse nightmare. Surely Sara had not revealed that very intimate moment so many years ago when he had returned to San Francisco to teach a seminar on entomology in forensics for the SFPD and the local crime lab?

            He had met Sara a year earlier when he had been asked to consult on high profile case concerning a city Alderman’s daughter. They clicked instantly, their intellect and sense of humor meshing nicely with one another. There had been a fair amount of flirting and a definite attraction but it had been lighthearted and fun and nothing had come of it.

            Grissom’s next visit had been an entirely different matter. The two had kept in touch with the occasional call and email. A year physically apart had not dulled the attraction; if anything it had increased ten fold. The easy flirting had a constant hot edge to it like a heated blade and eye contact in public had become dangerous. Their overheated gazes being broke only by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

            Catherine’s raised brows and mischievous grin told Grissom that Sara had indeed confessed to the first time Gil Grissom had ever set out to seduce Sara Sidle. It had not been by accident or a heat of the moment lapse, although it had been very hot. No, Grissom had purposely and with great forethought planned and executed a steamy seduction that had had undulating repercussions for the past eleven years.

            Grissom opened and closed his mouth. Did he have anything to say? What could he say? How much did Sara tell Catherine and Sofia and did any of it have to do with their present relationship. “Uhhh…I…” Grissom gave up trying to articulate anything coherent and just blew out a long breath as he tried to regain control of his scattered thoughts.

            “You know Grissom, I’m just glad you took me out to dinner,” Sofia said in a matter-of-fact tone that belied the evil twinkle in her eye. “According to Sara, you ruined her chances with any other men.”

            “Whaa…?” Grissom croaked a red tint rising up his neck as fear began to settle behind his blue eyes. How much detail did Sara give them?

            A squeal escaped Catherine as she tried to mimic Sofia’s attempt at mock scientific detachment. “Gil, Gil,” she shook her head as if admonishing a small child “you really did do all this to yourself.” Catherine looked to Sofia for agreement.

            “Mmmm, no, he did it to me,” Sara giggled at Grissom’s side, her fingers trying to part the buttons of his polo for a better look at his chest.

            Grissom grabbed for her errant hand, “Sara…PLEEEZE!” he begged trying to stop both the hand and her mouth.

            Catherine and Sofia couldn’t help themselves and began to laugh as Grissom had to renew his gentle struggle with Sara’s roving hands. The poor man would give up and try to set the narcotic induced temptress at arms length only to have her sway seductively back up to his side, her hands returning to their attempts to wander his body.

            “You know Gil,” Grissom groaned as Catherine spoke “A woman expects a little discomfort after a night of good marathon sex but I can honestly say I never ended up with aching feet.”

            Sofia nodded in agreement, “I concur Catherine.”

            “What?” Grissom was certain that he had done nothing strenuous with Sara’s feet during the night in question. He tried to recall anything more recent that Sara may have confessed to and could not recall anything that would have her lamenting sore feet.

            “Isn’t that right Sara?” Catherine asked the woman nuzzling at Grissom’s neck. Grissom, being totally distracted by the women’s conversation had not realized the sultry caresses of Sara’s lips at the base of his neck. Pulling away he looked at the desire laden eyes of the woman at his side his body reacting without any directive from his brain as he felt desire clench in his lower abdomen.

            Taking a deep breath in through his nose he turned away from Sara. “Catherine, you, I-“

            “She’s right Gris,” Sara said with a slight pout “My feet were so sore, I had other sore parts,” she winked at him causing him to expel his held breath in one quick surge. “It’s true… you had my toes curling so hard my foot almost cramped.”

            Grissom groaned as the embarrassment of it all became too much.

            Sara smiled and turned to the other women, who grinned in return. “Longest and best sex EVER,” Sara whispered conspiratorially as she tapped her finger on Grissom’s chest.

            “SARA!” Grissom growled.

            Sara turned her beautifully smiling face and with ersatz innocence she said, “You know how to shut me up.”

            Grissom knew exactly what she was so broadly hinting for. How many times in the past had he kissed her into silence when she would nervously talk too much around him?

            “Yes, I’ll have you sedated,” he warned not taking her bait. “And you two,” he pointed an accusing finger at the two ladies in question “She’s obviously in no condition to-“

            “Oh, she’s in a condition, Grissom,” Sofia teased.

            “Horny condition,” Catherine mumbled turning away from the ever growing frown on Grissom’s face to wink at Sofia.

            “CATHERINE!” Grissom growled in warning.

            Sara leaned into Grissom’s chest, her lips a hair’s breadth from the shell of his ear as she whispered her seductive secrets. Grissom’s eyes lowered to the floor as he listened to her hushed voice, the thumb on his right hand messaging her captured palm. The gesture was instinctive, he did not notice his body’s subtle response to her but Catherine and Sofia did.

            Sara pulled back and the two of them just looked into each others eyes. Volumes were being said but neither one of them spoke.

            “Umm, Grissom?” Catherine hesitantly spoke trying to break into the silent communication that had developed between Grissom and Sara.

            Grissom momentarily broke eye contact with Sara; their seeming telepathic link temporarily paused as he snapped his head in the direction of Catherine.

            “YOU TWO,” he ground out. “To the grave.” He said as Sara busied herself collecting her things from the room.

            Catherine actually found herself at a loss for words. Sara was obviously still affected by the drugs she had inadvertently inhaled and, although Catherine knew Sara still harbored strong feelings for Gil, she had not known the full history behind those feelings. Even after Sara had blithely rambled on about the, admittedly hot, incident Catherine had assumed it had been a one time thing many years ago. Seeing the hot spark of desire burning behind Grissom’s indigo eyes, Catherine realized it was anything but a single, long ago sexcapade.

            “Uhh,” Catherine mumbled as Grissom and Sara made their way past the two astonished women in the room and to the door.

            Grissom spun around. “I swear to you Catherine that I will have you doing DBs in dumpsters and exhumation for the rest of your career if I hear even one syllable about this.”

            Catherine’s eyes swallowed her face as she realized he meant every word.

            “And you, Sofia, will be working traffic court,” he warned as Sara pulled desperately at him “and don’t fool yourself in thinking I can’t get it done” he warned just before turning and pulling the tugging Sara tightly against his chest as he walked her backwards into the hall with a growl.

            For a split second in time the two stood, their bodies meshed together as their hearts and minds crashed into one another. Snatching Sara by the hand Grissom lead the smiling woman down the hall, to the elevator and out of the hospital all within minutes.

            Sofia was the first to break the spell. “I think I might go home and… take a cold shower,” she mumbled still feeling the effects of standing too close to the elemental fire that was Grissom and Sara.

            Catherine nodded slowly. Whatever Sara had whispered to Grissom had unleashed a torrent of suppressed sexual energy that had flowed through the air like sound waves, going through and ricocheting off everyone and everything in the room. Realizing that she was mirroring the same slack jawed stunned expression that Sofia had upon her face, Catherine snapped her jaw shut and tried to regain some composure. A difficult task since her brain kept replaying the end scene in a continuous loop over and over again.

            Grissom and Sara? Grissom and Sara TOGETHER? Catherine’s brain tried to wrap around all the information that it had just been flooded with. Grissom, a high seas lothario! Oh my God!

Catherine laughed out loud at her own thoughts making Sofia turned startled eyes upon the woman.

            “Catherine?” Sofia began her weight shifting from one foot to the other, an uncomfortable feeling coming over her. “I think it is in our best interest to keep this to ourselves,” she said following Catherine out into the hallway and towards the elevators.

            Catherine smiled broadly at the detective to her left. Catherine had no doubts that Grissom would give her every bug infested, week old DB residing in every dumpster in Clark county and whenever possible, the state of Nevada, if she revealed the intimate details Sara had revealed to them but…

            “Relax Sofia, I’m not going to let the proverbial cat out of the bag,” she said pushing the ground floor button in the elevator. “That doesn’t mean I can’t play with the kitty a little bit,” Catherine grinned evilly as she glanced sideways at Sofia.