OK, y'all know the drill! I don't own CSI, just the crazy little plot lines I come up with! I'm from Australia so things could be spelt differently to what some people are used to! Also, I couldn't for the life of me remember what Grissom's hearing problem was called, so I made it up from what was and inkling at the VERY back of my mind :)

Hope you like,

Luv

Em!

The Bus

"I can't believe you made me come with you."

"I didn't make you come. We have to do this…"

"I know, I know, 'for the case'. But you could have gotten Greg or Warrick to come, they're working the same case."

"Yes, but Warrick was working on the video surveillance and I would have nothing to talk to with Greg."

"Two hours on a bus, trying to retrace a young girls footsteps, I'm sure you'd get to know him" Sara teased.

"But why waste two hours getting to know Greg, when I could go with someone I already know"

"Griss, if you know me so well then you'd know I get motion sickness"

"One step ahead of you. I know you so well that I know that you only get motion illness if you're not chewing on something" he said, writing down the stop that they were at. He then moved his hand to his pocket, "So, I've Mentos and Starburst"

"Wow." She said, raising her eyebrows in surprise, "Lets see how well you do know me. Pick one."

He handed her the Mentos then started opening the Starburst packet.

"No, you're wrong, I like…" she was cut off by Grissom pushing an orange lolly in her mouth, "'range 'tarburts" she laughed through her mouthful. Grissom then handed her the packet which now only contained the orange candy pieces.

"Thank you"

"No problem"

"So what else do you know about me?"

"Enough"

"That's all you're gonna give me? Come on, I really want to know"

"Alright…but you have to return the favour" he added, writing down another bus stop "Your favourite colour is green."

She nodded, "Yours is blue"

"Yes. Despite your pre-mentioned motion illness, you enjoy travelling"

"OK, despite loving bugs, you hate doing your seminars unless one of the team is in the audience"

"Half true. I actually enjoy the seminars, I enjoy them more if one of the others is in the crowd, I love doing them if you're there."

She smiled, "Why's that?"

"You smile. Everyone else pretends they're interested, but you actually smile and pay attention. It encourages me."

"Well, I must say, it's nice to know it's appreciated"

"Well I know that you like to be acknowledged"

"OK, you win this game. You really do know me better than I thought."

"Aw, you're giving up already?"

"Oh, you want more? OK, um…you like rollercoasters." She said, smiling

"Yeah, but that's a given. Everyone knows that."

"True, but not everyone knows you like them because that's the place you think best."

He smiled and nodded his head, Sara smiled back knowing that he was either going to pull out all the stops with the next one, or tell her that she'd won.

He surprised her by going with the former

"I know you're brave" he paused, "This is our stop."

They climbed off the bus into the Nevada night.

"Where are we?"

Grissom didn't answer, instead grabbed Sara's hand and walked with her to a set of swings. They sat down next to each other before he spoke.

"After this, we'll have to catch another bus. We're not at the stop where Jessica disappeared, but I didn't want to be on a bus when I said this…this stuff…to you."

"I figured" she said, rocking back and forth on the swing set. She looked at Grissom meaningfully, "How am I brave?"

"You already know"

"So do you. So tell me"

"There's so much. Your childhood, what happened with the DUI, when Adam almost stabbed you…" he paused when he saw that Sara had tears in her eyes, but continued when she asked him to, "…facing bombs, facing the lab explosion, facing me, seeing Greg naked, by the way, I can't believe you lived through that," Sara laughed slightly through the tears, "You showed how brave you in the fact that you came out from 'Frisco for me. You showed bravery in coming back to work the day after the conversation after the lab explosion…"

"I know that you're shy, under all…this" she pushed her hands against his chest to show what she meant.

"What?"

"You can't even say it, Griss. I asked you out, you said 'no'"

"Yeah, about that. Uh…I never told you why, huh?"

"You said you didn't know what to do"

"I did, you know? But I was scared."

"Me too"

"Sara, have you ever heard of otosclerosis?"

"Yeah, it's a hereditary hearing disease" she answered, confused

"My mother had it."

"But that means…"

"The day you asked me out to dinner, I was sorting something out to have it fixed"

"Oh," she blinked a few times, "You hid that well"

"I can lip read…"

"…and sign" she finished for him, "I get it now"

"Yeah"

They were once again consumed in silence, both happy with their conversation. Everything was out; Sara was beginning to think that the bus ride was worth it, rather than thinking it was pointless.

She was just about to mention something about catching the next bus, when Grissom's voice caught her attention.

"I know you have a tattoo"

She blinked several times, "No you don't."

"Yes I do"

"Fine, if you really think you know that, tell me where?"

"Right here," he answered, tapping her right hip

"Lucky guess. What is it?"

"A blue butterfly"

"OK, do I want to know how you found that out?"

"Don't worry, nothing kinky, I promise"

"How?"

"I was with you when you got it. Remember that party at Berkley? It was the night after I finished all my seminars. You got a sudden obsession with butterflies and I'd just told you my favourite colour, so we went out and got you that tattoo…"

"And I was too drunk to remember how I got it." she finished for him, "I miss that."

"What?"

"Just being able to go out and do stupid spontaneous things with you."

"We could go out today, be spontaneously stupid and get me a tattoo"

"What about the case?"

"Shift's over, it can wait, you're first today"

"Where's a tape recorder when you need it?"

"Come on, we'll catch the next bus"

He took her hand on the way back to the road, "So, I was thinking something green."

-xox-

End