Catherine looked from one to the other across the table. It was bad enough that she couldn't read all the messages they sent each other without speaking, now she had to watch them sign them as well. She looked down from the impromptu sign language lesson and carried on trying to read the forensic journal in her hands.

She heard Grissom's patient voice speaking calmly after a few moments, "Sara, I'm sure I've mentioned before the need to finish the lines all the way through your fingers, otherwise your phrases blur together and I can't tell what you're saying properly, it's not a matter of going quickly, that comes with practice, it's a question of making what you're trying to say clear." Sara nodded and furrowed her brow in concentration before resuming their sign conversation.

Catherine slowly found herself watching the silent conversation and eventually put down the article she was reading and headed over to the coffee machine. "Either of you two want a cup?"

Sara looked at her and smiled with relief whilst nodding. Grissom shook his head slightly but watched as Sara took the proffered mug and wrapped her fingers around it, unused to using them so much it was much easier for her to practice when her fingers were warm.

Catherine glanced between them and tried to hide a smile. "So why did you decide to learn sign language then anyway?" she posed to Sara.

Sara glanced quickly at Grissom before answering, "It's just something I've wanted to do for a while and thought I should do it while I could take advantage of knowing someone to practice with." Catherine nodded, nothing interesting to note but a fair explanation. She downed her coffee, stood up and walked out of the break room.

Grissom simply looked at Sara and raised an eyebrow, "what?" Sara challenged. "Did you want to tell her the real reason?"

Grissom opened his mouth for a second before closing it and silently reaching for Catherine's discarded magazine. Sara watched him smugly, "thought not" she muttered.

How could they tell the team that Sara was learning sign language mainly to impress and communicate with Grissom's mum who was visiting them a week later. The team didn't know they were together yet. They hadn't directly lied about it, they just hadn't told the team that they had got together, not wanting to tell anybody until they were more confident. But then they had become comfortable being with each other and keeping their private life and work life separate and just never got around to telling the team.

They looked at each other for a few more moments. Grissom looked thoughtful for a moment before signing across to Sara, "Fancy an early night tonight when we get back home?" Sara saw his grin, it left no doubt about what was in his mind. She simply nodded before saying aloud that they needed to get back to work if they wanted to get away on time.

Over the next few days Sara and Grissom found themselves exchanging more and more ideas and secrets through signing even when they were working. Stating what they were planning to do to the other when they got home. It quite quickly got to the point where they both would die of embarrassment if it turned out any of the others could understand them. There was a safety in speaking like that in sign which made them feel safe doing it, whereas they probably wouldn't have been that graphic verbally if they were alone.

There again if they were alone they were more like to show each other than that bother to try and explain it.

Before a week was out Sara was pretty much fluent in signing and neither was even hesitating to use it in work.

It was the middle of a tough shift, everybody had been pulled onto the same case and they had all finally returned from the crime scene and dropped things off in the lab. Without a word all migrated to the break room and collapsed onto a chair or sofa the minute they walked through the door. After a few moments Catherine looked around the room, "Hey, where'd Grissom go?"

"Office" Sara replied. The only reason she had known was that the call for them to come in urgent had interrupted them that morning and Grissom didn't really want to be that close to her at the moment in case he said or did something stupid. He'd gone to the office to drop the file on his desk and try and focus on the work before joining them all in the break room. She could feel her cheeks blushing, they'd used that much energy on the case that she couldn't keep her frustration and embarrassment at the thoughts she was having hidden from her face.

To cover it up she forced herself to stand up and make her way towards the coffee machine, feeling caffeine would be of great use to her at the moment.

As she reached it and stood leaning against the work top Grissom entered. He saw her and all the serious thoughts he'd filled his mind with flew out of his head as he made his way to the table. He murmured her name quietly to get her attention. She looked up and smiled at him.

He grinned back and proceeded to sign something to her, the rest of the group looking on confused, staring in fascination at the flickering fingers conveying meanings they couldn't understand.

A loud clap suddenly interrupted them. They all looked towards the door sharply.

They all saw a stern looking woman there who none of them could place. They watched on in silence as she stared at Grissom and watched with fascination as she raised her hands slightly.

Grissom was staring at her hands and they flicked quickly from shape to shape, 'Gilbert Grissom! Don't you ever let me see you using language like that again. It makes me ashamed I taught you to sign.'

Sara had watched on in awe at the flickering hands, and finally allowed her eyes to go to the woman's face. She could see the resemblance within an instant, both sharing the piercing blue eyes.

Grissom flushed and replied quickly, 'Sorry mother.' He looked away, flustered, for a second before he looked at her, walked forward and embraced her.

'How are you mum? I'm so glad you came to visit. How was your journey?' Before he gave her time to respond he took her arm and walked her across the room.

'Mum, this is the woman I was telling you about, this is Sara, my girlfriend.'

Sara nodded her head slightly. 'Hello, Mrs. Grissom. It's a pleasure to meet you. Your son has told me so much about you.'

The woman quickly looked Sara up and down and glancing at her son gave a small nod of approval of Sara.