"I did; let's get to work shall we?" Grissom announced coolly and got right to business. Sara loved the fact that he admitted their relationship in a way that left no room for discussion. She put her eyes back in her head and looked around the room. Everyone else had the same expression that she did; even Catherine. Grissom waited and then handed out assignments. After the shock wore off, word spread around the lab faster than the winds of a tornado. Ecklie tried to fire Sara, but Grissom threatened to quit if anything happened to her. Knowing how valuable Grissom was to the lab and how much money actually came in because of his reputation, Ecklie had no choice but to leave them alone. Grissom didn't usually pay attention to office politics, but that didn't mean he couldn't play the game. After a few days of idle gossip, the news died down and became a way of life for everyone.

A few months later, it was time for Sara to begin her thesis project. Her professors agreed that since her project would cover both degrees, she could do just the one project. She knocked on his office door to alert him of her presence and started talking at the same time.

"Grissom, I need to utilize your geekiness." She said and closed the door at the same time.

"Why?"

"It's for my thesis project. People won't question anything if you ask this favor; they will if I'm the one asking."

"Ask away." He said.

"Well, I'm doing my own decomposition project. I'm comparing the results of decomposition rates on pigs sprayed with male urine versus female urine. I need you to collect urine samples from everybody. Have the jars labeled with an 'M' or 'F' and the date. It's simple as that."

"Sure, I'll start today. You have your own specimen jars, right?"

"Yes. I have them; they're in my car. Will you go with me to get them?"

"Sure; you owe me." He said with a wink.

"I know." She added her own wink and led him out to the car. He carried two of the three boxes for her and they went back to his office. Sara, wanting to keep up appearances, left him there. He took one box with him to the break room after he also picked up that night's assignments.

"Before we begin, I have a request. A colleague of mine is performing a decomposition project and asked if I could help collect urine samples. Take a jar, label it with the date and gender then leave it in my office refrigerator. This should only take the next two days or so. Extra specimen jars are in my office as well."

"Great, give me one." Sara snatched the jar out of his hand and ran out of the room. Her urgency prompted everyone to make a pre-emptive trip to the restroom. After he'd sent everyone out, he tracked down as many people as he could find to gain their assistance as well.

Three days later, Sara's jars were all filled and she had set out to begin her experiment. She'd had to add a fourth pig into the mix because when she tested all of the female urine for pregnancy, some of it came back as positive. She'd found a location on fairly level ground that she could spread out and perform on all four pigs at the same time. She used large cages to hold her cameras and keep the larger animals out. The first pig was control pig with no fluids at all. The second pig was sprayed with the male urine, the third was doused in the female urine and the last pig was the one with the pregnant female urine. She used natural elements instead of heat lamps to accelerate the process. Grissom was eager to see her results and she allowed him to tag along once a week as long as he kept his observations to himself. She also allowed him to go record data and change the tape in the camcorder if she to work late.

It took six months from when she collected the urine samples until the pigs were all decomposed beyond recognition. It was time for her to start analyzing her notes, pictures and the videos. Grissom understood when her research began to take up all of her free time. He remembered doing the same thing. He actually admired her for pursuing two doctorates at once. He tried to be supportive and not respected her decision not to tell everyone. She wanted them to find out after her graduation, but not before. The one thing he did ask was that she spend breakfast and dinner with him. She took it a step further because at this point, she was basically living with him. She was only using her place to put her thesis together.

One day a few months later, Grissom decided to be assertive at breakfast.

"Sara, take the day off and spend it with me. I want to take you out. I want to be with you today." She thought about it for a minute.

"Ok, one day won't hurt anything. I'm just about ready to start writing my paper. My results were fascinating." She said to bait him.

"How so?"

"You'll have to wait and see. So, where are we going?"

"Lot's of places; I actually am in the mood to do a little bit of shopping." He said, shocking them both. She didn't know he had a specific destination in mind.

"Shopping; for what?"

"I think I need a new suit, maybe some nice sheets for the bed. I also like to people watch." She thought for a minute. She didn't like shopping at all, but she loved spending time with Gil. If it made him happy, she was willing to do it.

"Ok, you're in charge." He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her.

"Thank you; now go get ready." She nodded and he took her dishes from her to put them in the dishwasher.

"Can I ask you something?" The one true destination he had for planning this excursion was approaching, so he started idle conversation.

"Sure, you can ask me anything." She was holding his hand and strolling along side him, looking in all the store front windows.

"What's your opinion about lifetime commitments?" She looked at him, but he was staring straight ahead, watching where they were walking.

"I think they're not to be taken lightly. I think it's something that requires a lot of thought before any decision is made." He stopped and looked at her. He knew she hadn't yet seen where they were standing.

"I couldn't agree with you more. Do you realize that ten months ago today you challenged me to kiss you? You were wearing that pregnancy belly."

"I've been so busy with my thesis lately, I'm sorry. I remember the day vividly, but didn't realize the date." He stroked her cheek affectionately and brushed a kiss across her lips.

"That's good. I've been thinking and wondering how you felt about committing the rest of your life to me?"

"What?" He smiled; he knew he surprised her.

"I love you, Sara. Marry me." She stared in his eyes and felt her own mist up.

"Yes. I love you too." She threw her arms around his neck. He kissed her and then led her inside the jewelry store. She looked at him and he winked. Now, she knew the real reason for this excursion. The new suit and sheets; it all made sense. He held her in front of him as they looked at wedding sets. Sara had more fun in the jewelry store than she thought she would. They had their fingers sized and then tried on several different rings. Sara chose an engagement ring without a raised diamond so that it wouldn't get caught on her gloves at work. It was actually a traditional wedding band for most women, but Sara customized her ring. She had chosen a flat band with each of their birthstones; a peridot and a sapphire. Her wedding band would be plain gold to match Gil's. She smiled up at him as he handed over his credit card. He was surprised by her sentimentality. She turned in his arms and hugged him tightly. Because the ring was customized, they had to wait a week or so before they could pick it up. He said he would pick up the bands as well. He took her to lunch after that and then a walk down the strip.

"You make me happy." He told her.

"You make me happy, too." She said. He released her hand and placed his arm around her shoulder. She laid her head on his and they discussed future plans.

One month later, Sara finished her thesis. She was proud because she turned it in with enough time left in the semester to be able to graduate. She wasn't going to participate in the ceremony, but Gil's urgings prompted her to agree.

"I've got an idea." He said.

"I knew you did." She said with a smile. They were laying in bed on a Saturday morning. They had just gotten home from work and finished breakfast.

"This is a good way to celebrate and let the gang in on your secret. Let's use your graduation day as our wedding day."

"Well, we'll all be dressed up anyway…ok, let's do it" Sara turned her body to roll on top of him and kiss him. They were still christening the new house they had moved into the week before. It was in Catherine's neighborhood about four streets away from her. Somehow, they managed to keep most of their things and make it fit into the new house. Sacrificed items included her couch, his recliner his dishes, and her glassware.

On the anniversary of their first kiss, Sara graduated with honors. Grissom proudly sat with the team and he knew that they were confused. All he did was ask them to join him at the graduation. He looked at their faces after Sara had received her two diplomas. Shock was written all over them. He smiled and took a picture of them.

Afterwards, the gang revealed their surprise and offered their congratulations. Greg was the one to point out that with two doctorate degrees, Sara now had more education than Grissom. Her thesis was published and she was being referred to as 'the next Gil Grissom'. They all had a great laugh when one of her professors had come to tell them that. Grissom cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around Sara's waist.

"We would like you to join us at the church. We are getting married today."

"Let's go then!" Brass led the group to the cars.

Two hours later, Dr. Sara Sidle became Dr. Sara Grissom.

"So Sara, way back when Grissom collected our urine for us, it was for you?" Sofia asked.

"Yes. My experiment determined how urine affected decomposition. My twist was I sprayed one pig with male urine, one pig with female urine, and a third pig with a pregnant female urine, then of course there was my fourth pig with no urine at all."

"Did the extra hormones from pregnancy affect the rate?" Nick asked.

"Yes. It decomposed the fastest, followed by the female urine, the control pig and the male urine last. It was fascinating."

"So who is pregnant, I wonder." Catherine mused.

"I don't know. Nobody I've seen has shown any signs of pregnancy. Maybe it was a miscarriage." Sara shrugged. They went out for dinner to celebrate the wedding and Sara's graduation.

That night, Ecklie tracked them down.

"Gil and Sara, I want to offer my congratulations. Sara, I just received a phone call asking if you would be a presenter at a conference in Miami. They were very interested in your research. Here's the information, I strongly recommend you consider it." He handed her a packet.

"Thank you; I'll think about it." Ecklie nodded and left the couple alone.

Sara accepted the conference and Gil went with her. They took a few extra days to stretch out the trip into their honeymoon. Labs all over the country constantly called, trying to recruit Sara. She, Gil and Ecklie always politely refused. She was happy in Vegas with her friends and Gil. They never had any children for several reasons, but they were happy to teach everyone around them the fine art of forensic science and entomology.

The gang did a short community outreach program inspired and piloted by Sara, to educate school age children about how to solve crimes. The mayor gave them each an award for their service to the city and kept the funding going so that it could become a yearly event. By the time Sara retired, forensics was one of the toughest programs to be accepted into by colleges across the nation. She and Grissom spent the rest of their days consulting, presenting, traveling and loving each other.

THE END

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A/N: So there it is, what did you think?

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews I have received on this story. I will hopefully begin posting again soon. As it stands right now, my muse is still being a pain in the ass and not inspiring Confidentiality. I do hope she comes back soon. Thank you all for your patience and a big thanks to Wanda, The Beta Goddess; you rock! Have a great day everyone! Kelly