AN: I don't own them, but they are on my Christmas Wish List. As always only the idea is mine everything else belongs to their owners and/or creators I'm just borrowing for a little while. For anyone wishing to watch The Christmas Wish movie that inspired this work of fiction check the ABC Family listings I believe its on Christmas Day 2006.

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"How dressy is this place?" Sara asked as she unzipped her garment bag, cocking her head as she considered the options. She'd packed a couple of the dresses she'd bought on her shopping trip with Catherine, but wasn't sure which would be best for tonight.

"It's not formal. I'm not even going to wear a tie." He pointed out as he focused on gathering the things he'd need; his shaving kit pewter dress shirt, black slacks and matching jacket. "I'll shower and dress in the bathroom."

Gil turned away from Sara, moving quickly into the bathroom before the sight of her made him forget his plans for a romantic dinner date. She was wrapped in a dark green bath towel that left her water kissed ivory skin exposed to his gaze, but still taunted him with unseen pleasure. Breathing slowly and deeply he turned on the shower and tried to regain control.

Once again in control and determined to follow his plan, Gil exited the bathroom to watch Sara apply the final touches to her outfit as she tightened her leather watchband. Turning to face him, she held out her charm bracelet in an unspoken request for him to help her. Crossing the room she smiled at him while his appreciative gaze lingered on the chocolate colored fabric that hugged her figured. The gentle swell of her breasts was accented by the delicate gold detail stitching around the neck and waist.

He was overly aware of the bed behind them, and the way her skin felt against his, so he quickly hustled her out of the apartment rather than succumb to temptation. It was only when they stood in front of the building waiting for a cab that he finally touched her; his palm under her coat stroking small circles onto her back through the velvety skirt and top.

"Now are you going to tell me where we're going for dinner?" With a small smile Grissom once again avoided the question, mostly because he found himself rendered speechless by how beautiful she looked the outfit so typically Sara, the simple cut and color exuded comfort and elegance.

"I'm taking you to a place I saw on HGTV a while back." Sara chuckled and he raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"I just never pictured you watching cooking and decorating shows." Sara started getting control of her laughter when Gil gave her a little pout. "What's so special about this place?"

"It allows me to combine my favorite things." At the cold burst of wind he pulled Sara closer with his good hand until she was snuggled close to his side.

"Hmm bugs, baseball and crossword puzzles?" Sara guessed, noticing the doorman's amused look at their conversation.

"No silly." Reaching out he tapped the tip of her nose with his index finger. "Two of my favorites are good food and a great bottle of wine."

Sara blushed, but was prevented from asking what his other favorites were when the yellow mini van taxi pulled up. Grissom gave the driver the cross streets of their destination as Sara buckled her seatbelt. Once he shut the door they were both startled when the lights began to flash and the driver turned around and said in a deep announcer-like voice "Welcome to the Cash Cab. Well we're going 43 blocks so that lots of time to win lots of money as you answer general knowledge questions, but if you answer three questions wrong I'll pull over, kick you to the curb and that will be the end of your ride. So are you ready to play?"

She looked at Gil, who had that smirk, the one usually reserved for cases with irrefutable evidence, and she found herself smiling back. This would be like taking candy from a baby. "Sure."

"Who do we have with us today?"

"I'm Sara and he's Gil."

"So where you heading?"

"Dinner." Grissom answered quickly.

"Questions start at $25. The first one is…In the drink, what are the components of a Screwdriver?

"Vodka and orange juice." Gil answered smoothly. He hadn't planned this, but relaxed a little more when he noticed Sara's pursed smile and knew she was enjoying this little adventure too.

"Exactly. How many bits are there in a byte?"

Grissom turned to Sara unsure of the answer, but certain she knew. "Eight." He grinned at the assurance in her voice and repeated her reply.

"That's correct you've won $50. Alison Hannigan played which character in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer?"

Again Gil turned to Sara. "Willow Rosenberg." She told him confidently, he raised an eyebrow in surprise; it wasn't a show he'd anticipated Sara would watch. She shrugged her shoulders as if to say she had interests other than forensics and physics.

The questions and answers continued back and forth as they were driven down the streets of New York City.

"Now for your final question. Which pancake flour invented in 1889 was the first ready-mix food to be sold commercially?"

"Aunt Jemima?" Sara suggested. It was the only brand that came to mind, probably because she had a box in her kitchen.

"We'll go with that answer. Aunt Jemima." Grissom told the game show host.

"That's absolutely… correct. Congratulations. Well you've won $1250. I can give you the cash now, or you can go for double or nothing on a video challenge."

"Your choice Honey."

Sara glanced from Gil to the driver weighing whether or not to take a risk. Looking back at Gil she was suddenly reminded of what he'd said so long ago and the risks he'd taken this week. "Let's go for it Gil. I think the other risks we've taken this week have paid off. Don't you?"

"Yeah I do. We'll play."

They watched a 30-second video talking about Scrabble tournaments. Then the cabbie turned and asked the final question. "Who created the word game Scrabble?"

Sara shrugged it wasn't something she knew. Gil looked directly at the clean shaven cab driver and simply said. "Alfred Butts."

The driver handed him the $2500 as the pair exited the cab, Gil folded the cash and slipped it into her hand. Sara was going to protest, but couldn't find the words as his vibrant blue eyes locked with hers. She dropped the wad into her purse without breaking eye contact. Neither noticed how long they stood on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant until Sara shivered.

"Let's get you inside." Gently wrapping an arm around her back he turned her back toward the restaurant. The name caught her attention as they passed through the entrance; Duvet. As they were guided to their 'table' Sara realized that Duvet wasn't like anything the restaurant she'd been expecting on the ride over.

A bright, beautiful and luxurious establishment, there were banquettes, tables and chairs, but it was also very unique. When the maitre de stopped in front of a large white canopied bed her eyes were huge as she looked from it back to Gil and back again, noticing how other parties were lounging on other beds enjoying a gourmet meal. Stepping behind her, Gil bent closer and whispered in her ear. "I forgot to mention that it includes two of my other favorite things."

"Oh?" Sara asked letting one hand stroke the curve of white silky linens as they dipped from the vibrant colored pillows down to the mattress and tried to figure out the best way to situate herself.

Once she was settled and the wine ordered, he leaned close again. "You and a queen sized bed." He captured her lips in a sweet kiss that was full of promise. Unlike the other kisses she'd received in the last twenty-four hours, this one had her toes curling, blood pumping and body tingling.

"Wow you're just full of surprises tonight." Sara caressed his cheek gently as she stared into his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you said to be become an expert in everything else. It's just I'm kind of still surprised by which questions you knew."

"Oh?" The white wine had arrived and he sipped the dry smooth liquid watching the way the light bounced off the highlights in Sara's hair.

"Gil you knew the names of all the Charlie's Angels from both the series and the movies."

He shrugged, "Well it was a very popular show when I was in College."

"Hmm." Sara sipped her wine. Holding his breath he watched the way her eyes closed and the little smile of delight as she savored the flavors.

"Before you ask, no I didn't have a Farrah poster." He loved watching Sara smile and laugh. This was the Sara of his fantasies and he was determined to give her another wonderful memory to replace the hurt he'd caused.

"Why not?"

"Because even then I was far more interested in the leggy, intelligent brunette than the flashy blonde." Gentle fingers brushed a dark curl behind her ear as Sara blushed, the compliment reminding her how foolishly she'd worried about Sophia's flirting and Gil taking her to dinner last year.

The waiter brought out the dishes he'd ordered and Gil watched Sara's smile as she took her first bites of the mixed greens with vinaigrette and wild mushroom risotto. Unlike other women he'd dated the conversation flowed easily as they ate. By the time she was finished eating, the tender touches and kisses gave him the confidence to move the date to the next level. "It's time to go Honey."

Sara lifted her eyes to his and smiled taking the hand he offered helping her up from the bed. Dinner and the last two hours had flown by; Gil Grissom was a charming and romantic companion. While they sipped wine and ate good food, their conversation covered their eclectic interests punctuated by stories from the past, gentle smiles and caresses. She was warm and cozy both inside and out as she watched him button up the wool coat he'd given her that first night and wondered which man was the real Gil Grissom; the enigmatic scientist, the romantic poet or the nurturing boyfriend. When his hands roamed up her arms she decided he was an enchanting combination of all three. "Thank you for bringing me here."

His hands moved up to cup her face as he kissed her softly while they waited for a cab. "It was my pleasure." His hands made the return trip down her arms until his fingers entwined with hers. When the taxi pulled up he told the driver their destination was at the cross streets of 5th Avenue and 42nd Street.

Sara watched him as the cab pulled away from the curb and drove down the unfamiliar streets. Gil's thumb was brushing an arch across the back of the hand he was still holding and was playing havoc with her senses. She wondered what he had planned as she studied the contrast of his tanned skin entangled with hers. Sara licked her lips as her mind conjured images of more entangled bare skin.

Perhaps the greatest surprise of the evening was Gil engaging in public displays of affection. Yet there was no denying that his affection had been unrestrained, he'd touched and kissed her without reservation. She loved the warmth of his hand resting at her waist, the subtle equality in their interlaced fingers and sweet kisses that hinted at an underlying passion.

She was pulled out of her reverie when he tugged her hand, pulling her out of the cab. Gil kept hold of her hand, letting go only long enough to pull out his wallet to pay the driver and as soon as the leather billfold was back in his pocket he interlaced their fingers again.

"Gil why are we at the New York Public Library?" Sara studied the huge marble lion regally lying on the block base in front of her. "I haven't been here since I left Harvard."

He smiled as he rubbed his hand down her back. "They have names, you know."

"Really?"

"Mayor LaGuardia named them Patience and Fortitude, for the qualities needed to survive the depression." He turned to face her, "Both qualities you have in abundance. Honey without them, we wouldn't be standing here." With his injured hand he brushed his fingertips down her cheekbone. "I wanted to bring you somewhere special for your final gift."

Releasing her hand he pulled out the final box as Sara shed her gloves anxious peel off the paper. Inside the box was a small heart shaped porcelain box covered with delicately painted butterflies and bugs.

"Before I met you, all I had were my insects. Then you came along with your beauty, passion, and courage suddenly there was this whole new world opened up for me. One that I'd forgotten existed, it scared me and it took a long time for me to get here, but I'm here now and Sara I love you with all my heart."

"I love you too."

"Open the box Sweetheart." He urged. Sara flipped the top up, inside was a small seated lion that resembled the one they stood in front of. "A little reminder that I love you so very much."

Winding her arms around his neck Sara pressed herself into him watching as his head slowly descended before closing her eyes and savoring the feel of him as he brushed his lips over hers. The kiss deepened when she opened up to him, his hands cradled her face as his tongue explored her mouth. Needing air his lips relinquished hers to trail kisses along her jaw and throat trailing up to her ear. "Let's get back to the apartment."

As the taxi door closed she slid closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder as he held her close. Sara knew they would make love tonight, taking this relationship to the next level and couldn't contain her grin as she hummed along with the song on the radio. He bent his head down until she could feel the warm breath wafting over her ear as he spoke making her giggle. His lips captured hers swallowing her laughter and anything else she might have said, but his words echoed in the small car even as they kissed. "You know what they say, if you get caught between the moon and New York City…."

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AN: Cash Cab is a great game-show aired on Discovery channel. The restaurant mentioned is real and was highlighted on HGTV, the food looks delicious and the environment beautiful. More about the NYPL lions can be found on the New York City Public Library web page.

This story started out as a challenge to include the following 10 elements and it has taken more than a year to do it, but I couldn't have done it without you the readers and reviewers who have this journey with me, I am so grateful for all your support, advice and reviews you have kept me going when it seemed to hard. My special thanks go to Daphne who was kind enough to beta the recent chapters and never let me settle for anything but the best. All that remains now that the challenge has been met is to post a short epilogue posted by Christmas.

1.) Mention of Nick's new mustache
2.) The lady from Big Middle comes back (the heavyset woman that asks
Grissom if he wants a girlfriend)
3.) Sara plays guitar
4.) include a lucky rabbit's foot, chicken soup, and a new snack made from Triscuits or Ritz Crackers
5.) Griss and Sara's first kiss in a instant photo booth
6.) Something very silly brings Grissom and Sara together
7.) A Christmas or Birthday party (you decide)
8.) Include something with Batman
9.) Grissom breaks his wrist
10. End with the line "You know what they say, if you get caught between the moon and New York City"

I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I've enjoyed writing this...Elle