Thanks to Klee Wyck for her encouragement, and for a rousing game of Scrabulous.

---

It would probably surprise you to learn that I haven't known Gil Grissom all his life. It's a common misconception, I think, that we're around from the start.

But no, I met Gil Grissom when he was a charming little two-year-old. He had pudgy cheeks and a messy head of curls, no matter how often his mother tried to tame them. He walked unsteadily but ran like a gazelle, and he had big, beautiful blue eyes.

We're all inclined to be proud of our people, I know, but I was prouder than most. Because my person was smart. He could speak in complete sentences, and knew dozens of ASL signs, and could pick out shapes and colors... Most days I just sat back and watched him, terribly pleased at how brilliant he was.

But then, on a cold day in January, Mr. Grissom decided to build a fire in the fireplace.

It was overcast outside, leaving the air thick and gray. And so, when the orange flames flickered merrily, little Gil's attention was drawn.

Let's sit quietly on the carpet, I said to him, relaxing on his shoulder. His fluffy hair made a nice pillow. We can watch the fire, and enjoy its warmth–

Let's touch it!

I started in surprise. This was a new voice, and when I leaned back, I could make out another figure, sitting on Gil's left shoulder. Who are you? I asked indignantly.

The fire is so pretty, the voice continued. Let's touch it with our fingers! Let's hold it in the palm of our–

And that's how Gil burned his poor little fingers, and that's also how I first met Devil.

He didn't admire Gil's intellect or kind nature. No, Devil was too preoccupied with things that were shiny or sweet. He had an uncanny ability to sense freshly baked cookies within a fifty-foot radius, and he always encouraged Gil to steal them off the counter. Devil led Gil up a tree that was too scary to climb down. He led him into a narrow drainage pipe and, on one frightening day, out on the roof. I yelled and screamed and tugged hard on Gil's curls until he crawled back in the attic window, and Devil promptly encouraged him to eat a spider from the windowsill.

It's safe to say I wasn't a fan of this new guy.

It was Devil who first noticed girls, before either Gil or I realized they existed.

She's pretty, he breathed one day, as Gil held a caterpillar in his hands.

It's a he, actually, I corrected him. You can tell, because–

Not the caterpillar; that girl over there, he said loudly. I could practically hear him rolling his eyes at me. Look at how pretty her hair is. And she has a nice smile.

Gil peeked up from behind his hands. I looked too. The girl was pretty... I guess.

We should ask her for a kiss, Devil said.

Gross! I gasped.

But Gil was walking over to her, holding out the caterpillar as if it were the most spectacular gift in the world. "Hello."

The girl looked surprised. "Hi, Gil."

"Would you like a caterpillar?"

"Um... sure." She took the furry little guy carefully out of Gil's hands. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Can I have a kiss now?"

Nice! Devil cheered. That was so smooth!

"I'm not kissing anyone until I'm married," the girl said pertly, turning and walking away.

See? We never should have bothered with girls, I said.

Let's give her Grandma's ring tomorrow, Devil said.

---

Over the years, Devil and I came to a sort of truce. We didn't like each other, or respect each other, but it was clear enough that we were going to be stuck with one another for a while. He stayed on Gil's left shoulder, and I stayed on his right shoulder (which was ever so much nicer... I know for a fact that there was an unfortunate-looking mole on Devil's side).

On my advice, Gil studied hard and earned a scholarship to college. He advanced quickly in his career, remembered to send his mother flowers on her birthday, and stopped to give homeless people spare change. He kept his home tidy, recycled bottles and cans, and always remembered to floss.

On Devil's advice, Gil had sex with eight women (twice without a condom), gambled, drank scotch, and bought a BMW.

Overall, I was the clear winner. Sure, Gil occasionally sided with Devil, but mostly he sided with me. Just depended on which ear he'd listen with.

Until the strangest thing happened.

We were at yet another mind-numbingly boring conference (hey, I'm an Angel, but I'm no saint) when this beautiful young woman came up to us. She had a ton of questions, and almost before Gil could finish answering one she'd move right on to the next.

I could feel Gil's pulse quickening as they talked. He liked this girl.

We should ask her out to dinner, I told him, stroking his earlobe gently. She's very sweet, and she likes us back.

We should get a motel room, Devil said. I mean, look at those amazing legs of hers... just imagine what they'd look like shoved over her head–

"Well, it was nice meeting you," Gil said. "If you have any more questions, just email me."

He shook her hand, smiled, and left.

Devil and I were both silent the rest of the evening.

That was a first.

Gil had always listened to one of us, always. It was me or Devil, but never was it neither of us.

We could've gotten laid big-time, Devil muttered as Gil settled down to go to sleep.

I hope she emails us, I said.

Gil let out a sigh.

---

She did email, and Gil emailed back. He'd check his computer twenty times a day, lighting up whenever he had a new message from her.

We should tap that hottie over in Trace, Devil said. Someone who's, you know, actually in the same state as us.

But Gil seemed content with his emails. There were occasional phone calls, ones that made his voice a little squeaky. He always smiled a lot after the phone calls. I kept telling him to invite her out for a visit, but he'd get distracted by some bug or other.

And then, something awful happened. The new CSI, that naïve but rather nice girl named Holly, got shot at a crime scene. And Gil was told to find someone to do the internal investigation. He called Sara up, and she arrived looking happy and energetic, and there was an opening on the team now that Holly was gone...

Don't offer her the job, I told him. She'd be too much of a distraction for us at work.

Don't offer her the job, Devil told him. We should just take her out, get her drunk, get some ass and put her back on a plane.

He offered her the job, and Devil and I sulked for the rest of the day.

---

It's not as if we didn't have pull anymore, believe me. I guided him through several important cases, and I helped him manage his stress. Devil sent him out to dinner with some blonde named Teri, but I made sure work came first that night.

Work was important, yes, but I have to admit: I had ulterior motives. Sara was growing on me. She was beautiful, I don't remember if I mentioned that, and her voice did funny things to all three of us. She was as smart as Gil, and that was saying something. Devil liked to remind Gil that she was fifteen years younger, and could have pretty much any guy she wanted. I reminded Gil that sometimes, companionship was nice, and Sara was someone he could grow old with.

"Would you like to have dinner with me?" she asked one day.

Say yes, I said excitedly. Oh, Gil, say yes!

No way will she want us once she finds out we're going deaf, Devil said archly.

"No," Gil said, and Sara froze.

I swear, if Gil's neck hadn't been in the way, I would've gone over there and fucked Devil up.

---

Gil pushed Sara further and further away, and Devil couldn't have been more delighted.

Check out that new chick with the funky accent, he whispered to Gil. She looks easy.

Sara, I'd admit, was anything but easy. She was hot-tempered, and never failed to call Gil out when he was being an idiot. She had high standards and a firm code of ethics, and sometimes when she was going off on one of her self-righteous tangents I wanted to jump off Gil's shoulder and just press my lips to hers to get her to stop talking.

Doesn't really work that way, unfortunately.

Time went by, and Gil fell deeper. And the deeper he fell, the more he listened to my left-sided nemesis.

Don't look at her, Devil would say. Act like she's just a bug on your shoe.

Then he'd look at her all day long, I'd retort.

I was beginning to think things were hopeless. Even after Sara opened up to him, all Gil did was hold her hand. We were destined to be alone, I decided. The three of us; a lonely, sad trinity for all time.

And then, one of our CSI's was taken.

---

He was banging on Sara's door. His shoulders were shaking, and I had to hold on tight to his collar so I didn't fall off.

What are you doing? Devil shouted. She won't want us, you idiot!

But when Sara opened the door to him that evening, she opened her arms to him, too.

Devil would probably tell you that they spent the night testing the firmness of her mattress, and that the headboard had left big dents in the wall. But the truth is a whole lot better than that. There was a lot of hugging, and then some peppermint tea. Then they did a crossword puzzle together, and then they hugged some more. They fell asleep on the couch still holding each other, and when Gil woke up at one point, he watched Sara sleep for a long time.

The kiss Sara gave him when he left the next morning was enough to make me smile for the next two days.

Gil, too.

---

Things with Sara were easier than all three of us could have ever hoped. She was sweet and considerate and a little bit shy, and Gil was exactly the same way. One night, they danced together in her apartment when a slow song came on the radio. She laid her head on his right shoulder, and I kissed her hair softly.

For the most part, Gil took my relationship advice, which drove Devil crazy. He was always trying to make Gil feel insecure, inadequate. He told him that Sara would soon be looking elsewhere to find a man, because really, what woman finds gray hair attractive?

But then Sara told Hodges she found gray hair attractive, and I gloated all day long.

They had a few small arguments, and two big ones. But when I reminded him of what it felt like to hold her, Gil was quick to apologize. He was getting better at compromising, which is saying something. It's hard to go half a century behaving one way and then try to change.

Things were lovely. Two years, two entire years of love and affection and having someone who cared about us like no one ever had before. Two years of kisses and the kinds of soulful looks that made Gil's knees weak.

And then, Sara was gone.

---

She's dead, Devil groaned, over and over again. Sara's dead, she's vulture food by now.

She's alive, I insisted, swallowing hard. She's strong, Gil, she's a survivor. We need to keep looking.

I'd never felt like this before. It was as if someone had picked me up and set me upside down on the wrong shoulder. Up was down, right was wrong, and Sara... our Sara was gone.

Oh no. Gil caught sight of a boot in the sand, and Devil started to moan. Sara's dead, Sara's dead, Sara's dead... Even when it wasn't her foot, even when Nick found her miles away, Devil kept muttering that phrase. Sara's dead...

I was too frightened to speak. All I could do was hug Gil's neck, and hope.

---

"Can you help me?"

Sara was standing by the closet, looking pitiful. And completely topless.

"Of course, sweetie," Gil said, reaching her side at once.

"I can't even put my own bra on," she pouted. "This sucks."

He looked at her for a moment, then pulled her in rather suddenly for a tight hug, making her gasp in surprise.

"Grissom?"

"I'm just so glad you're here," he murmured, kissing her shoulder. He didn't see the glitter of tears in her eyes, or the way the lines in her face smoothed when he rubbed her back lightly.

She loves us, I breathed.

Devil didn't argue.

---

The weeks went by, and Gil fell a little deeper in love. The stakes were high, but I think he'd figured out that they were both in deep. There's something to be said for having company.

She came to visit him while he worked. She wore a bee mask and a wide smile.

"You know, maybe we should get married," Gil said.

Devil sputtered in surprise.

So did I.

So did Sara.

Then she was stung by a bee, and Gil startled babbling while he tended to the stinger.

Don't push it, Devil warned him. She would've said yes already if that were her answer.

But I was looking at Sara's face, at her tender expression. Ask her again, I coaxed.

And, just as I'd thought, her answer was yes.

The following night, the three of us became the four of us.

---

Sara was crying for nine minutes and twenty-seven seconds before Gil woke up. Nearly nine and a half minutes of Devil and I watching her weep, both of us uncharacteristically quiet.

The stakes were so high now, that even we were in on it.

"Honey?" Gil blinked, waking up quickly. "Sara? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, go back to sleep," she whispered.

Please don't leave us, Devil said tremulously.

"Sara?"

"I'm just happy," she said finally, laughing at herself. "It's stupid, I know, I'm just–"

And then he was kissing her, and then he was loving her. She kept touching her ring and his ring, and there was a tear running down his cheek now, too.

I think I even heard Devil sniffling.

They fell back to sleep as the late morning sun crept into the room. The light tickled Sara's bare skin as she pressed her cheek against Gil's right shoulder.

Life will never be like this again, Devil said dully.

No, I agreed, settling my head against Sara's hair and closing my eyes. It'll only get better from here.

The End