Title: Remnants of Easter
Author: Battus Philenor
Disclaimer: I can't have CSI, and they don't want this fic.
A/N: Response to the weekly Unbound challenge where the first and last lines are given.
"No, Grissom, I'm not going to let you shave my legs," Sara replied.
"But, wait what?"
"I said you're not going to shave my legs. Are you crazy?"
The look on his face was beyond bizarre, and Sara could not figure out why he would ask her such a ridiculous question.
"Sara, please—"
"Grissom, that's a very personal thing. Have you ever shaved anybody's legs?"
"Well, no but—"
"Grissom I said no! I mean, I'm assuming it's for one of your weird experiments of some sort, although I must admit I can't for the life of me figure out what that could be. But the answer is a definite no."
"But—"
"Really, I don't care what odd thing you're trying to prove or disprove. You just don't go around asking women if you can shave their legs Grissom. It's too… intimate. You won't even eat dinner with me, but you ask if you can shave my legs?"
He feared he had let her tirade go on much too long. "Sara, will you let me finish just one sentence please?"
"Fine, what?" Arms crossed and scowl firmly riveted on her face, she pursed her lips tightly trying to keep herself from picking up where she left off with her rant.
"I asked if I should save your eggs, not shave your legs. You know those little chocolate ones that you've had in the break room refrigerator since Easter? I'm trying to clean out some stuff to make room for an experiment in there."
Her arms loosened their grip on each other and the scowl fell from her face as the redness rose there in its place.
"Oh" was all she could manage to whisper out in her embarrassment.
Feeling badly about her embarrassment as well as the fact that he was apparently not the only one still thinking about that fateful dinner invitation, he figured now was a good time for them to talk.
"Sara come with me, I need to speak with you for a moment."
Still dazed and mortified, she silently followed him instead of risking further embarrassment by opening her mouth.
Shutting his office door behind them he waited for her to take a seat before going behind his desk to sit down.
"Grissom, I'm so sorry I jumped down your throat, I really thought that's what you said."
"It's ok. That would have been a rather odd thing to ask. I wanted to talk to you about the other thing."
"What other thing?"
"The dinner invitation."
"Oh God. Look, that was a while ago Grissom. I shouldn't have said anything then or now, I'm sorry."
Wondering exactly how much more embarrassing this could get for her; she contemplated the chances of him chasing her if she decided to just bolt from his office. Trying instead to concentrate on his every word; she found herself annoyed with him as his hands were fidgeting with something behind the large stacks of paperwork on his desk which were acting as a barrier between them.
"No, please I want to explain. I had a lot going on then, and I just wasn't ready for something like that to be added to the mix."
"It's ok Grissom, really. I understand. I just got some signals crossed and I acted inappropriately."
"No, you didn't. You didn't get any signals crossed. I'm sure I was sending out all sorts of mixed signals. I was having some personal issues and some things going on here at work."
Still fidgeting, his hands started roaming the whole length of his desk now as if he had a keyboard in front of him. Every so often she would catch a glimpse of a paperclip or a pen. Looking back up at her he continued his thought.
"I also had feelings for you Sara, but I was too weighed down by everything else to act on them. I wanted to wait until I had the other stuff figured out first."
"Really?'
"Really." His eyes and hands went back down to his desk. "But then you were there, right in front of me asking something that I'd been dreaming about asking you for quite some time. I just stood there frozen, not believing it was really happening. Before I knew it you were gone, and I felt like such a fool."
Relief began to wash over her as she thought back to that day and the way he just looked at her and said nothing. She had assumed that the thought was so disgusting to him, that he couldn't even think of a way to say no.
"I'm sorry you had so much going on."
She sat; continuing to watch his hands mysteriously working behind the papers, digesting the day's events.
"Is everything ok now Grissom?"
He looked up at her again from whatever task he was still occupying his hands with. "Yes, it is. I would like to tell you all about it, maybe over dinner?"
Smiling broadly at him, she nodded her head yes.
Letting out a ragged breath, he got up and came around to stand by her side. Holding an unsteady hand out to help her up from her chair he pulled her into a hug.
Unable to wipe the smile from her face she glanced down at his desk and her grin grew as she realized how nervous he'd been. The paperclips were arranged to spell out her name. The pens were lined up as if on a parade.
End
Battus philenor