Mementos
By Wicked Whispers
Disclaimer: I only borrow them when the mood takes me
A/N: I am a sentimental fool at heart, and I do keep mementos. This story came about as a result of me finding a florists card I received nearly 5 years ago from my partner with 3 little words on it. It got me thinking and voila… I ended up with mush! Enjoy!
R/R appreciated and welcomed.
Mementos
" Well, that's the last of it" Sara said to herself, a tinge of sorrow in her voice. Taking a marker she wrote 'bedroom stuff' on one side of the box. She stood up and looked around; boxes upon boxes surrounded her, her life all neatly packed away. She was startled by the stark bareness of the room. The walls bare, where pictures of her family and friends once decorated the room. Most of her other belongings had already been moved to her new place and the living room looked empty, her footsteps echoing as she moved from room to room making sure she hadn't left anything behind.
She felt her stomach sink slightly, the realisation of the situation hitting home.
No… not now! I can't be having second thoughts now. Everything's too far-gone now to be having regrets about leaving…
Sara chided herself. This is silly. This is about new beginnings, starting a new life, new experiences. But still the feeling was there, the realisation of what she was leaving behind, that little piece of her life that would remain forever within these four walls.
~~
" You actually have some cool stuff!" Greg said surprised, his eyes scanning the room. It put Sara in mind of a child in a sweet shop. " Hey…Blondie – I haven't heard this one in a while!" Greg stuck on the CD he'd found and turned back to Sara's CD collection. Nick turned to Sara " You're sure about this Sara… I mean, if I was in your position… I don't think I could do it." Sara laughed softly. " If it were you I'd be worried". It was Nick's turn to laugh " Yeah… but you… giving away your stuff… I mean… it's just…" " Not like you at all Sara!" Greg interjected, grinning manically and his two friends. Sara just shrugged her shoulders. " Just put it down to the new me". "But to sell your scanner equipment… Isn't that a little drastic? Don't you want to take it with you?" Sara just smiled at the incredulous look on her friends face. "Time to move on Nicky, time to enjoy and find other distractions". " Well… if you're completely sure…" Nick said, moving over to the table to lift the various pieces of equipment. " WAIT! " Sara darted over to Nick, " You'll damage it lifting it like that- look… you've bent the antenna" she had a scowl on her face. Nick laughed. " Yeah Sara, you're moving on…" Sara grimaced " its just going to take a while for me to adjust… that's all".
~~
The removal men would be back in half an hour. Sara decided to sit down on one of the larger, sturdier boxes. She pulled a small piece of card out of her pocket. It had gotten a little crumpled in her back pocket but it was still in one piece. She sat there for a moment, just looking at it; a small card that was slightly tattered and curled at the edges from incessant handling and reading. She thumbed it, trying to straighten the edges, like she had done many times before. She had kept it along with the envelope it came in. She would sometimes take it from the drawer of her dresser in the bedroom where she kept it, and would look at it, much like she was doing now.
Why she had kept it? Sara wasn't always sure of the reason herself. Most people forget about the cards and once the flowers have expired, the card and its sentiment would be discarded along with the faded blooms. Sara never really considered herself to be sentimental about such things. She never kept cards she received unless there was something about them that had captured and held her attention. This card certainly had.
It wasn't even his handwriting. She knew it was the florists but there was something about seeing his name on the small white card; something that stirred inside her when she read her name along side his.
To Sara. From Grissom
It was a simple, if not cryptic message. It was enough though… enough to have stopped her from leaving that time. She flipped the card over again and studied it. Why had she still kept it, all this time? So many things have changed. Things had been really good, then the whole Hank situation and the problems that brought with it. The confusion was the worst though she remembered. She never wanted to go through that again. Sara sighed. She knew why she had kept it. It was a reminder of what once was… and the changes that had brought about the situation that she faced now.
The knock at the door signalled the arrival of the removal men. She stood watching as they loaded the remainder of her belongings into the van. When the shutter on the truck was locked Sara took a minute to take one last look around the place. This was once her house, but it was never her home she noted. Making sure the windows were locked she turned and closed the door for the last time the room empty but for a small card lying on the kitchen counter.
(Some time later)
She was standing at the door struggling with the box she was carrying. She had reached the front door but realised that she hadn't picked up her new keys. She thought about trying the door, to see if it was open but realised that she couldn't without the box falling and emptying it contents all over the place.
" Let me take that for you" A pair of hands steadied the box before taking it out of her sore arms. " Thanks" His piercing blues studied her, her face flustered as she rubbed her arms, trying to get the circulation going again. He threw her a set of keys, which she caught almost instinctively, smiling as she put them in her pocket. " Uh… Sara?" He asked, a perplexed look on his face. " Yep?" Sara replied having made her way into her new house. " Just how many more of these are there?" he said gesturing to the box he was struggling with in his arms. " Just a few!" She smiled. Wrapping her arms around his mid-section she kissed his cheek lightly. " Relax Grissom…" She said softly, kissing him on the lips this time. His expression softened slightly as he set the box down. Sara darted out past him before he could say another word.
He could only smile to himself as he observed Sara take charge of the unloading, directing the removal men where each box was to go, watching as her scowl when they didn't listen to her. On of the removal men gave Grissom a look, which made him laugh. He heard the larger of the two guys say to the other ' rather him than me, mate', which made Grissom laugh even more. When it came to Sara taking charge of a case, Grissom knew what to expect. When it came to 'Grissom and Sara'… well it was different. Different in a good way he had tried to explain to her. They were both still finding things out about the other, not just physically or emotionally, and with the barriers having been broken down on both sides they were both learning things about themselves. No matter what fears or insecurities they may have about the future they both knew they had a strong foundation, the events and misunderstandings of the last year having proved that.
The hustle and bustle of moving in quietened down and the men left. As Sara watched the van pull out of the driveway Grissom walked up behind Sara and put his arms around her. Sara relaxed back into the embrace, enjoying the moment. She turned her head towards his, smiling as his lips met hers in a loving kiss.
" Welcome home Sara…. Welcome home…"