Title: Sinking Moments
Author: Kelly Port
Feedback: donas13aol.com
Category: Romance/Humor/Angst
Rating: PG
Spoilers: All Seasons.
Summary: My response to this weeks UNBOUND Challenge 7 June 2004
Disclaimer: "CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION" and other related entities are owned, (TM) and (c) by ANTHONY E. ZUIKER, JERRY BRUCKHEIMER Television, CBS Worldwide Inc., Alliance Atlantis Corporation, CSI Productions and CBS Productions, All Rights Reserved. I am just a fan, with spare time on her hands and am really not worth perusing for settlement against infringement.
Notes: This is my first attempt at an Unbound Challenge. It is really hard to make a story this short, so if there is an abruptness, it is only because I tried to stay within the limits of the word count.
Archived: Yes, please!
Feedback is welcomed. No flames please as I don't think my exposed heart could handle it!
Sinking Moments
Sitting tied up in a car sinking to the bottom of Lake Mead wasn't quite how Sara had planned to spend her day off. To be honest it wasn't exactly how she pictured her last day on earth to be. She thought that her last days would be with Grissom, in his arms having spent their lives together. But instead, her final moments were spent in a sinking car filled with thoughts of what was not to be, not now, not ever.
Earlier...
Sara tapped her foot as she waited for the assignments to be handed out, wanting to put as much distance between herself and Grissom. What was the matter with him, he ignores her, treats her like crap, most of the time he doesn't even want her around and then he goes and pulls a stunt like calling her in on her night off, the audacity. As he handed out the assignments Sara couldn't fathom what possessed Grissom to claim that they would be working a case together. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as the words, "Sara you're with me," came from Grissom's mouth.
As the rest of the team filed out of the break room, Sara remained seated where she was, still unsure whether or not to trust what she had heard. After all this time, why did he want to work with her again, why did.... but her thoughts were interrupted by Grissom who was standing at the door.
"Sara, are you coming?" Grissom asked.
"Ahh, ya, one sec, while I go and grab my kit," Sara stammered as she rose from her chair and walked past Grissom.
"I'll meet you outside," he called out to her retreating form.
It was relatively quiet during the drive, both occupants lost in thought. When suddenly curiosity won out the battle in Sara and she asked what the case was about.
"So what do we have tonight?" Sara questioned as she that broke the eerie silence.
"Ahh, I mean, we have a missing persons. It seems that the victim was last scene a couple of nights ago and not since. So we are going to the last place that she was seen, her place of work," Grissom finished, still unsure of why he asked Sara on this case seeing how things had been so strained between the two of them, which if truth be told was entirely his fault.
"Ok, so where does our vic work?" Sara questioned..
"Some sort of textiles warehouse, can you check the address for me, I think that we are almost there," Grissom replied.
Sara confirmed the address and with in a few minutes they pulled up in front of the textiles warehouse, located on the outskirts of Vegas. Sara got out of the truck and headed to the trunk to get their kits while Grissom went and spoke to the security guard and deputy waiting out in front of the building.
When Sara met up with the trio, she handed Grissom his kit and asked what he wanted her to process. Grissom asked Sara to go with the security guard to check out the vic's abandoned car, "I'll be inside checking out the locker room," he said.
"Sure, no problem," Sara replied as she looked to the security guard to lead the way.
Grissom headed inside with the deputy, and as they began to walk towards the locker room Grissom was filled with a sense of unease but he wasn't quite able to put his finger on the trigger.
As the security guard led Sara around the warehouse towards the vic's parked car, Sara asked the him if he knew the vic.
"So, Mr...?" Sara asked.
"Adder, but you can call me Mark," he replied.
"Mr. Adder," started Sara, when he looked at her, "Ahh, Mark, did you know the victim?" Sara asked.
"I knew Millie," Mark replied.
"I have known her for years, we even went on a couple of dates, until she started seeing another guy," Mark continued.
"I see," Sara replied as she looked over at Mark who had a far off gaze in his eyes and yet a turmoil of emotion played with his boyish features.
Sara had been processing the car for a few minutes when Mark began to speak again, "I loved her, and she had said that she had loved me, well how could she have said that and then and went to be with someone else?" he questioned.
"I am really not the best one to be asking for advice," Sara honestly told him.
Meanwhile...
Grissom was just finishing with Millie's locker when he noticed the white corner of paper sticking up from the bottom of the locker, as he pulled the paper from the locker and began to read what was written, panic covered his face and a single of word escaped from his lips.... Sara.
Sara was leaning over her kit to get another evidence bag when she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and an explosion of stars obscured her vision before an encompassing wall of black filled it and then nothing.
Just as Grissom and the Deputy rounded the corner of the warehouse, they heard the squealing tires of vehicle echo in the night. They watched helplessly as a jeep sped past them, with the security guard behind the wheel. (Umm.. there was no reference of the Cherokee before or I missed something. Should say SUV or something).
"Sara!" Grissom screamed.
As they raced back towards their vehicles the deputy called out, "We'll get him and I'll put out the call." However, all this was lost on Grissom as he started his engine, one thing on his mind, Sara and how he was not going to lose her.
Sara awoke with a jolt as the frigid waters of Lake Mead began to fill the jeep. She could make out the crumpled form of Mark's body in the front seat, as she raised herself to a sitting position; she realized that he duct taped her hands together. Still she reached for the door handle only to find that it would not budge.
She could hear people shouting and could make out the red and whites of the cruisers, but they weren't going to get to her in time. As she sat, tied up in the back of the jeep, her thoughts drifted to Grissom holding her in his arms, reassuring her that everything was going to be ok and that nothing was ever going to come between them ever again. And that he had been so foolish and he didn't know why he had waited so long to tell her how much he loved her and that every waking moment was filled with thoughts of her.
It was too bad that she would never actually hear those words but the idea that if the future had been different she might have and with that thought she smiled.
Grissom watched as they pulled her lifeless form from the waters of Lake Mead. He watched as the paramedics frantically tried to resuscitate her. When they finally got a rhythm, he was there as they loaded her into the back of the bus holding her hand and telling her everything that he should have from the start and he watched her smile--her beautiful, beautiful smile.