Author's Notes: Thanks for taking the time out to read this;) I hope you enjoy it. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Faith, Hope, Dog
by Kristen Elizabeth
Faith is a passionate intuition. - William Wordsworth
"You are one spoiled animal, do you know that? It took me years to get into this bed."
Grissom looked up from the TV as Sara entered the room, yogurt in hand. She had a wry smile on her face as she came closer. The dog didn't seem to be aware of the question that had been directed towards him. He remained stretched out across the sheets, content now that both members of his pack were present.
"Did you check the expiration date on that?" Grissom asked about her snack. "I can't remember when I bought those."
"That's probably because I bought them." Sara joined them on the bed, taking the side she always preferred to sleep on. She'd changed out of her work clothes, and her feet were bare. It was in these moments that it became clear…he'd been a damn fool for not having all this years earlier.
"What are we watching?" Her question was answered by a single reptilian cry as Godzilla began attacking Tokyo. "Oh. More reptiles."
Tearing his eyes away from the screen again, Grissom looked back at her. "Not your favorite animals right now?"
Sara lifted her bare shoulder. "Those people are freaks, Gris. I know you're fascinated by eccentricity, but this whole reptile thing…" She waved her spoon for emphasis. "It's just…stupid."
"Some people would say the same thing about eating only vegetables."
She glared at him. "If I told you what Nick told me at the scene, you'd get rid of those pork chops in your freezer."
"I'm just a little surprised at your lack of curiosity," Grissom said, scratching behind the dog's ears. "Have you even stopped to consider why otherwise rational human beings would choose to believe in such an elaborate and far-fetched mythology?"
"I think you're giving them too much credit to call them rational on any level," Sara muttered.
"Is the belief in virgin birth any more rational than believing in the existence of a reptile race from another planet?"
"Well, I don't believe in virgin birth either." Sara licked the back of her spoon. She had to be aware of the effect it had on his ability to debate. "I don't think anything should ever be taken solely on faith. There has to be proof. Solid evidence that can't be disputed."
The dog sneezed just then, a great woofing sound that rivaled Godzilla's screeches.
"See?" Sara pointed at the loveable, fur-covered lump that took up half the bed. "He agrees with me."
Grissom's lips twisted into a reluctant smile as he looked back at the TV. The citizens of Tokyo ran for their lives as Godzilla began knocking down buildings.
"I always feel sorry for the monster," Sara said, her voice strangely sad.
"Then you'd better turn it off before they use the oxygen-destroyer on him." Giving her a second to shoot him another glare, Grissom stood up and started off, calling for the dog when he didn't immediately follow.
In the adjoining study, he busied himself with his latest project. Sometimes it was easier to keep his mind occupied with some chore, rather than beat himself up, remembering all the time he wasted in this very apartment, wanting her there, but too scared to take the leap. And he hadn't even had the dog for company back then. It had just been him and the butterflies.
He was so wrapped up in his work that he didn't sense Sara's presence in the room until she slid her arms around his neck and hugged him from behind.
"You didn't stick around for the destroyer?" Instead of an answer, Grissom felt her pull back. Seconds later his chair was turned around. Suddenly facing Sara and seeing the look of determination on her face, Grissom frowned. "Honey?"
She removed his glasses and carefully set them aside. Still standing, she straddled his legs and pushed her fingers through his hair, holding his head in place as she bent down to kiss him. Her mouth was milky and peach-flavored. Eager for more, Grissom reached up and released her hair from its elastic constraint. It cascaded around her neck in fragrant waves.
Sara straightened up, breaking the kiss with a moist pop. Taking his hand, she stepped back a few paces, urging him to stand. He knew the look in her eyes. And being that he was no longer the fool he'd once been, he followed her without question.
Back in the bedroom, she made short work of his shirt, pulling it up over his head and tossing it in the general direction of the laundry hamper. Her hands delicately explored his chest, like it was uncharted territory. Grissom closed his eyes when she began placing small, soft kisses on his collarbone, gradually moving up his neck to the underside of his jaw.
Every nerve ached for her as she stepped even closer, and her curves molded to his frame. He could feel her heart beating beneath her thin top. Her breasts were warm and soft; she was consciously driving him insane with the need to feel more.
Sara didn't complain when he backed her up to the bed. As soon as her knees touched the frame, she lay down and waited for him to join her.
Putting one knee between her legs, at the warm center of her body, he loomed over her. The hand he wasn't using to keep himself steady, he occupied with the task of slowly inching her shirt up the smooth length of her stomach. Unable to torture himself for long, Grissom pushed the garment up as far as it would go before it caught on her arms.
She let out a whimper as he brushed his lips over one pebbled nipple. He went back and forth between the two as she struggled out of her shirt, paying each precious crest plenty of attention.
When he had her thrashing beneath him, he lifted his head and looked at her flushed face. "I thought you weren't in the mood tonight."
"I changed my mind," she panted for breath. "Gil…"
The use of his first name stirred him like nothing else. Their arms tangled as they fumbled with each other's zippers. Two pairs of jeans ended up in a crumpled heap on the floor.
Slipping between the sheets momentarily cooled their bodies. But within minutes, the heat built back up. With both hands on the pillows on either side of her head, Grissom gently entered her, relishing in the shudder that ran through her body.
Staying still within her, he probed her lips with his. "Sara," he murmured. "Look at me." Her lashes fluttered and lifted; her eyes were dark with desire. "I love watching you." He withdrew and thrust, making her back arch. "God, you're beautiful like this…"
Sara wrapped her smooth legs around his thighs, pulling him further into blissful oblivion.
She didn't speak until much later, when she was spooned up in the warm cocoon of his arms. "I was too hard on them. The reptile people," she clarified. Nuzzling the nape of her neck, Grissom waited for her to go on. "Faith without evidence…it takes a certain amount of courage. It's hard to believe in something for so long, with so little to go on. You start seeing something into everything. Anything to keep from seeing nothing...and losing hope."
He watched as she flipped over to her other side to face him. "So," she said with a smile. "Having irefutable proof helps." Sara touched her swollen lips to his. "It helps a lot."
Their kiss was broken by the dog leaping up onto the bed, reclaiming his position by flopping down with another great, wheezing woof
Neither one of them had the heart to order him back to the floor.
Fin