A/N: This is based on a challenge posted by LSI somewhere.Unbound, I think.
It's also my first story, so I would really appreciate any comments,
suggestions, etc. Thank you so much to Illman for beta-ing this story for
me! Also, I'm having a little bit of trouble with the formatting on
ff.com, so I apologize for any difficulties you might have reading.Thank
you!
Sara was standing in front of her locker, getting ready to leave the lab when her pager went off.
"I'm never going to get out of here," she muttered. Normally she wouldn't mind staying late, she usually did, but today she wanted to get home. She had been at the lab for fourteen hours already. Fourteen draining hours, the last three of which had been spent slaving over paperwork while dreaming about soaking in her oversized bathtub.
Looking down at her pager, she saw Grissom's message, "Question for you. My office ASAP. Please." Sighing, she returned her bag to the shelf and closed the locker door. Running her fingers through her hair, she tightened her drooping ponytail and made her way to Grissom's office.
The door was ajar, and she stuck her head in without knocking. Sara smiled at the sight before her. Grissom was apparently deep in concentration, sitting at his desk, holding a typed letter in one hand and a CD-ROM in the other. The tip of his tongue was sticking out between his lips. His head jerked up when he realized Sara was watching him.
"You rang?"
Rising, he smiled. "Sara. You got my page. I was wondering if I could ask you a favor."
Sara returned his smile and leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms on her chest. "You need a favor from me? What's going on?"
"I just received this letter from Dr. Jeff Wright, a colleague in New Jersey. Apparently, I agreed to present a seminar with him next year, and he wants to start our collaboration early. He wants me to load some software onto my computer for 'file sharing and online discussion.'" Grissom stressed the last phrase, emphasizing that the words were Dr. Wright's and not his own. "I need to get this software on my computer as soon as possible, and you know how I am with this type of thing - If I touch it, I'll screw the whole thing up." Grissom attempted a weak smile, "Please, Sara?"
Shaking her head, Sara laughed. "You need it now? I suppose I can do it." Moving toward his computer she tried to grab the disk from his hand, "Scoot over, Grissom. This shouldn't take too long."
"Not here. It's for my computer at home. I also need you to show me how to use it if you could." Glancing at Sara, he hopefully continued, "I know it's an imposition. I thought that maybe I could make you breakfast while you got the program set up?"
Swallowing a yawn, Sara thought it over. She wondered if the thoughts running through her head were also in Grissom's. She realized that they were standing in nearly the same spots they had been in not too long ago, when she asked him to dinner. She thought about how over the last few weeks, they had finally been working together again. And she thought about how she'd never been invited to Grissom's house before, alone, without the rest of the team. 'Maybe I should go,' she thought to herself, 'this could be interesting.'
"Fine," she agreed. "But I need to go by my house first. My neighbor is out of town, and I promised to pick up her paper and feed her cats. Can you give me an hour?"
Grissom gratefully agreed. As Sara left his office, he dropped down into his chair, his thoughts racing. Sara was coming over. To his house. He was going to make her breakfast. 'Who knows,' Grissom thought to himself, 'maybe this will be good for us, spending some time together outside of work.'
****
An hour later, Sara stood on Grissom's door step ringing the doorbell. When he opened the door, he couldn't mask his surprise. Sara had obviously taken a shower. Her wet hair was curly around her face and she was wearing worn jeans with a t-shirt and sandals. Over her shoulder was a large bag and she held some books in her left hand.
Sara laughed, "Don't just stand there staring, let me in!" Pushing her way into the townhouse, she took a deep breath, "Good. You have coffee."
Grissom poured her a cup of coffee and stood staring at the bag, which Sara was now pulling jewel cases and computer guides out of. "What are all of those discs for? Do you need all that just to install a program? Maybe I should have planned for lunch, too."
"Don't worry, Grissom. These are just some backups, in case I need a disc that you don't have. And I brought these books for you. I thought you might want to learn how to use this computer of yours. You know, some people would be shocked that Gil Grissom, the brilliant scientist, can barely check his email without help."
Trying to hide his smile, Grissom refilled Sara's coffee. "I think I'll focus on the compliment in that sentence. I'm pretty sure there was one in there, somewhere."
Sara sat down at the large desk in Grissom's living room and turned on his computer. "I also brought my laptop, so that you can practice 'file sharing and online discussion.' Now, you go work on breakfast and I'll get this installed. Do you have the disc?"
Grissom handed Sara a disc in a plain white envelope and headed to the kitchen. As she opened the flap and looked at the disc, Sara laughed silently. Grissom was this stressed out over AOL Instant Messenger?
A few minutes later, the installation was completed and Sara made her way into the kitchen. "I'm done. What's for breakfast, Bugman?" Sara laughed when Grissom jumped and turned around.
"You're done? How did you do it so quickly? Are you sure you installed it correctly?"
Sara sighed theatrically. "Griss, it's installed perfectly. Let's eat and I'll show you how to use it."
Grissom dished out their breakfasts and took the plates to the table. They ate a quick breakfast of eggs and fruit slices while chatting about the previous night's cases. After eating her last bite, Sara smiled, "Are you ready to get started?"
Grissom looked nervous. "Let's do it."
****
Sara sat Grissom at the computer and got herself situated on the sofa across the room. Sara talked Grissom through the login process as she logged herself in.
"I gave you a pretty generic user ID, since you're using this for work. You can change it to something exotic if you want, but for now you are 'gilgrissom,' just type that in the box."
"OK. What's my password?"
Sara felt her cheeks start to redden. "Sidle."
"Sidle?"
"Sidle. You can change it. I'll show you how. I couldn't think of anything else."
Grissom smiled, "Sidle is fine."
"My user ID is 'ssidle.' Since I am logged on you should see me name listed on your buddy list. Do you see it there in the corner? Click on my name and type a message in the window that pops up. Then just hit enter and the message is sent."
Sara waited while she heard Grissom type and then read the message that popped onto her screen.
gilgrissom: Hello?
Sara started typing.
ssidle: See? This isn't so hard. I do it all of the time
to talk to my parents, friends from CA.
"Why? Couldn't you just call them?"
ssidle: I told you to practice using the program! ( Yes, I
could call, but sometimes.Sometimes it's easier to talk if you
don't have to actually talk - if you can type you thoughts
instead. It takes off some of the pressure. But this is still
better than email/letters because it is all in real-time.
Grissom was silent for a moment, both in life and online. He just sat there staring at her last message. Sara wondered if she should say something. The silence was becoming uncomfortable, and she was sure that Grissom noticed it too. Just as she opened her mouth, Grissom started typing.
gilgrissom: Sara? Do you remember when you asked me to have
dinner with you?
ssidle: Of course.
gilgrissom: I want to explain why I said no.
ssidle: Griss, you don't have to do this. It's OK.
gilgrissom: It wasn't what you thought.
ssidle: What was it?
gilgrissom: I said 'no' because I was afraid.
ssidle: Afraid? Of what? Me?
gilgrissom: You. Me. This. Everything.
gilgrissom: Sara, I'm afraid that if I let you get too close,
I'll screw everything up. I don't want to lose you. I'm afraid
that I'll do something stupid and I'll lose you for good.
Sara started to respond, but stopped when she realized he was
still typing.
As Grissom typed, he thought to himself that Sara was right, typing really was easier than talking; somehow it seemed less of a risk. He was typing without even thinking, being fully honest with Sara for the first time.
gilgrissom: I wanted to say yes, Sara. I still do. But I can't
risk losing you forever. I love you too much to risk that,
Sara.
It wasn't until he hit the enter key that he realized what he had just typed. And that he didn't hear Sara typing a response. He glanced over at Sara out of the corner of his eye. She was sitting on his couch, staring at her computer screen; even from a distance, he could see that her eyes were full with unshed tears. Finally, she looked up and saw him watching her. He expected her to say something, but she didn't. Instead, she started to type.
ssidle: I love you, Grissom.
gilgrissom: What? You do?
ssidle: I Love You!
gilgrissom: I love you too.
"I know."
He spun around at the sound of her voice. "You do? How did you know?"
Smiling, she stood up and pointed to the computer, "You just told me." Slowly Sara walked to the desk where Grissom was sitting and knelt down in front of him. She brought her hand to his cheek and held it there. Suddenly, Grissom leaned forward and gently kissed her.
Pulling away, Grissom looked into her eyes and smiled, "I did, didn't I?"
Sara was standing in front of her locker, getting ready to leave the lab when her pager went off.
"I'm never going to get out of here," she muttered. Normally she wouldn't mind staying late, she usually did, but today she wanted to get home. She had been at the lab for fourteen hours already. Fourteen draining hours, the last three of which had been spent slaving over paperwork while dreaming about soaking in her oversized bathtub.
Looking down at her pager, she saw Grissom's message, "Question for you. My office ASAP. Please." Sighing, she returned her bag to the shelf and closed the locker door. Running her fingers through her hair, she tightened her drooping ponytail and made her way to Grissom's office.
The door was ajar, and she stuck her head in without knocking. Sara smiled at the sight before her. Grissom was apparently deep in concentration, sitting at his desk, holding a typed letter in one hand and a CD-ROM in the other. The tip of his tongue was sticking out between his lips. His head jerked up when he realized Sara was watching him.
"You rang?"
Rising, he smiled. "Sara. You got my page. I was wondering if I could ask you a favor."
Sara returned his smile and leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms on her chest. "You need a favor from me? What's going on?"
"I just received this letter from Dr. Jeff Wright, a colleague in New Jersey. Apparently, I agreed to present a seminar with him next year, and he wants to start our collaboration early. He wants me to load some software onto my computer for 'file sharing and online discussion.'" Grissom stressed the last phrase, emphasizing that the words were Dr. Wright's and not his own. "I need to get this software on my computer as soon as possible, and you know how I am with this type of thing - If I touch it, I'll screw the whole thing up." Grissom attempted a weak smile, "Please, Sara?"
Shaking her head, Sara laughed. "You need it now? I suppose I can do it." Moving toward his computer she tried to grab the disk from his hand, "Scoot over, Grissom. This shouldn't take too long."
"Not here. It's for my computer at home. I also need you to show me how to use it if you could." Glancing at Sara, he hopefully continued, "I know it's an imposition. I thought that maybe I could make you breakfast while you got the program set up?"
Swallowing a yawn, Sara thought it over. She wondered if the thoughts running through her head were also in Grissom's. She realized that they were standing in nearly the same spots they had been in not too long ago, when she asked him to dinner. She thought about how over the last few weeks, they had finally been working together again. And she thought about how she'd never been invited to Grissom's house before, alone, without the rest of the team. 'Maybe I should go,' she thought to herself, 'this could be interesting.'
"Fine," she agreed. "But I need to go by my house first. My neighbor is out of town, and I promised to pick up her paper and feed her cats. Can you give me an hour?"
Grissom gratefully agreed. As Sara left his office, he dropped down into his chair, his thoughts racing. Sara was coming over. To his house. He was going to make her breakfast. 'Who knows,' Grissom thought to himself, 'maybe this will be good for us, spending some time together outside of work.'
****
An hour later, Sara stood on Grissom's door step ringing the doorbell. When he opened the door, he couldn't mask his surprise. Sara had obviously taken a shower. Her wet hair was curly around her face and she was wearing worn jeans with a t-shirt and sandals. Over her shoulder was a large bag and she held some books in her left hand.
Sara laughed, "Don't just stand there staring, let me in!" Pushing her way into the townhouse, she took a deep breath, "Good. You have coffee."
Grissom poured her a cup of coffee and stood staring at the bag, which Sara was now pulling jewel cases and computer guides out of. "What are all of those discs for? Do you need all that just to install a program? Maybe I should have planned for lunch, too."
"Don't worry, Grissom. These are just some backups, in case I need a disc that you don't have. And I brought these books for you. I thought you might want to learn how to use this computer of yours. You know, some people would be shocked that Gil Grissom, the brilliant scientist, can barely check his email without help."
Trying to hide his smile, Grissom refilled Sara's coffee. "I think I'll focus on the compliment in that sentence. I'm pretty sure there was one in there, somewhere."
Sara sat down at the large desk in Grissom's living room and turned on his computer. "I also brought my laptop, so that you can practice 'file sharing and online discussion.' Now, you go work on breakfast and I'll get this installed. Do you have the disc?"
Grissom handed Sara a disc in a plain white envelope and headed to the kitchen. As she opened the flap and looked at the disc, Sara laughed silently. Grissom was this stressed out over AOL Instant Messenger?
A few minutes later, the installation was completed and Sara made her way into the kitchen. "I'm done. What's for breakfast, Bugman?" Sara laughed when Grissom jumped and turned around.
"You're done? How did you do it so quickly? Are you sure you installed it correctly?"
Sara sighed theatrically. "Griss, it's installed perfectly. Let's eat and I'll show you how to use it."
Grissom dished out their breakfasts and took the plates to the table. They ate a quick breakfast of eggs and fruit slices while chatting about the previous night's cases. After eating her last bite, Sara smiled, "Are you ready to get started?"
Grissom looked nervous. "Let's do it."
****
Sara sat Grissom at the computer and got herself situated on the sofa across the room. Sara talked Grissom through the login process as she logged herself in.
"I gave you a pretty generic user ID, since you're using this for work. You can change it to something exotic if you want, but for now you are 'gilgrissom,' just type that in the box."
"OK. What's my password?"
Sara felt her cheeks start to redden. "Sidle."
"Sidle?"
"Sidle. You can change it. I'll show you how. I couldn't think of anything else."
Grissom smiled, "Sidle is fine."
"My user ID is 'ssidle.' Since I am logged on you should see me name listed on your buddy list. Do you see it there in the corner? Click on my name and type a message in the window that pops up. Then just hit enter and the message is sent."
Sara waited while she heard Grissom type and then read the message that popped onto her screen.
gilgrissom: Hello?
Sara started typing.
ssidle: See? This isn't so hard. I do it all of the time
to talk to my parents, friends from CA.
"Why? Couldn't you just call them?"
ssidle: I told you to practice using the program! ( Yes, I
could call, but sometimes.Sometimes it's easier to talk if you
don't have to actually talk - if you can type you thoughts
instead. It takes off some of the pressure. But this is still
better than email/letters because it is all in real-time.
Grissom was silent for a moment, both in life and online. He just sat there staring at her last message. Sara wondered if she should say something. The silence was becoming uncomfortable, and she was sure that Grissom noticed it too. Just as she opened her mouth, Grissom started typing.
gilgrissom: Sara? Do you remember when you asked me to have
dinner with you?
ssidle: Of course.
gilgrissom: I want to explain why I said no.
ssidle: Griss, you don't have to do this. It's OK.
gilgrissom: It wasn't what you thought.
ssidle: What was it?
gilgrissom: I said 'no' because I was afraid.
ssidle: Afraid? Of what? Me?
gilgrissom: You. Me. This. Everything.
gilgrissom: Sara, I'm afraid that if I let you get too close,
I'll screw everything up. I don't want to lose you. I'm afraid
that I'll do something stupid and I'll lose you for good.
Sara started to respond, but stopped when she realized he was
still typing.
As Grissom typed, he thought to himself that Sara was right, typing really was easier than talking; somehow it seemed less of a risk. He was typing without even thinking, being fully honest with Sara for the first time.
gilgrissom: I wanted to say yes, Sara. I still do. But I can't
risk losing you forever. I love you too much to risk that,
Sara.
It wasn't until he hit the enter key that he realized what he had just typed. And that he didn't hear Sara typing a response. He glanced over at Sara out of the corner of his eye. She was sitting on his couch, staring at her computer screen; even from a distance, he could see that her eyes were full with unshed tears. Finally, she looked up and saw him watching her. He expected her to say something, but she didn't. Instead, she started to type.
ssidle: I love you, Grissom.
gilgrissom: What? You do?
ssidle: I Love You!
gilgrissom: I love you too.
"I know."
He spun around at the sound of her voice. "You do? How did you know?"
Smiling, she stood up and pointed to the computer, "You just told me." Slowly Sara walked to the desk where Grissom was sitting and knelt down in front of him. She brought her hand to his cheek and held it there. Suddenly, Grissom leaned forward and gently kissed her.
Pulling away, Grissom looked into her eyes and smiled, "I did, didn't I?"