Author's Note: This is in response to the ":Bad Day Challenge" from the GregSara Yahoo! group. Hope you all like it.
Disclaimer: Don't own a thing really. Cept four annoying dogs who are currently barking outside...
Hurricane of a Bad Day
Greg couldn't believe what was going on. One minute he was watching TV, listening to the rain fall, and the next he was surrounded in darkness.
"Great, power outage, just what I wanted on my day off," Greg muttered, getting up and stumbling into the kitchen. He nearly fell when he tripped over the table but luckily righted himself before he hit the floor. "Perfect" he grimaced. Finally making his way to the sink, he retrieved a glass and filled it with water.
Just as he went to go back into the living room there was a crack of thunder accompanied by lightning. Greg jumped slightly, having not expected it. Before he could make another movement there was a knock at his door, technically, it sounded more like someone hitting it with a brick.
"Who the hell is that?" he asked, feeling his way to the door. Swinging it open he was greeted with a face-full of rain water, blowing into his eyes and hair. "Can I help you?" he asked in a yelling tone so as to be heard over the wind.
"My car broke down and I-" the woman started, trying to blink the water out of her eyes.
"Sara? Oh my God, get in here! You're soaked!" Greg panicked, pulling her inside the house. "Hang on, let me get a candle" he said, pulling a lighter out of the table beside the door and lighting the candle that was on top of it. Once he was able to see, Greg pulled Sara towards the bathroom, candle in hand. He put it on the counter and then grabbed a large bath towel, wrapping it around her shoulders. "What on earth are you doing driving around in this weather? And don't tell me it was because of work, I know that it's your day off."
"I…I just needed to clear my head. I was stressed out after last night's case and I just decided to drive around for a while. But then this storm hit and I was planning on going home but my car died and this was the first house I saw," Sara confessed, pushing her hair out of her face. Greg smiled at her softly, pulling out a battery powered lantern from under the sink and switching it on.
"Wait here I'll go grab you some sweats so that you don't catch pneumonia. Then, you and I are going to have a talk about this case, okay?" Greg said, taking the lantern and heading for the bathroom door. Sara just nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bathtub as water dripped into her eyes.
"Okay," she said quietly as she watched him leave.
Greg walked around his bedroom, snatching a pair or sweat pants and a t-shirt from the laundry basket that was on his bed.
'Of all people, why Sara? I was trying so hard to get her out of my head and now…now she shows up here.' Greg mentally sighed, lifting the lantern again and heading back to the bathroom. He found Sara still sitting on the edge of the tub, shivering.
"Hey, are you alright? You're shaking like crazy," Greg said, dropping to his knees in front of her. Sara shrugged, her teeth starting to chatter.
"I'm really cold Greg," she whispered. Greg looked at her critically, taking the towel from her shoulders off, followed by her jacket.
"How far did you actually walk?" he asked her. Sara looked down at her feet. "Sara, tell me" Greg urged.
"From my apartment…I don't know what I was thinking Greg. I knew there was a storm coming but I just…I just…I needed to get out of there. I don't even know how I ended up here." Sara murmured, her hands shaking as she tried to get some invisible dirt out from under her nails.
"Sara, you should have called me! I would have come and picked you up! You're soaked to the bone and freezing. Didn't you have your cell phone?" he questioned.
"No…" was the only answer he received. Greg sighed, sitting back on his heels.
"Can you get yourself changed?" he inquired. Sara nodded, taking the dry clothes from him. "Alright, I'll be in the hall if you need anything." Greg replied, taking the candle out into the hall and leaving the more sufficient light with Sara. He closed the bathroom door and sat down on the carpet of the hall way. Something was definitely up.
Sara stood in Greg's bathroom, trying to dry herself off with shaking hands. She had no idea how she ended up at Greg's house, it must have been pure co-incidence. Dropping her wet sweater onto the floor she looked at her dim figure in the mirror. Sorrowful eyes stared back at her, with small mascara rings under them.
"Great…" she scowled, pulling on the t-shirt Greg had brought for her. She knew she would have to tell him what was wrong, but the fact was, she didn't really want to. She bent down to grab the sweat pants and smiled, seeing that Greg had also brought her a pair of boxers. Laughing, she pulled them on before slipping into the track pants and tightening the draw string. Greg could be so sweet sometimes.
Sara lifted her wet clothes from the floor, wrapping them in the dampened towel, before depositing them into the bath tub so that the floor didn't suffer anymore water damage. She then picked up the lantern and opened the door. Greg was seated on the floor, looking up at her with a smirk on his face.
"My clothes look good on you," he smiled. Sara rolled her eyes.
"Your clothes are really my only option right now because I'm not wearing mine, they're soaked and I'm definitely not wearing just a towel." Sara countered.
"Damn it," Greg laughed, standing up. "C'mon, we can talk in the living room. Do you want some water or anything that doesn't involve electricity?" he asked.
"Water would be fine…thanks" Sara responded, sitting down on the couch while Greg went to get her some H2O, as well as his forgotten glass (which he had left on the counter). When he returned, Greg sat down on the couch beside Sara, handing her the clear liquid that was in a plastic glass. "What can't trust me with the glass dishes?" she asked jokingly. Greg smiled, shaking his head.
"The glass ones are in the dishwasher, and well, it kinda can't run when the power is out." Greg replied. "And you know I trust you Sara, I trust you with my life." At this Sara blushed slightly, looking down at her feet. "Now, please, tell me what really got you so upset."
"Grissom. Well, it was mostly him. He was so insensitive to the case we were on, it's horrible! A woman and her daughter were found out in the desert, both dead and violated. The woman's husband has been away in Québec on business and you want to know what Grissom does? He calls the guy and bluntly says 'Sir, your wife and daughter have been raped and murdered, I suggest you come back to Las Vegas.' How cold hearted is that! I cannot believe he would say something like that to anyone over the phone!" Sara stammered, her hands clenching into fists.
Greg gently reached across the couch and put a hand on her shoulder. Sara glanced over at him then, tears in her eyes.
"How could he be so heartless?" She asked. Before Greg could answer there was a huge bang, like the sound of a telephone pole or tree falling.
"I don't know Sara, but I think, right now, we should worry more about that noise," he said, pulling her up off the couch and grabbing the lantern and leading her into the kitchen. Looking nervously around, Greg picked up his cell phone, a couple blankets and a few other things, such as bottled water, packaged foods and batteries for the lantern. He then reached onto the counter and grabbed a portable radio, switching it onto a news station.
'Residents of Las Vegas, Nevada should be warned that a hurricane, coming from the California coast, is sweeping over the city. Winds are currently at 78 miles per hour and a tornado cloud has been spotted in Henderson. All citizens are advised to take cover in the basement of their houses, as long as they are secure against water penetration. This station will remain on so as to give you coverage of the current weather. Again, we state, all citizens are advised to remain within their homes and to not attempt to leave until the storm has calmed' The news caster announced. Greg turned to Sara then, dropping everything in the laundry basket that was on the counter beside where she was standing.
"We've got to go downstairs Sar," he said as calmly as he possibly could. Sara just nodded, her body shaking more now from fear than it had been from the cold earlier.
"Okay," was all she managed before Greg took her hand, leading her towards the basement door. Using the lantern, he helped show her down the stairs, her hand in his left, the laundry basket and the lantern in this right. Sara, on the other hand, used her free hand to grip the railing.
Greg's basement wasn't completely finished, but it did have carpeting, a TV and a bed on one side of it, alone with a few large arm chairs. Sara looked around in the dim light, her eyes trying to see if the walls were painted but with no success. If truth were told she was scared senseless. Greg seemed to sense something in her change. He put the basket down on the floor and turned to face her.
"Sara, are you okay?" he asked. Sara shrugged, jumping as she heard another crash echoing outside. She let out a bit of a scream and moved closer to him, her left side now pressed against him. "Hey, shh, its okay, I'm right here" he told her, wrapping his arms around Sara's trembling form.
"Are we going to die Greg?" she asked, pulling out of his arms and sitting down on the bed, her eyes on the floor and her hands shaking in her lap. Greg sighed softly, seating himself next to her and taking her hands in his.
"I hope not, there are still a lot of things I want to accomplish, and I really doubt I could do that in one night…" Greg responded, looking at his hands clasping hers.
"Like what?" Sara asked, trying to keep her mind off the hurricane. Greg inhaled sharply, biting his bottom lip as he thought about it.
"Lots of things Sar, but, well, there is one thing I know I can do…right now" he confessed. Sara looked at him inquisitively.
"What?" she questioned.
"Tell you that….that I love you." Greg said bluntly, not daring to meet her shocked gaze.
"You what?" she whispered.
"I love you Sara." Greg repeated, this time his eyes meeting hers. Sara blinked a few times as tears formed in her chocolate eyes.
"I love you too," she finally said after a moment. Greg took that as a cue and leaned over, kissing her on the lips softly. Sara instantly kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down onto the bed, over top of her body.
When Greg awoke there was sunlight streaming through the plexi glass windows of his basement, and into his eyes. Yawning he felt the weight against him. Looking down he was greeted with the sight of Sara sleeping next to him, her head on his shoulder and her arm slung over his stomach. Not only that but she was…naked.
Greg jumped then, his eyes widening. It took him a split second before the memories of the night before came back to him. Sara had showed up during the storm, they had come down to the basement for safety. Then – then they had made love.
'Or was it just sex to her? Was she just so scared of dying that she had sex with me so that she didn't die alone?'Greg wondered. As if an answer Sara awoke, blinking open her eyes and smiling up at him.
"Morning Love," she said quietly. Greg beamed down at her.
'I guess it was more.' He thought.
"Hey, looks like the storm is over." Greg commented, pushing her hair out of her face. "I still love you, you know."
"I know, and I love you too. I think we made it pretty clear how we feel about each other eh?" she asked jokingly, motioning over their intertwined naked bodies that were only partially under the blankets. Greg laughed.
"Yeah, I think we did a pretty good job of that." He smirked. "Only one question Sar, where is this gonna go from here?"
"To the moon and back Greg." She said simply. "Yesterday I was ready to give up but you made everything right, you always do. You turn rain into sunshine and bad days into good ones. And, I love you."
"I love you so much Sara Sidle. You're my everything." Greg said as the power clicked back on, flooding their eyes with the faux light. "And it looks like my electricity agrees with that statement. Sara laughed, shaking her head.
"Good, then maybe you can get us something to eat? Our activities of the past little while seem to have made me a bit hungry." Sara said.
"Your wish is my command my love, pancakes or eggs and toast?" Greg inquired.
"Pancakes are good." Sara answered.
"Alrighty then." Greg said, getting up, taking a blanket with him. Sara rolled her eyes.
"You come back here with my blanket!" she laughed jumping from the mattress and onto his back.
Greg laughed. Sara was right, bad days could turn out okay, hell; they could turn out better than okay.
Like it? Hate it? Lemme know! Thanks for reading!