Title: CLT
Category: GSR
Summary: Taking work home…a dangerous business.
Author: Vibienne
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. No profit is being made. No copyright infringement intended.
Rating:T to be safe
"This is as much as I could possibly carry without it looking like I was trying to rob the lab." Sara stood outside Grissom's townhouse with two massive cardboard boxes in both arms.
"Well, we are not exactly doing anything illegal. Just doing our job, Sara."
"Except that I was removing evidence from the lab…"
"I am not gonna fire you, Sara."
"It's not you I am afraid of!" She replied in a sweet voice, tilting her head.
Grissom just looked at her and took one of the boxes from her. "This is heavy."
"I know!"
"Thank you, Sara. Go home and get some sleep. You look tired!"
"I'd rather go through these pictures with you."
"Sara-"
"Yes, I know what you are going to say, but I really want to. Two sets of eyes are better than one, and we'll be done so much quicker, and it is my day off tomorrow, and I promise I will sleep!" She interrupted him with the speech she knew she had to give.
Grissom took a breath as if to say something, and finally came out with: "Come in!"
"What?" She certainly didn't think he'd be that easy.
"Yea, come in."
"Great!" she flashed him another smile and stepped into his townhouse.
"So, where do you want these then?" Sara inquired, box under her arm.
Grissom nodded his head at the coffee table in his living room. He planted one of the boxes on top of it and took off the lid.
"There must be about a million photos in here, Sara. You sure you want to stay?"
"Sure!" Sara replied and sat down on the couch. She pulled a box closer to herself and took out a handful of photos.
"Now: we are looking for anyone who fits the suspect's description…we already pulled out pictures of the vic, but since everything was everywhere we have no idea what goes with what. We have started making piles of what seems to be the same roll of film. Only a few photos actually have markings on them that separate them, but most are just blank on the back….which doesn't make it any easier for us!" Sara reached into the box again and pulled out a brown envelope: "These are the pictures of the vic."
Having taken all this in Grissom said:" Let's go!"
About an hour later Sara pushed herself up from the couch and walked a few steps around the living room, rubbing her eyes.
"Oh. This is like…the job that never ends- like one of those jigsaw puzzles where all the pieces have the same shade or colour."
"Go home, Sara. You really don't need to do this!" Grissom said again, not looking up from his task of identifying pictures.
"I'm okay!" Sara reassured him and cracked her neck.
"You want a beer?" Grissom asked in his absent-minded kind of voice.
Sara looked at him through half closed eyes. She was sure he just said what she thought he just said…even though it really wasn't like him to help anybody feel comfortable in his house.
"You have beer?"
"Yes!" he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yes, actually, Grissom, I would." She said.
"Get one for me out of the fridge, too, please."
Sara just stood there, reflecting on what had just been said.
"Sara! The fridge!" Grissom made her snap out of it and gestured in the direction of his kitchen area.
"Yes, Grissom, beer!"
She got two bottles out of the fridge, opened them and returned to the picture debacle.
Grissom took a beer from her, and took off his glasses with one hand, leaning back into the sofa, letting out a sigh. "This would be a great game on a long haul flight." He concluded.
"Agreed!" Sara smiled, sitting back down.
He took a sip and looked at her.
"It's 8:30." He stated.
"That's right." Sara looked at her watch.
"Have you eaten?"
"Breakfast at 11:00." She nodded.
"Sara!"
"I know, not good."
"You want a sandwich?"
Sara smiled, and she momentarily dared to wipe that last bit of work mode off her face.
"Grissom, what happened to you? You are so accommodating all the sudden."
"I am never not accommodating!" He said, a puzzled look on his face.
"Well, you are not normally this…relaxed."
"Maybe it's because I am in my own home now?" He guessed, letting his eyes circle the room.
"Maybe!" She replied, still smiling.
He took another sip from his beer and regarded Sara for moment. She held is gaze for a while longer and quickly forced herself to think nothing of it and not let it distract her…even though she could already feel her cheeks burning up.
"What sandwich?" She quickly inquired in a surprisingly low voice that had suddenly come from out of nowhere.
"CLT?"
"What?"
"Cheese, lettuce, tomato?"
"Sounds great!" She laughed and Grissom got up and walked into the kitchen. Sara put down the pictures she had just picked up and followed him.
Grissom started collecting ingredients from his fridge, and Sara concluded it was a good thing she was used to the gross things one could encounter there.
She watched him slice a tomato.
"Anything I can do?"
Grissom put down the knife and looked at her observantly.
"No, just stand there and look pretty."
There was that familiar burning in her cheeks again…and her usually ever present smile would not appear voluntarily- but, being a professional in the field of putting on a brave face, she forced it, leaving her eyes to tell another story.
"Too many cooks and all, right?" She focused on what had been said before.
Grissom nodded his head and turned his attention back to the tomato.
Sara strolled over to the coffee table area that was swamped with pictures. She picked up two that obviously belonged together.
"Wow, this is beautiful." Regarding them she walked back in Grissom's direction. "Where do you think this is?" She held the pictures up for him to see.
"My guess? Colorado. Very nice!"
"You into skiing, Grissom? Would that be something you would consider? Taking a week off, skiing in Colorado? It IS stunning."
"I have never been one for the sporting-vacation. How about you?"
"Yea, I'd love it. But I hate being cold. Nothing worse than being cold." Sara mumbled, half to herself.
"Really?"
"Yea, really, Grissom, you know…That is the only thing about this job I truly hate…nightshift in the desert. Whuuah. Awful."
"You want me to make a note of that?" Grissom inquired playfully.
Sara gave him her big Sara smile and with that gorgeous twinkle in her eyes she said: „Absolutely!"
"CLT?" He replied and held a plate with a sandwich under her nose.
"Thank you. You know, sometimes I forget to eat. People say it's stupid, and how can you forget to eat, but I really do you know!"
"Sara!" Oh God, was she babbling?
"Sit, eat!" He demanded. Sara took a large bite out of her sandwich.
Grissom watched how her observant eyes skimmed over the mountains of pictures. He had never known one single person to be so completely absorbed with work…apart from himself. She was almost obsessed with it. Seeing that in her made him wonder again and again if he practiced it to such a degree.
He had immediately been drawn to Sara's dedication and genuine interest.
The first time they met she seemed so young, but her apparent intelligence and her incredible wit almost floored him. Their mutual attraction had been so obvious so quickly. They hadn't ever spoken about what had happened so many years ago. Maybe it was the fact that Sara never mentioned it that made him trust her- all denial aside.
Maybe he hadn't been fair- asking her to work for him, moving all the way to Vegas.
The first time he saw her again…her voice, her smile, he realized then that it had not been a fleeting crush. And by then it was too late to think about it. She was there, and he was hooked.
And a few months into working with her he was way too involved for comfort, and being the emotionally incapable idiot he knew he was, he withdrew- leaving her hanging in mid-air.
Of course from time to time there was a gentle hint from both sides that they still cared. But that was that.
And work kept them close. They were a fantastic team, and they were comfortable with each other…because nothing had ever been said about that goodbye kiss so many years ago. And he wasn't going to bring it up, either.
"Grissom!"
"What?" She made him jump.
"You were miles away."
"Sorry, just thinking."
"About what?"
"The case." He lied.
Sara put her empty plate on the floor and leaned back. "Thank you, Grissom. That was great!"
He picked up the plate and got up. "I'll do the dishes and then we'll crack on."
"Oh, no, let me do the dishes. Least I can do." She offered.
"No, Sara, really, it's okay." He replied, and she knew he couldn't get over himself and have other people rummaging through his stuff.
"Okay, I'll be right here." She smiled.
Five minutes later he did find Sara where he left her, but she was asleep, curled up on the couch and well out of it. Grissom smiled and shook his head. Even Sara Sidle could not live without sleep. Good! The world was good.
He went to fetch a blanket and covered her.
No reason she couldn't sleep there.
He watched her for a long time. Even though they knew each other so well he was aware that Sara still was a complete mystery to him.
Wouldn't it be intriguing to know her secrets? But that would mean he would have to share his, and that wasn't really an option.
Lost in Sara thoughts, and as if handling evidence, he brought his hand to her face and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes.
It was round about then he realized he was probably making a huge mistake.
Touching her got him all flustered and when her eyes flung open and they really looked at each other for that terrifying millisecond he knew he had probably just lost a huge battle.
Her voice was barely a whisper. "What are you doing?"
"You fell asleep. You hate being cold. I got you a blanket." He stuttered.
"And then what happened?"
He took a deep breath.
"I…I don't know, Sara." They looked at each other and because he didn't jump up and run away from her she said: "I do."
A faint smile hushed across his face and he whispered:"Yea. Yea, so do I."
Sara's eyes pinned him to the spot. He couldn't move.
"Don't stop!" she said, gathering all courage she had left.
And he didn't. He tentatively traced her eyebrows with his fingertips. Their physical proximity was mesmerizing. Sara couldn't believe it was actually happening…maybe she was hallucinating. Maybe actually, it wasn't happening…. Was she imagining things?
So he did think about her in that way? Deep down she knew…well, at times, but then they had distanced themselves from each other so much lately she thought he had lost whatever feelings he might have had for her once upon a time.
For the moment she couldn't really think straight. A million thoughts raced through her head, and she couldn't make sense of a single one.
Carefully she pulled one of her hands from under the blanket and touched Grissom's face. For a brief second he closed his eyes, and his apparent fragility stunned her.
"It's okay." She whispered.
But nothing was okay, and she knew it as well. This was different from anything that had happened before.
His fingers traced her lips, and he watched what he was doing. She watched him watch her, and her cheeks were burning up. Her heart was going to explode, or she would probably faint if she hadn't already.
And then she knew he was going to kiss her.
Grissom brought his mouth closer to hers, lips barely touching.
Another inch and his mouth found hers. Sara closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the kiss that was to follow. That one kiss they had shared so many years ago had been so hurried and unsure. As if they both had tried to put everything that hadn't been said to each other into something different than empty words.
This kiss now was probably along the same lines, but it also held years of surreptitious looks and denied notions.
At times they had been almost angry with each other- with themselves for even caring. Sara would openly get stroppy, and Grissom would shut himself off more and more, cursing himself in private.
And now his kiss was sweet and tender.
Grissom framed Sara's face with his hands, maximizing contact.
He figured now that he had let it come to this, he might as well assure Sara that he meant it.
Sara enjoyed being kissed. She let him do what he wanted, and his shy yet longing exploration was sexy as hell. The kiss lasted for a long, long time, and when they finally looked at each other, Sara found the biggest smile in his eyes.
She was happy.
"You wanna come closer?" She asked and squeezed herself against the back of the sofa, making room for him to lie down with her. Grissom pulled up his eyebrows for a second and tilted his head. He had completely forgotten he was still crouching on the floor.
Sara lifted the blanket and he moved to lie next to her. They got as close as they could, limbs tangled.
Grissom was lost for words…as usual. All his attention went into touching Sara's face, her lips and her hair. She was still in shock, that much was for sure.
She was so hot, and could hear her heart beating.
Grissom looked deep into her eyes, which made even more adrenalin pump through her body.
For a second she thought she might have to look away.
In a swift move Grissom pulled her towards the middle of the couch, and manoeuvred himself to lie on top of her. Almost embarrassed by this completely sexual pose- even though fully clothed with an awkward blanket somewhere between them- Grissom leaned down to kiss her again.
This time it was a hot kiss…leaving nothing to the imagination.
Sara let out a deep groan.
It felt so great to be kissing him- but…what the hell had suddenly gotten into him?
One hand found the back of his head and she pulled him even closer. She had so much longing for that man, and the sudden opportunity to fully express it was too wonderful.
Her passionate kiss left them both breathless. Grissom looked down into her beautiful eyes.
"Sara Sidle." He whispered.
She smiled the smile of a lifetime: "That's me."