Reborn
By Tres Mechante

Disclaimer: CSI, their characters and universe do not belong to me in any way, shape or form. I am not stealing the characters, merely enjoying their company. The only profit derived from this story is that my muse promised to let me have at least one good night's sleep before hijacking my dreams again.

No spoilers. Set about six or seven months after season 4.

Summary: Expect the unexpected. "Do you trust me?" (GSR)

A/N: This began as a simple, humorous response to a challenge at Unbound. The first and last lines are used, but the word count didn't stand a snowball's chance in Haiti of staying within 1,000 words. And as to the humor, the story went somewhere I did not expect. Minimal angst, G/S towards the end, but mostly this is Sara's story.

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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. But she had to admit it was fun.

She stretched out on the backseat and prepared for her third time drowning. Well, nearly drowning, she thought with a grin. Besides the first time was only a practice run and the second time there was a technical glitch – namely the car refused to sink.

Her muscles tightened slightly as the cold water crept up her body. She took a deep breath just as the water covered her face, counted to five and then struggled out the missing side window. Sara gasped as she broke the surface and looked around frantically. Spying a group of teens on shore she tried to get their attention, calling weakly, but had trouble keeping afloat with her hands tied.

Just as she started to go under, hands grabbed her and she felt herself being dragged to shore. Eyes closed, body limp, she let the voices wash over her. "Help me get her out...Oh my God, there's blood...call 911...I don't think she's breathing..."

"And cut! We're done people!" And with that Sara opened her eyes and jumped up. Someone wrapped her in a blanket and handed her a towel.

As she headed for dry clothes, Sara heard someone calling. "Miss Sidle!" Turning, she walked back toward the producer. "I just wanted to extend my personal thanks for helping out," he said. "You probably had the least pleasant job. This certainly wasn't a good day for swimming. At least the cameramen had wet suits."

"Glad to help," she said, shaking his hand. "This case bothered me at the time, and it still does. Maybe the CrimeStoppers spot will help jog someone's memory. I like to think that we'll be able to close the case and identify Jane Doe. No one should die without a name."

Unseen by either of them, a lone figure sat high on the hillside. Grissom slowly stood and walked away, having spent hours in that one spot, watching all the activity below.

--- --- ---

"Sara, do you have a minute?" asked Grissom a few evenings later.

"Hey, Grissom. What's up?" asked Sara as she entered his office.

"You did good on the CrimeStoppers segment."

"Thanks," was all she said. After an awkward silence, Sara offered a small grin and turned to leave.

"Sara, wait. Please. There's something else." She turned back toward him and he said "Would you close the door and sit down."

Taking a deep breath, Grissom looked away for a moment, seeming to look for the right words. Turning back to Sara he asked, "How are you? I mean...You seem different lately somehow and I just..." His voiced trailed off. Unable to meet her eyes, he sighed and continued quietly, "I'm sorry, I had-have no right to ask about your personal life..."

Sara looked at him for a long moment. "Actually, Grissom, I don't mind. This isn't the time or place to discuss it, but if you really want an answer, then meet me after shift." She reached for a pen and his notepad and jotted down an address. "Be there around 9:00."

He looked hesitant. "Griss, it's your choice. I'll be there regardless, going on with my life," she said, not unkindly as she opened the door. "I hope you'll come. I think I'd really like to share this with you."

And then she was gone.

--- --- ---

At 9:05 the next morning, Grissom pulled up at the address Sara had given him. He double-checked the address, but yes, he was in the right place. His nose wrinkled slightly at the smell of chlorine as he entered the building.

"Can I help you?" came a voice from behind him.

He looked for the owner of the voice, who turned out to be a young woman with a black eye, split lip and a cast on her arm. "Uh, I'm not sure. I'm supposed to meet someone here and..."

"Oh! You're Sara's friend. She said you'd be coming by. Just wait here, okay?" And then she was gone. Seconds and minutes ticked by and he could hear voices and laughter from one of the rooms down the hall.

"Hey! You made it." At the sound of her voice, Grissom's eyes closed for a moment in pleasure at the warm welcome in her tone before he turned toward her.

"Sorry I'm a little late."

"Actually, you're right on time. You can help me clean up," she said with a grin and led him to the pool area. "You'll have to ditch the shoes."

He blinked at that, but dutifully kicked off his shoes and removed his socks. Sara handed him a large laundry basket and started moving around the pool deck, motioning him to follow.

"Do you know what I didn't do for the first four years or so I was in Vegas?" she asked, looking at Grissom as she started picking up child-size floatation devices.

All Grissom could do was shake his head.

"I was born and raised near the ocean. I was in the water pretty much from birth, but for more than four years I had no contact with large bodies of water, except at a few crime scenes. I rarely even made time to swim laps, never mind get out on the lake. Too busy, I guess." Sara shook her head at that and started piling the devices in the basket Grissom held.

Once the pool deck was cleared, she sat on a bench and motioned him set the basket aside and to join her. "You still work a lot of overtime. What changed?" he wondered.

"You know Detective Vartan? We started working some cases together and just kind of clicked," Grissom flinched slightly at that. "Anyway, a friend of his runs a program for high-risk, young moms here at the center. There's some swimming and water activities for moms and little kids, but there's also coffee and conversation afterwards that is part of the program. It's a non-threatening way to get information to these women – well, girls really. They are at such high risk because they are almost totally dependent on others, even if that means an abusive situation."

Sara paused to take a deep breath. "Anyway, Vartan's friend needed someone to come in and talk about self-defense. Not to do a formal class or anything, just an informal chat about ways to protect themselves. He asked me if I'd help, because I'm trained in weaponless defense." at Grissom's surprised look, she retorted, "That's not exactly a secret, you know. I don't talk about it, but everyone seems to know."

"I gather you've done more than just one session here?" asked Grissom.

"Well, one thing led to another. I did a few of the coffee sessions, and then one day one of the swim teachers couldn't make it, so I filled in by helping with the pool exercises. I've been doing this for about 6 months now a couple of days a week. There are days I just live for the water," she said with a laugh. "In fact, after the classes, the pool is unused for about half an hour, so I usually swim laps until the next class starts."

Grissom just stared at her, mesmerized by the transformation. As she described her work at the center, her eyes started to...well, to glow. The fire and passion he remembered from so many years ago shone in their depths. He was startled from his trance by her laugh.

"Want to hear a secret?" she asked.

"Only if you want to share," he replied.

"Being in the water makes me feel..." Sara paused for a moment, struggling to find the right words. "Every time I dive in, I can almost feel hurts, frustrations and bad feelings being sluiced from my body. And sometimes, when I surface and take that first breath, it's like I've just been born. In that moment, it seems that anything is possible because whatever was holding me back was washed away."

Grissom gazed at the lights playing on the water as Sara continued. "After having been reborn a few times in the last six months, I've found a balance, that balance you once urged me to find. I'm not really a hobby kind of person, but this, my work at the center, keeps me grounded." She shrugged at that, and turned to study Grissom's profile. "So now you know."

After a companionable silence, Sara stood up. "There'll be a swim class starting soon. We should probably head out."

As they walked around the pool, Grissom turned his head toward the water. "I envy you," he confessed softly. "To know you have been changed, to feel yourself being transformed, it's a wonderful gift." A fleeting smile crossed his lips and he said wistfully, "I wish I could experience that sense of rebirth even once."

Sara stopped and studied Grissom. He paused and turned back toward her.

"Hey Griss, do you trust me?"

"What kind of a question is that?" came the startled response.

In a calm, firm voice Sara repeated the question. "Do you trust me?"

"God, yes Sara – with my life!"

She stood a moment, looking into his eyes, as though weighing the sincerity of his words. Suddenly she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders and toppled them both into the water...spinning and pulling them both down, down, down.

He struggled for a few seconds until his eyes met hers, and then he stilled. All thoughts of struggle disappeared. And then thought itself became impossible.

Sara kissed him. Just a gentle press of her lips upon his for the length of a heartbeat, then two. She changed the angle ever so slightly and ran her tongue over his lips in a silent plea. Grissom opened his mouth ever so slightly and was totally unprepared for what happened next.

Gently, reverently, Sara breathed into him. Dimly the thought surfaced that she was sustaining him. Just as that realization settled into his soul, she pulled away, the shock of it causing him to gasp. And he could breathe freely once more. Looking around, he discovered that they had surfaced and were floating, arms entwined.

Wide-eyed and uncertain what to say, Grissom just stared at Sara for a moment. He had a sudden mental image of what they must look like to the people starting to filter into the pool area – two fully dressed people, embracing, floating in the water. And the only reaction he could muster was a grin.

Despite the weight of wet clothes, he felt lighter in some indefinable way...and his grin got bigger.

Sara, who had been unsure how Grissom would react, was relieved to see the laughter growing in his eyes. Leaning toward him, she whispered in his ear, "Happy birthday."

Turning his head to whisper in her ear, Grissom teased, "Where's my present?"

Leaning back to see her reaction, Grissom gasped. He was given the one thing he most desired, but hadn't appreciated exactly how much he needed. Her smile – her beautiful, beautiful smile.

-End-