Title: "Confrontation"
Author: GrissomsOverture
Description: When Grissom and Sara attend a forensics conference, they are forced to confront that fact that there is more to life than science.
Spoilers: I reference episodes from all seasons, but it's probably nothing you haven't read or heard already if you've missed the ep. If I spoiled something for you, I apolagize sincerely, and you can flog me with a wet noodle. Deal?
Disclaimers: If I owned Grissom, I promise you I'd be the happiest woman in the world. Unfortunatley, I don't. I also don't own "CSI" or anything else that belongs to the brilliant world of Jerry Bruckheimer.
*Note: Songs used and not referenced are "If I Ever Loose My Faith In You" by Sting and "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence. Book quote is from "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I don't own anything by these lovely people, either. I'm just an admiring fan.
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Grissom stared intently at the computer screen, hoping to find answers somewhere behind the plastic screen. The computer had been idle for half an hour; the annoying flying windows where all that greeted his eyes. But he didn't seem to notice. His pager went off, and he jumped slightly at the interruption in his thoughts. Slightly annoyed, he glanced at the pager, the numbers on the screen making his grim face perk up a bit. He made his way to the morgue to get the results of Robin's latest post, his mood brightening at the hopes of some evidence, the story the dead man on the table would tell.
Sara was entering the building, metal kit in hand, and smiled tentatively at Grissom as he passed. He looked at her with an unreadable expression, and then continued his way to the autopsy suite. "Griss." she started, but he didn't hear. "Damn," Her heart burned. What had happened between them lately; what was this invisible wall they'd built? Warrick came up behind Sara, arms full of evidence from the scene. "You OK?" "Yeah.hey, is something wrong with Grissom? He's been very.quiet, all night." Warrick raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Sorry, Sar, to be honest with you I haven't noticed. I'm gonna go process these, k?" She nodded, brow still furrowed. Of course. Why had she bothered to ask? Why would Warrick be hyper-sensitive to Grissom's moods? Sara wished, for a moment, that she was like her friends and co-workers on the team; that she could have an impartial, cut-and-dried friendship with Gil; a normal, supervisor- subservient relationship. But it could never be that way, at least for her. There would always be feelings. She has learned by now that she couldn't control her heart. Her brain never let her down; her heart was fickle. Pushing these thoughts aside, she headed for the lab.
Hours later, the morning was coming fast. Grissom entered the break room and nodded at Catherine, who was sipping coffee and watching CNN. "Hey, Catherine, I've got a favor to ask." "Shoot," she said, not looking away from the TV. "Well, I'm sure you know the US Forensic Sciences Society conference is next week up in Colorado Springs," She nodded, still reading the news ticker. He ignored her inattentiveness and continued. "And I've been asked to speak on advances in entomology." "Good for you," Catherine smiled appreciatively, glancing for a moment at her friend before going back to the news. "Yeah. Anyway, I need to take one member of my team along. It's not my choice, but the department wants one you guys to come and have the benefit of all the new information and equipment to bring back to the rest of the team." "Why?" Catherine asked, puzzled. "They don't think you're capable of speaking AND listening to the microscope vendor's schpeel?" He shrugged. "Trust me, I spent a long time arguing this one, and I'm not going to win. They want another CSI to come along. That's what we get for being the number-two lab in the country; they want to make sure we're up to speed, and make our presence known at the conference." She shrugged, switching the TV off and turning to face Grissom. "Makes sense, I guess." He nodded ruefully and continued. "So, day shift's swamped, none of them can come along. Nick and Warrick are knee-deep in the casino robbery and double murder, so I can't ask them. You're fairly free, right? It's only Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday." Catherine thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "Mmm-sorry, Grissom. Much as I'd love to help you out and sit through hours of forensic anthropology lectures, Lindsey's school play is Friday night. Besides, I told Warrick and Nick if they needed back-up with the casino robbery, I'd help. Remember? You approved." He sighed, and nodded. "Wait-Sara just wrapped up the home invasion. I don't think she's got anything too big going on right now. Why haven't you asked her? She'd love to go." Grissom looked at the ceiling, then, completely ignoring Catherine's question, walked toward the door, throwing a "Thanks, anyway, Cath," over his shoulder. Catherine looked after him, shaking her head in bewilderment. "Men," she muttered.
Sara sat in the lab, singing softly to herself and doing paperwork on the case she'd just finished. Grissom stood behind her, and a soft smile played on his lips. She was adorable when she didn't think anyone was watching her. Her hair curled around her ears, tickling the collar of the blue lab coat. Her singing voice was soft and sweet. She was beautiful. How was he going to handle two days in close proximity with this woman and keep his emotions at bay? Especially when the scenario was so similar to their first meeting; the seminar that seemed light years in the past. But it had to be done. Taking a deep breath, Grissom walked toward Sara, coaching himself all the way. 'You can do this, Gil. You're a scientist. You are completely detached from, and in control of, you're emotions. You can do this, for the team. Sara is a colleague; a friend; nothing more. This can be done. Do it." Clearing his throat to make his presence known, he leaned against the desk in front of the only person he COULDN'T keep his emotions detached from. 'Hide it,' the voice in his head commanded as he looked down at her. Sara jumped, her reverie broken. A blush crept to her cheeks as she realized he'd heard her singing. "Hi, Sara. I'm sorry I startled you. How's the documentation coming?" She wrinkled her nose. "Fine. You know how it is. Paperwork is the worst part of the job." One side of his mouth pulled into an understanding grin. "Yeah, I know.Well, listen. I've got to ask if you'd be interested in going to the Forensic Sciences Society conference. I've got to deliver a lecture, and I need to take one of my CSI's along." He rolled his eyes. "Department's orders. Everyone else is swamped, so.you willing and able to go?" He looked at a petri dish on the counter and fiddled with it. Why did he feel like a high school freshman asking a girl out on a date? Sara frowned. She felt all at once excited at the prospect of spending a weekend with him, elated to be going to the conference-and hurt that she was his last choice. She opened her mouth to say so-then stopped. 'For God's sake-I'm at work. This is my boss, asking me to go on a work-related trip. Of course he'd ask other people. I'm a scientist; I'm not back in high school. Act like an adult.' "Yeah, absolutely, I'd love to go. I'm pretty much caught up with everything." Las Vegas had been relatively quiet, crime-wise, with the exception of Nick and Warrick's casino case. The workaholic in Sara had been itching for more to do. She wasn't' used to this quiet, and it irritated her. The conference would be a welcome opportunity to learn more about her field. Pushing thoughts of being alone with Grissom from the forefront of her brain, she grinned in excitement at the thought of the conference. Grissom nodded, ignoring the pounding of his heart. 'She's not excited about going with you; she's excited because she's a scientist.' He swallowed. "Good. Good, then. I knew you'd want to go." She looked at him, an unreadable expression in her brown eyes. "I mean, I know you like.conferences." Sara smiled widely. What was he trying to say?... She decided to ignore it. They'd have all weekend to talk.her stomach felt as though it had done a back-flip at the thought. She closed her eyes and shook her head for a half-second, trying to clear her head. "Anyway..when do we leave?" "5 AM Friday morning. The city is paying for our hotel room-rooms." Sara's heart jumped, and Grissom was glad for the dim lighting in the lab so she couldn't see his face pale at the Fruedian slip. He went on, staring at his shoes. "We should get there around 6 or so." "We're driving?" He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Yeah. They'll pay for our rooms and reimburse our gas money, but that's as good as gets." Sara laughed. "I'm not surprised. Well, we'll take turns driving. It shouldn't be too bad." He nodded, turning to leave the lab. "God, let's hope not." He mumbled under his breath. Sara, staring at her paperwork and pretending not to be distracted, pretending her head wasn't running wild with ideas about the weekend, didn't hear him.
Author: GrissomsOverture
Description: When Grissom and Sara attend a forensics conference, they are forced to confront that fact that there is more to life than science.
Spoilers: I reference episodes from all seasons, but it's probably nothing you haven't read or heard already if you've missed the ep. If I spoiled something for you, I apolagize sincerely, and you can flog me with a wet noodle. Deal?
Disclaimers: If I owned Grissom, I promise you I'd be the happiest woman in the world. Unfortunatley, I don't. I also don't own "CSI" or anything else that belongs to the brilliant world of Jerry Bruckheimer.
*Note: Songs used and not referenced are "If I Ever Loose My Faith In You" by Sting and "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence. Book quote is from "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I don't own anything by these lovely people, either. I'm just an admiring fan.
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Grissom stared intently at the computer screen, hoping to find answers somewhere behind the plastic screen. The computer had been idle for half an hour; the annoying flying windows where all that greeted his eyes. But he didn't seem to notice. His pager went off, and he jumped slightly at the interruption in his thoughts. Slightly annoyed, he glanced at the pager, the numbers on the screen making his grim face perk up a bit. He made his way to the morgue to get the results of Robin's latest post, his mood brightening at the hopes of some evidence, the story the dead man on the table would tell.
Sara was entering the building, metal kit in hand, and smiled tentatively at Grissom as he passed. He looked at her with an unreadable expression, and then continued his way to the autopsy suite. "Griss." she started, but he didn't hear. "Damn," Her heart burned. What had happened between them lately; what was this invisible wall they'd built? Warrick came up behind Sara, arms full of evidence from the scene. "You OK?" "Yeah.hey, is something wrong with Grissom? He's been very.quiet, all night." Warrick raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Sorry, Sar, to be honest with you I haven't noticed. I'm gonna go process these, k?" She nodded, brow still furrowed. Of course. Why had she bothered to ask? Why would Warrick be hyper-sensitive to Grissom's moods? Sara wished, for a moment, that she was like her friends and co-workers on the team; that she could have an impartial, cut-and-dried friendship with Gil; a normal, supervisor- subservient relationship. But it could never be that way, at least for her. There would always be feelings. She has learned by now that she couldn't control her heart. Her brain never let her down; her heart was fickle. Pushing these thoughts aside, she headed for the lab.
Hours later, the morning was coming fast. Grissom entered the break room and nodded at Catherine, who was sipping coffee and watching CNN. "Hey, Catherine, I've got a favor to ask." "Shoot," she said, not looking away from the TV. "Well, I'm sure you know the US Forensic Sciences Society conference is next week up in Colorado Springs," She nodded, still reading the news ticker. He ignored her inattentiveness and continued. "And I've been asked to speak on advances in entomology." "Good for you," Catherine smiled appreciatively, glancing for a moment at her friend before going back to the news. "Yeah. Anyway, I need to take one member of my team along. It's not my choice, but the department wants one you guys to come and have the benefit of all the new information and equipment to bring back to the rest of the team." "Why?" Catherine asked, puzzled. "They don't think you're capable of speaking AND listening to the microscope vendor's schpeel?" He shrugged. "Trust me, I spent a long time arguing this one, and I'm not going to win. They want another CSI to come along. That's what we get for being the number-two lab in the country; they want to make sure we're up to speed, and make our presence known at the conference." She shrugged, switching the TV off and turning to face Grissom. "Makes sense, I guess." He nodded ruefully and continued. "So, day shift's swamped, none of them can come along. Nick and Warrick are knee-deep in the casino robbery and double murder, so I can't ask them. You're fairly free, right? It's only Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday." Catherine thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "Mmm-sorry, Grissom. Much as I'd love to help you out and sit through hours of forensic anthropology lectures, Lindsey's school play is Friday night. Besides, I told Warrick and Nick if they needed back-up with the casino robbery, I'd help. Remember? You approved." He sighed, and nodded. "Wait-Sara just wrapped up the home invasion. I don't think she's got anything too big going on right now. Why haven't you asked her? She'd love to go." Grissom looked at the ceiling, then, completely ignoring Catherine's question, walked toward the door, throwing a "Thanks, anyway, Cath," over his shoulder. Catherine looked after him, shaking her head in bewilderment. "Men," she muttered.
Sara sat in the lab, singing softly to herself and doing paperwork on the case she'd just finished. Grissom stood behind her, and a soft smile played on his lips. She was adorable when she didn't think anyone was watching her. Her hair curled around her ears, tickling the collar of the blue lab coat. Her singing voice was soft and sweet. She was beautiful. How was he going to handle two days in close proximity with this woman and keep his emotions at bay? Especially when the scenario was so similar to their first meeting; the seminar that seemed light years in the past. But it had to be done. Taking a deep breath, Grissom walked toward Sara, coaching himself all the way. 'You can do this, Gil. You're a scientist. You are completely detached from, and in control of, you're emotions. You can do this, for the team. Sara is a colleague; a friend; nothing more. This can be done. Do it." Clearing his throat to make his presence known, he leaned against the desk in front of the only person he COULDN'T keep his emotions detached from. 'Hide it,' the voice in his head commanded as he looked down at her. Sara jumped, her reverie broken. A blush crept to her cheeks as she realized he'd heard her singing. "Hi, Sara. I'm sorry I startled you. How's the documentation coming?" She wrinkled her nose. "Fine. You know how it is. Paperwork is the worst part of the job." One side of his mouth pulled into an understanding grin. "Yeah, I know.Well, listen. I've got to ask if you'd be interested in going to the Forensic Sciences Society conference. I've got to deliver a lecture, and I need to take one of my CSI's along." He rolled his eyes. "Department's orders. Everyone else is swamped, so.you willing and able to go?" He looked at a petri dish on the counter and fiddled with it. Why did he feel like a high school freshman asking a girl out on a date? Sara frowned. She felt all at once excited at the prospect of spending a weekend with him, elated to be going to the conference-and hurt that she was his last choice. She opened her mouth to say so-then stopped. 'For God's sake-I'm at work. This is my boss, asking me to go on a work-related trip. Of course he'd ask other people. I'm a scientist; I'm not back in high school. Act like an adult.' "Yeah, absolutely, I'd love to go. I'm pretty much caught up with everything." Las Vegas had been relatively quiet, crime-wise, with the exception of Nick and Warrick's casino case. The workaholic in Sara had been itching for more to do. She wasn't' used to this quiet, and it irritated her. The conference would be a welcome opportunity to learn more about her field. Pushing thoughts of being alone with Grissom from the forefront of her brain, she grinned in excitement at the thought of the conference. Grissom nodded, ignoring the pounding of his heart. 'She's not excited about going with you; she's excited because she's a scientist.' He swallowed. "Good. Good, then. I knew you'd want to go." She looked at him, an unreadable expression in her brown eyes. "I mean, I know you like.conferences." Sara smiled widely. What was he trying to say?... She decided to ignore it. They'd have all weekend to talk.her stomach felt as though it had done a back-flip at the thought. She closed her eyes and shook her head for a half-second, trying to clear her head. "Anyway..when do we leave?" "5 AM Friday morning. The city is paying for our hotel room-rooms." Sara's heart jumped, and Grissom was glad for the dim lighting in the lab so she couldn't see his face pale at the Fruedian slip. He went on, staring at his shoes. "We should get there around 6 or so." "We're driving?" He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Yeah. They'll pay for our rooms and reimburse our gas money, but that's as good as gets." Sara laughed. "I'm not surprised. Well, we'll take turns driving. It shouldn't be too bad." He nodded, turning to leave the lab. "God, let's hope not." He mumbled under his breath. Sara, staring at her paperwork and pretending not to be distracted, pretending her head wasn't running wild with ideas about the weekend, didn't hear him.