Crawling Centipedes
A/N: This is a one shot I had started in the summer and forgot to finish. After reading some fiction tonight I became inspired once more. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the States- I hope this brings you some cheer.
Grissom listened to Sara hum to herself in the next room as he quickly brushed his teeth. Tonight was going to be their first night alone together in almost a month. Work had proved to be quite demanding during the past thirty days.
How would he seduce her tonight?
A back massage? Romantic poetry? All of these were possibilities.
Once-upon-a-time, Grissom was used to be being alone. In the past, his home rarely got visitors, and now everything has changed.
He now had become accustomed to having a woman around. However, every now and then he would shake his head at how feminine his bedroom and living room had become. However, he knew he would rather be bombarded by the female touch than not be touched at all.
Five years ago if he had told himself he would be sharing his apartment with Sara Sidle, he would have sent himself to the hospital for a CAT scan.
He spit out the last of the toothpaste and looked himself over in the mirror. Recently he had spent so much more time on his appearance; he still wanted to impress her. After all, she tried her hardest to look good for him, the least he could do was reciprocate the gesture.
As soon as he opened the bathroom door, he jumped in response to the sudden screaming coming from the bedroom. Once the screams stopped, he noticed a rather large centipede crawl past his foot and duck quickly under the door.
"Sara?" Grissom questioned, trying not to laugh in amusement.
"Grissom! Did you get it?" Sara asked, a hint of panic still lingering in her voice. She was not normally startled by bugs, however centipedes were not normal. There were two main things in life that scared Sara since she was a child: failing a class (her greatest fear) and centipedes. Now, Sara was an exceptional student so she easily avoided her number one fear. However, her second fear she had to always experience every summer season. That's when they hatched and crawled around every home in Vegas like they owned the place. She loathed their creepy looking legs that seemed to all twitch in sync. Their antennas and small, bulging eyes only added to the "creep" factor that made up centipedes.
In Sara's mind she would rather search a decomp for evidence, than allow a centipede to crawl over her.
Grissom on the other hand was fascinated. He loved the way a centipede effortlessly moved across a floor with grace and speed. Their long antennas felt each vibration and warned them of any predators or threats.
When he was a child instead of running from their presence, he would chase after them in hope of keeping one as a pet. When he was five his best friend was Charlie, a large plump centipede he had retrieved from his basement. When he had died, his death had greatly affected Grissom; making him vow to research all he could on his deceased friend and other bugs. In time he caught more, but none were as beautiful as his first specimen.
"Sara," Grissom started off as gentile as possible. "I can't kill a bug, especially that one." There, he stood his ground. He would defend the innocent creature as much as he could.
"Well then I'm not sleeping here. The thought of that hideous thing crawling on me in the night gives me chills." She raised an eyebrow at Grissom, firmly planting her ground.
No romanticism tonight- unless the Scutigera Coleoptrata was slaughtered.
"What a choice, your love or killing off a man's best friend." Grissom sighed and looked over at Sara humorlessly. The smile didn't seem to break Sara's seriousness, as she continued to search the floor for anything moving.
"A dog is a man's best friend. A centipede is just disgusting." She quipped, still looking around the floor.
"Just keep the lights on, they hide in the dark." Grissom tried not to laugh when Sara jumped as his shadow moved on the floor.
"They just creep me out, please find it and get rid of it. I'll be waiting." Sara seductively posed on the bed. The sight was humorous, however Grissom could only hope she wasn't joking with his manhood. A man has needs, and Grissom's needs had been neglected for more than ten years. So it seemed a woman's love would prevail over that of a bug's.
As Grissom opened the bathroom door and closed it behind him, he was greeted almost immediately with the fine specimen he viewed earlier. Its legs scurried along the floor with ease as it tried to find a spot in the shadows once more.
"I'm sorry for blinding you, but I needed some illumination to save your from the evil warlock out there." He bent over and stood face to face with his ally.
He was fighting for a good cause- Sara was one temptation he couldn't resist. He knew there would be no love making tonight as long as the crawling centipedes crept the floor. Grissom wasn't blind; he knew there was much more than just one scurrying through out the house. However, if Sara saw the body perhaps she could be more comfortable in her surroundings.
Grissom decided a talk was in order, he needed to clear his conscience. As he cleared his throat he bent over, moving closer to the bug which had often kept him company.
"Don't get me wrong I like you and I respect you. It's just that, she doesn't. Please understand that it is nothing you did, I had to make a choice. It may not be the right one but in time I hope you forgive me." As he bowed his head down and paid his last respects to the small creature, his hand loomed over the centipede. He was in perfect squishing position and he knew that Sara would be only satisfied once she heard the painful splat of its body.
He couldn't do it! Of course there were other options…
In one swift motion, he scooped up the centipede and smiled down upon it once more.
"Let us just keep this between me and you, alright?" Grissom gave the bug one last glance before setting it free through the bathroom's open window. He quietly sealed it shut, as a devilish smile formed on his face.
Now she would be comfortable and not agitated. He would get her in the mood with a lengthy backrub, removing any tense muscles she endured from the sight of his friend. With a bounce in his step he walked out of the bathroom and quietly made his way over to the bed. Sara had her back turned to him, probably refusing to talk until the coast was clear.
"Everything is taken care of…I'm ready now for bed." He softly whispered with a hint of desire in his voice. After not hearing a response, he looked closer and was not rewarded with an illustrious look in return.
Sara laid there on the bed, breathing heavily in the midst of a deep sleep.
"Well there's always tomorrow." Grissom arched an eyebrow before slumping into their bed in defeat.
Next time he'll blind fold her.
END