"Why am I working with you again?" The voice came from behind and above him.
Grissom, eyebrows already raised in question, straightened up from his squatting position and turned to face Sara. "I beg your pardon?"
"I want to know why I'm working with you again. All of a sudden. You didn't put yourself with me for almost a year, and now we've worked three cases in a row together." She paused for a moment, appearing to gather her thoughts, then continued, "I'm just trying to get everything cleared up - you know, between you and, uh, me."
Grissom was surprised to find himself at a loss for an answer. Mulling the question over, he stared at the top of the mini-fridge he had been about to open when Sara had spoken, drawing one finger along the top to collect a line of dust. "I imagine it's because I'm also trying to clear things up," he finally said. "It's pointless to keep two of the best minds from cooperating, just because of something that's . . . uh . . . something."
"Okay," Sara said with a short nod. "That makes sense. Thanks, Grissom." She was turning to leave the room when Grissom spoke again.
"That's it?" he said blankly. "You just wanted me to answer that question?"
Sara turned back to him and, leaning one shoulder against the doorframe, said, "Um, yeah. Don't worry; if I think of anything else I need to clear up, I'll come bug you again."
"This fridge is dirty," Grissom said inanely, surprised to find that he was displeased with Sara's haste to leave.
"Well, maybe if you didn't put all sorts of rotting things inside it, it wouldn't be so bad."
"No, I mean the top. No one's dusted this thing for a very long time."
Sara blinked. "Does that matter? All the interesting stuff goes on inside, not on top."
"I don't like dirt in my living and working space."
"So dust it!" she said in exasperation. "It's not the end of the world."
"Well I just think that we handle enough dirt and unpleasant organisms in the course of the night that we shouldn't have any more of our own making lingering around."
Sighing, Sara shook her head. "I'll pass the message on to my skin: no more shedding cells. Really, Grissom, all you have to do is take a rag and wipe it off. If you're feeling wild, get some Pledge to put on the rag first. Now, I don't know about you, but I have a case to work on - one that's already been shunted far enough aside - and I think I'll try to actually get something accomplished tonight."
She turned again and took a few steps down the hall, then thought of something. Leaning her head back into the break room, she jerked it toward the wall that had held a bloody sheet the night before and said, "Oh, and while you're at it? You might want to clean that wall - there was probably some blood and gore transfer when you pinned me down." Not waiting to see Grissom's reaction, she pulled her head back and was gone.
Grissom was sitting in his office, contemplating a tray of preserved cockroaches, when Nick materialized in front of him. "The quitting bell's ringing, boss. You wanna come to breakfast with us?"
His concentration broken, Grissom looked up. "What?"
"I said, 'Do you wanna come to breakfast with us'," Nick said with a grin. "You going deaf in your old age?"
"Very funny, Nicky. Now, where are you going to breakfast?"
"Do you care? You want to go to a specific place?"
"Not particularly," Grissom said with a shrug. "I'm just curious. Who's 'we,' anyway?"
"Everybody! This is the first time in months that everyone's been able to come. Me, Warrick, Sara, Catherine, Greg . . . even Doc Robbins. So how about it? You'll spoil the record if you don't come."
Pushing the roaches to the top of his desk, Grissom smiled slightly. "Well, if you need me that badly, I'll come. For a little while at least, though I don't think that Al and I are up to staying up all day with you young people."
"Pfft," Nick scoffed, waving his hand in a dismissing gesture. "Don't start playing the 'I'm Old' game, Gris; we all know better. So get up! Get your stuff, the train's leaving in a couple minutes."
The diner employees handled the chattering group of gun-toting crime lab employees with their usual aplomb. "You've got the whole crew today, I see," the waitress said to Nick as she led the group to a line of pushed-together tables. "Special occasion?"
"Nah, just good luck that everyone was free this morning." Nick smiled as she waved him to a seat. "Thanks, as usual."
Grissom watched as the rest of the group jockeyed for chairs and positions; he obviously didn't do this often enough, he thought, to understand the social dynamic. "Do we have assigned seats?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nope," Sara said as she held her fork up to the light to check for spots. "Just don't sit at another table entirely and you'll be fine. You know," she went on without segue, "the food and service in this place are great, but they really need to get a new dishwasher." Rolling his eyes at Sara's complaint, Grissom shrugged and slipped into the chair across from her, next to Greg.
"Drop the fork, Sara," warned Warrick, leaning in front of Nick to meet Sara's eyes. "We're not gonna watch you do the usual table inspection; we have company today, remember?" he asked, shifting his eyes between Grissom and Doc Robbins.
"Company?" Robbins asked. "Now, I know I don't go out with you all much, but I refuse to become 'company.'"
"Yeah, Warrick," Sara teased. "Stop insulting your fellow employees. Oh, thanks," she said distractedly as the waitress placed a glass of orange juice in front of her.
"You guys?" Catherine asked from the other end of the table. "Can you stop bickering so I can make a toast?"
Grissom, at a loss, blinked. "Toast?"
"Yeah," Catherine said, "a toast. Ok guys, hoist the glasses." Everyone did, raising coffee, water, and various juices. "I'd like to propose a toast to the night shift and the great, though strange, friendships we've all formed."
"Hear, hear," chanted Nick as he banged his glass into Warrick's. The sound of clinking glasses and sloshing liquids reigned for a few moments as everyone toasted, the moment was broken only when Greg put his glass down and asked, "Can we eat yet?"
"We have to order first, dillweed," Nick grinned.
"Then bring on the menus!"
The waitress passed around the menus and stood by, ready to take orders. "I'm ready," Grissom said immediately. "I'll have an egg and cheese sandwich on a roll, please."
"I'm ready too," Sara spoke up after letting the waitress write for a few seconds. "Can I have a belgian waffle? With syrup."
Grissom's mouth quirked up. "Decided to finally eat some calories this morning, Sara?"
Without hesitation, Sara pointedly eyed his open menu and shot back, "Decided to finally have a heart attack this morning, Grissom?" When he didn't respond, Sara grinned. "Don't dish it out if you can't take it, boss."
"I can take it."
"Then why'd you look defeated?"
"I didn't," Grissom protested, glaring at her.
"Did too."
"Did not."
Pulling her eyes from his face, Sara looked around at the table and found that, unsurprisingly, all ears were tuned in to her and Grissom. "Back to your conversations, guys; nothing to see here."
"There's always something to see when you and Grissom start fighting," Greg said with a laugh. "You can't blame us for wanting to hear it."
"Guess what?" Grissom said. "I blame you. Now drink your coffee and stop eavesdropping. That goes for all of you," he added, glaring around the table.
Nick smirked at both Grissom and Sara before replying, "Oh come on, Griss my man. Were your friends and therefore, were supposed to know, see and listen to everything that you and my girl Sara here do."
Sara glared at Nick, "Sorry to burst your bubble, Nicky but Griss and I dont do anything that concerns you." Then she winked at him and smirked, "But everything that you and you-know-who do does concerns me and Rick."
Warrick laughed at the look on Nick face. His eyes were wide and his mouth dropped. Even Catherine, Greg, and Doc laughed. Grissom, of course, looked confused.
"Who's you-know-who?" he asked Sara.
"Sorry. Can't tell.You have to ask Nicky."
"Do they know?" he said, gesturing toward their friends.
"Nope.It's Nicky's, Warrick's and my secret. You'll just have to wait like everybody."
He looked at her and she looked at him. She could just see the wheels turning inside his head, but she didnt give him the satisfaction of telling him and everybody the secret.
They continued to stare at each other. Greg suddenly burst out, "I'm hungry so Im gonna order now." He called the waitress over, who walked away when Griss and Sara started bantering. Everybody laughed and started ordering their food. While they waited for their food, they talked and catch up on everybody's life. They all relaxed even Grissom. When their food arrived, they ate. Doc, Greg and Cath left right after breakfast, Catherine wanting to see Lindsey, Greg wanting to sleep and Doc for his wife. The only ones left were Sara, Grissom, Nick and Warrick. They were now standing in the parking lot.
Grissom saw that only Nick's car was in the parking lot. Sara and Warrick's car were nowhere to be seen.
He turned to Sara and Warrick and said, "Where are your cars?"
Warrick said, "It's at home."
"Why? How did you guys got to work?"
Sara said, "We came with Nick."
Grissom just looked at her. She knew that he wanted to know why. She sighed and said, "Nick, Warrick and I live together. We just bought a house for the three of us. And since we live together, we thought we could bring one car to work. Were not just using Nick's car. Warrick and I also use our car."
Girssom stood there, speechless. He didn't know that the three of them live together. He just knew that they are close to each other but not close enough to live together.
Nick looked at Grissom. He was a little worried about Grissom. He didn't say anything for a minute afte Sara's confessions.
"Hey Griss. Man, you okay?" he asked. He looked at Warrick and Sara and saw that they also looke worried.
Grissom finally shook himself to get rid of his thoughts when he realized that Nick was calling him. He looked up at them and said,"Guys, Im fine. I was just...surprised."
"Oh okay," Sara said.
Grissom asked, "Was that the secret you mentioned?"
Warrick answered, "Nope. Everybody knows that we live together. Dude, you gotta keep up with your friends or you'll get left behind."
He and Nick chuckled. Grissom glared at them but they weren't fazed by him. He then looked at Sara. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on. She was not only beautiful, but smart, determined, strong and...well, beautiful. He then realized that this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But then, he was too late.
Suddenly, he couldnt hold it in anymore. He has got to ask her if he was too late. He didn't care if Warrick and Nick were standing right there. He walked right up to her and stood in front of her, his face a few inches from hers. Sara saw what he was doing. Suddenly, his face was so close that she could'nt breathe. This was the moment she had imagined all those years even before he turned down her dinner date. But he was too late. Then again, nothings too late when it comes to Grissom.
"Griss?" she whispered.
"Tell me now if I'm too late. If I am, then I will leave you alone," he whispered in a gruff voice fill with love.
Sara's breath caught in her throat. She looked at him with all the love that she felt for him written on her face.
She whispered, "You will never be too late."
He said, "Good. Because I love you."
Before she could say a word, he was already kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
Nick and Warrick stood there with silly grins on their faces. Sara had told them a long time ago that she love Grissom but he doesn't know what to do about it. Now, it looks that Grissom finally got his head out of his shell. Finally, they broke apart. Sara looked at Grissom and said smilingly, " I Love you, too."
She looked away from Grissom when she saw the boys. She blushed and said, "Sorry about that."
Warrick laughed. He came over and hugged her, Grissom pulling away so they can hug. Warrick said, " Im happy for you, Sar. You deserve to be happy."
"Thanx, Warrick." She smiled at him before kissing his cheek.
Nick came up to her to her and hugged her. He kissed her on the forehead. He pulled back and said, " You sure about this?"
"Yes, Nicky. Im sure."
"Good."
He turned to Grissom and said, "You hurt her again, I swear I'll make your life miserable."
Grissom smiled and took Sara from Nick. He said, "I promise you that I will never hurt Sara. Ever."
"We'll hold you to that," said Warrick.