Disclaimer: Not mine. If it was mine, the finale wouldn't have ended as it did.

Spoilers: Possibly for "Way to Go"

Author's Notes: Yes, another WIP. But this one is going to be very short, probably only another 2 chapters after this one. The idea partially came to me while relaxing in Gulf Shores during my vacation, then after watching the finale after returning home, it morphed into what it is now. My trusty beta reader is unavailable to me right now, so any mistakes are definitely mine.

Let me know what you think!

Jenny

Let Go:

Sara shut her eyes tightly, trying to block out the anxious screams surrounding her as the line slowly trudged forward. She wasn't scared, at least, not that she would admit, but as she listened to the creaking wood frame around the metal death trap of a roller coaster, she had to wonder exactly how safe she would be, propelling at 60 miles an hour down an ancient, rusty track. The cars came to a stop, and a group of excited kids spilled out the other side as the next group of thrill-seekers filled the seats.

She didn't fail to notice how several cars weren't inhabitable due to broken seat belts and restraint bars. Stealing a glance in Grissom's direction, she noticed he didn't seem troubled by their obvious lack of maintenance. With a slight scowl, she let him lead her to the first car, where they'd ride next. Shaking her head as screams once again filled the air around her, she started to picture what it would be like to plummet from the top of the tracks to her death on the concrete below. She shuddered slightly as she grasped Grissom's hand. At least she was comforted to know that if the ride did break and she did fall to her death, she wouldn't be alone.

The roller coaster cars halted to a squeaky stop with a loud puff of air as the emergency breaks were depressurized. The safety bars popped up and the two teenaged girls sitting in the front car hopped out, both giggling incessantly as they debated on what the quickest route back in line was. With an anxious look at Grissom, she allowed herself to be helped into the car, frowning as she clicked on the slightly frayed orange seat belt. She pulled on the end, tightening it as much as possible as the black bar came sliding down on top of her lap, clicking into place.

She tried not to appear too paranoid as she tugged slightly at the bar, making sure it would latch properly. Once certain that the catch would prevent them from tumbling head first out of the coaster as they crossed the peak of the track, she let herself lean back with a content sigh.

"Are you ready?"

Sara smiled as she glanced towards Grissom, replying dryly, "It's too late now to not be ready."

"I've ridden this one several times, it's fun. Wooden tracks are always the best rides." Grissom replied, "Maybe after this one, we can check out the green one--" He pointed across the amusement park to a large, loopy metal track, "I've heard it's exhilarating."

With a resigned sigh, Sara replied quietly, "Maybe so."

"Are you having a good time?" Grissom asked, sensing her discomfort, "You can pick the next ride, if you want to."

Sara shook her head, forcing a smile, "No, no...anything I do with you constitutes a good time. I just like being with you."

Grissom's response was cut off by her shriek as the coaster lunged forward, starting to creep it's way up the track. Through the clanking and wind, she was barely able to hear him as he shouted, "Lean back or the descent will hurt your neck."

She closed her eyes, grasping the restraint bar tightly as the coaster paused at the top of the incline, teetering slightly before rushing down the hill, turning and whiping them around as they maintained their top speed. With her stomach in her throat, she silently prayed they wouldn't die. As they descended down the second slope, Sara felt her butt leave the seat for a moment, and her prayers began to be whispered chants as she hoped the restraint bar wouldn't let her fall to an untimely demise.

They eased back into the landing platform, and the ride operator shouted loudly, "Do you guys want to go again?"

Sara's moan was cut off by 20 other excited whoops of joy as the coaster lunged forward again, starting their nightmare over once again.

Five agonizing minutes later, they pulled into the platform once again, and on shaky legs Sara stood, stumbling out of the coaster and through the double-door exit into the arcade. The cool air did little to calm her tumbling insides and ignoring Grissom's questions, she propelled herself to the nearest trash can, holding back her hair as she expelled the contents of her stomach. With a slight whimper, she leaned against the wall, slowly easing herself to the floor with her knees drawn to her chest.

She draped an arm across her queasy stomach as she inhaled deeply, her eyes closed as she willed her body to cooperate. Despite her humiliation at getting sick from a stupid roller coaster, morbid curiosity caused her to open her eyes and see if, by some chance, Grissom had disappeared and not witnessed her moment of weakness. Surprised to see the older man nowhere around, she let her eyes fall closed again, fighting back another wave of nausea as the excited screams from outside pierced the arcade walls.

"Sara, honey?" Grissom's voice said softly, causing her to open her eyes and glance up towards him with an embarrassed smile. Kneeling in front of her, he held out a bottle of water, "I didn't know if you'd like a Sprite or something fizzy, so I decided water would be the best bet."

Sara bit her lip, taking the bottle and holding it against her warm forehead, "I'm sorry...I don't know what happened, I'm not usually--"

"It's okay, calm down." Grissom said softly, "You're not indestructible, you're human like the rest of us."

Sara smiled wryly as she opened the bottle of water, taking a small sip, "That's funny, because I don't see everyone else puking their guts up after getting off of that...that machine."

"I've seen a few." Grissom replied quietly, pushing her hair back from her face with a concerned smile, "Are you okay now?"

Sara took another sip of the water, resisting the urge to spit it out as her stomach rebelled slightly. She remained silent for a few moments, not wanting to open her mouth and tempt fate. She pressed the bottle against her forehead once more, a slight shiver running down her spine as the beads of sweat from the bottle ran down the sides of her cheeks.

Noticing her ashen complexion, he tried to think of something else he could do to soothe his trembling girlfriend. It wasn't often that he had to take care of someone else, and to say he was rusty would be a gigantic understatement. Looking wistfully out the window, he decided to push his own wants aside as he asked quietly, "Do you want to just head back home?"

"No, no." Sara whispered softly, her eyes still closed, "I'll be okay, just give me a few minutes. Today's your day, I'll be fine."

Grissom laid his hand on her shoulder, speaking gently, "I don't care about going on the rides nearly as much as I care about you, honey. If you aren't feeling well, you'll be miserable for the rest of the day, and I don't want you to have to suffer just so I can have a good time."

"I'm okay." Sara repeated, forcing herself to rise to her feet, her hand against the wall as the room slightly swayed, "I'll be fine."

Grissom took a step back as she moved from the wall, grimacing as she turned back to the trash can to vomit once more. With one hand on her back, he waited for her to finish before leading her to a bench a few feet away, sitting down beside her as she sank onto the wooden seat.

"Maybe going home wouldn't be a bad idea." she admitted softly after a few moments of silence.

Grissom helped her stand, wrapping an arm around her waist as he led her to the door, "Do you think you'll be okay to ride in the car?"

"Don't worry Grissom, your leather seats are safe." Sara joked, her cheeks burning with embarrassment once again. As if it wasn't bad enough to get sick in front of him once, she did it twice, and ruined their entire day.

Grissom opened the door, gently leading her through, "I'm not worried about the car, Sara, I'm worried about you. Is that such a bad thing?"

"I'm fine." Sara replied, cringing as the roller coaster creaked over their heads, "You know, if we made a few calls and got this place inspected, I bet they'd have to close down."

Grissom was silent as he shook his head with a smile, leading her towards the exit, "You're really something, you know that?"

"I've been told that a time or two..." Sara joked, "So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?"

Grissom kissed the top of her head, his arm still snaked around her waist, "I can think of a few things..."

"Right, because you find me sexy when I'm sweaty and reeking of vomit." Sara laughed, pulling away, "Not to mention the sunburned arms."

Grissom glanced down at her shoulders and arms, which were already a bright pink color, "I didn't realized you were burning...why didn't you say something?"

"It's just a sunburn, it's not a big deal. It'll fade after a few days and I'll have a nice tan in it's place." Sara replied, rolling her eyes. She paused as they reached the exit gate, squeezing Grissom's hand tightly, "I'm feeling a lot better now, we can stay if you want to."

"It doesn't make you weak to admit that you can't do everything." Grissom replied, glancing towards the roller coaster they had just gotten off of, "I don't expect you to be perfect."

With a scowl, Sara hissed, "I'm not trying to show how strong and tough I am, I'm trying to make sure that my boyfriend has a good time on one of the very few days he takes off of work. Is that wrong to do?"

"I'm not going to fight with you, Sara, and I'm not going to let you torture yourself for my benefit." Grissom replied calmly, "You're sunburned, you're nauseous--"

"I'm fine now!" Sara groaned, taking a step back from him, "Why are you so stubborn?"

"Why are you so stubborn?" Grissom responded, "And if you've improved so drastically, what do you say we ride the wooden coaster again?"

Sara's face rapidly paled, and Grissom raised an eyebrow, "Now, wouldn't you rather continue this argument in my air conditioned car?"

"Fine." Sara huffed, following Grissom out of the gate and to their nearby parking space, "You're such a...a..."

"Man?"

"Yes!" Sara replied, pulling the door open and flopping into the seat, "Sometimes you're just impossible."

Grissom fastened his seat belt, smirking in Sara's direction, "I learned that from you, you know."

"I know." Sara huffed, turning the air conditioning vents to blow towards her, "My place our yours?"

"Let's go back to yours, so you can change into something more comfortable." Grissom suggested, "I believe we stopped halfway through Casablanca last week."

Sara nodded, a frown crossing her face at the memory, "419 off the strip, about an hour into the film."

"Since we're both off of work, why don't we pick up right where we left off?"

"Or we can start the night over with candles and champagne?" Sara suggested, raising an eyebrow as they pulled out of the parking lot, "Leave the cell phones in the car?"

With a slight smile, Grissom replied quietly, "I love the way you think."

"Well, I love--"

Her response was cut off as Grissom shouted an expletive, turning the wheel sharply to the right as the sound of crunching metal filled the air. The car spun several times before crashing into a nearby metal fence. As the car came to a halt, the only sound audible was the steady blare of the horn as Grissom's still body leaned against the steering wheel, showered in glass.

TBC