Underground
By PikaBoo2
Chapter 1
Be careful what you wish for…
"I have fought my way through the goblin city to take back the love that you have stolen," She read softly to herself. Wow, what a wonderful book! Sara was so immersed that she didn't hear her cell go off. On the eighth ring, she acknowledged it.
Grissom.
She quickly looked at the clock on the wall of the break room. 6:00 Am. She had been reading for three hours.
"He's going to kill me!" She breathed as she answered her phone. "Sara!" She tried to sound cheerful. A moment of silence followed.
"Last time I was aware, breaks didn't last three hours," His voice was low and calm. It would have been less cruel if he had been screaming.
"I know, I know…I can explain…" Her fake cheer had turned to real embarrassment.
"My office…and don't take three hours!" He hung up. Anger was growing inside her as she put down the book and marched to Grissom's office. Unlike him, humans made mistakes, she growled angrily to herself. His door was open.
"Close the door," She did as told as she walked in. He didn't ask her to sit so she stood in front of his desk looking down at him as he wrote on his laptop. Several seconds went before he spoke.
"Well," He said not looking up.
"Well what," She spat back. A blue eye shifted up with its eyebrow to look at her. The stare spoke volumes and she looked down in submission. That moment of silence again. She hated it. When she looked back at him, he was continuing his work on the computer.
Tell me or get out! She wished he had just said it.
"I got lost in a book," She finally breathed, more exasperated then she had expected. He stopped typing at her words. He closed the laptop and put it aside. He turned to her, taking off his glasses. She couldn't read his face. Then she saw a shadow of a grin.
"What book?" He was quizzical, interested even. She had not expected that. Trap?
"What does it matter?" She asked warily. He gave her a full smile now and something about it put her on guard.
"When a book has the power to make one of my CSI's neglect there responsibilities, I like to at least know its name!" He was still smiling, but his voice had risen ever so slightly. Trap!
"It was a mistake…" She began, her voice rising itself, as she tried to explain. Grissom suddenly stood up, his hands flat on the desk.
"No Sara…It was neglect!" She was surprised at his sudden movement of anger and could only stare at him. He held her eyes and she had to admit it was hard not to turn away. His gaze began to soften and he fell back to his seat, in disgust or deflation, she didn't know. Both turned away from each other and neither said anything.
"I've given your case to Greg," He said matter of fact as he rubbed his forehead closing his eyes. He didn't want to see the reaction he knew would come from her. It scared him more when it didn't come.
"Anything else," He barely heard her. Was it getting colder in his office? It would have been better if she had screamed, he thought. He looked up at her.
"Don't let it happen again," He said softly. He suddenly felt very old and very tired. He looked down at his desk and pretended to become busy, thus dismissing Sara from his office. He could feel her lean down over his desk. Her breath was on his cheek and a shiver ran down his spine. Here it comes, he thought.
"Unlike you, I'm only human," She cooed. "But I'll try." An icicle in his ear would have been more welcome. He couldn't look up as she walked out of his office; he just closed his eyes and wished he himself could get lost for three hours.
Sara picked up her book in the break room and went to her locker. On her way out, she looked into Grissom's office. She felt an uncomfortable sneer cross her face as she thought of a quote from her book.
"I wish the goblin's would come and take you away," She smiled sadly in his direction. She didn't even realize she had said it aloud. "Right now!"