Authors Note: So, this is my very first fanfic attempt. I would greatly appreciate honest reviews. Thanks!

Breathing Sanctuary

By dcjp

Chapter 1: Every Dream Inside My Soul

Sara finished wiping the remnants of shaving cream from Grissom's face with the towel that had been over his shoulder. His eyes were closed, enjoying the feel of her soft touch. She laid the towel down on the bathroom counter before lifting her hand to rub against the smoothness of his freshly shaven skin. She loved being able to see his face, see all of him. While he may not always say what he was feeling, she could always read it in his expressions; and she felt that his beard covered him, masking him and his thoughts from the world. Now he was beardless; and in Sara's opinion, much younger looking.

As her thumb brushed under his chin, Grissom slowly opened his eyes to find her gaze firmly locked on his. He could stare into her brown eyes for eternity and still not get enough of them. They could make him melt, tremble, and feel things he hadn't felt in so long just by one look from her. They held each others gaze for several moments, heat simmering between them, their breaths quickening. Grissom reached his hand up and ran it through her hair, hanging on to the ends. He laid his other arm on her waist and gently guided her to him. He could faintly smell her soft perfume still lingering on her skin after the long day. It was soft and floral, not overpowering, and uniquely Sara. It drove him crazy at work when she would lean close to him while working in the layout room or at a crime scene and her scent would perforate his mind and make him lose track of his thoughts. He had no idea how he had managed so far to keep it from the rest of the team how crazy she drove him. Like what she was doing to him now. Intoxicating him, fascinating him, and immersing him in a world far from work and his previous solitary life.

Sara's hand slowly slipped from his face, making its way down the side of his neck and to his hard chest. Her other hand joined in, slowly exploring his surprisingly toned body. She could feel his warmth through the thin worn t-shirt he was wearing. Breaking his gaze, her eyes followed her wandering hands down his torso. This was how she liked him. Relaxed and casual, and far from the harshness and brutality of the world they worked in. His arms were big and strong, and while she wouldn't admit it to the rest of the world for fear that her tough persona would be shattered, she loved it when his arms were wrapped around her and she was kept safe from the world. When her roaming hands reached the hem of his shirt, they desperately sought out the skin-to-skin contact she wanted. There was a sharp intake of breath, and when she glanced back up to look at him, his eyes were burning with the pent up desire from the past several weeks.

"Sara…" was all he managed to get out before she leaned in and kissed him. It was a soft and gentle kiss to begin with, lips sweetly exploring each other as the last agonizing month was washed away. Grissom reveled in the taste and touch of her mouth after spending an unbearable month away from her, filled with sleepless nights spent worrying if she would want him when he came back. When the kiss ended several minutes later, Grissom kept his hold on her and rested his forehead against hers, trying to bring his breathing under control.

"…I love you," he whispered against her skin as he kissed her forehead and pulled away to look at her. What he found were two brown eyes shimmering with unshed tears and the famous Sara Sidle grin spread across her face.

"I love you too," she quietly replied, a small sigh escaping her lips as she brought her head to rest beneath his chin. She let out a soft giggle before adding, "God, it feels good to finally say it."

"I know. I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you. I don't know why it's so hard to tell you how I feel." Grissom stroked her hair as she snuggled into his chest, letting out a sigh of content. They stood there in each others arms for a few more moments before they were interrupted by a loud beeping coming from the kitchen.

Sara sighed, kissing his chest as she slowly released her grasp on Grissom. "That would be the lasagna. I should take it out before it burns."

Grissom watched her retreating form down the hallway before he slipped on his slippers, grabbed their now empty wine glasses, and followed her out into the apartment. It was still fairly messy. A few boxes sat in the corner, waiting to be unpacked. The main living room was warm and inviting, a stark contrast to what Grissom was used to. A dark leather couch stood in front of a stone gas fireplace, sending a comforting flickering light throughout the room. The walls were an assortment of his framed collections and Sara's vibrant choices in art. Everything was colorful, warming, and tastefully done. It was all because of Sara. He stopped by the bar separating the kitchen from the rest of the apartment and watched her as she set the table at their little dining nook and brought the food over. He grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine rack and worked on opening it while Sara lit the candle on the table.

When they were both seated, Grissom raised his glass to make a toast. "To love and happiness," he smiled, toasting her glass and taking a sip.

"To love and happiness," she repeated, also taking a small sip of wine. Sara smiled at him over the rim of her glass. She wasn't sure if it was from the wine, but she was suddenly very warm and giddy. As she looked at him across the table, she couldn't help the smile that wouldn't leave her face.

It wasn't before he had taken a few bites of his food did he notice that she wasn't moving. Looking up, he caught her gaze and smiled back. "This is excellent. It's a new recipe, isn't it?"

"It is. I tried a few new ones from a magazine while you were gone. Thought you might like some variety."

"I like everything you cook."

Sara let out a small laugh before replying. "Well, you flatter me. I'm a terrible cook and you know it."

"Well give yourself some credit…you've improved immensely the past year and a half. At least I'm no longer afraid to even try the food." Grissom smiled playfully, a more regular occurrence since he had been with her.

"True," she replied, her mock pout disappearing from her face, turning back into a smile instead. She reached over and served herself some of the lasagna from the dish. "This is actually the first time I've cooked here, since I was staying at my old place the past few weeks, trying to get everything moved over here. I did, however, get a lot of take out from that vegetarian Thai place around the block."

"We'll have to go over there and have a decent meal then, if you like it so much. It's not vegan….is it?" Grissom had a slightly disgusted look on his face. He had pretty much converted over to vegetarianism since being with Sara. At least for all the meals he shared with her. But he could not bring himself to eat vegan food. He liked his eggs and cheese.

"No, mainly just vegetarian," chuckled Sara. She had to admit that since he'd started eating vegetarian with her, he had lost all of the extra pounds he had put on the past few years. He was looking good, and everyone in the lab could tell. She definitely could.

They finished their meal in comfortable conversation, ranging from how they should organize their CDs and records to the traffic on the east coast. It was pleasant and calming. This is what Grissom enjoyed the most – coming home to Sara and forgetting about the world when in her company. Their work was hardly ever mentioned when they came home, saving that topic for the many hours they already spent together at the office. At the end of the day, he just wanted to be where she was. At first, they alternated between staying at his town home or her apartment closer to the city. That plan worked for a while, but they both soon got tired of toting clothes and laundry back and forth between their two places. After about 6 months of rotating their living arrangements, they decided to move in together. Grissom wanted to move in to Sara's place, because it was warmer and felt like her. Sara wanted to move in to Grissom's place because it was larger and further from the garish lights and sounds of the Strip. So they compromised on finding a new place, together. One that had more room, wasn't quite as sterile as Grissom's place, and was in a quieter neighborhood. They had just begun to move in when Grissom mentioned the guest lecturer position in Massachusetts. His leaving had hindered the moving process, and he had come back to Vegas to find a half empty home without Sara in it. Sara had been eager to move out of her old apartment, but it didn't feel right to her to spend the night in their new place without Grissom.

When they had finished with their dinner, Grissom grabbed the dishes and headed to the sink to start cleaning up. Sara walked over to the stereo Grissom had finished hooking up earlier and browsed through their CD collection. John Mayer's latest album started playing softly through the speakers, and Sara stood just listening to the music for a few minutes. She took a look around their new place before heading back into the kitchen to help Grissom with the dishes.

Just as they finished cleaning up after dinner, Sara's favorite song came on. The gentle melody drifted across the room, evoking past memories and timid beginnings, clouding Sara's mind and making her heart beat faster. Setting the dish towel on the counter, she slowly wrapped her arms around Grissom from behind, her hands splaying across his chest. With eyes closed, she raised up on her toes and whispered in his ear, "Dance with me, Gil?"

Grissom reached up and grabbed one of her hands, gently pulling her to the middle of the living room. He rested one hand on the small of her back and held on to hers with the other, guiding her in closer to him. He softly swayed her to the music, enjoying the faint sounds of her humming along to the song. She was like a siren to him, drawing him in with her sweet voice and beauty. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the smell of her hair as he buried his head in the crook of her neck. This is where he wanted to be – holding her, in his arms, forever. "It's good to be home. I missed you too much for words," he whispered, breathing into her neck.

Sara just wrapped her arms tighter around Grissom, and soon they were hugging each other tight, rocking back and forth to the beat of the song, and savoring the feel of holding each other in their arms. She enjoyed listening to his heart beat, a slow and steady rhythm beating almost in time with the music. Sara's heart almost ached with how much she loved him at the moment. She never wanted to stop holding him, never wanted to let go. It wasn't until the song came to an end that Sara responded. A muffled reply from against his chest, "I missed you too." When she raised her head to look at him, a single tear ran down her cheek.

With his thumb, Grissom brushed away the solitary tear, and framed her face in his hands. His eyes expressing all of his regret for leaving her without trusting her enough to discuss what he was feeling and why he had needed to go. Grissom wished that he had involved her in his decision on taking a sabbatical to take advantage of the teaching position. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he was simply just used to making decisions on his own. It was hard changing his ways after living alone for such a large part of his life. He hoped she realized this now. Slowly, he leaned in and kissed her cheek where her tear had previously been. Next he kissed her forehead, making his way down to her other cheek, and finally lightly brushing his lips over hers. Sara responded by moving her mouth up to his, and capturing his in a passionate kiss. As it deepened, she reached up and clenched his shirt in her fists, slowly pushing him back down the hall to their new bedroom.

Alright, I would like to ask you to please consider writing a review! I would greatly appreciate it! And I hope you enjoy chapter two!