Title: Getting Even
Rating: R
Category: Angst, Romance
Pairing: G/S
Summary: Getting through tough times and giving some payback. Enjoy.
Disclaimers: I do not under any circumstances, own CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation. I wish I did though. Ah well, I'll go back to wishing for a
money tree.
Chapter 1
Nick was asking Sara questions about her new boyfriend, but wasn't getting anywhere and that was because there wasn't one. Spotting a sneaky tactic he waved a partner into the interrogation
"What's up Nicky." The oldest of the female CSI's asked as she entered the break room.
Nick turned back to Sara and grinned. "Sara here isn't talking about her new 'man'. I need an interrogation partner. You up for it Cath?" His voice was wistful and excited.
Catherine sat opposite Sara and crossed her arms over her chest. "Where have you got?"
"No name, no height, no hair or eye colour, no occupation, nothing at the moment, but I'm hopeful with you here." He said glancing at Sara then to Catherine with a large grin.
Tapping her arm lightly, she leaned forward and placed her hands on the table. "Let's start with a name shall we?" Nick nodded. Sara just sat there with a blank expression, sending them 'I'm not amused' looks. "Let sprout some names off Nick, see if we get a reaction. Those who we've seen in the last few days."
"I got a few, you starting?" Nick crossed his arms and leaned against the table.
Catherine stared at her opponent and smiled. "Charlie." Sara's expression stayed the same. "Andrew." Sara rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Pete." Nick's voice was low. "Richard." Nothing. Nick sat back and scratched his head. "Maybe someone outside work?"
Sara stood and tipped her coffee down the drain. "See you children later, I got work to do." Sara left Nick and Catherine sat at the table. They turned to the door as she left them both wearing looks of confusion.
"I was so sure we had her then." Nick said watching Sara disappear into the DNA lab.
Catherine nodded. "Well, maybe if we keep the investigation going, you know, long term and see if she slips."
Nick looked dubious. "You think Sara would slip?"
Shrugging, Catherine stood. "It's worth a wait."
Nick stayed in the break room while Catherine went in search for Warrick.
Sara collected her results and was about to write up her report when her cell phone rang. Reading the caller display, she sighed and hovered over the reject button. "Why would you want to do that?" Sara pressed the button at the sound of his voice and turned back to her report.
"Do what?" She played ignorance. He stepped into the room, but she started speaking again. "I should get this down. I'm running late and I don't want to get in trouble with the boss." Her back was to him as she spoke.
"I'm sure you'll get it finished in time, but that's not the answer to my question." He perched on the table and looked around the room. "You want to talk about it?" He offered.
Her snorting laughter startled him. "No thanks."
Nodding absently at her answer, he pushed off the table and walked towards the door. "Sara?"
Her pen stopped moving, but she didn't turn. "Yeah."
"If you want to talk, you know where I am." His words were genuine and caring, but with a tinge of hurt.
Sara turned as he continued walking out the door. Sighing, she slumped down in her chair and chucked her pen on the table. It came to a sliding stop before it fell over the edge of the table.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Four days later a stabbing case came in. Grissom, Nick and Sara were working the case. Catherine and Warrick were out in the field with a db in the desert.
One body, male, Caucasian, 27, black short hair, brown eyes, 6'1, 174lbs and ID'd as Joshua Smitten. He worked as a mechanic during the day and went to night school. Studying to be a teacher in literature.
He was stabbed outside the night school before his class started at 8 o'clock. Three stab wounds, 1 to the abdomen, 2 to the lower back. Bruising around his right wrist indicate his arm was held while the attacker stabbed him.
Sara took moulds of the wounds, Nick interviewed the students and Grissom spoke to Mr. Smitten's partner. Brass and Grissom had been interviewing the female for half an hour when Brass was paged and had to end the interrogation. Grissom checked on Nick first, then Sara. He found her leaning over one of the layout tables matching the moulds she'd taken to the body photos.
"You haven't said a word since you left the crime scene and even then it was 'I'll get moulds of the stab wounds.'" He entered the room and stood next to her. "You seem distracted. Something wrong?"
Sara matched one photo and mould and moved onto the next one. He watched her as she matched up the rest of them. "Weapon was a small dagger." She said into the silent room. Grissom flinched at the sudden sound of her voice and nodded. "I'll go talk to Bobby and see if he can help me out." She gathered the photos and moulds and disappeared in the direction of Ballistics.
Grissom sat down and stared at the white table. His mind was completely confused. Sara wasn't talking to him. He knew his behaviour had been off, but he didn't think it was that noticeable. Yes, he'd been keeping a distance between Sara and him and again he didn't think anyone noticed, but Catherine confronted him the other day about his behaviour towards Sara and he came up mute. She left his office with no answer to her simple question and was very angry about it.
Letting his head drop, he rubbed his neck and removed his glasses. He needed to do something, something that would get them talking again. Sara seemed to be ignoring him, brushing him off, dismissing his questions of concern and getting out of the room as quickly as possible.
Chapter 2
Shift ended with everyone closing their cases. Catherine and Warrick's db was a male Caucasian, buried in the sand, killed buy his boss's wife for using her to get money from her husband. Grissom, Nick and Sara's case was closed when Nick found the murder weapon in a drainpipe near where the vic was killed and Sara found fingerprints and a suspect. All cases were closed and all the night shift was heading home after a busy night. Catherine was going to take Lindsey to school and then shop and sleep. Warrick was stopping by the big brother youth club to help out and Nick was going home to watch the sport channels and sleep. Sara was going home to curl up with a book and listen to some music and last of all, Grissom was standing outside the lab waiting for someone. That someone came storming out of the building and straight for her car. Her cell was ringing once again. She stopped by the bonnet and furiously detached the battery and the ringing stopped. Stuffing the pieces in her pocket she leaned against her car and rubbed her face.
Grissom was watching all of this and pushed off his own car and walked towards her. "Hey." He greeted standing beside her.
Sara looked up and pulled her keys from her jeans back pocket. "Hey." She said unlocking her car door.
As she climbed in. Grissom leaned against the open door so she couldn't close it. "I was wondering if you wanted to get some breakfast." Putting the key in the ignition she shook her head. "My treat."
Sighing with defeat, she nodded. "Jump in." Grissom was about to suggest his car, but she put the car in reverse. "My car or its goodbye Grissom."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sitting in the diner, Sara was staring intently at her coffee. She hadn't touched her toast or her coffee, she just watched the liquid swirling round and round. Grissom took a bite from his jam on toast as he covertly glanced at the women across from him.
Something had to be wrong. "I thought I was the only one who stared into my coffee." Not getting a response, he reached out for her hand that rest on the table. Seeing her flinch and pull her hand away, he looked at her face and pulled his hand to his lap. "Sara?"
Wrapping her hands back around her cup, she lifted it to her mouth and drank some of the warm coffee. "Did you want to talk to me about something Grissom?" Her voice was cold and she still hadn't made eye contact.
Loosing interest in his food he pushed it away. If he was worried before, he was scared now. She flinched when he touched her hand. Why? He knew he hadn't done it before, but he didn't expect her to pull away from him. "Yes. I wanted to ask you if something was wrong."
"You've asked me that today." She said with the same coldness.
He nodded and pushed his empty cup towards his discarded plate. "I did, but I didn't get an answer."
"Maybe there isn't one." Sara drank some more coffee and grimaced at the now lack of warmth. Putting the cup back on the table, she pushed it to the middle of the table.
"Giving me cryptic comments isn't going to make me go away Sara." He knew when he said it that it was the wrong thing to say, when she looked up and scowled.
She stood and pulled on her jacket. "Seems to work on everyone else."
Grissom quickly paid and followed her. As she reached her car, he stopped her. "Sara, please wait." He put a hand on her arm, but she shrugged it off and unlocked the door.
"You need a lift back to the lab. You'd better get in." She didn't know why she wanted to make sure he gets back to the lab, but she was sure as hell that she wasn't going to leave him in the middle of the city with no transport.
Climbing in the passenger side, he buckled up and turned to her. "Are you going to answer me?"
"No." She backed out of the parking space and pulled onto the main road.
"Why?"
"Don't want to, that's why." Why was she not talking to him? What had happened?
"Sara, you're really worrying me." His eyes scanned her face, but she wasn't giving anything away.
"How can I possibly be worrying the stone hearted Gil Grissom? It's not possible." Her voice was hard as she stopped at a red light.
Not being sure how to answer her, he felt really sick and hurt by her words. He turned in his seat to look out his window. His head lowered to the road as he watched the white lines pass by. Grissom's heart felt heavy and ached. How could she say such a thing? He feels things, he may not show it to the world, but he feels like everyone else does.
Sara could see him looking out the window. His body slouched and his hands folded together in his lap. He shouldn't be upset, he can't be. He's Grissom, heart of solid rock. Pulling into the lab's car park, she parked next to his Tahoe. He didn't make any move to get out.
Taking a deep breath he sat up and looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry for what ever I've done. I'm concerned for you and for your information I feel, just like you do." He unbuckled and got out. As he walked to his car he realised what he just said and stopped. Confused as to why he said those words, he turned to see Sara staring at the spot he just vacated.
She couldn't believe what he just said. It was a plot, a forced carefully put together sentence that he thought would make her think and get her to talk. A single tear flowed down her cheek and she hastily wiped it away. He's just messing with your head again, she thought. Like all the times he says something meaningful. It makes her stop and think, but he doesn't act on any of it, so it obviously means nothing to him.
Grissom watches as she wipes her cheek and starts to reverse. He takes a step towards her car, but stops himself. He can't. Turning to his Tahoe he frowns at what he's just done. He'd done it before, but this time it felt different. It felt so much more painful. Looking back at her car as it drove down the road, he rubbed his face and groaned angrily at himself. He'd made things worse and he had no idea how to fix it.
Chapter 1
Nick was asking Sara questions about her new boyfriend, but wasn't getting anywhere and that was because there wasn't one. Spotting a sneaky tactic he waved a partner into the interrogation
"What's up Nicky." The oldest of the female CSI's asked as she entered the break room.
Nick turned back to Sara and grinned. "Sara here isn't talking about her new 'man'. I need an interrogation partner. You up for it Cath?" His voice was wistful and excited.
Catherine sat opposite Sara and crossed her arms over her chest. "Where have you got?"
"No name, no height, no hair or eye colour, no occupation, nothing at the moment, but I'm hopeful with you here." He said glancing at Sara then to Catherine with a large grin.
Tapping her arm lightly, she leaned forward and placed her hands on the table. "Let's start with a name shall we?" Nick nodded. Sara just sat there with a blank expression, sending them 'I'm not amused' looks. "Let sprout some names off Nick, see if we get a reaction. Those who we've seen in the last few days."
"I got a few, you starting?" Nick crossed his arms and leaned against the table.
Catherine stared at her opponent and smiled. "Charlie." Sara's expression stayed the same. "Andrew." Sara rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Pete." Nick's voice was low. "Richard." Nothing. Nick sat back and scratched his head. "Maybe someone outside work?"
Sara stood and tipped her coffee down the drain. "See you children later, I got work to do." Sara left Nick and Catherine sat at the table. They turned to the door as she left them both wearing looks of confusion.
"I was so sure we had her then." Nick said watching Sara disappear into the DNA lab.
Catherine nodded. "Well, maybe if we keep the investigation going, you know, long term and see if she slips."
Nick looked dubious. "You think Sara would slip?"
Shrugging, Catherine stood. "It's worth a wait."
Nick stayed in the break room while Catherine went in search for Warrick.
Sara collected her results and was about to write up her report when her cell phone rang. Reading the caller display, she sighed and hovered over the reject button. "Why would you want to do that?" Sara pressed the button at the sound of his voice and turned back to her report.
"Do what?" She played ignorance. He stepped into the room, but she started speaking again. "I should get this down. I'm running late and I don't want to get in trouble with the boss." Her back was to him as she spoke.
"I'm sure you'll get it finished in time, but that's not the answer to my question." He perched on the table and looked around the room. "You want to talk about it?" He offered.
Her snorting laughter startled him. "No thanks."
Nodding absently at her answer, he pushed off the table and walked towards the door. "Sara?"
Her pen stopped moving, but she didn't turn. "Yeah."
"If you want to talk, you know where I am." His words were genuine and caring, but with a tinge of hurt.
Sara turned as he continued walking out the door. Sighing, she slumped down in her chair and chucked her pen on the table. It came to a sliding stop before it fell over the edge of the table.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Four days later a stabbing case came in. Grissom, Nick and Sara were working the case. Catherine and Warrick were out in the field with a db in the desert.
One body, male, Caucasian, 27, black short hair, brown eyes, 6'1, 174lbs and ID'd as Joshua Smitten. He worked as a mechanic during the day and went to night school. Studying to be a teacher in literature.
He was stabbed outside the night school before his class started at 8 o'clock. Three stab wounds, 1 to the abdomen, 2 to the lower back. Bruising around his right wrist indicate his arm was held while the attacker stabbed him.
Sara took moulds of the wounds, Nick interviewed the students and Grissom spoke to Mr. Smitten's partner. Brass and Grissom had been interviewing the female for half an hour when Brass was paged and had to end the interrogation. Grissom checked on Nick first, then Sara. He found her leaning over one of the layout tables matching the moulds she'd taken to the body photos.
"You haven't said a word since you left the crime scene and even then it was 'I'll get moulds of the stab wounds.'" He entered the room and stood next to her. "You seem distracted. Something wrong?"
Sara matched one photo and mould and moved onto the next one. He watched her as she matched up the rest of them. "Weapon was a small dagger." She said into the silent room. Grissom flinched at the sudden sound of her voice and nodded. "I'll go talk to Bobby and see if he can help me out." She gathered the photos and moulds and disappeared in the direction of Ballistics.
Grissom sat down and stared at the white table. His mind was completely confused. Sara wasn't talking to him. He knew his behaviour had been off, but he didn't think it was that noticeable. Yes, he'd been keeping a distance between Sara and him and again he didn't think anyone noticed, but Catherine confronted him the other day about his behaviour towards Sara and he came up mute. She left his office with no answer to her simple question and was very angry about it.
Letting his head drop, he rubbed his neck and removed his glasses. He needed to do something, something that would get them talking again. Sara seemed to be ignoring him, brushing him off, dismissing his questions of concern and getting out of the room as quickly as possible.
Chapter 2
Shift ended with everyone closing their cases. Catherine and Warrick's db was a male Caucasian, buried in the sand, killed buy his boss's wife for using her to get money from her husband. Grissom, Nick and Sara's case was closed when Nick found the murder weapon in a drainpipe near where the vic was killed and Sara found fingerprints and a suspect. All cases were closed and all the night shift was heading home after a busy night. Catherine was going to take Lindsey to school and then shop and sleep. Warrick was stopping by the big brother youth club to help out and Nick was going home to watch the sport channels and sleep. Sara was going home to curl up with a book and listen to some music and last of all, Grissom was standing outside the lab waiting for someone. That someone came storming out of the building and straight for her car. Her cell was ringing once again. She stopped by the bonnet and furiously detached the battery and the ringing stopped. Stuffing the pieces in her pocket she leaned against her car and rubbed her face.
Grissom was watching all of this and pushed off his own car and walked towards her. "Hey." He greeted standing beside her.
Sara looked up and pulled her keys from her jeans back pocket. "Hey." She said unlocking her car door.
As she climbed in. Grissom leaned against the open door so she couldn't close it. "I was wondering if you wanted to get some breakfast." Putting the key in the ignition she shook her head. "My treat."
Sighing with defeat, she nodded. "Jump in." Grissom was about to suggest his car, but she put the car in reverse. "My car or its goodbye Grissom."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sitting in the diner, Sara was staring intently at her coffee. She hadn't touched her toast or her coffee, she just watched the liquid swirling round and round. Grissom took a bite from his jam on toast as he covertly glanced at the women across from him.
Something had to be wrong. "I thought I was the only one who stared into my coffee." Not getting a response, he reached out for her hand that rest on the table. Seeing her flinch and pull her hand away, he looked at her face and pulled his hand to his lap. "Sara?"
Wrapping her hands back around her cup, she lifted it to her mouth and drank some of the warm coffee. "Did you want to talk to me about something Grissom?" Her voice was cold and she still hadn't made eye contact.
Loosing interest in his food he pushed it away. If he was worried before, he was scared now. She flinched when he touched her hand. Why? He knew he hadn't done it before, but he didn't expect her to pull away from him. "Yes. I wanted to ask you if something was wrong."
"You've asked me that today." She said with the same coldness.
He nodded and pushed his empty cup towards his discarded plate. "I did, but I didn't get an answer."
"Maybe there isn't one." Sara drank some more coffee and grimaced at the now lack of warmth. Putting the cup back on the table, she pushed it to the middle of the table.
"Giving me cryptic comments isn't going to make me go away Sara." He knew when he said it that it was the wrong thing to say, when she looked up and scowled.
She stood and pulled on her jacket. "Seems to work on everyone else."
Grissom quickly paid and followed her. As she reached her car, he stopped her. "Sara, please wait." He put a hand on her arm, but she shrugged it off and unlocked the door.
"You need a lift back to the lab. You'd better get in." She didn't know why she wanted to make sure he gets back to the lab, but she was sure as hell that she wasn't going to leave him in the middle of the city with no transport.
Climbing in the passenger side, he buckled up and turned to her. "Are you going to answer me?"
"No." She backed out of the parking space and pulled onto the main road.
"Why?"
"Don't want to, that's why." Why was she not talking to him? What had happened?
"Sara, you're really worrying me." His eyes scanned her face, but she wasn't giving anything away.
"How can I possibly be worrying the stone hearted Gil Grissom? It's not possible." Her voice was hard as she stopped at a red light.
Not being sure how to answer her, he felt really sick and hurt by her words. He turned in his seat to look out his window. His head lowered to the road as he watched the white lines pass by. Grissom's heart felt heavy and ached. How could she say such a thing? He feels things, he may not show it to the world, but he feels like everyone else does.
Sara could see him looking out the window. His body slouched and his hands folded together in his lap. He shouldn't be upset, he can't be. He's Grissom, heart of solid rock. Pulling into the lab's car park, she parked next to his Tahoe. He didn't make any move to get out.
Taking a deep breath he sat up and looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry for what ever I've done. I'm concerned for you and for your information I feel, just like you do." He unbuckled and got out. As he walked to his car he realised what he just said and stopped. Confused as to why he said those words, he turned to see Sara staring at the spot he just vacated.
She couldn't believe what he just said. It was a plot, a forced carefully put together sentence that he thought would make her think and get her to talk. A single tear flowed down her cheek and she hastily wiped it away. He's just messing with your head again, she thought. Like all the times he says something meaningful. It makes her stop and think, but he doesn't act on any of it, so it obviously means nothing to him.
Grissom watches as she wipes her cheek and starts to reverse. He takes a step towards her car, but stops himself. He can't. Turning to his Tahoe he frowns at what he's just done. He'd done it before, but this time it felt different. It felt so much more painful. Looking back at her car as it drove down the road, he rubbed his face and groaned angrily at himself. He'd made things worse and he had no idea how to fix it.