Title: To Bring You My Love

Author: Spike Speigel

E-mail:

Rating: PG-13

Classification: Grissom/Sara

Disclaimer: As usual, these characters don't belong to me. Just taking them for a joyride.

Spoilers: Everything before and including Mea Culpa.

Summary: Grissom, Sara, Greg and Sofia are adjusting to life as the new nightshift squad. A woman's perspective opens Grissom's eyes for future possibilities.

Status: Finished

Sara walked into the building, a case file under one arm, a Styrofoam cup of ginseng tea her hand, and a look of disbelief on her face as she passed Catherine and Warrick in the hallway. She nodded at the two in the middle of a sip, both waving back at her as they vacated the premises. Even though it'd been close to a month, it was still weird to Sara that she no longer worked with Catherine, Warrick and Nick. Well, that wasn't true. She did work with them, as she did with everyone else in the department. It was just the fact that the nightshift had been broken up when Catherine received the position of swingshift supervisor. She didn't know the specifics as to why Warrick and Nick followed her (if she had to warrant a guess, she'd say it was the chance to live with a more normal schedule), but had she been given the choice to join them, she most likely would have declined. Her place was on the graveyard shift. And, to tell the truth, she didn't do so well with change.

Change was a scary thing to her. It meant getting used to something new. It meant putting yourself out there. There was a chance that change could hurt you as much as it could help you. And, after everything she'd been through the past year, she didn't really care for change at this point in her life. As long as she had her work to bury herself into and her familiar surroundings to comfort her in times of stress, she was content.

She was about to turn a corner when Greg startled her with his speed as he veered around her just in time to avoid a collision. Unfortunately, Sara's tea didn't seem to have her in mind as the majority of the cup's content made its way from its Styrofoam confines and onto Sara's blouse. She instinctively brushed her free hand against the damp area; hoping friction would eliminate the moisture. Unfortunately for her, friction would create a hole in said blouse long before it dried.

Sara sighed in defeat, raising an eyebrow to Greg as she spoke. "Where's the fire, Greg?"

Greg began to extend his hands to Sara's blouse, but luckily common sense coupled with Sara's disgruntled squint, caused him to do otherwise. His hands remained in the air for a moment before he waved both at Sara playfully, his hands eventually finding refuge at the sides of his body. "Sorry, Sara. Was on my way to the morgue. Grissom wants me to check something with Doc Robbins."

"You know, Greg. Being Grissom's lackey will only take you so far."

Greg smirked at Sara, who continued to look bemused at the tea on her blouse that was undoubtedly going to become a stain if she didn't dab some water on it quickly. "That's good. Anyone ever tell you that you're wasting your time as a criminalist? Because it's clear your talents are meant for stand-up." Sara shot Greg another 'quiet you' look, Greg rolling his eyes at Sara's empty threat. "Besides, Grissom's not here to confirm his theory. Hence his 'lackey' playing go-between."

Sara's attention to her blouse waned as she looked at Greg, a hint of confusion on her face. "He's out in the field?"

"Yeah, him and Curtis. They went back to the Stargel home to go over the scene again. Sofia convinced him that the father was responsible for smothering his two kids." Sara nodded slightly, thinking about the number of times she'd been able to convince Grissom to follow up on one of her theories. They'd known each other for years and she could only count the number of times she'd been successful in convincing him on one hand. And here was Curtis, convincing him not even two months in. "You know, those two have been spending a lot of time together. Think anything freaky deaky is going on between those two?"

Sara stirred from her thoughts, catching the last part of Greg's question. "Uh, I don't know, Greg. You'd have to ask them about that. Excuse me. I have to get this stain under water." With that, she walked past the CSI in training, her mind still preoccupied with Greg's observation. She hadn't even noticed that Grissom and Curtis were catching cases together. She'd been too wrapped up in Greg's mentoring that her mind never conjured up that possibility. But, then again, why wouldn't Grissom find Sofia intriguing? She was pretty, intelligent, and she had just enough eccentricities to make a guy like Grissom take notice. Sara frowned at the thought, accepting her current reality. The S.S. Grissom sailed a long time ago as far as she was concerned. But, still, it didn't mean she wasn't hurt to see him falling for someone else.

Grissom stared at the assignment slips in his hand while Sara, Greg and Sofia waited for his announcement. "Two cases for tonight. First, we have a 419A over at the Luxor followed by a 401A near the Cambridge Towers. Any preferences?" The small group continued to look at Grissom, no hint of predilection evident. "Okay. In that case, Greg, you're with me tonight. Hope you've got your swimming trunks."

Greg groaned upon hearing Grissom's words. Of course he'd be the one to fish the body out of the pool. "Sorry, boss man. Must have left them at home."

"No worries. There'll be ample opportunities in the future." Grissom smirked at Greg before turning his attention to his two female CSIs. "Sara, Sofia, you've got the hit and run. Anything else that needs my attention?" No response. "Alright. That's all people." With that, Grissom rose from his chair, walking past Greg and into the hallway. Greg gathered the papers lying in front of him before joining Grissom, still upset that he was about to get soaked from the waist down in less than an hour. In the break room, Sara and Sofia sat, each unsure of what to say to the other. The realization finally dawned on both CSIs that in the two-month span since the changes were implemented, this was their first case together. Sofia broke the ice, a hint of levity in her voice.

"Looks like it's girls' night out."

Sara faintly nodded, a cordial smile playing on her lips. "Looks like." At that moment, Sara was wondering if Sofia was looking at her or at the brownish stain now firmly entrenched in the fabric of her blouse. Either way, this was uncomfortable.

"So, do you need to get anything? Or are we good to go?"

Sara shook her head, her smile waning. "No, I'm good."

Sofia clapped her hands together as she rose from the chair, an awkward grin on her face. "Well, this should be an interesting night, to say the least."

As Sofia walked past Sara and into the hallway, she never heard Sara's whispered response. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

Sara continued to photograph the area while Sofia continued speaking. Not to her, of course. Instead, Sofia spoke to herself as she surveyed the scene, the Lexus now more on the curb than on the street. Whoever had sideswiped the vehicle had sped off in a hurry. That much was evident in the extensive damage to the passenger side door. It looked as though a cannonball had impacted, the term crater entering Sara's mind. However, that wasn't the part that struck her as odd. It was the tire marks next to the SUV that garnered her attention. As Sara placed the scale marker next to the rubber skid, taking shots of various angles, the silence overcame her. Sara looked up from her camera to see Sofia looking at her, her brow furrowed. Sara surmised what had just happened, an apologetic smile on her face.

"Sorry, were you talking to me?"

Sofia shook her head slightly, a smirk playing on her lips. "A little bit, yeah."

"What was the question again?"

Sofia knelt next to Sara's marker, scraping a miniscule amount of the tire remnants into a small plastic bag. "Why would the driver stop after impact only to drive away?"

Sara's camera swung back to the tan SUV, her lens zooming closer to the point of impact before snapping another shot. "Drunk driver not sure what was going on?"

"Maybe. But whoever did this must be a hell of a driver to peel out in such a straight line. Looks like the driver re-enters the road just fine. No swerving as far as I can tell."

Sara nodded at Sofia's observation, the camera now hanging about her neck. She walked toward the Lexus, retrieving her tweezers and a plastic bag from her kit. As she held the bag next to the door, she scraped off an errant fleck of foreign blue paint before sealing the bag. "Something about this impact point that's bugging me."

"Yeah, what's that?"

Sara knelt next to the car door, her index finger hovering over it, illustrating her point as she continued. "Well, if this was an accident and the vehicle was sideswiped, we'd see scratches lengthwise from point of impact to point of departure. But, instead, in its place, we're left with an elliptical indentation."

Sofia nodded slightly, beginning to see where Sara was going with this. "So, if I were aiming for this particular vehicle, I'd most likely hit it head on, reverse, and then get the hell out of Dodge. So…"

Both women looked toward the base of the SUV, Sofia illuminating the area with her flashlight. Sara smiled as soon as she saw what she was looking for, picking up a large fragment of glass with her tweezers. So large, in fact, that there was a partial serial number still etched into it. "Looks like our hit and run is duly named."

Sofia chuckled softly at Sara, extending her hand to her, a plastic bag residing in it. "And I'd say it's beer o' clock."

Sara didn't know why she laughed at the inanity, but nonetheless, both women shared one anyway, the owner of the disfigured vehicle confused about what exactly was happening.

"So, what's up with you and Grissom?"

Sara choked on the beer currently working its way down her esophagus, a loud cough emanating from between her lips as Sofia looked on casually. "Wh…what?"

The hit and run had been an easy one. The paint flecks, broken headlight and tire tread marks eventually led them to the next-door neighbor; eventually being the operative word. While there were numerous people watching the CSIs processing the scene, Brass had spotted one person that seemed more nervous than curious about the current predicament. A few moments later, the neighbor began to confess to his crime, the weight of his conscience proving to be too much for him. So, while Brass took down the neighbor's statement, Sara and Sofia checked the garage to find a blue Ford Mustang with its front bumper decimated. Turned out, he'd had it with his neighbor parking on the curb, blocking most of his driveway in the process. Couple that with stress, and it was bound to happen sooner or later. However, when Sara had asked the neighbor why he'd driven away and then come back, his answer was such that he didn't understand the implication when he said, "Because I have work tomorrow. Why wouldn't I come back?" So, while Brass handled the police side of things, Sara found herself taking up Sofia's offer. However, the question, on the other hand, she did not see coming.

Sofia leaned back into the booth, her hand nestled in the mug's handle, the condensation creating small water beads that rolled down the back of her hand. "I keep on getting this vibe, you know? That maybe there's something more than professional between you and Gil."

"Is that…" Sara worked out the last remnant of the coughing fit out of her system before taking another sip. "Is that right?"

"Uh huh."

"And how'd you come to this conclusion?"

Sofia smiled at Sara, who was now looking at every inch of the booth other than the portion where Sofia currently sat. "Oh, the little things. Like, how at every meeting, either he brings you a cup of tea or you bring him a cup of coffee. Black, two sugars." That got Sara's attention as she now looked at Sofia, a look of awe on her face. "You're messy, Sidle. I'm always throwing away your sugar packets when I go into the break room to get a cup of joe."

Sara nodded slightly. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Nah. Don't bother yourself. It's not a big deal. But, like I said, it's the little things. Like how you two are always in close proximity to one another when you're working on the computer. He practically leans over your shoulder to see what you're doing."

Sara didn't sound very convincing as her voice wavered. "He's got bad eyesight. That's all."

"Sara, any closer and you'd two be practically on top of one another." Sofia took a sip of her beer before continuing, the mug coming down on the wooded table with a jolt. "But, maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Then again, the way you two look at each other, a girl can't help but wonder."

Sara didn't mean to sound bitter, but given whom she was talking to, she couldn't help herself. "You were right the first time. You're reading too much into it."

Sofia tilted her head to one side, looking Sara over for a bit before taking another sip. "Alright, I can take a hint when one's given to me. But, one more question? And then I'll leave it alone?" Sara sighed softly, nodding her head just to be done with this conversation once and for all. "Why aren't you two together?"

The surprise in Sara's voice was evident; the only one being surprised by her tone of voice was Sara herself. "What?"

"It just seems like you two are made for one another. So, I gotta ask. Why aren't you two together?"

Sara's fingers gently worked against the cold glass, the mug spinning on its base slowly as Sara gazed into the auburn liquid. "I'd finish my beer before I could give you the long explanation."

"Short, then."

Sara's brow furrowed as she looked for the right words, knowing that she was in a very vulnerable place. The thing was, she didn't care at the moment. "Short? I guess timing. You ever wish for something so much that the more you waited for it to come true, the more it hurt on the inside?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I got tired of the hurting. So, I stopped wishing." Sara finally looked up at Sofia, her look somber. "Does that answer your question?" Sofia nodded slightly, finally realizing the scope of Sara's revelation. She tried to think of something to say, but the words wouldn't come.

Grissom's attention was focused on his laptop at the time, so he never noticed when Sofia came into his office, let alone taking a seat opposite him. It was only until Sofia said, "Bug porn?" that he looked up from the monitor.

"Sorry?"

"It's okay. I forgive you."

Grissom pursed his lips, his eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Is there a particular reason you came in here?"

"Actually, there is."

Grissom waited intently for Sofia to speak. Unfortunately, she just sat there looking at him. If frustration was evident in his voice, Sofia never heard it. "Are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?"

Sofia leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs as she spoke. "You're an asshole."

The silence remained in the room as Grissom contemplated Sofia's choice of words. However, since he couldn't come to a satisfactory conclusion for her choice, he quizzically asked, "I'm sorry?"

"Yes. Yes, you are."

Grissom slowly closed the laptop, the entirety of his attention now on Sofia. "May I ask what brought this up?"

Sofia scoffed softly, somewhat flabbergasted at the man sitting in front of her. "'May you ask?' Christ, and here I was thinking Sidle was the one not in check with her emotions." Grissom's mouth opened faintly, but he never got the chance to vocalize his thoughts as Sofia continued. "Here I am, thinking that you're a decent guy, and I find out that you're no different than the rest of the sleaze out there."

"What are you…?"

"All this time, and you couldn't give her an answer?"

Grissom finally pieced together Sofia's ranting, his voice somber. "You mean Sara." Sofia nodded slowly, annoyance still evident on her face. "It's…it's complicated."

Sofia laughed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Not the way I hear it."

Grissom leaned backward out of instinct, as though he was the prey to Sofia's predator, his voice wavering. "Why do you even care about this?"

She was succinct, almost blunt, as she answered him. "Because I wanted to know if it'd be okay if I asked you out as long as I was sure there wasn't anything going on with you and Sidle."

Grissom leaned forward, a quizzical look on his face as he lowered his glasses down the bridge of his nose, peering over the frame. "There isn't anything going on between me and Sara."

He was greeted with yet another acerbic laugh, Sofia leaning forward so they were mere inches from one another now. "You really don't know how she feels about you, do you?"

Sighing softly, Grissom removed his glasses, placing them next to his laptop, pinching the bridge of his nose as he spoke. "Once upon a time, maybe. But now…" He trailed off, looking at nothing in particular as he found himself lost in thought. It wasn't until Sofia interrupted with a subtle clearing of her throat that Grissom returned his focus to the conversation at hand. "It doesn't matter. It's too late. We missed our chance."

Sofia contemplated Grissom's words, her eyes examining his body language, before she spoke. Once again, with the subtlety of a Mack truck. "Bullshit." She could see Grissom preparing to defend his words, but for some reason, he was pissing her off something fierce, and she didn't know why. So she kept talking. "'Missed our chance'. Are you serious? Who the hell says that? If anything, I'd say you're a coward."

"Coward?"

"That's right. You're a damn coward!"

Grissom spoke, his voice cautious if anything. "You seem to be perturbed."

"You're damn right I am."

"Why, exactly? It's not like this is your problem."

Sofia sighed, frustration evident in her voice. "I don't know." But, she knew that wasn't entirely true. "When I asked Sara about you two, the sorrow in her voice as she spoke, I dunno. Something about the way she said it bothered me."

Grissom tented his fingers, curiosity in his voice as he spoke. "So, if you were me, what would you do?"

She looked up at Grissom, seeing the sincerity in his eyes as well as the understated frown on his lips. Maybe there was hope for him yet. "Well, if it were me, I'd want to know where I stood. So, either way, I'd be getting closure one way or another. Plus, it allows her some closure as well. You at least owe her that much. Just…just give her an answer." Grissom tilted his head slightly to one side as he contemplated Sofia's words. They both sat in silence for a moment before Grissom moved, grabbing his glasses deftly as he rose from his chair. He had already taken his coat from the rack, walking past Sofia before she realized that the conversation had ended. She turned around in her chair to see Grissom walking out of his office, disappearing around the corner and out of sight. She chuckled softly to herself as she spoke. "You're welcome."

To say Sara was surprised when she looked through the peephole would be an understatement. Confused seemed to be the better qualifier, as she furrowed her brow upon seeing a distorted Grissom standing in her hallway, his hands fidgeting in his pockets. She slowly opened the door; the puzzled look remaining on her face as she queried, "Grissom, is something wrong?"

He looked up and down the hallway before returning his attention to Sara, who was wearing a black tank top, a pair of blue jeans, and nothing else. Even without makeup, she looked amazing. Grissom shook his head slightly, trying to focus on the matter at hand. But, still, she did look fabulo… "No. Nothing wrong. I…I was just in the neighborhood."

"At eight-thirty in the morning?"

Grissom shrugged his shoulders, a small smile playing across his face. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

Sara shook her head, still confused about what exactly was happening. "Um, no. I just got in a few minutes ago, actually. You wanna come in for breakfast?"

A grin emerged on Grissom's face, Sara smiling back in kind. "If you're sure I'm not intruding."

"Grissom, would you just get in here? I'd like to eat sometime this century." He chuckled softly as Sara stepped away from the doorway, Grissom walking past her and into her apartment. As he surveyed the surroundings, Sara closed the door behind her, her back now against the wooden frame as she surveyed him. This wasn't like Grissom, to be 'in the neighborhood'. But, still, she was curious as to where this was going. She walked toward Grissom, her hands falling on his shoulders. Grissom flinched slightly as he looked over his shoulder to see Sara smiling at him. "Just taking your coat. Unless you want to keep it on."

Grissom shook his head, his voice gentle. "Oh, no. Thank you." He relaxed his shoulders as Sara pulled the heavy jacket from his arms, placing it next to hers on the coat rack near the front door. "So, what's for breakfast?"

Sara grinned at Grissom, still taken aback at the fact that Gil Grissom was now standing in her living room. "Uh, I was going to make do with tea and toast. I really don't eat that much once I get off shift."

Grissom nodded, understanding exactly what she meant. It wasn't until he'd slept for a few hours that he truly got hungry. But, a snack was sufficient enough to do away with the hunger pangs in the interim. "Would it be too much trouble to ask for a cup of coffee instead?"

Sara smiled as she walked past him toward the kitchen. "Sure. Black, two sugars, right?" She never saw the huge grin on his face as he answered her, marveling in the fact that she remembered the way he took his coffee.

Grissom leaned back onto the sofa cushions, sighing contentedly as the coffee worked its way into his system. He turned his head to the left to see Sara sitting in the armchair, her legs curled up beneath her as she took another sip of her tea. He continued looking at her until Sara's gaze fixed on his, a small smile on her face. "What?"

"What?"

"You're staring at me."

He was about to object to the claim, but that's when he saw it. Sara's cup was no longer in her hand, but instead on the coffee table. She was right. He had been staring at her. He grinned sheepishly as he spoke. "I wouldn't call it staring, per se."

"No? Then what would you call it?"

Grissom's gaze never wavered as he continued to look at her. "Looking intently?"

Both shared a gentle laugh, Grissom looking down as Sara continued to look at him. "Grissom?"

"Yes, Sara?"

"Are you going to tell me the real reason you're here, or do I have to guess?"

Grissom smiled at Sara's comment, leaning forward, his arms dangling between his legs, his hands clasped together. "Sofia came into my office earlier tonight and brought up a conversation the two of you had."

Sara looked down somewhat, now avoiding eye contact with Grissom, as she reached for the cup sitting on the coffee table. "Oh yeah? Anything interesting?"

Grissom slightly frowned, seeing that Sara was trying to avoid the topic of her conversation with Sofia. So, he tried once more to see if she'd be more receptive the second time around. "Maybe. That's why I'm here, actually."

Sara chuckled nervously, her attention entirely on her tea at this point. "I thought you were just in the neighborhood?"

"I was. But I haven't been completely honest with you."

Sara whispered under her breath, "Is that a fact?"

"Did you say something?"

Sara cordially smiled at Grissom, her eyes darting quickly from him back to her lap as she spoke. "No. You were saying?"

Grissom looked at her quizzically for a moment before continuing. "Like I was saying, I was in this part of the neighborhood, mainly to see you."

Sara smirked at Grissom before rising from her seat, making her way into the kitchen. "You see me everyday. Do you want some more coffee?"

"Uh, no. No, thank you." Grissom looked into the kitchen as best he could from his position, but all he could see was a portion of Sara's back to him. This wasn't how he'd planned to have this conversation, but he was already this far in. No reason to stop now. "Anyway, after I talked to Sofia, I needed to see you. There's…there's something I have to ask you."

Sara closed her eyes tightly, fighting back the tears as her grip tightened on the cup. She didn't want to hear his question. She didn't want to hear about Sofia and Grissom's budding relationship. She didn't want to be his friend at the moment. She didn't want to hurt like this anymore. She just wanted to be alone. "Can…can it wait for another day? I'm feeling kinda beat right now."

Grissom continued staring at Sara's back, confusion enveloping him. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that Sara was trying to avoid him. His concern was evident as he spoke. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. We'll talk later, okay?" Grissom rose from the couch, picking up the coffee mug in the process. However, it was as though Sara had read his mind as she said, "You can leave the coffee mug on the table. I'll take care of it."

Grissom peered into the kitchen to see Sara still standing with her back turned to him, making no movement to get herself another cup of tea. Instead, she remained still as she faced her kitchen counter. There was no doubt in his mind. He was too late. "Okay. I'll talk to you later."

Sara could hear the coffee mug being placed on the wooden top of the coffee table. She could hear Grissom's footfalls fading in the distance. She could hear the front door open slowly, its hinges screaming out in agony. Then, for a moment, there was nothing. Total silence. She half expected Grissom to walk toward her, sweeping her up in his arms, telling her that he loved her. But, instead, she heard the door finally close shut, and then silence. No, that wasn't true. There was one sound Sara could hear at that moment once the door shut behind Grissom. The sound of her sobs as she began to cry.

"What's wrong with you?"

Just from the tone of the condescending voice, Sara could tell that it was Sofia. She never looked up from her journal as she spoke. "Do you mean in life, or are you looking for a more Zen approach to that particular question?"

Sara didn't notice when Sofia took a seat opposite her in the break room. She didn't even notice it when Sofia tried to give her a glaring look, since her eyes were still focused on the journal article. However, she did notice it when Sofia snatched the journal from her grasp, slamming the blue booklet against the table. "Did you, or did you not, blow off Grissom yesterday?"

Sara leaned back in her chair, trying to maintain her composure as best she could. "I don't know what you're talking about. Yes, Grissom came over to my place yesterday. We talked for a while. I got tired. He left. End of story."

"That's it?" Sara nodded. "I'd like to believe you, Sidle. I really would. But, given the fact that Grissom's in his office positively morose at the moment, I'd have to say you're leaving something out."

"Like?"

Sofia hesitated for a moment, wondering if she actually heard the acerbic tone in Sara's voice or if she just imagined it. However, she pushed the thought aside, continuing. "Like the part where Grissom asked you how you felt about him?"

Sara chuckled softly, a hint of nervousness evident. "Sorry." And, just as quickly as the nervousness enveloped her, it was now replaced with equal parts sarcasm. "Besides, why would he ask me that when he already has you?" Sofia leaned back slightly, her mouth slightly agape at Sara's question. Once she had processed what had just happened, Sofia answered the best way she knew how. She laughed. Loudly. "What…what's so funny?"

As her laughter subsided, Sofia began to speak through fits of chuckling. "You. You think…me and Grissom…that's why…?" She finally managed to stave off the remnants of her laughter, her voice solemn. "Man, you two are the worst when it comes to reading signals. Sara, there's nothing going on between me and Gil."

The confusion was evident in Sara's voice, her brow furrowed. "But, you've been spending so much time together…"

"Because Gil thought you were doing a better job mentoring Greg than he could. That's all."

"So, you're telling me…?"

"That's right. Absolutely nothing happening between Grissom and me. I'm not going to lie to you. I did have a thought or two of asking him out, but after seeing the way he goes on about you, I knew I didn't have a chance. We'd be five minutes into processing and you'd come up. Seriously, how's a girl supposed to compete with that?"

Sara sighed, looking down at the glass table separating the two women. "Then Grissom really was going to…?"

"Yep."

"But, instead, I…"

"'Fraid so."

Sara groaned in frustration, her face falling into the palms of her hands. "I'm such an idiot."

"No argument here."

Sara looked up at Sofia, her hands now cupping her face. "So, what do I do now?"

Sofia's eyes looked up while her head remained facing Sara, thinking of how best to solve Sara's dilemma. After a moment of silence, she spoke. "Honestly, I don't know. A regular guy, I guess you'd just apologize, but with Grissom… He seems like the kind of person that keeps a pretty big wall around his emotions." She sighed softly, her voice sincere. "You know him better than I do. Just do what you think is right."

Sara nodded slightly, slowly rising from the table. She took a few steps before turning back to look at Sofia. "I'm sor…"

"Forget about it." The playfulness was evident in Sofia's tone as a mischievous smirk graced her lips. "Besides, Greg's single, right?" Sara smiled back at Sofia before walking out into the hallway. Sofia picked up the journal that Sara had left behind, skimming the contents of the article. "'Pupae incubation as a means to a more accurate expiration timeline'? God, those two really are meant for one another."

Grissom looked up from his laptop this time to see Sara stepping into his office, closing the door behind her. She looked at the blinds, debating whether or not to close them, but decided to leave them as they were before making her way over to Grissom's desk, taking a seat across from him.

She could see the sadness and confusion in his eyes as he looked at her, trying to ascertain what exactly was happening in this current moment. Sara took a deep breath before speaking, her voice gentle as she spoke. "Ask me the question."

"What?"

"Yesterday, you wanted to ask me a question. I'm ready to hear it."

Grissom sighed, a frown gracing his lips. "Sara, what are you doing?"

She knew there was the chance that someone in the hallway might see, but at the moment, she didn't care. Instead, she reached across the desk, taking Grissom's hand in hers, her voice serene. "Please, Gil. Just…just ask me."

At first, Grissom wanted to pull away, but instead, he looked down, seeing their hands entwined. He could feel Sara's thumb gently stroking the center of his palm, her hand gently squeezing his. He looked up to see a small smile on Sara's face, almost apologetic in nature. Grissom closed his eyes, squeezing back gently before looking at her. "Are you sure?" Sara nodded immediately, her heart racing. A smile emerged on Grissom's lips as he spoke, asking the question he wanted to a day earlier. "Is it too late for us?"

Sara answered as clearly as she could, her voice gentle. "No." Grissom and Sara shared a small smile, both squeezing their entwined hands simultaneously. It wasn't a kiss, but it was just as good. Evidence to their emotions finally being out in the open. No vague niceties, no misspoken words. Just a simple gesture that meant so much more to them than to whomever was looking into Grissom's office at that moment.

Grissom tilted his head slightly, taking in the woman sitting mere inches from him. He wanted to hold her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to make up for lost time. Far too much lost time. Grissom smiled at Sara, reluctantly releasing her hand. He rose from behind his desk, Sara looking at him quizzically as he walked over to her, extending his hand to her. "Come over here."

Her voice was hesitant, unsure, as she spoke. "Wh…what? But, we're at work."

He smiled gently at her, his voice tender. "I don't care."

Sara returned his smile, placing her hand in his. Grissom gently pulled her up from her seat, Sara being guided into his arms. Sara's arms instinctively found their way around his waist as his hands moved to the back of her neck and the small of her back, gently cradling her. Sara sighed contentedly, a hint of trepidation in her voice. "What if someone sees us?"

"I don't see anything wrong with one co-worker comforting another in the workplace. Do you?"

Sara smiled against his chest, his beard gently rubbing against her cheek as she deepened their embrace. "I guess that's okay."

They remained motionless as the world around them kept on moving, oblivious to the two CSIs that had finally found their way to one another. Grissom gently stroked Sara's hair as he spoke, his tone hushed. "What are you doing later?"

Sara's voice matched his, whispering that only he could hear her. "The usual. Go home. Fix some breakfast. Read. Take a shower. Surf the net. Clean the apartm…"

Grissom interrupted, a hint of levity in his voice. "You were supposed to say, 'Nothing in particular.'"

Sara chuckled softly; taking comfort in the fact that Grissom realized that she was being playful with him. "Oh. Okay. Right now?"

"Now would be good."

Sara giggled softly, pressing her cheek against his, cherishing the closeness between them. "Nothing in particular." Then, as an afterthought. "Why ever do you ask, Gil Grissom?"

Grissom chuckled softly, Sara feeling the reverberation against his chest, taking comfort in the fact that she was really in his arms. "Because I'd like to ask you out."

Sara spoke, a hint of mock ignorance in her voice. "You mean, like on a date?"

Grissom matched her playful unawareness. "Yes. Like a date."

"Why, Gil. I don't know what to say?"

His voice was sincere as he spoke. "Say yes."

Sara looked up, greeted with Grissom looking back at her with tender eyes. She never hesitated as she answered his question. After all, she'd known the answer for years. "Yes."

Fin