Title: The Color of Roses

By: Manigault

Disclaimer: The characters belong to CBS. I'm just playing with them for awhile. I started this story years ago when Greg was not in the field. For continuity of my own timeline Greg is still in the lab, but venturing out into the field.

Sequel: To 'Day by Day'

Cheesy. Yes, but I felt like something a little light hearted.

Not a case file.

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Sara leaned back against the door after shutting it on Grissom. She should have felt a measure of relief that she had exhibited the will power to walk out of his home and away from his disarming smile. Instead, she felt an emptiness that she feared would linger for a long time to come.

She scolded her body for betraying her with its eagerness for his touch. Shaking away the desires that he'd brought to life she opted for a soak in the tub. If she were fortunate, the soak would absorb some of the raw emotions that were raging in her mind. What was his game? Sara shook her head and decided she had best steel herself for the confrontation tonight.

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Grissom breezed in to work an hour earlier than his shift. He smiled at one lab personnel after another, earning curious looks and a volley of whispered speculation. Internally, he felt unnerved. Not by the conjecture he was stirring up as he made his way to his office, but by the new emotions that were waging a war within his mind. On one hand, he felt elated as if everything were new and alive. On the other hand, he was scared. He genuinely feared that Sara wouldn't give him a chance to prove that he wanted to attempt a relationship.

Walking her to his car and then leaving her at the door to her apartment had been the hardest decision of his life. He wanted to break down and confess his feelings. He wanted to continue his exploration of her face, her neck and her body. Only he could see the fear shining in her eyes and knew that he'd caused the doubts. He felt certain that he could have convinced her to sleep with him when she was still in his home, but on some logical level he knew that he didn't want her on those terms. He decided that it would be an insult to the relationship that he intended to develop with her and so he refused to use his base desires to lead her into a physical relationship before she was completely ready to trust him and his intentions.

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Sara strolled to the conference room that evening with her chin held high. She refused to glance towards Grissom and instead smiled warmly in the direction of Warrick and Nick. She took the only chair available, which happened to be on Grissom's right.

"Hey, Sara." Warrick mumbled, cutting his eyes towards their boss. They were all wondering if he and Sara had worked out their differences after they left his town home.

The tension enveloping the room belied that hope.

Grissom tried to control his rapidly rising heart rate and pushed a case file over to Catherine. "Cath, you and Warrick have a jumper on the strip."

Sara held her breath. Okay, so what was going to be his next move? Make her go solo on a case? Team her with Nick?

Grissom took a deep breath and pushed another report over to Nick. "You get a solo, Nick."

"Yes." Nick grinned at each of them as he picked up the report.

Sara risked a glance towards Grissom and blinked rapidly. Was that a challenge in his eyes?

"You and I have a case at the body farm, Sara."

Suddenly alert, she sat up and smiled at him with such sincerity he could not help but grin back. He knew she would jump at the chance to explore the body farm.

"You're a sick one, Sara." Nick teased.

Sara rolled her eyes at him as she stood and reached for the case file that Grissom had kept in front of him.

Warrick, Nick and Catherine filed out of the room and Sara found herself alone with Grissom. The elation she had felt seconds before turned awkward, when with an unexpected move, Grissom smiled warmly and pointed towards the paper she held.

"Why don't we concentrate on our case? Any personal issues can wait until after work."

Sara narrowed her eyes at his back as he walked out of the room. What did he mean by 'after work'? She would do herself a favor by ignoring that he meant anything other than what he always meant and concentrate on the evidence.

TBC