How To Get The Girl
This will be a relatively short one, probably two chapters in total. There's no real time frame involved, except that it's taken place after Nick's kidnapping and the team is back together. Hope those that read will enjoy and it wouldn't be terrible if you left a review, lol.
~~HTGTG~~
"So you're saying women like being scared?"
They were smack dab in the middle of another lunch break verbal free for all and Grissom wasn't sure whether to be amused, worry about the maturity of his team or make a personal vow to eat his lunch in his office from now on.
"No, not like honestly and legitimately scared." He was a great investigator, but Sara didn't know how far to trust Nick's 'understanding' of the opposite sex, particularly given the confused expression on his face at the moment. Really, she didn't think the concept was that complicated.
"Dude," Greg jumped in, "She's not saying give your lady a heart attack, but just a little-" He suddenly leaped from his chair, roaring at Sara. She jumped and then smacked him.
"Not like that." Sara glared at Greg.
That did make Grissom smirk.
"No woman wants dumb stunts." She finished.
"Aww, come on, Sar. Some women might find that endearing." Greg nearly simpered.
"Maybe...from the right guy." Sara replied, her tone clearly saying that Greg was not the right guy for her. Of course, she kept just enough tease in her tone to make sure he knew she didn't intend for it to hurt him at all. She loved the guy but like a little brother.
"Oh!" Nick and Warrick said together.
"Burn Greggo!" Nick turned back to Sara. "Alright, so what then, Sar?" Nick asked.
"Just be creative. Like, take her on a haunted hayride or for a moonlight boat ride and tell her a spooky story about some girl who drowned in the lake because she was heartbroken and now she goes after couples who come out under a full moon. A little spine tingle gets the adrenaline pumping and she'll be cuddled up and you get to play the big, protective man. Are you picking up what I'm putting down, Stokes?" He still looked a little skeptical.
"Girl! I never took you for the 'I want a man to protect me for the boogeyman' type." Warrick declared, taking a bite of his sandwich and grinning at her.
"Well, I'm not the simpering type...exactly, but there are aspects of being a girl that I enjoy. Besides, any guy who would take the time to be that creative for a date...is definately getting a second one. Unless he screws it up by being a jerk."
"Okay." Nick was mulling it over. "It's not a bad idea."
Sara rolled her eyes and Warrick laughed.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the end of the table at the scrapping sound that penetrated the air.
"You alright, Gris?" Warrick asked as their supervisor made for the door.
"Yes. Just time for me to get back to work. Enjoy the rest of your lunch." He called back over his shoulder as he exited the room.
Grissom headed straight for his office and did something that he wasn't typically known for; he flew through the stack of paperwork on his desk. Something had clicked inside him and for once, instead of beating the flames back, he was going to fan them for all he was worth.
What would normally take him at least a shift to complete because of the dread it induced in him. Yes, he did think that with enough research he could prove an allergic reaction to paperwork, only took him three hours to complete that night. That left him with two hours to burn before the end of shift. That produced a second occurence of something Gil Grissom wasn't known for; he clocked out early and took some personal time, though he didn't leave the building. Instead, he picked up the phone and dialed the extension he needed. When it was answered he asked, "What would an hour of your time after shift cost me?" He smiled at the reply, more than satisfied with the answer. "Consider it done. Meet me at my office when you've clocked out. And this is personal, so please, keep your plans to yourself. Thanks." He hung up and typed in his first query into the search engine.
He'd lost track of the time and was startled when she spoke quietly from the doorway. "I didn't think you had any open cases."
"Sara." He slipped his glasses from their perch on his nose and discreetly minimized the page he'd been engrossed in. "I don't at the moment. I've actually clocked out. I'm on personal time." His eyes twinkled and he had absolutely no idea how disarming that grin was to her as he watched her eyes widen in disbelief.
"You? Taking personal time?" She questioned, a small smile brightening her face. "Is the sky falling?" She teased, once more reminded of how happy she was that things between them were eaygoing again. It had been tense between them for too long, but after what happened to Nick, he'd reached out and they'd begun to mend their strained friendship. So, it wasn't the relationship she'd hoped for but she'd come to realize that if she had to pick between only having a platonic relationship with him or no relationship at all, she picked platonic every time. And he had been working so hard at being a good friend to her. She would venture to say that their current friendship was stronger and better than it had ever been.
"Yes, Miss Smartmouth." He smirked, "You should try it sometime."
She chose to ignore his sarcastic retort because she knew it was said in jest. "So why are you still here then?"
"Currently I'm doing some research on something I'm interested in exploring further."
"Really." Her curiosity was piqued. "What's that?"
"Just something I've been fascinated by for years now and I've decided it's time I stopped wanting and go for it. I'm tired of my self induced relegation to the sidelines, so I'm taking steps to make a formal committment to stop sitting on the sidelines and be active with it."
"Oh, come on, Griss. That doesn't tell me aything. What is it?" She pleaded; his vague description was enough to tease but not to satisfy.
"I'm not ready to make it public yet. There are some things I still need to put into place. But," he hurried forward, seeing she was about to start grilling him for better details. He really loved her passion and tenacity, among countless other things. He thanked God above for it actually, because without it he would have missed this chance. Without it, she may have told him to get lost long ago. "I promise I will tell you when it's time."
She frowned, but agreed. "Fair enough. On another note then, I'm thinking of stopping at that bagel place on my way home."
"Sara." He laughed. "That place is five miles outside of on your way home."
"Semantics." She countered playfully. "Wanna join me? My treat."
"That sounds lovely, but I'm going to take a rain check for today."
"Hmm." She pouted. "I thought you were clocked out."
"I am, but as I said, I have some things to get done for my endeavor."
"There's a deadline?"
"Self-imposed." He offered. "It's long overdue and I don't want to wait any longer than necessary." I love you and I'm tired of pretending not to be, he thought.
"Okay, well, another day then."
"Count on it." He told her, smiling as she waved and he watched her walk away.
Mere seconds after Sara disappeared around the corner, Archie slipped into his office. He closed the door behind him and rubbed his hands together in delight. "What's my mission, boss?"
Gil grinned and motioned Archie around his desk. "It's a tall order, Archie, but you're just the man for the job."
~~HTGTG~~
Linda Stevens watched with a smile on her face as Gil Grissom climbed from behind the wheel of his Denali.
"Madam Mayor." He greeted.
"Gil Grissom, it's about time you darkened my doorstep again. Have you come to collect on my offer?" He'd been vague when he'd called to ask if he could speak with her today, but she hoped he was indeed there for what she thought he might be.
"You did say to come to you when I decided to address, how did you say it...'that chemistry situation on my team'?"
Her eyes lit up as she clasped her hands together by her mouth. "I take it you're here then because you are finally ready to address the situation properly?"
He gave her the honest, humble answer she deserved. "I love her, Linda, and it is passed time I did something about it. I know what lab policy is but I just got my team back. I don't want it split back up. I need your help in working this out, if the offer still stands. I know what has to be done, but the Sheriff isn't going to like it and I don't want him or Ecklie making this hard on Sara. I'll step down before I let-"
She hushed him. No one will be stepping down, least of all our leading and only entomologist and the man who helped make our lab second in the nation. And let's not forget who brings in all that grant money. No, you let me take care of the Sheriff. But you know you're going to have to find someone else to be Sara's immediate supervisor and do her performance evaluation. You have to be hands off with that. That can't be compromised on, Gil."
"Done." He agreed readily.
"I'm serious, Gil. You can't be Sara's significant other and her supervisor. It compromises the lab's-"
"Linda, I know. Believe me, I understand and I do not have a problem with that. I never wanted to be her supervisor in the first place and if I have to give that up to to be her partner in life then it's not even a question of debate...not anymore." He blushed a little when it occured to him how he must have sounded just now if the look on Linda's face was anything to go by. He cleared his throat and continued. "Catherine is more than capable of taking on that supervisory role for Sara and I don't think she'll have a problem with it."
"Will Sara?"
"She may not love the idea initially, but if it means the two of us being together and that's still what she wants for us then Sara will make it work. I know she will."
"Should you ask Catherine before I inform the Sheriff that he will be giving you and Sara his full support?"
"I don't think it's necessary, but I will if you'd prefer it. I'm confidant Catherine will be willing."
"Well, I would feel better if you had that confirmed before I call the Sheriff. If for some reason Catherine isn't willing, I don't want egg on my face if I can avoid it. You understand?"
"Of course. I have to make one quick stop and then I'll go have that talk with Catherine. Give me, two hours?"
"Done. If I don't hear from you, I'll assume all went to plan and that she is indeed on board. I'll call you when I've informed the Sheriff."
"Thank you, Linda." He stepped forward and kissed her cheek.
"It really is my pleasure, Gil. Ever since I saw the two of you together, I knew it was a good match. Glad you finally came around to it. Good luck to the both of you." She watched with a smile as he climbed back into the car. Just before he closed the door, she called out to him, unable to resist. "Oh and Gil?" He looked back. "I'll expect an invitation to your wedding." Even from the distance she saw his face redden. He gave a little wave and quickly shut the door. She giggled as he drove away.
Now all he had to do was wake the hibernating bear. Hopefully when she learned why he'd woken her early, she'd forgive him. He turned the car in the direction of his preferred florist. That was errand number one; buy Catherine a bouquet of her favorite flowers to help him avoid being devoured.
Birds of Paradise on his passenger seat and three blocks from her house, Gil pulled over to call her. Years of experience had taught him that when needing to wake Catherine up for a face to face meeting, it was best to use the 'ripping off the band aid' method- quick and without a lot of time for her to think about it.
The phone rang four times before a very sleepy sounding Catherine answered. "Willows."
"Catherine, I'm sorry to wake you, but I need to talk to you. It's important and time sensitive. I'm a few minutes and I'm bringing coffee." He managed to get that all out in one breath.
"Gil?"
"Ah, yes." He realized he had skipped the identification portion of the phone call.
"What...do we have a case?"
"No. No case."
"Gil...it's 11:08...AM! If we don't have a case then why am I awake?!"
And the bear was well and truly poked.
"I know." He rushed. "I am sorry. I'll explain when I get there in about three minutes." He'd drive slowly. "And I do have coffee." he said again.
"No." She told him firmly. "No coffee. I plan to go back to sleep after. Hot chocolate."
He looked at the coffee, a bit panicked. There wasn't a coffe shop close by.
"I have it." She went on, reading into his sudden silence from years of knowing the man. "You'll make it." She informed him.
"Yes. Good. I'll make it."
"I have to pee-"
"Catherine." He whined at her overshare.
"And then," She went on, ignoring him. "I will unlock the door. And Gil?"
"Yes?"
"Don't take three minutes because I know you're closer than that. I want to be back in bed before noon."
He didn't even have time to answer her before he heard the dialtone. He looked quickly in his mirrors to check for traffic before pulling back out onto the road. He was parked in Catherine's driveway a minute and two seconds later. Just as he reached the front door, his ears picked up the distinct sound of tumblers rolling as she unlocked the door. He opened it, plastered on his most charming smile and thrust the bouquet of her favorite flowers toward her...or at least wjat would have been her if she'd been standing where he thought she'd be. Instead, he looked over the top of the brightly colored flowers and saw her shuffling toward the kitchen.
"Cocoa's in the cupboard above the microwave. I like it with warm milk. You know where the mugs are." She never even bothered to turn around.
Grissom shut the door and hurried after her. She meant the noon thing. By the time he got to the kitchen, she was perched on a stool at the breakfast bar with her head resting on her folded arms and her eyes were closed.
He smiled, despite the very real risk to his health at having woken her up, but he supposed if she was going to actually hurt him, she would have done so by now so he relaxed a bit. He laid the flowers down close to her, knowing she would recognize the scent quickly enough and went about gathering what he needed for the cocoa.
Sure enough, less than half a minute later, her head came up and a slow, if somewhat reluctant smile graced her lips. "They're beautiful. Thank you."
He nodded with a smile. "Vase?"
"Under the sink, but over one to your right."
He pulled one out and filled it halfway with water. She shooed him off with a grin when he made to put them in the vase for her. "You. Cocoa." She instructed as she began arranging the flowers in the crystal.
After a short bout of silence, Catherine watched him watch the milk slowly warm. He looked rather relaxed and it piqued her interest. "So, are you going to tell me why I'm not sleeping right now, Gil, or did you just have the overwhelming urge to bring me flowers?"
He scrunched his nose at her and lifted the pan of milk from the burner, carefully pouring it over the powder. He gave it a sufficient stirring; enough to blend it together and cool it just enough for consumption, and then set it in front of her. Then he reached around the bar and pulled the empty stool beside her over to his side so he could sit opposite her.
"I need you to supervise Sara from here on out. Well, starting this coming Thursday to be exact." He ducked his eyes for a second before looking back at her. "Email her the switch, but wait until shift starts though. She'll be off that night so she'll officially be informed, but she shouldn't see it until later."
"Oh, Gil, what now?" Catherine groaned.
"I'm sorry?" He was confused by her reaction.
"Is Sara being disciplined again, because if so, it's really not fair for you to push her off on me especially since we've patched things up." Another possibility, no more appealing crossed her mind as a possible explanantion for her sudden added responsibility. "Is the team being split again because-"
Gil stopped her. "No, Catherine, it's nothing like that." He smiled shyly. He wasn't doing a very good job of explaining this himself. Sharing his personal business was never easy for him "This is a request born of a personal need." He drew in a fortifying breath and proceeded. "As you're aware, lab policy frowns upon colleagues on the same shift engaging in a romantic relationship but doesn't forbide it if it's handled properly. However, romance between a supervisor and subordinate on the same shift is forbidden." He watched Catherine's eyes slowly alight with understanding. "I don't want to be Sara's supervisor anymore. Would you please do this for me, Catherine?"
Tears gathered in her eyes as she nodded her head 'yes' and reached across the counter to put her hand over his. "I'd love to do this for you, Gil...for both of you."
"Thank you." He smiled back and patted her hand. Everything was coming together.
~~HTGTG~~
Tuesday evening, the following week...
The two men rolled out from under Grissom's Denali. All the equipment was in place. "Okay, Grissom." Archie slapped his hands together. "Start her up and let's have a run through."
He did and then he and Archie watched the gaiges flicker and listened to the engine sputter as it faltered and then died. The men looked at each other and grinned.
"Get in so we can hear from the inside for this one. I need to make sure I have the volume right."
Grissom nodded and climbed in behind the wheel while Archie jogged around to the passenger side. With the doors closed, Archie tapped some more keys and they listened.
"A bit too close." Grissom assessed. "Like I should be looking right outside the truck."
Archie nodded in agreement and made some adjustments. "Okay." He said tapping another key. "Let's try this ."
Grissom smiled. "Close enough but not too close. I'd say that's perfect right there, Archie."
"Gave me the chills." The AV man chuckled. He closed the laptop. "Okay, I think we're all set. Oh, wait." He opened the laptop back up. "Do you have the burn phone on you?"
"I have it, but I haven't even taken it out of the box yet."
"Well, let's turn it on and get your phone set up so we know if this works like it should. The last thing you want is to get out there and have a signal."
"Right." Grissom reached into the glove box and pulled the burn phone he'd purchased out. He went to hand it to Archie, but the younger man waved him off.
"Give me your company phone and I'll get the chip in it and you turn the backup on." So they did. Archie got out and walked the distance of the garage. I'll call you and you make sure nothing happens."
"Well, I've got no signal so that's a good start." Grissom called back. He watched Archie dial and then put the phone to his ear. Nothing happend. "We're good." He called to the younger man.
"Great." Archie relied when he reached the Denali again. "Let me know when you leave in the morning and I'll turn everything on and we'll do a moving run when you get to your neighborhood. With this GPS I should be able to cut you off as you pull into your driveway."
"I'll let you know when I leave." He extended his hand to Archie, shaking it when the gesture was returned. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. I'll drop those tickets off to you tomorrow night and that symposium reccomendation will be on your desk by end of shift."
"Sounds great. And I'm glad to do it. Sara's a great girl. She deserves to be happy. Nice to see you finally got it together, Grissom." He grinned at the man whose eyes were now quite wide. Archie had to laugh. "Come on, man, everybody could see it. Better late than never, huh." He slapped Grissom, who still looked flabbergasted, on the back. "Well, I'm going to head over to me casa away from me casa and catch a nap before shift starts."
"Yeah...sure." Grissom managed. "Thanks again." he stammered. He really had been quite transparent it seemed. "Okay." He said to himself. "One more person to bring on board...other than Sara." He chuckled lightly. He climbed back into the Denali and backed out of the old bay that they'd used to avoid detection and unwarranted questions.
Once back in the lab, Grissom made his way to his office and set to work on that letter for symposium for Archie. He finished it up and went over it for proofreading just half an hour before the start of shift. Satisfied with it, he signed and put it in an envelope to deliver to Archie on his way to get assignment slips from Judy.
"And finally last but not least, Nicky my boy, you have a smash and grab at the Tropicana. That's it everyone. Be safe out there." He handed Nick his slip and turned toward his partner for the night. "Ric, I'll get my kit and meet you at the truck."
"You got it, Griss."
"Hey!" Sara caught him on his way out the door.
"Hey." The skin around his eyes crinkled as he smiled at her. His smile turned questioning as she put a small, white bag in his hands. "What's this?"
"That bagel shop on my way home," she teased. "It was calling my name, so I grabbed an onion bagel with cream cheese for you while I was there. I had tem double wrap it so it should still be warm for you."
"I'll let Warrick drive." The urge to lean in and kiss her was so powerful, it was hard to ignore. He looked forward to a time in the very near future when he might thank her with more than mere words for these little gestures and for those moments of 'just because'. For now, "Thank you, Sara." He told her with a wink and a grin.
"Have fun tonight." She smiled back.
Warrick turned right. "Man, I'm gonna start bringing you breakfast if it means I get to drive when we work together." he joked as Grissom took another bit of his bagel.
A perfect segway. "Do you have plans for your day of on Thursday?" He asked after he swallowed.
"Oh yeah. Big plans."
Grissom's heart constricted. He should have asked as soon as he'd put the svhedule out. But then Warrick spoke, and hope sprang back to life.
"Huge plans to sit on my butt and play video games." He laughed. "Exciting stuff, right. You?"
"Well, that depends on you, Ric."
"Me?" Warrick glanced over quickly and then put his focus back on the road.
"Would you be willing to work my shift Thursday night and I'll take your shift on Saturday night?"
"Another Saturday night off?! Heck yeah, man! Absolutely!" Warrick crowed. "Hot date?" he teased.
"I wouldn't necessarily say 'hot'. Not for a first date. but fabulous, unforgettable and the first of many wouldn't be out of the question for possible descriptions."
Warrick did a double take. "You really have a date?!"
Although part of him was a little offended by the total shock in Warrick's voice at the news that he had a date, he laughed anyway. He supposed it was pretty surprising, especially since it took him more than thirty seconds to remember the last time he'd gone on anything that remotely resembled a date. "Yes, a surprise date actually."
"Uh, I don't mean to be all up in your business, Griss, but how do you have a surprise date? Blind, I get, but..."
"Technically, I'm getting the young lady in my company under false pretenses, but I'll reveal my intentions after the main surprise of the evening and I think she'll forgive me once I make my hopes for us clear. And I'll apologize for the ruse, of course."
It was at that moment that they arrived at their scene. Warrick parked and turned the truck off.
"I'm not advertising this until and unless we make this official and that's only if she wants it made public, but since you're helping me make it possible, I will add you to the short list of people in the know. It's Sara, Ric. I'm asking Sara to...well, be mine, I guess you'd say."
"Have you guys been dating? Wait, no, you said this was a first date. Wow, man." He chuckled. You don't mess around with committment. Straight to going steady, huh? You got your letterman jacket and class ring all ready, boss?" He loved the man and couldn't resist teasing him. Besides, he was ecstatic that these two were finally taking a shot at happiness together.
"Well, I know what I want. I have for a long time, but I didn't have the guts to do anything about it. I love her though, and I don't want to waste anymore time without her by my side."
"That's great, Grissom. Really." He told his friend seriously. "So, he smirked, "do I get to hear the details of your plan?"
"As long as you don't have loose lips." Grissom said, reaching behind them to grab his kit.
"Don't worry, Romeo. Your ship is safe with me."
TBC...The second chapter will be the date itself. I've been purposely vague in the plans because it's a surprise...though you may have figured some out by now. I hope you've all ejoyed it. Anything recognizable in sayings that I have neglected to cite aren't mine. There; blanket disclaimer.