Frozen
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: They're mine. I own them. My Precious. No. They belong to master. Master loveses them. No! I loveses them. Gollum Gollum Gollum.
Summary: "Please come over here. You're freezing." "And you're cold, Grissom."
Please Review! I'm thinking about doing a sequel that would have a higher rating. Let me know if I should bother.
*********************
"Take a picture of this, Sara." Grissom was crouched down looking intently at the drain in the floor. They had a db in a restaurant. The older man had apparently been hit over the head with a blunt object, and then stabbed to death. They worked the crime scene methodically, starting in the dining area where the body had been found. Now they slowly examined the kitchen, looking for anything that might prove useful.
Sara stood over him gripping the camera and following his every move. It had been so long since they really worked together, but they quickly reverted to their familiar pattern. Each seemed to know what the other needed and when, and their bodies unconsciously knew where the other was at any moment. They worked their way around the kitchen, perfectly synchronized almost as if they were dancing.
Grissom opened the door to the large industrial walk-in refrigerator. The whole area was a crime scene and he would leave no stone unturned. Sara held the door open for him as he worked. He collected some dirt on the floor and swabbed what looked like blood stains. Of course, this being a kitchen the blood wasn't necessarily human. He worked over every square inch totally focused on what was in front of him. He didn't even notice the cold as he mentally catalogued everything he saw, slowly recreating the scene in his mind. He even forgot Sara's presence until he felt her body crash into his.
She landed heavily on him and the camera fell next to his head. Momentarily stunned, he lay there on the cold floor while he tried to process what had happened. He finally rolled Sara off of him and sat up.
"Sara! What on earth are you doing?!" Grissom looked up in time to see a teenage boy with a broken bottle of beer closing the door to the refrigerator. They were instantly plunged into complete darkness. Grissom jumped up and went to where the door was. He shoved at the door which didn't budge. He found the small penlight he always kept with him and shined it at the door. There was no handle and all his effort resulted in nothing. The door was obviously locked or jammed from the outside. Next he looked for a light switch. Luckily he found one, next to the thermostat.
"Damn! The police were supposed to have cleared the scene. Are you okay?" His heart sank when Sara didn't answer him. He looked over at her. She lay crumpled on her left side, her hair covering her face. He knelt next to her and brushed her hair back. He rubbed her cheek lightly trying for some response. He relaxed minutely when she finally opened her eyes and moaned.
"Where are we?" Sara managed to roll onto her back and shield her eyes with one hand. The light seemed too bright and she now had a massive headache. She felt the cold from the floor seeping through her shirt and tried to sit up. She was stopped by Grissom's hands on her shoulders.
"Stay there. You're hurt." His heart had stopped when he saw the left side of her face covered in blood. For a few seconds he could do nothing but stare at her as she struggled to sit up. Seeing her in pain was more painful than he could have imagined. It was as if his soul had been plunged into ice water and his chest was being crushed. He finally came to his senses and tried to stop her from moving around. One hand stayed on her shoulder while the other went to gently touch her blood covered cheek.
"Can you at least help me sit up? This floor is freezing." Grissom carefully helped her sit up, resting her back against some shelves. He reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and tried to wipe away some of the blood.
"Do you remember what happened, Sara?" Grissom talked to her while he worked. He cleaned her face and realized the blood came from a scalp laceration on her left temple. He pressed the cloth against the wound to help stop the bleeding. He breathed a quick sigh of relief when he realized it wasn't as bad as it looked. Head wounds always bled a lot, but as long as she didn't have a bad concussion, she'd be okay.
"Yeah. Some punk kid hit me over the head with something and pushed me in here. Let me guess, he locked us in."
Grissom smiled. "Yep. Looks like we might be in here for a little while."
"Have you tried your cell phone yet?"
Grissom pulled out his phone and dialed Catherine's number. Nothing. There was no signal. He took the phone that Sara held out to him and tried that. Still nothing.
"Well there goes that idea. Maybe the officer guarding the scene will come looking for us."
Grissom shook his head. "The same one who was supposed to have cleared the scene? No, the kid would need to go through him to get out and considering we haven't heard any yelling or sirens, I think it's a pretty good bet that the officer is incapacitated."
"Damn. I don't suppose banging on the door would help." Sara closed her eyes and leaned her head back. She really didn't like enclosed spaces. Her breath quickened as she tried to fight off the impending panic.
Grissom noticed the change in her immediately and started banging on the door. "Hey! Is anybody out there?! Can anybody hear us?!" He wasn't really surprised when there was no answer. He looked down at Sara again. Her eyes were open and darting around wildly like a trapped animal.
Grissom crouched down next to her and gently brushed her cheek. "Hey Sara. Look at me." Their eyes met and he held her gaze. "Good. Now, deep breaths." He stayed there touching her as she slowly calmed down. Even when her breathing returned to normal, he didn't move his hand or eyes. She looked at him for a long moment before turning bright red and burying her face in her hands.
"Oh God. I'm sorry Grissom. I just. I don't like enclosed spaces much."
"Hey. It's okay. Everyone's got some irrational fear."
Sara raised an eyebrow. "What's yours?" She regretted her words when he stood up abruptly and turned away. She immediately felt the air grow colder as she lost the added warmth of his breath and body heat near her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."
Grissom turned around, but wouldn't meet her eyes. "Don't worry about it." He paced back and forth for a minute scanning the shelves. Obviously finding nothing of interest he turned around and looked at Sara again. "Eventually someone will figure out that we're not answering out phones and will come looking for us." He sat down and leaned back. "We might as well get comfortable. We'll be in here for a while longer."
Sara wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes. Damn it was cold in their. Grissom, the lucky bastard, still had his jacket on, but she had been working in her tank top. They sat there for a while until Grissom's voice broke the silence.
"You're freezing."
Sara opened her eyes and looked at him. "Well we are in a refrigerator."
"Here. Take my jacket."
"Then you will be cold."
"Then come over here and sit with me. We can conserve body heat."
Sara looked startled for a moment and then laughed. "Didn't I see this episode?"
"What are you talking about?"
Sara was now laughing uncontrollably and making Grissom very uncomfortable. "I did! Next thing you know I'll be singing Three Dog Night to you."
"Sara." Grissom was concerned now. Maybe the blow to her head had been harder than he thought.
"Didn't you ever watch the X-Files? There was this episode where Mulder and Scully were lost in the Everglades chasing the mutated descendants of Ponce de Leon's crew. He tried to get her to share a sleeping bag to conserve body heat."
"No, I never watched the X-Files. Are you sure you don't have a concussion?"
"What are you talking about? I'm fine"
"Will you just come over here now? I don't want you to get hypothermia."
Sara looked skeptical, but she crawled over to where he was sitting. His knees were bent and separated, his arms opened in a welcoming gesture. "Ummm. I don't know if this is a good idea Grissom."
"Come on. I don't bite."
Sara sighed and gave in. She turned around so that her back was to him and settled back against his chest. His hands touched hers. When he felt how cold she really was he slowly started rubbing her bare arms. Sara felt his body heat seep into her and warm her to her very core.
His offer had been genuine and borne totally out of a concern for her welfare, but when her back made contact with him and he touched her skin, he realized that maybe this wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. In fact, the smell of her hair alone was quickly corrupting his good intentions. He needed to keep his mind on something safe.
"So you're a big X-files fan. I didn't think you watched that much television."
Sara smiled. "I don't. My friends and I used to get together every Sunday night to watch the X-Files. It was a very scientific show, you know."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, Scully was a pathologist. They even did an episode about insects complete with an entomologist."
"Lord of the Flies."
Sara turned around and glared at him. "I thought you said you didn't watch the show."
"I saw that episode at a convention. Some guys had a party and showed it."
"Ugh. Bug geeks."
"Hey! That hurts."
"You'll live.
Sara turned back around and Grissom went back to rubbing her arms. "So you guys watched every episode?"
"We did, until David Duchovny left the show. Three girls had major crushes on him and refused to watch when he was gone."
"And what about you?"
"What?"
"Did you have a crush on him too?"
"Actually I preferred Skinner."
"Their boss?"
"Yeah he was much hotter than Mulder. I guess I have a thing for authority figures."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Sara wished she could die. Was she drunk or something? She never volunteered this much personal information to anyone and now she was embarrassing herself in front of Grissom. She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I. Oh God.. I can't believe I said that."
Grissom's heart started beating a bit faster at her admission. She had said it innocently enough, but her reaction to such an offhand comment revealed even more. She was obviously worried about how he might take it. He decided to set her mind at ease even as he wished he had the guts to act on this knowledge. "That's okay. I won't tell"
Sara settled back again, but her mind was no longer on the X-Files. "You know, this is the most time I've spent with you in over a year."
"I know."
"Why?" When he didn't answer her for a few minutes she decided to try again. He had stiffened momentarily then she had first asked him, but he seemed to have relaxed.
"Why have you been ignoring me?"
Grissom could feel the beginnings of a migraine and rubbed his temples. "Sara, I don't know."
"Look. If it's because I asked you out, then just forget it. I can deal with rejection. Can't we at least go back to being friends?"
"We are friends."
Sara shook her head and drew away from him a bit. "Are we Grissom? When was the last time you said one word to me that wasn't about a case?"
"I don't."
"You don't know? Do you even care?"
Grissom couldn't deal with this. It was one thing to reject her advances when she was standing across the room from him. He could ignore her in the office, but she was so close. He could smell her, feel the heat from her body. He didn't know how long he could resist her. "I care Sara. Maybe a little too much."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I can't talk about. this."
"Can't or won't?"
"I don't think that we should talk about this now."
Sara finally ran out of patience. She got up and walked away from him. She stood next to the door of the cooler facing away from him. "When then? Grissom, we are stuck in a giant refrigerator. There is absolutely nothing to do but sit here and talk. No one can overhear us and neither of us can run away. I think this is the perfect time."
Grissom didn't answer her. He couldn't. He knew he was hurting her but he didn't know what to do.
"So you never want to talk. Is that it? You think by ignoring problems they will just go away?"
"There's nothing to talk about, Sara."
"Fine. I tried. You're right there absolutely nothing to talk about."
Sara wrapped her arms around her body and sunk to her knees still facing away from Grissom. She had tried. Tried and failed. He obviously felt nothing for her. He just liked stringing her along. She had given up years of her life and he had given her nothing. She felt the hot tears on her cheeks and realized she was crying. She bit her lip trying to keep them in.
"Sara? Sara.. I'm sorry." He had watched her almost collapse in on herself. Her head hung low and her whole body shaking in what must have been her silent sobbing. He had to do something. "Please come over here. You're freezing."
Sara looked at him sadly, her tear streaked face send a bolt of pain through him. "And you're cold, Grissom."
She had meant to hurt him and she did. She saw the momentary pain flash behind his guarded eyes and turned away. Despite everything that had happened, it still hurt her to see him in pain. It was even worse when she was the source of it. The tears continued to roll down her face as she struggled to retain some of her dignity. Finally the soft, angst filled whisper of his voice caught her attention.
"Do you really want to know?" His back was to her and his head was bowed. He looked resigned or defeated, she couldn't tell which. "Do you want to know my irrational fear?" He turned around to meet her eyes and with a determined glint. "You are."
"What?"
"I'm scared of you. I'm terrified of the way I feel when I'm around you. There's no good reason for it. It's irrational."
"I'm sorry Grissom. I.. I didn't know."
"It's not your fault, Sara. It's mine. Every time I hear your voice or feel your body brush against mine, I freeze. I can't control myself around you."
"You seemed fine when we were working before."
"I was focused on the evidence." Grissom smiled and looked down. "Work is the only thing that has kept me sane." When he looked up again the smile was gone. "I can't feel like this."
"Why can't you? What's so wrong with it?"
"You are so young, and beautiful and I'm."
Sara laughed. "What? You think you're too old for me?"
Grissom clearly didn't see the humor in all of this. "Yes. And I'm your supervisor."
Now it was Sara's turn to get serious. "That's crap and you know it. You're afraid to compromise your job? Then why the hell did you sleep with someone involved in a murder investigation?!"
"How. How did you know about."
Sara laughed, but there was no joy in it. "Lady Heather? Grissom, the whole lab knows. It's not exactly a secret. The only reason no one made an issue of it is because she turned out to be innocent. What I want to know is what she had that I don't."
"I don't understand."
"Well you were obviously willing to risk your job for her, but not for me. I want to know why."
Grissom bowed his head and silently cursed himself. He'd had know idea that his private like was gossiped about. And now Sara knew. "Sara. I don't know why I did that. She was there and you were with Hank and I just needed someone."
"I was available for two years. For two years you led me on and did nothing. Don't try to blame this on me."
"You're right. It's me. It's always been me. I just couldn't risk it."
"Risk what?"
"Myself. I don't extend myself easily. I guess I was afraid that it wouldn't last. That you'd get tired of me and move on."
"Jesus, Gil. You don't know? You haven't figured it out yet?"
"Know what?"
Sara took a deep breath. She had tried so hard and he still didn't get it. She had extended herself, made herself vulnerable, open to the hurt he continuously inflicted on her. And now she was going to do it again. "I love you."
"What?!"
"Grissom, why the hell do you think I've stuck around so long? Why do you think I've put up with all your crap?"
Grissom was more than stunned. He stared at her mouth hanging open in apparent shock. She had finally gotten the better of him. He couldn't breathe let alone speak. It just wasn't possible that she could love him. But her eyes were open, honest and quickly getting embarrassed.
"You know, Griss. I think it's your turn to say something."
When he didn't speak for a while, she dropped her gaze and turned away, unwilling to let him see the hurt in her eyes again. She had hoped that her admission would be enough to wake him up, but obviously it wasn't. It was clear that he didn't love her or even really care for her. As she felt the first tear fall, his hand made contact with her shoulder.
"Please look at me, Sara." When she turned and he could see her eyes, he sighed. "I'm sorry I hurt you so much. You deserved better. You deserve someone who can make you happy."
"I don't care what I deserve. I know what I want. I want you." Her tears continued to fall at her admission and Grissom's heart broke. So much pain, just because he couldn't admit what he felt for her. He raised a hand to gently cup her face.
"I'm sorry. I've been so stupid. Please forgive me. Tell me how to make this better."
She looked at him with wide eyes and spoke in barely a whisper. "I don't know what to do."
"I do."
He leaned in towards her till their faces were separated by less than an inch. He searched her face and saw confusion and a little bit of fear, but he was determined to make this right. Their eyes were still open as their breath mingled. He gently brushed his lips against hers and her eyes closed at the sensation. It was chaste, almost innocent, but it didn't stay that way for long.
Once the first barrier had been broken, Sara couldn't keep her hands off him. She wound her fingers in his hair and held him close, desperate to deepen the kiss and really taste him, but afraid to scare him off. Thankfully, Grissom did it for her. The sensation of her hand on the back of his neck was too much. He licked at her lower lip and finally claimed his territory when she opened her mouth to gasp. Their tongues met and he groaned into her mouth at the sweet taste. This was more than he had ever hoped for, but suddenly it was not enough. He needed to feel her skin. He needed her.
Sara broke the kiss and buried her head in his shoulder, groaning when she felt him lift the bottom of her shirt and stroke her bare skin. She started licking and nipping at his neck as his hands continued to explore her flesh, rubbing her lower back, fingers dipping below her jeans before traveling up her sides.
Grissom was quickly losing what little control he had left. Her mouth was hot and wet and sucking so fiercely on his neck that he knew he'd have a mark there. He pushed her shirt up farther until her white bra was revealed to him. God. She really was perfect. He could see her nipples poking through the lacy fabric. For some reason he hadn't expected her to wear something so feminine, but she looked gorgeous in it. He groaned aloud when he felt her lips on his earlobe and her teeth tugging at it. In response he stroked one of her tight nipples with his thumb. Her head flew back as she arched her back thrusting her chest into his hand. As he stroked her breasts he wondered idly if her nipples were hard for him, or because of the cold.
Suddenly, awareness of their situation flooded back into his mind. He drew back from her and pushed her away reluctantly. He held her upper arms and kept her at arms length as he tried to get his breathing under control.
"I'm sorry, Sara. I shouldn't have done that." At her hurt expression he quickly went on. "Now, I mean. I meant this isn't exactly the best location for what I have in mind." His hands traveled down her body and lowered her shirt, covering her again.
Sara's expression softened and she snuggled into his warm body. "I'm sorry too Gil. I just didn't expect that from you. I guess I got a little carried away." She looked up and stroked a finger along his jaw. "But I do expect us to finish this later. Preferably in a nice warm bed."
Grissom groaned and leaned in for a quick, fierce kiss. "I can't wait."
They sat, bodies entwined for a while. They didn't even talk to each other. For now they simply savored the feeling of being close. Sara closed her eyes breathed lightly on his chest. He smelled so good. She could die happy just sitting there with him.
Grissom's thoughts were much the same. The feel of her, her smell. She was intoxicating. Utterly desirable. And she wanted him.
"So how long have we been in here?"
"A little over two hours. You'd think they would have figured it out by now."
As if on cue, they both heard shouting coming from outside the refrigerator. Grissom disentangled their limbs and got up. He walked to the door and banged on it. "Hey! Who's out there?" He heard an answering shout that sounded like Catherine.
"Gil! Is that you?"
"Yeah! We could use a little help here."
A few seconds later the door opened to reveal a frantic looking Catherine and Brass with his gun drawn. Grissom helped Sara to her feet and they got out. The warm air of the kitchen was a welcome relief. They stood there for a moment, enjoying the heat before the questions started.
"Damn it, Grissom. What the hell happened here?" Brass looked really pissed off. Sara noticed that he still had his gun out.
Grissom wasn't in the mood for Brass's crap. "The perp was still here. Apparently your guy has problems clearing a scene. Where is he anyway?"
"On his way to the hospital. He took a blow to the head. He was still unconscious when we got here."
Sara immediately looked concerned. "Is he going to be okay?"
"Yeah the EMT said that it looked like a simple concussion. So how did you guys."
"Sara was attacked and we were both shoved in here. She needs to get to the hospital too."
Catherine noticed for the first time the blood in Sara's hair and on her shirt. "Damn, Sara. Let's go get that taken care of. You know were also going to need."
"My clothes. I know. Do you have something I can change into?"
"Sure. I'll take care of you."
The two women left, leaving Brass and Grissom to deal with the situation. Brass finally holstered his weapon and ran a hand over his head.
Grissom spoke first. "I hope your man will be okay."
"I'm sure he will, though if he had done his job right in the first place, none of this would have happened. What happened to Sara?"
"Teenage kid, brown hair, about her height hit her over the head with a beer bottle and then shoved her in there with me. By the way, how did he lock us in?"
"He jammed the door with a screwdriver. You know this is still a crime scene. Shouldn't you be working it?"
Grissom shook his head. "I'm part of it now. We need to call in Nick and Warrick. They can handle it from here."
"No problem. It looks like this guy left plenty for you to work with."
"Good. I noticed he wasn't wearing gloves either, so hopefully we'll get some prints."
Brass looked around one more time before sighing and shaking his head. "You know. I think I'm getting to old for this shit. Come on, let's get out of here for now."
They walked out together into the well lit Vegas night. The street was swarming with cops. Grissom looked around for Sara, but didn't see her. "So how did you and Catherine finally find us?"
"Yeah. Sorry about that. We would have been here sooner but it's been a busy night. When neither of you answered your phones, Catherine called me. When I couldn't reach my guy, we knew something was wrong."
"That's okay. It could have been worse." Grissom smiled to himself and went to look for Sara.
The End
A/N: I'm thinking about writing a sequel that would involve explicit, hot monkey love. Let me know if I should.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: They're mine. I own them. My Precious. No. They belong to master. Master loveses them. No! I loveses them. Gollum Gollum Gollum.
Summary: "Please come over here. You're freezing." "And you're cold, Grissom."
Please Review! I'm thinking about doing a sequel that would have a higher rating. Let me know if I should bother.
*********************
"Take a picture of this, Sara." Grissom was crouched down looking intently at the drain in the floor. They had a db in a restaurant. The older man had apparently been hit over the head with a blunt object, and then stabbed to death. They worked the crime scene methodically, starting in the dining area where the body had been found. Now they slowly examined the kitchen, looking for anything that might prove useful.
Sara stood over him gripping the camera and following his every move. It had been so long since they really worked together, but they quickly reverted to their familiar pattern. Each seemed to know what the other needed and when, and their bodies unconsciously knew where the other was at any moment. They worked their way around the kitchen, perfectly synchronized almost as if they were dancing.
Grissom opened the door to the large industrial walk-in refrigerator. The whole area was a crime scene and he would leave no stone unturned. Sara held the door open for him as he worked. He collected some dirt on the floor and swabbed what looked like blood stains. Of course, this being a kitchen the blood wasn't necessarily human. He worked over every square inch totally focused on what was in front of him. He didn't even notice the cold as he mentally catalogued everything he saw, slowly recreating the scene in his mind. He even forgot Sara's presence until he felt her body crash into his.
She landed heavily on him and the camera fell next to his head. Momentarily stunned, he lay there on the cold floor while he tried to process what had happened. He finally rolled Sara off of him and sat up.
"Sara! What on earth are you doing?!" Grissom looked up in time to see a teenage boy with a broken bottle of beer closing the door to the refrigerator. They were instantly plunged into complete darkness. Grissom jumped up and went to where the door was. He shoved at the door which didn't budge. He found the small penlight he always kept with him and shined it at the door. There was no handle and all his effort resulted in nothing. The door was obviously locked or jammed from the outside. Next he looked for a light switch. Luckily he found one, next to the thermostat.
"Damn! The police were supposed to have cleared the scene. Are you okay?" His heart sank when Sara didn't answer him. He looked over at her. She lay crumpled on her left side, her hair covering her face. He knelt next to her and brushed her hair back. He rubbed her cheek lightly trying for some response. He relaxed minutely when she finally opened her eyes and moaned.
"Where are we?" Sara managed to roll onto her back and shield her eyes with one hand. The light seemed too bright and she now had a massive headache. She felt the cold from the floor seeping through her shirt and tried to sit up. She was stopped by Grissom's hands on her shoulders.
"Stay there. You're hurt." His heart had stopped when he saw the left side of her face covered in blood. For a few seconds he could do nothing but stare at her as she struggled to sit up. Seeing her in pain was more painful than he could have imagined. It was as if his soul had been plunged into ice water and his chest was being crushed. He finally came to his senses and tried to stop her from moving around. One hand stayed on her shoulder while the other went to gently touch her blood covered cheek.
"Can you at least help me sit up? This floor is freezing." Grissom carefully helped her sit up, resting her back against some shelves. He reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and tried to wipe away some of the blood.
"Do you remember what happened, Sara?" Grissom talked to her while he worked. He cleaned her face and realized the blood came from a scalp laceration on her left temple. He pressed the cloth against the wound to help stop the bleeding. He breathed a quick sigh of relief when he realized it wasn't as bad as it looked. Head wounds always bled a lot, but as long as she didn't have a bad concussion, she'd be okay.
"Yeah. Some punk kid hit me over the head with something and pushed me in here. Let me guess, he locked us in."
Grissom smiled. "Yep. Looks like we might be in here for a little while."
"Have you tried your cell phone yet?"
Grissom pulled out his phone and dialed Catherine's number. Nothing. There was no signal. He took the phone that Sara held out to him and tried that. Still nothing.
"Well there goes that idea. Maybe the officer guarding the scene will come looking for us."
Grissom shook his head. "The same one who was supposed to have cleared the scene? No, the kid would need to go through him to get out and considering we haven't heard any yelling or sirens, I think it's a pretty good bet that the officer is incapacitated."
"Damn. I don't suppose banging on the door would help." Sara closed her eyes and leaned her head back. She really didn't like enclosed spaces. Her breath quickened as she tried to fight off the impending panic.
Grissom noticed the change in her immediately and started banging on the door. "Hey! Is anybody out there?! Can anybody hear us?!" He wasn't really surprised when there was no answer. He looked down at Sara again. Her eyes were open and darting around wildly like a trapped animal.
Grissom crouched down next to her and gently brushed her cheek. "Hey Sara. Look at me." Their eyes met and he held her gaze. "Good. Now, deep breaths." He stayed there touching her as she slowly calmed down. Even when her breathing returned to normal, he didn't move his hand or eyes. She looked at him for a long moment before turning bright red and burying her face in her hands.
"Oh God. I'm sorry Grissom. I just. I don't like enclosed spaces much."
"Hey. It's okay. Everyone's got some irrational fear."
Sara raised an eyebrow. "What's yours?" She regretted her words when he stood up abruptly and turned away. She immediately felt the air grow colder as she lost the added warmth of his breath and body heat near her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."
Grissom turned around, but wouldn't meet her eyes. "Don't worry about it." He paced back and forth for a minute scanning the shelves. Obviously finding nothing of interest he turned around and looked at Sara again. "Eventually someone will figure out that we're not answering out phones and will come looking for us." He sat down and leaned back. "We might as well get comfortable. We'll be in here for a while longer."
Sara wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes. Damn it was cold in their. Grissom, the lucky bastard, still had his jacket on, but she had been working in her tank top. They sat there for a while until Grissom's voice broke the silence.
"You're freezing."
Sara opened her eyes and looked at him. "Well we are in a refrigerator."
"Here. Take my jacket."
"Then you will be cold."
"Then come over here and sit with me. We can conserve body heat."
Sara looked startled for a moment and then laughed. "Didn't I see this episode?"
"What are you talking about?"
Sara was now laughing uncontrollably and making Grissom very uncomfortable. "I did! Next thing you know I'll be singing Three Dog Night to you."
"Sara." Grissom was concerned now. Maybe the blow to her head had been harder than he thought.
"Didn't you ever watch the X-Files? There was this episode where Mulder and Scully were lost in the Everglades chasing the mutated descendants of Ponce de Leon's crew. He tried to get her to share a sleeping bag to conserve body heat."
"No, I never watched the X-Files. Are you sure you don't have a concussion?"
"What are you talking about? I'm fine"
"Will you just come over here now? I don't want you to get hypothermia."
Sara looked skeptical, but she crawled over to where he was sitting. His knees were bent and separated, his arms opened in a welcoming gesture. "Ummm. I don't know if this is a good idea Grissom."
"Come on. I don't bite."
Sara sighed and gave in. She turned around so that her back was to him and settled back against his chest. His hands touched hers. When he felt how cold she really was he slowly started rubbing her bare arms. Sara felt his body heat seep into her and warm her to her very core.
His offer had been genuine and borne totally out of a concern for her welfare, but when her back made contact with him and he touched her skin, he realized that maybe this wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. In fact, the smell of her hair alone was quickly corrupting his good intentions. He needed to keep his mind on something safe.
"So you're a big X-files fan. I didn't think you watched that much television."
Sara smiled. "I don't. My friends and I used to get together every Sunday night to watch the X-Files. It was a very scientific show, you know."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, Scully was a pathologist. They even did an episode about insects complete with an entomologist."
"Lord of the Flies."
Sara turned around and glared at him. "I thought you said you didn't watch the show."
"I saw that episode at a convention. Some guys had a party and showed it."
"Ugh. Bug geeks."
"Hey! That hurts."
"You'll live.
Sara turned back around and Grissom went back to rubbing her arms. "So you guys watched every episode?"
"We did, until David Duchovny left the show. Three girls had major crushes on him and refused to watch when he was gone."
"And what about you?"
"What?"
"Did you have a crush on him too?"
"Actually I preferred Skinner."
"Their boss?"
"Yeah he was much hotter than Mulder. I guess I have a thing for authority figures."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Sara wished she could die. Was she drunk or something? She never volunteered this much personal information to anyone and now she was embarrassing herself in front of Grissom. She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I. Oh God.. I can't believe I said that."
Grissom's heart started beating a bit faster at her admission. She had said it innocently enough, but her reaction to such an offhand comment revealed even more. She was obviously worried about how he might take it. He decided to set her mind at ease even as he wished he had the guts to act on this knowledge. "That's okay. I won't tell"
Sara settled back again, but her mind was no longer on the X-Files. "You know, this is the most time I've spent with you in over a year."
"I know."
"Why?" When he didn't answer her for a few minutes she decided to try again. He had stiffened momentarily then she had first asked him, but he seemed to have relaxed.
"Why have you been ignoring me?"
Grissom could feel the beginnings of a migraine and rubbed his temples. "Sara, I don't know."
"Look. If it's because I asked you out, then just forget it. I can deal with rejection. Can't we at least go back to being friends?"
"We are friends."
Sara shook her head and drew away from him a bit. "Are we Grissom? When was the last time you said one word to me that wasn't about a case?"
"I don't."
"You don't know? Do you even care?"
Grissom couldn't deal with this. It was one thing to reject her advances when she was standing across the room from him. He could ignore her in the office, but she was so close. He could smell her, feel the heat from her body. He didn't know how long he could resist her. "I care Sara. Maybe a little too much."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I can't talk about. this."
"Can't or won't?"
"I don't think that we should talk about this now."
Sara finally ran out of patience. She got up and walked away from him. She stood next to the door of the cooler facing away from him. "When then? Grissom, we are stuck in a giant refrigerator. There is absolutely nothing to do but sit here and talk. No one can overhear us and neither of us can run away. I think this is the perfect time."
Grissom didn't answer her. He couldn't. He knew he was hurting her but he didn't know what to do.
"So you never want to talk. Is that it? You think by ignoring problems they will just go away?"
"There's nothing to talk about, Sara."
"Fine. I tried. You're right there absolutely nothing to talk about."
Sara wrapped her arms around her body and sunk to her knees still facing away from Grissom. She had tried. Tried and failed. He obviously felt nothing for her. He just liked stringing her along. She had given up years of her life and he had given her nothing. She felt the hot tears on her cheeks and realized she was crying. She bit her lip trying to keep them in.
"Sara? Sara.. I'm sorry." He had watched her almost collapse in on herself. Her head hung low and her whole body shaking in what must have been her silent sobbing. He had to do something. "Please come over here. You're freezing."
Sara looked at him sadly, her tear streaked face send a bolt of pain through him. "And you're cold, Grissom."
She had meant to hurt him and she did. She saw the momentary pain flash behind his guarded eyes and turned away. Despite everything that had happened, it still hurt her to see him in pain. It was even worse when she was the source of it. The tears continued to roll down her face as she struggled to retain some of her dignity. Finally the soft, angst filled whisper of his voice caught her attention.
"Do you really want to know?" His back was to her and his head was bowed. He looked resigned or defeated, she couldn't tell which. "Do you want to know my irrational fear?" He turned around to meet her eyes and with a determined glint. "You are."
"What?"
"I'm scared of you. I'm terrified of the way I feel when I'm around you. There's no good reason for it. It's irrational."
"I'm sorry Grissom. I.. I didn't know."
"It's not your fault, Sara. It's mine. Every time I hear your voice or feel your body brush against mine, I freeze. I can't control myself around you."
"You seemed fine when we were working before."
"I was focused on the evidence." Grissom smiled and looked down. "Work is the only thing that has kept me sane." When he looked up again the smile was gone. "I can't feel like this."
"Why can't you? What's so wrong with it?"
"You are so young, and beautiful and I'm."
Sara laughed. "What? You think you're too old for me?"
Grissom clearly didn't see the humor in all of this. "Yes. And I'm your supervisor."
Now it was Sara's turn to get serious. "That's crap and you know it. You're afraid to compromise your job? Then why the hell did you sleep with someone involved in a murder investigation?!"
"How. How did you know about."
Sara laughed, but there was no joy in it. "Lady Heather? Grissom, the whole lab knows. It's not exactly a secret. The only reason no one made an issue of it is because she turned out to be innocent. What I want to know is what she had that I don't."
"I don't understand."
"Well you were obviously willing to risk your job for her, but not for me. I want to know why."
Grissom bowed his head and silently cursed himself. He'd had know idea that his private like was gossiped about. And now Sara knew. "Sara. I don't know why I did that. She was there and you were with Hank and I just needed someone."
"I was available for two years. For two years you led me on and did nothing. Don't try to blame this on me."
"You're right. It's me. It's always been me. I just couldn't risk it."
"Risk what?"
"Myself. I don't extend myself easily. I guess I was afraid that it wouldn't last. That you'd get tired of me and move on."
"Jesus, Gil. You don't know? You haven't figured it out yet?"
"Know what?"
Sara took a deep breath. She had tried so hard and he still didn't get it. She had extended herself, made herself vulnerable, open to the hurt he continuously inflicted on her. And now she was going to do it again. "I love you."
"What?!"
"Grissom, why the hell do you think I've stuck around so long? Why do you think I've put up with all your crap?"
Grissom was more than stunned. He stared at her mouth hanging open in apparent shock. She had finally gotten the better of him. He couldn't breathe let alone speak. It just wasn't possible that she could love him. But her eyes were open, honest and quickly getting embarrassed.
"You know, Griss. I think it's your turn to say something."
When he didn't speak for a while, she dropped her gaze and turned away, unwilling to let him see the hurt in her eyes again. She had hoped that her admission would be enough to wake him up, but obviously it wasn't. It was clear that he didn't love her or even really care for her. As she felt the first tear fall, his hand made contact with her shoulder.
"Please look at me, Sara." When she turned and he could see her eyes, he sighed. "I'm sorry I hurt you so much. You deserved better. You deserve someone who can make you happy."
"I don't care what I deserve. I know what I want. I want you." Her tears continued to fall at her admission and Grissom's heart broke. So much pain, just because he couldn't admit what he felt for her. He raised a hand to gently cup her face.
"I'm sorry. I've been so stupid. Please forgive me. Tell me how to make this better."
She looked at him with wide eyes and spoke in barely a whisper. "I don't know what to do."
"I do."
He leaned in towards her till their faces were separated by less than an inch. He searched her face and saw confusion and a little bit of fear, but he was determined to make this right. Their eyes were still open as their breath mingled. He gently brushed his lips against hers and her eyes closed at the sensation. It was chaste, almost innocent, but it didn't stay that way for long.
Once the first barrier had been broken, Sara couldn't keep her hands off him. She wound her fingers in his hair and held him close, desperate to deepen the kiss and really taste him, but afraid to scare him off. Thankfully, Grissom did it for her. The sensation of her hand on the back of his neck was too much. He licked at her lower lip and finally claimed his territory when she opened her mouth to gasp. Their tongues met and he groaned into her mouth at the sweet taste. This was more than he had ever hoped for, but suddenly it was not enough. He needed to feel her skin. He needed her.
Sara broke the kiss and buried her head in his shoulder, groaning when she felt him lift the bottom of her shirt and stroke her bare skin. She started licking and nipping at his neck as his hands continued to explore her flesh, rubbing her lower back, fingers dipping below her jeans before traveling up her sides.
Grissom was quickly losing what little control he had left. Her mouth was hot and wet and sucking so fiercely on his neck that he knew he'd have a mark there. He pushed her shirt up farther until her white bra was revealed to him. God. She really was perfect. He could see her nipples poking through the lacy fabric. For some reason he hadn't expected her to wear something so feminine, but she looked gorgeous in it. He groaned aloud when he felt her lips on his earlobe and her teeth tugging at it. In response he stroked one of her tight nipples with his thumb. Her head flew back as she arched her back thrusting her chest into his hand. As he stroked her breasts he wondered idly if her nipples were hard for him, or because of the cold.
Suddenly, awareness of their situation flooded back into his mind. He drew back from her and pushed her away reluctantly. He held her upper arms and kept her at arms length as he tried to get his breathing under control.
"I'm sorry, Sara. I shouldn't have done that." At her hurt expression he quickly went on. "Now, I mean. I meant this isn't exactly the best location for what I have in mind." His hands traveled down her body and lowered her shirt, covering her again.
Sara's expression softened and she snuggled into his warm body. "I'm sorry too Gil. I just didn't expect that from you. I guess I got a little carried away." She looked up and stroked a finger along his jaw. "But I do expect us to finish this later. Preferably in a nice warm bed."
Grissom groaned and leaned in for a quick, fierce kiss. "I can't wait."
They sat, bodies entwined for a while. They didn't even talk to each other. For now they simply savored the feeling of being close. Sara closed her eyes breathed lightly on his chest. He smelled so good. She could die happy just sitting there with him.
Grissom's thoughts were much the same. The feel of her, her smell. She was intoxicating. Utterly desirable. And she wanted him.
"So how long have we been in here?"
"A little over two hours. You'd think they would have figured it out by now."
As if on cue, they both heard shouting coming from outside the refrigerator. Grissom disentangled their limbs and got up. He walked to the door and banged on it. "Hey! Who's out there?" He heard an answering shout that sounded like Catherine.
"Gil! Is that you?"
"Yeah! We could use a little help here."
A few seconds later the door opened to reveal a frantic looking Catherine and Brass with his gun drawn. Grissom helped Sara to her feet and they got out. The warm air of the kitchen was a welcome relief. They stood there for a moment, enjoying the heat before the questions started.
"Damn it, Grissom. What the hell happened here?" Brass looked really pissed off. Sara noticed that he still had his gun out.
Grissom wasn't in the mood for Brass's crap. "The perp was still here. Apparently your guy has problems clearing a scene. Where is he anyway?"
"On his way to the hospital. He took a blow to the head. He was still unconscious when we got here."
Sara immediately looked concerned. "Is he going to be okay?"
"Yeah the EMT said that it looked like a simple concussion. So how did you guys."
"Sara was attacked and we were both shoved in here. She needs to get to the hospital too."
Catherine noticed for the first time the blood in Sara's hair and on her shirt. "Damn, Sara. Let's go get that taken care of. You know were also going to need."
"My clothes. I know. Do you have something I can change into?"
"Sure. I'll take care of you."
The two women left, leaving Brass and Grissom to deal with the situation. Brass finally holstered his weapon and ran a hand over his head.
Grissom spoke first. "I hope your man will be okay."
"I'm sure he will, though if he had done his job right in the first place, none of this would have happened. What happened to Sara?"
"Teenage kid, brown hair, about her height hit her over the head with a beer bottle and then shoved her in there with me. By the way, how did he lock us in?"
"He jammed the door with a screwdriver. You know this is still a crime scene. Shouldn't you be working it?"
Grissom shook his head. "I'm part of it now. We need to call in Nick and Warrick. They can handle it from here."
"No problem. It looks like this guy left plenty for you to work with."
"Good. I noticed he wasn't wearing gloves either, so hopefully we'll get some prints."
Brass looked around one more time before sighing and shaking his head. "You know. I think I'm getting to old for this shit. Come on, let's get out of here for now."
They walked out together into the well lit Vegas night. The street was swarming with cops. Grissom looked around for Sara, but didn't see her. "So how did you and Catherine finally find us?"
"Yeah. Sorry about that. We would have been here sooner but it's been a busy night. When neither of you answered your phones, Catherine called me. When I couldn't reach my guy, we knew something was wrong."
"That's okay. It could have been worse." Grissom smiled to himself and went to look for Sara.
The End
A/N: I'm thinking about writing a sequel that would involve explicit, hot monkey love. Let me know if I should.