Somewhere Down the Tracks

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI, its characters or anything affiliated.

A/N: Taking us back to that time between season's five and six when there was the promise Grissom and Sara and not what there is now. I thought I was done with CSI but I've had this idea for years and it really wanted to come out so in the end, I succumbed. I do also plan on finishing Nine Lives (having trouble finishing the one life, but have been writing the last life, so when I finally get to it, it should be smooth sailing).

Somewhere down the tracks

Chapter 1

Her apartment seemed small. Too small to sit and finish that James Patterson novel she was reading. Too small to pace around without running into some piece of furniture or another. Too small to contain the incredible amount of glee bubbling up with in her.

Things had just been getting back to normal. Nick had been released from the hospital. Ecklie had met with Grissom and Catherine about putting the old team back together on Grave. She and Greg had just closed an investigation where a grifter had been pulling a charity scam, a case that was light and fun and, along with Greg's antics, had distracted her from everything else that had been going on recently.

But it wasn't the return to normal that had her fidgeting in her apartment. Gilbert Grissom had kissed her. Had taken her and Greg to breakfast after work, given her a ride home, stopped in her apartment's underground lot, leaned across the seat and kissed her. Then he had blushed and she had blinked, and he had glanced at her expectantly, then smiled softly and so shyly and told her he would see her later. She hadn't been able to respond, not without risking the loss of that wonderful tingling sensation on her lips. Instead, she'd only nodded and left him with the widest grin she'd sported in years.

That he needed time to digest what he had done after all this time was no great surprise. She needed time to digest it. Why now? Did it have anything to do with Nick? Would it change things? Of course it was going to change things, but in the way that she longed for?

The phone rang, interrupting her musings. Checking the call display, a small smile slipped over her lips at the sight of Grissom's name glowing on the screen. "Miss me already?" she asked and immediately regretted it. What if he was phoning for an entirely different reason? A reason completely opposite than what she'd just blurted out?

"I always miss you when you're not around, Sara," he said softly, and she felt her smile reappear. There was a quiet sigh on the other end of the line, and then his voice came across slightly louder, "But that's not why I'm calling."

"No?" she asked and leaned against the kitchen counter. "What's up?"

His voice almost sounded regretful when he responded. "419, out by Caliente."

Sara looked at the clock. It was just after 11 am. Technically the case should go to Days, but Days was likely tapped out. Warrick and Catherine had come off of working a double from their shift, and with all the staff changes between Grave and Swing, Grissom probably thought it might be easiest to volunteer her. "Sure," she replied, keeping her voice light and upbeat. "I'm always up for a road trip."

"Good. I'll pick you up in about a half hour."

"You'll pick me up?"

"Isn't your car still at the lab?"

Sara bit her lip. Her car was still at the lab. She'd hopped on in with Greg on the way to breakfast, thinking they'd head back to the lab after, but then Grissom had offered her that ride home and whatever she had been planning on doing back at the lab got lost in the thought of spending just a little alone time with Grissom. "Uh, yeah, it is."

"Wasn't much forethought on either of our parts."

Sara smiled. "No, I guess it wasn't."

"That's alright. We only need to take one vehicle to Caliente anyways. I'll swing by the lab and pick up a Denali, unless you need to swing by the lab yourself on the way out."

We? Sara felt her smile grow. We sounded like it meant her and Grissom. She felt sure that he wouldn't be leaving Catherine and Warrick without Greg to cover two shifts, so it had to mean just her and Grissom.

"Sara?"

Sara grinned and bit her lip. "Uh, yeah, I'll need to stop by the lab. My kit is still in my car." Thankfully her kit was freshly stocked so she wouldn't actually have to enter the lab. She wasn't sure she could smother her smile if she did.

"Alright, I'll swing by your place first. We can leave straight from the lab."

"Great."

It was silent. For a moment she wondered if she should try to fill in the silence. She opted not and a second later Grissom's voice came a cross again. "Good. I'll be there shortly."