WAITING TOO LONG

After the unfortunate accident in the lab, Sara experiences a strange confusion. She'd been right there when the lab blew up, but she received only a few minor cuts. It didn't seem right that Greg had been so seriously injured and she'd walked away with a few stitches and a ringing in her ears. With all the commotion and chaos going on Grissom found her, sitting on the curb out front. She'd been dazed from the blast, with her cut hand cradled in her lap. Grissom knelt beside her, very concerned as he gently examined her hand. Then, he'd called her 'honey' and insisted she get her hand looked at. His concern... his worry and his gentle endearment all stuck out in Sara's memory, much more than the accident itself.

The next day, with her hand bandaged, Sara was back at work. CSI's carried weapons and were trained how to use them. Sara knew protocol was to wait outside until the room had been cleared of hostile suspects by the police, but while on a call with Captain Brass, her adrenaline urged her to follow them inside. The others were in other parts of the house and she held back, turning instead to a little room off the main entrance. When the door suddenly opened Sara came face to face with a very dangerous suspect.

"Freeze! Get your hands up! NOW!" She held the suspect at gunpoint until the others returned to take custody of him.

Brass was angry and barely waited until the man had been handcuffed before he stepped up to Sara, glaring at her. "Holster your weapon!" When she complied, he told her exactly what he thought of her reckless attitude. "Sara, what the hell were you thinking?! You know CSI stays back until everything is cleared! You do not go hot-dogging it on your own! And don't think Grissom isn't going to hear about this either... you could have been killed!"

She couldn't see what harm had been done. She'd located the suspect, used her weapons training and kept the suspect from getting away. No one else had been covering the front entrance... what was she supposed to do? She knew there would be repercussions when Grissom heard about it. She was preparing to defend her actions and if that didn't work she had a back up plan. At the end of shift, she was still riding the adrenaline high from earlier; feeling invincible as she made her way to his office.

It had been the week from hell with the lab explosion, all the contaminated evidence issues, the sheriff hounding Grissom for someone to blame and now Brass's complaint about Sara going all Kamikaze on him. When she stops in his doorway he isn't up for another fight so he downplays his concern over her behavior.

"Sara... I heard you think you're invincible."

"No... not really."

"Well, please... don't take risks like that again, okay? We don't need another dead CSI."

His reaction, though showing concern hadn't been as severe as she'd anticipated and she has to wonder why. As he gathers up his briefcase to leave for the night she decides to take a chance, drawing on her newfound courage. "Grissom?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want to have dinner with me?"

About to walk past her in the doorway, there is a long tense silence as Gil's eyes meet hers. He sees her nervous daring and is taken by surprise. Unprepared to answer in a politically correct manner his confusion is apparent. "Aaahhh, no..."

"Come on... let's have dinner... see what happens." Again there is a long pause as she studies his frowning face, hoping he'll say yes.

Gil knows there is no way to answer without hurting her so he just sighs tiredly and admits, "Sara... I... I don't know what to do... about this."

He motions a finger from himself to her, indicating the situation between them that has been brewing ever since she came here. Sara frowns and his rejection hurts her deeply. She took a chance in asking him and now she can't hold back her emotions.

"Well I do, and you know... by the time you figure it out... it really could be too late. Here..."

She hands him the memo she'd been holding in her hand, then waits tensely as he scans the paper. Shock crosses his face as his eyes dart up to hers again. "Sara, what is this?!"

"I... I'd appreciate it if you'd just sign off on that."

"It's a leave of absence request."

"Yeah... I... It's just not working out for me here, Grissom."

Their eyes hold for a long moment and he knows she is referring to the personal tension between them. He doesn't quite know what to say. "But..."

Sara rushes on to cover his confusion. "Six months, maybe a year. I just want to take

some time off to look into some other options."

"Such as?" The tension in his voice is unmistakable.

"The state lab... the FBI's facility... there are lots of other labs."

"Sara, you know we've got the best lab in the state... maybe even in the country, right here."

"Yea, well, there are other considerations."

"Like what?"

"Like if you don't grant my leave of absence... I'll just turn in my resignation. It's up to you... I just can't work here under these conditions any more." She turns away as her voice cracks under the stress of finally telling him how much it hurts her to continue working here.

Gil takes a step towards her, but restrains himself from touching her, "Sara?" She turns back to him, hoping he'll finally say the words she's been longing to hear. As their eyes hold his words are weak and vague as usual, "This lab needs you."

"The lab needs me? Great." With this she turns on her heal and walks off so he won't

see the tears clouding her vision.

Gil knows he's once again hurt her and sighs, running a tired hand down over his face.

Exhausted and angry at himself for not controlling the situation between them better; he

turns off the lights and heads for the nearest exit.

The next evening was their normal night off and Gil is having dinner at his place with Catherine. He used the excuse of needing to talk to her about the lab explosion, but the truth was... he enjoyed her company. They were close friends and he could talk to her about anything... well, almost. She understood him and she knew when to keep her thoughts to herself. A woman who knew how to listen was rare... but one who knew how to give good advise was even more precious.

Gil seems tense and Catherine has a good idea why. The lab investigation, Greg's injury and all the hassles over contaminated evidence were one thing, but Gil could handle that. She'd heard about Sara's ultimatum yesterday, having run into her in the locker room right after it happened. Sara hadn't said much, just that she'd turned in a request for leave. It didn't take a genius to know what was making her so unhappy. Everyone on their team knew how she felt about Grissom... except maybe Gil.

She smiles as she watches him chopping mushrooms. Few people knew what a gourmet cook he was, and he liked to keep it that way. She busies herself fixing them each a drink as she tries to decide how to bring up the topic. She figured he wanted to talk... Sara usually came up every time they had dinner. She finally slides his glass across the counter to him.

"Should I have made yours a double?"

"No, why?"

"I heard about you and Sara yesterday. Pretty tense, huh?"

"You know Sara... she's... very emotional." Gil is purposely being vague, downplaying what happened between them so Catherine takes a more direct approach. She can't believe he's unaware of Sara's feelings for him and shakes her head in disbelief. "Gil?! Are you in denial?!"

His head comes up abruptly, frowning at her accusation. Catherine immediately realizes this isn't the right approach with a man like Gil and quickly backs down. She holds up a hand in defense and shakes her head as she revises her statement. "I'm sorry...that was way too analytical."

Gil quirks an eyebrow at her to indicate he agrees and then lowers his eyes to resume chopping. Catherine watches him for a long moment, sipping her drink as she realizes what his problem might be.

"Wow... you must have really been burned bad, huh?"

Again his eyes come up to give her a cautionary glare, warning her not to go there. She once again raises her hand in a defensive motion, then turns it to herself and justifies her statement.

"Welcome to the club. I got third degree burns when my marriage ended. But you've got to let it go... move on."

"Right... let's move on, shall we?" He keeps his head down, chopping so she won't be able to look too deeply into his emotional state. Her words have hit home and its something he's never discussed with anyone before. He hopes she'll take the hint and let it go, but by now Catherine is committed to making him come to terms with it.

"No! You can't just move on... you have to deal with it! You have to deal with it before it tears you apart."

"Catherine... Please..."

"Look, Gil... We don't have to go to the Grand Tetons together, okay? But we both know when it comes to people... you hide in your work. You're the boss... and everyone looks up to you. They follow your example. They connect with you... even if you don't want them to. I'm not saying we need to hold group therapy sessions, but..."

She is getting passionate about her topic, trying to convince him of the need to connect on a human level. Her excitement increases and Gil stops chopping to watch her. When their eyes meet across the counter, she reaches out to him, but stops short of actually touching him. She now sighs in frustration and brings her voice back down to a conversational level.

"Every once in a while... you gotta pick your head up from that microscope and take a look around... see who you're hurting when you isolate yourself."

Their eyes hold for a long moment and her hand stays suspended between them as if hoping he'll reach out to her. He senses her offer, but resists the urge to take her hand as he sighs heavily and admits, "Yeah... I know."

"Yeah..." She decides she's pushed him enough for one day and reluctantly lowers her arm to cradle the drink in her hands. She takes a sip, while holding his eyes a moment longer, then gives him an encouraging smile and walks into the adjoining living room. She knows him well and he now needs time alone to analyze what she's said.

He watches her go, knowing she once again knew exactly what his problem was and gave him good advise... even if she did push a bit too much. Then again, maybe he needed a push. He was on the verge of losing a great CSI and he couldn't let that happen. He lays his knife down and reaches for his address book. He thumbs through it for a number, then grabs the phone.

Catherine reclines on his sofa, sipping her drink and watching him. She hadn't meant he needed to do anything right this minute, but maybe he was willing to deal with it quicker than she imagined. She listens as he now orders a plant for Sara; having it delivered to the station on their next day back to work. When the florist asks what sentiment he wants on the card, Catherine watches the confusion and worry play across his face.

"The sentiment? Aahh... have it say... uhm... have it say... well... have it say... from Grissom."