You Jump, I Jump
Author: Moggie
Rating: PG
Pairing G/S.
Category: Angst.
Summary: Grissom is fired, what will the consequences be?
Disclaimer: I do not under any circumstances own CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Although I wish I did.
Notes: This was the fourth CSI fanfic that I ever wrote and like my first three, it needed some adjustments.
~*~
She stood in the doorway to one of the photocopy rooms on the second floor of the police department. The arguing hadn't subsided for 10 whole minutes. She knew it was Sheriff Brian Mobley's office, but she didn't know who was in there with him.
The door swung open and Gil Grissom stalked out with is head down. He passed without even looking up as he headed towards the elevators. She had heard part of the conversation or yelling match, which ever it was, they were loud enough for the whole floor to hear. She didn't realise what she was doing until her feet had carried her to the wide open office doorway.
Mobley looked up and breathed deeply before he attempted to speak. "Miss. Sidle, I was just about to look for you." He sat forward in his chair and closed the file in front of him.
Sara noticed the name on the front and suddenly felt a wave of anger. Standing in the doorway, she asked. "What's wrong with Grissom?"
He sighed. "It's a professional matter."
"I overheard the shouting down the corridor and from what I could make out, you accused Grissom of something." Sara took two steps into the office.
Mobley rubbed his eyes as he pushed the folder towards her. "I need someone to do an internal investigation. You have experience in that area, do you not Miss. Sidle?"
Sara's eyes widened in shock. "You're asking me to do an internal investigation? On Grissom?"
"Yes."
Sara looked down at the file then back up, it was tempting, just to discover what it was all about, but her heart won over and she shook her head. "I can't do that."
He pushed the file further towards her again. "I'm ordering you." He said with authority. "You're the only one with the qualification and you are the most experienced." Mobley stood and opened his office window.
"May I ask what you're looking for?" She picked up the file and looked through it, the contents wasn't something she was likely to forget anytime soon. She shook her head violently. "No, this can't be true."
With his back to her, he filled her in on what was going on. "It's there in black and white. The security cameras show unprofessional code of conduct towards a suspect, during an active case."
She flipped through the stills of the security camera and gasped when she saw the last photo. She couldn't believe it. Right outside this building, in the car park, stood. She shook her head again, still not wanting to believe what she was seeing. She finally found her voice. "Has he been suspended? Is that why he's so mad?"
Mobley shook his head as he turned. "No."
Sara understood straight away. "You Fired Him!!?" She shouted out of shock.
"I need you to follow this evidence and report back to me in 8 days."
She dropped the file on his desk and stepped back. "I'm sorry, but no."
He took the file quickly and held it up. "You don't have a choice. There's no on else."
"Find someone." She turned to leave, but was stopped as he stood and walked to block her way. "Brian, move!"
He deliberately stood in the way. "Miss. Sidle, you do this job or your career will be over."
Sara laughed coldly. "You are threatening me because I won't take the internal investigation? You can't do that."
He cut her off guard by insulting her. "I can and I won't say anything about your relationship with Mr. Grissom."
She scowled. "There is no relationship between Grissom and myself."
Mobley laughed at her and leaned against the doorframe. "Then, you can do this without complications."
"No! I'm not doing this and you can't make me." Sara was starting to feel like she was pinned in a corner and being bullied by the older school kids.
"That, or you're fired." He played his cards, but wasn't expecting her trump card.
"Fine, I quit." Sara stormed passed him and quickly left the building.
~*~
Shift start in 5 minutes, but he asked to see her. Catherine had no idea why she was standing in his office. The Sheriff stood and shook her hand in greeting and asked her to take a seat, which she did. "I can't be long Brian, shift starts in..." She looked at his office clock. "3 minutes."
Mobley cleared his throat and got straight down to business. "I need you to do an internal investigation."
"Why me? Sara's the one who knows how those things work."
He breathed in through his nose and sighed. "She can't do it."
"Why? The investigation isn't about her is it?" Catherine sat forward with concern for her friend.
"No." He answered, sitting stiffly in his seat as Catherine sat back and nodded for him to continue. "I asked her, but she refused."
"Sara wouldn't do that."
"Well, she did. I made it an order." Brian lifted the file and handed it to her.
Before she looked down at the file, she asked. "If you made it official, then she wouldn't have refused. What happened?"
"She quit."
Catherine's voice rose. "She what!"
The tension was broken by the incessant ringing of a phone. As Mobley answered it, Catherine looked down at the file and was instantly speechless. Grissom's name stopped her from opening the file. There was no need to question further why Sara didn't want to take the case.
When Mobley hung up the phone, he leaned forward. "Will you take the case?"
She thought about it for a few minutes and sighed. "Yes."
"Great." He clasped his hands together and stood. He walked her to the door and opened it for her. "You have 8 days."
Catherine nodded and left.
~*~
Sara entered her apartment and went straight into the bathroom. She needed a long shower to wash the grime away from her skin. She felt disgusting. She couldn't explain how she was feeling. It seemed to be a jumble of things and it didn't make sense. She could make out anger as she slammed her apartment door and frustration as she turned the shower to the right temperature, pissed off as she got herself something to eat and completely exhausted when she hit the mattress.
She was about to drift off into a restless sleep when her doorbell rang. It had been around three hours since she left the Sheriff's office and all she wanted now was some sleep. She groaned and turned over, waiting long enough for it to go away, but it didn't. Four more rings and she dragged herself out of bed. She couldn't be bothered to put on her robe and swung open her door angrily, clad in shorts and a small strappy tank top.
Her anger increased as the intruder was revealed. She didn't want to see him, so she attempted to shut the door, but he pushed his foot in between the door and doorframe. "Remove your foot now!" She seethed, still pushing on the door.
"No!" Grissom used the rest of his body strength to push the door open and once she relented, he walked into the living room and turned as she closed the door.
Sara stood there, looking straight at him with fire in her eyes. "You have no right to barge into my home like this."
"I heard what you did." His tone was that of frustration.
Laughed faintly, she glared at him. "So, it's got nothing to do with you."
"Catherine told me."
"She doesn't know anything." Her voice drifted off.
He stood facing her, only standing a few 4 metres from her. "She said you quit, why?"
"None of your business, now leave." Sara reached back and opened the door.
Grissom crossed the living room and forcefully slammed the door shut. Sara turned to see him mere inches from her. "Tell me why you quit." He asked softly as he searched her face.
She shook her head as her anger grew. "Why should I? I was there when you walked out of the Sheriff's office. I heard what happened. So YOU tell me why YOU were fired."
He turned away from her and looked down at his hands. "You've seen the file."
"Who Else Did You Think He'd Ask To Do The Investigation Grissom!!!?" She shouted.
Turning sharply. "Not You!" His voice deflated as he looked into her eyes. They stood there, staring each other down.
Sara thought about the photos and her anger flared. She took a deep breath and walked towards the kitchen. She opened a bottle of water from the fridge and drank it all. Grissom didn't move, but followed her with his eyes. Sara placed the bottle on the counter and dropped her head.
Grissom heard her sniffle and slowly approached her. She didn't turn as he got closer. He reached out a hand to her shoulder. "Sara." His voice was softly.
She shrugged his hand away and moved with her back still to him. "Go away, Grissom. You shouldn't be here."
"Where else would I go?" He stepped closer, but didn't touch her.
"Home, Catherine's. Lady Heather's." She heard nothing, he had stopped breathing, she could tell from the deafening silence.
He walked away from her to the patio glass doors. He looked out over her small garden as the clouds floated by with the wind. When he spoke his voice was low. "There's nothing going on between Heather and me."
Sara snorted. "Right!"
He turned to her with anger evident in his eyes. "What do you care anyway? You have that EMT." He knew he should have kept his mouth shut the minute she turned.
Stomping towards him, she shouted. "He Is My Friend!"
He couldn't help it, the words just came out. "You Date Him, So He's Not A Friend!"
"I Don't Date Him!" Sara's eyes never left his as she took a step closer.
Grissom in turn, took a step towards her. "You Called Him 'Baby' At A Crime Scene!"
Sara's eyes flared even more and took a few steps away. "I see Warrick has been gossiping about me." She said sarcastically.
"So it's true, you are seeing this, Hank?"
This argument was becoming more frustrating as they both kept finding the flaws and bringing them up as bait and insults. "I'm Not. If You Ever Listened To Me... I Told You He Was A Friend!"
"Only Because You Had To, Not By Choice." He threw back at her.
"What is it with you and my life? You tell me I deserve a life and then when I try to enjoy myself and get out more, you throw it in my face." Her tone lowered so she wasn't shouting. Her throat had begun to hurt.
Grissom looked away from her. "Yes, I said you deserved better, a life, but not with a low life EMT."
That was the last straw. Sara shouted for him to leave as she opened the door. "Get Out. I'm Not Listening To this. It's My Life, Not Yours, Which Seems To Be A Mess Right Now, So Fix It and Stop Preaching To Me!!!"
Grissom rushed towards the door and brushed against her as he again slammed the door shut. "I'm not going anywhere." He forcefully pushed her against the door. "I'll listen to you, when you listen to me."
Sara looked up at him, realising his body was press firmly against hers.
His hands grasped her upper arms tightly as his eyes bore in hers. "She kissed me, Sara! I didn't do anything. She Kissed Me!!!"
Sara tried to push him away, but he wouldn't let go. She closed her eyes as she again tried to push against his chest. She was weakening by the second, her legs went numb and her brain went fuzzy. She tried to speak but her voice was low and begging. "Please let me go."
Grissom realised what he was doing and released her like he'd touched a steaming hot pan. "Oh my god." He turned from her in shame of his behaviour. "Oh god, I'm sorry." He looked down at his hands. "I'm so sorry."
Sara's legs tingled as she slid down to the floor, the shock of the whole argument and the whole day, had finally pushed her to her limit.
Grissom turn at the sound of rustling and quickly knelt in front of her. He saw tears fall and his heart instantly stopped. He reached for her cheek, to check she was all right. Her eyes were closed. "Sara, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Did I hurt you, Oh god." His eyes stung with tears as he quickly made sure her arms where ok.
She shook her head and sniffed back the tears. "You didn't hurt me."
He breathed out heavily in relief and pulled her to him without thinking. The emotional battle he was fighting, weakened his barriers and his tears mingled with hers.
Sara let him hold her as they both cried. The shouting, insults and rush of emotions, had tired and shaken them both.
For a long time, they held each other on the cool wooden floor. As time pressed on, their tears stopped and both were afraid to move, fear of what would happen next.
Grissom broke the silence first. "Why did you quit?" He asked her softly.
Sara's hands slowly ran down his back as she answered. "You jump, I jump."
Grissom pulled back to look into her eyes. He smiled as he wiped her tear lines away. The corners of his mouth turned up as his eyes twinkled. Sara closed her eyes as he traced a line from her jaw to her ear. He leaned in slowly, prolonging the moment. His lips gently brushed hers for the first time and her hands gripped his shirt as the kiss deepened a second later.
As they broke the kiss to catch there breaths, Grissom carefully helped Sara to her feet and moved them both to the couch. He gently wrapped his arms around her pulled her against him, enjoying her warmth. Sara's thoughts were flying a mile a minute, making her dizzy. She had so many questions and knew only he could answer them, but she was afraid he'd pull away. "Talk to me." She whispered, rubbing the remaining tears from her eyes.
Grissom lowered his head to rest against hers. "I was telling you the truth. She kissed me. One of Ecklie's team saw it and reported me. It didn't mean anything Sara, please believe me."
She moved her head to rest on his shoulder. "It's hard. I saw the pictures. You were holding her. It looked like 'you' kissing her."
"I didn't, honestly, I didn't." He kissed her hair, begging her to believe him.
"Catherine is investigating isn't she?" He nodded and held her tightly. "She'll be talking to Lady Heather and you." Sara's voice lowered. "She'll believe you."
Grissom pulled away slightly, looking at her with pain in his heart. Sara turned her head to see his eyes. she saw his pain and understood it, she felt that same. They didn't trust each other anymore. "I don't care if she doesn't believe me, I do care that you do."
"We don't trust each other, we don't talk anymore."
"I trust you." Grissom stressed.
Sara looked down at his hand holding hers. "Then why won't you listen when I say I'm not seeing Hank? You should be happy I found a friend outside work."
"I am, I was. I mean." His voice wavered as he searched for the right words. "I was. jealous. I wanted to be the friend that took you places, make you laugh."
"Then why did you make me look elsewhere? I was happy the way I was."
"I didn't want to hold you back... I'm your boss, I'm older than you, there's so many reasons."
Sara leaned forward and kissed his cheek before whispering into his ear. "You're my friend more than my boss." She kissed his cheek again as she sat back. "Age is not a problem with me Griss, never has been."
He gazed into her eyes as he shared with her. "My mother. She said, I would find someone who would like me for who I am. I could never make friends because I'd scare them off with my knowledge of bugs and bodies." He returned her smile. "When I first met you at the seminar, you didn't run away, you stayed and spoke to me. We talked for hours at the diner and you were still there when the sun came up the next morning."
Sara nodded. "We talked all night. I'd never talked so much in my life."
"Me too, but you made me want to share everything with you." Grissom followed her eyes as they dropped from his.
"Then you stopped sharing."
He didn't know what to say. How could he tell her he had to stop because he was falling for her. If he let himself then, it would have been wrong. It was the wrong time then, he was a temporary professor and she was a student. It wasn't the right time, but was it now?
"If I didn't, we would have regretted it."
Sara nodded slowly, thinking that they might have done, but how could she tell him that she fell in love with him from the first time she saw him? He would walk away and never talk to her again. She'd never see or hear from him again. "What about since then? Now?"
Grissom raised her eyes to his and smiled. "We're sharing now, talking, apologising." Sara smirked and sighed, listening as he continued. "We've been through a lot lately, we were confused."
"Afraid." Sara offered.
He nodded and pulled her to him. "The question is, What do we do now?" He asked.
Sara snuggled closer, relishing in his warmth against her cool skin. "Well, I'm tired and cold. Let's talk more later." She said, stifling a yawn.
"Ok." After a beat, he asked. "Do you want me to leave?"
He felt her shake her head against his chest and he pulled the blanket from the end of the couch to wrap around her. "Stay here and hold me. We can sort out the investigation when Catherine sends out the search party."
Grissom chuckled softly and pulled her closer. They closed their eyes and welcomed the much-needed sleep.
'You Jump, I Jump'
The words swirled around in each of their minds as deep sleep took them. It had never occurred to them before that they were so much alike and that they needed each other more now than ever.
THE END
(What do you think? Be kind. I only made some changes, but I think is more readable now. lol. R&R please)
Author: Moggie
Rating: PG
Pairing G/S.
Category: Angst.
Summary: Grissom is fired, what will the consequences be?
Disclaimer: I do not under any circumstances own CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Although I wish I did.
Notes: This was the fourth CSI fanfic that I ever wrote and like my first three, it needed some adjustments.
~*~
She stood in the doorway to one of the photocopy rooms on the second floor of the police department. The arguing hadn't subsided for 10 whole minutes. She knew it was Sheriff Brian Mobley's office, but she didn't know who was in there with him.
The door swung open and Gil Grissom stalked out with is head down. He passed without even looking up as he headed towards the elevators. She had heard part of the conversation or yelling match, which ever it was, they were loud enough for the whole floor to hear. She didn't realise what she was doing until her feet had carried her to the wide open office doorway.
Mobley looked up and breathed deeply before he attempted to speak. "Miss. Sidle, I was just about to look for you." He sat forward in his chair and closed the file in front of him.
Sara noticed the name on the front and suddenly felt a wave of anger. Standing in the doorway, she asked. "What's wrong with Grissom?"
He sighed. "It's a professional matter."
"I overheard the shouting down the corridor and from what I could make out, you accused Grissom of something." Sara took two steps into the office.
Mobley rubbed his eyes as he pushed the folder towards her. "I need someone to do an internal investigation. You have experience in that area, do you not Miss. Sidle?"
Sara's eyes widened in shock. "You're asking me to do an internal investigation? On Grissom?"
"Yes."
Sara looked down at the file then back up, it was tempting, just to discover what it was all about, but her heart won over and she shook her head. "I can't do that."
He pushed the file further towards her again. "I'm ordering you." He said with authority. "You're the only one with the qualification and you are the most experienced." Mobley stood and opened his office window.
"May I ask what you're looking for?" She picked up the file and looked through it, the contents wasn't something she was likely to forget anytime soon. She shook her head violently. "No, this can't be true."
With his back to her, he filled her in on what was going on. "It's there in black and white. The security cameras show unprofessional code of conduct towards a suspect, during an active case."
She flipped through the stills of the security camera and gasped when she saw the last photo. She couldn't believe it. Right outside this building, in the car park, stood. She shook her head again, still not wanting to believe what she was seeing. She finally found her voice. "Has he been suspended? Is that why he's so mad?"
Mobley shook his head as he turned. "No."
Sara understood straight away. "You Fired Him!!?" She shouted out of shock.
"I need you to follow this evidence and report back to me in 8 days."
She dropped the file on his desk and stepped back. "I'm sorry, but no."
He took the file quickly and held it up. "You don't have a choice. There's no on else."
"Find someone." She turned to leave, but was stopped as he stood and walked to block her way. "Brian, move!"
He deliberately stood in the way. "Miss. Sidle, you do this job or your career will be over."
Sara laughed coldly. "You are threatening me because I won't take the internal investigation? You can't do that."
He cut her off guard by insulting her. "I can and I won't say anything about your relationship with Mr. Grissom."
She scowled. "There is no relationship between Grissom and myself."
Mobley laughed at her and leaned against the doorframe. "Then, you can do this without complications."
"No! I'm not doing this and you can't make me." Sara was starting to feel like she was pinned in a corner and being bullied by the older school kids.
"That, or you're fired." He played his cards, but wasn't expecting her trump card.
"Fine, I quit." Sara stormed passed him and quickly left the building.
~*~
Shift start in 5 minutes, but he asked to see her. Catherine had no idea why she was standing in his office. The Sheriff stood and shook her hand in greeting and asked her to take a seat, which she did. "I can't be long Brian, shift starts in..." She looked at his office clock. "3 minutes."
Mobley cleared his throat and got straight down to business. "I need you to do an internal investigation."
"Why me? Sara's the one who knows how those things work."
He breathed in through his nose and sighed. "She can't do it."
"Why? The investigation isn't about her is it?" Catherine sat forward with concern for her friend.
"No." He answered, sitting stiffly in his seat as Catherine sat back and nodded for him to continue. "I asked her, but she refused."
"Sara wouldn't do that."
"Well, she did. I made it an order." Brian lifted the file and handed it to her.
Before she looked down at the file, she asked. "If you made it official, then she wouldn't have refused. What happened?"
"She quit."
Catherine's voice rose. "She what!"
The tension was broken by the incessant ringing of a phone. As Mobley answered it, Catherine looked down at the file and was instantly speechless. Grissom's name stopped her from opening the file. There was no need to question further why Sara didn't want to take the case.
When Mobley hung up the phone, he leaned forward. "Will you take the case?"
She thought about it for a few minutes and sighed. "Yes."
"Great." He clasped his hands together and stood. He walked her to the door and opened it for her. "You have 8 days."
Catherine nodded and left.
~*~
Sara entered her apartment and went straight into the bathroom. She needed a long shower to wash the grime away from her skin. She felt disgusting. She couldn't explain how she was feeling. It seemed to be a jumble of things and it didn't make sense. She could make out anger as she slammed her apartment door and frustration as she turned the shower to the right temperature, pissed off as she got herself something to eat and completely exhausted when she hit the mattress.
She was about to drift off into a restless sleep when her doorbell rang. It had been around three hours since she left the Sheriff's office and all she wanted now was some sleep. She groaned and turned over, waiting long enough for it to go away, but it didn't. Four more rings and she dragged herself out of bed. She couldn't be bothered to put on her robe and swung open her door angrily, clad in shorts and a small strappy tank top.
Her anger increased as the intruder was revealed. She didn't want to see him, so she attempted to shut the door, but he pushed his foot in between the door and doorframe. "Remove your foot now!" She seethed, still pushing on the door.
"No!" Grissom used the rest of his body strength to push the door open and once she relented, he walked into the living room and turned as she closed the door.
Sara stood there, looking straight at him with fire in her eyes. "You have no right to barge into my home like this."
"I heard what you did." His tone was that of frustration.
Laughed faintly, she glared at him. "So, it's got nothing to do with you."
"Catherine told me."
"She doesn't know anything." Her voice drifted off.
He stood facing her, only standing a few 4 metres from her. "She said you quit, why?"
"None of your business, now leave." Sara reached back and opened the door.
Grissom crossed the living room and forcefully slammed the door shut. Sara turned to see him mere inches from her. "Tell me why you quit." He asked softly as he searched her face.
She shook her head as her anger grew. "Why should I? I was there when you walked out of the Sheriff's office. I heard what happened. So YOU tell me why YOU were fired."
He turned away from her and looked down at his hands. "You've seen the file."
"Who Else Did You Think He'd Ask To Do The Investigation Grissom!!!?" She shouted.
Turning sharply. "Not You!" His voice deflated as he looked into her eyes. They stood there, staring each other down.
Sara thought about the photos and her anger flared. She took a deep breath and walked towards the kitchen. She opened a bottle of water from the fridge and drank it all. Grissom didn't move, but followed her with his eyes. Sara placed the bottle on the counter and dropped her head.
Grissom heard her sniffle and slowly approached her. She didn't turn as he got closer. He reached out a hand to her shoulder. "Sara." His voice was softly.
She shrugged his hand away and moved with her back still to him. "Go away, Grissom. You shouldn't be here."
"Where else would I go?" He stepped closer, but didn't touch her.
"Home, Catherine's. Lady Heather's." She heard nothing, he had stopped breathing, she could tell from the deafening silence.
He walked away from her to the patio glass doors. He looked out over her small garden as the clouds floated by with the wind. When he spoke his voice was low. "There's nothing going on between Heather and me."
Sara snorted. "Right!"
He turned to her with anger evident in his eyes. "What do you care anyway? You have that EMT." He knew he should have kept his mouth shut the minute she turned.
Stomping towards him, she shouted. "He Is My Friend!"
He couldn't help it, the words just came out. "You Date Him, So He's Not A Friend!"
"I Don't Date Him!" Sara's eyes never left his as she took a step closer.
Grissom in turn, took a step towards her. "You Called Him 'Baby' At A Crime Scene!"
Sara's eyes flared even more and took a few steps away. "I see Warrick has been gossiping about me." She said sarcastically.
"So it's true, you are seeing this, Hank?"
This argument was becoming more frustrating as they both kept finding the flaws and bringing them up as bait and insults. "I'm Not. If You Ever Listened To Me... I Told You He Was A Friend!"
"Only Because You Had To, Not By Choice." He threw back at her.
"What is it with you and my life? You tell me I deserve a life and then when I try to enjoy myself and get out more, you throw it in my face." Her tone lowered so she wasn't shouting. Her throat had begun to hurt.
Grissom looked away from her. "Yes, I said you deserved better, a life, but not with a low life EMT."
That was the last straw. Sara shouted for him to leave as she opened the door. "Get Out. I'm Not Listening To this. It's My Life, Not Yours, Which Seems To Be A Mess Right Now, So Fix It and Stop Preaching To Me!!!"
Grissom rushed towards the door and brushed against her as he again slammed the door shut. "I'm not going anywhere." He forcefully pushed her against the door. "I'll listen to you, when you listen to me."
Sara looked up at him, realising his body was press firmly against hers.
His hands grasped her upper arms tightly as his eyes bore in hers. "She kissed me, Sara! I didn't do anything. She Kissed Me!!!"
Sara tried to push him away, but he wouldn't let go. She closed her eyes as she again tried to push against his chest. She was weakening by the second, her legs went numb and her brain went fuzzy. She tried to speak but her voice was low and begging. "Please let me go."
Grissom realised what he was doing and released her like he'd touched a steaming hot pan. "Oh my god." He turned from her in shame of his behaviour. "Oh god, I'm sorry." He looked down at his hands. "I'm so sorry."
Sara's legs tingled as she slid down to the floor, the shock of the whole argument and the whole day, had finally pushed her to her limit.
Grissom turn at the sound of rustling and quickly knelt in front of her. He saw tears fall and his heart instantly stopped. He reached for her cheek, to check she was all right. Her eyes were closed. "Sara, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Did I hurt you, Oh god." His eyes stung with tears as he quickly made sure her arms where ok.
She shook her head and sniffed back the tears. "You didn't hurt me."
He breathed out heavily in relief and pulled her to him without thinking. The emotional battle he was fighting, weakened his barriers and his tears mingled with hers.
Sara let him hold her as they both cried. The shouting, insults and rush of emotions, had tired and shaken them both.
For a long time, they held each other on the cool wooden floor. As time pressed on, their tears stopped and both were afraid to move, fear of what would happen next.
Grissom broke the silence first. "Why did you quit?" He asked her softly.
Sara's hands slowly ran down his back as she answered. "You jump, I jump."
Grissom pulled back to look into her eyes. He smiled as he wiped her tear lines away. The corners of his mouth turned up as his eyes twinkled. Sara closed her eyes as he traced a line from her jaw to her ear. He leaned in slowly, prolonging the moment. His lips gently brushed hers for the first time and her hands gripped his shirt as the kiss deepened a second later.
As they broke the kiss to catch there breaths, Grissom carefully helped Sara to her feet and moved them both to the couch. He gently wrapped his arms around her pulled her against him, enjoying her warmth. Sara's thoughts were flying a mile a minute, making her dizzy. She had so many questions and knew only he could answer them, but she was afraid he'd pull away. "Talk to me." She whispered, rubbing the remaining tears from her eyes.
Grissom lowered his head to rest against hers. "I was telling you the truth. She kissed me. One of Ecklie's team saw it and reported me. It didn't mean anything Sara, please believe me."
She moved her head to rest on his shoulder. "It's hard. I saw the pictures. You were holding her. It looked like 'you' kissing her."
"I didn't, honestly, I didn't." He kissed her hair, begging her to believe him.
"Catherine is investigating isn't she?" He nodded and held her tightly. "She'll be talking to Lady Heather and you." Sara's voice lowered. "She'll believe you."
Grissom pulled away slightly, looking at her with pain in his heart. Sara turned her head to see his eyes. she saw his pain and understood it, she felt that same. They didn't trust each other anymore. "I don't care if she doesn't believe me, I do care that you do."
"We don't trust each other, we don't talk anymore."
"I trust you." Grissom stressed.
Sara looked down at his hand holding hers. "Then why won't you listen when I say I'm not seeing Hank? You should be happy I found a friend outside work."
"I am, I was. I mean." His voice wavered as he searched for the right words. "I was. jealous. I wanted to be the friend that took you places, make you laugh."
"Then why did you make me look elsewhere? I was happy the way I was."
"I didn't want to hold you back... I'm your boss, I'm older than you, there's so many reasons."
Sara leaned forward and kissed his cheek before whispering into his ear. "You're my friend more than my boss." She kissed his cheek again as she sat back. "Age is not a problem with me Griss, never has been."
He gazed into her eyes as he shared with her. "My mother. She said, I would find someone who would like me for who I am. I could never make friends because I'd scare them off with my knowledge of bugs and bodies." He returned her smile. "When I first met you at the seminar, you didn't run away, you stayed and spoke to me. We talked for hours at the diner and you were still there when the sun came up the next morning."
Sara nodded. "We talked all night. I'd never talked so much in my life."
"Me too, but you made me want to share everything with you." Grissom followed her eyes as they dropped from his.
"Then you stopped sharing."
He didn't know what to say. How could he tell her he had to stop because he was falling for her. If he let himself then, it would have been wrong. It was the wrong time then, he was a temporary professor and she was a student. It wasn't the right time, but was it now?
"If I didn't, we would have regretted it."
Sara nodded slowly, thinking that they might have done, but how could she tell him that she fell in love with him from the first time she saw him? He would walk away and never talk to her again. She'd never see or hear from him again. "What about since then? Now?"
Grissom raised her eyes to his and smiled. "We're sharing now, talking, apologising." Sara smirked and sighed, listening as he continued. "We've been through a lot lately, we were confused."
"Afraid." Sara offered.
He nodded and pulled her to him. "The question is, What do we do now?" He asked.
Sara snuggled closer, relishing in his warmth against her cool skin. "Well, I'm tired and cold. Let's talk more later." She said, stifling a yawn.
"Ok." After a beat, he asked. "Do you want me to leave?"
He felt her shake her head against his chest and he pulled the blanket from the end of the couch to wrap around her. "Stay here and hold me. We can sort out the investigation when Catherine sends out the search party."
Grissom chuckled softly and pulled her closer. They closed their eyes and welcomed the much-needed sleep.
'You Jump, I Jump'
The words swirled around in each of their minds as deep sleep took them. It had never occurred to them before that they were so much alike and that they needed each other more now than ever.
THE END
(What do you think? Be kind. I only made some changes, but I think is more readable now. lol. R&R please)