SPOILERS: Shouldn't have any but is my pre-emptive strike based on spoilers forep to 6.15.

DISCLAIMER: Alas not mine in any way, shape or form.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a response to the Unbound Challenge for the week of January 29, 2005. This story is dedicated to the folks in the yahoo group CSI-GrissomSara. Long live GSR and don't abandon the ship!

"Have you lost your mind?" Nick hissed looking up from his magazine. "Greg letting Sara go alone over to the Dominion to interview Lady Heather is just asking for trouble."

"Especially with Grissom off tonight." Warrick added.

Nick frowned, "You don't think he's over there do you?" Warrick shrugged.

"Poor Sara." Greg lamented into his coffee cup.

Jim knocked on the door, watching Sara in his peripheral vision to gauge her reaction to Lady Heather's Dominion. She seemed calm and professional as if she didn't know about Grissom's interactions with Lady Heather. A woman answered the door. The young blonde was obviously one of Heather's submissives. A whip cracked loudly in the distance followed by a scream. Brass noted Sara was apparently unmoved by the sounds generated by Lady Heather's clients and employees. Of all the CSIs he would have expected Sara to be the most upset by this place.

"Captain Brass LVPD and Sara Sidle of the Crime Lab we're here to see Lady Heather."

Glancing at his badge before nodding, she made a 'follow me' motion and led them upstairs to her mistress. After a soft knock and a quiet conversation they entered her private domain. Sara didn't seem surprised, embarrassed or hurt to see Grissom reclining on the divan with the leather clad woman. She met their questioning gazes calmly. Brass noticed Grissom's discomfort as he broke eye contact to stare at his hands, like a cheating husband caught with his mistress.

"I'm sorry to intrude Lady Heather, but may we ask you a couple of questions?" Sara asked in a professional voice.

Lady Heather looked from Gil to Sara analyzing their relationship. In a single glance she'd noticed the resemblance between her and his employee. Was it a coincidence or something more she wondered, musing on the enigma of Grissom while studying his employee. Sara looked very young in the rose sweater set and blue jeans. Sara continued speaking as if she didn't notice the tension or Heather's intense gaze.

"We're trying to identify the victim of a hit and run. She didn't have any identification, but our Coroner noticed some familiar scarring and thought you might know her."

Moving closer Sara handed the Polaroid to the other. Grissom jumped a little when her leg accidentally brushed the hand resting on his knee. It was one of those meaningless contacts people have in close quarters, except theirs like always was electrically charged. It was odd to have such a strong connection when he was sitting in the boudoir of a woman rumored to be his lover.

Lady Heather stroked his shoulder to get his attention and purred. "I'm going to take Miss Sidle to my office. It should only take a few minutes."

Brass waited for the ladies to leave before speaking, "Sorry I didn't know you were seeing your friend tonight. Otherwise I'd have made Sara wait or come alone. It's bad enough to hear the rumors, but it's gotta hurt more to see it."

"Nothing is happening Jim."

Brass just shrugged, he'd heard that from better liars than Gil. "Sara's taking it real well. I expected something different, like your reaction to Pettigrew."

Grissom felt bad enough about having an employee seeing him at the Dominion, but having Sara see it was a hundred times worse. This was the most thoughtless and hurtful thing he'd done to her. He hoped Heather wouldn't taunt Sara and that Sara wouldn't react like the 'loose cannon' Ecklie thought she was.

"You've known him a long time." Lady Heather asked, bent over her desk, long hair hiding her face.

"Yes."

"You're jealous and threatened by me Miss Sidle." For the Dominatrix it wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.

"Not in the least."

That wasn't the answer Heather had expected. When her eyes met Sara's they were frosty. "You should be because I'm not going anywhere."

Shrugging Sara replied. "Enjoy your time with him. It won't last."

"Really?"

"Really. I just hope you don't ruin his reputation or career before this tryst is through."

"What makes you so sure this is just a tryst and not something more?"

"I know Grissom. You both might try to change, but in the end it won't work. You're just too different to ever fit comfortably in the other's life."

"And you would?"

"Unlike you I understand his work. You think that you've seen the worst humanity has to offer because of the people who pay for your services, but you haven't. He may tell you some of it, but he won't share all the horrors we see every night. You'll try to understand the first time he breaks a date, but each time he makes a case or a victim more important than you it will be more and more irritating until eventually you'll have enough. Whereas I would be happier at a crime scene than a fancy dinner. Would you really be comfortable sharing him with his crime scenes, his bloody experiments in the fridge, or his critters; the maggots, spiders and cockroaches he collects?" Sara shook her head no she just couldn't see the perfectly made up and fashionably dressed Dominatrix happily listening to him lecture on forensics or bugs, let alone going with him to the body farm.

"You sound like you've given it a lot of thought?"

Sara shrugged, she and Grissom had been doing this dance for years and they had both dated other people. She'd only warned Lady Heather about the obstacles because Sara honestly wanted him to be happy. Personally she thought she had the better shot, but the ball was still in his court. Lifting the post it with the victim's name and address. "Thanks for this anyway."

Standing outside the Dominion she felt Brass staring. "What Jim?"

"How are you?"

"Fine. Now that I've met her, I get it."

Brass sighed. "I'm the only sane one here."

TBC