Graveyard Talk

Disclaimer: I don't own the show and the characters.

Summary: She seems so fragile and so lost. He is sure that she just can't believe that she is standing in front of that grave. Nobody could.

Hi there! I just want to tell you that I haven't seen the episode in which Warrick was killed and nor did I see the new Season. I hope it won't be disturbing… giving it a second thought it doesn't really matter. It can be read independently from the show.

Enjoy!

The sun is warmly shining down to the graveyard with its fresh rays of spring. The warm and pleasant weather gives the scene a sadly beautiful look. The controversy is striking. The resting place of the dead is reborn and around the graves everything is celebrating its revival.

As the man is standing next to his car, his heart is filled with bittersweet happiness. He is happy or at least feels something that is definitely pleasant. It goes with the season, he would argue. But he can't help the sadness that is creeping into his present mood. It's understandable, though. Three days ago he was standing in this same cemetery saying his final goodbye to one of the most important persons is his life.

And now, three days later, he is standing here again watching the woman, who played such an important part in his life, saying her final goodbye to the man who could give her that love she so much needed.

She is standing in front of His grave. A solitary figure in the sea of white stones. He can't see her face and he is grateful for that. He is sure if he just took a look at her beautiful face, his heart would break for her. It is enough for him to see her posture and he knows what she feels. During the years he became an expert on reading her body language. He wasn't good at speaking and neither was she. This way they could understand each other just well. This was the key to their relationship no matter how difficult it was to develop it into its present form.

She seems so fragile and so lost. He is sure that she just can't believe that she is standing in front of that grave. Nobody could.

As he is watching the woman he loves so dearly, he needs all of his self-control not to go and take her into his arms. He is not a man who shows his feelings easily but now all he wants is to make her pain go away. But he can't do that. And she needs her time with the man her heart belongs to…

It seems that she is just standing there, her figure worn and exhausted, trying to comprehend that this is all real. But after a while she lifts her right hand and bows her head. And this is the moment that the man realizes for the first time that she is holding something in her hand. And as the realization comes, he feels something move inside him and he is frozen for a moment. Then he tries to change his position a little just to make sure… and after a few steps on the grass he becomes completely sure.

She is holding a baby.

And this is the moment when he finally fails to keep it together, to keep his heart together… and he founds his tears slowly falling for the woman who was given so little in her life. To whom, in spite of his best efforts, he gave so little. And to whom her final chance on happiness was denied. He tried to be the one for her. God knows he tried. But he waited too long and when they were finally given a chance it was too late. But they gave it a try… and they failed. That was the time when He came into the picture and seemed to be the answer to their million questions. Why does it seem so unreal? So not right? Awkward even? He knew it. Of course he knew it. After all he was to blame for everything. He lost her heart to another man. And he let her go because he wanted to know her happy. And she was happy. She was in love… with Him. But she was scared, too. So she ran…

… and now she came back… just to stand in front of the grave of the man her heart belonged to.

When he finally snaps out of his thoughts, he finds himself standing only a few steps away from the grieving woman. And he can't move. He is just watching her holding the baby while silent sobs are shaking her body. And he can't move.

It seems like an eternity but finally she seems to have calmed and collected herself together somewhat. From his position she looks like her old self again. Her chin raised up and standing straight, she is that confident woman whom the world cannot break. When she speaks for the first time, however, she is still the woman who is standing in front of the grave which is covering the father of the child she is holding in her arms.

"I wanted to come back."

The long seconds which follow this statement are filled with the happy chatter of the birds.

"I know." He really does.

"Everything happened so fast… and I couldn't trust myself. I had already screwed it up with you. I didn't want to hurt him, too." She is still facing the grave but he somehow finds himself standing right next to her. "I needed time." She says then turns her head and looks at him. "I thought I have all the time in the world."

Her final confession is said in a barely audible voice but the self-reproach and the regret in it is evident.

He is at loss what to say to the woman who is hurting so much and when he finally looks into her eyes, he cannot speak at all. Her brown eyes, which were always shadowed by something indescribably sad, are now crystal clear. This time the pain in them is not the result of some distant memory. No. It is all too fresh, all too clear.

Finally she breaks their glance and with a bitter laugh she looks down at the sleeping baby in her arms. She caresses his little face.

"He always was right." She says and he can't help repeating the sentence which became His motto.

"Life is too short." The woman in front of him is wincing at his sound and the truth behind this sentence. It always sounded such a commonplace. But not now.

"You know how many times I have thought about the 'what if'-s since that phone call? If I had come back earlier, if I hadn't been such a coward and hadn't left at all… There are so many of them and I just can't rid of the thought that if I had done something differently, he would be still here." As she looks back at him, he notices that her tears began to fall silently.

"Don't do this!" He says gently. The last thing he wants for her to feel guilty. "You couldn't have done anything. It happened. It could have happened to any of us. That is life."

"Don't you think that I know that?" She snaps at him but not because she is annoyed with him. She is just frustrated. He knows it. He was thinking along the same line in the past few days. He knows that it doesn't lead anywhere but he couldn't help it. Just the same way he couldn't help the death of his friend. And it really is frustrating. "And yet… I wish I had told him that I loved him…" Her voice is once again filled with regret.

"He knew it." And he is not just saying it to make her feel better. She knows it. That's why she tears her glance from his scrutinizing look which hasn't left her face during the whole conversation. "He loved you, too… and was waiting for you."

"He would have been such a great father." This is the first time that he allows himself to look at the sleeping baby. It's strange that he is looking at the woman he is in love with holding another man's child and he feels happy. He is happy for the woman who wasn't left alone after all. She will always have somebody whom she can love and who will love her in return. And for this he is grateful to the man who is lying in the grave. "I should ha…"

"No." He cuts her off suddenly but gently. He really wants her to understand. "Look at me!" She slowly raises her eyes. "You shouldn't… and you couldn't. You can't change the past and you certainly can't live there. You have to look forward if not for yourself then for him and your child."

"It's so difficult."

"It is. But we are all here for you. We can help if you let us." He is looking into her eyes intently willing to bring through his point and he smiles a little when he sees her nod slightly. "Good." Then he looks at the baby who seems to be waking up soon. "So who is that little man here?" And when he looks back at the child's mother, he can see the most beautiful smile that ever graced her lips.

"Grissom, meet Nathan Brown, my son."

"He is beautiful, Sara." He says stepping even closer and looking at the woman who is beaming with pride. At this moment he becomes sure that, no matter how hard it will be, Sara would be all right in the end. After all Warrick had given her not just his love but their son's love as well.

"Do you want to introduce him to the others? They would be happy to meet him… and they need a little happiness right now."

"Sure." She answers silently and with a last glance at the name on the grave they start towards Grissom's car.

Leaving the graveyard he feels the happiness slowly creeping back again. He doesn't know what the future will bring for either of them. He doesn't know if Sara will decide to come back to Las Vegas. But one thing he knows for sure. He and the guys will help her… and she will get through this… one day she will leave her guilt behind her and remember happily of the man who could give her what he himself couldn't.

And behind them, in the graveyard, the birds were singing cheerfully in the warm spring day bringing some life to the resting place of the dead.

THE END

So that was it. Sorry for the bad ending.

I have to admit, I don't really know how Grissom got into the picture. I just wanted to write about Sara… but once he appeared, he wouldn't go away. But it's okay, I guess.

Thanks for reading!!!