Connect
By: Manigault
Quick one shot pre-relationship. It's funny the little stories that rattle around in the brain and make their way to the computer. Comments are always welcome and always appreciated.
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It was now or never. Grissom pushed the intrusive thought aside and raised a tentative hand to knock on Sara's apartment door. One knock. Two. After the fourth knock he leaned his forehead against the cool wood and strained to hear any sign of life on the other side of the door, any indication that Sara was aware that someone was standing outside her apartment.
Nothing. With a defeated sigh, he lifted his forehead and took a step away from the door only to feel his body make contact with a softer body as a soft intake of breath escaped her lips.
"Griss? What are you doing here?"
Sara's question was followed by the feel of her hands on his shoulder as he slowly turned around and faced her quizzical eyes. She quickly lowered her hands and took a step back as she watched his gaze sweep over her disheveled form. She'd gone for her five mile run and was wearing nothing more than running shorts, a cropped top, her running shoes. Wiping away drops of perspiration from her forehead, she felt exposed to his probing stare, and suddenly wanted to escape inside her apartment.
"I uh I was..." Grissom couldn't believe that he was floundering over his own words, searching for the explanation that he'd gone over a million times in his mind. Taking a deep breath he tore his eyes from her long sexy legs and met her now amused gaze. "Can I come inside?"
In answer, Sara bent down and untied a key from her shoelace before slowly standing back up and letting her own eyes trail over the man before her door. Grissom wore faded blue jeans and a dark blue t-shirt that had LVPD across the front in white lettering. He was sweating like he'd been running five miles and Sara couldn't help but smirk as she fit the key into the door and turned the lock.
Inside her apartment she kicked her shoes off and called over her shoulder as she made her way towards her bathroom. "Make yourself at home, Griss, while I take a quick shower and change."
Grissom swallowed over the lump in his throat as he took a tentative step inside Sara's home. He'd been here before, when he'd been told by Ecklie to fire her and he'd demanded an explanation for her behaviour. He'd turned down a beer then, but now, now he thought that a cold bottle of beer would be perfect.
Opening the refrigerator door he made a mental note of the healthy contents that lined the shelves. Tofu. Wrinkling his nose, he reached past the unappetizing appearing stuff and grabbed a bottle of Coors lite. He'd just settled on the sofa with his drink when Sara reappeared in the room, her hair damp, her lovely legs now covered with denim.
"Now you can fill me in on why you're here." Sara padded towards her kitchen, her bare feet drawing Grissom's attention as he wondered why his thoughts were so muddled that all he could think of was the fact that those feet were connected to the most beautiful pair of legs he'd ever seen. Groaning to himself, he took a swig of beer as Sara made her way towards him, a cool bottle of water in her hands.
"I was thinking that it's time we reconnect." Grissom fianlly managed to say, his words not coming out at all like he'd intended.
"Reconnect?" Sara raised one brow and took a small sip of water as she waited for him to elaborate.
Rubbing his palm along his thigh, Grissom turned his attention to the coffee table and searched for those elusive words. "I've missed you."
Slowly, Sara put the bottle of water down on the coffee table and leaned forward to touch Grissom's knee. "I don't understand, Grissom. You see me everyday."
Grissom lifted one hand to place it over the one that Sara had put on his knee and he felt a new tension sweep between them as he lifted his eyes and met hers. "Do you remember when we met?"
"Very clearly." Sara's thoughts drifted back to that day more than ten years ago when she'd been attending a seminar where Dr. Gil Grissom was a speaker. They'd become friends, a connection was formed that hadn't been obvious to her for several years now.
"We connected right away." Grissom was saying, his hand tightening on hers when he felt her try to pull away.
"You could say that." Sara whispered softly. They'd had an instantaneous attraction that developed into a serious flirtatious friendship. It's never gone past that on a physical level, though, and the flirtation had ceased for several years when Grissom had jumped to the conclusion that she was involved with Hank. At the time, she'd only been friends with Hank but after Grissom's reaction she'd attempted to have a relationship with the EMT that ended almost as soon as it began.
"Then I screwed up."
Sara visibly startled at his confession. "Grissom? Do you care to elaborate on that statement?"
"I've been a coward, Sara. It was easier to have this little back and forth flirtation going with you because I knew if I crossed the line there would be no return. I would be risking everything that I've built."
"Your career." Sara said with sadness tinging her voice. She'd heard his confession to Lurie.
"The shields around my heart." Grissom said with a bluntness that again surprised Sara with his honesty.
"I'd never hurt you Grissom, not intentionally."
"It's the not intentionally that's the problem." Grissom sighed and released her hand, surprised when she didn't pull it away. Instead she let it slide further up his leg towards his inner thigh and he felt his body react in a way that could lead to embarrassement.
"I would never hurt you...at all." Sara rephrased her earlier statement as she moved closer to him by easing herself onto the coffee table directly in front of him.
"Intentionally." Grissom said softly. "You'd never do anything intentionally."
"Why are you here Griss? You tell me that you want to reconnect and we've never really connected. Not the way I'd like." Sara's voice was low and husky now as she rubbed her thumb along the inside of his thigh.
Losing his breath Grissom tried to speak and chose actions instead.
Sometimes words got in the way.
The End