A/N: This is based on what little information we have about season 10, and is a response to PiperGrissom's challenge on GSRForeverLove. Piper, I'm not sure if this is what you had in mind, but it's definitely something I'd like to see in the new season. I hope you like it.
I don't own CSI.
The Unexpected
Sara stood still, looking around the office, trying to remember every moment spent there with its former occupant. It wasn't hard to remember the past, but it was impossible to ignore the transformation that had taken place since his departure.
What had she expected? That they'd leave the office alone after Grissom left? That they'd close the door and let it remain as a shrine to their former boss?
No, she hadn't expected that. But, somehow … she hadn't expected to see it so dramatically different, either. The three desks – one of which Nick had said she could use while she was there – the posters, the books, the complete lack of experiments … it was like she had accidentally stumbled into the wrong room.
Her visual perusal of the room came to an abrupt halt as her eyes fell on a jar. Not just a jar – the jar. Her mouth falling open, she crossed to the bookcase in the center of the room. There, sitting on the top shelf, was Grissom's fetal pig.
She giggled as her fingertips caressed the jar. "Hello," she whispered. "Are they taking good care of you?"
The smile slide off her face as, to her great surprise, tears welled up in her eyes. A sudden longing for Grissom grabbed her, forcing her to step back from the jar before she started sobbing.
They had agreed that it made sense for her to come to Vegas to help the team. They had agreed that the time spent apart would only make their marriage stronger. Although he never said anything, Sara was sure that her quirks were bothering Grissom as much as his were bothering her. It was one thing to share a life with someone, but it was quite another to share every moment with him. She loved Grissom with everything in her, and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with him, but … Sara now understood why Doc Robbins and his wife took separate vacations annually.
Even their goodbye had spoken of the tension between them. A hug, a kiss, a bit of soulful eye contact … Sara was sure she had witnessed more tearful, emotional partings between parents and college-bound freshmen. At the time, it had seemed completely appropriate. It wasn't forever, after all, and they weren't emotional teenagers.
But, standing in his former office, staring at his fetal pig, Sara wished she could go back in time and do things differently. She wished she had clung to him just a bit longer, kissed him just a bit deeper, tried to convince him to join her just a bit harder. She … missed him. Terribly.
Her new, department-issued cell phone rang, jerking her from her rather melancholy thoughts. She cleared her throat and picked it up.
"This is Sara."
"Hi."
The tears that had had been threatening suddenly cascaded down her cheeks at the sound of his voice. "Hi," she managed to choke out.
"Sara? Are you all right?"
"Yeah," she said, smiling through her tears. "Yeah, Gil, I'm fine."
"Did you get to the lab okay?"
"I did. I'm standing in your office right now."
"My … Sara. Tell me that Catherine isn't leaving it as some sort of demented shrine."
Sara laughed, trying desperately not to sob. "No. Nick and Greg are sharing it."
"Good."
"They have your fetal pig on a shelf," she said.
Grissom chuckled. "I wondered what happened to her."
"She tells me they're taking good care of her." Sara swallowed hard. "Gil … I miss you."
"I miss you, too, honey," he said, sighing. "I'm starting to wish that I had come with you."
"There's still time," Sara said. "I know everyone would love to see you."
"Maybe," Grissom said.
"Maybe?"
"We'll see. Don't suggest it to anyone. I don't need fifteen emails begging me to come back for a visit."
Sara laughed. "If I thought it would convince you to come, I might do it."
"I don't know, Sara. I thought that maybe we needed …"
"Yeah," Sara agreed quietly.
"Sara, you do know that I love you, right?"
"Yeah," she said again. "I love you, too."
"And, I miss you."
"I miss you, too."
"And …"
"And?"
He cleared this throat. "Like I said, I thought we needed some time. But, an entire month or more is a bit excessive."
"Okay …" Sara said, frowning.
"Two weeks, however, is more manageable." He paused. "My flight gets in at 8:15 PM two weeks from today. Can you pick me up?"
A smile burst out on Sara's face like the sun. "Yeah," she said yet again. "Yeah, I can do that."
Fin