Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story that are associated with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or any of the fairytales listed.
Spoilers: None really, bits and pieces of seasons.
A/N: Well, after a long hibernation, my muse has stepped out of its cave with a roar….sort of. I hope I can get this one going, unlike my lame attempt earlier….anyways without further ado! Oh and please review! Hey that rhymes! Shutting up now… g
Sara Sidle wasn't a people person. She was a damn good CSI, but after awhile, she needed to get away from everything. It had been her night off, and she had anxiously prepared herself a nice, hot bubble bath to ease away the stress of the past few shifts. Walking into the bathroom, she patted herself on the back for deciding to get the apartment with the Jacuzzi. A couple extra hundred dollars, but all worth it, especially after coming home from grueling double shifts.
Walking over to her CD collection, she popped in an album she had seen Grissom listening to at his desk, and the sounds of sweet classical music filtered through the speakers. Slipping her clothes off, she eased into the steaming water and gave a long sigh.
That's when she heard it. The damn ringing of her cell phone. Oh lord, she thought, I'm getting called in. Groaning, she lifted her wet feet out of the tub and grabbed a towel and ran for the phone. Looking at the caller display, she was surprised to see Catherine's number displayed.
"Sidle," she answered systematically.
"Oh thank god I caught you in time!" the blonde shrieked on the other line. "You weren't sleeping were you?"
"No, I was just getting ready for some relaxing," Sara replied. "Nothing important. What can I do for you Catherine?"
"You get right to the point, don't you?" Catherine chuckled. "Listen, I know it's your night off and everything, but we have a problem. Apparently, Nick forgot his cousin was coming down, and-"
"And why couldn't Nick have called?" Sara interrupted grumpily.
"Hey chill! He had to go out on a case and I haven't been able to get a hold of him. His cousin showed up at the Lab with his wife and kid. Nick was supposed to look after the little girl, but I guess it must have slipped his mind. Anyways," Catherine sighed. "The cousin and his wife have tickets to Celine Dion and the show starts in an hour. I told them to leave the little girl here, but a double homicide just came in, and-"
Sara grimaced on the other line. "No way Cath. I know what you're getting at, but it's my night off! I need some time to refuel."
"Look Sara, Carly cannot stay here all by herself. Doc Robbins volunteered to watch her, but I wasn't too keen on letting her go into the morgue at that age," she pleaded. "Please Sara, it's only for a couple of hours. How bad could it be?"
Sara sat on her bed and groaned. "Fine Catherine. But you guys owe me big time! How am I supposed to look after a little kid?"
Catherine clucked her tongue. "She's five Sara. It's a good age. Besides, it's her bedtime soon, so she'll be out like a light! I promise!"
"Fine. I'll be there in a half hour. And Catherine?"
"Yeah Sara?"
"Make sure Nick isn't around when I get there, or heads will roll," she growled.
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Sara quickly changed into a sweater and some navy khakis. Grabbing her keys, she headed out the door to her apartment and walked down to her car.
It took her about twenty minutes to drive to the lab, since traffic was pretty thick. Parking, she walked briskly to the door of the Lab and stepped inside. She was immediately hit with a blast of cold air, a change from the hot and humid weather waiting outside. Strolling through the busy corridors, she paused as she went past Grissom's office. He was sitting, reading over a case file. At the sound of footsteps, he looked up and caught her gaze and smiled slightly.
"Sara, I thought it was your night off," he asked questioningly. His eyes rooted her feet to their place. She gave him a half-grin.
"It was, but apparently Nick can't keep his schedule straight," she replied.
Grissom smiled. "Ah, so I see Catherine got a hold of someone. Sorry to bother you on your night off."
Sara raised an eyebrow at his cheery mood.. "It's not like I'm not used to it," she said.
"Touchè ," he said, his stare piercing her inner emotions. So much had happened over the last week, and that comment about sex and romance she had made earlier seemed to have spooked him at the time. Did he still feel it? Sara wondered.
"There you are!" Catherine came around the corner, interrupting the moment. Grissom looked down, like a guilty child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Sara turned towards the blonde. "How did you know I was here?" she asked.
Catherine shrugged. "I asked Judy to page me when you arrived. Apparently you beat me to her."
Sara gave her a confused look, which Catherine shook off. "Sara, I'd like you to meet Carly Stokes."
Sara followed Catherine's finger to a lump that she had failed to notice that was sitting in the corner of Grissom's office. The lump had golden, curly hair that ran down the pearly blue eyes and small button nose. Carly Stokes stared at Sara shyly.
Sara looked at Grissom, who seemed to have taken an interest in his case file again.
Catherine rolled her eyes at both of them. "Gil offered to let her sit in his office only if she was quiet, and you've been very good Carly," she said, tickling the little girl under her chin. Carly squealed with laughter and stood up.
"Thanks Catawin," she giggled. "Mistaw Gwissom said that if I sat here quiet that Sawa wouldn't see me. I foowled yew Sawa!"
Sara's heart melted instantly. What a cute little girl, she thought. Her uterus was practically aching.
She knelt down to the little girl's height and smiled. "Well, you sure did fool me Carly. Grissom was right. I didn't even notice you!"
Carly giggled again and went over to Grissom and poked his arm. Grissom looked up and smiled slightly at the little girl. "Is it time for me to go Mistaw Gwissom?" she asked innocently.
Grissom nodded. "I think so Carly Bug. Are you going to be good for Sara? She doesn't know much about taking care of little girls." He looked up at Sara and winked. Sara just glared at him.
"I pwomise! I'll be weally good!" Carly said, nodding her head emphatically.
"Ok Carly Bug. I hope you come back and see me when you come to visit Cousin Nicky," Grissom said, holding out his hand. Carly put her small hand in his and they sealed the deal with a hand shake.
Sara was quietly impressed at how fatherly Grissom was acting.
Tired of being in the background, Catherine stepped over to Carly and took her hand. "Come on, Carly, let's go get your stuff," she said. She looked back at Sara. "Can you wait here for us? I put her stuff under Hodges' desk."
Sara nodded.
Catherine looked down at Carly, who was making funny faces at Grissom. She gave him a funny look and shrugged. "Ok Carly, come one."
The little girl waved at Grissom and followed Catherine down the hallway.
Grissom looked at Sara, who was smirking widely at his behavior, and shook his head.
"Wow, I didn't know you had a motherly side to you Grissom," she said jokingly.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," he replied softly. She looked up and met his gaze again. He gathered up his courage. "I want to get to know you better Sara. I want you to know me. We deserve to at least try."
Sara stood, stunned slightly. "I-ah-," she stumbled.
Grissom rose and walked over to shut the door. Walking back over to her, he took her hand and led her over to his desk and nudged her to sit on the end of it.
"I think we deserve a chance at romance, Sara. I've hurt you so much I don't know how else to fix this."
She smiled shyly at him. She intertwined their fingers and gazed into his eyes. "Well, I'd say it was about damn time, Grissom. I've been waiting for romance for years."
He laughed and bent down to kiss her cheek. "Will you trust me, Sara?" he whispered into her ear.
Nodding, she moved her head back to look into his eyes once more. "I'll try to Grissom. It's hard to erase all these years of ignorance."
"If you're still willing to try Sara, I will make sure I never hurt you again," he said promisingly.
They broke apart as the heard the voices of Carly and Catherine coming down the hall.
Reaching for her hand once more, he gently kissed her knuckles. "Have dinner with me Sara. I want to see what happens."
Sara squeezed his hand, and released it. "In due time Grissom. Right now, I have a little girl who needs to go home with me. Call me when you get off. We'll talk."
With that, she turned and walked out of his office.
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After collecting Carly's belongings from Catherine, Sara led the little girl to her vehicle and placed her in the back seat, buckling her seatbelt. Carly hummed along with the radio, and Sara found herself looking forward to the next few hours.
Reaching her apartment, she parked and got out, walking around to undo the little girl. Carly sat still as Sara unbuckled her seatbelt, and took Sara's hand and slid out of the vehicle.
"Sawa, I can cawwy my backpack. I'm a big giwl," Carly said politely.
Sara handed her the knapsack and took her hand and led her up the stairs to her apartment. Once inside, Carly put her knapsack on the floor and sat on Sara's small couch.
The silence was too much for Sara. She walked over to the little girl and sat down beside her. "What do you want to do Carly? What time do you usually go to bed?"
Carly smiled at Sara. " Mommy says I hafta go to bed by nine o'clock. She always reads me some pwincess stowies before I go to sweep." Getting up, the little girl ran over to her knapsack and dragged it across the floor to Sara's feet. Opening it, she reached in and pulled out a pair of pajamas and a large special edition storybook and handed the items to Sara. Sara smiled at the well-behaved manner of the little girl. "Can you put on your pajamas by yourself Carly?" she asked.
Carly nodded eagerly. Sara smiled. "Ok, well you go into the bathroom and put them on. How about after you're all ready, you can come and we'll go lay in my bed and I'll read you some stories until you get tired, ok?"
Carly smiled again. "Ok Sawa! I'll go wight now."
Gathering the girl's belongings, Sara showed her the bathroom and left her to get dressed. Sara walked into her bedroom, and sat down, with the large storybook laying on her lap. This thing must weigh a ton, Sara thought.
A minute later, Carly came wandering around the corner and jumped onto Sara's bed. Crawling up to sit by Sara, Carly laid her head on one of the pillows.
"Ok Carly, do you have a couple of favorite stories you want me to read?" Sara asked.
Carly opened the large book and pointed to a page with a beautiful girl at the top of a tower, her long hair spilling down the side. The title read "Rapunzel" and Sara smiled at the choice.
As she began reading, she saw the little girl's eyes drooping, and finally shut. Her breathing eased and Carly was soon in a peaceful sleep. Sara smiled, and continued reading to herself. Soon, she felt her own eyes failing her, and she gave herself over to the deep sleep that was calling her. It was there that her dreams became alive…..
TBC