The lighthouse

By CowgirlCj & Dany

Summary: Today, fate had pushed him forward, maybe he should follow the hint. GSR

A/N: This is a response to a Ping-Pong IM challenge posted at YTDaW, done by CowgirlCj and me, so bear in mind that this was actually written by two people switching every sentence. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Disclaimer: We don't own CSI.

xxxxx

"He tripped and fell right into her arms."

A look of shock passed between them, their eyes unable to turn away.

He didn't even know what had made him stumble, but he would be sure to collect it later to make sure he remembered this moment.

At that moment, Sara knew that the only thing keeping her from floating away was his tight grip on her forearms.

They would have probably remained frozen in this position if Grissom's beeper hadn't gone off.

Sara had to resist the urge to tighten her reflexive hold on him as she broke eye contact, looking over his shoulder absently.

As much as he wanted to stay here, in this moment, they were at a crime scene and work had to come first. Biting back a sigh, he released Sara's arms and unclipped his beeper to see who it was that had such terrible timing.

Sara couldn't stand to look at him, now that they did no longer touch, and busied herself with a second look at the crime scene.

Trying to avoid looking at Sara, Grissom saw Brass's number on his beeper and reminded himself to have a little chat with the Captain later.

Where before they had been so close, now they seemed miles apart again.

Sara felt herself rapidly cooling as the feeling of Grissom's body heat left her, and let out a small shiver as she continued her scan of the crime scene.

To suppress his rising emotions Grissom sighed, put his kit back together and threw a "See you outside" over his shoulder.

Once he was outside, Sara looked over to the spot where he had tripped and saw the object that caused his little tumble straight into her embrace.

It was one of those little nothings that kept the door open in the shape of a lighthouse, only it was lying on its side. With shoulders slumped in defeat, she tore her eyes away from the doorstop, picked up an evidence bag and her kit, and started towards the door.

She stepped outside and saw Grissom leaning on the side of the car, staring off into space, looking... defeated somehow. She stopped in her tracks, taking the moment to study him before clearing her throat to get his attention.

He looked up, but avoided meeting her eyes, choosing instead to direct his gaze onto the house looming behind her.

"Are you...okay?" she asked nervously, unsure whether she should approach this topic, "I mean, you didn't hurt yourself when you tripped, did you?"

If she had been standing closer she would have seen the color drain out of him.

Was he okay? Oh course he wasn't okay, how could he be okay after being so close to her for only the briefest of moments? How could he get the imprints of her hands, the warmth of her body, the depth of her soul-searching gaze out of his head so he would be able to sleep tonight?

Flexing his jaw, he nodded slightly and lied, "I'm fine" and continued to avoid her eyes.

Sara hung her head to hide the tears that wanted to fall. Clutching her field kit and evidence bag, she made her way towards the Denali, willing the moisture in her eyes to disappear.

She had almost made it, when she felt Grissom push himself of the vehicle and move past her back towards the house.

Turning to watch him walk away, she raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering if they had forgotten something.

"Grissom?" Was he mad at her for calling him on the 'fall' they had taken?

When he didn't respond, she followed him, peaking her head inside the door to see what he was up to.

Obviously, he had not heard her, because otherwise he would have never let her see him picking up the lighthouse. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw him bend over to inspect the doorstop and proceeded to pick it up, and she inhaled sharply. That was a mistake; that little sound had given her away.

Stunned, Grissom spun around, one hand gripping the doorstop tightly.

This time, Sara could not keep the tears from falling.

As soon as Grissom saw the tears, he was wrought with guilt and confusion. Why did he keep doing this to her? And more important, why did she let him?

"I..." he didn't know what to say, he merely looked down at the little lighthouse trapped in his hand. It represented what he believed in: that fate was a power that pushed you forward or held you back.

Sara's eyes went from the doorstop to Grissom's face, desperate for an answer, any answer, that he could give her.

Today, fate had pushed him forward, maybe he should follow the hint.

Taking one step forward, then another, he slowly closed the physical distance between them. When he stood right in front of her, close, but not quite touching, he started to speak. "Sara, I..."

Sara's eyes stayed locked on Grissom's, waiting for him to say what she's been wanting him to say for years.

"I... Am I too late?"

Unable to resist the urge, she leapt into his arms, burying her tear-streaked face into his shirt.

His arms hung limp by his side, before he grasped that this was reality and Sara was really in his arms holding him tight, so he moved his arms up and enclosed her in them.

Unable to hold back the sob, she tightened her hold on Grissom, forgetting that they were in the middle of a crime scene, "took you long enough," she laughed.

He pulled back a bit to capture her eyes. "Thanks for waiting."

Sara beamed up at him, one of her brilliant smiles reserved only for him, "Well, you're worth it," she winked, resting her head back on his shoulder.

"I hope, I'll be able to prove that to you someday." His free hand was now moving in circles on her back trying to make the last traces of tears disappear from her eyes.

How could this be? How could that man that avoided her romantically for so long be in her arms right now? She just hoped this wasn't a dream.

As if to ensure her that it wasn't, the lighthouse dug into her back, causing a small twinge.

To her, the only thing that felt better than lighthouse poking her back was the feel of Grissom's arms around her, offering security, warmth, and love.

The end