Fresh out of the shower, Grissom made his way to the kitchen when he saw Sara standing in the front doorway.
Her right leg kept the door ajar and for a moment he wasn't sure if she was coming or going. When she saw him she lowered her gaze like a child who'd just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
He waited for a greeting that didn't come and arched a brow at her, "Sara?"
He twisted his neck to see if somebody was behind her and she closed the door on her right foot when she caught the gesture.
He frowned in puzzlement, "Are you coming in or is there a reason why you're hovering in the doorway?"
She chewed on her bottom lip and took a deep breath before muttering, "It was a mess when we got to the scene all those little guys running around." She looked at him with soft eyes, "Did you hear what we found?" He had.
Sara and Nick had been dispatched to an old farm house after the authorities had received an anonymous call about a dead body. The CSIs had found the property to be inhabited by more than 30 animals roaming inside and out. He didn't know the details of the conditions but knowing Sara's soft spot for animals and her current demeanor, it must have been pretty bad.
She didn't budge from her position when he tentatively put a hand over hers, stopping the nervous drumming of her fingernails on the door. "I'm sorry, Honey; it must have been horrible," he said gently.
"No, they were fine actually," she smiled faintly. "It turns out the old lady called 911 before turning the gun on herself. Evidently she wanted them to be found quickly."
Grissom gathered her in his arm as her foot kept its position as a door stopper. She kept talking over his shoulder, "She even left a list of all the animal's names and individual needs. Some of them gathered around us when we came in and," she took a shaky breath, "and this one little guy…he wouldn't let go of me."
Grissom hugged her tighter and he was finally able to peek behind the door. As soon as he saw the green plastic of a carrier that spelled pet-taxi , he knew where this was going.
He pulled back and asked with affectionate exasperation, "Would this little guy be in the carrier behind you?"
"Maybe." She replied in a small voice.
Before he could offer any objections, she continued, "All of the animals were sent to the shelter for assessment and I couldn't help myself, I had to stop there on my way home to make sure they were okay." She chewed on her lip. "I swear Bertrand recognized me and I just couldn't leave him behind-"
She stopped abruptly and looked at him with pleading eyes as disbelief settled on his features. "Please Griss, don't ask me to take him back. I know I should have discussed it with you but I swear you'll love him, he's great…Please?" She added with a bat of her lashes.
She looked so adorable just then, he would have agreed to anything.
He opened the door wide, his arm reaching for the small carrier, "What type of dog is this…Bertrand is it?" He asked her with a lopsided grin.
She stilled his arm and moved between him and the carrier, "Um…it's not a dog."
"Thank God!" he said with obvious relief, "I can't stand those little yappy dogs, plus a cat is much more independent and won't need consta- "
"Not a cat either," she interrupted. She let her eyes wander between him and the carrier but didn't offer any other information.
"A rabbit or a guinea pig?" His tone did not hold much enthusiasm.
"No."
"A reptile?" He was actually excited at the thought but she shook her head.
"Sara, Honey, please tell me you didn't adopt a chicken or a goat?"
She laughed at the bewildered expression on his face. "No, the goat did seem to be fond of Nick though."
She finally picked up the carrier and closed the door behind her. Grissom snuck a worried look through the front grill but could only make out a pair of ruby eyes staring back at him. Whatever it was had retreated to the back of the cage.
Sara unlatched the metal door and coaxed the animal with a treat. Eventually an anxious Bertrand poked his head out. His pink nose sniffed Sara's hand as she lifted him up to her chest, petting his white fur tenderly.
Grissom watched with interest as the nervous creature quickly relaxed under Sara's touch. Having been under the care of such affectionate administrations himself, he couldn't blame the little guy for reveling in it.
"Mustela putorius furo or most commonly referred to as ferrets." He stated blatantly.
"Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?" Her grin was mile wide. Sara held the ferret in front of her for emphasis, the pet and the man engaging in a staring contest.
Grissom couldn't bring himself to agree with her. The red-eyed ferret holding his gaze wasn't what he would describe as cute and the thought of having a weasel as a pet didn't thrill him, but Sara had obviously already bonded with the animal and she was beaming with excitement.
"He's…interesting." He finally conceded.
Sara brought the ferret closer to his face and Grissom took a step back.
"He's not going to bite you." She laughed before cradling the pet in her arm like a baby. The docile animal lay still, closing its eyes as she scratched under its chin.
"He's very well behaved; and he's even litter trained." She looked up at him expectantly, eyes as big as saucers, "So we can keep him, right?" As if on queue, the ferret's face tilted towards him and Grissom could have sworn it was smiling.
"Yeah, yeah, we can keep him." He gave an exaggerated sigh. "Welcome home Bert." He motioned to the living space around him.
"Bert?" Sara snickered, "Its Bertrand ."
He pursed his lips at her and then looked directly at the ferret, "Well then," he used his best superior tone, "that will be Gilbert to you."
Sara chuckled as he placed a kiss on her forehead before capturing her lips. "I guess I'll have to learn to share you," he whispered against her cheek.
She looked at him, eyes suddenly moist. "Thank you," she whispered back.
"You're welcome," he replied before turning to see Bertrand peacefully resting in Sara's arm.
He would never admit it out loud but their new pet almost looked cute.