Time leap!!!!! (1993)
It had been two years since the incident in Boston. In that time, Sara had relocated to Los Angeles after winning her lawsuit. She kept up a regular correspondence with Grissom and often asked more questions than she received when they spoke of work. She was glad that she had him to talk to and he was glad that she felt safe with him. He had secretly been keeping a close eye on her career and was astonished by her solve rate. Neither one noticed that their conversations slowly evolved into the professional arena and leaving the personal behind. He was pleased to get a call requiring his expertise in Los Angeles and eagerly accepted. When he told Sara, she sounded happy and told him she would pick him up at the airport.
What he saw when he arrived angered him. She had several bruises peeking out from under the heavy layer of makeup she used in effort to conceal them.
"Hi Dr. Grissom, how was your flight?" He was confused.
"It's just Grissom, remember? What happened to you?" He was focused on her bruises but made sure to frequently look at her face. She looked away as though she were trying to come up with a decent lie.
"I bruise easily." He frowned.
"In the shape of fingertips on your neck? Come on Sara, what's going on?" As much as he wanted to, he did not touch her.
"It was an accident. Do you need to go to baggage claim?"
"I don't believe you and no I have everything with me." He replied.
"Great, let's go? What hotel are you staying at?" She started to walk and he followed, sill keeping his hands to himself.
"Sara, what happened?" He asked as they stepped outside.
"It's none of your business, alright?!" She snapped at him and walked away briskly. They both knew he was hampered down by his bags.
"Sara, wait!" She slowed, but did not stop.
"I'm sorry Sara; I just don't like to see you hurt." He said when he caught up to her. She said nothing for a while. It wasn't until they were in the car, heading away from the airport that she finally spoke.
"It's not what you think. I know the signs and I'm not stupid."
"Sara, never for one second have I ever thought you were stupid. Has this ever happened before?" She said nothing and he took her silence as confirmation.
"Who did this to you?" He asked after another minute of silence.
"Please stop." She begged.
"No. Who did this to you?" He repeated firmly. She pulled over and turned to him.
"What happens if I tell you everything? Are you going to stick around to bail me out of my personal problems again? I know as soon as you are done on this consult case, you're going back to Vegas and things will just go back to the way they are right now. I'll be fine."
"You've changed. I thought we were friends?" He said quietly.
"Everybody changes. We are still friends and as such, I am asking you to butt out." They both knew she was speaking through fear. She had started driving again as a way to battle the tears that were threatening to fall.
"You leave me no choice. I will respect your decision for now. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm always willing to listen."
"I know." She admitted. She had wanted to call him several times, but couldn't bring herself to follow through. She pulled up to the crime lab and parked the car.
"You didn't tell me where you are staying so we came to work." It was a lame attempt at humor, but he didn't have time to contest her since she had already left the confines and privacy of the car. He had no choice but to follow her. Her sudden cold attitude shocked him as he numbly followed her path. By the time he had signed in and greeted a few former colleagues, Sara was long gone. She'd received an assignment and was now out in the field.
A tall man approached Grissom in the hallway and introduced himself as John Calloway. John had black hair and brown eyes. He was thin, but in shape. Gil thought he had a runner's build.
"Dr. Grissom, thank you for coming out on such short notice. How was your trip?" John asked in professional politeness.
"The flight was uneventful and I always enjoy conversing with Sara." Grissom saw a flash of anger in the younger man's eyes at the mention of Sara's name. John forced a smile.
"I wasn't aware that you knew her. She didn't mention it." Grissom knew that the man is out right lying, and also that this man is the one to hurt his friend.
"I've known Sara for years." Grissom told him honestly. Again the anger flared and Grissom knew without a doubt that his initial gut feeling about this man was correct. John forced a smile.
"Right. Let me take you to your case and we'll get to work." John gestured toward the lab and the two men walked side by side in silence. John led him to the room he had set up for Grissom and excused himself for a while. Gil disregarded it and got right to work.
Hours later, Grissom was ripped from his concentration by what sounded like a very loud argument. He stepped in the hallway looking for the source of the noise.
"What's going on?" He asked some random lab tech.
"John and Sara are fighting again." The tech answered without ever breaking stride.
"Does it happen a lot?" Grissom probed.
"Yes. I sometimes hear about their personal stuff. They're actually fighting about you." Gil was shocked.
"Are they dating?" He asked and suspected the answer.
"You can call it that. He's very controlling of her and she lets him. It's weird because it's only him that she's a doormat for. We're all worried, but no one can say anything. Word travels fast around here and always gets back to him. I'm sure you've seen the results of the last time John thought she was disrespecting him." The tech had paused her work to give her monologue and as soon as she finished, she went right back to work. Grissom had heard enough. He went storming down the hall toward the source of the noise. He burst in the room in time to see John kick her in the stomach when she was already on the ground. Immediately, Grissom had pushed John up against the wall by his throat.
"You asshole! It is not ok to hit anybody. Don't touch her again!" Grissom's grip was firm but would not leave a mark. John smirked.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Sara's knight in shining armor. Are you going to sue me too?"
"I'm thinking about it. I'm definitely reporting you. Have you forgotten that I used to work here? I have friends that could make your life a living hell. Get out of here!" Grissom shoved the man toward the door and blocked any and all access to Sara at the same time.
He closed and locked the door before turning to Sara.
"Are you alright?" He tried to help her up, but she refused his touch.
"I thought I told you to butt out." She snapped.
"It's hard to do when the whole building could hear you arguing. Does he know our entire history?" Grissom kept his voice devoid of anger; though it was very difficult for him.
"We live together. He found my email folder that I keep with all of our correspondence in it. He read them all and forbid me to talk to you again. That was right before he deleted the folder." She leaned against the opposite wall and held her hand on her stomach.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you." She said quietly.
"It's alright. I knew it was him as soon as I mentioned your name. You can't go home with him. Promise me you won't." She finally allowed him to help her to sit down.
"I'll try. He always finds me." He sat down next to her.
"You need to know that it's no secret around here what he does to you. I heard it from a lab tech. It bothers me that she treats it like white noise. Are you going to press charges?" He asked.
"I'll think about it. Let's get back to work." He pulled her up and led her to the door.
As soon as the door opened, Sara was in her "safe spot" behind Grissom. She held his hand and clung to his shirt just as she had the two previous times she'd retreated behind him. John came in and attempted to manhandle her away from Grissom. When it was clear to John he wouldn't succeed he tried a different tactic.
"Sara, can I speak to you in private?"
"No."
"Why are you hiding behind him anyway? How old are you?" John said sarcastically.
"I'm twelve. Who are you?" Sara's voice had changed and Grissom knew she literally believed she was twelve years old again. He knew that John had heard the change too and interfered.
"John, take a walk and come back later. Don't argue, just do it." Grissom ordered. John was prepared to wait him out until he saw Sara's eyes peek around his shoulder. He saw very scared eyes looking at him. He left without another word. Grissom turned his head.
"He's gone now." Her grip loosened, but didn't release.
"Thank you. Can I stay with you?" She asked.
"Sure. Let's go." He led her back to his work station. She sat and listened to him while she watched him work.
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A/N: Things will change for our geeks. I told you it was angsty and it will be for another few chapters. I don't particularly like this much angst, but in this case, it's needed and it flows with the story. The reviews are awesome and I love them. I do pay attention to your questions, thoughts and observations because they help me to get better. Please, give me your thoughts and I will continue to share me twistedness with you. :) Have a great day! Kelly