Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, I wouldn't have to keep writing these.
Sara Sidle had never been a woman who gave into anything. Apologising out of guilt was not the sort of thing she enjoyed doing. So she even surprised herself the following morning when she marched down the hallway towards Grissom's office with every intention of putting things right between them, even if it did mean a lot of grovelling.
As she expected, Grissom was sat in his office writing notes on something. The determined streak in Sara chose not to knock but to simply enter the room unannounced.
Grissom was rather surprised to see her. He presumed that by leaving her alone last night she would automatically channel years worth of anger she had for him refusing to advance to her feelings for him, and therefore would want to spend as much time as possible away from him. He had been wrong. It was not often that Gil Grissom was wrong.
"Last night", Sara said, getting straight to the point like she had forced herself to do "that was really stupid of me and I'm sorry".
"Okay", Gil responded. He had wanted to say so much more but all the things that stopped him being with Sara in the first place also stopped the words from leaving his mouth.
She nodded calmly, hoping that maybe he would say something else, something that would remind her of why she was so in love with him in the first place. Love? She had always denied herself of even thinking of that word to describe her feelings for Grissom. Today she was completely sure that it was the only word that really made things clear to her.
She was about to turn her back on the only thing she wanted right now. The only thing she get out of bed on a morning to see, and she was about to do it because she couldn't stand to watch this one-sided love tear her and Grissom apart. She would only end up hurting herself and maybe even Grissom. He had been right; walking away now, as friends was the best thing for them both to do. No amount of love, or pain, or passion would ever change that.
"I want you to know", she said, her voice wobbly "that I will never regard anything you say or do to me as any sort of romantic interest. Our relationship is strictly professional from now on".
"I…" Grissom's heart was beating faster in his chest, pleading with him to make the right decision, to tell her how much he really cared about her, how much he really wanted her. His mind flooded with memories of the night before; how she was so needy for him to stay with her, and the way she tasted…
She was so beautiful and special, how could he let her walk away now? After everything, all that passion flowing between them that he had, before now, chosen to ignore. He did not want to do this, and he knew by the look on her face she really needed him to stop her. But yet the words would not come.
"I think you're making a wise decision, Miss Sidle, one that in the long-run will benefit us both."
Sara felt shocked by his words. But had she really expected him to open up to her now, after all this time? The only thing she had ever gained from the man was sorrow and pain. Yet she could almost feel his eyes follow her as she left the room, watching his last real chance of happiness walk away.