And So it Goes...part six

By: Manigault

Thank you for reading this and thank you for all comments.

I'm turning this chapter into both Grissom pov and Sara pov. My muse has pushed me into taking a direction that I've been wanting to test for awhile. It doesn't fall in line with the spoilers that I'm aware of, but I hope it works. Please enjoy.

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"Griss! You did return! How've you been?"

Turning at the greeting from Nick, Grissom held one hand palm up. "No hugs, Nick. I told you that I'd be back."

Standing beside Nick, Warrick gave the now blushing man a strange look. "Hugs? You're kidding, right?"

"I was kidding," replied Grissom, taking pity on the flustered Nick as he changed the direction of the conversation to one that he was really interested in. "You guys working on a case?"

Warrick shook his head in the negative. "It's a slow night."

Grissom shifted uneasily and looked around the hall. "So, the rest of the team?"

"Catherine and Keppler are working on a homicide. Greg's off tonight and I'm not sure where Sara is right now." Nick grimaced. "Actually, she's probably trying to convince Keppler and Catherine that they need her help going through evidence."

"It wouldn't hurt to pitch in and give each other a hand if it's a slow night." Grissom's tone was light as he spoke over his shoulder while walking briskly for his office. He wanted to search for Sara and let her know that he was back, but he didn't want to be too obvious.

Opening his office door, he stood there for a only a second before turning on his heel and heading back down the hallway. Screw obvious. He wanted to see Sara and let her know he was back.

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Adjusting her mask to cover her nose and mouth, Sara leaned inside the SUV and sprayed luminol over the floorboards. She was so absorbed in her work she was unaware of the man who was now leaning against the cars door frame, that is until he spoke, and then she jumped so fast her head rammed into the steering wheel.

"Ouch!" Sara rubbed the top of her head as she backed out of the car to face the owner of that unexpected voice.

"Honey? Are you okay?" Grissom reached forward to touch her head only to find empty air beneath his hand as Sara took several steps back.

"I didn't expect you today." Sara stared at him as if he were an hallucination. "In fact you're not supposed to back until next week."

"I was ready to come home and the lecture was already strung out as long as it could go." Grissom wondered why she was acting so distant and he took another step towards her when she shook her head.

"I'm working on a case right now, Grissom, and besides we're at work." Pulling the mask back into place, Sara turned away from him and bent back into the car to continue her search for evidence. She could feel his eyes boring into her back and instinctively felt the urge to turn and embrace him, reassure him that she was happy that he was back home. However, it was something stronger that prevented her from caving into this instinctive urge to comfort Grissom. She needed to protect herself from the hurt she felt when he left and the only way she knew to do that was to distance herself from him on a personal level.

Confusion settled behind Grissom's eyes as he lingered beside the car and watched Sara with a puzzled expression. He had expected something different from her when she saw him after weeks of separation. He knew she had been upset with him when he decided to leave but he was back now. Everything should have eased back into place when he returned, but it wasn't, and with sudden conviction he decided it was proabably something to do with location.

"We'll talk at home." Grissom said softly, not waiting for confirmation as he left the room. He didn't see the look on Sara's face or he would have known that conversation wouldn't be taking place anytime soon.

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Sara didn't see Grissom before shift was over and was grateful she wouldn't need to have any explanations at the ready, especially since it was something that she was struggling to grasp herself. Sitting in her hotel suite she closed her eyes and recalled her first image of the newly returned Grissom. He was so handsome and he was so confident that she would be thrilled with his return. This was the part that bugged her the most. Why wasn't she more excited at his return? She had missed him. She loved him.

It was something akin to fear that crept into her mind when she'd heard his voice tonight. It wasn't fear of him, but it was fear of not knowing what was going on inside his mind or knowing when he would leave her permanently. She needed to be in control of her emotions and not so completely wrapped up in the actions of another person, especially one that could have such a strong hold on her mental well being.

She knew that she should phone him and let him know that she wasn't ready to talk. Taking a deep breath she picked her cell phone up and prepared herself to hear his voice.

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Grissom tossed his cell phone on the coffee table and rubbed the back of his neck. She wasn't ready to talk to him and couldn't explain why she didn't want to come home. He couldn't understand what the problem was and why she felt this need to shut him out. She was his best friend. Looking around his home he experienced a panicky feeling at the thought of Sara never coming back to him. Is this the way she had felt when he left for Williams College?

Shaking his head, Grissom dimissed it as illogical thinking. Of course Sara knew that he was coming back after the seminar and only needed to get away from Vegas and the lab for awhile to refresh his mind. It had nothing to do with Sara and she realized that, right? Walking into the bedroom Grissom froze in the doorway and stared at the room. Something was wrong. Taking a step inside the room he felt his chest tighten as he recognized what was missing-everything that belonged to Sara was gone.

Opening the nightstand drawer on her side of the bed Grissom felt his knees weaken as he collapsed on the side of the bed and stared into the empty recesses with a feeling of complete dread. Why would she take every small momento that she kept in this drawer unless she had no plans on returning? He felt a sudden urge to search the rest of his townhome for some clue that she had lived there for the past nine months and many nights before that over the two years of their relationship. Relief swept through him when he found that many of her clothes remained in their closet along with a multitude of shoes. Going through the dresser drawers he found that much of her stuff was gone but enough remained to calm his nerves considerably.

Grissom spent the next few hours pacing the townhome and racking his brain over what had upset Sara so much that she felt the need to run and hide. What could have changed in a few short weeks?

Holding one of her favorite t-shirts he placed it on the bed and decided that he needed to get away from the townhome until this strange feeling of abandonment left him. It was without much thought he found himself heading back to the lab and to his office to sort through mail and get acquainted with the cases that had transpired while he had been gone.

There wasn't much mail to organize as Catherine had taken on the job with her usual efficiency and left the minimal letters that appeared to be addressed to him without connection to the lab. Grissom shook his head as he tossed the small pile of requests for his services in another stack and paused while reaching for another letter as his attention was suddenly riveted by something that caught the corner of his eye.

Standing abruptly, Grissom walked over to a brown box that was resting on a shelf catty-corner to his desk. Picking up the parcel he squinted as he read the return label and felt the blood drain from his face. The label read simply Miniature Crafts, Inc. and the package was addressed to Dr. Gilbert Grissom. Placing the box on his desk, Grissom phoned Brass and then spent the next ten minutes gathering his kit so that he could process what he strongly suspected to be another crime scene.

"You think this is another crime that has already been committed?" asked Brass who had joined him minutes before he began the process of opening the box. Grissom didn't look up and therefore failed to see that Brass was joined by Sophia and Catherine.

"We'll find out in a minute." Grissom lifted the lid of the box and found himself holding his breath.

"Well? Are you going to take it out?" Sophia's question drew Grissom's attention for a brief second before he looked back inside the box. A thin sheet of paper covered the top of the plastic container, effectively hiding the interior of the crime scene.

Taking a knife Grissom cut the edges so that the box would fall away on all four sides. Within seconds the miniature crime scene was revealed, quickly followed by a stunned gasp by Grissom who was frantically reaching for his cell phone.

"She's not answering." Grissom gripped his phone until his knuckles were white from the pressure.

"Who isn't answering Gil?" Catherine tried to catch his eyes that were swinging wildly around the room as a sinking feeling clutched her gut. She risked a look at the crime scene and shook her head. She didn't recognize the bedroom that was depicted. A queen size bed filled one section of the room and on this bed was a figure of a brunette with no obvious wounds. The bedspread was a deep burgandy with an almost feminine touch interwoven in the pattern that spread from it's center to each edge, meshing with the burgundy runner. On each side of the bed were night stands, each holding a sleek lamp with burgandy shades. Picture frames, the images too small to identify without a magnifying glass, stood on each small dresser. Other details blurred before Grissom's eyes as he struggled to arrange his mind in some manner of logic.

"It's not possible," Grissom mumbled almost to himself, "This was sent weeks ago before I left for Williams College and I was home only a few hours ago."

"Home? What are you talking about Gil?" Brass stepped forward to study the miniature crime scene. "Is this your bedroom?"

Nodding, Grissom locked eyes with Catherine and asked tersely, "Is she here yet Catherine? I need to find her right away."

"She called earlier and left a message that she wasn't coming in tonight." Catherine gave him a tight smile of reassurance. "I'll call Bernie and have him check her room. I think that she needs to come in right away if you are sure this is what you are thinking it is."

Brass looked from Grissom to Catherine and finally growled out a protest. "Would you stop with the riddles, people? I'm feeling a bit out in left field here and I don't like what my suspicions are starting to suggest."

"Where is she? What room Catherine?" Grissom didn't feel like waiting for Sara to come into the lab. He needed to see her immediately and felt a protective urge to not let her leave her hotel room without him.

Catherine sent Brass an apologetic smile as she told Grissom, "I'll drive. Let's go."

Grissom's legs felt numb and he had no idea how he managed to take one step in front of the other, but he made it to the door of his office.

"Gil? Are you going to share with the rest of us?" Brass shook his head as Grissom, followed closely by Catherine, disappeared from sight. Turning to Sophia he exchanged curious looks with the younger officer and then felt the need to add quickly. "We need to keep a lid on this for the present, understand? At least until I speak with Gil and decide how to proceed."

"Apparently it's his home." Sophia walked over to the desk and bent over the model to study the details more throughly. "Fascinating. I never guessed that they would have the courage to step over that line."

"Sophia." Brass's warning tone didn't stop the woman from examining the crime scene. "We don't know who that is or what this implies. Remember that."

A smirk settled on Sophia's face as she nodded to Brass that she understood--she understood too well.

TBC

Note: Okay, please let me know what you think and if you like the direction this is taking. So funny how I started this story with one intention and it morphed into something else entirely.