Sorry, I am very busy at work, thus, the slowness in updates. I hope you like this despite it was 'Heather.' She plays a role in the later part of the story. Grissom's part is coming up soon. I am still thinking if I should let him suffer. I am thinking that I might bring Basderic into this story but I am still finding ways of letting him in because with him in, there will be angst.
Serenity
[ Chapter 6 ]
March 2013
Heather had always been a friend, an anchor to Grissom. Grissom, too, had always been more than a friend to her. They had a relationship that no one understood. Some judged and frowned upon their friendship, relationship. People who did not know them would feel that what they have was on a sexual level but people who knew that would know it was not. Sadly, there were not many who understood them. Most thought that they were connected on a sexually but they did not understand that what they had was a spiritual connection. They understood each other so well that just a small twitch of their eyes, they knew what they were thinking. They turned to each other when they needed guidance or help.
Grissom came to her five years ago when Warrick died and Sara took off again. When she opened the door, she knew something was wrong, was off with Grissom. He looked different. He was distraught, and drained, both physically and emotionally. She confirmed her fears when he spoke about the case. She knew that he did not need her inputs for that particular case. He needed her.
She put on an act, went through the case file with him, and pointed out blankly that all the answers he needed, he already knew. She started to steer the conversation towards Sara. She knew that Sara came back to Vegas for Warrick's funeral. She was standing outside the church watching Grissom delivered the eulogy. She walked away when he broke down in Sara's arms. Although, she badly wanted to go over and comfort him but she understood that it wasn't the right time and place. Sara was the one he needed at that very moment.
He swallowed hardly when she mentioned Sara and she realized that Sara left again. He told her about the 'set-me-free' video Sara sent while she was on Sea Shepard, visiting some exotic island.
He wanted to leave with her when she offered him the choice. He was tempted, very tempted to put everything behind him and be with her but he had responsibilities. The lab was in chaos, the team needed him and he needed to stay to ensure McKeen was convicted. He chose responsibilities over love. He said it was perhaps it was the speech he made that drove Sara away.
He did not know why he hinted that their relationship was in a state of stasis. Tears fell from his eyes when she asked him did he still love her. He obviously did. The distress and pains were clearly displayed on his face.
He broke down and cried. He looked so lost, like a kid who was separated from his mother in the crowded mall.
She encouraged him to leave, find Sara and to be with the love of his life.
He kept quiet and shrugged. "I don't know what to do about this." He said. His shoulders slouched, feeling defeated.
"You will know what to do when you got it all figured out," she smiled slightly, and patted his hands. "I hope," he said, in a small voice. She guided him to her spare bedroom and offered him a place to sleep. He accepted her offer and begged her to sleep beside him.
She complied and slept beside him. Their hands entwined together, as he slowly drifted off to a sleep.
He left the next morning, without waking her. He left her a note to say thanks and he finally knew what to do.
A few weeks later, she received a postcard from him. It was a postcard from Costa Rica, with a picture of Sara and he, in white clothing, attached. He wrote in the postcard that he finally had the courage to leave everything behind him. He went to find Sara, to surprise her. He proposed again, underneath the starry, starry skies.
Although he did not explicitly expressed his happiness, but the photo did. He was smiling from ear to ear and the gloom she seen a few weeks ago was all gone.
Since then, they kept in touch. She received a postcard monthly, detailing Sara and his trips. She too, also sent him picture of both Allison and her to him. They always updated each other's life.
She called when she caught hold of the new Sara came back without him. He sounded crushed, resigned when he answered the phone. He did not elaborate why and she did not press on. When he was ready to tell her, he would. She always believed in that. Instead, she listened to the encounters he had in Paris.
He flew to numerous places, to give guest lectures to some prestigious University . Eventually, he settled down with a research project in Peru. He sent her a postcard on Moche and told her about the diggings and mass graves.
Updates were not as frequent as in the times he was in other places. The internet connection was bad and posting of letter or postcard, he had to do it personally in the city.
Monthly postcards stretched to one in every two months and slowly, zero postcards from him.
Perhaps it was when Sara and Langston appeared before her doorstep for a case. She accidentally let slip that Grissom and she were keeping in contact. The feral jealousy in Sara's eyes told her that she crossed the line. Since then, she received lesser Grissom's postcards.
Sara had never accepted their friendship.
She could actually understand why. Grissom was an enigmatic person who micromanaged every aspect of his life. He did not allow people in than they were allowed to. Sara was a first but she took about five years and Nick's incident before Grissom fully allowed and welcomed her presence in his life.
She took it as a hint that Grissom wanted to minimize contact and she accepted his decision gracefully and wished Sara and him all the best.
She always thought that Grissom was happy and safe until that fateful call.
She almost did not want to pick up. The phone was ringing in the middle of the night and she was going to fall asleep after coaxing Allison to bed. She tried covering her ears with the pillows but the ringing did not cease. It kept ringing incessantly. When she walked down the stairs to pick it up, she almost wanted to sprout vulgarities and scold the person for disturbing her peaceful night.
But, the graveness in the voice that greeted her stopped her.
"Are you Miss Kessler Heather?" the person on the other end asked. The quality of the phone call wasn't great. She strained her ears to listen as much as she could.
"Yes," she answered slowly, a fear creeping into her heart.
"I'm calling from Lima International Hospital. You've been listed on Mr. Gil Grissom's second emergency contact. I would like to inform you that…"
Do leave a comment, letting me know how you think of it, so far. :)
