And So it Goes

By: Manigault

Note: Thanks to everyone reading this story and for those who made comments...double thanks.

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Warrick stood over the model, his mind processing while his eyes swept over the details before meeting Sara's troubled gaze.

"This was supposed to be over. Was this sent before Dell shot himself?" Although Warrick spoke directly to Sara, his question was directed towards the room in general.

Brass offered the only information that they had on the time frame of the delivery of the package. "We know that someone brought it after Gil left for vacation."

"It wasn't a vacation." Grissom interjected with a quick glance towards Sara. "The box wasn't here the day I left and since that was several weeks ago it's going to be harder to trace the person that brought it here."

"I'm working on it. The front desk has no record of the delivery and I have Archie going through tapes of the past few weeks to see who came in the front door." Brass glanced around the room at the concerned expressions.

Greg, who hadn't spoken since entering the office, now stood beside Warrick and shook his head in dismay. "How long have you two been together?"

"We're not together." Sara protested without much conviction. "Grissom has been gone for weeks now."

"I'm standing right here and it's news to me that we're no longer together." Grissom couldn't keep the exasperation or hurt from his voice as he turned to face Sara who kept her profile to him and her eyes focused on the model.

Sara felt his stare and the curious looks of their co-workers as she finally looked up and turned to face him. "This isn't the time for this discussion, Grissom, we need to go to the townhome and process any evidence."

Clearing his throat, Brass offered to drive them to the townhome and suggested that the sooner they started out the better. He didn't add that the tension between Grissom and Sara was so thick he felt his own chest constricting from the overload of emotions. Greg was about to ask his prior question when the door burst open and Nick jogged into the room.

"I've just heard the craziest rumors. You've got to hear this one..." Nick's smile faded as he took in the occupants of Grissom's office.

Warrick and Greg stepped back from the desk as Nick approached offering a full view of the model that was the talk of the lab. Nick stared at the model before demanding answers.

"You know as much as we do, Nick, but there is no way we're going to let someone harm Sara." Warrick spoke with such assurance, but it did nothing to help Grissom's peace of mind.

"It's important that Sara is not out of our sights until this bastard is caught." Grissom scowled at the model and felt a sudden urge to smash it into small pieces. The feeling was strange to him and he felt himself moving away from his desk so he wouldn't give into the impulse and ruin what small bit of evidence they did have.

His movement wasn't lost on Sara who was trying to keep herself from moving around the desk to comfort him and let him know that she had no plans on allowing someone to take her life. She valued it too much even though she was in some kind of funk that was like wading through a swamp in high heels.

Sara was surprised when Grissom didn't argue with her as they each filed out of the office to head to the townhome, his only insistence that she ride with him. Greg, who made it known that he was assigning himself as her personal bodyguard, insisted that he was riding with them as he trailed along behind Sara. Casting an appreciative look in the younger mans direction, Grissom was silently thankful that Sara had loyal friends and only hoped it was enough to keep her safe.

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Grissom turned the key in the front door of his townhome and stepped inside as a beeping sound shattered the silence. Without thinking, Sara reached up and punched in the code to turn off the alarm, effectively silencing the warning beeps.

"The place should be secure since you had your alarm on, but I'll do a quick walk through to be positve." Brass pulled his gun out as he moved away from the investigators who were now crowded inside the townhomes foyer.

Warrick nodded towards the alarm system. "How long have you had that?"

Grissom followed his line of thought and grimaced as realization struck him. "I often forget to turn it on. I must have left it off one day, allowing this person access."

"You couldn't know." Sara felt compelled to reassure him of this even while shooting him an annoyed look. It was true that he could be forgetful, but in his defense she was the one that had insisted they use the alarm system when she had moved in. She wasn't even sure why it had become so important to her but somewhere along the line she felt more secure knowing it was there and was determined to take advantage of it.

"It's not okay. We had an agreement and I failed."

When Sara had agreed to move in with him he had assured her that he would turn the alarm on whenever he left.

"All clear." Brass informed them as he replaced his gun and walked back into the den unaware of the uncomfortable silence that had swept the small group.

Nick was the first to hold up his kit and nod towards the hallway. "You want me and Warrick to process the bedroom?"

If anything, the atmosphere grew more uncomfortable as Sara locked her arms at the elbows and Grissom shook his head. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea. The man wouldn't leave prints and most likely took numerous photographs."

"I know that he opened at least one drawer." Sara unfolded her arms and moved slowly towards the bedroom as she cast a glance in Nick's direction. "You can process the handles on the drawers. You never can tell how careless a perpetrator can be."

"This place has changed dramatically, Gil." Catherine drew his attention as he was taking a step to follow after Sara. Touching his arm, she suggested in a low voice that he give Sara a little space.

"She's had over a month." Grissom grumbled as he shrugged off her arm and moved towards the bedroom.

"And whose fault is that?" Catherine shot back before he'd taken four steps.

"Mine, Catherine, it's all mine."

Grissom paused in the doorway where Nick was already busy dusting the handles on the dresser drawers. Sara had put on gloves and was about to help Nick process when Grissom spoke much more sharply than he intended.

"You can't process this, Sara." Catching her eyes as her head snapped up at his words, he added with a softer tone. "It could compromise the case we're building against this person."

Sara knew that he was right, but it stung. She moved away from Nick, unwittlingly stopping beside the bed as Grissom's eyes widened. Without seeing Girssom's reaction she sat on the edge of the bed and felt herself jump as he barked for her not to sit there.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Sara, noticing that Nick had stopped processing to glare over at Grissom.

Clearing his throat, Grissom waved a hand towards the bed. "That's where the figure of you was placed."

Scrambling off the bed, Sara looked at the spot she had been sitting and realized that he was right. Weird. It was much too strange for her to take in as images of past mini crime scenes and the victims placed in the exact positions came to mind. Risking a glance over at Grissom she noticed that his eyes had a glazed over look as he stared at the bed where she had been sitting only seconds before. How would she feel if the figure had been intended to represent Grissom?

Taking a deep breath she glanced over at Nick, who had returned to his task, and then moved over to stand in front of Grissom. "I'm okay, Griss. You need to put that image out of your mind. It's not going to happen."

"I need to throw that bedspread away." Grissom's eyes altered from glazed to wild as he scanned the room. "It's time to remodel this whole bedroom."

"If that's what you want, Grissom, then when this is over we'll do that."

If Grissom heard her statement he gave no sign as he walked quickly over to the bed and reached out to grab the bedspread. Pulling it from the bed, he flung the material to the floor along with the sheets, then found himself staring at the stripped bed with little satisfaction. Sara made no move to admonish his actions and hoped that Nick would keep his silence on this uncharacteristic reaction from Grissom. With a look into the hallway, Sara couldn't see the other team members and when she turned back to the room she found that Nick was standing inches from her face.

"I'm finished processing the drawers, Sara, so I think that I'll go check on Warrick and Greg." Lowering his voice even more than he was already speaking, Nick said with assurance. "I won't say anything, don't worry. You know what Sara?" Nick didn't wait for a response but added, "I don't blame Grissom for reacting strongly and I would be disappointed if he didn't."

Left alone in the bedroom she had shared with Grissom, Sara eyed the tangle of bedspread and sheets before quietly approaching him and pressing her head against the middle of his back. She felt the muscles along his spine ripple from her touch and knew that she was a goner. She couldn't walk away from Grissom anymore than she could stop breathing.

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After closing the door on his way out of the bedroom, Nick walked into the den to discover the rest of the team sitting on the sofa discussing the possibilities of how the perpetrator had gained entry and how he knew the habits of the past victims.

"Did we ever check for small hidden cameras?" asked Greg.

"Hidden cameras. Like spy stuff?" Warrick shook his head.

"Why not? You know with todays technology you can hide a camera in anything as simple as a book. It's pretty cool." Greg looked over at Nick to give him some support.

"More like scary." Catherine shivered with her statement, but she thought it was plausible.

"It's possible. We can get some equipment and sweep the rooms. Jim?" Nick looked over at Brass who was already on his feet and pulling out his radio.

"It makes sense and it also tells me that this lunatic is possibly watching us as we speak. He knows our every move if what Greg suspects is true." Brass requested some equipment be brought to Grissom's townhome and released the button before turning back to the room. "We can search everything while we wait. Radios. Clocks. These things can be hidden anywhere, like Greg said."

"Oh, shit." Warrick rubbed his jaw wondering how many times that sentiment was springing to his lips today. This was too much and way too unnerving. "We should warn Grissom about the possibility of cameras in the bedroom."

"Give them a minute." Nick suggested with a quick glance towards the door. "If our perpetrator is watching then he's already seen enough to know that we're on to him."

"He knew that when he sent the package to Grissom." Warrick stood up and moved to the stereo. "I'll start with this."

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"We bought that bedspread after you moved in so that means this person invaded our home in the past year and that points to the fact that I'm the one that didn't turn on the alarm system."

Sara felt his words vibrate against her face as she moved her hands up his arms and then slowly turned him around until he was facing her as her chin now pressed against his sternum and she was looking up into his eyes.

"I don't blame you Griss, not for that."

Bringing his hands up to touch her cheek, Grissom said hollowly, "But you do blame me for going to Williams College."

"You didn't discuss that decision with me. It was almost as though we had taken a leap backwards in our relationship and you were oblivious."

"I'm sorry." Grissom leaned down and brushed his lips over her forehead. "I'm sorry for not discussing it with you and I'm sorry for ever leaving you in the first place."

Pushing gently away from him, Sara shook her head with a touch of sadness. "It's not that simple, Grissom. I waited years for you. I moved to Vegas and built my world around you. A smile. A comment. That look you would sometimes get in your eyes when you opened up to me. I gave myself to you completely and you didn't trust me enough to include me in your decision."

Sara couldn't believe they were having this conversation. Not now of all times. Not when they were being targeted by a seriel killer and their whole team was in the next room.

"We need to join the rest of the team." Sara said after several uncomfortable seconds elapsed.

"I'd like to discuss this now."

Sara was already moving towards the door as she spoke. "Later, Grissom, we'll talk later."

TBC