Title Pending by Jess
Author's Notes: Holy geez, I love every single one of you who reviewed the story so far (especially the ones from Chapter 9)!! I'm always so nervous when I check the reviews and then I see them and it's such a good feeling. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your days to write me a few words. Again, this story has some suck-potential coming at you since the plan has been tossed into the trash. But I wanna get to the good stuff so I shall go on, dumb chapters and all. :) Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
Feedback: Always welcome.
Chapter Ten: Mornings
Sara groaned when her eyelids lifted slightly, just slightly, and sunlight penetrated her sensitive eyes. She shut her eyes and rolled onto her stomach. She tossed her right arm over to the left side of the bed. Feeling the cool sheets beneath her palm and fingertips, she raised her head and dared to open the eyes. The bedroom was empty. To her left, the alarm clock read 12:51.
She sat up and stretched. Her night off had involved cleaning her home and, due to her inability to sleep, driving to his home to crash on his couch. She vaguely remembered being carried upstairs. Other than that, her mind went blank. She looked down and smiled. Her shoes were resting next to the bed, as was her jacket and her jeans. She was still in her red tank top and a pair of his sweatpants donned her legs.
She headed for the stairs and smiled. Mornings with Grissom were usually the same but the novelty refused to wear off. He made coffee, she fixed breakfast, they stretched out on the couch with the newspaper, and they relaxed. It was nice and it was comforting. It was a new routine she was quickly becoming very used to.
The first morning had been two weeks ago. She remembered it clearly. They had spent the majority of the morning (or afternoon, since their work hours caused them to sleep through the morning) in bed, fooling around. Reluctantly, their stomachs forced them to go to the kitchen. He had made a pot of coffee, she had made pancakes. And so the ritual began.
The stairs creaked as she treaded down the stairs. She heard the soft strains of Beethoven in the background. "Moonlight Sonata." She had learned to play that in her childhood. A swarm of youthful memories swept over her as she hit the first floor. She turned the corner and new memories flew through her head. He was sitting at the dining room table, his back to her. His bearing didn't change as if he hadn't heard her approaching at all.
She stood behind him and leaned over, running her hands over his chest. He didn't jump or flinch; he leaned his head back slightly and asked, "Did you have a good sleep?"
She nodded and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Did you?"
"Yes." He rested his reading glasses on the table and turned to face her. "I had a nice surprise when I came home this morning."
She grinned and moved to sit on his lap. "I thought you'd like it." She picked up his coffee mug and took a sip of the tepid liquid. "Actually, I couldn't sleep at my place." She made a face and rested the mug on the table. "It's cold."
"It was made an hour ago."
"How come you're up?" She ran her hand down his arm to his left hand and played the masterpiece on his knuckles.
"I couldn't sleep."
"Are you going to help move Emily into Greg's apartment?"
Grissom shook his head and said, "I have an appointment at three. And Jim and I were going to meet for lunch."
"You cheating on me?"
"I'd never think of it," he replied. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. She kissed him back and swung her leg over his lap, straddling him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. She loved mornings with Grissom.
After tearing herself away from Grissom, she showered and changed into her jeans from the night before and a shirt she had left at his apartment a few days before. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and asked, "Are you sure you can't come help?"
Grissom turned away from his Laptop and nodded. "I think you kids will have more fun by yourselves, anyway."
Sara wrinkled her nose. "You're not old, Gil."
He offered an amused smile and stood. He approached the front door and said, "Go. Have fun with Emily and Greg."
"And Nick and Warrick."
Grissom nodded. "Them, too. Just don't skip work." He pulled Sara against him and kissed her. "Any of you."
"We'll be there," she grinned. She kissed him back and turned to leave. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. She gave him a funny look and asked, "What?"
He held her tight against him and whispered against her ear, "Happy Valentine's Day, Sara."
Sara was taken slightly aback. The date had slipped her mind. She hadn't planned on celebrating it since the fact of the matter was she had been unattached until very recently. She smiled, one of her smiles that Grissom only received when no one else was looking, and kissed him gently. "Happy Valentine's Day, Gil."
He released her as soon as she spoke the words and said, "Go. But I'll be at your place at five to get you."
"Attire?" Her voice held the twinge of hope for a nice date to an extremely nice restaurant.
"Nice."
She rolled her eyes at his vague words and headed down the front walk. Despite his teasing, a smile clung to her lips. The drive to Greg's apartment was somewhat short. She arrived to find Nick and Greg moving a stereo system out of Greg's Jeep. She parked a few spots down and walked up to the Jeep.
Nick nodded at Sara and said, "Hey. Wanna help?"
She smiled sarcastically. "That's why I'm here." She grabbed a speaker and asked, "Where's Emily?"
"Getting a key from the front office," Greg grunted as he picked up a box. The three walked up the stairs to Greg's second floor apartment. His apartment was nice, one of the best finds between all of them. The floor was hardwood, the rooms were spacious, the windows were big, and the bathrooms were connected to the bedrooms.
Nick turned his head to Sara as they stepped into the apartment. "Greg moved all of his stuff out of his bedroom so she could have the big one."
Sara smiled at Greg. "Really?"
"Shut up," Greg frowned. "She doesn't know."
Sara noticed four pairs of keys and three wallets sitting on the table near the door. She set her keys next to the pile and asked, "Is Warrick here?"
"He's walking Tuesday around... somewhere."
Sara walked into Greg's old bedroom. There was the bed frame that came with the apartment in the middle of the room. Emily's mattress was resting haphazardly on top of it. Two garbage bags and a suitcase were against the left wall. To the right sat the bureau that came with the apartment; small boxes and two makeup bags rested on it. A midnight blue backpack slumped against the side of the dresser. Further down the right wall was the door to the bathroom. It was empty and clean. The entire room smelled clean.
Sara set the speaker on the floor and made room for Nick to put the stereo down. Greg slipped past them with the box and commented, "You know, I really expected her to bring more stuff. You know, an entire wardrobe and fifty pairs of shoes. Stuff like that."
"Well, she'll only be here for another two months," Nick pointed out. "She doesn't need her life."
Greg became quiet. He stood with the two for a moment before exiting the room. Sara looked out the window and said, "I'm glad this worked out for both of them."
Nick nodded in agreement. He held out his arm and said, "C'mon. There are only a few more boxes." She smiled and walked up to him. He put his arm around her shoulders and teased, "You missed moving the couch." She just smiled and walked outside with him.
Thirteen minutes later, all of Emily's belongings were in her new bedroom. Nick grabbed his things and left, claiming he had a big date to get ready for. Warrick came back with Tuesday and said his goodbyes as well.
Emily came back to the apartment and sighed. "It took me twenty minutes to convince him that I really was living here now and then ten minutes for me to get him to give me a-" She stopped and frowned. Her hands found their places on her hips and she exclaimed, "Greg! I told you not to unpack anything. I was going to help!"
Sara looked over at Greg, who was nursing a glass of water, and smiled at his tiny grin. The solitary man in the room shrugged and said, "We just wanted to help."
Emily smiled at him and looked over at Sara. "Thanks, Sara."
"No problem." Sara raised her eyebrows and said, "Well, I gotta go. Have a good day."
Greg smirked and said, "Have fun with Grissom before work."
Emily twisted her head to the left to look at Greg. She raised her eyebrows and then looked back at Sara. Sara rolled her eyes and said, "Bye, Emily." She left the apartment. Emily shut the door quietly and then rushed back to the kitchen.
"Grissom and Sara?"
Greg gave her a funny look. "You didn't know?" He grabbed a glass and asked, "What do you want?"
"Water, please. No, I didn't know. Since when?"
Greg filled the glass and handed it to her. "Uh, maybe two weeks, three? I'm not sure. I don't get all the details."
Emily wrinkled her nose. "I can't see it."
"When you see them together, you'll see it." Greg cleared his throat and asked, "You want some help putting things away?"
Emily studied his face for a moment. She nodded then and smiled. She turned around and led the way to her new bedroom. For the first time since the development of she and Greg rooming together, she felt one hundred percent certain that nothing bad could come of it.
Across town, Sara was busy planning what she would wear as she drove to her apartment. Whatever she chose, it needed to be nice enough for dinner and sensible enough for a night at work. She took a left turn across traffic, forgetting her blinker in her clothing dilemma, and tapped her left leg with her fingers. She didn't have the slightest idea.
In her apartment, Sara narrowed it down to three outfits. It was a three-way tie between a black, knee-length skirt and a maroon tank top; black slacks and a crimson, ribbed shirt; and the outfit she had worn on her first date with Grissom. She was partial to the latter choice. She laid them out on the chair in her bedroom and set her alarm for 3:20. She needed some rest before logging in another night at work.
Sleep came surprisingly easy. Sara awoke refreshed and ready for her date with Grissom. She took an extra long bath, taking special attention to make sure her legs were the smoothest they could be. Grissom had mentioned to her that he thought she had cute feet. So after the bath, she decided on wearing her black strappy heels and she painted her toenails a dark red color. She put lotion on her legs and arms. She blow-dried her hair and used a curling iron to curl up the ends. She put on makeup, a task she usually skipped, but decided it necessary on Valentine's Day.
She was ready at four fifty-three. She picked a piece of lint off of her black sweater coat. She smacked her lips a few times before deciding to grab a pair of dark silver pants from her bedroom so she could work at a crime scene and not worry about the others at the scene seeing things they shouldn't be seeing.
There was a knock on the door and she opened it up. Grissom was wearing the suit he had worn to the chief's funeral. It was a sad memory for her to place his attire with, but he looked good in it. She reached up and grabbed the lapels of the jacket. She pulled him forward and kissed him lightly. She smiled at his silly grin and asked, "Where are you taking me?"
He proceeded to take her to Chez Martine, a fancy restaurant in the lobby of one of the hotels on the Strip. They spent the entire dinner whispering close together, giggling about the other people in the restaurant, talking about their friends, and not mentioning work at all.
It was 7:16 when they were done with dinner. Sara pointed out to Grissom as they got to the car that they were late for work.
"It's okay," Grissom said. He kissed her cheek and said, "I'll talk to your boss." He shut her door and went to the driver's side. The drive to the police department was short. Sara rested her hand gently on his lower thigh the entire ride. She watched the scenery go by, just enjoying the moment. St. Valentine's Day passed by sans any crimes. The team spent the night catching up on paperwork and exchanging nightmare Valentine's Day stories of the past in the break room. The morning sun came quickly. It brought in the day team and ushered the night crew out.
In the parking lot, Grissom and Sara said goodbye to Nick, Warrick, Catherine, Emily, and Greg. Sara didn't speak as Grissom drove her back to her apartment. He parked in the spot next to her Tahoe. She took his hand and brought him up to her apartment. Inside, she stopped by the large bay window in the living room. She gently chewed on her lower lip as she watched the sun hanging above the horizon. She felt him behind her and she brushed his leg with her hand. She smiled at the world outside and then at him.
Yes, she did love mornings.
So what was originally supposed to be all about Greg and Emily and the new apartment thing turned out to be about Sara and Grissom. Oh well, what can you do? I hope you enjoyed it (I'll know if you enjoyed it if you review!) and I'll try to update as soon as I possibly can. :)
Author's Notes: Holy geez, I love every single one of you who reviewed the story so far (especially the ones from Chapter 9)!! I'm always so nervous when I check the reviews and then I see them and it's such a good feeling. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your days to write me a few words. Again, this story has some suck-potential coming at you since the plan has been tossed into the trash. But I wanna get to the good stuff so I shall go on, dumb chapters and all. :) Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
Feedback: Always welcome.
Chapter Ten: Mornings
Sara groaned when her eyelids lifted slightly, just slightly, and sunlight penetrated her sensitive eyes. She shut her eyes and rolled onto her stomach. She tossed her right arm over to the left side of the bed. Feeling the cool sheets beneath her palm and fingertips, she raised her head and dared to open the eyes. The bedroom was empty. To her left, the alarm clock read 12:51.
She sat up and stretched. Her night off had involved cleaning her home and, due to her inability to sleep, driving to his home to crash on his couch. She vaguely remembered being carried upstairs. Other than that, her mind went blank. She looked down and smiled. Her shoes were resting next to the bed, as was her jacket and her jeans. She was still in her red tank top and a pair of his sweatpants donned her legs.
She headed for the stairs and smiled. Mornings with Grissom were usually the same but the novelty refused to wear off. He made coffee, she fixed breakfast, they stretched out on the couch with the newspaper, and they relaxed. It was nice and it was comforting. It was a new routine she was quickly becoming very used to.
The first morning had been two weeks ago. She remembered it clearly. They had spent the majority of the morning (or afternoon, since their work hours caused them to sleep through the morning) in bed, fooling around. Reluctantly, their stomachs forced them to go to the kitchen. He had made a pot of coffee, she had made pancakes. And so the ritual began.
The stairs creaked as she treaded down the stairs. She heard the soft strains of Beethoven in the background. "Moonlight Sonata." She had learned to play that in her childhood. A swarm of youthful memories swept over her as she hit the first floor. She turned the corner and new memories flew through her head. He was sitting at the dining room table, his back to her. His bearing didn't change as if he hadn't heard her approaching at all.
She stood behind him and leaned over, running her hands over his chest. He didn't jump or flinch; he leaned his head back slightly and asked, "Did you have a good sleep?"
She nodded and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Did you?"
"Yes." He rested his reading glasses on the table and turned to face her. "I had a nice surprise when I came home this morning."
She grinned and moved to sit on his lap. "I thought you'd like it." She picked up his coffee mug and took a sip of the tepid liquid. "Actually, I couldn't sleep at my place." She made a face and rested the mug on the table. "It's cold."
"It was made an hour ago."
"How come you're up?" She ran her hand down his arm to his left hand and played the masterpiece on his knuckles.
"I couldn't sleep."
"Are you going to help move Emily into Greg's apartment?"
Grissom shook his head and said, "I have an appointment at three. And Jim and I were going to meet for lunch."
"You cheating on me?"
"I'd never think of it," he replied. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. She kissed him back and swung her leg over his lap, straddling him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. She loved mornings with Grissom.
After tearing herself away from Grissom, she showered and changed into her jeans from the night before and a shirt she had left at his apartment a few days before. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and asked, "Are you sure you can't come help?"
Grissom turned away from his Laptop and nodded. "I think you kids will have more fun by yourselves, anyway."
Sara wrinkled her nose. "You're not old, Gil."
He offered an amused smile and stood. He approached the front door and said, "Go. Have fun with Emily and Greg."
"And Nick and Warrick."
Grissom nodded. "Them, too. Just don't skip work." He pulled Sara against him and kissed her. "Any of you."
"We'll be there," she grinned. She kissed him back and turned to leave. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. She gave him a funny look and asked, "What?"
He held her tight against him and whispered against her ear, "Happy Valentine's Day, Sara."
Sara was taken slightly aback. The date had slipped her mind. She hadn't planned on celebrating it since the fact of the matter was she had been unattached until very recently. She smiled, one of her smiles that Grissom only received when no one else was looking, and kissed him gently. "Happy Valentine's Day, Gil."
He released her as soon as she spoke the words and said, "Go. But I'll be at your place at five to get you."
"Attire?" Her voice held the twinge of hope for a nice date to an extremely nice restaurant.
"Nice."
She rolled her eyes at his vague words and headed down the front walk. Despite his teasing, a smile clung to her lips. The drive to Greg's apartment was somewhat short. She arrived to find Nick and Greg moving a stereo system out of Greg's Jeep. She parked a few spots down and walked up to the Jeep.
Nick nodded at Sara and said, "Hey. Wanna help?"
She smiled sarcastically. "That's why I'm here." She grabbed a speaker and asked, "Where's Emily?"
"Getting a key from the front office," Greg grunted as he picked up a box. The three walked up the stairs to Greg's second floor apartment. His apartment was nice, one of the best finds between all of them. The floor was hardwood, the rooms were spacious, the windows were big, and the bathrooms were connected to the bedrooms.
Nick turned his head to Sara as they stepped into the apartment. "Greg moved all of his stuff out of his bedroom so she could have the big one."
Sara smiled at Greg. "Really?"
"Shut up," Greg frowned. "She doesn't know."
Sara noticed four pairs of keys and three wallets sitting on the table near the door. She set her keys next to the pile and asked, "Is Warrick here?"
"He's walking Tuesday around... somewhere."
Sara walked into Greg's old bedroom. There was the bed frame that came with the apartment in the middle of the room. Emily's mattress was resting haphazardly on top of it. Two garbage bags and a suitcase were against the left wall. To the right sat the bureau that came with the apartment; small boxes and two makeup bags rested on it. A midnight blue backpack slumped against the side of the dresser. Further down the right wall was the door to the bathroom. It was empty and clean. The entire room smelled clean.
Sara set the speaker on the floor and made room for Nick to put the stereo down. Greg slipped past them with the box and commented, "You know, I really expected her to bring more stuff. You know, an entire wardrobe and fifty pairs of shoes. Stuff like that."
"Well, she'll only be here for another two months," Nick pointed out. "She doesn't need her life."
Greg became quiet. He stood with the two for a moment before exiting the room. Sara looked out the window and said, "I'm glad this worked out for both of them."
Nick nodded in agreement. He held out his arm and said, "C'mon. There are only a few more boxes." She smiled and walked up to him. He put his arm around her shoulders and teased, "You missed moving the couch." She just smiled and walked outside with him.
Thirteen minutes later, all of Emily's belongings were in her new bedroom. Nick grabbed his things and left, claiming he had a big date to get ready for. Warrick came back with Tuesday and said his goodbyes as well.
Emily came back to the apartment and sighed. "It took me twenty minutes to convince him that I really was living here now and then ten minutes for me to get him to give me a-" She stopped and frowned. Her hands found their places on her hips and she exclaimed, "Greg! I told you not to unpack anything. I was going to help!"
Sara looked over at Greg, who was nursing a glass of water, and smiled at his tiny grin. The solitary man in the room shrugged and said, "We just wanted to help."
Emily smiled at him and looked over at Sara. "Thanks, Sara."
"No problem." Sara raised her eyebrows and said, "Well, I gotta go. Have a good day."
Greg smirked and said, "Have fun with Grissom before work."
Emily twisted her head to the left to look at Greg. She raised her eyebrows and then looked back at Sara. Sara rolled her eyes and said, "Bye, Emily." She left the apartment. Emily shut the door quietly and then rushed back to the kitchen.
"Grissom and Sara?"
Greg gave her a funny look. "You didn't know?" He grabbed a glass and asked, "What do you want?"
"Water, please. No, I didn't know. Since when?"
Greg filled the glass and handed it to her. "Uh, maybe two weeks, three? I'm not sure. I don't get all the details."
Emily wrinkled her nose. "I can't see it."
"When you see them together, you'll see it." Greg cleared his throat and asked, "You want some help putting things away?"
Emily studied his face for a moment. She nodded then and smiled. She turned around and led the way to her new bedroom. For the first time since the development of she and Greg rooming together, she felt one hundred percent certain that nothing bad could come of it.
Across town, Sara was busy planning what she would wear as she drove to her apartment. Whatever she chose, it needed to be nice enough for dinner and sensible enough for a night at work. She took a left turn across traffic, forgetting her blinker in her clothing dilemma, and tapped her left leg with her fingers. She didn't have the slightest idea.
In her apartment, Sara narrowed it down to three outfits. It was a three-way tie between a black, knee-length skirt and a maroon tank top; black slacks and a crimson, ribbed shirt; and the outfit she had worn on her first date with Grissom. She was partial to the latter choice. She laid them out on the chair in her bedroom and set her alarm for 3:20. She needed some rest before logging in another night at work.
Sleep came surprisingly easy. Sara awoke refreshed and ready for her date with Grissom. She took an extra long bath, taking special attention to make sure her legs were the smoothest they could be. Grissom had mentioned to her that he thought she had cute feet. So after the bath, she decided on wearing her black strappy heels and she painted her toenails a dark red color. She put lotion on her legs and arms. She blow-dried her hair and used a curling iron to curl up the ends. She put on makeup, a task she usually skipped, but decided it necessary on Valentine's Day.
She was ready at four fifty-three. She picked a piece of lint off of her black sweater coat. She smacked her lips a few times before deciding to grab a pair of dark silver pants from her bedroom so she could work at a crime scene and not worry about the others at the scene seeing things they shouldn't be seeing.
There was a knock on the door and she opened it up. Grissom was wearing the suit he had worn to the chief's funeral. It was a sad memory for her to place his attire with, but he looked good in it. She reached up and grabbed the lapels of the jacket. She pulled him forward and kissed him lightly. She smiled at his silly grin and asked, "Where are you taking me?"
He proceeded to take her to Chez Martine, a fancy restaurant in the lobby of one of the hotels on the Strip. They spent the entire dinner whispering close together, giggling about the other people in the restaurant, talking about their friends, and not mentioning work at all.
It was 7:16 when they were done with dinner. Sara pointed out to Grissom as they got to the car that they were late for work.
"It's okay," Grissom said. He kissed her cheek and said, "I'll talk to your boss." He shut her door and went to the driver's side. The drive to the police department was short. Sara rested her hand gently on his lower thigh the entire ride. She watched the scenery go by, just enjoying the moment. St. Valentine's Day passed by sans any crimes. The team spent the night catching up on paperwork and exchanging nightmare Valentine's Day stories of the past in the break room. The morning sun came quickly. It brought in the day team and ushered the night crew out.
In the parking lot, Grissom and Sara said goodbye to Nick, Warrick, Catherine, Emily, and Greg. Sara didn't speak as Grissom drove her back to her apartment. He parked in the spot next to her Tahoe. She took his hand and brought him up to her apartment. Inside, she stopped by the large bay window in the living room. She gently chewed on her lower lip as she watched the sun hanging above the horizon. She felt him behind her and she brushed his leg with her hand. She smiled at the world outside and then at him.
Yes, she did love mornings.
So what was originally supposed to be all about Greg and Emily and the new apartment thing turned out to be about Sara and Grissom. Oh well, what can you do? I hope you enjoyed it (I'll know if you enjoyed it if you review!) and I'll try to update as soon as I possibly can. :)