Disclaimer: is in chapter 1.

RATING MMMMMMM! Mostly for the previous chapters. That said - there will probably be further reason for it later.

This chapter is a little longer than the last.

This is not beta'd as you can probably tell.

Thanks for the reviews you all are awesome...

GSR... and includes season 7 stuff.

Interlude 11

Sara crinkled her nose and left the morgue the smell of death and stale margaritas still assaulting her senses as the door swung shut behind her. There was a small glass container in her hand and a partial report detailing the information Doc Robbins had just shared with her, along with a few other tidbits that she could slip into her working file. The jar clutched in her slim fingers held seeds. Sesame seeds to be exact. She wasn't sure what it meant but she was fairly certain that it was important. After years of being a CSI, her intuition was well honed and tended to be set off by some of the most obscure things, in this case – two small sesame seeds.

At the moment, she was busy contemplating how her senses could be so in tune with the murder and mayhem she dealt with daily, but so off base when it came to the living breathing portion of her life.

Maybe she had agreed to the marriage too quickly? After all – who proposes on a rollercoaster…?

Then again…Who accepts?

Maybe he'd had too much wine with dinner that night? Maybe she'd too much wine with dinner that night?

Maybe she was so desperate to continue to be a part of Gil Grissom's life that she'd jumped at the opportunity without really looking at things for what they were. It irritated her that there was something so innately typical about that possibility. She had always desired to be the exception rather than the rule.

Maybe after Grissom had proposed – he'd rethought the whole thing but felt trapped and was afraid to say anything to her about it. Maybe this was his minds way of acting out what was really going on in his subconscious.

Maybe she needed a good stiff drink and a copy of some Dr. Phil book to figure it all out.

Her head was aching all the more, and she tried to shake away the negative thoughts as she fingered the up button in front of her. Warrick was waiting for the autopsy result, he told her he would be hanging out in the drying room. She wanted to pass the sesame seed info onto him and see what he thought. The slim brunette was about to hit the call button for the third time when the elevator doors swung open to reveal the sole cause of her emotional turmoil.

Sara scowled at him. She couldn't help herself. Her back still hurt and truth be told so did her heart.

Grissom, on the other hand, looked pleased and fearful all at the same time, but immediately grabbed her by the forearm and dragged her into one of the empty examination rooms.

Caught between not wanting to make a scene, and incensed at being treated like property, Sara pulled away the minute Grissom let go and made for the exit, but he was far too fast, and had managed to barricade the door with his body before she even had a chance to reach for the knob.

"What are you doing?" Her arms instinctively found a place across her chest, but she refrained from tapping her toe, much like an impatient teacher would do.

"We need to talk." Four simple words that would lead to a very complicated conversation, "now…" He added.

Sara's eyes roamed a liberal path around the darkened room. There were three bodies in line for an autopsy, they were on hold and had been shoved into a corner. A heavy sigh snuck out. "This is not the place. We have an audience."

Warm blue eyes met brown and Grissom couldn't help but smirk. "They won't be gossiping any time soon."

Sara rolled her own dark orbs and bit back a grin. Damn… why couldn't she stay mad at him? Her heart desperately wanted her to forgive and forget and fall into his arms. But she forced herself to feel the pain sitting just below the surface of her emotions, and once she managed to level her voice into something that sounded a little more stern, she shook her head. "This really isn't the place. We're at work. You know the rules. You made them."

He moved closer to her and wrapped his thick fists around each of her upper arms. The contact made them both shiver. "Look. If you want I will walk into the break room now and in front of everyone tell them the whole story. From beginning to end. I will write it on the whiteboard in the hallway, too. If you want. Just, give me a chance to explain."

Dark hair flew about her face as she shook her head animatedly. "How can you possibly explain this? I mean seriously."

"I…" he stopped searching for the words when he didn't continue immediately, Sara continued.

"See… You can't. Do you know what I've been thinking, Gris?" He winced at the use of his last name, even thought it was a commonplace term she used at work. "I've been wondering if this is really what you wanted. Maybe you don't even realize it, but maybe in your subconscious you really don't want to be married?"

"No…No…no… no…" He pulled her into his arms. She wasn't sobbing, or fighting him, just stiff and distant. "Never that Sara. Of all the things I'm unsure of, us…you and I," He stroked her hair, and whispered into her ear. "and this marriage, isn't it. This is the one thing I can say for certain I do want in this life." His words were soft and held the full weight of his emotions.

At this point a sob had caught in her throat, her breath hitching as she softened in his arms. "Actions speak louder than words…Bugman."

"I know, and I should have told her, and I…God. Do you want to know the truth?"

She pulled out of his arms and nodded her hand instinctively going to the corner of one eye. She was NOT going to cry. "That's all I have ever wanted. Good or bad."

"It really has nothing to do with you; I mean our relationship. I just wasn't sure of what my mom would think of you and I. I knew that once she got to know you she would love you, but I was concerned about her reaction to our age difference, and felt like I didn't what to have that prejudged. I mean I know her and her immediate impulse would have been to question everything – because of it. You know, old man, marries young woman… She's old fashioned and I just… I wanted her to see for herself the home we've made, and the life we've built." He hand his hands clasped on either side of her face; his thumbs gently stroking her cheeks.

She stared at him silently for a moment, completely torn. On one hand all she wanted to do was dive into his embrace and forget it all, she'd desperately missed his touch and it had been less than 24 hours, that they'd been a part. On the other hand, damn it. He'd done this to her far too many times. Nothing this huge, mind you, but similar shit. She shook her head, but didn't get the chance to say anything.

"Look. I know. This is something we should have discussed, but remember – I'm still a little dysfunctional when it comes to this stuff. I'm trying, though."

A long silence followed before Sara managed to formulate a thought that she could actually put into words. When she did her voice was tense and still held the pain of her unshed tears. "Yeah… this is the kind of thing we really need to discuss, Gil, you can't keep it to yourself no matter how stupid you think it is anymore. Because in doing that you shut me out. And that is not a marriage I want to be a part of. If we can't talk, then we have nothing."

"You're right." He leaned in and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"And this is the last time you get to use that relationship challenged excuse. You've used it up. You need to start thinking more in terms of Gil and Sara. Not just Gil… okay?" Her face fit easily into the crook of his neck as he squeezed her into him.

He nodded. "Love you." He whispered and dropped another soft kiss on her cheek.

"Then prove it."

"I'll spend until my dying day trying." Another kiss, this time on the corner of her mouth, then he pulled away his voice was little boy like and almost petulant. "My mom feels awful, and can you believe she actually called me a dumbass?"

A throaty giggle escaped Sara Sidle. "Well far be it for me to argue with your mom. Though you're not dumb, just an ass sometimes."

"You two are going to gang up on me aren't you?" A soft moan escaped the two of them as he finally pulled her into a languid kiss.

When they broke apart Sara nodded. "We'll whip you into shape, yet."

"Can we save the whips for when you and I are alone… that might be fun." He winked.

"That was a groaner Dr. Grissom, but I might just surprise you one day. The dominion has very comfortable beds, and I have a wiling teacher if ever I want one."

Grissom's mouth dropped completely open.

"I have to go." She waved the jar in his direction. "Warrick's waiting."

"Sara you didn't actually spend the night there?" He was almost 100 sure that she wouldn't have done anything of the sort – but there was still a nagging doubt in the back of his mind.

"Sesame seeds…" She shook the jar again and then walked out the door. He may have been forgiven, but Gilbert Grissom was still gonna pay… and she had just the thing she would use to collect.

TBC