Sara was seated along side Greg and Nicky at the layout table. She couldn't help but look at it now and imagine the various other uses it apparently had gotten and at first she was hesitant to even put her sleeved arms on it until Greg whispered in her ear.
"Don't worry Sara, I used the strongest disinfectant I could find." he smiled and shouldered her gently. "So how's it going...with you and the big guy?" he was still a little leery of bringing up their relationship within the confines of the lab but it was getting easier. "You know...you broke my heart in a gazillion little pieces when I found out..." he was smiling and made Sara laugh in response.
"Well Greg, if it doesn't work out" she laughed "I'll keep your number in my little black book" she sat back and leaned toward Nick. "So Nicky, how's it going with you...you've been awfully quiet?" he'd only nodded when she entered and she felt that somehow he was keeping his distance from her.
"I got stuck with another trick roll" he smiled half heartedly, "She asked for me, a friend of Kristi Hopkins" he knew Sara recognized the name when she touched his forearm. "They must have my number memorized" he rolled his eyes. "Nice girl, but guilty as sin" he smiled warmly. "They just never seem to learn that eventually they all get caught and now she's got a record. Must have thought by throwing my name around she'd get a break" he remembered the trouble he had when Kristi turned up dead and his fingerprints and DNA were found on the scene by none other than Conrad Ecklie.
"Hey!" Grissom poked his head around the door. "I was just going to see if you were ready to hit the road?" he looked around at the other two men in the room "Greg, Nick good to see you, how's it going?" he entered slowly and shrugged in confusion at the lack of enthusiasm from Nick.
"Trick roll" Greg and Sara answered at the same time. Gil nodded in acknowledgment. "Those suck" he tried to motion for Sara that he was himself ready to leave when Conrad came around the corner and everyone in the room sighed.
"Grissom, could I see you in my office for a few minutes?" he leaned against the door frame, "I know you're not technically on the clock these next two weeks but I just need a moment of your time...please?" he moved out of the door and continued down the hall toward his sanctuary.
"I'll only be a minute sweetheart" he leaned over and kissed her cheek before turning to follow the older man "Nick, Greg it was good to see you again...and Nick, cheer up...when I'm back, the next 10 trick rolls will be Greg's" he teased lightly.
Conrad was sitting behind his desk when Gil walked up to the door and knocked. "You wanted to see me?" he stood just inside the door and waited.
"Gil, have a seat" Conrad stood, for once, showing decent manners and only sat back down when Gil walked around and took the chair in front of his desk. "How's Sara doing?" he saw Grissom swallow and he held up his hand "Yeah, I probably should have asked her myself but as you know, we're not always on the best of terms." he admitted freely.
"She's doing okay...actually she's doing better than I thought at this point" he sat back in the chair wondering where this was all going but willing to let it pace itself out.
"You've offered her the resources of the lab if she requires and...assistance in getting over the kidnapping" he didn't want to prejudge whether she actually needed counseling but it was a requirement that the higher ups offered it if need be.
Not wanting to divulge to much information, Grissom simply nodded and tented his fingers against his chin. "She's been in contact with her PEAP counselor and she's aware of the departments various agencies." was all he was willing to offer. "So you wanted to see me about...?" he outstretched his palms and waited.
"I've had time to think about...everything since...well since the kidnapping and your...your relationship with Sid...Sara came out" he was finding this a difficult subject at best but knew he had to say what was on his mind. "I don't..."
"You don't approve!" Gil stated plain and simple "But that's not really a concern of mine, ours, Conrad, we're together and that's not about to change" he sat straighter in the chair. "In fact, I just asked Sara to marry me yesterday..." he grinned widely at the same time wondering if Sara would approve of him blabbing this to Ecklie.
"I take it she said yes" he knew, by the fact that Gil was smiling like he was. "Congratulations...I do mean it..." he sat forward. "I know we've had our differences Gil, I'd like to get past them if not for ourselves...for the good of the lab" he saw Gil tense.
"Of course Conrad, it's always about the good of the lab isn't it?" he wasn't going to make this easy even though he had an idea where this conversation was going. "That's what took me so long to act on my feelings for Sara...the good of the lab" he fidgeted slightly.
"What changed your mind?" Conrad really wanted to know what would make someone as dedicated to his career as Grissom had been so suddenly do a complete about face.
"Actually Conrad, you did..." he knew eventually he'd have to lay this card on the table. "So I guess I should thank you for making me pull my head out of my ass" he laughed and Conrad gave him a strange look. "See, when you made it your personal goal to go after me and break up the team, I realized that I didn't want to be like you. I didn't want this" his hand waved around the room "to be the be all end all of my life" he cleared his throat. "I got tired of waking up in a king size bed with pillows for my companion and I knew that if I left the lab, it would continue on and so would I." he was offering everything at this point. "When Nick was kidnapped, I came the the realization that it could have very well been any one of us..."
"Including Sara!" Conrad was finally getting the picture.
"Including Sara and that scared the hell out of me." he straightened up in his seat. "I knew after they took Nick to the hospital that I couldn't continue to push her away because I wanted her, I've wanted her for many years, but Nick's abduction opened my eyes to the fact that what's in front of us today could be gone tomorrow. I didn't want to waste another minute...time was, is too precious to me...us" he knew that Sara understood that more than anyone. It was something both she and Nick shared.
"But you told me you'd been intimate for 9 years...?" Conrad was a little confused by the time line.
"She was a student of mine at a seminar I taught in San Francisco years ago when she was a CSI with SFPD..." he wasn't going to elaborate on any more than that. Conrad must have known it and spared him anymore need to go into detail.
"She said it had only been two years" he wondered out loud.
"We got together, in the relationship that we now have the night we found Nicky" was all he was willing to say. Conrad knew by his body language that he had all the answer he was going to get and so he pulled out a file that had been under papers on his desk.
"Well, anyway..." he opened the jacket "I have gone over the solve rates of all of our shifts, I know that Grave has the highest and you and Sara are a good team" Gil nodded a silent thanks "So...I don't see how moving her or you to Swing would benefit the lab" he threw that out there so Gil would realize that once again... that he was simply acting for the good of the lab. "So Grave will stay the same as it has, Willows will be her supervisor and your co-supervisor with the rest of the staff." he penciled something on the paper. "You and Sara have the next two weeks off...paid...of course" he didn't look up "I've talked to Catherine and she's agreeable to all of this as well." Not that it mattered but Gil wasn't ready to forgive Catherine just yet, not until he talked to Sara.
"Why thank you Conrad" he waited to see if Ecklie had any more to add, when it became apparent that he didn't, Gil stood and stretched. "Well I guess I should go find Sara, we have a lot to do in the next two weeks" he turned toward Ecklie. "Do you want to tell Sara yourself or should I?" he already knew the answer but had to make the amiable offer.
"No, you can tell her...I think I'm the last person she wants to see right now...but please, offer her my congratulations on the upcoming wedding.." he wondered if the two would have a conventional wedding or simply slip off to one of the many chapels that were in the downtown area. Gil nodded then left.
He found Sara talking to Wendy and Mandy. All three were laughing up a storm and he stood silently outside of trace and watched. She seemed so relaxed now. So much more at ease that they were openly together and he felt it himself. He berated himself once again for taking so much time to realize what was in front of him. He looked up and saw Sara showing the two women her engagement ring and he was thrilled that she actually decided to wear it. Sara had not seemed like the type that would want a ring but being old fashioned, Gil decided that he wanted to see if he got it, she'd wear it. It was his statement to the world that not only had he finally opened his eyes, but that in some way Sara was now a 'claimed' woman. His woman. Then he remembered what she had said about being someone's property and he once again berated himself.
Sara looked up and saw the strangest look on Grissom's face as he stood in the corridor but since he wasn't looking at her, she couldn't place it. "Well ladies, my man is waiting" she motioned to the man standing outside the window "I have to run but we'll catch up later...and don't forget, you're both invited" she hugged them and walked out the door. "Hey there...why the sour puss?" she teased him and he looked up.
"Oh...Sara...I was just thinking" he put his arm around her and felt her lean into his side. God if felt wonderful.
"About?" she hoped he would open up to her.
"What did they think of your ring?" he lifted her hand and admired how the stones and the band seemed to compliment her fine bones.
"They said I was one lucky Girl" she slipped her arm through his and leaned near his ear "I think they're jealous though...cause I got myself the best catch in the world." he smiled but didn't reply. "Okay...what's going on?" she wondered if he had gotten into it with Conrad.
"Well, Conrad told me what we already knew, we're both staying on Grave, we're off the next two weeks...and" he wondered if she'd be upset with his next statement "He congratulated us on our engagement..." he held his breath.
"You told him?" she seemed surprised but not really upset. "I bet that went over like a lead balloon" she continued walking with him. "So what did he say?"
"He asked me about our difference in when we started...ya know..." he smiled warmly and led her out the door to the parking lot. "I didn't go into detail, only told him you were my student many years ago..." he led them to their vehicle then opened her door. "He told me to tell you congratulations...he seemed...almost human." He turned her around to face him and pulled her into a kiss. "And I happened to have gotten the best catch Sara...I'm the lucky one" he broke apart and went around to the driver's side of the SUV.
