Chapter 12
So this chapter has a lot more GSR in it than previous chapters, I hope you enjoy it, as I really enjoyed writing it out for you guys. Thanks for all the great reviews so far. Enjoy!
It had been quiet on the case for a while. It had been 4 days since Grissom had arrived in San Francisco. They had both come to accept the fact that he wasn't going home until they solved the case, so they had come to an unspoken understanding that they would both stay silent unless it was about the case. The silence killed both of them but they knew that the only way they could get through this was to stay quiet. When they spoke there were too many words unspoken, too many bitter feelings.
As they sat in silence there was a soft rap at the door. Grissom tried not to get distracted but as he heard the voice he looked up over the top of his spectacles. It was the one new voice in this place he had already memorised in the short space of time.
Standing in the door, smiling in at Sara, holding 2 mugs of steaming coffee, was one of the other criminalists from San Fran. Ronnie Samuels was young, talented, good-looking, funny and what Grissom assumed was a fantastic catch. The thing he loathed most about the younger man was that he was such a genuinely good guy.
"Are you making any headway with this case, Sar?" Ronnie queried. He was clearly well educated and well spoken. It made Grissom's blood boil.
"No, we've ground to a halt here. No evidence whatsoever. No prints, DNA, trace...there's absolutely nothing to go on Ron."
"If anyone can find something it's you."
"Stop. You're just as great as I am."
"Naw, after working with Dr. Grissom for so long you've obviously been taught better. Craig's okay, but Dr Grissom is the stuff of legends."
"Are you trying to get on his good side Ronnie?" Grissom overheard that Sara Sidle laugh and his gut clenched. He balled up his fists as he stared down the microscope. Why was it never him that made her laugh like that?
"Trust me Sara, it's not his good side I'm interested in." Grissom's gaze snapped up in time to witness Sara playfully slap the other man's arm. He watched her smile as Ronnie winked at her. "Good luck partner. I know you can do it Sidle."
"Thanks Ron." He disappeared from the doorway and Grissom watched as Sara let out a contented sigh. She turned with a smile on her face and happily sipped the fresh mug of coffee.
He tried to fight against it, he tried to honour their silent pact, but he couldn't help himself. His jealous boiled over, red hot, and he spat out, "I've heard your theories regarding the company pier."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sara almost looked hurt but in his rage Grissom didn't pick p on the subtlety.
"I've seen the way you behave around him, Sara. You've said it yourself – never fish from the company pier." He removed his glasses and stood, making sure he wasn't in the weaker position when she started up. He knew her reaction, and he knew he shouldn't but he just couldn't control his jealousy and he couldn't bear the silence any longer.
"Oh and of course we all know you're a great believer in abstaining from the company pier, don't we Grissom. God knows you've never even dipped a toe in."
"Maybe I dipped my toe in and got burned." Grissom shot back.
"Oh, please, bring out the violins!!! It's all about you isn't it?! Poor you, you tried one time. How about me? Time and time again I dove right in and hell, Griss, I got burned helluva worse than you did."
"I wanted to go fishing, Sara. But I was afraid I'd fall in and drown." His jealousy burned out and left behind it a cold, empty pain in his gut. He wasn't sure which one was worse, which hurt more.
"Maybe you would have liked the water, Griss, but you wouldn't know because you never tried. I almost drowned because of you. That's why I had to come here. I had to get my feet back on sold ground. I couldn't be around you anymore."
"So you came home to the one place that hurt you most?! There are worse people here than in Vegas. I could protect you in Vegas, keep you safe, not here."
"Yeah because you care so fucking much about my pain right enough."
They both stood frozen, statuesque, for an eternity before Grissom, overwhelmed, moved first. He crossed the shining floor like lightening, and his momentum crushed his body into Sara's. She didn't even notice as her coccyx slammed against the edge of the table. His pelvis ground into hers as his lips attacked hers, his hands roughly finding her face. For a moment she was stunned but then she melted into him, her lust matching his fervour. She tugged at his silver curls and his lips parted from hers. She mourned the loss of contact but then she felt his lips on her neck and across her collarbone. She allowed her head to drop back as she let out a soft sigh, Grissom kissing her. It felt like the perfect dream. She had longed for this kind of passion from Grissom forever. Ever since she had loved him she had always known the clinical, logical side of him and had never witnessed this side. It was better than she could ever have imagined.
Suddenly a harsh beeping filled the room. Both ignored it until it started up again, and yet again. Sara reached down to her belt and grasped the pager, but Grissom grabbed her hand in his and held it to her side.
"Griss, I have to. It's important," she whispered as she looked into his eyes. She didn't want to leave this man, not in this state, but only Wilson contacted her beeper, and never unless it was important.
"Please don't Sara, please. I lo..."
Sara quickly raised a finger and held it to his lips. "No Griss. Not like this, not this way."
"But..." his blue eyes were dark, and full of emotion. Sara couldn't bear that look in Gil Grissom's eye but she couldn't force herself to look away either. "Sara, I..."
"No, Gil," she whispered. Hearing his given name pass her lips stopped him dead. She checked her pager. "Crap, Griss, we gotta go. 911 from Craig. An address across town. Get your kit, I'll meet you at the car."
He tried to protest but before he knew what to say to stop her leaving, she was already gone. He glanced at the half empty mug of coffee, and before he left the room he frowned and turned the cup upside down in the nearest sink. Damned if he's let her take another sip of perfect Ronnie's perfect coffee.
The crime scene was a mess. There was blood everywhere, on every surface, and both Sara and Grissom had known from the off that it would be a double shift, if not a triple. The serial's trademark was apparent – the large, bloody, smiling face had been smeared on the wall with what appeared to be a generic, hardware store paintbrush.
Grissom was crouched low to the floor, 5 hours in. His knees ached. His head pounded. And every time Sara came near him his heart raced.
This was a similar moment, only this time he didn't hear her approach.
"Footprints outside aren't helpful. He's worn out the grips, all we know is a size 12. Looks like he walked up the pathway them removed his shoes.," Sara called as she stopped beside him.
He startled, and used a hand to steady himself. A hand which thudded down on a stray piece of broken glass. He stood and held his hand out to Sara.
"Remove my glove?"
"You'll need to go to hospital, Griss," she observed as she carefully removed the latex gloves.
"No. Tweezers and a band-aid will suffice. We have to concentrate on this case for now."
"This looks bad, Griss."
"I'm fine." He snatched his hand away from her with a sigh and began to storm out, but guilt made him stop and turn back. "Sorry, Sara. That was unnecessary . Uh...come help me with the band-aid?"
Outside, Sara removed the shrap piece of glass and applied a band aid. As she helped him put on another pair of gloves, he started, "Look, about earlier, I..."
"That case, Grissom. We have to concentrate on this case for now."
"Yeah." He swallowed hard as her fingertips lingered over the sensitive inside of his wrist. He longed to touch her again as he had earlier, he longed to kiss her, to feel her need for him again. But she was right when she quoted his words. This was a very big case and it was incredibly important. If they didn't catch this guy he would move on and Grissom knew that meant more bodies – and more air miles for himself. It was not a prospect he looked forward to.
This was the worst part of any case. The post-mortem. The San Fran coroner was a stoney faced woman who matched her surroundings perfectly. Grissom was not used to her style and she didn't make it easier in the way Doc Robbins did. So it was even more unexpected when the coroner pulled out the battered body of a bruised young girl.
"She was beaten severely and raped," the coroner stated harshly. No easing in, then.
Grissom faced himself not to look at Sara but all the same he saw her freeze. The coroner glanced up, and Sara waited a long moment before turning on her heel and storming out of the morgue. Grissom wasn't sure what to do but he followed his heart and followed her outside.
She was bent over a waste bin, holding her hair back as she retched dryly into the bin. He sighed softly and went to her. He reached for her hair and gently held it off of her face with one hand as he softly caressed her back with the other. Eventually she stood and looked up at him, cheeks flushed, chronically embarrassed.
"Sorry, Griss. I know it's stupid. I'm a mess. Sorry."
"Hmm," Grissom smiled lopsidedly. "I still think you're beautiful."
She stared up into his eyes for a moment before saying softly, "Say it. Tell me now."
"Tell you?"
"What you were going to say earlier. Tell me."
"Honey, I'm..." he paused. "I'm not special. I'm just another man blinded by your smile, that's all."
"You are special, to me, and I never stopped loving you Griss. So tell me."
"Okay," he nodded, still smiling at her. "Sara, I know I've been awful to you in the past but that has to stop now. We can't go on like this. I'm afraid I'm only going to break your heart, but Sara? I..."
He took a breath to collect himself and in that breath Ronnie Samuels came sprinting towards them.
"Dr Grissom, Sara, Craig needs you. Seems we just received a letter, it concerns these murders, and uh...you, Dr Grissom..."
"What?!" Sara sprang into action but Grissom was furious. How dare the other man interrupt his declaration of love?! How dare he run in here and ruin it for them? He was finally ready to proclaim his love her the only woman he had ever cared about this way, and the perfect specimen had ruined a perfect moment.
When he returned from his reverie he found Ronnie gone and Sara standing at the end of the corridor.
"Griss, come on. This is serious."
"But Sara..." He was devastated. He didn't know if he would be able to find the courage again.
"I know, but we have to keep going on. I know, okay? But it's just one more case and then, well...we just have to push on. Let's go, hurry. This is a good lead. We have to keep trying."
That was the problem. He didn't know for how much longer he could keep on trying.
So there we go. Chapter 12, working on 13 now. Hope you enjoyed the GSR moments in there. Yes yes I know it's frustrating with them not getting there, but just bear with me. I may have some happy thought in my head about this one. But then again maybe now. Maybe I'm just pure evil...? Reviews as always would be dead cool and thanks again for reading.
