AN: Thanks for the reviews.
Chapter 14: Welcome?
November 1, 2000
4 days later
Grissom was sitting in his chair as he kept eyeing the office door, waiting for her to show up. It's been four days since he had seen her and his nerves was working overtime, along with his heart telling him the real reason for helping her out so much, yeah there may have been a little guilt but his heart knew the real reason behind his actions.
He was going to see her Monday after he slept but he got called in early so that was out, then he was going to go and see her Tuesday but shift ended up being a double and after that he was too exhausted to do anything but go home and go to bed, so despite him wanting her to come the next week, he was kind of glad that she chose to ignore him and come today because he didn't know if he could have waited that long to see her again, and no matter how much he wanted to scold himself for acting like a love-sick teenager, his heart couldn't help but skip a beat every time he thought of them being in the same lab together.
He mentally shook his head then looked down at the file he was about to close off on but before he did, he heard somebody knocking on the door.
He looks up and said. "Come in." The door opened and Grissom smiled at the person in the doorway. "Hi Sara."
Sara smiled back at him and replied. "Hi Griss."
He stands up, looks at his watch then looks back at her and said. "Right on time, I am impressed."
She chuckles a little and said. "Just wait till I get use to this place you might not see me on time but early, very early." He could definitely sense that about her.
After a few seconds he sees her look change to worry, so after he grabs the assignment sheets, he walks up to her and said. "Just remember what I told you about the team."
She nodded, sighed then replied. "I know." She took a breath and said. "Ok, I am ready."
He smiles a little and said. "You aren't going to your execution."
She shakes her head and replied. "It feels like it though."
He shakes his head and replied. "Come on, let's get started before they come looking for me." She nodded and this time she stepped out-of-the-way so he could walk ahead of her. She took a few seconds then follows him to the break room.
Once Grissom walked into the room with Sara next to him, everybody in there, which was Catherine, Nick, Warrick and Greg, stopped talking and looked right at the newcomer. Sara looked at their gaze then looked down.
Grissom cleared his throat and said. "I believe that everybody has met Sara." They nodded and he spoke again. "I know it wasn't in the best circumstances but just remember I am the one that asked her to do the investigation, she was only doing her job. But now that it is done and over with, and as your new team member I expect you all to treat her with respect. She has every right to be here, am I understood?" They all nodded, but Nick and Greg was faster than the other two, then Grissom continued. "Alright, now that we got that settled we can start."
Sara looks over at Grissom, he looks back her and moved his head to the right to indicate for her to take a seat, she gives him a small smile and goes and sits down.
Grissom looks at the rest of his team and said. "Nick I want you to work with Sara today." Nick nods while Grissom handed him the assignment sheet.
Grissom looks at Warrick then Catherine and continued. "And Warrick, Catherine you two are with me." They nodded as he handed the assignment sheet to Warrick.
After he wished them good luck and told them to get to work everybody gets up and leaves but Sara, Grissom and Greg, who was now at the counter making coffee with his own special blend.
Grissom looks at Sara and asked. "You'll be fine with Nick."
She nodded and said with a smile. "Yeah and the only one that doesn't seem to hate me."
He looks at her with a tender gaze as they hear a throat clearing, they look toward the counter and see Greg standing there with a smile, then he said. "He isn't the only that doesn't hate you." He gives her a little smile then turns back to his coffee.
Grissom raised an eyebrow at Greg's back then shakes his head, looks back at Sara, she gives him a smile and said. "I better go."
Grissom nodded and watched her walk past him and out the door then he looked over at Greg, who was now looking at him with a smile on his face, Grissom raised an eyebrow again and asked. "Don't you have work to do Greg?"
Greg nodded, while grabbing his coffee, then as he was walking to the door he said. "It will be nice to have another woman on the team, good choice boss man."
Grissom watched him walk out then he sighed and walked out of the room, knowing he needed to talk to Catherine and Warrick personally, he noticed they didn't look to thrilled about Sara being here or it could have been something else that was effecting their attitude, but either way he had to clear it up before everybody could move forward.
When they came back to the lab, and while Grissom and Warrick were looking at the evidence in one of the empty lab rooms Grissom looks at him.
Warrick looks at Grissom when he feels like he is being watched then asked. "What can I do for you Griss?"
Normally he would wait to talk about personal things after work but he couldn't let this go so he sighed and started talking. "Warrick, Sara..."
Warrick cuts him off when he realized what Grissom was trying to say. "I'm sorry if my attitude earlier wasn't what you expected of me but believe me I understand that it wasn't Sara's fault that got me where I was. I did that myself so I don't blame her for anything." He sighed looked down then before Grissom could talk Warrick continues. "I just keep thinking over and over what I should have done differently and if I could go back and do it again, I would."
Grissom nodded in understanding then said. "If you ever need to talk my door is always open." Warrick looks at him and Grissom continued. "Or if you can't talk to me then find somebody else, because it will eat you up if you keep it inside. I would hate to lose an exceptional CSI but most importantly to see a wonderful person drown in their own guilt."
Warrick was touched with his words and said with a nod. "I'll do that and I'll try harder welcoming Sara."
Grissom nodded with a small smile and said. "I appreciate that." Then he cleared his throat and continued. "Now let's get this criminal." Warrick chuckled then they concentrated on the evidence, both feeling a little better than they did earlier.
After the case was closed Grissom was back in his office, going over a file from the stack on his desk, and when he just signed off on it, there was a knock on the door. He puts the file in the done pile, looks up and said. "Come in."
The door opened, Catherine stepped in and said. "You wanted to see me?"
Grissom nodded as he took of his glasses and asked. "Can you shut the door, please?"
Catherine nodded, walked in, shuts the door behind her and as she was walking to the chair in front of the desk she said. "This almost feels like I am back in high school getting ready to talk to the principle."
Grissom raised an eyebrow and asked. "Have you done that?"
She sits down, gets comfortable, crosses her leg over the other one, then said with a smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He pauses for a second then shook his head and Catherine continued. "Well I didn't think you brought me in here to talk about my school days anyway, so What's going on?"
He looks at her then started speaking. "Why don't you tell me? I got the impression from you that the newest team member wasn't who you wanted when you said we needed a new one."
Catherine sighed and replied. "I just don't know if I can get past that she investigated one of our..."
Grissom cuts her off. "Like I said in the break room she came here because I asked her too, Warrick understands that and if there was anybody that would be more upset over what happened three weeks ago, it would be him. So you tell me what is really going on with you?"
Catherine had been a little shocked in the break room when it sounded like he was defending Sara with everything he had, and now it felt like he was doing it again, so it made her very suspicious on how well he really knew her because she's never seen him like this before.
He looked down from her suspicious gaze, and instead of answering his question, she asked him something. "Why did you bring her here?" Grissom looks back at her and she continued. "She is from San Francisco and that's were you were last year, so what really happened between you two?"
Grissom kept calm while responding. "Nothing, we are just friends, like us."
Catherine shook her head. "It's nothing like us." He was about to open his mouth but she continued. "I feel that there is something more between you two." She sighed then continued. "Just whatever you do be careful of her or should I go and tell her to be care of you?" Catherine looks at him for a few seconds then looks down at her hands, particularly her left bare ring finger and Grissom suddenly understood Catherine's attitude.
Her guilt over convincing Holly to stay, her attitude towards Sara and the investigation was hiding what she was really feeling. She was still hurt over finding out Eddie had cheated on her and no matter how much she wanted to hide and put other issues in front of it, her heart was still broken.
Grissom cleared his throat and said. "Catherine, Ed..."
Catherine cuts him off. "I don't want to talk about him because I believe my next words wouldn't suit your ears, and I don't think you want to go down that road again." He shook his head 'no', with a cringe.
After Catherine found out that he knew what Eddie had done she went off on him and used some colorful words that he wouldn't mind never hearing again.
She continued after a few seconds, interrupting his thoughts. "I'll try harder were Sara is concerned, I mean she must be pretty good, for you to vouch for her." She gets up with a sigh.
Grissom nodded then replied. "Thank you." Then he sighed as he looked at her again and continued. "And I know I've said this before but I am sorry I didn't tell you when I found out what Eddie did, I hope we continue to be friends and that one day you'll forgive me."
Catherine looks at him as she walks up to his desk, then she puts her hand on top of his and said. "You know I can't stay mad at you." He gives her a little smile and she continued. "Of course I want our friendship to continue, and although you not telling me did hurt, I think in your own Grissom way you were trying to protect me, so I guess in some way I understand why you didn't, I just wish you would have."
Grissom nodded in understanding and asked. "So will we be ok? Will you?"
She gives him a smile and said. "We will get past it, I think our friendship is too strong to break over this." He smiled again then she continued. "And as for me, it will take a little time but I will be ok too."
He nodded then said. "Ok and if you ever need to talk you know now to reach me." He may not know what to say but he was a really good listener.
As she nodded with another small smile his office door opened, and his eyes immediately looks toward the doorway and saw Sara standing there with a little surprised look on her face at what she just walked into. Catherine looked back at who was in the doorway then looked back at Grissom as she removed her hand from his.
Sara cleared her throat then said. "Nick and I finished the case." Grissom nodded and held out his hand.
Sara walks in the room, up to his desk and hands in the report, he takes it and sets it on top of the pile to his right then looks at the women as the air felt stiff.
Catherine cleared her throat a few seconds later and said. "Breakfast at the diner?"
Grissom nodded and replied. "I'll met everybody there." Catherine nodded then left the room.
When the door shuts Grissom looks at Sara and said. "Sara..."
Sara shakes her head and replied. "Hey, what you do in your personal life is your business."
Grissom shakes his head and said. "There is nothing going on with me and Catherine, I care about her yes, but we are just friends. We've been working with each other for so long now that we are very close but nothing has or will ever happen between us. That's just the way it is." He was hoping she believed him because he couldn't have her thinking that more than friendship was going on between him and Catherine.
Sara speaks again, breaking his thoughts and changing the subject, sort of. "So did you talk to them?" He raised an eyebrow at her and she smiles while saying. "I figured that's why you wanted them with you." It was kind of scary that she already knew his moves.
He mentally shakes his head and replied. "They said they will try harder to welcome you."
"I guess I have to start from somewhere, I didn't expect to be welcomed right away, not only because of what happened but because I am a newbie here."
"Well you seem to already have one cheerleader." She raised an eyebrow and he speaks, feeling a little off saying this. "Greg seems to like you."
A new feeling came over him but before he could think about it more she continued with a small chuckle. "He is harmless."
Hope soared in him and his heart controlled his mouth before he could stop it. "Really?"
They both felt the air shift again and they were just about to charter in a territory they have been avoiding since they met, her type of men.
She decided to throw him a little bone. "Really, I've always been partial to men my age or...older."
As they look into each other's eyes he was trying to figure out if that meant him or other men.
The spell was broken a few seconds later when Sara cleared her throat and said. "We better head to the diner, Nick invited me."
Grissom nodded then Sara turned, and as she was walking toward the door, Grissom said. "Sara." Sara turned around and he continued. "About Cath..."
She cuts him and said with a smile. "I understand, your friendship with her means a lot to you."
Grissom nodded and replied. "As do ours."
She nodded with another smile then replied. "I know." Then she turned and walked out of his office.
When the door shut he let out the breath he felt like he had been holding, he hoped it was him she was talking about but the negative side creeped up. 'Face it, your 15 years older than her, she said older men, not ancient men.' Then the positive side came to his mind. 'Yeah then why did she drop everything and come here if you're so ancient?' He mentally shook his head, closed his eyes and rubs his fingers on his temples, trying to will his now present headache away, he did not want to be dealing with that right now.
After a few minutes he removes his fingers and starts packing a few case files with him, so he could look at them at home, then leaves his office to head to the diner.
10 minutes later he walked in and went to their usual table, the only difference is the extra seat and his spot just happened to be between Catherine and Sara. He sits down, smiled at everybody as the waitress came up to the table and set everybody's coffee in their spots, since they had already ordered.
After everybody's coffee were in place Nick said. "Well I guess it's time for the evaluation." Grissom raised an eyebrow and Nick continued. "On Sara."
They all looked at her and she choked a little on her coffee. "What?"
Nick smiled looks at Warrick, Catherine then Grissom and said. "So what do you guys say, keep her?"
Grissom smiled first and said while looking at Sara. "You already know my vote." Then he raises his glass.
Nick looks at Catherine and she nodded while raising her glass. "I guess it would be nice to have anther woman on the team, after all two heads are better than one."
Sara gives her a little smile then they all looked at Warrick, he took a few seconds then he smiles, raises his glass and said. "Yeah, I would like to see if she as good as I think she is."
They all smiled, including Sara, then Nick looked at Sara and asked. "So Sara, will you disregard the first impressions of us and stick it out?"
She looks at everybody, stopping her eyes briefly at Grissom, then looked back at Nick, raised her glass and said. "I'm in."
They clinked their glasses and as they were taking a sip, Grissom looked around the table feeling more proud of this team now than ever, it may take them a little time to get the tight bonding that he thinks they could have but at this moment he believed that it will come sooner rather than later, things were looking up.
AN: Next Chapter: While at a crime scene danger comes. And why does Grissom get so mad? Please review.