Chapter Twenty Six:

He led her over to the couch and they sat there quietly. He was afraid to let go of her for fear she would not be receptive to him again. Grissom kissed her gently on the head and whispered softly to her. "I've been an ass."

She sniffled and continued to remain silent. She didn't pull away so he continued while he had the nerve.

"When you left here that day, I spent the next two weeks going through the 'what ifs'. What if I came back and you were pregnant? I was surprised at how quickly I was hoping that you were. I never thought of having a family. God Sara, look at my age. I'm lucky that you would even consider sharing your life with me. Anyway, the more I thought about it the more excited I got but then my excitement turned to fear."

She looked up at him "why?"

"I knew I would be happy if you were pregnant. I would have preferred to wait until we were married but the end result would be the same. I wasn't sure about how you would feel."

"I would have been happy."

Grissom smiled and kissed her again. "Yes, but I was afraid that when I proposed to you, you would think that I was only marrying you because you were pregnant. I know how your mind works sometimes Sara."

He's right. I would have felt that way. Sara leaned back into his shoulder and rested her head.

"I decided to take matters into my own hands." Grissom got up and walked over to his bag. He pulled out the small black box he had kept all those months. He returned to the couch and knelt down beside Sara.

"I spent the remainder of my leave looking for the right ring. I was going to propose to you the first chance we were alone."

Sara stared at the small black box. She had not expected this. She was taken completely off guard. Grissom could see the confusion in her eyes.

"I will always love you Sara. My love is unconditional. I don't expect you to say yes. I want to give this to you so that you will know that I truly love you even though sometimes I'm an ass. There are no strings attached. I want you to be happy. If you decide after this trip that you want to quit your job or relocate then I will support your decision. I may be in therapy for the rest of my life but I just want to see you smile again Sara, and know that I am the reason for it."

He placed the box in the palm of her hand and closed her fingers over it. He kissed her gently on the lips and then got up. She continued to stare at the box but didn't dare open it. Grissom pulled her up from the couch and held her in his arms.

"I think we have talked enough tonight. We should try to get some sleep. I believe you took the couch last time so it's my turn." She started to protest but he grinned and gently prodded her toward the bedroom. "I think I could sleep on the floor tonight…" He remembered the first time they had made love there and he tried to back track.

"What I'm trying to say is that we're both tired and I don't think we are going to have any trouble sleeping."

He laid down on the couch and closed his eyes. She stood there for a moment and then closed the bedroom door. Her mind was spinning. She sat there on the bed and opened the box. She swiped at the tears as she looked at the ring. It was perfect. He wasn't and she loved him for it.

Sara changed into her gown and tried to sleep but his words kept coming back to her. She missed having him next to her. She closed her eyes but the sleep would not come. Finally she opened the door and waited to see if he was asleep.

"Sara, are you okay?"

Her voice was barely a whisper but he made out every word, "Would you sleep with me?"

Grissom spooned his body up next to hers and whispered in her ear, "I'm glad I get to sleep with you instead of Nick."

"It meant a lot to me that you would ask Nick to do that."

"It was Nick or Greg. I trusted Nick to watch over you. He loves you like a sister. Greg on the other hand…"

"I wouldn't have let Greg stay over."

"I'm glad I made the right choice."

"Griss…"

"yeah"

"I would have said yes back then… you know if you had asked me."

"What about now?" The silence hurt. He knew that it would take some time to gain her trust again.

"I uh…"

"You don't have to say anything Sara. If you do decide, then just wear the ring. I'll know the answer. I can wait. I can wait for as long as it takes for you to know that I don't intend to screw up this time. I'll get it right this time."

Sara rolled over and kissed him. It was gentle but sensual. He wanted to give her more but he wasn't sure if she was ready. He could wait.

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