Thanks once again to piccolina 789 for the beta'ring. As always it is very much appreciated, and for the reviews.
Curiosity burned through Catherine as she waited in Ecklie' s office for his return. What reason could he possibly have to suspend them both?
Since the team had been reunited after Nick's terrifying kidnapping, Catherine had hoped that things between Ecklie and Grissom had started to ease – at least Ecklie hadn't been as openly hostile. As if he'd finally realised that Grissom wasn't going to be a rival in the promotional race. Ecklie had shown that he and Grissom could work together – so what had changed now?
Ecklie returned to his office, and closed the door behind him.
"Was it really necessary to escort them from the building, Conrad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she railroaded him the second he returned. "What on earth have they done?"
He eyed her suspiciously as he sat behind his desk, straightening his tie as he settled back into his chair.
"It was necessary. They're in direct violation of Lab Policy and now on top of everything else, I have to investigate into their professional conduct."
He leaned further back into his chair, watching her closely.
"Just how long have you known about Grissom and Sara being in a relationship?" he asked, getting right down to the bare bones of the matter.
Catherine stared at him, her mouth dropping in complete shock.
"What?" she gasped. "They're in a relationship?"
Ecklie shook his head.
"Come on Catherine, you really expect me to believe that you knew nothing about this?" he asked in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe."
Catherine could only shake her head with a shocked look stuck on her face. Grissom and Sara…together?
"I didn't," Catherine insisted. "This is the first I've heard about it."
Ecklie straightened up, leaning over his desk, as he continued to watch Catherine.
"You really didn't know?" he asked, finally starting to believe her.
She shook her head.
"They keep things between themselves, and if this is the result of them coming clean then no wonder they didn't tell anyone. Wait a minute." Catherine paused as something clicked into place. "If they've told you, then it must be pretty serious between them."
Ecklie chose not to reveal that he'd overheard their conversation rather than being told.
"Serious enough, since Sara's pregnant," he said off-handedly, before realising his mistake at Catherine's genuinely shocked look.
"She's pregnant?" Catherine sat down in the chair across from the desk, as the strength went out of her legs. She couldn't quite get her head around the news.
Ecklie shook his head.
"I shouldn't have said that," he acknowledged, tapping his pen on the desk. "What I need to establish now is if anyone knew about the relationship and if any disciplinary action should be taken."
Catherine physically pulled herself together, giving Ecklie a death stare.
"If you're doing what I think you're doing, Conrad, you'll find no evidence that they acted inappropriately," Catherine stated matter-of-factly. "No one knew they were together. And quite frankly it's no one's business but theirs. And if you're thinking of firing them, you're making a big mistake. They kept things private and professional, surely that counts for something?"
Ecklie put his pen down and he steepled his fingers together as Catherine took a breath from her spirited defence of Grissom.
"I know you and Gil have been friends for a long time Catherine, and you owe him some loyalty, but they're both aware of the consequences of Supervisor/subordinate relationships," he explained. "My hands are tied."
"Only if you want them to be Conrad," she shot back, rising to her feet. "Grissom might be politically tone deaf, but he's damn good at what he does. So is Sara. The lab needs him. Loyalty runs both ways; he has our backs and we have his and we respect him. Go ahead and throw him to the wolves, I'm sure firing a couple that have just announced they're expecting a baby, will do wonders for your career."
She stormed towards the office door before she paused, her hand on the door handle as she turned to face Conrad again.
"Find some way around this," she demanded before disappearing out the door.
Sara looked over at Grissom who was out on the veranda with his arms folded on the railing and his head bowed, with growing concern. He'd been out there since their return from the lab over an hour before.
He'd been silent on the drive back, his knuckles white on the steering wheel and his lips so thin they were almost a slash on his bearded face. From the tense set of his shoulders, Sara knew it was better to leave him to his brooding. Attempting to talk to him would be an exercise in futility, and he'd only withdraw even more.
From his bearing she decided that it would be better to leave him to his thoughts for a while longer. Turning away from the veranda with a sigh, she headed towards the kitchenette, and set about making herbal tea.
Outside, Grissom puffed out an agitated breath as he watched the lights flicker and twinkle in the distance. He'd been out here for over an hour and he'd been grateful that Sara had left him alone with his thoughts. And he had plenty to think about.
He frowned as the scene with Ecklie played over and over again in his mind. He knew there would have been some kind of fall out to his relationship with Sara, but strangely enough,he hadn't ever thought that suspension could have been one of them.
He exhaled noisily through his nose. They'd been so careful up until that point…and it had all come crashing down on one overheard conversation.
Maybe if things had worked out as they'd planned, none of this would be happening. If only they'd made sure the office door was secure before talking so candidly…but then a private discussion should have been just that. If Sara hadn't insisted that they talk right then and there…that thought brought him up with a start
None of this was Sara's fault. They were both responsible for the baby she now carried, and no amount of what ifs would change that.
Of course the pregnancy was bound to complicate things, but perhaps he'd been a little naïve in not realising just how drastic an impact it would make on their lives. He'd said they were in this together and he'd meant it. They'd both grown up without a father in their lives, and he wasn't about to let the same thing happen to his child, even if the situation had been thrust on him unexpectedly.
He closed his eyes as he lowered his head with a heavily sigh. After a few moments, he looked up again, staring at the sky as a memory surfaced.
"Pin me down."
After a brief pause Grissom had stepped forward, grabbing her wrists and raising her arms. She had struggled and then stopped, talking through the case as they stared into each other's eyes.
Grissom had raised his head and he could smell a hint of peach. It was sweet and warm… and for the briefest of moments the lab, the bloody sheet behind her, everything ceased to exist. There was only they two of them. If he chose to, he could have closed the gap between them. He was close enough to kiss her if really wanted to…he wondered if she'd taste of peach…
He closed his eyes, and blew out a breath. Although he could never express it adequately enough to her, he was hopelessly madly in love with her, and the last sixteen months had been the happiest months of his life. No one else could make him feel like Sara did.
Sara stepped out on the veranda just as he bowed his head again, as she approached him silently. Standing next to him, she rubbed his broad shoulders feeling the tension in his bearing start to relax. She felt reassured when he reached for her hand that was resting on the railing, as he half turned to face her.
"I know this situation isn't ideal, Gil," Sara began, breaking the silence. "Ecklie feels he has a point to prove, but we both know that his investigation isn't going to find anything."
Grissom turned to face the darkness again.
"There's still the small matter, however we look at this, I'm still your boss," he replied, with a quirk of his right eyebrow.
Sara leaned closer to him, her hand reaching out to caress his cheek, the bristles of his beard tickling her palm.
"And we both know you've always been more than a boss to me," she responded with a smirk.
He turned to face her with a smirk of his own, and she took the opportunity to gently brush her lips against his.
"We can get through this," she said, as she drew back, leaning her head against his shoulder, as she gazed out into the night.
He shifted his weight to accommodate her, and moved his arm to wrap around her, drawing her closer to him. He kissed her head as they both looked out into the darkness and what was at the moment an uncertain future.
Grissom hoped that Sara was right; that once Ecklie had left off enough steam, they could all move forward.
He sighed, hugging Sara a little closer to him. It was going to be a long couple of weeks.