Disclaimer: I don't own.

A/N: Wow! Lol, you guys didn't like that last chapter, huh? :)

Maybe this one will make up for it. ...But probably not. Let me know what you think! (You always do... :P) (No, really, I love it, please don't stop. ...I'm crazy about my reviews. Hehe.)

Oh, and Go Twins! :) 8-3!! (Channeling my inner-Grissom again.) (I'm very amused with parenthesis today...)

Chapter Twenty Five:

I wasn't sure what to think. I climbed out of bed, changed into clean clothes, and ran a brush through my tangled curls before throwing them up in a ponytail. Had Dr. Grissom asked Jace if I could have dinner? That seemed… strange. But Jace had known what he was asking, despite being unable to hear his words. I had a strange, sneaking suspicion that he had orchestrated this… but that was so… strange. I mean, it wasn't like he hadn't done anything like this before… when I had gotten the call from the prison that my mother had died, I had more or less stopped functioning. He had tried to get me involved in activities, take me out… other things. When it hadn't worked, he'd called Kyleigh and Michelle and Rachel and asked them to drag me out for a girls' night, sneakily.

I had agreed after much goading, because I didn't want to tell them why I was really upset, and to some extent it had worked. Sometimes just getting out and about and forcing yourself to function helped you work through the pain. I wasn't better, but I stopped spending my days in bed.

But asking Dr. Grissom was much stranger. Sure, he'd told me to be his friend and yeah, usually I'd jump at the chance to talk forensics with one of the foremost experts in the country, no matter who they were… but it was different. Going to lunch spontaneously when questions seemed endless was different than calling for a dinner date to follow up on questions that Jace didn't know weren't real. Maybe it wouldn't have been so strange if Jace was going with us or… or if Dr. Grissom was a friend more than an acquaintance and were in town for a while… then a dinner date seemed to make sense. Then, it seemed innocent.

Now, it seemed crazy.

Jace had changed into his work clothes and kissed me deeply right before leaving. The knock that came at the door interrupted us, and as he was the one standing beside where I sat on the couch, he pulled from me and went to answer the door.

"Dr. Grissom," he greeted him warmly and offered his hand. Dr. Grissom took it with a smile that gave nothing away.

"Jace. Nice to see you again."

"You too." He glanced over his shoulder at me, and then stepped back and let Dr. Grissom inside. He hesitated, and then stepped over the threshold. Jace left the door open and moved over to me, kissing me gently again. "I love you. See you tonight."

"Bye honey." He tossed me a grin, shook Dr. Grissom's hand again, and then stepped out of the door, closing it behind him.

I stared at my knees, the awkwardness in the room palpable. He sought to break the tension.

"So… this is home." I turned to look at him and he shrugged. "Nice place."

I swallowed, trying and failing to keep the bite out of my voice. "…Would you like the tour? I can show you the bed where I sleep with my fiancé." I said, feeling spiteful and out of place. Something just wasn't right about this.

His features twitched, revealing pain and then quickly covering it with a wry smile. "No, I think I can live without ever seeing that. …Should we get something to eat?"

So I stood up and followed him out, locking the door behind me, feeling like I was viewing everything through glazed eyes. Once in his passenger seat, I numbly asked him. "…Did he ask you to do this?"

He pulled out of his parking spot and sped up. "…Yeah. But I don't think I'm supposed to tell you that. …I… found it very… strange."

I snorted. "No kidding."

He hesitated and then… "Do you think he knows?"

"No." I said, thinking that he would have confronted me, certainly. He didn't speak again, so the drive to the restaurant was silent, giving me too much time to consider whether I was absolutely sure he didn't know… or suspect. Would he confront me? If not, what would be the point and purpose of having me go out with the man? How did it benefit him to have me out with the person who was his biggest threat? What could possibly be gained by me gallivanting off, exploring my feelings for another man?

I actually jerked my head back in surprise when I realized. It hit me like a bucket of cold water from behind. He either knew or suspected I had feelings for Dr. Grissom… and he did want me to explore them. He didn't want me to marry him unless I was sure, so… he was giving me the opportunity to be sure.

My head was spinning with those thoughts. …Was that crazy? Was I trying to fit his actions into a theory simply because this felt so strange? He certainly hadn't behaved as if he were suspicious or jealous or threatened. He had been the picture of calm. He had kissed me before he left, but not aggressively or possessively to lay his claim in front of Dr. Grissom.

No, surely I was crazy. I had been woken up from the first time I'd slept more than an hour or so in days, and I hadn't eaten since the night before. My brain could not be firing at full power. I shook the thought away and glanced over at him.

"You look nice."

And he did. Jeans and a short-sleeve button down. Simple, casual, but nice. Very nice. He blushed.

"Thank you… So do you."

I snorted again. "I rolled out of bed just before you came…"

"I know." He said softly, and parked the car. "Jace said he was worried about you… When's the last time you ate?"

I frowned. "I'm about to eat now."

He frowned, too. We moved inside and he told them there were two in our party, and we waited five minutes to be seated, once again in silence. We had not been so quiet with one another since we'd met. I swallowed as soon as we were seated, looking at him across the table and our menus, open to give us something to do. "…I'm really sorry. About… today."

He shook his head, slowly. "No, Sara. I… I'm really sorry about… this whole week."

I frowned. "I… don't understand."

At that moment our waitress arrived, inquiring what we'd like to drink. We ordered, and she swept away, and I sighed. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

He didn't say anything, at first, and then he lifted his gaze from the table to my face with something close to urgency. "…Do you have an innie or an outie?"

I blinked. And then laughed. "What?!" He grinned, giving me a knowing smile. I raised an eyebrow. "Really? You want to know about my bellybutton?"

He smirked. "I do. …I want to know everything."

I tilted my head at him. "What do you want to know?"

He pursed his lips. "Why physics?" I opened my mouth to respond, but he spoke before I could. "Not… you know, why in the general sense. Why does it interest you, on a deeper level?"

I took the time to think about his question, the waitress coming and taking our order while I thought. "I suppose… Understanding the nature of the world… the way things work… makes me feel more in control of the world around me. If you understand the mysteries of the world, there's nothing out there that can surprise you."

"Do you play any sports?"

I laughed again. "What?"

"Sports. Do you play any?"

I smirked. "No. I… was a pretty good swimmer. I wanted to be on the swim team but… I didn't want to ask my foster parents. I thought it would be… an expense and an inconvenience. …I love to run though."

"What else?"

I frowned. "What is this about?"

"I told you. I want to know everything. …Were you ever in choir or a school play?"

I huffed, but smiled despite myself. "I was Little Red Riding Hood in fifth grade."

He grinned. "Really?"

I blushed. "Yes, really! I mean, it was a play where all the fairy tale characters kind of interacted… like I waved to Hansel and Gretel on my way to Grandma's… stuff like that, so, I mean, none of the parts were very big."

"I can just imagine you… small, with big cheeks and big eyes, the red cape framing the curls around your face…"

I blushed brighter. "Were you in any school plays?"

"I was Robin Hood in eighth grade."

I felt my face light up as I imagined a thirteen year old boy with blonde curls in green tights. "Did you have to wear—"

"Tights? No. Thankfully. I had green pants…"

I grinned anyway. He would have been so cute…

"Are you really an environmentalist?" He asked, as the food was placed before us and, "Do you have any tattoos?" as we began to eat. These were followed by, "Where is your favorite place in the world to be?" and "What would you do with a million dollars?" and "What is your favorite book/movie/TV Show/food/band/play…"

By the time he was paying the check, the first time he'd paid since I'd hustled him at pool, I felt like I'd been talking for hours…like there was very, very little the man did not know about me. And while this would normally have made me feel exposed, it didn't. It just felt… nice.

Outside the restaurant, I turned to him and lifted my shirt just far enough for him to see my bellybutton, an innie. The way his jaw dropped and his eyes glazed over… made me feel powerful. Sexy. …Jace almost always wanted me, but he was… used to me. My bellybutton didn't do crazy things to his features anymore, because, after all, he'd seen it a thousand times. I flushed with pleasure at his reaction and slid into the car.

The ride home turned into a discussion of everything I'd ever wanted to be 'when I grew up' and why. A marine biologist because I loved the ocean and animals, a teacher because my teachers were always so nice to me, a chocolate-maker because I was convinced that I would just get to eat everything I made… A professional surfer, because the idea of spending my life on the beach would be a dream come true, and if you were good enough, you could make enough money to travel the world… surf the most exotic beaches.

He pulled up outside our apartment, and I glanced around for Jace's car. He was still at work. I glanced at Dr. Grissom. "Sara…"

"Do you want to come in for some coffee? Jace will be home soon, but I'm sure he won't mind…" Was I sure? I glanced at the clock. It wasn't that late.

He shook his head slowly, and took my hand in his. "I… I've been thinking." I looked at him curiously, and he smiled a little sadly. "You asked me today about… Susan. You… asked if I were still in love with her."

I felt the breath tight in my chest. I swallowed, nodding, watching him, trying to remain calm. It shouldn't matter to me one way or the other whether he as in love with her or not.

"I… I think I am."

I felt myself deflate. I felt his words like a blow to my chest. I felt the light leave my eyes. "Oh."

He cleared his throat. "Not that… my attraction to you… isn't real, but… but you were right. I'm not over her and… at this point, I'm not sure I ever will be. …So, I… You shouldn't leave Jace. You should marry him, because I… My heart belongs to her, still. I… could never love you the way he does."

I had tears in my eyes, but I wasn't sure if they were from grief or anger. For the second time today, I wanted to strike him. He had come into my life, complicated everything, and now I knew… it was for nothing. All my agonizing for… nothing. I should have expected as much. Jace was the only man who had never disappointed me. I blinked furiously and swung the door open.

"Well, good. …I… I'm glad you know where you stand now. I… I was never going to leave Jace anyway, so… good. We're both… good, now."

He held my hand tightly, preventing me from flinging myself from the car and running away from the pain he had just inflicted but which I had no right to have. "…I… would really like to… stay friends, Sara. If we're… both in love with someone else… Then there should be no reason we can't be friends."

I nodded, though I wasn't sure what I was agreeing to. I just wanted to get out of the car. "Great. That's… Yeah, friends. I, um… I'm really tired, Dr. Grissom. I'm… gonna go."

He released me. "Goodnight, Sara."

I was out of the car in a moment, calling goodnight over my shoulder and hurrying to my door. I should have known… I should have expected as much… I should never have doubted Jace.