Sara was exhausted. Every bone in her body ached, her muscles screamed with every effort to move. She felt tears welling up, her emotions were taut as a bowstring.

It was all too much.

She was going to move from Las Vegas. Death and darkness hung over her at every waking moment now. She had moved at Grissom's request. They had initially clicked so well, she thought they would make a fantastic team, able to tackle the failings of humanity together.

And for a while, they had done so. Sara loved working beside him, and the grave shift team. They became her new family, after running away from her past family for so long. Putting aside her feelings for Grissom, she was just happy to be flourishing in her professional and personal life.

But then he changed. He rebuffed her at every moment, avoiding any time alone with her. Which was difficult, as a young CSI, trying to make her career. Catherine has been wonderful in supporting her, but Sara really needed her supervisor to make sure she was at her training sessions, working in teams so she could learn more. It seemed Grissom was sabotaging her at every step.

Sara stepped into her shower, allowing the hot water to seep in her exhausted body, washing and relaxing every fibre of her being.

And then that conversation he had with that horrible doctor. Bitterness welled up in her. He wouldn't risk his career for her. He was scared of his feelings for her, and it created an insurmountable chasm between them.

But Sara herself was on a self-destructive streak. Some of the cases had triggered some truly terrible memories in her and she had reacted badly. Feeling isolated from her colleagues, she did some questionable things. The DUI, the suspension after her outburst at Eckerlie and Catherine...no wonder Grissom didn't want to be around her anymore. She had become a thoroughly unpleasant, difficult person to be around. He probably loathed at any moment it was just the two of them.

It would be much better if she started afresh somewhere else. Maybe somewhere by the water this time, she really missed the sound of waves lapping the shore-

BANG BANG

Sara's thought process was rudely interrupted by incessant banging on her door. She shook her head, realising her water was starting to go cold.

BANG BANG

She stepped out of the shower, quickly drying herself off and swirling her hair into a towel. She pulled her thick bathrobe around her before heading towards the front door. Who would be at her place at this time of the day? It was 6 am, just after dawn. The sunrise peeked through her windows.

BANG BANG

She looked through the peephole and was very surprised to see a certain blue-eyed, salt and pepper haired man at her door. She opened the door before he could hammer it again.

"You know, doors tend to open by the handle," she said dryly.

Grissom looked different. His eyes were wild, his hair crumpled.

"I'm sorry Sara, I just-" he ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't know where to go. I ended up here."

"Do you want to come in?" She was concerned, surprised, glad and annoyed, all at the same time.

He simply nodded, brushing past her as she closed the door. He plopped down on her shoe bench, simply at a loss.

"Grissom, are you okay?" Sara approached him cautiously. She glanced over at him. He was still covered in dirt, from when they dug Nick out earlier in the night. She knelt and started to gently untie his shoes. She would rather he didn't track that through her apartment if he decided to go on a wild wander.

"These feelings, I don't know what to do with them," Grissom didn't even seem to notice she was removing his shoes.

"Well, you just nearly lost a good friend of yours," Sara said carefully. For some reason, she felt calm, despite the self-pity party she just had in the shower. Grissom's panic cleared her head. All that mattered to her right now, was him. "It's understandable. You nearly got blown up."

Suddenly, piercing blue eyes were affixed to her.

"And after all that, you know what I want?" Grissom said softly.

Sara's throat seemed to have become sandpaper. She swallowed a few times, trying to moisturise her vocal cords back into working order.

"All I can think about is you," Grissom's voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't know what you've done to me. Why can't I just push these feelings aside, like every other time? I know I'm the wrong person for you, in every sense, but damn it, I want to be the one for you."

Sara was speechless. She pinched herself, very hard. Just to make sure she hadn't fallen asleep in the shower and was in a fantasy.

She didn't know what to say. Words were not forming in her mind, at all. She thought he hated her, he was trying to get rid of her…

"I-I shouldn't be here," Grissom was frightened by her silence. "I'm sorry to have burst in on you like this."

He stood abruptly, wiping the dirt off his face awkwardly. He turned to grab the door when she instinctively reached for his hand.

Sara moved closer to him, as he turned to face her, sliding her hand up to his face. She had dreamed of this moment, getting to touch every piece of him, feeling the roughness of his stubble against the pads of her fingers. She leaned up towards him, closing her eyes.

It was now or never.

Their lips brushed together, and it was like electricity sparked between them.

Suddenly his lips crashed down on hers as if she was oxygen and he couldn't get enough of her. His kisses were so fierce, his hands on the small of her back moulded her against him.

This was beyond her wildest dreams. She ran her hands up and down his chest, to the back of his neck, to his face. His skin felt weathered, but soft under her fingers. He smelt like dirt, but she didn't care. It meant he was really there, they were really kissing as the sun rose….

After an eternity, he pulled back and leant his forehead against hers. They were both breathing pretty hard, as sunlight burst through her windows.

"Sara...I want you so badly," Grissom's eyes had become pools of desire.

Something tugged in her belly, but Sara wrangled her raging hormones and thoughts under control.

"Gil.." It was the first time she had said his first name, tenderly. It felt so right, coming out of her mouth. "I want you too, but I want to take this slow. This is something I want to get right. For both of us."

His eyes searched hers, and he pulled her into a warm embrace, his hand resting on her curly hair.

"When that crazy guy was holding you last time, I thought I was gonna lose my mind," he whispered into her ear. "I wanted to smash the door right in, punch him, do everything awful to him. Just for coming so close to harming you."

Sara felt safe in his arms. That he would rather take any bullet, any hit for her.

"Gil, how about you take a shower?" She pulled back, placing her hand on his face tenderly. She couldn't get enough of touching him. "I'll get your spare clothes out of your car. And then we can sleep. Together."

He leaned in for another kiss, and she could feel him smile against her lips.

"I would love that."

Sometime later, Sara dressed in her proper pyjamas and laid stretched out on her bed, idly reading her book. She had quietly slipped Grissom's bag into the bathroom and was waiting for him to get dressed.

Finally, he stepped out of the shower, in fresh clothes. He gave his irrepressible boyish smile to her, as he dried his hair.

"Hey."

"Hey," she swallowed, trying to smooth out the dryness in her throat that had returned.

They were both naturally awkward people, but the silence that hung between them was comfortable. She had finally made a crack in the shell that he had built up around himself, and he was letting her into his world. And it made her so happy.

He finished drying his hair, dropping the towel in her laundry basket. He dropped on the bed next to her, never breaking eye contact.

Sara reflexively leaned forward and kissed him. Her head was spinning. They kissed three times! And now, he was here in her bed.

"Shall we?" He was half under her blanket already. She simply nodded and tucked herself underneath the blanket, instantly snuggling up to him. It was like his arms were made to fit her.

"Are you sure about this Sara?" His arm tensed around her. "I'm...scared. I don't want to hurt you."

She leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"I've never been more confident."

He relaxed into a smile and held her closer. Soon, soft snores were coming out of him. He knocked out like a light! He must have been exhausted.

Sara laid on his chest, feeling the rise and fall. She hadn't felt this safe and secure for a long time.

She never wanted him to let go of her.