Disclaimer: The official trailer for the new CSI:Vegas dropped less than a week ago. This FF is written based on my interpretation of the information that's been released so far. Either through promos or Interviews. Once the show airs, if I feel the story would benefit from a tweaking from what is portrayed in the show, I'll make those updates. Please keep in mind, I'm intentionally trying to keep this relatively vague as far as how it connects to the new show since there's just so much we still don't "know" without a shadow of doubt.
With all that being said, I hope you enjoy it! I know a lot of people have been asking for new stories!
The light reflecting from the glasses was dancing on the white linen cloth. Little lemon slices floating peacefully in the tea that filled their glasses. Sara sat across from Grissom rifling through the documents she had in front of her. Trying to make sense of the reports sent in. Looking at up Grissom, she noticed she'd lost him. He was staring out into the distance, the water reflection glistenied off his sunglasses. Early dinners on the dock were his favorite. The sun, the breeze, the salty air, he loved it. He looked to her, catching her smiling at him for a moment.
"Did you find it?" he asked her, pointing to the overstuffed manilla folder in her hand. Her smile dropped quickly as she snapped back from the distraction that was her sun-kissed husband. Resting the folder in her lap, and throwing her hands up in the air, she sighed.
"No! I know I had it! Because I was holding it in my hand when I thought about showing it to you. I could've sworn I put it right back into the…."
"Alrighty folks!…" the waiter approached the table, oblivious to the thought process he had just derailed. Sara barely looked up. Grissom extended his smile to the waiter, taking his plate and making room in front of Sara for hers.
"Anything else I can get ya?"
Grissom looked at the table, then to Sara. With her scrunched nose and peaking below her sunglasses looking at each page quickly before flipping to the next.
"I think we're all set. Thank you."
The waiter walked away, and Grissom pulled his silverware from his napkin, placing the napkin in his lap.
"Come on, honey. Let's eat."
Sara's shoulders started to slump as she read the last paper she bunched in her hand. She immediately perked up, arching her back to sit more than straight up in her chair.
"I found it!" Grissom winced and chuckled to himself as Sara grimaced and repeated her words in a tone that was now barely audible. Sara plopped the folder in the chair next to her and handed the document over to Grissom.
"It's a little different, and not the coast we're used to, BUT…it's a great conversation effort."
"Texas? You want to go to Texas? Of all places?…"
Sara quickly taking a bite of her salad, doing her best to chew before answering his question. Gesturing with her hand to chew faster followed by a large gulp.
"It's a super tiny research center for sea turtles. We'd probably have to dry-dock the boat for a few …ah….weeks and just …umm…fly out, but I'd bet it'd be a good time…"
Sara's phone had started ringing. She picked it up to check the name. It was Brass. She clicked the button on the side of the phone and set it back down. Furrowing her eyebrows, trying to think of why he'd call.
"Who was it?" Grissom asked her, curious himself.
"Oh. It was Jim. From Vegas. I can call him back later though."
As Sara and Grissom both continue with more bites of food, the phone vibrates against the linen clothed table. Sara grabbed it quickly, looking to Grissom as she saw it was Brass again. Grissom nods as if telling her to take the call. He leans back into his chair pushing his sunglasses up into his hair. His eyes watching every flinch in her face as she takes the call.
Sara ducks her hand and puts her finger to her other ear. Doing her best to drown out the noise that had gathered on the dock. As she stands up to step away from the table, she puts her hand over the bottom of the phone and mouthed to Grissom that she'd be right back.
His eyes widened as he nodded okay. She had walked to the end of the dock, just a little too far to watch her lips. But that didn't stop him from trying. He winced his eyes as if trying to get a clearer picture of the shapes her lips made. She was pacing with her hand on her hip. Occasionally said hand would gesture into the air as if something didn't make sense. She had finally stopped pacing and stood still with her hip cocked to the side, her hand hanging on the base of her neck. She hung up the phone and looked to Gil down the dock. Grissom flinched in his seat, unsure if he should get up to go to her. His eyes focused on her as she put her head down and walked back towards him. The wind blowing against her body, he could see the tall lean beautiful woman that she was. Occasionally she'd look up over to the water with a squint to her face as if she were pained.
When she arrived at the table, she didn't sit down right away. She stood next to her chair, fidgeting with her phone in her hand.
"Is Jim okay?" He asked. Hoping that the question was silly and absurd and would have a nonchalant response. Sara winced again and looked down to meet his eyes as she pushed her own glasses up.
"I have to go back to Vegas."
Grissom leaned back in his chair again and swallowed hard. Squinting his eyes, looking to find the reason in hers. Sara pulled her chair back and sat down and started eating her salad. Mostly poking into the leaves than bringing any of them to her mouth. Grissom grabbed her hand that was resting on the table and rubbed his thumb across the top of it. He knew that if he started to bombard her with questions, she'd get annoyed and overwhelmed, so he sat there and waited for her. After a few bites and then a defeated toss of her fork onto her plate, she looked at him.
"He didn't sound okay. This…whatever this is…it's a mess, Gil. I don't even know. But hopefully it's just for a few days."
Grissom nodded and smiled as he squeezed her hand gently. Clearing the food from his last bite before he spoke.
"We'll go do the Sea Turtles when you get back then." he offered a soft smile. Anything to help bring back hers.