Chapter 2
Grissom doesn't look up, but says. "I'm not here." He stands suddenly and walks by Jim.
As they are walking out of Grissom's office, Catherine spots them. "Have thought about what you're going to do yet?"
"About?" Grissom asks.
"Sara?" She insists a little too loudly.
Nodding as he past her, he says. "I'm going to find her now to get the whole story about what happened."
They, Jim and Grissom, pushed through the lab doors to see Nick talking to Sara. Grissom starts to approach them, but Jim stops him. "Now isn't the time Gil, she needs to cool off some more before you add fuel to the fire."
Thinking for a moment, Grissom watches Nick with Sara. He nods and turns to walk off towards his car. Jim follows him.
"Where are you going?" Jim asks.
"I need to think." Grissom replies.
"You did that already. We need to talk."
Stopping by his car door, Grissom sighs heavily and motions to the large SUV. "Get in."
Climbing into the car, the car journey was silent for the full fifteen minutes it took to get to an out of the way diner. Grissom was thinking and Jim glanced worriedly at him a few times.
Once they arrived at the diner, they head inside and order strong coffee's before settling into a window seat so Grissom could watch the bustle of the outside night traffic while he thought about what he was going to do next. He hadn't got a clue.
Watching his friend closely, Jim tried to prepare himself for the possible answer. "Are you or were you and Catherine, once involved?"
Grissom's head turns, not giving the right impression that his answer was good or bad, but his voice held a tinge of confusion. "It's not like that. Cath and I are best friends. I don't like Cath like that, she's a friend, nothing more."
"What about what Sara said?" Jim inquires, looking down at his coffee.
"I 'never' slept with her Jim." Grissom said roughly.
Jim nodded, although he wasn't completely convinced. He knew Grissom wouldn't lie, but this was something about his personal life, how much was Grissom going to spread this out so no one knew the real truth about his and Cath's relationship. "Well, you are always taking her side. You work with her all the time and that gives the impression that you two are involved. I'm not the only one who has noticed, the whole lab has talked about it at some point or another."
Grissom just stares out the window, his hands curled around his cup.
"Ok," Jim sighs. "What about you and Sara? You two have something and whatever it is, it shows." He paused, seeing Grissom's hands tightening around his cup. "When Sara first came here, you two were great together. You worked and talked, but now, you don't even speak to her. You look straight through her most of the time and even I can see this, think about who else has-"
"Jim," Grissom interrupted before he heard anymore. "Sara and I... I don't know what is going on."
Jim nods. "Tell me from the start, why did you bring Sara Sidle here to work?"
Staring at his coffee now, Grissom spoke quietly, almost to himself. "I met Sara at Harvard. She was a great student, one of my best. She was young, smart, funny, everything I..." Grissom couldn't find the word he wanted. He looked up and shrugged. "I really liked her. We ran into each other one day and had coffee together. We started meeting up for lunch, dinner. We did different things..."
"So, you dated Sara back then." Jim said more than asked.
"Well, yeah, I suppose you could call it dating." Grissom agreed.
Jim leaned forward and pushed his coffee away. "How long did this go on?"
"Almost a year, then I came to Vegas." Grissom breathed, not too happy about talking about his past, let alone his private life, even to a friend. "When Sara moved to Frisco, I was called in to help with a case, we met up and spent time together while I was staying."
Thinking back, he smiled, albeit a small flicker of a smile. "It was like we were never apart. We picked up right where we left off." He stopped and breathed before continuing. "The day I left to return to Vegas... was... the first time anything ever happened between us."
Jim was shocked, not sure weather to ask or not, but needing to know. "Was... was there something going on when Sara came here?"
"At first, when Sara came here... she stayed with me for a week until her apartment was ready. That was the last time anything happened." Grissom sighed. "She met Hank and it all went to hell in a hand basket."
The surprise on Jim's face was a picture. He couldn't believe Grissom was opening up to him.
"She asked me to dinner not long ago." Grissom cleared his throat, the talking openly was starting to get to him. "I said no, because I didn't know what to do." He looked up for the first time. "Jim, the age difference alone is enough and I want her to be happy. I can't do that, I don't do people well."
"Well, you did something because she want's to have dinner with you, that's something."
Grissom rubbed his face into his palm and groaned. "Now she thinks Cath and I are involved... or have been. God knows what else she's thinking."
Jim nodded in understanding. "Ok, well, Gil, you need to sit down, just you and Sara. You need to work this out because there is something there and neither of you are going to be happy until it's done." Hoping he had put his point across, Jim pulls his coffee back and takes a sip.
Grimacing at his cold coffee, he stood. "Let's head back. Our pagers have been quiet, so it's safe to say they haven't killed each other yet."
Grissom laughed. "They're probably waiting until I get back so they can shoot me."
Stopping at the store on the way back to the lab, Grissom sneaks a pack of smokes into the car, but lights one up. Jim looked at him, clearly not remembering the last time he saw him smoke. "Could you crash me one, left mine in the car.
As they park up, Grissom notices Sara standing by her car, alone. He flicks the smoke out the window and pulls out a pack of mints. Before getting out, he pops one into his mouth.
Jim says. "I'm going to find everyone, see where the case is at."
Grissom walks over to Sara, slowing down each metre he gets closer. "Can I talk to you?" He asks.
"Sure." But Sara started before he could. "I'm sorry for what I said. I was mad and it just came out."
He is about to say something when he notices she's seen his pack of smokes in his shirt pocket. The unexpected request made him flinch.
"Give me one Grissom."
He pulls the pack from his pocket and hands them over.
She smiles and says. "I thought you quite."
"Same here."
They both light up and Grissom asks. "Um, could we go someplace, and talk?"
Sara nods and takes a long puff of her cigarette. "Yes, I think we need to."
Grissom digs into his pants pocket and pulls out his cell. He presses speed dial. He tells Jim that he and Sara are going to talk and that he'll call later.
TBC
Grissom doesn't look up, but says. "I'm not here." He stands suddenly and walks by Jim.
As they are walking out of Grissom's office, Catherine spots them. "Have thought about what you're going to do yet?"
"About?" Grissom asks.
"Sara?" She insists a little too loudly.
Nodding as he past her, he says. "I'm going to find her now to get the whole story about what happened."
They, Jim and Grissom, pushed through the lab doors to see Nick talking to Sara. Grissom starts to approach them, but Jim stops him. "Now isn't the time Gil, she needs to cool off some more before you add fuel to the fire."
Thinking for a moment, Grissom watches Nick with Sara. He nods and turns to walk off towards his car. Jim follows him.
"Where are you going?" Jim asks.
"I need to think." Grissom replies.
"You did that already. We need to talk."
Stopping by his car door, Grissom sighs heavily and motions to the large SUV. "Get in."
Climbing into the car, the car journey was silent for the full fifteen minutes it took to get to an out of the way diner. Grissom was thinking and Jim glanced worriedly at him a few times.
Once they arrived at the diner, they head inside and order strong coffee's before settling into a window seat so Grissom could watch the bustle of the outside night traffic while he thought about what he was going to do next. He hadn't got a clue.
Watching his friend closely, Jim tried to prepare himself for the possible answer. "Are you or were you and Catherine, once involved?"
Grissom's head turns, not giving the right impression that his answer was good or bad, but his voice held a tinge of confusion. "It's not like that. Cath and I are best friends. I don't like Cath like that, she's a friend, nothing more."
"What about what Sara said?" Jim inquires, looking down at his coffee.
"I 'never' slept with her Jim." Grissom said roughly.
Jim nodded, although he wasn't completely convinced. He knew Grissom wouldn't lie, but this was something about his personal life, how much was Grissom going to spread this out so no one knew the real truth about his and Cath's relationship. "Well, you are always taking her side. You work with her all the time and that gives the impression that you two are involved. I'm not the only one who has noticed, the whole lab has talked about it at some point or another."
Grissom just stares out the window, his hands curled around his cup.
"Ok," Jim sighs. "What about you and Sara? You two have something and whatever it is, it shows." He paused, seeing Grissom's hands tightening around his cup. "When Sara first came here, you two were great together. You worked and talked, but now, you don't even speak to her. You look straight through her most of the time and even I can see this, think about who else has-"
"Jim," Grissom interrupted before he heard anymore. "Sara and I... I don't know what is going on."
Jim nods. "Tell me from the start, why did you bring Sara Sidle here to work?"
Staring at his coffee now, Grissom spoke quietly, almost to himself. "I met Sara at Harvard. She was a great student, one of my best. She was young, smart, funny, everything I..." Grissom couldn't find the word he wanted. He looked up and shrugged. "I really liked her. We ran into each other one day and had coffee together. We started meeting up for lunch, dinner. We did different things..."
"So, you dated Sara back then." Jim said more than asked.
"Well, yeah, I suppose you could call it dating." Grissom agreed.
Jim leaned forward and pushed his coffee away. "How long did this go on?"
"Almost a year, then I came to Vegas." Grissom breathed, not too happy about talking about his past, let alone his private life, even to a friend. "When Sara moved to Frisco, I was called in to help with a case, we met up and spent time together while I was staying."
Thinking back, he smiled, albeit a small flicker of a smile. "It was like we were never apart. We picked up right where we left off." He stopped and breathed before continuing. "The day I left to return to Vegas... was... the first time anything ever happened between us."
Jim was shocked, not sure weather to ask or not, but needing to know. "Was... was there something going on when Sara came here?"
"At first, when Sara came here... she stayed with me for a week until her apartment was ready. That was the last time anything happened." Grissom sighed. "She met Hank and it all went to hell in a hand basket."
The surprise on Jim's face was a picture. He couldn't believe Grissom was opening up to him.
"She asked me to dinner not long ago." Grissom cleared his throat, the talking openly was starting to get to him. "I said no, because I didn't know what to do." He looked up for the first time. "Jim, the age difference alone is enough and I want her to be happy. I can't do that, I don't do people well."
"Well, you did something because she want's to have dinner with you, that's something."
Grissom rubbed his face into his palm and groaned. "Now she thinks Cath and I are involved... or have been. God knows what else she's thinking."
Jim nodded in understanding. "Ok, well, Gil, you need to sit down, just you and Sara. You need to work this out because there is something there and neither of you are going to be happy until it's done." Hoping he had put his point across, Jim pulls his coffee back and takes a sip.
Grimacing at his cold coffee, he stood. "Let's head back. Our pagers have been quiet, so it's safe to say they haven't killed each other yet."
Grissom laughed. "They're probably waiting until I get back so they can shoot me."
Stopping at the store on the way back to the lab, Grissom sneaks a pack of smokes into the car, but lights one up. Jim looked at him, clearly not remembering the last time he saw him smoke. "Could you crash me one, left mine in the car.
As they park up, Grissom notices Sara standing by her car, alone. He flicks the smoke out the window and pulls out a pack of mints. Before getting out, he pops one into his mouth.
Jim says. "I'm going to find everyone, see where the case is at."
Grissom walks over to Sara, slowing down each metre he gets closer. "Can I talk to you?" He asks.
"Sure." But Sara started before he could. "I'm sorry for what I said. I was mad and it just came out."
He is about to say something when he notices she's seen his pack of smokes in his shirt pocket. The unexpected request made him flinch.
"Give me one Grissom."
He pulls the pack from his pocket and hands them over.
She smiles and says. "I thought you quite."
"Same here."
They both light up and Grissom asks. "Um, could we go someplace, and talk?"
Sara nods and takes a long puff of her cigarette. "Yes, I think we need to."
Grissom digs into his pants pocket and pulls out his cell. He presses speed dial. He tells Jim that he and Sara are going to talk and that he'll call later.
TBC