Chapter 3
As Grissom drove, Sara stared out the open window. She lit up another cigarette and passed the packet absently to Grissom.
Grissom took the packet and glanced at her. "There is nothing going on between Cath and me." He blurted out, the silence turning him in a mental knot.
Sara doesn't say anything. Grissom pulls the car onto the shoulder, in the middle of nowhere. He turns in his seat as Sara asks. "Why do you always act like you don't know me? Why are you always giving favours to Catherine?"
Grissom sighs and lights up another smoke. "I don't do favours, it's just, Cath has put her time in."
"It's not just that, she's always acting like the world revolves around her and that she's always doing her best to keep me out of the loop." Sara stressed, taking a long puff of her cigarette.
"Sara, Cath and I have been friends for many years and she's always acting like she is the only woman that's suppose to talk to me." He tries to explain, but not entirely understanding what he just said himself.
Stubbing out her cigarette, she sighs. "Well, you and I were friends at one time too." Grissom stared at the end of his cigarette as she continued. "Then, I don't know what happened, but you changed." She looked away from him. "Griss, you won't even talk to me anymore. I remember when you would call me for no reason and just talk to me, no matter what the time is." She breathed in a shallow breath, fighting back the tears.
Grissom closed his eyes and thought for a few quiet moments. "Sara, I've changed." He looked up at the roof before shifting his eyes to look out the window. "You need someone who is your age. Someone who will make you happy and have a life outside CSI." He paused before continuing in a soft, but pained voice. "I'm not that person."
Sara turned in her seat and stared at the back of his head. "Grissom, don't give me that crap. You made me happy, hell you made me happier than I've ever been."
"Sara, that was a long time ago. Different time and place."
"Ok Grissom." Sara forced out. "You win. Lets go back to the lab. I've got paperwork I need to do."
Grissom turned the ignition and turns the car around. The ride back into Vegas was too quiet and Grissom felt sick. The words he'd just said, were eating away at him.
Sara stared out the window the entire time, she knew what she had to do. As they pulled into the parking lot, Grissom turned to Sara and asks. "Can we be friends again?"
She didn't answer him. She opened the door and climbed out. Grissom quickly caught her up and asked again. "Sara, can we at least be friends?"
"Grissom, we work together now, that's all."
Entering the building, Sara went in search of Nick. Grissom sighed and turned to head straight to his office.
The rest of the night was quiet. Sara and Nick worked wordlessly and that made Nick worry. He knew something was wrong, but didn't know what.
When the end of shift rolled around, everyone was collecting their things and preparing to head home. Catherine pulled on her coat and asks. "Hey, Sara, you want to grab a bite to eat, just us?"
"No, thanks." She declines politely.
Grissom turns from his locker and watches her leave. He drops his head and turns away.
Catherine saw this. "Everything ok?" She asked as the others filed out the room, leaving them alone.
He turns as he pulls his jacket and some file out. "Leave me alone Cath."
As Sara walked across the parking lot, Nick jogged up to her. "Hey Sar, you want to have dinner with me?"
"How about breakfast Nicky, no date?" She corrects him.
Nick nods and smiles. "No date, just friends eating together."
As they sit in the diner and order some food, Nick asks. "How did the talk go with Grissom?"
Sara looks up at him and shrugs. "Badly." Suddenly, a tear breaks free and roles down her cheek. "He says he wants to be friends, but I can't, not now." She takes in a shuddering breath. "Maybe, if things were different, I could, but..." She shook her head, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.
"So, what are you going to do?" Nick asks, watching her wipe the tears away that wouldn't stop.
"Do my job." She replies, sniffling and turning away from the waitress as their food arrives. "I'll see if I can find something, somewhere else." She adds sadly.
They finish their food and Nick pays before heading out and each going there separate ways. Once Sara got home, she closed the door and hung up her coat, spotting the answer machine's red light.
Pushing play as she walked by, she heard Grissom's voice.
"Sara, if you can please call me when you get home, I need to talk to you, it's important."
Sara stares at the phone and for a second, actually considers calling him.
She deletes the message and turns to head towards the bathroom. A long hot bath was what she needed right now. After a long soak and some of the tension and stress relieved from her body, she climbs into bed and although she was tired, she tossed and turned in her sleep, getting not rest at all.
Grissom turns around and continues his pacing. He hoped Sara would have called him by now. He reaches for his phone and tries her home number again. He then tries her cell, getting her voicemail in return. Against his better judgement, he slams his phone down and grabs his keys. He needs to talk to her, now.
He stands outside her door and knocks. After getting no answer, he tries again.
Sara sighs when she hears the noise and gets up, trying to shake the cobwebs off as she opens her door.
Seeing that she was in her pajamas and had obviously been asleep, he felt guilty.
"What are you doing here?" She asks.
"Can I come in?" He asks her, looking down at his feet. He looks up when she walks away from him, leaving him alone at the door. He follows her into the kitchen and watches while she makes some coffee.
"What are you doing Grissom? What do you want?" She asks again.
Grissom leaned against the counter and sighed. "Sara, what I said, it came out wrong." He looks at her and says. "I've thought about things all morning and... I want us to have dinner, see what happens."
Sara stops and turns. "Grissom, I'm not some yo-yo. You can't tell me one minute your not going to make me happy and crush me, then eight hours later, decide you want me... What the hell is wrong with you?" She demanded.
Grissom stands up straight and holds out his hands to calm her down. "Sara, please, I'm sorry." He didn't expect her to act like this.
"Grissom, I need to think about this. I can't say yes, or no right now."
"Sara, what do I have to do to make this up to you? I'll do whatever it takes." He pleaded.
"You can start by treating me like a human being. We need to be able to talk to each other." She sighed and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "We need to be friends first."
"I can do that." Grissom nods. Sara turns back to the coffee pot and pours some into a cup. Grissom stepped up to the pot and asked. "Can we spend the day together, get to know each other again?"
Sara stares at her coffee. "I was going to stay home today and relax, but you're welcome to stay. Grissom smiles and takes the cup she held out to him so he could pour himself some coffee.
Both left the kitchen and sank onto the couch. Sara turned on the TV to watch some reruns of 'cold cases'. After a while, watching TV together reminded them of a long time ago when they would spend weekends relaxing in front of the TV, together.
As the day drew out, they talks and laughed, just really enjoying their time together. After a few programs and a little banter, Grissom looked down at his watch. "I guess I better go. We have around 4 hours until shift starts."
Sara got up and walked Grissom to the door. She let him lean in and give her a friendly hug. "I'll see you tonight." He said, smiling and stepping back until his was outside her door. Sara smiled and nodded before closing the door.
TBC
As Grissom drove, Sara stared out the open window. She lit up another cigarette and passed the packet absently to Grissom.
Grissom took the packet and glanced at her. "There is nothing going on between Cath and me." He blurted out, the silence turning him in a mental knot.
Sara doesn't say anything. Grissom pulls the car onto the shoulder, in the middle of nowhere. He turns in his seat as Sara asks. "Why do you always act like you don't know me? Why are you always giving favours to Catherine?"
Grissom sighs and lights up another smoke. "I don't do favours, it's just, Cath has put her time in."
"It's not just that, she's always acting like the world revolves around her and that she's always doing her best to keep me out of the loop." Sara stressed, taking a long puff of her cigarette.
"Sara, Cath and I have been friends for many years and she's always acting like she is the only woman that's suppose to talk to me." He tries to explain, but not entirely understanding what he just said himself.
Stubbing out her cigarette, she sighs. "Well, you and I were friends at one time too." Grissom stared at the end of his cigarette as she continued. "Then, I don't know what happened, but you changed." She looked away from him. "Griss, you won't even talk to me anymore. I remember when you would call me for no reason and just talk to me, no matter what the time is." She breathed in a shallow breath, fighting back the tears.
Grissom closed his eyes and thought for a few quiet moments. "Sara, I've changed." He looked up at the roof before shifting his eyes to look out the window. "You need someone who is your age. Someone who will make you happy and have a life outside CSI." He paused before continuing in a soft, but pained voice. "I'm not that person."
Sara turned in her seat and stared at the back of his head. "Grissom, don't give me that crap. You made me happy, hell you made me happier than I've ever been."
"Sara, that was a long time ago. Different time and place."
"Ok Grissom." Sara forced out. "You win. Lets go back to the lab. I've got paperwork I need to do."
Grissom turned the ignition and turns the car around. The ride back into Vegas was too quiet and Grissom felt sick. The words he'd just said, were eating away at him.
Sara stared out the window the entire time, she knew what she had to do. As they pulled into the parking lot, Grissom turned to Sara and asks. "Can we be friends again?"
She didn't answer him. She opened the door and climbed out. Grissom quickly caught her up and asked again. "Sara, can we at least be friends?"
"Grissom, we work together now, that's all."
Entering the building, Sara went in search of Nick. Grissom sighed and turned to head straight to his office.
The rest of the night was quiet. Sara and Nick worked wordlessly and that made Nick worry. He knew something was wrong, but didn't know what.
When the end of shift rolled around, everyone was collecting their things and preparing to head home. Catherine pulled on her coat and asks. "Hey, Sara, you want to grab a bite to eat, just us?"
"No, thanks." She declines politely.
Grissom turns from his locker and watches her leave. He drops his head and turns away.
Catherine saw this. "Everything ok?" She asked as the others filed out the room, leaving them alone.
He turns as he pulls his jacket and some file out. "Leave me alone Cath."
As Sara walked across the parking lot, Nick jogged up to her. "Hey Sar, you want to have dinner with me?"
"How about breakfast Nicky, no date?" She corrects him.
Nick nods and smiles. "No date, just friends eating together."
As they sit in the diner and order some food, Nick asks. "How did the talk go with Grissom?"
Sara looks up at him and shrugs. "Badly." Suddenly, a tear breaks free and roles down her cheek. "He says he wants to be friends, but I can't, not now." She takes in a shuddering breath. "Maybe, if things were different, I could, but..." She shook her head, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.
"So, what are you going to do?" Nick asks, watching her wipe the tears away that wouldn't stop.
"Do my job." She replies, sniffling and turning away from the waitress as their food arrives. "I'll see if I can find something, somewhere else." She adds sadly.
They finish their food and Nick pays before heading out and each going there separate ways. Once Sara got home, she closed the door and hung up her coat, spotting the answer machine's red light.
Pushing play as she walked by, she heard Grissom's voice.
"Sara, if you can please call me when you get home, I need to talk to you, it's important."
Sara stares at the phone and for a second, actually considers calling him.
She deletes the message and turns to head towards the bathroom. A long hot bath was what she needed right now. After a long soak and some of the tension and stress relieved from her body, she climbs into bed and although she was tired, she tossed and turned in her sleep, getting not rest at all.
Grissom turns around and continues his pacing. He hoped Sara would have called him by now. He reaches for his phone and tries her home number again. He then tries her cell, getting her voicemail in return. Against his better judgement, he slams his phone down and grabs his keys. He needs to talk to her, now.
He stands outside her door and knocks. After getting no answer, he tries again.
Sara sighs when she hears the noise and gets up, trying to shake the cobwebs off as she opens her door.
Seeing that she was in her pajamas and had obviously been asleep, he felt guilty.
"What are you doing here?" She asks.
"Can I come in?" He asks her, looking down at his feet. He looks up when she walks away from him, leaving him alone at the door. He follows her into the kitchen and watches while she makes some coffee.
"What are you doing Grissom? What do you want?" She asks again.
Grissom leaned against the counter and sighed. "Sara, what I said, it came out wrong." He looks at her and says. "I've thought about things all morning and... I want us to have dinner, see what happens."
Sara stops and turns. "Grissom, I'm not some yo-yo. You can't tell me one minute your not going to make me happy and crush me, then eight hours later, decide you want me... What the hell is wrong with you?" She demanded.
Grissom stands up straight and holds out his hands to calm her down. "Sara, please, I'm sorry." He didn't expect her to act like this.
"Grissom, I need to think about this. I can't say yes, or no right now."
"Sara, what do I have to do to make this up to you? I'll do whatever it takes." He pleaded.
"You can start by treating me like a human being. We need to be able to talk to each other." She sighed and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "We need to be friends first."
"I can do that." Grissom nods. Sara turns back to the coffee pot and pours some into a cup. Grissom stepped up to the pot and asked. "Can we spend the day together, get to know each other again?"
Sara stares at her coffee. "I was going to stay home today and relax, but you're welcome to stay. Grissom smiles and takes the cup she held out to him so he could pour himself some coffee.
Both left the kitchen and sank onto the couch. Sara turned on the TV to watch some reruns of 'cold cases'. After a while, watching TV together reminded them of a long time ago when they would spend weekends relaxing in front of the TV, together.
As the day drew out, they talks and laughed, just really enjoying their time together. After a few programs and a little banter, Grissom looked down at his watch. "I guess I better go. We have around 4 hours until shift starts."
Sara got up and walked Grissom to the door. She let him lean in and give her a friendly hug. "I'll see you tonight." He said, smiling and stepping back until his was outside her door. Sara smiled and nodded before closing the door.
TBC