Title: Past, Present, Future
Author: kyrdwyn
Rating: R (language, mostly)
Category: Mixed - Romance, UST, angst etc. Mainly involves Sara, Warrick, and Grissom.
Spoilers: Some of the first season, but nothing specific.
Summary: Sara's past comes back to affect her present and her future.
Archived: Will be at my website at some point, also on Fanfiction.net. Other places, please ask first.
Disclaimer: If they appear on CSI, they belong to those companies, CBS, and the actors who make them come alive. The other characters, as well as the plot lines, are mine (or I'm theirs, never quite sure which). Done purely for enjoyment and not for profit.
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Sara smiled at the man on her doorstep. "Come on in."
Warrick smiled back as he stepped inside. "Wanted to see how you two were getting along."
Sara's smile got wider. "We're doing fine."
A voice called out from the living room. "Juice?" A raven-haired girl came into view, clutching her sippy cup in both hands. Sara smiled down at her.
"Of course, but its nap time."
Warrick tried not to laugh as Ginny's face took on a mutinous expression much like her mother's when a suspect or piece of evidence wouldn't cooperate. In fact, if it weren't for the startling blue eyes, Ginny would have been a mini-Sara.
He waited as Sara got the girl her drink and picked her up to carry her into the second bedroom. He wandered further into Sara's apartment, picking up details. Ginny's abrupt insertion into her mother's life was apparent in the toys strewn on the floor and the Disney videotapes on a shelf next to the television. Most telling were the parenting books on the counter between the living room and the kitchen. Sara had left Ginny's father when the child was barely six months old. From what little information Warrick had been able to glean, Sara's ex-husband was an SOB who treated Sara like dirt. She had to leave him for her health and sanity. Unfortunately, he'd also had the better lawyers, and gotten custody of Ginny. Two months ago, he'd dropped Ginny into her mother's life and walked away from his daughter.
A photograph sitting on top of the counter caught his eye. Sara was sitting on the steps outside the crime lab, Ginny on her lap. Sara was looking down at Ginny, her expression a mixture of wonder and awe. Ginny was smiling up at the camera, eyes wide and fascinated. The same expression…
"Sorry I took so long. She's really stubborn sometimes." Sara's voice sounded behind him, and he turned.
"Kinda like her mother, huh?" he asked with a smile.
Sara looked down, her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Or her father," Warrick said, looking down at the photograph.
Sara looked up, startled. "Michael?"
He shook his head. "No, Grissom."
Shock and panic crossed Sara's face before she could control herself. She tried to assume a bland mask, but Warrick already knew he was right.
"Ginny is…"
"I've got eyes, Sara. I've seen the way you look at Gris. He said you were a friend, but I always thought there had been something more between you. Ginny's got his eyes." He held out the photograph. "You can see it so clearly here."
Sara didn't look at the photograph, rather at him. "Please, don't…"
"Don't what?" He was puzzled by the plea in her voice.
"Don't tell him. He doesn't know. I didn't know," she stepped closer. "I thought she was Michael's. Blue eyes are not uncommon in my family."
"Why don't you want to tell him?"
"Because I don't even know if he remembers that night. Neither of us were sober. I don't want him to feel obligated either. You know how he is, Warrick. He's a loner, a guy who is much happier racing bugs and opening corpses than trying to court a woman or change a diaper."
"Sara, she's his daughter! Doesn't he have a right to know?"
"Legally, she's Michael's daughter," Sara's expression was stubborn.
"How can you work with the man, keeping such a secret from him?"
"I'm not saying its easy, Warrick. If we had been in love or dating it might be different. But it was one night, in a hotel in San Diego. A CSI conference. I had argued with Michael over the phone and was trying to drink myself to sleep. I don't know why he was drinking, but he was. One thing led to another."
Warrick looked at Sara, at those brown eyes that were pleading with him.
"Sara, he ought to know."
"I know, and I will tell him. Someday. Just…not now."
Warrick sighed. "If he finds out on his own, Sara, he'll be hurt."
She nodded.
"I won't tell him. But you have to."
Sara nodded again. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet."
She smiled. "You're a good friend, Warrick."
He shook his head. "I'm only thinking about Ginny."
She blinked. "Well, at least someone is. Michael sure isn't and I'm not exactly unbiased in this area, huh?"
He chuckled. "No."
Sara turned toward Ginny's room, her body tense. A few silent seconds later, she turned back to him. "Thought I heard her."
Warrick stood there. He didn't want to ruin his friendship with Sara over her secret. But neither did he want to ruin his friendship with Grissom.
"Care to stay for lunch?" Sara asked. "I could use some company that speaks English, not two year old."
Warrick smiled. "I'd love to."
Author: kyrdwyn
Rating: R (language, mostly)
Category: Mixed - Romance, UST, angst etc. Mainly involves Sara, Warrick, and Grissom.
Spoilers: Some of the first season, but nothing specific.
Summary: Sara's past comes back to affect her present and her future.
Archived: Will be at my website at some point, also on Fanfiction.net. Other places, please ask first.
Disclaimer: If they appear on CSI, they belong to those companies, CBS, and the actors who make them come alive. The other characters, as well as the plot lines, are mine (or I'm theirs, never quite sure which). Done purely for enjoyment and not for profit.
-------------------------------------------
Sara smiled at the man on her doorstep. "Come on in."
Warrick smiled back as he stepped inside. "Wanted to see how you two were getting along."
Sara's smile got wider. "We're doing fine."
A voice called out from the living room. "Juice?" A raven-haired girl came into view, clutching her sippy cup in both hands. Sara smiled down at her.
"Of course, but its nap time."
Warrick tried not to laugh as Ginny's face took on a mutinous expression much like her mother's when a suspect or piece of evidence wouldn't cooperate. In fact, if it weren't for the startling blue eyes, Ginny would have been a mini-Sara.
He waited as Sara got the girl her drink and picked her up to carry her into the second bedroom. He wandered further into Sara's apartment, picking up details. Ginny's abrupt insertion into her mother's life was apparent in the toys strewn on the floor and the Disney videotapes on a shelf next to the television. Most telling were the parenting books on the counter between the living room and the kitchen. Sara had left Ginny's father when the child was barely six months old. From what little information Warrick had been able to glean, Sara's ex-husband was an SOB who treated Sara like dirt. She had to leave him for her health and sanity. Unfortunately, he'd also had the better lawyers, and gotten custody of Ginny. Two months ago, he'd dropped Ginny into her mother's life and walked away from his daughter.
A photograph sitting on top of the counter caught his eye. Sara was sitting on the steps outside the crime lab, Ginny on her lap. Sara was looking down at Ginny, her expression a mixture of wonder and awe. Ginny was smiling up at the camera, eyes wide and fascinated. The same expression…
"Sorry I took so long. She's really stubborn sometimes." Sara's voice sounded behind him, and he turned.
"Kinda like her mother, huh?" he asked with a smile.
Sara looked down, her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Or her father," Warrick said, looking down at the photograph.
Sara looked up, startled. "Michael?"
He shook his head. "No, Grissom."
Shock and panic crossed Sara's face before she could control herself. She tried to assume a bland mask, but Warrick already knew he was right.
"Ginny is…"
"I've got eyes, Sara. I've seen the way you look at Gris. He said you were a friend, but I always thought there had been something more between you. Ginny's got his eyes." He held out the photograph. "You can see it so clearly here."
Sara didn't look at the photograph, rather at him. "Please, don't…"
"Don't what?" He was puzzled by the plea in her voice.
"Don't tell him. He doesn't know. I didn't know," she stepped closer. "I thought she was Michael's. Blue eyes are not uncommon in my family."
"Why don't you want to tell him?"
"Because I don't even know if he remembers that night. Neither of us were sober. I don't want him to feel obligated either. You know how he is, Warrick. He's a loner, a guy who is much happier racing bugs and opening corpses than trying to court a woman or change a diaper."
"Sara, she's his daughter! Doesn't he have a right to know?"
"Legally, she's Michael's daughter," Sara's expression was stubborn.
"How can you work with the man, keeping such a secret from him?"
"I'm not saying its easy, Warrick. If we had been in love or dating it might be different. But it was one night, in a hotel in San Diego. A CSI conference. I had argued with Michael over the phone and was trying to drink myself to sleep. I don't know why he was drinking, but he was. One thing led to another."
Warrick looked at Sara, at those brown eyes that were pleading with him.
"Sara, he ought to know."
"I know, and I will tell him. Someday. Just…not now."
Warrick sighed. "If he finds out on his own, Sara, he'll be hurt."
She nodded.
"I won't tell him. But you have to."
Sara nodded again. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet."
She smiled. "You're a good friend, Warrick."
He shook his head. "I'm only thinking about Ginny."
She blinked. "Well, at least someone is. Michael sure isn't and I'm not exactly unbiased in this area, huh?"
He chuckled. "No."
Sara turned toward Ginny's room, her body tense. A few silent seconds later, she turned back to him. "Thought I heard her."
Warrick stood there. He didn't want to ruin his friendship with Sara over her secret. But neither did he want to ruin his friendship with Grissom.
"Care to stay for lunch?" Sara asked. "I could use some company that speaks English, not two year old."
Warrick smiled. "I'd love to."