Title: Fear
Author: csiphile/stepf
Rating: Holding strong at PG 13
Notes: Ok, so I am a little late, the weekend was a zoo and my new computer came today and I was distracted setting that up and gosh darn it I just didn't get to it. So here is the next chapter in my never ending saga. We are officially upping the ante here.bwhahaha. Anyhoo, hope y'all enjoy it. Thank you, thank you for the reviews, they mean so much to me, you have no idea. Eolivet, Joey failed in his duties this weekend to make McMahon and Detmer look like Favre, but if he leads us to a better than 2 and 14 record he will be my hero indeed. I want to re-iterate, I only borrowed his name because I stink at that stuff. No infringement intended and I am sure he is a nice guy; he sure seems like it on TV.
Thanks: Also to Meg the bestest beta reader ever, who stepped up when Hope had her baby. And Dev, of course, there would be no 'Fear' without her. To Zheidi for thanking me in her fic.wow, that still blows me away! And to the academy..oh sorry, got a bit carried away.
Sitting in her favorite chair, Sara is quietly reading a book she bought the other day about recidivist offenders and the death penalty. She loves hanging at Grissom's, but sometimes the silence of her apartment is what she needs. She is so focused on the book the shrilling of the phone scares her. Shaking her head at herself, Sara gets up and walks to the phone in the kitchen, her bare feet making a light slapping noise on her linoleum.
"Sidle."
"Well that's an interesting way to answer your home phone," a male voice responds.
Sara almost drops the handset. "What do you want?"
"You."
Suddenly the line goes dead and she looks around her apartment. Walking to each window she makes sure they are closed and locked, and shuts the blinds. Sara considers calling Grissom, but decides against it; she is going to deal with this problem herself. Sara is a trained investigator and armed; one man is no big deal, she convinces herself before the phone rings again.
"Sidle," she says more firmly.
"Why are you resisting, Sara? You know you love me too. Just accept it and we can be together."
Shaking hard now, Sara almost can't form a response until the part of her that says to get a grip takes over. "Look buddy, I don't think you realize who you are screwing with. I'm a cop, so don't think for one instant that I won't have half the force on your sorry ass in under an hour. So leave me the hell alone. Are we clear?" At that Sara slams the phone down and takes a deep breath to keep from hyperventilating. Before she can get complete control, the now ominous sound of the phone is heard again.
"Why are you doing this?" A pause and then she hears soft laughing.
"Because I love you Sara, and I know you love me too. Stop trying to deny it, it will only make it worse." Joey's tone had gone from soft and almost loving to dark and threatening.
"I don't love you, I never will. Get over it." Her voice sounds stronger than she actually feels. She hangs up, and before the phone rings again, Sara pulls the cord from the wall.
Leaning back against her counter, Sara wonders why this is happening to her. Suddenly her apartment doesn't feel like home anymore, like someone has invaded it, even though she is the only person there. Sitting back down, she begins to read again, trying to calm her nerves. After reading through one chapter, Sara looks up from her book and eyes the phone, hanging innocently on the wall. Pursing her lips, she gets up again and approaches it slowly. Holding the grey cord in her hand, Sara plugs it into the wall and waits. Ten minutes later, when the phone doesn't ring, Sara moves from the spot she has been standing stock still in the entire time. Walking to the fridge, she grabs a water bottle and rolls the kinks out of her neck from standing for so long. The sound of the phone ringing again startles her and makes her hair stand on end. Watching as if in a dream, she walks over and picks it up, this time saying nothing.
"What? This time no smart remarks for me Sara? You need to learn who is in control here, and that's me. Closing the blinds and locking the windows won't help. I know you Sara, you are a creature of habit. You come home everyday and you shower, then check your email and usually read before sleeping. And I must tell you Sara, your sleeping habits need some work; four hours isn't nearly enough for you. Not to mention what you eat; I can't figure out how your morning runs keep you so thin. Now listen here girly, you're mine, you're all I want, all I need, can't you see that? We are meant to be, stop resisting, and say you love me Sara and this will all be over and we can be together."
Slamming the phone down again and ripping the cord out, Sara slides down the wall to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her forehead on them. Recalling everything he said, she swiftly realizes he has been watching her for weeks, following her. He knows where she lives, her unlisted phone number, and her routine, probably her jogging route. Her tightly controlled life has been compromised. Sara feels sick to her stomach suddenly, gets up and runs into the bathroom, just making it before her breakfast of a bagel and cream cheese is violently expelled into the toilet. Once her stomach is done retching, Sara gets up and brushes her teeth. She doesn't want this to bother her, she is a strong person, never had to depend on anyone her whole life. Her parents depended on her more than the other way around. Admitting to herself that she can't handle this alone is almost more frightening to her than actually being stalked. Sara knows she is a control freak; it's the only way she can be sure that everything is in order. This is beyond her control though, and she has never been so terrified.
Joey smiles to himself as he hangs up his home phone, she is wearing down, and eventually she will see his love and know he is the one she is meant for.
Coming out of the bathroom, Sara tries to remember where she left her cell phone. Scanning the living room, she finds it sitting on her coffee table. Picking it up, she is about to dial when it rings, startling her to the point of dropping it.
"Shit." She bends over and grabs the still-ringing phone.
Looking at the display, Sara breathes a sigh of relief. Grissom.
"Hey," she says.
"Hey. I tried calling your house phone but it just rings. Everything okay?" Just the sound of his voices calms her on-edge nerves.
"No. Everything is not okay. Can you come over?" she asks, near tears.
"Sara."
"Please just come over Gil. I'll explain then."
The use of his given name gives Grissom pause. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes, Ok?"
"Yeah, okay. Thanks." She hangs up before he can say anything.
Grissom stares at his phone for a moment, terrified of what would cause a normally steady Sara Sidle to almost break down. He could hear that she was near tears. Grabbing his coat and keys, Grissom is out the door in less than two minutes.
The knocking on the door pulls Sara partially out of the daze she has been in since talking to Grissom. Turning in place, Sara looks at the door, but makes no move to it until the knocking becomes more insistent and Grissom calls her name from the other side. Slowly making her way to the door, Sara looks through the peephole and seeing Grissom, opens the door for him.
"Hey," she says quietly and turns away from him, walking back to her perch on the couch.
Grissom watches her and is alarmed. He has never seen Sara in this state; she is detached, barely functioning. Sitting beside her, Grissom takes her small form in his arms and pulls her into his lap. Seated sideways, with her side pressed up against his chest, Sara can felt the steady beat of his heart, and with his arms around her, she feels safe. Sara looks in his eyes and places her head on his chest, just under his chin, letting the tears that she has been holding back flow.
Grissom can count on one hand, hell on one finger, the number of times Sara has cried in front of him, the only time being the Pamela Adler case and of course now. Waiting until he is sure she is done crying, Grissom pulls her away from him slightly, instantly missing the warmth of her body.
"Sara, what happened?" he asks gently and strokes her hair.
"He.. he called me. Here, at my house, I had to pull the cord out of the wall. I didn't know what else to do. God I feel so stupid now, maybe I just blew things out of proportion," she leans into his touch. He hasn't stopped stroking her hair since she started talking.
"What exactly happened?"
Sara quickly relays the phone calls, and almost the conversations word for word. Once she is done, it finally hits her how serious this actually is. Up until this point, she had just assumed that if she told him to go away, he would. His actions tonight, however, make it painfully obvious that he is going nowhere soon, no matter what she says or does.
"I don't understand Gris, why me? Until the other day, I had never spoken to the man, and he thinks he loves me? That makes no sense." Sara's fear is quickly shifting to her default mechanism, anger. "What you possess this man to think I love him? I have done nothing, I was civil to him and that's it."
"I don't know Sara, but he does and we need to deal with it. Let me call Brass," he shifts her off of him so he can grab his phone. Quickly dialing the number, he gets Brass, and after explaining the situation, passes the phone to Sara.
"Hey Brass."
"Sara. How are you?" Brass' distinctive voice comes over the phone.
"Fine, aside from some nutcase who thinks he's in love with me." Her reply is laced with bitterness, which she immediately regrets. "Sorry Brass."
"It's okay. Now think hard for me. Did he threaten you directly?"
Sara thinks a minute before responding, "No, actually he didn't."
"Damn it. Legally, I can't do anything until he threatens you. But I will send a car past your apartment every hour. Understand something though Sara, any talking to him, even to tell him to leave you alone will encourage him. Say nothing to him, ever. All right?"
"Yeah, I understand Brass, thank you," she says and hangs up the phone.
"Brass said he still can't do anything since technically he didn't make threats, but he will send a car by every hour. He also told me not to talk to the guy, even to tell him to leave me alone." She looks at him and smiles slightly; just having him here makes her feel better. Laying down, Sara puts her head in his lap and curls on her side, Grissom slowly rubbing her exposed upper arm and shoulder.
"It will be okay Sara. I promise," he says. Once her breathing becomes steady and indicates she is sleeping, he carefully, without waking her, maneuvers so he is lying next to her on the couch, one arm wrapped protectively around her midsection. Closing his eyes, Grissom wonders what, if anything can be done to get Joey Harrington out of their lives.
tbc...
Author: csiphile/stepf
Rating: Holding strong at PG 13
Notes: Ok, so I am a little late, the weekend was a zoo and my new computer came today and I was distracted setting that up and gosh darn it I just didn't get to it. So here is the next chapter in my never ending saga. We are officially upping the ante here.bwhahaha. Anyhoo, hope y'all enjoy it. Thank you, thank you for the reviews, they mean so much to me, you have no idea. Eolivet, Joey failed in his duties this weekend to make McMahon and Detmer look like Favre, but if he leads us to a better than 2 and 14 record he will be my hero indeed. I want to re-iterate, I only borrowed his name because I stink at that stuff. No infringement intended and I am sure he is a nice guy; he sure seems like it on TV.
Thanks: Also to Meg the bestest beta reader ever, who stepped up when Hope had her baby. And Dev, of course, there would be no 'Fear' without her. To Zheidi for thanking me in her fic.wow, that still blows me away! And to the academy..oh sorry, got a bit carried away.
Sitting in her favorite chair, Sara is quietly reading a book she bought the other day about recidivist offenders and the death penalty. She loves hanging at Grissom's, but sometimes the silence of her apartment is what she needs. She is so focused on the book the shrilling of the phone scares her. Shaking her head at herself, Sara gets up and walks to the phone in the kitchen, her bare feet making a light slapping noise on her linoleum.
"Sidle."
"Well that's an interesting way to answer your home phone," a male voice responds.
Sara almost drops the handset. "What do you want?"
"You."
Suddenly the line goes dead and she looks around her apartment. Walking to each window she makes sure they are closed and locked, and shuts the blinds. Sara considers calling Grissom, but decides against it; she is going to deal with this problem herself. Sara is a trained investigator and armed; one man is no big deal, she convinces herself before the phone rings again.
"Sidle," she says more firmly.
"Why are you resisting, Sara? You know you love me too. Just accept it and we can be together."
Shaking hard now, Sara almost can't form a response until the part of her that says to get a grip takes over. "Look buddy, I don't think you realize who you are screwing with. I'm a cop, so don't think for one instant that I won't have half the force on your sorry ass in under an hour. So leave me the hell alone. Are we clear?" At that Sara slams the phone down and takes a deep breath to keep from hyperventilating. Before she can get complete control, the now ominous sound of the phone is heard again.
"Why are you doing this?" A pause and then she hears soft laughing.
"Because I love you Sara, and I know you love me too. Stop trying to deny it, it will only make it worse." Joey's tone had gone from soft and almost loving to dark and threatening.
"I don't love you, I never will. Get over it." Her voice sounds stronger than she actually feels. She hangs up, and before the phone rings again, Sara pulls the cord from the wall.
Leaning back against her counter, Sara wonders why this is happening to her. Suddenly her apartment doesn't feel like home anymore, like someone has invaded it, even though she is the only person there. Sitting back down, she begins to read again, trying to calm her nerves. After reading through one chapter, Sara looks up from her book and eyes the phone, hanging innocently on the wall. Pursing her lips, she gets up again and approaches it slowly. Holding the grey cord in her hand, Sara plugs it into the wall and waits. Ten minutes later, when the phone doesn't ring, Sara moves from the spot she has been standing stock still in the entire time. Walking to the fridge, she grabs a water bottle and rolls the kinks out of her neck from standing for so long. The sound of the phone ringing again startles her and makes her hair stand on end. Watching as if in a dream, she walks over and picks it up, this time saying nothing.
"What? This time no smart remarks for me Sara? You need to learn who is in control here, and that's me. Closing the blinds and locking the windows won't help. I know you Sara, you are a creature of habit. You come home everyday and you shower, then check your email and usually read before sleeping. And I must tell you Sara, your sleeping habits need some work; four hours isn't nearly enough for you. Not to mention what you eat; I can't figure out how your morning runs keep you so thin. Now listen here girly, you're mine, you're all I want, all I need, can't you see that? We are meant to be, stop resisting, and say you love me Sara and this will all be over and we can be together."
Slamming the phone down again and ripping the cord out, Sara slides down the wall to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her forehead on them. Recalling everything he said, she swiftly realizes he has been watching her for weeks, following her. He knows where she lives, her unlisted phone number, and her routine, probably her jogging route. Her tightly controlled life has been compromised. Sara feels sick to her stomach suddenly, gets up and runs into the bathroom, just making it before her breakfast of a bagel and cream cheese is violently expelled into the toilet. Once her stomach is done retching, Sara gets up and brushes her teeth. She doesn't want this to bother her, she is a strong person, never had to depend on anyone her whole life. Her parents depended on her more than the other way around. Admitting to herself that she can't handle this alone is almost more frightening to her than actually being stalked. Sara knows she is a control freak; it's the only way she can be sure that everything is in order. This is beyond her control though, and she has never been so terrified.
Joey smiles to himself as he hangs up his home phone, she is wearing down, and eventually she will see his love and know he is the one she is meant for.
Coming out of the bathroom, Sara tries to remember where she left her cell phone. Scanning the living room, she finds it sitting on her coffee table. Picking it up, she is about to dial when it rings, startling her to the point of dropping it.
"Shit." She bends over and grabs the still-ringing phone.
Looking at the display, Sara breathes a sigh of relief. Grissom.
"Hey," she says.
"Hey. I tried calling your house phone but it just rings. Everything okay?" Just the sound of his voices calms her on-edge nerves.
"No. Everything is not okay. Can you come over?" she asks, near tears.
"Sara."
"Please just come over Gil. I'll explain then."
The use of his given name gives Grissom pause. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes, Ok?"
"Yeah, okay. Thanks." She hangs up before he can say anything.
Grissom stares at his phone for a moment, terrified of what would cause a normally steady Sara Sidle to almost break down. He could hear that she was near tears. Grabbing his coat and keys, Grissom is out the door in less than two minutes.
The knocking on the door pulls Sara partially out of the daze she has been in since talking to Grissom. Turning in place, Sara looks at the door, but makes no move to it until the knocking becomes more insistent and Grissom calls her name from the other side. Slowly making her way to the door, Sara looks through the peephole and seeing Grissom, opens the door for him.
"Hey," she says quietly and turns away from him, walking back to her perch on the couch.
Grissom watches her and is alarmed. He has never seen Sara in this state; she is detached, barely functioning. Sitting beside her, Grissom takes her small form in his arms and pulls her into his lap. Seated sideways, with her side pressed up against his chest, Sara can felt the steady beat of his heart, and with his arms around her, she feels safe. Sara looks in his eyes and places her head on his chest, just under his chin, letting the tears that she has been holding back flow.
Grissom can count on one hand, hell on one finger, the number of times Sara has cried in front of him, the only time being the Pamela Adler case and of course now. Waiting until he is sure she is done crying, Grissom pulls her away from him slightly, instantly missing the warmth of her body.
"Sara, what happened?" he asks gently and strokes her hair.
"He.. he called me. Here, at my house, I had to pull the cord out of the wall. I didn't know what else to do. God I feel so stupid now, maybe I just blew things out of proportion," she leans into his touch. He hasn't stopped stroking her hair since she started talking.
"What exactly happened?"
Sara quickly relays the phone calls, and almost the conversations word for word. Once she is done, it finally hits her how serious this actually is. Up until this point, she had just assumed that if she told him to go away, he would. His actions tonight, however, make it painfully obvious that he is going nowhere soon, no matter what she says or does.
"I don't understand Gris, why me? Until the other day, I had never spoken to the man, and he thinks he loves me? That makes no sense." Sara's fear is quickly shifting to her default mechanism, anger. "What you possess this man to think I love him? I have done nothing, I was civil to him and that's it."
"I don't know Sara, but he does and we need to deal with it. Let me call Brass," he shifts her off of him so he can grab his phone. Quickly dialing the number, he gets Brass, and after explaining the situation, passes the phone to Sara.
"Hey Brass."
"Sara. How are you?" Brass' distinctive voice comes over the phone.
"Fine, aside from some nutcase who thinks he's in love with me." Her reply is laced with bitterness, which she immediately regrets. "Sorry Brass."
"It's okay. Now think hard for me. Did he threaten you directly?"
Sara thinks a minute before responding, "No, actually he didn't."
"Damn it. Legally, I can't do anything until he threatens you. But I will send a car past your apartment every hour. Understand something though Sara, any talking to him, even to tell him to leave you alone will encourage him. Say nothing to him, ever. All right?"
"Yeah, I understand Brass, thank you," she says and hangs up the phone.
"Brass said he still can't do anything since technically he didn't make threats, but he will send a car by every hour. He also told me not to talk to the guy, even to tell him to leave me alone." She looks at him and smiles slightly; just having him here makes her feel better. Laying down, Sara puts her head in his lap and curls on her side, Grissom slowly rubbing her exposed upper arm and shoulder.
"It will be okay Sara. I promise," he says. Once her breathing becomes steady and indicates she is sleeping, he carefully, without waking her, maneuvers so he is lying next to her on the couch, one arm wrapped protectively around her midsection. Closing his eyes, Grissom wonders what, if anything can be done to get Joey Harrington out of their lives.
tbc...