Title: Snowed In

Chapter: 3

Author: Evidence

Rating: PG-13

Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews!!!! See if you can find what the minor mystery will be. Meanwhile Sara and Grissom grow even more uncomfortable with their situation.




The honeymoon suite, as it was named, evoked images of fields in a Monet painting. The wallpaper was composed of large flowers varying in color and slightly fuzzy in its drawing. White lace curtains hug in the one window. A light violet rug was on the floor. Two vases of white roses occupied the bedside tables. A painting of New England fisherman had its place on the wall. The bed was large, possibly king-sized, and fitted with a beautiful, pristine white bedspread that had the appearance of being antique. The bed was made from wood, a rock maple it seemed. There was no television, no mini-bar, no radio, no other furniture expect the bedside tables, a dresser, and the bed.


Grissom gulped.


"Well, do you two like the room?" Dottie asked throwing them a teethed smile.


"It's...nice." Grissom looked over his surroundings again. "Um, there was a chair over by the window."


"What, dear?" Dottie frowned.


Grissom moved to the window and bent down using his finger to point out small indentation marks. "See there was a chair here recently. Where is it? I was going to use it as my bed."


Sara turned from the scene and set her bag on the floor. He was never going to share the bed with me, she thought and let out a sigh.


Dottie stumbled on her words. "It... the chair...burned."


"It burned?" Grissom looked at her over his glasses.


"Yes."


"Then why is there no burn marks on the rug or wallpaper?"


Dottie opened and closed her month. Damn, he was good.


"Ms..."


"Sumner," she finished for him.


"Ms. Sumner, why are you lying to us?"


"Grissom!" Sara interjected into the conversation. "We better get going, we don't want to be late to the seminar."


Grissom stood up and placed his bags near the dresser. "Please try to find that chair."


Dottie watched the couple leave and head for the phone in the lobby. Her grandson Peter approached. "How did it go?"


"Not well, Mr. Smarty Pants is on to us." She sighed deeply.


Peter grinned. "Lets give that Nick a call and see if he has anything else up his sleeve."


Dottie smiled. "Good thinking, Mr. Stokes will surely think of something."







"A few minutes for the cab? Yes, thank you." Grissom placed the phone back in the receiver cradle.


"What the hell was that?" Sara glared at him.


"I don't..."


"Don't give me that innocence act. You were badgering that poor, old woman like she was some suspect in a double murder!"


Grissom sighed. "I didn't mean to do that but she was lying to us. There was a chair there."


Sara folded her arms over her parka. "Well, instead of harassing the lady, just say you don't want to be in the same room with me."


"It's not that I don't want to...it's not proper."


"You're scared something will happen between us."


Grissom was taken back. He hated it when Sara read his mind. "No, I just...I...I..."


"Yeah, go on."


"I...I..."


Sara rolled her eyes. "Dottie is not the one lying, you are. You are lying to yourself and me."


Grissom could not suppress the hurt etched on his face. "I am not a liar. I don't lie."


"Then say how you really feel because I will admit I'm scared." Sara's voice lowered at the last few words.


Grissom took a giant gulp. "Alright. I am scared to be alone with you in that room all night. Satisfied?"


Sara was. Gil Grissom was not a man that wore his heart on his sleeve.


A horn beeped. "Our cab's here." Sara looked out the window.


The snow had left an inch dusting already. The stairs were beginning to glaze. Grissom grabbed Sara's elbow and helped her down. Why, he wasn't sure. She could've managed on her own. Grissom stopped right in front of the cab. His eyes gleam on a familiar site.


"Sara, look, blood." Small, red pellets were sprayed in the snow.


"Huh, there are dog tracks here, too." Sara pointed to the large dog prints.


"I saw a lady walking her dog when we first arrived."


"Maybe her dog cut its paw." Sara shrugged her shoulders. "Come on, we better go."







The seminar was located at the Marriott. In a large ballroom, around 100 forensic investigators, sat at round tables. Grissom and Sara choose a table that only settled two, that way they wouldn't have to talk to anyone else.


The hours went by quickly. Grissom had to resist looking at the lovely woman next to him. Sara's stomach was doing flip-flops knowing that soon they would be going back to the inn and the honeymoon suite.


She leaned over to Grissom once. "We didn't see the bathroom, I wonder if the tub is heart shaped?" Grissom rolled his eyes.


The Professor giving the seminar talked on and on, his words having a profound effect on Grisson. "Relationships are there, sometimes hidden. It's in a glance, a look, the smallest touch. It's when two suspects are in the interrogation room and all they see is each other, no one else."


Although the words were meant for suspects of criminal investigations, Grissom took them to heart. They described his relationship with Sara. Was he denying himself a chance for happiness by denying Sara?






During the seminar, Grissom left to use the bathroom. On his way back he stopped at the front desk of the hotel. "Excuse me. Are there any rooms available?"


The reservations manager looked at the screen. "Yes, sir, twenty-five rooms available. Would you like one?"


Grissom frowned. "What about the cow rancher convention? Don't they have all the rooms?"


The man gave him a strange look. "Cow rancher convention? I don't know what you're talking about."


Nick! And Catherine must have been in on it too. Crappy assignments for them from now on. Grissom shook his head. He had a choice. He could easily get a room for himself there and Sara could keep the suite at Dottie's. He wouldn't be alone with her. Nothing could possibly happen.


"Sir, would you like a room?"


His month grew parched. "No. No, thank you."







"Hey, what took you so long?" Sara whispered to him when he sat back down.


Should he tell her there were rooms available? "Nothing."


"Well, you missed Professor Stubland's theory on Ageical Relationships."


Grissom furrowed his brows. "Ageical is not a word."


"Tell that to Professor Stubland." Sara smiled.


"So what does it mean?"


"When suspects are tense it might be because they admire each other but there is an age difference."


"Admire each other?" Grissom rubbed his forehead.


"That's what he called it." Sara let out a laugh.


A rumbling in Grissom's stomach interrupted the conversation. "God, I'm starved, we never ate anything on the plane."


Sara began getting up. "I'll get you something."


"You don't need to do that."


"I want to." She smiled and went on her way.


Shortly she was back balancing two large pieces of cake, forks and a paper cup of coffee.


"You got cake?" He asked surprised.


"Well, yeah," looking sheepishly, she said, "There was a reception in the other room and there was plenty left over."


"Sara!"


"One of the groomsmen told me to take it."


"One of your many admirers, I presume."


"Jealous?" She asked raising one eyebrow.


Grissom didn't respond instead he began digging into the cake. "Is this coffee for me or you?"


"Both of us. They only had one left."


Grissom gave her surprised look.


"You know how I am about germs but it's you so I don't mind."


"You don't mind sharing my germs?"


"No."


Grissom looked back at his plate. "We have the strangest conversations, you know that, right?"


"Yeah."


Sara dug into her cake like a woman possessed. She must have been hungry, too, thought Grissom. They finished quickly although neither had touched the coffee.


"Sara, did you get any napkins?" He was staring at her face.


"No, why?"


He moved his hand to her cheek and gently wiped frosting from the corner of her month. His fingers tingled as if lightening had struck him.


Sara was motionless and speechless. All she could do was feel Grissom's touch.


He moved his hand away. "You had frosting..."


"Thanks..." she replied meekly.


Grissom looked down at his fingertips. What to do with the frosting? He had an urge to lick them but decided against it. Instead he wiped them on the dish that once held his cake. His fingers were sticky and still tingly.


"I better go wash my hands." He looked into her eyes as he got up. "I'll be right back."


She could only shake her head in reply.







In the bathroom he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was still handsome, still desirable. He wouldn't look too old for Sara. Splashing cold water on his face he made a decision. He would tell her about the room at the Marriott but he would ask her to stay at the inn with him. You can do it, Gil, you can.






When he got back to their table, he was shocked to see that everyone was gone. "Sara, where..."


"There is a Noreastern smacking the city. While we have been at this seminar already 8 inches of snow has fallen. They let everyone leave early."


"I guess we better get back to the inn."


"Yup," Sara began putting on her coat.


"Sara?" It was now or never.


"Yeah?"


"There are rooms here at this hotel." He took a gulp.


She gave him a strange look. "I know they are all booked."


"No, they're not." He sighed. "I asked the desk and there are twenty-five rooms available."


"Oh," she said quietly.


"Would you like a room here?" Say the rest Gil. "Or would you like to stay at the inn with..."


"I'll go ask." With that she took off.


Grissom followed, head bent. He heard as he approached the man he talked to earlier telling Sara, "I'm sorry Miss Sidle but all the rooms are booked now. The cow ranchers just got into town."


"But you said..." Grissom started.


Sara turned to look at him. "I guess you're stuck with me."


"I'm never stuck with you."


They headed to a pay phone to call a cab while the reservations manger picked up his phone. "Mr. Stokes, everything is all set. They are heading back to the inn right now together. What else do you have planned?" He listened and let out a laugh. "They don't know what they are in for."




To be continued...