Title: Snowed In
Chapter: 6
Author: Evidence
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews!!! Finally you'll see what the subtle mystery is (hope it wasn't too subtle). Enjoy.
"It's an experiment, Sara."
She huffed. "You and your experiments."
"It will only take a few minutes."
She laced her boots and gave him a look. "This is ridiculous you know."
"Humor me." He smiled warmly.
"Alright."
They proceeded down the inn stairs and found Dottie and several other inn residents in the main room.
"Hello, you two." Dottie winked at them.
"Here we go again," Sara whispered to Grissom.
"I was wondering if you two were ever going to come up for air. It is nearly dinner time."
Grissom rolled his eyes. "Do you have a yard stick?"
Dottie scrunched her blonde eyebrows. "What do you need a yard stick for?"
"We are going to measure the snow and see how much has fallen." Grissom replied.
The other inn residents exchanged looks. Dottie shook her head. "Okay...there is one in that closet to your right."
Grissom proceeded to the small closet and removed the long, manila stick. "Thank you."
"Have fun," Dottie said as she watched them walk out. She turned to her relatives and friends. "When Mr. Stokes said they were two peas in a pod, he wasn't kidding."
The snow had finally stopped falling. The ground was covered in the whiteness though. Both of them knew that the airport would be closed until the next morning. They had one more night together at the inn and now everything had changed. They were in a relationship. They would go back home to Vegas, lovers. How this would effect everything back home? Only time would tell. Now though they could bask in the joy of this new romance.
Grissom pointed out a spot behind the inn. Taking Sara's hand he led her back there, walking as if two-ton weights were attached to his legs. The snow was fluffy but thick like walking through marshmallow. It was up to their waists and both knew they would have to change clothes when they got back to their suite.
Grissom plopped the yardstick into the snow. "About three feet."
"You know this isn't accurate." Sara blew out a ring of cold from her mouth.
He shrugged his shoulders. "No it's not scientific really but it's fun because I'm with you."
Sara grinned.
They measured at different places with nearly the same results. Sara's ears tuned to a muffled sound. "Grissom do you hear that?"
Grissom looked up at her. "Hear what?"
"It sounded like an animal." Sara ventured forward toward the shed behind the inn.
"Sara, wait," Grissom was approaching behind her. "It might be rabid."
Sara had tuned him out and was concentrating on her mission. She weaved a way to the shed door and grabbed at the handle. It would hardly move. The snow in front of it was keeping anything from entering or leaving the shed.
"We have to shovel." Grissom's hand touched her shoulder.
As quickly as possible they headed back to the inn and enlisted the help of Peter and a few others. With shovels in hand they looked like a chain gang removing the snow. Eventually the work was done and Sara cautiously opened the door. Inside a large brown and black dog was curled up in a ball. It's eyes looked up at Sara, red rimmed and watery. It let out a soft moan. Sara noticed blood on its nose and neck.
"Grissom, it's a dog."
Grissom pressed against her and took a look. In an instance he knew he had seen that dog before. "This dog was being walked in front of the inn yesterday."
Peter looked over their heads. "I know that dog. He's owned by Dawn Tanner, two houses down. Hey, Ranger."
Ranger picked up his head and wagged his long tail.
"Peter, can you take care of Ranger? Sara and I need to visit Ms. Tanner."
Peter gave an affirmative nod.
Sara knocked on the gray door that housed Dawn Tanner. A dark haired woman opened it slowly. "Can I help you?" she asked.
Grissom's eyes narrowed. A cut was above her eye and her lip was swollen. "Ms. Tanner?"
"Yes,"
"Is your dog missing?"
Her face brightened, "Yes, Ranger is."
"I think we've found him."
She put her hands to her mouth and let out a sob. "Oh, thank you, where?"
"Ms. Tanner, what happened to your face?" Sara asked.
"Oh, follow me."
She led them to her back door where she had a metal dog chain hooked up. "I slipped on the ice when I let Ranger out and when I woke, he was gone and my face was bruised."
Grissom bent down and examined the ice. "The indention shows that your face did hit here." He moved out farther. "Here's where Ranger got cut." A slab of wood showcased a small amount of blood. "When you were unable to hook him up, he must have run away. He did stay close to his neighborhood. One question though where was there ice here, Ms. Tanner? The snow hadn't really started falling when you let Ranger out."
Dawn averted her eyes. "I was bringing water out for the birds. I always feed the birds even in the winter. Well, I slipped on my own foot and dropped the water. I'm a little bit of a klutz. It must have frozen."
"It was cold enough." Grissom stood back up.
"Why were you giving the birds water?" Sara asked.
Grissom interceded Dawn's response. "Birds need water to wash their feathers even in the winter. If not they have a harder time flying and gathering food."
Sara smiled. "Did Nick teach you that?"
Grissom simply gave her a look.
Dawn and her dog had a happy reunion at Dottie's Inn that night. Grissom and Sara took part for a little while and then ventured upstairs.
Sara sat on the bed and looked at Grissom who was repacking his clothes. "We can't stay away from work can we?"
"We're investigators, it's what we do."
"And who we are." She added.
"Well, right now I want to be Grissom and Sara, not CSI's." He finished his work and sat down beside her.
"Tomorrow this all ends."
"Maybe tomorrow it all begins," Grissom put his hand on top of hers.
"I know but I'll miss the inn and this bed." She blushed.
"Because we..."
"Yeah, it's special. At least to me." Sara pressed her head against his shoulder. "I've had the best time of my life being snowed in with you."
"So have I." He brushed his lips against her hair. "Have you ever read "Ethan Frome"?"
"I'm not sure, remind me."
"Well, Edith Wharton wrote this story about this New England town gripped by a nasty weather. Ethan is a lost soul that falls in love. It's a forbidden love. The weather acts like a character uniting these two people and well eventually leading to their near deaths..."
Sara smirked. "Can you leave out the bad stuff?"
"Sorry. Anyway, I kind of feel like Ethan. A man in love and grateful for bad weather."
Sara brought her head up and looked in his blue eyes. "What did you say?"
"I said that I feel like Ethan, a man in love..."
She kissed his lips, soft and sweet. "Yeah, I feel like Ethan, too."
They made new memories in the bed and nestled in each other's arms. When he thought she was asleep, he whispered in her ear, "I love you, Sara."
He heard her soft voice say back, "I love you, too." Grissom held her tighter and slept the most peaceful sleep of his life.
To be continued... (Last chapter coming up)
Chapter: 6
Author: Evidence
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews!!! Finally you'll see what the subtle mystery is (hope it wasn't too subtle). Enjoy.
"It's an experiment, Sara."
She huffed. "You and your experiments."
"It will only take a few minutes."
She laced her boots and gave him a look. "This is ridiculous you know."
"Humor me." He smiled warmly.
"Alright."
They proceeded down the inn stairs and found Dottie and several other inn residents in the main room.
"Hello, you two." Dottie winked at them.
"Here we go again," Sara whispered to Grissom.
"I was wondering if you two were ever going to come up for air. It is nearly dinner time."
Grissom rolled his eyes. "Do you have a yard stick?"
Dottie scrunched her blonde eyebrows. "What do you need a yard stick for?"
"We are going to measure the snow and see how much has fallen." Grissom replied.
The other inn residents exchanged looks. Dottie shook her head. "Okay...there is one in that closet to your right."
Grissom proceeded to the small closet and removed the long, manila stick. "Thank you."
"Have fun," Dottie said as she watched them walk out. She turned to her relatives and friends. "When Mr. Stokes said they were two peas in a pod, he wasn't kidding."
The snow had finally stopped falling. The ground was covered in the whiteness though. Both of them knew that the airport would be closed until the next morning. They had one more night together at the inn and now everything had changed. They were in a relationship. They would go back home to Vegas, lovers. How this would effect everything back home? Only time would tell. Now though they could bask in the joy of this new romance.
Grissom pointed out a spot behind the inn. Taking Sara's hand he led her back there, walking as if two-ton weights were attached to his legs. The snow was fluffy but thick like walking through marshmallow. It was up to their waists and both knew they would have to change clothes when they got back to their suite.
Grissom plopped the yardstick into the snow. "About three feet."
"You know this isn't accurate." Sara blew out a ring of cold from her mouth.
He shrugged his shoulders. "No it's not scientific really but it's fun because I'm with you."
Sara grinned.
They measured at different places with nearly the same results. Sara's ears tuned to a muffled sound. "Grissom do you hear that?"
Grissom looked up at her. "Hear what?"
"It sounded like an animal." Sara ventured forward toward the shed behind the inn.
"Sara, wait," Grissom was approaching behind her. "It might be rabid."
Sara had tuned him out and was concentrating on her mission. She weaved a way to the shed door and grabbed at the handle. It would hardly move. The snow in front of it was keeping anything from entering or leaving the shed.
"We have to shovel." Grissom's hand touched her shoulder.
As quickly as possible they headed back to the inn and enlisted the help of Peter and a few others. With shovels in hand they looked like a chain gang removing the snow. Eventually the work was done and Sara cautiously opened the door. Inside a large brown and black dog was curled up in a ball. It's eyes looked up at Sara, red rimmed and watery. It let out a soft moan. Sara noticed blood on its nose and neck.
"Grissom, it's a dog."
Grissom pressed against her and took a look. In an instance he knew he had seen that dog before. "This dog was being walked in front of the inn yesterday."
Peter looked over their heads. "I know that dog. He's owned by Dawn Tanner, two houses down. Hey, Ranger."
Ranger picked up his head and wagged his long tail.
"Peter, can you take care of Ranger? Sara and I need to visit Ms. Tanner."
Peter gave an affirmative nod.
Sara knocked on the gray door that housed Dawn Tanner. A dark haired woman opened it slowly. "Can I help you?" she asked.
Grissom's eyes narrowed. A cut was above her eye and her lip was swollen. "Ms. Tanner?"
"Yes,"
"Is your dog missing?"
Her face brightened, "Yes, Ranger is."
"I think we've found him."
She put her hands to her mouth and let out a sob. "Oh, thank you, where?"
"Ms. Tanner, what happened to your face?" Sara asked.
"Oh, follow me."
She led them to her back door where she had a metal dog chain hooked up. "I slipped on the ice when I let Ranger out and when I woke, he was gone and my face was bruised."
Grissom bent down and examined the ice. "The indention shows that your face did hit here." He moved out farther. "Here's where Ranger got cut." A slab of wood showcased a small amount of blood. "When you were unable to hook him up, he must have run away. He did stay close to his neighborhood. One question though where was there ice here, Ms. Tanner? The snow hadn't really started falling when you let Ranger out."
Dawn averted her eyes. "I was bringing water out for the birds. I always feed the birds even in the winter. Well, I slipped on my own foot and dropped the water. I'm a little bit of a klutz. It must have frozen."
"It was cold enough." Grissom stood back up.
"Why were you giving the birds water?" Sara asked.
Grissom interceded Dawn's response. "Birds need water to wash their feathers even in the winter. If not they have a harder time flying and gathering food."
Sara smiled. "Did Nick teach you that?"
Grissom simply gave her a look.
Dawn and her dog had a happy reunion at Dottie's Inn that night. Grissom and Sara took part for a little while and then ventured upstairs.
Sara sat on the bed and looked at Grissom who was repacking his clothes. "We can't stay away from work can we?"
"We're investigators, it's what we do."
"And who we are." She added.
"Well, right now I want to be Grissom and Sara, not CSI's." He finished his work and sat down beside her.
"Tomorrow this all ends."
"Maybe tomorrow it all begins," Grissom put his hand on top of hers.
"I know but I'll miss the inn and this bed." She blushed.
"Because we..."
"Yeah, it's special. At least to me." Sara pressed her head against his shoulder. "I've had the best time of my life being snowed in with you."
"So have I." He brushed his lips against her hair. "Have you ever read "Ethan Frome"?"
"I'm not sure, remind me."
"Well, Edith Wharton wrote this story about this New England town gripped by a nasty weather. Ethan is a lost soul that falls in love. It's a forbidden love. The weather acts like a character uniting these two people and well eventually leading to their near deaths..."
Sara smirked. "Can you leave out the bad stuff?"
"Sorry. Anyway, I kind of feel like Ethan. A man in love and grateful for bad weather."
Sara brought her head up and looked in his blue eyes. "What did you say?"
"I said that I feel like Ethan, a man in love..."
She kissed his lips, soft and sweet. "Yeah, I feel like Ethan, too."
They made new memories in the bed and nestled in each other's arms. When he thought she was asleep, he whispered in her ear, "I love you, Sara."
He heard her soft voice say back, "I love you, too." Grissom held her tighter and slept the most peaceful sleep of his life.
To be continued... (Last chapter coming up)