Chapter Three
Reality, Las Vegas, 2003
"Sara, I need to see you in my office."
She looked up hurriedly from the microscope just in time to see Grissom's departing form through the doorway. 'That was it? No please, no nothing? Must be important.'
Sighing lightly, Sara carefully put away the slides she had been examining, before following in Grissom's wake.
'Things have been tense,' she reflected on the changes in their relationship from one that had not too long ago been, easy. 'Easy. That isn't the word to describe how it was. It was more than that, it was if we could,' the word eluded her grasp.
Her reverie was broken when Nick stopped her in the hallway to talk. "Hey, Sara. What's up?" His smile and happy manner were in direct opposition to Sara's mood.
"Meeting with Grissom."
Waving his hand in the direction he had come from, Nick continued, "Gris just passed by. A word of warning, though, he looked mighty preoccupied."
"Oh, thanks Nick." She smiled as if hearing him, yet her eyes drifted down the hall in the direction he had gestured to. "I was looking for Grissom."
'What? She just said she was meeting with Grissom.' Sara continued on her way as Nick watched her go. She was definitely preoccupied too, Nick decided. 'Hell, she and Grissom make quite the pair.'
When Sara arrived at Grissom's office, she didn't enter, but leaned in her almost customary position against the doorframe. 'I always seem to be leaning in his doorway.'
Grissom didn't look up from where he was seated, his nose almost buried in some files.
When she shifted on her feet impatiently and he still hadn't noticed her, she spoke, "Grissom, you said you wanted to see me?"
Now he looked up. "Oh, yes. Sorry, Sara, I didn't see you." Grissom began to gather the files he had been reading.
Her tone was dry. "Obviously. What did you want to see me about?" Unconsciously, Sara moved further into his office, till she stood near the closest corner of the desk to the door.
"Here," He handed her the files then dropped his hand back to his desk where it was then clasped in the other. "I wanted you to look at these files."
'That's it?' Somehow, she had expected more than that. 'I don't know why I should, though. Things have been so strained between us lately.' He wasn't looking at her. 'Damn, it.' Turning on her heel in an abrupt face, Sara left Grissom's office with nothing more than "Sure, Grissom," as she walked through the open door.
Sara returned to her slides, but she couldn't focus her thoughts on her work. Something bothered her. 'Was it the way he dropped his hand when he gave me the files?' It was as if Grissom had been fearful of contamination, but that wasn't it. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ears, Sara tried to concentrate and squinted down into the microscope. She had no luck, though. Her lack of concentration wouldn't allow her to focus the microscope, something that Sara had been able to do with a few simple twists for years.
Giving up, she leaned back on the stool and glanced over to the files Grissom had given her. 'I didn't even look them, I was too busy making my exit.' That was it, what had been bothering her since returning. 'It's not that I stand in a doorway, it's as if I go in and out but never stay in the one room.'
Alternate Reality, Florida, 1993
The conference room was packed. Standing at the rear of the room, Sara tried to spot an empty seat. There appeared to be none available and the seminar was about to begin. She would have arrived earlier but she didn't wake up until just after half past noon due to her early morning pillow fight that had left her tired. She'd wanted to look nice for the seminar and took her time with a long shower and carefully chose her outfit, but that had left her with little time to spare to actually get to the hotel. 'Don't work your way around it, Sara. You know you wanted to look nice for him.'
'Speaking of him.' Casting around the room, Sara tried to find Gil. 'Maybe he saved a seat for me?' She couldn't see him, but she spotted a seat, in the far right-hand back corner. 'Typical, Sara, if you're late you end up with a bad seat.' Giving up on finding Gil, Sara made her way to it.
She was edging between two grey haired men when she saw him. Walking out with folder in hand, Gil moved to stand behind the lectern where he deposited the folder before looking out to the audience. Momentarily, Sara was at odds to understand what he was doing, before it dawned on her. 'He's giving the seminar, you lump.' He hadn't told her that, but it made perfect sense now.
He hadn't seen her, but it wasn't the place to call out to him she decided, looking at all the well-dressed people around her. Instead, she sat down and turned her attention to Gil Grissom. As Sara watched and listened, she became absorbed. Entomology, what Gil was speaking about, had never interested her, but Gil's obvious enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject made it interesting.
Time passed quickly, almost an hour and a half, when Gil drew his lecture to a close. He had dove headfirst in the subject matter, using only a few prompts, and now, as he looked up to gauge his audience's reaction, he saw her.
Sara stood out in stark relief against the crowd, easily drawing his attention to her. Although, in the dark theatre, she'd previously managed to go unseen by him. Their eyes met and he lost his place. She smiled at him.
"Uh, and that concludes this, ah, lecture. If you have any questions, come and see me up front."
She looked lovely, Gil noticed. Sara wore a dark red, almost maroon colored business halter and black slacks, while her hair had been pinned back except for a few loose curls. It was obvious that Sara had taken cares, but she had not been the only one. Despite standing under bright lights for so long, his crisply pressed blue shirt and slacks reminded Gil, that he too had gone to some trouble.
Quickly, he diverted his gaze. 'Almost like a blushing schoolboy, Gil.' Giving in to the attraction, he was granted with a brilliant grin when he looked up again. Sara could have been the only other person in the room, as far as he was concerned.
Reality, Las Vegas, 2003
"Sara, I need to see you in my office."
She looked up hurriedly from the microscope just in time to see Grissom's departing form through the doorway. 'That was it? No please, no nothing? Must be important.'
Sighing lightly, Sara carefully put away the slides she had been examining, before following in Grissom's wake.
'Things have been tense,' she reflected on the changes in their relationship from one that had not too long ago been, easy. 'Easy. That isn't the word to describe how it was. It was more than that, it was if we could,' the word eluded her grasp.
Her reverie was broken when Nick stopped her in the hallway to talk. "Hey, Sara. What's up?" His smile and happy manner were in direct opposition to Sara's mood.
"Meeting with Grissom."
Waving his hand in the direction he had come from, Nick continued, "Gris just passed by. A word of warning, though, he looked mighty preoccupied."
"Oh, thanks Nick." She smiled as if hearing him, yet her eyes drifted down the hall in the direction he had gestured to. "I was looking for Grissom."
'What? She just said she was meeting with Grissom.' Sara continued on her way as Nick watched her go. She was definitely preoccupied too, Nick decided. 'Hell, she and Grissom make quite the pair.'
When Sara arrived at Grissom's office, she didn't enter, but leaned in her almost customary position against the doorframe. 'I always seem to be leaning in his doorway.'
Grissom didn't look up from where he was seated, his nose almost buried in some files.
When she shifted on her feet impatiently and he still hadn't noticed her, she spoke, "Grissom, you said you wanted to see me?"
Now he looked up. "Oh, yes. Sorry, Sara, I didn't see you." Grissom began to gather the files he had been reading.
Her tone was dry. "Obviously. What did you want to see me about?" Unconsciously, Sara moved further into his office, till she stood near the closest corner of the desk to the door.
"Here," He handed her the files then dropped his hand back to his desk where it was then clasped in the other. "I wanted you to look at these files."
'That's it?' Somehow, she had expected more than that. 'I don't know why I should, though. Things have been so strained between us lately.' He wasn't looking at her. 'Damn, it.' Turning on her heel in an abrupt face, Sara left Grissom's office with nothing more than "Sure, Grissom," as she walked through the open door.
Sara returned to her slides, but she couldn't focus her thoughts on her work. Something bothered her. 'Was it the way he dropped his hand when he gave me the files?' It was as if Grissom had been fearful of contamination, but that wasn't it. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ears, Sara tried to concentrate and squinted down into the microscope. She had no luck, though. Her lack of concentration wouldn't allow her to focus the microscope, something that Sara had been able to do with a few simple twists for years.
Giving up, she leaned back on the stool and glanced over to the files Grissom had given her. 'I didn't even look them, I was too busy making my exit.' That was it, what had been bothering her since returning. 'It's not that I stand in a doorway, it's as if I go in and out but never stay in the one room.'
Alternate Reality, Florida, 1993
The conference room was packed. Standing at the rear of the room, Sara tried to spot an empty seat. There appeared to be none available and the seminar was about to begin. She would have arrived earlier but she didn't wake up until just after half past noon due to her early morning pillow fight that had left her tired. She'd wanted to look nice for the seminar and took her time with a long shower and carefully chose her outfit, but that had left her with little time to spare to actually get to the hotel. 'Don't work your way around it, Sara. You know you wanted to look nice for him.'
'Speaking of him.' Casting around the room, Sara tried to find Gil. 'Maybe he saved a seat for me?' She couldn't see him, but she spotted a seat, in the far right-hand back corner. 'Typical, Sara, if you're late you end up with a bad seat.' Giving up on finding Gil, Sara made her way to it.
She was edging between two grey haired men when she saw him. Walking out with folder in hand, Gil moved to stand behind the lectern where he deposited the folder before looking out to the audience. Momentarily, Sara was at odds to understand what he was doing, before it dawned on her. 'He's giving the seminar, you lump.' He hadn't told her that, but it made perfect sense now.
He hadn't seen her, but it wasn't the place to call out to him she decided, looking at all the well-dressed people around her. Instead, she sat down and turned her attention to Gil Grissom. As Sara watched and listened, she became absorbed. Entomology, what Gil was speaking about, had never interested her, but Gil's obvious enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject made it interesting.
Time passed quickly, almost an hour and a half, when Gil drew his lecture to a close. He had dove headfirst in the subject matter, using only a few prompts, and now, as he looked up to gauge his audience's reaction, he saw her.
Sara stood out in stark relief against the crowd, easily drawing his attention to her. Although, in the dark theatre, she'd previously managed to go unseen by him. Their eyes met and he lost his place. She smiled at him.
"Uh, and that concludes this, ah, lecture. If you have any questions, come and see me up front."
She looked lovely, Gil noticed. Sara wore a dark red, almost maroon colored business halter and black slacks, while her hair had been pinned back except for a few loose curls. It was obvious that Sara had taken cares, but she had not been the only one. Despite standing under bright lights for so long, his crisply pressed blue shirt and slacks reminded Gil, that he too had gone to some trouble.
Quickly, he diverted his gaze. 'Almost like a blushing schoolboy, Gil.' Giving in to the attraction, he was granted with a brilliant grin when he looked up again. Sara could have been the only other person in the room, as far as he was concerned.