The Quest
A ringing cell phone jarred Grissom from his musings. He picked the phone off the seat and stared at the display. He knew that Sara was wondering where he was and why he had not reached her apartment in the two hours since speaking with him.
He had been sitting in his car outside of her apartment for those hours, trying to come to grips with the fact that Sara would no longer be on his team. If he were honest with himself, then the past year and half was almost the same as Sara being on another shift. He rarely saw her and when they did, it was tense and filled with unspoken emotions.
With a heavy sigh, he pressed a button on his phone and waited.
"Grissom? Did you decide not to come over? Are you driving around, lost?"
Grissom took another breath and then breathed it out in the most sincere answer he had given her in the past three years.
"I've been lost, Sara, but I've discovered where I belong."
A long silence ensued as Sara processed these words. Finally, when he was about to hang up and climb from his car, Sara spoke.
"You can't do this to me, Gris. Not when I've made up my mind." Sara must have put the phone on the counter and then retrieved it, because he heard a soft thud before her voice reached him. "I don't want you to come over, Grissom. I will tell you my decision on the phone."
"Too late, Sara. I'm outside your door." Grissom clicked off the phone before she could tell him what she had decided. He had been walking towards her apartment as she spoke, and now he waited with unease outside the door.
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Sara braced herself as she pulled the door open and found Grissom waiting anxiously outside her apartment. She considered the fact that he was here proof that he did care for her on some level, the kind of proof she had waited for patiently for years. The problem was she was tired of waiting. She deserved more than he was willing to give. She held the door open, allowed him to step inside, and then held her tongue as she permitted him time to assess her apartment. It was the first time he had visited her home and she was curious about what he thought. She refused to ask him, however, and knew that he would not volunteer the information. Therefore, the first words out of his mouth stunned her to the point of speechlessness.
"This place reflects you perfectly, Sara." Grissom surveyed the spotless room and the well-organized spaces. "I like it."
When she made no comment, he turned to search her face.
"I want to say something before you give me your decision," Grissom watched the emotions that danced over her face and grimaced inwardly.
"I'm taking the position," Sara blurted. She refused to allow him time to shatter her confidence and give her cause to doubt that she could handle the new responsibilities.
A wave of nausea assaulted him, but he kept the bile from rising and smiled grimly. "I knew that you would."
"I can handle the responsibilities," Sara watched him as he struggled to regain his composure.
"I know that you can," Grissom managed. He rubbed the back of his neck and turned away from her determined gaze. He found himself staring at a plant that was thriving in the corner of the room. The orchid was beautiful. He was drawn to its side as Sara held her breath. He touched the green leaves with gentle fingers before speaking over his shoulder.
"This plant is as beautiful as you are, Sara."
The gasp that escaped from her lips would have amused him in more certain times. Today, it only served to confuse him. He slowly spun on his heels to face her, hesitant to see what effect his slip of the tongue would have caused.
She had her eyes squeezed tight. Internally, Sara was steeling herself against his sporadic flirtation, not willing to cave in to it again. When she opened her eyes, he was regarding her with a candid expression.
"What are you doing, Grissom? Why do you insist on playing these games with me?" Sara asked. Her face had taken on a hunted look as she questioned him.
Grissom's emotions were wildly ranging the spectrum, from guilt to elation to self-reproach. It was almost as though a floodgate of emotions had opened within his mind and heart as he faced Sara.
"If you are saying that to keep me on your shift, Gris, it won't work." Sara fought to keep her voice steady as her eyes misted.
"If moving to that shift will make you happy, Sara, then I want you to take it." Grissom took a tentative step towards her. "If it will make it possible for us to repair the damage to our friendship and possibly move forward, then I will support it even more."
Sara narrowed her eyes. "Define move forward." She held her breath as she waited for him to fumble over an explanation.
Grissom resisted the urge to look down at his feet. He kept his eyes on her face and spoke with a softness that almost startled her.
"I want to have dinner with you." Grissom smiled gently. "I want to take you to dinner some place where we can drink wine and dance all night long."
"You really want me to stay on your shift, don't you Gris?" Sara tried to keep her words light, but her heart was slamming against her chest. He could not possibly be serious. He was saying all of the things she had dreamed him saying and the feeling was surreal.
"Not if it means you are miserable," Grissom licked his lips. He could tell by her expression that she doubted the sincerity of his words. He took another step until he was only inches in front of her. "I want you to be happy. I want to make you happy." Grissom leaned forward until his lips grazed hers. He pulled back and studied her reaction. She was fighting her emotions and not doing so well hiding the turmoil.
"Trust me, Sara?" Grissom's whispered words settled on her lips.
She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. "Yes."
He bent forward again, this time allowing his lips to linger a second longer than the first time. He waited for her decision and felt overwhelming delight when she returned his kiss.
Sara felt one of his hands settle on her hip. The other hand was pressed against the back of her head as he explored her face.
"Grissom?" Sara recovered her voice and thoughts enough to push lightly against his chest. She was experiencing a long held dream and did not want it to stop, but first she needed to know what he meant when he spoke with her on the phone. "Gris? What did you mean when you said that you discovered where you belong?"
Pressing his forehead against hers, he pulled her body closer to his and offered her a smile. "I thought that was understood." He felt her tense slightly.
She breathed out on a shaky breath. "I need to hear you say it."
Speaking of his feelings was not easy for him, but he felt his life depended on his ability to give Sara some reassurance.
"I was lost, unbalanced, and then I discovered the one thing, the one person that gives me my equilibrium back." Grissom hesitated and wrapped one hand beneath her chin. "I found you, Sara."
Sara reached up, pulled him to her lips, and whispered. "You know how to make a woman do whatever you want, don't you Gris." It was not a question for Sara, but fact, as she felt his lips curve against her own.
Fin.
A ringing cell phone jarred Grissom from his musings. He picked the phone off the seat and stared at the display. He knew that Sara was wondering where he was and why he had not reached her apartment in the two hours since speaking with him.
He had been sitting in his car outside of her apartment for those hours, trying to come to grips with the fact that Sara would no longer be on his team. If he were honest with himself, then the past year and half was almost the same as Sara being on another shift. He rarely saw her and when they did, it was tense and filled with unspoken emotions.
With a heavy sigh, he pressed a button on his phone and waited.
"Grissom? Did you decide not to come over? Are you driving around, lost?"
Grissom took another breath and then breathed it out in the most sincere answer he had given her in the past three years.
"I've been lost, Sara, but I've discovered where I belong."
A long silence ensued as Sara processed these words. Finally, when he was about to hang up and climb from his car, Sara spoke.
"You can't do this to me, Gris. Not when I've made up my mind." Sara must have put the phone on the counter and then retrieved it, because he heard a soft thud before her voice reached him. "I don't want you to come over, Grissom. I will tell you my decision on the phone."
"Too late, Sara. I'm outside your door." Grissom clicked off the phone before she could tell him what she had decided. He had been walking towards her apartment as she spoke, and now he waited with unease outside the door.
------------------------ -----------
Sara braced herself as she pulled the door open and found Grissom waiting anxiously outside her apartment. She considered the fact that he was here proof that he did care for her on some level, the kind of proof she had waited for patiently for years. The problem was she was tired of waiting. She deserved more than he was willing to give. She held the door open, allowed him to step inside, and then held her tongue as she permitted him time to assess her apartment. It was the first time he had visited her home and she was curious about what he thought. She refused to ask him, however, and knew that he would not volunteer the information. Therefore, the first words out of his mouth stunned her to the point of speechlessness.
"This place reflects you perfectly, Sara." Grissom surveyed the spotless room and the well-organized spaces. "I like it."
When she made no comment, he turned to search her face.
"I want to say something before you give me your decision," Grissom watched the emotions that danced over her face and grimaced inwardly.
"I'm taking the position," Sara blurted. She refused to allow him time to shatter her confidence and give her cause to doubt that she could handle the new responsibilities.
A wave of nausea assaulted him, but he kept the bile from rising and smiled grimly. "I knew that you would."
"I can handle the responsibilities," Sara watched him as he struggled to regain his composure.
"I know that you can," Grissom managed. He rubbed the back of his neck and turned away from her determined gaze. He found himself staring at a plant that was thriving in the corner of the room. The orchid was beautiful. He was drawn to its side as Sara held her breath. He touched the green leaves with gentle fingers before speaking over his shoulder.
"This plant is as beautiful as you are, Sara."
The gasp that escaped from her lips would have amused him in more certain times. Today, it only served to confuse him. He slowly spun on his heels to face her, hesitant to see what effect his slip of the tongue would have caused.
She had her eyes squeezed tight. Internally, Sara was steeling herself against his sporadic flirtation, not willing to cave in to it again. When she opened her eyes, he was regarding her with a candid expression.
"What are you doing, Grissom? Why do you insist on playing these games with me?" Sara asked. Her face had taken on a hunted look as she questioned him.
Grissom's emotions were wildly ranging the spectrum, from guilt to elation to self-reproach. It was almost as though a floodgate of emotions had opened within his mind and heart as he faced Sara.
"If you are saying that to keep me on your shift, Gris, it won't work." Sara fought to keep her voice steady as her eyes misted.
"If moving to that shift will make you happy, Sara, then I want you to take it." Grissom took a tentative step towards her. "If it will make it possible for us to repair the damage to our friendship and possibly move forward, then I will support it even more."
Sara narrowed her eyes. "Define move forward." She held her breath as she waited for him to fumble over an explanation.
Grissom resisted the urge to look down at his feet. He kept his eyes on her face and spoke with a softness that almost startled her.
"I want to have dinner with you." Grissom smiled gently. "I want to take you to dinner some place where we can drink wine and dance all night long."
"You really want me to stay on your shift, don't you Gris?" Sara tried to keep her words light, but her heart was slamming against her chest. He could not possibly be serious. He was saying all of the things she had dreamed him saying and the feeling was surreal.
"Not if it means you are miserable," Grissom licked his lips. He could tell by her expression that she doubted the sincerity of his words. He took another step until he was only inches in front of her. "I want you to be happy. I want to make you happy." Grissom leaned forward until his lips grazed hers. He pulled back and studied her reaction. She was fighting her emotions and not doing so well hiding the turmoil.
"Trust me, Sara?" Grissom's whispered words settled on her lips.
She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. "Yes."
He bent forward again, this time allowing his lips to linger a second longer than the first time. He waited for her decision and felt overwhelming delight when she returned his kiss.
Sara felt one of his hands settle on her hip. The other hand was pressed against the back of her head as he explored her face.
"Grissom?" Sara recovered her voice and thoughts enough to push lightly against his chest. She was experiencing a long held dream and did not want it to stop, but first she needed to know what he meant when he spoke with her on the phone. "Gris? What did you mean when you said that you discovered where you belong?"
Pressing his forehead against hers, he pulled her body closer to his and offered her a smile. "I thought that was understood." He felt her tense slightly.
She breathed out on a shaky breath. "I need to hear you say it."
Speaking of his feelings was not easy for him, but he felt his life depended on his ability to give Sara some reassurance.
"I was lost, unbalanced, and then I discovered the one thing, the one person that gives me my equilibrium back." Grissom hesitated and wrapped one hand beneath her chin. "I found you, Sara."
Sara reached up, pulled him to her lips, and whispered. "You know how to make a woman do whatever you want, don't you Gris." It was not a question for Sara, but fact, as she felt his lips curve against her own.
Fin.