A Smile on My Face
by Bugs & beauty
AN: I wrote this fic while listening to Christina Aguilera's Song 'Singin My Song' on the Dirrty CD. It's a perfect fit for an AUish Sara fic. It does not take place in my other fic's reality.
Sara Sidle, CSI Level III, stepped out of the crime lab for the last time. She raised her face and for the first time in a long time, she felt the sun's rays. She stopped in her tracks. The coldness of the past few months faded away. It was then that she knew she would be okay.
She would carry on.
*Eight Hours Ago*
"Sidle!" Cavallo barked at her the moment she arrived at the lab. The rain drenched her clothes straight through her jacket. Her hair was matted to her face. Her sneakers squeaked as she followed him to his office. She knew she was in trouble. She could not remember Cavallo or anyone else ever meeting someone at the employee entrance. As she walked down the halls, techs, police officers and even some of her fellow CSIs stared at her. She smiled at Warrick and Nick but neither returned it. Nick flushed and lowered his gaze. Warrick just shook his head at her.
Robert Cavallo's office had all the trappings of power he could fit inside it. The walls were decorated with letters of commendation, plaques of appreciation and pictures of him with very important people. He did not even allow her to enter before him. She took the seat he gestured after shutting the door. Robert took off a pair of glasses he was reading. In front of him, there were several written reports. She allowed her eyes to focus on her name. She recognized the look of a disciplinary complaint form. She could not read the signature at the bottom.
"I have received numerous complaints about you Sidle." He sighed. "When you came here I had misgivings. I knew Grissom called you here. I knew that you were a student of his from before." He looked disgusted but Sara could not tell the cause. "You did prove yourself. You cleared Warrick." He pulled out a different form. "You have one of the highest solve ratios in Nevada, if not in the entire territory."
Sara's brow furrowed in confusion. "Then why call me in here?"
He leaned forward. "Are you having sexual relations with Gil Grissom?"
She sputtered a laugh. "No!" The word came out forcefully. "I don't understand how anyone could think that of me. Is this about that case-"
He shook his head and held up a hand to interrupt her. "No. Well, sort of. Look I don't even know where to begin."
She took several deep breaths. Her head was level with Cavallo's and she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Tell me."
"You have been seen touching your boss in a manner that is not befitting a professional relationship. I'm not just talking about rubbing off so-called chalk. There is a complaint about the two of you in the evidence room role playing a crime."
"Everyone does that Cavallo." She began to get upset.
"Yes but everyone asks their boss to pin them down and then talk about their relationship and how it would affect their promotion."
Sara jerked back. "How could anyone tell if that happened?"
The other man put a tape on his desk. "I have several more. The person who signed the complaint was sure that you would go hiding behind Grissom. They made copies of their evidence." He pulled out several more papers. "I also have a cop named Formansky who filed a similar complaint. Seems he and your accuser-"
"Who? If you have all this evidence," she gestured around "then the least you can do is tell me who has it in for me."
"No one has it in for you. There has been concern about you getting preferential treatment."
"No one can say that!" Sara interrupted him again.
"Catherine can say it. And judging from what she has gathered, it looks to be true." He pulled several sheets of papers out to add to the growing collection on his desk. Sara wondered if it would come toppling down on the both of them. "I have a generous severance package. If you fight this, I will make sure you never work in this field again."
Sara signed the papers.
On her way out of Cavallo's office, she wandered past desks, interrogation rooms and labs. She thought of how she would never walk these halls or talk to her friends again. In her clutched hand, the papers for her resignation bent under the strain she felt that night. She had one stop to make on her way out. Cavallo had smirked and told her to tell her boss she was leaving and why.
Nick walked into her path and hesitated before smiling quietly at her. "Sar." He nodded his head. She stared at him.
"Did you know? Did you help her while she was nailing my coffin shut?"
Nick did not pretend to not know what she was talking about and shook his head. "I did not know until Cavallo called me into his office about fifteen minutes before you got here." He looked uncomfortable. "I won't lose my job Sar. Not even for you. Sorry." He clasped her on the shoulder.
Warrick was talking with Catherine the evidence room. She was laughing and leaning into his body. The brunette shook her head at the sight. Even knowing who filed the complaints did not help her understand WHY Catherine had done it.
Grissom's door was open. Hesitantly she knocked on it. He looked up at her. "Sara? Is everything okay?"
She walked into his office. She no longer cared that Nick, Greg and even Hodges were gathered at the far end of the corridor talking to each other and pointing at her. "I was told to give this to you. He fired me."
Grissom's head shot up. "What do you mean?" He was up from his desk. She motioned to the paper. "I guess my feelings for you were too obvious." She barked a short sarcastic laugh. "I'm cleaning out my locker now."
Sara would never have thought she kept so little in her locker. She spent so much time at the lab she assumed that she would need to make two trips if not three. Instead all of her possessions were in one box. A very small box. She hugged it close to her. Greg knocked on the door and gave her a sickly sweet smile. His mouth opened and shut several times. Finally he mumbled a sorry to her before fleeing back to his lab.
She would miss his coffee.
An officer was waiting for her at the door to the locker room. She handed off her badge, identification and weapon to him. Behind the policeman, she could see Grissom shaking the paper at Cavallo before storming out. He walked her to the door and let her outside.
*Present Time*
Someone behind her coughed in her ear. She blinked several times to clear her eyes from the sunspots. "I'm-"
"No." Grissom smiled at her. She looked at him in confusion. He took her box and motioned her to follow him. They went to his car and he opened the trunk. Inside were his things. His office things.
"I don't understand."
"Is it too late Sara? I know what to do about this now." He walked up to her and placed his hands on her arms. She felt his lips on her face then they were on her mouth. She tasted his need, his gentleness and his passion.
"You threw your career away?" She broke off the kiss. His career meant everything to him.
He smiled. "Not really. They need some CSIs in Chicago."
She laughed and he joined her. "You could live in Chicago?"
He grinned at her. "Of course. They have the Cubs there."
He opened the door for her. She got inside the car and fastened her seatbelt. On their way out of the parking, she said good-bye to the tears and pain she felt when she worked there. In front of them was a future where she could give and accept love without fear.
The End
by Bugs & beauty
AN: I wrote this fic while listening to Christina Aguilera's Song 'Singin My Song' on the Dirrty CD. It's a perfect fit for an AUish Sara fic. It does not take place in my other fic's reality.
Sara Sidle, CSI Level III, stepped out of the crime lab for the last time. She raised her face and for the first time in a long time, she felt the sun's rays. She stopped in her tracks. The coldness of the past few months faded away. It was then that she knew she would be okay.
She would carry on.
*Eight Hours Ago*
"Sidle!" Cavallo barked at her the moment she arrived at the lab. The rain drenched her clothes straight through her jacket. Her hair was matted to her face. Her sneakers squeaked as she followed him to his office. She knew she was in trouble. She could not remember Cavallo or anyone else ever meeting someone at the employee entrance. As she walked down the halls, techs, police officers and even some of her fellow CSIs stared at her. She smiled at Warrick and Nick but neither returned it. Nick flushed and lowered his gaze. Warrick just shook his head at her.
Robert Cavallo's office had all the trappings of power he could fit inside it. The walls were decorated with letters of commendation, plaques of appreciation and pictures of him with very important people. He did not even allow her to enter before him. She took the seat he gestured after shutting the door. Robert took off a pair of glasses he was reading. In front of him, there were several written reports. She allowed her eyes to focus on her name. She recognized the look of a disciplinary complaint form. She could not read the signature at the bottom.
"I have received numerous complaints about you Sidle." He sighed. "When you came here I had misgivings. I knew Grissom called you here. I knew that you were a student of his from before." He looked disgusted but Sara could not tell the cause. "You did prove yourself. You cleared Warrick." He pulled out a different form. "You have one of the highest solve ratios in Nevada, if not in the entire territory."
Sara's brow furrowed in confusion. "Then why call me in here?"
He leaned forward. "Are you having sexual relations with Gil Grissom?"
She sputtered a laugh. "No!" The word came out forcefully. "I don't understand how anyone could think that of me. Is this about that case-"
He shook his head and held up a hand to interrupt her. "No. Well, sort of. Look I don't even know where to begin."
She took several deep breaths. Her head was level with Cavallo's and she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Tell me."
"You have been seen touching your boss in a manner that is not befitting a professional relationship. I'm not just talking about rubbing off so-called chalk. There is a complaint about the two of you in the evidence room role playing a crime."
"Everyone does that Cavallo." She began to get upset.
"Yes but everyone asks their boss to pin them down and then talk about their relationship and how it would affect their promotion."
Sara jerked back. "How could anyone tell if that happened?"
The other man put a tape on his desk. "I have several more. The person who signed the complaint was sure that you would go hiding behind Grissom. They made copies of their evidence." He pulled out several more papers. "I also have a cop named Formansky who filed a similar complaint. Seems he and your accuser-"
"Who? If you have all this evidence," she gestured around "then the least you can do is tell me who has it in for me."
"No one has it in for you. There has been concern about you getting preferential treatment."
"No one can say that!" Sara interrupted him again.
"Catherine can say it. And judging from what she has gathered, it looks to be true." He pulled several sheets of papers out to add to the growing collection on his desk. Sara wondered if it would come toppling down on the both of them. "I have a generous severance package. If you fight this, I will make sure you never work in this field again."
Sara signed the papers.
On her way out of Cavallo's office, she wandered past desks, interrogation rooms and labs. She thought of how she would never walk these halls or talk to her friends again. In her clutched hand, the papers for her resignation bent under the strain she felt that night. She had one stop to make on her way out. Cavallo had smirked and told her to tell her boss she was leaving and why.
Nick walked into her path and hesitated before smiling quietly at her. "Sar." He nodded his head. She stared at him.
"Did you know? Did you help her while she was nailing my coffin shut?"
Nick did not pretend to not know what she was talking about and shook his head. "I did not know until Cavallo called me into his office about fifteen minutes before you got here." He looked uncomfortable. "I won't lose my job Sar. Not even for you. Sorry." He clasped her on the shoulder.
Warrick was talking with Catherine the evidence room. She was laughing and leaning into his body. The brunette shook her head at the sight. Even knowing who filed the complaints did not help her understand WHY Catherine had done it.
Grissom's door was open. Hesitantly she knocked on it. He looked up at her. "Sara? Is everything okay?"
She walked into his office. She no longer cared that Nick, Greg and even Hodges were gathered at the far end of the corridor talking to each other and pointing at her. "I was told to give this to you. He fired me."
Grissom's head shot up. "What do you mean?" He was up from his desk. She motioned to the paper. "I guess my feelings for you were too obvious." She barked a short sarcastic laugh. "I'm cleaning out my locker now."
Sara would never have thought she kept so little in her locker. She spent so much time at the lab she assumed that she would need to make two trips if not three. Instead all of her possessions were in one box. A very small box. She hugged it close to her. Greg knocked on the door and gave her a sickly sweet smile. His mouth opened and shut several times. Finally he mumbled a sorry to her before fleeing back to his lab.
She would miss his coffee.
An officer was waiting for her at the door to the locker room. She handed off her badge, identification and weapon to him. Behind the policeman, she could see Grissom shaking the paper at Cavallo before storming out. He walked her to the door and let her outside.
*Present Time*
Someone behind her coughed in her ear. She blinked several times to clear her eyes from the sunspots. "I'm-"
"No." Grissom smiled at her. She looked at him in confusion. He took her box and motioned her to follow him. They went to his car and he opened the trunk. Inside were his things. His office things.
"I don't understand."
"Is it too late Sara? I know what to do about this now." He walked up to her and placed his hands on her arms. She felt his lips on her face then they were on her mouth. She tasted his need, his gentleness and his passion.
"You threw your career away?" She broke off the kiss. His career meant everything to him.
He smiled. "Not really. They need some CSIs in Chicago."
She laughed and he joined her. "You could live in Chicago?"
He grinned at her. "Of course. They have the Cubs there."
He opened the door for her. She got inside the car and fastened her seatbelt. On their way out of the parking, she said good-bye to the tears and pain she felt when she worked there. In front of them was a future where she could give and accept love without fear.
The End