Chapter 6
~ One Week Later ~
Sara sat at the taxi rank and waited for her taxi to turn up. She needed to get home to pack before her flight left. She had a seminar to attend in Colorado and she only just closed her case with Nick and was now running late. What she forgot when Nick left to head home, was that she had no car. Hers was completely packed up and literally ready for the scrap yard. She had not transport and was relying on a taxi to get her to and from work, plus to the airport in an hour.
The sun was just coming up and a feeling she was never going to leave Vegas today was starting to settle. She might as well go back to work if the taxi didn't show up. She'd miss her flight in an hour anyway. As she was checking her watch again, she noticed a car pull up in front of her, a grey BMW, which was a surprise, seeing as she was expecting a yellow taxi.
"Get in." Came a too familiar male voice.
Sara stood and looked into the open window. "That's ok. My taxi should be here soon." She dismissed the offer and turned back to sit down on the bench. She looked up when she heard the car door open and slam shut.
"I'm offering you a lift Sara. I know you've got a flight to catch."
She sighed and watched him sit down. "You live no where near the airport Grissom. My taxi will be here."
He leaned forward and looked at his clasped hands. "I'm not going until you get into the car Sara. It's going to take less time to drive you home and then to the airport. Won't cost you a thing either."
She nodded slowly and stood up. "I suppose if you put it that way."
Grissom jumped up and they both got into his car. On the way to Sara's apartment, he glanced at her. "Which seminar are you going to?"
Looking out the window absently, she answered like it was no big deal. "Colorado. There are a few programs that I want to finish. I've got pathology, anthropology and new technological advances."
"And you're going alone?" He asked gently.
Sara looked at him briefly before nodding. "Yeah. No one wanted to go. I suppose I looked into too much at once."
"It is a two day seminar Sara and you're planning on going to every class." He smiled genuinely.
"Yeah, well. I needed to do something on my days off." She sighed.
He nodded and pulled up to her apartment. "This won't count as vacation time." He looked at her. "It's continuing education and the lab will put up the expenses for its CSI's to be updated with new advances in this field." He shrugged. "Cavallo thought it might get everyone else to apply for refresher courses."
Smiling, she got out. "I'll be a few minutes. You can wait inside."
Grissom followed her up to her apartment silently and waited in the living room for her to pack. It only took ten minutes to pack and make sure everything was ok. Grissom watched as she walked over to her desk with a jug of water. He watched her water the orchid that blossomed in the corner. He was surprised at how big it was and how healthy it looked.
Soon they were on their way out the door. Grissom took Sara's bag and opened the boot. Sara walked around him and saw another small suitcase. "You going somewhere Grissom?" She asked with a smile as he closed the boot and stepped back.
"I got asked to send someone with you and seeing as Warrick, Nick and Catherine all declined." He shrugged and pulled open his door. "I thought you wouldn't mind me going in their place."
Sara looked at him with shook and her smile slowly faded. "You're coming with me?" She asked slowly as she climbed in beside him.
"Yup." He answered happily as he put the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. "You're ok with that, right?" He asked nervously.
She nodded and stared ahead. "Sure." She swallowed and looked down at her hands. "What about Jess? I thought you two were." She couldn't finish and went silent.
Grissom sighed. "Jess and I are not seeing each other anymore Sara. She. She's seeing some policemen from the department."
She turned her head and watched him. "Sorry."
He chuckled and shrugged casually. "Obviously it wasn't meant to be. But there's plenty of fish in the see." Sara smiled slightly.
A comfortable silence encased them as they drove to the airport.
~ Two days later ~
The seminar was like old times. They laughed, talked about cases and classes, made fun of the professors and ate together. It was like when she first arrived in Vegas. They spent time together just talking and catching up. During the evenings, they'd eat and walk, then say goodnight and turn in. Nothing overly pressurising and nothing from the bad times was mentioned. It seemed to be forgotten. That was until Sara got home. Only being home one day and she was meeting Jessie at her place.
They'd never had this conversation before and after the wonderful two days with Grissom, she never wanted to ever hear anyone talk about him like Jessie was right now.
"He's so cute. I'm gonna call him and see if we can work things out." Jessie smiled brightly.
Sara was suddenly very scared to say anything. She didn't want to get in the way of her friend and she knew that Grissom really liked her. He'd said so himself on the plane home. It was the only time he'd mentioned Jessie at all. She could remember the walk around the hotel grounds in the early hours of the morning. They both couldn't sleep during the night and opted to a walk. They talked and laughed about anything and everything. It was like a dream come true.
She could hear Jessie in the background, talking about him and mentioning things they did, but the only thing that jumped out at her was Jessie's next words. "I don't know what it is, but I think it could be love this time Sara, I really do. I know he feels the same." She looked dreamily down at her coffee cup. She continued and Sara found she couldn't hear anymore, couldn't take anymore.
"You can't." Sara interrupted with tears forming in her eyes.
Jessie stopped her excited ramble with a surprised gasp. "What! Why?"
"Because. because.. I'm in love with him." Sara looked down, ashamed at her admission.
She shook her head with a strangled laugh. "You can't be. You said I should go for it. This was your idea."
"I know." Sara breathed.
Completely shocked, Jessie asked. "Why didn't you say something?"
"Because. I wouldn't have a chance." She shrugged sadly and walked away.
Jessie watched her friend leave in tears. She knew Sara felt something for her boss, she had for years, but nothing had ever come of it and guessed she wasn't interested anymore. Obviously it was more than that.
~ One Week Later ~
Sara sat at the taxi rank and waited for her taxi to turn up. She needed to get home to pack before her flight left. She had a seminar to attend in Colorado and she only just closed her case with Nick and was now running late. What she forgot when Nick left to head home, was that she had no car. Hers was completely packed up and literally ready for the scrap yard. She had not transport and was relying on a taxi to get her to and from work, plus to the airport in an hour.
The sun was just coming up and a feeling she was never going to leave Vegas today was starting to settle. She might as well go back to work if the taxi didn't show up. She'd miss her flight in an hour anyway. As she was checking her watch again, she noticed a car pull up in front of her, a grey BMW, which was a surprise, seeing as she was expecting a yellow taxi.
"Get in." Came a too familiar male voice.
Sara stood and looked into the open window. "That's ok. My taxi should be here soon." She dismissed the offer and turned back to sit down on the bench. She looked up when she heard the car door open and slam shut.
"I'm offering you a lift Sara. I know you've got a flight to catch."
She sighed and watched him sit down. "You live no where near the airport Grissom. My taxi will be here."
He leaned forward and looked at his clasped hands. "I'm not going until you get into the car Sara. It's going to take less time to drive you home and then to the airport. Won't cost you a thing either."
She nodded slowly and stood up. "I suppose if you put it that way."
Grissom jumped up and they both got into his car. On the way to Sara's apartment, he glanced at her. "Which seminar are you going to?"
Looking out the window absently, she answered like it was no big deal. "Colorado. There are a few programs that I want to finish. I've got pathology, anthropology and new technological advances."
"And you're going alone?" He asked gently.
Sara looked at him briefly before nodding. "Yeah. No one wanted to go. I suppose I looked into too much at once."
"It is a two day seminar Sara and you're planning on going to every class." He smiled genuinely.
"Yeah, well. I needed to do something on my days off." She sighed.
He nodded and pulled up to her apartment. "This won't count as vacation time." He looked at her. "It's continuing education and the lab will put up the expenses for its CSI's to be updated with new advances in this field." He shrugged. "Cavallo thought it might get everyone else to apply for refresher courses."
Smiling, she got out. "I'll be a few minutes. You can wait inside."
Grissom followed her up to her apartment silently and waited in the living room for her to pack. It only took ten minutes to pack and make sure everything was ok. Grissom watched as she walked over to her desk with a jug of water. He watched her water the orchid that blossomed in the corner. He was surprised at how big it was and how healthy it looked.
Soon they were on their way out the door. Grissom took Sara's bag and opened the boot. Sara walked around him and saw another small suitcase. "You going somewhere Grissom?" She asked with a smile as he closed the boot and stepped back.
"I got asked to send someone with you and seeing as Warrick, Nick and Catherine all declined." He shrugged and pulled open his door. "I thought you wouldn't mind me going in their place."
Sara looked at him with shook and her smile slowly faded. "You're coming with me?" She asked slowly as she climbed in beside him.
"Yup." He answered happily as he put the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. "You're ok with that, right?" He asked nervously.
She nodded and stared ahead. "Sure." She swallowed and looked down at her hands. "What about Jess? I thought you two were." She couldn't finish and went silent.
Grissom sighed. "Jess and I are not seeing each other anymore Sara. She. She's seeing some policemen from the department."
She turned her head and watched him. "Sorry."
He chuckled and shrugged casually. "Obviously it wasn't meant to be. But there's plenty of fish in the see." Sara smiled slightly.
A comfortable silence encased them as they drove to the airport.
~ Two days later ~
The seminar was like old times. They laughed, talked about cases and classes, made fun of the professors and ate together. It was like when she first arrived in Vegas. They spent time together just talking and catching up. During the evenings, they'd eat and walk, then say goodnight and turn in. Nothing overly pressurising and nothing from the bad times was mentioned. It seemed to be forgotten. That was until Sara got home. Only being home one day and she was meeting Jessie at her place.
They'd never had this conversation before and after the wonderful two days with Grissom, she never wanted to ever hear anyone talk about him like Jessie was right now.
"He's so cute. I'm gonna call him and see if we can work things out." Jessie smiled brightly.
Sara was suddenly very scared to say anything. She didn't want to get in the way of her friend and she knew that Grissom really liked her. He'd said so himself on the plane home. It was the only time he'd mentioned Jessie at all. She could remember the walk around the hotel grounds in the early hours of the morning. They both couldn't sleep during the night and opted to a walk. They talked and laughed about anything and everything. It was like a dream come true.
She could hear Jessie in the background, talking about him and mentioning things they did, but the only thing that jumped out at her was Jessie's next words. "I don't know what it is, but I think it could be love this time Sara, I really do. I know he feels the same." She looked dreamily down at her coffee cup. She continued and Sara found she couldn't hear anymore, couldn't take anymore.
"You can't." Sara interrupted with tears forming in her eyes.
Jessie stopped her excited ramble with a surprised gasp. "What! Why?"
"Because. because.. I'm in love with him." Sara looked down, ashamed at her admission.
She shook her head with a strangled laugh. "You can't be. You said I should go for it. This was your idea."
"I know." Sara breathed.
Completely shocked, Jessie asked. "Why didn't you say something?"
"Because. I wouldn't have a chance." She shrugged sadly and walked away.
Jessie watched her friend leave in tears. She knew Sara felt something for her boss, she had for years, but nothing had ever come of it and guessed she wasn't interested anymore. Obviously it was more than that.