Chapter 7
~ Later That Evening ~
He said it was not meant to be, but she said he feels the same and now she had made herself look stupid in front of Jessie with her big mouth. Why couldn't she just let people get along with life?
Grissom handed her the tox results absently as he looked into the microscope. He was speaking to her about what he was looking at, but she wasn't listening. Sensing something was wrong he looked up. "Sara?" He asked with concern. She stood reading, but not reading the results. He reached out and touched her hand. "Hey, you ok?"
Sara's head snapped up in shock. "What, oh sorry. Not listening, sorry Griss." She smiled wanly and looked back at the results. Grissom removed his hand and took the report. Sara looked at him questioningly. "Did I miss something?"
"Nope, you are ok though?" He asked, place the report into the case file. "You've been quiet all night."
She nodded and shrugged. "Jet lag probably. I'm just not feeling social tonight, sorry."
"Is it me?" He asked softly, looking around to make sure no one was within hearing distance.
Sara stared at him for the longest time before looking down. "It's nothing really. I'm just thinking."
"About?" He turned and leaned back against the table with his hands pushed into his pockets. "You can tell me you know." He whispered playfully. "I promise I won't tell." He added with a smile.
Smiling at his teasing, she shook her head. "It's nothing, really. I'm just overreacting about something and it's gotten to me."
Grissom didn't like the fact she wasn't telling him what was bothering her and he wasn't going to back down yet. "If you told me what it was that had gotten to you, I might be able to help." He suggested, looking off to the other side of the room. "And if it was about me, then perhaps we can sort it out." He added when she didn't say anything.
"It's just something I said." She gave in, the tension growing.
He turned his head to look at her. She was standing stiffly with her hands tucked into the tops of her pockets. "About me?" Sara nodded hesitantly. "Then I can help. I'm sure it wasn't bad. Right?" He chuckled lightly at the end when Sara shook her head. "Sara?" He smiled softly.
She looked at him with a sad look in her eyes. She watched as his smile dissolved into nothing. Their eyes looked deeply into each other's for only a matter of seconds before Sara broke eye contact and left the room. Grissom watched her walk away with his heart pounding against his chest.
~ After Shift ~
She didn't know what to do. She'd already said way too much and Jessie was sure to go ahead with seeing Grissom either way, they always did. It was like they never heard a thing she said and past it off as background nose, nothing to worry about.
This time was different. The conference was the best thing that had happened in a long time and if she knew Jessie was planning on rekindling her relationship with Grissom, she wouldn't have gone. She would have made an excuse and avoided going, but now it was too late and everything was destined for disaster.
Not knowing what to do, she poured herself a glass of wine and sat in front of her computer. Although talking to her Internet buddy's usually helped relieve the stress, she felt that the stress was too high this time.
After talking absently about work and theories for cases, she logged off and crawled into bed. It would soon be time for shift and another night of crime would consume her.
~ Three Days Later ~
Catherine walked into the locker room late that shift to find Sara drying her hair. "Ooh, you got the decomp didn't you?" She asked with a grimace.
Sara smiled and rolled her eyes. "It was sick, really horrible."
Nodding, she grinned. "Well, you caught the guy, that's what counts." Catherine pulled her locker open and searched around for her brush. "Did you and Grissom work things out?"
The towel dropped from her hand, but still hung around her neck. "And that's supposed to mean what exactly?" She asked causally as she continued to dry her hair.
"Nothing, just that you haven't said anything to him in almost three days and he seems worried that you're avoiding him." Catherine gently ran the brush through her hair once more before placing it back in her locker.
Sara shook her head and grabbed her own brush. "I'm not avoiding him. I'm giving the space he needs."
"Space?" Catherine asked gently. Sara nodded and pulled on her jacket. "He asked for space?"
"No."
"Then why are you giving him space? He didn't ask for it, so what's going on?"
She sighed and closed her locker. "I'm not getting into this. I've already made a huge fool of myself and I won't continue to. He admitted he likes Jessie and I know for a fact that she likes him, more so." She said quietly as she attempted to pass her friend.
Catherine stepped back to block her escape. "You talked to Grissom about this?"
"I don't need to. He told me when we went to that conference in Colorado that he likes Jessie and Jessie told me she's in love with him, so what chance do I have?"
Recovering from her shock quickly, she grasped Sara's arm as she passed her. "What about you?" She asked suddenly, not willing to let Sara walk away from this.
Sara looked confused. "What about me, Cath?"
"You can't let Jessie do this. You have to tell him, you love him, don't you?" She knew the answer, but wanted Sara to admit it to herself.
Dropping her eyes sadly, she shrugged and thought carefully about what she should do. It wasn't like Jessie had told him yet. She would have gloated about it or Grissom would have said something, maybe. Sara couldn't say anything. Too many people were going to get hurt and she didn't want to be the bad guy. She'd thought about it for years and each person he went out with was only another cut to add to her wounds that told her she didn't match up to them. He had dated so many that were more than she could ever be. They didn't have to win a smile or earn the respect, all to find out that it wasn't worth it because they'd never feel the same.
Jessie may say she loves him after only dating him a few months, but Sara had known him a lifetime and she couldn't even get him to have dinner with her. All because she was in love with him from the beginning and never had to courage to say anything, only to discover that each time she waited and watched, there was so many other's that she paled to compare to.
Catherine watched the thoughts and expressions flashed by and for a minute, she thought Sara would march out the door and confront Grissom, but the brunette shook her head with a defiant reply.
"No." Hanging her head, she walked away in silence and a heavy heart at finally admitting, inside, that she did love him, but in the real world, she couldn't.
~ The Next Night ~
"Where's Sara?" Grissom asked as he glanced around the room.
Nick shrugged and looked at Warrick. "Isn't it her night off?" He asked.
"Yup." Catherine piped up, staring at Grissom and waiting for assignments.
Warrick nodded and looked expectantly at their boss. "What's on the agenda tonight?"
Shaking of the strange feeling in his stomach, he answered Warrick and finally handed out assignments. Catherine and Nick left and Warrick went to collect results from Greg before meeting Grissom out by his Tahoe.
~ Later That Evening ~
He said it was not meant to be, but she said he feels the same and now she had made herself look stupid in front of Jessie with her big mouth. Why couldn't she just let people get along with life?
Grissom handed her the tox results absently as he looked into the microscope. He was speaking to her about what he was looking at, but she wasn't listening. Sensing something was wrong he looked up. "Sara?" He asked with concern. She stood reading, but not reading the results. He reached out and touched her hand. "Hey, you ok?"
Sara's head snapped up in shock. "What, oh sorry. Not listening, sorry Griss." She smiled wanly and looked back at the results. Grissom removed his hand and took the report. Sara looked at him questioningly. "Did I miss something?"
"Nope, you are ok though?" He asked, place the report into the case file. "You've been quiet all night."
She nodded and shrugged. "Jet lag probably. I'm just not feeling social tonight, sorry."
"Is it me?" He asked softly, looking around to make sure no one was within hearing distance.
Sara stared at him for the longest time before looking down. "It's nothing really. I'm just thinking."
"About?" He turned and leaned back against the table with his hands pushed into his pockets. "You can tell me you know." He whispered playfully. "I promise I won't tell." He added with a smile.
Smiling at his teasing, she shook her head. "It's nothing, really. I'm just overreacting about something and it's gotten to me."
Grissom didn't like the fact she wasn't telling him what was bothering her and he wasn't going to back down yet. "If you told me what it was that had gotten to you, I might be able to help." He suggested, looking off to the other side of the room. "And if it was about me, then perhaps we can sort it out." He added when she didn't say anything.
"It's just something I said." She gave in, the tension growing.
He turned his head to look at her. She was standing stiffly with her hands tucked into the tops of her pockets. "About me?" Sara nodded hesitantly. "Then I can help. I'm sure it wasn't bad. Right?" He chuckled lightly at the end when Sara shook her head. "Sara?" He smiled softly.
She looked at him with a sad look in her eyes. She watched as his smile dissolved into nothing. Their eyes looked deeply into each other's for only a matter of seconds before Sara broke eye contact and left the room. Grissom watched her walk away with his heart pounding against his chest.
~ After Shift ~
She didn't know what to do. She'd already said way too much and Jessie was sure to go ahead with seeing Grissom either way, they always did. It was like they never heard a thing she said and past it off as background nose, nothing to worry about.
This time was different. The conference was the best thing that had happened in a long time and if she knew Jessie was planning on rekindling her relationship with Grissom, she wouldn't have gone. She would have made an excuse and avoided going, but now it was too late and everything was destined for disaster.
Not knowing what to do, she poured herself a glass of wine and sat in front of her computer. Although talking to her Internet buddy's usually helped relieve the stress, she felt that the stress was too high this time.
After talking absently about work and theories for cases, she logged off and crawled into bed. It would soon be time for shift and another night of crime would consume her.
~ Three Days Later ~
Catherine walked into the locker room late that shift to find Sara drying her hair. "Ooh, you got the decomp didn't you?" She asked with a grimace.
Sara smiled and rolled her eyes. "It was sick, really horrible."
Nodding, she grinned. "Well, you caught the guy, that's what counts." Catherine pulled her locker open and searched around for her brush. "Did you and Grissom work things out?"
The towel dropped from her hand, but still hung around her neck. "And that's supposed to mean what exactly?" She asked causally as she continued to dry her hair.
"Nothing, just that you haven't said anything to him in almost three days and he seems worried that you're avoiding him." Catherine gently ran the brush through her hair once more before placing it back in her locker.
Sara shook her head and grabbed her own brush. "I'm not avoiding him. I'm giving the space he needs."
"Space?" Catherine asked gently. Sara nodded and pulled on her jacket. "He asked for space?"
"No."
"Then why are you giving him space? He didn't ask for it, so what's going on?"
She sighed and closed her locker. "I'm not getting into this. I've already made a huge fool of myself and I won't continue to. He admitted he likes Jessie and I know for a fact that she likes him, more so." She said quietly as she attempted to pass her friend.
Catherine stepped back to block her escape. "You talked to Grissom about this?"
"I don't need to. He told me when we went to that conference in Colorado that he likes Jessie and Jessie told me she's in love with him, so what chance do I have?"
Recovering from her shock quickly, she grasped Sara's arm as she passed her. "What about you?" She asked suddenly, not willing to let Sara walk away from this.
Sara looked confused. "What about me, Cath?"
"You can't let Jessie do this. You have to tell him, you love him, don't you?" She knew the answer, but wanted Sara to admit it to herself.
Dropping her eyes sadly, she shrugged and thought carefully about what she should do. It wasn't like Jessie had told him yet. She would have gloated about it or Grissom would have said something, maybe. Sara couldn't say anything. Too many people were going to get hurt and she didn't want to be the bad guy. She'd thought about it for years and each person he went out with was only another cut to add to her wounds that told her she didn't match up to them. He had dated so many that were more than she could ever be. They didn't have to win a smile or earn the respect, all to find out that it wasn't worth it because they'd never feel the same.
Jessie may say she loves him after only dating him a few months, but Sara had known him a lifetime and she couldn't even get him to have dinner with her. All because she was in love with him from the beginning and never had to courage to say anything, only to discover that each time she waited and watched, there was so many other's that she paled to compare to.
Catherine watched the thoughts and expressions flashed by and for a minute, she thought Sara would march out the door and confront Grissom, but the brunette shook her head with a defiant reply.
"No." Hanging her head, she walked away in silence and a heavy heart at finally admitting, inside, that she did love him, but in the real world, she couldn't.
~ The Next Night ~
"Where's Sara?" Grissom asked as he glanced around the room.
Nick shrugged and looked at Warrick. "Isn't it her night off?" He asked.
"Yup." Catherine piped up, staring at Grissom and waiting for assignments.
Warrick nodded and looked expectantly at their boss. "What's on the agenda tonight?"
Shaking of the strange feeling in his stomach, he answered Warrick and finally handed out assignments. Catherine and Nick left and Warrick went to collect results from Greg before meeting Grissom out by his Tahoe.