Choices
by Bugs & Beauty
AN: Sorry about Chapter Two being so late. The Holidays have been very, very busy.
Grissom looked up at her. "What do you want me to say?" His hands reached up to cup her face. "I don't blame you Sara. I meant it when I said you deserved a life."
Sara's brown eyes tightened in confusion. "What does this have to do with Greg..?" Her voice trailed off. "You...you think that there is something..."
Gil nodded his head. He kept his eyes down even as his fingers traced patterns on her cheeks. "He's more your age. I know he makes you laugh." He looked up at her. "I am glad he makes you happy. I just..."
The brunette leaned forward, allowing his hands and arms to encircled her shoulders. "Just what?" A trace of anger was evident in her tone. "I can make up my mind about who I love. You may be my boss at work but you are not my boss in my personal life. I thought even you could not be this dense."
He looked up at her. "What do you mean?"
She took his face in her hands now. She could feel his fingertips caress her shoulders. "I choose you." A smile breached her face. "I always have chosen you. I did not leave a good career in San Francisco to play second fiddle here for my career. I did it for you. It's always been about you."
He shifted in his seat. "What about Hank?"
"What about him? Griss-" She took her hands away from him. He could see the frustration on her face as she sat back on her heels. "Just because I seem immune to the way men treat me does not mean I don't want to feel..." she stopped helplessly. "I want to feel needed. Not just on the case as a CSI but as a woman. You ignored me. Hank did not."
He let out a snort of disgust. "You deserved better."
"Yes I do and you saw how that worked out. What I don't understand is how you could think there was something between Greg and me." She waited for him to respond to her but he shook his shoulders.
Sara threw her hands up in the air. As she rose to her feet, she tucked her hair behind her ears. "I need for you to do more than you are doing right now." She paced the small office. "I told you how I felt about you. You need to tell me what you want from me? You either flirt with me or you treat me like some rookie beneath your notice."
"I don't-"
She cut him off. "You do." She saw him sit back in his seat with a disturbed look on his face. "Just talk to me."
He spread his hands. "It's complicated, Sara. I want..." he sighed loudly. "I want to be more to you than a friend."
Sara waited for more but he lapsed into silence. "How much more?"
He opened his mouth to speak but he realized he did not know. "I...I want things to be better. I don't want to hurt you. I want what is best for you." He looked at her. "I'm not what's best for you Sara."
She took a step forward. Her palms laid flat on his desk. "You can't decide for me Grissom." She stepped back. "If you don't want me, fine. Tell me. But don't tell me that you won't at least try because you think that somewhere down the line I will decide to get someone else. That's not fair. Not fair to me or you or any relationship we will have together."
He raised his head. "Okay, this is what I want..."
Warrick raised his eyes to Catherine. "You said what to him?" The wrench that was being cleaned laid still in the cloth. Catherine shrugged her shoulders.
"Look, you and I both know that anything that happens between them will ruin this unit." She took the wrench from him and placed it into the box.
"You don't know that."
"Yes I do. It's hard enough for any of us to have a relationship outside of work. What happens when they stop seeing each other?"
"He rested his hands on her shoulders. "You don't know they won't get married Cat. It's not our place to interfere with their lives. How would they feel if they knew what you did to them?"
She pushed him away slightly. "They can't get it together now and they are not dating. You know Eckley will be all over them as soon as it makes the rounds. Gil will be lucky if he has a job let alone a supervisor's position. He should not throw his career away for her. She does not belong here."
Warrick's eyes blinked in confusion. "Sara has been here for four years. I think she belongs." He walked in front of her as she turned away from him. "What is this really about Catherine?"
"Sara has done nothing but tear this team apart. When she came here to investigate you, she almost got you fired. Not once but twice. She messed up the investigation with Eddie and you saw what she does to Grissom. She has Greg and Nick drooling over her." The blonde started pacing in the room. "She may be a good CSI some of the time but she jeopardizes cases with her personal feelings."
Warrick sighed and shrugged his head. "But it's still none of our business."
Catherine gave him a cold look. "It is if they start dating. The rules are specific in that area."
They stood there facing each other. Neither spoke.
TBC
by Bugs & Beauty
AN: Sorry about Chapter Two being so late. The Holidays have been very, very busy.
Grissom looked up at her. "What do you want me to say?" His hands reached up to cup her face. "I don't blame you Sara. I meant it when I said you deserved a life."
Sara's brown eyes tightened in confusion. "What does this have to do with Greg..?" Her voice trailed off. "You...you think that there is something..."
Gil nodded his head. He kept his eyes down even as his fingers traced patterns on her cheeks. "He's more your age. I know he makes you laugh." He looked up at her. "I am glad he makes you happy. I just..."
The brunette leaned forward, allowing his hands and arms to encircled her shoulders. "Just what?" A trace of anger was evident in her tone. "I can make up my mind about who I love. You may be my boss at work but you are not my boss in my personal life. I thought even you could not be this dense."
He looked up at her. "What do you mean?"
She took his face in her hands now. She could feel his fingertips caress her shoulders. "I choose you." A smile breached her face. "I always have chosen you. I did not leave a good career in San Francisco to play second fiddle here for my career. I did it for you. It's always been about you."
He shifted in his seat. "What about Hank?"
"What about him? Griss-" She took her hands away from him. He could see the frustration on her face as she sat back on her heels. "Just because I seem immune to the way men treat me does not mean I don't want to feel..." she stopped helplessly. "I want to feel needed. Not just on the case as a CSI but as a woman. You ignored me. Hank did not."
He let out a snort of disgust. "You deserved better."
"Yes I do and you saw how that worked out. What I don't understand is how you could think there was something between Greg and me." She waited for him to respond to her but he shook his shoulders.
Sara threw her hands up in the air. As she rose to her feet, she tucked her hair behind her ears. "I need for you to do more than you are doing right now." She paced the small office. "I told you how I felt about you. You need to tell me what you want from me? You either flirt with me or you treat me like some rookie beneath your notice."
"I don't-"
She cut him off. "You do." She saw him sit back in his seat with a disturbed look on his face. "Just talk to me."
He spread his hands. "It's complicated, Sara. I want..." he sighed loudly. "I want to be more to you than a friend."
Sara waited for more but he lapsed into silence. "How much more?"
He opened his mouth to speak but he realized he did not know. "I...I want things to be better. I don't want to hurt you. I want what is best for you." He looked at her. "I'm not what's best for you Sara."
She took a step forward. Her palms laid flat on his desk. "You can't decide for me Grissom." She stepped back. "If you don't want me, fine. Tell me. But don't tell me that you won't at least try because you think that somewhere down the line I will decide to get someone else. That's not fair. Not fair to me or you or any relationship we will have together."
He raised his head. "Okay, this is what I want..."
Warrick raised his eyes to Catherine. "You said what to him?" The wrench that was being cleaned laid still in the cloth. Catherine shrugged her shoulders.
"Look, you and I both know that anything that happens between them will ruin this unit." She took the wrench from him and placed it into the box.
"You don't know that."
"Yes I do. It's hard enough for any of us to have a relationship outside of work. What happens when they stop seeing each other?"
"He rested his hands on her shoulders. "You don't know they won't get married Cat. It's not our place to interfere with their lives. How would they feel if they knew what you did to them?"
She pushed him away slightly. "They can't get it together now and they are not dating. You know Eckley will be all over them as soon as it makes the rounds. Gil will be lucky if he has a job let alone a supervisor's position. He should not throw his career away for her. She does not belong here."
Warrick's eyes blinked in confusion. "Sara has been here for four years. I think she belongs." He walked in front of her as she turned away from him. "What is this really about Catherine?"
"Sara has done nothing but tear this team apart. When she came here to investigate you, she almost got you fired. Not once but twice. She messed up the investigation with Eddie and you saw what she does to Grissom. She has Greg and Nick drooling over her." The blonde started pacing in the room. "She may be a good CSI some of the time but she jeopardizes cases with her personal feelings."
Warrick sighed and shrugged his head. "But it's still none of our business."
Catherine gave him a cold look. "It is if they start dating. The rules are specific in that area."
They stood there facing each other. Neither spoke.
TBC