Summary: After viewing a horrific accident, Sara makes some hard decisions about her life. Obviously, a Sara-centered story, but with lots of friendship and a little bit of G/S at the end.
Rating: R for subject matter
A/N: No real spoilers. Thanks to Burked and all the others who previewed this for me.
Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own anything related to CSI. If I did, I'd be on a tropical beach right now.
Chapter 60
"Please, Sara."
"No."
"You'll like it better the next time."
"I doubt that," she huffed.
"We know what not to do next time."
"There's not going to be a next time."
"Please?" he begged.
"I said 'no'," she sighed impatiently. She wasn't in the mood for this kind of discussion.
"I promise it'll be better."
"I'm not doing it again," she said, taking a cup of coffee and walking away.
"Come on. Let's try it one more time."
"No way."
"Please?"
"Do you have any idea how whiny you sound?"
"I don't care. I don't want you to leave."
"Give it up, Jimmy. I'm not going to re-enter the doctorate program. I'm going back to Las Vegas," Sara said, sitting behind her desk. She tempered her response with a smile, knowing her ex-advisor thought he was acting in her best interest.
"Why?" he whined, dropping dejectedly on a nearby chair.
"Because I want to," she said, rolling her eyes.
"You want to go back to dead bodies?" he asked in astonishment.
"Yeah," she said playfully. "Not much different than this place."
"Hmmph. That's sick."
"I knew I could always count on you for support."
"This isn't about support. It's about what's best for you. 'Professor Sara Sidle' – has a ring to it, doesn't it? Grad school would be better this time around, I promise. Think of your future," he insisted.
"I am, Jimmy. That's why I'm heading back," she said wickedly.
"It's all that bug guy's fault."
"Watch it," she warned. "I love him, but I make my own decisions."
"Can't blame a dean for trying to keep his best student," he sighed.
"I don't. You've been a great friend. You really helped me. I'm glad I was able to help out here," Sara said honestly, giving him a big smile.
"You're always going to be welcome here. If things don't work out, or you decide you need a change of pace, you give me a call."
"Thanks," she said kindly, turning back to her work. "But I don't see that happening."
"Hmmph!" Kahill got up with a wink and headed across the lab. Seeing Grissom entering, he pointed at him. "This is all your fault."
"What did I do this time?" Grissom asked in confusion as he pulled the chair beside Sara, leaning in to give her a subdued hug.
"You got the girl," she said salaciously. "Jimmy's trying to talk me into staying at the university."
"We can stay here if you want to," he said distractedly.
"I want to go back to Vegas."
"Oh, okay."
Sara turned to watch him as he fiddled with a pencil on her desk. Realizing he was under scrutiny, he put it down, and sat back, his hands folded in his lap.
"Is something wrong?" Sara asked in a quiet tone.
"No, no."
"I didn't think you'd be back from your mother's this early. Wasn't she in?" she asked, watching him with some concern. It was clear something was making him anxious.
"Oh, she was there."
"Grissom, what aren't you telling me?" Sara asked softly, turning her chair around to face him.
"Oh, it's nothing, really. Mother was glad to see me, but she wanted to know why I was in the area."
"You hadn't told her about us?" she asked with a grin.
"No, not yet. I figured that was something I should tell her personally," he said with a shy smile.
"Did she take it well?" Sara asked hesitantly.
"Yes, very well, actually. She, uhm, wants to meet you."
"That's cool. I want to meet her. We can figure something out on your next visit."
"Uh, yeah, well, she wants to see you sooner than that. Tonight, if you're up to it."
Sara blinked, then shrugged. "I, well, yeah, I guess we could drive back down to Venice after work, but I need to shower and change first. It'll be pretty late by the time we get there."
"Uh, well, Mother's here," he stammered.
"She's here?" she asked in astonishment.
"Well, not at the lab. She checked into a hotel in town."
"Oh."
"If you don't want to meet her on such short notice, that's fine. She has some friends in the area that she'll visit if you don't want to do this. She doesn't want you to feel pressured."
"No. That's okay," Sara said, giving her a head a shake.
"Okay. What're some nice restaurants? I'll see where I can get us reservations."
After finding out his mother's preferences, Sara quickly listed some of the nicer eating establishments in the area. Grissom gave her a kiss before heading back to the hotel to make the arrangements and call her with the details.
~~~~~
Sara straightened her skirt as she got off the elevator and walked towards the hotel room. She couldn't believe she felt this nervous. It was only dinner. Ever since she was a little kid, she'd shared meals with total strangers. It had been a fact of life growing up in a bed-and-breakfast. Of course, none of those guests had been the mother of the man she loved.
Walking up to the door, she took a moment to collect herself. There was no reason to be nervous. She was basically a good person. Both she and Grissom were adults capable of picking their own partner. What reason could there be for her not to be accepted?
Not wanting to think on that subject too long, Sara knocked on the door. Grissom quickly opened it, smiling in appreciation as he took in her attire. "Come in," he said softly, pulling her in for a gentle hug. Taking her by the arm, he escorted Sara into the room.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Grissom," Sara said, taking care to enunciate each word. Grissom let go of her arm to translate.
The refined looking woman rose from the chair, her movements slowed by age, but steady. She smiled, then looked from Sara to her son and back. "It's nice to meet you, Sara," she signed and then held out her hand.
During their introductions, Grissom held back, translating the conversation. Sara remembered her encounter with the president of the deaf college and maintained eye contact with his mother. Giving her son another odd look, she signed a quick message to him. Sara darted her eyes back, catching a wide-eyed Grissom frantically signing a long message back, not bothering to translate it into words.
"Gil, you're being rude. Let's go to dinner. We have a lot to talk about," Mrs. Grissom signed and Grissom sighed. Taking Sara's arm in her own, the older woman gave her a friendly smile and led the way to the elevator.
Despite her earlier concerns, the dinner went well, with Mrs. Grissom asking the standard questions of where they met, what she did and her background. When she learned Sara was from Tamales Bay, she asked if Sara was familiar with one of the local artists.
"She's a friend of my parents," Sara said cautiously. She didn't want to offend Grissom's mother, but 'artist' was a generous term for the would-be sculptor.
"No offense, dear, but she's terrible," she signed conspiratorially. Her son hesitantly translated, causing Sara to laugh. Grissom joined in, both of them feeling the tension drain away.
~~~~~
After escorting his mother back to the hotel, Grissom and Sara returned to her apartment. Once the door was closed, he pulled her into his arms for a soft kiss.
"You were great," he said tenderly.
"Thanks. I was kinda nervous."
"No reason to be. You're a great catch," he said, punctuating his statements with kisses.
"You make me sound like a fish," she joked, working his tie loose.
"Not a fish," he said, walking her backwards to the futon. "You're too beautiful."
"Flatterer," she said as she started on his shirt buttons.
"You're too modest," he stated, slipping off her blouse. "You had to have heard that all of the time."
"Not really," she said, stepping out of her sandals. "I was the science geek."
"The two aren't mutually exclusive. You're both," he said, quickly undressing each other between kisses. "You are definitely beautiful."
"You seem to think so," she whispered, brushing her fingers against the front of his boxers, prompting a mild groan from him.
Sitting her down on the futon and kneeling before her, Grissom slid his hands down the outside of the legs. Reaching her ankles, he moved to the inside of her legs and began working his hands upwards. "You're very beautiful," he repeated, his voice becoming husky.
~~~~~
Grissom woke the next morning to an empty futon. Stretching, he looked up to find Sara wearing just his shirt from the night before, reading her e-mail.
"Hey. Sleep well?" she asked, sliding back under the covers.
"Uh, huh. Thanks for meeting my mother last night. She really likes you," he said, slipping his arms around her.
"No problem. I liked her," she said, leaning in to kiss him deeply. Pulling back she stroked his face gently, her eyes watching him intently. "Hey, Grissom, don't worry about kids. If you don't want them, that's fine. I'd rather be with you and not have kids, than with someone else who did."
"Uhh. Well …"
"We don't have to talk about this now," she insisted. "It's probably better if we wait until we're sure I'm not going to freak out again. But I just want you to know it's not something you have to worry about."
"Okay," he sighed. "What brought this up?"
"You're mom signed something about grandkids, didn't she? That's the part you didn't translate," she said earnestly.
"Yeah," he said in wonderment. "I hadn't told her you were so much younger."
"Does that bother her?" Sara asked worriedly.
"No, not at all. That's what prompted the comment about grandchildren. She said it was still an option. I asked her not to bring it up, that we hadn't had a chance to discuss it yet," he explained, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. "How did you know?"
"I've been taking ASL lessons on campus."
"You have? Why didn't you say so? You could have joined in the conversation directly. It's the only way to really learn."
"I'm not very good. I've only had a few lessons. I couldn't follow most of what you were saying."
"We were going too fast. We could slow it down the next time. I'll give you some lessons on your next trip."
"I'd like that. And it's only a few days away," she said giving him another kiss.
"You should let me pay for the tickets, Sara. They're too expensive," he said stroking her back gently.
"Grissom, I can buy my own plane tickets," she stated firmly. "It's not like I spent all that money I made on overtime on anything."
"I don't want you running through your savings. I'm the one benefiting from the trips, so I should pay."
"For services rendered?" she asked pointedly.
Grissom swallowed nervously. "That really didn't come out right, did it? You know what I mean. You aren't making nearly as much as you were in Las Vegas and you're paying a fortune in rent. Let me help. I didn't mean it to sound that way," he said sheepishly.
"No," Sara said firmly, leaning in to kiss him passionately. "But you better brush up on what you know about butterflies, 'cause you're going to have to pay for that crack." Cradling his head in her hands, she deepened her kisses, allowing her tongue to playfully trace along his lips before entering his mouth.
Groaning, he slid one hand over her hip and down her thigh, running it slowly back up towards to her rear. Before it finished its journey, Sara planted both hands on his chest and pulled back. Dropping her head, she let out a disappointed sigh.
"But not until tonight. I've got to go to work, and we're supposed to meet your mom for breakfast," she said, heading off to the shower.
"Don't use all the cold water," he called out, dropping his head onto the pillow.
TBC
Rating: R for subject matter
A/N: No real spoilers. Thanks to Burked and all the others who previewed this for me.
Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own anything related to CSI. If I did, I'd be on a tropical beach right now.
Chapter 60
"Please, Sara."
"No."
"You'll like it better the next time."
"I doubt that," she huffed.
"We know what not to do next time."
"There's not going to be a next time."
"Please?" he begged.
"I said 'no'," she sighed impatiently. She wasn't in the mood for this kind of discussion.
"I promise it'll be better."
"I'm not doing it again," she said, taking a cup of coffee and walking away.
"Come on. Let's try it one more time."
"No way."
"Please?"
"Do you have any idea how whiny you sound?"
"I don't care. I don't want you to leave."
"Give it up, Jimmy. I'm not going to re-enter the doctorate program. I'm going back to Las Vegas," Sara said, sitting behind her desk. She tempered her response with a smile, knowing her ex-advisor thought he was acting in her best interest.
"Why?" he whined, dropping dejectedly on a nearby chair.
"Because I want to," she said, rolling her eyes.
"You want to go back to dead bodies?" he asked in astonishment.
"Yeah," she said playfully. "Not much different than this place."
"Hmmph. That's sick."
"I knew I could always count on you for support."
"This isn't about support. It's about what's best for you. 'Professor Sara Sidle' – has a ring to it, doesn't it? Grad school would be better this time around, I promise. Think of your future," he insisted.
"I am, Jimmy. That's why I'm heading back," she said wickedly.
"It's all that bug guy's fault."
"Watch it," she warned. "I love him, but I make my own decisions."
"Can't blame a dean for trying to keep his best student," he sighed.
"I don't. You've been a great friend. You really helped me. I'm glad I was able to help out here," Sara said honestly, giving him a big smile.
"You're always going to be welcome here. If things don't work out, or you decide you need a change of pace, you give me a call."
"Thanks," she said kindly, turning back to her work. "But I don't see that happening."
"Hmmph!" Kahill got up with a wink and headed across the lab. Seeing Grissom entering, he pointed at him. "This is all your fault."
"What did I do this time?" Grissom asked in confusion as he pulled the chair beside Sara, leaning in to give her a subdued hug.
"You got the girl," she said salaciously. "Jimmy's trying to talk me into staying at the university."
"We can stay here if you want to," he said distractedly.
"I want to go back to Vegas."
"Oh, okay."
Sara turned to watch him as he fiddled with a pencil on her desk. Realizing he was under scrutiny, he put it down, and sat back, his hands folded in his lap.
"Is something wrong?" Sara asked in a quiet tone.
"No, no."
"I didn't think you'd be back from your mother's this early. Wasn't she in?" she asked, watching him with some concern. It was clear something was making him anxious.
"Oh, she was there."
"Grissom, what aren't you telling me?" Sara asked softly, turning her chair around to face him.
"Oh, it's nothing, really. Mother was glad to see me, but she wanted to know why I was in the area."
"You hadn't told her about us?" she asked with a grin.
"No, not yet. I figured that was something I should tell her personally," he said with a shy smile.
"Did she take it well?" Sara asked hesitantly.
"Yes, very well, actually. She, uhm, wants to meet you."
"That's cool. I want to meet her. We can figure something out on your next visit."
"Uh, yeah, well, she wants to see you sooner than that. Tonight, if you're up to it."
Sara blinked, then shrugged. "I, well, yeah, I guess we could drive back down to Venice after work, but I need to shower and change first. It'll be pretty late by the time we get there."
"Uh, well, Mother's here," he stammered.
"She's here?" she asked in astonishment.
"Well, not at the lab. She checked into a hotel in town."
"Oh."
"If you don't want to meet her on such short notice, that's fine. She has some friends in the area that she'll visit if you don't want to do this. She doesn't want you to feel pressured."
"No. That's okay," Sara said, giving her a head a shake.
"Okay. What're some nice restaurants? I'll see where I can get us reservations."
After finding out his mother's preferences, Sara quickly listed some of the nicer eating establishments in the area. Grissom gave her a kiss before heading back to the hotel to make the arrangements and call her with the details.
~~~~~
Sara straightened her skirt as she got off the elevator and walked towards the hotel room. She couldn't believe she felt this nervous. It was only dinner. Ever since she was a little kid, she'd shared meals with total strangers. It had been a fact of life growing up in a bed-and-breakfast. Of course, none of those guests had been the mother of the man she loved.
Walking up to the door, she took a moment to collect herself. There was no reason to be nervous. She was basically a good person. Both she and Grissom were adults capable of picking their own partner. What reason could there be for her not to be accepted?
Not wanting to think on that subject too long, Sara knocked on the door. Grissom quickly opened it, smiling in appreciation as he took in her attire. "Come in," he said softly, pulling her in for a gentle hug. Taking her by the arm, he escorted Sara into the room.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Grissom," Sara said, taking care to enunciate each word. Grissom let go of her arm to translate.
The refined looking woman rose from the chair, her movements slowed by age, but steady. She smiled, then looked from Sara to her son and back. "It's nice to meet you, Sara," she signed and then held out her hand.
During their introductions, Grissom held back, translating the conversation. Sara remembered her encounter with the president of the deaf college and maintained eye contact with his mother. Giving her son another odd look, she signed a quick message to him. Sara darted her eyes back, catching a wide-eyed Grissom frantically signing a long message back, not bothering to translate it into words.
"Gil, you're being rude. Let's go to dinner. We have a lot to talk about," Mrs. Grissom signed and Grissom sighed. Taking Sara's arm in her own, the older woman gave her a friendly smile and led the way to the elevator.
Despite her earlier concerns, the dinner went well, with Mrs. Grissom asking the standard questions of where they met, what she did and her background. When she learned Sara was from Tamales Bay, she asked if Sara was familiar with one of the local artists.
"She's a friend of my parents," Sara said cautiously. She didn't want to offend Grissom's mother, but 'artist' was a generous term for the would-be sculptor.
"No offense, dear, but she's terrible," she signed conspiratorially. Her son hesitantly translated, causing Sara to laugh. Grissom joined in, both of them feeling the tension drain away.
~~~~~
After escorting his mother back to the hotel, Grissom and Sara returned to her apartment. Once the door was closed, he pulled her into his arms for a soft kiss.
"You were great," he said tenderly.
"Thanks. I was kinda nervous."
"No reason to be. You're a great catch," he said, punctuating his statements with kisses.
"You make me sound like a fish," she joked, working his tie loose.
"Not a fish," he said, walking her backwards to the futon. "You're too beautiful."
"Flatterer," she said as she started on his shirt buttons.
"You're too modest," he stated, slipping off her blouse. "You had to have heard that all of the time."
"Not really," she said, stepping out of her sandals. "I was the science geek."
"The two aren't mutually exclusive. You're both," he said, quickly undressing each other between kisses. "You are definitely beautiful."
"You seem to think so," she whispered, brushing her fingers against the front of his boxers, prompting a mild groan from him.
Sitting her down on the futon and kneeling before her, Grissom slid his hands down the outside of the legs. Reaching her ankles, he moved to the inside of her legs and began working his hands upwards. "You're very beautiful," he repeated, his voice becoming husky.
~~~~~
Grissom woke the next morning to an empty futon. Stretching, he looked up to find Sara wearing just his shirt from the night before, reading her e-mail.
"Hey. Sleep well?" she asked, sliding back under the covers.
"Uh, huh. Thanks for meeting my mother last night. She really likes you," he said, slipping his arms around her.
"No problem. I liked her," she said, leaning in to kiss him deeply. Pulling back she stroked his face gently, her eyes watching him intently. "Hey, Grissom, don't worry about kids. If you don't want them, that's fine. I'd rather be with you and not have kids, than with someone else who did."
"Uhh. Well …"
"We don't have to talk about this now," she insisted. "It's probably better if we wait until we're sure I'm not going to freak out again. But I just want you to know it's not something you have to worry about."
"Okay," he sighed. "What brought this up?"
"You're mom signed something about grandkids, didn't she? That's the part you didn't translate," she said earnestly.
"Yeah," he said in wonderment. "I hadn't told her you were so much younger."
"Does that bother her?" Sara asked worriedly.
"No, not at all. That's what prompted the comment about grandchildren. She said it was still an option. I asked her not to bring it up, that we hadn't had a chance to discuss it yet," he explained, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. "How did you know?"
"I've been taking ASL lessons on campus."
"You have? Why didn't you say so? You could have joined in the conversation directly. It's the only way to really learn."
"I'm not very good. I've only had a few lessons. I couldn't follow most of what you were saying."
"We were going too fast. We could slow it down the next time. I'll give you some lessons on your next trip."
"I'd like that. And it's only a few days away," she said giving him another kiss.
"You should let me pay for the tickets, Sara. They're too expensive," he said stroking her back gently.
"Grissom, I can buy my own plane tickets," she stated firmly. "It's not like I spent all that money I made on overtime on anything."
"I don't want you running through your savings. I'm the one benefiting from the trips, so I should pay."
"For services rendered?" she asked pointedly.
Grissom swallowed nervously. "That really didn't come out right, did it? You know what I mean. You aren't making nearly as much as you were in Las Vegas and you're paying a fortune in rent. Let me help. I didn't mean it to sound that way," he said sheepishly.
"No," Sara said firmly, leaning in to kiss him passionately. "But you better brush up on what you know about butterflies, 'cause you're going to have to pay for that crack." Cradling his head in her hands, she deepened her kisses, allowing her tongue to playfully trace along his lips before entering his mouth.
Groaning, he slid one hand over her hip and down her thigh, running it slowly back up towards to her rear. Before it finished its journey, Sara planted both hands on his chest and pulled back. Dropping her head, she let out a disappointed sigh.
"But not until tonight. I've got to go to work, and we're supposed to meet your mom for breakfast," she said, heading off to the shower.
"Don't use all the cold water," he called out, dropping his head onto the pillow.
TBC