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 63
Sipping his coffee, Grissom debated again about waking Sara up. He'd come home from work to find her sprawled on the couch with a forensics journal lying across her chest and a stack of printouts on the floor. At first, it looked like she'd fallen asleep before heading to bed. But she was in her pajamas and the bed had been slept in.
He suspected a nightmare had driven her to the couch, where exhaustion finally caught up with her. Letting out a sigh, he crossed the room to gingerly sit on the edge of the couch, taking care not to jostle her. Reaching out, he tenderly brushed a lock of hair from her face, wishing he could take away her troubles. She was handling things well, but it had been hard on her.
Leaning back, he considered his options for getting her back to the bedroom. From past experience, he knew how uncomfortable the couch was, but worried she wouldn't get back to sleep if he woke her up. He wasn't sure he could carry her to the bedroom without waking her up, either; she wasn't a heavy sleeper. Deciding any sleep was better than none, he left her there and returned to the kitchen to read the morning paper.
His dilemma resolved itself a few minutes later when Sara woke up herself, grunting when she sat upright, her muscles protesting.
"Hey," she said, smiling as she stretched slowly. "Coffee?"
"Just brewed."
"Perfect."
"Did you sleep well?" he asked softly.
Pausing to give him a kiss as she passed, Sara noticed his concerned expression. Turning to look back into the living room, she smiled when realization dawned.
"I didn't have a nightmare," she stated, giving him another reassuring kiss before heading to the coffee pot. "There was something going on last night. Fire department and police were across the street. Woke me up. You don't have a police scanner, do you?"
"No. If I'm needed, they'll call me," he said, his relief obvious, prompting another smile from Sara.
"Hmm. After I woke up, I couldn't get back to sleep. It gave me a chance to finish some articles. Did you see the study out of Canada about how they can extract DNA from fingerprints? That could be so useful."
"Glad to see you're still on top of things," he said with a smile.
"Have been the entire time I've been out of the field. Don't want to get rusty," she said, taking her coffee and heading to look out the window.
"I don't think anyone's ever worried about you not being able to do the work, Sara."
Grissom set down his mug. Instead of being encouraging, his statement seemed to agitate her. He noticed she was flexing her fingers nervously, her posture tense.
"Sara?"
She slumped her shoulders as she let out a ragged breath.
"I want to come back, Grissom, I really do. But I'm nervous. I'm not sure I can. I … I don't want to screw something up. I don't want to get to a scene and find out I can't handle it. I'd rather do something else than ruin a case."
"Sara, don't rush it. If you need more time off, that's not a problem. I'm not going to send you into the field until Kane has cleared you, and I'm certain you're ready. We'll start you slow, follow Kane's plan. Once you're comfortable with lab work, we'll start sending you out on cases. If they don't bother you, we'll expand your duties."
"Delaying it isn't going to help. If I can't do it, I can't do it. Better to find out now. You'll need a replacement if things don't work out."
"We can work something out. You're the best CSI I have. I'm not going to risk losing you by pushing you too soon. I'd rather have you – only able to work on some certain cases or in the lab – than some less-qualified CSI who can handle any case."
"Be careful. Don't want anyone accusing you of favoritism," she warned.
"It's not. I'd be doing the same thing if we weren't involved."
"You know, people are going to talk. Even if we don't tell them we're together, they know we were before I left. They're going to wonder about it," she sighed. "If it's going to be a problem …"
"I'll leave," he said, before she could finish the statement.
"What?"
"I'll leave. I've been thinking about it since you asked me if I would be comfortable with us working together. If I'm not, or if we have any troubles, I'll leave. I've been approached a number of times about being an expert witness. It's a career option."
"You'd be like Gerrard?" Sara asked, the shock clear in her voice that he'd consider following his ex-mentor in this regard.
"Not like Phillip," Grissom said firmly. "He sold out his principles to the highest bidder. For a price, he'll help the guilty go free. But he was right about one thing: people do get falsely accused because of bad evidence handling. I can pick and choose which cases I accepted. At $500 an hour, I don't have to work full-time."
Sara gaped at him for a moment, before dropping her head in wonder. When he placed a hand on her shoulder, she looked up to smile at him.
"Speaking of court, are you still scheduled to testify tomorrow morning?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, well. I'm meeting the guys for breakfast after shift. Guess you won't have time to join us."
"Probably not. Sorry."
"That's okay. I know one thing: we have to get back on the same shift. That bed isn't nearly as comfortable when you're not in it," she teased.
"I know what you mean," he said with an exaggerated sigh, prompting a laugh from Sara. "Have any plans for today?"
"I need to talk to my attorney, make sure everything's cleared with the deposition. I have to swing by the lab and talk to Human Resources. Then I'm going to stop by and see Teresa for a little while. After that, I'm going to head to Henderson about the apartment. I think I'll see if I can hook up a hot date for dinner tonight."
"Head to the Strip. You can probably find somebody there," he quipped.
"Smart ass."
"I know the perfect place to go eat. It's quiet and private. We'll need to leave a bit earlier than usual. How about we leave here at 5 p.m.? It's very casual, so you don't have to worry about getting dressed up."
~~~~~
When Sara returned that afternoon, she found Grissom already awake and showered. Sitting on the couch, he was reading an entomology text while the kitten slept draped over his shoulder.
"Hey," she said, sliding in next to him.
"Hey," he said, smiling at her happy mood. "Everything go well?"
"Yeah. Teresa's feeling pretty good today. Didn't stay too long. She still gets tired easily. Talked to the sheriff while I was at work. He was actually nice to me. I've got my apartment for two months. Pretty nice place. Damn rent's high when you go month-to-month."
"You don't have to rent an apartment," he offered gently.
"Yes, I do," she said, nuzzling his neck to let him know she wasn't upset.
"Let me know when you plan to move back. I'll see if I can get some time off, and I'll come out and help you pack. Or were you going to go visit your parents before coming to Las Vegas?"
"Mom and Dad are coming to visit me in Santa Barbara before I head back," she said with a smirk. "They were hoping we could come visit them sometime. They definitely want to meet you again. I told them I didn't know if we could get vacation at the same time, or not."
"We can work something out. You've covered enough holidays so the others could spend it with their families," he said, turning to nuzzle her neck in return.
"Do we have time for a game of chess before dinner?"
"No."
She giggled at his disappointment. In the nearly 48 hours she'd been in Las Vegas, they hadn't been intimate. Between her mood and his work schedule, they hadn't had the chance. Until now.
"We could show up late," she whispered, running a hand lightly over his chest.
"Actually, we can't," he said mysteriously.
"Okay," she said in a mock-pout, getting up from the couch. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
"Do I need to change clothes?"
"Just bring a jacket or a sweater."
"You aren't going to give me any more clues?"
"No."
"Okay," she said slowly. "And this is better than a game of chess?"
"Apples and oranges. We can play later," he said salaciously. "I don't have to work tomorrow evening. Once I'm back from court, I'm all yours."
"Sweet."
When she came back out a few minutes later, she caught Grissom re-entering the townhouse.
"Ready?" was his only comment as he escorted her to the car. During the drive, they talked about his cases until they crossed the city and headed into the desert west of town.
"What's out here?" she asked in confusion.
"You'll see."
Shaking her head, Sara watched as he turned off the highway onto a back road. When he finally pulled off onto a dirt road, she turned to stare at him. Grissom turned briefly to give her a wink, before stopping the car on top of a bluff a few minutes later.
Opening the trunk, he pulled out a blanket, ice chest and thermos. Nodding forwards, he walked around some boulders towards the edge of the bluff. As she rounded the corner, Sara drew in her breath. Their vantage point overlooked a clear section of desert. With the city behind them, there was nothing to distract from the natural beauty. Already, the setting sun was promising a spectacular show.
"About eight years ago, some hikers found some DBs up here. All kinds of bugs. I was called in. Didn't get done until sunset. The view from here is incredible. I thought you might like it."
"I do. This is perfect," she smiled, helping him to spread out the blanket.
Settling down beside each other, they ate in silence, enjoying the sunset and each other's company. Once the sun began to dip below the horizon, Grissom put the remains of their meal away. Reaching over to Sara, he drew her close to him.
"Thanks," she whispered, brushing gentle kisses over his face.
"You're welcome," he replied, laying her down and leaning over her. His kisses became more insistent as his hands began roving over her body and under her clothes.
Letting out a moan, she pushed his hands away. Grissom could see the blush in the fading light.
"Grissom. Not here," she said bashfully. "Someone could walk up on us."
"This coming from a member of the Mile High Club?" he teased, trying to resume his earlier activities.
"This is different. We were in a closed room. It was more private," she said, wiggling to avoid his hands.
"What?" Grissom chuckled. "You were 10 feet away from the other passengers, if that. There's no one around here for miles."
"Grissom, the more time we waste out here is less time we have together back in your bed," she said firmly.
"Okay," he sighed, getting up to gather their supplies while Sara readjusted her clothes. He'd just finished rolling up the blanket, when a heavy crunch and a beam of light intruded. Turning around, they faced a deputy.
"Any troubles folks?"
"No officer. We just came out to enjoy the sunset," Grissom said, while Sara turned around so the deputy couldn't see her efforts to control her laughter.
"All right. Good thing you're leaving, though. This spot is a favorite for kids looking for a place to be alone, if you catch my drift. You might have caught more of a show you were expecting."
"Thank you. We were heading home now," Grissom said, dragging an openly laughing Sara passed the confused law enforcement officer
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 63
Sipping his coffee, Grissom debated again about waking Sara up. He'd come home from work to find her sprawled on the couch with a forensics journal lying across her chest and a stack of printouts on the floor. At first, it looked like she'd fallen asleep before heading to bed. But she was in her pajamas and the bed had been slept in.
He suspected a nightmare had driven her to the couch, where exhaustion finally caught up with her. Letting out a sigh, he crossed the room to gingerly sit on the edge of the couch, taking care not to jostle her. Reaching out, he tenderly brushed a lock of hair from her face, wishing he could take away her troubles. She was handling things well, but it had been hard on her.
Leaning back, he considered his options for getting her back to the bedroom. From past experience, he knew how uncomfortable the couch was, but worried she wouldn't get back to sleep if he woke her up. He wasn't sure he could carry her to the bedroom without waking her up, either; she wasn't a heavy sleeper. Deciding any sleep was better than none, he left her there and returned to the kitchen to read the morning paper.
His dilemma resolved itself a few minutes later when Sara woke up herself, grunting when she sat upright, her muscles protesting.
"Hey," she said, smiling as she stretched slowly. "Coffee?"
"Just brewed."
"Perfect."
"Did you sleep well?" he asked softly.
Pausing to give him a kiss as she passed, Sara noticed his concerned expression. Turning to look back into the living room, she smiled when realization dawned.
"I didn't have a nightmare," she stated, giving him another reassuring kiss before heading to the coffee pot. "There was something going on last night. Fire department and police were across the street. Woke me up. You don't have a police scanner, do you?"
"No. If I'm needed, they'll call me," he said, his relief obvious, prompting another smile from Sara.
"Hmm. After I woke up, I couldn't get back to sleep. It gave me a chance to finish some articles. Did you see the study out of Canada about how they can extract DNA from fingerprints? That could be so useful."
"Glad to see you're still on top of things," he said with a smile.
"Have been the entire time I've been out of the field. Don't want to get rusty," she said, taking her coffee and heading to look out the window.
"I don't think anyone's ever worried about you not being able to do the work, Sara."
Grissom set down his mug. Instead of being encouraging, his statement seemed to agitate her. He noticed she was flexing her fingers nervously, her posture tense.
"Sara?"
She slumped her shoulders as she let out a ragged breath.
"I want to come back, Grissom, I really do. But I'm nervous. I'm not sure I can. I … I don't want to screw something up. I don't want to get to a scene and find out I can't handle it. I'd rather do something else than ruin a case."
"Sara, don't rush it. If you need more time off, that's not a problem. I'm not going to send you into the field until Kane has cleared you, and I'm certain you're ready. We'll start you slow, follow Kane's plan. Once you're comfortable with lab work, we'll start sending you out on cases. If they don't bother you, we'll expand your duties."
"Delaying it isn't going to help. If I can't do it, I can't do it. Better to find out now. You'll need a replacement if things don't work out."
"We can work something out. You're the best CSI I have. I'm not going to risk losing you by pushing you too soon. I'd rather have you – only able to work on some certain cases or in the lab – than some less-qualified CSI who can handle any case."
"Be careful. Don't want anyone accusing you of favoritism," she warned.
"It's not. I'd be doing the same thing if we weren't involved."
"You know, people are going to talk. Even if we don't tell them we're together, they know we were before I left. They're going to wonder about it," she sighed. "If it's going to be a problem …"
"I'll leave," he said, before she could finish the statement.
"What?"
"I'll leave. I've been thinking about it since you asked me if I would be comfortable with us working together. If I'm not, or if we have any troubles, I'll leave. I've been approached a number of times about being an expert witness. It's a career option."
"You'd be like Gerrard?" Sara asked, the shock clear in her voice that he'd consider following his ex-mentor in this regard.
"Not like Phillip," Grissom said firmly. "He sold out his principles to the highest bidder. For a price, he'll help the guilty go free. But he was right about one thing: people do get falsely accused because of bad evidence handling. I can pick and choose which cases I accepted. At $500 an hour, I don't have to work full-time."
Sara gaped at him for a moment, before dropping her head in wonder. When he placed a hand on her shoulder, she looked up to smile at him.
"Speaking of court, are you still scheduled to testify tomorrow morning?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, well. I'm meeting the guys for breakfast after shift. Guess you won't have time to join us."
"Probably not. Sorry."
"That's okay. I know one thing: we have to get back on the same shift. That bed isn't nearly as comfortable when you're not in it," she teased.
"I know what you mean," he said with an exaggerated sigh, prompting a laugh from Sara. "Have any plans for today?"
"I need to talk to my attorney, make sure everything's cleared with the deposition. I have to swing by the lab and talk to Human Resources. Then I'm going to stop by and see Teresa for a little while. After that, I'm going to head to Henderson about the apartment. I think I'll see if I can hook up a hot date for dinner tonight."
"Head to the Strip. You can probably find somebody there," he quipped.
"Smart ass."
"I know the perfect place to go eat. It's quiet and private. We'll need to leave a bit earlier than usual. How about we leave here at 5 p.m.? It's very casual, so you don't have to worry about getting dressed up."
~~~~~
When Sara returned that afternoon, she found Grissom already awake and showered. Sitting on the couch, he was reading an entomology text while the kitten slept draped over his shoulder.
"Hey," she said, sliding in next to him.
"Hey," he said, smiling at her happy mood. "Everything go well?"
"Yeah. Teresa's feeling pretty good today. Didn't stay too long. She still gets tired easily. Talked to the sheriff while I was at work. He was actually nice to me. I've got my apartment for two months. Pretty nice place. Damn rent's high when you go month-to-month."
"You don't have to rent an apartment," he offered gently.
"Yes, I do," she said, nuzzling his neck to let him know she wasn't upset.
"Let me know when you plan to move back. I'll see if I can get some time off, and I'll come out and help you pack. Or were you going to go visit your parents before coming to Las Vegas?"
"Mom and Dad are coming to visit me in Santa Barbara before I head back," she said with a smirk. "They were hoping we could come visit them sometime. They definitely want to meet you again. I told them I didn't know if we could get vacation at the same time, or not."
"We can work something out. You've covered enough holidays so the others could spend it with their families," he said, turning to nuzzle her neck in return.
"Do we have time for a game of chess before dinner?"
"No."
She giggled at his disappointment. In the nearly 48 hours she'd been in Las Vegas, they hadn't been intimate. Between her mood and his work schedule, they hadn't had the chance. Until now.
"We could show up late," she whispered, running a hand lightly over his chest.
"Actually, we can't," he said mysteriously.
"Okay," she said in a mock-pout, getting up from the couch. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
"Do I need to change clothes?"
"Just bring a jacket or a sweater."
"You aren't going to give me any more clues?"
"No."
"Okay," she said slowly. "And this is better than a game of chess?"
"Apples and oranges. We can play later," he said salaciously. "I don't have to work tomorrow evening. Once I'm back from court, I'm all yours."
"Sweet."
When she came back out a few minutes later, she caught Grissom re-entering the townhouse.
"Ready?" was his only comment as he escorted her to the car. During the drive, they talked about his cases until they crossed the city and headed into the desert west of town.
"What's out here?" she asked in confusion.
"You'll see."
Shaking her head, Sara watched as he turned off the highway onto a back road. When he finally pulled off onto a dirt road, she turned to stare at him. Grissom turned briefly to give her a wink, before stopping the car on top of a bluff a few minutes later.
Opening the trunk, he pulled out a blanket, ice chest and thermos. Nodding forwards, he walked around some boulders towards the edge of the bluff. As she rounded the corner, Sara drew in her breath. Their vantage point overlooked a clear section of desert. With the city behind them, there was nothing to distract from the natural beauty. Already, the setting sun was promising a spectacular show.
"About eight years ago, some hikers found some DBs up here. All kinds of bugs. I was called in. Didn't get done until sunset. The view from here is incredible. I thought you might like it."
"I do. This is perfect," she smiled, helping him to spread out the blanket.
Settling down beside each other, they ate in silence, enjoying the sunset and each other's company. Once the sun began to dip below the horizon, Grissom put the remains of their meal away. Reaching over to Sara, he drew her close to him.
"Thanks," she whispered, brushing gentle kisses over his face.
"You're welcome," he replied, laying her down and leaning over her. His kisses became more insistent as his hands began roving over her body and under her clothes.
Letting out a moan, she pushed his hands away. Grissom could see the blush in the fading light.
"Grissom. Not here," she said bashfully. "Someone could walk up on us."
"This coming from a member of the Mile High Club?" he teased, trying to resume his earlier activities.
"This is different. We were in a closed room. It was more private," she said, wiggling to avoid his hands.
"What?" Grissom chuckled. "You were 10 feet away from the other passengers, if that. There's no one around here for miles."
"Grissom, the more time we waste out here is less time we have together back in your bed," she said firmly.
"Okay," he sighed, getting up to gather their supplies while Sara readjusted her clothes. He'd just finished rolling up the blanket, when a heavy crunch and a beam of light intruded. Turning around, they faced a deputy.
"Any troubles folks?"
"No officer. We just came out to enjoy the sunset," Grissom said, while Sara turned around so the deputy couldn't see her efforts to control her laughter.
"All right. Good thing you're leaving, though. This spot is a favorite for kids looking for a place to be alone, if you catch my drift. You might have caught more of a show you were expecting."
"Thank you. We were heading home now," Grissom said, dragging an openly laughing Sara passed the confused law enforcement officer
TBC