TUESDAY 7:03pm
Sara got into her car and started the engine. She was so tired. She had hardly slept at all during her entire day off. She had watched a lot of TV, and swam many laps in the pool. She listened to her police scanner the whole day, too, but no call important enough came to pull her into the lab. She was disappointed that she was stuck at home, but she couldn't exactly wish for crimes to happen; that would be a bit much. She drove with the windows down, letting the evening air rush into the car, tangling her hair. She loved the rush of the wind on her face as she drove down the highway. It made her feel so free and alive. She sipped her coffee as she flew down the road on her way to the lab. Nothing like caffeine and a brisk wind on your face to wake you up in the evening. If only solving other life problems were that easy. She frowned as her thoughts again traveled to her lifeless relationship with Grissom. 'How could I have been so stupid to think that he would actually want to go out with me?' As she had a million times before, Sara wished that she could start over with their friendship. Maybe if she could she would be able to keep herself from ruining everything.
*******
Grissom tossed a pile of papers into the passenger seat of his car. He had brought some paperwork home with him in a desperate attempt to get a little caught up, but it hadn't worked very well. He had cleaned his apartment, watched a special on the History channel, and attempted to sleep. During the short time that he managed to sleep he had the strangest dream about asking Sara out on a date and her turning him down, then he flew up into the sky and became another constellation among many. He shook his head an attempt to clear away the memory. Just another tragic love story. Life was full of them. As he pulled out of the parking lot and headed off to the lab, he wondered what life would be like if things had gone differently, if there was a happy ending instead of a tragic one for their story. His heart wondered, but his mind overruled it. 'You can't change how life is, its just one tragic story after another.' Maybe this pessimistic view sprouted from his job. Seeing people only on the worst day of their lives would tend to make you see more tragedy than beauty. At the thought of the word 'beauty' a picture of Sara flashed into his mind, as it always did when he let down his defenses. His heart ached. He knew he wasn't ready to feel love. Love did strange things to people. It turned them from normal humans into something frightening; all the crimes of passion he had ever investigated had proven that to him. But perhaps there was still time to change the ending, to restore their friendship. Perhaps.
*******
Two cars pulled into the parking lot at the same moment, one in each entrance. The first car went to the far left side of the parking lot, the other parked on the far right. Both drivers got out of their respective cars and looked up into the sky. As if on cue, a shooting star made a bright streak across the night sky.
'Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight,' thought she.
'A wish,' thought he 'what should I wish for?'
"I wish for a new beginning," said she.
"I wish for a happy ending," said he.
Both turned to walk into the building, arriving at the entrance together.
"Hello Sara," said he.
"Hi Grissom," said she.
"How was your day off?"
"Uneventful."
They locked eyes, both thinking of their wishes, neither suspecting the wish of the other. As they walked into the building, a familiar strained silence settling between them. They each took one last peek at the sky, wondering if wishes on stars really do come true.