They stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. Sara was the first to break contact and sighed as she pulled away. "We can't keep doing this, you know," she whispered softly.
"I know," he said quietly, not in a hurry to get out of her personal space. "I'm scared," he admitted reluctantly. "I'm scared that if I don't do something fast, I'll lose you. And I'm scared that if I do something now, I'll make a mistake and lose you anyway," Grissom whispered in a broken voice.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Grissom," Sara smiled at him. "I don't want to push you into something you're not ready for," she said tenderly. "But this tension is becoming almost unbearable. We have to do something about it."
"I know," he pulled back and put his hands back on the wheel. "One of these days I'm going to do something about it," he smiled at her.
She leaned back in her seat and glanced at him. "How spontaneous of you," she muttered quietly, a mischievous grin playing around the corner of her mouth.
"What?" Grissom asked, a little harsher than he intended, totally missing the teasing tone in Sara's voice. He glared at her intensely.
"Never mind." She turned her head away from him and stared out of the window as he started the car, mentally kicking herself for that little slip of the tongue that was supposed to be a joke. Grissom was retreating into his shell again and it was her fault.
The rest of the drive was spent in an eerie silence. They had taken one step forward, only to take three steps back, straight away.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The doors of Calgary International Airport opened and Grissom stepped out, pushing a cart with two bags on it. Sara followed closely behind, talking to a nice young man that she had met on the plane.
Grissom muttered something under his breath and strode towards the Alamo Car Rental booth, leaving Sara to say goodbye to Mike.
"It was very nice to meet you, Sara," Mike smiled at her.
"Same here, and remember what I told you," she replied, shaking his hand warmly.
"I won't forget," he winked at her and turned to look at Grissom. "He doesn't look too happy," he said, nodding his head towards an almost fuming Gil Grissom.
"I'm used to it," she replied sadly. "Don't worry about it, just concentrate on making things right with Kate," she prompted. "And don't forget to keep me informed," she added as an afterthought.
"I will," he waved at her and strode happily towards his future.
Sara and Mike had talked quite a bit on the plane. Seated between him and Grissom, she had totally ignored her boss the entire flight. Ever since her little remark in the car, he had given her the cold shoulder. Mike had been a nice distraction and a good companion to talk to. He had been in dire need of some good advice from a woman, and Sara had felt happy to be able to help him. Now however, she felt guilty about ignoring Grissom.
She walked towards him, noticing that the muscles in his jaw were set tight. When she was nearly next to him, he wordlessly pushed the cart forward.
"Grissom, can you please stop doing that?" she sighed sadly.
He turned around in one swift movement, causing Sara to bump into him. "I can't believe what you just did," he spat angrily. "You were flirting with that guy right under my nose!" he shouted at her.
"Grissom," she tried calmly.
"Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it," he turned around and smiled falsely at the clerk behind the booth.
A few minutes later, Grissom was handed the keys to their SUV and Sara followed him quietly to the car park. After finding the Chevrolet Blazer and putting the luggage in the trunk, Grissom drove off in a hurry.
They reached Banff two hours later, after a long and uncomfortable drive. Grissom pulled up at the Banff Park Lodge hotel and expertly parked the car. Neither of them spoke, Sara nervously biting on her lower lip to stop the tears from falling. She was hurt, scared and afraid that they wouldn't be able to fix things this time. She was tracing the angel on her chain absentmindedly.
Grissom put the car into park and turned to look at Sara when she let out a deep groan. "I can't stand this anymore," she said to herself.
"Excuse me?! You can't stand this anymore?" he laughed harshly. "And who's fault is that?" he questioned.
"Grissom," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.
"You started this!" he shouted coldly. "So don't even try to put the blame on me." He slammed his fist on the wheel and glared at her angrily.
Something inside Sara snapped and she couldn't keep quiet anymore, she'd had enough of him shouting at her. "Okay, you're gonna shut up now and listen to me!" she yelled at him. "Why is it so hard for you to understand that I don't want to be with anyone, unless it's you?" she questioned him. "I was just talking to Mike. Nothing more, nothing less," she said, lowering her voice slightly. "He was debating whether to ask his girlfriend to marry him or not. I just gave him some friendly advice and told him to go for it," she muttered. "I can't believe what an ass you've made of yourself," she whispered.
Grissom stared at her, his mouth hanging open, not knowing what to say. He really had made an ass of himself. He had been as jealous as hell, without really knowing why.
"Aren't you gonna say something?" she pressed.
Grissom clamped his mouth shut and just stared at her, unable to form a reasonable reply.
"Fine!" she spat at him. "I hope you have a nice life," she opened the door and got out, slamming it shut behind her.
She walked angrily towards the hotel, failing to notice the slippery path that lead from the parking lot. Suddenly, her feet slipped out from under her and she tried to break her fall with her left hand, letting out a painful yell as she landed on it.
Grissom watched as she slipped, the images registering in his brain in slow motion. As she lay writhing in pain on the ground, he ran to her as if his life depended on it. "Sara!" he shouted worriedly. He knelt down next to her and touched her back. "Sara," he whispered tenderly.
Sara let out a low moan. "It hurts," she whimpered.
"I know, honey," he whispered, tenderly brushing a tear from her cheek. "Where does it hurt?" He gently kissed her hair.
"My hand," she groaned when Grissom lifted her from the cold ground. "I can walk you know," she muttered through clenched teeth.
"I'm sorry," he apologised, putting her down and lowering his head in embarrassment. "I'm really sorry," he said quietly.
Sara lifted his head with a finger under his chin, gritting her teeth to stop yelling in pain. "Why is it so hard for you to trust me?" she asked.
Grissom sighed. "I do trust you, Sara," he said honestly.
"You don't show it," she retorted.
"I know, I'm sorry," he paused to look at her. "Every time I see you with someone of your own age, I'm scared I'll lose you," he admitted.
She took his left hand in her right. "That kid was barely 25, Grissom," she told him. "Why is it so hard for you to understand that it's you that I fell in love with." The words slipped easily from her tongue. She lowered her head shyly as she realized what she had just said.
"You did?" he asked, a grin appearing on his face.
"I did what?" she enquired as she met his gaze again.
"Did you really fall in love with me?" he asked her.
Sara couldn't lie anymore. She needed him to know how she really felt; she owed it to him and to herself. "Yes," she whispered quietly.
"I'm glad you told me," he smiled, staring into her eyes. "Let's get that hand checked out." He took her other hand in his and walked towards the hotel. "I'm sure they have a doctor on the premises." He pushed the door of the lobby open and guided her inside.
Grissom walked over to the desk and smiled at the young man behind the counter. "I'm Gil Grissom and this is Sara Sidle," he gestured towards Sara. "We're here for the convention," he finished.
"Ah yes," the young man behind the counter stammered. "You're that famous entomologist," he said in awe. "I've read your books, Dr Grissom," the fascinated young man explained. He scanned the reservation book and retrieved two keys. "We have two rooms booked for you, adjoining doors. They both have king sized beds. One room has a balcony and the other one has a whirlpool. I hope that's fine with you," he continued.
"That'll be fine," Grissom lowered his head to look at the clerk's nameplate. "Thank you, Tim," Grissom smiled.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Tim was looking at Sara.
"Actually, can you send a doctor up to Miss Sidle's room," Grissom asked.
"Of course Sir," Tim nodded. "He'll be right up. Did you need help with your luggage?" he enquired.
Grissom shook his head. "It's still in the trunk. I'll get it later," he answered.
"Well," Tim said hesitantly. "If you write down your licence plate and leave your keys with me, I'll get someone to bring it up to your room," Tim offered helpfully.
"That would be very nice, thank you Tim." Grissom handed him the keys and with his hand on the small of Sara's back, he guided her to the elevators.
"Are you okay?" he asked once the doors were closed, pushing the button to the second floor.
"The pain has gone away a little," she admitted.
Grissom cradled her left hand in his, gently probing it. "I don't think it's broken," he said as he examined her hand. "Probably bruised, but not broken," he met her gaze. "I'm really sorry, Sara," he whispered.
"It's okay," she swallowed hard when he took a step closer to her and eyed her lips. He leant in closer until she could feel his breath on her face.
Grissom put his hand on her cheek and gently touched her lips with his thumb, jumping back when a loud ping interrupted them. The elevator came to a stop and the door opened. "Sorry, we keep getting interrupted," he grinned. "I'm starting to think that someone doesn't want us to kiss," he said, taking her hand in his and walking towards their rooms.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"I know," he said quietly, not in a hurry to get out of her personal space. "I'm scared," he admitted reluctantly. "I'm scared that if I don't do something fast, I'll lose you. And I'm scared that if I do something now, I'll make a mistake and lose you anyway," Grissom whispered in a broken voice.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Grissom," Sara smiled at him. "I don't want to push you into something you're not ready for," she said tenderly. "But this tension is becoming almost unbearable. We have to do something about it."
"I know," he pulled back and put his hands back on the wheel. "One of these days I'm going to do something about it," he smiled at her.
She leaned back in her seat and glanced at him. "How spontaneous of you," she muttered quietly, a mischievous grin playing around the corner of her mouth.
"What?" Grissom asked, a little harsher than he intended, totally missing the teasing tone in Sara's voice. He glared at her intensely.
"Never mind." She turned her head away from him and stared out of the window as he started the car, mentally kicking herself for that little slip of the tongue that was supposed to be a joke. Grissom was retreating into his shell again and it was her fault.
The rest of the drive was spent in an eerie silence. They had taken one step forward, only to take three steps back, straight away.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The doors of Calgary International Airport opened and Grissom stepped out, pushing a cart with two bags on it. Sara followed closely behind, talking to a nice young man that she had met on the plane.
Grissom muttered something under his breath and strode towards the Alamo Car Rental booth, leaving Sara to say goodbye to Mike.
"It was very nice to meet you, Sara," Mike smiled at her.
"Same here, and remember what I told you," she replied, shaking his hand warmly.
"I won't forget," he winked at her and turned to look at Grissom. "He doesn't look too happy," he said, nodding his head towards an almost fuming Gil Grissom.
"I'm used to it," she replied sadly. "Don't worry about it, just concentrate on making things right with Kate," she prompted. "And don't forget to keep me informed," she added as an afterthought.
"I will," he waved at her and strode happily towards his future.
Sara and Mike had talked quite a bit on the plane. Seated between him and Grissom, she had totally ignored her boss the entire flight. Ever since her little remark in the car, he had given her the cold shoulder. Mike had been a nice distraction and a good companion to talk to. He had been in dire need of some good advice from a woman, and Sara had felt happy to be able to help him. Now however, she felt guilty about ignoring Grissom.
She walked towards him, noticing that the muscles in his jaw were set tight. When she was nearly next to him, he wordlessly pushed the cart forward.
"Grissom, can you please stop doing that?" she sighed sadly.
He turned around in one swift movement, causing Sara to bump into him. "I can't believe what you just did," he spat angrily. "You were flirting with that guy right under my nose!" he shouted at her.
"Grissom," she tried calmly.
"Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it," he turned around and smiled falsely at the clerk behind the booth.
A few minutes later, Grissom was handed the keys to their SUV and Sara followed him quietly to the car park. After finding the Chevrolet Blazer and putting the luggage in the trunk, Grissom drove off in a hurry.
They reached Banff two hours later, after a long and uncomfortable drive. Grissom pulled up at the Banff Park Lodge hotel and expertly parked the car. Neither of them spoke, Sara nervously biting on her lower lip to stop the tears from falling. She was hurt, scared and afraid that they wouldn't be able to fix things this time. She was tracing the angel on her chain absentmindedly.
Grissom put the car into park and turned to look at Sara when she let out a deep groan. "I can't stand this anymore," she said to herself.
"Excuse me?! You can't stand this anymore?" he laughed harshly. "And who's fault is that?" he questioned.
"Grissom," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.
"You started this!" he shouted coldly. "So don't even try to put the blame on me." He slammed his fist on the wheel and glared at her angrily.
Something inside Sara snapped and she couldn't keep quiet anymore, she'd had enough of him shouting at her. "Okay, you're gonna shut up now and listen to me!" she yelled at him. "Why is it so hard for you to understand that I don't want to be with anyone, unless it's you?" she questioned him. "I was just talking to Mike. Nothing more, nothing less," she said, lowering her voice slightly. "He was debating whether to ask his girlfriend to marry him or not. I just gave him some friendly advice and told him to go for it," she muttered. "I can't believe what an ass you've made of yourself," she whispered.
Grissom stared at her, his mouth hanging open, not knowing what to say. He really had made an ass of himself. He had been as jealous as hell, without really knowing why.
"Aren't you gonna say something?" she pressed.
Grissom clamped his mouth shut and just stared at her, unable to form a reasonable reply.
"Fine!" she spat at him. "I hope you have a nice life," she opened the door and got out, slamming it shut behind her.
She walked angrily towards the hotel, failing to notice the slippery path that lead from the parking lot. Suddenly, her feet slipped out from under her and she tried to break her fall with her left hand, letting out a painful yell as she landed on it.
Grissom watched as she slipped, the images registering in his brain in slow motion. As she lay writhing in pain on the ground, he ran to her as if his life depended on it. "Sara!" he shouted worriedly. He knelt down next to her and touched her back. "Sara," he whispered tenderly.
Sara let out a low moan. "It hurts," she whimpered.
"I know, honey," he whispered, tenderly brushing a tear from her cheek. "Where does it hurt?" He gently kissed her hair.
"My hand," she groaned when Grissom lifted her from the cold ground. "I can walk you know," she muttered through clenched teeth.
"I'm sorry," he apologised, putting her down and lowering his head in embarrassment. "I'm really sorry," he said quietly.
Sara lifted his head with a finger under his chin, gritting her teeth to stop yelling in pain. "Why is it so hard for you to trust me?" she asked.
Grissom sighed. "I do trust you, Sara," he said honestly.
"You don't show it," she retorted.
"I know, I'm sorry," he paused to look at her. "Every time I see you with someone of your own age, I'm scared I'll lose you," he admitted.
She took his left hand in her right. "That kid was barely 25, Grissom," she told him. "Why is it so hard for you to understand that it's you that I fell in love with." The words slipped easily from her tongue. She lowered her head shyly as she realized what she had just said.
"You did?" he asked, a grin appearing on his face.
"I did what?" she enquired as she met his gaze again.
"Did you really fall in love with me?" he asked her.
Sara couldn't lie anymore. She needed him to know how she really felt; she owed it to him and to herself. "Yes," she whispered quietly.
"I'm glad you told me," he smiled, staring into her eyes. "Let's get that hand checked out." He took her other hand in his and walked towards the hotel. "I'm sure they have a doctor on the premises." He pushed the door of the lobby open and guided her inside.
Grissom walked over to the desk and smiled at the young man behind the counter. "I'm Gil Grissom and this is Sara Sidle," he gestured towards Sara. "We're here for the convention," he finished.
"Ah yes," the young man behind the counter stammered. "You're that famous entomologist," he said in awe. "I've read your books, Dr Grissom," the fascinated young man explained. He scanned the reservation book and retrieved two keys. "We have two rooms booked for you, adjoining doors. They both have king sized beds. One room has a balcony and the other one has a whirlpool. I hope that's fine with you," he continued.
"That'll be fine," Grissom lowered his head to look at the clerk's nameplate. "Thank you, Tim," Grissom smiled.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Tim was looking at Sara.
"Actually, can you send a doctor up to Miss Sidle's room," Grissom asked.
"Of course Sir," Tim nodded. "He'll be right up. Did you need help with your luggage?" he enquired.
Grissom shook his head. "It's still in the trunk. I'll get it later," he answered.
"Well," Tim said hesitantly. "If you write down your licence plate and leave your keys with me, I'll get someone to bring it up to your room," Tim offered helpfully.
"That would be very nice, thank you Tim." Grissom handed him the keys and with his hand on the small of Sara's back, he guided her to the elevators.
"Are you okay?" he asked once the doors were closed, pushing the button to the second floor.
"The pain has gone away a little," she admitted.
Grissom cradled her left hand in his, gently probing it. "I don't think it's broken," he said as he examined her hand. "Probably bruised, but not broken," he met her gaze. "I'm really sorry, Sara," he whispered.
"It's okay," she swallowed hard when he took a step closer to her and eyed her lips. He leant in closer until she could feel his breath on her face.
Grissom put his hand on her cheek and gently touched her lips with his thumb, jumping back when a loud ping interrupted them. The elevator came to a stop and the door opened. "Sorry, we keep getting interrupted," he grinned. "I'm starting to think that someone doesn't want us to kiss," he said, taking her hand in his and walking towards their rooms.
* * * * * * * * * * *
