Title: The Cases that Shape Us
Author: Maggienhawk
Disclaimer: Dear Santa..Please let them be mine?!?!
Summary: Grissom and Sara realize that there are cases that shape them into the investigators they are today.
Sara was sitting at the computer terminal, waiting for some new information on their case to come up. It would have been perfectly normal, if only the case wasn't two weeks old, and there was a stitch of physical evidence to even find a suspect. DNA had been run through CODIS before, no fingerprints found, nothing. But she was still hoping maybe CODIS, since it's updated every few weeks, would spit something out. It happened on the "Strip Strangler" case a few years ago, maybe it would help. She had the case file sitting in front of her, and every so often she would glance up to the computer screen to see if anything matched.
And this is how Grissom found her, leaning on the desk over the file, an empty coffee cup next to the keyboard. He had told her two hours ago they would be halting the investigation on their case, at the end of shift. It would go with the other cold cases on the fish board in his office. Just another case that couldn't be solved, another case they would turn to on a slow night.
"Sara?" Grissom asked tentatively.
She was startled by the unexpected voice, and whipped her head to see Grissom with that look on his face. The look that meant she was about to get a talking to. "Oh, uh, hey Griss. What's up?" She plastered a small version of her thousand watt smile on her face.
"Is that the Shannon case?"
Her smile fell. "Yeah, it is. I just wanted to look over it one last time before it gets pinned up on the board." She looked back down at the file.
"Okay, just as long as you leave here on time today. There's nothing else we can work with, Sara. There will be other cases that need to be solved, that can be solved." For once, Grissom spoke to her sympathetically when telling her she needs to stop getting emotional with her cases.
"I will Griss. And I know there are other cases, it's just that." She trailed off when she looked up to him, seeing the look of sympathy on his face.
"I know, Sara. Here, give me the file, and I'll."
"No!" Sara jumped up from her chair, and guarded the file from him. At his confused look, she quickly calmed down. "Sorry, I just want to pin it up. I'll put it up in a few minutes." She gave him a small smile.
"Alright Sara, I'll be in my office if you need me." And with that he walked out the door.
Sara turned back to the file on the desk. With one last glance at the victim's photo, a beautiful 19 year old college sophomore, Sara shut the folder. Sighing, she closed the program on the computer and shut it down. She looked back down at the plain vanilla file folder, and ran her fingers over the cover. Finally, she picked it up off the desk and walked down the hall into Grissom's office.
When she got to his office, she halted at the door, and watched him for a few seconds. He was doing some paperwork, like usual at the end of a shift. Things had gotten better between them working this case together. It had really brought them closer together professionally, much like they had been the first two years she worked in Vegas. They no longer ignored the other, or spoke as little as needed to solve the case. They had bounced idea after idea off of one another, and actually bantered like they had way in the beginning, before Hank, before Heather, before the dinner invitation. She only hoped that things would stay that way for awhile.
Sensing someone watching him, he looked up to find Sara standing in his doorway. Giving her a small upturn of his lips, she motioned for her to come in.
Sara walked in, but instead of going to his desk, she walked over to the fish board. 'The ones that got away,' she thought with sadness. She looked down to the file in her hands, and when she looked back up and over to Grissom, who was standing near his desk, there was moisture building up in here eyes.
He noticed this, and walked over to Sara, his eyes never leaving hers. When he reached her, she turned her head downwards, away from him. He reached over and rubbed the spot in between her shoulder blades gently. He leaned over, and whispered in her ear, "Sara, its time. I have to go check on the others and their cases before I leave tonight. I'll be right back."
Sara just nodded. He left the room, and she watched the doorway that he just exited for a moment. Then she turned back to the board. In the three and a half years that she had worked in Vegas, she had never pinned a case on the board. She had been on cases that had been pinned up there, but never had been the one to physically do it. That was Grissom's job, or Catherine's. Very rarely it was Nick's or Warrick's, but never hers.
A tear fell on to the file folder after a few minutes of Sara just standing there looking at it. Finally, she reached up and pulled a pin out of the cork, and punched it through the file. 'There,' she thought to herself, 'I did it. I put the case down.'
She then ran out of the office to the locker room.
TBC.
Author: Maggienhawk
Disclaimer: Dear Santa..Please let them be mine?!?!
Summary: Grissom and Sara realize that there are cases that shape them into the investigators they are today.
Sara was sitting at the computer terminal, waiting for some new information on their case to come up. It would have been perfectly normal, if only the case wasn't two weeks old, and there was a stitch of physical evidence to even find a suspect. DNA had been run through CODIS before, no fingerprints found, nothing. But she was still hoping maybe CODIS, since it's updated every few weeks, would spit something out. It happened on the "Strip Strangler" case a few years ago, maybe it would help. She had the case file sitting in front of her, and every so often she would glance up to the computer screen to see if anything matched.
And this is how Grissom found her, leaning on the desk over the file, an empty coffee cup next to the keyboard. He had told her two hours ago they would be halting the investigation on their case, at the end of shift. It would go with the other cold cases on the fish board in his office. Just another case that couldn't be solved, another case they would turn to on a slow night.
"Sara?" Grissom asked tentatively.
She was startled by the unexpected voice, and whipped her head to see Grissom with that look on his face. The look that meant she was about to get a talking to. "Oh, uh, hey Griss. What's up?" She plastered a small version of her thousand watt smile on her face.
"Is that the Shannon case?"
Her smile fell. "Yeah, it is. I just wanted to look over it one last time before it gets pinned up on the board." She looked back down at the file.
"Okay, just as long as you leave here on time today. There's nothing else we can work with, Sara. There will be other cases that need to be solved, that can be solved." For once, Grissom spoke to her sympathetically when telling her she needs to stop getting emotional with her cases.
"I will Griss. And I know there are other cases, it's just that." She trailed off when she looked up to him, seeing the look of sympathy on his face.
"I know, Sara. Here, give me the file, and I'll."
"No!" Sara jumped up from her chair, and guarded the file from him. At his confused look, she quickly calmed down. "Sorry, I just want to pin it up. I'll put it up in a few minutes." She gave him a small smile.
"Alright Sara, I'll be in my office if you need me." And with that he walked out the door.
Sara turned back to the file on the desk. With one last glance at the victim's photo, a beautiful 19 year old college sophomore, Sara shut the folder. Sighing, she closed the program on the computer and shut it down. She looked back down at the plain vanilla file folder, and ran her fingers over the cover. Finally, she picked it up off the desk and walked down the hall into Grissom's office.
When she got to his office, she halted at the door, and watched him for a few seconds. He was doing some paperwork, like usual at the end of a shift. Things had gotten better between them working this case together. It had really brought them closer together professionally, much like they had been the first two years she worked in Vegas. They no longer ignored the other, or spoke as little as needed to solve the case. They had bounced idea after idea off of one another, and actually bantered like they had way in the beginning, before Hank, before Heather, before the dinner invitation. She only hoped that things would stay that way for awhile.
Sensing someone watching him, he looked up to find Sara standing in his doorway. Giving her a small upturn of his lips, she motioned for her to come in.
Sara walked in, but instead of going to his desk, she walked over to the fish board. 'The ones that got away,' she thought with sadness. She looked down to the file in her hands, and when she looked back up and over to Grissom, who was standing near his desk, there was moisture building up in here eyes.
He noticed this, and walked over to Sara, his eyes never leaving hers. When he reached her, she turned her head downwards, away from him. He reached over and rubbed the spot in between her shoulder blades gently. He leaned over, and whispered in her ear, "Sara, its time. I have to go check on the others and their cases before I leave tonight. I'll be right back."
Sara just nodded. He left the room, and she watched the doorway that he just exited for a moment. Then she turned back to the board. In the three and a half years that she had worked in Vegas, she had never pinned a case on the board. She had been on cases that had been pinned up there, but never had been the one to physically do it. That was Grissom's job, or Catherine's. Very rarely it was Nick's or Warrick's, but never hers.
A tear fell on to the file folder after a few minutes of Sara just standing there looking at it. Finally, she reached up and pulled a pin out of the cork, and punched it through the file. 'There,' she thought to herself, 'I did it. I put the case down.'
She then ran out of the office to the locker room.
TBC.