Title:  Wedding Jitters

Author:  Elory

Rating:  PG

Disclaimer:  They are not mine, I just borrow them.

A/N:  Response to the Weekly Improv Challenge on Unbound.

Wedding Jitters

Bunching up her wedding dress, Sara climbed out the window. Looking behind her as though she was being chased, she quickly moved away from the building and down the sloping lawn in front of her.

As she moved through the wet grass, Sara spared little thought for the damage it was doing to her white gown.  She was having to concentrate too hard on walking over the soft earth in heels that sank down at every step. Finally reaching a paved path, Sara took a moment to catch her breath before once again checking over her shoulder. Nothing followed but she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Looking both ways along the path, Sara chose to follow it to her left.  Swiftly moving along the path, she soon found herself surrounded by trees on both sides.

The clacking of her heels against the concrete sounded loudly around her and echoed off the canopies above her, drowning out any other noise. With her anxiety growing, Sara quickened her pace, twice stumbling over the hem of the dress before hitching it up so the skirts brushed her knees.

Driven by the fear of whatever unseen presence seemingly following her, Sara designed to seek refuge in the building whose outline she could just make up ahead. Hurrying faster now the building loomed larger as though it were growing itself out of the mist that now covered the ground around her feet.

Her breath coming in gasps, Sara practically dove through the double wooden doors before her and quickly pushed them shut, leaning her back against them as she listened to the reverberating slam they had made.

Looking up, Sara saw she was not alone inside the stone walls of what now appeared to be a church. Moving along the aisle, she could see a score of people filling the front pews as a priest stood aloft at the pulpit in his sombre robes.

"Dearly beloved…" the sound of his voice booming off the acoustically designed dome startled Sara as she made her way towards the middle of the church. Already on edge Sara sat weekly at the end of a pew as her heart hammered in her chest and the deep male voice continued…

"…we are gathered here today to celebrate the lives of Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle."

On hearing her name, Sara looked more closely toward the altar and saw among the people in the pews several of the people she worked with as well as some friends and other acquaintances. Wondering if she should make her way forward to let her presence be known, Sara stood from the pew and then froze as she heard the words…"United by marriage in life and joined together in death, we offer the souls of Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle…"

And as the world around her began to spin, the only sound Sara could hear was that of her own screams.

"Noooo" echoed loudly in the darkened bedroom and Sara sat up in bed shaking.

Beside her, Grissom looked up at her with concern. This was the fourth night in a row Sara had woken from a nightmare since agreeing to marry him.

Worried that this went above the usual and expected anxiety of impending nuptials, Grissom drew Sara back to him and attempted to soothe her.

"Sara, we don't' have to get married, I'm just as happy to spend the rest of my life with you, wedding ring or not."

The sweetness of his words and the shock of the nightmare rendered Sara speechless and hot tears ran down her face as silent sobs racked her body.

Grissom merely tightened his hold on her and stroked her hair until her felt the sobs lessen and some of the tension leave her body.

Turning in his embrace, Sara reached up and placed wet salty kisses on Grissom's lips.

"I want to marry you, I do. I don't think the dreams are about our wedding. I always end up in a church at a funeral in a wedding dress. And I realise now that I associate churches with funerals. One of the hazards of the job I guess."

"So we don't get married in a church." Grissom offered.

"Really?" Sara asked with a tear streaked smile.

With a nod of his head, Grissom returned her smile.

"I want to get married in a garden." Sara murmured, already halfway back to sleep.

"A garden?" Grissom questioned as he covered them both back up.

"Mmhhmm" was her sleepy reply. "I love trees."