Chapter Eight: Hunt

Grissom looked up at the intruder. "Yes." He snapped.

"Good."

Sara pulled her arms from around Grissom's neck and self consciously straightened her clothing.

"I got a lead on our case."

Grissom nodded and waved the intruder out of the office. "Oh," He stopped them. "I trust you keep this quiet Warrick."

The tall dark young man nodded and glanced briefly towards Sara. "Greg's looking for you Sar." He informed her in a surprisingly soft and gentle voice.

"Thanks Warrick." She turned to him before smiling.

Grissom waited for Warrick to close the door. "I told you everything would be alright." He whispered to her as he watched her frown at her hands. Taking them in his, he sighed. "Sara, I'm not going to let the team decide who I date."

"I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about me." She told him seriously, pulling her hands from his, but raised one to touch his slightly scruffy beard. "If you are serious, then you'll slow this down."

"Let's get back to work." He suggested, leaning into her palm as his hand covered hers. "We can talk more over dinner tonight."

"Remember the wine." She reminded him with a small smile.

Grissom chuckled. "Come on, Greg's waiting for you."

Sara nodded and turned to the door. "Guess you should find Warrick and catch up on that lead."

~*~

"Vega got some hits from a neighbour." Nick informed Grissom as he walked into the AV lab.

"Good," Grissom adjusted his glasses and looked towards the image on the wall screen. "What's with the home movie?"

"Oh, neighbour was out filming night wildlife in his back garden." Warrick explained. He continued when his boss just looked at him. "Some film course at LVU."

~*~

Greg swung his seat around to check the DNA replicating machine. When Sara entered through the slightly closed door, she could hear him humming to some kind of tune. Though she couldn't for the life of her think what song it was from.

"Hey Greggo." She said cheerfully.

"Hey Sara." Greg smiled, shifting from the DNA machine to pick some papers up from his outbox tray. "Got your DNA back on those butts you gave me." He informed her as he flicked his wrists to offer her the reports.

Sara carefully read through the information and a smile appeared. "This is exactly what I needed."

Greg's smile grew. "I cracked the case?" He asked eagerly.

"Maybe, I'll let you know." She offered, turning to head off and find Brass.

~*~

He stood watching her as she poured wine into two glasses. His position in the kitchen entryway gave him a great view of her movements as she pottered around finishing putting pots away. He'd offered to help, but he was told to stay where he was.

"Here, let me do that." He ventured for the fourth time as she failed to reach the top of the cupboard to store the large pan she'd used to boil the pasta.

Moving up behind her, he cradled her hip with one hand while pushing the pan onto the cupboard with ease. When he had completed that task, his hand came to rest on her hip with the other. His chest was lightly touching her back with each breath he took.

She picked up a glass of wine and sipped it as she looked into the reflection of the glass door cupboard, watching him. Her eyes closed when his mouth made contact with her neck. Turning in his grasp, she placed her free hand in the centre of his chest and slowly pushed him back until he took a step.

He smiled and covered her hand, raising it to his lips to kiss. "What's for dessert?" He asked seductively.

"Not this." She told him, pulling her hand from him to exit the kitchen area and enter the living room.

"Sara." He called as he retrieved his glass of wine.

Sitting down, she turned her head to look at him as he walked towards her.

"If Catherine came back, what would you do?"

Startled by the question, Grissom sat down on the couch beside her.

"Would you go back to her?" Sara asked.

"She left me." He reminded her, taking a long swallow of his wine.

Still feeling stuck in the middle, Sara knew she was biding time before the ugliness of reality hit and everything returned back to the way it was 4 months prior. She needed answers.

"Would you go back to her?" She asked again, staring at him for a long time, waiting for him to answer.

He sighed quietly and looked into his glass. "I'd like to think that I had a choice-"

"That's why I'm asking Grissom. You get what you want which ever way you choose, but I want to know, now, who you'd choose?" Sara asked quietly, but quickly.

"I wouldn't just up and leave."

"But I don't know that." She said softly.

Grissom looked at her then. "I've told you I wouldn't do that. I told you I know what I want." His voice was gentle, but there was an edge to his words.

Leaning forward, she pushed her glass onto the coffee table. "I would like to think you'd stay with me." Sara moved to the edge of the couch. "But I have no say in this. It's your life and you can live it how you like."

He watched her stand and occupy herself with something on the breakfast bar. "You're my life Sara-"

"It's just hard to understand why." She told him, turning to lean back against the bar. "One minute you are teasing and flirting with me, the next you are snappy and hurtful. I can't tell anymore if you're going to be nice to me from one day to the next."

"I-" Grissom shook his head and sat forward to cradle his wine glass in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Since the explosion at the lab, I've felt like a second wheel. Like I didn't belong there anymore. I tried to change that, but I got pushed back." She shrugged and focused on her shoes. "You showed me you cared that day. You came over to me on the sidewalk and helped me, but the minute I tried to thank you or ask for a moment of your time, you made excuses."

"I was busy Sara. It was a hectic day." He told her.

Nodding, Sara pushed off the bar and moved to sit on the coffee table, just slightly off to his side. "And I needed someone to talk too."

"All those injured in the accident where given Dr Philips number-" He rattled off.

"No." She sighed. "I needed a friend to talk too, not some stranger Grissom. I needed my friend."

Thinking of something to clear the air, something to close off this area of discussion, Grissom placed his glass beside hers and reached for her hands. Moving to the edge of the couch, he looked up into her eyes. "I'm sorry about then. I can't go back and change it, but I'm sorry. I had things," He tried to think of the words, but they didn't come easily. "Things that were going on in my life at that time. I was being pressured into making a decision on my surgery."

"I want to talk about that another time." Sara interrupted, taking the chance to point out that she wants to talk about his hearing another time.

Grissom nodded and pulled her hands to his face, holding them against his cheeks. "I don't want to argue with you about the past."

"I still want an answer." She pressed quickly. "Will you go back?" Waiting for his answer, her hands turned in his to touch his face, her fingers lightly playing with the short beard hairs on his cheeks.

"It's not a difficult question Sara, it's just-"

"You don't want to answer?" She asked quietly.

"I don't want to hurt you." He corrected.

"You're hurting me by not giving me an answer." She shot back.

Grissom groaned and closed his eyes to nuzzle into her hands. "You're making this into an argument."

Sara leaned forward and brushed her lips across his forehead. "Deep down, I want to believe you, but I can't. If I make this easy, I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life." She sighed and looked into his eyes as they opened.

"Arguing is not an answer."

"I know that." She smiled. "I just don't want you to get away Scott free without at least one interrogation tonight."

"I'd choose you, Sara. I'd choose you." He breathed against her lips just as his claimed hers, stealing her reply.

Sliding onto his knees, he pushed between her thighs to press against her. His lips seared her skin as they left the confines of her mouth to explore her neck.

After returning to his mouth a few times, Sara pulled back, took a deep breath and tried to slow her heart rate before opening her eyes to catch the same reaction in the man kneeling before her.

"I can only do this if you believe me when I say I love you and when I say that I'd choose you if Cath ever came back." He breathed heavily, his eyes dark as they gazed into hers. "Years of trying to get over this feeling I have inside whenever I think about you, doubles when I see you. I can't forget the feel of you now I've made that step to make things right. You have to believe me."

Staring into his eyes, she could see so much emotion and she didn't know if it scared her of excited her. Knowing he was showing her how he felt made her feel how much he was willing to fight for her belief in him and how much he loved her.

"I believe you." She whispered, running the back of her fingers down the side of his face. "But only if you keep being open with me. I can't take it when you close off to me. I need to know what you're thinking and feeling."

"I'm feeling very scared Sara." He confessed to both their surprise and it light up both their eyes.

Her breathing hitched as she watched his blue eyes glisten slightly. "I'm scared too." She smiled. "As long as we both know, then we can be here for each other."

Grissom shifted to stand up, pulling Sara with him. "I should go."

She nodded and cupped his cheek. "I may believe you, but it's still going to be difficult for me at work. Now Warrick knows, I can't imagine how the other's are going to react once the word gets around."

"Warrick can keep quiet." He reassured her. "But I'm here for good if word does get out."

Walking him to the door, Sara picked up his jacket and lightly held it to her chest as he opened the door and moved to stand on the landing. When he turned to her, he saw her holding his jacket against her. Smiling, he reached for his it and slipped it on. "Thank you for dinner."

Sara smiled and straightened out his collar. "Give me a ring when you wake up. We can maybe do something before work?" She asked, concentrating on his buttoned shirt and pressed her hand against his heart.

~*~

"Well, I can't drive back now." Grissom laughed as the tow truck drove off with his Tahoe.

Sara giggled and leaned against the pay meter. "It's not working."

"I guessed that Sherlock." He teased.

She giggled again and nearly toppled over in hysterics.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" He joked, reaching for her playfully.

"Definitely." She giggled.

Grissom chuckled and pulled her into his side as they started walking along the sidewalk. "We can get a cab."

"Or, we could walk. It's only a few blocks." She suggested.

"Then a few more blocks." He added.

Sara shrugged and slipped her arm around his waist, pressing her hand against his shirt to feel his heated skin beneath.

"We can get ice cream." She smiled, spotting an ice cream parlour a few yards in front of them.

"Mhmmm, sounds nice."

Each took up their earlier positions and held onto each other while holding their ice creams. Walking further past many shops and cafes, the sun quickly melted their ice creams and soon the stickiness was dripping down Grissom's chin.

Sara laughed and tried to wipe the drop that he couldn't reach with his tongue. With her hands full, she stopped and liked the drop with her own tongue.

Grissom smiled and gave her a quick kiss, lingering a little longer before returning to making their way back to Grissom's townhouse.

"I like your beard." She complimented suddenly.

He chuckled and looked down at her. "I thought it was scratchy."

She shook her head. "Nope, I like how it feels." She leaned her head against this shoulder before sighing. "It tickles."

"I'll remember that the next time I kiss you."

~*~

Reaching the corner to Grissom's street, they walked slowly towards his home. "So, how am I getting home?" Sara asked.

"Uh," He laughed. "I didn't think about that."

"I can get a cab." She offered.

Grissom nodded and agreed. "You could, or you can stay and wait for me to get my car back."

Thinking this over, she lightly moved her hand in slow circles on his chest. His house came into view and the choice was made for her. "I can stay."

"I think a cool drink is in order after that long walk."

"Sounds good." She smiled at him as they turned up his drive and headed towards his front door.

When they were inside and making small talk over ice tea, both were keeping close to each other, causing them to bump several times. The closeness made them feel safe and it was becoming more and more comfortable being so close to each other.

Sara finished her drink and turned on her stool to watch Grissom put a CD into his player. Getting up, she walked towards him to look over his shoulder at what he was doing.

"Country music?" She asked.

TBC