A/N: One more chapter after this one, folks. Thank you to everyone who's still reading. ;-) Sorry to say, despite multiple attempts to fix it, ff.net seems to be delting my scene breaks. I've added the "parts" to try to make it more clear.

Part I

Sara paused outside the lab's employee entrance and tried to mentally prepare herself for what she might face. Grissom had finally allowed himself to take a chance. He had asked her out on a date and followed through. The evening was fairy tale perfect, that is until the evil troll, in the form of Ecklie, had reared his ugly head. Sara knew that if the relationship were to grow from it's fragile infancy, they would have to keep it quiet for a while. Grissom was an extremely private man, and he likely wouldn't deftly handle his personal life on the lab grapevine. His already serious concerns about interoffice dating had to be at the front of his mind. He had been very subdued on the drive back to her apartment. Would he put on the brakes now? Would he begin performing damage control?

Taking a deep breath, she entered the double doors and made her way to Grissom's office. He sat sorting through the day's messages, seemingly oblivious to her presence. She cleared her throat.

Grissom looked up at her. "Good evening."

"Good evening. Heard any good rumors lately?"

"Not yet. But I'm sure they're coming." He gave her a wry smile.

"I take it I'm still on the Ross case?"

"Certainly."

Sara nodded. "I'll catch up with Bobby, see if he has anything on that bullet."

"Good." Grissom glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'll give the others their assignments and find you."

Part II

Strolling down the corridor toward Ballistics, Sara breathed a sigh of relief. While Grissom hadn't been openly affectionate, they were in the lab, so she hadn't really expected him to be. What was important to her was that he hadn't been distant or cold, either. Maybe everything was going to be all right after all. Of course, she reminded herself, the rumors hadn't started yet. Ecklie wouldn't be in until morning.

"What do you have for me?" Grissom asked as he joined Sara in the layout room. Photographs of the various aspects of the case were carefully arranged on the table.

She flashed him a satisfied grin. "The bullet Greg and I found at the scene was definitely fired from Benny Oliver's gun. And here's the kicker—the DNA on it belonged to Greg Ross."

"Very good." The proud twinkle in his eye was unmistakable. His grin disappeared as his brow furrowed. "We still have a big problem, though."

"What's that?"

"What do we charge Miriam Oliver with?"

"What do you mean?"

Grissom knew from experience that she would not be happy with what he was going to tell her. He chose his words carefully and attempted to keep his tone gentle. "She shot him accidentally. She never even saw him. And we can't say for sure that the bullet is what killed him."

"It would have. If it didn't, it's only because he hit the pavement a fraction of a second before the bullet could stop his heart."

"The defense would argue that fall was the cause of death. He committed suicide. And we can't prove otherwise."

Sara lowered her head and closed her eyes to clear her mind. She couldn't argue with Grissom's logic. He was right. She looked at him again. "So we can't charge her."

"Well, we can get her on some weapons violations. She fired a handgun in an apartment building. Maybe we can get her on some kind of assault charge. But not murder."

"Believe it or not," she began, "I kind of feel for her. Her husband beats the hell out of her, so she tries to defend herself, and bam! Kills a stranger without meaning to." She shook her head sadly.

"She's trapped in a situation she doesn't know how to get out of," Grissom agreed. "Maybe he's isolated her from her friends and family to the point where she feels she has nowhere to go if she leaves."

"And he's going to walk."

Part III

"Morning, Gil," Conrad Ecklie sneered as he stuck his head in the door of Grissom's office.

"What do you want, Conrad?" Grissom was gathering his things on his way out the door for the day.

"I'm hurt." Ecklie placed his hand over his heart in mock agony. "Why would you automatically assume that I want something?"

"Spreading any rumors yet?"

"Technically, if I tell anyone what I know it won't be spreading rumors, it'll be the truth. Sidle gets what she wants the old-fashioned way. Tell me, Gil, is she interested in a transfer to days?"

Grissom failed to keep his temper in check. "Sara Sidle is the best CSI in this lab. She's earned everyone's respect, including yours. Don't you dare come in here and question her integrity!"

"Temper, temper. I'll keep my mouth shut for now, but only because I haven't decided the best way to use my knowledge to my advantage. Watch your back, Gil. I know where the proverbial bodies are buried."

As Ecklie left, Grissom muttered under his breath. "That's good, because you sure can't find any actual ones."

Part IV

Grissom's nerves were frayed as he readied his home for his date with Sara. He hadn't slept well, hearing Ecklie's words resonating through his head. One of his biggest fears about beginning a relationship with Sara was that she could be perceived in an ill light as a result. He didn't want her career or her reputation to suffer.

He hoped that she wouldn't view the fact that he'd asked her to come to his townhouse for dinner rather than going to a restaurant as a retreat. He had planned to do it this way anyway.

When Sara arrived, he ushered into the living room and they sat on the sofa.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Um, sure. Tea's fine, if you have it."

Grissom rose to get the beverage.

Sara decided to bite the bullet. If Grissom was going to back down, she needed to know now. "So how did it go with Ecklie this morning?"

"Ecklie's Ecklie," Grissom responded, returning with two glasses of iced tea. "He said he's still deciding the best course of action."

"Thanks." She took a glass from him. "So he's not telling anyone yet?"

Grissom shook his head. "I have concerns."

Sara smiled nervously. Oh crap, here it comes. "I thought you might."

"It pains me to hear anyone question your integrity. Ecklie's already implying that you're performing, um…favors to meet profession goals."

"It's sweet that it bothers you."

"It doesn't bother you?"

"Of course it does. But I'll stand my record up next to anyone else's any day. There's always going to be someone who'll think that, but there will also be those who look at it objectively and see that I've earned my way." She watched him nervously to see if her words had an impact. "I have a concern, too."

"What's that?"

"I was afraid that after what happened with Ecklie, you'd decide you were right all along and drop me like a hot potato. Then you'd figure out some way to do damage control with Ecklie so no one else finds out."

Grissom placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "Never. I've made my decision, Sara. I can't turn back now. I'm in this for the long haul."

TBC