Title: Five Memories of Five Words
Rating: G
Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, would I be your average underpaid wage slave?
A/N: To quote a far better fic writer than I, I tripped and fell in a giant pile of fluff here. I blame on the perchloric acid I was working with at the time. Thanks to CSI ShipperGirl for the beta and summary suggestion.
Human memory is a strange thing. The same brain that steadfastly refuses to remember dates from World History class can also link a sound to multiple memories, both good and bad. For Sara Sidle, hearing Frank Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight" brought five distinct memories to the front of her mind.
The first time she remembered hearing it, she was eighteen and at her senior prom. She had been talked into going by a good friend who swore that Sara had to experience her senior prom, but she was now regretting it. Having to watch the other couples sway gently to the music while she sat alone on the sidelines was not a move calculated to increase her self confidence.
The second time she remembered hearing it, she was slow-dancing with Gil Grissom. That was definitely a good memory. It may have taken him five years to ask her out, but that man certainly knew how to treat a girl right. First came dinner at a great, vegetarian-friendly restaurant, then dancing at a small jazz club. He was the ultimate gentleman the entire time, yet somehow he still managed to make her feel like the most desirable woman in the world. She still smiled at the memory.
The third time she remembered hearing it was at their wedding reception while Gil was singing softly into her ear as they danced their first dance, surrounded by those who loved them. It had not been a perfect day and she would definitely be calling the caterer about his apparent amnesia regarding the presence of vegetarian dishes, but it had still been a wonderful day...and night.
The fourth time was at their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Gil had recently semi-retired from teaching entomology at Berkeley (Sara knew she'd never convince him to fully retire, so she didn't try) and had used his sudden free time to plan a surprise party for her. He had taken her to dinner at a similar restaurant to the one they went to on their first date, then to a small jazz club, where he requested "The Way You Look Tonight," dedicating it to "the best thing that ever happened to a geeky scientist." The other patrons at the club had applauded, making Sara blush and whisper a completely facetious threat on Gil's life into his ear.
And now, here was the fifth time. Gil was eighty-five, and his body was simply tired. Sara sat next to him on their porch swing on a clear summer night, watching the sun go down and listening to the familiar strains of the song begin. Lately Gil had become increasingly frustrated by the fact that his brain was still as sharp as ever but his body wouldn't cooperate. Sara knew he wanted to be dancing with her but that he didn't want to stumble or shuffle like an old man. She understood, and loved him completely for it. She took his hand in hers and began to sing the song back to him, like he had sung it to her on their wedding day. He smiled and started singing too, his voice a little rusty now.
They sat like that for an hour...just holding hands and singing to each other. Eventually Gil fell asleep on her shoulder and Sara stopped singing. She saw his curly white head and his lovely lined face, saw the peaceful expression and slight smile. She decided that she would sit here next to him until he woke up, however long it took. She would burn this fifth memory into her brain for the day that he left this mortal coil....and she would never forget the way he looked tonight.