The next day, Sara felt as if she were going to explode. She had gone home, slept a few fitful hours, then woken up. She realized then that Grissom hadn't told her a time to meet him at the lab, and nor had she thought to ask. The thought of spending at least a bit of the holidays with Grissom had made her mind go completely blank.

She hopped out of her bed, rushed through a shower, then began haphazardly packing the things she'd need for her trip. After sitting on the suitcase, she managed to get it closed. She took a few minutes to double-check everything, then called for a cab to bring her to the lab.

She made it there in what she considered record time after rushing the cabbie. She was also well aware that the halls would be full of day shift, being as it was only one in the afternoon. She left her suitcase in the locker room, then headed to his office, praying that Grissom had waited for her. She could only hope he hadn't gotten tired of waiting, or think that she was blowing him off, and left.

Sara turned the corner, bringing Grissom's dark office into view. She noticed that his desk lamp was on, but she knew that sometimes people came snooping through his office for paperwork he had neglected to turn in. She paused at the doorway, squinting to focus in the dim light.

She sighed in disappointment. He wasn't there, but obviously had been recently, since his tarantulas were still happily munching down on their latest meal. She groaned inwardly, seeing no other sign that he could possibly still be at the lab, and turned to step back into the hall.

She was making her way past the break room when someone called her name. Sighing in frustration that had nothing to do with the person calling her, she turned to see who it was.

To her surprise, it was Grissom. He rushed out of the break room to catch up to her. "Where are you going?"

Sara smiled sheepishly. "I thought you'd already left."

He frowned, tilting his head slightly. "Why would I leave without you?"

"I thought…never mind." She waved her hand dismissively, then peered into the break room. It was empty, save for a days lab technician, grabbing a much needed cup of coffee. "What were you doing in there?"

He grinned, holding up a crossword puzzle. "Finishing this while I waited for you."

She returned his smile. "Sorry. I kinda slept in a bit. Then I realized that we didn't set up a time to meet."

Grissom nodded slowly, then held his arm out towards the direction of the locker room. "Shall we?" he asked.

Sara nodded, then followed him to gather up her suitcase. To her pleasant surprise, he scooped up her suitcase for her, not even asking. She smiled to herself. She noticed that he seemed tense as they walked through the lab together, and continued to be as they both got into his Denali. But as soon as they were on their way and away from the lab, she noticed that he seemed to visibly relax.

As they got onto the interstate, he got the SUV up to speed, then turned to her slightly. She was staring out of the window, watching the cars passing by. Some, she saw, were filled with families, on their way to spend the holidays with relatives. Others were filled with individuals, and she could only wonder where they were headed. Were they going to see family? Were they going back to work? Or were they going to spend Christmas with the one they loved? She shook her head, pulling herself out of her philosophical mind set, feeling Grissom's gaze.

She turned to him and he quickly looked back to the road. "What?" she asked him, a small smile crossing her lips.

He shook his head. "Nothing. I was just…" He shook his head, then concentrated on the road again.

Sara smirked, then glanced at the sun visor. Seeing a CD holder, she pulled it down and began to inspect Grissom's CD's. Some were typical of him, Pink Floyd, while others were obviously burnt, and lacked labels. She pulled one out and peered at the blank cover, then turned to Grissom, who had taken to watching her again.

"What's on this one, Grissom?" she asked, holding it out for him to see.

He shrugged. "Hell if I know. I make the CD's sometimes, then forget about them."

She smirked again, the loaded the CD into the player, waiting to see what kind of music the enigmatic Gil Grissom would listen to. Her smile only deepened when the beginning notes to 'Wherever You Will Go' by The Calling filled the car. "You like these guys? Aren't they kind of a boy band?"

Grissom gave her a mock-glare. "They're not a boy band." He shrugged. "I just think it's a beautiful song. And I like to listen to beautiful music."

Sara grinned to herself, thinking of a similar comment he'd said before, though it had been about baseball. For a moment, she thought about repeating her question, but felt it would diminish the value of his reply. Since I met you…

He noticed her silence, but didn't comment. Instead, he typically kept his distance, memorizing the license plate of the car in front of them. They drove in silence for a while, the music still playing. Grissom seemed to zone out after a while, not taking in anything except for the movements of the road and cars before him. Whatever he had thought riding for hours with Sara would be like, this was definitely not it. He had expected her to badger him constantly, asking why he had refused her dinner offer and why he kept ignoring her.

He glanced over at her, the saw that she had fallen asleep. Her head rested against the window, with her hands in her lap. He smiled as he gazed at her face, taking in the almost angelic peacefulness that only sleep could bring.

A hundred days have made me older,

Since the last time that I saw your pretty face

A thousand lies have made me colder

And I don't think I can look at this the same.

He glanced down at the CD player as sound began to re-register in his mind, the words cutting through his reverie. He listened to the words and sighed, realizing that his choice of music seemed to say for him what he could not. Why couldn't he think of things like this to tell her? Why was the band so capable of speaking his feelings when he couldn't?

And all the miles that separate

Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face

I'm here without you, baby,

But you're still on my lonely mind.

I think about you, baby.

And I dream about you all the time.

I'm here without you, baby,

But you're still with me in my dreams.

And tonight, it's only you and me.

He sighed at the irony of the lyrics. How often had he thought the same things? Every night he was alone without her, but that didn't stop her from invading his dreams. And when they were apart, which was very often, his mind would still be filled with images of her.

He shook his head. He wasn't making any sense to himself, and it was disturbing him. He glanced down at the CD player briefly, then switched it off, plunging the SUV into silence.

* * * * * *

Sara awoke suddenly, though she couldn't tell why. Lifting her head from the window, she glanced over at the driver's seat, but it was empty.

Blinking furiously to clear her blurry eyes, she peered out the window. They had stopped at a gas station, and the sun was still high in the sky. She frowned, searching, as best she could, the interior of the convenience store for any sight of Grissom.

The lights in the Denali suddenly came on, startling Sara. She jumped and turned to the driver's seat, seeing a slightly perplexed Grissom staring at her.

"You okay?" he asked slowly, as if afraid she had lost her mind and would attack him.

She nodded slowly, trying to catch her breath. "Fine. You just scared me."

He let a small smile play across his lips, then handed her the Coke he held in his hand. He gave her a small shrug as she peered at the label. "I wasn't sure what you wanted, and you were showing no signs of regaining consciousness."

She smirked, twisting the cap open and taking a long swig. "This is fine. Thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied, starting the SUV up again and pulling out of the parking lot.

Sara glanced down at the clock. "Whoa! How long was I asleep?"

Grissom's eyes also went to the clock for a second. "About two hours."

Sara's jaw dropped slightly. "I slept two hours? In a car? Two hours straight?"

Grissom raised an eyebrow, glancing at her as he made his way back to the interstate. "Yes. Two hours. Why?"

She shrugged. "Nothing. I just…usually don't sleep that long at once."

Grissom smiled, lifting Sara's spirits a bit. She did find it odd that she had been able to sleep that soundly for that long. Perhaps it was the years of sleep-deprivation catching up with her. Or maybe it was the fact that for some reason, she felt safe. She didn't know, but she wasn't going to complain.

She glanced down at the radio, seeing that Grissom had turned it off. She gave him a puzzled look before reaching down to turn it back on. "What's wrong, Grissom. You got some type of embarrassing music on there?"

He shook his head slightly. "No. I just wanted to think."

She shifted in her seat to see him better. "About what?" she ventured.

He shrugged slightly, obviously uncomfortable. "Things. The holidays, my life. Unimportant things."

"Your life is unimportant?" she asked, slightly surprised. Did he truly think so little of himself?

"Well," he drawled, trying to think of words. "In the greater picture, yes. My life is very meaningless. As are most people's lives. But that's depressing, so I don't like to think of the big picture," he finished with a smile.

Sara raised an eyebrow at him, then turned back to her window.