Sara was intercepted in the hallway by Grissom as she and Catherine made their way to the break room.
"Sara, can I speak with you for a moment?" Grissom looked at her expectantly.
She glanced at Catherine, giving her an exasperated glance before turning to Grissom. "Sure."
She followed Grissom to his office and clenched her jaw as he closed the door.
"Have a seat." Grissom gestured towards the chair in front of his desk as he sat behind it.
She furrowed her brow and could feel her heart rate go up as she clenched her jaw even tighter.
"How did it go?" Grissom knew she was supposed to visit the counselor before shift and wanted to see how she was. He mistook her silence for something else; for what Sara wasn't sure.
She shot him a glare and felt a bit of satisfaction as she watched his eyebrows go up. "Not good."
Grissom looked confused. "Nick didn't go with you?"
It was all Sara could do to not throw something at Grissom at his assumption. She tried to keep her tone even. "He was there. It was the shrink you recommended that was the problem."
Grissom tilted his head and kept his tone light. "You didn't like Dr. Fonnesberg?"
"Dislike doesn't even begin to cover it." Sara's voice fluctuated enough for Grissom to understand that she was less than pleased with him for recommending her.
Grissom faltered for a moment. "I'm not sure what to say."
"Really? I hadn't noticed." Sara could not keep the sarcasm out of her voice, but as soon as she spoke the words, she regretted them. She let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes for a moment before she looked at Grissom again. "I'm sorry."
Grissom gave her a boyish smile, trying to put her at ease. "It's ok."
She looked at him earnestly for a moment. "What happened here?" She gestured between them. "We used to be good friends."
Grissom looked at her with a befuddled expression, unsure of what to say and hoping that she wasn't going to bring up a discussion of why there was no romantic relationship between them.
Sara shook her head to clarify. "I'm not talking about my stupidity in asking you out. I've moved on." She looked at him with a sad expression. "I just miss being your friend, Grissom. I feel like I can't even talk to you anymore."
Grissom let out a deep breath and took his glasses off to rub his temples for a moment. "I'm sorry, Sara." He replaced his glasses and studied her for a moment. He really was sorry. He missed the conversations they used to have at the end of shift and he missed the enthusiasm she had brought to the job. In recent months, she had been more and more withdrawn and he had assumed that it was because he'd withdrawn, he had never imagined that there might be something deeper going on in her life that was troubling her. "I've made some mistakes, but I can't change what's happened."
Sara nodded in understanding.
"My door is open though. I'm not sure how I can help, but I'm willing to listen." Grissom offered knowing that she most likely would not take him up on that offer.
She noticed the sadness in his expression as she replied. "I'm not going back to that shrink, Grissom."
Before he could respond, she raised her hand to stop him. "I'll see someone, but I'm not going back to her. You just have to give me some time until I find someone." She smiled softly at him. "Don't worry; Nick won't let me give up."
Grissom nodded; a half smile gracing his face. "He's a good man, Sara."
"He's a good friend, Grissom." Sara stood up and gestured towards the door, putting a smile on her face. "Are you going to hand out assignments?"
Grissom nodded and stood up as she opened the office door. "After you."
As they entered the break room, Nick raised a curious eyebrow at her that spoke volumes. She offered him a smile as she sat down next to him. He reached over and patted her leg and returned the smile.
After shift, Sara stood in the locker room putting away her ID and grabbing her jacket. The night had felt exceptionally long and she was glad it was time to go home. She let out a frustrated sigh as she realized that she wasn't going home, she wasn't going to be able to kick back and drink a beer or two. She was going to Nick's and he was probably going to make her eat something that was good for her and drink iced tea. A smile played at her lips. She was thankful for him, but at the same time she wondered how she would do when she had to stay alone again, when no one was watching her all the time. She closed the door to her locker just as Nick entered the room.
He smiled at her. "You look tired."
She nodded. "Yeah, that case was tough." She and Nick had worked a case where a teenage girl had been kicked out of her parents' house for not getting high enough grades. When she'd found nowhere to go, she turned to the streets. She'd been out there two days when she'd been raped and murdered. When they'd gone to inform her parents, Nick and Sara were both shocked by their response. They had coldly commented that she wouldn't have ended up that way if she'd just kept her grades up.
Nick stopped in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder. "You gonna be ok?"
She looked up at him and her first inclination was to say that she would be fine, but after the last couple of days she knew she could trust him. "I don't know. Truthfully, I'd really like to go out and get drunk right now."
Nick pulled her into a hug. "Well you're stuck with me instead. We can stop by the grocery store on the way back to my house and get obscene amounts of Chunky Monkey ice cream."
Sara laughed as she pulled out of his embrace. "Oh, so you think making me fat is going to help me not want to drink."
He rested his hand on her shoulder. "I didn't say that, but it might distract you for a while. And you have to admit that it tastes damn good."
She smirked. "Are you going to try out another recipe you learned from your Food Network girlfriend?"
Nick started to laugh. "Oh, you think you're so funny."
She deadpanned. "I am."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Don't give up the night job."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't answer my question."
He tilted his head slightly and chuckled. "I was thinking pizza and a movie."
Sara furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. "Can we get extra cheese?"
Nick bit his lip to keep from laughing at her girlish expression. "Uh, yeah. Whatever you want."
Her eyebrows curved upward in a hopeful expression.
He feigned a stern expression. "But I draw the line at watching any Hugh Grant movies."
She smiled at him in amusement. "How about George Clooney or Brad Pitt then?"
He chuckled. "I guess that might be ok." He slung his arm around her shoulder and propelled her towards the door. "I think I might have a copy of 'Ocean's Eleven' lying around."
"Isn't Julia Roberts in that?" She teased as they headed out into the hallway.
"Sara, can I speak with you for a moment?" Grissom looked at her expectantly.
She glanced at Catherine, giving her an exasperated glance before turning to Grissom. "Sure."
She followed Grissom to his office and clenched her jaw as he closed the door.
"Have a seat." Grissom gestured towards the chair in front of his desk as he sat behind it.
She furrowed her brow and could feel her heart rate go up as she clenched her jaw even tighter.
"How did it go?" Grissom knew she was supposed to visit the counselor before shift and wanted to see how she was. He mistook her silence for something else; for what Sara wasn't sure.
She shot him a glare and felt a bit of satisfaction as she watched his eyebrows go up. "Not good."
Grissom looked confused. "Nick didn't go with you?"
It was all Sara could do to not throw something at Grissom at his assumption. She tried to keep her tone even. "He was there. It was the shrink you recommended that was the problem."
Grissom tilted his head and kept his tone light. "You didn't like Dr. Fonnesberg?"
"Dislike doesn't even begin to cover it." Sara's voice fluctuated enough for Grissom to understand that she was less than pleased with him for recommending her.
Grissom faltered for a moment. "I'm not sure what to say."
"Really? I hadn't noticed." Sara could not keep the sarcasm out of her voice, but as soon as she spoke the words, she regretted them. She let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes for a moment before she looked at Grissom again. "I'm sorry."
Grissom gave her a boyish smile, trying to put her at ease. "It's ok."
She looked at him earnestly for a moment. "What happened here?" She gestured between them. "We used to be good friends."
Grissom looked at her with a befuddled expression, unsure of what to say and hoping that she wasn't going to bring up a discussion of why there was no romantic relationship between them.
Sara shook her head to clarify. "I'm not talking about my stupidity in asking you out. I've moved on." She looked at him with a sad expression. "I just miss being your friend, Grissom. I feel like I can't even talk to you anymore."
Grissom let out a deep breath and took his glasses off to rub his temples for a moment. "I'm sorry, Sara." He replaced his glasses and studied her for a moment. He really was sorry. He missed the conversations they used to have at the end of shift and he missed the enthusiasm she had brought to the job. In recent months, she had been more and more withdrawn and he had assumed that it was because he'd withdrawn, he had never imagined that there might be something deeper going on in her life that was troubling her. "I've made some mistakes, but I can't change what's happened."
Sara nodded in understanding.
"My door is open though. I'm not sure how I can help, but I'm willing to listen." Grissom offered knowing that she most likely would not take him up on that offer.
She noticed the sadness in his expression as she replied. "I'm not going back to that shrink, Grissom."
Before he could respond, she raised her hand to stop him. "I'll see someone, but I'm not going back to her. You just have to give me some time until I find someone." She smiled softly at him. "Don't worry; Nick won't let me give up."
Grissom nodded; a half smile gracing his face. "He's a good man, Sara."
"He's a good friend, Grissom." Sara stood up and gestured towards the door, putting a smile on her face. "Are you going to hand out assignments?"
Grissom nodded and stood up as she opened the office door. "After you."
As they entered the break room, Nick raised a curious eyebrow at her that spoke volumes. She offered him a smile as she sat down next to him. He reached over and patted her leg and returned the smile.
After shift, Sara stood in the locker room putting away her ID and grabbing her jacket. The night had felt exceptionally long and she was glad it was time to go home. She let out a frustrated sigh as she realized that she wasn't going home, she wasn't going to be able to kick back and drink a beer or two. She was going to Nick's and he was probably going to make her eat something that was good for her and drink iced tea. A smile played at her lips. She was thankful for him, but at the same time she wondered how she would do when she had to stay alone again, when no one was watching her all the time. She closed the door to her locker just as Nick entered the room.
He smiled at her. "You look tired."
She nodded. "Yeah, that case was tough." She and Nick had worked a case where a teenage girl had been kicked out of her parents' house for not getting high enough grades. When she'd found nowhere to go, she turned to the streets. She'd been out there two days when she'd been raped and murdered. When they'd gone to inform her parents, Nick and Sara were both shocked by their response. They had coldly commented that she wouldn't have ended up that way if she'd just kept her grades up.
Nick stopped in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder. "You gonna be ok?"
She looked up at him and her first inclination was to say that she would be fine, but after the last couple of days she knew she could trust him. "I don't know. Truthfully, I'd really like to go out and get drunk right now."
Nick pulled her into a hug. "Well you're stuck with me instead. We can stop by the grocery store on the way back to my house and get obscene amounts of Chunky Monkey ice cream."
Sara laughed as she pulled out of his embrace. "Oh, so you think making me fat is going to help me not want to drink."
He rested his hand on her shoulder. "I didn't say that, but it might distract you for a while. And you have to admit that it tastes damn good."
She smirked. "Are you going to try out another recipe you learned from your Food Network girlfriend?"
Nick started to laugh. "Oh, you think you're so funny."
She deadpanned. "I am."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Don't give up the night job."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't answer my question."
He tilted his head slightly and chuckled. "I was thinking pizza and a movie."
Sara furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. "Can we get extra cheese?"
Nick bit his lip to keep from laughing at her girlish expression. "Uh, yeah. Whatever you want."
Her eyebrows curved upward in a hopeful expression.
He feigned a stern expression. "But I draw the line at watching any Hugh Grant movies."
She smiled at him in amusement. "How about George Clooney or Brad Pitt then?"
He chuckled. "I guess that might be ok." He slung his arm around her shoulder and propelled her towards the door. "I think I might have a copy of 'Ocean's Eleven' lying around."
"Isn't Julia Roberts in that?" She teased as they headed out into the hallway.