Thanks to everyone who reviewed the story so far. The encouragement is
always welcome. I'm really glad people have enjoyed my work. These are the
last two chapters of this story. Enjoy!
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Sara walked slowly over to Cooper, who surprised her by draping his arm around her shoulders, hugging her to his side and giving her a soft kiss on the forehead. She leaned into the obvious comfort of his embrace. Standing in the center of the bustle of the police cars and ambulances, Gil watched Cooper whisper something to her and he could see the vibrations of her laughter shake her body even though he couldn't hear it. He should be happy, the rational part of his brain told him; he had never let anything develop between them just for this reason, so she could find happiness with someone who could be everything she needed. It was a noble sacrifice, he tried to convince himself, as he watched Cooper's cheek resting against her forehead, a sacrifice he had almost blown looking down into Sara's eyes in the elevator.
He could picture the glow in her eyes as he had hesitated, touched his thumb to her lips; he had seen the way she had waited for any expression of care, interest or love. She had waited, just as she always had, for one of his inexplicable moments of affection or the inevitable retreat behind the emotional barriers he had erected so long ago. And he had opened his mouth to say the words, how scared he had been, how he couldn't breath when he had thought she had been shot, and instead he had rebuked her about taking risks. The moment the words were spoken, he regretted them, seeing the shattered look in Sara's eyes before she closed them. But his pain had had a purpose; seeing her embrace her partner and the obvious affection Cooper was willing and able to show, he knew he had done the right thing. If only the right thing didn't tear his heart into shreds, he might just be able to live with himself, he thought. Brass called to him, then, and he turned away from the sight that caused him so much pain in the places where rationality did not hold sway, and forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand.
After he feathered a kiss on her forehead, Sara shifted her weight into Cooper's light embrace, letting the tension that had driven her from the elevator drain from her muscles. If he hadn't been there, she would have collapsed, and he smiled a little against the top of her head as she let her weakness show. That, he knew, was a rare occurrence indeed. And maybe, he thought, she might just be able to listen to what she needed to hear. "You're an idiot," he whispered against her skin. He hurried on, before his comment registered, "He loves you." Her sigh was heartbreakingly sad, and she snuggled a little closer to him, which said everything she couldn't say. "And you are here with me while he's probably watching you, stealing every glance he can without you noticing." He shook her a little. "Go." His mouth quirked into a smile. "Don't make me make that into an order, Sidle."
Sara took a deep breath, trying to gather her strength. Gil had been trying in the elevator, she knew, the same as she knew he would never be the first one to jump into that abyss. His actions spoke in lieu of the words he couldn't say, and a sudden clarity struck her. She brushed a kiss against Cooper's cheek, whispered, "Thank you," against his skin, and then turned, searching the crowd for Grissom.
Catherine caught on first, watching Sara stride purposefully toward Gil, and she hit Warrick's shoulder to get his attention. Nick grunted as Warrick's elbow caught him as he bent down to secure the kit, but his protest died in his throat when he saw what they were looking at.
Sara took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach, and hoped that it might slow her heartbeat down from the techno beat it was playing, and carefully touched Gil's shoulder, feeling that familiar electricity run through her body and causing her breath to catch in her throat. It's just my hand on his shoulder, through three layers of clothes, she reminded herself, but her ability to think vanished in the blue of his eyes as he turned to look at her. She bit her lower lip, in hesitation, before taking that final, irrevocable step. She saw his mouth open to say something, but no words came as he saw her face, and then the opportunity for words was taken from him as her hands settled on his waist and her lips lightly settled on his.
It wasn't a deep, passionate kiss, not yet. Both of them knew there was time for that later. Instead, it was short and sweet, a mere brush of her lips on his that held all the promise of later kisses and passion. His hands circled her waist, and he leaned his head forward so their foreheads met in the middle of the embrace. The space between their bodies formed the shape of a heart as they stood perfectly still in the midst of the swirl of activity.
"I thought...." he began, unable to finish the thought, but he knew that she, finally, understood him.
Her head shook, almost imperceptibly. "You're an idiot."
"You... probably have a few days off after such a tough case," he said, almost conversationally except for the roughness in his voice and the scared flutter in his stomach. Her forehead rocked against his as she nodded. "Stay." He had never had such difficulty saying a single word before, but this word, he knew, was bigger than both of them. He read her silence perfectly, and the breath he had been holding flowed from his lungs in one long exhalation.
"If you had asked that months ago...or even a few minutes ago..."
"I'm an idiot." He braved a kiss on her forehead, and finally, a glance down into her dark eyes. The swirl of emotions there was all he hoped for, and he raised his hand to brush a few strands of hair back behind her ear, finally able to complete the gesture he had seen in his mind's eye a hundred times. Her soft smile told him she had imagined it too. "Me too," she replied.
"Beautiful, yes, an idiot, never." He slid his hand from her waist to her hand. "Come on," he said as he drew her toward his car. She followed, lagging back just a little, until he dropped her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, her arm quickly circling his waist like they had strolled arm-in-arm like that a million times before. "Where are you taking me?" she asked with mock-suspicion in her voice.
"I want to show you something" was his enigmatic reply.
During this encounter, Brass had sidled up to the SUV where the CSIs were watching. "Shouldn't someone be serving popcorn?" he asked. When Nick glanced at him in confusion, he explained, "Well, I feel like I just watched the ending to a romantic movie." He swept a hand in their direction. "They are even walking off into the sunset together."
"Um, Brass, that's a police car strobe, not a sunset."
He grunted. "Same thing. At least for those two."
"Um, where are they going? We're still on the clock." Catherine gave Nick an exasperated look, and then smacked him when his deadpan expression stretched into a huge smile.
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Sara walked slowly over to Cooper, who surprised her by draping his arm around her shoulders, hugging her to his side and giving her a soft kiss on the forehead. She leaned into the obvious comfort of his embrace. Standing in the center of the bustle of the police cars and ambulances, Gil watched Cooper whisper something to her and he could see the vibrations of her laughter shake her body even though he couldn't hear it. He should be happy, the rational part of his brain told him; he had never let anything develop between them just for this reason, so she could find happiness with someone who could be everything she needed. It was a noble sacrifice, he tried to convince himself, as he watched Cooper's cheek resting against her forehead, a sacrifice he had almost blown looking down into Sara's eyes in the elevator.
He could picture the glow in her eyes as he had hesitated, touched his thumb to her lips; he had seen the way she had waited for any expression of care, interest or love. She had waited, just as she always had, for one of his inexplicable moments of affection or the inevitable retreat behind the emotional barriers he had erected so long ago. And he had opened his mouth to say the words, how scared he had been, how he couldn't breath when he had thought she had been shot, and instead he had rebuked her about taking risks. The moment the words were spoken, he regretted them, seeing the shattered look in Sara's eyes before she closed them. But his pain had had a purpose; seeing her embrace her partner and the obvious affection Cooper was willing and able to show, he knew he had done the right thing. If only the right thing didn't tear his heart into shreds, he might just be able to live with himself, he thought. Brass called to him, then, and he turned away from the sight that caused him so much pain in the places where rationality did not hold sway, and forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand.
After he feathered a kiss on her forehead, Sara shifted her weight into Cooper's light embrace, letting the tension that had driven her from the elevator drain from her muscles. If he hadn't been there, she would have collapsed, and he smiled a little against the top of her head as she let her weakness show. That, he knew, was a rare occurrence indeed. And maybe, he thought, she might just be able to listen to what she needed to hear. "You're an idiot," he whispered against her skin. He hurried on, before his comment registered, "He loves you." Her sigh was heartbreakingly sad, and she snuggled a little closer to him, which said everything she couldn't say. "And you are here with me while he's probably watching you, stealing every glance he can without you noticing." He shook her a little. "Go." His mouth quirked into a smile. "Don't make me make that into an order, Sidle."
Sara took a deep breath, trying to gather her strength. Gil had been trying in the elevator, she knew, the same as she knew he would never be the first one to jump into that abyss. His actions spoke in lieu of the words he couldn't say, and a sudden clarity struck her. She brushed a kiss against Cooper's cheek, whispered, "Thank you," against his skin, and then turned, searching the crowd for Grissom.
Catherine caught on first, watching Sara stride purposefully toward Gil, and she hit Warrick's shoulder to get his attention. Nick grunted as Warrick's elbow caught him as he bent down to secure the kit, but his protest died in his throat when he saw what they were looking at.
Sara took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach, and hoped that it might slow her heartbeat down from the techno beat it was playing, and carefully touched Gil's shoulder, feeling that familiar electricity run through her body and causing her breath to catch in her throat. It's just my hand on his shoulder, through three layers of clothes, she reminded herself, but her ability to think vanished in the blue of his eyes as he turned to look at her. She bit her lower lip, in hesitation, before taking that final, irrevocable step. She saw his mouth open to say something, but no words came as he saw her face, and then the opportunity for words was taken from him as her hands settled on his waist and her lips lightly settled on his.
It wasn't a deep, passionate kiss, not yet. Both of them knew there was time for that later. Instead, it was short and sweet, a mere brush of her lips on his that held all the promise of later kisses and passion. His hands circled her waist, and he leaned his head forward so their foreheads met in the middle of the embrace. The space between their bodies formed the shape of a heart as they stood perfectly still in the midst of the swirl of activity.
"I thought...." he began, unable to finish the thought, but he knew that she, finally, understood him.
Her head shook, almost imperceptibly. "You're an idiot."
"You... probably have a few days off after such a tough case," he said, almost conversationally except for the roughness in his voice and the scared flutter in his stomach. Her forehead rocked against his as she nodded. "Stay." He had never had such difficulty saying a single word before, but this word, he knew, was bigger than both of them. He read her silence perfectly, and the breath he had been holding flowed from his lungs in one long exhalation.
"If you had asked that months ago...or even a few minutes ago..."
"I'm an idiot." He braved a kiss on her forehead, and finally, a glance down into her dark eyes. The swirl of emotions there was all he hoped for, and he raised his hand to brush a few strands of hair back behind her ear, finally able to complete the gesture he had seen in his mind's eye a hundred times. Her soft smile told him she had imagined it too. "Me too," she replied.
"Beautiful, yes, an idiot, never." He slid his hand from her waist to her hand. "Come on," he said as he drew her toward his car. She followed, lagging back just a little, until he dropped her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, her arm quickly circling his waist like they had strolled arm-in-arm like that a million times before. "Where are you taking me?" she asked with mock-suspicion in her voice.
"I want to show you something" was his enigmatic reply.
During this encounter, Brass had sidled up to the SUV where the CSIs were watching. "Shouldn't someone be serving popcorn?" he asked. When Nick glanced at him in confusion, he explained, "Well, I feel like I just watched the ending to a romantic movie." He swept a hand in their direction. "They are even walking off into the sunset together."
"Um, Brass, that's a police car strobe, not a sunset."
He grunted. "Same thing. At least for those two."
"Um, where are they going? We're still on the clock." Catherine gave Nick an exasperated look, and then smacked him when his deadpan expression stretched into a huge smile.