An incessant ringing woke Grissom. For a moment he lay frozen, not used to
waking up with someone next to him or in someone else's bed. Slowly his
mind filled in the blanks: the brunette in his arms was Sara, and they were
in her bed because they were at her house. A flood of images filled in the
time, from trying to make coffee for her, to them ending up naked in bed.
"Was that your cell?" Sara's voice asked from somewhere in the vicinity of his chest.
"Yeah, and judging by the ring, it was the lab." At the mention of the lab, they both froze.
"Oh shit." Sara pulled herself from his embrace, leaving Grissom feeling bereft. Without her in his arms he felt the panic he had been holding at bay starting to set in. They had already screwed up, big time. "Okay, it's not even 4am yet. We haven't even been asleep for ten minutes. All we have to say is that I had an extra-long shower and then we went out for a meal."
Coming up behind her, Grissom circled his arms around her waist. He leaned down, placing a tender kiss on her shoulder. The second he touched her he felt more grounded. Her warmth made it all feel real.
"If you want to go take the world's fastest shower, I can make you coffee and something to eat. While you're eating, I'll shower." As he spoke, Sara turned in his embrace, kissing him softly.
"We can shower together and save time," she said with a smile. "Pick up coffee and food at a drive thru place on the way to work."
Grissom withdrew from her, standing up to search for his pants, which held his phone in their pocket. He kept his back to her; what was easily overlooked in the heat of passion was not so easily hidden in the harsh light of the bedside lamp. Finding his pants, he pulled them on, wishing his shirt was in her room too. The pants only went so far in hiding the extra weight he carried these days.
Pulling out the phone, Grissom called his voice mail. The message was from Greg, letting Grissom know that he had finally warmed up and was going to start processing evidence.
"That was Greg. He's processing what we picked up at the baseball field."
"Gris, are you panicking?" Sara's voice was small. "Do you regret this?" When he turned to face her, he saw she had pulled the blanket up herself, wrapping it up tightly around herself. He saw tears in her eyes. It tore at his hear that he had hurt her again.
Dropping the phone, he went to her, sitting next to her on the bed and pulling her into his arms. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"I don't regret a moment of what we did. I regret that we have to leave and go to work, I regret that we were on company time. But never what happened between us." Gently, he raised her chin so he could see her expression. The tears were gone, but the sadness remained. "Besides, combined we've put in enough unpaid overtime to make up for a lapse while on the clock." That got him a smirk. Turning serious, "But Sara, you know that this can never happen again while we're on shift." Grissom let his hand caress her face before dropping to his side.
"Wanna shower?" Sara soft question was filled with uncertainty. Resigned, Grissom gave her a nod. She'd have seen what he looked like sooner or later. Sara was a smart woman - she had to have done the math about their ages as many times as he had. She'd have to know he wasn't young any more.
All thoughts stopped as she stood before him, dropping the blanket.
"You're so beautiful." The words left his mouth without his permission, but that didn't make them any less heartfelt.
"So are you."
Grissom let out a snort at that. With a look of self-derision he brought his hands up to his middle. "Yes, my grey hair and paunchy stomach is ever- so-attractive." Sara looked at him long and hard, understanding that he meant every word.
"I wish I had more time to change your mind about that." Slowly, she ran her fingers through his disheveled hair. "I love you. When I look at you I don't see bits and pieces. I see all of you. I see the teacher, the friend, the boss, the man."
"Let's go take a shower." She could see that he wasn't entirely convinced, but they just didn't have the time right now. Dealing with their combined issues could take hours. More likely days bordering on weeks.
###
The shower was fast, and while they took the time to look at each other, they did not touch. Both felt the time constraint they were under. Within twenty minutes they were out the door and on the way back to work.
"We don't have a lot of time. Is Burger King alright? They have veggie burgers." Sara gave him a bright smiled Grissom felt his heart warm at the sight. It felt like it had been months since she smiled at him in that way.
"That's fine. No mayo though, please."
Food bought, they ate in companionable silence for the rest of the drive to CSI.
As they parked, Grissom took her hand. "Ready?" He glanced at her. Again she smiled at him, momentarily rendering him incapable of speech or movement.
"Ready." Together they exited the Denali, grabbed the evidence from the back, and headed into work.
End
"Was that your cell?" Sara's voice asked from somewhere in the vicinity of his chest.
"Yeah, and judging by the ring, it was the lab." At the mention of the lab, they both froze.
"Oh shit." Sara pulled herself from his embrace, leaving Grissom feeling bereft. Without her in his arms he felt the panic he had been holding at bay starting to set in. They had already screwed up, big time. "Okay, it's not even 4am yet. We haven't even been asleep for ten minutes. All we have to say is that I had an extra-long shower and then we went out for a meal."
Coming up behind her, Grissom circled his arms around her waist. He leaned down, placing a tender kiss on her shoulder. The second he touched her he felt more grounded. Her warmth made it all feel real.
"If you want to go take the world's fastest shower, I can make you coffee and something to eat. While you're eating, I'll shower." As he spoke, Sara turned in his embrace, kissing him softly.
"We can shower together and save time," she said with a smile. "Pick up coffee and food at a drive thru place on the way to work."
Grissom withdrew from her, standing up to search for his pants, which held his phone in their pocket. He kept his back to her; what was easily overlooked in the heat of passion was not so easily hidden in the harsh light of the bedside lamp. Finding his pants, he pulled them on, wishing his shirt was in her room too. The pants only went so far in hiding the extra weight he carried these days.
Pulling out the phone, Grissom called his voice mail. The message was from Greg, letting Grissom know that he had finally warmed up and was going to start processing evidence.
"That was Greg. He's processing what we picked up at the baseball field."
"Gris, are you panicking?" Sara's voice was small. "Do you regret this?" When he turned to face her, he saw she had pulled the blanket up herself, wrapping it up tightly around herself. He saw tears in her eyes. It tore at his hear that he had hurt her again.
Dropping the phone, he went to her, sitting next to her on the bed and pulling her into his arms. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"I don't regret a moment of what we did. I regret that we have to leave and go to work, I regret that we were on company time. But never what happened between us." Gently, he raised her chin so he could see her expression. The tears were gone, but the sadness remained. "Besides, combined we've put in enough unpaid overtime to make up for a lapse while on the clock." That got him a smirk. Turning serious, "But Sara, you know that this can never happen again while we're on shift." Grissom let his hand caress her face before dropping to his side.
"Wanna shower?" Sara soft question was filled with uncertainty. Resigned, Grissom gave her a nod. She'd have seen what he looked like sooner or later. Sara was a smart woman - she had to have done the math about their ages as many times as he had. She'd have to know he wasn't young any more.
All thoughts stopped as she stood before him, dropping the blanket.
"You're so beautiful." The words left his mouth without his permission, but that didn't make them any less heartfelt.
"So are you."
Grissom let out a snort at that. With a look of self-derision he brought his hands up to his middle. "Yes, my grey hair and paunchy stomach is ever- so-attractive." Sara looked at him long and hard, understanding that he meant every word.
"I wish I had more time to change your mind about that." Slowly, she ran her fingers through his disheveled hair. "I love you. When I look at you I don't see bits and pieces. I see all of you. I see the teacher, the friend, the boss, the man."
"Let's go take a shower." She could see that he wasn't entirely convinced, but they just didn't have the time right now. Dealing with their combined issues could take hours. More likely days bordering on weeks.
###
The shower was fast, and while they took the time to look at each other, they did not touch. Both felt the time constraint they were under. Within twenty minutes they were out the door and on the way back to work.
"We don't have a lot of time. Is Burger King alright? They have veggie burgers." Sara gave him a bright smiled Grissom felt his heart warm at the sight. It felt like it had been months since she smiled at him in that way.
"That's fine. No mayo though, please."
Food bought, they ate in companionable silence for the rest of the drive to CSI.
As they parked, Grissom took her hand. "Ready?" He glanced at her. Again she smiled at him, momentarily rendering him incapable of speech or movement.
"Ready." Together they exited the Denali, grabbed the evidence from the back, and headed into work.
End