Note- Next chapter for your reading pleasure. Thanks again to Lauren for beta-ing and to everyone who has reviewed this story. Your reviews encourage me to write more.
Disclaimer: Wish they were mine, but they're not. Please don't sue!
Love in the Dark-Chapter 4
Grissom tried to open the door but it had been locked from the outside. Jessie, having had a little too much to drink, had thought it would be funny to lock her crush's 'girlfriend' in the closet with another man. No- one knew they were in there except for her and she wasn't going to tell anyone anytime soon.
Grissom tried pounding on the wood to get someone to open the door. "Hello, can you let us out?"
"It's no use Griss, the music is way to loud for anyone to hear us." She said into the darkness. "What are you doing in here anyway?"
"I came to tell you there was a murder at another house, so you needn't be here anymore." He replied as he moved away from the door having given up on pounding.
"But now here we are, stuck in a closet...again." She was still leaning against the back wall which is where she had been waiting for the last 20 minutes.
He responded to the monotone of her voice. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"I guess not, but last time things didn't end too well."
"That's right, you slapped me." He paused for a moment in recollection. "You never did kiss it better."
"Well, I guess the question is, does it still need to be?" Her tone had lifted to flirtatious but also speculative.
This time he was going to be direct with her. Too many chances had been interrupted in the last two days. "Oh definitely, it still hurts!"
Sara could hardly believe that this was Grissom in with her. He wasn't putting any walls up between them and yet there was still a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. They were in the dark and it concerned her that it was the only time she ever got to experience the real Grissom. And it was the only time she ever told him how she felt. So she voiced her concerns.
"It's funny Grissom. For two people who spend their entire lives observing, it seems strange that the only time we ever truly reveal ourselves is when we can't be seen."
She realised she had made the situation even more awkward than it was. She had over complicated and over talked again so she tried to lighten the mood. "Anyway, about our little game of pretending to hate each other, I'm bored of it."
He knew she was right, he hadn't been too forthcoming about his feelings in the past. And now she had called him on it and he felt terrible about all the confusion over his emotions for her.
She got no response from the darkness so spoke again. "If you want me to kiss your cheek better though, I will. I just need to know where it is."
Without words, Grissom reached for Sara's hand. He found it on his third attempt of swiping in the blackness. He gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist and drew the hand to his face. He moved her hand around in small circles on his cheek so Sara would know exactly where she had made contact.
Sara could feel the bristles of Grissom's beard when he moved her hand around. Not being able to see had heightened her other senses and she could therefore feel every contour of his face. She was surprised at how soft the skin actually was as her fingers trailed the area.
When Grissom stopped moving her hand he placed his hand over hers protectively so to keep it there. After a few seconds she moved it away. Before he could complain about the broken contact, she brushed her lips across his cheek and then another time. On the second kiss, she lingered on his skin, breathing lightly on the flesh, before pulling away again.
He sighed contentedly and relaxed back against the door.
"There, is that better?" She whispered breathlessly.
Taking this as a perfect opportunity he replied "Funny thing about when you slapped me, don't know how you did it, but you kind of hit my lips in the process as well."
"Huh, that is strange. I don't remember doing that. I guess if they are hurt though you shouldn't be using them too much." Because she couldn't see it, she imagined the frown that was bound to be on his face.
She didn't want to be the one to instigate the kiss. She wanted him to have the hunger to do it. She was going to draw their talk out, not let him make her do something.
Sara wasn't going without suffering though, part of her wanted to grab him right then and do what needed to be done but her brain told her the longer she waited, the more satisfying it would be.
The man standing in front of her had the ability to make her act crazy. At the mere mention of his name she would get butterflies. It suddenly struck her as quite appropriate that an entomologist could do that and she laughed silently.
Grissom felt so comfortable sharing the closet with Sara, her perfume soothed his mind and her voice roused in him feelings he had never had for any other woman. The conversation was fun but it wasn't enough. If he didn't kiss her soon the moment would be lost again.
"Sara?"
"Yeah Griss?"
"What is it with us and closets?"
She pondered his question.
"Well, I guess it shuts us off from the rest of the world. The appeal is that no-one knows what's going on inside the space except the two sharing the experience. Everyone else can speculate but only those inside ever know the truth." She paused to see if he had anything to add. He didn't so she continued. "And so with us being private people, it makes sense that we would relate best when there is no chance that anyone else will be looking in."
He found his voice again after her lengthy explanation. "That is a very thorough analysis. I am impressed."
She responded to his patronising tone with a sarcastic one of her own. "Why, thank you Sir, do I get a gold star?"
"I can do better than that."
"I'd like to see you try."
She was still standing in the centre of the closet, absently rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. She hoped that her invitation to try would be accepted. She heard the quiet shuffling of what she thought was a man unsure what to do next. It was, however, the movement of a man certain of what should be done.
Without warning he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him so that they were both leaning back against the door.
His body temperature transferred itself to her and she recognised the feeling of her cheeks flushing.
His hands raced around to her back to draw her closer to him and she moved without hesitation.
Grissom tentatively swept his lips over hers. She kissed him back as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He responded by confidently running his hands through her hair which also helped to move her body closer to him.
She grabbed handfuls of his shirt in her fists and dragged him back away from the door. As her back made contact with a shelf full of plastic boxes, she put her hands behind her to steady herself. Throughout the action her lips never left his as they kissed as if it was their only way to survive. They didn't seem to care that they needed oxygen.
Sara couldn't believe that Grissom could kiss her with so much passion. She knew her feelings for him ran deep but she never dared imagine he felt anywhere near the same. His actions in the closet convinced her that she wasn't some momentary fancy.
When they reluctantly separated after frantic minutes of kissing, they stood up straight, instinctively brushing down their clothes. And they stood in silence.
There was no need for words. Words would only have simplified what they had just experienced. So much had just been said with a passionate kiss that words would have cheapened the act. So they stood in a comfortable silence, both processing what they had gone through.
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Nick and Greg were waiting in the car outside. They had no idea where the new crime scene was and they thought they should wait for Sara and Grissom so they could all go together.
Nick was wondering what could have happened to them. He knew that Grissom was looking for Sara and the house wasn't so big that it would take ten minutes to do that. He was beginning to get worried. He was also getting irritated by the noise that Greg had put on the radio.
Checking his watch for the fifth time, Nick decided he would go look for his two colleagues. Time was precious when there was a new crime scene to process so they all needed to leave soon.
He exited the car with Greg oblivious to the movement due to his head banging at the music. Nick strode across the street and was back in the house within seconds. Finding Jessie immediately, he asked if she knew where Sara and Grissom might be.
She smiled sheepishly as she spoke to Nick. "I might know where they are. What's it worth?"
Nick quickly grew tired of her immature behaviour. "Just tell me where they are and I won't have this party busted for underage drinking."
Realising that Nick wasn't the dream man she once thought he was she grumbled back at him. "They're in the closet." She sped off away from him as Nick approached the closet.
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When he reached the door, he twisted the handle to open it but found the door locked. Seeing a key glistening on the floor he knelt down to pick it up and used it in the lock.
He opened the door to find two very flustered looking C.S.I's. Both had red faces and seemed panicked.
Grissom was the first to speak. "Oh thank God Nick, we thought we were going to be stuck in here all night." His harassed manner belied his real thoughts. He would have stayed in there forever with Sara if it was possible.
Nick was confused by the situation, he didn't know why they were even in the closet. He didn't know why when he opened the door they were in complete silence and he didn't know why they appeared so guilty, Sara in particular.
"Are you guys ok? How did this even happen?" He indicated the key in his hand as he wondered why they were locked in together.
Sara thought it was best if she clarify. "I was just checking the closet and Grissom came in to tell me about the new scene. Someone outside shut the door and turned the lights off."
"Ok, why weren't you talking in here? You're not fighting still are you? Catherine told me about your clash." As an afterthought when looking at Grissom's red face he turned to Sara. "You didn't hit him again, did you?"
"No Nick, I didn't hit him. We just didn't have much to talk about and it was very hot in there." She glanced at Grissom who was nodding in whole hearted agreement. "Are we going to this scene or what?"
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The car journey to the new scene occurred mainly in silence. Nick drove and Grissom sat beside him. He hadn't wanted to risk sitting next to Sara in the back for fear that he'd have taken hold of her.
Although that was what he most wanted to do, he didn't want to do it in front of an audience of Greg and Nick. His attraction to Sara was something he had always kept to himself and being a creature of habit he wasn't going to change that now. Change didn't come easy to him and public displays of emotion were something he never did.
Sara had been fine with the seating arrangement in the car and had giggled to herself when Grissom practically threw Greg out of the front seat before turning his music off the radio.
She had also felt tickled by Grissom's constant turning around to check that Greg was keeping his distance from her. She even felt compelled to tease him about his paranoia.
"Greg, stop touching my arm." She cried dramatically and caused Grissom to whip his head round once more.
Greg stuttered his words. "But...wha...I."
Nick looked into the backseat through the rear view mirror. "You better watch it Greggo, you don't want to have a sexual harassment case on your hands."
"Greg, stay still and behave." Grissom's words were harsh and Greg sat back defeated. Sara couldn't help but feel sorry for him, since he hadn't actually touched her but still, she was glad at Grissom's defensive and protective response.
This exchange led to the remainder of the journey being taken in silence.
TBC