Sara fell into Grissom's townhouse with a heavy thump which was soon accompanied by the thud of him falling neatly on top of her. After the obligatory howls of pain she began to laugh with drunken giggles which sailed across his frigid rooms like a breath of fresh air.
"You're crushing my breasts," she laughed. "I'd like to retain the option of feeding my young thank you very much!"
He frowned with embarrassment and quickly pulled them both up to standing.
"Sara Sidle wants children?" He teased while fumbling for a light switch.
"A million," she said gulping down the stuffy air. "And one, but only with you because that would mean we'd get to have sex at least a million and two times."
Grissom blushed deep crimson.
"Why a million and two?" He questioned while steering her over to his small couch.
"Because," Sara mumbled breathlessly into his ear. "Nobody gets it right the first time."
If he had ever been a praying man now would be the time to get down on his knees and beg for the strength to abstain from looking, from touching, from fondling of any kind. But she was whispering in his ear so enchantingly warm and sweet that he didn't resist when her lips fell on his.
"Hey!" She exclaimed suddenly pulling away. "Where did your twin go? He was cute, we could have made things interesting…"
"Sara," Grissom protested. "Please don't be so foul."
"What?" She said reverting back to the giggles. "I'm naturally curious."
Deciding that the minute Sara Sidle starts discussing threesomes with her boss and the resident lab technician was definitely the time to put her to bed. He hoisted her across his shoulders and struggled to get a firm grip on her beneath the many layers of taffeta and velvet.
"Why Gil," she purred. "You're so strong. I had no idea you'd go all Tarzan. I thought we'd read sonnets and get into character. But I can improvise… does this make me Jane?"
"Sara," Grissom repeated. "Don't be so foul! We're off to the guest room with you and I'll be locking my door tonight so don't even think about it wild woman."
The sound of soft crying came from up above him, directly to the left of his ear. Laying her gently down across the bed he surveyed the mascara run face which seemed to him -still- infinitely beautiful.
"You don't want me," she whispered softly on the end note of a sigh.
"Sara," He pleaded gently as she turned her head and buried it into the pillow beside her.
He watched, not knowing what to do and afraid of what he might. He sat on the bed and let his hand drift towards her cheek, but drew it back at the last moment as if he'd been burned. The internal battle raged on as he tried to find the right thing to say.
"I do want you." He spoke timidly but the words boldly traveled to Sara's nested head. She faced him, her gleaming, wide eyes focused on the vulnerability in his face.
She let his confession hang in the air before unleashing a dazzling smile as she sat up.
"So I want you and you want me." She paused for effect as she looked at Grissom with a twinkle in her eye. "I wonder what we could do about that."
She started to play with the curls at the back of his neck and twisted one around her index finger. He delighted in her soothing touch, even tilting his head into her hand.
This, he could handle, but when Sara's lips began to lay sweet and feather-light kisses onto his ear, it was too much.
"Sara…" He reluctantly gasped out.
"What? You've had to deal with harder puzzles than this before Griss." She replied against his ear, before starting to nip at the lobe.
Grissom pushed her back. "There may be harder puzzles but none of them are this complicated."
"Tell me Grissom, why do you play this game?" She asked rather curtly. "Why do you insist on making things so difficult?"
"I'm not having this conversation with you now, not when you have enough alcohol in your system to open up your own bar."
Sara took a deep breath.
"That's such a great idea, we should open a bar." The unexpected mood change surprised Grissom.
"We could call it 'The Body Farm' and Nick and Warrick could be barmen, complete with Tom Cruise in Cocktail style moves. And Catherine could be the hostess and…"
Her drunken excitement was so contagious Grissom found himself getting drawn into the fantasy. "That sounds like a lot of fun but I can't help but find fault in your plan."
Sara produced a monumental pout which Grissom found so adorable it interrupted his train of thought.
"Who would work on CSI night shift?" He asked as he recovered.
"Well, we would," she announced as he frowned in confusion. "We would be bar owners by day and crime fighters by night. Doing all we can to rid Las Vegas of the scourge of society."
He turned his frown upside down at that revelation. "I wasn't aware you had such an affinity with superheroes." He joked.
Sara's eyes flickered with passion. "Well Dr Grissom, I could be your wonder woman any day."
He didn't doubt that for a minute and it made him uncomfortable. Her close proximity was just as intoxicating as the alcoholic beverages she had been knocking back at the party, and he didn't trust himself alone with her anymore.
Especially when she started to undress.
"What are you doing?" Grissom asked an octave higher than he would have liked.
She huffed noisily as she fought with her dress. "You can't expect me to sleep in this gargantuan mass of material."
"Ok, but wait. I'll go get you a shirt or something."
Grissom hastily left the room of unbounded temptation to search not only for suitable bed wear, but his sanity as well.
Picking out a plain white shirt from his bedroom closet he deposited it in the guest room before leaving to go and get changed himself.
When he returned Sara was curled up on one side of the bed apparently asleep. Her dress was discarded on the floor in a heap and she was enveloped by his shirt. Grissom smiled at the sweetness of it all but as he turned to leave a sluggish voice rang out,
"Sleep with me."
He stopped dead.
"Please Grissom," she slurred drowsily. "Just lie here with me. I promise to behave."
So in spite of every doubt he had and the many alarm bells which sounded in his head, Grissom lay down next to her. The rarely slept in bed felt surprisingly welcoming now that Sara was an occupant. So welcoming in fact, that sleep found him easily for the first time in years.
TBC