Looks like the end of my story got cut off so here's the rest. I'm working on a sequel

"Come On, I'll Drive You Home." Part 2

By Joan Powers

Sara woke to find herself lying on her side, fully clothed on top of her completely made bed. She moved cautiously.

Oh my head. I really over did it last night.

Last night, what had happened last night?

It hurts to move.

She opened her eyes to see bright sunlight streaming into the room.

What time is it? Thank God I don't have to work today.

The inside of her mouth tasted odd, what had she been drinking? Another beer ought to help chase that away. She gingerly turned on to her other side to check the clock on the nightstand, but something else caught her eye. There were depressions in the bedspread beside her. As if someone else had slept there.

Huh?

Then she saw a note, perched on top of the clock radio. She pushed herself up to grab it. It read:

Sara,

Brass called me in about 6am. I didn't want to wake you and I couldn't get out of it. I'll speak to Brass about counseling and about getting your car back. Want to try for dinner around six? Think about where you'd like to go. Call me around five to make sure I'm awake.

Love,

Gil

P.S. I'll bring plenty of protection, like you asked.

Love?

Plenty of protection?

A huge grin covered her face as the memory of the previous evening rushed back to her in a flash. Likewise, her heart felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted off of it. Her problems hadn't gone away, but she was no longer in it alone. She was no longer trapped in the doomed cycle. No more frustrating games, Grissom wanted to be with her

He had kissed her – a lot! Just remembering how his mouth and his body had felt against her made her excited. And they were planning to go on a real date tonight and make love afterwards. She could hardly sit still. She was eagerly anticipating tonight's date.

Of course, her dream date might not materialize tonight. It was the nature of the job; she knew it. It was an important part of him, and of her as well. She didn't know how long Gil would be needed at work. As it was, he was going on three hours of sleep. Yet, that was okay. He'd call. They'd work it out. If their date didn't happen tonight, they'd go another night.

Because he wanted her. The thought absolutely thrilled her.

She didn't relish the idea of counseling and confronting her past and present demons but maybe it was time. Now that she had some emotional support, she felt as if she might be able to handle it better. Grissom was right; the rape had been interfering with her job and her life. Also was the fact that regardless of the job stress and personal problems, the drinking had to stop. She'd start by cleaning up her apartment today and tossing out all of the alcohol. It was time to start facing her problems instead of running away from them.

Suddenly her head didn't hurt so badly. In fact, she sprang up to go to her dresser. After rummaging around in several containers, she found what she was looking for. She hopped onto her bed with her emery board and her favorite shade of nail polish, ruby red. Maybe she'd even paint her toenails too.

THE END

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