Title: The Second Time
Summary: A super-short response to the Elemental Challenge posted by csipal on the YTAW forum.
A/N, Disclaimer:
Man-oh-manna, this is isn't that much of a creative stretch at all, blah: taking all my cues from DtD just to make all the elements handy in the story...
All mistakes are mine, yo, and not for sale (but if you tell me about them I'll fix 'em). CSI isn't for sale either, and I don't own them... yet. I'm hoping, they'll Ebay it soon and then I'll have Grissom and Sara action figures made in their likeness and make millions off of the sales, millions!
This is my very, very first FanFic. Didn't take me long to jump on board the G/S ship, did it?
Sara was in an upstairs bedroom bagging what could have been possible evidence in the murder of the sewer-recovered teen when she heard Grissom declare from below, "...They're gonna detonate in place. So grab what's important and get out, now!" Looking up from the collection of video tapes she'd discovered in the dimming glow of the flash light, she heard him add,
"That means you too, Sara! Right now!"
Whah? What did he mean by that? Geez. It'd figure he'd know all of her tendencies. Gathering up as many of her bags as quickly as she could, she hurried from the teenager's bedroom, tripping over a torn soccer jersey. Seizing her interest, she started to bend down to inspect it when Grissom's words echoed through her head, Right now! Heeding his warning, she ran out of the room and down the stairs, running headlong into Grissom who was waiting for her on the landing.
"What?" she mumbled, making to scurry around him when he only gave her a disgruntled look, "I thought you said everybody out."
He grabbed her elbow and a couple of her balanced bags, rushing her towards the entrance of the house.
"Did you happen to catch the news this evening? There've been some bomb threats in this vicinity, recently. I would think that after playing roulette with no less than six of those pipe bombs earlier, you'd be aware of that and understand that the risk isn't worth the danger of these volatile explosives," he intoned.
Huffing, she stumbled along, deliberately tuning him out, "I was coming, you know. I don't see Catherine getting this lip and escort service."
"Yeah well, I'm not concerned about her ass getting left behind to be annihilated in a forced detonation," he snarled.
She tripped, letting out another huff as she tried to gather herself from under the sudden weight of his harsh words.
Softening, he deadpanned, "You know, you should never utter the words 'lip', 'escort service' and 'Catherine' in the same sentence," grabbing another bag from her.
Ignoring him, she continued to trip along, keeping up, "I'm concerned... I'm not concerned... I'm not worried, I'm just derisive and sarcastic," she soured. "'I would think that after playing with no less than six!'" she droned an imitation of him as she shrugged out of his grasp.
Hiding the immediate hurt that flashed into his eyes at his own words being thrown back at him, he turned away to see Catherine and Warrick were waiting down the block, already in the safe zone with their kits and partially collected evidence. Walking toward them, he noticed Catherine handing Warrick a folded ten dollar bill.
"Just a wager to see if Sara would make it out of her own accord."
"Well, sorry you had to lose."
The house suddenly exploded, blasting debris, earning screams from the crowd gathered around the block and a very audible gasp coming from directly behind him. Grissom turned to see Sara, frozen and all at once stricken, staring at the burning house with all of her evidence bags still in her arms.
"Sara? Sara are you all right?"
"Hmm? Oh. Yeah. It's just... very... it's that it's..." Seeing the glass and wreckage burst through the wall of flames less than 20 yards away from her, she was immediately struck by the sheer familiarity of it.
Sara was abruptly aware, now, of the level of danger she had put herself and Warrick though already that day and herself nearly a second time before Grissom had hollered for her to haul ass.
"You know the bomb squad would've cleared the house before they detonated, Sara."
"Oh... well... yeah." Still, it was one thing to see little pipe bombs discharged in a mini spaceship-looking dome, it was a whole other beast to see half a house gutted out in one, loud, heat-seared instant.
Grissom reached out to touch her arm, taking her attention away from the mess, "Hey, let's take our rescued evidence in to the lab," looking over his shoulder one last time at the indecent wreck of a house and waving to Warrick and Catherine, he guided her towards their SUV's. He was somewhat aware of the affect this explosion had to have on Sara, possibly reminding her of the lab's sudden explosion she once got caught in.
Packing their cargo into the back of the vehicle, Sara paused, blurting out her words before apprehension chased them away, "I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to say the things I did. I should've thanked you for showing your... uhh... concern."
He shrugged. He was surprised that she didn't insist on staying behind to salvage evidence that possibly survived the explosion. "Well, I understood the annoyance of being yanked away from a task. I was tempted to stay and finish, too."
He looked over at Sara as they buckled themselves in and started to pull away, "But the voice from that bomb squad tech did sound pretty serious. I even argued, initially, until he slapped me down."
"So he really put you in your place, huh?"
Grissom nodded, slightly embarrassed.
Grinning, Sara stared out the window as they made their way back to the lab.
End.