Title: Length of Love

Author: Spike Speigel

E-mail:

Rating: PG

Classification: Grissom/Sara

Disclaimer: As usual, these characters don't belong to me. Just taking them for a joyride.

Spoilers: Everything before and including Formalities.

Summary: Sara and Grissom continue their conversation. Fourth call.

Status: Finished

Just because his eyes were closed didn't necessarily mean he was sleeping. While sleeping during the day was normal to people that worked at night and college students whose sleep cycles had been ravaged by various excesses, there were those rare moments when Grissom couldn't get to sleep, no matter how hard he tried. Sure, his body was fatigued beyond belief, but his mind. Now, that was a different story.

Because, at this point, his mind was racing. Only problem was, he wasn't really sure why. Grissom shifted his position on the couch, moving from his side to his back, his forearm swinging languidly over his brow as he tried to shield his eyes from the errant rays of sunlight that had the audacity to enter his domicile when sleep continued to evade him. Grissom began to contemplate whether sunlight had sentience on a microscopic level, pondering for a moment before dismissing it completely. When his mind was firing on all cylinders, he'd contemplate pretty much anything, as long as it kept his mind busy. Just like the time he wondered if it was actually possible to hear pudding a la Homer Simpson.

Needless to say, it was a welcome surprise when the telephone began to ring, Grissom bolting upright before the first ring had a chance to be completed. He was already in the kitchen once the second ring began as he picked up the cordless, thumbing the red flashing TALK button. He'd talk to anyone at this moment. Even telemarketers. Just as long as he didn't have to think.

"Grissom."

Unfortunately for Grissom, it wasn't a telemarketer. However, upon hearing the voice on the other end, he concluded rather quickly that this was the better alternative. "Hey, Grissom. I didn't wake you, did I? I know you just got off work and…"

He interrupted Sara before she could finish an apology that wasn't necessary. "It's okay. I'm up. So, how are you enjoying your time off so far?"

He could hear the uncertainty in her voice as she answered his question. "Oh, it's good, I guess. Just had some stuff I needed to take care of. Sorry to bail on you, but this needed my immediate…"

Once more, he cut her off before she made an unwarranted apology. "Sara?"

"Yeah, Grissom?"

"Stop apologizing. You haven't done anything wrong." Then, as an afterthought. "At least, not that I know of. You haven't done anything wrong, have you?"

Sara chuckled softly while she mock defended herself. "No. No, I haven't."

"Then you don't need to keep apologizing. Okay?"

She relented to his reasoning. "Okay."

"Besides, we've been managing in your absence. Even worked with someone from dayshift."

Sara's tone turned inquisitive, genuinely curious about the CSIs that fathomed to walk in the sunlight. "Yeah? How'd that go?"

"I'd have to use the word…" What was the right word? He searched for an adequate description before responding. "Different."

"Different? How so?"

"Well, you know when we work a scene, we only talk to each other when there's something relevant to the case?"

"Yeah."

"Let's just say the dayshift people work in a completely different manner." Grissom realized that he was generalizing, so he decided to be more specific. "Well, maybe not all of them, but when Sofia was working the scene, she just kept on talking to herself while she was…"

Grissom never noticed the quizzical tone in Sara's voice as she queried him. "Sofia?"

"I'm sorry. Sofia Curtis. She's one of Ecklie's people…"

Sara scoffed softly, a hint of disdain in her voice. "So, can you see the horns on her forehead or are they just vestigial at this point?"

Grissom laughed softly at Sara's question, a small smile playing on his lips. "Haven't decided yet. She can be annoying one moment but quite insightful the next."

Sara sighed softly, a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she spoke. "Well, if you're that enamored with her, why don't you just marry her?"

"You're kidding, right? I can barely relate to a head of cabbage, let alone people. And you foresee wedding bells? Hate to say it, Sara, but you don't know me as well as you'd like to think."

While Grissom's tone remained playful, Sara's had become somber. "What can I say? You're a difficult man to relate to, Grissom." The silence hung in the air uneasily while each tried to think of a possible response. It was at this moment that Grissom finally realized that he'd opened his mouth, his foot fitting rather well. As he tried to find the words, Sara eventually broke the silence, her voice solemn. "Anyway, the reason I called was about this e-mail from Ecklie. Swingshift's personnel are being transferred to another department. So, does that mean that we'll be getting new people to fill those positions, or is Ecklie looking internally? Because I really don't want to be transferred from nightshift."

Grissom stroked his chin purposefully with his thumb, his brow furrowed as he responded. "Sara, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You didn't get the announcement from Ecklie?"

Grissom's tone now matched Sara's, his mind beginning to race once again. "No, Sara. I didn't."

Sara could hear the genuine concern in his voice, his worry now becoming hers. "What does this mean then?"

He hesitated for a moment before he spoke, uncertainty still lacing his words. "This means that you're going to go back to enjoying your time off while I get to the bottom of this."

She didn't mean to snap at him, but given her current emotional state concerning her personal problems, the last thing she needed was condescension on his part. "Don't."

"Don't? Don't what?"

"Dammit, Grissom! You always do this to me and I'm tired of it. Why do you keep pushing me away when I try to…" She wanted to say 'get close', but given the fragility of their current relationship, she thought it best not to make things more complicated than they already were. "…to help."

Grissom sighed softly, Sara's words working their way into his consciousness. "I'm sorry, Sara. I didn't mean it like that. It's just…you don't have to be concerned about office politics. That's my job. Your job is to catch the bad guys. I just don't want to burden you any more than you already are. That's all."

Sara smirked at Grissom's words, the sincerity in his words unsuspectingly moving her. "Yeah, I know. But just because it's your job doesn't mean I…" A slip of the tongue that needed to be rectified. "…we can't help you. We're a team, Grissom. What good's a team if you can't place your faith in us?" She sighed, a hint of frustration in her voice. "You don't have to bear the weight of the world alone."

Grissom smiled at Sara's words as he spoke. "Message received, Ms. Sidle."

"Good. So, do you want me to help you?"

"Sara, do you remember when I asked you what you did for fun when you weren't on the job?"

Her voice wavered as she spoke, curiosity in her tone. "Yeah. Why?"

"Did you ever find something to occupy your time outside the lab?" Her silence was all the answer he needed. "Sara, will you do something for me?"

"Um, sure. What…what do you need me to do?"

"The Sahara. Twenty minutes?"

The puzzlement remained in her voice, still not following his train of thought. "The Sahara? What…?"

Grissom spoke, not waiting to hear her question. "You said you wanted to help me. Well, I can't sleep. My mind's preoccupied for some reason or other."

"And the Sahara enters the equation how, exactly?"

His voice remained gentle as he answered. "I want you to take a ride with me on a roller coaster. Speed, to be more specific."

Sara's voice matched his tone, confusion still evident. "A roller coaster?"

He responded, sincerity in his voice. "Maybe this can be your thing."

She grinned at Grissom's words, the corner of her lips threatening a smile. "Maybe."

"Okay. I'll see you in a bit."

"Grissom?"

"Yes, Sara?"

"What about Ecklie?"

His tone feigned innocence. "What about Ecklie?"

Sara sighed into the phone, a small laugh following. "What am I going to do with you?"

"So, twenty minutes?"

Sara conceded defeat. The man couldn't sleep. So, she'd help him out by taking a roller coaster ride with him. Baby steps, she kept reminding herself. When the time came, he'd ask for help with Ecklie if he really needed it. But, for now, she was content to help put his mind at ease. "Twenty minutes it is. See you in a bit. Bye."

"Bye, Sara."

As he placed the phone back into the cradle, he leaned against the island, his mind racing. Ecklie had kept him out of the loop. There was no chance that was a mistake on his part. But, what would swingshift have to do with his people? It wasn't like they interacted in any meaningful fashion. But, still, he had been kept out of the loop.

And then there was Sara. He could tell that something was bothering her while they spoke. Unfortunately, she hadn't asked for help, so he had no choice but to leave her be. He wished that she trusted him enough to let him in, but trust was a two-way street. How could she trust him when he didn't trust himself entirely? He hated the politics of his position. He hated the rift it had created between himself and Sara. He hated himself for hurting her. But, most of all, he hated the fact that he couldn't ask her for help when she had offered. How could he after what they had gone through last year?

Grissom shook his head slightly, cursing his mind for conjuring up these thoughts. Instead, he focused on the here and now. And, right now, he had a date with a roller coaster. He smirked at the thought as he picked up his keys and began to walk in the direction of the front door. For a second there, he almost thought he had a date with Sara.

Fin