'Tis the Season - Part 2
Summary: What did Grissom print out at Sara's apartment?
A/N:. Response to this week's Improv Challenge, and a continuation of last week's entry. First and last lines provided. Thanks to Burked for her beta skills. It may be the holiday season, but all the mistakes are mine!
Disclaimer: Reading legal documents is not good for your mental health. Especially if your professor is under the impression he is teaching a class full of law students!
There was an overwhelming odor of citrus. Grissom headed back to the kitchen quickly, his nose wrinkling in disgust as the olfactory assault intensified. It hadn't smelled like that in the store. Something was definitely wrong.
Work had been hectic lately, leaving Grissom with little time to prepare for the holidays. True, he'd put out his understated lighted tarantulas with Santa hats, but that was a neighborhood tradition. Everyone was left speechless after watching the adorable dancing spiders.
Normally the lack of decorations wouldn't bother him, but he'd invited Sara over to pick up her Christmas present before work. Wanting the place to be a bit more festive, he had grabbed a bag of "Holiday Spice" potpourri from the store. He'd followed the clerk's directions exactly – put the package into a pot of simmering water.
Grabbing the bag from the trash, he belatedly noticed that it contained six individual packages. In his haste to prepare for Sara's visit, he'd cut the top off quickly, accidentally opening all of them. Now his home smelled like a decomposing orange grove.
With a resigned air, he took the pot and stuck it on his patio, opening some windows for good measure. If he were lucky, the smell would dissipate before Sara got here. Rubbing his beard, Grissom considered the fact he was overcompensating.
The truth was he worried Sara would be disappointed with his present. Printing it at her apartment had been a mistake; she'd spent her free time since then trying to figure out what it was. She probably had built up some sort of expectations.
Christmas had been the one time of year Grissom felt comfortable acting – albeit subtly – on his feelings. No one could complain if a supervisor gave an employee a book. Each one had been a way of sharing himself with Sara. Whether it was the Illustrated History of Roller Coasters or an entomology text, the books were an opening into his interests.
But it had always been one-sided. He always gave her something that dealt with his hobbies. This year he decided to be different; he would step into her world.
Grissom had finished giving himself a figurative pat on the back when he realized the fatal flaw in his plan – Sara had no interests outside of work. Buying her a new police scanner just didn't cut it.
He was especially discomforted because things between them had been more … intense ... since their impromptu kiss. Not wanting Sara to think he was a terrible kisser, he overcame his normal private nature and took advantage of the convenient mistletoe.
When the knock came, Grissom hurriedly closed the windows before opening the door.
"Hey," Sara said, smiling brightly at him.
"Merry Christmas," he responded, taking the proffered gift. "And thank you."
Grissom watched apprehensively as she sniffed the air. When no comment was made, he took her coat and directed her to the snacks set out on the dining room table. "Help yourself. Hot chocolate?"
"Uh, don't go to any trouble," she said, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
"It's not. The milk's on the stove."
"Okay. Thanks."
"Here," Grissom said, placing a mug in front of her. After grabbing his own plate, he pulled the wrapped package from his bookcase. He sat down beside her, placing the gift on the counter between them.
"The mystery present!" she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.
"It's not much," he protested, watching in amazement at how quickly, but neatly, she ripped open the package. He held his breath as she took out the bundle of paper, quickly flipping through it.
"Gift certificates," Grissom said when Sara turned to him questioningly.
"Yeah, I can see that. But to what?"
"Redeemable for an act of friendship," he explained, pursing his lip nervously when she remained silent.
Sara tilted her head. Her eyes darted from the paper to him several times. "So, I can use these to make Greg handle decomps."
"Well, if you want to use them at work," Grissom began, halting when Sara started to smile.
"And if I want to use them outside of work?" she asked softly.
"You can use them for whatever you want – within reason."
"What's reasonable?"
"Nothing illegal or that would cause undue public humiliation. You could use them for a home-cooked meal. Or if you need someone to talk to," Grissom said, turning his attention to the stuffed celery stalk on his plate. As he feared, his intention failed. He let out a long sigh. "I miss being your friend, miss seeing you smile. I wanted to give you something that would make you happy again, but I didn't know what. It's not much, but…"
"No," she interrupted, pulling out one of the slips of paper. "Here. I'm claiming my first act of friendship."
Grissom's mouth dropped as she slid her arms around his neck and planted a quick kiss to his cheek before burying her head in his neck. "Thank you. It's the best present anyone has ever given me."
He was thinking she was trying to spare his feelings when he felt the warm tears on his flesh. His arms tightened around her, one hand coming to nestle in Sara's hair as he cradled her head.
After a long moment, Sara pulled back, giving him a shy smile. Grissom's hand reached out to brush a lock of hair behind her ear, but he didn't let her go. Their eyes locked when his fingers gently wiped the moisture from her cheeks.
Slowly, he inched forward on his stool, his eyes darting to her lips as his hands caressed her shoulders. Grissom paused in his advance, fearful that he was pushing. Sara's fingers running over his beard caused him to freeze.
She smiled at him, sensing his nervousness. "I think maybe you should open your gift now," she suggested, dropping her head bashfully.
"What? Oh, okay."
Grissom reached for the gift, but in his precarious position on the barstool, he lost his balance and began to slide to the floor. Sara grabbed for his arm, but he ended up pulling her down on top of him.
He shot her a chagrined look, but she merely laughed.
"Maybe next time you'll be more careful."
TBC