All I Want Is You
Disclaimer: All right, so now I own CSI seasons 3 and 4 on DVD...but that doesn't entitle me to a darn thing does it? So if I were to be sued, CBS would be disappointed to find out that I owe more than I am worth (stupid student loans).
Chapter Four: After All These Years
Quick A/N: I know that this logically has to occur after No Humans Involved, but I'm going to pretend Ecklie was never promoted and the shifts were never broken up. ;)
"Are you sure?" Sara looked questioningly into Grissom's eyes.
"Look, you need to do this and I know that you could use some support. I'm overdue for vacation time and I want to be there for you," Grissom explained once more.
"Okay," Sara relaxed a little and smiled, "thanks."
"I care about you Sara. No one else knows about your past, so it makes sense for me to come along," Grissom reasoned.
"This is why I love you, so caring and understanding. I can't believe I ever accused you of not having feelings," Sara wrapped her arms around his neck, "so our trip is going to leave the night shift shorthanded."
"I don't think that's our problem," Grissom started, "I'm sure they have someone to fill in for us."
Sara took a deep breath and rested her head on Grissom's shoulder, "I guess I'm just trying to make up any excuse not to go."
Grissom hugged Sara tighter and whispered into her ear, "This is going to be okay. I'm going to be there for you."
"I know, but it's just bringing up so much of the past," Sara finally pulled away, "I guess I should get plane tickets for us."
"I'll head over to work early and put in the proper paperwork for your leave. I shouldn't have a problem getting my vacation either," Grissom checked his watch, "I'll see you at work."
"Bye," Sara kissed him quickly as he headed for the door.
-------------------At a hotel in California--------------------
"Sara you can do this, remember, I'm going with you this time just to check things out," Grissom soothed.
"You're right, let's go before I change my mind again," Sara shook her head.
"She is your mother after all, you shouldn't be so afraid of her," Grissom said as they got into their rental car.
"It's just been such a long time since I've seen her, and we didn't exactly on the best of terms," Sara explained.
"You didn't see her at all after you were put into foster care?" Grissom questioned.
"No. There were a few letters, but I moved around so much, I guess she quit trying to keep track of me. Then all of the sudden a week ago, she called me," Sara answered.
"It will probably be a very tense reunion, but just remember to give her a chance to explain herself. You might be tempted to just get angry with her, but trust me, it's good to listen to someone," Grissom counseled.
"You seem to know an awful lot about this kind of stuff," Sara looked at him sideways.
"I have a lot of experience from the job," Grissom said, "I've seen a lot of families torn apart."
"I still don't know much about your past," Sara noted.
"I know, and I know I said I should do a better job of letting people in, but we'll save that for another time. We're here," Grissom took the keys out of the ignition.
Sara looked at the paper in her hand and then eyed the apartment building. This was the correct address, this was where the mother she hadn't since she was thirteen years old lived. Sara was so absorbed in herself that she hadn't even noticed Grissom leaving the car and was very startled when her door opened.
"Ready to go in?" Grissom asked.
"No, but let's do it," Sara tried to stand up, but was restrained.
Grissom chuckled, "You might try taking your seatbelt off first."
"Oh," Sara flushed red.
"It's okay, I'm sure you have a lot on your mind right now," he offered her a hand.
"Thanks again for coming with me. If I was by myself, I never would have gotten this far," Sara took his hand and stood on shaky legs.
Grissom and Sara entered the apartment building and asked someone inside where they could find the apartment they were looking for. Sara found herself standing in front of the apartment, breathing heavily. Grissom nodded to her and she knocked lightly on the door. The door swung open a moment later and revealed Laura Sidle who looked like a much older version of Sara.
"Sara," Laura spoke first.
"Mother," Sara's voice wavered slightly.
"You look well," Laura stated after taking her daughter's appearance, "and who is this with you?"
"This is my, uh, friend Gil Grissom," Sara found her voice.
"Hello Mrs. Sidle," Grissom shook her hand briefly.
"Come inside, please," Laura stepped back from the door allowing her daughter and companion to enter.
Laura got Sara and Grissom situated on the couch. Then she went into the kitchen to fetch drinks for them. Grissom excepted a glass of lemonade, but Sara insisted on water. Once she was done playing hostess, Laura took a seat across from her daughter.
"Well. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Laura started uncertain of what to say.
"Yes it has," Sara replied, equally uncertain.
"How are you Sara?" Laura asked.
"I'm fine," Sara answered shortly.
"Okay. Who exactly is this friend of yours? How do you know him?" Laura tried to get her daughter talking.
"We work together," Sara stated.
Laura turned to Grissom, "Is that so Mr.… uh, what was your name again?"
"Grissom," Grissom supplied, "and actually it's Dr. Grissom. Yes I've worked with Sara for several years now."
"What exactly do you two do?" Laura asked pleasantly, glad someone was speaking.
"We're crime scene investigators for the Las Vegas police department," Grissom replied.
"Wow, Sara, sounds like you have a very interesting job. I never knew you were so interested in law enforcement," Laura turned back to her daughter.
"You'd know if you'd ever bothered to speak to me before. But you waited all these years to suddenly call me," Sara narrowed her eyes, "you don't honestly believe we can just sit around and chat like we're friends."
Laura grimaced, "I know we have a lot of problems to work out, but I was hoping we could put that off for a little while. Can't we just catch up on our lives a little bit?"
"We haven't spoken in twenty years and you think we can just catch up like nothing happened?" Sara asked angrily.
"Sara, please. I know you're upset with me. Please just put that aside for tonight and let's have a nice dinner. We can deal with our problems later, I'm sure your friend doesn't want to sit here and listen to us argue," Laura pleaded.
Sara looked into Grissom's eyes then spoke again, "Okay. For tonight we can pretend like everything is okay."
Laura smiled, "Good. Let's go out for dinner."
A/N: I'm only 19, but I swear I'm senile. I uploaded this chapter on January 1st, but forgot to add it to my story. lol, hope you enjoyed it.