Chapter 4

Sara freezes and tries to stabilize her breathing.

"They're not sexy," she says, trying to keep her voice steady. His presence is exceedingly disarming. "They just show a little..."

"Skin?" he asks. His fingertips skim her waist and he splays his hands against her bare stomach. Sara is no longer able to control her breathing, its pace matching her speeding heart rate.

"Warrick," she says as she leans back against him, her words in direct conflict with her actions, "We can't do this again."

"No?" he asks, bending down to kiss her neck.

Sara turns around to face him. She looks into his eyes and everything she was about to say slips away. His eyes are even more heavily lidded than normal, desire in his heated gaze. His lips are slightly parted, and Sara can't help herself as she's drawn toward them. Their lips meet softly at first, but a fervor takes over and Sara feels herself being lifted up onto the counter behind her. Her breath catches as any space between them disappears, and she feels evidence of Warrick's desire. Her own desire is overpowering, and she wraps her legs around his waist, wanting to get closer, tighter.

"Bedroom?" Warrick asks, economizing his words.

Sara nods and gestures toward it. With her legs still wrapped around his waist, Warrick picks her up and starts walking in the direction she pointed. Sara can't help but muse that this is quickly becoming a trend.

But this time there are no cameras.

Sara lies in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Warrick is asleep behind her, his arm slung over her waist. She's been awake for awhile, pondering the consequences of what they've done. Again.

"Hey," Warrick says, his voice gravelly.

Sara rolls over to face him.

"You didn't hide in the bathroom this time," he said with a grin.

"No," she said, returning his smile. Then, with a serious turn, "But Warrick, I still don't know if this was a good idea. Either time."

"Because of Grissom?" he asks, matching her serious tone.

Sara sighs. She isn't sure how to answer that question because she's not sure she knows the answer herself. It seems like there are a million reasons that they shouldn't do this, and Grissom is only one. Actually, Grissom figures into two reasons. One being that he is their boss and seemingly frowns upon a personal relationship between them. The other reason is a more personal one, and Sara is sure that it's what Warrick is referring to now. She knows that her feelings for Grissom have not exactly been a secret amongst the team, and she knows that there has been speculation about his feelings in return. Sara had given up on him returning her feelings, but seeing his face when he saw the tape of her and Warrick together, she couldn't help but wonder. And she was sure others couldn't either.

"No need to answer, Sara, I can see it written all over your face," Warrick says, sitting up. Back turned to her, he slips his boxers back on and stands to look for the rest of his clothes.

"Warrick..."

"Sara," he interrupts, finding his pants and putting them on. "I don't regret what's happened between us, and I'm gonna lay it all out on the table here. I'm interested in seeing where this goes. I know it's complicated with us working together, but we're both adults here, I think we can handle it. You just have to decide if that's what you want. I know you and Grissom have some unresolved issues..."

Sara snorts at the understatement.

"...and you have to decide if this," he gestures between the two of them, "is what you want."

Sara nods. She's surprised by how blasé he seems, and wonders if there isn't a little bitterness beneath his words. But then he does have his pick of any number of women in Vegas, and maybe he would be able to respect her decision without any ramifications to their working relationship. She doesn't think it would be so easy for her.

Warrick sits back down on the bed beside her.

"I'm gonna head out," he says, "give you time to think."

"Okay," Sara says quietly. He leans over and kisses her softly, his lips lingering against hers for a long moment.

"But Sara," he says, standing back up. "I'm not gonna wait around forever."

Sara lies back down in her bed, watching as he leaves her room, tossing a "See ya" over his shoulder. When she hears her front door open and close, she lets out a long breath she seems to have been holding since Warrick woke up.

What the hell is she supposed to do now?

All she wants to do is to roll over and hide her head under her pillow. She wants to go back to sleep and wake up to find that a resolution has been found for her. She huffs a mirthless laugh and shakes her head at herself. She knows that she is the only person who can resolve this situation. She knows where things stand with Warrick, he's left her with a decision. And Grissom? She knows she has to have a conversation with him, but it's not something she's looking forward to.

Sara decides that whatever's going to happen, no good will come from her lounging in bed all day, so she gets up and heads to the shower. The almost too hot water feels good against the tension that's beginning to form in her body once more. Sex with Warrick left her relaxed and exhausted, but the sensation only lasted until she woke up and started thinking again. She wonders if she thinks too much.

Sara turns the shower off and towels off before slipping her robe on. It's ratty and faded blue, but the comfy terrycloth always makes her feel a little bit better. Her stomach growls as she brushes her hair, and she makes her way to the kitchen to make herself something to eat. As she stands in front of the fridge mulling over her options, she's surprised by a knock at the door. She wouldn't have thought that Warrick would have come back, but maybe he forgot something. She can't think of who else it might be.

When she opens the door, her surprise turns to shock.

"I'm sorry," Grissom says when he sees her state of undress. "This is a bad time."

"It's fine," she says, opening the door wider. "Come in."

Grissom stands there for a moment, looking uncomfortable. Sara raises her eyebrows expectantly. Finally he enters the apartment, looking like he has to force his body against its better judgment.

"I'm sorry," Grissom says, sitting down next to Sara at her breakfast bar. "I should have called first."

"It's just a bathrobe Grissom, it's not like I'm naked."

Grissom blanches, and Sara wonders if it's the image of her naked that upsets him, or the image of her naked with Warrick. She realizes then what a narrow escape she's had. If Grissom had shown up at her door half an hour earlier, Warrick would have still been in her bed.

"That's sort of what I came here to talk to you about."

"About me being naked?" she asks without trying to hide her surprise.

"Well, it relates."

Sara says nothing, waiting for him to continue. He's the one who came to her after all, she'll let him take the lead.

Grissom sighs and rubs his eyes, which draws Sara's attention to his appearance. It doesn't look like he's slept, and Sara feels a twinge of guilt.

"I want to talk to you about Warrick," he says.

"I figured as much."

"I don't think it's a good idea," he says quickly, as if wanting to get the words out while he's courageous enough to say them.

"Why not," she asks in a voice calmer than she feels.

"You work together," he says as if it should be obvious. "These things never work out."

"That's not true," she argues. She isn't so sure herself, but she's not going to let Grissom tell her so.

"Look, Sara, there's no rule against it, but..." he struggles with his words, and Sara doesn't let him off the hook. If this really is about the job and not about their personal relationship, she's not about to make this easy on him. He may be their boss, but he has no right to dictate what happens in their personal lives.

"But what?" She knows her tone is defensive, but she doesn't care.

"Sara, you're obviously not interested in what I have to say." He gets up from the stool and turns toward the door.

"Wait," Sara says, getting up. Grissom stops and turns to face her. "You're right, if you're here to tell me that you don't think I should be involved with Warrick because of the job, I'm not interested."

"And what if there were other reasons?" Grissom asks, not quite meeting her eye.

"What reasons?" she asks quietly.

Grissom looks up at her, his face anguished. He closes the distance between them and kisses her. Sara closes her eyes and leans into the kiss, needing to know if this is right. The kiss is nice, but after so many years of speculation, it's not quite what she thought it would be. The fireworks that she always thought would be there if she were ever to kiss Grissom are surprisingly absent. She can't help but compare the kisses she's shared with Warrick. Kisses that made her head spin. Kisses that made her clutch Warrick's broad shoulders just to keep standing. Mind-blowing, wonderful kisses. She pulls away and looks at Grissom. She's sure that she's completely readable, because his face registers an understanding. She's about to tell him that she's sorry when she hears a noise at the door. She turns in dread, knowing who it must be.

Warrick stands there, his mask of stoicism cracked. Whatever his words before, Sara can tell that he's upset now.

"I guess you've made your decision then," he says as he walks out and slams the door behind him.

TBC