DISCLAIMER : I don't own CSI nor it's characters. Everything belongs to the brains behind this wonderful show. Props go out to them. :D

AUTHOR'S NOTE : Coming up next another chapter that witnesses Sara singing. I'm still choosing which song(s) to use.

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CHAPTER XI

Arriving at their B&E, Sara saw that Warrick and Grissom had been there before her. Warrick came out of the house just as she stepped in and gave her a nod, indicating that he was doing the perimeter.

Seeing Grissom standing by the bedroom door in apparent conversation with Jim Brass, Sara moved carefully towards their direction.

"Hey Sara," Brass greeted her warmly as soon as she got beside him. She gave him a small smile and a wave before peering inside the room.

"What do we have?" Sara asked throwing her question to no one in particular.

"Male DB, mid-forties, gun shot to the head..." it was Brass who answered her.

"Wait a minute, I thought we had a B&E..." Sara interrupted.

"The call was a B&E but first officer on the scene found Mr..." Brass checked his notes and continued, "Mr. Patch like this."

"B&E gone bad?" Sara offered.

"That's what you guys are here to find out." Brass smiled at her.

"So Griss," Sara looked at her supervisor's turned head, wondering why he hasn't said one word to her yet, "Where do you want me?"

Grissom's head whipped around to stare at her, confusion apparent in his eyes.

"Excuse me?" Grissom asked. Brass was now officially amused at Grissom.

"Where do you want me to work?" Sara explained, quite confused herself. "Do you want me to work the living room, the bedroom or the body?"

"Oh," Grissom snapped out of his confusion. "Why, ummm, why don't you process the bedroom, I'll do the body."

Sara just nodded and stepped fully into the room and started working. Meanwhile, Grissom felt Brass lean in and heard him whisper on his ear, "Well, that caught you off guard eh? Thinking dirty thoughts?"

Grissom pulled back to look squarely at Jim Brass. His friend just smiled at him and pointed to Sara. Grissom allowed himself to look at Sara's bent form, his mind started wandering then and he was brought back by Brass' chuckle.

Grissom gave Brass a sardonic look and walked up to the dead body and started processing. He tried to ignore Sara's presence as much as he can but occasionally caught himself looking at her. While Sara was processing the different articles that were on the victim's closet, Grissom took in the sight of her, standing there, concentration prominent on her face.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Jim Brass stared at the figures of the two CSI's working the scene. He had seen Grissom steal a couple of furtive glances at Sara. A smile played at Brass' lips. Grissom. That man was bizarre. Yes, he'd known this guy for years, yet there are still some things that could take him aback. This setting was a classic example.

He knew that Grissom held a candle for Sara. Hell, he'd been carrying a torch for years now. Yet, here he is, stepping back and just watching. It didn't take a genius to know that they both had the hots for each other. The night shift CSIs had found the flirting relationship Grissom and Sara had quite fascinating. But things have been different, they have been for weeks.

The smile on his face had been replaced by a frown. Analyzing Grissom and Sara's relationship would crack even Einstein's brain. No one could understand why these two were not together. Sara was almost like Grissom's clone. She had the same passion for her work as Grissom would. She would give him a run for his money when it came to stacking up hours of overtime. They were perfect for each other.

"What the hell is wrong with these two?" Brass thought, his frown deepening. "Oh yes, the dinner rejection. Yes Jim, how can you forget something like that?"

Brass has not been an official member of the Crime Lab for years, but when you think of it, he spent most of his time there. It wasn't surprising that he knew more gossip about the lab than about the police department. And what's the lab gossip without the ever present "What's up with Grissom and Sara" issue? Of course they all knew about the dinner rejection. Brass' initial reaction upon hearing the news was shock. Sara had offered Grissom an easy way to move their relationship forward and he had rejected it? Brass would have given everything for a chance like that. He had often wondered what went through Gil's mind. He had meant to discuss it with him, but after that incident, Grissom had taken a couple of weeks off.

His return surprised most of the team, except Sara, who by then seemed devoid of any emotion when it came to Grissom. Grissom returned to work with a beard and a different air about him. Brass couldn't exactly put his finger into it.

Brass caught Grissom look at Sara once again. This time he seemed to have been fixated by her though. Brass shook his head. The uneasiness between these two has definitely wrecked havoc on their relationship ... friendship, or whatever they called it these days. He fervently wished that Grissom would act on repairing what is rapidly a straining relationship / friendship / whatever before things really become irreparable. He didn't like seeing Sara like this. It had been ages since he had a really good conversation with Sara. She had distanced herself, not only from Brass, but as he had just learned, from the rest of the guys as well.

Brass couldn't fathom how Grissom could stand to watch Sara like this. Brass shook his head once more and decided to check up on Warrick.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sara could feel his eyes on her. She tried to shrug it off, passing it down to his need to check up on his CSI's performance, but this was lasting a little too long for that. Sara was now growing nervous.

Grissom didn't need to do much to get Sara's pulse racing. He only ever needed to say her name softly and she could at once feel her insides melt, though that hasn't happened for a long time now. These days, her name on his lips would come out as a warning to her.

She tried her best to act as if she didn't exist in the room. She continued to process the closet, noting that some articles of clothing have been moved aside to make, what looked like a space for a person to stand in. She reached for her kit to take out the necessary tools to take finger prints off the inside of the closet door. After a couple of seconds, she successfully lifted a couple of good prints.

Turning her attention from the closet to the other items in the room, she took some photos of them and inspected them closely.

She spent a good amount of time being thorough, taking down notes, taking pictures of significant things and retrieving evidence while feeling Grissom's eyes on her from time to time. When she had decided there was no more she could do here, she turned to Grissom, who was still bent over the body, inspecting it closely.

"Ummm, Griss?" Sara spoke softly. She wasn't sure if Grissom would hear her, but apparently he did as he turned his head towards her. "I'm done here. If you don't need me for anything else I'm heading back to the lab to check these in for processing."

Grissom just nodded at this. There was nothing he really could say. Her words were a statement and were not asking for permission.

"I'll see you back at the lab." Grissom finally said.

Sara gave him a weak smile and turned towards the door when she heard him call her name out.

"Sara ..." Grissom straightened up, "Umm... drive carefully."

Sara raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure what that meant exactly. She merely acknowledged that she heard him, walked out to her car and drove off.