Chapter 17

The weeks turned into a month and then nearly two. Grissom and Sara fell into a routine. Each day started with Gill preparing breakfast for the couple. Afterwards they'd take a long walk on the beach or sit on the balcony and look out over the ocean. Lunch was usually at a small selection of local restaurants that they had adopted as favorites. In the afternoon they
would split up so that Grissom could check in with Nick while Sara caught up on her reading and worked on several papers she was preparing for publication. Occasionally they would work together if Brass called with a new lead in the Shadow case.

Sara and Grissom had not talked about what would happen when they returned to the real world. The fragility of their situation came crashing in one afternoon.

Gil was showering after an ocean swim when his cell phone rang. Sara considered not answering it but figured whoever was calling Grissom could just as easily talk to her. Besides it was most likely Nick and she hadn't talk to him in a few days.

The phone did not display the number calling. Sara spoke into the receiver.

"Hello"

"Yes may I speak with Gilbert please."

Gilbert? Must be a fed..

"He's not available right now may I take a message."

A soft sigh then the rich throaty voice again. "Can you please tell him that Heather called again? I must speak with him. He has the number."

Gil stepped out of the shower and hummed softly. He wrapped a towel around his waist and caught sight of his reflection in the mirror.

Gil Grissom you look positively happy. I wasted too much time. I won't waste another second.

He didn't know what had happened to the old Grissom but he hoped he would never see him again.

Grissom's buried his damp face in the crook of Sara's neck. "We got some time before dinner…" She tensed under his touch.

What the hell did I do?

Grissom racked his brain pulling up a mental rolodex of any possible relationship infractions. He was hapless when it came to woman but he couldn't have crewed things up already.

He sat next to her one the couch. "Are we about to have our first fight?"

"We are not having fight. We are having a discussion."

Suspicion tangoed in his eyes." What's the difference?"

"It's a fine line. You know like between worry and concern."

"Ah"

"Heather called while you were in the shower."

"Shit"

The curse surprised her. She had expected him to receive the news coolly. She had even wondered if he would try to explain. Maybe Heather was his reality and she was what, his fling?

He rubbed his beard dejectedly. He was trying to decide how best to proceed.

"What did she say?" Gil was trying to buy time.

Sara would not be dissuaded. "Why don't you tell me what is exactly going on Gil."

The silence bounced between them.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. I told you that Heather and I go out on occasions."

"You know I never did ask. What does on occasion mean?"

"About once a week."

Color faded from her tanned face. Going out once a week wasn't casual. Going out once a week was a regularity found in relationships. He reached for her hands and tried to find her eyes with his.

"Honey?"

"Are you in a relationship with this woman?"

"No! Heather and I date…dated casually."

"Lillian said that you'd only been to Heather's once." The throaty contralto of her voice faded and he wondered at how fast she processed the information. "You only spent a night at the dominatrix."

"Yes."

"So on these weekly dates, how do they end?"

Sara felt a sharp pressure from Grissom's hands.

The sadness in his eyes nearly broke him. "Sara."

"Gil I have been sharing your bed, your life and I have no idea who you are. I asked you a direct question and you tap danced around it before and you are doing the same thing now. I feel like I'm talking to a suspect."

His hands refused to let hers go. He tried to say the next words as lightly as possible but failed miserably. "You're right. Heather and I were sleeping together until she went to Europe."

"Gil! The first time we slept together we didn't use a condom. You have been having sex with a dominatrix! What the hell!"

"Sara listen to me."

Her head turned away from him. She pushed back sobs as she walked from the room.

Grissom jumped as the phone rang. Sara had been in her room for two hours and refused to answer his pleas.

"Yeah!"

Catherine's amused words filled the line. "You 911ed grumpy. What's wrong?"

"Sara won't come out of the other bedroom."

"The other bedroom, apparently I missed something."

Grissom had not had time to tell Catherine or Warrick about all that had developed between him and Sara. Their calls back and forth had mostly been about work and the Bloodworth case. He caught her up on the events of the last weeks.

"Have you lost your mind Gil! You have been in love with this woman for a decade and you screw it up by neglecting to tell her about an ongoing relationship with a sex worker. If I were there right now I swear…"

Grissom pleaded with is friend. "I told her that Heather and I dated. She was already mad enough at me when we had leave town. What was I supposed to say? I had no idea that we would start sleeping together on this trip."

Catherine mumbled something about stupid men and "Just like Warrick Brown's whore ass" under her breath.

"Can you just concentrate on my relationship please?" Gil said as he kept Sara's door in view.

"Gil as soon as it even looked like you were going to sleep together you should have told her."

"I know that Catherine but I can't change that. What do I do?"

He could see Catherine prioritizing. "First, call Heather and explain that all bets are off when she gets back into the country. She has to understand that there will be no more footsie between the two of you. That way you can go to Sara showing her that you are sorry for keeping her in the dark. Heather can contact Brass if she needs to talk about the case. Second, you have to grovel. I know that you aren't exactly good at that but you are going to have to do some down on your knees begging. You need to go the whole way, flowers, jewellery. No expense is too much and Gil this is probably the most important part, you have to be relentless. She might not talk to you tonight, or tomorrow or the next day but you have cannot give up. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yeah Sis."

Her last comment came out like a drill sergeant. "I'll call you in the morning to see how it's going."

Grissom looked at the clock on his phone. It would be past almost one in the morning Heather's time. His fingers tapped out the number.

"Greetings."

"It's me."

"Gilbert what exactly is going on? One of my clients told me that Interpol is following me and it has something to do with you and Jarvis Bloodworth."

It occurred to Gil that Heather would have seen Jarvis Bloodworth and known the resemblance. He asked her about it.

Her answer came plainly. "Truth Gil? I was a bit disturbed by it. After the first time he and his wife came in, I let Lillian handle them and there was his wife's resemblance to the fair Ms. Sidle."

"How do you know what Sara looks like?"

"Down boy. We saw her and that luscious Mr. Stokes at the symphony. Remember they were too far away to see us. I was glad that we couldn't get close to them that night because I was very afraid for that young man's life."

"You knew?"

"Gilbert you spent the rest of the evening scowling and being petulant. You were very cute and I think I was very jealous. The last thing I wanted to do was to point out that you and she bore a striking resemblance to a couple that was head over heels in love for one another. It was very small of me. I knew I would loose you eventually for one reason or another. I just wanted you to myself for a time. Are you surprised?"

"Yes Heather I am."

"Was that the fair Ms. Sidle who took my call?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry. I thought it was Catherine. I spoke before I thought."

"Very unlike you Heather."

"Indeed. That seems to be a pattern where you are concerned. Is the sex good? No wait is it phenomenal?" Lady Heather laughed. She could just see him shaking his head at her.

"You know that Gil I was really not a very good friend to you."

"How's that?"

"We see men and women everyday who hide themselves from the person they love. We make our living because of it. I allowed you to come to me and to hide from Sara. From the first time we were together I knew that was what you were doing. I hate to use a trite wording but most men somehow separate the whore in the bedroom from the woman that they love in the glare of daylight. I told you long ago that it's not the people like the Bloodworths that scare me. It's everyone else leading double lives that I worry about. That's who the murderers are not. I have seen that Ms. Sidle one or another time. We were at the same firing range on one occasion. She was there with a gorgeous African American gentleman. Really where does CSI recruit, Playgirl? I digress. They were talking about you for a few minutes, something about work and I caught the look in her eyes."

"What look?"

"The same look that Leigh Bloodworth has. The look that says you can push the limits with her, that says you can do almost anything with her, too her."

He listened to bells ring somewhere on Heather's end. "I called to say goodbye."

"I know. Do you want me to talk to Sara?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

"I understand and what should I do about this Interpol business."

"They are watching you for your own protection so just let them do their jobs. I take it your client in Spain will tell you if anything changes?"

"Yes."

"You should call Brass before you return to States."

"Well I guess I should let you get back to the fair Ms. Sidle. Have a good life Gilbert."

"Heather"

"Yes."

"I hope you find someone that makes you happy."

Her voice cracked as she uttered "Thank You."

Sara had fallen into a fitful sleep behind her locked door. Her dreams were tormented with pictures of a mocking Lady Heather and Gil. She woke around 1 am, hungry and still in her clothes.

The kitchen was well stocked thanks to a shopping spree that she and Grissom had gone on during their second day in the state. She opened the door tentatively and saw that the other bedroom door was closed. Sara passed through a dark living room into the kitchen where she constructed a veggie wrap and opened a 7UP. The lights over the kitchen table hung low and Sara bumped her head when she heard the voice through the darkness
Grissom called her name as she moved and turned on the light. Where had he been? She was sure he hadn't been in the living room.

A lit cigarette dangled from his hand and a half full pack peeked out of his shirt pocket. Just under the light switch was a half full glass of something clear.

When was the last time he had smoked? It had to be at least seven or eight years and even then it had only been a lapse.

"Gil you shouldn't be smoking."

What do you care? Let him kill himself. He put you at risk.

He threw the cigarette onto the open balcony. A bare foot went to stub it out.

"Gil!"

He closed sliding glass door and stared across the room at her. "I am not going away you know."

"I didn't ask you to go away. You live here too."

"That's not what I am talking about and you know it."

She bit into her wrap and chewed.

The next time she heard his voice he was standing directly over her. She took another bite. "Sweetheart, will you please listen to me?"

Why was he even talking to her? Making sure I will still have sex with him. God help me, I probably will.

Her throat was raw from crying and the bubbles of the soda were oddly soothing as they went down. "Gil, you put my life at risk."

"No I didn't. I never slept with anyone else without a condom and CSIs get AIDS tests every six weeks."

Grissom's face came into view. "I should have told you everything about Heather as soon as I saw that we were turning a corner. It was stupid and foolish and motivated by fear."

She put the half eaten wrap down on her plate. "Never?"

Head shake no, "Ever in my entire sexual history."

She still didn't have the guts to ask the tough question but he said it for her. "I talked to
Heather. She won't be calling me anymore. Sara I didn't lie to you. It was never serious.

She slapped his hand as he snatched a yellow pepper from her plate. "Get your on food Dr. Stewart."

"Well Mrs. Stewart I thought that Leigh told you that you were supposed to take care of me. Doesn't that involve a snack in the middle of the night?"

Amusement turned up the corners of her wide mouth. "Last time I ever share girl talk with you."

She pushed the plate towards him and went into the kitchen. In a few minutes she returned with another wrap.

Grissom pulled her into his lap. "Don't I get my own?"

"Okay now you are pushing it." Her body squirmed as he pulled up her shirt and kissed the bare skin of her back.

"I am very sorry."

'I know."