Disclaimer: All right everyone, sing along… "I don't own CSI, its characters, or anything associated with the show. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is the sole property of CBS and Alliance Atlantis." This document was written purely based on the fact that my muse will not stop nagging me. For the entertainment of you folks only.

Spoiler: Unbearable

A/N: Well, this is the final chapter. This fic was solely written to get both Sara and Grissom to the scene at the end of Chapter 17. I mean, how heartbreaking was that?

Well, hey, I thought it was heartbreaking. So now here's the chapter to get Sara and Grissom on common ground, so that they can have a relationship together. Following this chapter is a little epilogue, something I thought would be funny. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this. Thank you for your kind reviews.

"Let me take you home," Grissom said quietly to Sara while helping her to her feet.

He felt drained, and he was sure that Sara was most likely feeling the same way. Emotional release tends to do that, making you feel hollow and empty until your mind can cope with the realization of what occurred. Plus, his knees were starting to hurt.

Grissom guided her to the passenger seat, where she settled in quietly. He then adjusted the driver's seat to fit his height, and drove away quietly.

Luck was with him in one regard, it seemed nobody had witnessed their display in the parking lot.

Grissom was uncomfortable with the silence. Fear and uncertainty were beginning to build in the back of his mind, the hollow feeling receding. What happens now?

Once they arrived at her apartment, he walked her to her door. As she unlocked it, Grissom waited to see if she would invite him in. He wanted desperately to talk with her, reassure her that everything he'd said was true, and, most importantly, reach an agreement about what they would do next.

If they were going to have a relationship, a real relationship, they needed to talk about the risk factors. Work being the highest priority. The need to stabilize the chaos was prevalent in his mind.

Sara paused when he didn't follow her inside, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. Grissom shrugged shyly and Sara must have taken pity on him, because her expression changed to one more hospitable.

"You can come inside, Grissom," she said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

He entered and stood while she went to the kitchen. He heard her opening the refrigerator, and pouring herself something to drink.

"Would you like anything?" she called.

"A glass of water or juice would be good, thank you."

Grissom's awkwardness was compounding. As she brought him a glass of water, he sighed and said, "Thank you. We should talk."

Sara smiled at him, and touched him lightly on his arm. His smile was automatic, and she motioned to the sofa.

"Have a seat."

Grissom sat and as Sara sat next to him, he put his untouched glass of water on the coffee table.

He turned to her, and found her smiling at him. But her look was one of compassion rather than wanton desire. She reached out and held his hand. Her touch was comforting. At least she's somewhat happy I'm here.

"So," Sara said matter-of-factly, "you love me."

He sighed, "Yes, I do. I have now for a while, although I didn't recognize it."

He met her eyes openly.

"What I feel is an overwhelming need to have you in my life. I don't want to… no, I can't live my life without you in it. I admit it, and I also admit that it is pretty selfish on my part. But I won't deny it. That is how I feel."

"You really hurt me, Grissom. You toyed with my emotions, and you never gave me a straight answer. You are going to have to understand that I can't forget that."

Sara's voice was stern, but she hadn't let go of his hand.

He looked away. "I know."

"You realize," Sara stated, "that if I didn't know how to sign, I would not have understood what you said. And I would have left the lab. Permanently."

"Yes." He paused for a moment, wanting her to know that he felt badly about his inability to communicate his feelings. But his curiosity was piqued about her newfound skill.

"When did you learn? Where? Why?"

It was Sara's turn to look away in embarrassment. He saw her cheeks flush slightly.

"I took an adult education ASL class on Monday nights at Western Las Vegas University. It actually ends this Monday. "

Sara sighed. "Look, I'll be honest, okay? Because realistically, I'm going to have to be if this is going to work." She let go of his hand to gesture between the two of them.

"My counselor, her name is Dr. Velez, she recommended two things for me. One was to do something new, just for me, and the other was to do something as an "outlet for my empathy"."

"You won't believe how many times I heard that outlet line before I started volunteering at the shelter. Anyways, when I saw what classes were offered, I had this great idea that I could learn to sign, andthen I could volunteer at an organization that helped people, I was thinking the elderly, who were deaf. Kill two birds with one stone, so to say. Dr. Velez thought that was okay, but wanted me volunteering right away. She kept nagging, and I wound up at the women's shelter."

"Now that I'm there, Ms. Ellen thinks I should be responsible for the cases we get where the client is deaf. Kind of like an interpreter, but not really, since it will most likely be a one-on-one session between me and the client."

"Do you remember that case we had, with that deaf boy, and that director said it was an 'us' vs. 'them' thing? I felt horrible about that for weeks. It shouldn't have been that way. Warrick and I… well, I… judged that woman and it was wrong. I figured I could make up for it."

Sara held her head down a bit, admitting the real reason she chose the ASL class.

"Plus, I know you sign. I don't know why you sign, but you must know it for a reason."

"My mother is deaf, Sara." Grissom said quietly.

"Oh."

"She has a hereditary condition, called otosclerosis. It affects the ossicles, the bones, in your middle ear, causing gradual and permanent hearing loss. I have it too, and I've had surgery to correct it. But it is possible that one day I will become deaf as well."

Sara was quiet as he told her this, her demeanor changing to one more pensive.

"I didn't know."

"I know. I didn't tell you. I… I thought you would think less of me." Grissom said honestly.

Sara looked at him, her eyes reflecting hurt again. "You really thought that?"

"Yes, I did. Like I told you before, I really don't think I'm what's best for you."

"And I told you," Sara replied firmly, "that it isn't up to you to decide that!"

She stared at him, and he met her gaze, the two of them not speaking as a small contest of wills erupted around them.

And as shortly as it started, it ended. Sara laughed.

"Okay. So we'll agree to disagree on that one for a while." And much to Grissom's surprise, she leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She also didn't back away, and Grissom found himself getting distracted by having her so close to him.

She sighed, and leaned against him. He put his arm around her, almost instinctively. It was a nice feeling.

"See, this isn't so bad," she said quietly. Sara raised her head up to look at him, and he looked down at her, and he couldn't help but kiss her again, lightly and slowly.

When they broke away, she looked at him, and whispered, "Hi."

"Hi."

She kissed him this time, a little more passionately, and Grissom's determination to talk things out began to dwindle. More interesting ideas were forming in his mind.

Sara smiled and backed away from him, her eyes twinkling devilishly. Grissom suspected she knew the effect she was having on him.

"We should talk about work," he said firmly.

"Work doesn't need to know, Grissom. I can be professional about it. So can you."

"Sara, eventually they are going to find out."

"Not really," she replied confidently. "As long as we don't come into work or leave work together, there is no reason anyone should suspect anything. I won't treat you differently, as long as you don't treat me differently."

"You don't think that everyone will notice the… the change in us? Our behavior?"

"Are you anticipating changing into someone else, Mister Grissom?"

"Well, no. But you, m'dear, are going to be.. dare I say… pleasant?"

Sara lifted herself away from him and gave him a light punch in the arm.

"Who says I'm not pleasant now? Don't flatter yourself there, either, Romeo." She was laughing. "And since you've been so oblivious, I'll let you know that I get along a lot better with everyone in the lab now. It's just you that aggravates me."

"Well, the feeling is indeed mutual," Grissom taunted her.

"Look." Sara's tone was serious. "They can suspect all they want, but if we don't give them any concrete evidence, then they have nothing. The worst that will happen is that we'll spend a lot of time at each other's apartments, rather than going out in public." With that she gave him a saucy look.

"I guess that's not so bad," he leered at her. His expression changed when he realized that she had most likely planned this out a while ago.

"You've thought about this, haven't you."

"Yes, I have." Sara was honest. "And if you're really concerned, we can keep our vehicles at home and one will pick up the other. Or we use taxis. Although, I think that's a little extreme. I would hope that people have better things to do with their time than spy on us."

"Sara… you'd be surprised."

"I know… people are just scary sometimes." She waited a moment before continuing.

"So, Grissom, it can be done. Without the lab knowing. And if eventually everyone does figure it out, we have a track record of not letting our relationship affect our jobs. That is, assuming we don't end this beforehand."

She shot him a look that he couldn't understand.

"Sara… I have no idea how to go about doing this." Grissom decided it was time to be blunt.

"I'll be honest, as well. I haven't been in a relationship for a very long time. They are… complicated and until now, they weren't worth the effort."

He took both of her hands in his. He wanted her to know he was serious. "But, now… it is. It has to be. I wasn't happy with the way things were. I tried that route. Now, it's time to try a different one."

"I can almost guarantee you that I'll make mistakes, and you'll probably want to smack me. But I need you, and I'll need you to be patient with me while I figure out how to make this work for us."

She sighed and squeezed his hands lightly. "I can't guarantee anything either. My relationships with men don't tend to work out well. I think I'm a little stubborn sometimes."

"A little?" Grissom chided.

"Okay, so… a lot." She stared at him, suddenly serious. "This is going to be difficult, Grissom. Are you sure you want to do this?"

He met her eyes. "I have to, Sara. I… I love you."

He watched her eyes fill with tears, and he pulled her close to him. Jesus. I've never felt so scared in my life. This has to work!

She broke away gently after a minute, wanting to speak to him again. She wiped her eyes, a tad frustrated with herself.

"God, I'm such a mess."

"I don't mind," Grissom said gently.

"So what happens now? We date, like normal people?"

Grissom smiled. "No, we date like us." He sat up straight on the sofa.

"I would like to see you, Sara. Would you care to have dinner with me tomorrow afternoon? Say around 6 o'clock? I will pick you up here, at your apartment, and bring you to mine."

She smiled at him, "That would be lovely. I accept your offer."

She then frowned slightly, remembering something.

"You should know, that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I am at the shelter until work. I won't give that up. I need it."

"I wouldn't ask you to." Grissom didn't want her changing her routine for him.

"One dinner," he said pointedly. "And beyond that, well, we'll just have to see what happens."

"Agreed," Sara replied. "But I do want us to be honest, okay? And to talk? If it isn't working out, then you need to let me know."

Grissom's tone was somber. "I will. Please… let me know as well."

"Don't worry, you'll get an earful." She smiled at him. "Have you ever known me to hold back?"

Grissom laughed, "No. Never."

"So no worries there. Now, is there anything else you feel we should talk about? Anything on your mind that we haven't covered? Other than the fact that we're both insane?"

"Yes, actually. There is one thing."

"Oh," Sara's face was curious. "What's that?"

Grissom pulled her against him, and kissed her, hard. She looked a little dizzy when he raised his head to meet her eyes.

"We need to talk about you, and all these clothes…"

- THE END - (unless you want to go read the Epilogue)