Chapter 15

[Spoilers: Playing with Fire & The Hunger Artist (the perfect sleep bit)]

"How well do you know Gil and Sara?" Sheridan asked.

Brass sat back and unbuckled his seatbelt to get comfortable. "I've known Gil for around 14 years."

"He any good in a tight situation?"

"I'd say yes. Gil's not the type of guy to freak out. He looks for every answer before he has the question." Brass turned and looked at the FBI agent. "Why you asking me this now, you must have known this before asking him for the case?"

Sheridan shrugged. "I can feel a certain tension between those two. I can't put my finger on it."

"Oh." Brass grinned, and then chuckled. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

Thinking this could be good to know, Brass grabbed his Starbucks coffee. "Gil and Sara are one of a kind. They are what you'd call, in denial."

Sheridan stared ahead for a few minutes. "Guess that's why this seems a little unsettling at times-"

"But so natural at others." Brass finished with a firm nod. "They have to deal with it themselves, but you can tell the guys back at the lab, want this tension between those two, to be put to good use."

"Ah, I see." Sheridan chuckled. "They are the perfect couple to be in there then." He motioned to the front entrance to the hotel.

Brass nodded. "The best if you ask me."

Waiting a few minutes before speaking again, Sheridan ate his sub and washed it down with his coffee. "And Sara?"

Looking at the agent again, Brass shrugged. "I've only known Sara for around 5 years now. She was brought in from San Fran by Gil. A long time friend of his apparently."

"She's not going to blow her cover, is she?"

"Oh no, don't think that for a second. She's one of the most professional people other than Gil that I know. She wouldn't jeopardise a case." Brass insisted.

"Talking about the case," Sheridan sighed. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh yeah." Brass chuckled. "Sara's not well. She just needs some time to sleep before getting back to work."

"Ok, I guess that Gil's going to stay with her." At Brass' nod, the agent continued. "You suggest anything?"

"I did. We can put some of your guys in a room down from theirs to cover them and maybe come in to help them out. They need some help getting info on this guy and they're not qualified, let alone comfortable, breaking into other people's rooms without a warrant."

Sheridan agreed. "Not used to barging in." He sighed and rubbed his face. "I guess I can do that, what about the couples?"

"Well, they want to stay on the Grangers because they've already built a relationship with them." Brass explained. "The Gardners are two love birds that rarely exit their room, which could be a great opportunity for our suspect. No one would notice they were missing until the maid stops by."

"I think we can put someone in the room next door to the Gardners. A couple down the hall to Sara and Gil's and maybe some more guys on Jenkins. You never know when he might slip out."

Brass nodded. "Agreed. Gil and Sara haven't noticed your people yet, or they just haven't said anything. But knowing them like I do, they probably have." He chuckled good-naturedly.

"That's that then. There are three possible honeymoon-victims-to-be. Robert and Lucy Gardner, Allison and Sean Granger and lastly, Gil and Sara Grissom.

~*^**^*~

Sara tossed and turned as the cold that she was suffering from made sleep come more easily, but difficult to stay. She may have slept more easily had she known Grissom was sitting in the armchair keeping a watchful eye on her.

He could see she was uncomfortable and he wanted to change that, but he couldn't risk waking her up, so he sat in his chair staring at her and contemplating the stupid mistake he had made the night before. He chastised himself; Sara was suffering because of him, in more than ways than one.

-Why couldn't you just tell her? You know you love her too! You're such a fool-

At that, a knock came at the door, dragging him back to the real world, but he just sat and hoped they would leave.

The knock came again.

- Damn it, they're gonna wake Sara- he thought as he saw her stir, so he pulled himself from his position and trudged towards the door.

"Yes," he said, somewhat unenthusiastically as he opened the door, but decided he better brighten up when he saw who it was, "Sean, Allison, what can I do for you?"

"We just wondered if you and Sara were up for going to dinner, there's a new couple here we'd love you to meet." Allison said, enthusiasm brimming every word as always.

Grissom knew that this was a development for the case and that he should say yes, but the first time in his life he wasn't worried about the case, he had found something more important.

"Oh guys, that's really nice but Sara's not feeling too well right now, can we take a rain check." he said, hoping they wouldn't want to stay.

"Sure thing, give our best to Sara, maybe we'll see you tomorrow," Sean added.

"Yeah, bye." Grissom smiled, ending the conversation and closing the door.

"Who was that?" came a weak voice from the bedroom.

"Sean and Allison." Grissom said, approaching Sara who had started towards the door, "You need to rest." he said, gently applying pressure to her shoulders to make her sit.

"I'm fine." she protested, but sat anyway, surprised at the care Grissom was taking with her.

"That's what you always say, but you never are." he replied, remembering many occasions when she had been 'fine'.

"What did they want?" she enquired curios as ever.

"They asked us to dinner." he explained, "I said maybe tomorrow, that is if you're feeling better."

"You can go if you want, you don't have to stay here." she said laying back, feeling guilty for holding him back.

As if he could sense this, Grissom reassured her, "It's fine, crowds aren't my thing and how would it look if I left you here on your own?" he said trying to lighten the mood.

-It's always work with him- Sara sighed.

Grissom sensed that he had given the wrong impression and sat down next to her.

"I guess you're right." Sara agreed, unknowingly leaning against him, which wasn't unnoticed by Grissom, who stiffened a little at the feel of her.

"Do you want anything to drink?" he asked, desperate to help in any way.

"No!" she said a little too quickly as she felt him shift and start to move away. The truth was she'd kill for a drink but she didn't want him to go, she wanted to treasure this moment as long as she could.

Silence filled the room again as Sara struggled to stay awake and Grissom struggled with what to do next.

"Thank you." he heard Sara mumble.

"For what?" he answered confused.

"Looking after me," she replied. "You didn't have to and I know how this makes you uncomfortable, I appreciate it."

"What else would I do?" he said smiling down at her, causing her to melt inside and forget any problems that they had ever had, it took every inch of will power she could find not to kiss him.

"I'm sorry about last night," he finally added.

He stopped as though he had to carefully consider what was coming next,

"I know that you said that you don't want to be just friends and you can't imagine how happy that made me because I want to be with you too…."

Sara's heart started beating faster at this, finally he was admitting that he too had feelings for her, but she knew better than to get too excited, because she knew all too well that he could just as easily break her heart with his next words.

"But..." he continued.

Her heart exploded in her chest and she was on the verge of tears.

-BUT!!!- She screamed in her mind, -I hate that word-

"That's all I can offer right now, however..."

- At least it's not a but- Sara thought.

"If you're willing to wait, I promise I will try harder and one day, I'll give you what you want."

He looked down at her for the first time in what seemed like hours, his blue eyes looking as though they could see into her soul.

-Why isn't she saying anything?- he panicked, -I thought this was what she wanted-

And then he saw it, a smile, and she finally spoke, uttering a single word, "Okay."

"Okay??" he repeated.

"I'll wait," she clarified. "I know that I said before, that you might be too late but that was before I knew that you actually felt the same way, things are different know and even if I have to wait a lifetime, I will, it'll be worth it."

They stared at each other for minutes, wordlessly communicating years of unspoken emotions. He placed his arm around her shoulder and she rested against him. She closed her eyes and fell into a 'perfect sleep' in which she didn't have to worry about nightmares, nothing could bring her down now. She may not have Grissom fully but this was a start.

"I love you," Grissom whispered into the silence that surrounded him, feeling pleased with himself that he had had the courage to admit it.

-All I need to do now is say it when she's awake- he joked to himself. He rested his head on hers and for the first time in a long time, looked forward to the day ahead.


~*^*TBC*^*~