A/N: This challenge response was supposed to be posted earlier but do to some major changes I'm posting it now. It's based on the rumors for one of the future episodes this season. I guess you can also consider it a late Valentine's Day story. I'm way over the word limit again but I didn't want to cram it all up and be left with a meaningless plot. Also if you find any spelling/grammar mistakes please let me know so I can correct them. Thank you for reading.
SPOLIERS: 1-Burden of Proof, 5-the future episodes.
DISCLAIMER: All the characters are owned by Anthony E. Zuiker, the CBS Worldwide Inc. & Alliance Atlantis Corp. The purpose of this story is purely for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.
SUMMARY: A wrong assumption leads to a confrontation of sorts. GS
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"I believe that an apology is in order."
Grissom looked up from the piles of paperwork that seemed to have been growing with every minute and blinked confusedly at the image of Sara Sidle staring him down. The fact that she closed the door and locked it on her way in suddenly filled him with dread.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5… He counted the steps that were bringing her closer to his desk.
With a swift motion his glasses were off on his desk and a blank expression was set on his face.
"Excuse me?" he said as Sara sat down on the extra chair.
For a moment it seemed like she was contemplating something and Grissom waited for an explanation, getting even more confused by the minute.
Then the intimidating glare was back in place and she leaned toward him, her hands gripping the edges of his desk.
"Well?" she finally said in expectation.
Grissom's brows furrowed in confusion as he asked, "Well, what?"
"Don't I get some kind of an apology?" she asked.
"And what exactly am I supposed to be apologizing for?"
"Oh come on, Grissom. I didn't think you'd be that dense. Today at the debriefing you glared at me constantly and then you gave Greg a decomp in the desert to work solo! You figure it out."
She crossed her hands in defiance, the glare never leaving her face.
Five hours ago…
Grissom was passing the break room when he heard laughter from the inside. He stopped in the doorway and was about to come in when a voice belonging to Greg Sanders happily exclaimed, "This was like a dream come true. I can't believe we showered together, Sara."
Grissom visibly paled. What!
He decided that what he heard was enough and turned angrily to come face to face with Hodges.
"Something the matter, boss?" Hodges asked, with a not so innocent expression.
Grissom just glared at him and said, "Nothing, Get back to work, Hodges."
With that he stalked off in a huff and locked himself in the dark confines of his office.
"There's nothing to figure out, Sara." Grissom gritted out after remembering what happened earlier.
"You know that with Sofia out of the picture we're backlogged on cases and considering we had two to work on tonight, it was logical that someone had to work solo, even him. Besides he passed the proficiency test and he's more than capable of working alone. Frankly if he's that worried about decomps then maybe he should have stayed in the lab."
"This is not about that damn decomp!" Grissom flinched at the angry tone in her voice. It almost felt like a déjà vu. He remembered the time when she threatened to leave and he asked if it was about the raw meat he asked her to get rid of.
"No it's not about that stupid hamburger thing…!"
Actually come to thing of it, she wore the same expression on her face as the one she had three years ago.
"Then what is it about?" he asked.
"It's about you and your quirks. I can't do this anymore, Grissom! I'm fed up with your personality changes. One week you're all dependable and friendly to everyone and the next you're cold and distant and you're angry at Greg because of some silly notion that got stuck in your head."
As usual, Grissom was at loss for words.
She snorted. "Talk about being a hypocrite. No emotional involvement my ass."
"W-What?" he managed to croak out, surprised at her wording.
"Oh don't act dumb when you're not. Hodges told me about what happened." She said.
Grissom gulped. "What exactly did he tell you?"
She got out of the chair and approached him slowly with a grace of a cat. He watched wearily as she moved around his desk until she was out of his sight. He panicked for a moment and the panic intensified when he felt her hands move on his shoulders.
"What are you—"he started but was silenced with her hand on his mouth. He almost shuddered at the sensations that ran through him when he felt her warm breath tickling his earlobe.
"Shh, I'll do the talking right now and you'll listen. Okay?" she said softly.
He nodded and she removed her hand, turning his chair to look at him.
Their eyes locked and Sara had to look away from the intensity to keep her ability to speak.
She sighed. "I was dropping of evidence in the lab when Hodges asked me if I would be willing to shower with him, since I seem to have a habit of showering with my co-workers."
She flinched at the memory and continued, "Then he said he better not since hearing about me and Greg was bad enough for you and that he wouldn't want to get you any angrier than you already were. He said that jealously doesn't become of you."
"I—"he tried to say something but was silenced again with her finger on his lips. She leaned forward and her hand ended up on his thigh for support.
A voice in her head was screaming at her to remove it but she ignored it. He needed to be shaken up a little.
"I just want to explain a few things. The case we were working on the day before…well let's just say the things got complicated and before we knew it the HazMat guys took over the scene and escorted us into quarantine. There we had to get rid of the potential radioactive chemicals and in order to do that we had to use their specialized showers. We did share a shower but with our clothes on. And there was nothing sexual about it. It was more of an annoying experience. And let me tell you something about Greg. He sings TV show themes in the shower." She smiled. "Happy Days was on his repertoire this time."
Grissom couldn't help but smile back. There was something hypnotizing in the way that she smiled.
"So are we okay?" she asked hopefully.
He nodded, his gaze focused on the hand on his thigh.
"And you are going to apologize to Greg, when he comes back?"
"Yes."
She noticed his eyes were looking down and just then she realized that her hand was still on his thigh.
She was about to move it but Grissom stopped her, gently grabbing her wrist.
They locked eyes again and spent a few moments in silence, his hand never leaving her wrist.
She licked her lips, her heart beating madly in her chest. Grissom didn't feel any more different than her and he could imagine his pulse going 95 in a matter of seconds.
Sara didn't remember how she ended up sitting in his lap, while his hand massaged her back.
Grissom was staring at her lips and before they knew it, they were pressed against each other. His hands on her thighs, hers in his hair, while their tongues moved in the rhythm of the new lovers' dance. The years of subdued passion finally broke onto the surface and the aftermath was unstoppable.
Finally the desperate need for oxygen made them break apart, but their foreheads remained linked, their breaths mingled from their close proximity.
"Wow," she breathed out, grinning happily.
"Yeah," he grinned back, feeling like a crazed teenager.
"That was really…something." She remarked.
"We should do that again sometime." He offered, his finger trailing down her lips.
She laughed softly and then she looked toward the door as if realizing for the first time where they really were.
"We should. Um…" she said.
"Ugh, yeah," he said and helped her up.
"Well, I-I'm glad we cleared things up. I better go check up on Greg."
"Yeah, I'll see you later."
She nodded and remembering something she added, "Oh and Griss? "
"Yes?"
"You know there's nothing to worry about, right?" she asked with a hopeful expression.
"I know." He managed a small smile in reassurance that he indeed trusted her.
She grabbed the handle in attempt to leave but the door wouldn't budge.
"I distinctly remember you locking it before." He offered with a grin.
"Really? Must have slipped my mind." She retorted with a smirk as she worked on the lock.
"I didn't know I had such an affect on your mind." He said dryly.
"Makes you wonder. Doesn't it?" she said and left before he had a chance to respond.
Much later when she walked down the hallway in search of Greg, she stopped inside the break room doorway in surprise. The sight that greeted her was stunning and…beautiful. There were at least five dozen long-stemmed red roses placed in big vases on the break room table.
She saw him sitting in one of the chairs, reading some musical magazine. He looked up and smiled widely at her.
She walked into the room and asked, "What is all this?"
His smile turned sheepish. "If you meant the flowers, I got no idea. I just got here five minutes ago. You should check for a card." he suggested.
Sara nodded and checked the vases for some kind of card but she found none.
Though, she had a pretty good idea who her secret admirer was.
As if on cue, her beeper went off, breaking the silence in the room.
She unclipped it from her belt and raised it up to read the message.
Sorry about the cliché' but I couldn't help myself. I had a new shower installed some time ago and I was wondering if you'd like to try it out. I might even join you later. GG
She smiled and typed in an answer. I might take you up on that offer. SS
Greg looked up from his magazine and noticed her smiling. "What's with the happy face? You found the card?" he asked.
"No, ugh…" she muttered as she struggled to think of an excuse for her behavior.
Finally, she showed him her beeper and said, "Male DBfound in the woods. Grissom wants me to check it out."
He shook his head and muttered in amusement, "It figures, you getting giddy over something like that. You're so predictable."
She just smiled at him as if to say 'if you only knew' and left.
Greg watched her go as he picked on the rose petals. He gathered them in his palm and took a look outside through the open window.
A few minutes later, something on the parking lot caught his attention. Grissom and Sara were walking in the direction of Grissom's Denali. When they reached the car, Grissom's hand reached hers almost as if on its own accord and squeezed it before they both went inside. Soon the car pulled off and drove away leaving the half empty parking lot.
"Maybe not so predictable." Greg muttered as the breeze blew the petals across the floor.
The End