A/N: I wrote this chappie in my head this morning while getting my massage. I hope it comes out as well on paper as it did in my head.:) Seriously, I want to thank everyone for the amazing reviews I have been getting. I started out as an English lit/political science major in college, but I really haven't written anything at all since I switched majors nearly 6 years ago. It's nice to know I can still slop something halfway decent down! :)
Sara took a deep breath as she exited her Tahoe. Looking up at the modern building that housed the Center for Sports Medicine, she wondered what could possibly be waiting for her inside those walls. She glanced down at her watch. Ten 'till 11. Now or never. She walked through the automatic sliding doors to find a bright spacious reception area. As she approached the large check-in counter, an attractive twentysomething brunette glanced up. "May I help you?" she asked with a smile.
"Umm...I hope so. I'm looking for Amy."
The young woman grinned. "Ahh. You must be Miss Sidle."
Sara gave a half-smile. "Yes. Yes, I am. I have no idea why I'm here, though. All I was told was to ask for Amy."
"Well, I'm Amy, and I'm going to take you back to Elizabeth, who will be taking care of you today. Follow me."
Sara raised an eyebrow and followed Amy down a long hallway to what looked like an employee lounge. She poked her head in the door and addressed a petite redhead. "Hi, Elizabeth, this is Sara. She's here for her 11:00 appointment. Sara, this is Elizabeth, the finest massage therapist we have on staff here"
'Massage?!' thought Sara wildly. 'What the hell?'
Elizabeth flashed a brilliant smile, making her green eyes sparkle. "Sara! It's nice to meet you. I've been looking forward to this all day. Please, follow me." As Sara followed Elizabeth out the door, she glanced back at Amy, who grinned and winked. "See you later, Sara," she said.
Sara was flat-out intrigued now. She followed Elizabeth a little further down the hall. Elizabeth turned and opened a door, stepping back to allow Sara to enter first. Sara stepped through the doorway into a dim room. The first thing she noticed was the massage table set up in the middle of the room. On the table lay a bouquet of red roses and...a card. From the looks of it, it was identical to the one she had received the previous night. She stepped to the table and fingered the card as Elizabeth closed the door. She spoke. "Before you open that, let me fill you in. I've been commissioned to give you a 90-minute deep tissue massage, concentrating on your legs and feet. I will also be working on your back and shoulders, but the majority of the session is to be devoted to your lower body. My services have been paid for in full, including gratuity, so you have nothing to worry about there. The roses were delivered this morning, along with the card, and I was instructed to give them to you. Now I'm going to give you a few moments to read your card and disrobe. Undress as much as you are comfortable with, and place your clothes on the hook by the door. I'll be back in a few minutes." With that, Elizabeth exited the room, leaving a gaping Sara Sidle in her wake.
Sara's mind was churning as she opened the card. More flowing calligraphy and roses and ivy adorned the interior.
Dearest Sara,
This is my gift to you. I hope you enjoy being pampered.
You will receive information on your next gift shortly.
All my love.
Dearest Sara? Next gift? All my love? Her head was spinning as she placed the card back in its envelope and began to undress. As she stripped down to her panties, she noticed the wonderful scent of the room. Lavender...mmm... Soft relaxing music was flowing from hidden speakers, and the only light in the room was coming from candles. She climbed onto the table, placed her head in the headrest, and pulled the sheet up over her back. She had never had a massage before, and if this one was free, then she was going to enjoy it.
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Gil Grissom strode purposefully through the doors of the Center for Sports Medicine and made a beeline for the reception desk. Amy looked up at him and grinned. "Nice to see you again so soon, Dr. Grissom. What can I do for you?" Grissom handed her a card and winked.
"I forgot to leave this with you earlier. Please give it to her when she's finished...and remember, don't answer any questions! She'll probably grill you, but don't let anything slip."
"Absolutely not, Dr. Grissom. This is all so romantic—I wouldn't dream of doing anything to mess it up. Now get out of here before you risk being seen!"
With that, Grissom hightailed it out of there.
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Sara thought she was going to die from happiness if the massage got any better. Elizabeth's skilled hands were kneading every hint of tension out of her tired muscles. She had spent a half hour working knots out of Sara's back and shoulders before moving to Sara's lower body. Once there, she paid special attention to Sara's tight hamstrings and calves. Sara was beginning to wonder how she had survived her life to this point without a massage when Elizabeth began working on her feet. Sara winced to herself. Her feet were not the picture of beauty right now. She had begun to form rough callouses from her daily ballet habit, and her toes had scabs from where they had bled after her first hardcore session en pointe. She hoped Elizabeth was not grossed out. Elizabeth, for her part, was nonplussed by the whole thing. She had noticed Sara tense up when she touched her foot. She quickly reassured her. "Sara, don't worry. Your feet are gorgeous in comparison with some of the athletes I work on. You should see the feet on the UNLV women's basketball team!" Sara laughed out loud despite herself. Elizabeth continued. "I'm guessing by the placement of the callouses on your feet that you are a dancer."
Sara was shocked. "Uh...yeah. Well, sort of. I danced until college, and just recently took it back up for stress relief." She felt odd admitting this to a total stranger. Hell, her co-workers, who were her closest friends, didn't even know. There was no way she was going to tell them, but she didn't see the harm in discussing it with a total stranger. She let her face drop back into the headrest as Elizabeth continued rubbing the aches from her body. Sara was a little surprised that such strength could reside in such a petite woman. She was definitely amazing at her job.
The massage came to its end and Elizabeth patted Sara's back and slipped outside so Sara could dress. When she re-entered the room, she saw Sara sitting on the massage table with a contemplative look on her face. Sara asked Elizabeth a surprising question. "Um, Elizabeth, at the risk of being tacky...how much did that cost?"
Elizabeth smiled. She couldn't wait to see Sara's reaction when she answered. "Well...with the gratuity added in, the total cost was about $275." She giggled at Sara's expression. Her mouth kept opening and closing, as if she wanted to say something, but didn't know what. Finally, she managed to squeak, "And someone paid that much for me to have a massage?"
"Yup," Elizabeth nodded.
"Do you know who it was?"
"Nope. I don't deal with billing. The front desk takes care of all that." She couldn't help giggle again as Sara hopped down off the table. Sara turned to Elizabeth and thanked her once more, profusely, for the "most relaxing 90 minutes" of her life. She then gathered her roses and card before heading back down the hallway toward the front desk. She had one or two very important questions to ask Amy.
Amy looked up at her with twinkling eyes as she approached. "And how did your massage go, Miss Sidle?"
Sara moaned in answer. "It was absolutely...amazing. I don't think I'll be able to live without getting one of these every week or so, but after the price she just quoted me in there..." Her voice trailed off. "Speaking of prices...how was this paid for?"
"Credit card," Amy replied succinctly.
Sara's eyes gleamed. "Would you give me the name on the credit card?"
"I was told that you would probably ask me for that information, and I've been instructed not to tell you. Sorry," she added, with a lilt in her voice that indicated that she was not sorry at all. Sara groaned good-naturedly. She could tell Amy was enjoying being a part of the big secret. She decided to try a different tactic.
"Well...have you seen my, uh, benefactor?" She had no idea what to call the mysterious person. "In other words, has he been here in person?" She was going to go out on a limb and assume it was a "he." Besides, maybe if she said that, Amy would let something slip. No such luck.
"I never said your benefactor was a he, and yes, he or she has been here. Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to give you any more details. However," she said with a gleam in her eye as she reached for something on the desk, "perhaps you'll be able to find some answers in this." With that, she handed Sara the card Grissom had left for her. Sara looked down at the now-familiar calligraphy as a small smile tugged the corners of her mouth upward. Same parchment envelope, same flowing script reading Sara, same rose and ivy border. She was anxious to see what was inside. She looked up at Amy, smiling, and said, "Thanks for everything, Amy. It's been a wonderful experience." Amy smiled back and said, "I'm glad I got to be a part of it."
Sara strolled out to her Tahoe and blushed as she noticed the single daisy stuck beneath her windshield wiper. 'Wow,' she thought. 'Someone is certainly going out of their way to treat me like a queen today.' She glanced around the parking lot for any clues, not really expecting to see any. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Climbing into her car, she finally allowed herself to open the card.
Dearest Sara,
Your next gift will be waiting for you in your locker tonight.
I know you are curious about all of this, but please be patient.
I will reveal myself in time. Right now is about you.
All my love.
Sara's heart fluttered. She had been trying to play this off as someone just being really nice to her, but the last two notes had cinched it. She had a secret admirer. She had no idea who it could possibly be. 'In an ideal world, it would be him,' she thought sadly, thinking of Grissom. But she knew better. Gil Grissom would never crawl far enough out of his shell to do something like this. 'Oh, god...I hope it's not Greg!' she thought with a shudder. Then she thought better of it. Sure, Greg had a huge crush on her—everyone in the lab knew that—but there was no WAY he would drop close to $300 on a massage. Coffee? Maybe. A massage? Not happening. But if not Greg, then who? Nick, maybe? Sara wrinkled her nose. Nicky was her best friend, but eww! Besides, she knew that he didn't feel that way about her. They were like brother and sister.
She started her Tahoe as she pondered the situation. She knew she should be ready to go to bed at this point, but her mind was fired up. She pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the dance supply store for her first new pair of pointe shoes in nearly fifteen years.
TBC...