A/N: I would just like to thank the wonderful Camilla Sandman for beta-ing for me. God knows I needed it. :)
Also, if you've chosen to be spoiler-free, you'd better not read this. It contains huge spoilers for "Committed" and I wouldn't want anyone complaining because I forgot to put up a spoiler warning. Once again:
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
Lyrics are from Evanescence's "My Immortal".
Every year, the city of Las Vegas bustles with tourists of all ages, shapes and personalities. The hazards that may be caused by the pulling of a slot machine's lever or going for a swim in Lake Mead are certainly imminent, and it's Desert Palm Hospital's job to mend the wounded, heal the sick and get those herds of tourists back in the casinos for some serious gambling. There are others kinds of hospitals, of course…Hospitals where the sick cannot be healed; they can simply bask in the bliss of not knowing the happening of the outside world.
And in a hospital like this…one patient chooses to indulge.
"Open the damn door!" Grissom yelled frantically. "Open it!"
But Adam, on the other side of the door, ignored Grissom. His prey was set right in front of him, and no matter the frantic protests from outside, he was going to strike. Strike hard and fast, but not without a little…foreplay.
"Are you a spiritual person?" Adam asked, nostrils flaring.
Pinned under him, Sara had no choice but to respond with a well drawn out, "sometimes".
"Do you believe in a higher power? Do you believe that you are ruled by a god who commands your life?"
Sara could not answer. The position she was in on her knees, at the mercy of this monstrous evil kept her mouth shut.
Adam grabbed her by the hair. "Well, you'd better start believing, bitch…there's no one in the earthly world who's gonna save you now."
Sara knew there was someone. He was standing on the other side of the door. Right now, however, all he could do was bang against the glass, plead that Adam would release her, plead that he would stop his vile actions. She didn't cry out his name. Sara had put far too much trust in Grissom in recent months to think he would stand by and let this happen.
Asthma had been a bitch for Sara when she had been younger, and it chose that moment to resurface, the world as she knew it beginning to spiral in a whirlpool of darkness and her intake of sweet, crisp oxygen was decreasing rapidly. Her eyes closed willingly, but a startling pain in her neck caused her eyes to shoot open again. Adam held a piece of ceramic in his hand, and Sara was certain she was bleeding.
That did it.
Her lids drooped and shut. The blood rushed to her head. The last thing Sara heard was Grissom continuing to scream her name hopelessly, and that little voice in the back of her mind, trying to force her to come to reality:
He's going to rape you. There's nothing you can do.
The darkness gave her sweet dreams. She dreamt of San Francisco and its beautiful bay. She dreamt of Las Vegas and its colorful, flashing lights wherever she looked. She dreamt of the day she first met Grissom and embarked on that emotional journey that she would later find would either make her or break her.
It had always been a fantasy of hers to spend one night just one night with Grissom. Just so she could tell him how much she loved him, to kiss him and caress his cheek, for him to wrap his arms around her and hold her for as long as she wished.Too many times reality had torn her from that dream, leaving her to awaken to an empty apartment and a ghost of a kiss. This time, Sara opened her eyes to find she wasn't alone. This time, Sara opened her eyes to that very sight.
"Sara…"
A hand touched her face softly. His hand.
Sara sat bolt upright. She looked around; Psycho Adam had been subdued, blood was everywhere, and Grissom was kneeling before her and checking her wounds, a look of almost sanctity on his face, as if he had been praying. She knew no other description for it.
Before anyone could protest, Sara was on her feet and sprinting down the first empty corridor she could find. She ignored Grissom's attempts to halt her. She needed to be alone, to… To bask in her fear of death; to absorb the demons for once. She found solace in a deserted hospital room, where a pure white bench beckoned to her. Sitting down, she buried her face in her hands and began to cry as the memories came back.
It must have been no more than five minutes when she heard footsteps coming and stopping at the doorway. At this point, Sara didn't care who it was; she only hoped it would be someone who would leave her alone or at least go about his or her business in silence. Unfortunately, that seemed not to be the case.
You used to captivate me by your resonating light…
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind…
From the corner of her eye she could see it was Grissom, flexing his hands nervously, then slowly walking over and taking up the seat next to her. He suddenly motioned to put his arm around her, but halted and she could see emotions flicker across his face. For a moment, he seemed to wonder just what to do, just how much to touch her and she wanted to scream at him.
Your face, it haunts…my once pleasant dreams…
Your voice, it chased away…all the sanity in me…
Cautiously, he brushed her matted hair behind her ear. She finally dared look at him, confused still as the tears and sobs ceased. He ran his fingers across her face, and his eyes closed a little, and she wondered what he saw behind his eyelids. Did he fear what might have happened? Was he grateful, angry, sympathetic? A part of her hoped it was a good wake-up-and-smell-the-love-asshole call, but it was impossible to tell. He moved his fingers down to gently tilt her chin up so she would meet his gaze and all was laid bare before him.
These wound won't seem to heal…
This pain is just too real…
There's just too much that time cannot erase…
Like the climax of a motion picture, every emotion inside her merged into one feeling of submission. At the same time Grissom's hand went behind her head to pull her closer, Sara fell limp and leaned into his chest. Her crying continued, violently at that. She groped for the hand still in his lap and took hold of it fiercely, just as fiercely as he wrapped his arm around her and rested his head on hers. After a while, they breathed as one, one solid breath after another.
When you'd cry, I'd wipe away all of your tears…
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears…
And I held your hand through all of these years…
Longing to see her love again, Sara sniffled and looked up at Grissom. He returned the look, his face contorted with a sea of emotions. She was astounded to hear him emit something almost like a sob, and his eyes were moist as he looked at her.With a pained breath, he nuzzled her hair and kissed her cheek.
Sara's lip quivered and her head went back to its safe position against his shoulder.
And they sat like that seemingly forever; quietly and together, fears slowly easing as the day went on, heartbeat by heartbeat.
But you still have…all of me…
END
