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Sara woke first, completely unsure of anything. Dozily, she took in her surroundings, allowing her mind to focus. As she realised where she was, and upon whose lap she was resting her head, she suddenly became very alert, and the events of the past night came flooding back. Had she really cried in his arms? Yes. He had held her close and she had wept. It all felt so far away to her now, like it was years ago, a distant memory.

She could hear him breathing slow, regular breaths above her, and she twitched a smile. He was still sleeping then. Shifting her body slightly to free her arm, she tried desperately not to wake him. This position was strangely comforting. She felt safe. She felt like no-one could touch her.

And yet it would have to end. Her heart fell like a lead weight to the pit of her stomach as she realised that this could never last. She would have to find her own place, live alone again. She didn't want to. Strange as it was, she felt more at home here than anywhere before, even when she was a child.

Grissom sat up suddenly, jerking out of sleep, startling her a little.

She sat up too, hoping he wasn't awake enough to notice that she had had her head in his lap. "Hey." She said, flatly.

"Mmm... Hey." He answered, rubbing his eyes then looking at her, blearily.

What a sight to greet him when he woke. Though her hair was dishevelled, and her eyes were a little puffy, she looked wonderful to him. "Are you ok?"

"Better."

"Good. You want something to eat?"

It was as if her stomach had heard him. On cue, it rumbled gently. "Sure."

Suddenly, something dawned on him. He was annoyed at himself for not thinking about this sooner. "Thing is, I don't know if I have enough supplies for two."

"Oh."

"There's a store a couple of blocks away…" He eyed her cautiously.

Sara looked at him, and he could see the little glimmer of insecurity in her eyes.

"It's safe, Sara. We'll only be gone for half an hour tops…"

 "Ok." Her voice was tiny and shaky. She knew she'd have to go out at some point. She just didn't think it would have to be so soon.

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Normally Grissom would have walked to the store, but today he drove. Sara sat in the passenger seat, saying nothing.

They pulled into the small parking lot, and Grissom came around to her side of the car and helped her out.

"You ok?" he said, closing the door behind her.

She nodded. It was quiet, only a few housewives dotted around the parking lot, heading home for lunch with their young children. Everything looked fine. Everything seemed safe. And yet she felt incredibly vulnerable.

"Here." Grissom reached out his hand, and she took it willingly in her good one. Together they walked towards the big glass doors.

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They chatted little as they walked around the store.

She held onto his hand for most of the expedition, only releasing it briefly to place items in the basket that he held.

He watched her as she gradually became more confident. Her mind was winning the battle over her fear, slowly but surely. He walked with her, trying to push to the back of his own mind the feeling that walking around a grocery store holding hands with Sara felt inexplicably right.

Sighing, he realised that there were only two things that the world wasn't perfect. The fact that Sara's arm was in plaster, and the huge bruise that covered her cheekbone.

It was obvious from the looks they were getting that the other shoppers thought Grissom was responsible. He tried his best to ignore them, but it was hard.

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They picked up some croissants and strawberry jam, Sara's favourite.

When they arrived in front of the vegetarian section, he paused. She paused with him, still clasping tightly to his hand like a young child.

"What?" She whispered, unnerved by his sudden stop.

"If you're gonna be around for a while, we should pick up some vegetarian things…" He trailed off as he realised that she was staring at him.

"You are still a vegetarian, aren't you?"

"Yes, but…"

What is going on?

"How long do you want to stay?"

He looked at her pointedly, and she released his hand and turned away, staring blankly at the shelves.

Why was it so hard to say that she never wanted to leave?

Picking a box almost at random from the shelf, she placed it in the basket, barely registering what it held.

"This'll be fine."

He nodded.

They picked up some ice- cream, a bottle of wine and a few other things, and headed to the checkout. Sara packed the bags as Grissom paid, and together they walked out to the car, each carrying a brown bag under one arm. He walked close behind her, involuntarily trying to protect her.

Was this how it was going to be from now on?

He'd always felt protective over Sara, but never been able to show it. Now it seemed he couldn't stop.

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The car ride back was silent. There wasn't anything to say. She shot him little curious glances as he drove, and realised that he seemed content.

He noticed her watching him, and made a point of not taking his eyes off the road. Maybe he didn't need to know how long she'd be staying. All he needed in essence was her presence. For now, he had that. Maybe soon it would be gone, but he couldn't worry about that now.

Flicking on the indicator, he swung into the driveway.

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She took a nap in the guest room while he prepared some of the food. She was still playing catch up, feeling absolutely exhausted. It was getting better, though, and maybe she'd be able to go back to work soon. Maybe they both could.

Grissom pushed open the door to the darkened room, carrying a bowl of Thai noodles and vegetable stir fry on a tray, the meal that Sara had inadvertently picked out.

She was sleeping soundly on top of the duvet, curled up in her clothes. Her dark curls fell across her face, and he smiled.

She looked so beautiful, as the little beams of light danced through the gaps in the blind and onto the bed, giving her form a supernatural quality. Of course, he had always believed there was something magical about her. The room was completely silent, save for her light breathing.

He didn't want to ruin this picture, but he couldn't remember when she had last eaten, and that was more important that watching her sleep.

He set the tray on the bedside table, and reached out to gently tuck her hair behind her face. "Sara…?" He whispered, softly. "Wake up, Sara. I made your food."

He tenderly squeezed her shoulder, and spoke louder. "Sara."

Her eyelids fluttered open, and she smiled. "Hey."

"I made your food. You can eat it in here and then sleep some more, if you like."

"Thanks." She sat up and crossed her legs, then tried to pick up the tray to place it across her knees. Her cast arm was aching, and every time she tried to put a little bit of weight on it, a sharp pain coursed through her. She tried her best to hide it from him, but her efforts were in vain. She tried, but had to give up. She let her arms rest in her lap, and smiled sheepishly up at him.

He met her smile with a subtle shake of his head, and his best 'You know I'm right' face.

"Honey, you need to take some painkillers."

Her large brown eyes widened at the term of endearment, but let it slide.

"It's ok, really. Mind over matter and all that…" She laughed nervously and looked away from him. It was weird, but in a way she liked to feel the pain. She had come so close to death, she didn't want to kill the one thing that made her feel alive.

"Sara-"

She cut him off. "-Aren't you having anything?"

He sighed and nodded. "Mine is in the kitchen."

"I'm eating alone?" She said, with a half smile.

"I didn't think you'd want to come into the kitchen to eat with me. You looked so comfortable here."

He lifted the try from the table onto her crossed legs, and smiled

She shrugged. "I'd rather sit out there and eat with you than sit in here and eat alone."

Grissom looked at her, and realised that she wanted to just be close to him. It wouldn't matter where they were. "I could eat in here…" He lifted the tray onto her crossed knees and gently brushed her hair out of her face.

She smiled, and he disappeared, returning quickly with a plate of scrambled eggs and two slices of lightly browned toast. A thought crossed her mind. It was around now he'd be getting up to eat breakfast. He was always in the lab before she arrived, and she got in around an hour early. They'd always pass in the hallways, two early evening ghosts, throwing themselves into the pain of others just to keep their own at bay. Now, here they were, with nothing but themselves to occupy their time.

He climbed onto the bed opposite her, curling one foot underneath him and leaving the other to hang over the edge of the bed. She watched him intensely, following his every move till he began to eat.

Satisfied and comforted by his quiet presence, she started to eat her first proper meal in forever, and found herself ravenous.

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