DISCLAIMER : I don't own CSI nor it's characters. Everything belongs to the brains behind this wonderful show. Props go out to them. :D

AUTHOR'S NOTE : Set Post-Butterflied. Still unsure as to how this story is going to unfold and I like it that way. I could surprise the readers and myself. :D

The title may also change.

CHAPTER II

She felt numb. She hadn't felt this numb in years. She felt like Grissom stood before her and gave her the strongest slap any person could give another.

Turning away from the two-way mirror and away from Grissom's bowed figure, she walked out of the room barely registering Brass' surprised greeting upon encountering her outside the interrogation room.

Walking painfully slow out of the station, she couldn't remember just how long it took, nor the route she took to get to her car. But here she was, staring into space, hands gripping the steering wheel like it was her life.

She had not expected to hear what she just heard in there. She had come to witness the interrogation unbeknownst to the occupants of the other room just to observe Lurie and maybe even Grissom. She wanted to see why he had been distant during the whole case.

"Distant!" Sara scoffed at herself. There's an understatement. For the past months they had shared little to no conversation apart from case discussions.

She remembered the look that he had on his face the night of the crime though. She was standing with the others outside of Debbie Marlin's house waiting for him to emerge and pass out assignments.

She felt his eyes on her, or at least she thought she did. Turning around, she saw him looking at her intensely. There was something in his eyes that made her shiver internally. But then again, she could have been wrong. For all she knew, he could have been looking at Brass who stood behind her. It surely looked like it considering he spoke to Brass seconds after that.

She had been almost hands-off with the case, being assigned to check the perimeter when they had already gone and did a quick check earlier.

She didn't understand what was going on until she saw Debbie's body in the morgue. She felt shivers running up and down he spine at how much Debbie looked like her. They could have been twins if not for some minor difference in their appearances. For the first time in a long while, Sara actually felt afraid. Of what exactly, she didn't know. Maybe it was just seeing Debbie's face that got to her, but she had been afraid.

Although it relieved her to know that the attraction between Grissom and herself had not been one-sided, it crushed her to hear him say that a relationship with her wasn't worth the risk.

"I wasn't worth the risk," Sara said aloud. The words still sounding alien to her confused brain and ears.

Funny, here I am laying myself in wait day in and out, hoping for the day he'd come to his senses and work things out between us, only to find out I'm not even worth the risk.

One by one, tears started falling down her face. She angrily swept them away, but the more she did so, the stronger they flowed. Finally she broke down, choking on the anger and hurt in her and started sobbing loudly the silence in the car her only companion and her witness.

"I should have known better." Sara told herself, continually brushing her tears away. If the past year had been any indication, she should have gotten the clue, but no, she remained the hopeful fool that she was.

How stupid can one person get? She should have taken that Leave of Absence and had not allowed that stupid plant sway her decision. Who in their right minds would send a plant to girl they liked? But then again, Grissom was no ordinary man. That was why she felt strongly for him the way she did.

Then of course, there was that dinner invitation refusal. That had hurt her more than almost being blown up by the lab explosion. From that moment on, she had been dissecting whether the attraction between them was true or if it were all in her head. Well, that had been answered.

Her heart had leapt when he started talking about second chances back in that interrogation room. Well, she had rejoiced to soon. Nothing compared to the feeling of hearing the end of that confession.

Closure. The word popped into her mind. Suddenly her tears slowed down, falling one tear at the time now. Sara raised her face and looked at herself on the rearview mirror. Wiping the stains her tears had formed on her face, she gathered herself up and got hold of her emotions.

"Not worth the risk, my ass." Sara spoke, anger still lacing her words. "Fine. We're through." Sara convinced herself that from then on, she was going to do all that she could to forget the man that held her heart for the longest time even if it killed her to do so.

Note : Thanks to all of you guys who posted reviews. I was overwhelmed! Really! Thank you so uber much!