"Technically my shift doesn't end for five more minutes." Sara couldn't help but smirk into the phone as she stood at a layout table pouring over evidence from her second case that night as she talked to Nick on her cell phone. She let out a soft laugh as she listened to him talking and when she responded her voice was decidedly lower and a bit conspiratorial. "So, you're making it yourself from scratch?" There was a hint of doubt in her voice. She giggled. "Oh, I believe you, I'm just wondering when you took that power nap you were talking about." She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "Nick..." She let out a sigh as she listened to him talk and smiled. "Ok, I'll be out of here in a few minutes." She ended the call and set her cell phone on the table unable to keep the smile off of her face.
Grissom had paused outside of the layout room as he heard her talking. He had wanted to discuss something about the case, but as he realized she was talking to Nick he'd stopped, feeling a little awkward. He cleared his throat as he stood in the doorway.
Sara glanced up. "Oh, hey, Gris. I'm almost done here. I haven't been able to get anything off of these so I'm going to call it a day and see if I can find anything tonight with fresh eyes." She gestured towards what had been the contents of the trash bag in their victim's car.
Grissom pursed his lips and looked at her over the rim of his glasses; it wasn't like Sara to go home at the end of her shift. "You're sure you didn't find anything." He wanted to make sure that in her apparent haste to get out of the lab to see Nick that she wasn't overlooking anything.
"Yes." She was surprised and there was something in her tone as she looked at his face that suddenly bordered on irritation.
Never known for his great people skills, Grissom spoke before he thought about how what he said must have sounded to Sara. "I just don't want your eagerness to spend time with Nick to interfere with your..."
He never got an opportunity to finish his sentence as fire blazed in Sara's eyes and she narrowed her gaze at him. "I cannot believe that you would even insinuate that I would let any romantic relationship cloud my professionalism. You should know me a hell of a lot better than that." Her tone was cool and controlled, but there was no mistaking the anger underlying it.
"Sara, I..." Grissom fumbled with his words, not sure he should apologize since he had not intended to offend her in the first place. He was simply looking out for the case and the evidence and she seemed a little less focused tonight, at least that's how he'd interpreted her mood; she was happier than he'd seen her in a long time.
"Save it, Grissom. I have a date, and I'm not going to keep Nick waiting. As soon as I check this back into the evidence locker, I'm out of here." She was inwardly fuming as she carefully put the evidence back in its box and then picked it up and brushed past Grissom who just stood there with his mouth slightly agape.
She was still fuming when she walked into the locker room to collect her things, nearly colliding with Greg who was also on his way out.
"Whoa, where's the fire?" Greg teased.
She mumbled an apology. "Sorry."
Greg looked immediately concerned. "You ok?" She had that 'Grissom pissed me off' look on her face that he'd become accustomed to and it made him sad.
Sara forced a smile. "I will be when I get out of here." She let out a sigh and then looked Greg in the eye. "Have you ever known me to compromise a case because of something in my personal life?"
Greg chuckled softly. "You haven't exactly had a personal life until recently, but no, I've never known you to be anything but professional." He studied her for a moment as she turned to open her locker. "Did someone say something?"
She rolled her eyes. "Grissom. He insinuated that in my rush to meet Nick that I didn't look at the evidence as carefully as I should have."
"Did you?" There was a tone to Greg's voice that was non-accusatory.
Sara glanced up a bit surprised and then shook her head. "No, I spent three hours going over that stuff, if I missed something it's because my eyes won't focus anymore."
Greg smiled at her in a genuine gesture of friendship. "Well, then I think it's Grissom that has the problem."
Sara relaxed a smile flitted across her face. "Thanks." She had needed some reassurance and she knew that Greg wouldn't lie to her.
Greg quirked an eyebrow at her. "So, you're meeting Nick, huh?"
She smirked at him. "Yes, he's making me breakfast."
"Well have a good time." Greg arched his brows suggestively.
"I intend to." Sara pulled her jacket on and grabbed her purse before shutting the locker door.
"And don't do anything I wouldn't do." Greg smirked with a wink.
Sara smirked back. "Well, that leaves the door wide open then, now doesn't it?" She appreciated Greg's friendly banter. She didn't want to show up at Nick's with a gloomy cloud over her head because of something that Grissom had said. Greg was right, she had done her job professionally, and Grissom was the one who had the problem. Perhaps if the man went out at all he might understand that it was possible to have both a personal and a professional life. His inability to do just that was one of the biggest reasons she'd finally been able to get over him.
Greg just laughed at her comment. "You never struck me as a liquid latex kind of gal." He waggled his eyebrows at her as he watch the color creep up her cheeks.
"Greg." Sara's mouth hung open slightly and then she let out a laugh as she realized he was teasing her. "I've got to go."
"See you later, Sara." Greg grinned at her as she headed out of the locker room.
Sara couldn't help but smile as she made her way to her car. Life was good. In spite of Grissom's lack of social skills, he was a good mentor. She had a job that she loved and was passionate about, she had coworkers that she liked, and she had a new relationship with a man she genuinely cared about. She wasn't sure exactly where things would go with Nick in the long term, but suddenly she couldn't wait to see him.