A/N: We've arrived at Chapter 7. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Your comments were very encouraging. I really wanted to capture Sara's anger and frustration and grief, and I guess I suceeded. :) Hopefully, this chapter will show a little bit of her healing. Please, continue to R&R! I love reading what people think.

Chapter 7

Grissom pulled Sara into the room and let the door close behind him. He stood in the center of the room holding her close as she cried bitterly against her chest. He ran his hand though her hair and whispered reassurances into her ear. After many minutes, her harsh weeping slowed and finally stopped. He dipped his head down to see her staring blankly.

"Feeling a little better?" he asked quietly.

She nodded silently.

"Come sit over here," he said, leading her to the side of the bed. He sat next to her and turned slightly so he was almost facing her. "Talk to me, Sara. Please don't hold it in."

Sara finally looked at him. "I'm not sure how I feel," she said flatly. "I just feel like a huge part of my life is gone. I've been so angry at my mom for so long, but now she's gone and I don't have anyone left to hate. I mean, where is all of this anger going to go?" She got up and began to pace as her voice starting rising. "I never got the chance to tell her how I feel, and now I never can. I was cheated out of that as well. She got to live her whole life never knowing how I felt. She never got a chance to know how much she ruined my life. I still hate her, Grissom. Do you understand? I hate her for what I've become. I didn't have a mom, or a family, or even a child. My life is so screwed up, and it's all because of her, and now, I don't even get the chance to tell her that. Boy, fate really knew how to play some cruel tricks on me." Sara laughed bitterly and walked over to start out of the window.

Grissom got up and walked over to her. He wasn't completely sure what he was going to say to her. He had thought before that telling her mom how she felt would truly exorcise some demons. But that was impossible, now. Or was it? A thought began to form in his head. "Sara, I have an idea. Why don't you write it all down? Everything that you're feeling and everything you've always wanted to say. You can't actually tell her, but I think putting it on paper will help. You have to do something. This is going to kill you, holding this in. I don't want to see you suffer anymore. Try it and see how it goes. I think it might work. Look, it's cheaper than therapy," he finished with a small smile.

She stopped pacing and looked at him. "You think so?"

He got up to stand by her. "I do. I also think that it will help you grieve. I mean, you've just lost your mom, so you've got all of those emotions to deal with as well. I realize that there wasn't a lot of love, but she was your mom." He reached out to pull her close again. "Sara, I wish there was something I could say to make it all better. I wish there was a magic pill you could take to get rid of all of this. I hate to see you hurt. It seems that every time you start to deal with one thing another hits you. I just wish I could stop all of this." He ran his hand gently over her hair, smoothing it.

She spoke softly into his shirt. "You're here now, and that's all that matters." After several minutes of just resting in his arms, she pulled away. The feel of his arms around her was beginning to feel a little too wonderful, and she didn't want that. She didn't want to mess up the comfortable relationship they were building. "I think I'm ready to go back to my room now and get some sleep. I'm just sorry I had to wake you up. I just didn't know what else to do. But once again, you knew just what to say to help."

He looked down at her red, swollen eyes, grateful that she trusted him enough to come to him when she needed to. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked gently.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready to go back to sleep. I'm so exhausted."

"Well, remember, if you need anything, I'm right next door."

"Thanks," she whispered as she slipped out the door.

He closed the door behind her and headed back to bed. He hadn't gone two steps when he heard a soft knock on his door. He quickly turned back and opened the door to see Sara standing there with a self-conscious smile on her face.

"Can I . . . uh . . . is it okay if I sleep on your floor?" she asked, embarrassed.

He lifted an eyebrow at her silently.

Quickly she stumbled on. "See, it's like this. I must have forgotten my key when I came over, and I don't want to bother the poor guy working at the front desk. So, I was just thinking I could sleep on your floor until the morning, and someone from housekeeping could let me in then. I really won't bother you at all. All I need is a pillow and a blanket," she finished in a rush.

"You won't be uncomfortable?"

"No, I've slept in worse spots when I was a kid." She looked up to see him shaking his head. "What?"

"I'm just still amazed at how you survived your growing up years. And no, you are not sleeping on the floor. You can sleep in the bed."

"Where are you going to sleep, then?"

"In the bed, too," he answered, slightly confused at her question.

She was the one now shaking her head. "I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Why not?"

She sighed; frustrated that she had to explain all of this to him. "Look, you and I, let's just admit that we have a very funny relationship. Right now, it's going really well, but I don't really want to mess it up by getting into the same bed as you. It's just going to lead to a lot of awkwardness, and we'll be back to where we were before. It's just a bad idea all the way around."

"Oh, for goodness sakes, Sara, it's a king size bed. We're not even going to know that each other is there. Look, I'm tired, and I will not sleep well knowing that you are uncomfortable on the floor. It's a bed with a mattress and covers and three pillows. We can put one between us if that will make you feel better, but right now, I want to get some sleep. Now, get in." Grissom knew he was being harsh, but if he had to continue looking at her exhausted face while she came up with a hundred excuses, he was going to do something that would definitely cause awkwardness in the morning, like carry her over to the bed and well, he didn't want to let his imagination take him any farther.

She silently walked over to the side of the bed that looked unslept in and climbed in. She turned her back to him as she heard him climb in as well, then reach up to turn the light off. Lying there in the darkness, she realized that what he had said was true. She would've had no idea anyone else was there except for the fact that she could hear his quiet breathing. It was an oddly comforting sound, however. Sara was so used to silence when she slept, that it was nice to know, for once, that she wasn't alone.

Later, she awoke with a start. For a second, she couldn't remember where she was, and then it all came back to her. She was trying to figure out why she'd woken up when she realized exactly where she was. Somehow, she had traveled across the bed and ended up curled against Grissom's back. Worse, she had an arm thrown over him. Quickly, she began to slide away from him, desperately hoping he hadn't woken up too.

"Don't go," his quiet voice stopped her anxious movements as he rolled over on his back to look at her.

"Look, Grissom, I'm sorry. I had no idea that I moved around that much while I was sleeping. I mean, I'm always alone, and . . ." she realized she was babbling and came to an embarrassed halt, refusing to look him in the eye.

"It's okay," he said reaching out to lift up her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. "I'm not mad, really. It was kind of nice to have you so close."

Sara threw her hands up in the air. "See, I told you this was a bad idea! Look, we are going to completely mess up our equilibrium if I stay here, so before either one of us says something that we'll regret, I'm calling the front desk. They can let me in." With that, she started to get up.

He quickly reached across the bed to grab her hand. "Hey, it's fine. Look, here's how I know it's going to be okay. See how we're talking about how awkward this is? Before, we would've just ignored it, and that was what made it awkward." He patted the space next to him. "Come back here and lie down. You need your sleep. You've got a long day tomorrow."

Hesitantly, Sara lay down. She was still unconvinced that this wasn't a bad idea, but she was willing to give it a try. It had been pretty nice sleeping so close. She almost bolted, though, when he maneuvered his arm around her to pull her closer. Then, when he reached out to softly rub her cheek, she gasped. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

He laughed softly. "Go to sleep, Sara," he answered. "I know I am." With that, he was silent.

As Sara lay there, slowly beginning to relax, she came to a startling conclusion. She had a best friend. She had never had one before, but as strange as it sounded, Grissom had become her best friend. He had dropped everything to come to her aid, he had listened while she exposed her deepest secret, and he was there when she had fallen apart with grief. She would never be able to truly express her appreciation, but she resolved to try and do it in the morning. Maybe someday their relationship would be more, but for right now, Sara was happy where they were. With that thought, she fell asleep.

The next morning, Sara was able to get back into her room. As she showered and dressed, she thought back to their strange night. She realized that what Grissom had said was true. Because they had talked about the fact that the whole situation could be awkward, they were able to make it more comfortable. They had just both woken up, and she had called housekeeping. Then, they had chatted about a variety of topics while she waited. It had really been an enjoyable experience.

As Sara stepped out of her room, she spotted Grissom closing his door, his suitcase sitting next to him. Her heart sank as she realized he had to return today and leave her alone. When he glanced at her, she was sure he could read her thoughts, so she straightened her shoulders, forced a smile on her face, and asked brightly, "All ready to head back?"

He walked over to stand directly in front of her. "Don't try to fool me, Sara," he said softly, "It's not working."

She let her shoulders drop. "Sorry. I just didn't want you to feel I was forcing you to stay. When do you think you'll need to leave?"

"I'll be able to go with you over to the hospital, but I'll probably head out around 1:00 or 2:00. How's that sound?"

Grissom stayed by her side the whole morning as she dealt with all of the paperwork and bureaucracy involved to get her mom's body released to her custody. There was to be an autopsy, but as soon as that was finished, she would be able to claim the body. She had to find a funeral home, as well as a cemetery plot. Just when she felt that everything would overwhelm her, he was there to quietly rub the back of her neck, calming her. He also asked questions that she forgot, and helped untangle all of the snags that she ran into.

All too soon, the time came for him to leave. They stood outside his car in the hospital parking lot. She looked directly at him. "Thanks for everything," she began. "Thanks for coming, thanks for being there to listen, and thanks for helping me out today. I really didn't know where to even begin. I've also been thinking about what you've said, and I think I will write that letter. I'm also going to see if I can't track down my brother. He deserves to know that Mom's gone."

He pulled her close. "I am so proud of you. You've been so incredibly strong through everything. You are a wonderful person, Sara." He placed a quick kiss on the top of her head.

She looked up at him, and something seemed to flash between them. They stared at each other for a second; the Sara cleared her throat and stepped back. "You probably should get going. Have a good trip."

His arms felt strangely empty with her gone. "Let me know when the burial is, and I'll come out." She opened her mouth to disagree, and he put a finger on her lips. "Don't argue with me. Just call, and I'll be here."

She whispered her thanks and watched as he climbed into his car. She continued watching as he pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared into the horizon. "Bye, Griss, and thanks," she said softly.

Slowly, she turned back to the hospital to say good-bye to the past.

A/N: Here's the end of the actual plotline. However, there will be an epilogue coming soon. I was planning on something short to just tie up the storyline, but it keeps growing longer in my head! I guess we'll just have to wait and see what it turns into!