Author's Note: I really appreciated all of your reviews for the last chapter. They put all of my reservations about this story completely to rest. Thanks guys.
Chapter nine
When Sara woke, it was to the soft, ridiculously musical sound of birds chirping sweetly outside her window— echoing a mood she couldn't quite understand why she felt—and the gentle caress of the morning sun fanning her features.
She blinked, running a hand slowly over her eyes, taking a moment to remember where she was and why she felt like an endless, heavy burden had been lifted permanently from her shoulders.
Grissom. Grissom.
She shifted her cheek abruptly against the starched motel sheets, stretching her slender frame, frowning when she realised the space beside her was cold and empty.
A low, male voice murmured inaudible words in the next room, and Sara slowly swivelled upright, wrapping the sheet firmly around her torso as she padded cautiously across the room.
The door separating their adjoining rooms was slightly ajar, and she pushed it soundlessly open as Grissom lowered his cell phone, sagging slightly from his unknown conversation.
He was fully dressed, though his hair was still mussed from sleep; a foreign sight that briefly sent her heart racing. He heard her shuffle in the doorway, and turned to glance at her sharply. His blue eyes softened at the sight of her, before he cleared his throat, and the open look of affection was gone just as quickly.
"Who was that?" she asked cautiously, feeling the familiar ache of disappointment well in her stomach. She encountered the blankness in his eyes and felt its impact like a physical blow. He was pulling away. God, why was she so surprised? Why did she have to feel so vulnerable at this moment; covered in nothing but a sheet, and a paper-thin doorway to separate them?
"Greg", he answered after a pause, gaze dropping from her white swathed form, as if he had difficulty uttering the words. "He found the location of Delinda's Lounge. It's a small-unlicensed strip club just off the Strip. LaVey's Order often uses it for meetings."
He hesitated. "Ecklie left a message. He wants me to call him".
She nodded. He crinkled his brow, uncertainly measuring his words before he spoke aloud. She felt like her insides were dead. And this time it was far, far worse, because she had been that little bit closer to heaven. "Sara…"
"You know what?" she said softly, forcing a wan smile, unable to listen to his coming rejection. "I think I'm just going to get dressed, and let you make that phone call".
She turned back into her own room, rapidly scanning the floor for her discarded clothing. Her shirt was strewn on the floor at the foot of the bed, and she bent to retrieve it, numbness slowly making its way through her body.
She wouldn't let him see how much he hurt her. If he could move on after this… if he could pretend he felt nothing when they had shared the most intimate of acts… maybe it really was time for her to move on.
A warm hand on her elbow stopped her inner machinations, and she was forced to straighten, using one hand to hold the sheet in front of her as Grissom drew her around to face him.
"Sara", he repeated softly, voice hoarse and almost like a reprimand. He surprised her, sliding out his warm, calloused hand, and gently caressed the exposed skin of her neck and cheek. He frowned, staring at her with his expressive blue eyes, forcing himself to lift their permanent shutters. He was so unpractised at it, and yet he knew, for her, he had to make that effort. He couldn't let her think what he knew she was thinking.
"You have no idea what you do to me…" he said, in a defeated whisper, like she was the one to blame for his perpetual weakness.
She tried to move away but he stopped her, stroking the side of her cheek and sliding his thumb under her chin, forcing her to lift her head to his gaze. "I want to be able to resist you…"
She swallowed hoarsely, looking down again. She didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but it made her feel nothing but hurt inside. "You're not the only one".
He ignored the bitterness in her tone, and his lips brushed hers. This time there was much more lingering emotion in his kiss. Sara hesitated to name it. Despite her attempts to resist, she found herself opening her mouth to his softly, leaning into him as he deepened the kiss and feeling a warm, womanly desire flare in her lower stomach and spread through her heart. God, he had no idea how close he was to her heart.
He broke away, leaning his forehead against hers as his breath rasped over her features. "Look, let's… talk about this when we get back to Vegas. Okay?"
It was the closest thing to a promise he had ever given her when they were concerned, and she felt another unwilling blossoming of hope, knowing too much of her happiness rode on this man. Yet when she lifted her eyes to his, there was nothing but sincerity reflected in them, and she knew, despite anything he might have done to her before, that he would never lie to her about this.
"Okay", she said softly, nodding, furrowing her brow.
"Okay", he repeated, quirking a small, reassuring smile. His lips were drawn to hers again, for a fleeting moment.
He broke away first, turning around before they became lost in each other's arms, a dangerous distraction that they could not indulge in when there were so many others things at stake.
"Grissom", she said softly, calling him back, making him stop in the doorway.
He knew, if she asked him to, he would drop everything for her at that moment. He turned slowly to face her, struggling to remove himself from the beauty of her form. She was swathed like a Greek Goddess in the white sheet, emphasising the deep, glistening brown of her eyes, the eyes that managed to cause him more weakness than her body ever could.
"I didn't know this was going to happen… when I asked to come here with you".
He smiled slightly, a weak, gentle turn of his lips. He was touched that she wanted to reassure him, that she attempted to extend some measure of trust. "I know".
He turned again, and he was gone, closing the door softly behind him.
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He had to brace himself to have this conversation. The previous euphoria from his new, unexpected union with Sara paled slightly when he remembered the potential damage he had done to both of their careers, and he dialled the familiar numbers with more than a small level of apprehension.
"Yes?"
Ecklie's smarmy voice was unmistakable, and he leant against the outer wall of the motel, drawing in a deep breath before forcing himself to speak. "You wanted to speak to me, Conrad?"
The explosion was almost immediate. There was no other way to describe it. "You better have a good Goddamn explanation as to where you are, Grissom! You have about ten seconds to convince me not to fire you!"
Usually he took great joy in Conrad's frustration, but there was just too much at stake this time. "I'm pursuing a lead, Conrad. On my own time. These nothing unscrupulous about what I'm doing".
"Oh, I beg to differ. You've crossed over into another jurisdiction to conduct an unwarranted investigation, one you're not even on any more! And don't even tell me I can believe that pathetic story that Sidle just happens to have leave at the same time, when nightshift is already understaffed."
Grissom was tempted to ask him whose fault that was, but wisely bit his tongue.
"You can play around with your subordinates all you want off county time, Grissom, but not on one of my cases you won't, you got that? You have four hours to get back to Las Vegas, during which time I will determine whether or not it is necessary for both of you to continue your leave. Only this time I think it would be more fitting to call it an unpaid suspension, pending further inquiry."
"Maybe you should listen to me for a second, Conrad," Grissom said curtly. "You are not going to suspend me, and you are not going to suspend Sara. We have found more evidence in this town of foul play in two days than in the past two months we spent on the investigation."
Ecklie took the time to pause, sounding carefully irritable when he spoke again. "What kind of evidence?"
"A girl disappeared here six months ago, matching the description of our Jane Doe perfectly. The townspeople, including the girl's own family; seem to think that she was murdered shortly after that time and buried here. Yet we have reason to believe she was on her way to Las Vegas when she was allegedly killed. The only way to positively identify this woman as the same body we recovered in Henderson is to exhume her corpse".
Ecklie sounded positively livid. "Gil, I know it must be the altitude up there that is causing me to hear you say these things, because are you insane? You expect me to summon up a court order just because you found a doppelganger that happens to match our dead girl?"
"Perhaps I'm not making myself clear, Conrad. I am willing to face up to the consequences of my actions when I return to the lab. But I want this case put to rest. You may believe me to be politically tone-deaf, but I can call in a few favours if I have to, Ecklie."
"Is that a threat, Grissom?"
"Interpret it any way you wish".
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
"All right. I'll get your court order. But there will be consequences. Mark my words".
There was a click as he hung up the phone, and Grissom slowly sagged against the wall, releasing an unsteady, disbelievingly breath. He realised that he had at least somewhat beaten Ecklie at his own game. It was a small victory, and he knew it would be short-lived, but it felt strangely liberating.
The door to the adjoining room opened, and Sara stepped out into the sunlight, pulling the door closed behind her as she slid her shades over her head.
She glanced at him, lifting an eyebrow questioningly as she came to a halt at his side. She was the picture of calm, as if he didn't hold the very fate of her career in his hands. He briefly found the time to marvel at her trust, and for once in his life, felt a profound need to earn it fully.
"So?" she asked expectantly.
He smiled slightly, unable to kept the exaltation from his eyes as he did. "I believe we have a body to exhume".
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