A/N: I have put Sara and Grissom through so much, I decided that they deserved this vacation. I have not been to San Diego in almost 15 years. Any similarity between the city in my story and the real one is blind luck.
Chapter 15
"Is that all your taking?"
"Why?" Sara stood in the middle of her living room, a single duffel bag beside her.
"No reason. I just don't think I've ever seen a woman go on any kind of trip with less then two suitcases." Grissom's bag was already in his truck. He had slept at her place after shift, but had run home to pick up a few things for their trip.
"Since when have I fit the role of stereotypical woman?"
"Point taken."
The two weeks since their celebratory dinner had passed quickly. Sara still woke up every morning and smiled when the memory hit her. Remission. No more chemo. In the three weeks since her last treatment her hair had began to grow. Soon she might be brave enough to go out in public without a covering for her head. It would still be a little while before the doctor gave her the okay to return to work, but that day would come.
They landed in San Diego at six o'clock in the evening, and took a shuttle directly to the hotel. After registering and taking their suitcases to their room, Grissom suggested dinner. Sara agreed.
"Just as soon as I make the bed." Sara opened her suitcase and pulled out a set of sheets.
"What?" Grissom was confounded by her statement. "The bed is already made."
"There is no way I am sleeping on the sheets they provide. You've looked at enough hotel sheets with the ALS to know what can be found on them."
Grissom shook his head, but helped her make the bed anyway.
Just down the street from the hotel they stumbled on a small seafood restaurant that overlooked the ocean.
"Just right," Sara declared it.
As they ate the sun set over the ocean, filling the restaurant with watercolor hues of pinks, yellows, and oranges. By the time they ordered coffee the sky was only lit by a sliver of the moon and a million sparkling stars.
"Would you care to take a walk with me?" Grissom signed the credit card receipt and stood, reaching for Sara's hand. Sara slipped her hand in his and nodded her assent.
The sand was still warm as they walked along the beach. Grissom looked up, and observed the stars hanging above him.
"But I know, somehow, that only when it's dark enough can you see the stars. Martin Luther King Jr."
"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit. Helen Keller" She smirked at him. "Your not the only one who can pull out quotes to fit an occasion."
"Smart ass," Grissom muttered.
"What was that?"
"Just admiring your literary ability," he lied.
"That's not the only thing to admire about me," she returned.
Grissom froze, starring at her. Sara stared back, honestly surprised by the words that seemed to flow out of her mouth on their own. Was this audacious woman her? She blamed it on the ocean, and the stars. Never in her life had she been so bold. On the job she was confident and forceful. In her personal life, the opposite was true. The last guy she had dated was Hank, more then two years ago, and that had been a horrible mistake. It had taken her more then three years of working side by side with Grissom to ask him out, that first time. Yup, definitely the fault of the stars.
"I know," Grissom finally responded, voice gruff. He kissed her then, under the San Diego sky. Under the sparkling stars. Kissed her until all the thoughts in her head disappeared, and all that was left was feeling. His lips on hers, his beard rough against her skin. The tips of his fingers rested along her neck, and she was sure that he could feel the racing of her pulse. The world fell away, and all that was left was her and Grissom.
They went to the zoo the next day. Hand in hand they wandered the paths, stopping to see the animals in what was ironically called their 'natural habitats.' The waddling of the penguins made them laugh, while the majesty of the lions had them silent in wonder. Sara stopped Grissom before he could walk into the ape house.
"Not there, Griss."
She had never been able to look at gorillas or apes, not since that case her first year in Vegas. Funny, that the death of an animal still affected her after all these years. She was all too used to death. A sign caught her eye, and she pulled him away before he could ask any questions. Ten yards down the path stood the butterfly habitat. They entered the building, where only a thin netting stood between them and the colorful specimens.
"I'll be right back," Grissom said before he disappeared behind a door.
Fifteen minutes later he returned.
"Come with me." He lead her behind the same door and down a musty hallway. Through another door, and they were standing in the middle of a tropical paradise. Nothing separated them from the butterflies, one of which landed on Sara's shoulder.
"Are we allowed to be in here?" Sara questioned.
"I spoke with the assistant zoo keeper and got permission." He looked smug.
"How?"
"There is a reason they call me Bugman behind my back at the lab. In entomological circles, I have a certain amount of clout." That was an understatement. All he had to do was introduce himself, and tell the zookeeper what he wanted to do. The field of entomology was pretty small, no pun intended, and his name was well known.
Sara held out her hand, and was awe inspired when two butterflies settled on her. Seeing the look on her face, Grissom leaned in and playfully kissed the tip of her nose.
"Don't look now, but there is a danaus plexippus on your head. A monarch" he clarified.
Grissom reached out and coaxed the butterfly onto his finger. Pulling a swab out of his pocket, he stroked the butterfly until it flattened it's wings, revealing a vivid pattern of colors in orange, yellow and black.
It was there, among the butterflies, that she gave him the words she had held inside for so long.
"I love you."
He looked at her, surround by thousands of fluttering wings, and gently caressed her cheek.
"I love you, too."
He bought her a hat. It was made of straw, with a large floppy brim and a fake sunflower set to one side. It was also, quite possibly, the ugliest thing he had ever seen, but it would help to shade her delicate skin from the the harsh Southern California sun.
"I love it," Sara said as she unwrapped her scarf and replaced it with the hat. "It's perfect."
And it was. She wore the hat as they walked barefoot along the beach arms wrapped around each other's waists, letting the tide swirl around their toes. Sara glanced back over her shoulder, enjoying the simple sight of two pairs of footprints side by side. It didn't matter that the tide would wash them away. For now they were a silent testament, and seemed to say 'Sara and Grissom, together.'
She still couldn't believe this morning. He had said 'I love you.' To her. Grissom loved her. She loved Grissom. If she woke up in the morning and this was all a dream, the world was going to know the wrath of Sara Sidle. But, no. His hand on her hip, his footprint next to hers. It was real. They were real.
One their last night in San Diego, Grissom planned on taking Sara out to a fancy dinner.
"Would you mind, Griss, if we didn't. I'm pretty tired." She still wasn't up to full energy, and three days of vacation, no matter how relaxing, had drained her.
"Of course not. I'll order room service, and we'll have a private dinner. Just us."
"Are you sure? I know you had this evening planned. I'm sorry to ruin it." Sara wished she could go back into the past and draw that bundle of raw energy from the self she used to be. That old Sara always had enough to spare, to the point where sleep was difficult to attain. Now, it came all too easy.
"Sara, an evening spent with you could never be ruined."
Grissom pulled open the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony. Turning to face Sara, he didn't say a word as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her outside. Sitting together in the lounge chair, he turned her around so that she was seated on his lap, facing him.
"The only thing that I want to do is spend time with you. Everything else is just extra." His piercing blue eyes studied her, looking for signs that she was taking in what he was telling her.
"Sara Sidle, I love you." He spoke the words gently, and in a habit he had almost forgotten from his youth, he lifted his hands and signed the words too. I love you.
Grissom was at work two days later, sorting through assignment slips before he joined the rest of the night shift. He looked up at the knock on his door.
"Mr. Grissom?" A receptionist stood in the doorway, plain brown package in her hands. "This was just delivered for you."
"Thank you, Judy."
He carefully unwrapped the package, curious as to what it might be. Deliveries to the lab were rarely personally addressed. As he pulled away the paper he revealed a glass covered shadow box. Inside was a perfectly preserved monarch butterfly, the same kind he had held in San Diego when Sara told him that she loved him for the first time. When he turned the box around and read the inscription he had to laugh. Two simple words were scrawled across the piece of paper. From Sara.
Last chapter coming soon...