Chapter 7

Pushing through the double doors, Sara looked around the room. "Hey guys," She raised her eyebrows as they both looked up at her with grim expressions. "Guess this is our guy, huh?" She asked as she moved to stand across from Grissom.

"In a matter of speaking." He nodded. "I've managed to piece together a torso and shoulders."

Sara reached into the small box on the autopsy trolley as she walked by it. Pulling on a fresh pair of latex gloves, she looked over the table curiously. Her right hand felt warm inside her black soft fleecy glove. It was the sort of glove that breathed and was soft against your skin, but inside latex gloves as well, it started to sweat slightly, giving Sara an uncomfortable feeling.

"Where do you want me to start?" She asked as she ignored the itch that was starting to present itself in the centre of her palm from the sweat sliding across her skin. Pushing her arms into a gown, she inspected the table further.

Grissom pointed to the lower extremities. "Legs, feet… if you find one, that is." He added with a slight tug at his lips in mild amusement.

Sara nodded and started collecting together parts, and piecing them together.

"I think that goes here Grissom." Sara took the chunk of flesh from his hand to place it near her waist where the thigh was supposed to be. Now the body was put together, minus a piece or two, they could try and determine what happened to their deceased, exactly.

"So, he was cut up?" Grissom postulated.

"Not before he was stabbed in the chest and his head was bashed in." Sara pulled off her gloves, glad to feel the cool air of the autopsy bay, seep into her fleece covered hand. She sighed quietly and moved over to Al as he walked over to the table to see for himself.

Al nodded in congratulations. "Good work. I'll call David to get X-rays and send samples to DNA for tox and identification."

"Could you ask David to could cast the chest wounds too please?" Grissom requested as he examined the head wound.

"Sure, any reason why you can't do it?" Al inquired as he made his way towards his desk to page David.

Grissom pulled off his gloves as he stood up straight. "I can't do it right now. Can you page me when he's done them though? I'll be back later to help with the head."

Sara looked between the two. "Um, Griss?" She ventured, trying to get his attention. "I can cast them."

He shook his head and started walking for the door as he scrunched up his soiled gown and pushed it into the disposable bin. When he realised she wasn't following, he turned at the door. He watched her stare at the body for a moment.

"Hey," He called. "Let's take a break. We'll get back to the body later." Grissom noticed her reluctance to leave. He tried for some light banter to pull her out of her little world she seemed to be in. "He's not exactly going anywhere without his other foot Sara." He glanced at Al briefly, who seemed impressed at his approach.

Sara turned and sighed. "Fine." She moved forward, pulling on her gown with failed effort. It seemed stuck. "Damnit." She cursed, tugging at the neck.

Grissom left his post at the door and helped untangle the mess of ties at her neck. He had noticed when Sara was donning the gown earlier that she didn't bother to tie the back. "It's tangled." He informed her as his large fingers attacked the knot.

Feeling his fingers and parts of his hands touch her neck caused her to panic and sweat visibly. She pulled away, forgetting that she was still stuck in the autopsy gown, and the neck tightened, slightly chocking her.

"Sara, stand still." He commanded gently, his eyes shifting from the knot to her neck.

When she felt him stop moving, she knew what he was doing. She stepped away from him and yanked the neck hard with her left hand, pulling the gown ties free. "Thanks." She murmured, making a hasty exit.

Grissom stared after her.

"And you thought it was going so well too." Al chimed, not looking up from his work.

Grissom sent him an annoyed glare before going after Sara.

Grissom rushed past reception and burst out the front doors of the lab. His head twisted this way and that, trying to find Sara. He spotted her walking towards her car. He dashed forward, trying to catch up to her. "Sara!"

She turned. "Yeah?"

For a moment, he forgot what he was going to say. She looked like a completely different person from a few minutes ago. She seemed distant. Grissom looked around and gently grasped her left elbow and motioned forward with his free hand. "Break, remember. Breakfast, my shout?"

Sara sighed tiredly. "Grissom, I'm tired. I figured I'd just head home before coming back and casting the wound tracks."

"Hmm." He nodded, but still guided her towards his car. "Good idea, but what about breakfast first?" He asked again as he unlocked the passenger door.

"Now?" She questioned, staring at his open car door.

Grissom shrugged and checked his watch. "It's morning. Might as well eat early-" He paused and looked up. "Unless you're not hungry?"

Sara stared at him for a long moment, contemplating what to do next. She was tired, but she was also suddenly hungry and to make up her mind, her stomach rumbled.

Taking that as an answer, Grissom chuckled quietly and moved to the driver's door.

Settled with a coffee and a plate of pancakes each, they ate and thought, barely speaking to each other at all. Grissom was trying to think of some conversation opening, but found none, whilst Sara was trying to think of an excuse to go home.

Finally hitting something that could open a can of worms, Grissom sipped his hot coffee after sticking a forkful of pancake into his mouth, chewing and swallowing. "How have you been?"

Sara's hand froze as raised her fork to her mouth. She was slightly bent over her plate and her eye's looked up when he spoke. "Fine." She waited a moment before raising the fork again and stuffing the contents into her mouth.

Tilting his head thoughtfully, he stabbed nervously at his food. "Really?"

Focusing on her food, Sara nodded. "Yeah."

Grissom sighed and dropped his fork as he pushed his plate away, only half eaten.

"Not hungry?" She asked, worrying slightly that she had somehow done something wrong.

He shrugged, trying to ignore the lightly coated hurt in her voice as she spoke. "Lost my appetite."

Looking back at her plate, she too gave up on eating and both sat staring into their coffee. Sara was worrying more than ever that she was the cause, not thinking for one second that it wasn't her fault.

"Sara," Grissom broached a full six minutes later. "I know things, haven't been good between us lately." He glanced up at her, nervous as hell. "All the times I cancelled breakfast, and opted to work, or see Catherine, than spend time with you. I never once thought I was hurting you. I'm sorry."

Swallowing hard, Sara rubbed at her left ear nervously, trying to come up with some kind of reason why he was apologising. But none came. The only thought was, "Where'd that come from?"

He looked off to the side for a moment and sighed. "Well, I've been thinking… today, actually." His hands wrapped around his coffee cup in hopes of it giving him some sort of courage boost to continue talking. "That maybe… if you don't mind… I mean… if it's possible-"

Sara's face crinkled up in confusion as she tried to follow what he was saying. "Grissom, you're making no sense."

He chuckled nervously and looked around the small diner. He turned back to her and leaned casually against the table, feeling a little more confidant knowing that no one was around. "You remember that seminar I was scheduled to attend a couple months back?"

"Yeah, so?" She furrowed her brows as she watched him.

Thinking quickly, he tried to organise his thoughts together so he wasn't looking too much like a fool. This, granted, might be a bad idea, but it was the only one he had.

"It was postponed for a few weeks because of bad weather." He scratched at his chin and fixed his eyes on hers so he could see her reaction to his next question. "I need a second body with me." He cringed and rephrased. "I mean, uh, I would like you to come with me and teach along side me."

Sara's eyes widened quickly. "Wha-uh." She cut herself off and looked down at her hands that were resting on the table, cradling one in the other.

"It's easy." He smirked, suddenly thinking this was a great idea, forgetting his current worries. A bit of travelling, time away form the lab and Vegas, was exactly what she needed and if this was the only way, under the pretence of work, then he'd give it a try. "I teach half day and you teach the next half. If there's anything you're not sure about, I'll help." He was winging it, which was something he rarely, if ever, did. Al was right, he needed to help Sara and to do that; he needed to get her mind off work and onto something less stressing.

Shaking her head in slight confusion, though it was easy enough to understand, Sara was still in shock at the offer. "What would I have to do?" She asked, looking up for an answer, surprised at herself for being interested in what he was saying. She knew, inside, that it wasn't the real reason he wanted her to go along.

Grissom pushed their breakfast plates and empty coffee cups out of the way and laid his forearms on the table so he had room to gesture and explain. "It's a forensic seminar. Something we both know a lot about I should hope." He smirked briefly when she smiled a little, both forgetting the past few weeks for a moment.

"I teach the importance of entomology and other areas of my expertise while you take the actually importance of crime scene collection and the means to make and break a case. It's easy." He explained with a few hand movements and touches.

Sara seemed oblivious to his contact. Her mind was elsewhere to notice. She was intrigued by the idea of teaching. She'd envied that Grissom got to travel once a year and teach. It was something that she'd always wanted to try.

But was it the right time?

Sitting back with a deep sigh, she was about to say no when she saw his face fall and his smile fade. His whole cheeriness vanished. Staring at him for a moment, she could see that this was something he really wanted to do.

A thought struck her brain as she looked into his blue eyes, something she hadn't done in a long time. Maybe he was asking her because he had asked Catherine to go with him and now Catherine wasn't here, he needed someone to fill the gap of teaching. It was suddenly painful to think that he had taken so much time and care in planning this seminar that he could have been planning to use it as a few days to spend alone with his girlfriend.

That wasn't going to happen now though and he needed an extra hand. Why her though? That was a good question and she felt the need to know the answer, though she felt guilty and uncomfortable asking.

Shifting, Sara broke eye contact and looked away. "Why ask me? Warrick would be the first choice. He's been a CSI longer than I have…" She shrugged and glanced at him. "Or Nick, he's got seniority and experience."

"I don't want Warrick or Nick, I want you." He stated simply. Waiting a beat, he continued. "You have the head for it and you understand me." He cocked his head with a thought. "And you've seen me teach, so you know how I work. You would be my first choice out of the team."

Sara stared at him. "Wasn't Catherine going with you?" She saw him flinch and realised it wasn't the implication, but the name. "I'm sorry Grissom. I didn't mean-" She hurriedly apologised, shrinking under the brief hurt and deep loss in his eyes.

Grissom shook his head and reached out to grasp her hand. "It's ok. I'm still trying to get things straight in my head." He looked down at his hand covering hers. His hand was resting on her right and he felt her stiffen at first contact. "Sara." He said her name softly as his fingers curled around hers. Not normally a touchy feely kind of person, Grissom was surprised at his own actions, but hid the emotions and kept talking. "If we are going to teach together, I need you to trust me."

Struggling against her stiffness, she forced herself to relax, albeit barely. "I trust you Grissom, it's just…"

He listened to her trail off. His other hand curled under hers so her hand was trapped between both of his. She was going to talk to him sooner or later. He needed her to know he was there to listen. "When we go, we can talk. I don't want you to think that I'm forcing you, I'm not. I'll be there with you and if you want to tell me anything, I'll listen."

Sensing something else, Sara stared at their hands for a quiet moment, no doubt making him even more uncomfortable. It was odd that he was even touching her, though she had always dreamed he would reach out to her one day, just not now, or ever after Catherine and especially now. She nodded. "I-I," Sighing, she looked up at the diner clock, it was all too much for her to take in. It was all too confusing and painful, so she panicked and fled. "We should get back to work."