Okay, repsonse to Unbound challenge! You get the first and last line... sorry it's short, but I liked leaving it where it was. And to any of my other readers who read this, I'm sorry I haven't been working on my Snickers Saga or Crash and Burn! Don't give up on me:-)
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"What is true happiness?" No one answered Sara; she was sitting alone in her car, sipping on the remains of a cup of coffee. It was her night off, but as usual, she didn't have much to do, so not for the first time, Sara returned to the Crime Lab parking lot and just sat, staring at the stars. Although she didn't like to admit it to herself, Sara knew exactly why she came back to the crime lab almost every night she had off; she didn't like being away from Grissom. She laughed at herself every time this surfaced in her mind; how childish was that? Sometimes, though, Sara heard someone coming outside. No one had ever seen or paid attention to her. It was as if she wasn't even there, and in a way, she wasn't. She often just closed her eyes and imagined she was working on a case with Grissom, as they had so often done in the past. The sound of test fires coming from the lab helped create the fantasy, and Sara sometimes fell asleep, feeling the most relaxed she ever did in her hectic life. Sighing, she downed the last of her coffee. Stepping out into the nippy autumn night air, she walked towards the garbage can to throw the cup away; that's when she noticed someone sitting on the bench a few feet away. Walking cautiously forward, Sara observed him; he was sitting, slightly bent over, reading a book by the faint streetlight. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized it was Grissom. He hadn't noticed her yet; had it been any other day, she would have retreated back to the safety of her car and driven home. Something about the way the stars were shining so brightly made her heart spark. She walked boldly over and sat down next to him. He looked up at her, shocked. Saras' heart melted as she saw his glasses slide down his face and clatter onto the ground; little things like this proved he was human, proved he could feel emotions.
"I'll get them." She leaned over to grab them and accidentally collided heads with Grissom as he leaned over the get them at the same time. Grabbing her head, Sara fell back into his lap.
"Sara!" He looked straight into her eyes, holding her head still in his lap; she stared up at him, feeling a little dizzy, and not just from hitting her head. "Are you all right?" She nodded and cringed as a sharp pain darted through her neck.
"I think I hurt my neck." On one hand, it made her feel weak to confess this to Grissom; on the other, she didn't want to move from the comfort of his lap. Grissom continued to study Saras' face. She smiled up at him, feeling her courage leave and now just feeling tired. She yawned a little; when was the last time she had actually wanted to go to sleep? Snuggling into his chest, she promptly fell asleep.
"Sara." He shook her a little. She just muttered and stayed asleep. Grissom sighed, not wanting to hurt her. He looked up at the sky; apart from his bugs, stargazing was the only thing Grissom loved. His book lost all interest; he couldn't even focus on the stars. He looked down at Saras' sleeping face; she looked almost angelic to him. Gently, he brushed her hair out of her face. He thought he saw her smile in her sleep.
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They had sat there for almost two hours; the sun was about to rise. Grissom didn't want to disturb Sara, who was still asleep. He had just studied her face the whole time, wondering what she was dreaming. He was just considering waking her up when she began to whimper.
"Grissom…" He looked down at her face in shock; she was still asleep, which meant she was sleep talking. Curious, Grissom listened.
"Why don't you love me?" He watched as her bottom lip quivered and she whined. He felt helpless; he knew if was just a dream, but this dream was the reality that she faced every day. Grissoms' heart ached.
"I love you so much… why don't you care? I'm dying, I'm dying…" she moaned, a few tears running down her face. Grissom wasn't sure what she was dreaming, but he knew it was bad. She cried his name, her body shaking. Unable to stand it any longer, Grissom took Saras' face in his hand and gently stroked her cheeks.
"Sara, Sara… it's okay, I'm here…" he waited anxiously, and soon Saras' eyes fluttered open. She looked panicked, and then she saw Grissoms' face and smiled sweetly at him.
"Hey. I fell asleep."
"I know." He wasn't sure whether to tell her or not what he had heard. She knew something was up though.
"Grissom?" She watched his face for any reaction, but as always, his face remained blank. Sighing, she stood.
"Thanks for… everything." She turned to go and found that Grissom had reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Griss? Work starts in an hour… I have to go get changed."
"Wait… please." He looked into her eyes pleadingly. He didn't know what he was doing; he felt crazy for even saying anything. Sara looked skeptical, but she sat timidly next to Grissom.
"When you were asleep…"
"Yes?" She looked questioningly into his eyes. Grissom swallowed and went on.
"You… talked. About me." He watched as her face turned pale. Her eyes grew wide and watery, and Grissom regretted saying anything to hurt her.
"No… I really didn't mean to… it was just a dream." She started to stand again, but Grissom put a hand gently on her shoulder and sat her back down.
"Sara… I need you to tell me something honestly." Sara looked into his eyes; he looked serious, but scared. She was shocked to see anything in those eyes, especially fear. What could he be afraid of? She glanced behind him and saw the sky was lighting up; sunrise. He took a deep breath and asked what he had been dying to ask for years.
"Am I too late?" Saras' breath caught in her throat; was he asking what she thought he was? Afraid to make a fool of herself again, she looked away, and with a neutral voice, asked him a question.
"Too late for what, Grissom?" She fought to keep her body from shaking. Looking back to the sunrise, Sara waited.
"Too late for us." Sara laughed a little, a tear slipping down her cheek. She searched his eyes, looking for a hint of a joke or confusion. He looked sure of himself. Sara put her head in her hands, crying in disbelief. Grissom moved away, flabbergasted.
"I'm sorry, Sara… I didn't mean to offend you." He stood to leave, embarrassed and hurt. Now it was Saras' turn to grab him, but she did more. She stood and grabbed his hand. He turned to face her and she stepped closer to him. She could feel the heat radiating from his body and it was almost more than she could stand.
"I'd love to say no… as mean as that sounds, I'm afraid I'll wake up and this will be a dream and that would hurt too much… but Grissom, my answer has been, and always will be the same. No, you're not too late." Before she could say anything else, Grissom leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. Pulling away to search her eyes, he found nothing but love and trust. He kissed her again; Sara wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss; it was so much more than anything she had ever felt. The stars and the sunrise all blurred into one as they stood there, finally together, as one by one the leaves fell delicately from the tree.
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lol, I know, fluffy and all. hope you liked it! Please review!
