Jump Chapter 3: Gone, a csi fanfic

Title: Jump

Summary: Sara overhears Grissom and Sofia talking, and takes it the wrong way. She turns to Nick, but when Grissom finds out what's wrong and apologises...what's a girl to do?

Rating: T for now

Author's Note: Chapter three!

Disclaimer: If I owned CSI, a disclaimer wouldn't be neccessary, nor would I be writing fanfic.

Chapter Three

He sat there, holed up in his dark office, as he usually did right before shift ended, just thinking over the shift, making sure in his mind that things had run smoothly. Today, however, there was one thought nagging at his mind, one moment replaying itself over and over: Sara kissing Nick in the break room. A thousand feelings ran through him each time he saw the kiss: jealousy, anger, regret, the feeling that he had to do something about it. Deep down in his core he knew he shouldn't do anything; he'd had his chance with her, and turned it down. But the prevailing thought was that Sara, his Sara, had kissed Nick in the break room, where anyone could see it. Deep down, he knew it was selfish, knew it was stupid, ridiculous even, but he had an irrational desire to talk to her, and an even more irrational hope that she'd drop Nick and come to him because of it... Now, he knew that he wanted her, and he wouldn't give up until he had her.

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"I can't believe you messed up pancakes, Nick," Sara teased him later that day as they headed into the lab. He threw a grin over his shoulder to her.

"I had ample distraction, don't you think?" He retorted. And he had. He'd been making the batter with Sara sitting on the counter next to him, throwing random comments in Nick's direction. Once the pancakes had actually gone onto the griddle, he'd tackled her on the living room couch and there they'd stayed until they noticed the smell of something burning.

"I guess so," she tossed back with a wink. She slid her hand into his and as they walked towards the locker room they slid into a comfortable silence.

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Nobody really noticed him when he sat there, in his chair, with the lights off. There, surrounded by his specimens, in the dark, he could observe others and they'd just assume there was nobody there because they couldn't see him. Typical of humans, he supposed, not noticing what you can't see. 'But it's what you can see,' he mused, 'that stays with you and haunts you.' And there was enough material for a haunting, as well. Now, along with the kiss, he had Sara and Nick walking down the hallway, hand in hand, oblivious to the fact that he could see them and was watching them like a hawk. That, more than anything, made him want to talk to Sara more. So when Warrick, Nick and Greg were all free at the beginning of shift, it was Nick to whom he gave the case in Lake Mead. His plan would be put into action tonight.

He had noticed that she'd gone out of her way to not talk to him more than necessary over the past few days; the perfect excuse to talk to her. And then he'd state his case, make her see that Nick wasn't the man she needed...

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The shift went by quickly. Sara and Sophia were packing up their evidence when Catherine poked her head into the layout room.

"Would one of you guys mind getting Linds from home and dropping her off at her volleyball practice? My mother had to go see someone and I can't get away right now."

"Uh...Cath? It's seven in the morning," Sara pointed out.

"Yeah, the coach has decided to torture parents who work nights, I guess. But would one of you do it? Please? I'll owe you lunch or breakfast or whatever the hell this crazy schedule calls it..."

"Yeah, I'll do it...you'll be good for a bit, Sofia?" Sara asked.

"Sure. It's just about time to call it a day...well, night, anyway," the blonde replied. Sara nodded and grinned at Cath.

"Address of the school?"

After jotting down the address that Catherine had gratefully given her and making sure that Sofia had everything taken care of, she headed out toward the parking lot. The plan in her mind was to bring Lindsay to her practice, come back to the lab to get Nick, and both of them would head over to Nick's for food and sleep.

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There she was, probably heading home. Time to put his plan in action.

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"Sara!" The call came from behind her, from Grissom's office. Freezing in mid-stride, she turned slowly.

"Yes?"

"I'd like to speak with you for a moment, please," he said, turning back to his office.

"Grissom I kinda need-" she started, but gave up when she realised he wasn't going to turn back. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she walked back and hoped that whatever he wanted, it wouldn't take long.

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There she came, stalking into his office. She looked like a goddess, in his opinion, albeit an angry one. A flash of anger ran through him at the fact that she was with Nick, but it was quickly overrun by the thought that she would, of course, come back to him.

"Sit down," he said, indicating the chair on the other side of the desk. He noticed that she seemed slightly agitated.

"Grissom, this really isn't the time, I've got to-"

"This'll just take a moment. I've noticed that you've seemed kind of distanced around me lately. Is there something you want to tell me?"

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It was all Sara could do to keep her mouth shut and her eyes from widening. Not that she hadn't expected him to notice- he was, after all, a CSI- but she had definetely not expected him to mention it.

"Not...really. I've just been pretty preoccupied, stuff's been changing and that's about it."

"Has it been or will it be interfering with your work in the field?" The realisation that all he really cared about was the integrity of the team dawned on her, and she let out an inward sigh of relief. She shook her head.

"No, it'll be fine. And now, if you don't mind, I have to go pick up Lindsay, Catherine's busy and I said I would." She stood up and started towards the door, barely registering the hand on her arm before she was pushed against the desk and in a position she would have killed to be in even two years ago- being kissed by Gil Grissom.

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Warrick walked down the hall with Nick, towards the break room. They'd just gotten back from Lake Mead and both men were ready for a dose of coffee before looking over the evidence. Passing by Grissom's office, Warrick noticed Nick suddenly go tense and freeze. Following his friend's eyes, he looked through the window to see Grissom and Sara- kissing. Without a word, Nick turned to go, and Warrick could tell that this was something that wasn't good at all. Turning back, hoping they'd been seeing things, he saw Sara start to react to Grissom- although probably not the way he'd planned. She was pushing him off, and even Warrick, out in the hall, could hear her shouting.

"I can't believe you! What exactly is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem."

"Then what the hell are you doing kissing me? In the middle of the lab, no less, after you wouldn't even go out to dinner with me, six years ago? After you told a suspect that you'd take your job over me? After I've moved on?" Her voice was bordering on hysteria, and Warrick could tell that something important was going to happen.

"Nick isn't the man for you. I saw you kiss him-"

"Then you should've known not to do anything to me! I don't take these things lightly, and I'd have hoped that even the way our friendship has been going over the past while- downhill, might I add- that you'd at least have remembered that. Now if you don't mind, I've got things to do. And if you touch me again I'll see to it that something happens." She stormed out, practically crashing into Warrick.

"Hey, Sara, where's the fire?" He asked, hoping to lighten her up a bit. All he got was a scowl.

"In Grissom's head. It's wrecked his brain cells. That man has the worst timing I've ever heard of..."

"You can say that again..." Warrick answered. Sara shrugged.

"I'm trying to calm down, Cath asked me to pick up Lindsay for a volleyball practice...so I should really go. Is Nick back? We were gonna go for breakfast after shift."

Warrick shifted uneasily.

"Well...about Nick. There's a little problem with that...he's probably very pissed at you right now?"

"Pissed? What for?" She asked, before her eyes widened in shock. "He saw...shit, please tell me he didn't see..."

"Yeah, and he left before your little outburst, too. I'm sorry, Sar..."

"Warrick, what am I going to do? I don't want him to hate me, he's going to hate me, he probably won't even let me explain..." Her voice was edging toward the edge of hysterics again, and Warrick reached out and took hold of her shoulders.

"You listen to me, Sara, and you listen good. Nick loves you, I've seen it, Cath's seen it, hell, Greg's seen it for ages. Grissom saw it, which is why he tried to do what he did, because he finally saw that you'd gotten a clue. But if Nick's anything, he's hot-headed. Give him some time to cool down, then talk to him. And if he won't talk to you, I'll tell him that I know what really happened, and that he should talk to you, and that if he gives you up, it'll be the worst thing he's ever done. Now you go pick up Linds, drop her off, then go home, blast some music for a while, relax, and let off some steam. Call me or Cath if you need to talk. Then go talk to Nick, just not on the phone. In person." He looked directly into her eyes. "You hear me?" She nodded silently and he pulled her into a friendly hug. "Good girl. Now get going, and I wanna see you and Nick back here together, tomorrow, 'kay?" She nodded again and let a small smile go past her lips.

"Thanks Warrick. This really means a lot."

--------Twenty Minutes Later--------

"Hey Sara!" Lindsay called as she ran out to the SUV. She was carrying her backpack and gym bag, which she promptly threw in the back seat before jumping in front. "Our coach is going insane. We're training to beat the best team of the league, pretty much. I'm so glad I made the A team, though, we're really good." Sara smiled to hear Lindsay talking about her sports. "And Mom let me get the new Kelly Clarkson CD that I wanted, do you mind if I play it? She's really awesome, you have to hear this one song, it's my favourite!" Sara laughed.

"Sure Linds, put it in." The girl grinned and reached back into a pocket of her backpack, pulling out a CD case. Sliding the CD into the player, she skipped through the songs.

What you see's not what you get
With you there's just no measurement
No way to tell what's real from what isn't there
Your eyes they sparkle
That's all changed into lies that drop like acid rain
You washed away the best of me
You don't care

Sara listened to the song, surprised at how well it seemed to fit her situation.

You know you did it
I'm gone
To find someone to live for
In this world
There's no light at the end of the tunnel tonight
Just a bridge that I gotta burn
You're wrong
If you think you can walk right through my door
That is just so you
Coming back when I've finally moved on
I'm already gone

Teenage heartbreak anthems weren't usually within Sara's taste of music, but this one actually seemed worth her while. Glancing over at Lindsay, she smiled to see her sitting there, singing along to the music like there was no tomorrow.

Sometimes shattered
Never open
Nothing matters
When you're broken
That was me whenever I was with you
Always ending
Always over
Back and forth, up and down like a rollercoaster
I am breaking
That habit
Today

And hadn't she broken a habit? She'd gotten over Grissom. She'd found her someone to live for- Nick.

There is nothing you can say
Sorry doesn't cut it, babe
Take the hint and walk away
'Cause I'm gone
Doesn't matter what you do
It's what you did that's hurting you
All I needed was the truth
Now I'm gone

What you see's not what you get
What you see's not what you get

Time to print out these lyrics and send them to Grissom. Or buy the CD and blast it in the lab, either way. 'Although Greg may have a heart attack at the prospect of Kelly Clarkson in the lab...' she mused.

Fifteen minutes later, after dropping Lindsay off, Sara found herself at the mall close to her apartment. Warrick had said let off some steam- why not try to learn to play that song? It might shock her neighbors, but oh well. Let them be shocked at their thirty-four-year-old neighbour blasting teenage pop.

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Author's Note: Wow, this chapter was a long time in coming! Sorry guys! I've been really busy with school and stuff happening in my personal life -cough- first boyfriend, and my mother's freaking out -cough- but I'll try to update more often. My other fic, Dinner Gone Bad, is also being worked on, I swear!

Review Thanks: heartagram69, AnMaDeRoNi, loose-cannon-with-a-gun, Baby23-Misery, TheWolfInTheShadows, forensicsfan: Wow, I'm honored to have a review from you! I love your writing! , DarkDreamer56: Again, I'm honored, and I love your writing as well! , Bomber6, I Want George, bubble cat, Mma63, & BeTrAyEd DaUgHtErS!

Up Next: What will happen between Sara and Nick? Will Sara actually tempt death and play Kelly Clarkson in the lab where Greg could hear it? And how will Sara react to Sofia trying to be friendly due to recent events?

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