Author: Joyce

Title: Better Memories

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. Who would have thought?

Note: First of all, let me tell you something about the timeline of this story because I haven't done that before. Which is stupid, I know. This takes place at the end of season four but let's assume that Sara never developed a drinking problem. The rest is just like the series so that should give you all a sense of where the story is when it comes to time. Now there's a good sentence :)

Second, as always, thank you all so much for the reviews. They really brighten my day. I love them!

Difficult decisions

Warrick walked into the break room, glad to finally have the time to eat some lunch. He was working a case alone and so far it had been a boring one with him analyzing fibers until he couldn't see straight anymore. Deciding that he needed some food he had made his way towards the fridge, seeing to his delight that nobody had touched his sandwich. He had just settled himself in a chair, getting comfortable and taking a bite when the door opened to reveal an equally tired Catherine.

"Tough case?" he inquired.

She just nodded, taking the same path to the fridge and returning with an apple, sitting in a chair opposite from his.

"This woman, she was in a marriage just like me but she decided to kill her husband instead of divorcing him."

"That's a pretty final solution," Warrick said dryly and he watched her mouth twitch up in the faintest of smiles.

Taking a bite of her apple the pair of them enjoyed the silence before she asked him:

"So, how's Sara?"

She inwardly smiled at the way his eyes lit up when she mentioned Sara's name but otherwise his face was a blank mask.

"Fine," he said shrugging. "I guess she's fine. Why are you asking me?"

She was openly laughing now, even more so when she saw the offended expression on his face.

"Come on, Rick. Everybody knows that you're the one to talk to concerning Sara."

He stood up, apparently to throw away the last bit of his sandwich but she knew he was just stalling, not wanting to talk about it.

"It's complicated, Cath," he eventually admitted.

He said goodbye to her and was ready to walk out of the break room when her voice stopped him.

"Do you love her, Rick?"

He said nothing but his expression told her everything she needed to know.

"You do, I can tell. It will work out fine, I promise."

He trailed back to her, sitting back down again.

"But what about Grissom?"

"What about him?" she said with an obviously confused expression on her face.

He rubbed his temples in a tired motion and she could see that this had been bothering him for a while now.

"They have this history and once that comes back...What will I have?"

She grabbed his hand, which made him look up and she was shocked to see actual fear in his eyes. Warrick Brown never showed his emotions and the fact that he did now made it clear how much Sara had come to mean to him. She tried to reassure him.

"You already have the courage to admit that you love her. Something Grissom has never done. Don't sell yourself short and try to have some faith in her."

He nodded, a thankful smile on his face and stood up to continue his work.

"Thanks, Cath," he said to her before he disappeared into the lab.

She just shrugged to indicate that is was no big deal and then stood up herself to get ready for her talk with the wife of the victim.

"Good luck, Rick," she whispered before work occupied her thoughts again.

Several hours later Warrick was happy to collapse onto his bed, sleeping almost instantly. When he woke up a good eight hours later he took the time to take a shower and cook some food, enjoying his time of. He was just debating whether or not he should go see Sara when there was a knock on his door and he smiled to himself. Apparently she had beaten him to it.

"Sidle," he said while opening the door. "What a nice surprise."

She raised her eyebrows, a confused look in her eyes.

"How did you know it was me?"

She took of her coat and her shoes while he replied, a teasing smirk on his face.

"I cancelled al the other dates I had planned for today, it had to be you."

She was mocking him, pretending to be al flattered and he just leaned back and watched her, amused.

"You did that for me? Gosh, how nice of you."

Warrick made his move and trapped her between the wall and his body, hovering above her.

"I'm a nice guy," he reminded her, wrapping his arms around her.

"I guess I'll take your word for it," she mumbled before she kissed him and he happily kissed her back, pulling her even closer. When they pulled apart she was panting for breath and he was just watching her, marking a memory of her standing there looking all flushed.

"So," he asked, pulling himself out of his trance and her embrace. "What brings you here? Besides my fine body of course."

Sara rolled her eyes but she was grinning.

"I had to see you, it was getting lonely at home."

He walked into the living room, his back to her and shaking his head.

"So you missed me, Sidle. How sweet."

He felt two arms rap themselves around him and stopped walking, enjoying the feel of her body against his.

"You know I missed you, Brown. Don't play stupid with me."

Warrick closed his eyes, savoring the moment, before he turned around while making sure her arms stayed securely wrapped around his middle.

"You must really like me then?" he asked her quietly and she just smiled and kissed him again.

It took some time to regain their composure but eventually they found their way to the couch, her snuggling up to him while watching television.

"This feels good," she told him.

She could feel him smile in her hair.

"Yeah, it does," he replied.

They continued to watch Law and Order, where an interrogation scene was going on. Sara was watching the scene while stealing a glance at Warrick every so often when a memory washed over her.

She is standing behind a glass wall, looking into the interrogation room and hearing him talk.

"But then, all of a sudden, we get a second chance. Somebody young and beautiful shows up, somebody we could care about. She offers us a new life with her, but we have a big decision to make, right? Because we have to risk everything we've worked for in order to have her. I couldn't do it, but you did."

And just like that all hope is gone and all she feels is empty and desperate. His words keep ringing in her ears: I couldn't do it. I couldn't it. I couldn't do it.

She was brought back to the present by a voice calling her name.

"Sara? Sara? Are you ok?" Warrick asked her, looking worried.

She looked at him, still feeling the hurt from the memory that washed over her and she suddenly understood how strong her feelings were, why Warrick was so scared.

"He could never do it," she whispered and she saw him blinking in confusion.

"What?" he needed to know.

She realized that he hadn't been there and she hated that she had to explain it to him.

"Grissom, he could never do it."

He fought the jealousy that name stirred up in him, although he wasn't sure he was doing a good job because when she looked at him she winced and there was a guilty expression on her face. He worked up the courage to find his voice again, needing to ask her this.

"What did you remember, Sara?"

It was pretty obvious that she had to fight back her tears and when she spoke her voice was a whisper.

"I was watching Grissom talking to some guy in the interrogation room and he was telling him about a young beautiful woman showing up and offering him a new life. He then told the guy that he could never take that offer and I just stood there, hearing him say that. It hurt so much, War."

Even though his world was falling apart he still felt the need to comfort her so he wrapped his arms around her. She was more important now, she would always be more important.

"I really did love him," she told him and he heard the amazement in her voice.

He pulled back, a shaky laugh on his face. One that he was desperately trying to hold onto.

"I told you so," he commented, trying to make a joke although it failed on the both of them.

She just stayed silent, processing these feelings of longing that washed over her. She could stil feel them and it scared her to the bone because she couldn't place these feelings with the ones she was having in the present. How did this longing she felt for Grissom fit in with the shudder she still felt whenever Warrick looked at her like he did now, with worry and compassion in his eyes. She could see the hurt behind it and all she wanted to do was kiss him and make the pain go away.

"Why did I love him, Warrick?" she asked and he shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"I don't know, Sidle. I'm the wrong person to ask," he finally admitted.

They sat next to each other, with her still clinging to him but both felt the change and Warrick knew that there was only one solution that would help her get better, even if it would kill him.

"You need to go see him," he told her and she pulled away from him.

"You want me to go to Grissom?" The question was asked with a certain amount of resentment and adoration.

"Yes," he nodded. "I think that being with him will help you stir up new memories. There's a reason that a memorie of Grissom came back to you and you need to explore where it will lead you."

She was really crying now and his hands reached up to brush some tears away.

"But what if it leads me away from you?" she asked in a voice that made him want to hold her and never let go.

He shook his head, in a stubborn and convincing way and he really didn't know if he was trying to convince her or him.

"I won't lead you away from me, I won't let that happen but you need to confront this in order to get better and I want you to get better, sweetie."

She smiled at the endearment, a shiver running through her and then she remembered another time when Grissom had called her sweetie too and the memorie only added to her confusion.

"He called me that once," she confessed in a small voice.

"I know," Warrick said, remembering that she had come to him in the locker room and told him about it. He still saw the blush on her face and the sparkle in her eyes and it pained him to to think about it. "Go see him, Sara," he urged her.

"What, now?"

He just nodded, wanting this over with. Wanting her gone before he would lock her in his house, making sure she would always stay with him.

"He's coming back to you. Go to him."

Sara stood up, still crying and he didn't even think she knew that.

"Please come with me," she begged and she reached her hand out to him.

He placed a kiss on it.

"You know I can't. You need to do this alone."

Her eyes were big and she just stood there, watching him.

"Then what will you do?"

He gave her a smile and it relieved her to see that it was a genuine one.

"I'll stay here and have faith in you," he said to her.

She slowly turned around, knowing that he was right. She needed to do this, she had to see Grissom, be with him. She grabbed her coat and when she turned back to him the smile was gone along with his mask. He was sitting there showing her how afraid he was and she ran back to him and kissed him, desperately. Not knowing if she was making a commitment to him or saying goodbye.

He finally pulled herself away from her.

"Go get yourself some memories, Sidle."

She turned to him one last time.

"You'll be here if I need you?"

"Always," was his reply and then she was gone.

Tbc...