Chapter Twenty-Two: Near, Far, Wherever You Are...

Sara didn't cry. At all. Besides all that was happening, she was enjoying herself. Everything was becoming so much more cheerful now that it was almost Christmas. Tomorrow would be Christmas Eve and everything for a Christmas party was being planned out...secretly. From Sara and Grissom.

The only thing Sara wanted in her life at the moment was some peace. She didn't care what happened to her anymore. She wanted to be enjoying herself. There was more things to worry about than being in love with Gil Grissom. But she didn't want to forget on the other side. She wanted him to love her more than anything.

Sara began trapizing down the road. Through the dark woods and out onto a winding road that twisted and turned up the mountain.

The weather was so chilly now that most of the small ponds and springs were frozen solid. It hadn't snowed. Sara had prayed that it would. But God hadn't answered her prayers for Grissom to return her love, so why should snow be any different. She walked in a romantic way. It was almost dancing, except she would stop once in a while to walk like a normal person. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her body. God it was freezing.

"Wait up!" She heard from behind her. Turning around she saw an elderly woman running up to her. ' Who the hell is that?'. She thought. Even though she didn't know the woman, she waited up for her. This woman was hunched over and wore nothing but a black dress and a black beret. Sara wondered how on earth the woman wasn't even slightly cold. Her face sagged from to many wrinkles and walked fast with small paced steps.

"Dear! Please wait!"

Sara didn't move.

"Dear me, I wasn't sure you heard me at first." The woman's voice was squeaky, almost childish.

"You see, I've been calling your for almost an hour. You must have trouble hearing." They walked together and Sara listened as the woman spoke. "Something must be troubling you my dear. You are sullen. Thoughts on something. Someone?" The woman looked up at Sara.Sara looked back at the woman.

"Oh! You must think I'm some sort of a nut, coming out here to talk to a total stranger. I guess, there's something about you that I like." Sara smiled and the woman smiled back her icy blue crystal orbs gleaming at Sara's...

"It's...odd, yes...but yes. I am thinking about something...er...someone."

"Who may I ask?"

"A...friend." She replied.

"You know, when I was a young girl, there was this man that recited Shakespeare to me every night before I went to bed. He would crawl through my window, I'd always leave it opened. Even on winter nights. His name was Jackson. He would crawl through my window and recite Shakespeare to me. He's dead now. My late husband, but he always found someway to make me feel wonderful."

Sara smirked.

"You mind if I take you somewhere?" The woman asked, her eyes gleaming.

"I have nothing to do, sure." Sara complied.

The walked for another twenty minutes, winding up the mountain until they reached the foot of a hill. The grass was overgrown and thick with weeds and poison oak. "You see," the woman began stopping. "When I was a little girl, I lived up here. It is old and rickety now, but you should have seen it 86 years ago. It was...home."

Sara smiled without exposing her teeth. She didn't know why she had followed this woman. It was almost as if her soul was guiding her.

"Now, I much to, much to old to climb this damn mountain, but you could climb it for me." Sara turned to the elderly woman, knowing that she was going to decline.

But this woman sensed this and added, "I've lost something up there. It's my old Shakespearen Quotes book that I treasured and was so dear to me when Jackson lived. I can't climb this, can you please retrieve it for me? I would pay in return for your troubles, a token of my gratitude would be in order."

Sara considered this for a moment. "O...Ok. But a key-" The woman wove a hand in front of Sara. "You'll find it my dear. You've had it all along."

Sara felt groggy and was a little depressed that she hadn't declined to doing this. She climbed the hill and kept looking down until the woman was hidden by the thick shrubbery. She slipped a few times, almost falling backwards. It was if she was being pushed up the mountain by an unseen force.

When Sara neared the peak of the hill, she saw a collapsing shed that looked as if it once held timber. Up ahead, was the house. It was white with dark fading green trim and a dark evergreen tin roof. The fireplace was old and made of brick. Sara waded through the brush until she came to crumbling concrete stairs that shuddered under her feet. The windows were screened, not glassed, and the keyhole looked like it was old and worn, fitting an old fashioned iron key. She didn't know what the woman had meant by 'having the key all this time' or whatever. The cold surrounded her and she felt slightly creeped out. After all, this place DID look haunted.

She dug her freezing fingers into her pocket. She winced when they collided with a cold, metallic object in her pocket. Pulling it out, she saw she had the key.

Grissom shined the flashlight around the room. The air was thick and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Something about this house was creeping him out.

Find the damn book, get out. Find the damn, stinkin' book and GET OUT! He kept telling himself this. Why should he do some dirty work for some man who had left his damn Shakespearean Quotes book in this ancient house. Grissom sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

There was a creak as something from the front of the house creaked.

He didn't know why he was scared but he was, and he jumped alongside a nightstand between it and the bed. His breaths were ragged and sweat began pouring down his face, droplets stinging his eyes. Sara would have found this sexy...

The floorboards creaked in the front of the ancient house. He held his breath as the someone/something walked into the room. He couldn't see, he had flicked off his flashlight.Next to him on the nightstand, he saw it, the book...

He would grab the book and flee for his life. That's what he would do. It would be simple. After gathering up courage, he rested his hand on the book, only to find ice cold skin beneath his palm. The someone shreiked. Flicking on his flashlight he realized who the shrieking figure was. Sara.

"God, you asshole! You scared the crap outta me!" She shouted. She clutched her chest and for a moment, Grissom blushed. Thank God she couldn't see.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He trying to lower the mood. Something about this house made him want to keep his voice down. As if it might disturb...someone.

"I'm getting a book."

"Really?"

"Yes. And now that I'm on adrenaline autopilot, I think I'm going to go."

"Wait!" She grabbed his hand as he tried to exit.

"What?"

"You're getting a book? Me too! Was it from an elderly woman?"

Grissom shook his head. "No. For an elderly man I met walking up this road. He wanted me to get this Shakespearean Quotes book."

"Funny." Sara began, subconciously holding both of Grissom's wrists at his side.

"I met this elderly woman, didn't catch her name, but she asked me to come up to this house and get the same book. Said a guy named Jackson read it to her when she was young and in love."

Grissom's eyes widened.

"Same thing. C'ept this guy's name WAS Jackson."

Goosebumps arose on Sara's skin and she shivered. "Scary. This woman said that Jackson was dead."

"No, what's scary was that Jackson said that his lover, Caroline, had tried to cross a raging river to him and was swept away. Drowned. Found her body a year later."

Now, goosebumps had risen on both of their bodies. "You think..." Sara began, tears of fear welling in her eyes.

She let go of his wrists, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Oh, God, we need to get out of here-"

Just then, the door to the front of the house squeaked open.

Instinctively, Sara jumped on Grissom. He lost his balance for a brief second, but appreciated he warmness and her arms around his neck, her breath was ragged and she looked panicked. He found this attractive.

But he flashed back and took her by the hand and they jumped up on the bed together. "Oh, my God, what is it?" The footsteps came in a pair and the door to the bedroom they resided in opened by itself. "Ohmygod, ohmygod, Grissom!" She clung to him with all her might. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her face burrowed into his shoulder.

Grissom blinked and wished he hadn't. In front of him stood the elderly woman and the elderly man. The woman looked exactly as what the elderly man had described, except her goregous features had faded because of age. He tried to pry Sara's head up to watch. But she only responded by balling up his jacket in her fist with her face in his shoulder. "Make it go away Grissom. Make it go!" But he watched them. The couple, with transparent bodies.

"Caroline?" The man called.

"Jackson!" The fell into eachother's embrace. "God, how I missed you Caroline! I missed you so dearly!" He said.

"I missed you too Jackson! I should have never thought that our love would have never survived, if I hadn't crossed that river-"

Jackson held a transparent finger to her transparent lips.

"Don't speak Caroline, we have done enough of that. If only I could feel you again...If only I could...I don't know what I'd do. Only that I wish we hadn't ended our relationship."

The woman flashed her eyes at Sara. Sara, in turn, came out from Grissom's shoulder and glanced back at the woman. The woman smiled and turned back to Jackson.

The two came close to kiss, but as they did, their age melted away until they were young, in possibly their twenties. Caroline's hair was long, blond and flowing down her back. Jackson's hair was thick, curly, dirty blond and he wore a gray shirt and wom pants with red suspenders. Caroline, a flowery dress.

Grissom and Sara were in awe, and the couple's lips met. Sara only wished Grissom and Sara could share something that intimate...

In another blink, they were gone and Sara and Grissom were left alone. Together. Sara buried her head back into Grissom's coat. "It's gone. They're gone, my sweet..."

He stopped himself. He'd said to much and now it was to late.

"Oh, Grissom, I'm so sorry what have I done?" She cried as he helped her off the bed and out of the house.

"What have YOU done? Nothing at all." He said as she fell into his arms. "Yes, I have. I broke us apart and if we continue this charade, we'll end up just like Caroline and Jackson!" She pushed away from Grissom and walked down the crumbling stairs until she lost her footing and fell down the rest of the way. Grissom quickly aided her and tried to help her up but she winced in pain. "My...my wrist! My wrist! I fell on my wrist, I think it's broken!" She shouted. He inspected her wrist. It was swollen and red.

"Yes. You might be right. We should leave and get you checked out."

She stumbled and fell to the ground again. He got in behind her, but just as she did so she fell backwards onto him. "Wh..Whoa!" He said. She had fallen firmly onto his body. She blushed as she thought the felt...something...but quickly saw it to be his belt. She turned back to come face to face with him. Only inches...inches to his lips. Sara wanted to feel his lips on hers. His mouth. God, she wanted it, but quickly saw what fate would leave her with.

"S...Sara..." He said.

"Yes?" She replied.

But he propped her up and began his descent down the hill. She followed. The two began walking back down toward the house. Not continuing their charming conversation of a spiritual experience or his 'belt'...Sara pondered this as she cradled her wrist, Was that his belt?