Chapter 4

Gil sat on the couch waiting for her to come back downstairs, he had to try everything in his power not to go up there and rip that towel off her. "God she looked amazing" he thought to himself. It had been five years since he had seen her naked and if anything she had improved with age. He tried to focus on his kung po chicken but food was the last thing on his mind.

"What is taking her so long?" he thought. "Is she waiting for me to make the first move? Am I supposed to go to her?"

As if she had read his mind, Sara emerged from her room and walked downstairs.

"I'm starving" she said as she got the smell of the food.

"So what surprise do you have for me Gil?"

"Em, Sara, I don't know what you mean, we are here to talk about the case, I think we should concentrate on that really, don't you?" he replied nervously.

"Wow, Gil relax, I was talking about the food, I asked you to get me something different. Jeez, why so jumpy?"

"Just tired I guess, hope Thai green curry is ok?"

"Yeah, it's great"

"Damn, what the Hell is wrong with me? If I react this badly over everything she says and does tonight, I will scare her off before I get the chance to tell her how I really feel", he thought to himself.

"What the Hell is up with him tonight? He is acting so weird; I wonder did he get some kind of vibe from me? Dammit Sara, keep it professional", she told herself.

"So where are we in regards to the case Sara? Did you make any developments today?

"Well, Nick and I checked out the scene again and came across some material in a nearby bush. I got Greg to look at it, and he says that the fibres in it match the dress that Megan was wearing that day. There was a partial print on it that he was tracing for me, but it turned out to be her mothers. So that leaves us straight back at square one again. There is no sign of DNA or blood or anything else that we can use to nail this bastard. This obviously isn't his first kill, this guy is good, he has retraced his steps well. It is going to be tough to find out who he is and where he is hiding out."

"Tough, but not impossible" Gil added, "this guy isn't as clever as he thinks he is, the fact that he left the body in the middle of the desert tells us that there has to be a vehicle involved. All we need to do is find where he dumped it."

"Warrick and Brass were working on it when we finished up, I don't know how they got on".

"I sent Warrick back in to go through the evidence with Catherine, we have to be sure there is nothing we missed. If this gets to Culpepper I want to be sure that we have covered all bases".

"So we aren't the only ones pulling an all nighter then?" Sara said. "Catherine won't be happy that she won't get to see Lyndsay before tomorrow's shift starts. This case is hitting her hard; you know how she gets when the vic is a child".

"I know, I have been keeping an eye on her, but she needs to learn to be more objective, she can't always let her emotions get in the way. If it isn't children that upset her it is prostitutes, lap dancers or call girls. In Vegas that doesn't leave a lot of people!"

Sara had never heard Gil talk about any of the CSI's, it surprised her as she knew how much respect Gil had for Catherine.

"What's going on Gil? It isn't like you to question our objectivity."

"I have to question my team's objectivity Sara; it is the only way I can ensure that the job is done right. Warrick can't be around gamblers or deal with a crime scene in a casino, Nick has issues with child abusers, paedophiles and their victims, Catherine worries about the entire sex industry, it is just getting a bit ridiculous.

I need my team to be completely removed from the situations that they are dealing with; they knew what the work entailed when they got involved. I can't always be there to bail them out when their emotions get the better of them."

Sara sat in silence as Gil continued to pick holes in his team. She had never in all the years of knowing him heard him speak so frankly about other people. She didn't realise that any of the team's flaws even registered with him let alone affected him.

"And what about me Gil? What's my thing? What about me annoys you?" she asked tentatively.

"You Sara?" he said as he looked into her eyes "nothing."

"No tell me, I can handle it you know. There are things about you that I don't like either, it is okay. Besides, if you tell me then I can improve on it, I can't change it if I don't know what it is."

Sara felt her heart beat louder in her chest; his answer could have more of an effect on her than he knew.

Gil took a long drink, his mouth felt like the desert that he was so accustomed to working in, and his palms were beginning to sweat. He looked at Sara's face; he noticed every line that was now on her intensely worried face. In that moment, he realised he didn't just want her, he needed her. She made his heart beat with an intensity that he had never felt before, she made him smile and laugh out loud, she made him think and constantly question and rethink his ideas, in short, she made him feel alive.

"Gil, tell me", she urged. "It can't be that bad". Her eyes were starting to sparkle and he knew she was getting annoyed.

"I already told you Sara"

"You told me nothing Gil"

"Exactly Sara, nothing" he answered in his calm, collective tone.

"That is hardly an answer Gil, stop being so vague and avoiding the topic, Jesus, you had no problem pulling the others apart, what is it you aren't man enough to tell me cos I am sitting in front of you. I couldn't imagine you talking behind the others' backs when they aren't here to defend themselves. I never put you down as a coward", she fumed.

"Sara, firstly, I am not pulling anyone apart, I am merely telling you the weaknesses of the other CSI's which you and I already know of. I am not betraying any confidences and I am not telling you anything that you aren't already aware of. Secondly, I have always been open and honest with my team, I have already talked to all of them about the weaknesses that will hold them back and jeopardise their work. Thirdly, I already answered you twice, you asked me what annoyed me about you and I said nothing. Nothing is the answer Sara. I am not avoiding the question, I answered the goddamn question. The answer is there in nothing that annoys me about you, there is nothing you do that I would change in any way, there is nothing you do to jeopardise your work or the work of the team around you. You are focused in every way, you are always the utmost professional, and you are one of the best in the business. Nothing about you annoys me, how could anything about you annoy me, when I, when I" he stumbled.

"When you what Gil?" she said more gently this time

When I love you so goddamn much", he finished in an almost inaudible whisper.