A/N- This is a sequel to Love in the Dark. You will probably have to of read that in order to fully understand this : )
Disclaimer: Wait, let me check......Nope, still not mine. Although, I will reluctantly take responsibility for Alyssa Pembrose and her evil doings.
Grissom stared, not for the first time, into the icy blue gaze of Alyssa Pembrose. Her platinum blonde hair was scraped back in a high ponytail and her colourful lips hinted at the smile she wanted to unveil.
And she looked back at Grissom with a glaze over her dangerous eyes.
It was the same routine he had come accustomed to in the weeks following his drugging and the subsequent disappearance of Alyssa Pembrose. Every time he sat at his desk he would find himself looking up at the case photo he had of her on his office wall.
In some weird way he was addicted to studying the photo, he thought that maybe if he looked enough he would find out why she did what she did. All that had been achieved so far, however, was for her features to distort and merge in his brain and he could no longer distinguish her face properly.
Ordinarily he wouldn't have been concerned with the why of a crime and only concentrated on the how, but she had pulled him into her sick game. She had committed murder to prove a point to him, to show that he wasn't infallible in the work he tried so hard to perfect.
And he knew exactly how she had killed three young men because he had been a first hand witness when she had drugged him. She could have so easily killed him and he was tormented by the implication of her actions. Why would someone try so hard to highlight the inefficiencies of others and use murder to do so? None of it made sense.
He turned his attention away from the picture when he heard a light tapping at his door. Sara was in the doorway carrying some files. "I've got everything finished up on the case. Anything new come in?"
Grissom stared at her, he was still sorry for the worry he caused when he collapsed. Catherine had told him how affected Sara had been by the experience and had then gone on to tell him how blind he was for ignoring her feelings.
Of course, he hadn't told anyone about him and Sara. And he still didn't know how he had managed to react so calmly when Catherine asked who he thought he was in the closet with.
"No, not yet. What are you doing later?" He asked with a slight apprehension.
She took this as her cue to sit down in the seat opposite. "A bit of sleeping followed by a whole lot of nothing. You know the same old same old." She answered breezily.
He rubbed his temples momentarily. "Do you maybe want to go out somewhere? I wanted to see you before I go away."
Sara thought hard before realising what he was talking about. "Oh yes the two weeks of seminars at UCLA. You know you'd better watch out for over eager female students. I know what goes on in their heads." She laughed and he blushed.
"How about you come over to my place and I'll cook you something?" She offered.
He nodded as she rose out of the chair. She then pushed the files in her hand out in front of him. As he grabbed them he also stroked her hand and lingered on the skin for longer than necessary.
Her breath caught in her throat as she remembered how much she missed a simple touch from him. She tore her hand away before the sensations could knock her over.
"That was sneaky." She gasped as he sat very pleased with himself. "We're meant to be keeping things separate here."
"I didn't do a thing Sara." A mischievous grin played over his features while she feigned her anger.
"Well, we'd better be careful. Catherine has been very suspicious lately and is really trying to find out who you thought you were in the closet with. I swear I saw her with a list of all the female employees you've ever spoken to yesterday. She is a woman obsessed."
"You know we could have fun with that."
Sara didn't realise his grin could get any bigger, but with that statement it definitely grew. She indicated to him to carry on with his thought.
"There's about three hours left until the end of shift and there are plenty of women wandering about here. I could make sure that Catherine sees me talking to them and maybe overhear some choice words."
"That would be funny to watch. But you're not exactly the most sociable person I know Gris."
"I'll look at it like an experiment and then I won't have to worry about it being people. They will be my subjects."
"That's a nice way to think of your colleagues." She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I'm encouraging my boyfriend to flirt with other women for an experiment."
"So, I'm you're boyfriend, huh?"
She realised this was the first time she had put a label on their relationship and wasn't sure if Grissom was comfortable with it.
"No, well...er...I don't know."
Grissom beamed at her uneasiness. "That makes you my girl then. And, yes..." He looked up in thought. "I think I do have sunshine on a cloudy day."
His sweet words made her much more comfortable. Had they not been in such a risky place she would have kissed him right then but commonsense prevailed and she turned to leave.
"Don't be too obvious or that'll make her more suspicious. We're not used to seeing Gil Grissom flirt with co-workers. Well co-workers who aren't me anyway." She amended instantly.
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"Have you seen Grissom?" Catherine yelled into the trace lab. She barely waited for an answer before she was launching herself down the corridor again.
She spotted him through the glass wall of the break room and zoned in on her prey. As she neared the room, she noticed that he was not alone. He was talking to an unfamiliar figure, smiling at her even. If Catherine didn't know any better she would have said that Gil Grissom was flirting.
She lurked in the doorway and listened in on the conversation unaware that Grissom had seen her approaching.
"Well, I've got a lot more I could show you." She heard him whisper to the woman.
Catherine gasped in astonishment. Was Grissom actually making contact with another living person? She couldn't believe her ears and was keen to hear more but Sara interrupted her eavesdropping.
"Hi Catherine, on a recon mission?" Sara queried when seeing her loitering about the door.
Feeling caught out, Catherine let her anger return. "You should see the amount of paper work Grissom has left me with when he goes away. There are piles and piles of paper. The rainforests aren't disappearing, they're in Grissom's office."
Sara hid her smile. She didn't want the anger turned around on to her. Catherine looked as though she was about to launch another tirade but was interrupted by Grissom's booming voice and the attractive woman exiting the break room.
"If you give me your number I'll let you know." His enthusiasm lessened when he saw Catherine's stern face but he still managed an enthusiastic goodbye to the woman. And a sly smile at Sara.
"Were you going to tell me about the paperwork?" She fumed before allowing her voice to soften, she couldn't be angry when there was gossip to be heard. "And what was going on then, you got a date?"
Putting his fingers to his lips in thought, he answered, "Yes, I was going to tell you and it's none of your business."
He was on his way to his office before she could respond.
"Do you think she was the one in the closet?" Catherine asked Sara absently before chasing after Grissom.
Outside his office door, Grissom was talking to another woman in hushed tones. Catherine quickened her pace but the woman had gone before she got there.
"Grissom, I don't know what's got into you today but if you think that I'm going to do all your paper work because you're going off somewhere to talk bugs for two weeks, you're very wrong."
"Don't worry, I'm taking some of it with me. All you need to do is make sure this place runs smoothly while I'm not here. Make sure Nick and Warrick turn up on time, don't take Nick's excuse about his alarm not going off. Also keep Greg's music turned down low."
"And Sara?" She questioned suspiciously as she narrowed her eyes.
"What about her?"
"Do you remember who she is or are you too busy talking to the entire population of females in this lab who aren't her? Honestly Grissom sometimes I wonder if you're blind or just obtuse."
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Sara tried to open the door of her apartment but couldn't get the key in the lock. Every time she got anywhere close to success Grissom would poke her in the ribs again.
"Stop it!" She warned through giggles. "I'm telling you, pushed to the brink I get violent...or vengeful." She twisted around to face him.
"But you know I'm not ticklish." He told her before moving in for a kiss.
She pushed him back. "No I don't. I know that you've told me you're not ticklish." She corrected while trying the key behind her back. Finding the lock with ease she laughed as the door opened.
"Behind my back. How's that for skill?"
"Impressive Miss Sidle. Now get inside." He demanded as he poked her again, but this time to move her through the door.
Showing off his now extensive knowledge of her apartment, Grissom went to the correct cupboard for coffee cups as Sara collected her mail. She sifted through the various boring bills until one envelope caught her eye. The pink writing was bright and unusual, so naturally suspicious, she opened it.
Grissom looked up from pouring their drinks and noticed Sara's troubled expression. "What is it?"
She placed the paper down on the counter and he read the neon words.
I COULD HAVE KILLED HIM, YOU KNOW HIS LIFE WAS IN MY HANDS. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE WITHOUT HIM?
And below the cruel claim was a passion pink lip print.
"We've got to get this to the lab." Grissom said after taking in the words.
Sara took his hand and led him to the couch. "I'll process it tomorrow."
"Sara!"
"Gris, you're going away tomorrow, I don't want to waste time looking for evidence on a letter from an obsessed girl who doesn't want to be found, when I could be with you." She sat down.
He moved downward and next to her on the seat. "But if anything this proves she does want to be found."
"Then we'll find her." She breathed on his lips as she moved toward him. "Just not today." As soon as the last word was uttered, her lips were brushing his and her hand came to rest on his neck.
Grissom soon forgot the letter as Sara's tongue sought out his and proceeded to tease his mouth. She moved on to his neck, lightly biting the tender skin until he suddenly yelped.
Sara drew back to look at his face, she was smiling in a very evil way. "I KNEW you were ticklish." She accused as he gazed innocently.
"I'm not!" was his lacklustre protest.
She thought seriously. "Let me see..." And then she poked him in the ribs, he keeled over in fits of giggles.
"Stop, please stop. I can't take it."
Sara continued with the sweet torture, even when Grissom's phone started to ring. He grabbed for it and Sara finally stopped.
"Grissom... Hey Catherine, what can I do for you?" He watched Sara out the corner of his eye as she looked ready to pounce for another tickling session. He warned with his eyes but she ignored it.
Going in for the kill, she went straight for the ribs and was rewarded with another yelp.
"No, no nothing's wrong here. And...er...I'll deal with it when I get back." He managed to say before Sara tried again. He hung up before he could be embarrassed further.
As Grissom regained his composure, Sara stood from the couch and held out her hand to him.
He took it, preparing to get up as well, but at the last moment pulled her back down on top of him. She landed awkwardly on his lap but didn't care when he began kissing her again.
"If Catherine wasn't suspicious enough about my private life already, she will be now." He told her when they parted.
"I know," She confessed. "That's why I did it."
Grissom gasped in mock astonishment. "You're in trouble now, Sidle. You'd better run."
Jumping up, Sara looked from side to side. "Bedroom?" She asked knowingly.
"Bedroom." He confirmed with a distinctly husky tone as she started to run.
TBC