Growing Together
Part 2
Summary: Every relationship has to face a crisis.
A/N: Sorry for the delay. There were some really pressing things I had to take care of and my betas pc struck out. So, an extra thanks to Ace and Cybro.
xxxxx
When Grissom pulled into the parking lot of Sara's apartment building, the first thing he noticed was that her car wasn't there. Where had she gone?
She had pulled out before him, and it had taken him one or two minutes to get his feet to move. She should be here.
Panic was surging up in him, and he started to fumble for his cell phone. She should be here.
The ring tone seemed unnaturally loud as it went on and on. After what seemed like hours, Sara finally picked up. "Yes?"
She sounded out of breath, which worried him more. "Sara where are you?"
Grissom didn't even bother to hide his concern. Nervously, he smoothed over his hair, looking around for her car once more.
"Oh Gris, I'm sorry. I forgot that I have nothing useful in my kitchen, especially after not being there over the weekend. I'm at the store, but I should be there in five."
His breathing slowed to normal, and the panic subsided. As more oxygen chased away the lightheadedness, his brain was able to function normally again, and it was only then that he realized that it might not be Sara's, but there was a familiar car. Why hadn't he noticed that before?
Frantically, he looked around for the owner of the car, but he was nowhere to be found.
"Sara." Her soft breathing reminded him that she was still on the other end. "We have a problem."
He threw the car into reverse and backed out of the parking lot. "What?"
The background noise changed, and he guessed she had stopped doing whatever she had been doing.
"You have a visitor, whom I hope hasn't seen me yet."
"What?" She was getting louder.
"I'm driving home now."
"Who?"
Grissom drove around the next corner and stopped out of sight. "Nick. His car was in the lot, but I couldn't see him."
While Sara was processing the whole thing, Grissom allowed himself to feel sorry. If Nick was there waiting for Sara, their breakfast would have to be put off.
"Nick is at my apartment?" She was moving again, that much he could tell.
"It appears so."
"Shit! I knew he wasn't going to let it go. I just didn't think he would actually do something."
Grissom was confused about what she was trying to tell him. A slight bout of jealousy welled up in him, but he pushed it down immediately. It was silly, he told himself. This was Nick and they were more like siblings than anything else. He would have to try harder to get his insecurities under control or they would become an acute risk to their relationship.
"Well, there's nothing I can do. Why don't you finish your shopping and then find out what he wants. Call me when you're done."
"Gris, I'm sorry." The sadness radiated from her voice, and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and chase it away.
"There is nothing to be sorry for. Things happen. Just call me okay?" He wanted to continue, to tell her that he loved her, but it didn't seem right.
"I will!"
xxxxx
All the way home, Grissom wondered what had gone wrong. Where had he gone wrong that he couldn't tell her what had seemed to come naturally this weekend?
Maybe it was the unexpected turn of events that had thrown him.
On the other hand, why should that bother him so much that he could not tell her he loved her?
Grissom opened the front door to his home and was surprised to notice how quiet it seemed.
No Amelia, no Sara. Just him and his pets. Something was missing – besides Sara.
He took another look around, but the only thing that seemed different was a little clutter here and there, leftovers from the weekend.
He had nothing to do but wait until Sara called so he decided to clean up a bit. The orderly person in him found pleasure in the little tasks, but another part of him realized it was just a distraction. He kept thinking about Sara and what Nick could possibly want from her.
When he was done and everything was neat and tidy again, he looked around once more. Everything was in its place; everything looked as always. Still, it didn't feel right.
And suddenly, he realized Catherine was right.
What he had previously called his 'home' was seriously lacking the homely element. The almost sterile surroundings accentuated his isolation and loneliness.
He had to do something about this.
The last weekend had changed his perspective on many things; most of all his relationship with Sara. He could not remember why he was holding back anymore.
This house, this lonely life was not him anymore.
xxxxx
When she stepped out of the elevator, Sara spied Nick immediately. He was leaning against the wall next to her door. His eyes were closed, and for a moment she wondered if he was asleep, but then he opened his eyes and his eyes fell on her.
A tired smile spread over his face while Sara tried not to let it show that she dreaded this conversation. The mere fact that he was here, that he invaded her privacy like that led her to believe that there was more to it.
"Hey, Sara." He pushed himself off of the wall.
She put on a brave front. If she wanted to get him to leave as fast as possible, she couldn't let him see that it bothered her. "Hey, you've been waiting for me? Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?"
She pushed the shopping bags higher in her arms to search for her keys with one hand.
Nick took one bag from her to free one hand completely. "Uhmm, yeah, sorry. I guess I should have called."
They entered her apartment, Nick settling onto one of the bar stools while Sara went to put her groceries away. "So, what brings you here?"
She didn't look at him, focusing on systematically filling her cupboards, but she could feel his eyes on her.
"Sara, I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm really worried about you."
Her movement stilled and she swiveled around to face Nick. She tried to rein in her temper, not wanting to go off at him, but she always felt attacked when it came to her personal life therefore becoming defensive. In this case though, she did not want Nick to know that he had hit a nerve. "I'm fine."
"Yeah, you always say that." He took a deep breath and rounded the counter to stand right in front of her. "I know how private you are and that you're probably just considering where to hide my body, but please…Sara, I'm just worried about you."
The idea about the body did indeed sound appealing right now, but his eyes told her that he really meant it. "Why are you worried? It has been a long time since I've felt down, work is going great and…and I'm trying to 'go out more', as you've titled it. Why do you get worried when I'm…"
She didn't want to say happy. That would tell him more than he needed to know. "…content?"
Nick lowered his head in shame. He had never seen it this way. His thoughts were now in chaos and he needed a moment to recollect. "It's not that I don't want you to be happy, and I know that it sounds like I have it all backwards, but…"
His hands rubbed his temples as he tried to formulate what he wanted to say without offending her. "Something happened that erased the smile on your face. Don't tell me it wasn't about a guy."
Sarcasm was dripping from the last word.
For a moment Sara panicked, thinking that Nick knew about 'this' with Grissom, but one look into his eyes and she knew he was thinking about someone else.
"You're smiling again, and I don't want you to get hurt."
She felt trapped. This was not something she wanted to talk about, or even be reminded of. "Do you think I want to get hurt?"
The only thing she felt she could do was lash out. "I'm not good at this relationship stuff and I don't need you or Catherine to complicate things further. I do not want to be hurt. I try to make it work, but you are so hell-bent on figuring me out that you will only help me ruin it."
She didn't care anymore that she was confirming his suspicions or that she was turning her fear into anger and dumping it on Nick. "How sad is it that happiness is a state causes you concern? I know I'm screwed up, but has it really come that far?"
She was still venting, but she was talking more to herself than to him. "I just want to be happy."
Her voice was getting weaker as she got close to crying. "I don't want to get hurt."
She was holding onto a thin thread. She couldn't break down now; not in front of Nick.
"Sara…"
"Just let it go Nick."
An apology from him would change nothing right now, and she didn't want to hear anything else either. She would not cry.
"I know you didn't mean it that way, but could you just accept that I know what I'm doing?"
Nick had fallen silent again, now regretting that he had pressured Sara so much. "I'm happy that you are happy."
He hugged her awkwardly, mostly due to her stiffness, and then he left. He knew that any further word would only cause her more pain.
Sara remained behind, close to tears and wondering what she was supposed to do now.
The only thing she could think of was Grissom.
She picked up her phone and dialed his number.
"Hello?"
"Grissom, I need you."
TBC