Growing Together

Part 23

Summary: Sara has a surprise for Grissom to help him unwind.

A/N: Yep, this is the last part of this story. As I've already said, I plan one last story in this series, but I need a short break to gather new ideas. Hope you like this last part.
Enjoy!

xxxxx

A deep sigh escaped Sara's lips when she was finally able to sink into bed.

Grissom had sent her off, insisting on doing the last part. However, she knew that she would not fall asleep until he followed her – no matter how tired she was.

Somehow she needed to feel him to assure her that everything had gone well. She needed to know that he was doing okay.

It wasn't long before he joined her. Although he must have known that she was tired, he couldn't help but break the silence. "Sara?"

She turned to face him, propping herself up on her elbow. She was tired but because today was so important, she was willing to listen. "How do you feel about today?"

"Isn't that supposed to be my question?" Her slow smile made him reach out and caress her face.

"Well, I guess we were both pretty nervous."

"Greg seemed to be very disappointed."

There was something in his eyes, a small flicker of doubt, and Sara didn't know why he would feel that way. The best way to help him see that there was nothing he had to worry about was also the simplest. Sara leaned forward and captured his lips, engaging him in a slow, deep kiss. "I love you."

To make sure he really understood, she kept her eyes trained on his until the smile he gave her reached his eyes.

"Brass suspected something."

Grissom nodded, sharing her assessment. "Judging by the look on their faces, he was the only one."

"Yep, we're good. Especially together."

Wrapping his other arm around her, Grissom pulled her closer. "We are."

"So, do we feel better now?"

Grissom bent his head so he could look at her face and saw her smile at the odd question.

"We feel better now because our friends have taken the news better than we had hoped for."

Although keeping eye contact was somewhat uncomfortable, they both needed it to see what the other was thinking. Sara saw that he was much more relaxed now, which was normal, but there was something else that confused her.

"Did you do this just for me?"

It flattered and disturbed her that he would do something like that. She didn't want to be pushing him. That's why they had been taking it slow and she had always waited for him to introduce the next step.

"Yes and no." He looked away but pulled her so close that she could feel his breathing and his muscles tensing.

"You're private but not to the degree that I am. I realized that your way to handle things is much more balanced. Your list…it inspired me. I haven't made my own, but I'm trying to work on my relationships as well. I agreed for you, for us, and for me."

The relief was even greater than earlier in the evening. Progress, that was the key, and, as Grissom had correctly pointed out, it was about her and him.

xxxxx

"Last day, honey. You should take it slow."

Sara was bursting with energy while he seemed to be tired. The previous day had been fun, but it had depleted his energy level. Sleep alone wasn't enough to recharge his cells.

They had slept longer than they usually did. Waking up had been different; the feeling had been different. A huge weight had been lifted off of him, which he hadn't noticed before. He knew he cared what his friends thought of him, but he hadn't realized how important it was to him.

Work had always been important to him, and while he was worried about his job as much as Sara's, his feelings had changed.

He knew Sara wouldn't leave him if their work situation changed.

He knew he could find another job. He had enough possibilities and offers. The only thing to consider was that he had to be close to Sara.

He knew his friends wouldn't desert him if he had to change professionally. They were his friends, or more like family, as Catherine had once claimed.

He knew he had the unending support of his mother in all aspects.

He didn't need to worry about that anymore. There were more important things in life.

When Sara rushed past him for the third time in under a minute, he looked up and caught her eyes. "Sara?"

"I know, and I don't want to do much. Just this one thing. Please."

How could he resist her? As long as they were back soon enough to unwind and rest before work, he would be fine. Sara's smile would take care of everything else. "Alright, get ready."

As predicted, Sara gave him a bright smile and continued with her preparations before vanishing into the bathroom.

She hadn't really told him what it was that she wanted to do, only that he needed to go with her. He closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the couch, and waited for Sara to return.

How much time had passed, Grissom couldn't tell, but it couldn't have been long since Sara only seemed to have jeans and a shirt on.

"Come on, I'll drive."

xxxxx

He had no idea where they were.

After the first few miles, he had closed his eyes, wanting to give Sara this surprise. Of course, the additional rest couldn't be bad. The motion of the vehicle lulled him into a doze until Sara pulled to a stop.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, taking a look around.

The sheer amount of cars confused him, actually making it hard to recognize the surroundings even for someone who was usually very observant. It took another look and a glance at Sara to realize that he had indeed been there before.

Sara had taken him to the Knightleys' wildlife park where everything had begun.

Here he had made the decision to try his best. And now, now he had Sara. She loved him, she wanted to be with him, and they had moved in together.

"I know it's Sunday and the park will be packed, but…it's our last day – my last day." She looked utterly adorable, wanting it so much and scared that he could say no.

The masses that were waiting for them behind the gates did make him nervous, but he would get past that. "Let's go."

Getting out of the car, he noticed that Sara wasn't following him. Instead, she was staring at the entrance, smiling softly. He opened the door for her, startling her out of whatever pleasant daydream she'd had.

To help her, he held out his hand. Feeling playful all of a sudden, he smirked and decided to tease her. "May I help you out of your carriage, Milady?"

Her laugh was worth it.

xxxxx

It wasn't as bad as he had expected. The park was filled with families, and the children were making a lot of noise, but Sara's presence and the pleasant memories helped him enjoy their time together.

They strolled through the park, taking the same route they had before – this time alone. Grissom couldn't resist putting his arm around her, no matter how public they were. After last night he felt free to express his affection for Sara. That Sara let him touch her so openly was a good sign that she felt the same way.

When they reached the insect house, an involuntary smile spread across his face. There must have been an excited glint in his eyes because Sara smiled too and pulled him over to the entrance. "Come on, I know you want to."

It was almost empty, which was a bit surprising considering a lot of boys liked the creepy creatures. With a quick look at his watch, Grissom was happy to notice that it was lunch time, hopefully giving them some time alone.

Apparently, that was what Sara had also hoped for because she wasn't interested in looking at the animals, instead pulling him further into the insect house until they came to a bench. Not just any bench, it was the bench where they had had the conversation.

It felt weird to be sitting there again now that so much had changed.

"I wanted to thank you." Sara leaned against his side, but did not look at him.

She kept staring straight ahead, avoiding his gaze because she knew it would distract her while she was trying to find the right words.

"You know, at the beginning I was angry that I got a lot of confidence back when 'we' started. I thought that you had taken it and I needed you to get it back. I didn't want to depend on someone like that."

She could see he was about to argue, but at the last moment he decided to keep it to himself for now.

"But I was wrong. You only gave me something to believe in – myself. I learned that we not only had to develop the 'us' in this relationship; we had to start progress within ourselves. I don't think we will ever finish this task, but I feel like we've reached some sort of an end point."

That these words made him cringe in fear made her heart ache. Working on it would never really stop.

"I think we've reached a comfort level that couldn't be greater. I know it sounds strange, but moving in together and living with you has exceeded the limits I had previously thought rigid. I trust you more than I ever thought I could. Does that make sense?"

At his nod, she continued. "Now we have to work on keeping this up, and I wouldn't have come this far if I hadn't had your support. So…thank you."

Grissom was speechless.

Sara's confession had floored him, taking away all ability to come up with an answer. But maybe that was because there was no answer to it; except maybe, "Thank you!"

It must have been the right one because Sara rewarded him with a bright smile and a slow kiss.

Even after the kiss had ended, they sat there enjoying the moment until Grissom had reached a decision about something that had been on his mind since the first time they had been to the park. "If this is an end point, are you ready to start another journey?"

Sara looked startled at first, not having expected a request like that. She wondered what he was referring to until she looked in his eyes. His wish about where they would continue to was written all over his face.

And listening within herself, she found she already knew the answer. "Yes."

The end