Chapter 6

It was one of those mornings you could feel the promise of the heat that the day would bring but cool air prickled your skin. At 7:10 Grissom's car swung into her lot and Sara ran out to meet him.

He had to have seen her in shorts before, but if he did, he couldn't remember. Probably the last time he had been trying to distract himself from noticing what he couldn't allow himself to dream of touching. Now Grissom watched with great attention as she strode, half asleep from her doorway, bag slung over her shoulder, sunglasses covering her dark eyes. So rapt in the vision was he that he neglected to hop out and open her door but she didn't seem to notice. She folded herself in next to him and returned his hello kiss.

"You're late, not that I blame you." She mumbled amiably.

"I figured you'd need this." He lifted a large chai iced tea from her favorite coffee place out of the cup holder and placed it into her eager hands.

"God I love you." She pulled off the cover and took a long drink before noticing his stare. "I was talking to the tea. I'm very fond of you too though." She smirked.

She had called her mother last night and begun to ask her to not push too hard with Grissom but then, hearing Dr. Case's voice in her head she stopped herself and left it with, "Just, don't ask him about grandkids until we've been in the house for at least five minutes okay?" and decided to just let everyone handle their own crazy for a change.

A half hour into the drive Sara got antsy. "I'm going to Alabama and I'm bringing an aliquot mixer."

He turned slowly to stare at her for as long as he dared while driving 85 miles an hour. "What?"

"I'm going to Alabama and I'm bringing an aliquot mixer."

"I'm thinking they have mixers in Alabama, what are you talking about?"

She turned in her seat and pushed her glasses onto her head, "Are you telling me you never played this game on car trips?"

"With who?"

"Good point. Okay, so we're going to Alabama…"

"Why are we going to Alabama?"

"Because it starts with the letter A. it's an alphabet game. I say, 'we're going to Alabama and I'm bringing an aliquot mixer. Because aliquot begins with the letter A. Now you have to say, 'I'm going to Alabama and I'm bringing an aliquot mixer and something that starts with the letter B."

"Wouldn't I say, 'I'm going to Boston and I'm bringing something that starts with B'?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, that's just not the way. I guess if we made it all the way through Alabama and Z then we'd add Boston and start with an A."

He shook his head and continued to drive but she just kept looking at him until finally he said, "We're going nowhere near Alabama and you're bringing an aliquot mixer…"

"No, you have to say 'I'm bringing blah blah blah."

"We're going to Alabama and I'm bringing an aliquot mixer, though I don't know why we need two of them and a few Battus philenor."

They continued on this way, neither forgetting a single thing until Grissom pulled into a gas station and Sara bolted for the restroom. Large iced tea and road trips were a killer combination and her bladder could not wait for cleaner amenities.

Glancing at her once they were back on the road he read the worry in her eyes and reached for her hand (brushing against a very smooth thigh), "Sara, it's going to be fine."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just, she's a little, intense at times, y'know."

His lips twisted into a smile, "I can't imagine." But when he saw her face he knew better than to draw any further comparison between mother and daughter. His thumb stroked her fingers (and if it occasionally strayed to caress her leg who would blame him?) "Honey don't worry. I'll be there, you can vent at me if you need to."

She was too busy imagining her mother giving him the third degree to enjoy his touch. "It's not me I'm worried about. She's going to feed you cookies until you're in sugar shock and then start in on you with all sorts of inappropriate questions."

"I like the cookie part. You didn't tell me there'd be cookies." He was in too good of a mood for her to rain on.

"There are always cookies, and she's unnerved so there'll be even more than usual. Gris," her voice got serious and she tightened her grip on his hand, "She really might press you about us, I just want you to know, you don't have to give her any answers."

He pulled her hand to him and kissed the back of it, "I can handle a little motherly interrogation Sara. Relax, this will be fun."