Author's Notes: If the plot of this story ever seems weirdly twisted or unnecessarily complicated, just remember this. It can't be any more so than this entire season of CSI: Miami. Thanks for hanging on with me;)
Someone Else's Star
by Kristen Elizabeth
Life is a series of surprises, and would not be worth taking or keeping if it were not. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Of course Sofia would be put in charge of the investigation. That was just Sara's luck.
"So, you were engaged to the victim several years ago. And you almost married him again just a few days ago. But you still haven't explained what Grissom has to do with any of this."
From across the dining room table of the man in question, Sara stared at the blond detective. Could they ever have been friends, she wondered, or were they simply too much alike? Two single, workaholic women in law enforcement with a taste for older men. The same older man.
Well, that answered that question.
Setting everything else aside, Sara understood that Sofia's question was valid. But she didn't like the eagerness with which the woman seemed to want an answer.
"Matt became very…jealous of Grissom," she said. Yes, she was being purposely vague. But there were just some things that should stay private.
Apparently, Sofia didn't get the hint. "Jealous of what?"
"My relationship with Grissom," Sara replied tightly.
Sofia's brow lifted. "I wasn't aware that you had a relationship with Grissom. Outside of work, that is."
She counted to ten. Slowly. "Matt felt otherwise."
"He imagined the whole thing, then." Sofia nodded. "He came after Grissom in a jealous rage. And you just happened to stop by?" Sara nodded. "Why?"
That was pretty much the end of Sara's patience. "If the answer to that question contained any relevant information, you can be sure that I would tell you. But I've explained what happened, the evidence will support everything I've said, case closed."
A moment passed. "Are you declining to answer?"
"Absolutely." Sara stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to the hospital."
"I will have more questions in the future," Sofia warned her. "And you can't decline to answer them all."
It took every bit of her willpower not to snap back a biting, "Watch me," as she walked towards the door.
Sara did look back once though. Sofia was approaching the couch on which Grissom sat, looking lost.
She wanted to go to him, to recapture the few moments they'd spent in silent support before the police arrived. She had no idea if the trauma of the afternoon had even caught up with him yet. And as much as she wanted to be there for him when it did, one simple fact kept her heading out the door.
Her heart was still a little broken…and he was the one who'd broken it.
Grissom had nothing against Sofia, but when he saw Sara preparing to leave, it was all he could do not to push the detective aside in order to chase after her.
But he remained seated while she walked out. The damage he'd done to their relationship would require more to fix it than a close encounter with a gun.
Sofia's eyes were oozing with concern and some little part of him appreciated that. "Quite a day," she began. "Do you feel like talking about it?"
"I'm not sure what I could add. You've already talked to Sara."
"But according to her statement, she walked into the middle of the scene in progress." Sofia paused. "What happened before she arrived?"
Having no idea how much Sara had revealed, Grissom was reluctant to answer the question. But he couldn't ignore it altogether. "He broke in while I was out. Found my gun. Waited for me to return." Grissom stopped. "I don't plan to press charges as long as he gets some sort of help."
"For his delusions?" Sofia nodded. "Sara told me that he imagined there was some sort of relationship between you and her."
"Sara said that?"
Sofia didn't seem to notice the hurt in his question. "Yes." A moment passed. "Honestly, this all seems open and shut to me. We're really just going through the motions here." She set aside her notes. "IAB will clear Jim. Really…it could have been so much worse."
She didn't need to tell him that. He was all too aware. Matt could have turned his jealousy onto Sara instead. Maybe he would have broken into her apartment and found her service piece. Maybe he would have lost control. The thought chilled him down to his very bone.
"Gil, are you all right?" Sofia reached for his hand. "You're shaking. Did the paramedics even check you out?"
He only covered her hand with his to politely move it away, but Nick chose that moment to enter the living room. Grissom didn't need any special observation skills to see what things might look like to an outside eye.
"We're just about done in there," Nick said, his gaze landing on their joined hands. There was a half-second's pause. "You're gonna need to board that window up pretty good, though."
Grissom slipped his hand out from under Sofia's. "I'll take care of it. Thanks."
"Warrick and I are willing to do it for you, boss. If you need to go somewhere. To see someone. That is, if the lady's done with you."
"For now," Sofia said with a little smile. She stood up. "If you remember anything else, Gil, you know where to reach me."
Nick watched her go with a knowing look that he eventually turned onto Grissom. "Is something wrong with your eye, Nick?" Grissom asked, irked.
"Nope." He cleared his throat. "Guess I'll be getting started on that window."
Grissom rested his forehead on his hands after his CSI left and contemplated his next move.
"We removed the bullet and repaired what damage we could. He's going to pull through, but there's no telling if there will be any permanent nerve damage. He could be looking forward to a lot of physical therapy in the future."
Her ironic smile must have seemed odd to the doctor. "I'm sure he'll be able to handle it. Thanks."
The woman nodded at Sara. "You can go in and see him now."
But Sara's feet wouldn't budge. The doctor walked away, an even more puzzled look on her face, but still she stayed rooted to the spot. Even if she heard him explain himself a hundred times, she'd never truly understand why he'd done what he had. She'd forgiven him and checked in on him. If she was ever going to forgive herself for her role in his crime, she couldn't owe Matt Wilson anything else.
She said a silent goodbye from the hallway and moved on.
It almost seemed inevitable, given the synergy they shared, that even in a city like Las Vegas, they would end up in the same place at the same time.
So when Grissom paid the sixteen buck fee and entered Mandalay Bay's shark reef, he wasn't at all surprised to see that Sara was already there. Her back was to the entrance; her slender body was framed by a wall of blue water.
It said something that when he came up beside her, she wasn't at all surprised to see him either.
The sharks glided in front of them, back and forth like silent sentries.
Sara spoke first, but her eyes never left the reef. "When did I tell you about this place?"
"I was going to ask you the same question."
Several minutes passed. Tourists milled about, vacationing couples and families, eager to check one more Vegas landmark off on their to-see lists. The deadly beauty of the scene was lost on them.
It was Sara who broke the silence for a second time. "If he hadn't missed…" Her voice faltered.
Grissom turned his head to see her profile. "He did. I'm okay, Sara."
"I'm not." She tore her stare away from the sharks and turned the full weight of it onto him. "I'm not okay. You hurt me."
"Honey…" The lump in his throat burned. "I'm sorry."
Tears shimmered in her eyes. "Maybe I can't pretend that it's not too late anymore." Before his fear could completely paralyze him, Sara released a sharp breath. "I can't even make that sound convincing, can I? It won't ever be too late." She looked back at the sharks. "But whatever guilt made you come here…it'll pass. And eventually we'll go back to the status quo. Nothing will change. You won't let it."
"Anais Nin said…" He had to stop momentarily to clear his throat. "She said something about a time coming when the risk of remaining tight in a bud is more painful than the risk of blossoming."
"I don't care what Anais Nin said." Sara's laugh was frustrated. "I want to hear what Gil Grissom has to say. Right now. Off the top of his head." She paused. "Can he do that?"
The words came rushing out before he could reign them in and think them over. "I want things to change."
"Be more specific. For all I know, that could mean I should tell Ecklie to go ahead with my shift transfer."
His head ached with the unfamiliarity of voicing his true feelings to the woman at his side. "I want to be with you. But most of all…I want to believe that I actually could."
"What's stopping you from believing?" she whispered.
"The fact that one day you'll wake up next to a sixty year-old man and…"
"And what?" Sara prompted. "Scream and run away? Decide to have a steamy affair with Archie? Curl into a ball and be miserable for the rest of my life? Does any of that sound even remotely like me?"
Grissom ran a hand down his beard. "Why does everything that sounded so reasonable in my head seem so idiotic when you say it?"
"You'll have to answer that on your own. But you should probably get right on that." She closed her eyes. "When we slept together, we didn't use anything. And I just realized…I'm about a week late."
She left him staring at the sharks.
To Be Continued