An Innocent Love

A/N: Thanks to my two lovely reviewers-BlueUltraViolet and csigirl46. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. For everyone else who is reading, just spend 2 mins and drop me a comment. I love them! And all the usual disclaimers apply. You think CBS would lend me Billy Petersen for my birthday?

He was amazed that he had actually gotten out of the car. Now all he had to do was go inside, get on the elevator and knock on her door. Yeah, easier said than done. He managed to get inside the building without any doubts; he even got up the elevator. But, as he was approaching her unit, the cowardly part of Gil Grissom started to shine through. He had already turned back twice and he hadn't even reached her door yet.

It had taken him ten minutes, but here he was, finally, right outside her door and raising his fist to knock. As Sara opened the door, the first thing he noticed was her poofy cheeks and blood-shot eyes. She swiped at her tears and invited him in.

"Sara, honey, what's wrong?"

"You blow me off and then show up here expecting me to tell you all my sob-stories? I can't believe you! Get out."

"No, Sara, you can't do this by yourself. Let me in and we can work through all of it together. I'm not going anywhere this time sweetheart."

She couldn't believe this. A few hours ago, he had been no more willing to have a personal conversation than a stone at the water's edge. Now, out of the blue, he decides that she should trust him with all of this. The internal battle was beginning to drive her insane. This is crazy. How is it that without talking to him, and without calling for his help, he somehow managed to realize exactly what I want? He came right when I needed him.

"Sit down, I'll make us some cocoa."

They sat together in silence as they sipped her cocoa. When they were finished, she turned to him and told him what was up.

"I was going back through all of the newspaper articles from my parents, uh, my mom's, umm, my father's death. And then I started going through all the things I kept from my years in foster. You can't even believe to imagine what goes on in some of those group homes. While I was in the third placement, my foster-dad, he raped me. I was only thirteen years old. It continued to go on for a year before the social worker finally did something. But that year broke me. After that, all I thought about was suicide. I was ready to die. All I had left were my ambitions. So, I worked my ass off to achieve them. I was never happy in San Francisco. I worked this child rape case and was back in that same rut of depression. Then I met you. You were…are…you are my angel Gil."

He caught the distinction. He had never realized that he was that important to he life. He looked at her. She was shaking with sobs, trying to hold it all in. He wanted to pull her into him and try to absorb her pain, so he did.

Half an hour later they were still sitting there. The only difference being that Sara had run out of tears to cry. Suddenly, she sat up and walked over to a box on her kitchen counter. She pulled out a piece of paper.

"This is just a small example of how I felt back then."

She handed him the paper, on it, in her tidy scrawl, was another poem.

Can't you see?

Don't you care I want to die?

Don't you listen?

Can't you hear my silent cry?

Won't you turn?

Can't you hold me to your heart?

Are you afraid of what might happen,

Once you start?

Would you rather not believe

I'm in such pain?

That all you sense and good advice

Must be in vain?

Would you rather tell yourself

I'll be ok?

That all this adolescent angst

Will go away?

Ah! Will I also swim across

This lake alone?

But if you can't swim with me,

I know I'll drown.

It broke his heart to know that someone that he cared about this much, was put through all this pain. It killed him to picture a young Sara, unable to stop that sad excuse of a man from living out his twisted fantasies. He hated that he couldn't save her.

"This is what I was back then. But, then I met you and I can't stop thinking about how wonderful it is being near you. I'm not worried about the future anymore. I'm worried about now because Griss, I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of just plain good."

He took two steps toward her, leaned down and tentatively touched his lips to hers. It was the smallest of kisses, but nothing could have been more perfect. They broke the kiss and stared at each other. Sara touched her lips and then let out a huge yawn.

"You look exhausted. Let me tuck you into bed."

Sara nodded and walked him to her bedroom. She slid into bed and he wrapped the covers around her. She whispered his name so quietly that he almost didn't hear it. He looked into her eyes.

"Will you stay with me? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course."

Gil lay down on top of the covers right next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Get some sleep Sara, I'm not going anywhere."

For the first time, in a long time, they both slept peacefully. Nothing had felt more right.

A/N: For some unknown reason, this chapter came to me extremely easily. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to let me know. Lots of Luvs.