RATING: M - Mature (for later chapter)
PAIRINGS: GSR
SPOILERS: Post Ep for "Gum Drops" through "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" (specifically relating to events in "Secrets & Flies")
SUMMARY: What was it that made Grissom finally see the light? Could it really have been so simple?
A/N: I know I said there was only one chapter left, but as I started writing this one, it changed... So, there is one more chapter after this one. And before you all read this chapter, please remember that I have 6 nieces and nephews that dearly depend on their Aunt, so it would make them all cry if she was seriously maimed or killed because of something she wrote.
REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.
Chapter 8
They were both driving out to San Diego for a conference in which both were presenting lectures. It had been four hours of complete silence in a five hour drive. After the first hour of silence, Sara had drifted off to sleep, deciding that she might as well enjoy the quiet, and that when Grissom was ready to talk, he would.
When she woke up, they had stopped in Barstow at a gas station. She thought to herself that if they had taken her car, the way she had suggested, they would not have had to stop for gas until they were on their way back to Vegas, but seeing as how Grissom appeared to be in one of his moods, she decided to keep that little nugget to herself for now. Sara stepped out of the car and stretched her muscles after her nap. She chuckled a little to herself when she realized that it was probably the best sleep she had gotten all week. Hour and half while Grissom sulks, and I sleep like the dead.
Grissom chose that moment to walk back to the car. "What's so funny?" His tone told her all she needed to know; he was still in a bad mood.
"Oh nothing… I just really enjoy a good stretch." She worked to stifle the smile that was threatening to spread over her face. Sara decided it would be best to change the subject quickly. "Hey, you want me to drive the rest of the way? Give you a chance to catch a nap, too…"
"I'll sleep when we get there." He cut her off with his curt statement and went straight for the driver's door.
"Suit yourself… I was just trying to-" There was the distinct sound of a car door slamming before she had even finished talking. "…help." Sara chewed back the curse she was going to say after having experienced the obvious slight from Grissom and got into the SUV.
Instead of trying to make conversation, she simply buckled up, crossed her arms over her chest and tucked her chin down as she closed her eyes. If he was going to be in that bad of a mood, she wanted nothing to do with him either, so she was at least going get another nap in before they got to the conference. At that point, she figured he needed to stew in his own juices for a while longer, because she was quickly getting into a bad mood of her own after his brush off.
The next thing she knew she was being woken up by the knock on her window by the hotel valet. "Excuse me, Ma'am?"
Sara sat bolt straight up in her seat and had to quickly regain her orientation to understand that they must have arrived at the hotel in San Diego and Grissom had not woken her when they got there. Slowly, she got out of the SUV as the young valet held the door open for her. "Ma'am, you're boss gave me this to hand you… The bellhops already got your luggage." Sara looked down to find the pass key to her room. She flashed a half-hearted smile at the young man and pulled a five out of her pocket to slip in his hand as she stomped off into the hotel.
Sara had experienced enough of Grissom's foul mood for one day, so she stayed in her room rest of the night, foregoing the conference mixer that evening in favor of some room service. She re-worked the notes for her presentation and used the internet to double check a couple of her facts, which led to finding another article that related to the same material analysis technique that she was promoting, which led to a case file that caught her attention, which led to the recent publication of the physicist that had been involved in that case file… And before she realized it, it was three in the morning and she had to give her first lecture at nine. Sara decided it was time to get a little sleep so that she could at least not look like the insomniac, workaholic science nerd that she truly was when she gave her presentation.
She got up and started to undress for her shower, and when she passed the mirror, she had to laugh. "Well, at least, I can try to look awake." Sara shook her head at the reflection in the mirror, showing her hair going in two entirely different directions, a pen tucked into one ear, a smudge of something on her chin, her clothes completely rumpled and that well-worn expression that always came after two days of working with only the occasional nap, here and there. Right then, at that moment, she looked exactly like an insomniac, workaholic, professional science nerd who needed an iron and a washcloth.
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With both of her presentations out of the way, Grissom still hiding and nothing but the night alone ahead of her, Sara decided to skip the keynote speech and dinner in favor of a quick falafel sandwich at the vendor by the marina, a good run down to Mission Beach and a leisurely walk in the sand. The one thing that she had missed since moving to Las Vegas was not being able to hear the water in everything.
San Francisco was on a bay, and the water was a part of every inch of the city. Hearing the waves wash up along the shore, she was reminded more of her childhood, and the impact the tides had on her everyday life. She had always been able to tell the time of day and time of month by the tides. She had also gauged when the tides at home were getting ready to turn by the crashing of the waves. When they were at their longest ebb, things always seemed to be at their worst at home. She would spend more time at the beach during the ebbs. Her brother had been the one to show her how to dig for the razor and littleneck clams that were prevalent on the beaches near their home. It was during those low tides that she carried her little bucket and stick with her everywhere she went.
As she walked along the beach at dusk, occasionally kicking her bare toes into the sand, she smiled. It was nice to be able to recall the good things again, and not just bury it all because of her fear of the bad stuff. She was able to remember the bonfire at the beach when she spied her brother kissing Molly Parker for the first time, or the sand castle she built with her father and brother when she was only four, or steaming the clams she had found with her mother. But mostly it was just comfortable being able to connect with her past without fear. It truly was her past now, and it no longer haunted her every sleeping and waking dream.
She was proud of her accomplishments over the last few years, of all the things she had done, and been through, and put to rest. It had taken some pretty awful experiences to get her to finally deal with all of those things, but it had been worth it in the end. She realized that there were only a few loose ends left in her life, and she hoped to one day put even those to rest as well, but for now, they were still goals. She chuffed to herself at that notion. She had once considered them obstacles, things to overcome, but now she saw them as goals; things to attain on her journey.
As she neared the pier at the other end of the beach, she watched as a car parked on the pier and then a high-beamed spotlight was shown across the beach. When it stopped on her she realized that there must have been a curfew on the beach, and it was well past dusk by that time, since that beam was the only light around, outside of the waning moon.
When she reached the walkway to climb up from the beach she was met by an officer carrying a maglite. "Excuse me, Miss… Were you out there alone?"
Sara smiled at the man's tone, which let her know she was definitely in California. "Ah, yeah… Sorry Officer, I didn't realize there was a curfew for the beach."
The man stepped aside to let her pass, but she stayed still to speak with the man. "Oh, well there isn't really, but we've had some trouble out there lately, so the homeowners are pretty vigilant right now… Are you in town visiting someone?"
"Just here for a conference at the Sheraton up in the marin-"
"Isn't that where they're having that big forensic science conference?" The officer obviously knew about the conference, and if Sara had been planning on keeping it low key, she had just killed that idea.
"Yeah, it is." She tried to make light of it, but the man had other plans. "I was just trying to get a little beach time in before heading back to the desert."
"Wow, you know that's like seven miles from this end of Mission Beach, right?" He looked around for a car or something, and then asked, 'How'd you get here?"
Sara looked down at her shorts and sweatshirt and shrugged, "Ran?" She realized as she said it, just how ridiculous that had to sound to a beat cop: scrawny, little woman running seven miles in the dark. "I guess I let the time get away from me once I got to the beach."
He laughed at her admission and gestured for her to continue along the path. "C'mon, Cecilia and I'll drop you back at your hotel." When she was about to balk at his suggestion he added, "Call it a professional courtesy. We were just about to head back to the station anyway."
The two officers had driven her back to the hotel, asking plenty of questions about her work and the conference. Fortunately she had the foresight to wear that stupid fanny pack that Greg had gotten her on his last trip to a conference, so she had her wallet with her. She reached in and gave each of them one of her cards and told them if they ever wanted to take a late night run in the desert to give her a call and she would return the favor.
Sara stopped at the front desk to see if she had any messages before heading back to her room to get cleaned up. Sure enough, there were two messages; one from Greg reminding her that she owed him a conference present, and the other from Grissom reminding her that they were leaving right after his eleven o'clock presentation, so she was to be waiting in the lobby for him at half past twelve. Obviously the cold front was still in place.
When she got to her room, she quickly undressed, careful to leave the shells and beach glass she had found in a safe place, and jumped into the shower. As she was combing out her hair, she called down to room service to have a plate of fruit, cheese and crackers sent up to her. She decided that it would be something to nibble on while she organized her notes from the presentations and then packed her bag for their long, and apparently still silent drive back to Vegas.
She had no idea what it was that was making Grissom sulk at the moment, but she knew that it would do her no good to bring it up either. If the last six years had taught her anything, it was that Grissom only did things when he was good and damn ready, and not a moment before.
When she heard the knock on the door, she hopped up and grabbed her wallet for the room service guy's tip. As she opened the door, she was completely surprised by the face of Officer McNally. "Whoa… What are you doing here?" Sara suddenly became very self-conscious of the fact that she was wearing nothing but a robe.
The officer held up a bunch of photos in one of those flips of plastic sleeves commonly found in the average wallet. "I think you dropped these in the back of the cruiser."
Reaching out her hand, she took the pictures from him and instantly recognized them. "Oh wow… Thanks for doing that."
"No problem… Just wanted to make sure they were yours. We did have someone else in there today, but I don't think he smelled like someone who'd have had those with him." The officer was pleasant enough, but Sara was starting to feel like he had used her mistake to his advantage.
"I was wondering what that smell was… I had hoped it wasn't me, seeing as I had just run five miles." She never wanted to be rude, but she had things to do before she and Grissom left the next day, and this guy seemed to be taking root at her door. "Well, thanks again… I appreciate it. It was very nice meeting you and Cecilia, and I'll have to give you guys a call the next time I make it into town."
The man seemed to have finally taken the hint and said his goodbyes with Sara shutting the door behind him. When McNally reached the elevator he muttered to himself, paying no attention to the man beside him as he looked back at Sara's closed door. "Gonna have to find a reason to hit Vegas again real soon… And that."
The elevator dinged, he stepped onboard and then held his arm out in front of the door to allow the other man a chance to get on. "You gettin' on, buddy?"
The man continued to look at the ground and practically whispered, "No, I was waiting for someone." As the doors closed, Grissom walked to the stairwell to go back to his room.