Part Two

The day after Grissom had listened to her past, Sara had been watching daytime television mindlessly flicking through the channels when there had been a knock at the door.

"Someone's popular today," she had muttered to herself.

It had been Grissom. Sara wasn't that surprised, who else would it have been? What had astonished her was that he was there at all. The day before, when she had started crying, he pulled her down onto the couch next to him and held her while she wept. At first, his arms had been gentle and tentative, as though he was afraid that he would break her, like she was a piece of fragile glass. However, Sara Sidle had been broken a long time ago, and she was still fighting.

Somehow, in the comfort of his arms, she had fallen asleep. For the first time in a very long time she had slept dreamlessly. When she had woken, she was lying on her bed, fully clothed, with a note from Grissom on her nightstand.

Sara,

I'm very sorry, I had to leave, Greg called me with some evidence on a case and I need to speak to Ecklie. Courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other – Samuel Johnson

Grissom

A knock at the door had brought her out into the living room.

"Come in," Sara had begun, somewhat hesitantly.

When Grissom had explained that he had disobeyed Ecklie's order to fire her, Sara had nearly dropped her tea.

"Why?" she had asked, blankly. Then, "What did Catherine say? I won't-"

" Cath didn't say anything, and I know better than to try to make you do something you don't want, Sara,"

She had almost laughed at that, Sara remembered fondly. He had never said why he hadn't fired her.

After that, things had improved slightly between them. It had just been little things. There had been more laughter, she had worked with him on more cases, and he no longer talked so much to Sofia Curtis, that, don't go down that route, Sidle, she told herself.

Sometimes, there had even been breakfast, but never at her house. Although no longer completely private, but at least hidden, Sara had always found a measure of peace and security there.

The one place that work had never touched her.

Then, so soon after that had been that terrible case at the mental hospital. In her nightmares, Sara could still remember the feel of the ceramic weapon against her throat, pressing down on her. Her terror had melted, though, at the sight of Grissom through the glass. Despite his anguished expression, Sara had felt better. At least, she had thought, at least if I die now I will have said goodbye with my eyes.

Then, her body had started moving independently to her mind. She had rushed out of the room, away from the insane man behind her, away even from Grissom, wishing for her home.

After that, Sara wasn't sure where they were at. Sometimes there were still meals and jokes and laughter. Occasionally, she would look up and find him watching her, almost protectively. He rarely left her alone at a scene. Yet he was still keeping his distance. Sara had been too scared to ruin their- whatever it was- by pushing further.

Nick's abduction had changed all of that. After Catherine and Warrick had gone in the ambulance with Nick, Grissom had told Ecklie that 'he wanted his guys back'. Sara had not been entirely sure what he meant by that.

When she had arrived home that night? Day? She couldn't remember, the lines being blurred through the drama of the shift, she had forced herself to take off her coat and make tea. Then, just as the kettle beeped, her knees gave way, like she had known that they would. For about ten minutes she had sat there, slumped against the counter, and cried. The tears ran down her face and her body shook:- all of her anger, pain and hurt, washing away.

The first knock at the door didn't move her. The second had forced her up to her feet and propelled her towards it. The third had not been so much a knock as more an attempt to beat down the door by tattooing it.

"Do you want to destroy the door?" she had demanded irritably, without looking at the person in front of her.

The next thing she knew, she had been enveloped in a sudden warm embrace and didn't have to open her eyes to know who it was.

"I love you," he had whispered in her ear, his voice choked with tears. "And I nearly lost you. If it had been you in that coffin- I'd – I'd have lost it completely,"

Sara was roused from her trip down memory lane when there was a knockon the door. With a sigh, Sara rose from the couch and walked over to it. Looking through the spyhole, she called out;

"You have key, Grissom,"

TBC?