AN: Don't even ask what I was about to write in this Author's note. I am such a dork.

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI. I wish I did, cuz I have a lot of ideas that I wish that they'd put in the show.

In A Plexiglas Prison With You

Chapter Eleven: The Last Moment

He was running out of oxygen. He ignored the tight feeling in his chest and clawed his way to the bottom of the ocean. He could see them on the ocean floor. Sara had stopped struggling. Only a few more feet and he was upon them. He fought with White to remove the hands that were holding Sara still. He had to save her. He made fists and pounded on any piece of White that he could find. Every blow took its toll. He needed oxygen. He wouldn't leave Sara.

And then he felt two people on either side of him. They helped him remove White from Sara's motionless body. Then they were kicking to the surface. The air felt cool as their heads broke the surface. They greedily took in oxygen as they made their way to the boat. Sara was heaved on board, followed by Nick, Greg, and Warrick. As they stumbled onto the wood deck, they watched as Glazer preformed CPR on their friend.

There was a cough and water spluttered from Sara's mouth.

"Sara!" Nick cried, rushing with Warrick and Greg to the brunette's side.

"I-I thought I was going to d-die!" she gasped, clutching any part of them that she could grasp.

"Shh, Sara, you're okay," Nick told her, gently caressing her face. He didn't realize that he had been crying or how scared he was for her. He placed his forehead against hers.

"Let's head back to port!" Brass ordered, "Sara needs a doctor!"

The boat was turned around and sped back to the harbour.

"My brother!" Mark White screamed in agony, but the officer restraining him had no sympathy.

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"How much time do we have?" Catherine asked, splashing in the growing pool of water to look at Gil.

"I don't know!" he responded, "If we stay in here, we'll die!"

"We can't get out!" she cried, attempting to reason with him.

"The side is weak enough that we can kick out the sides when we need to. Then we can swim to the surface," he explained, "It's our only shot!"

"What about the sharks?" she questioned, still able to see a few of the creatures. He shook his head.

"We'll have to take that chance!" he said bravely, "I know that you can do it, Catherine. Are you with me?" he asked her. She looked into his blue pools and she couldn't help but trust him.

"Always," she breathed. He smiled at her and nodded.

"We'll wait until the water gets a bit higher in here," he explained, "The less time that we're in open water, the better," he said, knowing that if he wanted to keep her safe, this would be the best way.

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"But I'm fine!" Sara protested as Nick helped her off of the boat. Brass shook his head.

"Nick, get her checked out!" he ordered. Nick couldn't help but nod in agreement as he lead her onto the dock. Annie Kramer lead a sobbing Mark White off of the boat. Then Glazer fired up the engine and they were into open water once again.

"I'm alright!" Sara argued. Nick shook his head.

"Come on, Sara," he said firmly, leading her to the parking lot where Lindsey and Lily were sitting in the back of the Denali, staring at the laptop. Both started when they saw Nick and Sara's soaking we bodies.

"What happened?" Lindsey asked, looking up. She caught the red marks on Sara's neck.

"Sara nearly drowned," Nick replied curtly, "Get in. We're going to the hospital."

Sara grudgingly hopped into the back of the Denali with Lily and Lindsey, where she had a full view of the laptop, "How are they?" she asked, her voice softening.

"They stuffed their shirts to stop the water, but its still coming in," Lindsey explained. Sara looked and saw Grissom, sans a shirt, laying in a pool of water with Catherine, who only wore a white bra. Sara didn't know what to feel as she observed how close they were. Instead she looked at the back of Nick's head as he drove.

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Grissom was laying on his elbows, his head just touching the top of the coffin. The water had risen to his chest. Even though they had a plan to escape, he couldn't help but feel as though the last moments of his life were near. There was so much that he never did, never said. He wished that he could tell everyone that he cared about how he felt. He wished that he could have a chance to say the things that he had left unsaid. The likelihood that he would ever see Brass, Doc Robbins, Sofia, Nick, Warrick, Greg, and Sara was low. He wanted so much to tell them that he would miss them and that he was sorry for his social ineptitudes and that they made him who he was. He wanted to say goodbye.

He felt a movement beside him and looked over to Catherine's shivering form. If the situation was different, he might have enjoyed the fact that she was wearing only a bra. So many times over the years, he had fantasized about her. She would never know…or would she? He had just wished that he could say goodbye to those he had cared about, and here was the woman that had become his best friend, laying beside him. If he wanted to say the things that were left unsaid between them, now was the time to say them, but where to begin? For the first time in his life, he decided, he was going to be totally honest with her.

"Because I was a coward," he admitted. She turned to him and stared.

"What?" she asked, not understanding his sudden outburst. He turned and looked her in the eyes.

"You asked my why I had lectured you about integrity and then compromised my own integrity by having an affair with Sara. That's why," he explained. She raised an eyebrow.

"Because you're a coward?" she asked. He nodded.

"I was lonely and I took the easy way out. I knew that Sara had a bit of a thing for me. Even though I didn't feel the same as she did, I started a relationship with her. I grew to care about her. I thought I loved her, at least that's what I told myself," he admitted, bowing his head, "But I didn't feel the same as she did. I could never give her my whole heart. I think even she senses that sometimes and I feel like the lowest human being on the planet. I think she knows that she was my second choice. Out of cowardice, I settled for her."

"You settled for Sara?" Catherine asked, not believing that he was telling her this now.

"Yes. If I was a braver man, I would've been able to tell her that I didn't love her, at least not in the way that I love you," he told her, his eyes still downcast. She didn't know what to say.

"You-you love me?" she questioned. He swallowed and nodded.

"For years now, but I could never muster the courage to tell you that I wanted to be more than just your friend."

She looked at him as if she was seeing him in a new light. He still refused to look her in the eye. She reached over and touched her cheek.

"Look at me, Gil," she requested. He obeyed and she asked the question, "Do you love me?"

"Yes," he answered, "I'm sorry that I'm telling you this now, but if I don't, I may never have the courage to tell you again," he attempted to shift his gaze downwards, but she wouldn't have any of it.

"Gil," she whispered softly, bringing his gaze back to her face, "I love you, too," she said back. She saw a spark of hope in his eyes as she nodded and smiled a watery smile at him. Then he moved towards her and captured her mouth in a kiss filled with all of the things that they had never said, but should have said, to each other. He could only describe it as passionate and special, like that of the woman he was kissing. All of his fears dissipated as she deepened the kiss, assuring him that she indeed, loved him the way that he loved her.

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"Come on, everybody out," Nick called, opening the door for Sara. She climbed out of the back, followed by Lindsey, who had briefly set the laptop on the seat so that she could get out. She turned to retrieve it and gasped. Her gasp made both Sara and Nick stare at the screen. Nick's eyes widened as he felt Sara stiffen beside him.

Grissom and Catherine were locked in a passionate embrace, kissing each other as if they would never get another chance to do so. As surprised as Nick was, he had to admit that they looked damn good together as they expressed all of their emotions in that kiss. Even he, a mere bystander, could see the love that radiated from them as they kissed each other.

Sara stood, rooted to the ground, her mouth agape, as she watched the man that she thought she loved, passionately kiss the woman that he had assured her was just a friend. Sara had never completely believed him when he had told her that. She always knew that there was more to them then either let on. This was the cold, hard proof that she was right.

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If he died right now, Gil would have died a happy man, as he gladly spent his last moments with the woman that he loved.

"I love you," she told him when they reluctantly pulled away from each other. He smiled.

"I love you, too," he replied, gently caressing her face.

There was a CRACK, and Gil realized that it would only be a matter of time before they would have to escape their prison.

"What do we do?" Catherine whimpered beside him. He looked at her and saw fear. He felt that familiar, gripping fear that had a hold on him whenever he thought about losing her.

"We have to get out of here," he said, "On the count of three, we'll push out your side. We'll have to wait for the water to gush in before we can swim free. I promise you that I won't let you go, alright?" he asked. She nodded.

"I trust you," she whispered. He nodded and mustered the courage for what he was about to do.

"One. Two. Three!" he counted. They both hit the side as hard as they could. It gave way and water rapidly filled the Plexiglas coffin. Just before the water completely filled the box, Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows took their last breaths.

TBC

So I know I'm evil with the cliffhangers. If you want to know what happens next, send me a review to give me the incentive to keep on writing. I couldn't kill Sara. I wouldn't kill her off just so GC could get together.