Chapter Nineteen:

Grissom shifts uncomfortably in a hard plastic chair in the terminal waiting area, a coffee steaming away in a takeaway cup on the seat next to him, his laptop balancing dangerously on his lap. Reading through his emails, he takes his glasses off and pinches the bridge of his nose, pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he sighs heavily before holding down the number 1 key. After a few rings she answers.

'Hello Gilbert.' She turns in her chair in the breakroom, directing the conversation away from the open doorway. 'Missing me already?'

'I need a favour.' She leans back in the chair this is serious, work related.

'Shoot.'

'We have a situation; I need you out with Nick on this case. Warrick and Greg are enroute, but they are going to need an extra set of hands and eyes. Can you go out there?'

'Yeah, I can sort it.' She waits a beat. 'You waiting to board?'

'Yeah, been delayed by an hour but hopefully I can make up the time if there is no traffic on the way to the campus. Sara, make sure you get your own room, company policy states…'

'Two employees of the opposite sex should not under any circumstance share a government issued and/or emergency accommodation room and/or setting unless married or in extreme cases at the written consent of both parties. I know.' She pushes back from the table, dumping the rest of her lunch in the bin. 'Let me know when you land, please?' She turns, leaning back on the counter, staring out into the hallway.

'Will do, bye.'

'Bye.'

The drive was painless, windows down, sunglasses perched on her nose. She arrives at the crime scene to find Nick first, Warrick and Greg in other parts of the house already. They begin to process, room after room. Collecting samples, taking hundreds of photos. After a few hours, the sun begins to set, and they retire to their motel for the night.

'You need an escort mam?' Greg pulls Sara's holdall from the trunk of her Denali. She takes it from him, tapping her gun holstered at her hip.

'Oh no thank you sir, I'm sure I'll be just fine.' Keeping up the charade. Greg tips his imaginary hat in her direction and spins on his heels towards his room a few doors down. Upon entering the room, Sara places her hold all on the floor between the two beds, certain that the boys have all gone inside, she heads back out to her car to grab her kit. The evidence collected so far, part on its way back to the lab in Vegas, the rest under lock and key at the local sheriff's station. Grabbing her kit and the ALS she hurries back to her room. Choosing the bed furthest away from the door she pulls back the comforter, visually inspecting the sheets. Turning to pick up the ALS her cell pings twice on the dresser across from the foot of the bed. Two messages from Grissom.

Stop using company equipment to check the bed sheets and just get into bed.

Miss you.

She smiles running her tongue across the front of her teeth. Damn that he knows her so well. Typing quickly, she responds.

I wasn't/haven't. Just unpacking before my shower. Miss you too.

She flips the phone shut, packing away the ALS she tucks it away with her kit on the floor near the door. She pulls her toiletries from her bag and makes towards the bathroom, her cell phone chiming one more time.

Ring me when you are ready for bed?

Yep will do.

Half an hour later, washed, dried and comfortable in sweatpants and one of Grissom's sweatshirts, Sara slides between the sheets. Turning the tv on, keeping the volume low she holds down speed dial 1 for Grissom. After a few rings, his voicemail kicks in. Deciding against leaving a message she hangs up, turning her attention back to the tv set. Keeping the volume on low she flicks between channels, a rerun of Friends is on and she sinks lower into the pillows, rubbing her eyes. A knock rouses her from her sleepy state, standing slowly she moves towards the door, checking her gun on the dresser in case she needs it, in the time it takes to get closer to the door there is a second knock. Leaning against the door she peeks through the peephole, seeing Greg on the other side she unlocks and opens the door.

'What took you so long, its freezing out here.' He pushes past her into the room. Taking in the messy bed and tv on, he is dressed as if going out, not ready for bed like her. 'Are you ready for bed?' He takes in her appearance, looking her up and down, no makeup, hair curling around her face, bare feet, baggy sweatpants, and even baggy sweatshirt.

'Yes Greg, its…' She turns to look around the room, noticing the bright harsh red light of the alarm clock in between the two beds. '10:45pm, we have been working since 7am, I'm tired and in desperate need of some sleep. Why are you dressed like you have a date?'

'Well, I was wondering whether you wanted to get some food from the bar down the road but seen as you are ready for bed, I guess I'll just go alone.' Sara's cell phone breaks the silence, her ringtone cutting through the room. She looks around for the offending object, Greg moving around the room to help her look. He finds it under a blanket from the bed, holding it up noticing Grissom's name he hands her the phone. 'It's the boss man, you might want to get that.' She takes the phone from his hand and gingerly lifts it to her ear.

'Hi Griss, what's up?'

'Hey, sorry I missed your call, you ok? Ready for bed?'

'Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm just in my room and…' He interrupts.

'God it's been less than a day and I miss you so much. What I wouldn't give to be in a rundown motel bed with you in the middle of nowhere right now.' Sara's face is burning, she can tell her cheeks and chest are turning a deep shade of red.

'Yeah, no I get it, listen, erm Greg is here so…'

'Oh… Oh, ok.' The playfulness kicking up a notch in his voice suddenly. 'Tell him to get lost, he shouldn't even be in the same room as you right now, are you decent? No, put him on the phone I'll tell him, I don't want Sanders in the same room as my girlfriend whilst I'm hundreds of miles away unable to defend her from his advances.'

'Gi…Griss, I errr I'll deal with it, don't worry. I'll call you first thing in the morning and give you an update.' She snaps the cell shut and throws it onto the bed. Greg, standing with his hands in his pockets, looks up, catching the thwarted attempt at using their supervisors first name.

'I'm going to bed, be safe. Let the guys know you're going too, ok?' She ushers him out of the room and towards the door.

'Is everything ok?' He spins before opening the door.

'Yes Greg, I'm just tired, now.. go!' She gives him one final push and he opens the door, practically falling out, she slams the door quickly behind him. Locking it, then running over to her bed to call Grissom back and give him a telling off. After not even one full ring he answers.

'Has he gone?'

'Gil, that wasn't very fair!' She crawls onto the bed, pulling the covers up to her chest.

'What are you wearing?' He responds in a husky tone.

'Gil! I'm not doing this right now.'

'Let me guess… your grey sweats with the hole in the left pocket, a black tank top under…' He pauses to think for a moment. Sara shifts in the bed, switching the phone to her other ear, looking down at her choice of bedwear. 'My green Cubs sweatshirt, the one you wore that day when we...'

'GILBERT!' She looks around the room as if Greg never left, then whispering into the receiver. 'We're on work issued cell phones.' Not paying any attention to her protests he continues…

'Underwear, I reckon you've gone for comfort, seen as one thing, I'm not there and two, you are due on in the next few days, so I'm going to say black panties and a sports bra?'

'Do you get off on being right all the time, is that it?'

'No, I've got the room bugged, I'm watching you right now on my laptop.'

'Funny! How was your first class?'

'It was interesting… How's the case?'

'Its weird, we found a whole cannabis farm in the basement.'

'Motive?'

'Possibily. I think Nick thinks the young girl is still alive.'

'Don't you?'

'We aren't trained to find warm bodies.' He is silent on the other end of the phone. 'You still there?'

'Yeah… Sorry just thinking about…. Warm bodies.' He smiles to himself in the darkness of his hotel room.

'I'm going to sleep, before this goes any further. Night.'

'Good night Sara.' Click, click.