Grissom – I was made to believe I'd never love somebody else.
Made a plan, stay the man who could only love himself.
Somewhere in the back of his mind there was a niggling little voice reminding him of all the reasons why he should regret what he had just done. He was infinitely glad he had learned how to suppress that voice as he watched her shift uncomfortably in the big armchair. She was valiantly fighting the smile crossing her mouth with a bite of her lower lip, curling her legs under her body and swooping her hair behind her ear. He marveled at how every movement she made reminded him of their embrace, how his lips still tasted like hers; the sharp peppermint flavor swirled with lavender and the soft scent of rose petals.
He drew his tongue slowly over his own lips, lost momentarily in a trance as he watched her hand trail a path from her knee to her ankle. Then she caught his eye, only for a moment but he couldn't break away. Nick sauntered back into the room adjusting his jeans completely oblivious to the predicament his colleagues had found themselves in; he sat on the edge of the bed and looked at them both without a glimmer of suspicion despite the clues around the room. The tousled sheet's on the bed, the lamp that had fallen to the floor, the fact that Sara's blouse was buttoned up all wrong or that her hair was suddenly a mass of wavy curls as opposed to the poker straight style she had had earlier. If it was under any other circumstances he would have been highly disappointed in Nicks lacking observational skills but today he was infinitely glad he wasn't under the microscope.
"so what's going on Nick?" he asked, keen to get back to the case and buy some time to try and make sense of everything he was feeling right now.
"Well they've been chasing down that Rob guy, they lost him in the woods but apparently his cell was traced to a cabin out there. The police officers are on their way out there now"
Grissom simply slid his jacket over his shoulders and gestured for them to follow him out, Nick hazarded a glance at Sara as she uncurled herself from the chair and they both joined Grissom impatiently waiting in the corridor. They were barely over the threshold before he was locking the door behind them. He was tempted to tell Sara to go back to her room and leave them to it. Like it or not she was personally involved and it was bound to have consequences somewhere along the road.
That wouldn't go down well with Sara though and he was well aware that their relationship was still very much on the fence. They were peering over the edge, dipping their toes in the water but they were yet to plunge right in and take that risk. It was a big step, for him anyway it was a huge, mind boggling, terrifying step.
"What happened to your shirt? You get dressed in the dark?" Nick laughed pointing to the ridiculous attempt at speed re-dressing displayed on Sara's shirt.
She quickly glanced at Grissom with panic in her eyes before firmly focusing on fixing her buttons without flashing the whole hotel her underwear.
"I… I guess I was in a hurry to get dressed. This whole Rob thing … I'm a little distracted"
Nick placed a brotherly arm around her shoulders and placed a small kiss on her hair as she looked up at Grissom, her dark eyes filled with a mixture of relief and amusement. Apparently she got some enjoyment out of sneaking around - that was good to know. She scurried to her room to collect her things before they left the hotel.
The police station was a hive of activity when they arrived. The chatter was almost deafening, people were running back and forth calling to each other and passing files across the room. The telephones didn't stop ringing. Grissom strolled into their little office and waved officer Haslow through with him. Nick and Sara loitered outside, unsure if they were supposed to be involved or not. The two older men spoke for a short time before Grissom tapped on the window and waved them into the room.
"Robert has been traced to a cabin 6 miles from here. He has taken the owner hostage. A Mr Galt, Greengrocer and father of 2 small boys. We know he has a gun and probably has other weapons. We're heading up there now, Sara I need you to stay here"
He knew she was going to argue before he had even formed the conscious thought of keeping her away from the scene. Sara was very passionate about her work, he knew he could trust her to maintain a good level of professionalism but he was determined not to put her in danger. No matter how much she protested he was keeping her safe.
Nick was already following Haslow out to the briefing room. Sara on the other hand stood across the room watching him with fire in her eyes, arms crossed and mouth fixed. Almost the second Nick left the room she shook her head.
"You're not taking me off this case Grissom"
"No, I'm not" he sighed "but you are not coming to that cabin. You can stay here and do the paperwork"
He could almost feel her anger flare. The negative energy in the room was palpable.
"Paperwork? You want me to stay here and do paperwork?"
He didn't answer, simply watched her and tilted his head by way of acknowledgement. He gathered up the few pieces of paper he would need and stood across the table from her.
"I won't put you in danger Sara. I… I can't"
Sara stood and matched his stance with a defiant stare. His honesty was not about to be rewarded, while he was sure she appreciated the sentiment she would be livid at the suggestion she was incapable of doing her job. He was beginning to suspect she would be getting her own way after all.
"I will not bow out of this case because of whatever we have going on Grissom. I am going to that cabin"
The look in her eye told him that this was not up for negotiation. In theory he could have pulled rank, he could have demanded she stay there and forbid her from having anything to do with the case in its entirety. He was well within his rights to do so, she had put herself in that position after all but he knew that he would regret it if he did. It wasn't so much walking on eggshells around her as walking on hot coals. Gentle, gentle was not the best approach what he had to do was get this case over as quickly as possible so that he could concentrate on enjoying and defining their fledgling relationship.
If that's even what it was.
"You wear a vest and you do not get involved ok?"
She nodded and gave him a half smile as his reward as she gathered the papers on the table together and stacked them in a neat pile. He had a sudden need to touch her, his entire body willed him to go to her but his brain staged a protest. The resulting effect was a nervous shuffle before he reached out and touched her arm. He brushed his hand down the length of her arm, relishing the feeling of her skin under her fingertips. She locked eyes with him again but the anger had dissipated, her expression was soft and welcoming, it was hard to break free from. Hard to resist the urge, the need he had to be close to her.
"I mean it Sara; I don't want you getting hurt out here"
"Grissom…" she cleared the space between them without a single iota of hesitancy "I'll be fine"
She kissed him softly on the cheek, her lips lingering a little longer than could be considered platonic. He could feel her breath on the bristly hair of his face; he could smell her soft scent and feel the heat of her body so close. It was electrifying.
Just as quickly as she had removed the space between them she returned it. She flashed him a dazzling smile before turning and leaving the room to find a vest.
He was sure she had enjoyed teasing him before, he was sure it couldn't have gotten any worse.
He was wrong.