Disclaimer: CSI and its characters belong to CBS, Anthony Zuiker and Alliance Atlantis. No copyright infringement is intended.

This work has been crossposted to Archive of Our Own, as SugarsweetRomantic.

Summary:
A continuation of the final scene of 06x24 'Way to Go'. Gil and Sara deal with their feelings surrounding the events of the day. Heavy spoilers for 06x23 and 06x24.

Sara stepped out of the bathroom, the silk of her robe brushing past her skin. She could feel the sensation of the carpet underneath her feet while Gil continued voicing his thoughts on death: "At least have enough time to say goodbye to the people I love." Smiling softly, the brunette knelt down at the foot of the bed, her arms reaching out into his direction along the reddish paisley sheets. She shook her head gently and replied: "I'm not ready to say goodbye." The way he beamed at her in response to her statement made her head feel dizzy and made her insides flutter.

"Then, it's a good thing we don't have to say goodbye just yet," he stated, reaching out with his right hand to push a strand of hair behind her ear. When her eyes closed at his touch, he scooted over closer to her and carefully placed a kiss on her forehead. A soft sigh left her lips, and she leisurely crawled onto the bed until she was positioned alongside him. The exhaustion was visible in both pairs of eyes.

"This," Sara began, pausing momentarily as she sought for words, "has been a day from hell."

"I thought you didn't believe in heaven and hell," Gil countered, grinning at her. Sara chuckled.

"Hell on Earth is definitely something we've both experienced more than once." She sighed softly and let her head rest against his chest while he wrapped his arm around her slender frame. All of a sudden, Sara felt all of the emotions that she had been struggling to keep under control all day burst to the surface, and her body shook intensely. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, dampening Gil's shirt. He said nothing, but she could feel his grip on her shoulders tighten. As her breathing returned to a steady rate, she looked up into his eyes. To her surprise, his irises were glistening with unshed sorrow, and a single trail of wet skin ran from his right eye down his face. She stretched her neck to be able to kiss it dry.

"Brass is okay," Sara whispered, though she wasn't sure whether she was stating the fact for his sake, or her own. "He's okay," she repeated. He gave her a gentle smile. Hesitantly, she suggested: "Will you…" but decided against it. Gil carefully touched the tip of her chin. Once again, he didn't say a word, yet she didn't mind that he didn't. She liked that about him - he could say so much with a single look; his eyes spoke louder than a thousand words. Now, his blue irises were asking her: 'What is it?' Nearly-mumbling, she continued her previous question: "Will you join me for a bath?" In his always so modulated voice, he responded: "I would like nothing more."

Gingerly, Gil helped her up and led her towards the bathroom, his hand on the small of her back. Sara leaned into the touch, welcoming the warmth and pressure on sore muscles. Without words, Gil busied himself with filling the tub while she grabbed a bottle of lavender bath oil and let a few drops fall into the warm water. The scent quickly filled the small room, immediately helping her relax. Once the bath was full, the light suddenly dimmed. Turning around, she watched as Gil lifted his hand from the light switch and placed a few candles on the counter. He stepped closer to her and raised his hands to the knot that held her robe in place, pausing for a moment so she could give him her silent permission. She nodded softly, her lips slightly parted. He loosened the silk fabric, letting it drop to the tiled floor. In return, she carefully unbuttoned his shirt. She ran her fingers along the white lines patterning the navy garment, before helping him out of the remainder of his clothing. Once they were standing in front of each other, no layers separating them anymore, she smiled bashfully at him. Gil reached for her hand and gently nudged her towards the bath.

"Ladies first," he encouraged her with a soft kiss to her temple. Sara carefully stepped into the water, hissing slightly when her skin came into contact with the warm liquid. She could sense Gil entering the tub behind her, and together they relaxed into the heat. The brunette turned onto her side, so she could rest her cheek against his chest. Gil lifted his right hand to leisurely comb through her hair. They both let out a deep sigh.

Jim was okay, and so were they.

Thank you for reading - please R & R, I'd very much appreciate it!

Belle.