Chapter Two
Oblivious to the conversation going on in the break room, Sara was pissed off and on the verge of killing the man in front of her. Grissom had just told her that there would be two separate teams, and that they would not be working on the same one.
"C'mon, Sara, we'll go outside and explain it to the rest of the team, and then we can go home and talk," Grissom said gently.
But Sara shook her head no. She wanted answers first. "Why?" she whispered. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"Oh Sara," he said, walking around his desk to put his arms around her shoulders. "Honey, I'm doing this for us. So we can stay together. People have their suspicions about us… and I don't want that. Please just trust me on this?" He kissed the top of her head so lightly she could barely feel it. "Please?"
OoOoOoO
Sofia sat in the break room, shocked. "You mean… Sara told Grissom… that she was… in love with him, and he just said no!?"
Catherine grimaced at how harsh that sounded. "Look Sofia, I don't know the exact details. I don't think that's exactly what happened… Why don't you go ask them yourself?" Everyone turned to stare at Catherine like she was crazy.
"Ask them?" Greg finally managed to choke out. He turned to Sofia. "Don't do it. It's career suicide. Sara will blow your head off!"
Sofia ignored Greg's warning. She stood up and walked out of the room.
OoOoOoO
Angry tears were threatening to fall from Sara's eyes when there was a knock on the office door. Grissom let go of her shoulders and went to answer it. On the other side, he found Sofia standing there.
"Look Sofia, we're almost done. I promise. Ten minutes, tops." He shut the door without waiting for an answer.
Sara's anger grew. "What is she doing here? What did she want? What right did she have coming here –" She was cut off by Grissom's stare. "What?"
He looked down. "Nothing, Sara," he answered quietly. The disappointment in his voice almost killed her. She looked away.
Grissom took a step toward her, placing his hands on her cheeks; wiping away the angry tears that had escaped. "Come on. We'll go out there. We'll talk to everyone, get it all settled out, and then we'll go home." He moved his hands from her face, one staying at his side and the other finding its spot on her lower back. "Let's go."
OoOoOoO
Sofia walked back to the break room in a stunned silence. What had just happened? Grissom was alone in his office with Sara, with the blinds closed. And he'd just shut the door in her face. Without an explanation, either. What was going on with him?
She stepped back into the room to find everyone staring at her. "So," Greg said, "How did things go? Are you fired for entering the boss' personal life?"
Everyone was looking at her for the answer. "He wouldn't let me into his office," Sofia explained. "He barely talked to me. Just said that they'd be out in ten minutes. I didn't even get the chance to talk to him. And no, Greg, I'm not fired."
Catherine sighed. "Why don't we just wait until they get here, okay? Nobody says any more gossip."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Grissom pushed open the break room door, Sara on his tail.
Her face was free of tears, but her eyes were like steel and cold. This fact was something everyone in the room took note of, and how she walked to the opposite end of the room; farthest away from Grissom.
"Sofia, could you please sit down so I can make my announcement?" Grissom asked. She nodded and sat down.
Everyone else looked to Grissom. "Announcement?" Catherine asked, questions in her eyes.
"Yes, Catherine, my announcement." The look he gave her said to stop and just listen. "My announcement is important. It is regarding all of you, so pay attention." He looked to Sara, but she was avoiding his eyes. He plowed forward. "From now on, there will be separate teams. This isn't the same thing that happened when Ecklie split us up –"
He stopped at the stunned expressions of his team's faces. "I will be the lead CSI of one team, Catherine will be the other."
Catherine stood up abruptly. "Gil, outside, now."
"Cath, it can wait until afterwards –" he tried to protest, but she persisted.
"Gil, now." She pointed to the door.
Grissom looked wearily from the door to Catherine and back again. "Fine." He turned to his team. "Be right back."
OoOoOoO
Catherine all but pushed him out the door. "Grissom!" she exploded once they were safely in the hall. "What the hell are you talking about, two teams!? When, exactly, was I going to be informed of this?"
Grissom sighed. "Now, along with everyone else."
"Why does Sara get advanced notice?" Catherine asked, her eyes boring into his.
"She doesn't – what?" Grissom looked at her, obviously confused. "You think this is what we were talking about?" Her gaze did not falter. "Alright, it was what we were talking about," he acknowledged, silently cursing the woman's ability to see right through him. "But she knows as much as you do right now. So if we go back in there, you, and everyone else will get some more details."
Catherine still looked mad but she followed him back into the room anyway.
OoOoOoO
Grissom walked back into the room to have everyone staring at him expectantly, except for Sara, who was still avoiding any eye contact whatsoever. He pushed the pain in his heart away and cleared his throat. "As I was saying, there will be two teams. One headed by myself, the other by Catherine. The teams are as follows: Catherine, you get Sara and Warrick. Greg and Nick, you're with me."
He looked to the two cops. "Jim, Sofia, I'm not your supervisor, so I can't assign you to these new teams. But as friends, I would really appreciate if you could work with the team I give you. Sofia, when it works for you, you'll be working with me. And Brass, again, when possible, I'd like you to work with Catherine. Is that okay?" The two cops nodded in acknowledgement. "Alright. These teams are how they are, no changes, or switches, unless necessary. Any questions?" Everyone shook their heads. "Good. Then I'm giving you the night off. See you all tomorrow."
Everyone grinned at each other, and got up quickly, collecting their things. No one was going to hang around long enough to see if Grissom would change his mind. The room emptied quickly, leaving only Sofia, Sara, and Grissom.
Not wanting to be caught in the middle of whatever was about to happen between the two women, he quickly slipped out as well.