"Look, Gil. As long as I've known you, you've been closed off. And in being closed off, you've pushed a lot of people away. You cant've expected her to wait for you forever. I know you don'twant to hear this, but she and Jim really are very happy. Why can't you be the bigger man andjust wish them their happiness?" Catherine pointed out
"Because I'd be lying, that's why." he replied
"You've been lying to yourself for the longest time. What makes this any different? Huh?"she asked
"Because I love her, that's why." he replied simply
Catherine and Warrick continued to try and make Gil understand, but he seemed stuck on the factthat he supposedly loved Sara. After about an hour or so of intervention, Catherine and Warrickgave up and went back inside to make sure things were ok with Jim and Sara.
In the break room, Jim, Greg, Sara and Nick were all seated around the conference tablediscussing the wedding plans. Jim expressed that in light of Grissom's recent behaviour, he
would no longer be a candidate for best man. Upon hearing this, Greg offered his services.
"Hey, if its a best man you want, then feel free to call on me. I'd love to be involved."
"Thanks, Greggo. I'll take you up on that." Jim replied
"And I'll throw you a monster of a bachelor party, too."
To this, Jim just grinned a sheepish grin and turned to Sara, who was mindlessly scribbling on asheet of paper. Just then, Catherine walked in and took the seat next to Sara.
"How's things goin' in here?" she asked
"Agh, you know, bachelor party talk. Greg's gonna be best man." Sara replied
"I can just see it now, a bunch of drunken geeks ogling some exotic dancer and shoving twentydollar bills in her thong." Catherine commented
That night Grissom went home to sober up and Catherine took over as A/. She had done it beforeand was no stranger to handling Grissom's case load. Nick and Warrick had been given a deadbody that had been found in a culvert and Sara had her own case for once. It had been weekssince she had been able to work by herself and after tonight's episode, she was grateful for
the reprieve.
She pulled up in front of her scene and hopped out, kit in hand. Just as she approached the frontdoor of the house, Jim pulled up in his Buick Park Avenue. Seeing her, he wanted to run up to
her and plant a big fat kiss on her lips, but this was work and not the place for affection.
"Wait, don't go in there." he shouted
"Why not?" she asked
"Because it hasn't been cleared yet, that's why." he replied, passing in front of her
While Jim cleared the house, Sara waited outside on the front lawn. He was upstairs when heheard a shout followed by weapon's fire. He rushed downstairs to see Sara on the ground graspingher shoulder. As he rushed through the front door and out to the grass, he dropped to his kneesand held her head in his hands.
"What happened?"
"He came running from behind the house. He pulled a gun and shot me." she explained
"Where'd he go?"
"He ran down that way." she said, getting to her feet
Jim took off down the street and after a few hundred yards, he stopped. Pulling out his cellphone, he dialed emergency and ran back to the scene and Sara. She stood on the curb as Jim ran
up to her asking if she was alright. Looking down at her shoulder, she surveyed the damage.
"Through and through. I'm fine." she said
"I called rescue, they should be here presently." he said, checking her wound
"I'm fine, Jim. Its just a bit sore, that's all. Give me a hand here and I can get to work."she said, walking back to her truck
Sara sat on the tailgate of the truck and administered some battlefield first aid. There waslittle blood loss and since the shot went all the way through, she dressed front and back with
some gauze pads and 3-M first aid tape. She downed 800mg of ibuprofen and grabbed her kit withher good hand. Jim was stunned to see her so intent on not going to hospital. She didn't seemhindered at all as she walked in the house and began to process.
Afraid that she might pass out or something like that, Jim followed her around the house as shetook notes, placed markers and snapped photos of the crime scene. While kneeling beside a setof muddy footprints, Sara pulled out her camera and popped off a few shots. When stood up shewobbled a bit and braced herself on the wall beside her. Rushing to her aid, Jim caught her andguided her to a nearby chair.
"Here, sit down. What the hell is taking rescue so damn long?" he wondered aloud
"I'm fine, Jim. I just stood up too fast, that's all." she said, her eyes closed
"Here, lay down." he said, helping her up and over to the couch
He lay Sara down and as he cursed the paramedics, he pulled out his cell and called the lab.Catherine picked up Gil's phone.
"Catherine, this is Jim. Sara's been shot at her scene." he said, short of breath
"What happened, Jim?"
"Some guy jumped out from behind the house and shot her. She'll live. It was a through andthrough. But the medics have yet to show up. I'm gonna take her in. I just wanted to let you
know." he explained
"Ok, Jim. I'll let them know. You just keep her safe, ok?"
"As if you have to tell me that twice." he stated
"You heard what the doc said. No work for at least a week. I intend to see to it that his ordersare honoured." Jim stated
"So, what are you gonna do, cuff me to the bed?" Sara countered
"Hey, now that's an idea." he said thoughtfully
"Yeah, promises, promises."
Jim left Sara at home and went back to the lab. No sooner had he set foot outside and climbedinto his car, then Sara's cell phone rang. She picked it up without looking at the caller ID.
"Yes?"
"Sara, this is Gil. I heard about your accident. Are you ok?"
"Are you sober? I won't talk with you while you're drunk."
"Yes, I'm sober. I wanted to apologize for the scene earlier. I was totally out of line."
"Yes, you were. Grissom, I want to be your friend. You're still important to me. Had it not beenfor you, I'd be an astrophysicist right now or something like that. I owe you a lot. Can we
still be friends?" she asked cautiously
"I'd like that very much. Hey, I was going to get something to eat. You wanna join me? We canmend some fences." he offered
"Where were you thinking of going?"
"I dunno. You pick."
"Ok, I'll be over in 30 minutes."
"Ok, I'll be waiting."
Sara climbed in her truck and drove the twenty minutes to Grissom's place. When she got there, hewas on the front steps with a white rose in his hand. Approaching her car, he held the flowerout and smiled. Sara could not help but smile back as he climbed in beside her. Turning to her,he chuckled.
"Flores por a los muertos." he said
Sara knew her Spanish wasn't the best, but from what he had said, it sounded something like"Flowers for the dead." Taking the rose, she put it in a water bottle that was in her cupholder. Maybe he just got the translation wrong, she thought to herself.
Driving the streets of Las Vegas, they went in search of a cafe or restaurant that was open at04:00. They settled on one of the casino hotels and sat at a booth near the back. Sara was not
hungry and truth be told, neither was Grissom, so they just ordered some coffee and talkedabout how they could best remain friends. Sara had expressed her concern about her relationshipwith Jim and how she feared that Grissom might retaliate in some way. He stated that although hewas less than thrilled about her engagement to Jim, he would never do something so selfish aslash out at her and compromise her job at the lab.
Over the course of the next couple of hours Sara and Grissom caught up on each other's lives andthings that were important to them, like friends, family and success in life. At around 07:00hrs, they left the casino and walked down the promenade. The sun was just coming up and this madethe very first time that they were to see the sunrise while not in a working capacity.
09:00hrs and Sara had just returned home. She was wide awake as she pulled up in front of herapartment, so she decided to go for a walk. She watched the school busses pass by and as she
wandered aimlessly, she eventually found herself at the lab, which was a good couple of milesfrom her place. Walking through the double doors, she went to the break room to see if anyonewas still there, or if everyone had gone home already. She found Catherine in Gil's office andas she entered, she announced herself.
"Hey, Cath."
"Sara, you're supposed to be home resting."
"I know. I just couldn't get to sleep, so I went for a walk and I wound up here." she explained
"So, what'd I miss? Anything good?"
"Well, Warrick and Nick broke up a fight between two drag queens. Apparently, one of them triedto gouge Nick's eyes out. He went to hospital for treatment." Catherine explained
"What about Greg?"
"He's in DNA. He should still be here."
"Good." Sara replied, standing up "Thanks, Cath"
In DNA, Greg was finishing up the day's work and as he hopped down off his stool, he was startledby Sara. A huge smile on his face, he greeted her with their customary hug.
"Hey, you're supposed to be at home. I was gonna pick up some bagels and coffee and stop by."
"Well, since we're both here, lets go, then." she suggested
"Ok, let's go."
At her apartment, Sara was busy fixing breakfast when a knock came at her front door. As she wasknee deep in waffle batter, she asked Greg to get the door. Jumping off the couch, he openedthe door to see Jim standing outside on the landing.
"Hey, man." he said, gesturing to the interior
Jim entered the apartment and walked through to the kitchen to find Sara flipping her waffle iron. Seeing Jim, she smiled wide and greeted him with a kiss. Out of a need to protect her, Jim
checked her dressings and when he was satisfied that she was ok, he went to the bedroom tochange into something more comfortable. Greg was in the kitchen helping Sara with the food andwhen Jim had changed and come from the bedroom, the table had been set and the two were waitingfor him.
Taking a seat across from Sara, Jim enquired as to the reason for Greg's presence.
"Oh, I was at the lab and about ready to leave when she showed up. I was gonna come by anywaywith some bagels and shmear, but she beat me to it." he explained
"You went back to the lab? Why?" Jim asked, confused
"I went for a walk and wound up there." she replied
"Are you sure you're feeling alright? I'd hate for you to over exert yourself."
"I'm fine. Besides, I like Greggo, here. He's good company." she stated
"I know, he's best man."
After breakfast, Sara went to lay down and Jim and Greg stayed in the living room discussing thedetails of the wedding which was to be on Sunday week. Everything was to be outside, weatherpermitting and the reception would be a casual affair. There would be no tux's nor any fancygowns of silk and satin. This was to be a "come as you are" event. For that, Greg was glad, ashe had already decided what he was going to wear. Looking over at Jim, Greg wondered aloud ifeveryone knew this.
When it came time for the bachelor's party, Greg was uncharacteristically tight lipped. Everytime Jim asked him what was going to happen, he'd clam up and change the topic. Several timeshe even left the room entirely. All were in agreement that the bachelor's party was to be atthe house, as Sara's party was to be at Catherine's and a sleep over affair. Greg knew this,
and that made his plans all the more sweeter.
"Greg, come on. What's the entertainment?" he plied
"Nope, not gonna tell. That would defeat the whole purpose of hiring the entertainment that I'vechosen."
"Ok, but as long as they're not fat, nasty, have a generally displeasing countenance or manhands. You know what I like."
"Yeah, I know what you like. And you'll love this. I swear." Greg stated
It was time for work and as Jim was set to leave, Sara grabbed her pack and headed out with Jim.On the front porch, he turned and looked at her suspiciously.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the lab. No scene work, just paperwork."
"Sara..."
"Jim, you know that if I'm cooped up at home all week I'll be a raving bitch. This is ineveryone's best interest, believe me." she interjected
"Ok, but if it gets too crazy you've got to promise me that you'll back down."
"Promise." she replied
And with that they pulled out of the drive and headed in to the lab. When they arrived, Gil wassitting at his desk filling out a form of some sort. Looking up as they passed by, Grissom
smiled at the two of them. Considering the events of the previous day, Jim was a bit shockedthat Gil would even bother acknowledging either of them. As Jim kept his eyes in front of
himself, Sara turned and smiled. Grissom smiled back then returned to his papers.
The slips having been handed out and everyone gone to the respective scenes, Sara stayed at thelab and holed up in Gil's office filling out paperwork of her own. They chatted and joked aroundduring the night and when it came time for meal break, they went to the diner across the way.
Sitting in the "Geek Booth" as it was known, the two of them enjoyed their drinks and when thewaitress came to take their orders, Sara shocked him by ordering meat. After the waitress left,Grissom addressed this.
"I thought you were vegetarian."
"I am, but for the last few weeks I've been craving meat. Its odd really." she explained
Gil thought about this and he immediately thought that she might be pregnant. Given her moodslately and her craving of meat, it seemed like a distinct possibility. Not sure how to best
approach the subject, Grissom chose his words very carefully. Finally, after the waitress haddelivered their meals, he spoke up.
"Um, Sara...do you think that you could be...um, you know?"
"What? What's this in regards to?" she asked
"Your cravings. Do you think that you could be..."
"Pregnant? No. I mean, I just...you know, a few weeks ago."
"Yeah, and you said that's when you started craving. Maybe we should pay a visit to the pharmacyjust to be on the safe side." he suggested
Sara thought long and hard about Grissom's words and upon further reflection, she realized thatit had, in fact been closer to five weeks since her last period. As this dawned on her, she
scarfed down the rest of her meal and waited impatiently as Gil took his time. After a fewminutes, she waved the waitress by and asked for the check.
Back at the lab, it was about two and a half hours later than it was when they left for theirmeals. Sitting in the locker room, Sara looked down at the box in her hand and read and re-read
the instructions. Standing by the door, Gil watched her and smiled. She was nervous, of that hewas certain. He decided to give her a helping hand. Entering and sitting beside her, Grissom
grinned and took her hand in his.
"We'll do this together. Come on. Go in, pee on the little stick and we'll wait for the resultstogether."
"Thanks, Grissom."
She got up and shuffled her way into one of the stalls and did her business. A few moments later,she emerged and walked over to where Grissom was standing. He was leaning on the edge of the
table just under the window with his arms crossed across his chest. Placing the test on thetable top, on top of the paper towel that Gil had laid out, she nervously tapped her foot on
the floor and began twirling her hair around her index finger.
Grissom's watch went off and Sara snapped her head up. Looking over at Gil, she frowned andlooked away.
"I can't do it. You do it." she said
Picking the test up, Gil looked at the indicator patches and grinned. Sara could hear hisslight laughter and when she looked back up at him, he wrapped her in a great big hug and
whispered into her ear.
"Hi, Mommy."
Sara's hands began to tremble and she got a bit light headed. In no way was she ready to have achild. Her job was far too important to her and at this point in her life, she wasn't ready to
give that up or even put it on hold. She and Jim never really discussed having kids, but whenshe saw him with children, at a scene or anywhere else, she could see that he loved them
and had no doubt that he would make an excellent father. Ellie, as far as she was concerned,was a fluke. The fact that her mother had cheated on Jim and that she was raised in a house
where animosity flowed like the healing waters from the fountain at Lourdes didn't help thingsmuch either. Lord only knows how Jim survived in that hell hole for as long as he did. Howwould she tell Jim that he was going to be a afather again?
Hours later and as Gil and Sara sat in his office going through their own paperwork, she lookedup when she heard the footsteps of some people returning from their scenes. Warrick andCatherine walked down the hall and as they passed Gil's office they grinned and whispered toeach other. About an hour and a half after Warrick and Catherine returned, Greg and Nick cameback. Everyone went on about their business and when the end of shift came, they were more thanhappy to leave.
The week passed by very quickly and before he knew it, Jim was staring down the contents of asmall jeweler's box. Inside was a beautiful gold ring with small emeralds and sapphires set
into it. Yeah, it was similar to Sara's engagement ring, but he knew what she liked and hewould do everything in his power to see to it that she was and stayed happy. Surprisingly
enough, Sara had proved very easy to please. She rarely, if ever, asked anything of Jim andwhen she did, it was usually something small like picking something up from the market on hisway home or dropping something off at the post office.
Sara had gone over to Catherine's for the evening for her own bachelorette's party. Catherinewould not be there until a bit later, due to some work that she needed to complete that night.
At Catherine's house, Sara, Wendy and Josette sat watching chick flicks and painting eachother's nails.
However, over at Jim's house, the party was just getting underway. There was a heated poker gamein which Warrick was currently losing his shirt. It had been some time since he had gambled andhe was out of practice. Just as Nick won the current hand, Greg excused himself to thebathroom and to make a phone call. Taking this as an opportunity to get another beer, Jim wentto the kitchen and pulled out a six pack.
Looking in his room for a change of footwear, Jim heard excerpts of Greg's conversation. Hedidn't hear everything, but what he did hear was enough to pique his curiosity. It seemed as
though he was securing arrangements for the "entertainment" such as it was. He could tell thatthe young man had gone to quite a bit of trouble, as he was pleading with the person on the
other end of the line. He could be heard to say, "I owe you big time" and "I swear, I'll neverask you for anything ever again". A smile on his face, Jim emerged from his room and sat onthe couch with the rest of his colleagues.
Finally, around 22:00hrs, the entertainment arrived in the form of a belly/lap dancer. As Gregguided the woman inside, he directed her to the guest room where she could put the final
touches on her costume. About ten minutes later and everyone was seated on the couch or inchairs, the party REALLY started.
Her boom box set on the coffee table and the music playing, she sashayed about and came to standright in front of Jim. The sound of Sitar, Naal, Bamboo flute, Saraswati and Pakhawaj was to beheard as the men were hypnotized by the sensual, rhythmic chords. Her outfit was authenticenough, dressed in a long, flowing red/orange skirt with sequins, an orange/yellow bra, beadedveil and red/orange shoulder wrap. Moving ever closer to Jim, the dancer hovered mere inchesabove his lap and slowly hiked up her skirt for better motility. As she leaned forward, herlips hung centimeters from his moist hungry mouth. For the first time in months Jim had thoughtsabout being with someone other than Sara, but being the loyal and devoted man that he was, hetried to picture Sara dressed in the incredibly visually appealing outfit. Her bangles jingledas she swayed her arms about, chiming her finger cymbals.
Jim had had lap dances before, but this one, he had to give Greg credit, was by far the best. Themen looked on in stunned fascination as Jim white knuckled the edges of his chair and blinkedseveral times in amazement at the talent and efficacy of this beautiful woman in his lap.Looking the dancer over, Jim took in everything from her intoxicating perfume oil that smelledof patchouli to her belly ring that was actually a diamond stud. As her hips gyrated, he wastransfixed and became a bit light headed. In a moment of weakness, he let go of his chair andbrought his hands to rest on her hips, his fingers lightly caressing her milky white, soft skin.
His mouth scant inches from her navel, Jim licked a trail from the bra, between her breasts downto her navel and finally to the hip line of her shirt that rode low on her hips. Swirling his
tongue in circles, he removed her belly ring and held it in his mouth for a few seconds beforetaking it out and returning it to her in one piece. Her eyes widened as she looked at the piece
of jewelry in her hand and she smiled at him. Taking a few seconds to return the ring to itshome, she looked at the other men and moved on to Nick, who was presently drooling.
Over the next two hours all the men got dances of their own and as Greg gazed at the beautifulbelly dancer in his lap and tried for the life of him not to let his body win out over his mind.
No doubt this woman was incredibly beautiful, but the last thing he wanted was to have made afool of himself at his friend's bachelor party. This dancer was well worth the effort andtrouble he had gone to in order to have her here for Jim.
At the tail end of her performance, the dancer returned to Jim's lap for one last "hurrah", asit were. This time she got a bit closer than she had the first time and as her centre came into
contact with Jim's ever growing arousal, he got squirrelly and attempted to excuse himself, butshe wouldn't allow it. She leaned in and with her lips right next to Jim's ear, she whispered.
"Having fun, Jim?"
Snapping his head up and gazing into the eyes of the woman, he realized who it was. Oh, my God,he thought to himself as he searched her face, trying to confirm his suspicions. Quickly, he
whipped his head around to see Greg sitting there with an enormous grin on his face.
Catherine came home around 00:30hrs and when she came in the door, she dropped her bag rightnext to the hall table. Sara, Wendy and Josette were in the middle of watching Kate and Leopoldas Catherine dropped down on the couch next to Sara. Seeing the tired look on her friend's face,she asked after her.
"That kind of day, huh?"
"Yeah. I swear, I'm so tired I could drop right here." she stated
"Catherine, you're sweating. Do you have a fever?" Wendy asked
"No. Nothing like that. I just had to take care of a few last minute details before tomorrow,that's all."
Handing the hostess a glass of wine, Josette pressed play and they watched their last movie forthe night. When the film had ended, they all bedded down for the night; Sara and Catherine in
her room, Josette in Lindsay's room and Wendy on the pull out couch in the living room.
By the time the ladies had gone to bed the boys were just getting into a movie that Jim had heard about during the Kleinfeld case; Armagettiton. The movie was well worth the wait as a good time was had by all. Finally, around 03:00hrs, they all passed out where they sat; Greg on the floor in front of the couch, Nick on the couch, Warrick in the guest room and Jim in the Magic Fingers chair.
It was around noon when Sara et al arrived at Jim's house. As they walked inside, they could seethe remnants of a night well spent. There were empty beer bottles and shot glasses all over the
place as well as bowls of pretzels and potato chips. Seeing Jim passed out in his favouritechair, Sara shuffled over to him and dropped down in his lap. The sudden change of pressure woke
him and as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he saw the other women standing around.
Hung over would have been an understatement; Jim was fer schnikit. He smelled of Tequila andbeer. Shifting his weight, he climbed out from under Sara and woke the rest of the wedding
party. The residence was a madhouse for the next hour as the men showered and got dressed forthe day's events. It was like having a house full of teen-agers with everyone clambering for
the shower at the same time.
Around 14:00hrs, Grissom pulled up to the house and pulled out his cell phone and called Sara'scell. Waiting for her to pick up, he felt the nervous knots in his stomach and he questions of
he should really be there at all. Just as he was about to leave and go back home, she picked up.
"Hi, Grissom."
"Hey, Sara. Are you sure you want to go ahead with this? I mean, you don't think Jim would deckme, do you?" he asked cautiously
"No, I think he'll be fine. If I'm ok with you he should be ok with you." she explained
"Ok. I'm out front. Should I come in?" he asked
"Yeah, come on in."
Climbing out of his car, Gil made his way up the front steps and just then, she opened the door.They greeted each other with a big hug and Grissom placed a kiss on her cheek. Stepping inside,
Gil could see the house was bustling with activity of all sorts. People were wandering aroundhalf dressed with blank expressions on their faces. As Grissom helped himself to a mug ofcoffee, Jim came in and when he saw Gil, he stopped in his tracks. With a look of confusion onhis face, he went in search of Sara.
Sara was in the bedroom fixing her hair when Jim came in and closed the door behind him. Sittingon the edge of the bed, he spoke up.
"Did you know that Gil is here?" he asked
"Yeah, I know. I invited him." she stated
"Why? After what he said last week, I'd just as soon kick him in the teeth than invite him intomy house." Jim growled
"We had a talk and things are fine. We ironed things out. He's here for me." she explained
"Ok, if you say so."
"I say so. He's fine, Jim. I need him in my life. He's more then just a boss to me; he's a closeand dear friend. I need to know that you're ok with this." she said softly as she sat next to
Jim on the bed
"I trust your judgment." he replied, taking her hand and kissing the top of it
"Well, that having been said, you need to leave so I can get dressed." she said,ushering him out of the room
"Dressed for what? I thought this was a casual thing."
"It is, but that doesn't mean that I can't wear something special." she answered
Closing the door behind Jim, Sara returned to her outfit. She struggled with her hair for a fewminutes before realizing that she needed an extra set of hands. Poking her head out of the room,she got Grissom's attention and motioned for him to come in. Making sure that Jim was nowherearound to see Gil enter the bedroom, Sara quickly closed the door behind him. Moving into themaster bathroom, she explained what she needed him to do. As she applied her make up, Giltwirled several locks of hair and clipped them in place to create a beautiful series of curlsthat combined to make a beautiful tress. In a moment of uncharacteristic creativity, he took
some baby's breath from the rose vase on the dresser and incorporated them into her coif.Looking in the mirror as he did this, Sara beamed.
"I missed you, Grissom. And you're a true friend to help me out with this." she said, tearing slightly
"That's what friends are for." he replied
"For you to be here for me today, you're more than a friend; you're family and that will neverchange."
They hugged each other and as Gil sprayed some spray gel in her hair, she began to weep. Notquite sure what to do, but not wanting to seem insensitive, he wrapped his arms around her and
hugged her until it came time for the procession to walk down the aisle.
Outside, Jim was dressed in faded jeans, his blue FOP polo shirt and bare feet as he stood,waiting for his bride to make her entrance. Greg, as best man, was dressed in something
uncharacteristically normal, as compared to what he would usually wear. His khaki pantshad been ironed as had his t-shirt that read "Private Property". His hair was freshly streaked
and spiked and his teeth, which were shown prominently, were unusually white, even for him.
The music began to play and as Jim looked behind him, he saw Sara in a white linen sun dresswith her hair done up beautifully. She was truly a vision of beauty and elegance. As sheapproached the makeshift altar, Jim noticed the man on her arm, escorting her down the aisle;Grissom.
TBC?