Sara didn't turn around. She couldn't. If she had turned around and saw Grissom standing in the door behind her, her resolve to leave would have melted into a puddle almost at once.
"Grissom what are you doing here? I left my resignation on your desk so there would be no reason for me to see you again." She spoke with a hostility that she didn't know she possessed. Catherine, who had had sat down when Grissom walked in, stood and walked away from Sara.
"Grissom, can a speak with you in private." Catherine whispered as she brushed past him on her exit out of the room.
"No, The time for talking is over. Sara has made up her mind, but not about this. She didn't make up her mind about leaving she made up her mind about me." His voice had a hint of desperation to it as Sara continued to pack up her things. "Sara please, don't do this." His voice went soft and Sara's heart almost melted. This was the voice that she had wanted to hear for the past seven years and now finally hearing it was too much for her pride. One solitary tear ran a track down her face. She didn't want her family to see her cry like this.
"Guys could you leave for a minute. I will say good bye later." It was an extraordinary feat that her voice sounded calm but cool. The team left grudgingly, patting her on the shoulder and shooting Grissom cool glares as they walked by.
Slowly Sara straightened herself determined not to give in so easily to his blue eyes when she would finally have to face them. She swallowed hard when she looked at his face. His eyes had bags the size of Everest under them and he was carrying his body in a way that Sara knew all too well. He had obviously slept on the couch. In better times Sara would have brought him a coffee after a night spent on the oh so hard couch that adorned the right wall in his office. But not today, today she was going to leave him behind, today was the day her life was going to start again.
"Grissom, you are not hearing me. I am leaving today and I am never coming back. I am going to move on and I am never going to be yours again." Her words were like a stab to his heart. Deep down he knew what he had to do but his courage couldn't muster it. He had to tell her that after his fight with himself last night he had decided that he loved her with all of his heart and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted her and nothing less. But he just couldn't do it. He couldn't say those three words; just three words would make everything better. Three words to make her stay, three words for her to forgive him. Just three stupid little words. He had been thinking about them for the last 18 hours and now looking at her he couldn't get them out of his throat. After their first fight yesterday was when the words started to appear in his mind. He had yelled at her for forging his signature to authorise an expensive test. She had yelled at him back say that the only reason he was yelling at her was because she had asked him to dinner and told him to face up to his feelings. They had both said some truly horrible things to each other and now was the time he would regret every word.
"No Sara I am listening to you, you are not listening to me." This surprised her. She wasn't expecting him to argue with her. She was expecting him to leave the elephant in the room alone, not prod it to see if it would charge. "Sara, everything I said yesterday, I'm sorry. If I could I go back and make sure it didn't happen. I would do that for every time I had my foot in my mouth. Because Sara, ever since I met you you were the only girl on my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about you. I couldn't contain my excitement when I knew you were coming to Vegas at my request. I wanted to scream for joy, but I wasn't sure until about four years ago if you had the same feelings for me. I was an idiot for spurning your advances and I am apologising. You can accept my apology or not." With his last word Sara dropped the box she was carrying. It hit the floor with a large crash and her possessions spilled onto the floor but neither person in the room noticed. She had locked onto his eyes and his never deviated from hers. In two large strides she ran across the room to where he was standing. At first he wasn't sure if she was going to hit him or kiss him. But as she drew nearer her calm expression faltered leaving her face unprotected from his searching blue eyes. He knew her better then she knew herself it was a fact, so he knew what was about to happen before she even knew herself. She reached him, cupped his face with her hands and pressed her lips against his. It was only a brush but it lingered. His arms snaked around her waist and her arms draped over his shoulders. He pulled her in and kissed her passionately not letting go of her waist. It was a once in a life time experience. It was no longer a kiss it was something more. An acknowledgement of two lives; finally merging together in one breathless encounter. Neither wanted the experience to end but as all good things must it did. Both pulled away with deep breaths. She smiled at him, the smile that was reserved for only a select few.
"By the way I'm a woman not a girl." She laughed at his bemused glance before he realised what she meant.
"I will try to keep that in mind next time I tell you that you are the only one I will ever think about." He smiled back.
"You could tell me now if you wanted." Her head moving to lock onto his eyes once more.
"Sara Sidle, you are my one and only. I haven't looked at any other woman but you for the last seven years and I love you." What happened next was so unexpected Grissom nearly dropped Sara, he had lent over and she was lying in his arms. A round of applause and cat calls filled the air for what they didn't know was that when Sara had dropped her box it had made such a loud crash that the team and half the lab rats had practically run to the locker room to see what happened. They had seen the kiss and Grissom's speech. Grissom stood, raising Sara slowly back upright. Sara turned around and her eyes immediately caught her family clapping by the door. Warrick had his arms around Catherine who was crying with joy, Nick and Greg were the sources of the cat calls.
"Don't you all have work to be doing?" Grissom called out into the crowd, his voice wasn't harsh more embarrassed. Sara recognised the tone.
"What are you embarrassed by me?" she whispered laughingly. He prodded her in the stomach and replied,
"Not at all my dear, I just didn't want the whole lab to see me all over you they might get jealous." She laughed loudly.
"We had better face them before we face Ecklie." Sara said pointing to her family still standing by the door. Grissom took her hand as they made their way out of the locker room, the act in itself made Sara's heart rocket and stomach flip. For all she cared Ecklie was future Sara and future Gil's problem now all she cared about was the fact that they had a future, a future filled with happiness and love lots of love.