Author's Note: Hello, all. Today is a day of updating. I thank you all for your positive responses and I'm glad to be able to write more regularly. Summer vacation rocks! Going off of the last chapter, I'm going to start the beginnings of a resolution between our heroes and once that's accomplished, I can focus on lighter things between them.

Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"

"May I sit with you?"

She didn't reply verbally but she scooted over so he could join her on the porch swing. It was a good sign, Grissom decided. Sara had her knees drawn up but instead of black, she had on an ankle length white dress and her hair was down in its natural curls. It was longer than he remembered and had a couple sprigs of Lily of the Valley in it. She must have gotten them from the garden.

"I called the team. They know you're here." he informed her gently.

"Good. I didn't want them to worry about me too much. Leaving so suddenly was a bad thing to do."

'They understand why. I…I made you leave."

"You didn't do anything." Sara protested.

'That's the problem, isn't it? I don't do anything, even though I really should." Grissom injected bitterly.

That made her look at him with penetrating chocolate eyes.

"You really want to do this now?" she asked flatly.

"Why not? I've screwed around with this long enough, don't you think?"

"I don't think, I know but the fact that you actually came after me says something. It says that you really do care about me. You just have a backward way of showing it."

"I'm not too good at things like this. You deserve…perfection."

She stood up and glared at him hatefully.

"I'm not asking for perfection, Grissom! I just want you to fucking try! I want you to take a chance for once! I'm sick of being in limbo and I'm sick of you being a coward! I'm a woman, not a monster! I'm not going to kill you!"

"I never thought you would!"

"No, you just thought that I'd use you like a piece of Kleenex and toss you aside for some younger guy!" she replied icily. "Don't sit here and tell me otherwise! I heard you when you were talking to Lurie! That whole case, all you saw is your worst case scenario with us! Well, I'm not Debbie fucking Marlin and that is not how I deal with men! The fact that you think so lowly of me and yourself, for that matter, pisses me off! If wanted to be with someone else, then I would've by now!"

"You mean like Hank?" Grissom spat.

"Hank happened because you have no balls and don't sit there and tell me that you've been living like a monk all this time! Two words for you: Lady Heather."

"I never slept with Heather! I couldn't!"

"Why? Because you were strapped to the ceiling?", she demanded tearfully.

"Because she wasn't you!"

She reeled back as if he had struck her and he stood up and clasped her arms.

"Look at me. Look at me!"

Her eyes came up and he hissed, "She wasn't you."

The rage in her eyes melted into despair and the tears fell silently.

"You could've had me. Do you have any idea what it's like to look in the mirror and ask why you're not good enough? To try to see something, anything so wrong that the person you love would rather go and pay for intimacy than consider you? Well, I do and I fucking hate you for it."

He sighed deeply and loosened his grip on her arms so she could step away from him and look towards the mid afternoon sun.

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are but it's going to take a lot more than an apology to get me to believe you. I want to but…"

"What I've done before has made it damned near impossible for you to take anything I say at face value. I understand. I can wait."

"Can you?"

"Sara, you've waited almost 10 years for me. I can at least do this."