As it was her night off, Grissom let Sara continue sleeping past their normal wake up time and went into the kitchen to make coffee. He let Hank out into the garden and sat down in the office at his laptop. There were emails from his mother, official personnel at Dartmouth and one from Greg which was label urgent and titled 'open me now'. He opened the last one, intrigued.
'Grissom, Sara told me you're going to New Hampshire and I know that she passed her examination board but she doesn't want to make a big thing out of it, even though it is. She wouldn't tell me when the ceremony is, but I think she should know that we're proud of her. The others don't even know! Anyway I thought that we should have a get together with the team before you go, even if it's just to say goodbye; we'd all like to see you too. Let me know what you think, Greg.'
Shaking his head at the young man's folly, Grissom hit reply.
'Greg, a get together sounds like a good plan; I'm trying to talk her into attending the ceremony. I'll let you know, thanks, Grissom.'
After dealing with the other missives, Grissom emptied his bags from Peru, thinking he would get some laundry done while Sara was sleeping. Hank scratched at the door, wanting to be let in.
"Hey boy," said Grissom, petting the dog and giving him a treat. "How long has mommy been feeling unwell hmmm?" he asked, pulling a burr out of the dog's fur. Hank finished his treat and trotted out of the room. Grissom darted after him, remembering he had left the bedroom door open. He was too late though, and the dog bounded up onto the bed, scattering hissing kittens and waking Sara with a start.
"Hank, down," demanded Grissom. Sara groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. Grissom sat on the edge of the bed and peeled the pillow away from his wife.
"How long has he been doing that? I thought we broke him of the habit."
"Since you've been home," said Sara, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "He has been really good." Grissom smiled at her dishevelled appearance; her bleary eyes and porcupine hair style. She sniffed and stretched her arms and legs. "Can I smell coffee?" she asked, crawling out of bed, yawning.
"You can indeed," he replied, escorting her to the kitchen. Sara poured herself a cup and refilled Grissom's mug while he got out cereal, bowls, spoons and milk.
"What do you want to do today?" asked Sara, sitting at the table, slumped over her coffee.
"Take you to the doctor," he replied, watching her carefully.
"I'm ok," she said, sitting up and draining her mug. "I just need a shower and a second cup of coffee and I'll be fine."
"Of course," agreed Grissom, his voice lightly layered with sarcasm. "How much extra coffee have you been drinking of late?"
"Too much probably," she admitted. "I've just been trying to do too much I think."
"Be that as it may, I still think you should see a doctor," he told her, concern in his voice.
"Ok," she relented, reaching for the cereal.
...
Some hours later they were sat at opposite ends of the couch, their legs intertwined in the middle, filling out the paperwork for Dartmouth. Hank watched from under the coffee table, Romeo had draped himself over Sara's shoulder and Juliet was sitting in Grissom's lap, attempting to help him by batting the papers out of his fingers. Sara scrawled the last line of information on her stack and put them down.
"I win," she announced. Grissom groaned; he had half a page to go! Taking pity on him, Sara scooped up Juliet and played with her until her husband finished his assigned work.
"Ok," said Grissom, dumping the entire collection of paperwork onto the table, "what movie are we seeing then?" As the winner of their contest, she had first choice at the movie theatre.
"The King's Speech," replied his wife, handing him a kitten. "Here, Juliet likes you." Grissom took the squirming ball of silver tabby fur and held her up in front of his eyes. Juliet pressed her forepaws to his nose, meowing. When Grissom reached to tickle her under the chin, Juliet batted his fingers and started to purr. Under the coffee table Hank sighed and put his head on his paws. Sara laughed and got to her feet slowly, twisting to get cramps out of her spine. Grissom followed her to the bedroom and deposited the kitten at the bottom of the bed with her brother before following Sara into the closet to get changed. She still seemed tired, but after sufficient coffee she was awake and going about the day with him. Sara grinned as she straightened from pulling on a pair of jeans.
"I think you have a new admirer," she said to Grissom, who was reaching to the top shelf for his favourite pair of jeans. He looked down and saw Juliet sitting next to his slipper, staring up at him. She mewed pitifully and reached up, placing her front paws on his shin. Sara laughed and put on a sweater, then her jacket and tennis shoes before picking up the kitten so her husband could get dressed. Sara took Juliet to the kitchen and made sure all the appropriate animal dishes were filled. She stuck the note about the doctor's appointment she had scheduled earlier for the morning on the fridge door, before it disappeared. Then she leaned against the counter and closed her eyes, waiting for Grissom. Despite nine hours of solid sleep she was still exhausted; the long weeks of maxing out on overtime and working every hour possible to stay out of the house had taken a serious toll on her. Still, something felt off. Where was her ability to stay up for days on end? To work back to back doubles and triples? She wouldn't admit it to anyone other than herself, but she was looking forward to getting away from the lab and having more time to rest, even though she would miss the people and the work. Hearing Grissom walking down the hall she pushed off the counter and went to join him, shaking off the weariness.
...
The movie was great and when they came out, Grissom with his arm around Sara's waist, they mused about getting something to eat. They stood by a stone pillar outside for a few moments, breathing in the cool night air.
"What do you feel like?" asked Grissom, holding her to him. Sara smiled and kissed him softly.
"Whatever, I don't mind."
"You won the bet, you choose," he insisted, brushing her hair from her face.
"Ok, how about The Queen's Head?" she suggested, naming a pub owned and operated by a couple from England who had immigrated to the US some twenty years ago.
"Sounds good to me," he agreed, holding her hand as they walked to the car. A voice calling out from behind stopped them in their tracks.
"Gil, Sara!" They turned in unison and saw four people walking toward them. Doc Robbins, his wife Judy, Brass and another woman neither Sara nor Grissom knew came to a stop by them. In a matter of moments it was decided that all six of them would dine together. Half an hour later they were all seated in a corner table at The Queen's Head, sipping drinks and talking while they waited for their food.
"So you made it back from Peru, Gil!" noted Brass.
"And I hear you're leaving again," added Al, raising an eyebrow, "and taking Sara with you."
"Yes, we're going to the East Coast," said Grissom, putting his hand on Sara's knee under the table; Sara covered it with her own.
"What were you doing in Peru?" asked Liana, Brass' date, a nightshift co-worker of Judy's at the hospital. Grissom launched into a description of his work, while Judy, seated on Sara's other side, started asking the younger woman about New Hampshire. Talk ranged throughout the meal, from travel to film, hospital work to law enforcement and CSI. Sara watched Grissom talk happily with Al, they had a shared intellectual passions, and with Brass, one of his oldest friends. When they returned to their car for the drive home, Sara asked him,
"Do you miss the lab and the people when you're not here?" Grissom thought for a few minutes before answering.
"Yes and no. It's nice to see people and talk, but I don't miss being there every day. I miss you, always. I thought I would always want to keep solving puzzles, putting criminals behind bars. But I was wrong, travelling has been enlightening. I've learned so much and I still have so much more to learn. But what I want more than anything, is you." He reached over and grasped her hand, bringing her fingers to his lips. Sara, leaning back in her seat, turned her head and smiled at him.
"I guess it's a good thing I like travelling too isn't it?" she asked, "seeing as the same applies to how I feel about you."
...
When they arrived home, chaos assaulted them. A barking Hank bounded through the house in pursuit of a yowling Juliet. Romeo was perched on top of a bookshelf, observing as his sister led the dog on a mad dash through the entire home. Juliet saw her saviour and bolted toward Grissom, crawled up his jean leg and clung to the front of his sweater. Grissom stepped back hurriedly as Hank crashed through the empty space he had been stood in a moment ago. Sara seized the dog's collar and hauled him off to the back door, ordering him outside. She then joined Grissom in the living room, where he was perched on the couch trying to convince Juliet to let go of his clothing. Sara unhooked her claws carefully and then cradled the kitten, soothing her. Grissom sat back and pulled Sara into his lap, tickling the kitten as he wrapped his arms against his wife, holding her against him. They sat quietly for a while, enjoying each other's company and nearness.
"Are you happy about going to Dartmouth?" he asked, abruptly.
"Yes, why?" she was genuinely surprised.
"I just want to make sure you're not doing something you don't want to."
"Why would you think that?" she asked, linking her fingers with his.
"I don't know, but leaving the lab is a big move for you. What if you can't find something to do up there?"
"Gil it will be fine. I was only supposed to be here temporarily. Sure I'll miss everyone, but there's email and phones and Skype. I'm ready for something new; something with you." She turned so she was lying sideways, able to lay her head on his chest and wrap an arm around him. "Do you not want to go?"
"I do, honestly; I just want you to be happy as well."
"When have I kept something like that from you?" she murmured, playing with the hem of his sweater.
"True," he laughed, running his fingers through her hair. She sighed with pleasure and he began to tell her about his last few days in Peru. It was a while before he noticed that her breathing was light and even, and her eyes were closed in the heavy darkness of slumber. Looking at the cat perched on the back of the sofa by his shoulder he reasoned aloud that he could let her snooze for an hour or so before they had to head out to the doctor's office for the first appointment of the morning. Juliet meowed in response and settled for a nap of her own.
...
I hope you enjoyed it, please R & R