"What's wrong with you?" Sara grumbles as Greg once again bumps into her as he struggles to get comfortable sat next to her in the breakroom. He just grunts in return but does try to reduce his fidgeting so that he bothers her less.
Grissom walks into the breakroom ready to hand out the evening assignments. "It's all hands on deck tonight. There's been some kind of mass brawl at The Rampart. We've got two dead & four injured." They all stood to grab their kits and went out to the parking lot and groaned as they realised there was only one Denali left. "Tommy?" Grissom looked at the motor pool guy who looked up in acknowledgement. "Why is there only one car?"
"Sorry Doctor G. Two are in the shop, one was totalled and the others are out with swing. I think they're all working solo."
Grissom just shrugs as if to say "oh well" and then he turns to look at his team "Looks like we're all riding together tonight." Grissom takes the keys from Tommy and walks towards the car.
"Shot Gun!" Greg calls as he walks to the car only to find Sofia climbing into the passenger seat instead. "Hey!"
She just smirks at him "We're not 12 Sanders." And she slides into the car and Greg just sighs and climbs into the back seat next to Sara.
They arrive at their scene and walk into the ballroom where they're met by an incredulous detective "There was a $100,000 dollar engagement ring up for grabs. All they had to do was hold onto the giant one" He nods over his shoulder at a giant plastic ring with two guys still holding on. "We can't get them to let go." Grissom looks over the detective to the two bloodied guys still holding onto the ring. "One of the competitors apparently blamed another one for him letting go and they started fighting at it escalated from there really."
Grissom just nods. "One ring to rule them all."
"Lord of the Rings." Greg says. "I read them in High School" Grissom looks at his younger colleague who nods seemingly impressed.
"Ok, Sophia you take the guys still standing." She nods and walks off to her assignment. "Greg photographs." Greg puts his kit down and pulls out the camera. "Sara, you and I will take a DB each."
The scene takes a while to process with the carnage of the brawl and eventually Greg and Sara find themselves collecting bits of broken glass on the floor looking for the piece of glass that pierced the neck of Grissom's victim. Greg was grumbling about his back "Have you got any ibuprofen?"
"I've got midol" She smirks at him.
"Which would be great if it was my time of the month." Greg looks at her incredulously.
"Don't say I didn't offer" Sara offers him a smile and they go back to collecting bits of broken glass for another few hours before finally packing up to head back to the lab. Sophia had already left having gone with an officer over to the hospital to process the injured. As they drive back to the lab, Greg tries to stretch his back in the back of the car once again jostling Sara as he does so. "Seriously Greg what is your problem?"
"Sorry." He again reduces his fidgeting "The bed in my motel room is lumpy."
"Why are you staying in motel?" Sara asks
"The apartment above us had a water leak and our ceiling collapsed." He groans angrily "Stupid guy was so high he didn't realise he'd run a bath. Curtis is staying with his new girlfriend and I took a pay cut when I left the lab so I ended up in a cheap motel since Michelle, that's the girlfriend, lives in a studio apartment. The bed is not great." Sara sympathises with Greg and stops complaining about his fidgeting.
… … … … … …
She finds Grissom in his office later in his shift, he looks up and smiles when he sees her come in "Hey, any news?" he asks and she shakes her head.
Sara shuts the door and Grissom just looks at her with a confused look "We have a couch."
"We do. A comfy one." He's more confused than before "Do you want a new one?" He hopes not, couch shopping was by far the worst experience of his life to date.
"I was thinking we could let Greg stay on it?" She asks nervously.
"You want Greg to stay on our couch?"
"If that's ok, I know you don't like people in your home" She won't quite meet his eyes "And our guest room is still full of my crap."
She's absolutely right, it does make him uncomfortable but it's her home now as well and she should feel comfortable "It's your home as well." He says cautiously.
"It'd only be for a few days." She mumbles and then looks at him "Thanks." She offers him a bright smile and opens his door to search for Greg. She eventually finds him sifting through the glass they'd collected at their scene. "Hey." She takes a seat on the other side of the bench. "If you're not enjoying the motel I've got a couch you can stay on."
"Really?" He looks hopeful
"You could've just asked Greg." She smiles at him
"I didn't want to kill your vibe with Grissom." He grins at her.
She pretends to look down at the glass on the table and smirks "Now that you mention it…"
"Are you guys?" Last time they'd talked about her relationship they weren't living together.
"Yeah." She smiles without making eye contact with him. "If it's too weird you can say no."
"No, no, no!" He says quickly and Sara looks up offended "No, I mean, yes." He takes a breath "Yes it's weird but it's not too weird." Sara just laughs in response.
… … … … … …
Sara meets Greg at his motel after he checks out and loads his bags into the back of her car. "Thanks. A frat just rented half the floor, I don't think I'd survive another day in there." He throws the last of his bags onto Sara's backseat. "Do you want to grab a coffee?" If he's being honest he's a little nervous about going to Grissom's place. Grissom isn't really the sociable hosting guests kind of guy.
Sara can sense Greg's nervousness and at first she's inclined to grab a coffee with him but it would only prolong the inevitable and truth be told she's as nervous as Greg is. The idea of Greg knowing and Greg suddenly being privy to her private relationship with Grissom are two different things. "Actually Greg I think I'd rather just go home and get some sleep." Greg just nods and smiles to let her know it's ok.
They pull up at the townhouse and get out of the car and grab the bags that Greg had brought with him. They go through the door and are greeted by an over enthusiastic Hank who was excited to have a new friend to play with.
"Is this the famous Hank?" Greg asks as he's nearly knocked over by the dog who decided if this new stranger was ok with his human he was ok with him.
"Yes." Grissom appears in the hallway. He smiles at Sara and then looks at Greg with a slight frown. "If you're done with the dog Greg. I made pancakes." With that he walks back towards the kitchen feeling a little awkward.
Sara and Greg follow him and they eat their food in a strained silence until Grissom breaks it "I left some blankets and pillows by the couch."
"Thanks" Greg mumbles as he finishes his breakfast and politely excuses himself to use the bathroom.
"That was only 99% as awkward as I thought it would be" Sara later says as she and Grissom get ready for bed.
"What was the once percent?" Grissom asks he's pulls back the covers.
"You two actually spoke to each other." She climbs into bed and leans over and kisses him.
Things are just as awkward when they all wake up. Sara wakes first and finds Greg sat in the kitchen and she smiles as she smells the umistakeable scent of Blue Hawaiian coffee. "It's the least I could do, since you're letting me stay" He shrugs as he stands and pours her a cup.
Grissom, who either forgot Greg was there or was hoping that it was all a terrible dream, walks in the kitchen "Morning Darling" He kisses Sara on the cheek as he walks past her on the way to the coffee pot.
Sara blushes as she catches Greg's eye and he just mouths "Darling?" at her and then he asks "Hey Grissom where's my good morning kiss?" Sara snorts into her coffee and Grissom just freezes. He turns looks at Greg and looks at his laughing wife before turning and walking out of the room whistling for Hank as he does so.
Sara goes upstairs to get ready and leaves Greg to wander around Grissom's house, he stumbles into the study and is impressed with the large bookcase he finds that isn't just full of science and entomology books but plenty of literature he finds himself looking at translations of Beowulf, Dickens, myths and legends and is just pulling a ragged copy of the Hobbit off the shelf remembering Grissom's remarks at the scene last night, he sees that on the inside of the front cover is a note written in a cursive script.
Remember Gilbert. Never laugh at live Dragons.
Happy 9th Birthday
Dad
"I see you've found the study. You should help yourself to any of the books on the shelf" Grissom hovers at the door and looks at the book in Greg's hands and smiles sadly. "We read it together. I think my mother still has his copy, it's a first edition." Grissom then decided that clearly that was enough sharing of his personal life with this interloper and walks away again. Greg looks at the note and works out that if Grissom received it for his 9th birthday the book had to be 40 or so years old.
Greg settles in the armchair in the corner of the room, it's a big overstuffed one he recognises from Sara's old apartment and opens instead a less sentimental looking copy of Frankenstein instead.
"Greg?" Sara appears a couple of hours later and looks in the study "I made some enchiladas and refried beans if you're hungry?"
He smiles "I'm always hungry." He looks around for something to mark his page.
"Bookmarks in that top draw on your right." She points to it and walks back to the kitchen where Greg joins them. She plates him up some food which he smiles gratefully for. "Do you want to ride into work together later?" She asks him
"It's my night off." Greg tells her and then sees Grissom look up slightly concerned.
"Mine too." Grissom says as he looks at Sara who just purses her lips and smiles, he makes the schedule he should have known that. Dinner is slightly less awkward with Greg sharing an article about DNA analysis that it turns out both he and Grissom had read and Sara is reassured that it won't be terrible whilst she's at work.
"I'll take Hank for a walk, I'll um give you guys some privacy." He looks around and notices Hank's leash on the side and grabs it, the dog seeing him pick it up follows him.
"Do you think Hank would be easy to steal?" Grissom asks Sara with a smile on his face. "He's a terrible guard dog, he makes friends with everyone who comes in here and apparently all you need to do to steal him is look like you're taking him for a walk." He scoops up the dirty dishes and goes towards the sink.
Sara just laughs and walks up behind him and wraps her arms around his waist and presses her face to his back. "Thank you for letting Greg stay."
Grissom turns and returns her hug "You're welcome." He feels he needs to make it clear "Honey, you live here too. I'm not opposed to guests, if you want to invite friends over then you can. You don't need to ask my permission."
"It's not going to be too weird is it tonight? Just you and Greg?" She asks worries.
"Probably." He grins at her and kisses her and then looks at her seriously "Our house guest is gone for a while" He cocks an eyebrow and Sara allows herself to be led back to the bedroom.
… … … … … …
"I'll see you in the morning." Sara sticks her head in the door of the living room and looks at Grissom and Greg both sat on the couch.
"Bye Sara." They both say and she frowns and walks out of the door.
They sit awkwardly in silence for a few minutes and Greg looks at Grissom "Do you want to watch a movie?"
"Do you have anything in mind?" Grissom asks, he has both his and Sara's movie collections to choose from but he's not sure what Greg would like
Greg thinks for a minute and then remembers the package that had arrived the morning that the ceiling had collapsed. "Have you seen the Lord of the Rings films?"
"No." He thinks for a second "I don't think Sara or I have them."
"They're good." Greg tells him "They cut some characters, Tom Bombadil for one, but overall they're good." He pauses "I have the extended editions in my bag. They arrived the same day we had to leave."
Grissom considers it, he is a fan of the series and maybe it could give him something to talk about with Greg that wasn't work and that would make Sara happy. "Sure Greg."
… … … … … …
Sara walks in the following morning and is surprised to hear the sounds of the TV playing in the living room and she also notes that Hank hasn't come to greet her. She walks into the room and see's Grissom and Greg both wearing sweat pants (at Greg's insistence it would later turn out, you need to be comfy for a movie marathon) and Hank sat between them flopped on his back whilst Greg absent-mindedly scratches his belly. She stares at the TV as Saruman falls from the tower and is impaled on a spiked wheel "What are you watching?"
"Lord of the Rings" Greg says
"Return of the King." Grissom also says without looking over.
"Extended edition." Greg adds for good measure.
Sara shrugs "Do you want some breakfast." She notes that neither of them have looked over at her since she walked in the room.
"Please." Grissom adds, she looks in the room and notices a few empty bottles of beer and bags of chips.
"Is that my beer?" She asks "I'll make some coffee" She shakes her head and walks out of the room. Returning later with some bagels, muffins and coffee. She places it on the coffee table and goes to walk away when Grissom grabs her arm.
"Stay." He shoves the dog off the couch earning a look of reproach from Sara who settles into watch the film with them.
"What have I missed?" She asks.
"There's a ring. Frodo and Sam are trying to destroy it. The others are trying to save Middle Earth from Sauron's forces." She just shrugs and settles into watch the films.
"So what did you think?" Grissom asks as the credits roll.
"I mean surely it helps to have seen the first two and the first half of this one." She admits. "It was a little dull."
"A little dull?" Greg looks at her open mouthed and she looks at Grissom for help.
"You're on your own with this one sweetheart." Grissom laughs.
"That big battle was too long." She says firmly. "I didn't like how the freaky dude in the armour deflated like a balloon"
"The Witch King of Angmar" Greg interrupts "The leader of the Nazgûl, the right hand of Sauron"
"I liked the horse lady, I can't remember her name, defeated him." Sara admits "But the noise he made was unnecessary." She shrugs "Plus those giant Eagles at the end, it seems to me like it would've made more sense for them to fly the Eagles all the way in the first place."
"Grissom" Greg implores Grissom to help him out.
"They can't take the Eagles." Grissom says firmly. "They're not creatures to be tamed. They're led by…" He trails off when he sees Sara cock an eyebrow at him "…it's not important but the lead Eagle owes Gandalf a favour, they're not there to act his flying taxi service…"
"Plus!" Greg interrupts "The whole point was to sneak the ring into Mordor, flying giant birds to the giant volcano in the middle isn't exactly subtle."
"Greg's right Sara." Grissom tells her and she almost can't believe the words came out of his mouth.
"Everyone was really happy with Frodo for destroying the ring but he destroyed it by accident."
"It makes sense if you watch all the movies." Grissom tells her.
"Hmmm." She tells him as if to say that won't be happening. "I'm going to bed." She pulls herself off the couch "Have you walked Hank?" Both Greg and Grissom look guilty and she shakes her head and goes to grab his leash.
"Some people just don't get it." Greg shakes his head and Grissom nods. "There's a documentary on here about how they designed Middle Earth…" Greg looks at Grissom who smiles and picks up the remote.