Sara glanced up quickly as she felt someone behind her and found Grissom standing in the doorway to his office. She had gotten comfortable in one of the office chairs to write in one of her journals. It surprised her how in the span of two weeks the computer desk had evolved into her own space. Her journals and books littered the desktop and the computer was one that Grissom rarely used. She used it more than him and there were post-its attached to the edge of the monitor that had her so-called chicken scratch handwriting. Grissom had said nothing and she knew it was because he welcomed her being comfortable in his space.
"It's past midnight Honey, you need sleep." As he spoke, she looked back down at what she was doing.
Still focused on her journal, Sara spoke to him without looking up. "I'm not tired."
Her insomnia had emerged after a particularly rough case involving a child's death by his mother. Even he was affected by the brutality involved and had made sure Sara was with him throughout the case. He'd also made sure she was occupied in the lab with evidence while he went to the interrogation. The mother had confessed to killing the boy because he was a threat to her new marriage, or so she believed. When he returned to the lab after the interrogation, Grissom had sought Sara out and resisted every urge to hold her. Instead, he'd inquired into her findings and stayed close as she ran several tests. Her presence helped him refocus, his energy slowly returned, and seeing her smile had chased away the demons that emerged after the interrogation.
Walking over to her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Your insomnia is back and I know you may not fall asleep but you should at least come to bed." He kissed her head after bending over slightly. "I don't want you falling asleep tomorrow when I take you out."
Their date night had been pushed back due to two cases, court appearances, and Sara's on-call weekend. Finally able to take her out, Grissom had chosen Sunday because they needed rest. Unfortunately, her insomnia was back so she was likely to stay up for days. "I'll be okay."
Trying to figure out something that could help, Grissom ran his fingers through her hair. "Would you like me to draw you a bath? Let you relax without me hovering?"
Sara turned in the chair so she faced him. "A bath sounds great."
"Alright. Give me a bit to get it ready."
He returned a few minutes later and Sara headed to the bathroom. She found the tub filled and a few candles on counter. Surprisingly, he'd also laid out her normal shorts and tank top for her to sleep in. A smile emerged on her face as she undressed and stepped into the water. It was hot, not scalding or cold, and perfect for her. Slipping into the water, Sara laid her head against the back of the tub and let the day just wash away. Closing her eyes, Sara relaxed for the first time since the start of the most recent case.
Once the water had cooled down to the edge of cold, Sara left the tub and got herself dressed and the bathroom cleaned up. Leaving the bathroom, she paused in the doorway as she found Grissom sitting up in bed with his reading glasses on. He had Moby Dick in his hands, reading it like he did every so often. Sara walked the five feet and pulled the covers back from her side of the bed. "I thought you'd be asleep."
"Not until I know you're settled." He put the book down and removed his reading glasses. Sara's lips quirked as she settled down under the covers. "How was your bath?"
"Perfect." Sara stated as he set his book and glasses on the nightstand. "I'm sleepy now."
"Good." Grissom stated as he laid down beside her.
There seemed to be some type of enchantment between them because they stayed staring at each other for seconds that lead into minutes. Sara broke the trance by moving to him and because they were generally always in sync, he rolled onto his back. Moving his arm up, Sara took mere seconds slotting herself against his side. Once she was comfortable and content with her free hand resting against his chest, Grissom lowered his arm and wrapped it around her body. Having his hand on her arm with her laying in his arms was like a dream and reality all at once.
"Sleep and dream. I'm here to chase away the nightmares." He whispered against the crown of her head.
"I love you." She spoke softly as she closed her eyes.
"'I have found the one who my soul loves.'" He told her and felt her hand leave his chest and wrap around his waist. It took time but he felt Sara relax completely against him. Glancing up, Grissom noticed Hank jump onto the bed and lay his head on top of Sara's leg. Knowing Sara was settled, Grissom reached out and turned out the bedside lamp.
Grissom woke to the sound of retching and while his ears heard it first, his eyes opened immediately. Sara's side of the bed was empty and the curtains gave no indication of it being close to dawn. Realizing what was happening, he left the bed and rounded the bed to head to the bathroom. With no door to the bathroom, something that had always felt strange to him, he chanced foregoing Sara's privacy to check on her. He found what he expected, Sara throwing up into the toilet. She'd foregone her usual ponytail he realized as her hair was sticking to her face.
Walking over to her, he got down on the floor behind her and pulled her hair back. Sara kept throwing up until there was nothing left in her stomach and at that point, she seemed exhausted. Instead of pulling away, she leaned against him and he put his arm around her. One arm was around her and he used his free hand to brush her hair back from her face. Not sure what to say, he just laid a kiss to her crown, temple, and forehead.
"You ready to go back to bed?" He inquired after they'd sat there for a while. All Sara did was nod, having no energy to speak. Wrapping his opposite arm around her, Grissom reached out to close the toilet lid and flush it. It was only after he stood that he helped Sara up and guided her back to bed. "Come my darling."
Once Sara was sitting on the bed, she watched Grissom return to the bathroom. Moving to sit against the headboard, Sara wrapped her arms around her legs and leaned her head against her knees. Feeling him like she always did, Sara lifted her head to see him sitting beside her on the bed. "I'm sorry I woke you."
"Shh, there's nothing to be sorry about." Grissom reached out to tuck her hair back from her face. "Here, wipe your face." He handed her a wet washcloth and she did as instructed. "Just rest, I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Okay." Sara folded the wet washcloth and moved to lay it on the nightstand, but Grissom took it from her.
Sara laid on her side with Hank beside her, the dog having made his way up the bed to lay with her. Her hand rubbed up and down from nape to hip, trying her best to relax. She looked up when Grissom returned with a cup of tea and at the sight, she sat up. "Here, something to wash away the acidic taste left in your mouth."
"Thank you." She accepted the cup and took a sip as he sat facing her.
"How are you feeling?"
Sara shrugged, "mortified and exhausted." Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she held the cup in her hands. "I had hoped you'd never witness that."
"I'm not running at little vomit." He placed his hand on one of her knees. Watching her face, he spoke softly. "Do you want to tell me what you dreamed?"
"The first time I got slapped around." Sara glanced up at him. "My father was drunk and he blamed me for the issues with their marriage. This recent case caused those memories to be trudged up." Sara took another sip of her tea. "I ended up with a broken arm from being slapped while at the top of the stairs. I was lucky not to have gotten more injuries when I fell down them." Shaking her head a fraction. "I was five."
"I'm sorry that you endured that, Sara."
Sara nodded, "don't apologize to me." She met his eyes, "I'm just tired of hearing apologies for my early life." Sighing, Sara put the cup on the nightstand. "Can you just hold me?"
"Always." As he spoke, she laid down and curled up under the covers. Grissom reached out to brush back her hair and made a quick decision. A glance on the nightstand had him picking up her hair tie that seemed to always live there, since the first night she'd stayed over. Once he sat on his side of the bed, he rubbed a hand down Sara's arm. "Sit up a moment."
Sara did with a quick glance his way. Grissom reached out his hands and gathered her hair to pull it back. He used his fingers to comb her hair back till it was all gathered into his hand and tied it off. "Thank you."
As they both laid down, Grissom pulled her close and Sara relaxed back against his chest. Sara closed her eyes as she felt him kiss her bare shoulder, exposed due to her tank top. Wrapping her arms across his own, she threaded their fingers together. "You're safe here Sara. No matter what happens outside of this house, you're safe here."
The feeling of fingers across her cheek woke Sara and she opened her eyes to find Grissom watching her. Sara smiled as she blinked away the sleep in her eyes. He laid it propped up on his arm and the expression on his face was adoration. Rolling into his chest, Sara wrapped her arm around his waist as he laid down and pulled her close. He kissed her forehead and brushed part of her hair away from her eyes.
"How long have you been awake?" Sara inquired softly.
"A little while, less than hour, and I decided to watch you sleep."
Sara moved her head a fraction and caught his lips with her own. Grissom's hand moved to her head and Sara slid her hand up to wrap around his shoulder. Only a slight push of her momentum had him on his back and Sara slid her leg between his own. A moaned escaped Sara as his teeth nipped her bottom lip. Eventually, they pulled apart and Sara grinned while looking down at him. "Good morning."
"You my dear are a danger."
"How so?" Sara sat up after straddling his waist, leaning back against his legs. Grissom sat up while holding his hands at her lower back. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Sara watched him. Her shirt rid up a fraction and his fingers brushed her bare skin, causing her to gasp. Realizing he did so on purpose, Sara grinned. "You know my back is sensitive, you're doing that on purpose."
Grissom smirked, "I believe all things are fair in war and love."
"Hmm, okay. Well, in that case I'm just going to leave." Despite pointing and threatening, she was full of mirth and grinning.
Sara suddenly found herself on her back suddenly with hands on her sides, causing laughter to erupt. Grissom watched her as he tickled her lightly. "I doubt that." He went to grab her wrists but Sara's laughter ceased.
"Stop." She sat up as he backed off. "Don't grab my wrists, not in bed." Seeing the confusion on his face, she backtracked. "I uh, I like to be held down during sex."
The confusion disappeared. "I see."
"Yeah." She shrugged, "I know it's a little strange."
"I find nothing to be strange until I endure and find it strange myself." He saw her expression be one of surprise. "Anything else I should know?"
Sara chuckled, "I'm pretty tame except for that kink." Her lips quirked, "what about you?"
"Nothing that I know of so far. If something develops eventually, you'll be the first to know."
Of all the things Sara found herself doing on a Sunday, she hadn't expected a long drive. He had instructed her to bring some of her work attire that could get dirty if necessary when she'd packed for the weekend. It was an hour into the drive and she still had no idea where she was or where she was going. Grissom held her hand and it didn't escape her notice that his pinky finger rubbed against her wrist.
"Where are we going?"
"Patience, we're almost there."
Sara turned towards him. "If you're taking me to a dead body instead of a date, you'll be in for a world of trouble."
"What if the dead body was the date?"
"So work?" Sara shook her head, "somehow I'm not surprised."
They arrived at a fenced off area and both got out of the SUV, where Grissom stood at the front waiting for Sara to join him. "Well we're here."
"Here where?" Sara asked looking around. "All I see is a giant fence with private property and caution signs all around."
"Here." He pointed to a sign on the fence a few feet away. "Go have a look."
Sara walked over to the sign and read the words on it before turning back. "You can't be serious! The body farm?" She grinned at him as she walked back over. "How'd you know?"
"Your voice carries when you're excited. I overheard you telling Catherine years ago that you'd always wanted to come."
"Thank you." She kissed him before pulling away. "Come on, we're wasting daylight."
Grissom found himself watching Sara examine each locale like a kid on Christmas morning. She'd answer any of the questions he posed and all of her answers had been correct. He'd been planning the date for months, knowing it was a place she wanted to go to and would be thrilled at being there. Like him, she had a thirst for knowledge and was curious about almost anything. He knew if Catherine was aware of them, and it would take either exposure or changes to lab policy to make that happen, she'd question his sanity at bringing a girl to the body farm for a first date. However, he also knew that if Catherine knew it was Sara, she'd laugh at the so perfectness of the fact he'd brought the brunette to the body farm.
"So, your conclusion?" He asked as he watched Sara observe a corpse in a car, it was nearly sunset.
"Hyoid bone is broken, so strangulation." She grinned back at him, "or post-mortem fracture."
Chuckling, he caught her hand. "Correct once again. Post-mortem fracture, original cause of death is aneurysm to the temporal lobe."
"He looks fairly new." Sara stated, "only dead a few days to a week."
"A few weeks, they embalmed before placing him out so they could observe post-embalming decomposition."
Sara slipped an arm around his waist. "Thank you. I've had so much fun today. After last night, this is what I needed."
"You know, I was thinking something earlier today."
"That could either be benign or dangerous depending on the topic."
He chuckled, "that Catherine would question my sanity for bringing someone out here for a first date."
"She would but if she knew it was me, she'd just roll her eyes." Sara grinned, "best first date I've ever had. Best date in my life if I'm being honest."
Grissom glance at her. "Good, I'm glad I managed to make it a good time for you."
"The best time." She shook her head, "no one else gets me the way you do. I'd have smiled and shared small talk across a dinner table if necessary. Here though, I'm happy without reservations."
"We can come back anytime you want." Wrapping his arm around her, Grissom kissed her temple. "Do you want to see the sunset? There's a slight hill up ahead that is a great place to see the sunset." A confirmation nod was all that was needed for them to walk to the hill holding hands.
For the second time I pushed back the 5x21 Iced chapter. I don't know how I do it but I do.
Let me know what you think of this chapter. I added a lot of stuff and it just kept going and going.
