Stay

By Amanda Hawthorn

RATING: PG-13

PAIRING: Grissom/Sara

CATEGORY: Angst/ romance

ARCHIVE: Sara and Grissom and my site  http://www.pink-martini.net/amanda/

SPOILERS: Pilot and Sara’s first episode

FEEDBACK: Love it, but no flames please I’m fragile!!

EMAIL: [email protected]

SUMMARY: Sara has a tough decision to make as her bond with Grissom causes a rift between him and his team

DISCLAIMER: CSI belongs to CBS and Alliance-Atlantis Productions. No
infringement intended.
AUTHORS’ NOTES: This is for everyone who wanted me to write more fic.

Grissom let out a sigh, it was a quiet night in the labs; they’d had just one murder that turned out to be a suicide which left him with the tedious task of left over paper work which he loathed just as much as he did the criminals out there. Running a tied hand over his face he let out a frustrated groan. Not only did he have file after file of reports to contend with, but they also had a new CSI, Holly Gribbs. She’d been sent out with Warrick to a routine fingerprint job, something he thought she could handle on her second day on the job. He allowed himself a small smile as he remembered her first autopsy. She had ran out the room full pelt and he’d found her a few minutes later, shaking and ready to quit. In a way she reminded him of someone else from a lifetime ago. She seemed nice, he’d thought, if a little green.

Pushing the thoughts away he sat at his desk trying to get some of the backlog of paperwork completed when his phone rang. He groaned with misery, hoping whomever it was would make it quick so he could get this backlog done and return back to his job, the real job he loved. He snatched up the phone, “ Grissom,” he spoke gruffly, slightly irritated at the caller.

“ Well that’s a very nice greeting,” came the cheerful voice from the other end.

At the sound of the voice an instant smile graced his features, lighting up his eyes with a sparkle “ Sara,” he breathed.

“ It’s me,” she laughed “ I thought I’d just give you a call and catch up, but if you’re busy..”

“ No,” he said quickly, only to repeat it again in a softer tone “ no I’m not busy.”

She was quiet for a few seconds before she spoke again “ So how you doing? It must be at least a month since I last spoke to you.”

“It feels like a lifetime,” he smiled into the phone as her voice washed over him.

“ Well, I was just wondering if you’d like to meet up soon, I have some vacation time owing and I thought maybe I could come visit,” she told him “ that’s if you want to.”

“ Oh I want to,” he smiled “ of course I want to,” he leaned over his desk to grab hold of a pen and piece of paper “when were you thinking?”

“ I was thinking in the next few days actually, but if it’s not ok?” Her voice sounded hesitant for a moment as she waited for him to reply. He found himself smiling; it had been so long since he’d seen her. Her long brunette hair, her chocolate brown eyes, they seemed to haunt his dreams every time he closed his eyes “ I’ll see what I can arrange,” he promised.

“ Great,” she smiled “ hey listen I have to get back to work, but I’ll call you, what time will you be home?”

“ I’ll be home by ten the latest but you can call me on my cell,” he smiled “ it’s always great to hear your voice.”

“ Yours too Grissom,” she told him “ I’d better go, talk to you later.”

“ Ok,” he smiled “ bye Sara.”

He replaced the handset back in it’s cradle, a smile lingering on his face as the door swung open to reveal a very solemn looking Brass.

“ Holly Gribbs has just been found wounded at a crime scene, who the hell was shadowing her?”

Grissom almost fell out of his chair as he stood, “ What? She was with Warrick, he..” He didn’t finish his sentence as he stormed out of the door, Brass on his heels.

Inside the break room, Warrick was laughing with Catherine completely oblivious to what had happened until Brass came in through the door, instantly stopping their conversation.

“ Holly Gribbs is in the hospital,” Brass said, his eyes fixed on Warrick “ she was shot at a crime scene, she’s critical.”

Warrick fell back against the counter, his breath coming in rasping gasps “ How?”

“ Good question,” Grissom spoke then as he came into the room, his eyes on Warrick.

“ Weren’t you supposed to be shadowing her?” Catherine asked him, her face growing pale as she saw her friend sink further back into retreat. He seemed so lost as he found her eyes “ It was supposed to be an easy fingerprint job, that’s all.”

“ Well as of now you are under investigation,” Brass told him as he headed out of the door.

Grissom looked from Warrick then back to Catherine before he left them to retreat back into his office knowing this was one mess he needed help with.

He picked up his cell phone and pressed in a number before putting the phone to his ear. He waited patiently for a few seconds before the other person answered, “ Sidle.”

“ Sara,” he sighed.

“ Hey Grissom,” she smiled “ didn’t expect to hear from you so quickly. You miss me already?”

“ Sara,” he sighed again “ I need your help.”

“ Of course,” she told him, her voice taking on a business tone “ what can I do?”

“ How soon can you get to Vegas?” he asked.

“ I can be there tomorrow,” she told him then, instantly trusting him, knowing the urgency in his voice “ are you ok?”

“ I don’t know Sara,” he groaned into his hands “ One of my CSI’s Warrick Brown was supposed to be shadowing a new CSI, but somehow he left her at a crime scene and now she’s in critical condition in the hospital. I need you to investigate for me, I can’t do it myself.”

“ Hey it’s ok Griss,” she smiled “ I’ll be there tomorrow and we’ll sort this out.”

“ Ok,” he smiled “ I have so much I need to tell you Sara.”

“ Me too,” she told him on a sigh “ listen I’ve gotta go, but I’ll book my flight and call you later ok?”

“ Ok,” he smiled again, the words ‘I miss you’ hovering unspoken on his lips as the line went dead.

The next day Grissom came into the break room where Nick, Warrick and Catherine were waiting. Sara’s voice was still in his mind, drifting over his consciousness as he remembered how she made him seem to forget all his troubles. They’d talked for hours when he got home. He hadn’t realized just how much her voice healed him, and as time went on longer and longer, he longed for her more. Finally after three long hours they, Grissom decided he had to let her go, but found himself craving just a few more seconds of her, unwilling to hang up the phone to break that final contact. But as she said goodbye, her voice a graveled whisper of want, she told him she would see him soon, and that seemed like enough for him, for now anyway.

“ For now I’ve been made supervisor,” he told them as he handed out their cases, giving Nick Holly’s case, confident that he would be able to see it through.

He watched Catherine as she snatched the paper away from Nick’s hands demanding she be given the case. Grissom let out a sigh, he knew how stubborn she could be, especially now. “ Ok,” he told her, his head was starting to ache “ As of now we’re a CSI short so I’ve called in Sara Sidle.”

“ Sara Sidle?” Catherine asked angrily “ who the hell is that?”

“ She’s a CSI over in San Francisco, she’s a friend of mine, someone I trust, she’ll be handling the investigation the internal investigation,” he told them all, the tone of his voice showing that there was to be no debate on the matter.

“ Great,” Catherine hissed as she walked towards the door “ just what we need, someone snooping around.”

The door slammed behind her leaving the three men stood quietly “ What about me?” Warrick asked then, breaking the silence.

“ Take some free time to get your story straight before Sara gets here,” Grissom told him before he turned towards the door. He hated doing this, Warrick was one of his best and it pained him to think that maybe his two seconds of incompetence could have cost Holly her life. Leaving the room, he didn’t look back. All he wanted was for this to be over and to see Sara again.

Nick followed him as he turned to pat Warricks shoulder in reassurance, his silence speaking volumes as he followed Grissom out of the room.

 Grissom watched as Nick threw dummies off of the top of the building where their apparent suicide happened. His eyes watched each one as it tumbled to the ground before he moved around slowly taking photos and muttering to himself. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t notice the tall brunette woman who watched him from behind the yellow police lines. Her eyes drank in the sight of him, letting his appearance and stance seep into her soul. Her heart drowned in wanton abandonment, he was still capable of halting her breath, even now after all this time. Unable to resist his overpowering magnetism any longer she found herself stepping forward, her heart singing his name.

A voice sounded behind him, scattering all logical thoughts inside his head, making his heart flutter at an erratic rate “ Sara Sidle,” he breathed on a smile “ I don’t even have to turn around.” But he did, slowly, and she still managed to take his breath away.

“ It’s me,” she beamed at him, obviously happy to see him too as her eyes sparkled. She came towards him slowly, causing his breath to catch in his throat but he pushed it away, there would be time for this later “ I have so many unanswered why’s Sara,” he groaned, diverting his eyes away from hers, anything to stop his heart from thumping so loudly.

“ How’s the girl?” she asked softly, her eyes searching his face. She longed to reach out and touch him. He still had an effect on her, even now. It never ceased to amaze her how much of a hold he still had over her heart, giving her the tell tale signs that distance hadn’t erased him from her heart, only strengthening the love she still felt for him.

“ She’s fighting for her life,” he told her then, his eyes finding hers at last to hold her gaze.

“ The only question right now,” she told him gently as a hand came to brush his arm igniting a flame inside his heart “ is why Warrick Brown left that crime scene.”

From the rooftop, Nick looked down to see a woman stood next to Grissom. They seemed to be pretty close together and he wondered if this was his friend Sara he’d told them all about.

Making his way down towards the elevator, he thought, not for the first time as to why Warrick had left Holly at a crime scene. He just hoped this Sara person could help his friend and get to the bottom of what actually happened. As he stepped out of the elevator, he made his way towards the front entrance, viewing the scene before him.

Sara walked around the dummies with Grissom, her own actions mirroring his own. They seemed linked, as if one mind controlled two bodies.

Nick watched them in fascination as he came to stand out the front of the building. These two people were so alike in so many ways.

Grissom looked up and spotted him, instantly waving him over towards them. “ Nick,” he called as he approached, coming to stand close beside Sara so their bodies were almost touching.

Nick’s eyes watched the young woman’s warily, she seemed ok, but she was a stranger to them even if Griss knew her. It didn’t mean he had to trust her.

“ Hi I’m Sara,” she smiled brightly, sticking out a hand towards him.

“ Nick,” he nodded, shaking her hand. He noted how soft her hands were in his, and as he looked at her now he saw the mistrust he had mirrored in her eyes back towards him. Pulling his eyes away from hers, he let his arms fall away to his side as he turned towards his boss.

Before he could speak however, Sara lightly touched Grissom’s arm, bringing his eyes to gaze into her brown depths, commanding attention “ Griss,” she said softly “ I’m going to head over to the lab and speak to Warrick Brown ok?”

He nodded as she spoke, his eyes scanning her eyes affectionately as she turned away from him. He found his eyes following her as she slowly walked away. He already missed her presence, all at once feeling a cold chill around his heart.

“ She seems nice,” Nick told him, breaking the spell that held him under. Grissom shook himself mentally, as he turned to Nick “ Yes she is, she’s a good friend.”

“ How long you known her?” Nick asked curiously, not knowing if he would receive an honest answer.

“ A long time,” Grissom told him, as he started to pick up his equipment, his silence indicating that this was a no go area, and whatever relationship he may or may have with Sara Sidle was absolutely none of his business.

Admitting defeat, Nick nodded his head with a small smile. Gil Grissom had secrets just like the rest of them, he thought, maybe the old dog had skeletons just like everyone else.

“ Come on Nicky,” Grissom told him then as he made his way back towards the dummies “, we have work to do.”

Later that afternoon, Sara came into the casino where Catherine had indicated Warrick would probably be. Her mind wandered back towards her first meeting with Catherine. She had the distinct impression that she wasn’t going to be very well liked around here. She didn’t have to hear the mistrust in Catherine’s voice to know that, she had seen it clearly in her eyes. She knew they wouldn’t truest her, and if their roles were reversed she wouldn’t trust them either, but she did trust Grissom and he needed her help. She had a job to do and she was going to do it, whether they liked her or not.

Scanning the crowds, she caught sight of the man she wanted to see and made her way over towards him. She stood back for a few moments, watching him as he lifted the edge of some of his cards to sneak a peek. Stepping forward, she spoke up        “ Stick.”

He turned for a second, eyeing her before turning away again “ Let me guess Sara Sidle?”

She found herself nodding silently, why was she not surprised? The others here didn’t trust her so why should he be any different. “ I’m just here to do a job ok,” she sighed “ and then I’ll be gone and you can all get on with your lives?”

Warrick closed his eyes briefly before turning around “ Sorry,” he spoke again, feeling a little guilty for his hostility.

“ It’s ok,” she smiled “ I get it a lot, don’t worry about it.”

He looked up at her then, seeing her eyes for the first time and decided in a single instant that she was ok. Standing up he walked with her away from the casino, willing to answer any question she threw at him.

Sara waited for him to settle down before she took a deep breath, knowing she would be the bearer of bad news “ Things are looking bad for you Warrick, I don’t know if I’ll be able to help you.”

He looked at her then, noticing how her brown eyes seemed to be ebbed in sorrow “ And why’s that?” he asked.

“ Because Holy Gribbs just died on the operating table,” she told him sadly, and then his world turned upside down.

Grissom’s head hurt as he made his way home. He opened his door to toss his briefcase on a chair before going through his cupboards to pull out his bottle of pills. Throwing one into his mouth he heard movement beside him as Catherine came into view. “ Migraines huh?” she asked, “ its been a while.”

“ Yeah it has,” he nodded, his head aching from both pain and insufferable sorrow. They had just lost a bright young CSI and it pained him to think it could have inadvertently been at the hands of one of his own.

Catherine opened her mouth to speak when there was a tap on his door “ Griss?”

His eyes shot up, causing the pain in his head to crash against his skull, making his eyes close in quiet submission. Sara opened the door slowly, walking in with two bags of take out Chinese only to stop in her tracks “ Oh sorry I didn’t know you had company.”

The two women eyed each other warily as they both tried to figure out their positions in Gil Grissom’s life. Sara found herself rooted to the ground, feeling as if she was intruding on another woman’s territory, until Catherine began to move.

“ It’s ok,” Catherine told her then, picking up her coat and moving passed her towards the door, “ Sorry I was a little abrupt with you earlier,” she told her, reluctantly meeting her eyes.

 “ It’s ok,” Sara smiled “ As I told Warrick, I get that a lot.”

Catherine nodded again as she turned her head towards Grissom “ You gonna be ok?” She watched as his eyes tore themselves away from the other woman in the room to look at her “ I’ll be fine, see you tomorrow.”

Forcing a smile, Catherine moved out of the door closing it behind her, hovering behind it for a few seconds before walking away. She didn’t like to admit it, but she was jealous, as jealous as hell.

“ I brought your favourite,” Sara told him, indicating the bags of food, a worried look in her eyes. “ You still having headaches?”

“ Yeah,” he sighed heavily, moving his fingertips to his temples trying to ease the pain away to give her his full attention, “ but enough of me, you remembered my favourite?”

“ Of course I do,” she grinned then as she put the bags on his table, then took off her jacket only to move closer to him. Reaching out she took hold of his hands giving him a gentle tug, pulling him over to his couch, to sit him down “ Come on,” she smiled, slipping off her shoes to curl up on her knees behind him  “ Let’s get rid of that headache.”

Grissom held his breath; he had forgotten how intoxicating her touch was. She moved behind him, making herself comfortable as her warm hands moved to his shoulders.

He groaned in ecstasy as her hands worked their magic on his back, just as they had always done in the past. She leaned her body into his gently kneading the taught muscles, easing the hardness from his shoulders.

“ God Sara,” he sighed, “ you are still good at this.”

Smiling, Sara leaned forward so she was close enough to his ear so he could feel her breath on his face “ I know.”

From that moment on, he knew he was in serious trouble.

He felt his aching shoulders slowly easing as she skillfully massaged his pain away before moving to the back of his neck “ I thought you didn’t have these any more,” she said softly, enjoying the feel of his skin beneath hers.

“ Not often,” he groaned “ but sometimes they start up again for no reason.”

Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around his chest, to lay her chin on his shoulder “ Well a lot’s happened,” she whispered, delighted by the shiver she had caused inside his body “ How about we get rid of this headache and then we’ll talk about it while we eat.”

Grissom couldn’t keep the smile away from his face as his eyes closed on their own. He leaned himself back into her, needing her touch more than he cared to admit. He had missed this so much, being close to her. He let himself fall back further into her embrace, so his head was leaned against her chest with her chin rested atop his head. Letting himself sink further into her body he felt her soft hands come up to rub his temples, soothing the migraine into submission. Her gentle touch eased away all the stresses of the past few weeks to bring him to complete awareness that he was alone, with her. He let himself relax further as he brought a hand up to one of hers on his temples, to bring it to his lips to plant a gentle kiss in her palm before leaning his head up so he could see her face. Smiling she moved to accommodate him as she briefly fought the urge to kiss him, until he changed the rules of their relationship and sealed his lips to hers.

Sara felt herself falling into him, his kiss drowning her senses. Slipping further down onto the couch, she pulled him with her so he was pressing his body into hers, reveling in her softness.

Grissom’s arms snaked up around her waist to encircle her shoulders, pulling her closer to him, burying himself as deep as he possibly could into her warmth, the migraine long since forgotten. Opening his mouth to deepen the kiss, he ran his tongue over her bottom lip, begging for entry, finding himself groaning as she readily complied, giving him everything in that one precious moment.

The kiss lasted for an eternity, building in a passionate frenzy as they both fought for control in the haze of desire. Grissom suddenly pulled away, breaking his lips from hers, his breaths coming in deep gasps as he gazed into her eyes.

“ Sara,” he breathed “ I.”

She leaned forward to place a single finger to his lips, watching his eyes with a smoldering passion that seeped into his soul. Grissom’s eyes scanned her face, reveling in the rosy tint on her pale cheeks, proudly knowing that he had made her lose control.

“ Shh,” she whispered, removing her finger to replace it with her lips, pressing against him in a delicious promise, before pulling away again.

“ I think we have a problem,” she whispered against his lips, finding it hard to break away from him.

“ I know,” his voice whispered back, breathing into her mouth before he found his lips on hers again, tasting her with a passion that outflanked their earlier entanglement.

Sara’s hands moved to the buttons on his shirt, frantically trying to ease open the material so she could devour his chest with her hands. The powerful need to feel more of him overtaking her senses, casting out all conscious thoughts from her mind.

He moved to his side so she could pull his shirt from beneath his belt, her fingers raking over his bare stomach, causing him to shudder violently. He tried to regain some control by leaving her lips to trail wet kisses down her throat only to have her gasps intensify, adding fuel to her roaming hands.

Somewhere in the background Grissom’s cell phone began to ring loudly, causing him to slow his lips on her neck trying to push the annoying noise away from his passion-fogged brain.

“ Phone,” she gasped from beneath him, her hands finding their way to his chest banishing all thoughts from his mind leaving only her.

Tearing his lips away from her neck he sat back abruptly, gasping for breath. “ I have to,” he pointed somewhere behind him,     

“ Phone.”

“ Yeah,” she breathed, trying to control her escalating heart rate as she sat forward to watch him stand shakily to his feet. She couldn’t believe this was happening. They had kissed once or twice in the past but only a small chaste kiss, nothing like this grinding passion that soared through her body.

Her eyes followed him as he picked up his cell phone, “ Grissom,” he spoke abruptly, his breathing heavy. He looked over at her while he listened to Brass on the other end of the phone, his eyes swirling with passion as he thought of her lips on his.

“ What?” he asked quickly, snatching his eyes away from hers, breaking the distraction, “ Um no sorry I was,” he fought for an excuse, anything to push the need for her to the back of is mind.

Sara stood up from the couch, eyeing him with desire. Her body was aching for his, needing his lips on hers more than she could ever imagine. She knew she loved him, of course she did, that’s why she always came to him at a moments notice if he needed her help. Closing the gap between them, she moved up to him so she was directly in front of his body. She saw his hands shaking as he tried so hard to concentrate on his speaking, but was finding it increasingly difficult to form coherent sentences.

Smiling, she reached out a finger to run over his chest, watching in delighted amusement as he shuddered beneath her touch. She had managed to revert the no nonsense Gil Grissom into a gibbering wreck, and that knowledge in itself was priceless to her heart.

“ I can be there in an hour,” he spoke into the phone, closing his eyes at the sensations she was causing in his body, trying desperately to keep control of his escalating emotions.

Sara felt her heart sink as he spoke. This little encounter would have to wait for another time, she mused. Grissom watched her with a hint of a smile on his face as he closed the phone.

“ I have to go,” he told her as he reached out a hand to cup her face “ there’s been another apparent suicide in one of the casinos.”

“ Want me to come too?” she asked him with a smile “ maybe I could help?”

He felt a shudder in his heart at her words. He could keep her here with him forever and never let her go, it would be so easy to surrender to his heart and stop fighting the feelings he had for her, feelings that had only intensified over the last 10 years.

“ I could always use your help,” he told her, bringing his other hand up to cup her face, holding her softly as he gazed into her eyes “ but Brass made it pretty clear that the sheriff is on his case about getting the report on Warrick.”

“ Ok,” she sighed as she brought her hands up to his on her face “ you got time to have some dinner with me first?”

“ Of course,” he whispered as he closed the small gap to kiss her softly, leaving a promise on her lips.

Sara’s body was melting under his intense touch, igniting her with molten fire, burning her skin. She moved her hands from his as their lips parted, her eyes drifting away from his. Lifting her hands to his chest, she began re buttoning the shirt she had only a short time ago ripped apart in her haste to feel his skin, as she moved, her fingers brushed against his skin causing a soft gasp to escape his lips.

Their eyes gravitated together once more; stilling her hands as she read the same unbridled passion in is eyes that she felt in her own.

“ Maybe it would be best if I go,” she whispered reluctantly, her lips craving his again, needing his kiss.

Grissom’s eyes seemed to darken in that moment; needing her with everything he possessed “ Stay, “ he whispered, his lips almost touching hers “ please?”

When their lips touched again in a kiss that rocked her soul, she found it difficult to deny him anything. His arms encircled her waist, pulling her against him tightly as he deepened the kiss. Sara was lost, drowning in her passion as her hands moved up his chest to the back of his neck to entangle themselves in his hair, needing to be as close to him as possible. Slowly their lips parted, tiny kisses keeping them linked, both reluctant to fully pull away.

“ I have to..” he whispered between kisses.

“ I know,” she replied softly, holding his bottom lip in between her own, tugging on it gently before releasing him completely to step away breathless.

Grissom’s heart was pounding in his chest, he knew he had to leave but the sweet pull of her eyes held him there, a willing prisoner in her gaze.

“ I’m gonna head back to the hotel,” she told him quietly “ I’ll need a change of cloths.”

“ Check out,” he told her then, stepping closer for a second before moving back again knowing that her touch would render him motionless “ stay here with me.”

She considered his proposal for a few seconds before a bright smile graced her face “ Are you sure?”

“ I’m sure.”

“ Ok,” she smiled brightly “ while you’re gone I’ll complete my report.”

“ Ok,” his voice seemed to be wavering as he stepped away from her, his need to be near her almost outweighing the need to do his job.

“ I’ll meet you back here,” she told him as she moved towards his door, stopping briefly to watch him, a confession bubbling on her lips “ I’ve missed you.”

Closing the door quickly behind her, she didn’t see the small smile that graced Grissom’s face. From this moment on he knew he would never be the same again.

Grissom arrived at the crime scene now fully composed. His body still craved Sara’s presence just like he craved her touch on his skin. Cursing inwardly for the interruption that had no doubt stopped the inevitable chain of events that would have happened between them, his eyes scanned the crowd for Brass, seeking out the cause of his frustrations.

“ Hey Grissom,” he called out, waving him across.

“ Ok what have we got?” Grissom asked gruffly, the near miss with Sara playing heavily on his mind. Brass was about to answer when a voice called them from behind.

Both turned to see Catherine walking up towards them “ Hi,” she smiled as she came to a stop by Grissom’s side.

“ Catherine what are you doing here?” he asked confused “ I didn’t realize you’d been called too.”

“ Yeah I thought you might need a hand,” she told him as her eyes roamed the scene before her “ So, where is she?”

“ Who?” Grissom asked as he began walking towards the building, his eyes scanning over the scene as his mind began to act out the events.

“ You know who,” she said hurriedly, trying to keep up with him “ your friend.”

“ You mean Sara?” he said then, stopping abruptly to face her “ her name is Sara, and yes she is my friend, and no she isn’t here because she has to finish the report on Warrick.”

“ That’s just what I’m talking about Gil,” Catherine told him angrily “ we don’t know her at all, she doesn’t know Warrick. How can she come up with something to help him if she doesn’t know us?”

Grissom watched her as she continued with her tirade, his heart pounding angrily in his chest. Holding up a hand he stopped her in her tracks “ Sara is one of the best CSI’s I have ever met, she is thorough, she pays attention to detail and above all else I trust her.”

“ Yeah? Well I don’t,” she said angrily.

“ Get over it Catherine, because I’m seriously thinking of asking her to stay,” he started to walk away from her again, unwilling to hear her tirades, her quiet insults cutting deep into his own heart.

Catherine’s eyes grew wide at his statement “ What?” she asked again, running to catch up with him, pulling on his arm to grind him to a halt “ you can’t do that without consulting the rest of us.”

“ Can’t I?” his eyes clouded with anger as he fought to keep his feelings under control “ we are 2 CSI’s short. Sara is an excellent CSI and she is my friend, I want her here. The rest of you will just have to just get used to the fact that we need her.”

“ Want and need in the same sentence?” Catherine asked again, her eyes staring into his “ you sleeping with her?”

Grissom’s eyes shot to hers, trying not to let the hidden passion light up once again in his eyes at the thought of her, “ that’s none of your damn business.”

Catherine caught her tongue, cursing herself for the words she had just spoken “ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“ We have work to do,” he told her abruptly then as he turned away, leaving her to watch him silently, her own emotions crowding her senses as she began to slowly follow him.

Sara sighed heavily as she read over her report again. It didn’t matter how many times she looked over it, it still looked bad for Warrick and she really wished she could help him.

Her mind wandered to Grissom, missing him intently as the events in his house and their almost passionate entanglement played over and over in her head. She wanted him just as much as she had all those years ago when she was just a young student. This was so much more than falling helplessly in love with a mentor; this was a whole new experience. She looked around her scarce hotel room feeling emptiness surround her heart before looking at the report in her hands again. Her mind made up, she stood up from the bed and grabbed her jacket, making her way out of the door. She would go by the lab and see if Grissom was there first before heading over to his house, wanting to make sure he really wanted her to stay with him while she was here, or if he’d changed his mind.

Back at the crime scene, Grissom took photos of the body and walked around the room. He tried not to think of Catherine’s stinging words, feeling them hurt him more than she could ever realize.

“ Gil,” she spoke softly as she came towards him. She wished she could have kept control of her emotions, but sometimes they reigned free before she had a chance to stop them.

“ I’ve just about finished here,” he told her quickly, avoiding her eyes “, I’m going to take the evidence back to the lab and then I’m heading home.”

“ I’m sorry for what I said,” she told him as he moved passed her.

“ Catherine,” he sighed heavily, before he turned to face her “ it’s not me you owe the apology to it’s Sara. She’s the innocent party in all of this.” Opening his car door, he looked back at her one last time “ you know if you got the chance to know her I think you would like her.”

“ I’ll try harder,” she told him, forcing a smile, “ I can promise you that much.”

Smiling, he climbed into his car and closed the door, giving her one last look before he started the engine “ You want a ride home?”

“ No thanks,” she smiled brightly “ I’ve brought my car.”

Nodding, he drove away. Leaving behind one friend to go in search of another.

On the way to her car, Sara heard her cell phone ringing inside her pocket and reached in to quickly answer it “ Sidle,” she said quickly, placing her key into the car door to pull it open.

“ Hey where are you?”

“ Griss,” she beamed “ I’m just leaving the hotel.”

“ Well I’m dropping some evidence off at the lab and I’ll be back,” he told her with a sigh “ You gonna meet me at my house?”

“ Well, I could meet you at the lab, I’ve got my report ready if you want to read it,” pulling her door closed, she sat back in her seat “ Are you ok?”

“ I’ll tell you later?” he told her, his voice sounding strained “ give me the report at my house ok, I really don’t want to have work anymore tonight, you can hand it in tomorrow.”

Sara could hear the tiredness in his voice as he spoke, her mind instantly aware that something was wrong “ Griss?” she asked again “ please talk to me?”

“ I am talking to you,” he chuckled softly as he pulled into the lab car park “ Look I’ll meet you in ten minutes ok? I’ll tell you everything.”

“ Ok,” she sighed again “ see you soon.”

Shutting off her phone, her mind raced worriedly. What if he’d changed his mind and decided that this was all a big mistake? They had taken a huge step forward in their relationship, breaking the forbidden rules that he’d erected over his heart so many years ago. She knew it would be harder to let him walk away this time, but she loved him too much to try to hold him back and force him into something he clearly didn’t want.

Starting the engine, she pushed the worry to the back of her mind, hoping that she could change his mind before he shut her out all together.

With the thoughts whirling around inside her head, she drove away, intent on sorting this out with him once and for all.

True to his word, ten minutes later Grissom pulled up behind her car, which was sat outside his house. Climbing out he saw her leaning on her car; arms folded with a look of pure lust in her eyes, and instantly lost the ability to breath. She took his breath away and managed to rend him speechless for the second time that night, and he became acutely aware of his body’s reaction to hers, which was apparently moving closer.

“ Hey,” she smiled brightly, her eyes eyeing him with the same amount of smoldering passion that was visible in his.

“ We should…” he started, but completely lost the will to speak as she came closer to him to plant a small kiss on his cheek.

“ Go inside?” she asked him hopefully, clearly aware of the effect she had on him and enjoying it.

Nodding his head, he managed to mumble an incoherent sentence before following her towards the door as he fumbled with his keys in the lock. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking as he tried desperately to keep them still so they could perform the simple task.

Sara smiled beside him as she came to lean on the door frame, her eyes staring at his flushed face “ Griss,” she said softly as she came close to his, whispering “ I want you,” in his ear making him drop the keys with a loud clatter on the floor.

Smiling again she bent down to pick them up and handed them to him, the touch of her fingers grazing his palm sending jolts of electricity through his body. He couldn’t believe she was dong this to him. He was putty in her hands; unable to break the hold she had over him.

Stepping closer, she loomed near his body, the need to have his lips on hers outweighing all conscious thoughts as she moved a hand to his face to turn him towards her.

For a second he watched her, mouth gaping open until she closed the tiny gap between them and captured his lips in a kiss so full of wanton passion he almost lost his balance. Tongues clashed in a lust full frenzy, needing desperately to be closer. His arms came up to pull her roughly to him as he deepened the kiss, pressing her up against the closed door as their bodies reacted to each other, blindly grinding together in a passionate frenzy.

Snatching his lips from hers he managed to open the door to push them both inside, all the while managing to keep his balance as she placed smoldering kisses all over his chin and down his neck. He let out a primal groan his mouth instantly seeking hers, crashing down into her again once they were inside.

Hands fumbled with clothing, ripping buttons apart in a desperate need to feel heated flesh beneath fingers. Cloths followed in a trail, coming off one by one as they pulled the barriers separating them away in their backwards walk to his bedroom, to finally fall onto the bed in a heap of tangled bodies.

Sara raked her fingers through the hair on his chest, reveling in the shiver that shook through his body, his blind passion only fueling her own.

Sara gazed up at him again as he hovered over her, raining kisses down her face and neck causing a delicious onslaught of pure lust wash over her. Talking could wait, she decided as his lips found hers again, chasing away every ounce of uncertainty as they sealed a love that had been waiting for this moment for over 10 years.

Sometime later, Grissom stirred awake. His body ached in places that he hadn’t felt for some time. Images began to invade his mind of the woman who had crumbled his defenses, rendering him into a powerless heap with just a touch of her hand. Turning his head he moved to look over to the other side of the bed, alarm rising in his heart as he found it empty.

His mind whirled with unanswered questions, the unashamed emotions gathering behind his eyes as he thought of a life without her, until the door suddenly opened.

“ You’re awake,” she smiled as she came in carrying two steaming cups of what smelt like coffee. Grissom couldn’t tear his eyes away from her body, now adorned in his discarded shirt.

“ I thought,” he started; only to be silenced again as she climbed onto the bed on her knees to hand him his cup.

“ Thought what?” she asked with a smile, her eyes watching him with such adoration it almost stopped his heart. Leaning over towards him, she placed her coffee on the bedside table then took his off of him to do the same before leaning back to gaze into his eyes.

He was lost, his body craving hers in sweet surrender, as he tried to keep his rising passion under control. Smiling again, Sara crawled closer to him, straddling over his thighs still buried beneath the sheet, providing a protective barrier between them. She moved closer then, capturing his face in her hands gazing deep into his depths with such love that he knew he couldn’t ever let her go.

“ I wouldn’t leave you Griss,” she whispered, looming closer to his lips, her breath enticing his heart into near eruption “ if I had a choice, I would never leave you.”

“ Sara?” he managed before her lips caught his again, dragging him down into another powerful tide, washing his body with a passion to match the earlier waves. She opened her mouth, demanding entry into his, which he gave without argument, unable to deny her anything.

He was powerless beneath her, letting her take the lead as she took him higher, releasing him into heaven for the second time in hours.

Grissom smiled as he sat at his kitchen table, his cup up against his lips, which were curled into a smile. He could hear the running water of the shower and knew in that single moment that this was how life was supposed to be. He wanted her to stay, not just for now but forever. She belonged here. His house seemed to drink in her warmth, lighting the dark places not only in the rooms but in his heart as well, making the emptiness ease away to replace it with only her.

He remembered Catherine’s words from yesterday, they had cut him deep. He knew that his team wouldn’t trust Sara right away and he would never ask them to, they just had to understand that he knew her better than they ever would.

Sara came out from the shower, now fully dressed, drying her hair with a towel. She watched him quietly, his eyes fixed into nowhere, deep in thought.

Her heart was aching for him more than it had before. She knew in just two days she would have to return to San Francisco, and leave his life for another few months until she could come and visit again. How could she do that now? She already missed him more than she could say, and he was here with her.

Stepping closer she pushed the sadness away to smile at him before breaking him out of his trance “ I hope it’s nice where you are.”

Instantly snapping his eyes towards hers, he met her smile with one of his own. “ Nice where?”

Coming closer she came to stand behind his seated body to wrap her arms around his shoulders, her hands meeting loosely near his chest “ That place where you zoned out to,” she smiled as she rested her chin on his head.

Grissom closed his eyes at the sensations she was causing in his body, finding his own hands coming up to meet hers, encasing them in his warmth “ Well if it’s any cancellation you were there.”

“ I was?” she grinned, moving her head to place kisses down his temples “ well then I’m happy.”

He turned towards her, swiveling in his seat to face her so her arms were now wrapped around the back of his neck “ I have something I wanted to tell you.”

“ I know,” she murmured, placing a kiss on his forehead as she moved closer so she was stood in between his legs.

“ You do?”

“ Yeah,” she nodded “ you’re worried that we’ve changed things and we’re gonna find it difficult to let go this time.” She closed her eyes against the lump rising in her throat, trying to stop the tears from pooling behind her eyes.

“ That’s one of the things I’ve been thinking about,” he whispered into her throat, closing his eyes against her soft flesh “ I don’t want to lose you.”

“ Oh Griss,” she whispered then, a tear escaping to roll down her face “ we could be thousands of miles apart and you could never lose me. I can feel you wherever you are because you’re in here,” she took one of his hands to hold it over her heart, sealing her words with a promise “ you’ve always been in here.”

“ God Sara,” he groaned, pulling her to him as they clung to each other desperately, both unwilling to break this bond between them.

“ We’ll be ok Griss,” she told him hoarsely “ we’ve managed before haven’t we?”

Lifting his head, he gazed up into her eyes, “ Don’t go back,” he said, “ stay here. Work with me, here in Vegas?”

“ Oh Griss,” she gasped, “ I wish I could, but your team hates me. Catherine doesn’t even hide the fact that she doesn’t trust me, how can I work with people without trust?”

“ She’ll come around eventually, and after yesterday she promised me she would try.”

“ Yesterday?”

“ She met me at the crime scene and asked about you, I told her the truth,” he told her as he moved a hand to bring it to his lips “ I don’t understand why she acted that way. I don’t think I’ll ever understand.”

Sara looked down at him now, a smile gracing her lips as she took his hands to pull him up to stand “ You really don’t see anything that’s right under your nose do you?”

“ I?” he began, confused “ what?”

“ Think of it her way,” she smiled again, her hands gliding up over his chest to encircle his neck “ she has had you to herself all this time and along I come to spoil things. I know I’d be a little pissed if that was me.”

“ You think?” his eyes found hers again, a gasp forming on his lips “ No, it’s not like that. Catherine is my friend.”

“ Just think about it Griss,” she told him again, leaning up to kiss his chin “ how long did it take you to realize I had feelings for you?”

“ Oh..” he began then, everything slipping into place at this new turn of events “ but I didn’t do anything Sara, I didn’t realize that she..Oh god.”

“ Just don’t be so hard on her ok?” she told him “ I think you underestimate just how attractive you actually are.”

The spark flamed in his eyes again as she spoke, lighting up his eyes. “ The only woman I ever want to think that about me is you Sara, no one else.”

“ Oh I do,” she groaned against him as their lips met again, pushing all rational thoughts away.

A few hours later, Grissom looked over at the clock from where he and Sara were laid on the couch. He lifted his head slightly for a better look, trying not to disturb the woman sprawled out over his body.

“ Mmm,” she mumbled, leaning her head further into him to kiss his chest “ what time is it?”

“ I have to go into work in an hour,” he told her as his hands came up to stroke lazy circles over her back “ you want to come with me?”

Sara lifted her head suddenly to look into his eyes, a huge smile beaming from her lips “ You think that’s wise?” she asked.

“ That is not what I meant,” he scolded her, his own smile lingering as he leant down to kiss her head.

“ I know,” she beamed, laying her head back down on his chest again “ but I’m happy right here. I don’t want to move.”

“ Hey, have you checked out of your hotel yet?” he asked as he buried his lips into her hair, planting tiny kisses in the soft strands.

“ No not yet,” she mumbled “ I wasn’t sure if you’d change your mind and throw me out.” Pulling herself up, she moved so she was sitting in front of his legs, half turning to run her fingers seductively over his pant clad legs.

“ Throw you out?” he gasped, “ Why would I want to do that?”

His hand came up to touch her shoulder, running a finger over her smooth skin. He wanted her so badly it hurt, he didn’t ever want to let her go.

“ I’m going to miss you so much,” she told him on a whimper, her eyes suddenly clouding as she looked away to hide the sadness from him.

“ Sara?” he gasped, reaching out his other hand to pull her back down to him so her head lay on his chest “ I don’t want you to go. I can’t see my life anymore without you.” As he spoke his fingers combed through her hair, relaxing her further into submission as she found herself drifting to a dream she hadn’t dared to think would ever come true.

“ Even if I stay Griss, what then?” she asked sadly “ I’ll always be seen as your favourite. I don’t think your team will ever accept me.”

“ They will, once they see what a great asset you’ll be to us. They’ll see what an excellent CSI you are and they’ll warm to you,” he told her, his arms instinctively pulling her closer to him “ I don’t want to lose you Sara. I didn’t back then and I don’t now.”

“ I’ll still have to go back to Frisco to clear things with my boss. There’s so much I still have to do out there before I can come here full time,” she whispered into his chest. Lifting her head so she was level with his lips she smiled sadly “ I could be gone for a month or two before everything’s taken care of, and I’ll need an apartment here.”

“ Stay here,” he told her, his hand coming up to brush his fingers over her lips “ live here.”

“ Oh Griss,” she smiled, leaning up to plant a kiss on his lips only to pull back again “ you’ll technically be my boss, I can’t live with you.” She smiled again, letting her lips linger close to his once more, aching to kiss him “ But I can come for sleepovers.”

Grissom felt his heart burst with excitement at the thought of her here, with him for eternity “ I like the sound of that,” he groaned, losing his voice as their lips met again, meshing together in a powerful clash of probing tongues.

Grissom pulled her closer, moving his head so he could better accommodate her probing fingers that eased their way into his shirt. He was totally lost in her kisses, reeling in total surrender as her fingers expertly pulled his shirt undone to roam his chest, combing her nails along his soft flesh, causing tremors through his body.

Moving her legs, Sara leaned up to straddle his thighs without breaking the kiss, laying into him with a rising wave of passion that only grew in intoxicating power with every second that passed.

A knock on the door broke their spell as their lips broke apart, both of them gasping for breath.

“ Maybe they’ll go away,” she whispered, as she moved her mouth to the side of his head, her lips nipping his earlobe only to lick it with her tongue causing him to groan.

“ Gil,” came a voice this time, accompanied by the knock.

“ Oh crap,” Sara groaned as she reluctantly climbed off of him to straighten out her cloths. Her eyes moving on their own to the man moving to stand on the couch struggling to control his breathing.

“ I’ll get the door,” she mouthed to him as he scrambled towards the bathroom, waiting until the door closed before calmly opening up to see Catherine on the doorstep “ Oh Hi,” she smiled cautiously, hoping that her lips weren’t too swollen, giving away the obvious signs that she’d been only seconds ago involved in a passionate encounter.

Catherine stared at her for a second, trying to find something to say but her mouth seemed to be jammed shut.

“ Sorry,” Sara smiled as she stood back “ come in, Griss is in the bathroom.”

“ Uh, thanks,” Catherine mumbled. She had seen Sara’s flushed cheeks and the swell of her lips, and it didn’t take a scientist to figure out what the two of them had been doing in here.

“ I’m heading back to my hotel in a few minutes if you and Griss wanted to talk in private, don’t mind me ok?” Sara tried again, her voice shaking slightly under Catherine’s gaze.

The bathroom door finally opened as Grissom came out now totally composed, trying his best to act surprised to see her “ Oh hi Catherine, I didn’t hear the door.”

“ It’s ok,” she nodded, shifting uncomfortably on her feet, not knowing what to say.

Sara’s eyes darted from Catherine to look into Grissom’s eyes, drawing strength from him to turn her face towards the blonde woman “ Griss has asked me to stay on here,” she smiled “ guess we’ll be working together soon.”

“ Yeah, I guess,” Catherine told her, forcing a smile onto her face. The atmosphere in the room seemed to thicken with mistrust as the two woman eyed each other cautiously, neither of them moving an inch.

“ Sara,” Grissom broke in “ why don’t you stop by the lab later and I’ll show you around?” He was relieved when she turned her head towards him, a smile forming on her lips.

“ Yeah I’ll do that,” she grinned brightly, only to have it fall away when she felt Catherine’s eyes on her “ I’m gonna go back to my hotel and pack ok, call me when you want me to come by the lab?”

“ I will,” he smiled as he walked her towards the door, his heart aching with loss as she stepped through his threshold to move away from him.

“ Say bye to Catherine for me,” she smiled sadly as she backed away from him, placing her fingers to her lips, a gesture he knew all to well. He nodded then, smiling like an idiot as she disappeared, his heart at last feeling free.

Closing the door, he turned around to the other woman who still stood in his house “ So what’s wrong?” he asked her.

“ Nothing,” she told him, a hint of a smile on her face “ thought you might want a ride into work.”

Grissom’s eyes shot to hers, Sara’s voice lingering in his mind. Maybe she was right about Catherine having feelings for him, and at this precise moment he was scared to death.

“What’s the real reason?” he asked her then, watching worriedly as she went over to sit on his couch.

“ Gil I need to apologize,” she sighed “ I was way out of line yesterday and I’m really sorry I implied you had a relationship with Sara.”

Nodding his head, he came over to sit on another chair “ Ok, but why take this out on Sara? I asked her to come here, this isn’t her fault.”

“ I know,” she told him, her eyes leaving his face to drop down into her hands “ I’ll talk to her later when she stops by the lab ok?”

“ Ok,” he agreed, “ she’s an excellent CSI Catherine, that’s why I brought her here. We could do with her on our team.”

Lifting her head again, she smiled at him warmly “ I’m sure she is, and I promise I’ll try harder.”

“ Good enough,” he nodded as he stood to walk over to the table, grabbing his keys. He looked over at her, finding her eyes on him as he moved.

“ Are we ok?” she asked worriedly.

He thought about his reply carefully before he spoke, trying to reassure her without letting her know he was hurt by her treatment of the woman he loved. Loved? His mind whirled as he suddenly realized the truth. Everything seemed to make sense now. Looking over to Catherine again, he nodded slowly “ I think we are,” he told her with a small smile, as he walked towards the door, motioning for her to follow.

“ I’m glad,” she nodded then with a smile as she followed him out of the door.

The next few hours passed in a blur for both Grissom and Sara who fought to keep control of their treacherous emotions. Sara had stopped by the lab as arranged, delighted with the huge smile that appeared on his face when he saw her.

“ Sara,” he smiled, getting up from his desk to walk towards her “ you ready for the tour?”

“ Lead on,” she grinned, following him out of the door.

 Grissom watched her intently as they walked, she seemed distracted as they walked around, especially when they approached the break room where both Catherine and Nick were pacing the floor waiting for them.

“Hey Griss, where the hell have you been I’ve paged you twice?” Catherine asked him as she came towards him, pulling on his arm “ come on, we know where Holly’s killer is.”

“ You do?” he gasped, suddenly pulling her into his arms for a hug only to release her just as quickly. Sara watched them as they interacted with each other. They were obviously very fond of each other, this scene before her only proved that. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering if she should stay here, still unsure about her place in his life.

Nick came towards them, joining in the jubilant scene, the three of them rejoicing with this new turn of events.

“ Uh, Griss,” Sara started “ I’ll leave you to it ok.” She started to slowly back away towards the door, feeling like an intruder that had no right to be here.

Grissom turned as he heard her voice, instantly cursing himself for his lack of insight, he should have known better. “ No you’re going to be part of this team Sara, you should come too.”

Catherine continued to pull on his arm as they left the room, leaving Sara and Nick to follow behind. Even now as they walked, Sara had serious doubts about her place here. She knew she couldn’t expect to have Grissom’s undivided attention, and that wasn’t the issue here. Could she stay here feeling that she would have to compete with Catherine for his affections all the time?

“ You’re coming to work here?” Nick asked her then, his face hiding his feelings making it impossible for her to decipher his emotions.

“ I don’t know yet,” she said sadly, keeping her eyes averted from his gaze “ Griss asked me, but I’ve just got to think about it.”

“ Well Griss seems to think highly of you,” he nodded, “ that’s good enough for me.”

Sara felt her breath catch in her throat, she couldn’t believe her ears, and so turning she just offered him a small smile, “Thanks.”

Later, Sara caught up with Grissom at the hospital. She hadn’t seen him for hours. “ Hey,” she smiled as she came to sit beside him.

His head shot up and he beamed a smile at her “ Hey Sara. Sorry I’ve been too busy to show you around more.”

“ It’s ok,” she told him “ I understand, I think I’ll….” Before she could finish, Catherine came into the lobby and Grissom stood up abruptly to follow her without a backwards glance to the woman who had shared herself with him for the last few days.

Sara watched them for a moment feeling defeated. She loved Grissom, she had done for a very long time, but right now she didn’t know if he was only asking her to stay out of loyalty.

Yes they’d had a very intense time together, making love whenever they touched and she knew she would never love anyone else after him. He had always been a fiercely private man, not one to admit his feelings, how did she know that he would ever feel the same way about her? Her eyes drifted over to them again. They seemed close and she found herself wondering if staying was such a good idea after all. He had a good relationship with his team and co-workers, he was a no nonsense kind of man, and she wasn’t sure if she would even fit in here. She loved him enough to know that he was already happy here regardless of her presence or not.

Closing her eyes, Sara took a deep breath before turning away from the scene, her heart screaming for her to stay, but she kept walking, unwilling to put herself through this mental torture again.

She kept her head down as she walked, fighting the tears as they threatened to fall for the hundredth time since she first arrived here. He’d moved on without her, made a life for himself. She was a piece of his past that maybe he needed to finally let go to be perfectly happy. He had friends, lots of them, something she had lacked for a very long time. Maybe he didn’t need her.

In her haste to get away she bumped head first into someone coming the other way “ Oh god sorry,” she gasped, stepping backwards to see who she’d collided with. Another sad gasp followed the first, as she looked right up into the eyes of Nick Stokes.

“ You ok?” he asked, eyeing her cautiously.

“ I’m fine,” she told him, backing away slowly “ sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“ Hey aren’t you gonna wait for Grissom?” he asked, his arm gesturing towards the way she’d came from.

“ No, he’s busy,” she kept her voice low so he wouldn’t hear the shaking “ I, um, I have to pack.” She turned away from him again, before stopping to face him. Out of all the people here, he had been the only one to talk to her without her feeling like she was an outsider “ I’m really sorry about your friend, I wish I could have helped him, but I couldn’t lie about his gambling.”

“ Hey,” he called out to her as she turned to walk away, his voice stopping her in her tracks. She watched him as he tried to think of something to say, so she gave him the easy option “ Thanks for giving me a chance, you’re the only one who did.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned away again and headed out towards her car.

Back at the morgue, Grissom waited outside the door for Catherine to emerge. He knew she needed the support of a friend right now and that she blamed herself for Holly’s death.

Looking down at his watch, he caught a breath in his throat when he realized how long he’d been standing there. He’d left Sara abruptly, leaving her in the lobby and he’d already been a long time. Pulling out his phone he began to punch in her number when the door opened again as Catherine stepped out, offering him a small smile “I got it.”

“ Great, get it back to the lab I’m going back to Sara, I left her in the lobby.”

“ You know you were right about her,” she smiled again “ she’s ok.”

“ I told you she was,” he grinned, “ now all you have to do is let her know that.”

“ I will, I’m sorry I was so hostile I guess I didn’t want to share you. You’ve been my friend for a long time, I guess I thought she would change our friendship.” She looked down at her hands before finding him again with her eyes “ she loves you, you know?”

“ Cath..” he started, his voice a warning.

“ Hey I’m your friend remember. Don’t you think I want you to be happy?” Sighing again she tried a different approach          “ Look I’m not the only one to notice that you’ve been happy since she got here.”

“ Well….I”

“ Look, whatever feelings I may have had for you a long time ago aren’t the same anymore, seeing you with Sara made me realize that.”

He was about to answer when Nick came around the corner “ Hey Griss, I just bumped into your friend and she seemed really weird.”

“ What?” he asked worriedly, starting to walk towards the lobby “ weird how?”

“ I don’t know, she just seemed a little edgy, sorta upset, said I was the only one who gave her a chance,” he started to walk beside Grissom, following his steps “ she isn’t here anymore, she said something about going to pack.”

“ What?” Grissom stopped dead, turning to Nick sharply “ What did she say exactly? Nicky I need to know.”

“ Ok,” he nodded, gulping at the intenseness of Grissom’s stare “ She, um, she said she wished she could have helped Warrick and when I asked her if she was waiting for you she said you were busy.”

“ Oh god Gil,” Catherine gasped, “ she thinks you and me…”

“ No,” he groaned, quickening his pace towards the door “ I know Sara, she knows we’re not like that. No there’s something else.”

“ Well go and find her,” Catherine told him “ I’ll head back to the lab with Nick.”

Grissom was already walking away from them as she spoke, his heart screaming at him for being such an insensitive ass. Pulling out his cell phone again, he punched in her number as he climbed into his car. Her phone rang and rang with no one picking it up at the other end “ Come on Sara,” he groaned into the phone “ come on.” Eventually he gave up on the phone and tossed it over onto the passenger seat before driving off towards Sara’s hotel, hoping that he could convince her to stay and that she would forgive him.

 Back at the hotel, Sara came down into the foyer to check out. Her heart ached with sadness at another loss in her life. Grissom was the one man she knew she would love forever, even if she ever did meet someone else one day, he would always hold her heart.

The hotel receptionist offered her a smile as she gave her the bill “ I hope you enjoyed your stay Miss Sidle.”

“ Yes, thank you,” Sara said through a false smile as she took back her credit card and turned towards the doors leading to the car park. She had just steped out towards her car when a car screeched to a halt just behind hers in the car park making her jump back fearing she was going to be one of the subjects for Grissom’s morgue. She opened her mouth to scream an obscenity when the driver got out and began striding over towards her.

“ Griss?” she managed to say before he mashed his mouth to hers, kissing her so hard her knees almost buckled beneath her. The bag dropped from her hand, discarded in an undignified heap as she found her arms rising, letting her hands tangle themselves into his hair. She pulled him to her with such a force that she could feel his heart thudding into her chest alongside her own. He was intoxicating, lulling her into a passion that she had only moments ago submitted to defeat.

Slowly, their lips parted, still a breath apart “ I’m sorry,” he murmured, as he pressed tiny kisses onto her lips.

“ No Griss,” she whispered, summoning up all of her willpower to pull away from him “ you don’t need me here.”

“ Sara,” he gasped, reaching for her again, but she resisted him briefly, needing to make things clear.

“ No Griss, I need to say this ok?” she told him sadly, holding onto his hand “ I’ve watched you today, I mean really watched you, and I can see how much you and your team respect each other. I watched you and Catherine together and it made me see things differently.”

“ Sara…”

“ No,” she told him, tears gathering in her eyes “ please let me say this.” She gazed into his deep blue depths, losing herself into his soul knowing that she had no hope in releasing him from hers “ I thought that I could fit in here, make my home and my life here, but I can’t live with the knowledge that I’m in Catherine’s way. You have a bond with her that some people can never find in their lives, I don’t want to come in between you only for you to resent me for it later.” Taking a deep breath, she let the tears fall from her eyes as she spoke again, knowing that her heart was breaking “ I love you Griss, enough to know that I have to back away.”

Grissom felt his heart shake at her words. She loved him? Stepping forward, he grabbed her hands, tugging her towards him slowly “ I don’t feel anything but friendship for Catherine,” he told her “ she doesn’t have feelings for me, she told me as much today and I really want you to stay, I need you to stay.”

“ But?”

“ No Sara,” he told her “ you had your say, now I have mine. I love you so much; I’m not going to let you go just because I have been an insensitive imbecile and made you think that I didn’t want you here. God Sara,” he groaned again as he pulled her into his arms, ramming her against his body in a desperate need to make her stay.

“ If I stay” she whispered against his ear “ I won’t be able to let you go.”

His answer was to pull her tighter, crushing her to him in a vice like grip “ That’s ok,” he whispered again, as he leaned back to see her face, his lips mere inches from hers “ I won’t ever let you go.”

Sara’s eyes filled with tears again as he spoke, drawing her to him once more as their lips melted together sealing unspoken promises of the future in their kiss. She knew she couldn’t leave him again. And as their kiss deepened, all rational thoughts scattered into the far corners of her mind as Sara Sidle, formerly of San Francisco, found her way home to a place where her heart would always belong. Here with Gil Grissom……