Title: Las Vegas, NV: Population 481,364
Author: IrishDachsie

Pairing: Grissom/Sara

Rating: varies…PG – NC17
A/N: Again…I own nothing, I am not being compensated in any way, blah blah blah. Is 481,364 really the population of Las Vegas? It was…I’m sure it’s higher now though.

Grissom stood in front of the glass wall and stared at the bullet fragment lodged in the second layer. His eyes roamed to the cracks radiating from the fragment. His shaking hand carefully touched the inside of the wall as his mind replayed the events of the previous half-hour.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Grissom, take a look at this…"

Leaning over the brunette, he tried to focus his attention on the slide under the microscope’s lens instead of the beautiful scent of her hair. His fingers adjusted the focus on the lens and he stared at the specimen for a moment before pulling back and offering her a bright smile.

"Nice work, Sara…very nice…"

Sara blushed as she looked into his twinkling blue eyes. "We need to find Brass, get a warrant…"

Grissom nodded in agreement and unclipped his phone from his belt. He watched Sara sort the items of evidence that they had placed on the table as he listened to the phone ring through to Brass.

A quick movement in the hall caught his attention. He dropped his phone to the floor as his eyes widened in fear. He stared at the man on the other side of the glass wall, his mind quickly attempting to process the situation.

At the sound of the phone hitting the cold tile of the floor, Sara turned to Grissom, her smile fading quickly as her eyes followed his gaze.

She took a step towards Grissom, stopping only when he held his hand up in a silent request for her to halt her motion. Her eyes shifted between the wall and Grissom.

"Grissom…"

"Sara, just stay where you are…" His eyes never left the man standing there stiffly with a 9mm pistol in his hand, the barrel pointed directly at Grissom’s chest.

The man narrowed his eyes and glanced at Sara. A wicked grin played at his lips as he blew her a kiss and then refocused his attention on the man in his sights.

Sara glanced at the clock on the opposite wall. 4:22 am. The halls were quiet. Even if there had been other people in this section of the building with them, she wasn’t sure she would’ve heard them over the painful thudding in her chest.

The man’s grin broadened as he squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. Sara broke into a sprint in front of Grissom just as the man squeezed the trigger.

The gunman was busy staring at the bullet lodged in the glass as Grissom raced to the door, pinning himself between the exit and Sara. He uttered a groan as Sara slammed into him, knocking the breath from his lungs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jim Brass handed the clerk a five dollar bill just as his phone began to ring. He pulled it from his inside jacket pocket and shook his head as he read the display – ‘Gil Grissom’. He pocketed his change and picked up his cup of coffee as he answered the phone.

"And what can I do for you at this ungodly hour?" He stopped his forward movement. "Grissom?"

He strained his ears as he heard voices in the background.

"Grissom…"

"Sara, just stay where you are…"

He dropped his coffee as he heard something that sounded much like a struggle, quickly followed by a gunshot, a loud banging noise, and then a deep groan.

"Oh, shit!" Brass broke into a run, grabbing the CB radio as he clambered into his vehicle. He held the electronic device and pressed the button on the side. "This is Captain James Brass reporting a possible 422…shots fired at what I presume to be the CSI building. 444 immediately!"

A brief burst of static cut through the speaker. "Officers Lentin and Fee, Captain. We’re right outside the lab…"

"Get in there now and check it out…I’ll be there in two minutes!"

"10-4, sir…"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Eight-year veteran officer Jason Lentin and his partner, Shannon Fee, had just exited the CSI building after dropping off some paperwork for Warrick Brown, who was still out in the field with Catherine Willows and Nick Stokes.

As they slid into the cruiser, Shannon turned his wrist and checked the time. "4:23, Jay…what do you feel like for lunch?"

Jason glanced out the windshield and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "Well, we could…"

His suggestion ended abruptly as the Homicide Detective’s voice broke over the radio.

"…shots fired at what I presume to be the CSI building. 444 immediately!"

Lentin and Fee exchanged a quick glance as Lentin reached for the radio. After informing the Captain of their present location and their intentions of going back inside the building, Lentin turned to Fee and smiled.

"Lunch will have to wait, buddy."

Shannon nodded and opened the car door.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hearing Grissom’s deep groan, Sara pulled back and stared at him in concern. Her eyes fell to his chest. She scanned his black shirt, quickly becoming frustrated with the fact that she couldn’t tell if he had been hit or not. Without thinking, she reached her hands out and placed them on his chest.

"Griss…were you…did it…" Her hands began roaming across his shirt, searching for any evidence of injury.

Grissom placed his hands over her fingers to still their movement. "Sara…I’m okay…"

"Are you sure? You weren’t…"

Grissom shook his head as he tried to refill his lungs with air. "No…glass is…bulletproof…"

Sara stared at him in disbelief for a moment before her blush began to creep across her skin. "Oh…yeah. I…uh…guess I…"

Her thought remained unfinished as something slamming against the glass wall frightened her and she involuntarily pressed her body against his chest. They both turned towards the wall to see two officers holding the gunman against the glass.

A sudden bang on the door behind them startled him and he stifled the low scream that had built in his throat.

"Gil! Are you alright?"

He silently willed his pulse to slow as he took a deep breath. "Yes…"

There was another push on the door. "Is the door locked?"

Sara gently tugged his hand to pull him from in front of the door. He winced as he took a step forward, his hand automatically moving to the small of his back.

Reaching for the doorknob, Sara looked at the pain etched on his face. "Hey…are you okay?"

"Doorknob…I ran into the doorknob…"

She nodded and yanked the door, grunting an obscenity as it failed to open. "Brass?"

"Sara? Are you…"

"I’m fine, but I think I managed to jam the door when I ran into Grissom."

"What?"

She shook her head in frustration. "Just push while I pull, okay?"

"Okay…count of three?"

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three…"

Sara pulled as hard as she could, falling backwards against Grissom as the door swung open and Brass tumbled inside. Quickly losing his balance, Grissom landed on the hard tile floor. He opened his eyes to find that Sara had apparently fallen as well, her left leg between his legs, her upper body thrown across his torso.

He touched her shoulder gently as he whispered her name. Brass pushed himself off of the floor and stumbled over the few feet of space between himself and the two investigators to offer what aid he could.

Grissom’s heart began to race as Sara didn’t respond to his touch or voice. He tried once more, this time his voice a bit louder. His racing heart turned to full-blown panic as Sara didn’t move at all. It was then that he felt something warm trickle down the inside of his right arm. He instinctively looked up, seeing only the metal evidence table slightly to his left.

Brass leaned over them as Grissom continued to build the scene in his head. He reached out to touch Sara, stopping suddenly and pulling back his hand as Grissom’s gruff voice screamed at him.

"Don’t touch her!"

"Gil…I…"

"Paramedics, NOW! She’s bleeding. I…I think she may have…hit her head on the table."

Brass pulled out his phone. "Are you hurt, Gil?"

"Just get help, Jim. She’s…bleeding…"

Brass swallowed as he recognized the depth of emotion in Grissom’s voice as that of a man in love. He took a couple of steps back to allow them some sort of privacy as he heard Grissom begin whispering softly to the unconscious brunette.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Sara…come on. Wake up for me…please." His left hand slowly caressed her lower back. "Brass has help on the way…but, it would really be nice if you…if you would open those eyes and…yell at me…or something…"

He grimaced in pain as he took a deep breath, the burning sensation in his back worsening as he tried to shift his body underneath her. The stings he felt in his back radiated into his heart as he thought about the unconscious woman lying across his body. He briefly thought it was odd that he would feel physical pain out of fear for her. He choked back a soft sob, replacing it with the light anger that often presented itself with fear.

"Dammit Sara…wake up. We just lived through an attempted shooting…I refuse to let a fucking door take you from me…" A tear trickled from his right eye and slid into his hair behind his ear. He closed his eyes and tilted his head towards her, continuing his soft whispers urging her to open her eyes.

His hand instinctively tightened on her back as he felt her body shift. He quickly opened his eyes, startled to find the green eyes of a young man standing above him.

"Mr. Grissom, I need to take her…"

"Who the hell are you?"

The man offered him a gentle smile. "Jake Hawke, EMT. I need to get her on a stretcher so we can check out her injuries."

Jake and his partner eased Sara’s limp body from Grissom’s as soon as he processed Jake’s words and loosened his grip on her. Jake frowned as he saw the pain on Grissom’s face as he tried to move.

"Mr. Grissom, don’t move. Stay there…we’re going to send someone over to check you out, okay?"

Grissom shook his head and began to push himself up. "I’m fine…" He bit his lower lip as he inhaled deeply.

Brass rushed over, crouching down beside of his friend and placing his hand on his shoulder. "Gil…"

"I just jammed the doorknob into my back when…" His voice trailed off as he glanced up at the stretcher holding Sara captive as the two men inspected the gash on her head right above her hairline. His eyes fell to his right arm, where a smear of blood could be seen on his flesh right below the sleeve. He turned his eyes back to the paramedics. "Is she alright?"

Brass helped him stand, but took hold of his arm as Grissom took a step towards Sara. "Gil…let them…work."

He motioned for another paramedic to come over and explained to the young woman that Grissom had possibly injured his back during the incident. The woman gently lifted Grissom’s shirt and examined the swollen area.

"It looks to be a deep bruise. But, with the location of the swelling, I’d suggest we get a few x-rays just to make sure that a vertebra hasn’t been injured…"

Grissom pulled away from her and walked to the wall as Jake and his partner wheeled Sara down the hall. "I’m fine…"

He raised his shaking hand and gently touched the inside of the wall where the bullet was lodged. He glanced at the clock on the opposite wall. 4:53 am.

Without a single word, he turned and walked out the broken door and followed Sara’s gurney down the hall and into the elevator.

As the doors closed, he reached out towards her. His trembling fingers gently touched her still hand. Jake looked at him and softly spoke his name.

"Mr. Grissom…"

His eyes didn’t move from their focus on her warm hand. "I’ll be going with her…"

"Mr. Grissom…" Jake’s voice had softened as he watched the older man.

Grissom shook his head ever so slightly. "I’ll be going with her…"

Jake gave him an understanding nod and felt a tug in his heart. "Of course, Mr. Grissom…"

"Just Grissom…"

"Excuse me, sir?"

"No ‘mister’…just…Grissom…"

"Okay, Grissom…"

The doors slid open and Grissom followed them to the waiting ambulance. Climbing inside behind them, Grissom glanced at the police cruiser parked in front of the building. He narrowed his eyes at the man in the backseat and silently mouthed one word to him.

Why?

The man responded with the same wicked grin before the line of vision was cut off by the closing of the ambulance door.

Taking a deep breath, he returned his attention to the brunette lying on the stretcher next to his knee. He was startled to see her dark eyes staring at him, but quickly offered her a smile.

"Hey…" He took her hand in his and leaned forward as she spoke.

"Head…hurts…"

He nodded as his smile waned. "You hit it on the evidence table…"

"Figures…" She closed her eyes briefly, then re-opened them. "Griss?"

"Yes, Sara?"

"Why are…you here? You…hurt?"

He shook his head and tightened his fingers around her hand. "No…just wanted to come with you…"

"Oh…why?"

"What?"

"Why? You didn’t…go with Greg…after the explosion…"

"I’m not in love with Greg."

The words came out quickly, before his brain was able to stop them. He silently cursed himself as he glanced around quickly. He leaned back slightly, hoping that his voice had been low enough that it hadn’t been heard.

The ambulance came to a stop outside of the hospital emergency entrance. Grissom once again followed Sara and the paramedics through the doors. Her soft voice brought him to her side and he took hold of her hand.

"Griss?"

"Yes?"

"Wait for me? Shouldn’t be…too long…just a few stitches, I think…"

"Of course. I’ll be right here…"

"Interesting, you know? And…nice to know…"

His brow furrowed. "What is?"

"Nice to know…that you’re not in love with Greg…"

He blushed heavily as she smiled at him. Her hand was pulled from his as the nurse began to wheel her down the corridor. He sat down on a padded chair and began his wait.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He looked up from the floor as he saw two pairs of shoes stop in front of him. He gave the blonde a weak smile as she knelt down.

"You okay?"

His eyes shifted to the tile beside of her right knee. "You know, there are 224 gray specks in each of these tiles. You’d think they’d have some dissimilar properties, but they’re all uniform…"

Brass sat down in the chair beside of him and smiled at Catherine. "And how many of these tiles have you examined?"

Grissom shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Seven…and a half…"

Catherine’s lip turned upwards a bit. "A half?"

He nodded before he leaned back and rested his head on the back of the chair. "Your knee is in the tile I was counting…"

Catherine gave a brief chuckle and moved to the chair on Grissom’s right. She glanced down at his arm and touched it gently. "Gil…"

"It’s Sara’s…" His eyes remained closed, his muscles twitched in his arm in a silent plea for Catherine to remove her hand. She reluctantly complied.

"How is she?"

Grissom opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "Eighteen stitches…minor concussion. They want to keep her here today. She’s fighting the doctors, last I heard…"

"Why are you here?"

He turned his head and glared at Catherine. "What?"

She shook her head gently. "No, I meant…why are you sitting here and not in there with her?"

He turned his eyes back to the ceiling. "Oh…I’m waiting…"

Catherine gave Brass a questioning glance. He simply shrugged his shoulders as a reply. Catherine sighed lightly. "Waiting on what?"

"X-rays…I have to wait here for my x-rays before I can go to her…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, once again surprised at himself for his choice of words.

"X-rays? Are you…"

He sat back up, ignoring the ache in his back. "No, I’m not hurt…I’m fine. They’re just taking their own damn time and it’s frustrating the hell out of me!"

She cringed at his outburst and looked behind Grissom to Brass who was wearing a thin smile on his face. Grissom stood and paced slowly in front of them.

As he turned and began to start his fifth lap, the ER doctor walked through the door. "Mr. Grissom, I just read your x-rays…"

"And considering that you’re not ushering me to a chair to keep from walking, I’m assuming that it’s just bruised and nothing is fractured. And if that is the case, I would appreciate you taking me to see Sara Sidle."

The young doctor smiled contritely. "You’re correct, and you seem to be in the same frame of mind as Miss Sidle…"

Grissom had lost what little patience he had and narrowed his eyes at the doctor. "Dr. Kitts, I suggest…"

Catherine stood and grabbed Grissom’s arm, abruptly ending Grissom’s tirade before it began. "Doctor…Kitts, is it? Could we please just see Sara now? His nerves are a bit frayed from the entire incident, and…"

She stopped talking as Kitts shook his head. "No…I’m sorry, but the only person Miss Sidle has requested to see is Mr. Grissom. The two of you can wait here if you’d like…"

Grissom was already halfway to the door before the doctor had finished his explanation. Dr. Kitts caught up to him quickly and led him through the corridors to Sara’s room.

Grissom couldn’t help but smile as he heard her angry voice.

"Just get Grissom in here. I’m going home. I’m fine…"

The nurse tried to interject, prompting Sara to raise her voice again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure in the doorway. She turned her head as fast as the pain would allow.

"And if YOU think I’m…" Her voice and expression softened immediately as she recognized the figure. "Grissom…"

"Thank God…" The nurse sighed heavily and walked to the door. She paused long enough to whisper a short request to Grissom as she moved past him. "Please try to talk her into staying for one day…"

Grissom nodded and quickly made his way to the side of her bed. Pulling a chair to the bedside, he sat down slowly and tried to mask the pain he felt as the pressure tightened around the lumbar.

Her eyes softened in concern as she watched him. "I’m sorry, Grissom…"

He tilted his head as he leaned forward slightly, relishing in the release of pressure that small movement created. "For what? None of this was your fault…"

"You’re hurt…that’s my fault…"

In a desperate attempt to change the focus of the conversation, he offered her a smile. "So, I hear you’re creating quite a ruckus in here…"

"No, I’m just ready to go home…"

"You have a concussion…and stitches…"

"Slight concussion…and I’ve had stitches before…"

"Sara…"

"Don’t ‘Sara’ me…"

"It’s just one day…"

"Grissom, don’t patronize me…"

"Look, I know that you don’t really care for hospitals…"

"It boils down to a headache. That’s what I have…a headache. And I can take care of a headache in my own home, in my own pajamas, in my own bed. I don’t need these nurses poking and prodding at me all day."

Grissom sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle.

"Nice change of subject, by the way…" She smiled sweetly at him.

He chuckled lightly. "Apparently not…or you wouldn’t have noticed."

"Who was he, Grissom?"

"Just some guy who was pissed that we put his cousin away for life, apparently…"

"Who?"

"It wasn’t you, Sara. It was me he was after…"

"Who is his cousin?"

Grissom took a deep breath, knowing she wouldn’t let it go and hoping that she wouldn’t make the connection right now. "Chloe Samms…"

"Chloe Samms?"

Grissom nodded slowly. "He figures that she was treated unfairly and deserves another trial due to conflict of interest or something. Brass said the guy, Mitchell Owens, wasn’t making much sense. But it all comes down to the fact that his cousin killed three people, went to jail, and he’s not happy about it."

He watched her closely as he spoke and felt his heart thud sadly as he saw her body stiffen slightly as she turned her eyes from him.

"Chloe Samms…from…Lady Heather’s…"

"Sara…"

"Is she the one I’m thinking of?"

"Yes, but…"

"How big is Las Vegas, Grissom?"

He looked at her, clearly puzzled. "What?"

"Population-wise…how big is Vegas?"

His brow furrowed as he tilted his head. "481,364…give or take a few, I suppose…why?"

She closed her eyes against the sharp pain in her head and inhaled deeply. "That many people in this town…and it feels like Heather is at every corner…"

"Sara, it’s not like that. Do we really have to have this conversation again?"

He quit speaking as she held her hand up. "I’m tired, Grissom. Very tired. Maybe I should…stay here today and rest. I’m…tired…"

He stared at her, silently begging her to look at him. She wouldn’t. In a whispered voice, she heard a simple statement.

"I’ll stay here with you."

Ignoring the pain, she shook her head. "No…you don’t need to. It’ll be boring anyway. I’m just going to let them medicate me as much as they will and spend the day sleeping…"

"I want to stay…"

She finally turned to look at him. "There’s something I learned a while back, Grissom. Would you like to hear it?"

He swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat and nodded silently. Offering him a sad smile, she touched the back of his hand lightly with her fingers.

"We don’t always get what we want…"

His eyes immediately dropped to her retreating fingers. He sat motionless for what seemed in his mind to be hours, but in actuality was little more than a few seconds. He nodded, not really understanding, and pulled his hand from the mattress. He stood and limped slowly to the door.

He paused briefly in the doorway, tempted to turn back around, ignore her request, and re-claim his chair. Feeling a tear trickle down his cheek, he decided that wouldn’t be the best move and exited the room.

She watched his hesitation and, for a brief moment, considered asking him to stay. As she watched him slowly limp out of the room, she said nothing as the tear fell from the corner of her eye.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brass and Catherine looked up as Grissom stopped at the nurses’ station. He took the pen from the nurse’s hand and quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper as he spoke to her. Handing the nurse the scrap of paper and the pen, he nodded his thanks and began making his way towards his two friends waiting on him.

Taking in Grissom’s uncharacteristic appearance, Catherine stood and walked towards him with Brass following closely. Grissom stopped and leaned against the wall. Catherine placed her hand on his shoulder, and was quite surprised to see the remnants of tears in his eyes as he looked at her.

"How is she?"

Smiling weakly, he took a deep breath. "Fine. Minor concussion. She’ll be spending the day here."

He turned his eyes towards Brass. "Think you could give me a ride home?"

"Sure…uh…I’ll just go get the car. Catherine…"

Catherine nodded quickly. "I’ll walk him down…"

As soon as Brass had rounded the corner, Grissom and Catherine began the journey down the hall. They walked in silence until Catherine could stand it no longer.

"Griss, what happened?"

"Guy tried to shoot me…"

She took hold of his arm to steady him as he wobbled slightly. "No…I know what happened at the lab. What happened in there? With Sara?"

He glanced out the window as they passed it. "I don’t think that’s any of your concern, Catherine."

"You’re not staying here with her today?"

"No, I’m going home. That’s why I asked Brass for a ride."

"Grissom…"

He stopped walking and stared at her, his eyes darkening to a slate gray. "Look, she wants to be left alone. I want to be left alone. Can you please do that? Just…leave us alone…please…."

She inhaled deeply and returned his stare. He swallowed nervously and hung his head. "I’m sorry, Catherine. It’s just been a very…trying…day and I just need some rest…"

"Uh-huh…okay…"

He sighed heavily. "I don’t want to talk about it right now. I…I’m going to pick her up later. I gave the nurse my number. She…Sara…doesn’t know, okay? And I’d prefer it to stay that way if you don’t mind…"

"Gil…"

"Even if you DO mind, I want it to stay that way…"

"Okay, I won’t say a word. Um…do you want to talk? I could come over after I get Lindsey off to school…"

He shook his head and smiled lightly. "No…no, thanks. I just have some things to think through and…I honestly don’t want to discuss it."

She looked through the sliding doors they were getting ready to walk through and saw Brass sitting in the pick-up zone. "Okay…if you need me…"

"I’ll call."

They walked through the doors and made their way to the black Tahoe. After Grissom had climbed in and buckled his seatbelt, he turned back to Catherine.

"Let her rest, Catherine. No questions, no meddling…nothing…nothing today."

"I promise, Gil…"

"I mean it, Catherine." His voice lowered to a whisper and his eyes drifted back up to search for her window. "This is…important…"

"I got it. Nothing. Go home, rest, and I’ll call you later."

Without waiting for a reply, she shut the passenger door and walked into the sunshine as she made her way to her car.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grissom motioned towards his front door as he looked at Brass. "Want to come in for a drink or two?"

Brass killed the engine and nodded, offering him a friendly smile. "Yeah…I think we both need it…"

Grissom led the way up the sidewalk, carrying the small bag from the pharmacy containing the two bottles of pills prescribed by Dr. Kitts. He unlocked the door and pushed it open for Jim as he checked the mailbox mounted by the entrance.

He walked in, flipping through the small stack of mail, to find Brass standing in front of his entertainment center looking at the few photographs he had framed and displayed on the shelf. He deposited the mail on his desk and dropped the pharmacy bag on the coffee table.

He limped to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a nicely-aged bottle of scotch and two small tumblers. As he poured the amber liquid into the two glasses, he looked towards Brass. His heart jumped slightly as he realized which photograph he was studying.

Steadying himself, he picked up the drinks and walked across the room, handing one to Jim.

"Thanks…" His eyes never left the picture. "When was this taken?"

Grissom swallowed down a fair amount of the alcohol and sighed. "A long time ago…"

"Figured that much…" He turned his head towards Grissom and chuckled at the expression on his face. "Your hair is darker there…and she is…well, she’s quite obviously a bit younger…"

"Seminar at Harvard. It’s where we met…"

"You seem quite…happy…"

"Yeah…" His voice had a sad tone to it, causing Jim to look at him.

Grissom turned and walked to the couch. As he sat down on the soft leather, he grabbed the bag and shook the two bottles out.

"Really shouldn’t take those with alcohol…"

Grissom rolled his eyes as he read the labels and placed the bottles on the end table. "I know that, Dr. Brass…"

Jim laughed lightly and plopped onto the chair. "So…you and Sara…"

"Are friends." He quickly interrupted.

"Even then?" He smiled mischievously as he motioned towards the picture.

Grissom took another swig from his drink and stared at a glass display case full of colorful butterflies hanging on the wall. "Better then…"

Brass’ eyebrows raised in curiosity as Grissom walked back to the liquor cabinet and refilled his drink. He came back to the couch carrying his glass and the bottle. He placed the bottle on the table in front of him and sat back.

"How much better?"

Grissom’s eyes narrowed. "What exactly did Mitchell Owens say to you?"

"I’ve told you what he said…you weren’t listening?"

Grissom finished off his second drink and placed his empty glass on the table before settling back into the soft confines of the couch. He shrugged his shoulders and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.

Brass swallowed the remainder of the alcohol in his tumbler and smiled weakly. Figuring this was as good a time as any other, he cleared his throat. "Gil…I know you’re not…keen…on sharing emotions, but…"

Grissom stood suddenly, startling the detective. "Don’t want to talk about it…" It came out as a soft mutter, no louder than a whisper under his breath.

He walked to the display of butterflies and absently straightened it. "He could’ve killed me…"

Realizing that Grissom was more or less speaking to himself in an attempt to rationalize the incident, Brass remained silent. He turned his head towards the investigator as he poured a second drink for himself.

"This has nothing to do with Heather…or my so-called involvement with her. This is about a deranged woman convincing her cousin that I was wrong. And…he could’ve killed me…or Sara…"

His finger lightly traced the outline of a butterfly as he softly whispered her name again. Brass squinted his eyes as he watched the scene unfolding in front of him.

Grissom stared at the yellow and green insect for a few seconds longer. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes. "She gave this one to me, you know…Sara did. For Christmas, three years ago. She said…it reminded her of me."

He slowly pointed towards the light blue wings of the butterfly positioned beside of it. "I bought this one three months later at an Entomological conference…because…it reminded me of her…"

Brass leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other, trying to figure out if Grissom knew he was speaking aloud. He didn’t have to wonder long as Grissom turned to face him.

"I think that she thinks that I…"

"Slept with Lady Heather?"

Grissom merely nodded sadly, forcing a smile to Brass’ face. "So do a lot of people…"

They stared at one another in silence for a few moments until Grissom moved back to the couch, sucking in his breath sharply as he sat down. "You know, Gil…what you do in your private life is your own business."

"She’s right…" Grissom chuckled nervously at Brass’ look of pure confusion. "She’s at every corner…"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sara stared at the clock, willing the hands to move faster. She sighed as her conversation with Grissom seemed to be on an endless loop in her mind.

Personally, she didn’t think that there had been a relationship of any sorts between the two. She never had. More importantly, she believed him when he had told her that nothing had happened.

She believed him. And yet, she had hurt him. The fact of the matter was, it was in the past…where it needed to stay. But, she couldn’t shake the thought of Heather’s presence in Grissom’s life.

Realizing her earlier mistake, she reached out a trembling hand and pushed the red ‘call’ button.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grissom stared at the phone for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to let the machine answer it. Brass leaned forward slightly, attracting Grissom’s attention.

"You gonna get that?"

"I suppose…" He stood up stiffly and grabbed the receiver. "Hello?"

"What did the father tomato say to the baby tomato?"

Grissom chuckled, remembering her badly botched joke from years before. "Ketchup…"

He smiled as he heard her gentle laughter. "How are you?"

"Sore…tired." She took a deep breath. "But I want to go home…I can’t rest here…"

His cell phone suddenly rang. Grabbing it and tossing it to Jim, he nodded a silent request for him to answer it and walked into the kitchen.

"What have the doctors said?"

"That I’m one of the worst patients they’ve ever had…and they’ll pay $5,000 to the first person who shows up to take me home…"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah…I, uh…called you first…"

"What kind of medication do they have you on?"

He was pleasantly surprised when she laughed at his very Grissomish joke. "Enough to make me realize some things. We, uh…we need to talk…"

His smile faded. "Okay…"

"In five minutes, I’m calling Greg…you have a headstart. How bad do you want $5,000?"

"Not interested in the money…"

"Oh…"

He frowned as he sensed her smile darkening. "Five minutes’ headstart…against Greg…concerning you…"

"Yeah…"

"Be there in four and a half…"

He heard her laugh as he hung up the phone. He made his way to the living room as quickly as he could and grabbed his keys and phone from the table.

"Gil, that was Nurse Giffen on the phone earlier…" Brass stared at the door as it closed behind a bustling Grissom.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He walked into her room to find her sitting up with the phone in her hand and her eyes staring out the window.

"Not calling Greg, are you?"

The corners of her mouth tugged upwards at the sound of his voice. Her head slowly turned towards him. "You lost…he’s not home. Out on a date, I guess. You look like shit…"

He chuckled as he returned to the chair he had occupied earlier that morning. "Rough day…and I think that means I win, not lose…"

She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Depends on how you look at it…from your perspective, I mean…"

"I thought I made my…perspective…clear…"

"You tend to think you make a lot of things clear…"

He sighed, fearing their conversation was making a wrong turn. "Sara…"

"You know that I believe you, right? I always have…"

His eyes widened in surprise. "Then, why…"

He stopped as she shook her head gently. "I’m tired of hearing her name, or employees’, or clients’…connected to you. That’s all…"

"Understandable…considering the association…and…rumors…"

"Rumors mean nothing to me, you know that, Griss. It’s just that this city is so damn big and it seems like…I don’t know…gravitation, maybe…"

"Gravitation?" He tilted his head questioningly and leaned forward, taking her hand in his.

"As in…things concerning her…gravitate towards you…for some reason…"

She looked down at their linked fingers as he squeezed her hand gently. "Sara, there’s only one person that has the power of gravitational pull where I’m concerned."

She turned her eyes towards his and smiled. "Can you please just take me home?"

He nodded slowly. "Only if you’re sure…and the doctor says it’s okay…"

A friendly voice drifted into the room from the doorway. "I think she’ll be okay to go home. Provided she take it easy for a few days…plenty of rest, and no work for at least three days."

Sara narrowed her eyes at the doctor and released Grissom’s hand as she turned towards the door. "Three days?"

"Sara…"

The doctor smiled at Grissom’s tone. "Three days. No less than three days off work. You have a concussion, Miss Sidle…"

"Slight concussion…I’m fine. I just have a headache…"

The young doctor handed a slip of paper to Grissom. "And, these pills will help with the headache…but, you’re not leaving here unless you agree to take off three days from work."

"But…" Sara began to protest. She was quickly interrupted by Grissom.

"Three days off work, duly noted." He turned to the frustrated brunette and smiled. "You can come back to work on Friday night. Not before."

"Grissom!"

"Doctor’s orders, Sara…"

The doctor chuckled silently at the interaction between the two. He leaned against the wall and glanced down at the clipboard in his hand. "One more thing, Miss Sidle…"

Sara glared at him. "Just one?"

"I’d really prefer for you not to be alone for the remainder of the day…"

Grissom looked up and smiled. "Not a problem, doctor."

"You’ll be staying with her?" As Grissom nodded, the doctor continued. "Okay, if there is any change in her condition…worsening headache, increased double vision, fainting spells…I want you to bring her back here immediately."

Grissom placed his hand on Sara’s arm as she started to lean down to pick her bag up from the floor. Bending down slowly to retrieve it for her, he acknowledged the doctor’s request. "Trust me…I will."

The young man smiled and walked over to stand in front of Sara. "I just need you to sign your discharge papers, and then I’ll send a nurse in with a wheelchair to take you out front…"

She quickly scribbled her name where he pointed and lifted her eyes to his. "I…do not need a wheelchair."

Grissom shook his head in frustration. "Hospital policy, Sara. I promise I’ll let you walk into the house, okay?"

She made a noise that could easily be described as a low growl and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine…just get me out of here, please…"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He pulled into his parking spot and climbed out of the vehicle. She couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face as she watched him through the windshield as he walked in front of the Tahoe to get to her door. He returned her smile with one of his own as he pulled the door open for her to get out.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You…" She shrugged her shoulders and took his hand as he offered to help her out.

He placed his arm around her waist to steady her as she walked up the few steps to his front door. Sliding the key into the lock, he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head…being extremely careful not to hit the fresh stitches curving along her hairline.

Pushing the door open, he assisted her inside and dropped the keys on the table. Casting a quick glance towards the couch, she turned to look at him.

"Have company today?"

"Huh?" His puzzlement quickly cleared as he looked at the coffee table. "Oh…Brass drove me home from the hospital earlier. We had a couple of drinks…"

"Did you have a nice talk?"

He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. "Probably confusing for him…"

"Talking to yourself out loud again?" She offered him a bright smile.

They shared a laugh as he led her down the hall to the bedroom. She sank onto the bed as he opened the middle drawer of the dresser and pulled out her favorite light blue pajamas.

After he had carefully helped her change her clothes, he leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her lips. "Get some rest, I’m going to make a few phone calls and I need to email a couple of people…"

"You coming to bed soon?" Her question was muffled as she tried to stifle her yawn.

His fingers glided lightly down her jawline. "Soon…I promise…"

She nodded as her eyes closed. He watched her as she finally succumbed to sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He walked into the living room and stared at the bottle of scotch still sitting on the coffee table. Inhaling deeply, he poured himself another drink and put the bottle away in the liquor cabinet before taking Brass’ tumbler into the kitchen.

Ignoring the persistent pain in his back, he sat down on the couch with his drink in his hand and picked up the remote for the stereo. He hit ‘play’ and smiled as he took a sip and closed his eyes.

Just a few minutes of relaxation with a smooth drink and soft music and then I’ll go to bed…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He awoke to the sensation of warm hands on his bare back. He slowly opened his eyes to see the back of the leather couch. Slightly confused, he began to raise his head, stopping when he heard a soft voice next to his ear.

"Just relax…"

He shifted his body slightly and let out a small groan as he felt the pressure on his lower back.

"You must’ve been tired…"

"Huh?"

He heard a gentle chuckle and felt her hands rub small circles around the swollen area. "Well, I slept for eight hours…and I’ve been here for about an hour and a half…"

"You’ve been rubbing my back for an hour and a half?" He closed his eyes tightly and winced as her fingers attempted to work out the swelling.

"No…I’ve been watching you sleep. You pretty much started waking up when I ran my hand over your back…"

"Why?"

She laughed lightly. "Why did I start rubbing your back? Because, it’s sore…swollen…and I thought it’d make you feel better…"

"Mm…it does…but, that’s not what I meant. Why were you watching me sleep? Why didn’t you just wake me up?"

"Do you know how rarely I get the opportunity to just…watch you sleep? Besides…you needed your rest. It was a horrible day…and you were exhausted."

She felt his back stiffen as she worked her fingers lower under the waistband of the jeans he had fallen asleep wearing. "Hey…are you okay?"

"Hurts…"

"The x-rays were clear?"

"Mm…I think so. Didn’t really hear the results. But, then again…I didn’t really give the brilliant doctor the chance to go over them with me…"

Her hands stilled on his back. "What?"

"I…didn’t care what they said. I just…wanted to go to you. I had to make sure you were alright."

He felt her warm breath between his shoulder blades, then the softness of her lips on his skin. He sighed lightly as he felt that familiar tingle in his abdomen.

"Sara…I’m not sure I can…"

Her lips moved to his ear, pecking his earlobe lightly as she smiled. "I’m not trying to seduce you…"

She heard a small moan escape his lips. "You…know what that…does to me…"

"Maybe a hot shower would be better to loosen up your back…"

"What time is it?" He sighed as her hands left his body.

She glanced at the clock and squinted her eyes to help her focus. "9:30…"

"And Catherine hasn’t called?"

She ruffled his hair as she stood up beside of the couch. "You want her to?"

He slid his hands under his chest and placed his palms against the leather. "Not especially…"

He carefully pushed himself up and looked at the brunette for the first time since waking up. "My God…"

She rushed to his side, her eyes full of concern. "What’s wrong? Do you need to go back to…"

He interrupted her with a soft smile and a twinkle in his eye. "You’re beautiful…"

His smile widened as she blushed heavily. Her fingers moved to the swollen flesh held closed with sutures. "Oh yeah, I’m sure…I look like Frankenstein’s Monster…"

He laughed and shook his head as he stood in front of her. "Well…no, not really…he was more…green…than you are."

She playfully slapped his shoulder as he leaned in for a kiss. As he pulled back, his eyes caught hers and held them captive. "Be my Frankenstein…"

She brushed her fingers through his hair and grinned. "Alice Cooper?"

"I do listen to the classics, you know…"

A loud burst of laughter erupted in the room, shared by the two investigators. The shrill ring of the telephone brought another round of chuckles as Sara glanced at the caller ID box and choked out one word. "Catherine…"

He held a finger to his lips as he picked up the phone, trying to cough out the last laugh. He cleared his throat quickly and diverted his eyes from Sara.

"Hello?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Just woke up not that long ago…my back is sore, but I’m okay…"

"Have you talked to Sara since you picked her up?"

"Catherine…"

"Hey, I just wanted to know if she’s okay…"

He took a deep breath and rolled his eyes, much to Sara’s amusement. "The last I heard, she’s fine."

"She didn’t answer her phone earlier…"

Without missing a beat, he smiled to himself. "I told her to unplug it so that she could rest. She’ll be off work for three days as well."

"Oh…well, if you talk to her before I do tell her that I’m glad she’s okay…"

"Yeah…I will."

"I didn’t mean to disturb you on your night off. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay."

"I’m fine. Really. I’ll see you in a couple of days…"

"The offer still stands. If you need anything…you know, talking or just…anything…"

"I’m fine, Catherine. Thank you. Goodnight…"

"Uh…goodnight…"

He hung up the phone and glanced into the glistening brown eyes staring at him. "What are you laughing at?"

She wiped the moisture from her eyes and finally let out the laughter she had been stifling. "You had to hang up on her, didn’t you?"

He nodded and placed the phone on the charger. "Pretty much…"

He turned to look at her as she grabbed his arm to steady herself as she wobbled suddenly. "Hey…"

"I’m okay…just got dizzy for a minute. I’m okay…"

He wrapped one arm around her waist and placed his other hand on her arm as he led her to the couch. "Stay here."

She watched him turn and quickly walk into the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

He came back into the living room holding a bottle of water in one hand and half of a pill in the palm of the other. "Take this…doctor’s orders…"

"Dr. Bellow’s? As if I’ll listen to him…it’ll just knock me out…"

He smiled and pushed the pill into her hand. "No…Dr. Grissom’s. And you will listen to me…it’s Meclizine…"

"Why do you have Meclizine?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "It helped with the dizziness I was experiencing before surgery…"

"Uh-huh. Okay, number one…you’re not a medical doctor. Number two, haven’t you ever heard of not taking another person’s prescribed medicine? And…number three…Meclizine causes drowsiness…"

He rolled his eyes and held the bottle of water in front of her. "Number one, you’re right. I’m not a medical doctor…but, I do know about dizziness and what will help. Number two, yes I have…however, it’s what the doctor would prescribe you for dizziness anyway…only he would’ve given you a higher dose. Number three, it’s half of a pill…it’s not going to knock you out. It might not even completely free you of the dizziness…but it will take the edge off." He offered her a bright smile and a wink. "So…for Dr. Grissom, the Entomologist…will you please take it?"

She smirked at him as she opened the water and popped the pill into her mouth. After she swallowed a mouthful of water behind it, she motioned towards the two prescription bottles resting on the table beside of her.

"Have you taken your pills this evening?"

He responded with a low growl and snatched the bottles up, quickly popping the lids off. He shook out the prescribed amount and smiled. "Can I have a drink of your water?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She walked into the bedroom and smiled as he slept. Again. The pain medication that he had been prescribed was pushing him into unconsciousness. She shook her head lightly. He had been right, the Meclizine had rid her of the dizziness, but she was wide awake.

Sliding out of her sweatpants, she climbed into the bed with him and picked her book up from the nightstand. She read the first few pages and then glanced over at the man sleeping beside of her as he shifted in the bed.

The sheet had slipped down to his waist, exposing his torso to her. He rolled onto his side, his back to her. Her eyes fell to the darkening bruise covering a good portion of his lower back.

She sighed lightly and closed the book, placing it back on the nightstand. Her fingers gingerly touched the dark purple skin before they slid up his back to his shoulders. The muscles in his back twitched, bringing a smile to her face.

She moved her hand over his side, resting it on his abdomen as she placed a gentle kiss on his shoulder. He mumbled something incoherent and moved closer to her. As he moved, her hand brushed across the front of his boxers. She sucked in her breath as she felt his nocturnal erection tenting the soft material.

With little hesitation, she edged her fingers under the waistband and slipped her fingers around the thickened shaft. She smiled as he groaned lightly in his sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The events of the previous day were replaying in his mind…this time with a dream-like twist to it.

The gunman was still there. He was still pointing the 9mm at his chest. He still pulled the trigger. But, this time…Mitchell Owens ran. And so did Sara. Into Grissom’s arms.

She knew the glass was bulletproof. She knew that Grissom hadn’t been shot or hurt in anyway. She ran into his arms and covered his mouth with hers. They sank to the floor…a soft mattress suddenly appearing from nowhere. He opened his eyes as he rolled her onto her back. Glancing around, he realized that they weren’t in the lab. He smiled as he looked at the nightstand and saw the picture of the two of them reflecting what little light there was in the room.

Her room.

He groaned lightly as she touched him.

Wait…

He began to surface from the dream quickly. He argued with his still slightly drugged mind.

That touch wasn’t a dream…

Go back to sleep, Gil.

He groaned again, this time louder as he felt her soft fingers encircle him.

I am awake…this is real…let me open my eyes…

You need your rest. Let the meds do their job…

I need her…let me go…

His eyes opened as he felt her tongue glide across the skin between his shoulders. "Sara…"

She smiled against his skin and tightened her grip on his erection. "You awake?"

"Mm…"

"Do you want me to stop?"

He swallowed quickly and tried to roll onto his back. "I…no…"

She gave him the room he needed to change his position, but didn’t release his hardened flesh from her grasp. She stared into his darkened eyes and smiled. "I’m sorry…I just…I couldn’t help myself…"

He returned her smile as his fingers played at the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing. "Nice way…to wake up…"

His eyes slowly closed as her hand resumed its task. He moaned as he felt her thumb rub across the head quickly before her palm slid back down the length.

His fingers hooked in the sides of her silk underwear and pulled them down her thighs in an agonizingly slow manner. She shifted her body, allowing him to remove the article of clothing as her hand released his shaft and moved to his scrotum.

He touched her gently, his hand cupping her soft mound as she carefully squeezed the flesh in her hand. He stared into her eyes as his finger stroked her moist lips.

She broke the mutual gaze as she leaned forward, tickling his neck with the tip of her tongue. She lazily licked her way to his ear, whispering in a deep voice. "I want you, Grissom…"

He turned his head and captured her mouth with his. He pulled her tongue into his mouth, sucking on the lithe muscle as he slid his finger into her slowly.

She broke the kiss and leaned back slightly. His breath was ragged as he looked into her lust-glazed eyes. He licked his lips before his husky voice was heard. "Come here…"

Her hand moved up to his chest as she straddled his thighs. He bit his lip and shook his head. "Higher…"

She inhaled sharply as she moved up his body a bit, her knees on either side of his hips. She could feel the underside of his erection pushing against her clitoris. She rotated her hips gently, stopping when his hands held her still.

"Higher…"

He groaned as she moved again, over his abdomen…leaving a warm trail of bodily fluids in her wake. "Come here, Sara…please…"

She smiled down at him as her hands gripped the top of the headboard and she pulled herself up his body, moaning softly at the contact between his skin and her aching center.

He inhaled her scent deeply as she moved into the position he had silently begged her for. Her fingers tightened on the wrought-iron headboard as his tongue slid between her lips.

His hands slowly moved over her hips and pulled her down to him. He smiled to himself, hearing her low moan as his tongue pushed into her depths. His fingers caressed her skin lovingly as he pulled out, only to thrust the rough muscle back in immediately. He repeated this motion a few times, his taste buds relishing the slightly tangy flavor of her juices.

His fingers tightened on her waist as she began a gentle rotation with her hips. He groaned as she crushed her center against his mouth. One of her hands left the headboard and her fingers tangled in the soft curls adorning his head. The vibration of his groan reverberated through her body, causing an immediate flood into his mouth.

Her fingers tightened in his hair as his tongue continued to dart into her throughout her orgasm. She whimpered loudly as his hands suddenly lifted her from his drenched face. She felt her body being guided down his torso and released the headboard from what grasp she had maintained.

With her legs quivering lightly on either side of his hips, she leaned down and plunged her tongue into his mouth. The taste of herself on his tongue had always excited her immensely…this time was no different.

Reaching between their bodies, her fingers grasped his erection and began to stroke him slowly. His hand covered her breast, allowing her nipple to slide between his index and middle fingers. His digits squeezed the hardened nub as she applied more pressure at the head of his cock, eliciting a mutual moan.

Pulling her tongue from his mouth, she pushed herself up with her left hand and smiled down at him. She released his erection and placed both hands on his chest as she seductively licked her lips.

"I want you…"

His glazed blue eyes stared at her as she rubbed her warm fluids over his hardened flesh. He inhaled sharply as she lifted her hips slightly and slid her right hand between them to guide his throbbing cock into her.

Her eyes closed as she slid down his length, gasping lightly as he entered her fully. He held her hips tightly, controlling her pace effectively. When he had been convinced that she wouldn’t increase her speed if he let go of her, his hands slid from her hips to rest on the mattress. He slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position and raised his hand to push her hair back behind her ear.

His left arm circled her waist and pulled her body to his. He groaned as her hard nipples pressed into his chest. Tilting his head, he found the soft skin on her neck. His tongue teased the slightly salty flesh before his teeth nipped gently.

He felt her inner walls tighten slightly around him. He grinned against her skin as he carefully rolled her onto her back. He felt a brief twinge in his lower back as she slid her legs around his waist.

"Grissom…"

He buried his head in the crook of her neck, sucking forcefully on her flesh as he quickened his thrusts. At the sound of his name, he smiled and lifted his head to look into her eyes.

"Oh God…Griss…so…mm…so…close…"

His tongue flicked against her lips, pulling back as she opened her mouth wider to attempt to capture it. "Come…for me…"

As if on command, her fluids rushed forth, smothering the hot piece of flesh pounding against her g-spot. He groaned loudly, his own orgasm quickly approaching. Her fingers dug into his shoulder blades, her legs tightened around his waist. His back arched, a loud crack echoing in the room as his semen flooded her walls.

Even through their passion-drenched moans, the unusual sound was heard clearly. Their motions stopped as they stared at one another. With their eyes gradually clearing, their breathing ragged, he uttered one soft syllable.

"Ow…"

"Grissom…" Her legs slid from his waist, her hands gliding lower over the twitching muscles in his back.

"Sara…please…don’t move…okay? Not…right now…"

"Oh God…your back…" She reached her left hand towards the nightstand.

"What…are you doing?"

"Calling…"

He interrupted her quickly. "Calling who? Sara…we’re not exactly…in the position to be seen…together…"

"Your back…"

He stretched his back experimentally. "Is loosening up…"

Another crack was heard, this one not as loud. She stared at him in confusion as he groaned lightly in pleasure.

She shuddered lightly as he moved to her side and tenderly kissed her lips. "Griss, are you okay?"

He chuckled lightly and kissed her again. "More than…"

Her confusion deepened and her brow furrowed. "That sounded horrible…"

"Mm…didn’t feel too good at first either. But…I think it’s what I needed…it feels…good…right now…"

He chuckled again as her eyes narrowed and stared at him in disbelief. "Seriously, Sara…"

She rolled onto her side and snuggled against his chest. "I’m sorry…I just didn’t think…"

His fingers danced across her back as he wrapped his arms around her. "I didn’t either…but, it seems that you’re better for my back than the hot shower I took before I came to bed…"

They shared a laugh as their bodies slowly returned to normal.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grabbing the remote, he paused the movie and stared at his cell phone, which had decided to start screaming for his attention. Sara laughed lightly as she handed it to him.

"You knew it wouldn’t stay quiet for long…"

He sighed heavily as he glanced at the caller ID before answering it. "Grissom."

Brass’ voice held a tinge of amusement. "Interrupt anything?"

"No…just relaxing with…a movie. Did you need something?"

Brass chuckled into the phone. "Yeah, actually I do."

Grissom moved his arm from around Sara as he leaned forward slightly. "Are you going to tell me…or…make me guess?"

"I need Sara…"

"What?"

Brass held back his laughter at the tone in Grissom’s voice. "I need to get her statement on what happened last night…"

"Why didn’t you call her cell?"

"I did…it rang through to her voicemail. Left her a message, but I need to talk to her…"

He absently grabbed Sara’s phone and bit his lip as he saw that the battery level was on zero. He showed it to her and motioned towards his charger sitting on the desk across the room.

"And…why are you calling me?"

"Grissom…" Brass gave him an exasperated sigh. "Is she there?"

"What?"

"I’m a detective, not stupid. Is she there?"

Grissom said nothing, but handed his phone to Sara. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she relaxed as he offered her a shy smile and whispered softly. "I…think he knows…"

She gave him a brief nod and took the phone from his hand. "Sidle…"

"So formal…how are you feeling?"

She smiled and sat down beside of Grissom. "Better…what did you need? Apparently, the battery on my phone died…sorry about that."

Brass chuckled. "Well, I need to get a statement from you about last night’s events…"

"Oh…yeah, okay. I…uh…I can come by in a couple of hours or so…"

"That’s fine, Sara. I’m getting ready to head out to a crime scene with Warrick…I should be back by then."

"Okay…"

"So, go finish your movie and I’ll see you in a couple of hours. And…Catherine has been asking questions…you might want to give her a call before she decides to show up on Grissom’s doorstep giving him the third degree about your whereabouts…"

Sara shook her head lightly and laughed. "Will do…thanks, Brass…"

"You’re welcome…"

She pressed the ‘end’ button and handed the phone back to Grissom with a smile. "Yeah…he knows…"

Grissom’s face reddened slightly. "What did he say?"

"Just that he needs me to come in to give a statement…and…I need to give Catherine a call before she shows up here hounding you…"

He nodded his head slowly. "Okay…um…he is right. You should call her."

"I’m getting ready to…" She stood up and walked to the desk, picking up her phone which was still attached to the charger.

"Can I come with you?" His eyes had focused on the frozen frame on the television screen.

"If you want…and…if you don’t think it’ll raise too many questions…"

He shifted his eyes towards her and offered her a smile. "Not worried about questions anymore…"

She was still grinning when Catherine answered the phone. "Hi, Cath…"

"Hey! I was getting ready to send a search party out for you…"

Sara laughed lightly. "Just resting…had the phones unplugged…and the battery on the cell died…"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Oh yeah…I’m okay. Slight headache, Frankensteinish looking…but, using the few days off to my advantage and catching up on some movies I had meant to see…"

"Good! We were all worried…"

Sara bit her lip to keep from laughing as she chose her next words carefully. "Even…uh…even Grissom?"

Grissom’s mouth dropped open as he stared at her.

Catherine sighed at the hesitation in Sara’s question. "Yeah…I think he was. I mean…he seemed to be really upset at the hospital."

"Are you going by to see him later?"

Grissom grabbed a magazine from the coffee table and threw it at her. Sara successfully hid her laughter.

"I…don’t know. Probably not. He said he’d call if he wanted to talk. You know Grissom…he keeps everything in. One of these days, he’s just going to erupt…"

Sara’s body shook as she refused to let the laughter out. "Well…maybe that’s what he needs….eruption…"

"Yeah…maybe. Hey, I have to pick up some test results from Greg…thanks for letting me know you’re okay…"

"Okay…tell Greg I said ‘Hi’ and I’ll be back in a few days…"

"Sure thing…"

Sara’s laughter finally escaped as she disconnected the line from her end and placed the phone on the desk.

Grissom still stared at her, open-mouthed and eyes wide. "What the hell was that?"

She made her way across the room and sank down beside of him. "Just wanted to make sure we wouldn’t be interrupted by her…"

"Sara…"

She grabbed the remote from his hand and pressed ‘play’. "She thinks that one of these days you’re just going to erupt because you keep everything in…"

He allowed a chuckle to slip from his mouth as she snuggled up against him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Few people took notice of the two investigators as they walked through the corridors. Grissom held the door to Brass’ office open for her as she walked through. Brass looked up at the two and smiled.

"Sara, Gil…nice to see you…"

Grissom looked down into dark brown eyes as he felt her gentle touch on his chest. "Why don’t you go grab a cup of coffee…this won’t take long…"

He stared at her for a moment before he spoke. "Are you sure? I don’t mind staying…"

"It’s okay…just going over what I saw…which is pretty much what you saw…I’ll be there in a minute…"

He nodded and turned, leaving the room without a further word.

She watched him round the corner before she turned back to Brass and sat down in front of his desk. "Where do you want to start?"

His eyes wandered to the glass window of his office before meeting her eyes again. "Is he okay?"

"Oh…yeah…he’s fine. I just don’t see the point of making him go through it once more than needed…"

He nodded and offered her a smile. "No limp…his back some better?"

She blushed lightly and cleared her throat. "Griss and I were in the evidence room…"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grissom leaned against the wall and watched the men as they positioned the new glass pane in place. He stood straight as Catherine approached him quickly.

"Hey…what are you doing here?"

He shrugged his shoulders and glanced over her head as the workers came close to dropping the large pane. "Sara had to give a statement."

Catherine stared at her supervisor. "You brought her?"

He nodded and returned her stare. "She has a head injury. She doesn’t need to be driving for a few days."

Catherine tilted her head slightly. "Huh…okay…" She watched him as he stretched and stifled a yawn. "How’s your back?"

"Fine. How’s yours?" He moved past her and began the journey back to Brass’ office. She quickly caught up to him.

"I’m not the one who jammed a doorknob into my back…mine’s fine. I was just concerned about you…"

"Oh…it’s much better now. The doctor gave me some pain medication and muscle relaxers…I’ll be good as new in a couple of days…"

"A couple of days? You’re not coming back until Friday?"

He stopped walking and looked at her. "Is that a problem?"

"Well, no…it’s just that Sara…"

"Good. Sara will be back on Friday as well. I’m sure that the three of you can handle things. I would come back tonight…but…doctor’s orders…"

"Yeah…" She stared at Grissom as he resumed walking, rounding the corner towards Brass’ office. A brief smile appeared on her lips before Greg’s voice appeared behind her announcing his latest success of breaking a case.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He pushed open the glass door leading to the outside world, allowing his hand to glide across her lower back as she slipped outside. He followed her out in a silence that spoke volumes. He smiled at her as he bumped her shoulder with his upper arm.

"So, how did it go?"

She grinned as she looked into his eyes. "Fine, just a simple statement as to what happened…"

He kicked stray gravel as they walked across the parking lot towards his Tahoe. "Did he say anything about Owens?"

She stopped walking and glanced at the sky before looking at him. "Yes…that he’s Chloe’s cousin…that he’s angry for her incarceration…that he’ll be tried for attempted murder, and he should be easily convicted on that charge…and that this had nothing to do with a certain dominatrix…"

"Good…I mean, that his conviction should be easy…"

She looked back up at the sky, this time pointing a bright star to their right. "You see that?"

He followed the direction she pointed in and smiled. "Of course I do…it’s yours…"

"Ours…" She corrected him quickly and began walking towards the Tahoe again.

He unlocked the door as they approached it and inhaled deeply as she turned to look at him. "That star tells me something each time I look at it."

He cocked his head in a silent question as he opened the vehicle’s door for her. She smiled at him as she slid into the seat.

"As long as that star is there…the other 481,362 people in Las Vegas…just aren’t that important in my personal life…"

He returned her smile and leaned forward, stopping as she placed her hand on his chest gently. "Let’s go home…"

He nodded in agreement and backed up. Pushing the door closed, he quickly made his way around the front of the Tahoe. He looked up into the sky, his smile widening as he silently thanked whatever supreme being existed for the happiness that he had finally allowed into his life.

~ End

Return to Index