Crime Of Passion

[Mia-Sara]

I'm annoyed that I have to do this but seeing as Talk CSI is locking all RPs, I'm going to have to cop out 25 pages worth of effort that me and Saranna have put into this RP.

Anyway, these are the stats:

# It's GSR
# The Mayor of Nevada's teen daughter Cassie goes missing and the prime suspect, Jason Lansbury, is a man who is wanted in New York for kidnap and murder. Jason briefly dated Cassie and when she broke up with him his final words were "this isn't over". Pretty solid reason for him being the prime suspect.
# Mac, Danny & Lindsay head over to Las Vegas and are met by Nick, Grissom and Sara. Warrick and Catherine are off on another case and whoever plays them can fill in that blank as it goes along.
# Danny is instantly attracted to Sara and she seems quite taken with him too.
# Grissom doesn't like it. So what happens if Danny asks Sara to dinner? And if he does and she accepts, what will Grissom do?
# As an extra, one of the CSIs is maybe hurt during the case, just to add a little bit of our old friend shama If this happens, I was thinking it could maybe be Sara hurt and then we get the reactions from Danny and Grissom and how they interact.

It kinda got off-the-point of the case, and it's an angsty GSR/M&M's/SMACked/Yo!Bling RP now.

Xx Mia-Sara xX

[Mia-Sara]

Sara folded her arms as she waited with Nick and Grissom at the terminal gates for arrivals.
"This is a big case isn't it? Must be if they've called the guys from New York in."
She was pretty much talking to herself because nobody answered her.
When the three CSIs from the other side of the country walked through the doors, she instantly knew it was who they were waiting for and took in each of them: an older, serious guy who struck her as being the boss; a confident, good-looking guy with glasses and a small scowl on his face, and a girl who looked pretty young and a little intimidated by the hustling and bustling around her.

[Mia-Sara]

Danny was looking around the airport, tired from the early morning flight. He was definately not happy about getting little sleep and being cooped up in a plane with a crying baby for several hours.
Why'd we have to come here anyways? What the hell could possibly happen in the *desert*?
He thought gloomily.

[Mia-Sara]

Sara extended a hand to Danny as he reached her and smiled.
"I'm Sara Sidle. Welcome to Vegas."
She said as she shook his hand.
Oh how original.
She chastised herself. He was definitely something - very attractive, with the whole tough-New-Yorker thing going on.

[Mia-Sara]

Danny gently shook hands with Sara, smiling a moment later.
"Danny Messer,"[/b]
He replied. Danny took a look at the three standing around Sara, shifting his backpack on his back a bit.
Well, maybe this won't be so bad...
Danny then thought.

[Mia-Sara]

"Let's head off then."
Sara said, looking at Danny although it was aimed at everyone and she walked with him slightly ahead of the others, not noticing the looks they were getting from both Grissom and Lindsay.
"You lived in New York all your life?"
She asked, to make conversation.

-----------------------------------------

Grissom scowled. One thing he hated about Vegas was the damn traffic. Outside however, he looked as cool and calm as ever, rarely did his annoyance show its self on the surface. Walking into the busy terminal he spotted who he was looking for instantly, he always did. He could sense were she was without even looking. Striding over confidently he stood next to the group.
"Firstly, let me apologise for being late but I see you were in the more than capable hands of Ms Sidle here"
He smiled at her before continuing to the group.
"Secondly, thank you for all rushing down here so quick and at such late notice. Your experience with our suspect will benefit us greatly"
He smiled again, this time to the group. He always conducted himself well infront of groups but saying that he was also a person who liked to be alone, or with that one special someone who he'd let infiltrate his independent existance.

Grissom noticed Sara was chatting quite happily to one of Macs CSI when he arrived and automatically found himself stepping away from her. Why did he always react like this?

-----------------------------------------

Lindsey was the next one off the plane. She was a little pissed that Danny hadn't waited for her, but she had made it out in time to meet the crew.
"Lindsey Monroe, nice to meet you."
She said as she shook both Grissom and Sara's hands.
"We have nothing better to do, so it's not like it's a big problem, right Danny?"
She said with a bit of a giggle. Her smile faded when she saw how lovestruck Danny was. She had been after him all this time, and then this girl gets one look and he's head over heels for her? So not fair. Maybe she could chase after this Grissom fellow to make him jealous.

----------------------------------------

Sara didn't even take her eyes off Danny for more then a couple seconds whilst Lindsay introduced herself. She shook the girl's hand and smiled politely before turning immediately back to Danny. She hadn't even really noticed that Grissom had distanced himself from her somewhat, like she normally would. She was too caught up in the fact that this new guy, who was obviously intelligent and hot as well as confident, was showing interest in her...maybe he was just being friendly?
"Sara Sidle."
She told Lindsay, remebering to introduce herself. She silently chastised herself for acting like a love-struck teeanger.
"You're in love with Grissom! Yeah, but as ever, Grissom's pushing me away! And anyways, flirting like this probably doesn't mean anything to Danny - he's a hot guy, he probably gets it all the time, same as Nick does. I mean, I flirt with Nick and it doesn't mean we're gonna elope!"
Her inner voice was engaged in a fierce battle but she managed to keep that at the back of her mind.
Glancing over at Grissom, she was a little disoriented when she saw him look right back at her, locking her eyes on his. And he didn't look all that happy...

-----------------------------------------

Nick showed up very late, he looked around he knew they where going to be very mad at him. He walked up to Sara
"I'm so sorry I'm late"
He looked at the new comers and smiled at them.
Grissom looked away from Sara quickly and frowned a little.
"Seems to be getting a habit Nick."
He scoweled, knowing he was wrong for taking it out on Nick especially since he was late himself but he couldn't help it.
"And seeing as we've wasted enough time here, we should get back to the lab. Sara, will you drive our guests back to the lab?"
He asked, immediately regretting his question the second it left his lips. Sara...in a car...with this new guy...without him there to keep an eye on things? Good thinking there!
Well at least the other two were there,
He reasoned with himself.

------------------------------------------

"Um yeah sure. But I only got enough room for two passengers besides me with all my kit in the back."
She explained. Shecould tell something was up with Grissom. He wouldn't usually have been that bad tempered with Nick. poor Nicky, he looked a little embarassed. Turning to look at Danny she smiled warmly.
"Danny, Lindsay? Wanna ride with me?"
She asked, mainly looking at Danny. She wondered if Grissom could tell that they'd hit it off straight away. If he had, why would he put the two in a car together when he made a point of "no inter-office relationships"? Shaking that thought off, she concentrated back on what was going on around her.
They'd come in three cars so Grissom could take Mac, and Cath, Warrick and Nick could ride in Nick's Denali. Sara wondered if she could pass Lindsay off to Grissom but then mentally smacked herself for thinking such a thing. She didn't want to be acting like she was in high school, but she did want to chat to Danny one his own and not whilst his co-worker was hovering about giving her evils.

Mac was right behind them as they got off the plane. He already realized how much he missed Stella, even if they weren't any kind of romantic pairing at the moment. The desert landscape reminded him a bit of Beirut and his military stint as he glanced around.

He followed the other two over to the LV CSIs and introduced himself.
"Detective Taylor, nice to meet you"
he said.
"You can just call me Mac."

Grissom nodded and shook his hand, turning and indicating to the doors.
"Mac looks like you're with me. CSI Monroe and..."
He waved his hand a little.
"...you sir, are with Sara"
He said turning quickly and striding away. CSI Messer, of course he knew the guy's name, didn't mean he had to be friendly. Without looking back he walked away from the group, enjoying the few seconds of being alone to process what had happened.

Sara kept her eyes on Grissom's back, burning an intense gaze into him as he walked away. That was harsh. She knew Grissom had good knowledge of what Danny's name was, but he was acting like a kid throwing his toys out of the pram and she didn't much appreciate it. It made her embarassed that he so obviously didn't like Danny right off. Usually, she would have smiled at the thought that he was getting jealous, but because she really liked the guy Grissom was jealous of, it just made it awkward.
"I'll drive us back."
She said to Danny as she led the way to her car. They waited for Lindsay at the car and Sara leaned against it, looking at Danny as she shielded the sun from her eyes.
"Looks like we may be working together quite a bit, with this case being such a boom and all."
She smiled, a little bit of shyness in it.

Grissom filled mac in on the more minor details of the case as they drove to the lab. Business as usual, he thought to himself. If his mind was on his work then it wouldn't be on...other things, it's how he'd always coped. Slowing down as he pulled into the lab parking lot, he shut off the engine. Walking over to Nick, he avoided his gaze.
"You can make it up Nick and give our friend here a tour of the lab. I'll be in my office if I'm needed. I've got some paperwork to sort out before we can get into this case"
He mumbeled before striding away to his office.

Sara pulled up outside the lab and climbed out of the car. After Danny and Lindsay got out she locked it up and led the way inside, side by side with Danny as Lindsay trailed slightly behind.
"I'll give you a guided tour if you like."
She offered sweetly with a smile as she glanced at him.

Danny and Sara were the only ones not present in Grissom's office. She'd just finished showing him around, with some light flirting as they'd walked.
"Now this - this is the best room in the whole lab."
She grinned as she pushed the door open, smiling and gesturing like a game-show host.
"The trustee breakroom."
She laughed and leaned closer to Danny.
"Complete with coffee machine and...Greg's secret coffee stash."
She joked in a conspiritive whisper before moving away from him again, flicking on the coffee machine and following Danny to the sofa where she sat down next to him.
"I heard you're a bit of a workaholic Ms. Sidle."
Sara grinned at his comment and folded her arms.
"Oh yeah? So, you've heard about me then?"
She challenged, a slight seductive tone to her voice. She couldn't repress a laugh when she saw Danny's expression. It reminded her somewhat of a cross between a deer in headlights and a child caugh with his hand in the cookie jar.
"So what else have you "heard" about me then Mr. Messer?"
She smirked and Danny got an adorably mischevious grin on his face.
Sara was completely oblivious to everything but Danny at that moment, and if a bomb had dropped right behind them she probably wouldn't have noticed.

Grissom got fidegety with so many people around. Noticing Sara wasn't there either also gave him an uneasy feeling. Pulling himself out of his chair me mumbeled an apology and left. Striding over to the break room and almost dropped the file he was holding to the floor. Sara practically draping herself over the new guy. Scowling he threw the case file down onto the table infront of them.
"You get a break from gazing into each others eyes, it won't hurt to go over the case"
He spat, turning and walking quickly back out of the break room.

Sara sat staring after Grissom, stunned at the outburst. If that wasn't jealousy, she didn't know what was. Swallowing the lump in her throat she turned back to Danny and gave him an apologetic smile.
"He's just really worked up over this case...he's not usually like this. I-I'll go talk to him."
She quickly got to her feet and hurried off after Grissom.

Catching up with him she grabbed his arm, glaring at him as he turned to face her.
"What the hell was that about Grissom?!"
She asked angrily, furious at him taking his jealousy out on Danny, who had no idea what had prexisted between Sara and Grissom before he turned up.
"You had no right to speak to him like that, he's done nothing to you."
She added, scowling at him, her lips set in a firm line.

"He's distracting one of my team from an important case. The lab didn't ship him all the way down from New York for him to drool over a member of my staff"
Grissom said calmly, his icy exterior as present as ever. He shuffeled nervously on his feet, the only outer sign of his inner torment.

"So you're jealous of him basically."
Sara replied, a cool tone as icy as his facade.
"Grow up Grissom. Y'know, I really don't understand you sometimes. I try to show you that I...h-have feelings for you and you just push me away, making me think I'm being stupid and that I should move on, 'cause any time I get close you back off! Then, as soon as some other guy starts paying me attention, which actually makes me feel good about myself, you suddenly get all possesive. This isn't about the case Gil, I'm not stupid and you know as well as I do that this is just your way of...forget it."
She sighed and turned away from him, desperate for him to just see the torment she herself was going through when it came to her feelings for him.

Grissom was fuming. She had no right to speak to him like that, he was still her supervisor after all. "Nick, make up for this mornings behaviour, you're taking the lead on this case. Now it's high profile, you know that already, so don't mess it up. Case files in the breakroom. I'm off this case. If you need me, I'll be at home"
At home? Was he kidding? He had never walked out on a case like this let alone walked out completely. Turning on his heel he stormed out and to his car.

Lindsay eventually got lost around the lab. She wandered aroung, checking out what they had to offer. It was a lot diffrent from what she had seen back in NY. She finally caught up with Grissom, Nick and Sara, right after Grissom had made his comment about going home. She raised her eyebrows a bit and then looked to Danny. She immidiatly rolled her eyes at him. He was drooling over the Sidle chick. She sighed and went next to Mac. She kept a cold icy stare at Danny. She knew that Sara meant to harm, but she had no idea what she was doing to her. It killed her inside.

Danny was a little taken off guard by Grissom's outburst. He'd taken the Las Vegas supervisor to be a calm person. Danny soon had somewhat of an idea of what was going on, having seen the unmisakable jealous/pissed look on Grissom's face. Only a moment later, he'd seen Lindsay look at him as if he'd been shouting "Hail Hitler".
"I've only been here an hour an' I've already screwed myself into the ground,"
Danny muttered before standing and walking out to see Mac and Lindsay.

Lindsay caught Danny looking at her. She quickly turned away, hiding a hurt face. She then swallowed hard and turned her head back, only to look at the floor. She couldn't look at him. The fact that he had an intrest in another girl absolutely killed her spirit. Lindsay was portrayed as a strong kick ass woman, but he made her that scared little girl that she hated. He brought out the little love sick puppy in her. She crossed her arms and looked at the floor. For anyone looking closely, they could tell that she was hurt, but she was sure Danny wouldn't really care.

Danny frowned a bit, noticing the change in Lindsay's personality going from usually cheerful to avoiding and dampened.
"Ah.. 'Scuse us Mac, I need to steal her for a moment,"
Danny said before gently grabbing Lindsay's arm and pulling her along with him. Once they were out of earshot, he looked to Lindsay.
"Montana, what's up?"
Lindsay sighed and looked away from him. She couldn't look him in the eye.
"Nothing Messer, just feeling a little....homesick."
Nice excuse you liar...
Lindsay thought.

"Noy buyin' it,"
Danny stated, raising a eyebrow a bit.
"We were pefectly fine untill we got to Vegas, and you started glarin' at me when I started to talk to Sara. Th' hell's the matter?"

Lindsay finally looked up at him.
"You want to know what the problem is Messer? It's right in front of your God damn face. Standing here, right in front of you, and before you know it, it might take a nasty turn if you're not careful."
She told him as she turned to the window and looked out the the unfermiliar streets of Las Vegas. A tear forming in her eye, dripping down her cheek.

Danny's posture visibly straightened when she snapped at him. He followed her with his eyes but took several seconds to actually begin to move to her.
"As bad as this may sound, you're putting yourself off as if you're the problem.." Danny said slowly.
"I'm a little oblivious as to what you're pissed off about, Lindsay, but whatever I did.. I'm sorry."

Lindsey snapped her head to Danny, causing her tear to fly off her cheek, but many others made sure to take it's place.
"Maybe I am the problem."
She said as she wiped her tears away.
"Maybe it's just me."
She said as she looked back down at the floor.
"You can't help who you fall in love with."
She whispered to herself as she repeated what her mother used to always say to her.

Danny tilted his head to the side, finding his heart starting to ache with seeing the tears on her cheeks. He stepped closer to her and reached out to rub her back softly.
"I.. I didn't intend to hurt you,"
Danny explained, having heard her last comment but not saying anything about it yet.

[Mia-Sara]

Grissom sighed as he opened his front door and threw down his keys. Walking into the seating area, he flicked on some music and walked to the kitchen. He took out his migraine medication and looked at it for a few seconds before swallowing to pills with a glass of water. How did he get himself into this mess? He thought to himself as he set the glass of water down onto the table and lay down on the sofa, closing his eyes.

------------------------------------

Sara was more then stunned. Grissom had never walked out on a case before, especially not a case as high profile as this! So that meant that this was all really affecting him. Taking off at a quick pace down the hallway, she shut the door of the locker room behind her. Dropping down onto the bench she sighed heavily and held her head in er hands. This really was more then she could cope with right now. She really liked Danny, they'd hit it off right away, but there were two other people on the team that were obviously dead against the idea of them being friends, or even chatting when they weren't under watchful supervision. Sara Sidle was confused. All of Grissom's reactions to her coming onto him had made her think she didn't stand a chance. She could count on one hand the times he had responded in a way that made her think otherwise. So she really didn't know where she stood with him right now. He was very plainly jealous of Danny...but what was he jealous for?
Pulling out her cell phone she punched in Grissom's number and when he picked up on the fifth ring she took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn't hang up on her.
"Grissom, we need to talk. Please don't hang up on me. I'm sorry for talking to you like I did before...that was wrong of me and I was being insubordinate," [/i]"But I meant every word"[/i], "I just want to know where I stand with you. Because when I start being friendly with Danny you get really pissed about it, but on any given day you push me away and act like I don't exist...please, just tell me what's going on."
She spoke calmly and managed to hold back some of the things she wanted to yell at him. She knew if she raised her voice that pretty soon after there would be nobody on the other end to hear, and she'd have gotten nowhere.

------------------------------------

Grisssom sat up and leant his back hard against the sofa. His head told him to hang up and get out with his heart seemed to be winning, telling him not to let go. His head wasn't going to let it go that easily.
"I am you're boss Sara, you work for me. This is a high profile case, I can't afford to have anything but your full attention on it"
He felt like laughing at the absurdity of what he had just said. In a way every word of it was true, but it was only one side of the story, his heads side of the story.

------------------------------------

Lindsay sighed as more tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I know."
She said as she crossed her arms, hoping it would somehow make her look like she wasn't crying, but it didn't. She finally looked back up at him.
"It's not your fault Danny, it's mine, I'm so screwed up right now, I don't know what to do."
She told him.

------------------------------------

"Then why have [/i]you[/i] walked out?"
Sara challenged and was pretty sure Grissom could see her with her eyebrow raised and her hand on her hip. He was making out that she was the one who was messed up in the head and...well, she was but Grissom obviously was too. He'd never spoken to anyone, other then Ecklie and the sheriff, in the harsh way he had spoken to Danny. What's up with that?
"We need to talk....should I come round or or you coming back into work? Whichever way you wanna play this, we have to talk one way or another. This is getting so screwed up and it's starting to affect us both in our jobs."

------------------------------------

Grissom sighed, feeling defeated.
"You need to be able to cope with cases when I'm not there. I'm not going to be around forever and I need to know my team is more than capable of taking over"
He let out a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair.
"But if you really think it's necessary then you can come round"
he said quietly.
"You know your way here don't you?"



"So it's 'cause you want to see how we deal with the case then? 'Cause Griss I coulda sworn I got the distinct impression you were pissed at me and especially Danny. He was being friendly. That's all. And yeah I know where your place is, I've been once before."
She said before she said she'd be round in five and then hung up, grabbing her jacket and keys out of her locker before heading out. Seeing Danny she gave him an apologetic smile and waved.
"I won't be long."
She mouthed to him, seeing he was in the middle of something with Lindsay and didn't want to intrude.

Driving at a regular speed over to Grissom's house, she started to think about what she would say to him. He knew she had feelings for him, but he'd never reciprocated or shown those kind of signs back. But it was obvious from the way he'd treated Danny that there was something up with him...maybe it was just the case like he said? Maybe he really did only see her as his subordinate, as someone who worked for him and was 15 years younger. That harsh reality jolted her but she pushed it away. She was over a decade younger then him, so she could understand his hesitance in getting involved, especially with them working together with him as her supervisor. But age didn't mean a thing to Sara. It was just a number. So why should it matter to him? And if he really didn't share her feelings, then why did he get that look on his face when she got friendly with a guy...like Danny. It confused and intrigued her both at the same time.

Pulling up, she walked over to the door slowly and knocked on it, taking a deep breath as she mentally practiced what she'd say. She'd tell him what she needed to, listen to what he had to say, and then leave. That was the plan....but as soon as he opened the door and their eyes locked, everything she'd rehearsed saying in the car completely betrayed her and she didn't know how to start.
"Hi."
She said and inwardly grimaced.
"What the hell?! "Hi"? Oh yeah, smoooooth Sara, very smooth. Idiot."
She scolded herself, before her other inner voice shushed the insulting one and she waited for him to invite her in.

As Grissom dragged open the door he was aware of his appearance. Tired and bedraggeled, his hair was a mess and there were dark circles under his eyes. He was stressed, it was obvious. Planning on shooing Sara away pretty much after she arrived he'd only half opened the door. But then their eyes met and he found himself letting her in, showing her to the sofa and siiting down opposite her. They both sat in silence for a few seconds, neither daring to start.

After sitting in silence for what felt like an age, Sara sighed and rubbed her head.
"What are we doing Grissom? How did we get here?"
She said wearily, their gazes broken momentarily before she looked back up at him once more. Sat across from him, she could see every reaction, every expression, that crossed his face. She had come here to set things straight. If he didn't want her then fine, she'd finally be able to move on. She couldn't stand living like she was doing right now, constantly hanging onto his every last word and trying to analyze things he said to her. She wanted to live, not dwell on his every word. Danny had been the one to make her accept this fully, although she had been thinking about this confrontation for awhile now...and she'd been dreading it. She had that horrible feeling of nervousness and dread in her stomach and she just wanted to get rid of it for good.
"You know I have feelings for you, but I don't know where I stand. It's a simple question I'm asking - are you interested in me or not. Cause hell Grissom, if you're not, let me move on."
She leaned back on the sofa, shaking her head but never breaking eye-contact.

I must be crazy now
Maybe I dream too much
But when I think of you
I long to feel your touch

To whisper in your ear
Words that are old as time
Words only you would hear
If only you were mine

I wish I could go back
To the very first day I saw you
Should've made my move
When you looked in my eyes
'Cause by now I know that
You'd feel the way that I do
And you'd whisper these words
As you'd lie here by my side

I love you
Please say you love me too
These three words
They could change our lives forever
And I promise you
That we will always be together
'Til the end of time

So today I finally find
The courage deep inside
Just to walk right up to your door
But my body can't move
When I finally get to it
Like a thousand times before
Then without a word you handed me this letter
"Read, I hope this finds
The way into your heart," it said

I love you
Please say you love me too
'Til the end of time

Well maybe I, I need a little love, yeah
Maybe I, I need a little care
Maybe you, maybe you need
Somebody just to hold you
If you do
Just reach out
I'll be there

I love you
Please say you love me
Please say you love me too
These three words,
They could change our lives forever
And I promise you
That we will always be together

Oh, I love you
Please say you love me
Please say you love me too
'Til the end of time
Oh baby, my baby,
Together, forever
I love you
I will be your light
Shining through your eyes - Faith Hill - "I love you"

Grissom sighed deeply, unable to tear his eyes away from hers. His voice was quiet and soft, almost doubtful of itself. "Does it matter how either of us feel? I'm your boss Sara." He tore his eyes away from hers as it pained him to say the words. He looked down at his hands instead. "It would never work" He said softly before looking uo at her again. "Would it?"

At his breaking of eye contact, she looked down at her own hands and a shaky sigh passed her lips as she fought to maintain some semblance of objectiveness.
"I don't know. We'd only ever know if we gave it a chance...and I don't care that you're my boss. I lo-"
She broke off before uttering the words and shook her head to try and straighten her thoughts.
"Look, what you think matters to me. I've told you how I feel...so tell me how you feel. I'm not a little girl Grissom, I can handle whatever you have to say to me. I just need to know - are you willing to give us a try or are you always gonna backstep the subject? 'Cause I can't live like that."
She gave another unsteady sigh as she brought her eyes to meet his again, the look in hers painfully sincere. Her heart was laying on the line here. It was up to him to either break or mend it.

Grissom closed his eyes as he heard her utter the beginning of the words he'd dreaded hearing. If she told him she loved him he didn't know what he'd do. He knew he'd lose all grip on reality and melt right there and then. Shufflking of the sofa he walked over to her and crouched down infront of her, placing his hands on her knees. "You have to understand it's not that I..." He trailed off, not quite believing he was saying it. "It's not that I don't want to be with you...It's just that I don't think we can"

Her whole body tingled with his touch but she managed to keep her composure as she searched his eyes and stayed silent for a moment before speaking in a soft voice that he had never really heard from her before.
"I think you're wrong. If we want it enough we could make it work....Grissom, love isn't perfect. I know, I've lived it. But...I'd be willing to give it a try. If you want t-to be with me, at least give us a chance."
She didn't try to make any advances on their situation. The ball was in his court. But her heart was aching to reach out and touch him. She fought it.

Grissom sighed and looked down at his hands on her knees. Slipping one away from her knee, he found her hand and linked his fingers gently with hers. He stayed silent, still not quite knowing what to say. He hoped his daring, or atleast daring for him, movement was enough to tell her what he wanted to say but couldn't find the words to.

Sara looked down at their linked hands and a small smile crept onto her lips. Looking back up to steady their gazes once more, she felt a little stupid when a tear glided down her cheek. Lifting her free hand she wiped it away, giving a short, embarassed laugh.
"I feel stupid for crying...It's just - I've wanted this for so long...are you really giving us a try?"
She asked, hoping she hadn't misinterpreted his holding her hand. It just seemed to fit perfectly into hers and that made her heart skip a couple beats.

Grissom smiled slightly and lifted his other hand to her cheek. He gently caressed her cheek where her tear had just fallen and looked uo into her eyes. "I guess I am" He said softly, his heart racing so much he was surprised the words came out so calmly. All rationale had been thrown to the wind, all he cared about was Sara, being with her, seeing her, touching her....kissing her. He looked down to her lips, his eyes taking in how full and soft they looked.

Back At The Lab:
Mac was watching everything, a little perplexed. He said nothing about Grissom, though he did give some "what was that about?" expresions. He wondered to himself what was up that the other supervisor had walked off. With Grissom gone, his mind was back on his team members. He didn't immediately speak to them, wanting to let them figure it out themselves if he could, but he was keeping an eye on them, hoping they did solve their problem.

Grissom's House:
Her eyes fell shut and she subconsciously leaned into his touch as a dreamy sigh escaped her lips. With her eyes closed she couldn't see his gaze on her lips but she could sense him watching her. After a moment, her eyes fluttered open and her heart raced a little more when she saw where he was so intently watching. This had happened so many times in her dreams, but the real thing was so much better. His touch sent shivers up her spine as she anticipated every movement from him.
"You've finally figured out what to do about "this" then."
She whispered, not wanting to break this moment between them.

Grissom nodded a little, not taking his eyes off her lips. "I thought this may do it" He said quietly as he leant up and pressed his lips softly against hers. Wow! He thought to himself, still feeling like he was dreaming. Had he just done what he thought he'd done. His eyes had automatically fluttered closed as his lips had met hers. Slipping his hand from her cheek to behind her neck and pulled her closer into the kiss.

Sara was breathless. She'd never dreamed that the touch of his lips could make her melt. She was thinking of nothing but Grissom and the feel of his lips against hers.
"I love you."
She mumbled into his kiss, moving backward so that they were both on the sofa. She was sure she'd wake up any minute and her heart was hammering so hard in her chest she thought it might burst. This was her dream come true. Was it thanks to her and Danny's mutual attraction that had scared Grissom into taking action? If so, she had to remember to thank him.

Grissom smiled and pushed her back gently onto the sofa, leaning against her gently, loving the feeling of her beneath him. Pulling away slightly he mimiced her words. "I love you too" He brushed a piece of her hair away from her face and placed another soft kiss onto her lips. "And you were right, i was jealous" He whispered.

Sara wondered if she'd died and gone to heaven. He was leaning down on her but that wasn't why her breathing was labored. The cause of that was because she'd never been so in love with a guy that could take her breath away like he could. Hearing him say the three words she'd been longing to hear all her life made her feel like crying with happiness.
"You have my heart Grissom, you've always had it. Why would you be jealous?"
She whispered back. She didn't want to break the atmosphere between them by talking louder. Just the very presence of him practically on top of her made her dizzy and she couldn't get enough of his kisses, having been starved of them for so long. Well, professing their love for each other hadn't been what she'd expected of her visit but it was oh-so much better. It was so much better that she was tempted to pinch herself to make sure it was all real. She hoped Danny hadn't read too much into their flirting - but anyway, Sara had sensed something deeper then what was on the surface between him and Lindsay anyway so maybe there was something there for him after all. She couldn't deny it though. She was attracted to Danny. Who wouldn't be? But she had her man now. The man she'd loved for so many years she'd lost count. And all that mattered to her was living in the moment with him right there on that sofa.

Grissom smiled and traced a hand down her front before letting it rest on her hip. "Because you're a beautiful, smart young woman" He paused to place a kiss on the delicate skin of her neck. "And Danny's a handsome, smart young man and I'm...not. why want me Sara, it makes no sense?" He had always prided himself on beong a lateral thinker but this really did baffle him.

His soft touches and gentle kisses made her involuntarily quiver against him and she let out a breathy sigh before managing to summon words.
"I want you because you're the most amazing, wonderful, intelligent man I've ever met. You make me so sure of myself yet question every thought I have at the same time. You're easy to read whilst still being an enigma. Just being close to you is like...a dream."
She wondered if he knew exactly how much she felt for him. She didn't say "I love you" easily, if at all. Yet she'd so easily said it to him. Her eyes sparkled with love as she looked into his. Tentatively reaching up she ran a hand down his cheek. Oh how long she'd ached to do that when they were together. How many times she'd had to turn away or step back from him just because of the sheer pain it caused not being able to have him when he was so close yet so far from her reach. And here they were, making out on his sofa like lovesick teenagers. Lovesick, yes. Teenagers, no.
"No one is ever a match to you. You stole my heart the moment you looked into my eyes...How could I ever love anyone else?"
She was still whispering, tears springing to her eyes again.

Grissom looked at her, his eyes gentle and caring. "You don't have to try anymore" He said, the words as soft as his touch. Repositioning himself so that he was lying next to her, he let his eyes scan her body. His breath caught in his throat, Why did this angel want him? What had he done to deserve her?

At The Lab:
Danny glanced a bit towards Mac, seeing him watching them for a bit. "Linds.. How about we talk about this later? When we're in the privacy of the hotel and when we've had some sleep. Because of the flight, I'm sure you and I are a little touchy around the edges," he said with a weak smile. "Bein' truthful here.."

Lindsey sighed. "Sure, I'm actually going to head over there now, I wanted to get a shower and maybe take a nap." she said as she unfolded her arms and nodded towards Mac. "Are we suppossed to be assigned rooms or somthing, or are we getting seperate rooms?" she asked.

Danny nodded a bit at her words before shrugging. "Ah.. Honestly, I don't know," he said. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, whether Mac likes it or not, I'm taking one of the rooms." she said stubbornly as she walked towards the door. "Are you going to come too or are you going to poke around a bit?" She asked before leaving the building.

Danny started to feel one of those infamous migranes coming on. The ones that made you feel like you've been through a battery and you wanted to puke your guts out. "I'm going to come with.." he said weakly. "Mac, I need ta lie down.. We'll be back in a few hours, a'right?" Danny said to the other man before following Lindsay out.

Now Lindsay was nervous. What if they ended up sharing a room together? She didn't know how long she could last being around him. She hailed a cab, and within minutes, they were both at the desk in the hotel. "Lindsay Monroe? I have you down to share a room with Danny Messer." the lady told her. Lindsey inwardly grimaced. She then nodded and handed one of the two keys to Danny. "Looks like we're roomies." she told him.

"Mac probably think's it's best that the 'young kids' sleep in the same rooms.. Gives the night hawk time to think at least," Danny shrugged a bit, taking one key from her. As they started towards their room, he glanced to her. "I don't suppose you have some.. pain killers or somethin' do ya?"

Lindsay glanved up at him. "Sure, it's in my bag." she said as she used her key to get into the room. She set her bags down and took out some pills. "Here." she said plainly as she threw him the bottle. "I'm going to take a shower." she told him, totally forgetting to take clothes with her, only remembering after getting into the shower and shampooing her hair.

"Thanks," Danny replied, nodding. He opened the bottle and popped a few pills into his mouth, downing them dry. Recapping the bottle, he moved over to his bed and crawled onto it, kicking off his shoes and setting his glasses on the stand as he went. It was only another few moments when the migrane was full blown, the pills doing little for it and sleep not becoming an option. Danny covered his head with his pillow, lying face down.

Lindsay emerged from the shower a few minutes later. Steam was pouring out of the room. "No peeking." Linds said as she grabbed her clothes and headed back to the bathroom. She came back out in a pair of silk pants and a tanktop. She looked cute actually. She watched as Danny covered his head. She decided to humor herself and laid down next to him. She lifted the pillow a bit to speak to him. "You okay?" she asked.

Danny waved a hand to her when she said not to look, his way of saying he wouldn't. When Lindsay came back out and laid next to him, Danny didn't mention anything of it. Danny pushed the pillow off his head then lied his head on it, turning to look at her. "I got a frickin' migrane.." he said with a rueful smirk.

Lindsay looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry." she told him. She couldn't help but think that she made her problems his. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked. It took all of her willpower not to hug him, hold him close, kiss his forehead, and tell him that it would all be okay.

"Don't be sorry, it's been threatin' to come since a couple hours ago," Danny replied in a quiet tone. "You already did something for me.. gave me those pain killers.. I'll be okay in a bit, I think," he then added, smiling to her calmly.

Lindsay sighed slowly and then nodded. "Okay." she told him as she rolled off of the bed and dried off her hair before realizing there was only one bed. "Damn." Lindsay said. "Is Mac trying to set us up or something? What's up with only one bed?" she asked him. She wanted to sleep.

Danny soon sat up and looked around. Even without his glasses he could make out the room. He started to get off the bed, straightening out his clothes and reaching over to put on his glasses. "I can get another room if you want," he said, motioning towards the door. "It's no problem.."

"I'm alright with it if you are." she said with a shrug. "You can be my teddy bear." she told him with a sarcastic tone. "I just want to take a nap, you're welcome to join me if you want." she told him as she crawled under the covers, totally exhausted from the trip.

Danny smiled lightly to her for a moment. "I don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to," he said quietly. He swayed dangerously on his feet for a moment, hand flying out to steady himself against the wall.

Lindsay watched his as he stumbled. "You okay?" she asked as she laid her head down on the pillow. She was dead tiered. Before he could even answer, she had closed her eyes and fallen into a soft peaceful sleep.


Grissom's House:
Sara looked back at him, a small blush tinting her cheeks as she saw him scan her body. She wondered what he was thinking. He had that unreadable expression although his eyes were usually a dead giveaway.
"What's the matter?"
She asked, unsure as to what his expression meant. She reached out and cupped his cheek, gently tracing his jaw line with her fingers. She wondered how she'd gotten so lucky with him, and was still not really down from the high that made her realize all this was a reality.

[Mia-Sara]

"I..." Grissom started, frowning as he was unable to finish. "Why? I still don't get it. Why me Sara? You could have anyone and you want me? I'm a lateral thinker Sara and even that doesn't make sense to me" He sighed and placed his hand over hers before looking up into her eyes, her beautiful brown eyes that made his heart flutter.

"Attraction's subjective, Grissom. It can't be analyzed. I love you and that's all I know. I loved you the moment I saw you. When I started to talk to you after that lecture you did...I just knew I'd found the one man in the world who I loved more then anything in the world. But...when we both went our separate ways, I never thought I'd see you again and...that broke my heart. I never figured I'd be good enough for you anyways. You surpassed any man I'd ever known. When you called me that day asking me to come to Vegas I thought my dreams were coming true. Then I realized you were my supervisor and all I could do was dream that we'd ever be together....now here we are."
She let out a long breath, thankful she'd finally got that out.
That day all those years ago, they'd parted very reluctantly. Sara had been debating on whether to actually take the plunge and kiss him goodbye. But she didn't. He was gone and it was too late.

Grissom smiled a little. "When i lecture, people listen, they understand but hardly ever do i see that sparkle in their eyes, a passion that tells me that they get it, they get me. I see it in every member of my team because if I didn't it wouldn't work. But you...you shone. Every part of you ached with understanding, I'd never seen anything like it before, I've still never seen anything like it"

Sara pulled him closer to her, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head beneath his chin.
"I've never found someone whom I felt I could open up to like I have done with you. I've never told anyone else about...my past, my family life, y'know."
She bit her lip and looked up at him before resting her head back on his chest.
"We've really taken way too long to get here, haven't we?"
She smiled ruefully, sighing into his chest, starting to gently nuzzle his neck lovingly.

"Yes we have" Grissom whispered softly, running his fingers through the ends of her hair gently. He leant down and placed a soft kiss on her head. "You know you can tell me anything, I'll always listen"

"How do you do that?"
She said softly, pulling back to look into his eyes.
"One touch and you make it feel like nothing bad in the world could ever happen...I never wanna leave here."
She whispered, clinging to him a little. She'd been a little touchy lately, and she hadn't told anyone why, but she felt like she really could tell Grissom anything and wondered if she should just get it off her chest.
"My mom's coming back Grissom."
She whispered, fighting tears as she buried her head into his chest.

Grissom sighed and kissed the top of her head gently, knowing how hard this would be for her. He reached down and moved one of her hands so that he could link his fingers with hers. "You're not alone this time" He whispered softly. "I'm here this time"

She nodded tearfully and let herself get lost in his touch. Two days and she'd be here. The very thought terrified the hell out of her. A week before, her brother had visited her and told her. She'd almost gone off the rails. She'd drank herself into unconsciousness in an attempt to stop feeling all the emotions that were making her head and heart both hurt.
"Please don't leave me...I don't know if I can do this Grissom...she killed my dad and...my last memory of her is seeing her screaming insanely as the cops took her away...any good memories I had were wiped away by that...the day I got taken into care...that's my only memory of her. D-don't they say that women always turn into their mothers...?"
She looked up at him again, her eyes full of fear. She couldn't turn into Laura, she just...couldn't.

"Ofcourse I'll always be here Sara" Grissom soothed tilting her chin up so that she was looking at him. He smiled a little. "You may have a bit of a short fuse Sara but i know you'd never hurt a fly. You're too good for that"

Her lip quivered a little. Her pain and torment was obvious behind her brown eyes but apart from that she looked just as strong as ever she was. She knew how to hide it all inside, but Grissom was the one who could always bring it out of her, who could make her feel so vulnerable that she had to talk to him.
"Daniel turned up two days ago and told me...she's due here in two days. I really can't handle seeing her again Grissom...you wanna know where I get my alcoholism from? I watched her and my dad when I was little...all my mom ever did was drink herself silly so that she wouldn't feel it when my dad...but I didn't have that. I felt everything."
A tear cascaded down her cheek before she could stop it. And then another followed. She fought against her emotions but she'd kept them bottled up for so long that she didn't have the strength to fight them anymore.
"I was taught not to show anything I felt though. When he...hit me, he knew exactly where nobody would be able to see. I had bruises on my legs and my arms but he made sure I wore enough clothes to hide them...I'm surprised he even bothered really. Other then hitting me, he never even seemed to notice I existed."
Her voice hitched in her throat and she had to swallow down the lump there before she managed to continue.
"My mom saw it all, she knew what he did to me....but she didn't even try to stop him. She just pretended like nothing was happening and turned to the drink. I don't actually remember ever seeing her sober. I guess when I got out of there, it was kind of a relief...but I always got those looks, y'know? From the other kids when I was in foster care. They kept their distance. I was "the anorexic kid whose mom killed her dad". I think some of them were actually scared of me, like the violence was genetic or something...I don't know if that's true or not, even today."
She wasn't crying anymore, just staring at a spot on the ceiling as she lay on her back, her expression distant but her eyes holding all the pain she was feeling.

Grissom didn't know what to say. Instead he just watched her for a few seconds before he wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her close to his chest. He felt safe with her in his arms and he was hoping she felt the same way. "But in ways it wouldn't have made you the woman you are now. The strong, determined, passionate woman I fell in love with" He soothed.

[Mia-Sara]

Mac didn't mind them rooming together although he had an inkling what was going on with them. He was just wishing he could have Stella there with him. He really did want to say things to her that he didn't know how to express or even if it was right. So he'd kept quiet. He wondered what she and the others were doing now back in New York as he decided to try adn get some rest himself.

Stella walked into the hotel that Mac was suppossed to be staying at and adressed the man at the desk. "Is Mac Taylor staying here?"
"Yes, room 102." she said. "Thanks." Stella said as she walked up to his door and knocked on it. "Guess who?" she said from behind it. "You forgot your badge and phone Mac....." she said.

Danny watched for a moment as Lindsay fell asleep, a small smile tugging at his lips. Despite the pounding headache, seeing her in that peaceful state made him happy. Danny rested his back against the wall and slid down it, collapsing into a small heap against the wall, bunching his coat under his head. At least the floor was cold.

About twenty minutes later, Lindsay was sweating and thrashing about the sheets. "No, Danny, help!" she screamed as she twisted and turned in the sheets. She was dreaming of Danny, Sonny, and Louie. Sonny and was beating Danny up in the corner and Louie was in his car driving away. Lindsay was sitting in the back seat of Sonny's car watching helplessly with her hands tied behind her back. The dream was scaring her so much that she was almost pale.

By that time, Danny's headache had receded to a light throb. He pushed himself up and quickly moved to Lindsay, one of his hands gripping her shoulder while the other went under her head to stop her from hitting it against the wall or headboard. "Linds! Wake up," Danny called loudly.

Lindsay snapped her eyes open and immidiatly inhaled sharply. There were actually tears coming out of her eyes when she woke up. "I had a bad dream." she told him in almost a little girl's voice. Damn, she felt like one, Danny made her feel safe again though. He was there, alive and well, and that calmed her. She was glad to have him there or that nightmare would have carried on a lot longer than she wanted it to.

Danny smiled a bit to her, letting his grip loosen on her shoulder. His other hand soon brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "That's okay.. Everyone gets them at one time or another," Danny replied with a calm, soft smile.

Lindsay's heart did a backflip when he pushed the strands of hair out of her face. She smiled up softly to him, wiping the tears away from her eyes. She looked up at him lovingly, gazing into his beautiful blue eyes. "Thanks Danny." she said as she swallowed hard, knowing now that she was blushing.

Danny smiled a bit to her, looking at her for a bit longer than needed. For some reason, all he wanted to do was to scoop her up and hug her to no end. Danny soon pulled back gently, sliding down against the wall again and letting out a little sigh. "You feel okay now?" he asked, looking back to her.


Lindsay gasped a bit when he pulled away. She almost whined to him when he did that, she wanted him to hug her in his arms, forever. But she had to deal with the possiblity that that would never happen. She thought back to earlier this morning, when he flirted with Sara. That had been a big blow to her hopes of some sort of a relationship. She sat up against the pillows and sighed. "Yeah." she lied. She looked down to the left of her, suddenly feeling depressed about the whole situation now. This whole sharing a room thing was just leading her on. She was seriously thinking of getting her own room, as much as she didn't want to.

"Are.. Are we okay?" Danny then asked, turning a bit more as he looked up at her, his words faultering a bit. He thought back to earlier when all this seemed to start. Sure, Danny found Sara somewhat attractive, but someone was already interested in her, so he decided to lay off, and the effects it had on Lindsay was killing him from the inside out. It took all for Danny's willpower to stay seated on the floor instead of launching up to hold her.

Lindsay looked up at Danny and then back to the floor. She slid down on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Yeah." she said as she bit her lip to stop it from trembling. She squeazed her eyes shut, forcing out a tear. She didn't know how much longer she could handle this. She was just ready to cry her eyes out, but she couldn't, not with Danny in front of her. She couldn't look into his eyes when she answered him either. She couldn't lie to those eyes, she just couldn't.

Danny kept silent after that, looking up at Lindsay's form on the bed. His head tilted to the side some as he gazed at her, seeing the tear falling from her eyes. Oh Lindsay... he thought, getting up. He knew he shouldn't but he wanted to and couldn't stand seeing Lindsay like that. To hell with whatever Mac said about it, it's not like he cared that much about orders when who he liked had to do with it. Danny crawled onto the bed, wrapping her up in the covers and pulling Lindsay close to him, planting like kisses on her forhead and cheeks. "I'm sorry.. I'm sorry.." he said softly between kisses.

Linsay at first wanted to cling to him and just cry into his arms. Well, she did cry, but she didn't cling to him. Instead, she pushed away from him and shook her head. "No, Danny, please, don't lead me on." she said as tears poured out of her eyes. "It hurts too much." she said, still shaking her head. "Please, don't make it something it's not." she said as she turned her back to him and hugged her pillow, crying into it. It hurt so much not to take that oppertunity, and just hug him close, but she couldn't. She couldn't deal with the ripple effect of that. Sure, it would be nice now, but later, when he found some other girl, like Sara, she would get the biggest blow.

Danny felt like his heart flatlined for a moment, his hold loosening when she pushed him away. "Lindsay.." he began, reaching out to her again. Danny soon realized that she was probably thinking he'd go off and be with Sara, frowning a bit. "Lindsay.. It wouldn't work with her even if I tried," he said in a soft tone, his hand resting on her shoulder for a moment. "And I won't try with her.. There's someone who already loves her and she likes that person as well."

Lindsay just flinched when he touched her. It didn't matter that he didn't like Sara, the fact was, that he didn't like her. Even though her crying calmed, she still didn't turn to him. If it wasn't Sara he liked, it could easily be any girl at a bar or on the train. The possibility of her having a relationship was practically zero to her. She just wished Danny would stop leading her on. If he didn't like her, that was fine, then let her get over him, but he had led her on since day one. He led her on by calling her Montana, stealing what seemed to be innocent glances from her, and going out on dates that were disguised as just frieends going out for a drink. THat was all gone to her, nothing was there anymore, it was just Lindsay and Danny, co-workers, and nothing more. She didn't know if she could just be friends with him, it just hurt her too much inside. "It hurts so bad." she murmured to herself.

Danny sighed weakly, his arms reaching out to wrap around her tightly again, pulling her back to him. "Lindsay, please.." he began in a pleading voice. "Please, just give me a chance." Danny kissed her cheek again from behind, keeping a strong hold on her. "Please.." He'd dropped many hints that he liked her, having purposely led her on up till now, but since coming to Vegas, that all backfired, he just wished he could make it up to her in some way and regain her trust and be in her good graces again.

Lindsay turned to him again. She looked up at him with a look that would melt any mans heart. There was so much pain and emotional exhaustion resting in her eyes that it could bring one to their knees. She sighed slowly and nodded. "Okay." she said as she snuggled into his arms and closed her eyes. She had been waiting so long for this moment, and now that she was finally living it, she wasn't sure if it was really happening. Her fantasy was becoming a reality. It did seem like he was sincere about what he said, and he was pleading heavily, so she would see. "Okay." she repeated as she snuggled into his arms.

Danny cradled Lindsay close to him, his lips finding her cheek once more. "Thank you.." he whispered softly, running one hand through Lindsay's shoulder-length hair and he held her. Danny was happy that Lindsay was going to give him a second chance, and like hell if he screwed it up. "Thank you.." he repeated again. Danny made sure to keep it relatively slow to repair and mend ties to her, then after that was done, he was probably going to find himself committing to her.

Lindsay snuggled up close to him. She rested her forehead on his chest, and wrapped an arm around him. She was still sniffling a bit and her eyes were still full of tears, but she was honestly okay now. She was actualy quite surprized that Danny was asking her for another chance. She always thought that it would be her begging him for some sort of a relationship. "I've wanted this for so long." Lindsay whispered.

--------------------------------

Mac grinned when he answered the door and saw her there. "Uh...thanks. But I know it was more than that" he said with a laugh. "Couldn't live without me, could you?" He wanted to grab her and kiss her good and hard but restrained himself for the moment. Stella smiled up at him and shook her head.

"Nope." she said as she handed him his badge and phone. "But something tells me you missed me Mac." she told him.

"Yep...I can't fool you, that's for sure" he replied, still smiling. "Let's just say I was getting lonely without you."

Stella smiled back. "Did you get something to eat yet Mac? I'm hungry, and I wouldn't mind going out if you get my hint." she said with a wink.

"sounds good" He replied, taking the hint. "Just let me put something nice on for you and I'll be ready." *although I'd really like to...oh, quit it, Taylor, you're not even dating yet* "I wonder what's good around here..." he thought aloud.

"I'll see if I can't find some brochures on the way to the bathroom, I brought all my stuff, I figued you'd want some help with the case, besides, it's Vegas, I've never been to Vegas. So I brought along a few nice dresses for you." she said with a wink. "I'm also gonna get a room." she said as she turned to leave.

[Mia-Sara]

Sara didn't know what to say to that, so she didn't. She just buried her head further against his chest and let the sob she had been holding back finally emerge. As soon as that sob found freedom, all her pent up emotions seemed to roll over her like a wave and she didn't have a chance of holding them back as she cried and trembled in his arms.
"What am I gonna do Grissom?"
She whimpered.
"I-I'm scared I'll go off the rails...when Daniel told me she was coming back, the memory of every slap, every beating she stood by and watched me take just came back to me. I...I know it sounds awful 'cause she's my mom and all but...I can't forgive her..."
She whispered. Growing up, Sara had tried to lead herself into believing that Laura killed her dad to protect her all those years ago, but she knew the truth. Her dad and mom had gotten into a fight as usual, her dad had pulled a gun on her and her mom had grabbed the nearest thing - a knife. It was to protect herself and nobody else. She hadn't even thought about Sara, who'd been on the receiving end of her father's beating just minutes before he turned on Laura.

Grissom rocked her gently in his arms, rubbing her back gently and soothing her. "Shh it's ok baby" He whispered softly. There and then he made a mental vow to himself never to anyone hurt his angel again. It still made him sick that someone could do that to a child, his own daughter too! No, she would be safe now, he would protect her with every fibre of his being.

"Why does she have to come back?!"
Sara whimpered, holding tightly to Grissom for fear that if she let go, her past that was slowly creeping up on her would drag her back into it's dark pit. She'd attempted suicide as an eight year old, before most kids knew what the word suicide meant. By the time she was 15 she'd tried too many times to even remember. It was true that Sara Sidle had had a troubled life, and her adult life hadn't exactly being the sparkling "American dream" either. She didn't have a social life, her life was in her work - which was ironic considering she worked with the dead most of the time - and she had identified what other problems she had after being forced to a PEAP councellor. She had a problem with authority - which was understandable really, considering her childhood, with every adult in her life letting her down at some point - she was self-destructive - alcohol, depression, attempted suicide...those words were anything but foreign to her - and she chose men who were emotionally unavailable. Grissom was a prime example. He had been so far out of her grasp and by pursuing him she was risking alot, as he would be too, getting into a relationship with one of his charges. The councellor had analyzed everything about her and some - most - of the things she'd said had been true. She'd admitted that she never thought she'd get Grissom, which made her confront the question as to why, if she never thought she'd get him, she still continued to chase him. The shrink had quite rightly concluded that she looked for "validation in inappapropriate places" and really she was subconsciously setting herself up for heartbreak by pursuing him if she never thought she'd end up winning him over.
Then again, here she was in his arms, with him telling her he loved her and calling her "baby". She wasn't sure if it was all one of her dreams again.

Reaching behind him, Grissom pulled down the blanket from over the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her shoulders. Lifting her slightly he stood up and walked with her to the kitchen. He sat her down on a stool and flicked on the kettle. He pulled out a few tissues and dabbed her cheeks for her before placing them in her hand.

He still couldn't believe he'd done it, he'd over stepped the mark he'd told himself he'd never cross. Many a night he'd told himself to stop thinking of her, to give up hope and just let it go. He was her supervisor and she was his subordinate. His carear had been his life and he was risking it all for a woman. A woman who had serious issuses, who didn't take well to authority and chose explosive relasionships. He was crazy he knew it, every part of him was screaming that it wasn't too late to change his mind. But he didn't want to, he couldn't.

Sara looked down at her hands as she clasped them on the table in front of her.
"I've never truly loved anyone in my life before. Not like I love you...and it scares the hell outta me. Just when I'd start to think that you couldn't possibly want me, you'd say something - even something really small that was so ridiculously ambiguous - like "I want you" or something when we're working a case and it made me doubt myself. Well, it made me doubt everything really. Every relationship I've been in has ended disasterously, and I used to just lie awake wondering if I'd be alone forever...then I'd think of you and think that maybe yeah, I would. But now...God, it's all so messed up that I can't even think straight. I flirted with Danny, and I don't know if I led him on or what he feels; I'm in love with you - always have been - and here we are...where do we go from here Grissom?"
She asked quietly, dreading the moment he'd realize everything that was at stake here and try to gently pull back from any kind of commitment.

Grissom sighed and poured himself and Sara a cup of coffee. Placing hers on the table he walked back over and took his into his hands, leaning up against the counter. He'd never been any good at talking about how he felt. He took a sip of his coffee and shrugged. "I don't know." He said quietly, not knowing what else to say. He had never been the most experienced dater, had always perferred his own company so this was all new to him really.

Sara looked up at him, her heart skipping a couple beats. "I don't know" as in he was having second thoughts? That possibility made Sara feel sick. She felt stupid for opening up to him so much if he didn't even want to pursue a relationship.
"So...this isn't going anywhere..."
She said shakily, trying to convince herself that that didn't hurt, tears springing to her eyes. She stood up quickly, feeling mortified at having opened her heart and soul to him. The blanket dropped from around Sara's shoulders as she looked at him brokenly. Before he had chance to say anything, she was gone. She didn't know where she found the strength as she bolted to her car, just sitting there and staring ahead for a couple of minutes, trying to clear her head. She was well and truly messed up. She'd just told Grissom she loved him and told him some of her darkest secrets...she'd taken his "I don't know" to mean he was doing what he always did - closing her out and bringing his walls back up. Yeah, she was insecure, but she was so confused about where she stood with him. As ever, nothing was as easy as it was in her dreams.

Grissom sighed and closed his eyes slowly. He took a few deep breaths and opened them again. Nope, she was still there, this was real. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to clear his thoughts. What about your carear, your job, your life? His head screamed at him. Why was he throwing all reason to the wind for this woman? No not a woman, a ticking bomb. Sara had always been like that, ever since he'd met her. She was a walking disater, everyone knew it. It will only cause more trouble Gil, he'd remembered Catherine telling him. And she was right, Catherine was always right but something know had changed. he used to think of those problems Sara would bring with her as just that problems but know they seemed more...of a learning curve. he wanted to laugh, hearing how strange that sounded in his head. Except whenever he wanted to tell her how he felt, his head always managed to out scream his heart. "I..." He began, trailing off a little. "I don't know" He repeted. Guess his head had won out again then.

Sara backed away from him a little.
"I should...go. You need time to get your head straight, I can see that..."
She said quietly, only just managing to hold back the pain from her voice.
"You know where to find me...I need to clear my mind so I'm gonna go."
She repeated, turning quickly and making for the door, all the way fighting tears. As she pulled the door open, she spoke over her shoulder to him, not looking back.
"We need to work this out Grissom. You need to figure out whether you really do want me 'cause I can't do this much longer. I've got...alot of things to worry about at the moment and I don't need to be screwed around more. I-I'm not accusing you or trying to push you into anything, I just need to know so I can get my head straight."

Grissom never got angry, he prided himself on it even. But something inside of him snapped. He wasn't mad at her, far from. He was furious at himself. The coffee cup in his hand hurtled across the room and smashed against the kitchen wall. Turning he rested his hands on the edge of the counter and kicked the cupboard door with his foot. Why couldn't he just tell his damn head to shut the hell up! He rested his elbows on the kitchen counter and put his head into his hands. Just a few minutes ago, he'd promised himself never to let anyone hurt her, and here he was doing just that. The hurt he'd seen etched into her face had broke his heart. "No!" He said, raising his voice just a little. Realising the anger still in his voice, he softened it. "Don't go"

Sara had jumped back, startled and frightened when Grissom had hurled his cup at the wall. It had shattered on the wall next to her and fallen to the floor. She thought that meant he was angry with her and hot tears started to fall down her cheeks as she backed out of the door.
When she heard his voice calling for her not to go, she faltered and looked back. She'd never been frightened of Grissom before, but then again, she'd never seen so much anger on his face and it had sent chills through her.
"I-I'm sorry..."
She whispered, thinking she was the one that had made him angry. She kept moving toward her car but she stopped when she felt his hand on her arm. Turning warily to face him she looked down at the floor, both angry and confused. She didn't know why he'd thrown a fit just then, but she'd assumed it was her ultimatum and had quickly retreated.