I do not own anything related to CBS or CSI.

Sara/Vartan romance S/G angst

Thanks to my beta, Nessa Owen, for doing her magic. This is my first WIP. Most of it is already written but I will take all reviews and suggestions into consideration.

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Grissom kept his jealousy in check when she went out on her first date with him. He wasn't thrilled about it, but he knew that she needed to get out and have fun, rebuild herself. After her near arrest he knew that she needed space from him and he was more than willing to give it. They had a lot of issues to resolve in their relationship but he was hopeful that they could do some rebuilding of their own once she was back on solid ground. He really thought the two were only friends but one date became two and two dates became three. Six months after their first date, Grissom finally got the message.

He was on his way to ride the roller coaster at New York, New York when he saw them. They were exiting the restaurant smiling, arm in arm and looking happy. She was beautiful. That came as no surprise to him, he always thought of her as beautiful. It was how he imagined she would look if he'd been lucky enough to have her on his arm. When Alex Vartan reached up to cup Sara's cheek and give her the most tender of kisses, the kiss of a lover, Grissom knew he'd given her too much space. He rode the coaster eight times that night.

He sat here now, two days later, reading her request for vacation time. Company policy requires a point of contact in the event of an urgent case requiring all hands. She was going to a bed and breakfast in Venice, California and she wasn't going alone. Brass had stopped by his office to let him know that Vartan was going away for a week. At the time he thought Brass was giving him a heads up but now he knows he was giving him a warning. They were going away together---for a week.

"So the time off won't be a problem?" Sara asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, no, no problem. The schedule looks clear for those dates," he said, mentally cursing the calendar. They will be leaving next week. Rubbing his eyes, he felt a migraine coming on.

"I'm glad you are finally taking some time off. You should have done this several months ago." Which was the truth. When he suggested she take a vacation she had resisted, stating that she needed to work. She needed to have that constant. He understood---they were not very different in that aspect. He wondered how Det.Vartan had convinced her to take the time off.

Every stroke of the pen as he signed her request had a weight to it he couldn't quite place. It was almost as if he was signing away his right to her. What right did I ever have?

"Yeah, I know. But hey, better late than never, right?" She said as he handed her the form.

"Right." But she didn't hear him. She was already walking away, leaving his office emptier than before.

Somehow he missed another chance---an important chance. He realizes she wasn't aware that being with him was an option, and he also knows that he has probably already lost her. Grissom looked at the calendar again---one week until they leave.

Is it better late than never?

TBC