Disclaimer: These CSI characters do not belong to me. If they were mine, I wouldn't have to write this story.
Pairing: Grissom/Sara.
Rating: T
Spoilers: If it happened, is currently happening, will happen, or never would happen in the CSI paralleloverse, it's game.
Summary: GSR. All good (and/or bad) things must come to an end.
A/N: I don't really know where this came from. Blame it on the emotional roller coaster that TPTB had put me through the last couple of weeks and being heavily medicated with cough medication for my bronchitis. It's MY Ending Happy and I am sticking with it. Enjoy and comments are always welcome! Thanks for reading! Peace…
Into the Sunset
Author: litbuff
Leaning back against a huge boulder while his straw hat sat haphazardly on top of his head, Gil Grissom stretched out his long legs on the grainy sand as he watched the water Nymph spreading her lithe limbs across the rippling water. Her beautiful body dipped up and down as her arms flexed in and out in butterfly strokes. He had been privy to this nature's masterpiece so many times before, in his dreams and fantasies, and for the past three years, in private viewing but seeing her in all her glory, out here against nature's primitive backdrop, had him in awe all over again.
Like an art collector that had obtained the painting of the lifetime, Grissom could not help admiring the exquisite lines that defined her body. Her dark sultry eyes hid behind fine lashes that commanded his heart to jump, lips that demanded to be kissed and neck that asked to be worshipped. Whenever she was near, he would instinctive reach out to caress her delicate jawline, down her sensitive collarbones, ending at her toned biceps. She drew him to her like brush to canvas, one was nothing without the other but together, with each stroke upon tender stroke, they would create their most passionate magnum opus.
As if having a sixth sense, his water Nymph stopped mid-stream and swam back toward the riverbank where Grissom sat, gazing intently. She took her own sweet time stepping out of the water and strolled leisurely to him, her dark navy two-piece bikini contrast against her pale skin.
"You're so beautiful..." He blurted out without inhibitions, eyeing her as she slid down on the beach towel beside him. She giggled shyly at his remark and grabbed another towel to dry her hair. Grissom reached for the soft cotton linen in her hand and offered, "Let me..."
She sat still as he caressed each curly brown lock, drying it with reverence. A sudden gentle breeze wafted by, enveloping them from the humidity of their surrounding while eliciting goose bumps from her tanned skin.
"Honey... you're getting cold." Dropping the towel, he took off his shirt and draped it around her shoulders. She smiled at him in gratitude then leaned in and kissed him tenderly on the lips.
When she pulled away, he could see the raw desires in her eyes, making him forget everything except for what were readily displayed in her vivacious brown orbs. She grinned at him as she laid back on the beach towel and pulled him down on top of her. He dipped in for another kiss, only this time more primal as his hands explored every inch of her exposed body. As passion flared through every cell of his physical being, her body reacted to his as if by osmosis. His lips then trailed his hands to her abdomen, where he stopped and stared at the bump that had become quite prominent on her slim frame.
Sensing his sudden change in demeanor, she pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked inquiringly at him, "Gil?"
"I'm afraid that this is all but just a dream and I'm about to wake up." His voice was hoarse, full of emotions. "I don't want to wake up..."
Grissom woke up to an empty bed.
He had awakened to an empty bed many times before but on this particular afternoon, something came over him that made him uneasy. His lungs suddenly felt constricted, making his breathing harder while his heart beat faster than usual, pumping blood into lungs that seemed to refuse to expand and contract. He knew he was having another anxiety attack, one of many since Sara's kidnapping. No one knew about these episodes, not even Sara, and he would prefer it that way. She had had enough to deal with without him adding more burdens on her. Sometimes he wished he could shoulder some of her baggage but deep down, Sara was a strong woman and one with a great amount of pride, and she would not appreciate his assistance if she had thought she could cope by herself.
Grissom got out of bed and went downstairs in search of Sara. He found her sitting cross-legged on the floor by the patio door, her face aglow as the afternoon sunlight bathed it gently.
"Sara?" He asked softly, not wanting to startle her as he approached her.
Sara turned her head in his direction and greeted him in a low voice, "Hey."
He strolled up and sat down behind her, pulling her back to his chest as he hugged her tightly. "Did I miss anything interesting outside?"
She shook her head and leaned a bit more into his strong frame. "Not really. Just thinking."
"About what?" His hands sought out hers, fingers intertwined naturally.
"Everything."
"I detect a hint of regret there." His fingers rubbed lightly at the smooth gold band on her left hand, causing a soft clink as his own ring scraped against hers.
Sara looked at him in surprise as her hand came up to touch his face. "Is that what you think?"
His hand came up to capture hers. "It's what I'm afraid of." He held her wrist to his lips and gave it a lingering kiss, feeling the quickening pulse just below the fine porcelain skin. He could feel a shiver ran through her body as his teeth grazed delicately against her hand.
"You shouldn't be."
"You haven't changed your mind?" He palmed her hand flat against his stubbled jawline before letting both of their hands slide down to rest on her lap.
Sara smiled at him then. "I have waited a lifetime for this, you think I would walk away from it all now?"
"I don't know what to think anymore." He sighed, "I miss working with you. I miss us going to sleep together... I miss us waking up together... I miss us..."
"I'm still here."
"I know." He kissed her forehead. "You have been an integral part of me for so long, I sometimes forget that we're two different entities."
"Me too..." She replied quietly, turning her head to stare out the patio door once again. "Griss... I... I'm not really happy..."
He tensed at her words, waiting for his world to implode.
She felt his clenched muscles and quickly said, "No...no... not with us... I am more than happy with us... it's just... never mind..."
His body relaxed, but his heart was torn at the tone of her voice. "Honey, tell me what's bothering you."
She just shook her head and bravely put on a smile. "Just forget what I said..."
He palmed her face toward him and spoke tenderly, "... for better or for worse... in sickness and in health, to love and cherish... remember those words?"
She cast her eyes on her lap, "There were always days when I didn't want to wake up and go to work, that was normal except that there seemed to be more of those lately." Her fingers began to play with his gold band as she sighed against his chest. "I am emotionally drained with the day-to-day violence... and mentally exhausted from the office politics."
"You need a sabbatical." Grissom nodded his head in understanding.
"Something like that..." Sara said slowly, cautiously gauging her words, "...only more permanent."
Grissom was surprised by her words. He knew she had been through a lot this past year but he had never realized just how bad it had been for her. She had always been cheerful on the outside, hiding her demons behind a mask of toughness that only he could see through. For her to admit that she was tired would have meant bearing beyond her endurance.
"Is that what you really want?" He threaded carefully, not wanting her to flee back into herself.
"You don't think I should?"
"Sweetheart, this is about you... and only you know what's best for you." He replied, and meant every word. "Whatever your decision is, I want you to know that I fully support you."
"What would you say if I'd asked for your opinion?" Her voice quivered with uncertainty.
Grissom cocked a brow as he pursed his lower lip. "As a colleague or as someone who loves you?"
"Both..." Her voice was so low, it was barely audible.
"As a colleague, I would say take an extended leave. Your job is guaranteed for a year during your absence."
"And as someone..." She couldn't seem to muster the words. Apparently, she still had doubts about his feelings for her.
"... who loves you dearly and cares about your welfare?"
She nodded quietly.
"I would take an extended leave, or permanent if need be, and follow you to the end of the earth just to be with you while you sort out what's troubling you."
Her eyes sought his, surprised at the conviction in his words. "I could never ask you to leave your job. In fact, I don't want you to."
"Honey, I have an addiction. I'm addicted to sharing my thoughts and body with you. And like all addictions, once it's in your system, it's impossible to get out." He chuckled lightly before resting his chin on her right shoulder. "I find no joy in what I do knowing that you're unhappy somewhere else."
Sara remained silent, letting his words sink in. He too stayed quiet, letting her sort through her thoughts. As the noon sun slid slowly toward the opposite horizon, they took simple pleasure in just sitting within each other's embrace.
Then finally Sara spoke up, "Gil?"
"Hmm?"
"Maybe we should take one baby step at a time and not burn any bridges in the process?"
"If that's what you want."
"Yeah... that's what I want."
"What the hell is going on here?" Catherine stormed into the breakroom, startling the graveyard crew with her abrupt entrance.
"What happened?" Nick was the first to ask.
"That newbie Ronnie from swing just told me that Ecklie had just announced to swing shift that Sara had quit her job." Catherine felt indignant that Conrad Ecklie didn't even bother to tell her, a supervisor, about Sara's resignation and had let her found out the news from of all people, a brand new rookie.
"But I thought Sara and Grissom are on a month long vacation." Greg chimed in, though he was as perplexed as the others. "Shouldn't they be back yet? At least Grissom anyway?"
Catherine immediately flipped open her cell phone and punched Grissom's number on speed dial. She was taken aback by the voice on the other end. "Ecklie? Why are you answering Grissom's phone?" His explanation left her standing there in the middle of the breakroom with her proverbial jaw dropped to the floor. Hanging up, she couldn't help but cursed out loud, "Damn him to hell!"
"So what happened?" It was Warrick's turn to question her.
Catherine shook her head in disbelief and looked around at everyone, "Apparently our resident bugman had decided to take a full year of extended leave of absence and Ecklie doesn't know if he'll come back or not after that."
The room suddenly became quiet, making the humming sound of the refrigerator quite deafening.
Before anyone could put a coherent thought together, Brass sauntered in with a case file in hand. His eyes drifted around the room then he lifted his brows, "Which way is the funeral?"
Catherine narrowed her eyes at Brass, "You know anything about Grissom and Sara?"
"Besides the fact that they're married?" More proverbial jaws landed on the floor in consecutive thud, thud, thud...
Catherine was now in her full CSI mode, "Do you know where they are?"
Brass held up his arm and stared at his watch a full five nanoseconds before replying, "As of this minute, I think they are somewhere in the Amazon rain forest playing Tarzan and Jane."
"But that would make it technically Africa..." Greg just couldn't help himself. "You know, Lord Greystoke et al..."
Brass rolled his eyes at Greg before continuing, "Look, I know everyone is just as shock as I was with the news but they had had a tough year. We all need a break from time to time from the drudgery of this job. Hell, if I have someone to share my off hours with, I'd take a long sabbatical too."
"So how long have you known about this and when are you planning on telling everyone?" Catherine stared at him accusingly.
"Three months, give or take. Besides, does it make any difference if everyone knew?" Brass stared back at her, "The fact of the matter is, they have made their decision and we should respect that and be happy for them."
"We would be happy for them," Nick nodded his head at him, "but the least they could have done was saying goodbye."
Warrick just shook his head and snorted, "Grissom doesn't like goodbyes."
"Honestly, I don't think we've seen the last of them." Brass gave them his most charming, homicide-detective smile, "I pretty sure they'll drop by when we least expected it."
"It's not a dream, babe..." Sara smiled at Grissom as he pulled himself up to face her.
"I am so glad..." He grinned back at her, happiness evident in his voice. "How are we feeling today?"
"We are feeling great, thank you!"
"You look..." He scanned her face, searching for the right word to describe the glow that she had attained since they left Vegas over a month ago.
"What?" She asked softly, suddenly turning shy at his attentiveness.
"Rejuvenated..."
"Yeah, I do feel rejuvenated, but more than that, I feel like I have gotten this big piece of cinder block off my chest and I can actually breathe again." She was talking at light speed, reminding Grissom of the first time they met. "Thanks honey, for everything."
"No need to thank me. I think I need this break as much as you do." Grissom eased back onto the beach towel and stared that the moving clouds above them.
"What are we going to do now?"
Grissom just shrugged. "Whatever we want to do." He then turned to face Sara and said, "For the first time in my life, I don't really care what I'm going to do when I wake up. The only thing I care is you're in my arms when I go to bed at night and you're still in my arms when I wake up in the morning."
Her eyes became misty at his words and Grissom blamed it all on her raging hormones, though a little part of him had hoped that he was making her happy.
Her lingering doubt reared it head as she asked him quietly, "You miss home yet?"
"Honey, I am home..." Grissom reached over and pulled her into his embrace. "Here with you and our baby..."
FIN