Disclaimer: CSI belongs to Jerry B.
A/N: Nerwen and Tinuviel alone know what song Sara sung.
"Interesting song choice," Val said, breaking the silence as Sara broke through the sunlit streets.
"Thanks," Sara said, her voice void of expression. "You too."
"Was it for Grissom?"
Sara didn't answer. Val sighed.
"Look, I may be new here, but if I can pick up Grissom-Sara vibes on the first shift, I can give out advice. Right?"
"Advice? Like what?" They were nearing the Monaco.
"You're not getting any younger," Val said gently, "And neither is Grissom. I'm not saying that to be cruel or anything, but if you want something to happen, you have to MAKE it happen. Hear me?"
Sara's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Last time I asked him to have dinner with me, he said no."
"You're telling me that what happened today doesn't count for something?"
Sara looked over at Val and raised an eyebrow. "What happened today?"
Val smirked, "I'm a CSI, Sara. I notice everything." She patted her friend on the shoulder. "Take a chance, Sara. Don't let something like this pass you by." Val's smile faded, and this time she looked away. "I didn't know what I'd lost until Daniel was gone." She cleared her throat, and her hand slid down towards her stomach. Sara looked away, not sure of what to say.
To lose someone like that would be more than just tragic, she thought. Poor Val.
"Take a risk, Sara," Val said with a sad smile. "I know he loves you. I don't know how to explain it, but I can just tell. Take a dive. Don't wait until it's too late to let someone know how you feel… Look at me," she added dryly, "I'm the patron saint of a screwed relationship."
Sara nodded, though not exactly listening to Val's words. "I have to head back to the lab. Thanks for the shirt."
Val nodded and smiled back. "It's a blouse, Sara, a blouse. And thank you for taking me to the karaoke bar. I had fun." She hopped out of the SUV. "See you later!" She waved.
Sara pulled out of the hotel, her mind already set. Val smiled as she watched her friend drive off. She turned, and headed up to her room. In the quiet of the hotel room, Val sat on the end of her bed. The reflection in the mirror stared back at her. She tipped her head to the side, thoughtful, mulling over what she'd just told Sara. Take a chance. Don't wait until it's too late. Take a risk. Val bit her lip, then impulsively reached for her cell-phone. She dialled and waited.
"Hey," she greeted the person on the other end of the line uncertainly, "I was just wondering… well, if you're not busy… do you… Well, I was thinking about breakfast… somewhere? I mean, you did offer… And if it's just breakfast…"
Sara parked the SUV and headed back into the lab, hoping that Grissom would still be in his office. Her presence didn't go unnoticed by the CSI's on Day shift, but the way she purposely strode towards Grissom's office gave them no time to talk to her.
Grissom was there, but he was packing up. She'd caught him just in time. Sara took a moment to catch her breath before she knocked on the door.
"Hey Grissom." Sara leant against the doorway. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Well, I'm a little busy." He said, characteristically tilting his head to one side as he spoke. He was sorting through the massive piles of paperwork on his desk. The 'In' pile was noticeably much larger than his 'Out' pile - Catherine's absence was telling in little ways. "Will it take long?"
"Oh," Sara bit her lip, then shrugged. "Well if you're busy… I'd better be going." It was a stupid idea. I mean, it's Grissom. And he didn't even notice my shirt - blouse - until the very end, so why should he even…
"I can take a minute." Grissom put his files aside, and turned his entire attention to Sara. "What did you want to talk about?"
Sara struggled for form words. "It… It was nothing." Sara shrugged, shook her head, and turned to leave, but Val's words ran through her head. Take a risk, take a chance.
I did… once, Sara thought, as though in rebuttal, and look what happened. He said no.
So what? 'He said no'. Val's argument rolled her eyes in Sara's head. Not going to be the end of the world, girl. Just tell him, let him know you care about him already! You don't have anything to lose.
Sara took a deep breath, then turned back to face him, determination on her face. "You know what? I'll tell you."
"That's good…" Grissom gave Sara a slightly confused look. He hadn't heard the conversation in her head. "What is it?"
For a moment, Sara stood in silence. The noises in the lab died away. "I…" She bit her lip, looked around his office. "I…"
"Sara?"
She looked up at Grissom, stared at him. He wasn't wearing his glasses now - she could see his eyes. "I love you," she said, impulsively.
Grissom stared right back. 'I love you'? How could she… When she… She loves me?
A long, painful silence stretched between them. Finally, Grissom turned back to his desk and picked up his glasses. His hands shook slightly as he put them back on and resumed sorting through the papers. He kept his head down and didn't look at her.
"Aren't you going to say something?" Sara asked gently, crushed by his reaction. He looked up at her, then back down at the pile of papers. "Grissom?"
He scooped up a handful of the papers, put them under his arm, and headed past her. "I have to go." He said shortly, and headed down the corridors, walking quickly, determined to put space between him and Sara until he could figure out what to say, what to do, how to deal… It's not that he didn't want to be with her, but he just couldn't… couldn't be with her. He didn't know how to… how to say anything… so he just walked away.
Sara watched him go, her face blank. Slowly, she rested her head against the doorframe and shut her eyes.
What have I done?
Sara closed the door to her apartment behind her, put her belongings down on the floor, then started to sort through the shopping she'd left on the kitchen table. Every movement she made was mechanical, like she was deliberately trying to distract herself with mundane tasks so she wouldn't have to focus on what had just happened… or what hadn't happened.
Milk, ice-cream and other cold items she'd put away before she went to work. Now there was just cereal, instant noodles, fruit…
Dammit, Grissom, why hadn't you said anything?
With a sigh that was almost a sob, Sara gave up trying to distract herself. She snagged her phone and threw herself down on the couch. She dialled quickly, then hugged her knees to her chest and waited.
She didn't have to wait long.
"Val here."
Sara smiled, glad to hear the voice of her friend. "Val! Val, its Sara."
"Hey! I'm so glad you called!"
"Val, I have to talk…"
"Problem is, I'm out right now."
Sara's heart sank.
"So leave a message and I'll get back to you shortly. Unless, of course, you're Greg, in which case… Don't. Thanks!" Beep.
Sara forced herself to steady her breathing before she trusted herself to speak. "Ah, hey, Val. It's me, Sara. I guess you're not there," she forced a laugh, then bit her lip. "Well… call me as soon as you get this message. Please. I need to talk to you… I…" She swallowed. "I did something… incredibly stupid."
Not trusting herself to say more, Sara hung up and set her phone aside. She sat in the solid silence of her apartment for a moment, then grabbed one of the pillows on the couch. Hugging it close for the small comfort it gave, she slowly laid her tired body down. A solitary tear rolled down her cheek as she stared into space.
The End.
A/N: Many thanks to Nerwen and Tinuviel for the Geeklove dialogue and fluff - I can't do anything right without you guys! Thankyou to all my loyal fans and avid readers, for continuing on so far. Please review and give me warm and fuzzies. Yes, this is a cliff-hanger - but I'm not done with my CSI writing yet, am I? So, without further ado, I bring you some snippets from the next instalment in ICRep's CSI fanfiction!
"You're pushing my patience beyond its limits. If you want to stay on this case, you'll do what you're told!"
"You know what? You were right. You do screw everything up."
"I'm not going to lose you."
He kissed her so gently she wondered if she had imagined it. She pulled back slightly, to look into his eyes.
And then there was a shot.
BASED ON JODI PICOULT'S INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER, 'THE PACT'
… therefore, if you want surprises, don't read that book. Okay? Okay thanks n-n