Strings

By: Manigault

(2 of 2)

Note: Thanks for reading this! And, thank you to PurplePopple for pointing out that Sophia's name wasn't spelled correctly. :0). I've corrected it. I appreciate your letting me know because otherwise I wouldn't have caught it.

Thanks also for all your comments.

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Sara terrified him. No, Grissom shook his head as stared at the invitation to teach at Williams College. It wasn't Sara that terrifed him, but what she was doing to his carefully installed internal alarm system. She was trespassing into the territory of his heart and it scared him. Back track. Get away so that he could clear his head and focus on what he'd built so diligently over the years.

Escape the easy pattern that had been established between them month after month until he'd found himself in the first long term serious relationship of his life. The image of the supposed miniature killer exploding on camera before him was the excuse he needed to make this escape and leave for a short time. Time to get his mind focused and shake away the cobwebs that had been collecting with each new day.

Although the image of Ernie Dell was disturbing in and of itself, when combined with the many horrors he'd been part of over the years, it was enough to make him want to run to the furtherst part of the world and hide. However, it wasn't the deciding factor that made him take that position and fail to discuss it with Sara. The deciding factor had occurred the night after seeing that horrendous image when he'd been in such an internal funk the only salve he could find was seeing Sara's face.

"He had a cup of tea and then casually just shot himself." He'd said, his voice shaking while a tight knot twisted his insides.

Sara cupped each side of his face in her hands and stood between his knees as she locked eyes with him. "It'll be okay. You will be okay."

And it was better with those words of assurance from Sara. It terrified him and he made a decision that day. In fact when it came time to inform her of his decision he'd matter of factly told her what he was going to do and waited for the sense of satisfaction to sweep over him as he asserted that he was still independent.

Sadness.

That was the best way to describe the reaction that greeted him as he made the announcement and watched Sara's face alter from anticipation to uncertainty. Her head dropped and she nodded as if accepting that he had done what she'd expected him to eventually do.

Denial.

He pushed away the hurt and sadness in her eyes and refused to examine his own emotions too closely. "I'll miss you." He fumbled over the words and resisted the urge to enfold her in his arms and ask her to come with him. He needed to be alone in order to ascertain that he could be alone.

No strings attached.

He repeated that over and over as he watched the stubble on his chin turn to scruff and his thoughts drifted more and more to Sara. What was she doing. Was she eating. Sleeping. Was she working overtime and did she miss him as much as he found that he was missing her and everything about her from her expressive eyes to her exploring big toe that often teased its way along his leg first thing in the morning.

Besotted.

He decided that was the only word for it as he pulled out a pen and paper and began writing a love letter only to hesitate when it came time to mail it. If he gave her this letter would he be admitting that she owned part of him that he didn't know how to reclaim? He couldn't permit that admission so he stuck it in the book of sonnets and looked forward to going home.

There was a part of him that feared what he would find when he returned home, that she would avoid him. He flitted around various crime scenes, searching for her, searching for answers to his worst fear. It wasn't until he spied her from the corner of his eye zipping past, looking sexy as ever in a jump suit, that his uneasiness faded and all he could see was her face as he sprinted out into the hall and called out as he pulled his glasses from his face.

Beautiful.

Her smile melted his heart and he wanted to close the distance between them and take her in his arms and show her how much he'd missed her when he was away. She backed up as he advanced, but the smile on her face spoke volumes.

"I'll see you later."

"Yes, you will." She'd said with a smile that thrilled him.

Their reunion was bitter sweet. She ran her fingers over the scruff that he'd grown and smiled tenderly as he pulled her close to him. He pretended not to notice the sadness that was still there, settled in the back of her eyes in a place that he yearned to reach and felt with certainty that he'd contributed to building.

It was strange how close they were and yet how they avoided speaking of those feelings that stirred beneath the surface of everything their lives now existed on.

"Do you trust me?"

"Intimately"

He did trust her. That was never the problem and they both knew it. He could have made a simple assertion that he trusted her completely but it wasn't deep enough to describe what he felt for her without divulging too much of himself.

Bruno.

He'd brought her a puppy as a silent way of giving her a committment that he still couldn't understand himself. A tie that was something tangible and full of promise that neither one could speak aloud.

Strings.

"There's something different about this." Catherine said, her worried eyes taking in the team of anxious investigators.

"There is something different," he said as realization assaulted him with a suddeness that stunned him.

Strings.

The End.