Title: No Other Place
Author: IrishDachsie
Rating: I’m going to say...PG-13 for brief instances of adult language. PG-13? Yeah...scary, huh?
Disclaimer: I own nothing dealing with CSI and I am making absolutely NO money from this...
No Other Place
He stood in silence, confusion and frustration etched on his face, as he watched Typhoon Sara storm out of his office and down the hall. What the hell did I do this time? He sat on the edge of his desk and took a deep breath, replaying the last few moments of the conversation in his head.
“Why do you always have to be so stubborn?”
“What?”
“Why can’t you just admit it?”
“Admit what, Sara?”
“Are you going to answer each of my questions with a question of your own?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Dear God Grissom! You...are...”
“I’m what? What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing...just...NOTHING!”
He rubbed the back of his neck and pushed himself from his desk. Fuck it...I’m going home. He jerked his briefcase from the chair and quickly walked through the door, slamming it shut behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why do you do this to yourself, Sara? Just let the bastard go. She slammed her front door shut and walked to the stereo. She punched the power button and made her way to the couch, sitting down in a huff.
Let the bastard go...yeah. Easier said than done. Hard to let someone you love go. She fought back the tears welling inside and picked up the stack of mail she had brought in with her.
Hearing a familiar tune, she grabbed the stereo remote and turned up the volume a bit. She leaned heavily into the soft cushions of the couch and closed her eyes. You really shouldn’t listen to this song, you know that...
She sighed heavily as the lyrics spilled into the room.
Counted the stars on the fourth of July
Wishing they were rockets bursting in the sky
Talking about redemption and leaving things behind
As the sun sank west of the Mendocino County Line...
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He drove down the street lost in his thoughts. He turned the radio on only after he nearly ran a red light. Pay attention, Gil...you’re going to kill someone. He glanced down at the display on the dashboard. 95.5? Jesus...has Nick been in here again?
He reached down to switch the station when the man’s words brought him to a sudden stop.
I have these pictures and I keep these photographs
To remind me of a time...
He thought back to all of the mementos that he had stored away in various places in his townhouse. His desk drawer, the top of his bedroom closet...that one special picture he had stashed away in his nightstand.
I used to make you happy once upon a time
But the sun sank west of the Mendocino County Line...
I don’t talk to you too much these days
I just thank the Lord pictures don’t fade
I spent time with an angel just passing through
Now all that’s left is this image of you...
He slammed on the brakes as the words hit him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She sat quietly as the song faded into another. And another followed that one. No wonder I don’t listen to country music often...it’s depressing as hell. She grabbed the remote and hit the button preset to the frequency of a calming soft rock station.
She smiled lightly and rose to her feet. Walking to the window, she sighed as she noticed the rain clouds moving in. Dark clouds...won’t be long. A few drops of water splashed against the window pane. See?
Shaking her head, she moved away from the window and walked into the kitchen. A soft knock on her door interrupted her salad-making process. Hmm...mailman must’ve left some mail at Ms. Salyer’s again...
She opened the door to find Grissom standing there, rainwater dripping from his hair and clothes. Startled, she just stared at him for a moment.
“Sara...”
Her name coming from his lips broke her trance. “Grissom...what are you doing here?”
He nervously ran his hand through his wet curls and shrugged his shoulders lightly. “I...wanted to talk to you...”
She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him. “About?”
“You. Me. Us. This.”
She took a deep breath and looked at the soaking wet man standing on her doorstep. “Get in here...you’re wet...”
He gave her a small smile and crossed the threshold. He stood directly in front of her, a small puddle of water at his feet.
She motioned towards the couch. “Wanna sit down?”
He shook his head slowly. “No...I...uh...I’m getting enough water on your floor...”
She chuckled lightly. Her chuckle ended abruptly as she caught his gaze. “So...us?”
He took a deep breath and began to speak quickly. She was able to conceal her slight amusement at his nervousness.
“Sara, I don’t know what to do...about this...us...I. I just don’t know. Everything I do seems to be wrong...everything I say comes out in the wrong way...all I do is upset you or make you angry. And...all I want to do is...”
His voice trailed off, the silence coming almost as quickly as the rambling had started.
“All you want to do is...what?”
The soft music playing in the background suddenly became quite obvious to both of them as their voices refused to work.
Just hold on to that feeling
We both know we’ve been here before
We both know what can happen...
Their eyes locked and the feelings he had been holding deep within his heart were suddenly right there before her. She took a deep breath and prayed that she wasn’t misreading what she saw in his eyes.
“All you want to do is what, Grissom?”
Hold on my heart
Throw me a lifeline
I’ll keep a place for you
Somewhere deep inside...
He tilted his head slightly as his eyes bored into hers. A small drop of water rolled down the side of his neck. He hesitantly took a step towards her. Her breath caught in her chest as his fingers gently touched her face.
“What do I want to do?”
She managed a nod.
‘Cause there has never been a time
That I wanted something more...
“Make you happy...that’s all I want...”
She leaned into his trembling hand and closed her eyes. “It wouldn’t be that hard to do, Griss...”
He took another step closer to her and whispered softly in her ear. “I’m sorry.”
Her eyes snapped open. NO! He is NOT going to do this to me again!
His other hand rested lightly on her hip. “I’m sorry for being so...obtuse.”
She released the breath she had been holding and looked into his eyes. “Where...where do we go from here?”
Just hold on my heart
Hold on my heart...
The song faded into oblivion as he leaned into her and brushed his lips against hers. “Well...we both have a long weekend next week...”
“Mmm...yeah?”
“And...California Suite debuts at the Gualala Arts Center Theater that weekend...if you’d like to go with me...for the weekend...”
She looked at him in bewilderment. “Gualala?”
“Yeah...”
“Gualala, California?”
He nodded slowly. “Yes...”
“Mendocino County?” A small smile played at her lips.
He placed another kiss on her lips and pulled her close against his chest. “Yes...will you?”
She sighed as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder, not caring about the fact that his clothes were saturated with rainwater.
“I can think of no other place I’d rather be...”
He smiled broadly and ran his fingers through her hair. “Me either Sara...no other place in the world...”
He shivered lightly as her air conditioning unit kicked on. She smiled at him as she pulled away from him.
“Come on...we need to get you out of these wet clothes before you catch a cold...”
He blushed lightly. “I...uh...I don’t have a change of clothes in the Tahoe...I’ll...I’ll just head home...”
Taking his hand, she led him down the hall. “No...stay here...”
“Are you sure? I mean...well...”
“Please...stay. Unless...you have somewhere else to be, that is...”
He grinned and shook his head. “No...there’s no place I’d rather be...”
She returned his grin as she closed the bedroom door behind them.
The rain continued to pelt the ground outside. They took no notice.