Disclaimer: The shows existing characters, storylines and references are not mine.

Chapter Seven: C'mon, I'll Take You Home

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As Grissom led Sara through the building he thought about how he missed his chance. If Jim hadn't walked in he could have told her how he really felt. His hand was trembling on the small of her back. Every couple of seconds he stole a glance of her face. She seemed really frightened. Her eyes were still a little red and her mascara was a little bit smeared. She still looked absolutely stunning to him. Grissom closed his eyes for a moment as they walked through the glass doors into the Nevada sun.

As they crossed the parking lot Sara shot him a questioning look. Grissom immediately understood what it was about. "We'll pick up your car later." He told her almost whispering. Sara nodded slowly as they reached Grissom's Denali. As he guided her to the passengers' side, he considered opening the door for her for a moment but decided he shouldn't give her the feeling of being completely dependant. As she got in he gently closed the door and walked over to the drivers' side thinking about what he could say during the drive. He dismissed a conversation because he didn't think she'd want to talk right now.

He opened the door, got in and stuck the key in the ignition. He wanted to reach for his seatbelt but changed his mind. He turned to Sara and gently wiped the smudged mascara from under her eyes. Her eyes met his at the touch. She was clearly surprised by the gesture and found no regret in his eyes. "I love you so much." He thought to himself. This was so not the right time to tell her how he felt, he could but he didn't want to take advantage of the situation. Her sudden vulnerability and her fragile ness would allow her to approve the situation without her even realizing it. "God, I jut hope I'm not too late!" He thought.

During the drive Sara just stared at the road in front of her. Grissom was startled when his phone started to ring; he fidgeted in his pocket and finally found his cell phone. "Grissom." He said as a reflex as he picked up.

"Hey, Brass just called me and told me what happened. You bringing her home?" Catherine's voice asked on the other side of the line.

"Yeah." He answered.

A short silence followed. "I know about her past Griss. She opened up to me over the years. It took her five years to tell me. Take good care of her Griss. Tuck her into bed, she hasn't slept in days. Her keys are in the lamp socket on the wall next to the door." She almost whispered.

"Ok." Grissom answered. "Bye."-Click.

Sara turned to Grissom as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. "Dispatch?" She asked.

"Catherine." He stated softly. Silence followed. It didn't seem uncomfortable but necessary.

After a while Grissom glanced over to her and found out she was sleeping. Her head was resting against the window and she was hugging herself. He spotted goose bumps on her arms and turned the airco off immediately.

During the following minutes Grissom stole glances of her. She just looked so beautiful when she was asleep. Her expression was neutral, her hair was brushing her cheeks and her chest rose and fell peacefully. Suddenly her breath became more ragged and she started to tremble. With that Grissom stepped on the gas a little bit more, aware that she must be having a nightmare. Waking her up somehow didn't seem the right thing to do.

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When they finally arrived at her apartment building he took the parking spot closest to the door. When he turned to Sara he saw that she had calmed down. He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. "So beautiful" He whispered. "But then again, she always looked beautiful."

Grissom wanted to wake her up but decided to let her be. He opened the door and got out of the car, walked over to the passengers' side and opened the door cautiously. His hand immediately slipped inside to keep her from falling out of the car. When he had successfully opened the door he put his left arm around her shoulders and placed his right arm under her knees. He slowly picked her up and turned around to kick the car door closed. He already knew that Sara couldn't possibly be that heavy but was surprised by how light she actually was.

As he locked the car with the remote he walked over to the door of her apartment building. As he replaced his right hand with his right knee against the wall underneath the outside light. He stuck his right hand in the lamp socket and searched for the keys. After a minute he was finally able to grab the keys.

After he opened the door he slowly walked up the stairs, which reminded him of her weight (or the lack of it). "The first thing I'm gonna make her do is eat!" He thought seriously. As he reached the hallway of her apartment he gripped her tightly. Opening the door worked the same as finding keys in a lamp socket. After returning his arm underneath her knee he closed the door with his foot.

As he turned around he observed her apartment. The last time he was here he didn't have a chance to pay attention to her environment. It was a little more than tidy; it was clean and organized, not like the apartment of a neat freak though. As he found his way around the bar into the hallway he carried her into the bedroom.

Her bed was made and everything about the bed made it look like you could suffer a coma from it. "Why doesn't she get enough sleep? I would if I owned that bed!" He zoned as he put her down on the bed gently.

Without any doubts or thoughts he removed her sneakers, socks and jacket. Since he put her down on her side he slipped his hands under the back of her shirt and undid her bra clasp. He gently pulled her arms through the straps and removed the bra from under her shirt. He silently prayed she wouldn't mind. But hell, it wouldn't be comfortable wearing it either.

He pulled back the sheets, picked her up and carried her to the now open spot to put her down. He placed her head on the pillow, pulled the sheets over her body and brushed her hair away from her face. When her eyes fluttered open he suddenly felt very nervous.

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I know it was a little bit too much of describing but I really don't feel like leaving parts out (like stopping at the end of 'Bloodlines'). It wasn't hard writing it but typing it into my computer was boring that's why it took me so long! Next chap will be better, I promise! (Last re-edit: Saturday, 25th of August, 2007)

Written by: Kacey Cunningham ©