Disclaimer - I own everything. No. Wait. I own NOTHING! Not the show, not the characters, not the song used in this chapter! It's "You can still be free" by Savage Garden.

A/N - This is my take on how Sara and Grissom got together, and how their relationship progressed. Due to bad planning on my part, I ended up testing 4 classes in one day. This story is a result of my boredom during this time. I outlined the story during the first test, but spent the other 3 periods marking the previous classes tests (I hate work over the weekend more than the kids do). I am working on more chapters, and will post when I'm happy with them.

A/N 2 - I'm Scottish - so use different spellings for some words than American's. Sorry if that throws you. Also I apologise now incase I throw in any Scottish/British sayings.

Spoliers - At the moment, I'm focusing on key moments in their relationship, so anything up to the end of series 6 is fair game. It may go into Series 7, but I'll warn you before it does!

Enjoy!

Ever since Nick had been kidnapped, and subsequently rescued, the newly reunited graveyard shift team had made a point of weekly breakfasts. Every Monday, the team would meet at a restaurant chosen by someone, and discuss anything and everything, often about work, but increasingly about anything but work. The team relished the opportunity to unwind, and took their chances to find out more about each other.

Grissom was really making an effort with these breakfasts. He understood the team’s need to bond, and he was also trying to figure out a way to speak to Sara. He had heard her warning two years ago, that when he finally figured out what to do about ‘this’ he might be too late. He still hadn’t figured it out, but he hadn’t seen Sara with anyone recently.

The next team breakfast, Grissom was a few minutes late to the restaurant. As he walked over to the table, he noted that he wasn’t the last one to arrive. Sara was still absent.

“Where’s Sara? She should have been here first today, she was off last night!” Grissom asked Greg. He knew that Greg and Sara were close, and had grown closer over the past year as Sara had mentored Greg out in the field. It was no secret that Greg had had a crush on Sara at first, or for a couple of years, depending on who you asked. But since he had been working beside Sara, they had become like brother and sister.

“She had plans last night,” Greg replied “She said to make her apologies, and promised she would be here next Monday”. Greg didn’t want to go into anymore details. The others tried to get more information out of him but Greg wasn’t for budging.

After breakfast, Grissom quickly made his excuses and headed out home. He was a little shocked, what could be so important that Sara would miss a team breakfast? She had been the one who had suggested them, alongside Nick, a couple months ago. Sara had still never forgotten the case from a few years ago. Donna Marks, who had been an almost recluse, no social life, minimal interactions with people. Having made an effort at first with Hank, she had found it harder after finding out what a jerk he was. It was either something important… or maybe he was too late. As he slid into his Denali, Grissom turned the radio on, to try to block out his thoughts. As the next song started, Grissom realised that blocking out his thoughts was going to be the last thing that he would be able to do.

Cool breeze and autumn leaves
Slow motion daylight
A lone pair of watchful eyes
Oversee the living
Feel the presence all around
A tortured soul
A wound unhealing
No regrets or promises
The past is gone
But you can still be free
If time will set you free

Keep moving way up high
You see the light
It shines forever
Sail through the crimson skies
The purest light
The light that sets you free
If time will set you free

Sail through the wind and rain tonight
You're free to fly tonight
And you can still be free
If time will set you free
And going higher than the mountain tops
And go high like the wind don't stop
And go high
Free to fly tonight
Free to fly tonight

Sara cancelled breakfast with the team. Maybe she’s sick! But what if she isn’t? I think I know what to do now. What if I’m too late? What if she had a date last night? What if the reason she didn’t come tonight was she had stayed over? She has seemed distracted this past week, maybe she’s been thinking about a guy.

Grissom decided he had to find out for himself, so he pulled up outside her apartment. As he walked up the stairs, he flashed back to the last time he came here. Sara had just been suspended, she had distanced herself from a few members of the team, and had finally confessed about her past. Luckily, Catherine and Sara had made up since then, but Ecklie still believed Sara to be “a loose cannon with a gun.”

Knocking on the door, Grissom felt his worse fears were coming true when no one answered. He had tried to tell himself since she hadn’t shown up that she was a little under the weather, and would be, well annoyed, but happy deep down that Grissom had decided to show up. But as he knocked again, and didn’t get a reply, he started to doubt this.

Grissom turned away from Sara’s door, and headed to the elevators. As he reached out to push the button, the doors opened and Sara walked out.

“Gris, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you still be at breakfast?” Sara enquired.

“You weren’t there, so I came to see how you are.” Grissom replied.

“Well…” Sara took a deep breath. “You’re probably going to find out about this sooner or later, and I suppose it would be better if you heard it from me. Come on in.”

Sara opened the door, and walked in, leaving Grissom to follow her. She took another deep breath. “Do you want something to drink?” she shouted over her shoulder as she heard the door close. “I guess. Whatever you’re having will be fine.”

Grissom settled down on the sofa, and Sara joined him, handing him a beer. “I know,” Sara pre-empted any looks or questions, “but after the day and night I’ve had, I need this. And once you hear what I’m about to say, you’ll need that.” Sara took a long sip from her bottle. Grissom took a small drink, and looked at Sara. She looked so focused, and he knew that she would start speaking when she was ready.

“Yesterday morning I caught the first flight to San Fran,” Sara started. “My mum had her parole hearing, and I was sure she was getting out. I got a phone call from her lawyer last week asking me to go and speak on her behalf, explain what had happened that night, since I never got to do it before.”

“Why? Did you not testify at the first trial?” Grissom wondered.

“I didn’t get asked to. She admitted that she had killed him, and didn’t put in much of a defence. Her lawyer argued domestic abuse, but she refused to allow me into the courtroom. She didn’t help her case when she replied during her questioning that she was ‘glad she killed him, and would do it again’. The judge felt that she did have a case for self defence, or she would have had she stopped after stabbing him once. But 11 times is not self defence. So he gave her life, instead of the death penalty.”

“Oh!”

“Well, now I’m old enough to make my own decisions, I decided to go and speak on her behalf. She never told anyone the extent of my father’s beatings, she was always too ashamed. But she’s suffered long enough. I wanted people to know that she was afraid when she stabbed him. Once wouldn’t have been enough. The last time he went for her with a knife, she ended up in surgery with a punctured lung. But that night, as he came for her, she got another knife off of the unit, and stabbed him. She needed to make sure he was dead. It was her or him! Anyway, the parole board decided in her favour. She was released. She has a friend who agreed she could stay with her, so I helped her settle, and got a flight back this morning. I’ve said I’ll visit, but she needs to get a new life, she deserves to be happy so I’ve said I’ll wait for a while.”

Grissom just sat and listened. He knew that Sara had been through more as a child than most in their whole life. He had long respected her as a criminalist, and his respect for her as a person grew everyday.

After getting things off her chest, Sara and Grissom chatted about the gossip she had missed from breakfast. Nick had asked out the new lab tech, Wendy out a couple weeks ago, and apparently they were both smitten with each other. Catherine had finally come to terms with Warrick’s marriage, and Greg had managed to get tickets to some rock festival he had been trying to get for a week. Got a bargain off a web auction site.

As the conversation finally started to wind down, Grissom stood as though to leave. And then quickly sat down to face Sara.

“Doyouwanttohavedinnerwithmetonight?” Grissom felt his face blushing. Why is it so hard to ask her? I haven’t been this nervous asking someone out since I was in college.

“Excuse me?” Sara tried to hide her smile. She thought she knew what he had said. But she wanted him to say it again, slowly, so she could be sure.

“Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?” Grissom asked again, a little more confidently. Sara hadn’t hid her smile as well as she thought she had.

“Why are you asking me now?” Sara wanted to say yes, but at the same time, wanted to be sure he wasn’t only asking because of what she’d done over the past day.

“Look Sara,” Grissom started. “You asked me for dinner two years ago, and I said no. You told me I might be too late when I figured out what to do. But I kind of did know what to do, as much as I ever will. The timing was against us, I had just scheduled surgery on my ear. But, after what happened with Nick, I’ve been thinking. I’m no good in relationships. I may never be 100 confident that I know what to do. But if you are willing to take a chance on me, I’d really like to see what happens between us.”

“I think I had guessed about the ears,” Sara replied “Since you had some problems hearing people, and spent a lot of time staring at people’s lips when they spoke. Then you came back after taking a short vacation, and everything seemed fine. I didn’t want to push again, because I didn’t know how I would cope if I was rejected again.

“But you could never be too late Grissom. I’m no good in relationships either, and I want to know what could happen. I’m not going to say it didn’t hurt when you said no, but I’m not going to let that stop us. Let’s just take things a day at a time just now.”

“Sound’s like a plan. I’m sorry that I’ve hurt you before, and I will try not to do it again.

“We both have to work tonight. How about I go home so we can both get some rest, and I’ll pick you up at 6, and I’ll take you to dinner before shift? It can be our first date!” Grissom hoped Sara would agree.

“Look, until we figure this out, I’d rather not tell anyone, you know what the rumour mill is like at the lab.” Sara answered. “Maybe it would be better for us to meet at the restaurant, and take our own cars in. Me not being early for shift will start the tongues wagging, but showing up on time, with you. I don’t think I can handle everyone staring, trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“I agree.” Grissom hadn’t thought of that. Marjorie Wescott had tried to use their relationship against a case before. And there hadn’t been a relationship at that point. Until they were sure what could happen between them, maybe it was a good idea to keep quiet.

“Well, let’s meet at Olive’s at the Bellagio at 6.30” Grissom suggested. As Sara agreed, Grissom stood up to leave. As he got to the door, he turned around to say goodbye, but found Sara to be closer than he thought. What the hell, Grissom leaned forward, and brushed Sara’s lips with his own.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

As Grissom left the apartment, Sara closed the door, and leant against it. She was sure she would fall down without something to support herself. So it’s true. Stop chasing, and they’ll find you!

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