Author: Moggie 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Epilogue - Chapter 10 After that revelation and Sara’s mother interrupting them, Grissom made Sara promise not to go anywhere. That she was to stay at the B&B while she helped her mother and he waited. Now he was standing out on the deck, looking out at the beach and the raging ocean as the sun started setting on the horizon. Andrew tapped his pipe in his palm to clean it out of burnt ash as he left the doorway to walk towards the silent man that was staring out at the view. “Quiet evening.” Andrew said causally as he pulled out his tobacco pouch. Grissom turned briefly to acknowledge the older man. “It is.” Placing some tobacco into the pipe, Andrew stood, looking at Grissom as he looked elsewhere. “What are your intentions?” Grissom glanced at the man again. “My intentions.” He stated. “Are for Sara only.” Andrew nodded silently as he tucked his tobacco pouch back into his pocket and dug out a match. He scratched it along the rail of the deck and it sparked. “We haven’t formally met.” He said after a moment, lighting his pipe and puffing between words. Shaking the match to deplete if of life, he tossed it to the floor. “Andrew Sidle. I’m Sara’s father.” Grissom reluctantly turned and held out his hand. “Gil Grissom. Sara’s boss.” Andrew chuckled. “I know. I’ve heard a lot about you over the years. Through my wife, that is.” He explained at Grissom’s odd look. “You probably know that Sara and I don’t really get on, but one of us has to be the stern one. Sue was always the relaxed parent.” “I guess Sara gets her temperament and stubbornness from her fathers side then?” Grissom sighed as soon as the words flew from his mouth, ready to apologise. “I’m sorry, it’s just-” “That’s ok.” Andrew chuckled. “I guess it’s true. She’s me in a lot of ways, but it’s a good thing she’s got more of Suzy’s traits than mine.” Puffing a few times on his pipe, Andrew looked over the horizon before turning to lean back against the rail. “Has Sara told you, or Mrs Sidle, what she’s going to do?” Grissom asked suddenly, still staring out at the ocean, his arms resting on the rail’s top and his feet cross at the ankles so he was leaning completely against the rail. Andrew shrugged, taking a few short puffs before breathing the smoke out. “She’s mentioned going back to college. I guess it’s a good thing really, she was upset though, so I’m not certain what her plans are now.” He turned his head to look at him. “She tells her mother most things. Or she’ll tell you.” Grissom sighed and steepled his fingers before lacing them and resting his chin on them. “She used to tell me lots of things, but it’s been so long since we even talked civilly.” He huffed a short laugh at the questioning look in Andrew’s eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s the perfect professional at work, but you wind up alone and it can be World War III. Sara’s not one to start an argument, but when it’s me, she’s tempted.” “And she argues with you?” Andrew asked, amused at such a thought. “I don’t think I’ve known her to pick an argument. She’s always been the quiet of the two. Her and Stewart always got on. He’s only 3 years older that she is, but it’s always Stewart that would test the boundaries of her temper.” Grissom chuckled. “Yeah, well, she’s got a temper and she can use it quite sharply when she wants to.” “Hmm… only with you, you say?” Andrew thought about this and decided it was only going to make Sara suspicious. “After what Sue told me, I’d say Sara’s got something on her mind that only you can help her with.” Though Sara and her father weren’t close, that didn’t mean her father couldn’t at least make an effort to patch years of mistakes with a few teasing words. “Like I said, that’s for only Sara to hear.” Grissom knew what Andrew was doing and felt strangely comforted by it. “Though,” He continued. “I will tell you something.” Grissom pushed back to stand tall. “I’ve got my faults and I’ve not done what I should have for a long time, but I will change that, starting now.” Andrew smirked behind his pipe as he puffed happily and watched Grissom stride off down the deck steps and onto the beach where Sara and her mother were walking a few hundred yards away. “I seem to have misjudged you Mr Grissom.” Andrew said to the dead night air. - Sue waded through the waves as her daughter walked on the sand. She caught a glimpse of her husband talking to Grissom in the dying sun and called out to Sara as she watched Grissom come down from the deck and onto the sand. “I’ll put some tea on. I’m sure you’re hungry after missing lunch.” Sue smiled at her daughter and turned to make her way back up to the B&B, passing Grissom with an encouraging smile. Standing in silence for a long time, only the sound of the waves breaking against the beach was heard. Grissom stood beside Sara as she looked out at the now darkened sky. “Can I ask you something?” His voice was nearly swallowed by the wave hitting their feet. Sara turned to see that his bare feet mingled with the wet sand and the sea water. She smiled a little at the sight. Taking her silence as a response, he asked his question. “Are you still in love with me?” He swallowed the lump in his throat as he waited for an answer. His heart was beating wildly in his chest as he felt the weight of sadness hanging over him. Sara looked down at her feet, biting her bottom lip. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep her answer buried inside her. Did she really have to say it? He had offered her love in return, but could he really do it? “Do you even know what love is Grissom?” She asked through soft tears, her eyes straying back to the ocean. His reply was full of honesty and firmness that she knew he was telling the truth. “Love?” He gasped. “I can only tell you what love is with you. What I feel, what I think, what I want…” He looked up at the sky desperately. “I know that telling you I love you isn’t half of what I feel for you.” His eyes settled on her as she turned to him. “What do you feel for me?” She choked on a whisper. He stepped closer, taking his hands to touch her face. “Love is a weak word, but it’s love all the same. There’s so much more inside me and it’s chewing me up inside because I’ve tried to tell you, but I couldn’t.” “And now?” She looked into his eyes. “With my heart and soul.” He forced. “I’ve loved you for so long.” His words were strong. “There aren’t enough words to describe it, but I can try…” He closed his eyes for a moment and smiled. “You make me feel. You make me believe in a future I thought I was too old for.” He paused and wrapped his arms around her, looking into her eyes. “Adoration. Want. Need. Joy. Happiness. Passion…” He wiped her tears away with soft fingers. “Desperation to do something!” Sara laughed a little. She shifted closer into his arms and closed her eyes against his cheek. “Then do something.” She whispered into his ear. He pulled back and smiled. “I plan to.” He whispered back, leaning down to kiss her with a passion he hadn’t known he had, except when he was around Sara. - “What about Anna?” Sara looked at him as they walked hand in hand down the beach. Grissom shrugged, trying to catch her face in the moonlight. “She knows about us. She needed someone and so did I, but I was too afraid to take what I had. We used each other, I guess.” He sighed and squeezed her hand. “Will she be in Vegas if I go back?” “No. She left the other day.” He offered her a smile. “I should thank her though.” “Why?” Sara asked with hesitation. “She’s the one that found you. I was in a panic and couldn’t find your address or anything.” He looked back at her when he realised she wasn’t walking with him anymore. “She found me? You panicked?” Sara shook her head out of the fog that had settled. She turned confused eyes to him. Grissom went to her. “I lost you. I was going to find you, but… I had to work.” It sounded so stupid. “I’m sorry Sara.” “That’s ok. It’s just a shock that your ex-wife is the one that found me.” She sighed tiredly. “I think we should head back. I need some sleep before my flight.” Grissom’s eyes grew wide. “You’re not coming back with me?” |
Links | Affiliates | Disclaimer | Help