Before, During and After Las Vegas (GSR)

Just finished this one.

Gil Grissom's past

Gil Grissom had a very happy childhood, he was adored by his parents. He was their only child and they supported him in everything he wanted to do. He was very intelligent and loved bugs and reading. His father, a botonist, taught him all about plants and his mother, who was deaf, taught him sign language and gave him a love of literature. His world fell apart when he was 9 years old, his father died suddenly, one minute he was there the next he was gone. Nobody really told Gil what had happened, he just knew that his father had died. Gil and his mother spent a lot of time together, she taught him how to cook and to look after himself because her deafness was something, she knew, she could have passed on to him.
He decided that he wanted to be a Forensic Entomologist and gained a doctorate in the subject. He worked at several different labs but finally settled at the Las Vegas Crime Lab where he rose to become supervisor of the graveyard shift. He also did lectures and seminars all over the country. One of his favorites places to lecture was the Forensics Academy Conference in San Francisco.
He was so consumed by his bugs and his work that he was considered a loner with little or no social skills by most of the people around him. He had never been in love, he was not a virgin, he had some sexual experience, but he was not the type of person who could just have sex, he had to have some feelings for the lady.
During one of his semiars in San Francisco a very beatuiful young lady walked into the lecture hall and took the only seat available, which was at the front of the hall. He looked up and found himself staring into the most beautiful pair of dark brown eyes he had ever seen - Gil Grissom was in love.
Sara Sidle's past

Sara's childhood, in contrast the Grissom's, was very unhappy. She was brought up in an abusive household. Her mother and father fought all the time and her father physically abused her. She thought everyone lived this type of life, fights, trips to the hospital to have broken limbs plastered and cuts and bruises treated.
Sara was a very intelligent child, not that her parents noticed or seemed to care. She was at least two classes above children of her age and found schoolwork very very easy.
One day when she was 9 years old her unhappy childhood became even more so. In a fit of temper her mother stabbed her father to death and Sara was put into foster care. She stayed in care until she was 18 years old and during that time she was moved from home to home because she thought that you had to fight to get what you wanted. Her only outlet was to read and study, books became her only friend.
Sara went to college and studied physics and got her degree in that subject. For some reason she decided that a career in law enforcement was what she wanted to do. At the academy she found she had a love for forensics and decided to specialise. She liked being the voice of the victim.
Sara had never been in love. She was not a virgin, she had men before but they were just to satisfy her sexual needs.
As part of her education she had to attend the Forensics Academy Conference seminar on Entomology. She was not keen on bugs but knew she had to go. Boy was she glad she did, she walked into the lecture hall, walked to the front where the only vacant seat was, and sat. She looked up at the stage and found herself looking into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen - Sara Sidle was in love.
Gil and Sara in San Francisco

Gil and Sara spent quite a bit of time together during his time in San Francisco, they went out for coffee and the occasional meal. Neither let on how they felt about each other as they knew their time together was going to be short and, as the old adage goes, You don't miss what youv'e never had.
At the end of the seminar Grissom returned to Las Vegas and Sara returned to her job with the San Francisco Crime Lab and was promoted to a Grade3 CSI.
They both knew they would never forget their time together. Neither realised that a series of unfortunate incidents would bring them together again.
Grissom's opportunity to get Sara to Las Vegas

In the two years since San Francisco Gil and Sara exchanged the occasional e-mail and phone call and both followed each other's careers, as best as they could, and tried to get on with their own lives, without much success. They both wanted to get to know each other better but how to do it was the problem.
Grissom's opportunity to get Sara to Las Vegas came after a rookie CSI was killed while doing, what was thought to be, a
simple print job. Grissom wanted someone who was independent to investigate the circumstances so he called Sara's supervisor and asked if she could come to Las Vegas for a few days to do the investigation. He agreed and said he would speak to Sara and get back to him.
Sara was called into her supervisor's office and told what Grissom had said. It took her all her time not to run from the office and get on the next plane. She told Mr Peters that if she could be spared she would be very happy to go, after all it would be more experience for her. "OK leave it with me I will get back to Grissom and get him to call you." Sara was on cloud nine.
A few hours later her phone rang, it was Grissom. "Hi Sara, its Grissom, did your supervisor speak to you?" "Yes, he did. I would like to come and help."
They discussed the case, Grissom gave her directions to the lab and said he would see her when she arrived.

Gil and Sara in Las Vegas

Sara walks into the lab and asks for Grissom, she is told he is out on a case and given directions to his location. She stands and watches him for a few minutes as he is photographing dummies dropped from the roof. Grissom is muttering as he is photographing, Norman fell, Normas pushed, Norman jumped. He heard the voice of an angel saying 'Wouldn't you if you were married to Mrs. Roper'" Grissom stood and said 'I don't even have to turn round, Sara Sidle'" Sara, glad you could come, it's nice to see you again," Grissom says. "It was nice of you to think about me," Sara replies.
"Would you like to hang around until I have collected this evidence then we can go for a coffee and I can tell you what you need to do," Grissom tells her. To himself he says, "I know what I need to do but does she feel the same?"
Sara completes the investigation and gives her report to Grissom. "Thanks, I was really impressed at the way you tackled this, you have turned out to be an excellent CSI," Grissom tells her. "Glad I could help," Sara replies To herself she says, "I wish he would ask me to stay, but perhaps he has no feelings for me, don't be silly you know he has by the way he looks at you." "Well, I had better go back to my hotel to pack, my plane leaves in about 4 hours." Sara says unhappily.
As Sara turns to walk away Grissom takes hold of her arm, "Sara, I have an opening on my team, would you be willing to transfer. I would also like to ......." "Like to what?" Sara says hoping he will say he wants her to stay for another reason. "I would also like to get to know ... you ... better." "I want to get to know you better also, I have wanted that right from the start in San Francisco," Sara says. "I have also," Grissom tells her.
They take things slowly, they go out a few times to dinner and they have driven out to Lake Meade a few times. They enjoy being together and after a couple of months Grissom takes his courage in his hands and decides to kiss her. "I thought you would never get around to that," Sara says kissing him back.
They both know that lab policy is against inter-shift relationships so they have to be very careful. Neither of them find this very easy and soon their relationship starts to disintigrate. Gil takes Terri Miler, a forensic anthropologist out for dinner and Sara starts to go out with Hank Pettigrew, an EMT. Both of these relationships never got very far because for Grissom she was not Sara, and for Sara he was not Grissom.
Sara did not have any other boyfriends despite Catherine Willows' best efforts. Everytime she saw someone she thought suitable for Sara she pushed her to go on a date. Sara always refused. Catherine was also trying to get Grissom to date but he would always say he was too wrapped up in his work and his bugs.
During one case Grissom met Lady Heather, a dominatrix, who fascinated him. He liked her, she was very intelligent and seemed to be able to read him like nobody else could. Everyone thought Grissom stayed at her place one night but to this day, he swears he went home and returned the next morning.
Gil and Sara both realise that they want to be together and that they have to do something about it. They have to stop pussy footing around and sit down and talk. Grissom takes her out to dinner then asks if she would like to go back to his townhouse so they can talk properly. As soon as they got there they know that talking is the last thing they are going to do.
Sara stands in front of Grissom and kisses him passionately. Grissom returns the kiss with an equal amount of passion. "Is this the type of talking you mean," Sara asks him breaking from the kiss. "Yes, this and something else," Grissom says running his hands up and down her back.
He takes her hand and leads her to the sofa so they can talk. "Sara, I don't want this to be a stop start relationship, I don't want it to be a one night relationship, I want it to last forever. I love you Sara, always have and always will," Gil says very emotionally.
"I want it to last forever as well Gil, you are the only one I will ever want to be with for the rest of my life. I love you, you are my world, always have been and always will be."
Grissom raises his eyebrow and looks towards the stairs to the bedroom. "Shall we, but only if you want to."
"I want to, I have wanted too for a long time."
After they make love Sara leans up on one elbow and looks Grissom in the eye. "Gil, that was wonderful, I am glad we waited until the time was right and did not rush things."
"I wouldn't say 5 years was rushing things would you, but I know what you mean," he says pulling her down into a close embrace.
Finally lab policy is changed but they still want to keep their relationship a secret. They are both very private peoople and don't want to be the subject of lab gossip.
Their relationship goes from strength to strength and Sara moves into Grissom's townhouse. A while later they decided to buy a house together in the country. Sara loves being with Gil as much as he loves being with her. Waking up together, showering together, being together is all they want. They still manage to keep their relationship a secret which suits them both.
Their relationship is brought into the open after Sara is kidnapped by Natalie Davis and left to die in the desert. Grissom lets slip that Sara is the only woman he has ever been in love with, he does not realise what he has said until he sees the expression on the faces of the team. They did not say anything but now realise why Grissom is so obsessed with finding Sara. When Nick was kidnapped he did not act like this, yes he wanted to find Nick but this is different it is HIS Sara.
Sara is found but has a broken wrist and is severely dehydrated. She is in hospital for sometime and Grissom never leaves her side. When she comes back to work things are not the same, she cannot settle. She changes shifts to Swing, against Gil's wishes, which means they hardly see each other. Finally Sara can take it no longer, she decides to leave. She walks into the lab, kisses Grissom, goes and clears out her locker and after leaving a note for Gil, leaves.
Grissom is distraught, he wanders around the lab like a lost sheep. Oh, he does his job but he hardly leaves the lab, sleeping in his office because everything at home reminds him of Sara. He cannot sleep in their bed because she is not there. Everytime the phone rings he hopes it is her. She does eventually call him and tells him she is in San Francisco, it was not him she had left but the job. Grissom says he understands and tell her to sort things out and come back when she is ready.
Things change when Warrick is murdered. She hears about it and catches the first plane back to Las Vegas because she knows how Gil will be be feeling, after all Warrick was his favourite. She waits in his office for him, when he gets there he just takes her in his arms. The hold onto each other and both cry.
Sara stays at the house, she would not call it home anymore. She attends the funeral and goes to Warrick's place to see if she can find anything there that might give them a clue as to who the murderer is.
Sara stays for a while, she even asks Gil to go away with her because they both need a vacation and time alone to sort out their future. Gil refuses saying he has too much to do and with both her and Warrick gone they are shorthanded.
Sara cannot stay, one day when Gil is at the lab she leaves. She does not leave a note this time, she just leaves. She sends him a video message saying she is OK, that she still loves him but has to get on with her own life and she is happy. Gil knew she does not mean it, he can tell by the look in her eyes.
He goes to see Heather, the dominatrix, who is, by now, a good friend and he knows she will listen to him while he pours his heart out. Gil finds this very hard to do but he does it nevertheless. Heather does not tell him what to do, she just listens. He stays at Heather's house in the spare room and gets the first good nights sleep since Sara left. The next morning things are a lot clearer and he knows what he has to do.
Before he leaves Heather says, "I know you are going to find Sara, you two are made for each other. Just give her time. All I ask is that you let me know where you are and if either of you need to talk just get in touch." "Thank you Heather, you are a good friend, I will let you know where we are." Gil says as he leaves.
Back at the lab he sits down and writes his resignation letter and hands it to Ecklie. He says he will stay for a month to clear his office and to allow Ecklie time to recruit extra staff for the lab. He tells the team, but they are not at all surprised at his decision.
On his last day he walks through the lab saying personal goodbyes to all his team and leaves to catch his plane to Costa Rica and Sara.

After CSI

After arriving in Costa Rica Gil booked into a hotel near the research centre where he knew Sara was doing voluntary work, he did not know what her reaction would be so he wanted somewhere to escape to. The next day he set his GPS and started walking through the rain forest. After about two hours he turned a corner and saw a clearing. He stood still, before him was the most beautiful vision he had ever seen, SARA. It took him a few minutes to catch his breath and calm down. Sara heard a twig snap and slowly turned round just as Gil was taking off his backpack. They just stared at one another until Gil took two long strides and took Sara in his arms and kissed her. The kiss seemed to go on forever, finally they had to stop for breath. "Gil, you came," Sara whispered. "Yes,"
They just stand holding each other and savouring the feel, taste, smell of each other. "I finally came to my senses, I have left CSI," Gil said. "Really, you did that for me?" "Yes I did, after you left the second time I knew what a fool I had been, I knew that you were all that was important to me, not CSI, not Las Vegas, YOU."
They walk to Sara's small tent where it takes no time at all for them to strip off, fall onto the single bed and make love. Afterwards Gil, still holding her in his arms, asks, "Can you get away for a while, I have a hotel room in the town where there is a BIG BED with our name on it." "Yes, I will have to go tell the head researcher." Tell him that when we come back I will help with the research, I'm sure an extra pair of hands will be useful. It will be fun working together again." Gil tells her.
They spend a very happy week in the town, well not exactly the town just the bedroom. They talk and talk, about what happened in Las Vegas, what they want to do with the rest of their lives, where they want to live.
On their last day in the hotel Gil says to Sara, "Do you remember the question I asked you back in Vegas?" "You mean when you asked me to marry you. I seem to remember my answer was YES," Sara says hoping that was what he meant. "Yes, that question, what I want to know is does your answer still stand, do you still want to marry me?" "Yes and yes," Sara says flinging her arms round his neck. They spent the next hour discussing when and where the wedding would take place.
"How long are you here for?" Gil says taking her hand. "6 more weeks, why?" "What do you think about doing the six weeks then going back to Las Vegas to get married. You know the gang would never forgive us if we didn't invite them, I think we owe them that much." "I agree, the way I left, twice, was not a very nice thing for me to do, we do owe them an explanation."
Gil and Sara worked the six weeks and left to return to Las Vegas for their wedding. Gil has e-mailed Cath telling her of their plans and asking her to tell the others. Cath e-mailed back saying they would all attend the wedding when the arrangements were made.
Two days after Gil and Sara arrived back in Las Vegas they were married in a civil ceremony. Cath had arranged for a party to be held in one of Sam's hotels and the gang presented them with a 10 day honeymoon in San Francisco, where it all started.
After their honeymoon they decided that they would both like to teach. Gil wanted to teach entomology and Sara wanted to teach physics. The only problem was finding a college where they could both work. Neither wanted to work in a big city, they much preferred the country.
Gil found a college in a small town not far from Boston that wanted to recruit a Professor of Entomology and he applied. Sara applied to a different college in the same town. They were both granted interviews and made arrangements to fly there. They gave themselves plenty of time so they could look around the town to see if they would be happy there. They also wanted to look at property that was available.
The town was lovely, it had everything they wanted, lush green parks, nice areas to live, good shopping, not that they did much shopping. The colleges were small but had very good reputations.
They both attended their interviews and we both offered the jobs. After talking it over they both decided to accept and were told they could start at the beginning of September. They had two months to settle things in Las Vegas and find somewhere to live.
They found a beautiful house about 10 miles out of town, it was very much like their old house in Las Vegas. It was in the country, which they both loved, and did not really need any work doing to it before they moved in. They knew Ali, their dog, would love it too.
Two years later they are still teaching at the same colleges, their students love being taught by them as they can bring their crime scene training into their lessons which gives a different slant on the subjects they are teaching. Sara has taken sometime off for the birth of their first child, a son called Alan, but has returned to teaching part-time. She is now pregnant with their second child, a daughter, and both her and Gil have decided that she will stay at home and look after the children after the birth.
They go back to Las Vegas once a year to see the old gang and for the children to see their 'aunts and uncles' but never want to go back there to live.
They often sit and talk about how they met and how long it took them to realise their love for each other. They are more in love now than they have ever been and each year this love grews.
They are both glad that they had to attend the Forensic Academy Conference in San Francisco all those years ago.

The End