Title:                  Truth or Dare

 

Author:               Ann  

        

Rating:               PG-13

 

Keywords:         Angst, GSR, Language, Sexual content, S/Other, Violence.

 

Spoilers:             A few for TAIE.   

 

Summary:          The CSIs play Truth or Dare.  G/S.  Nicky has a little fun with the Geeks!  

 

Disclaimer:        I don’t own the characters. Wish I did, but don’t. ‘Nuff said.

 

Archive:             Only with the author’s express permission.

 

AN:                     This is my second stab at fan fiction, but the first one I’ve ever posted. I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be, and I now have the greatest deal of respect for all of you writers out there. I’m really nervous about posting this (scared to death, actually!), but I would appreciate any feedback you’re willing to give – positive OR negative. I would also like to thank Allison for encouraging me to do this and for being a wonderful inspiration – so, THANKS, Allison – you’re a wonderful writer and friend! And to everyone at the G/S boards: You guys are great! One of the highlights of my day is listening to your opinions. Thanks for making me feel like a part of the group. This is for you (don’t get too excited, you haven’t read it yet!).

 

Return to A Beautiful Game

 

~~~

 

 

“Damn, that was some case.” Nick was the first to speak as the five CSIs all slowly gathered into the break room. “One homicide is bad, but seven? And at the same scene.”

Warrick nodded his head, as he slouched down into the chair. “No doubt. That kind of emotionally drains you, doesn’t it? We try our damnedest to be all science, but when an entire family gets killed over a senseless robbery, it’s a little hard to keep your emotions in check.”

“Yes, it is.” Gil answered, grabbing a bottle of water, while stealing a glace at Sara. How’s she dealing with this? Does she still think that I’m unfeeling?

 

“You all did a great job tonight, though, under the circumstances. You didn’t lose your heads – that’s very easy to do. I thank you for that.”

Catherine turned around from pouring herself a cup of coffee. “We did it for the victims – the parents...” She paused. “...and the innocent children.” She was still visibly upset, as she tried to shake the thoughts of her own child lying in a pool of blood out of her head.

Warrick noticed her uneasiness, pushed himself up out of the chair, walked over to pour his own cup of coffee. “Go home, Cat. See Lindsey. You’ll feel better.”

“She’s at Eddie’s this weekend. I don’t want to ruin all of her fun by running over there and hugging all over her and being ‘mushy’ as she calls it.” She chuckled lightly at the thought of Lindsey hastily wiping lipstick off of her cheeks after Catherine covered her with kisses.

Nick stretched his arms above his head and twisted his neck a few times, attempting to relieve some tension. A few minutes later, after a quick surveying of the room, he questioned, “Where are Grissom and Sara?”

“I’m down here.” Sara was positioned, back to the wall, on the floor across the room – almost out of his vision. “And Gris just said he’d be right back.”

“Did he? I must just filter him out nowadays.” He let out a hearty laugh. Sara smiled. “Whatcha doing on the floor anyway? You’ve been awfully quiet tonight – very unlike you – are you sick?” He laughed yet again.

“Shut up, Nicky. I’ve just been thinking.”

“About Hank? Or Grissom?” The room was suddenly very still. Catherine and Warrick had stopped their idle chitchat, having overheard what Nick had asked. And Sara was giving him a stare that made him want to run out the nearest exit and not look back. “Uh, did I say that out loud?” he giggled nervously.

He didn’t know, did he? Sara was nervously thinking to herself. No. Hank wouldn’t have told. He doesn’t even know Nicky that well. Oh, God, please don’t let this get any more complicated. I just want to go home. Just want to think…sleep… die… just want to curl up and die! This cannot get any worse!

“Say what out loud, Nick?” Grissom walked back into the room, eyeing Nick, Catherine, and Warrick, wondering what had caused the eerie silence. Just as he was wondering where Sara was and if she knew what was wrong in the room, he silently got his answer. She had now stood up, from previously out of his view. She was eyeing Nick, with, what he could only describe as a combination of anger and trepidation, in her eyes. He scanned his CSIs once again, before he asked, “What’s going on?”

“Uh, nothing Boss. I was just asking Warrick, Cat, and Sara here if they maybe wanted to go hang out and do something. It’s been awhile since we’ve all done something together and I thought that today would be a good day to…I don’t know…just relax a bit. Keep our minds off of work for a few hours.” Warrick and Catherine looked at Sara, then back at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

“Oh.” Grissom was sure that he hadn’t received the whole story, but decided that he probably shouldn’t push the issue. If they had wanted him to know, they would have told him. Right?

 

“Well, you guys have fun.” He looked at Sara again, hoping maybe her eyes would give away what was going on…she wouldn’t make contact with his, though. She’s avoiding me. Did I do something wrong? Were they talking about me? What could I have done? Think Gil, think. I know this was a horrible case and it’s affecting everyone, but maybe she’s having some deeper problems with it. Should I talk to her about it? No, no, no! You’ll just upset her like you always do. Damn it…

His thoughts were interrupted by Warrick chiming in, “No way, Gris…if we hang out, you’ve gotta come with us.”

He stammered for a minute, “I…I don’t know.” If I go with them, I can talk to her…to Sara… make sure that she’s o.k. But, what if it is me that’s upset her? Then I’d just end up ruining her night.

“Oh, come on, you’re going!” And with that Catherine had grabbed Sara by the arm, afraid that she would try to make a quick exit, and pushed Gil out of the breakroom.

“Where are we going?” Grissom was trying to keep up with the force Catherine was still emitting on his back, while swiftly walking towards the main exit.

“Your place.”

“Wha–?”

“Nick, Warrick, you coming?” Catherine called behind her.

“Yes ma’am!” Nick quickened his pace to catch up with the rest of the gang. Thank you Catherine. Sara won’t dare kill me with Grissom around! He grinned to himself. I’m safe…for now.

~~~

“I still don’t understand why we’re here.” Grissom unlocked his front door and held it open for the others to enter. Sara was the last one through the door and he barely resisted the urge to pull her back outside with him, forcing her to tell him what was on her mind. She was now standing in his home, still refusing to acknowledge his presence – or anyone’s for that matter. She looked around for a moment, acquainting herself with her surroundings, and moved over to sit on the couch.

“Your place is roomier, Gil,” Catherine replied, while moving to the refrigerator – making herself at home – and pouring herself a drink.

“Are we playing ‘Twister’?” he asked dryly. “Why do we need room?”

Warrick and Nick couldn’t hold their laughter at bay for long. Sara, whose head was lying on the back of the couch, even smiled.

“Actually, Gil, I hadn’t thought about that – want me to run out and buy it really quick?” Catherine added sarcastically. “Might be fun.”

“That’s quite alright.”

“I was seriously thinking something more along the lines of a board game, maybe…how about Monopoly?”

Grissom just stared, blankly, and shook his head. “Don’t have it.”

“How about Scrabble?” Nick suggested. “You’ve gotta have that.”

“It’s missing too many pieces for this many of us to play.”

“Damn.” Warrick grinned slyly.  “What about a friendly game of Poker?”

“Oh, no you don’t. I suck at cards, plus you both have an unfair advantage,” Catherine nodded her head towards both Grissom and Warrick.

Grissom looked at Warrick through questioning eyes. “Hey Gris, I thought it was too cool that you used to play cards – I had to tell somebody. I didn’t think you’d mind if I told them.” Grissom just raised an eyebrow and shrugged it off.

“We almost didn’t believe him. Just too weird to picture.” Nicky ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.  “So, anyway, what are we gonna do? Hey Sara, got any ideas?”

Without looking up, she nonchalantly replied, “To tell you the truth, Nicky, I don’t care what we do.”

Nicky squealed excitedly. “Truth…ah ha, that’s it! Truth or Dare – we can play that! Great idea, Sara.”

Sara suddenly sat straight up on the couch, glaring at him. “I hope you’re kidding.”

“Me too.” Gil followed her words quickly. He finally caught her eyes with his own. Not wanting to let them go, but still unsure of what to do, he just smiled slightly. Still upset, but unable to refuse his smile, she returned a quick one of her own, and then turned her eyes to a now speaking Catherine.

“Come on, you guys – this might be fun. Eh, Warrick?”

“I’m in. I haven’t done this since high school.”

Nicky was still excited, but tried to ignore the looks that Sara was giving him. She IS pissed! Oh well, I’m already in trouble with her, it can’t get any worse…this could be SO fun, though. And Grissom can’t fire me over a game of ‘Truth or Dare’…can he? Nah.

Catherine was setting a series of drinks on the small table in front of Grissom’s sofa. “Everybody grab a drink and sit down.”

Sara, still wondering how she got into this situation, slid down off of the couch and onto the floor in front of the table, grabbing a drink. Before she knew it, Grissom had sat down and maneuvered so that he was sitting next to her. He stretched to grab two drinks from the other side of the table, sliding one to her – without making eye contact – and taking a long gulp of his own. They weren’t touching, even though she thought about what it would feel like if they were. She could feel the pressure of his arm on the couch cushion behind her, knowing that if he moved it about 3 inches forward, it would be resting on her shoulder. Sara winced as Hank’s words from earlier in the evening echoed through her ears:  You want him to touch you, Sara. I can see it every time you look at him.   She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and shook her head slightly, willing the memory from her mind. Looking around, she noticed that everyone was now seated around the table, Warrick and Catherine across from her and Grissom, and Nicky sitting on the corner closest to Catherine.

“Now that everybody’s settled, who wants to start?” Nicky was still grinning from ear to ear, something that was not lost on Sara.

What is he up to? He wouldn’t…relax, Sara, Nick’s your friend. She made eye contact with him for a moment, shaking her head “no” at the sly look crossing his features. He broke the contact and rubbed his hands together. He would…

“Well, since everyone’s biting their tongues, I guess I’ll ask first…Sara, truth or dare?” Nick could see Sara’s eyes squeeze shut when he revealed her as his first ‘victim’ of questioning. Somehow she knew it was coming, but she assumed the best about Nicky until that final moment. . .

“There’s no way I’m going first. I didn’t even want to play in the first place.” I’m going to kill him.

“You’ve got to. Come on, Sara, truth or dare…I’ll be gentle.”

“Fine, Nick. Truth. Get it over with.” In the middle of thinking of the most torturous death she could put Nick through, Sara felt Grissom’s hand give her shoulder a light squeeze, before moving back to its original position a few inches away. Did I imagine that?

“Give me a second to think.” Nick furrowed his brow in concentration.

“Five seconds or I quit.”

“Alright, alright. So, how far have you and Hank…you know…gone?” It slipped out before he could think of the repercussions. I’m dead.

“Wha–?” She couldn’t speak. Suddenly she angrily spit out, “What the hell, Nick – that’s none of your business!” She suddenly felt Grissom’s arm move from its place behind her and come to rest in his own lap. He cleared his throat and attempted to focus on something on the other side of the room. God, he thinks I’m a liar. I could see it in his eyes when Gerard implied I had a ‘relationship’ with Hank. And I bet if I could see his eyes now, I would see that same look. I have to say something…the truth…

 

“Look, Hank and I are not, nor have we ever been, in a relationship.” She rambled on, mainly for her own peace of mind. “We don’t kiss, we don’t hold hands – never anything romantic. We go to movies – go out to eat…”  Her voice trailed off and in a whisper she stated, “…and we aren’t even going to do that anymore.”

 

In that instant Grissom’s eyes shot to hers. He tried to play down his curiosity, but was very intrigued. Sara continued, “Hank wanted a little more than I was willing to give him. I’m not in love with Hank – never have been – never will be.” Sara was speaking almost directly to Grissom now, and the rest of the team took notice and sat silently, wondering if the two would even notice if they left right now. Staring deep into the blue depths of his eyes, Sara could feel the heat rising to her face and felt the need to break the contact before her feelings crept to the surface. She turned to Nick. “There Nicky, I answered your question – can we move on?”

“Yep, you did. See that wasn’t so bad, was it? Moving on…it’s your turn to ask, Sara.”

“I pass.”

Catherine chuckled. “You pass? That was your chance to torture Nick a bit!

Nick broke in before Sara could change her mind. “If she wants to pass, she can pass. The question comes back to the ‘game master’ – that’s me. So, it’s my turn again…hmmmm. Truth or dare…um…Grissom.”

“Uh, I…Nick this is silly…I…” Grissom stuttered nervously. He didn’t quite know what Nick was up to, but he knew it wasn’t good.

“Yeah, Nick, that’s cold – attacking Grissom next.  ‘Game master’? What kind of term is that?  I think you’re cheating!” Warrick nudged Catherine and they both tried to suppress their laughter.

“I’m not cheating. Rules are rules. Well, do you want to go, then, Warrick?”

“No way.”

“That’s what I thought. Back to you Gris, truth or dare?”

Truth or dare…truth or daretruthordaretruthordare. What to pick? You don’t have to pick anything – you’re the supervisor – the boss-- they listen to you. No, not now – Nick’s in control now. How the hell did I get myself in this position? It’s just a game, Gil. A friendly, harmless game. Yes, a game of exposure. ‘Nothing can be more depressing than to expose, naked to the light of thought, the hideous growth of argot.  Truth equals exposure.

 

“Dare, if I must.”

Nick looked surprised. “Wow, I wasn’t expecting that, Griss. I had all of these good questions ready for you to answer.” He could feel Sara looking at him, but avoided her stare. Can’t back down now. “Hmmmm. Let me think. This has got to be good. Okay, got it! Grissom, stand up.”

Grissom looked at him quizzically before standing. “Is that my dare?”

“No, not quite. Now, help Sara up.”

“Uh, oh,” Catherine muttered under her breath. She could see the glare that Sara was giving Nick as she accepted Grissom’s outreached hand and was pulled into a standing position beside him.

“Now, kiss her.”

“What?” Sara protested before Grissom had a chance to.

“His dare is to kiss you.” Damn, I’m good. Dead…maybe fired…but good. Not even Cat and Warrick could have thought of something this creative to get those two together.

“I can’t kiss her.” Grissom was nervously scanning the room, trying to find something new in his own home to become interested in. He could feel Warrick, Catherine, and Nick’s eyes all focused on him at this moment. Sara was the only one who he knew was not looking at him. I want to kiss her. There is no way I can kiss her. She doesn’t want me to kiss her. What the hell is Nick thinking?

“Why can’t you? She’s a woman – you’re a man. And I dare you to kiss her.”

“I’m her supervisor. That could be considered sexual harassment.”

“Aw, come on, Gris.” Nick was enjoying this way too much. He was too far gone to stop now. “Sara, would you ever file sexual harassment on Grissom?”

Sara had her head down and had been looking at her hands for the last minute or so, but her head shot up at the question. “No…no, of course I wouldn’t. But –”

“See, Grissom, she wants you to kiss her.”

Warrick was shaking his head and smiling to himself. Damn, he’s persistent. He noticed that Catherine had now leaned back onto her elbows and seemed to be enjoying the show. It’s a good thing he hasn’t picked up any vibes between me and Cat – it could be us in that position. Although, I don’t think I’d put up that much of a fight.   He glanced over at Catherine once more and grinned.

Grissom was contemplating making a run for it, until he once again realized that he was in his own home, they had only brought one car, and there was no where else to run to. “Actually, Nick, I don’t believe that she said that. And if I were going to kiss someone, I sure as hell would not make it a public display.”

Nick grabbed Gil and Sara by the arms, much like Catherine had earlier, and led them down the hall to what he assumed was Grissom’s bedroom. “Is this your room?” Nick said peeking in the door. Grissom only nodded, still not sure why he was playing along. “Good.” Nick kept walking forward, forcing Sara and Grissom into the neatly arranged bedroom. When they were both a few feet into the room, away from the doorway, he stepped back into the hallway and pulled the door shut behind him. He knocked once, directing his voice to the two inside the room, “There ya go – no ‘public display’. Be out in 15 minutes. Kiss her, Gris.” With that, Nick walked back into the living room, where Catherine and Warrick were now standing and laughing.

“I cannot believe you did that.” Catherine was sipping her drink and almost spit it out, she was laughing so hard.

Nick shrugged. “Somebody needed to,” was his only response.

~~~

Sara was now sitting on Grissom’s bed, although she wasn’t quite sure how she ended up there. She was playing with a loose thread on his comforter. She noticed right away how perfectly organized everything was.

Grissom was pacing the room, looking at his watch, over at Sara, and back at his watch again. She’s on my bed. My…bedroom…bed…Sara. God, this is awkward. Does Nick really expect me to just kiss her? Does SHE think I’m going to kiss her? Does that repulse her? Do I? Well, she didn’t run out of the room. She could have – the door only locks from the inside – it’s not like she’s trapped – she could leave if she wanted to. So could I – I could just walk out of my room right now, alleviating us both from this awkwardness. But, I don’t want to. I want to kiss her. I can’t kiss her…can I? It’s been over six minutes…I’ve got to say something…

“You know, I’ll never hear the end of it unless I go through with this, right?”

She looked up, sheepishly. “Yeah, I know.”

“Well, we could always just go out there in…” He looked at his watch again.  “…eight minutes and SAY that we went through with it.”

“There’s no way Nick would believe that. He would know – he’s a trained investigator, remember?” Sara smiled at him. She was relieved that, although the embarrassment of the situation was still ever present, the tension had left the room. “Maybe we should just go ahead and do it.” There is NO way I just said that. Oh, God, I did. Now what?

Grissom stopped his pacing abruptly at hearing this. Did she just give me permission to kiss her? I’m dreaming…I must be. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened one a few moments later. He knew how absurd he must have looked, but he has to make sure, for his sanity’s sake, that he was, in fact, NOT dreaming. She’s still on my bed. He mustered up as much courage as he could and made his way over to the bed. He sat down lightly on the edge sideways, his knee resting against her hip. He swallowed hard before speaking. “So, if I do this, you won’t slap me, will you?”

She laughed so hard she was near tears. Part of it was because of her nervousness and the other part because of the absurdity of his question. I’ve wanted this for years. Why would I slap you? She wiped the sides of her eyes after her fit of laughter and, as she looked at him – at his expression, realized that he was just as nervous as she was. While admiring the innocence in his features, Sara submitted to her desire to touch him – any part of him. She lightly ran her index finger across his bottom lip and grinned. “No, Gris, I won’t slap you.”

“Okay, good. I was a little worried.”

Her hand was on his shoulder now, fingering the collar of his shirt, and his breaths were becoming shallower by the second. His hand had moved from her knee to her hip, where he slightly grasped her. He leaned his head into her personal space, and she met him half way. As his lips were about to touch hers, he pulled back slightly. He felt a light tug on his shirt and leaned in again, but stopped as if the fusion of their lips would scald him. He could feel the sudden flutter of her eyelashes across his skin, as her lids opened to reveal questioning eyes. “I’m sorry,” he stammered,” I’m…um…out of practice.” He rested his forehead against hers.

“Me too. That’s okay.” She was running her fingers lightly through the fine hairs at the base of his skull and relishing in the feeling of touching him without hesitation. She still was not sure how they got to this point or why her fears were fading. Maybe it was because his breathing mirrored that of a man in a state of arousal, and the very thought of that sent chills coursing through her body. He’s letting me touch him. He’s so close. I want him so much. But, he still hasn’t kissed me. Why? What’s he afr –?

Sara’s next thought was lost when she first felt the pressure of his lips on her own. There was no warning – it was just happening. He kissed her a few gentle times on the mouth, one after another, lips lingering a bit longer each time. It was when his tongue grazed across her lips and sought entrance to her mouth that she first moaned and tightened her hands around his neck. She allowed him immediate access to the depths of her mouth as she pulled him closer to her body. As their tongues collided against each other, she could feel the immediate heat taking her over. His mouth moved in perfect rhythm with hers, stopping only to taste each lip individually, as he sucked and nipped at them. Sara wondered how this managed to be any more amazing than she had fantasized night after night in her dreams. Somehow, though, in reality, he managed to supercede everything she had ever imagined. She couldn’t tell if it was his hands on her hips and his mouth on hers, or the lack of oxygen that was making her dizzy. But she decided that she should probably breathe just in case it was the latter. When she smiled against his mouth, she could feel and hear him sigh in pleasure. Without having to tell him she needed a second to catch her breath, he moved to her neck, granting her unspoken request. Maybe he doesn’t need oxygen to survive. His lips had not yet left her skin – they toured down one side of her neck, pausing at her ear for a few moments, eliciting a gasp from Sara. They, then, traveled back down her neck, across the neckline of her shirt and back up the other side before pausing in front of her and kissing her lightly on the mouth. “Mmm...God, Grissom,” she whispered before pulling him to her and resting her head on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Sara. I don’t know what happened. I just –”

A look of hurt and disappointment washed over Sara’s features. “Don’t. Please. Just don’t tell me you regret it. I would rather you walk out of this room and never again mention any of this, then to tell me you wish it had never happened.”

“I’m not going to tell you I regret kissing you, Sara. That’s only because I don’t. I’m just sorry about how it happened. I didn’t want it to be like this.” He waved his hands, gesturing about the room. “I didn’t want to have to be dared to kiss you. I…I wanted to do that on my own.”

“Would you have ever kissed me, though, without being pushed?” She was shocked that they were even having this conversation.

He smiled at her. “Maybe...eventually.”

“Remind me to do something really nice for Nicky later. And to think, I was prepared to murder him and conceal the body.” She laughed, and then paused. “Wait…how long have we been in here?”

He looked at his watch and nodded his head, knowing what she was thinking, “Twenty-two minutes. Do you think they suspect anything?”

“Probably. It’s not like what we were supposed to be doing was a secret.”

“I’ll be right back.” He moved to enter the hallway. When Sara lost sight of him, she lay back onto his bed and giggled. I just kissed Grissom – Grissom kissed me. No regrets. I love him…

~~~

“Are you comfortable?” He was standing in the doorway with mock anger on his face.

She could see the playfulness in his eyes. “Yeah.”

He came into the room and shut the door behind him. Pointing to the bed, he stated the obvious, “That’s my bed, you know?”

“I know. Haven’t you heard of sharing?” She maneuvered into the middle of the bed, so there was no room for him to lie on either side of her.

He moved closer, still standing; his knees were up against the side of the bed. “I don’t like to share.”

“You’d better learn.” She teasingly changed the subject. “Your bed is really comfy.”

“I know. That’s why it’s MY bed.” It was getting harder and harder for him to resist kissing her again. She was teasing him and he loved it.

“Well, we’ll discuss that later. How about I take a little nap in YOUR bed, while you go entertain the guests?”

“Oh, no you don’t. They’re gone and I want my bed back.”

“Gone? Where?”

“I don’t know. I went out there to try and pick up on their reactions to us being in here a few minutes too long, and they were gone. They left a note, though – Catherine’s handwriting: WILL PICK YOU BOTH UP FOR WORK LATER TONIGHT – HAVE FUN!”

“Oh, God.” Sara’s hand went to her eyes, her embarrassment evident. “It’s hard telling what they think we were doing in here!”

“I’m pretty sure I know what they think we were doing.”

“So, we’re here without a car, then?” She stared into his eyes. “How am I going to get home?”

“Hmmm. You could either call Catherine or sleep here – on the couch, of course, so I can have my bed back.”

While he was laughing, she caught him off-guard and pulled him down on top of her. “You’re really mean, you know that, Gris?” He was trying to prop himself up on his arms so he wouldn’t hurt her, but she wouldn’t let him. Sara took his hands in hers so that he would quit trying. She loved the feel of him against her.

“Actually, I’m not.” Feeling her body resting underneath his was starting to affect his intake of air again. He took a deep breath. “Would you think I was nicer if I offered to sleep on the couch, so you can have my nice, ‘comfy’ bed?” He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. He knew if he did much more while in bed, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. And he didn’t want to push her too far, too fast.

“No. I want you right here…and I want to be right here with you.” She pushed her lips to his, forcefully, and let go of his hands so she could run her own up his shirt, grazing his back lightly with her fingernails.

“Sara,” he breathed her name in between kisses. It was her turn to tease his neck, while he spoke. “Maybe we shouldn’t. I don’t want to move too fast.”

“Move slow then.” She winked at him. “It’s better that way.”

He ran his tongue along her exposed breast bone, while she deftly unbuttoned his shirt. “Sara, are you sure?”

“I want you.” She pulled the shirt off of his shoulders then secured her fingers in his belt loops. “Make love to me, Grissom.” She moved her mouth to his ear and whispered, “I dare you!”

The End.