Title: La Otra Persona
By: kyrdwyn
Pairing: Gil/OMC
Rating: G
Series: 1) I Never Stopped, 2) Mi Corazon
Disclaimer: CBS, Alliance Atlantis, Anthony Zuiker, and a whole bunch of other people are probably tracking me down for playing with their toys without their permission. I make no money off this.

***

"Te amo, mi corazón." 

Sara froze.  Even with the accent put onto the Spanish words, there was no mistaking Grissom's silky voice.  She stood outside his office, not believing what she was hearing.  Grissom was telling someone that he loved them.

"Sorpréndame," Grissom continued in a low voice, unaware of the stunned young woman standing outside his office.  "I'll be home soon."

Sara scurried down the hallway, not wanting to hear any more.  She had meant to ask Grissom about taking a day off for a friend's wedding in San Francisco, but she couldn't get his words out of her head.  Those words she had secretly hoped he would say to her one day.

I love you, my heart.

Sara's eyes burned with unshed tears and she kept her gaze focused on the floor as she rushed out of the building.  She ignored the looks she got from Nick and Greg and headed straight for her car.

Without realizing it, Sara had started the car and was driving through the streets, tears streaming down her face.  She felt betrayed, which she knew was irrational.  She and Grissom weren't lovers, had never been lovers.  It was all in her head, she knew.

Unconsciously, she turned her vehicle toward Grissom's house.  She knew she was only going to rip the wound open more.  But she had to see for herself who this woman was who had captured the heart of the man who had captured Sara's.

Pulling up to the curb in front of the house, she immediately noticed the strange car in the driveway.  Taking a deep breath, she adjusted the rearview mirror.  She didn't want to look like she was upset.  Wiping her face off with the edge of her sleeve, Sara stared at her reflection.  She couldn't see the shock and shattered illusions she knew lurked behind the brown irises of her eyes.  Would the other woman?  Would she be able to see Sara's unrequited love for Grissom, the need to have him see her as something other than a colleague, a favored student?  Would she laugh at Sara's naiveté?  Worse - would she be sympathetic and understanding?

Sara stared at the house through the windshield.  How many times had she daydreamed about being the one waiting for Grissom when he came home from work?  And now she was about to confront the woman who was actually waiting.

Getting out of the car and walking up to the front door, Sara took a deep breath and rang the bell.  She heard footsteps inside, and braced herself as they got closer to the door.  She had her excuse for showing up on Grissom's doorstep ready, but the words died in her throat when the door was opened.

"Can I help you?"

Sara stared at the man who had opened the door.  Tall, dark haired and olive skinned, with green eyes that seemed to look straight through her into her soul.  He was regarding Sara with a curious expression.  There was an aura of leashed power around him, the kind she had sometimes felt from Grissom. 

"I, ah, was looking for Grissom."  Sara finally managed to speak. 

"He's not here right now."

Sara's mind finally freed itself from the numbness and smiled wanly at the man. "I'm Sara Sidel, from his shift.  I forgot to ask him something while I was at work.  It's…rather urgent," she explained.

The green eyes regarded her before he nodded.  "Come on in.  He should be home soon."

Sara followed the man into Grissom's house.  Immediately, she noticed the table was set for breakfast for two, with coffee steaming in mugs and the scent of spicy food in the air.  Her mind refused to acknowledge the evidence before her, the growing suspicion that Grissom hadn't been talking to another woman, but this man.

"I'm Robert Delgado, with the Los Angeles Police Department.  Gil and I worked together out there."

Sara nodded.  A flash of white caught her eyes.  Nonchalantly, she turned and noticed through the partially open door that the sheets of Grissom's bed were casually unmade - like someone had gotten up and not bothered to straighten them.  Sara knew that Grissom was the ultimate neat freak in his house.  She'd woken him up one afternoon to consult on a case and he'd taken his time getting ready.  When he'd finally emerged, she'd noticed the bed was made.  It had been an endearing quirk. 

"Its nice to meet you," Sara said.  "I didn't know Grissom kept in touch with anyone from Los Angeles."

Robert shrugged.  "We lost touch for a long time, but when I was in Las Vegas I decided to look him up.  See if he was a odd as I remembered."  The man gave Sara a quick grin, and she couldn't help but grin back.

The door opened and Grissom's voice drifted into the hallway.  "¿Mi corazón, donde esta?"

Sara turned, and her already cracked heart broke.  Grissom hadn't noticed she was standing there.  His eyes were on Robert, and the fact that Sara had desperately tried to ignore was slapping her in the face. 

Robert glanced toward Sara, and Grissom's eyes followed.  Shock and fear crossed his face before his usual mask dropped into place.  "Sara."

"Hey.  I forgot to ask if you before I left if I could take a few days off.  A friend of mine in Frisco is getting married."  The look of fear on his face had hurt, but she couldn't show it.  Couldn't let him know how much this whole scene was affecting her. 

"That's fine," Grissom said.  "Have a good time."

Sara nodded her thanks.  She smiled politely at Robert.  "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

Sara left the house and walked back to her car in a daze.  As she drove home, she mentally kicked herself for being such a fool as to go to Grissom's house.  She had gotten more than she bargained for.  She had hoped to see her 'competition', to understand what it was that captured Grissom's heart.  Now she realized there was no way to compete, not that she could think of.  It was an uneven playing field of the heart she was on.  Grissom wasn't in love with another woman.  He was in love with a man, with Robert Delgado.

Once inside the safety of her apartment, Sara crawled into her empty bed and hugged a pillow to her chest.  Her eyes burned with more unshed tears.  She wouldn't cry over Gil Grissom, she told herself.  She would be happy for him.  Happy that he had found someone he could love; happy that he had his corazón.

Tomorrow she would pick up the pieces of her heart and go on with her life, pretending like she didn't know about Grissom and Robert, like a few simple Spanish phrases hadn't changed her life forever.  Tomorrow would be like any other working day - victims and evidence, interviews and lab work.

No, she thought, she would not cry over Gil Grissom.  But even as she thought this, the tears began to fall.

***

Next story in series - Desayuno.