#addictedtostorytelling

[noahwhyle]

JOHN CARTER and ABBY LOCKHART in ER (1994-2009) | S09 E13 "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" (2003)

[valueloyalty]

how on earth no one noticed they had a thing for each other like come on

[lostaroace]

#we need more noah wyle content

[screamingintotheneverendingvoid]

John Carter x nurse!reader

Warnings: none really, it’s cute fluffy, a little suggestive, takes place around season 5 episode 5, reader can be picked up and has hair that can be moved out of face

A/N: This is very short and sweet, just asking Carter to move in together mostly cause I thought the hilarity of Carter x nurse!reader living together in Weaver’s basement could not be ignored so this is like a build up to it. Also I need to come up with titles to tell these apart but that’s a tomorrow me problem because it’s 2 am.

—

“You know….” You casually flipped the pages of a medical book that you had just put in a box, seeing John in your peripheral taking some of the pictures of the two of you he had down off the cork board they hung on, “… I don’t have to say again how sorry I am you lost this RA job.”

“Eh, just remind me not to rely on med students.” He scoffed it out half heartedly and he placed the pictures on his desk for the moment.

You closed the book and moved behind him to wrap your arms around his waist, nuzzling your face into his back, “They might be med students but they’re still young adults that can make dumb mistakes. They got very lucky, hopefully it will be a lesson for all of them. They also have to live without the best RA, which I think is the biggest thing they’ll come to regret.” You smiled as he slid his hands down your arms to your hands and interconnected them together. He brought the palm of one of your hands up to his lips to lay a series of light kisses across it.

“I’m sure they’ll have just as much fun torturing the next RA as they did me.” He mumbled against your palm.

You stood in silence for a few moments, trying to build the courage to ask what you wanted to, “So… now that you are moving out, and you’re getting paid at the hospital because that was an issue before.. and you know my lease is almost up… maybe we should, if it’s not too crazy to you, I mean we’re practically together here all the time anyway? Right? So maybe we should move in together. Find a place together. Me and you. You and I.”

You wanted to throw yourself into a pit from the absolute word vomit that made its way out of your mouth, but you had never done this before. Sure you had offered for John to come live with you instead of getting the RA job and living in the dorms, but this felt different. It felt more real. This was a rejection you genuinely feared, maybe you were ready and he wasn’t.

The silence that followed made you want to vomit. “It’s too soon, isn’t it? I’m so-“ your words cut off when you nearly lost your balance when he turned in your arms so he could face you, the warmest smile on his lips as he brought his hands up to cup your face,

“You’re preemptively deciding for me?”

“What? No! I just… didn’t want…” you tried looking anywhere but those damn brown eyes. They always saw right through you, there was not a thing you could hide from John Carter.

“Hey…” he gently caressed your face with his thumb, coaxing you to directly look up at him, “I know I’ve been stressed out lately but that’s not because of you or because of us. You’re the one thing in my life that I know for certain is going right.” He leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on your lips, resting his forehead against yours, “All that to say, yes. Let’s look for a place together. I can’t think of a better idea than officially waking up by your side.”

You know your eyes had to light up like the fourth of July as you kissed him with the force of a hurricane. Pulling back you threw your arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug, he wrapped his arms around your waist, “And just think about it, no more med students interrupting our alone time to ask you to unclog a toilet.” You jest, playfully poking at his back.

“You know what? That might just be the sexiest thing you've ever said.” As he said it you started to pull back to look at him like he had two heads, but he had already picked you up, causing you to let out of joyful squeal as he took you to the bed and threw you down on it. Crawling on top of you, he brushed aside the hair that had gotten in your face,

“Might as well give this place one last memory, don’t you think?”

—

(gif credit!!)

[whumpetywhumpwhump]

Medwhump May Day 2- Sleep Deprivation

He ends up at Deb's doorstep because, quite frankly, he doesn't know where else to go. The past few years have seen friends trickle away from Chicago, from him, and she is one of the few instances of the opposite occurring- she came back. She was there at his beginning, and she is here now. That is all that matters.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65217343

( @mcknotanniegrey I wrote this prior to your post but the coincidence was so uncanny so HERE!! TAKE THIS!!)

@medwhumpmay

gif from @addictedtostorytelling

[hollygl125]

hii! nice gsr gifsets, made me remember how much i loved them omg. do you have a gifset of that episode where sara gets kidnapped (?) and we see flashbacks of gil brushing her hair behind her ear?? it was so cute!

Hi, @karura!

Thank you so much for your kind words on my GIF-sets, and my apologies for the delay in responding to your ask! (Unfortunately, yours is actually the most recent of my unanswered asks! 😬)

I do indeed have a GIF-set for that scene from “Dead Doll” (08x01), in which Sara has been kidnapped by “The Miniature Killer” and Grissom soothes himself by remembering Sara gently brushing supposed “chalk” (from drywall) off his cheek, back in the second season (“Scuba Doobie-Doo,” 02x05). That’s a great moment! (They’re both great moments!)

My set is here. I cheated a little with my GIF-set, in that I used the original footage from 02x05 and made the flashback a little longer and included a bit more of Sara in the set. (My post has one more GIF than is included above.) I also wasn’t that keen on the colouring effect the show used for the flashback, so I made mine a little pink instead.

If you want to see the scene exactly as it was in 08x01, I would recommend @addictedtostorytelling’s GIF-set of that moment, which you can find here. (@addictedtostorytelling has the most amazingly comprehensive collection of GSR GIFs and meta, for which we are all very, very grateful! 💛)

Thank you so much for your ask and for sharing in the GSR love! 💛💛💛

[mycrushis]

My Tumblr best friend who I'm in love with is @addictedtostorytelling She already knows who I am, and I'm so blessed to have her as my friend.

My beloved character is Gil Grissom from CSI, as well as the actor who plays him, William Petersen

And I'm in love with the musician Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park

[fixomnia-scribble]

@addictedtostorytelling Having just been through my second Forensic Academy conference, I think I have to reach back and write a Grissom-and-Sara meet-nerdy fic!

[perrytheplaidypus]

Thanks for tagging! This was interesting and so not expected xD but feel free to do the same!

Tagging without pressure: @suallenparker @justcallmebecks @addictedtostorytelling and who else sees this :D

Saw this going around twitter, looked like fun. What? I'm not procrastinating (I am, I really am)

Make this picrew of yourself

Take this uquiz

Post the results side-by-side. No pressure tags: @alypink, @revnah1406, @madefordvarka, @deadbranch, @welldonekhushi, @kaitaiga, @applbottmjeens, @froglights-and-pearls

[addictedtostorytelling]

An Opposite of Echoes - addictedtostorytelling - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation [Archive of Our Own] ↘

Chapters: 26/27 Fandom: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Gil Grissom/Sara Sidle, Sara Sidle & Team Graveyard Characters: Sara Sidle, Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders, Hank the Dog Series: Part 3 of Happy Accidents Summary:

“Part of this reaction is the hormones. But part is also a realization, an understanding that despite having been alone for most of her life before meeting him, now she is so far from that state—from being so completely untethered, living without ties—she can’t remember what it was like.”

Geek Baby AU.

FYI, the story is fully posted and completed now, for anyone who was waiting to read it in its entirety.

Thank you to everyone who’s supported it. Hope you enjoy the final chapter (and epilogue)! 💕💕💕

[oceanssapart]

James ‘Sawyer’ Ford: You don’t have to be a wise ass.

[fixomnia-scribble]

i actually did a project for Gender and Culture class in second year of university, showing how even the most popular "tough" "smart" and "mission-focussed" female leads had their scientific or political power reduced, were styled as more feminine/glam, and given increasingly maternal or romantic motivations over their series' run. Ellen Ripley. Dana Scully. Sam Carter. Et cetera.

Ugh.

Probably also why X-Files was the first fandom I wrote for, and also why Sara Sidle has a lifelong grip on my heart. (@addictedtostorytelling deserves a world of thanks for keeping the Sidle spark alive!) I know Jorja pushed back against scientist Sara being glammed up, except for specific occasions that made sense, and while her romantic life was A Painful Mess, it wasn't her life calling. I still think it was a very close decision as to whether she kept the Lab Supervisor job or went after Grissom. But she'd already shown her soul was wearing down from the work, and she'd achieved what she set out to achieve

smthing i can just never believe when ppl (mostly twitter users) complain about a girl character being made to look 'mannish' or 'masculine' and talk about the death of femininity and every time i get excited and think 'oh okay cool did we get a butch character or-' and its literally jusg a regular fucking woman like you would see at the grocery store. like jusyt a normal woman

[originalpinkranger]

In Sickness and in Health - GSR

So, this was kind of therapeutic for me. Inspired by this post by @addictedtostorytelling. I, um, my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for a while and it’s been a struggle. So, after I read her little meta, I got inspired and it’s something that I NEEDED to write. So, here you go. Something that wouldn’t stop flowing today. Enjoy!

In Sickness and in Health

GSR - Rated G

“No man, like I legitimately think Grissom knocked her up.”

 Greg whispered loudly over the lab table, Nick narrowing his eyes at him from his position at the other side.

 “You can’t be starting rumors like that man. Especially about Grissom.”

 “Hodges told me!”

 Now Nick really didn’t believe him. “And you honestly believe what Hodges says?”

 “No, but I have proof!” Greg stood up and moved over closer to Nick so no-one could hear him.

 “This is the text I got from Sara,” Greg cleared his throat and read the text to him in his best ‘Sara’ voice, “Greg, please make sure to follow up with Brass on the Carson case. I’m not feeling quite right today so I won’t be in. Also, please tell Warrick to get with Hodges on the trace analysis from the Wilson DB. Thanks.”

 Nick looked at him unamused. “Nowhere in that text does it say, ‘Greg I’m pregnant’.”

 “Okay but hear me out. Sara never misses work. She came in with 102 fever once and didn’t blink an eye. AND I had to stop on the side of the road yesterday so she could puke. I’m telling you man. Grissom knocked her up.” Greg put his phone back in his pocket and stood next to Nick with his arms crossed, grinning at his potential discovery.

 “Alright boys, what have you got for me?” Catherine sauntered in, standing in between them. She surveyed the both of them and realized something was off.

 “Alright Greg, spill, what is it?” Catherine put her hand on her hip and leaned against the table, waiting for Greg to open like a can of biscuits.

 “Greg here thinks Sara’s pregnant.” Nick spoke for him, letting the air out of Greg’s balloon.

 Catherine stared at Greg like he grew another head.

 “You can’t be serious…”

 Greg threw up his hands in exasperation.

 “I swear no one believes anything I ever say! I’m taking my ball and going home.” Greg snatched the folders he was working on off the table and stormed out of the layout room.

 Catherine shook her head and turned her attention towards Nick.

 “You know Cath maybe he’s right.” Nick leaned forward on the lab table and Catherine followed behind him, putting her glasses on to look at a case he was working on.

 “I did see her eating crackers and drinking a 7UP the other day. I have my suspicions. A woman knows.” She spoke as she looked over the document, clearly unfazed by the whole thing. “I guess all the jokes about Grissom’s virility will be put to bed.” Catherine put down the folder and smiled, bemused at the idea of Grissom being a father.

 Nick pondered. Maybe Greg (ney Hodges) was right. A slow smile started to form on his face.

 Grissom. That old son of a gun. He took a mental note to stop and buy some cigars on the way home to congratulate him.

 The next day, Nick walked into Grissom’s office with a fancy box and a huge grin on his face.

 Grissom looked up at him over his glasses.

 “What is it, Nick?”

 “I just wanted to come in and congratulate you.”

 Grissom really looked at him now. “For what Nick?”

 “On being a proud papa!”

 Grissom took off his glasses and set them on this desk, threading his fingers together.

 “Excuse me?”

 “Yeah...”

 And so.

 “Hodges had told Greg that Sara was pregnant because she had to go out of the room quickly because her stomach was queasy, and Greg got a text that Sara wasn’t coming in because she and I quote ‘wasn’t feeling quite right’ and he had to pull over the other day for her to puke on the side of the road and Catherine said she saw her in the break room drinking 7UP and eating saltines so I put two and two together and just wanted to congratulate you.” He took a long breath and opened the shiny, wooden box he brought with him.

 “So, congratulations daddy.” He grinned at Grissom.

 Grissom looked down at the box full of cigars and then back up at Nick. He rubbed his eyes with his hand, then, pointedly

 “She has the flu, Nick.”

 “Just the flu?”

 “Just the flu.”

 “Oh.”

 “Also, smoking is bad for you.” Nick closed the box slowly. His face fell and got red with embarrassment.

 “I…” His mouth open and closed like a fish, not knowing what to say.

 Grissom helped him.

 “You can leave now Nick.”

 Nick stuttered an ‘I’m sorry’ and showed his way out of Grissom’s office.

 Grissom leaned back and sighed heavily, his mind drifting to Sara at home.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Hearing the keys rattle in the door, startled the bundle of fur at the foot of the bed and leapt up from his position by human number 1. Barking his head off down the hall and to the door, tail wagging uncontrollably, waiting for what was to come next.

 “Hey buddy. Have you been taking care of mom?” Grissom bent down to give Hank a scratch behind his ear and Hank thanked him by licking his hand.

 Hank then turned around and ran back towards the bedroom where Sara laid.

 Grissom heard a loud sneeze.

 He sloughed off his jacket, hanging it up in the closet by the door and toed off his shoes.

 He made his way to the back bedroom but stopped at the fridge first to grab a water for Sara.

 He stopped at the doorway.

 “How are you feeling?”

 She blew her nose into a tissue and sniffed.

 “Like I got hit by a Mack truck. Although at this point, that may be more pleasant.”

 He chuckled and made his way towards her, handing the bottle to her. She took it from him and took a long swig.

 “Ugh. I haven’t felt this bad since I was a kid.”

 Grissom reached up and put his hand on her forehead. “Cool to the touch. Looks like your fever broke.” He slid his hand from her forehead to her cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb.

 Sara leaned into his touch and gave him a soft smile. “Mmm. Thank you for taking care of me.”

 “In sickness and in health, isn’t that how it goes?”

 Her smile got wider. “It is.”

 His mind drifted back to the events of the day. “So, um, today was interesting.”

 She quirked an eyebrow at him and brought the bottle to her lips to drink, “how so?”

 “Hodges started a rumor that you were pregnant.”

 She spit out her water and choked slightly, gasping for air as he rubbed her back.

 “Excuse me?! How in the world- “

 “Because of all the times that you needed to throw up. Everyone just assumed. I got an earful from Nick in my office. Standing there with a box of cigars.”

 She leaned back on her pillows and sniffed. “That’s…quite an assumption.”

 He nodded, “it is.”

 The silence was palpable.

 Sara picked at the lint on the bed sheet and didn’t look up at him. “What is it, Sara?”

 He knew when she got quiet, she was analyzing something and trying to figure out how to put it in words.

 “…would that be such a bad thing?” She looked up at him slowly, searching his face for an answer.

 Now he was the one that quirked a brow at her. “Sara…”

 “Gil..I…” She started and then took a deep breath and continued, “you know that I had a less than stellar childhood and I guess I never really thought about the idea of having a child because of the childhood that I had and thought that maybe I would be a terrible mother because I didn’t know how to nurture a child or how to take care of one but maybe…” She drifted off and looked down.

 He lifted her chin and searched her eyes, “Maybe what honey?” He said softly.

 “Maybe I’d want one with you.” She whispered with so much hope in her voice.

 He sighed. He knew that his answer had to be carefully chosen. It’s true he was never good with words, but this answer had to be worded oh so carefully and be the right one.

 He thought about what to say and straightened his gaze at her. “Sara, with my age and my hearing, are you sure that’s such a good idea?”

 She sniffed again, not sure if it’s her sickness or fighting back tears. She reached for his hand and held it.

 “Gil, I know that things have been complicated, but when I was in that desert, I had a lot to think about. Especially about us. And maybe, maybe I thought that I would never get the chance to be a mom. More of a what if. And now I have that chance and maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”

 He really looked at her then.

 “Sweetheart, is this something that you really want?”

 She squeezed his hand.

 She nodded, “yes, it’s something I really want.”

 “Okay.”

 “Okay?” Her eyes lit up.

 He nodded his assurance this time and squeezed her hand back.

 Then.

 “ACHOO!”

 He really belly laughed then. Her sneeze breaking the intense conversation and his silent relief.

 “Let’s focus on you getting better first and we’ll talk about babies. For now, hydrate and sleep.”

 She didn’t argue. Sara shimmied down the covers and he pulled the sheets over her shoulders.

 Hank circled next to her and laid back down, making sure that she was safe and sound, doing his natural duty.

 Grissom smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead as she drifted back off to sleep.

 Closing the door to the bedroom, he walked to his office and fired up his laptop. He put on his glasses and Googled.

‘Men over 50 and being a first-time father.’

[roominthecastle]

You GSR gifs are awesome. It's great to see some new stuff in the tag!

Thanks so much! It’s great to see people around who still love/remember this couple. I’d been out of the GSR circles for so many years, then suddenly those feels all came flooding back in a matter of seconds. so fair warning: since I’m pretty much committed to this rewatch now, there will be more stuff coming soon. ;)

[writtenwolves]

Thanks for the tag @peridotglimmer ! I can't remember if I've ever written any kitten fics, but I certainly should at some point.

Lorena lets that go on account of her near certainty that this whole situation will literally never happen again.

I'm certain I don't follow 19 active writers, but let's see:

@ununpredictableme @writing-with-melon @ghosthorse-tracks @cytryndor @addictedtostorytelling @thespooniewrites @i-am-a-world @buildarocketboys @drlucypreston @thoughts-ofawriter @actuallylorelaigilmore @electricbluebutterflies @somekindofflowergirl @kissedbydragonfire @coffeeandcalligraphy @adayforducks @even-in-winter @mearcatsreturns annnnd @theadorelocksly

(No pressure of course)

Last Line Challenge

I'm claiming a tag from @oldshrewsburyian here ❤️

RULES: Post the last sentence you wrote (fanfic / original / anything) and tag as many people as there are words in the sentence.

Now, the real last sentence I wrote is incredibly E-rated, so we're moving one WIP down the line for this most recent sentence:

“They're too young to be without their mother,” Finn told her, and Addison could physically feel her heart break for the four little ones.

... that's 24 people to tag. Uh. Goodness. Okay. Let's see how far I get then.

@diana-fortyseven @cicaklah @issytheamateurnerd @myth-blossom @cajunandfire @electricbluebutterflies @postalninja @abschaumno1 @sharo-maneru @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels @emily-prentits @thenightmaredrowns @electricbluebutterflies @crime-wives @writtenwolves @waterfall8484 @oceansinmychest @princess-of-prose

...yeah that's about as far as I'm getting. I'm probably forgetting people though. Any volunteers for the final 6 tags, consider yourself tagged!

[bartramcat]

CSI: End of Season 4 GSR Trilogy

Thanks to @addictedtostorytelling's gifs of Turn of the Screws, I decided to rewatch it and the following 2 episodes last weekend. The 3 episodes are kind of a microcosm of the GSR emotional rollercoaster during season 4, so it was perhaps apropos that the first episode was about an actual rollercoaster.

I have always thought it fascinating that, after all the angst of the season, Grissom and Sara seem genuinely comfortable with one another in this episode. During this viewing, however, I think we also begin to see hints of the Grissom of early season 5, wherein he is actively trying to rebuild trust with Sara and doing a lot of sidelong flirting along the way.

I do not think putting Grissom and Sara and sex on a rollercoaster together in an episode was at all unintentional. Now I probably have a pretty eccentric view of things, but I think a good deal of the subtext is almost entirely about Grissom's continuing romantic interest in Sara, despite the fact that he thinks he no longer has any kind of chance with her. I suspect the best he can hope for is a return to their pre-Play With Fire work dynamic. While I think that is what he is thinking on a conscious level, it also seems that, on a subconscious level, he clearly wants more.

As an aside, one of Grissom's issues is that he is blind to how Sara sees things. Because of that, he often tends to see their relationship in very black and white, either/or terms. That is not to say he is intentionally obtuse; only that his complete and utter lack of experience with the whole being in love thing makes him myopic. He assumes that when he turned her down in PWF that that was the end of it for her. Seemingly, it never occurs to him that she could be carrying as much of a torch for him as he is for her. That is perhaps why, towards the end of Season 4, he is again comfortable with bantering and flirting with her, although I think his jocularity is a poor mask for his heart's true desire. IOW he really does want to be alone with her. And, yeah, he probably has fastasized about sex on a rollercoaster. With Sara.

Grissom's other problem is that he has a cause and effect disconnect where Sara is concerned, which segues into No More Bets. When he decided to pick Nick over Sara, he thought he was doing the right thing, because he knew deep down he couldn't be objective. By choosing Nick, neither he nor anyone else (Catherine) could ever question his motives. (Interesting that the whole promotion thing comes to a head in an episode in which Grissom forces Catherine to go home so there won't be a hint of impropriety…exactly what Grissom was trying to avoid by choosing Nick, even if only in his own mind.)

What Grissom is totally unable to anticipate is that, to Sara, not getting the promotion isn't just a work disappointment but a personal rejection all over again. She can't help but think he is punishing her for daring to want more from their relationship. In an instant, all of the seeming simpatico of TOTS disappears; in an epiphanic moment, he suddenly recognizes he has actually hurt her. The little wince in the limo when she says it's a stupid reason betokens both realization and regret. But in this scenario there is no going back.

So…with all things GSR, we have one step forward and several steps back.

Taken together, these two episodes epitomize the emotional convolutions of the entire season. When there is no “baggage” getting in the way, as in TOTS, they obviously enjoy one another’s company and operate absolutely in synch, an aspect to their relationship as natural as breathing…when they aren’t thinking about it. Then NMB and all of the unspoken issues between them brings all of the hurt and disappointment back into play, and the chasm between them is as deep as it ever was.

Bloodlines presents us with a Sara who is hard to get a handle on. On the one hand, the fact that she doesn’t want to take the victim statement seems to be a red flag for Catherine, and she reports to Grissom. Since we don’t actually see the tone of her report, we aren’t sure whether she is concerned or aggravated by Sara’s decision. Obviously, for Grissom, it raises a concern, and he suggests she could probably use a vacation. Again, we are not given entree into whether or not he thinks her disappointment in re the promotion plays a part or whether he simply sees her not taking the statement as a symptom of potential burnout.

What dots he does not connect go back to Butterflied. He has no idea that Sara saw his confession, so he has no idea that she knows he cares for her but just not enough…..Given what he knows, he can only surmise that she’s smarting from the promotion thing but, apparently, he also begins to suspect that something else is wrong with her, and burnout is the most logical choice. In their conversations about vacations, she more or less reminds him how alike they are, since he has never taken a vacation either.

Sara’s next actions only serve to dispel any of Grissom’s immediate fears that something could be off with her. She works up the Coombs’ family tree and goes out to the “residence” of the anti-social brother, discovering the missing Pontiac from the earlier rape/murder case in the process. As far as Grissom can tell, she is back on track as far as job performance goes.

The beauty of the ending to Bloodlines is how it ties all of the elements of the past 2 episodes–and of the whole season–together. Most of BL gives the impression that Sara’s hurt from the promotion is no longer in play…until the scene with Nick where she congratulates him, and he teasingly says that was hard for her. And she admits it was. As per usual with the team, Nick has no idea how deep the hurt goes. He assumes it’s more sibling rivalry/team competition than part of a deep and abiding hurt inside her: that no matter what, Grissom will always reject her, one way or another. 

In many ways, Season 4 can be seen as Grissom and Sara on a parallel journey, as each tries to navigate the terms of their relationship post Play With Fire. Each tries to find a way to exist with the other on purely professional terms. Still, within the season, there are these moments that compromise that attempt, none more so than Butterflied, when Grissom is forced to confront his own regret in turning down a life with Sara. Unbeknownst to him, she overhears him and learns he "couldn't do it:" he couldn't put his feelings for her over all that he had worked for in his career. To her, as she tells Warrick a few episodes later, "Losing's losing."

In that same episode, the possibility that Sara could have a drinking problem is teased. Unlike so many other shows, it is just dropped into the narrative, but there is no continuing follow-up. Instead, we see a Sara becoming more and more withdrawn into herself. In fact, the only times she seems like her old self is when she works with Grissom in Bad Words and more obviously in Turn of the Screws. 

Then No More Bets pulls the rug out from any hope she may have had that Grissom valued her professionally, even if he couldn't cross the line into the personal. Where he's concerned, she receives no "validation" whatsoever. After she admits to Nick how hard it was for her to congratulate him on his almost promotion, we see her wander off…possibly into a bar where she tries to drown her sorrows.

The phone call to Grissom is so telling. Instead of being angry or befuddled that his employee could have been caught doing something so heinous as to risk her career–and to reflect badly on him–his only (anxious) question is “Is she all right?” Clearly, that is his overriding concern–that she be all right. Despite everything, he is still in love with her, and were anything to happen to her, his world would be shattered.

When he walks into the police station and sees her so humiliated, he is overcome with both relief and tenderness. Grissom then takes her hand, which to my mind is his way of saying, "It's okay. I love you." 

I have always believed that it is in those moments that he decides he is going to allow himself to love her without reservation, even if she is no longer able to love him back. If nothing else, he is going to be her friend and be there for her.

While the GSR saga to this point is 4 years long, these 3 episodes reiterate what has been lingering in the background for most of the season and push the narrative forward by forcing Grissom to come to terms with the fact that it is time for him to learn how to love someone.