Disclaimer: I don't own the main characters.
Summary: Bailey is getting ready to start a new chapter in her life when someone from her past shows up. Are the feelings still there between them or have they moved on? Also, one of the Grissom children is going through something, making Grissom feel guilty about it, why? Please read & Find out. Fourth story in the Worth Fighting for Series. Setting: Five months after the end of Season 15
AN: Hope you are all still interested in the series because here is the next installment of it. And since this is the fourth one, you may want to start at the first, or you'll more than likely be a little lost, just a thought.
Title: Still the One
Genre: Romance, Family, Friendships, Hurt/Comfort, Drama
Rating: T
Spoilers: Any seasons may be mentioned
Time-lime: Five months after Season 15 (6 years after last story ended)
Warnings: Implied/Suggestive behavior
Main Paring(s): GSR
Minor Paring(s): Bailey/OC, Lindsey/Blake (Very Minor), CatNip (Very Minor)
Other Characters: Greg (Mentioned only), Morgan (Mentioned only), OC's
Series Order: Worth Fighting for, For better or worse, No matter the distance, Still the One
Chapter 1: A Voice from her past
July 2, 2015
After stopping her run at the beach, 23 year old Bailey was getting her breath back as she sat down in the sand, and as she looked out in the ocean, her thoughts drifted off to a few weeks ago.
Flashback
3 weeks ago
After hearing that her boyfriend of six months had a job offer in Boston, she looked a little shocked as she asked. "What does this mean for us?"
Garrick took a breath while he moved his hand from the table to reach for her hand as he started speaking. "Bailey, you know how I feel about you, and if you asked me stay, I'll reject the job offer in a heartbeat so I can be here with you." She gave him a little smile as he continued, but his tone had a hint of sadness to it. "But, I have a feeling that if you do, deep in your heart it isn't truly what you want."
Bailey started to have tears in her eyes a few seconds later as she replied. "Garrick, you have to know I do love you."
He nodded as he squeezed his hand with a smile. "I know you do, I can see it. But there is a difference between loving someone and being in love with them, and you aren't in love me. Somebody has already claimed that spot in your heart, or you haven't met him yet and he's still out there waiting for you. Either way, I know that I'm not the one you want for life, am I?"
Bailey looked into Garrick's caring blue eyes for a long second before looking down at the table, sniffling while shaking her head. "I'm so sorry, Garrick. I tried all I can to make this work between us."
Which if she was honest with herself, she tried harder on this relationship then her previous ones, not that she had many in the last six years, but with Garrick it was easy; he understood her better than any other guy she's ever dated, and she really did fall for him. But as much as she loved him, she knew she would be settling because her heart wasn't in line with the rest of her feelings for this guy, who happened to be wonderful, even more than she could have expected or ever dreamed of.
"I know you did, but eventually your heart was or is going to remind you that there is someone else out there for you." She looked into his eyes again as he continued after squeezing her hand with another small smile. "And if I hadn't gotten this job offer I would have said screw it, we can have a little more time together before I let her go find him." She couldn't help but chuckle a little before he continued softly. "But in my heart, I can't turn this opportunity down to make a life with you that isn't meant for me."
Bailey nodded as a few more tears came down her cheeks. "I know, I understand, and I would never ask you to do that. You need to do what is best for you in the long run." As their eyes remained connected the next few minutes, she asked shyly. "What?"
He shook his head with a small smile. "Nothing, I'm just really going to miss you. These last six months have been amazing, more than I could have expected."
She smiled a little bigger as she asked with her eyebrow raised. "Aren't you suppose to be mad at me, or hating me right now?"
He shrugged a shoulder as he replied while still holding her hand. "What's the point? At the end of the day it won't change how I feel, or make me forget, and for that matter, regret, the time we shared."
Bailey shook her head as she squeezed his hand this time. "You have to know I don't regret it either, and if things had been different, I..."
He cuts her off. "Please, no what if's." As she nodded in understanding, he removed his hand from hers before asking. "So, this guy, is he someone you've already met?" She took a breath, and was about to answer him, but he shook his head while holding up his hand. "Never mind, please don't answer that."
Respecting his choice, she just nodded again, and as it became silent between them, which surprisingly wasn't as awkward as Bailey thought it would be now, they continued to eat their dinner in his apartment while mentally preparing themselves to say goodbye to something that meant a great deal to the both of them. But in the end, knew it had to be this way.
End of Flashback
Bailey sighed as she came back to the present.
If things had been different, she could have seen herself with Garrick for the rest of her life, but then she would have been lying to her heart because it was still holding on to someone else. The only problem she had now was actually finding him, and he could have been anywhere in this world, so who knows if she'll ever get to be with him, let alone see him again.
After mentally shaking her head with another sigh, she took a few more minutes looking out into the ocean before standing up, then after she dusted the sand off of her shorts and thin legs, she started running again, heading back to where she came from, which was to Nick and Catherine's house since her and her family were visiting them for the Forth of July weekend.
Five months ago Nick was offered a Lab director's job in San Diego, and even though a part of him wanted it, he was going to decline because of the position his wife still held at the Las Vegas Crime lab. But when Catherine told him to take it, he did. It was a tough choice to leave everybody, and everybody was sad to see them go, but they felt it was the right choice, so everybody respected their decision. And Catherine ended up working at the lab there. In fact, was just promoted to the day shift supervisor when the one that was there before her had retired, so in the end they felt it was a better move than they originally thought.
When Bailey made it to the driveway of the Stokes's residence, she did her stretching before heading toward the front porch, which she had just reached the top when the front door opened, and 22 year old Lindsey was walking out of the house hand in hand with 25 year old Blake Adams.
Like Bailey, Lindsey ended up going out with a few guys while being separated from her true heart's desire, but nothing really stuck. So, when Blake showed back up into her life last year, they basically started right where they left off, and Bailey hadn't seen her this happy in eight years, so she was happy for them.
They smiled at one another, and after they had a little small talk, Bailey walked inside the two-story house while Lindsey and Blake continued to walk to the right of the porch so they could sit on the swing together.
When she stepped in the house, her parents were in the living room with Nick and Catherine, and they smiled at her before Grissom, who was clean-shaven, had asked. "How was your run, sweetie?"
Bailey closed the door before she answered. "It was very nice, thank you."
After they nodded, she excused herself so she could go upstairs to take a shower and change for the night since the group was going out to eat.
When she left the room, Catherine shakes her head with a smile. "How is it possible that we each have a child in their 20's?"
Sara and Grissom chuckled while shaking their heads before Grissom replied. "I know, it does seem a little unbelievable, time sure has flown."
As they all nodded, their moment was interrupted when six year old Ethan Grissom, who was born on Bailey's birthday, came down the stairs. "Daddy, can you help me?"
Grissom's eyes sparkled as he looked at his youngest son while he held out his arms. "Alright, little man, come here."
His brown eyes sparkled through his glasses as he ran to his father with a crossword book in his hand before Grissom scooped him up in his arms and placed him on his lap. Then after grabbing his glasses from his shirt pocket, father and son started working on one of his puzzles while Sara couldn't take her loving eyes off of them.
Ethan Grissom had a mixture of both of them, and while he had Grissom's light brown hair, smile, that smirk, and wore glasses when he reads and writes, he had Sara's brown eyes and laugh. He also loved school, and Math and English were his favorite subjects. In fact, he will be starting 2nd grade when it starts in September, which will put him two grades behind the eight year old twins, Megan and Arthur, who had also skipped a grade when they first started school.
And with all of their kids skipping at least one grade (Bailey skipping two), the gang had made smart-aleck remarks about them needing to stop making geniuses because they were making everybody else in the group look bad. Which they were all rewarded with smirks as their eyes beamed, because they were very proud of their children, and nothing was going to change that.
Sara mentally smiled as she took a sip of her drink before turning her attention solely on her husband, whom she'll be married to for 10 years this September, and while they've had a few ups and downs through those years, she loves him more than the day she married him.
When their Paris chapter was officially closed, he was mostly a stay at home dad for about two years while doing a few consulting jobs here and there for the crime lab before taking a teaching position at UNLV, where he was excelling at, something that shouldn't really be a surprise.
In fact, since he's been teaching there the attendance had steadily risen to its highest peak in years. So, to say she was proud of him, would have been an understatement.
Grissom could feel his wife's eyes on him, so after helping his son with another clue, he looked up so their eyes could connect, and while they were, he couldn't help but smile at her.
While he was doing the stay at home/consultant job, and now teaching, Sara had been pretty busy at the lab herself, while also fitting in being a mother, these last six years; and while there were a few incidents that she went through that made him wish she would stop being a CSI, he never asked her to because she continued to love what she did and she still felt she was making a difference, so he just continued to support her. Plus, with Catherine and Nick moving here, she finally got to move up the chain and was now a supervisor. Which she's about to have a new team that will consist of Greg, Morgan Brody, who happened to be Ecklie's daughter, Blake, who had been a CSI for a year now, and two newcomers who will be starting next week, their daughter, who had graduated with a Master's degree in Entomology, and Lindsey with a Bachelor's in science.
Sure it was a very young team with not a lot of experience yet, but Grissom had no doubt that Sara will be a wonderful teacher/mentor/boss to them. He also knew that Greg will be there to help when needed. So, to say that he was proud of her would've been an understatement.
As their eyes remained connected, Nick and Catherine looked at them before looking at each other, and smiled while shaking their heads, knowing those two were having one of their silent conversations. Even after 15 years, some things never change.
After they made it to the restaurant and had sat down, they ordered their food, and while they were waiting for it, Blake grabbed his water and took a drink before he cleared his throat and spoke, but it was a little shaky. "Can I have everybody's attention please?" They all looked at him as he continued. "First of all, I would like to congratulate Lindsey and Bailey on their recent accomplishment, welcome to the CSI team."
After everybody toasted to that, Blake cleared his throat again, then he looked at Lindsey as he placed his hand on hers. "Lindsey, the second I met you I knew my life had changed, and at first I honestly wanted to run and hide from it. But then when we started dating, I knew that was never going to be an option because you were going to be a part of me whether we were together or not." He used his free hand to cup her cheek as tears started to go down Lindsey's cheek while he finished with a smile. "Even when we had to part all those years, you were still a part of me, and always will be. Now, I'm hoping you'll be with me forever because there is no other woman I would rather share my life with than with you. So, Lindsey Willows, will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?"
As Lindsey sniffled with tears in her eyes as she whispered. "Yes."
His face beamed but he acted like he didn't hear her. "What was that?"
The table chuckled as Lindsey nodded with a little louder answer as she smiled. "Yes!"
He chuckled with a nod. "That's what I thought." He then stood up while bringing her with him before they kissed softly while everybody at the table clapped, which made the closest people to them in the restaurant clap.
After they pulled back, he pulled out a single diamond ring out of its case before looking into her eyes as he placed the ring on the tip of her ring finger, then after she nodded with another smile, indicating her answer was still the same, he slipped the ring on her finger before bringing her in his arms to hold her. "I love you, Lindsey."
She took a breath as she held him to her, never wanting to let him go again. "I love you too, Blake."
When they finally pulled apart, everybody stood up from the table to congratulate the newly engaged couple.
Catherine and Nick had been waiting for this from the moment Blake showed back up into Lindsey's life, because like Bailey, they had never seen her as happy as she was when she was with him, and they very much approved of this union, even more so when Blake came and asked for their blessing. So, they couldn't have picked a better life partner for her.
After Bailey pulled back from her best friend, she cleared her throat before smiling at them. "Excuse me."
Lindsey. "Bailey..."
Bailey shook her head and waved off her concern. "Relax, I'm ok. I just need to go the restroom." They nodded as she started to walk away, all having a feeling it was more than a bathroom break. She needed a moment to regroup, and they all understood that.
When Bailey walked out of the restroom a couple minutes later to head back to her family's table, passing a few tables in the process, a voice reached her ears from behind her; a voice that made her stop dead in her tracks while her heart raced in a way it hadn't in eight years, which in that one moment all other voices or noises from the restaurant just disappeared so only the sound that she was hearing now was his beautiful voice and her heart pounding.
She couldn't believe it, was it true? Was she really hearing him, or was it her own imagination running wild. She just knew she couldn't walk away without being sure. So, she had to turn around to see if it was, which was exactly what she did.
AN: Want more? Is it him? Found out next chapter. Please review.
*This is really not my year, things have once again become rough in my family, my dad is now in the hospital (although he is getting better everyday), so updates may not become as regular as you are use to with me, but I'll try and not make you guys wait too long for the chapters.