The sun was high in the sky over Grateson Bridge Park bathing the large group of people in soft warm rays as they sat, talked, played softball and just enjoyed the weather.
The annual Las Vegas Crime Lab picnic was where all the teams and technicians got together for the day and enjoyed the sun with out having to work. Well, most of them. Most of the dayshift team were on call, but so far there had been cases to attend to.
It was the same set up year after year; the shifts would sit together and get competitive over the annual softball match, which Graveyard shift always seemed to win. It was just a big social event to help strengthen ties between the teams, one of Ecklie's big wants.
To Dr. Gilbert Grissom, it was just a day spent being with those you cared about and enjoying their company.
He was spread out on a blanket, head resting on his arms, eyes closed, just listening to the sounds around him.
A few years ago, he might not have been able to hear this; the happy shouts, the birds, wind in the trees. All of this would have been silent and he'd never have heard his children's first words or high pitched laughter.
The annual picnic was also a chance for the children of CSIs and technicians to meet people from their parents work and understand a bit more about what they did. It also meant that there was some young blood playing the softball match, and so made it a little more even and fair.
A squeal a few feet away from him caused him to open his eyes and see his twin children – Mary and Joseph- come flying towards him, followed closely behind by Warrick and Nick. Sara was sat at a picnic bench a few feet away, talking to Catherine and Sofia, cooing over Sofia's new baby. Though Sofia and her husband – Alex Vartann- were not CSIs, Sofia had been a CSI and both worked closely with the crime labs, making them feel like family.
Grissom smiled as his 3 year old daughter launched in his arms, Joseph latching on to his legs, both of them laughing madly as Warrick and Nick fell back, obviously out of breath, but laughing all the same.
Grissom sat up, picking Joseph off his legs and setting him onto the floor next to him, smiling as the little boy ran off again, tigging Warrick's leg before giggling madly and rushing off to join some of the other kids in their games. Mary had wandered off to where Sara was sat, skipping like any innocent 3 year old girl would. She was the spitting image of Sara, independent and spirit-driven, it was almost impossible to keep a leash on her. Joseph was a lot more like his father, laid back and calm, but he and his twin could barely be separated from each other. It was strange to see two children who were so differing in personalities play together very calmly in a sand box or in the park.
Slowly, the sun started to set on the park and the large group of Criminologists, lab techs and few detectives slowly started to drift away, leaving the stragglers with the last of the picnic blankets and food.
Mary and Joseph had fallen asleep a couple of hours after the softball match had started, work out from their games and curiosity. Now they were curled up on a blanket, unaware of what was going on around them.
Sara smiled down at them, at their soft closed faces and pushed back a lock of Mary's hair; that was already starting to get a little long.
Grissom came up behind her, smiling down at their children. Carefully, he lifted Mary up into his arms, resting her small head on his shoulder, cradling her to his body.
Joseph was held in his mother's arms, holding onto her neck as though she was going to let go of him as she carried him over to the car.
The park was bare now, people having left and gone home.
The Grissom family left as well, driving away from another peaceful day in Sin City, the fading sunlight vanishing on the horizon.