A/N: This story picks up where "Beginning in San Francisco" ended, heading into an AU that finds Sara facing the biggest challenge of her life. GSR as always.
Chapter 1
TWO WEEKS AFTER GRISSOM'S DEPARTURE:
Sara,
It's been an eventful two weeks. I'm hoping things are well with you. I'm sure you're so busy solving cases that you've barely had time to think of me. I have, also, been quite busy. There was a tough case that needed me to call in an old friend. I don't know if I ever mentioned her to you. Her name is Terri Miller and she's amazing in her field. It took over a week, but with her help, we plowed through. Catherine, Nick and Warrick were glad to have me back to share in the work load. Jim was glad to have me back so he didn't have to listen to Catherine, Nick and Warrick complain about the work load anymore. And although I am also extremely happy to be back to the grindstone, I often think of you and our time together at the bay. Your aptitude and ability intrigued me as no one has in a long time. You are going to shine, Sara. I hope someday to see just how much. Please keep in touch.
Your friend,
Grissom
He was going to keep in touch, and although it was remote, it was enough to keep her going for now. She got up from her desk and went back to the bathroom to look at the stick that was waiting.
Grissom,
I'm glad things are going well for you. So well that you had to call in your old friend, Ms. Terri Miller. Well, I hope she helped you and now she's gone. I've heard more than enough about her the last time we spoke! I certainly don't need to hear more about some woman who. . .(Okay—Stop this and go back to the beginning. I can't send this to him. Start again.)
Grissom,
I'm so glad things are going well for you. I have been busy these past two weeks but I certainly think of you often. You can say you left a little bit of your essence behind in San Francisco. Terri sounds fantastic—a real firecracker! I'm sure the others were glad to have you back, after all, where would they be without their leading entomologist? As far as my ability to learn—I must say I had an excellent teacher and you've taught me quite a lot, too much to go into in a simple email. I'll gladly respond to any messages you send. It's always wonderful to hear from you.
Wishing you well,
Sara
FOUR WEEKS AFTER GRISSOM'S DEPARTURE:
Sara,
I know it's been a few weeks, but we really aren't getting a break around here. I imagine I'm but a fading memory by now. I hope you are feeling well. Know that I'll keep trying to correspond, even if I am dragging myself home in the mornings and crawling back out of bed at night. I mustn't complain too much. I'm actually thriving. I sometimes wonder if I'd be able to survive without so much going on around me.
Talk to you again,
Grissom
Grissom,
Yes, it's been a couple of weeks. A fading memory? How about a growing seed? And feeling well? My boobs hurt! I pee so much I'm thinking of buying stock in Charmin Toilet Paper! And dragging yourself home in the morning and crawling back out of bed at night? Perhaps you should have thought about whose bed you were crawling into last month! And I'm just soooo happy to hear that you're thriving while I'm going to work feeling as if I could just drop and go back to bed for twelve hours! (Oops. Rewrite!)
Grissom,
Sorry to hear you are so busy. You are not a fading memory. Your presence is felt to remind me that you were here. I'm so sorry that you're so tired. Maybe a little more rest and a little less murder and mayhem would do the trick? But I understand your inability to sit still. I'm sure work is actually doing you well. I am finding work to be a blessing when I'm sitting home alone without much to do.
I'll be here,
Sara
SEVEN WEEKS AFTER GRISSOM'S DEPARTURE:
Sara,
I'm just sitting down between breaths. Work has been all consuming and we have been lucky enough to have had the assistance of Terri Miller again for the past several weeks. As I've told you before, she's incredibly bright. I'm sure you'd like her. I got word of the serial that's happening in your area and often wonder if you're working on the case. If so, I'm sure you'll be wrapping it up soon. I have no doubts about your ability. Catherine and Warrick have worked a case similar it here. It took them nearly three weeks but they finally put enough pieces of the puzzle together to apprehend this guy two days ago. And, while they've been completely eaten up with that case, Nick has been on vacation all week, so I've had more than my fair share of double-shifts. I'm looking forward to this weekend. I plan to have dinner with Terri at Le Palais D'or. It will be the first time we actually get to sit down to eat a meal together. I must go, my name seems to be a popular one right now. It's times like this that I wish I had never left the bay. Hearing you say my name never irritated me as it does hearing it being called by several CSIs at once.
Be well,
Grissom
Sara hadn't mentioned to Grissom that she had been off work for the past week and a half. Vomiting had become her constant companion. If it were regular like clockwork, she might have been able to work around it, but there was no rhyme or reason to it as she would smell something that had previously made her mouth water with yearning but would now send her running to the nearest facility to empty her stomach. Sometimes it didn't even take a smell. Riding in cars with other drivers was an absolute no-no. And often, when she was driving herself, she would have to pull over and throw up. But, he had more important things to be concerned about, such as his dinner he had planned with (from Grissom's description) the goddess, Terri Miller. Sara looked at the email and didn't know if she wanted to wipe at the tears about to fall, or wipe at her mouth, in an attempt to curb her nervous nausea. As a single tear slipped onto her cheek, the decision was made for her.
Grissom,
I followed your example and took a break this weekend, too. I went to Robert's Ragazzo Grande. . .(Sara thought about the wisdom of this. If she knew Grissom, then she figured he knew Italian and if he didn't, he'd look it up, so telling him that she went to Bob's Big Boy wasn't going to work. She erased the Roberts Ragazzo Grande.)
I went to. . .(she had to think a moment on this one). . .a very fine restaurant with one of my coworkers. I don't think you met him. His name was . . .Pat Garrett. (Sara looked at her computer. No—she just knew Grissom had to be a history-buff and the sheriff who killed Billy the Kid was out of the question.)
I don't think you met him. His name was. . .Jesse. . .Cassidy (Ah! She thought, rather proud of herself—she'd combine Jesse James and Butch Cassidy—he wouldn't catch that one!)
We had a very nice time. We had . . . chicken cordon bleu and . . .(her stomach heaved just thinking about it and her mind went into super-drive trying to think of something that wouldn't make her want to spew her dinner all over her laptop. What was it she had for dinner? Oh, the only thing that she could keep down, lately. Rice Crispie Treats!)
. . .chicken cordon bleu and . . .rice crispie treats? (That won't work! She'd just skip what they ate.)
We had a very nice time. Jesse is a detective with . . . Homicide. . .(that's it—homicide will work) and he's very knowledgeable in. . .um. . .dammit! (Okay, can't think straight—I have to vomit! No, I'm okay. Just rewind a bit.)
Jesse is a detective with SFPD. We went. . .dancing afterwards. (No! I "do" have to vomit!)
Sara went to the bathroom and returned nearly an hour later where she went back to her email and cleaned it up as best as possible.
Grissom,
I followed your example and took a break this weekend, too. I went to a very fine restaurant with one of my coworkers. I don't think you met him. His name was Jesse Cassidy. We had a very nice time. Jesse is a detective with SFPD. I'm sorry to cut this short, but my phone is ringing and I'm expecting a call from Jesse.
Lots of luck with your endeavors,
Sara
NINE WEEKS AFTER GRISSOM'S DEPARTURE:
Sara,
I'm glad you're moving on with your life. Jesse is a very lucky man to have captured your attention. I, on the other hand, didn't fare out so well with my dinner. It seems the lab had other plans and at the last minute and I had to cancel. I didn't see Terri again as she had flown to Reno two days later to work a case there. I'm hoping she can come back and we can try again. I heard they caught the serial and I couldn't help but feel you had a big part in it. We are fully staffed here again, thankfully, but it gives me a lot of time to spend on my own. Some days I'm finding myself remembering a night filled with flying crabs. Have you and your detective friend gone to that crab shack you took me to? I wonder if that elderly couple still frequents the spot. They may fear for their lives now and go for lobster instead. I'm glad you're doing well and keeping busy. Try not to work too much, you need a break from time to time.
As always,
Grissom
Hmph! Sara thought as she looked at the screen. So, the dragon lady—oops—she means young lady—was transferred to Reno. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she had stayed to have that dinner with Grissom.
Grissom,
Sometimes life interferes in the most unusual ways—like being forbidden to return to your job because you're at home connected to a damned IV pole that some strange nurse comes in to change every twelve hours because you can't keep a thing in your frickin' stomach except rice crispie treats! And if you want to know the damned truth! I'm glad the bitch went to Reno! I hope she dries up like an old prune there and blows away! But no, I bet she's not lying around with permanent bed-head because she can't get up and wash her hair every time she throws up in it! No! Ms. Terri Miller probably goes to the salon every—frickin—day—and not only gets her hair done—but gets a damned pedicure too! I'll tell ya what I'd like to do with her damned toes, right now! And you think I should take a break? Not work too much? As if. LOL Yeah! Go ahead and laugh you rotten son-of-a. . .You just laugh your damned head off as you're sitting with your high-class-tramp in your high-class-restaurant eating your high-class-food while I'm laying here knocked up with "your high-class-kid chomping on high-class-frickin-rice-crispie-treats!" (Oops, again. Better try rewriting.)
Grissom,
I'm sorry your date didn't pan out for you. I'm sure Ms. Miller will return soon and you can have your dinner together. My life is, thankfully, rather routine right now. I'm spending my time with someone new. I'm sure you'd like it (oops—take that out and replace "it" with ? him?)
I'm sure you'd like him. We eat together whenever we can and spend time with one another even more often than that. I'm also socializing more. It isn't uncommon at all for me to have visitors at least twice a day. But I also spend a good portion of my time resting, so don't think for a moment that I'm over-working.
Keep in touch,
Sara
TEN WEEKS AFTER GRISSSOM'S DEPARTURE:
Sara,
Just a quick note to let you know I'm still here. I'm on my way out to a triple homicide.
Your mentor,
Grissom.
Grissom,
I'm still here too—on the couch—watching Barney! If I hear "I love you—you love me, we're a happy family. . ." one more time I'm going to smash the screen! But I watch it because Wishbone is on after that. He's a little Jack Russell. I want a Jack Russell. But do you know what I want even more than that? TO GET OUT OF BED! Or in this case—off the frickin' couch! Do you know that woman on PBS? She only comes on when they're trying to get donations. Anyway—if you stare at her long enough, she looks like Lon Chaney Junior in Abbott and Costello Meets Frankenstein? And if I stare at my stomach long enough it looks like an ANT HILL THAT'S GONNA TURN INTO A MOUNTAIN SOON! (Okay, can't send that. How about this?)
Grissom,
Good luck on your triple homicide. Be careful and get your man—or whatever. I know you will. Were there bugs involved?
Your mentee,
Sara
FOURTEEN WEEKS AFTER GRISSOM'S DEPARTURE:
Sara,
I know I haven't emailed in a while, but although I've been very busy, I've thought of you often. I told Terri about you while we were having dinner together last weekend. Oh, I forgot to tell you, she's been working on a case down here for the past two weeks and we've managed to take in dinner twice. Terri says you sound absolutely adorable. Seeing as I doubted you'd like to be labeled adorable, I explained that you're intelligence was above and beyond all others during my trip to San Francisco almost four months ago. How are things going with Jesse? Or has this new man in your life taken over your affections? I don't believe you gave me his name. He must be quite the man to have captured you as he evidently has. Well, as usual, I must be going. Terri is working on a bust of a young girl that I'm anxious to see.
Be safe,
Grissom
Grissom,
It's always such a pleasure to hear that you're still with that witch! I'd love to see a good picture of her besides all the ones she posed for that I've googled! Can she get her hair pulled back any tighter? Or is that her version of a face lift? And it's so damned wonderful to hear that I'm the topic of your dinner conversation. I wonder—do you talk about me while you're in bed with her too? And just what's wrong with me being called adorable? Thanks a frickin' lot! Yeah, go ahead and tell her how smart I am! So smart that I let you get me pregnant! Then run home to her! That was a pure genius—wasn't it! Oh? You gotta go? Can't keep Terri waiting—now can we? (Rewrite.)
Grissom,
As always, it's good to hear from you. You must have been extraordinarily busy this past month but it's good to hear that you've had Terri to help pass your time. She must be a very lovely lady. So, tell me, are there wedding bells in your future?
As always,
Sara
EIGHTEEN WEEKS AFTER GRISSOM'S DEPARTURE:
Sara,
You must be forgetting about me. I know I don't have the opportunity to sit down and email as often as I would like, but please feel free to send any messages to me. I always look forward to hearing your replies. How is work going for you? I heard about the man who killed his wife, girlfriend and their children—six in all, I believe—then killed himself. Were you part of this investigation? I've been getting extremely hungry for crab lately, and somehow the taste in Vegas doesn't compare to that little crab shack at the bay. What about you? Is Jesse—or, again, I don't believe you told me your other friend's name—keeping you busy? I know you said you were socializing a great deal a few weeks ago. Are you still the social butterfly? I hope you're making time to remember me and our short time together. You were a wonderful friend to me when I was alone and needed such a friend. Please, feel free to keep in touch more often.
Your friend,
Grissom
Grissom,
Forgetting about you? Yeah—every time this child kicks me under the ribs, I think—gee, I wonder who could have snuck into my room one night five months ago and done this to me? I don't think I'm forgetting about you! Especially now that I've got this ultrasound picture hanging on my refrigerator to remind me that, even though I'm gaining weight so quickly I feel as if I'm pregnant with triplets, there is, indeed, only one baby in there. And was I part of the investigation—yeah, but now that I'm showing and have a bump under my shirt the size of a soccer ball, for some reason, my supervisor feels it's much better to keep the pregnant lady at her desk comparing stats on every single one of the victims' DNA and going over all of their clothes with a fine tooth comb, rather than out at the scene where the asshole's brilliant idea of birth control was annihilating his family! Oh—let's not forget that one woman wasn't enough for him—either! He had TWO families! Bastard! And should we talk about the social butterfly? How about the social hippo? Not many dates when you're broadcasting your last date's ability to get lucky! Oh—and I'm glad I gave you comfort while you were friendless here—and thinking about your blonde bimbo back in Nevada! It's always a real pleasure to think that I kept you company while I'm sitting here alone each night with my feet propped up, just waiting for them to start to swell! (Back up and try again.)
Grissom,
I am not forgetting about you. On the contrary. I have a constant reminder of you as I look at a picture I have hanging on my refrigerator. I was connected to that case of Mr. Fenwick and his two families, and I was kept very busy with it. I hope to never come across another case like it, but knowing human nature—it's highly unlikely that I won't come across it again from time to time. I haven't been to that crab shack lately, either. And my visitors have dwindled with the increase in my work hours. I'm back to a quiet life again and can concentrate more fully on the job again. I haven't been emailing you unless you've emailed be because I know how busy you are. I don't want to interrupt your lifestyle in Vegas.
Waiting to hear from you again,
Sara
TWENTY-TWO WEEKS AFTER GRISSOM'S DEPARTURE:
Sara,
Another month has passed and I haven't heard from you. I hope I've done nothing to offend you. You were my prize pupil at the bay. I valued our friendship very much. I wonder if your friend (was it Jesse) is keeping you so preoccupied that I'm but a distant memory. I can understand, though, how life can sometimes take a sudden, unexpected turn. I've found myself in similar circumstances. Terri Miller is a magnificent scientist and artist. Sometimes, though, I feel intimidated by her. You, on the other hand, well, lets just say those the evenings I spent when you and I walked along the bay was a so much slower, a much more casual pace. Be well, Sara, and if you would prefer to keep our relationship as a distant memory, I can understand.
Thinking of you,
Grissom
Grissom,
Your distant memory is now kicking my bladder so I'll have to get back to you on that! Maybe you'd want to check in with Terri to see if she can go on evening walks through your French restaurants you so like to frequent! Distant memory! BAH! (Try again.)
Grissom,
It has been a long time since you've written. I want to thank you for complimenting my abilities while attending your lectures. I, too, enjoyed the friendship we shared. But, if it is your intention to close our friendship due to a more substantial relationship with Ms. Miller, I can fully understand. I'll still keep that photo on my refrigerator door, though. So, you won't be far from my thoughts.
Good luck,
Sara
TWENTY-SIX WEEKS AFTER GRISSOM'S DEPARTURE:
It had been four weeks since Grissom's last email. Sara was now in the habit of carrying a box of tissues around the house with her. For some inexplicable reason, every time she'd see a commercial on television advertising local eateries that specialized in crab, she'd burst into tears. Every time she'd hear Sting on the radio singing "Every Breath I Take," (or on her stereo system since she bought the CD six months ago) she'd burst into tears. Every time she'd see the Golden Gate Bridge in the background of various advertisements throughout the city, she'd burst into tears. Today was no different as Sting played in the background and she pattered through her apartment wearing a pair of sweatpants and a tank top that revealed her basketball-sized bump quite clearly.
When the knock on the door came, she picked up her box of tissues, pulled one out and wiped her nose, tossed it in the trash, then went to answer the door. She was expecting to see her local delivery boy with a medium-mushroom-pan pizza so she grabbed her wallet on her way. The insistent knock irritated her a bit. The boy knew she was pregnant!
"Wait! I'm coming!" she called as she got the money out of her wallet, then put the extra two ones back. He didn't need quite as big a tip as she was planning on giving him—he was irritating her with his impatience. "Ben! You know I can't move as fast as I used to!"
She pulled the door open and looked at the man standing before her. He looked back with a smile on his face that faded as his gaze moved down over her body, pausing at the swollen abdomen announcing her pregnancy.
"No," Grissom said quietly. "I guess you can't."