A/N: After much discussion, this will not be the last story in this series--we have enough in our imaginations for one more. So enjoy! All fluff! Sweet stuff!
A Few Days in Paris Chapter 1
It had been easy to say no with a dozen reasons for her answer. But a dozen people, including her husband, said she should go. The Madam Curie Award was presented with a selectiveness that rivaled winning Powerball millions, and her co-researchers refused to take her "no" as a firm decision.
"Your airfare and hotel expenses will be paid," one insisted.
"We will be gone less than a week," another claimed. "You could go just for the dinner and presentation—three days max."
The attempted persuasions continued with no avail and no change in her response—until her husband and the lead researcher collaborated.
Gil Grissom sat across the desk from his wife. "You are going. This is a life-time recognition of your work—you may never be a part of this kind of project again—not one that gets this kind of award." His intense blue eyes watched her as she twirled a pen between her fingers, a frown puckering her forehead.
"It's too far, Gil. The kids will not be out of school. I can't leave them." She grinned. "I can't leave you—it's too much."
Unspoken was their past history; leaving five children with their father had not always worked as planned.
"What if we all went?"
Sara gaped with open mouth, surprised he would mention this possibility.
"I don't think we can afford a trip to Paris for seven."
He stood. "Tell them you will go. I'll figure out the rest of it." He chuckled. "Maybe we can stick Ava and Annie in a carry-on."
~~~Passports were a big deal; photographs taken, forms completed and mailed, and the wait began. Books about France and Paris were read and reread, movies watched again and again, and lists were made. Between homework and school and chores and play, the talk was of Paris—what to see, what to eat, what to say, and what to wear.
Eli and Bizzy, as the two oldest, had taken charge of planning and packing clothes and entertainment for their brother and twin sisters. Sara had been surprised at the willingness of the other children with this arrangement—she was certain there was some sibling agreement of give and take, but she was unaware of it. Eli had always been the leader of the pack—their father's current description of his children—but in the past few months, Sara had noticed a subtle change in roles. Her oldest daughter, sweet, easy-going, always complacent was becoming the chief organizer, planner, and coordinator; she was also the smartest with an uncanny ability to grasp the intangible.
Overhearing a conversation between Bizzy and her sisters, Sara heard the older girl explain how sharing of certain items meant more space for new things they could buy in Paris. Sara knew her oldest daughter had little interest in clothes, her favorites being jeans and simple shirts. But Ava and Annie thought of themselves as fashion icons and more ruffles, bows, lace, and ribbons translated to stylish flair for them.
As much as she was perplexed by the panache of her twins, Sara had worried unceasingly about Bizzy from the time the child began to use plastic numbers to add and subtract and by the time she was three, she was able to recognize numbers, divide and multiple with the ease most children were learning cartoon characters. It frightened Sara beyond words. Her fears were confirmed when, at age four, Grissom had taken Bizzy to a psychological and psychometrics examiner who confirmed what they knew with a battery of standardized and intelligence tests.
It took Sara much longer to accept the reality that her child was a genius while Grissom's response had been one of delight and, from Sara's viewpoint, one of unrealistic expectations. None of their friends were surprised by this child prodigy, hiding smiles as Sara managed to provide a clever and imaginative environment that stimulated and encouraged the child's natural ability while Grissom was teaching the toddler the scientific names of every bug and insect in the west. By the time Sara was pregnant with Will, Bizzy's innate personality of goodness and happiness, of an understanding of behavior beyond her years, made her a favorite of everyone, as she learned to hide her intelligence with surprising ease. Sara's fears for her daughter had been unproven—Bizzy had adapted to public school, had a small group of friends who accepted her wit and intelligence, and exceeded without fanfare in anything she attempted.
Sara and Grissom had been surprised at the response of their children to this trip. It was excitement and enthusiasm but a calmness that belied their ages. They learned words and phrases in French for greetings, foods, and simple questions. With a Paris map, they marked and circled a dozen places of interest, mapped the metro system, even ranked the best places to see. Eli, old enough to be interested in kings and wars, found an afternoon tour based on the French Revolution, and talked the others into including this tour after he described the workings of the guillotine.
Early one afternoon, before the kids returned from school, Sara heard Grissom talking on the phone, laughter coming from him as easily as breathing. She knew Catherine Willows was on the other end. The two had maintained a close, easy friendship that had continued when Grissom left Las Vegas.
Catherine had retired from the lab to be "a lady of leisure" as she self-described her retirement. However, she was also a wealthy woman as the primary survivor of Sam Braun's landholdings, casino interests, investments, stocks, and bonds, and whatever else the man had accumulated before his death years earlier. Catherine, her mother, and Lindsay had lived well, but without trappings of wealth for years, until Catherine learned just how much money can be made with rollovers, mergers, and return on investments.
Sara heard her name mentioned before her husband appeared in the kitchen.
"She's right here—very excited! The kids are thrilled—go over everything with Sara—I'll be there to pick you up." Grissom handed the phone to Sara, a grin spreading over his face.
Catherine did not stop talking because the phone changed hands. She talked as if she were assigning work with intentions of saying everything at once. Sara knew all this had been said before; that's why Grissom had passed the phone to Sara with that satisfied smile on his face.
As Catherine rattled off numbers and dates, Sara replied in one syllable words, checking her own list with Catherine's because Catherine was also going to Paris. She would arrive in two days and add to the chaos of packing and departing for a trip—a trip with five children and three adults to Paris for ten days. As Catherine continued to talk, Sara thought, not for the first time, she must have lost her mind to agree to this madness.
A/N: Thanks for reading--now review--it does give us encouragement to continue!