Title: Lips of Pink

Pairing: Sara/Nick, Amelia/Grissom

Spoiler: CSI up to about season 4, CSI: Miami up to season 3.

Summary: Amelia gives birth to Speed's child and is soon back at work. As she, Catherine, and Warrick work the case of a dead stripper, Amelia begins to wonder about her and Grissom's relationship. Nick tries to figure out if Sara wants him or Grissom as they work a case of a sociologist who ends up dead.

Disclaimer: I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

My Note: Sorry this has taken so long! I got caught up in school. But I am finally free and ready to get back to writing! Sorry that Halfhearted was pretty, well, halfhearted in terms of writing. I hope Lips of Pink will be a great story!

Chapter 1: Tim Jr.

"I've been told that nothing will last forever, but I know that there will never be someone quite like you and I. You promise that no one will ever come between the two of us." –The Storm 'Drops in the Ocean'

June 2, 2005 started off like any other day. Amelia, now 39 weeks into her pregnancy, was tired and aching. Her stomach had grown so much over the last 15 weeks, she often wondered if she was in fact carrying twins. Luckily for her, it was just one baby, as the ultrasounds proved. She didn't think she could handle two babies at once.

In January, Grissom accompanied his girlfriend to her 20-week checkup. They were both anxious to find out the sex of the baby. Amelia and her mother had long thought it would be a boy. Grissom, though not the biological father of the baby, was secretly hoping for a girl. He couldn't explain it, but he thought Amelia with a little girl would be a beautiful thing.

When the ultrasound showed it was a boy, a feeling of relief passed through Amelia. And then regret. Regret that Tim would never know his child, never know his own son.

Amelia and Grissom soon agreed that the boy would be named Timothy Michael Speedle, Jr., in honor of his late father. They both decided this would be the proper way to honor Tim.

As her June 8th due date crept closer and closer, Amelia's fears of being a mother were in overdrive. She constantly lay awake at night, while Grissom was at work, worrying about what kind of a mother she would be and what kind of a father Grissom would be. She knew, deep down, her fears would be for naught, but at the same time, the irrational side of her brain often took over and spread the fear through her like a virus.

But June 2nd started like every other day before it. Grissom arrived home after a particularly difficult shift, and Amelia awoke after a relatively sleepless night. Amelia greeted Grissom with a kiss, happy to see him. Grissom, even after a long night shift, walked into the kitchen to make breakfast for Amelia. As she sat down on the couch to turn on Food Network, a pain in her stomach made her pause. Soon it dissipated and she returned to her normal morning routine.

All through the morning, the pain came and went. Sometimes it was more painful than others. Grissom watched her all morning, noticing the grimaces on her face. After a few hours, he began to time the pain and soon it became painfully obvious Amelia was not going to make it to her June 8th due date.

And true enough, at 3:24 am on June 3rd, Timothy Michael Speedle, Jr. made his way into the world. For Amelia, words could not express her joy at first laying eyes on her son. For Grissom, he finally had what he had secretly longed for, a family.

Grissom took a couple of days off from work while Amelia and Tim remained in the hospital. The first night home as a family, while something like a bit chaotic, was still a wonderful thing for Grissom. Watching Amelia and Tim interact was fascinating for Grissom. For a long time, Grissom figured he would never marry and have kids. While he was still not married and had no biological children of his own, watching Amelia and Tim gave Grissom hope for the future. He had been in love with Amelia for a long time. It was rare for Grissom to find a woman who could match him in every way, and that was Amelia. Her love of science and truth was beautiful to Grissom.

The first time Grissom held Tim, Amelia broke down in tears. Not of sadness, but of happiness. Here stood a man she had loved and adored and here he was, holding a child that was not biologically his, but still the love on his face was evident and sure. For the first time in a long time, Amelia was happy.

When Grissom had to return to work, leaving Amelia for much of the day by herself with Tim, he worried that the stress would be too much for her. For a while, she worried herself. But soon she found strength in the love of those around her. She realized she could be a wonderful mother as long as she fought against getting lost in sadness.

Amelia's parents and many of her siblings came to visit over the next few weeks. Even Grissom's mother came to see the new baby. Seeing so many of her friends and family gave Amelia a renewed strength.

While she feared going back to work and leaving Tim with a nanny, she also craved the puzzles that work brought her. Amelia had started on the swing shift back in January. It had been difficult for her to get used to, but now she found herself missing her new teammates. She still got to see Warrick, Grissom, Nick, Catherine and Sara at work often, so she was not completely removed from her friends.

Plus there was a rumor that Ecklie was planning on changing things around for grave shift. Amelia secretly hoped that Ecklie would move Catherine or Warrick up to Swing shift with her, although she knew Catherine wanted to be the Days supervisor.

As her maternity leave came closer to the end, the doubts in her mind got bigger. But a few talks with Catherine helped to calm Amelia down. Amelia knew that once she got back in the schedule, while it would be emotionally difficult, working would be a good thing for her.