Disclaimer: Don't own the Original Characters

Summary: Thomas and Aubrey are getting married in two months, will it happen or will things from their past stop them from getting what they want? Also a temporary house guest is staying with the Grissom family and it changes their feelings on extending the family, will it happen? And how will Isabella feel about it? Sequel to healing.

AN: You might be a little confused if you didn't read Healing.

AN#2: This story will not be as long as the first one.

Title: Moving forward
Rating: T
Time-line: Two months after Healing ended
Spoilers: Subtle hints of one or two episodes
Warnings: Implied/Suggestive adult behavior, sensitive material
Main Parings: GSR, Thomas/Aubrey
Minor Parings: Catnip, Greg/Amanda
Other Characters: DB

Moving Forward

Chapter 1: House guest

Thomas walks into his apartment after getting off shift an hour early since DB had let him off because he was on his third shift and looked dead on his feet. He walks over to the counter to set his keys down then he walked toward the bedroom and puts his shoulder against the door frame when he gets there and just stands there with a smile, watching the woman he loves sleeping soundly.

When they had decided to live together, two months ago, they agreed that she would move into his apartment and then when they get married, which is two months from now, they would start looking for a house. They weren't really in a hurry on leaving this cozy apartment but they did want to think of the future especially if there were kids in that future because they would need the extra room. It was an adjustment for the both of them when they started living together but they believed they worked it out enough so they weren't fighting over unimportant things.

After five more minutes of watching her he quietly moved around in the bedroom, getting a pair of sweat pants and walking into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

When he walks back out just in his sweatpants, he walks to the bed, slips under the covers, scoots closer to her and wraps his arm around her waist which subconsciously she moves closer to him so her back was against his smooth, bare, chest. He smiles when she did that and remembered when she did that the first time they had shared a bed, just for sleeping though. She had wanted to ease her way into a more intimate relationship and he understood and respected that.

They had fallen asleep talking about anything that they thought of then during the night he woke up to get something to drink and when he laid back down he moved closer to her and after he slipped his arm around her waist she automatically moved closer to him and the moment her back touched his chest he knew there was never going to be another woman who would fit in his arms as perfectly as she would.

Since that night he always made sure he has his arms around her because not only did it make him feel whole but he found out he sleeps better knowing she is safely in his arms and he found out she felt the same way.

He kissed her on her shirt covered shoulder, laid his head down, mentally sighed in content, closed his eyes and being so exhausted it didn't take him long to fall asleep. Unfortunately he didn't stay sleeping because Aubrey had sat up while she screamed. His eyes shot open then sits up, puts his hand on her shoulder, which she flinched and moved away from it, still having the dream in her mind.

He said soothing. "It's me." She sighed in relief and looked at him even though she couldn't see him very well because of the curtains being closed and she didn't have her glasses on but she knew he was there because of his soothing voice.

He brings her in his arms a few seconds later and asked. "Bad Dream again?" She nodded with a small sniffle. Ever since the kidnapping she would get bad dreams now and then and he did the best he could to comfort her.

After a few minute she pulls back from his arms and said. "I'm sorry. You just worked a triple and shouldn't be up, you have to be exhausted."

He shakes his head, brings her back into his arms and said. "It doesn't matter. I need to make sure you are alright because I can't get a good night's sleep or in this case a good morning's sleep, knowing your hurt or scared." She smiles at his words.

After another contented sigh she pulls back from his arms then he puts a hand on her cheek and asked. "You ok now?" She nodded and he continued. "Alright lets see if you can get some more sleep, you still have an hour before you have to get up."

She nodded again and as they were getting comfortable in bed she sighed and said. "I know it's still two months away but I can't wait till this school year is over." She loved teaching, she really did but this school year had seemed to go on forever because of what was happening after it ends and she couldn't wait. And for a patient person like herself she was getting a little impatient and it was driving her crazy.

He wraps his arms around her waist from behind, smiled and said. "And I know why you're so anxious for this school year to be done."

"You do huh?"

"Yes."

"It wouldn't happen to be that I am marrying the best man in the world does it?"

He leans closer to her head, kissed it and replied. "No. It's because I am marrying the best woman in the world and the queen of my heart." Aubrey's heart just melted and once again thanked god for about the billionth time since meeting him that he came into her life.

Aubrey cleared her throat and said. "I love you Thomas, sleep tight."

He kissed her head again, moved her closer to him, if that was even possible and said. "I love you too and I'll probably be sound asleep when you leave later so enjoy your day at school." She nodded and after a few more seconds of silence they both fell asleep into each other's arms.

Across town

In a lovely and friendly neighborhood Gilbert Grissom was sound asleep in the bed he shared with his wife, who was currently at work, when all of a sudden a cry came from the crib that was in the room. He opened his eyes and was wondering at frist where it came from but then when the cry started to come louder he remembered.

He stretches, yawns, sits up then got out of the bed, walked up to the crib that use to be Isabella's, looked down at the little guy that was in there. At first he will admit that he was a little frightened about having to tend to him during the night while Sara was at work but after a few lesson's from her he became a natural and actually enjoyed some parts of it. He bends down, picks him up, soothes him while he was changing him and also getting his bottle ready.

When he sat down on the couch with the baby in his arms he puts the bottle in his mouth and while he watched him eat Grissom's mind goes back to when he became a temporary house guest for the Grissom family.

Flashback

Three days ago

Grissom was sitting down on the couch with the coffee table close to him grading papers while Isabella had been hanging out with Thomas and Aubrey for a few hours. The front door opened and he sets his pen down on the top paper, stood up and was about to greet his wife,after her long double shift, when he got a look of shock on his face after noticing she was holding a car seat with a sleeping baby inside.

He looks at her with a raised eyebrow and she gives him a small smile, walks over to the coffee table, sets the car seat down, looked at him and asked. "I bet you're wondering what's going on?" Grissom nodded and Sara looks at him then looks at the sleeping baby and continued while her emotions was already getting to her. "The victims' of the case I was working on, Dwight and Charlene Bradford was robbed and brutally murdered in their home. The killer, thankfully, didn't go through every room in the house and by the time I and the cops got there the baby was screaming. They tried to quiet him down but they couldn't and so I volunteered to hold him to see if I could help and the moment he was placed in my arms he stopped. I passed the case off to Greg and Nick when I noticed he started crying every time I tried to pass him off to somebody else."

She wiped a few tears away and he walks up to her, puts his arm around her shoulders and she continued. "He stayed with me as I was looking for family members and I found out he has an Aunt and Uncle that live in Maine but they are on Vacation right now. I found their number, called them and sadly explained to them what happened. They felt they had no other choice and they must have liked and trusted me enough because they talked to a judge and social services to grant me temporary custody until they can pick him up in a week."

They look at each other and Grissom said. "And you did all of this without talking to me fist?"

"I'm sorry Grissom but everything happened so fast and the only thing I thought about was making sure this little guy." Then she smiled as she looked at the sleeping baby again. "Matthew, was in safe hands. I guess the mother and protective part of me came out before anything else." She looked back at him and asked. "Are you mad?"

He sighed, shook his head and replied. "I'm not mad but we have to think about..." He was cut off when the front door opened and Isabella walked in with Thomas and Aubrey behind her.

Isabella saw the baby as she was walking up to them and asked. "Who's the baby?"

Sara looks down at her daughter and said. "He's our temporary guest if it's ok with you and daddy?"

Isabella smiled, nodded and said. "ok." Then she looked at Grissom and asked. "Daddy is it ok with you?" Grissom was thankful that Sara told their daughter it was up to him even though really he had no say in the matter since it was pretty much a done deal.

He looked at Isabella then looked at Sara and they were both giving him the look that he could never say no to even if he wanted or could then he looked at the sleeping baby only this time baby Matthew wasn't asleep anymore he was looking at all of them wondering what's going on but feeling very content and safe.
Then Mathew's blue eyes reached Grissom's and in that moment the baby smiled and it melted Grissom's heart. Anything that could have been said regarding the matter went right out the window.

Grissom smiled, looked back at his girls and said. "Ok he can stay." They smiled and gave him a hug.

After Isabella got out of the hug she walked in front of the car seat and started talking to him.

Sara and Grissom watched her then they looked at each other again and she whispered. "I am sorry I didn't give you a real chance to decid..."

He puts a finger to her lips and said. "Don't worry about it honey. Who could really say no to that smile anyways?" He turns his attention back to the baby and Matthew was still smiling, not knowing that his presence will change a silent decision that the couple had made regarding their expansion of the family.

Sara was happy he wasn't too upset. She knew she should have talked to him before all of this was set but she didn't lie everything did happen so fast and if it was possible she could have prevented Matthew from being in the system then she was going to do it. She didn't want that for him even if it was only for a day so she did what she had to do and was glad that it worked out like it did.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt him kiss her on the temple and she smiled knowing that any hard feelings he had, if any was there to begin with, wasn't there anymore. She snuggled close to his side thankful for the her family and especially her loving and kind husband.

End of Flashback

Grissom comes back to the present and takes the bottle out of Mathew's mouth then started to burp him while talking. "Soon Mathew you'll be back with a part of your family we are just keeping you safe until then." After a few more pats on the back Mathew finally let out a huge burp.

When Grissom was done burping him he brings the baby down so he was looking at Mathew's blue eyes and he just smiles at him.

This little man has brought out feelings of him wanting to be a father again, yes at times he felt a little old when playing with his daughter but with every love you and smile that he received from her it only made him want to embrace fatherhood again even more and he also knew that starting over could be a challenge considering their ages but he was ready for it. He just didn't know how his wife would feel about it. They never talked about having another baby and he assumed that they were just fine with Isabella but now that these feelings are there he couldn't ignore them. He sighed, mentally shook his head and thinks. 'Soon we will talk.' Then he smiles again and said. "Alright little man let's get you back to bed."

He stands up with Mathew in his arms and walks him back to the master bedroom, puts him back into the crib, which Mathew started to whimper a little but when Grissom covered him with a blanket and talked to him soothingly then told him goodnight he calmed down and a few seconds later his eyes closed and he was back to sleep. Grissom smiled once again and after one more long look he walks back to the bed, looks at the clock and sees he has a few more hours of sleep before his first class.

An hour later Sara finally walked into the house after getting off shift. Luckily it wasn't that hard of a 'day.' She shuts the door with a relieved sigh, walks toward the living room then drops off her keys on the coffee table and sets her shoulder bag on the couch then walked to her daughter's room first and saw that she was sound asleep with her trusty companion, Hank, on the floor right next to her bed.

She stepped out of the room and walked to the master bedroom then walked up to the crib and just watched Mathew sleeping and she shows a small smile. Matthew had brought out feelings for her too. She loved Isabella very much and never thought that she would want a second child but now things had changed in her since Mathew's been here.

Sara looked over at the bed where Grissom was sleeping and she mentally sighed, she just didn't know how her husband would feel about it. She knew at times he felt that he was to old when it came to Isabella so she can only imagine what his reaction would be if she just mentioned starting over with a new baby. She also knew what the odds were for having children at her age but she wanted to at least talk to him about it.
She mentally sighed again and whispered. 'soon.'

She looked at the clock and saw that it was almost time for the household to get up for school so after looking at the baby one more time she walked out of the master bedroom and started breakfast while storing all baby talk to the back of her mind so it could come back at a later date.

AN: Still interested in the sequel of Healing? If you are I'll post more when I can. Please Review.