A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting, hope you enjoy. (Now the title of the story should make sense.) Also a special thanks to my lovely beta, Grace, for the help.

Disclaimer: No ownership of CSI is implied. I'm just borrowing The Bug Man for a little bit of fun.


"Sir?" Earlier she had noticed the older gentleman when he had been standing just outside the entrance, she had seen him take a deep breath and square his shoulders – as if preparing for an upcoming battle – before he cautiously made his way into the store. That had been nearly ten minutes ago, and frankly, she was becoming kind of worried about him.

Plus, he was standing in the middle of the entryway, which meant he was in the way of customers coming and leaving.

"Sir?" she repeated again, speaking louder, as she lightly laid a hand on his arm. He looked a little lost and a lot overwhelmed – not that she could blame him entirely, as there were at least a dozen screaming girls running around in front of him.

Grissom's gaze shifted from the far right wall where two shelves were lined with various animals in all different shapes, colors and sizes to the young lady that was standing in front of him, looking at him concerned. She wore a pair of khaki pants and a navy blue polo with the store's insignia placed on the right-hand breast pocket. In yellow stitching, it read: Build-A-Bear Workshop.

"Hello, and welcome to Build-A-Bear. My name's Heather," she greeted him warmly. "First time you've been here, huh?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

She grinned. "It's the whole deer-in-the-headlight look you got going on."

"Oh. That's kind of a dead giveaway, isn't it?" he responded back with a smile. He began to say something else but stopped when three young girls darted between the two of them. "Um, quick question… is it always like this?" he asked, waving his hand to indicate the chaos that was happening all around them.

"No," she quickly replied before leaning closer to him and adding in a staged whisper, "Sometimes… it's worse. Much worse."

He wasn't sure what to think of her answer since he couldn't imagine it being any worse.

"So, who are you buying something for today, Mister…?" she questioned, filling in the silence that had fallen between them.

"It's Grissom, and I'm buying for my wife," he replied and smiled. A moment later, he corrected himself. "Actually, it's for our baby."

She wouldn't have thought it was possible but his smile grew even wider. He looked at least twenty years younger. She wouldn't lie; she would admit that she might have swooned (totally channeling the era of Gone with the Wind) just a little bit as she felt the full effect of having his smile directed at her.

"How many children do you have?"

"This will be our first."

First? Hmmm. He looked old enough to be her father, but he also looked good (damn good) for an older guy. Then again she always did have a 'thing' for older men or, at least, she did according to her friends.

"Awesome. Congratulations."

"Thank you." His mind briefly flashed back to the conversation he had overheard between Sara and Catherine. It wasn't like he had intentionally eavesdropped; when he had heard Catherine ask Sara if she was pregnant, he had been stunned and rooted to the spot where he stood. He hadn't shown himself; instead, he quietly walked down the hall in the opposite direction, trying to figure out what to do.

He felt he needed to show Sara, not just tell her, how happy he was. So finally, he came up with the idea to go build a bear at the mall. A few weeks ago, he remembered hearing Catherine talk about the place and how she went to make a bear for a friend's baby shower. When he made the decision, he thought it was a good one at the time but now seeing the place he was a little bit scared.

"I wanted to do something to show my wife how happy I am about the baby because she's nervous about my feelings… and I…" he trailed off. He couldn't believe he had just said that much, but then again he was definitely feeling very out of his element in this particular store.

Heather's eyes softened. Whoever this woman is… she's lucky. Right then, she decided to help him all that she could because it looked like he would need a lot of assistance. "Do you know what you want to make? We have all kinds of stuffed animals as you can see."

He moved closer to inspect the shelves on the wall and frowned. "Wouldn't have a butterfly to make things easier, hmmm? Or a bee, perhaps?" he thought out loud.

Butterflies, bees? Yeah, he does seem like the bug man type…

After a bit more consideration, he said, "I think I'll go with the teddy bear," picking up the sixteen-inch curly teddy. "Every baby should have his or her first teddy bear, right? Besides, the store is called Build-A-Bear not Build-A-Monkey…"

Aww, he is so freaking adorable! "I think that's a great choice, Mr. Grissom," she agreed, leading him toward the giant machine in the back right-hand corner of the store. Now came the fun the male species dared to darken the doors of the Build-A-Bear Workshop for their significant others, she (and the other girls who worked there) always had some fun with them.

Though she did think the Grissom guy was really sweet, it didn't mean that she was going to let a prime opportunity to have a little bit of fun be wasted. Screaming girls surrounded her for hours at a time and, as much as she dearly loved kids, it got tiresome (not to mention exasperating) at times. Besides, she had to get her kicks somehow.

Grissom followed Heather, listening to her friendly chatter, and not knowing what was in store for him.

"Do you want the bear to make noise?"

"Noise?"

She quickly explained, "You can buy a sound to put in the bear before I sew it up." She showed him the sounds available, pointing out in particular the heartbeat, the I Love You, and the Brahms Lullaby sounds. "You can also make your own sound, if you're interested," she added.

"Build my own sound?" He was intrigued with the idea.

"Yeah, you can record ten seconds of you saying whatever you want."

"Hmm. Okay. Could we put two sounds in?" He couldn't decide between the lullaby and making his own.

"Yeah, I think I could do that for you." He was really too cute!

After he finished recording his message, Grissom handed the two sounds to Heather as well as the bear he was still holding.

Taking a seat on the stool, she asked, "Would you like the bear to be firm or soft?" as she placed the animal on the tube connected to the machine that contained an enormously large pile of cotton.

"Soft. Huggable," he answered. "Do I, uh, need to do anything?"

She tried to keep from grinning. Oh, yeah! "Just follow my instructions."

"Okay, I can do that."

"First, I want you to jump forward twice," she told him as she began to slowly fill the bear, determined to take her sweet time with this one.

He gave her an incredulous look, and she stopped the machine. "Are you actually serious?" he asked.

"Hey, it's all part of the process. Everyone has to go through it, Mr. Grissom," she assured him. Just sometimes the process might be slightly worse, more humiliating, for the male-gendered species. "Remember this is for your child, your first born." She wasn't sure he would play along so she was pleasantly surprised when he did.

"Okay, now, pat your stomach while you rub your head," she instructed with a smile.

He sighed and did as he was asked.

Meanwhile, mothers with their daughters had lined up behind him. She could tell that the moms were enjoying the show while the little girls giggled at the tall man in front of them. He turned around and when he saw his audience a flush hit his cheeks and he stopped.

She shook her head. "Uh-uh. Keep going." A few seconds later, she said, "Okay. Now you can stop." He looked relieved. Oh, the fun isn't over yet, Mr. Grissom. She removed the bear and handed it to him. "Is that good? Does it feel soft enough?"

He test squeezed the bear, held it, and looked it over before he agreed. "Yes. It's good. Thanks," he replied, handing the bear back to her so that she could finish her task.

Next, she pressed a button to set purple hearts fluttering. Pointing to it, she directed, "Grab a heart while it's in the air."

He did so.

"Now holding the heart in your hand, clutched, hop on one leg and turn around in a circle twice," Heather instructed again.

He grimaced, thinking he couldn't believe he was actually here doing this, but followed her directions nonetheless. "Anything else?" he finally asked, a tad bit winded.

She contemplated for a few moments, wondering if she could talk him into doing the YMCA or Macarena dance moves for her. He probably would. She grinned briefly at the thought of the man standing before her, placing his hands on his backside and shaking his moneymaker. Then she looked up at him and into his baby blues and decided that he definitely deserved a break for being such a great sport already.

"All you have left to do is close your eyes, make a wish for the person you're making this for, kiss it, and hand it back to me."

Grissom closed his eyes, thought for a few moments, and smiled as he made his wish. When he reopened his eyes, he handed the heart back to her.

She stuck the heart along with the two sounds into the teddy bear and proceeded to meticulously sew up the stuffed animal. Finished, she handed the bear to him. She was about to ask him if he needed any more help when she heard his name being called from behind them…


A/N2: I do seem to know Build-A-Bear quite well, don't I? I had a friend who worked there and I've made a few stuffed animals in my time (they make great gifts). If you've never been, I think my story line's pretty accurate to how things go and it's true they give the male species a hard time.

A/N3: Lastly, this has turned into a three-part fic because the ending is annoying me. Reviews are adored, and also does anyone have any suggestions for what Grissom says on his own "build a sound" recording? (I have an idea, but I may like yours better. Credit will be given.)