Chapter two:

"Sara, I can't have children of my own. I wouldn't want to marry someone and not be able to give them any children. We are each in a unique situation. I am expected to marry, have children and of course win elections. Family men are more trusted by voters than single guys. I am offering you stability. Your child would have my name, financial support, finest education, and of above all else your child would have a father. I don't expect us to be husband and wife in that sense of the word but if you can ever find it in your heart to love me then we could be good together. You just need to try."

It wasn't the type of marriage proposal Sara had envisioned but then again she never dreamed anyone would want to marry her. She accepted before she even knew what she was doing. Nick had been upset about the news. He felt she was rushing into a mistake but he knew she would do anything for her unborn child.

Grissom was floored when he heard of the impending nuptials. He could not believe Sara could so easily throw him aside for a man she had not seen in years. He was even more surprised when he received a wedding invitation. He had decided he wouldn't go but then at the last moment he changed his mind. He told himself he just wanted to see if she was happy but when he got there he felt the strong urge to drag her out of the room before she gave herself to another man.

Sara stood looking into the mirror. She had not been able to keep anything down that morning. She couldn't decide if it was the morning sickness or just plain wedding jitters. She didn't know which. She told herself she could go through with this but then her heart sank at the thought of taking vows with someone other than Grissom. She told herself that if he came to the wedding she would back out of the marriage but as she walked down the aisle, she did not see his face. Sara straightened her shoulders and followed through with her deal. She had to think about her child.

Grissom glanced at his watch as he stood over the dead body. He could not believe the luck that a 419 would be called in on Sara's wedding day. He cursed under his breath and then sighed. Its better this way. She must love him very much to marry the man. They will probably want to start a family immediately. That's what Nick had said. The thought of someone else touching Sara made him livid. It would be difficult being around her, knowing that she was giving her body to someone else. He cringed at the thought of her carrying another man's child. Dear God what have I done!

Sara tried to keep the pregnancy a secret for as long as she could but with her slender figure, she began to show immediately. Everyone called it a honeymoon baby. Little did they know that each of them had been miles apart during their so called honeymoon. Jared had sought some "solace" alone as he called it while Sara battled morning sickness with a vengeance. At least with the pregnancy out in the open, it made it easier for Sara to be more restrictive on the types of field cases she did. She would often meet the guys for dinner and they appeared happy for her. She stayed clear of Grissom or perhaps he stayed clear of her since they rarely saw one another.

The marriage arrangement was in truth a media show. When they got married, Jared escorted her around as a trophy wife until Sara put a stop to it. It was more like the morning sickness put a stop to it since she would often have to flee from the reporters to the nearest bathroom. She was irritated how Jared's mother insisted that they play the media blitz for what it was worth. When they announced Sara's pregnancy, it was a one hour interview. Sara managed to sit through a few minutes before being called away for work. Nick had actually called in a fake 419 so that Sara could dodge out early. She was relieved at his quick thinking. She knew that eventually she would run into Grissom but she wasn't prepared how it would happen.

Sara was entering her fifth month and she still suffered from morning sickness. She also had to put up with the hormone surges within her body. One minute she would be happy and the next she would be crying over the least thing. The guys had learned to walk on egg shells when they were around her. Catherine on the other hand found it down right humorous. Grissom walked into his office and slammed the door. He was angry that Warrick had been called to work on a special task force and therefore the swing shift had sent Sara to assist until he returned. He didn't know how he was going to react around her. He had been successful in avoiding her these last few months but his luck had run out. Tonight of all nights, he would have to take Sara with him on a call. He continued to curse as he walked through the lab on his rounds. He stopped in the doorway and stared in disbelief. There was Sara hugging Hodges. There was Hodges crying like a baby. He thought … he didn't know what to think. Grissom peeked back into the room and watched Sara leave. He then made his way to Hodges.

"What's going on?" asked Grissom.

"Nothing!" said Hodges.

"Hodges, are you crying?"

"I've just experienced something very personal. I have a right to feel what I do."

"Not if it affects your job. What happened?"

"Sara."

"What has Sara got to do with this?"

"She was crying."

Grissom looked around to see if she was still around. "What's wrong with Sara?"

"She's pregnant."

"Everyone knows that."

"I can't stand to see a pregnant woman cry. It makes me sad. It makes me…"

"Cry," finished Grissom.

"Yeah and Sara understood. She cried with me."

Grissom rolled his eyes and headed back to his office. He wasn't prepared for this. The entire lab was being affected by Sara's pregnancy. Some had baby pools on delivery dates. Some had baby pools on weight and height and then some just couldn't get enough news about the baby's development. Everything was about Sara. The worst part was that he was no different. He found himself reading pregnancy journals and had even begun reading a weekly developmental stage of her pregnancy. The whole thing was driving him crazy. Here she was pregnant by another man and all he could do was wonder how the pregnancy was progressing.

Sara was not happy either when he announced they would have to go out on a 419 that had been located in one of the worst parts of town. Sara sat quietly across from Grissom in the Denali as he drove in silence. She noticed his jaw was clenched and he refused to look in her direction. She wondered how they were going to be able to get through the crime scene with the strained silence.

"How've you been?" asked Sara.

"Do you think you're entitled to know?"

The statement hurt Sara and she decided that small talk was out of the question. She would have replied with a quick remark any other day but not this time. This time Sara burst into tears. She hated the raging hormones. Everything seemed to hurt her feelings these days and she had not wanted to break down in front of Grissom.

Grissom felt like a jerk. He had been warned by the others not to upset Sara but he had no idea just how emotional she was these days. He wasn't sure she needed to be out in the public eye at this moment.

"Sara, I didn't mean to upset you. The others warned me that you might get a bit…"

"A bit what, emotional. Well, at least I have emotions. Something that obviously is impossible for you!"

"I think that's enough. Let's just get through this and get back to the lab. If you can pull yourself together long enough to collect…"

Sara was already getting out of the vehicle. She grabbed her kit out of the back and started toward the building. Grissom looked around and noticed there were no uniformed officers around. He cursed again. The area had not been secured yet. He got out of the vehicle and grabbed his kit. He was just about to catch up with Sara when the bullets whizzed by. He grabbed Sara by the arm and dragged her to the ground. He looked around but could not see where the gun fire had come from. They managed to make their way to a darkened corner of the building and remained hunched down. Grissom surveyed the area and knew that as long as they stayed in the shadows, they were out of sight from any gunfire.

He pulled out his cell phone and called Brass.

"Not to complain, but where the hell are the uniformed back up? We have been pinned down by gun fire and would like some assistance here."

Grissom gave Brass their location and then sat back to wait it out. It could be an hour or so before they would be able to ensure it was safe for them to begin working. Grissom looked over at Sara. He had pushed her down hard onto the ground and was suddenly worried he may have injured her or worse the baby.

"Sara, are you okay?"

Sara did not reply. She held her side and cringed from the pain.

"Sara! "

"It's just a muscle spasm in my back. I've been having them a lot lately. It's just part of the ongoing pregnancy ordeal. It will go away in a few minutes. I just need to stretch out a little. She started to get up but Grissom pulled her back down. She continued to cringe in pain. Grissom sat down with his back against the wall and then pulled Sara between his legs so that her back rested against his chest. Sara rested her full weight against Grissom as he gently massaged her back. He could tell she was feeling better but he could also feel the tension in her body. He wasn't sure if she was frightened because of the situation or if she was worried about the baby.

"Have you felt any movement yet?"

"No. My OB asks me that at every appointment. I should have felt something by now. She seems to think that the baby is awake when I'm asleep and vice versa. It would be nice to feel something. I sit there in the lobby and all of these women talk about how active their baby is and I get nothing. I know I shouldn't complain. Some women do that. You know. They complain about the baby kicking them so much they can't sleep or they have to go to the bathroom constantly because of the tap dancing on the bladder but I get nothing." Sara had sniffled through the entire speech. Grissom turned his head and grinned. She was so beautiful and so much a mother already. Motherhood was Sara.

Grissom tried to come up with something thoughtful to say but when he looked down, he noticed Sara had fallen asleep. He pulled her up close to him and enjoyed the feel of her in his arms again.

It had been almost an hour and he could hear the unit slowly making their way towards them. He knew the process would be slow since there was a lot of area to search. He didn't mind the wait. He never thought he would ever be holding Sara in his arms again. Even if it were just for this night, he would relish the moments. It was then that he felt the movement. He gazed at Sara's stomach and watched as it miraculously moved on its own. He gently placed his hand on her stomach and watched in amazement as the baby moved. He gently shook Sara awake and placed her hand on her stomach. He grinned when she felt the baby move as well. Grissom watched as Sara's eyes lit up each time the baby moved. She glanced up at Grissom and began to cry. He didn't bother to ask her why but just held her as she gently stroked her stomach. Their relationship was less strained after that night.