"Childhood is what you spend the rest of your life trying to overcome."
-Hope Floats

Gil Grissom walked up the front steps to his townhouse and let himself in. Toeing off his shoes and dropping his keys on the hallway table, he walked deeper into the house. He heard the sounds of C-SPAN playing on the TV in the living room. He paused in the entry way and smiled at his family. Sara was sat on one end of the couch watching the TV, Lylli's head rested in Sara's lap and her body stretched out the length of the couch. Sara's hand trailed through Lylli's hair as Lylli slept.

"Sara." Grissom whispered.

"Hey." Sara smiled and turned off the TV, "She drifted off while I was making her soup."

"She's had a long day." Grissom sat on the edge of the couch by Lylli's feet.

"Yeah." Sara whispered, her fingers tracing circles on Lylli's ear, "She's practically grown, Grissom. We've missed it all."

"I know." His hand rested on Lylli's ankle and he allowed his mind drift back to the few memories he had with his little girl.

The Fall Lylli had turned six Grissom had scored a guest lecturing spot in Los Angeles. He had shacked up in Sara's spare bedroom and drove into the city every morning, coming back in time just to see Lylli get off the bus. That particular Fall afternoon, Lylli had gotten off the bus and came sprinting up the short driveway. Her 101 Dalmatians backpack banging against her back and her dark brown curls bouncing, she flew into his arms, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

"Good Afternoon, Bug." He'd dropped a kiss to her nose, "Did you have a good day at school?"

"Uh-huh!" Lylli nodded, "This zoo keeper came to our class today and he had a bunch of bugs! And he had this cent..cent.. it looked like a worm with lotsa legs, Daddy."

"A centipede?" Grissom offered and Lylli nodded.

"He said anybody could hold it! And I was the only girl in all of first grade who did it." Lylli beamed with pride.

"Griss." Sara pulled him from his train of thought.

"Huh?" Grissom whispered.

"I want her to stay." Sara spoke softly, staring at her daughter's angelic face, "I don't want to miss anymore."

Grissom nodded, "Me too."

Her brown eyes found his blue ones and suddenly sixteen years didn't seem so long ago. Sara cleared her throat, "I should get her to that bed."

"Don't wake her." Grissom stood and hooked his arms under Lylli's knees and around her back.

"Griss." Sara warned, "She's not exactly six anymore."

"I've got her." Grissom reassured her and carried Lylli down the hall to his spare bedroom. Sara followed closely behind him and watched as he lay Lylli down on top of the covers. He carefully slid off her Converse and lay them on the floor beside the bed. Pressing a kiss to Lylli's head and standing up. Sara swallowed hard and forced the tears down.

In the hallway, she crossed her arms over her chest, "I'll come over first thing in the morning."

Grissom grabbed her upper arm and pulled her back, "Stay. Lylli will want to see you when she wakes up. You can take the bed."

"Griss." She bit the inside of her lip.

"Sara. Stay."

The morning light peaked between the shades of the spare bedroom and Lyllian Rose Grissom tossed her forearm across her eyes to block out the intrusion. For the first time in a long time Lylli had gotten more than four hours of sleep in a night. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled when she realized she was at her father's place.

Quietly, she climbed off the bed and went in search of her bag of clothes. She found her father asleep on the couch and her backpack resting next to it. Shrugging, she grabbed her bag and made a beeline for the bathroom. She turned the shower on quietly and climbed in – anxious to get the former days grit off her.

Twenty minutes later, Grissom knocked on the door, "Lyl, turn the hot water down I don't want you to get burnt."

"You're hilarious, Dad." Lylli called back. She was notorious for her water wasting hot showers and it had been a running joke since she was a little girl.

Grissom smirked, "There's coffee on. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Food." Lylli grinned.

"We'll go out?" Grissom offered.

"Sure. Now can I go back to raising your water bill?" Lylli hollered above the water.

Grissom smirked and walked away.

Ten more minutes and Lylli emerged from the steam filled bathroom and padded barefoot down the hallway to the kitchen. Her jeans drug about four inches too long and were covered with paint splatters and holes, the ensemble was completed with her black tank top. She pulled up her already curling brown hair as she walked.

"Morning." Sara was sat at the table, coffee cup in front of her.

"Morning." Lylli kissed her cheek and went to get her own cup.

Sara could still recall the first time Lylli had stolen a sip of coffee from her mug and how her caffeine addict of a nine-year-old had found a new drug. Lylli sat down and curled her legs under, "Did you stay here?"

"Griss let me sleep in his room." Sara explained.

Lylli nodded, "So... are you driving me back to Riverside today?"

"We'll talk at breakfast." Sara replied.

"Put your shoes on." Grissom smiled and kissed Lylli's head, "We'll go to the diner."

"Yes, Sir." Lylli grinned and sprinted down the hall to the spare bedroom. She slid on her knees to the floor and grabbed her shoes, pulling them on as quickly as she could. Grabbing her cellphone, she ran back to where her parents stood by the front door.

"Speed Racer." Sara muttered under her breath.

"We'll take my car." Grissom suggested and lead the way to the oversized SUV. Lylli climbed in the backseat and they rode in a near comfortable silence to the diner not far from the crime lab. It was only 10 am, but the Las Vegas sun was high in the sky and bearing down on the citizens like ants under a magnify glass.

"I love the heat." Lylli stood beside the rear bumper and lifted her head skyward.

"My little reptilian." Grissom teased his daughter, "We used to think you were cold blooded-"

"-Because I wanted to be out during the hottest part of the day." Lylli finished for him, "I know."

They entered the diner and Lylli shivered in the air conditioning. They took seats in a corner booth and Lylli stared out the window as they waited on their food. Grissom had ordered his usual breakfast while both girls had ordered the fruit salad. He watched as the two interacted and wondered if they knew how many mannerisms they shared. Lylli was plenty like Grissom, but her persona she had inherited from Sara. The way she held her fork and how she picked at her nails when she nervous.

"So...." Lylli looked back and forth between her parents.

"I'm taking you back to Riverside today-"Grissom began.

"-Daddy! No! Please!" Lylli begged.

"Let me finish." Grissom looked at Sara and they shared a grin, "We're going to pack up your things."

"You're coming home, Lyl." Sara smiled.

"I'm coming home..."


Thanks to all my awesome readers/reviewers/alerters. I'll try to update more. My brain has been fried due to illness as of late, but I'm starting to feel better :)