Chapter Three

"Opposite of false." Sara read out the crossword puzzle clue, receiving a frown from the man sat beside her on the plane. They hadn't really spoken a word since they left the airport in San Francisco and she didn't exactly know what to say to thank him for staying with them for so long. She didn't know any other man that would stay with her and her child for three days in a hospital room, surrounded by sick kids, especially when he had work to do back in Las Vegas. He was supposed to resume his position as supervisor once he returned, but he hadn't complained once that she and her troubles were preventing him from doing so. "Okay, I got another one... the time when a man and woman get married. Seven down."

"Wedding." Grissom answered her, folding the newspaper into his lap as he watched Sara filling in the blank tiles with the letters. "Is she still asleep?" He motioned towards the seat by the window, barely able to see the child under the two pillows and blanket she had with her. "I didn't think kids slept on flights."

"This is one very tired child though." Sara combed her fingers through her daughter's hair, noticing her complexion was starting to return to normal. Her eyes and lips weren't so puffy and the red itchy hives had started to disappear. "She didn't get much sleep last night in the hospital, so she's probably still exhausted. I can't wait to get back to my own bed for a proper night's sleep."

"You can take a couple of days off to be with her, when we get back." Grissom suggested, getting a surprised look from her. "I know you generally don't take vacation days, but this is exceptional circumstances, Sara. You deserve a couple of days off with her."

Sara gave him a slight smile, glad he was finally acknowledging the fact that she was a mother to a child too. In the past, he had only ever given Catherine special treatment, because she had always been a mother, ever since he first met her. She thought that he still saw her as the single girl sitting home alone all night ordering take out, but this was proof that he was starting to accept that her life had changed.

Once they arrived in Las Vegas, Sara carried her sleepy child through the airport, while Grissom carried their luggage. They hadn't actually brought anything with them other than the clothes on their back, so they had to settle for hotel room toiletries and clothes from the tourist stand nearby. They looked like hapless holiday makers, but Sara was just glad to be home.

"I have to use the ladies. Stay with Grissom while he calls for a taxi, okay?" Sara sat her daughter on the chair beside the phone, making sure that he was aware she was there, before she stepped into the ladies room.

"Okay, fifteen minutes... thank you, bye." Grissom set down the phone, taking a seat beside, Tiffany. He wasn't exactly a child person, so he had no idea what to say to her to pass the time. "Are you excited to go home?"

Tiffany nodded her head, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Do you have any kids, Mr Grissom?"

"I... do not." He shook his head. "Not that I know of, anyway."

"How wouldn't you know?" She queried, frowning at the man as he took a moment to think about his answer. "Did you abandon your child when they were a baby?"

"No... it was... I don't have any children." The man assured her, realising she probably wouldn't understand. "I have a dog though, do you like dogs? His name is Hank."

"Hank sounds like a human name."

"It does." Grissom agreed with her. "But I didn't think he looked like a Fluffy when I got him. He was actually a rescue dog and the centre where I got him named him, Hank."

"What was he rescued from?" Tiffany queried, giving the man a curious look.

"I... don't know actually." He confessed, realising he never did ask. Hank was still just a puppy, so he assumed that he was just found on the street or something.

"What does he like to do?"

"Hank? Well, he likes walks, playing fetch. He has a favourite chew toy and he likes to watch television with me. He doesn't always watch it with me, but he likes to lay with me when it's on. He likes swimming too."

"Maybe he was rescued from the ocean."

"Interesting theory, but he's from here in Las Vegas. There's no ocean near here." He informed her, climbing to his feet as Sara emerged from the ladies room. He assisted her to put her jacket back on, before he lifted their luggage from the floor. "Taxi should be here in about ten minutes. You wonna wait out front?"

"Tiff doesn't have a coat." Sara pointed out to him, lifting her child off the chair.

Grissom could immediately see that she was struggling, so he opted a swap for the lighter bags. He set them on the chair, carefully taking her child off her. He knew that she was old enough to walk by herself, but she didn't have any shoes on her. "Go on, it's fine." He assured the woman, noticing she was hesitant about him carrying her.

"Okay, if you're sure." She grabbed the bags, following him towards the exit. She smiled as Grissom held her daughter securely against his side, with no signs of discomfort or awkwardness. He was more comfortable in the role of her protector than Bill ever was.

"Here we go." Grissom flagged their taxi, letting Sara get in the back first. Being careful of the child's head, he carefully lowered Tiffany into the back of the car, before he climbed in himself. He gave the driver Sara's address, surprising her again as she thought he would want to go home himself first.

"We'll be home soon." Sara assured her daughter, gently combing her fingers through her daughter's hair as the taxi left the airport. "Thank you." She whispered, looking at Grissom beside her. She knew it wasn't enough to thank him for everything he had done, but it was a start.

As soon as they arrived home, Grissom found his way to her kitchen to make them some coffee, while Sara got her daughter ready for bed. Tiffany could barely keep her eyes open as her mother dressed her in some of her own clean pyjamas, before she tucked her in under her covers. She was out like a light as soon as her head hit the pillow, but Sara stayed put for a moment, just to watch her sleeping safely in her own bed again.

"She's sleeping." Sara reported, joining the older man in the kitchen. "You told her about Hank, huh?"

"Yeah."

"She's really excited, like she's going to meet him or something." The woman chuckled, taking a seat at her dining table.

"You know... she can if she wants to. She seems alright, Sara. I've seen kids... I just mean that she doesn't seem that fazed about what went on." He tried to explain to her. "It could have been a lot worse, but she's fine."

"Yeah . . . but it's still my fault. The one person who is supposed to protect her, and I let her down. I know she wants a father and when he came along and wanted to see her, I thought why not. What harm could it do?" Turning to look at Grissom, she admitted, "I thought it would be a little easier to have the father of my child around. You wouldn't think a six year old would be so hard to deal with, but she always wants things, she's always asking questions. She needs constant supervision and I feel like I can't be a CSI and a mother at the same time. I can't bake cookies like the other mother's or braid my daughter's hair in any fancy styles, and I can't face kids on cases or balance my schedule like Catherine."

"You're comparing yourself to Catherine? Because she's not exactly the best at balancing her schedule. She's missed the last few school plays her daughter was in because she prioritised her work over something her kid was doing and she's always coming in late to work, saying she wanted to spend an extra five minutes with Lindsey in the car." Grissom pointed out to her. "My mother couldn't bake cookies. She store bought them then passed them off as her own. I found her out when I had the same cookies at a friend's house. She never bothered taking them out of the box after that. She could make everything else, but her cookies were always burnt to a crisp."

"Well I can't cook. I can order take out, put things in the microwave and stir-fry a few vegetables, but that's about it. I've been watching loads of those cookery programs to try and keep this kid nourished. I don't eat any of it, but she hasn't complained yet."

"I can cook." He reminded her, lowering his coffee mug as he looked into her eyes. "I know I was the one that suggested we distance ourselves from one another so we don't complicate..."

"You said you wouldn't start this up again." Sara stepped around him, making her way through to the front room. "I'd feel like you were only trying to make this work, because you felt sorry for me or something. I don't take pity from anybody." She took a seat on her sofa, pouring out a glass of wine instead. She poured one for Grissom as he sat down, sliding it across the glass table towards him.

"Maybe I just changed my mind while I was away from you. Or my heart changed it for me." The man suggested, watching her sipping her wine. "Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. And I've really missed you while we've been trying to stay away from each other." He caught her eyes after a few seconds, getting a slight smile from the woman. "Would you... be willing to give me another shot?"

"You're serious?" Sara smiled again, her cheeks flushing slightly as he continued to look into her eyes. "You realise I come with a package this time." She motioned towards the bedroom down the hall.

"You had her before."

"I know, but she was a toddler then. She was easier to manage because she didn't ask questions or interfere with my dating life. Not that I really had one before her." Sara smirked, letting the man she adored lift her hand from her side.

"She's a part of you, so I know I'm gonna love her too." He weaved his fingers through hers, pressing his warm palm to hers. "Isn't it better to try and fail, then to never try at all?"

"You think we're going to fail?"

"No... I never... I didn't mean it like that." He paused as he saw a sleepy little girl making her way into the room. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, climbing straight into her mother's arms. He smiled at Sara as she instinctively wrapped her arms around her child, holding her in her protective embrace. "About the package." He spoke softly. "Honestly, I wouldn't have you any other way."

The End... sort of

There it is. Originally a one shot, so I never wrote anything else to add to it. I was just sorting through all the documents I had on my computer to free up some space and decided to save this one rather than scrapping it. Thank you for your reviews and for following this story, it's very much appreciated.

Thank you for reading, please let me know what you thought!

~ Holly