AN: Thank you for the reviews, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 4: Changing her mind?

After waking up the next morning they spent an extra few minutes in bed, just enjoying a little more time together, then they got up and got ready before they left the house and headed toward the Stokes residence to pick up the kids.

When they got there, the kids were up and ready to go, so after about a 10 minute visit, the Grissom family walked out of the house and headed toward the vehicle, then once they were all buckled in, Grissom asked what they wanted to do today, and Abby, much like her older sister when she was her age, shouted with a smile. "Park!"

Sara and Grissom chuckled before he looked at Mackenzie. "What do you think, sweetheart? It's your day."

Mackenzie nodded with a smile. "Yeah, the park is fine."

"Alright, park it is for a little bit."

Abby shouted 'yeah', and Julia, wanting to copy her older sister, also shouted 'yeah', before Grissom drove them towards the park.

Once they got there and claimed their area in the shade, Grissom took Julia from Sara and looked down at Abby with a smile because he could tell she was itching to go play, so he said. "Go ahead, butterfly."

She smiled, but before she rushed over there, she looked up at her older sister. "Can you come play?"

Mackenzie replied with a smile of her own. "In a minute sweetie. I want to talk to mom for a second."

Abby nodded before she started rushing over there, well the best a three year old could rush, and after Grissom shared a smile with his other girls, he followed Abby to the swing set.

When it was just Sara and Mackenzie, they watched the people they love more than anything for a few seconds before looking at one another, then Sara spoke after clearing her throat. "You want something sweetie?"

There was a short pause before she asked. "Dad talked to you, right? About me comi..."

Sara cuts her off while cupping her cheek. "He did, and I can't be any more happier about it."

Mackenzie smiled. "Really?"

Sara chuckled with a nod. "Of course." Mackenzie chuckled back a little before Sara continued in a more serious tone. "You remember what I told you when you were younger?"

"That you'll always think of me as your own."

"And like I also said, that wasn't going to change, and it hasn't, so the thought of all of our girls in the same house is a dream come true. If you coming back here is something you want, then we want you here. And I bet if you asked your sisters, you'll hear a resounding 'yes'."

Mackenzie nodded, and after Sara wiped some tears off the young girl's cheek, she brought her in his arms and hugged her. "I love you, sweetheart, and your father and I hope you get to come back here."

Mackenzie wrapped her arms around her step mom and whispered back. "I love you too, mom."

Sara's heart filled with joy, which is nothing new, every time this beautiful young girl called her mom. She'll never get tired of hearing it.

After a few minutes, Sara kissed her head and they pulled back, then she smiled as she wiped the remaining tears off her cheek with a smile. "Now, why don't you go have fun."

"You want to come?"

"Nah, I'm going to stay in the shade for a bit."

"Ok."

They gave each other one more smile, and after Sara removed her hand from her cheek, Mackenzie turned around and ran toward the swing set while Sara sat down in the lawn chair they had in the back of the vehicle, and watched her beautiful family as she placed her hand on her stomach. Her life definitely came out a lot different than she ever thought it would be. In fact, it came out better than she ever expected it to.

After a few hours enjoying the park, they ate lunch and enjoyed a few family activities outside of the house, then when they made it back home, they spent more hours having family time, even enjoying a pizza at dinner time, which is a food they don't normally get to have, so it felt like a treat for all of them.

When the small load of dishes were done, Grissom and Sara headed back into the living room, where Julia was in her playpen playing with her toys, while sitting at the coffee table, Abby was coloring in her new coloring book and Mackenzie was drawing.

They smiled for a second while watching them, then Grissom cleared his throat and asked. "So, how do you want to cap the night off?"

Abby was quick to answer as she looked up from her coloring book. "Movie in mommy and daddy's room."

Mackenzie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I like that idea too." Then she looked over at the playpen and asked her youngest sister, who was now standing up with her arms up, wanting out. "What do you think Julia, movie with mommy and daddy?"

She nodded with a smile. "Yeah." Then after a short pause, she asked. "Up, mommy, daddy. Up, please."

They chuckled as Mackenzie watched her father head towards the playpen. "I guess movie with you guys, if it's ok."

Grissom smiled, but Sara was the one that answered that with a smile of her own. "It sounds like a perfect way to end the night."

Mackenzie nodded again before she went back to her drawing as Grissom looked over at his second oldest. "Abby, it's bath time."

Abby nodded while she finished the last bit of her picture before she sets her crayon down, then as she was walking toward and up the stairs, Sara looked at her husband. "I can help."

But Grissom just smiled at her as he walked up to her and cupped her cheek with his free hand since he was now holding their youngest. "Rest, I can do this."

Looking at him with nothing but love and appreciation, she nodded. "Ok."

They softly kiss before he pulled back, then headed to and up the stairs to give his youngest girls a bath.

When it was just Sara and Mackenzie, Sara walked over toward the coffee table and asked while looking over Mackenzie's shoulder. "So, what is your creative mind into now?" Mackenzie moved her body to the side so Sara could see, and she was speechless for several seconds.

Through the last three years, with a lot of practice and hard work, her art skills had exceeded way past stick figures, and everybody close to her now believes that whatever she does later in life, drawing and/or painting will be a big part of it, whether she did it full time or just as a hobby, which her newest picture only reinforced that thought in Sara's mind.

"It's beautiful."

It was shaping out to be a self-portrait with her one year old brother on her lap as she was reading to him.

"It's not done yet."

"Well, so far so good. You are becoming quite the artist."

Mackenzie then chuckled. "I guess all that coloring/picture drawing paid off."

Sara smiled back as she placed her hand Mackenzie's shoulders. "It sure did, and we still have every last one of your colorings/drawings."

Mackenzie did the famous Grissom eyebrow raise as she asked. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah, we have a box in the office closet full of them. I could show you if you don't believe me."

Mackenzie shook her head with another smile. "It's ok, I believe you."

Sara just smiled as she walked over to the other side of the coffee table and sat down on the couch after picking up the coloring book that Abby was coloring in, then smiled softly as she looked at it. It wasn't the perfect colored picture she's ever seen, but she still loved that her daughter was trying.

Her thoughts get interrupted when Mackenzie spoke softly. "I uh, I wanted to draw something for my brother's, so they know that they have an older sister."

One of the hardest things about her decision on coming back here, outside of leaving her mom and step dad, was that she was leaving behind two younger brothers.

Sara sets the coloring book down on the couch as she looked at Mackenzie with sympathy. "You know it wouldn't be like you'll never see them again."

"I know that, but I won't be there as much as I have been." She paused for a second before finishing. "I just don't want them to forget how much I love them."

"And they won't because your mom and Keith will remind them everyday what an amazing older sister they have, believe me."

Mackenzie looked at Sara and smiled. "You and dad do the same thing, huh?"

Sara chuckled with a nod. "You can count on that. There hasn't been a day that goes by where your name isn't mentioned, or a picture of you hasn't been shown. I mean look at the family pictures on the walls and shelves, you're everywhere." Sara then ended her speech with tears in her eyes. "You're not getting rid of us, and they're not getting rid of you, you're stuck with your two families, no matter where you live."

Mackenzie stood up from the floor, walked over to her step mom, sat down next to her and placed her hand on her arm with another smile. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sara wrapped her arm around Mackenzie's shoulders and brought her close to her before kissing her head and whispering. "Good to hear."

Eventually Mackenzie and Sara went upstairs so Mackenzie could take a shower while Sara went in search of her husband, and she found him in the room that Abby and Julia were now sharing since the room that was closest to them will once again be a nursery for when their youngest came along.

She stood in the doorway and watched her husband dress Julia, while Abby, who was already dressed in her butterfly themed footsie PJ's, was sitting on her bed and putting together an age appropriate puzzle.

Grissom looked over at the doorway and smiled at his wife when he felt her presence. "Anything I can help you with, dear?"

Sara shook her head with a smile as she walked up to him. "Nope, just admiring how amazing my husband is." He smiled shyly, which only made her love him even more, and after she kissed his cheek and picked up Julia from the changing table, she told Abby that once Mackenzie is out of the shower they'll be watching the movie, then the couple walked out, and as they were walking down the hall toward their room, Grissom asked. "So, is something else going on?"

Grissom had picked up a weird vibe from her, so he wanted to know if something was wrong, and if Sara was surprised about her husband's question, she didn't show it. Instead, she just told him what she thought as they walked into their room. "It's about Mackenzie."

He looked a little worried now. "You didn't change your min..."

She cuts him off immediately as she cupped his cheek. "Of course not. I just think she's now realizing her choice isn't so easy as she thought it would be."

Grissom raised an eyebrow as he asked. "Meaning?"

Sara sighed as she sat down on the bed with Julia still in her arms. "That no matter what choice she makes, or has made, she's leaving behind siblings she loves very much. We were always afraid before she had any that she could resent them or become jealous of them, but it's the other way around, she loves them too much she's afraid she'll be letting one set down while making the other ones happy."

Grissom took a breath and nodded as he sat down next to her before taking her free hand. "The downfall of having two families that live in different states, you want to be in two different places, but you know you can't." Sara nodded as Grissom continued. "I guess we can add more video chats to our schedule. I know it's not the same as being there in person, but least they could see each other more, even if it's through a computer screen."

Sara smiled in agreement as she squeezed his hand. "I knew I married you for that beautiful mind of yours."

He raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Are you sure that was the only reason?"

She slipped her hand out of his and cupped his cheek while her eyes were sparkling. "Oh, I guess there were a few other factors that went into it."

As he was leaning toward her, he whispered. "Do share."

They kissed softly and pulled back with smiles before they went in for a second kiss, this one slightly longer than the other one, but they were interrupted before they could finish, from a clearing of the throat, and when they pulled back and looked toward the doorway, they see Mackenzie was now standing there with a smile. "I sure hope you're keeping it PG in here."

They chuckled as Abby came rushing in the room. "Is it movie time now?"

Grissom stood up while answering. "Just about, it wouldn't be movie time without a little popcorn, would it?"

Abby shook her head. "Nope."

Grissom kneeled down in front of his second oldest and smiled. "So, why don't you pick out the movie while your sister and I make the popcorn."

"Ok, but I can help with the popcorn next time, right?"

He tapped her nose with a smile. "You got it."

She giggled with a nod before running towards the shelf next to the TV so she could pick out a movie as Grissom stood up and at looked Mackenzie. "Can we talk?" She nodded before her and her father walked out of the room together.

They didn't start talking until they were in the living room, heading toward the kitchen.

"You know, ladybug, if you've changed your mind about moving here, it's ok."

Mackenzie looked at her father a little shocked. "Why? Have you..."

Grissom cuts her off as they stopped in the kitchen and he cupped her cheek. "Not for a second, sweetheart. But now that you really had time to think this through, you are beginning to realize what you'll be missing if the move does happen, and I..."

Mackenzie cut him off. "Sara talked to you, didn't she?"

Not that it really surprised her though, or that she was mad about it. She was just asking a question, even though a large part of her already knew the answer.

"She did, and we don't want you to regret your choice or make you feel unhappy about it. Yes, we want you back here, so much, but not at the sake of your happiness."

Seeing the truth and love in his eyes, made her nod with tears in her hers. "But I do want to come back here, I promise. Yeah, I'll miss my brothers, but I'll learn to deal with it as I've done when I miss my sisters while I'm at my mom's."

Grissom nodded, seeing that his daughter really did want to come back here, despite missing her brothers, then he wiped her tears away and brought her in his arms. "We'll help you anyway that we can." They pulled back and he cupped her cheek one more time as he finished. "Sara and I also agreed that we'll start doing more video chats, which I'm sure your mother will agree on this too, so you can see them more, even if it is through a computer screen."

Knowing it was the best they could do, Mackenzie nodded with a smile. "I would like that."

Grissom smiled as he wiped the remaining tears off her cheek. "Good."

After another hug and a kiss on each other's cheeks, they turned their attention to the popcorn, then they headed back upstairs and joined the rest of the family on Sara and Grissom's bed, where they enjoyed a few movies and eventually fell asleep with smiles on their faces, everybody hoping for days like this more often.

AN: Hope you liked it. Next chapter they talk to Annie, so find out what she says. Please Review.