Dear Readers,

Busy. I have been so busy that I have hardly had time to write, but alas, I will never forsake my readers. Between tests, kindergarten, and my computer spellchecking the word 'if', I have been a little tired. Right now I am in my warm bed, with my computer on my lap. I am tired. Please review and let me know if you are still loving this. Also, do not forget to go to our CSI Forever Online Fan-fiction awards page and nominate your favorite stories.

Katy


~8~


Anchorage, Alaska

Gil was in a difficult position. He wanted to help; he knew that his knowledge of the past cases would be more than beneficial. But Sara was in her last month of pregnancy, and their son could make his appearance at any moment. Though hospitals were also in Las Vegas, he was comfortable with the ones in Anchorage. He knew their doctor— the same woman who had delivered Emily. He didn't want to risk being out of town — in a hotel — and have Sara go into labor. Yet, at the same time, he could help catch a killer. He wanted to make a difference, but he had a family now. Sara knew something was bothering him, but between the baby and the man who had been visiting Emily's window, she thought she had him figured out.

It was on one of their after-dinner family walks, that she began to probe deeper. Emily loved their walks. Gil would always point out a new piece of nature and talk to her about it. She was a smart girl because they were always involved with her learning experience, but sometimes it would backfire and she would challenge her parents. Even at such a young age, she was proving to have her mother's spunky attitude.

"What have you been thinking about for the past few days?" Sara asked as they walked with Emily between them.

Gil shook his head but kept the same pensive look. "Nothing," he replied. "I'm fine."

Sara smiled at his response. "No, I know when you are worried. And right now you are more worried than I have seen," she said. "Is it that freak who keeps coming to the house?"

Gil gave up. "Not just that," he answered. "You know that copycat I told you about. Well… he has escalated. He has moved on to mimic the Strip Strangler."

Emily looked up at them. "Who's that?" she asked.

Sara and Gil both exchanged looks. "No one," they both answered.

~8~

After Emily was tucked into their bed with her Ipad and a Leap-Frog game, Gil and Sara sat at the kitchen table with mugs of tea to talk. Now that she had gotten the truth from her husband, Sara had started to wear the same pensive expression that he did.

"Maybe we should go," she said. "we can do something to help. We know things about these cases. If not both of us, then you."

Gil shook his head. "Me leaving you when you are close to the end is out of the question," he said. "What if you had the baby while I was gone? I want to be with you."

"Okay, well then Las Vegas does have hospitals," Sara pointed out. "I can have the baby there if I need to. It wouldn't be the end of the world."

"Okay," Gil said, setting his mug down and looking his wife seriously. "Let's say we pull Em out of school, uproot our family, and then have a new baby in Las Vegas. How long will we be gone? You'll need to rest and we'll have a new infant to think about."

Sara leaned back in her chair. "I see what you are saying, and believe me I am scared. I don't want to have a five-year-old and a five-day-old in Las Vegas. I want to be at home in my bed, healing and being served dinner by you, but we have to think about what is right. If we can stop this, then it's the right thing."

Gil stood up and emptied his mug. "I think this is right too," he said to her. "Maybe I'm being selfish, but staying here is not wrong. I want to help them, but from afar. And if it gets worse… I guess I'll step in— after the baby comes."

Sara sighed and stood with him. She knew that when Gil made up his mind, that there was nothing that she could really say to get him to change his mind — especially where his family was concerned. She put her arms around his waist and he put a hand on her belly.

"No," she said to him. "It isn't wrong. We have a right to a little happiness."

~8~

Las Vegas, Nevada

"Okay guys," Catherine said as she entered her office. "what do we have?"

D.B and Greg sat together, both men had their head bent in concentration. They both looked up when she spoke, but Greg spoke first.

"Craig Mason was an obvious suspect and so was Milander's widow," he said, as she showed Catherine a picture of Craig. "but Mrs. Mason died in a car crash, and three years ago Craig committed suicide."

Catherine took the photo, gave it a glance, and sighed. "Well, now we don't even have a suspect. What about the Strip Strangler scene?"

This time D.B stood. "Well, I know I wasn't here for this, but I have heard of it. I remember the case, and I followed it pretty closely. Sid Goggle, as I'm sure you know, died at the scene," he said.

Catherine looked at him blankly. "I know, I killed him," she said. "anything else?"

D.B pushed up his glasses. "Yeah, you can be a little more polite," he said.

Catherine sighed. "Sorry, yes and thank you. Is there anything else?" she asked.

D.B looked down. "No, we …. we have nothing but exactly the same things that you guys had the first time. You name it: semen in ketchup packets, electrical cords…"

"By having everything," Catherine said. "We have nothing. So, do we just wait on him to make a move? Is the ball in his court?"

D.B and Greg looked at each other. "Seems like it," Greg said regretfully. "We can't find a thing."

~8~

Anchorage, Alaska

Sara finally went into labor on a sunny afternoon while Emily was in school. She had been staying home from work for the past few days and relax. Her feet had swollen so much that she couldn't put her socks on anymore and Gil had gotten her a new pair of house shoes with extra cushion in the soles. When she called him that afternoon to say that the baby was on the way, he hurried home and, while she waited, Sara packed her bag for her stay at the hospital. She remembered to pack an outfit for the baby too.

She thought more about what Gil had said, and she knew he was right. They had put in so much effort and work into their past, and now it was their turn to enjoy their lives. Their children and jobs were their enjoyment. It was a fact that they were a couple that was in harmony when they worked together, unlike some. Their constant togetherness had strengthened their bond, and part of her worried what returning to Vegas would be like for their relationship. There was nothing about the past that would do their love-life any good.

"I'm here," Gil said as he entered the house. "I called Joanne and she'll pick Emily up after school."

Sara stood. "I can't believe it," she said with a smile. "I can't wait to meet our little boy. I'm just so excited and… ow ow ow ow …. let's go."

~8~

Ethan was born that evening; his delivery was much easier than Emily's had been. When the doctors handed him to Sara, she fell into love true love for the third time in her life — the first two being Gil and Emily. After the doctors cleaned him and Sara had fed him, Gil was handed the baby. He loved his daughter beyond words, but now that he had a son he felt that as if he had it all; there was nothing lacking in his life anymore.

Emily had been brought to the hospital to visit with her new little brother. She held him with pride as Gil took a photo of his two children. She bored of him quickly, and she complained that he didn't do anything. This made Sara laugh, and she took the baby back and rocked him gently. Lovingly, she kissed his small head and gazed down at him with pride. Like Gil, she saw the arrival of their son as a completion of their family unit. There wasn't anything else she needed anymore, and she was content.


~8~


A/M: Okay, I need to sleep. Please review and let me know how I am doing, and if there is something you wish to see. Review and stuff…. okay, goodnight.