Notes: First of all, I must apologize for my horrible editing in the previous chapters! I was re-reading them in preparation for writing this chapter and found multiple issues with my vocabulary and even with my characters (I am mortified to admit that I wrote Warrick into the last chapter even though he's dead during the timeframe of this story!), and for that, I am very sorry! I've edited and replaced all but one chapter to fix the glaring mistakes I made. Secondly, I feel honored to have received such wonderful praise in response to the last chapter (especially since I made such a silly mistake writing Warrick into it… I just miss him, I suppose!). I am so thankful that you like Nora's character thus far. As always, please continue letting me know how I'm doing and helping me shape this story with your reviews; I genuinely appreciate them. This chapter will be focused on Nora's introduction to her new home; Grissom and even Sara really take a back seat in this chapter, but there will be plenty of them in chapters to come- enjoy!

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After a nearly silent car ride, Grissom, Sara, and Nora arrived home together for the first time.

In an attempt to diffuse the tension that had settled on them all during the car ride, Grissom said to Nora as she was shrugging her backpack onto her shoulders, "I hope you like dogs, Nora." Startled, Nora moved her eyes from the ground to Sara's face, clearly questioning Grissom's statement with her expression. Grissom reminded himself that he knew Nora would be afraid of him, and that he needed to not take it personally when she seemed willing to only look at Sara.

Sara said, "His name's Hank. He's a boxer. He's really protective and lovable, but you may have to shove him off you when we go in… he's a bit of a jumper." Sara noticed that Grissom had both of the suitcases out of the trunk, so she added, "You ready to go in, Nora?"

"Sure. I mean, we can't stand out here forever, right?" Nora smiled weakly at Sara; the urge to vomit was too intense to allow for a proper smile.

The new family headed up the short stretch of walkway to the front door. Nora took in the well-kept, tiny lawn and the weed-free, small flowerbeds alive with lantanas, poppies, lavender, thyme, and rosemary, as she slowly and deliberately forced herself to take each step toward the door. As Grissom opened the door, Hank barreled out to greet his masters, covering them with sloppy kisses before recognizing the presence of someone new. Hank's stub of a tail wagged furiously as he jumped up onto Nora. Sara and Grissom both yelled, "Hank, no, get down!" but they immediately stopped talking as they heard Nora laugh. Stunned, neither Sara nor Grissom wanted to interrupt this magical moment, and each listened, smiling and hardly breathing, as Nora laughed at Hank's affectionate greeting and spoke cheerfully to him; "Hi Hank. You're a good boy. Good boy. I'm glad to meet you, too, big guy."

Suddenly, Nora seemed to recollect the fact that Sara and Grissom were both standing right there; she stopped petting Hank and looked up at Sara, embarrassment written all over her face. Sara smiled and said, "I'm jealous; he likes you already. You should have seen him when I first came around. He was Gil's dog before we even started dating, and the first time I went to Gil's place, Hank tried to stand between me and Gil the entire time." Nora smiled at her story, the blush in her cheeks subsided a bit, and the three made their way inside.

"Well, Nora, this is it. Welcome home." Grissom easily felt more nervous now than he had the first time Sara had come over. When Sara had first come, she'd already known about his insect obsession, she knew his likes and dislikes, and she had basically expected exactly what she'd found at his old townhouse. Nora, however, knew nothing about her new foster parents aside from the facts that Sara was a criminalist and had a childhood similar to her own. Figuring Nora would not truly understand or need to be exposed to every aspect of Sara's job, she and Grissom had decided to remove certain titles, such as Corpses, Cadavers, and Other Grave Matters and Bloodstain Pattern Analysis from their bookshelves, but the pet tarantula, the terrariums of hissing cockroaches and leaf insects, and the multitudes of preserved, framed insects, mostly butterflies, remained.

Nora stood in the entryway, one hand fidgeting with a backpack strap again. Awkward didn't even begin to describe the way she felt. She always felt this way the first time she came to a new foster home. A constant stream of questions ran through her head as she stood, the same questions she'd struggled with at all of her other foster homes: "Should I walk around or wait for a tour?" "Can I just go hide in whatever room is "mine" or do I need to stay with these people?" "Is there a lock on my bedroom door?" "Am I going to have to listen to a sermon about house rules?" "Is there any good food here?" "If there is good food, am I allowed to eat it?" "Where's the nearest phone to call 911 on?" "Is there a gun here?" And so on and so on.

As these thoughts that no twelve year old girl should have to think in her own home ran through Nora's head, she half-consciously took in her surroundings. From her vantage point by the front door, Nora could see the layout of the family room, which she was nearly standing in, with its comfortable-looking worn leather furniture, large flat screen TV mounted above a fireplace, and its obviously meticulously organized collections of books on bookshelves that lined an entire wall. She was able to see part of the kitchen, with its shiny clean stainless steel appliances and the framed butterflies adorning the cornices above the dark cherry cabinets. Is that an aquarium in there? Are those bugs? That's weird.

Grissom had gone to put Nora's suitcases in her bedroom. Sara's voice broke the kind of trance Nora seemed to be in, standing there by the door. Sara's heart ached as she remembered being the girl standing on the doorstep, waiting to feel like she belonged. "Hey Nora?" Nora looked surprised to find Sara standing nearby. "Come on. I'll show you your room."

Sara led the way down the hall to Nora's bedroom. When they reached the doorway, Sara said, "Here's the deal. I know you feel really awkward right now, and frankly, so do Gil and I. I never did like having to sit around with my new foster families listening to long speeches about rules, especially since all I ever wanted to do was hide in my room. So, I guess I'll just leave you on your own here. I uh, I left you a note on your bed, and I'd really like for you to read it. Just so you know, whenever you're ready to come out, we'd love to see you. Oh, and there's a lock on this door, and we won't be offended if you use it. You okay?"

"Mmm hmm." Nora nodded as she murmured an affirmative answer.

"You need anything now?"

"No." There was a touch of defiance in Nora's voice, and she was immediately sorry she spoke harshly; it had become habit since her parents had died, but she really didn't want to offend Sara.

"All right." Sara heard the anger in Nora's voice, but let it go. She added, "If you need anything, let me know. And Nora, just so you know, I'm glad you're here."

"Thanks." Nora made to close the door to her new room, but just before it clicked shut, Nora said quietly, "I'm glad I'm here, too."

The room Nora found herself standing in was just perfect: sunny, cheerful, clean, and not childish. It didn't take long for her to notice the new, pink i-pod touch lying on the desk or the selection of brand new books on the shelves above the desk. She was touched; none of her previous foster parents had bought anything for her before she came into their homes. She picked up the i-pod in its packaging and sat on her new bed, planning to open her gift, but had sat on something that was obviously not a pillow. She jumped back up and found that she had sat on the letter Sara had mentioned and on a beautiful journal that had been sitting under the letter. Dropping the i-pod back on the desk, Nora unfolded the letter and read.

Dear Nora,

We are so glad you're here. Thank you for allowing us to bring you to this house; it is our hope that one day, you will call this room your own and will call this townhouse home.

I am sure you remember that I was a foster child, too. I remember what it felt like to be taken to a new house. I remember all too well the fear, the nausea, and the anger. I remember wanting to hide, to find a little cave in which I could live as a hermit for the rest of my life. I remember wanting so desperately to have someone to talk to, but not having anyone around who had earned my trust. I also remember that the worst part of moving to a new foster home was feeling like a stranger in the place I was supposed to call "home." I hated, I despised feeling like I had to ask for a drink or a snack, put my shampoo in my room after showering because I felt like I was infringing on the family I was living with if I left any of my personal things in common areas, and hide in my room as often as possible so as not to invade the foster family's living spaces any more than I had to. I am sure you feel the same, or at the very least, similarly.

Nora, Gil and I hope to make those fears go away. We want you to feel safe and happy here. We want you to be sure to know that you are welcome to be as much a part of our family as you're ready to be. When you're ready to leave your shampoo in the bathroom (by the way, you get your own bathroom… it's the door right across the hall), do it. When you're hungry, search the kitchen; you may always eat or drink anything we have, and please, please, ask for anything you want to eat or drink that we don't have… I will gladly add your favorites to my grocery list. When you're ready to sit in the family room to watch TV with us, do so, and steal the remote so you can watch the shows you like.

It's important to us that you know that both of us are always willing to talk with you. If you ever need to talk about what happened to your family, even if it's the middle of the night or even if it's the middle of the day when I'm asleep, please come to me. I know what it's like to NEED to talk about it, and I also know what it's like to refuse to talk and bottle up all the grief instead (please try to not do that to yourself). And if you're ever not comfortable talking to either one of us about something, but really need to tell us, I've put paper and pens in the top drawer of your desk, so feel free to leave one of us a note.

We also want you to know that we will always respect your privacy. We will never come into your room without an invitation from you. Of course, you should know that I am a major obsessive compulsive cleaner, so please try to keep your room clean and tidy for me, or at the very least, keep the door shut (smile).

Sara and Gil

Nora wiped the tears from her pale, freckled cheeks as she finished reading the letter she instinctively knew would be a treasure she'd keep for the rest of her life. Suddenly feeling bone-tired, regardless of the fact that the sun will still shining brightly outside, Nora pulled back the covers on her new bed, kicked her shoes off, and feeling rather childish, carefully placed the letter under her pillow before curling up and falling into the first peaceful sleep she'd experienced in a long, long time.