Chapter 10

Jim looked up from the morning paper, he was reading while eating his lunch, as the front door slammed.

"Sara?" he called out, "Your Mom called this morning." After a moment she came into sight, from the look on her face she hadn't had a good morning "What's the matter?" he asked.

"What have you told people about us?" Sara asked joining him at the breakfast bar.

"What do you mean?" Brass asked lowered the paper giving Sara his full attention.

"The team. Nick said something this morning…" Sara explained.

"What did he say?" Jim asked concerned, as he turned in his chair to face her straight on.

"They think that me being here will lead to you getting hurt. It has made me question what they think our relationship is. What have you told people?" Sara wanted to know.

"Not much, they know that the person I went to visit out of state from time to time was you and that your staying here. I thought explaining the adoption would bring up questions that I know you don't like to talk about. I wasn't going to tell them anything that you wouldn't me to reveal unless you said it was okay," Jim told her.

"And I love you for that. I think that they think we're involved," Sara explained. Jim chuckled.

"No, they couldn't… could they?" he laughed harder, "they think…?" the laughter became infectious and Sara could not help but join in. "we could have some fun with this."

"What, no… really? But we don't know I am right. I may have read Nick wrong," Sara suggested.

"Well… what did he say exactly?" Jim asked.

"He said that he respected you, that he didn't want to see you hurt and then told me I flirted too much," Sara explained.

"Have you been flirting with Nick?" Jim nudged her.

"No, well not really, but that's beside the point." Sara told him.

"Not if you are interested in Nick and the real reason your upset is because he thinks your involved," Jim suggested.

"I'm not interested in Nick in any way more than friendship; I was just having a little fun. Do you think the whole team thinks we're involved?" Sara asked.

"Wouldn't surprise me. The amount of gossiping that goes on in the lab," Jim told her. "Do you want me to explain things?"

"No, it's none of their business what our relationship is, but I wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson in making assumptions in things they know nothing about," She said getting up shearing a grin with Jim, "I'm going to have a shower and get some sleep," she leant down pressing a kiss to Jim's cheek.

"Don't forget to call your mother back," Jim called after her.

"I'll call mom later," she called back to him as she disappeared from view.

CSI

"Mom is coming up this weekend to visit," Sara told Jim as they pulled into the lab car park, "is it okay for her to stay with us?"

"Laura? Anytime. Will she be staying long," he asked turning to face her.

"Just the weekend, I think she just wants to see where I'm living," Sara explained. Brass nodded as she opened the door and hopped out. "I'll see you later,"

Sara walked around the car heading toward the lab entrance only to stop as Jim called her back. Walking back towards him she leant down.

"Miss me already?" she asked him.

"Not at all," he answered with a grin, "well maybe a little. But instead I thought we could have some fun," he told her softly, "Nick just drove in. How about a kiss for your old man?" Sara smiled and lent through the window and kissed his cheek.

CSI

Nick noticed them as soon as his car entered the lot. Sara was heading into the lab. She stopped and turned back to the car stopped in front of the entrance, Brass's car. Smiling she walked back to him, after a few quick words her head disappeared into the car window. A moment later she leant back smiling one last time before turning and walking away, this time entering the building.

'Well it seems our talk this morning didn't put her off' he thought as he exited his car following her into the lab.

CSI

Sara was looking forward to her mother's visit. It had been month's since she had last seen her. Their relationship had taken years to get where it now was.

14 years earlier

Sara entered Jim's home with very little and was presented with a bedroom as plain as could be. Together they had made it her own. One wall was covered in shelve and Jim was helping her to fill the space one book at a time. A comfy chair was in the corner nearby ready for her to curl into as she read.

As a gift, when she had moved in, Jim had given her a camera 'to make new memories' he told her. Photography was never something that she had ever thought of doing but quickly she had come to love it. The camera went everywhere she did. She could be in the middle of a conversation when something would catch her eye. Soon scattered across another wall were pictures taken of their time together, a couple of candid pictures of Jim, sometime including her but mostly random people or things, a starfish washed up on the beach, a tree split in two during a storm, and her favorite, a young girl face turned to the sky as she took in the warmth of the sun on one of the last days of summer.

Slowly Sara began to see how families should be. To have someone willingly spent time with her. For the first time school was something she could excel at without worrying about the other kids talking about her behind her back or pointing at the bruises she could not hide, picking on her because her cloths did not fit or were out of fashion or the latest haircut her father had given her. For the first time she had made a friend.

Sara did not know how she would ever thank this man who had taken her in, who gave up most of his spare time to take her places, sharing experiences she never dreamt of experiencing. Then as Sara and Jim prepared for their first Christmas together she notice that there was something making him nervous and Christmas grew closer she began to worry, as each day passed Jim seemed to withdraw a little more, there was something he was holding back from her that was obviously bothering him.

With just three days left till Christmas Jim woke Sara and told her he had the day off work and they were going somewhere. When she questioned him he would not answer. The sat in silence in the car for over an hour in silence before Sara finally spoke,

"You're taking me back aren't you?" she said softly looking down at her lap.

"Wha…" Sara cut him off,

"Have I done something wrong? I can be better. Please I don't want to go back," she begged.

Swearing Jim pulled the car over to the shoulder and turned to her.

"Sara, Cookie. No, never that. We are so close to finalizing the adoption, and I am not giving you up now, or anytime in the future. You are my family, you are more important to me than anyone," he explained.

"Then what? You have barely been able to look at me for weeks," Sara wanted to know.

"There is something… I didn't know how to tell you. Two years ago you life changed in a way I could never understand. You won't talk to Dr Phillips, he was supposed to help you, help you understand. I wanted to give you the best help I could afford to give you the best future possible," Jim took her had in his, "…to be able to finalize the adoption I need your mother to sign over her rights."

Sara looked at him shocked. She had not seen or heard from her mother in two years. Not since that night.

Present

Over the next few nights Sara continued working alongside Nick on their fraternity case but kept everything professional. She only spent time with the rest of the team when they needed to go over case details. Instead she began to enjoy the company of the lab rats. Greg had a habit of appearing whenever she sat down for a break and could have her laughing in minutes, she joined him for breakfast one morning at a dinner near the lab. There she was introduced to other members of the lab, Archie, Henry, Mandy and Bobby. To begin with she had sat back observing the friends but they would not exclude her and soon she found herself laughing as they took turns telling stories about their strangest things to pass through their labs.

Grissom had noticed Sara withdraw from the team; she barley spoke a word to anyone that didn't have to do with work. He worried about her isolating herself from the team, knowing that having a team that could not work together could lead to all kinds of problems so he decided the best thing would be to speak to her, privately, away from the lab to see if he could resolve whatever issues she was having.

CSI

Late Friday afternoon the was a knock at jims front door. Smiling to himself he pulled himself from the couch to answer it. Opening the door he smiled at the woman on the other side.

"It's been to long, it should not be this long between visits," he told her pulling her into an embrace.

"Just over a month, we have been apart for longer," she laughed at him.

"Yes, but it is still to long. You really should move here," Jim told her stepping back but taking one hand in his as he took her bag with the other.

"Jim we've talked about this, what about Sara?" she asked smile now gone from her face.

"Sara is an adult, she would understand. She loves us both and would want us to be happy," he argued.

"I know, but I am allowed to worry. Where is she anyway?" the woman asked looking around the foyer.

"Still asleep, she worked until late morning," Jim answered, "am I allowed to ask for a proper welcome before she show herself?"

He was rewarded with another smile as she stepped forward placing a soft kiss to his lips.

"JIM?" an angry voice made the both turn to the still open door.

"Gil, what are you doing here?" Jim asked breaking contact with the woman beside him.

"How could you? What about Sara? How could you do this to her?" Grissom ranted as he entered the house.

"Gil, I think you have misunderstood…" Jim now worried at his friends raise voice

"Jim, what's this man talking about? What about Sara?" the woman now moved closer.

"Misunderstood? I was worried about her hurting you, only to find you kissing another woman in the house you share with Sara," Grissom hissed.

"Kissing," they all turn to face the stairs where Sara now stood looking down at them. "you were kissing my mother?"