The gang decided to do Christmas up in the cabin, the twins were 5 months old now. Catherine was 8 months along and very grumpy. Sophia was in her 6th month, she and Nick married shortly after Warrick accidentally told everyone about their baby.
"When are you coming back to work?" Greg asked Sara. "I will be back after Stephen and Sara Beth's first birthday," she told him. "And, by the way," Gil added, "you are all invited to the house for a cookout that day."
They exchanged their gifts, watched as it snowed, and a little after midnight said their goodnights. It was 4 in the morning when Sara heard one of the babies cry, she started to slip away from Gil without waking him but found it hard to do. They had fallen asleep, as they always did after making love, intertwined in each others arms.
"Love," Sara whispered as shook him. He stirred, then heard the baby cry again. Gil groaned then rolled over. Sara got up, slipped on a robe, and went to the crib.
Stephen had woken and was hungry. She changed him then took him downstairs so he would not wake up his sister. She had finished feeding him and was sitting in a rocker near the window when she heard someone running, it was Warrick. He was running towards the room that Doc and his wife shared.
"Doc," he yelled banging on the door, "Catherine needs you, her water broke." The commotion woke the rest of the house; Doc came out in his pajamas.
Gil called 911. Everyone was in the living room waiting, Sara made coffee. 20 minutes later the ambulance arrived, 10 minutes after that CRYSTAL JOANNE BROWN entered the world.
Catherine and the baby were transported to a nearby hospital, Doc and Warrick followed. "A Christmas baby, how sweet," Mrs. Robbins said.
The baby had to stay in the hospital because she was early. Everyone had to head back but Gil and Sara said Catherine and Warrick could use the house as long as they needed to.
Greg and Becky were married the last day of February. Two weeks later the gang was once again in the hospital waiting room, Sofia was in labor. Nick came into the room, "I have a son, WARREN NICHOLS." Everyone congratulated him.
Four months later everyone was at the Grissom's for a combination barbecue and birthday party. The day after that Sara and Gil stopped at Nick's place the drop off the twins. Sofia was still not able to go to work so she watched all the babies.
It had been a little over a year since Sara was in the lab, not much had changed. As he was getting ready to hand out the assignments Gil said, "it is good to see the whole crew back again, so let's get to it. Before I hand these out I have to tell you all something, this comes from Ecklie not me."
He picked up a piece of paper and read it. Even though Ecklie could do nothing about the relationships he had managed to get the sheriff to agree with him that couples could not work together. "Well that sucks," Warrick said and everyone agreed with him. "Sorry, there is nothing I can do about it," Gil said, "We are also getting a new member. Starting tomorrow Marsha Evans will be joining us. Conrad's other bright idea is to make permanent pairs, one female one male. I am to decide who goes with who and tell him tomorrow."
Everyone muttered under their breath, no one liked the idea either. "But Griss," Catherine said, "we like the idea of working with each other." "I know," he said, "this is just a trial thing. I will have a meeting in a month with the sheriff, then he will decide if we are to keep it or not. For now this is the way it will be. Sara and Greg. Nick and Catherine. Becky and Warrick. I will take Marsha with me, she is just out of school and I do not want you band of monkeys scaring her."
"Great," Sara said smiling, "I get to work with my baby brother." Other comments were said jokingly also. No one liked the idea but all accepted it.
Sara and Greg had a jumper. The body was found on the main highway, under one of the underpasses. "Human pancake," Greg said as they walked out the door. Nick and Catherine had a double, one body and one set of bones, both dug up when a man went to dig a well. Warrick and Becky had a home invasion. Gil stayed behind to finish up paperwork.
Hodges knocked on his door, Grissom, you got a minute?" Grissom waved him in. "Ecklie just came into the lab. He said that Wendy and I cannot work together on the same case." "Yes, I know." Gil told him about the memo he had received. "Why is he breaking up the husband and wives?" David wanted to know. Gil told him he had no idea.
Greg had asked Sara the same question. "Because he is an uncaring, unfeeling son of a bitch," Sara said. Greg chuckled, "Maybe it is because he has no one to love?" Sara's reply to that was, "Who would want to."
At their scene Sara saw Brass, "Are you sure he jumped?" "That is your part of the job," he told her. Sara was on the overpass looking around. "Hey, Jim!" she yelled. He looked up. "I am finding two different sets of shoe prints up here." She took pictures then dusted the rail. "Where is his car?" she asked. "None was found," Jim said. "Interesting," was all she said.
Nick and Catherine arrived at their scene. There was a bunch of people gathered around the bodies. Catherine talked to the man as Nick gathered evidence and took pictures.
At the home invasion Warrick and Becky were doing the same thing. Back at the lab tests were being run, information looked up on computers and autopsy reports read. Sara sat back, "Funny," she said to herself, "nothing changes."
"Our jumper did not jump," Greg said interrupting her thoughts. "Doc found a bruise on his back. It looks like he was hit with a bat." Sara took a copy of the report and read it. "The second set of shoe prints belong to a sneaker, size 7," she said, "our vic was a size 10." "I ran the prints you got off the rail," David told her as he walked into the layout room. "They match a Kevin Barns; he is a lifeguard at the Tangiers." "Thanks," Sara said, "I will grab Brass and pay him a visit. Oh!, excuse me we will," she said grabbing Greg by the arm, "everything in teams now," she said laughing.
"Can I potty by myself or do you need to come with me?" he asked playfully as he headed to the men's room. "What was that all about?" Gil asked her. Sara told him, he just shook his head and started to his office. "Gil," Sara called. He turned around; she made the sign for 'I love you'. He smiled, "Me too." It had become a popular sign around the lab.
Greg, Sara and Brass went to the hotel to see Barnes. No one had seen him. Shift ended, all the cases would have to be finished up another time. As Sara was getting into her car her phone rang, it was Sofia. "Why don't you two go home and get some rest before you pick up the babies, they are both sleeping." Sara thanked her and told Gil, he gave her a devilish smile. "She said 'rest'" Sara said with the same look in her eyes. "We can always rest after," Gil said giving her a quick kiss. Sara smiled, "We do rest much better 'after' don't we."
The month went past, Gil had his meeting. Things went 50/50, they did not have to keep the teams but husbands and wives still could not work together. Marsha was working out OK, she was still trying to fit in.
The crew showed up for work, Gil told them it would be a group effort. A home was broken into, two people killed and three injured. The house had been destroyed, paint splashed on the wall and large holes broken in the wall and floor. At the scene Gil assigned each crew member a different part of the house.
Most of the work was done, everyone but Sara and Marsha, who were finishing the upstairs, were left. They were taking pictures, blood samples and dusting for prints. Sara heard a noise; she went into the next room. A man was holding Marsha at gun point, he told Sara to get over from the door. He told Marsha to tie up Sara or he would shoot them both, she did it.
The man threw Marsha on the floor, ripped her clothing and raped her as Sara watched helplessly. Then he walked over to Sara, she knew what he was going to try to do her. Holding the gun he pulled a knife out of his pocket and cut Sara's top off. He tried to fondle her breasts; Sara had decided he was not going to touch her in that way. He forced her legs apart and cut her pants, Sara fought him all the way. He straddled her, holding the gun in one hand and his manhood in the other.
He started laughing and calling her names as he was trying to massage himself into an erection. Sara saw her opportunity, while he was concentrating on his task, she kicked him. "BITCH!!!" he yelled at her. He fell to the floor holding himself. Sara could not reach her cell phone but she did manage to stand up.
She walked over to the man and kicked him once more for good measure. She was able to get downstairs and wiggled herself to the phone and called 911. She identified herself and asked the operator to notify Gil Grissom at CSI headquarters. She went back upstairs so she could keep an eye on the suspect and Marsha. She was trying to get out of the restraints when Gil came running upstairs, he saw both the ladies and the man who was still holding himself and flopping around on the floor. Brass cuffed him. Gil went to Sara and untied her. He took her in his arms; she buried her head in his chest and cried. "I was so scared," she told him.
"Judging by the looks of him you were brave," he said as he kissed her forehead. Marsha had been injured; he had kicked her several times. At the hospital Sara was checked out. She had a few minor cuts and bruises.
She went to the waiting room, "How is Marsha?" "Marsha is in a coma, she was kicked in the head," he said. A lady came into the room; she introduced herself as Paula, Marsha's mother. Gil told her what he knew.
"How could this happen?" Paula demanded to know, "I thought crime scenes were cleared." Brass spoke up, "One of the men had hidden himself under a bed. He was attempting to get out the window when Marsha came into the room. He is being interrogated now and is spilling everything about the others." A nurse came in, she told Paula that her daughter was now in a room in ICU and she could see her.
Gil asked her to keep him updated. Back at the lab everyone asked how Sara was and asked about Marsha. They were all updated. Enough evidence was gathered to convict them all. With Sara's account of what happened other charges were filed against the other man. "There will be an investigation into your actions," Ecklie told Sara.
"ACTIONS!" she said, "I defended myself." "That is not the way he meant it," the sheriff added, "your actions lead to you saving your life and that of Miss Evans. We are considering giving you a medal." "I don't want anything," Sara said. She turned and walked away. "She has to Grissom," Ecklie said. Gil said he would talk to her then he went after her. "Honey," he called. Sara turned to him, "I don't want it and I will not take it so don't try to make me change my mind."
He took her hand and looked into her eyes. He saw fear, rage and self disappointment. "Talk to me," he said. "It is my fault. I should have gone into that room with my gun drawn. I should have been more prepared. If I get a medal it should be for stupidity." Her eyes were tearing up; she could no longer hold them in. Gil took her in his arms and let her cry. "I want my children," she said.
Gil nodded; they left shift early stopping at the Robbins' to get the children. Sara went to Sara Beth and cuddled her close to herself. At the house Sara feed and played with the children. They fell asleep, Gil picked up Stephen and Sara picked up Beth, and they lay them down. "I need a shower," she said, "I have to get him off me."
Gil was sitting on the bed doing some work on his laptop, she sat next to him. "Gil?" She felt she had to talk to him about what was bothering her, "If I had not been able to stop him, if he had raped me, would you still love me?"
The question almost made him drop his laptop. "Yes." Yes, of course I would. What would make you think I would not?" She told him of a friend of hers in San Francisco who was raped. Her husband said she was damaged goods, said he could no longer stand to touch her sexually after she let another man touch her that way. He divorced her."
"Her husband was a fool," he said, "Nothing could make me stop loving you and wanting you." He wanted to show her that but thought it better she start it. "You would still want me? Want me in that special way?" she asked. "Always," was his reply. "Now?" she asked. "Your wish is my command," he whispered as he lay her on the bed and started to fulfill all her needs.
