AN: Thank you for the reviews and the continued support. Here is the next chapter, enjoy!

Chapter 11: Family Time

Three weeks later

The timer going off on the oven brought Grissom out of his room and into the kitchen, then as he was pulling the vegetarian lasagna out, which was the first time he made it, there was a knock on the door.

He smiled, knowing who it would be, as he set the dish on top of the stove before turning his head toward the door while closing the oven door. "Just a minute."

After he took the oven mitts off he placed them on the counter before walking towards the door, and once he had made it and opened it, he smiled bigger at his two beautiful guests. "Hi."

Bailey smiled and gave him a hug before walking into the townhouse, then walked toward her room, so she could put up some of the stuff she brought in a bag.

After Sara walked in, Grissom shuts the door as she comments. "It smells nice in here."

Grissom smiled again as he walked toward the kitchen with Sara following him. "Thank you."

When they got closer to the kitchen Sara could see what was on the stove, then she looked over at him. "You made lasagna?"

Grissom nodded, speaking proudly. "Vegetarian at that."

With a daughter liking Vegetarian food, he started learning how to make more of those meals, and actually enjoyed some of it himself. But of course, he doesn't believe he'll ever completely give up his meats, he'll just have it less.

Sara was very touched by the gesture. "You didn't have to do all that."

Grissom waved it off. "I think a special occasion deserves to have a special meal." Sara raised an eyebrow as he smiled before continuing. "It has been three weeks since Bailey has officially been here with us."

Sara smiled bigger. "It has been three weeks, hasn't it?" After Grissom's nod, Sara continued. "Wow, time has sure flown by."

"Yes it has."

Sara walked up to the stove to see the meal up-close, then she looked over at him again. "Thank you Griss, it does look really good."

"Well it's a good thing that it looks and smells good, I guess the true test is tasting it. It is my first time making it." Which only made the gesture more meaningful to her.

As she smiled again, Bailey walked in the room. "It smells nice."

Grissom looked over at his daughter. "You hungry?" When Bailey nodded with a smile, he continued. "Then I guess we are ready to eat. Fix your plates, and I'll get the tomatoes."

After another nod, Grissom walked to the fridge to grab the tomatoes while the girls started fixing their plates. Then once he places the bowl in the middle of the table, he goes to the stove and fixes his plate before walking back to the dinning room table so he could sit down, and when he was comfortable, he watched them take their first bite, hoping he did a good job with it.

Which after they had swallowed, they each smiled, so Grissom did a sigh of relief before asking. "Should I take that as a good sign?"

Sara nodded, and so did Bailey while she spoke. "Very good." Then she smirked. "And hey, if you ever fall on hard times on being on CSI, least you have something you can fall back on."

For someone who had spent majority of his life working as a CSI with long hours, Bailey, when they had dinner together, had been very impressed with his cooking skills these last three weeks.

Sara snickered a little, seeing Grissom in an apron or chefs uniform just didn't seem right, no matter how well his cooking had been. Or at least what she's had when he cooked, sometimes they did go out to eat.

Grissom smiled a little at that comment, but replied with a sarcastic tone. "Thanks Bailey."

She understood the tone of his voice, and replied with another smile. "Not that I want you to lose your job or anything. I'm just saying that this, and other meals that you have made, are really good."

And Sara agreed with her daughter. "It really has been Griss."

Now that all the attention went to him, he became a little embarrassed, so he cleared his throat and replied. "Thank you guys, that really means a lot to me."

After they nodded, they concentrated on their food, even Grissom finally started on his meal while watching the two of them.

Since Bailey officially came into his life, he had to change his priorities around, and he didn't mind one bit. He was still a dedicated CSI, and at times he did work long shifts, but there was never a day that would go by without at least talking to her on the phone, and to say that he's been happier than he has been in a long time, or if he's ever been this happy, would be an understatement.

Of course, some that happiness that was shinning in his life was also because of his and Sara's small steps back to a very good place between them. With all the dinners they've had with Bailey the last three weeks, it has been very good for them, and has only brought them closer.
They even got their working relationship shooting in all cylinders again. Things were just about perfect, if only...

Grissom's thoughts get interrupted when Sara spoke as she saw a smile on his face. "Griss, you ok?"

Grissom cleared his throat while mentally shaking his head. "Uhh, yeah, just thinking."

Sara just nodded before going back to eating, but what he's learned about Bailey is that she doesn't let many answers go without further explanation, and this time was no exception. "About what?"

Grissom smiled, thankful he wouldn't have to miss a beat on her answer so she couldn't see right through his response, even though what he said was close to what he was thinking anyways. "That these last three weeks have been more than I could have expected. I'm happy that you are in my life, you've filled a part of me, that until I knew about you, I never knew what I was truly missing, so thank you."

Even Sara got a little chocked up by his words, but she didn't let it show, Bailey did however sniffle before replying. "I don't know what to say."

Grissom smiled again. "That o..."

But Bailey cuts him off. "Only that I know the circumstances of me being here wasn't ideal for anybody, but I'm really happy to be here too."

Sara smiled. "That's perfect Bailey." Grissom nodded his agreement.

After Bailey sniffled again and wiped a few tears away, she clears her throat and continued.
"Now, enough of this mushy stuff. Let's finish eating, so we can start on that chess game you promised."

Sara and Grissom chuckled before they went back to their meal. They were quickly learning from Bailey that, with the exception of her first few nights with them, which was understandable, she didn't show her emotions a lot, something else she took from them since they weren't known to be overly emotional either. Or at least they never liked to show it very often.

Once dinner was finished and the dishes put in the dishwasher tonight, they moved over to the chessboard to start their game, which Sara may have been the one sitting across from him, but Bailey and her would whisper in each other's ears to say where they should move a certain piece.

After countless seconds, minutes, even a couple of hours, the game was coming to a close, and things were getting intense.

Grissom moved one of his last remaining pieces before looking at them, waiting patiently for their next move.

They studied the board, going through all the possible scenarios, then once Sara figured which way she wanted to go, she looked at her daughter, and after a second of making sure that would be a good move, Bailey smiled with a nod before Sara moved the piece.

Grissom studied his next move before putting it in action.

On the girl's next turn Sara already knew where she wanted to go, but Bailey stopped her. "Wait!" So Sara removed her hand as Bailey leaned toward her and whispered something in her ear. She pulls back when Bailey was done, giving her daughter a look that asked if she was crazy to even suggest that, but she smiled with a nod. "Trust me."

And with those eyes looking at her, how can she not?...Well maybe when she wasn't playing against the person across the chessboard who had given her those eyes.

Sara mentally shook her head so she could get her head back in the game as she looked back
at the board, then after moving her hand to another piece, she made the move Bailey had suggested.

Grissom's eyes got big as he saw his opening before taking it, but when he placed his piece down and removed his hand, indicating his move was final. Sara and Bailey smiled while they looked at one another, then Sara asked. "Together?" Bailey smiled as she puts her hand over Sara's, and as they moved the piece together, they looked at Grissom while they spoke at the same time. "Checkmate!" Grissom sat there shocked while the girls were teasing him a little.

After a few seconds of finally accepting that he had lost, he smiled at them. "Well played guys, and good game."

He held out his hand to Bailey first, which she shook it while speaking. "Thank you, and you played an excellent game too."

After they release hands, Grissom moves his hand toward Sara. "Good game Sara."

Sara smiled as she took his hand, which the moment their hands met they felt that all too familiar feeling go through them, so it took her a few seconds to find her voice. "Yes, good game Griss."

As they continued to hold on to each other's hand, Bailey gets up from her chair, and spoke while heading toward the kitchen. "This is cause for some celebratory ice cream."

Sara cleared her throat as she slowly moved her hand out of his. "Yes it does."

She then gets up and follows her daughter as Grissom started putting the pieces back where they belonged with a smile. He really played his best, but it looks like next time he'll have to play better if he wants to beat them. He had really met his match with those two.

Once he was done, he gets up from the chair before walking over to the couch and sitting down, hearing the girls in the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Sara and Bailey walked back into the living room with their bowls when Bailey said. "Here." While holding out a bowl to him.

Grissom smiled as he looked up into her blue eyes. "I thought only winners get some?"

Bailey smiled before smirking. "I'll give you a break this time."

They chuckled as Grissom took the bowl of chocolate of ice cream from her with another smile before replying sincerely. "That's very nice of you, thank you."

Bailey smiled in return before sitting down next to him, then as she was taking her first bite, he looked over her head at Sara, who was sitting on the other end of the couch. They shared a tender smile before they started eating their own ice cream.

After they were done and the bowels were washed, Bailey left the room to get ready for bed, then once she was done, she walked back into the dinning/living room area to gave them hugs and say goodnight before she ran back to her room so she could get some sleep.

When it was just the two of them, they walked toward the couch, and as they sat down, Sara spoke. "I had a really nice night."

He smiled with a nod. "Me too, Sara."

Then she smirked, half joking/half not, she just couldn't help it. "And the best part of it was beating you at your game."

Grissom chuckled. "I bet."

"I know, I'm rubbing it in, and I'm sorry...err..."

Grissom cuts her off. "But you're really not."

Sara chuckled with a shake of her. "Nope." Grissom shook his head with another chuckle as she continued. "I just don't think it's everyday that you get..." She trials off for a second before exclaiming. "Wait! We did beat you, right? No funny business?"

Grissom held up his hands while replying. "Honest, you guys beat me fair and square. I think I've met my match with you two."

Sara nodded as she saw the truth in his eyes. "Ok, just checking." After he places his hands back in his lap, she continued. "But honestly, the whole evening has been wonderful." Then Sara cleared her throat while speaking again as her eyes were still on his. "In fact, every dinner we've had in the last three weeks have been wonderful."

As he continued to look into her eyes, he nodded. "It really has."

A few seconds later, she clears her throat again while moving her eyes down to her hands as she spoke softly. "For awhile there I wasn't sure if we would ever get back to the way we were after knowing about Bailey."

He shook his head as he replied. "Honestly, me neither."

Before he could continue, she looked him in the eyes again, asking him a question she's been wanting to for awhile now. "Why did things get so bad after we found we had a daughter? Why did you pull away?"

Grissom could feel the direction of their conversation being shifted, and when that happened he became a little nervous, so he cleared his throat and said softly. "Sara..."

But Sara shook her head, they weren't going to dodge this anymore. "No! Don't do this. I need to know Griss, please it's time." Sara could see in his eyes that he was becoming scared/nervous,
so she reached for his hand slowly, and as she grabbed it, which she felt him stiffen a few seconds before he calmed down, she continued. "Whatever it is, you can tell me, you can trust me."

Grissom looked down at their hands in silence for a long second before replying softly. "Outside of our daughter and my mom, there isn't anybody I trust more than you."

She squeezed his hand gently. "Then why can't you tell me?"

He looked in her eyes again. "The more you trust, the greater possibility on getting hurt." Before Sara could reply, he continued. "And not being able to bear the thought of that person seeing you as different."

"Different?" Sara was confused now. "What do you mean? What could have happened to make me see you differently?"

Grissom knew that once he started going down this road there was no going back, but Sara was right, it was time for them to move forward. And he knew the moment he told her, he'll find out whether they were moving forward together as a couple and one family, or just two people who share a child together.

AN: Find out what happens next chapter. Will they finally get together? Please review.