I hold no rights to anything CSI except to look upon them lovingly each Thursday night.
I have to give thanks to Peggy who keeps my writing on the up and up. She's my proofreader, my editor, and my friend.
A/N OK, this is my slightly twisted idea of how to get myself on the show. Yes, sadly, I'm an actor as well as a writer but a dreamer most of all. I would play Gwen. Please, R&R!
Family, Like It or Not
Chapter 12
About six weeks after the weekend at the lake, everyone is back home and back at work. It's the weekend again, but this time instead of using the time to have fun. Jim and Gwen, at least, are trying to clear out their recently combined junk.
"Honey!" Jim called from the garage of their townhouse.
"What is it, Jim?" Gwen said as she leaned on the doorframe.
"Is this box one of yours?" Jim said lifting a box in Gwen's direction.
"I'm not sure. It's not my handwriting. But, it could be some of Dad's stuff." Gwen said as she joined him in the garage.
"Where's Sammy?" Jim asked.
"He went down to visit with Bruno. Yes, I called first. Both Sara and I watched as he walked there. He wanted to go on his own." Gwen said in answer to Jim's unasked questions. Then she sat down next to him to examine the contents of the box in question.
"Wow, look at this." Gwen handed Jim a tattered old scrapbook.
After thumbing through a few pages Jim asked, "Honey, have you ever seen this?"
"No, why?
"You'd better have a look then." Jim slid the book half onto her lap so they could look at it together.
Gwen looked at the pages before her in silence for a few moments, and then said, "I never knew he had these. It explains some things though." Still carefully paging through the book, Gwen began the tale. "He used to go to the library with me when I was a kid, 12 or 13 years old. I'd always find him in the reference section. I never knew what he was looking for. Sometimes it was newspapers sometimes microfiche. I just figured it was 'old, Dad' type stuff." Still turning pages, Gwen continued. "I was in my late twenties when he asked me to show him how to use the internet. I never thought much about it at the time. I just figured he was looking for some new gadget for his workshop."
"So, he did all this without ever telling you anything about it? Why?" Jim asked.
"I don't know. I guess he figured I was just a kid. Maybe he thought it wouldn't interest me. Maybe he thought I'd be mad." Gwen paused in her examination of the book to remember.
"Do you think your mom knew?"
"About this? I doubt it. If she did, she never mentioned it to me. I guess they must've thought I was too young."
"So," Jim hesitantly began. "What are you going to do with it?"
"Well, I suppose we both know the answer to that question." Gwen said and leaned into Jim.
"Sara!" Gil called from the kitchen.
"I can't hear you, Gil. We're playing with the dog." Sara called back as she and Sammy tried to retrieve the knotted sock from Bruno's mouth.
"I just wanted to let you both know that Jim and Gwen are coming down for dinner." Gil said as he joined them in the yard.
"When's dinner?" Sammy asked hopefully.
"Soon, Kiddo." Gil said with a light chuckle. "We need to wait for your mom and dad."
"'Ok, Uncle Gil." Sammy said as he started to go after Bruno again.
Taken aback at hearing his name, Gil called out to Sammy. "What happened to Uncle Pa?"
Sammy stopped and looked at Gil. "That's when I was a kid. I'm big now." Then, he took off again.
"Hey, Kiddo, come here!" Gil called to Sammy again. The boy stopped chasing Bruno and walked slowly over to Gil.
"'m I in trouble?" Sammy asked looking at his shoes.
"No, Kiddo, you're not in trouble. I just want to ask you something, ok?"
"Sure," Sammy said now eye to eye with Gil.
"I'd kinda like it if you kept calling me Uncle Pa." Gil said quietly to Sammy.
"But, I'm big now," Sammy said incredulously crossing his arms over his chest.
"I know, Kiddo. But, it's special, just between us. Like the way I call you Kiddo. It's special, right?"
"Yup. Nobody calls me Kiddo, 'cept you," Sammy said thoughtfully.
"Right. So, what do you think? Can I still be Uncle Pa?" Gil asked once more.
"Ok," Sammy once again tore after Bruno and the knotted sock.
"What?" Gil asked as he caught Sara grinning at him.
"That was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen," she answered as she kissed him on the cheek and sat down.
"Hey, anybody here?" Jim called as he and Gwen entered Gil and Sara's townhouse.
"Out here in the yard," Gil called back to them. "Hey," Gil said as they stepped out onto the patio. "You guys up for my special barbecued kabobs?"
"I'm in as long as there's meat," Jim said as he popped open the beer Gil handed him.
"You're silly, Daddy. 'Course there's meat." Sammy said. "Right?" He turned and asked Sara.
"'Course!" Sara smiled when she answered, and she received a smile from Sammy in return.
"I'll do lots of veggies, tofu chunks for Sara, and beef and chicken chunks for the rest of us. All doused liberally with my secret barbecue sauce." Gil said with a wink.
"Gil, is that secret ok for Sammy?" Gwen had to ask, because of the wink.
"Gwen, it's the same sauce I always barbecue with. Yes, it's perfectly safe for Sammy.
"Well, then Brother, fire up the grill!" Gwen said.
After dinner Sammy was playing with Bruno when he suddenly came to a halt. He dropped to his knees and was closely examining something on the ground. Fearing the worse, a dried up Bruno 'package', Gil jogged out to investigate. Within seconds Gil had dropped to his knees next to Sammy, and they were examining whatever it was together. Teacher and pupil were lost in whatever bug activity had gotten Sammy's attention away from Bruno.
"I'll be right back," Sara said as she rushed into the house and back out with her digital camera. "I have to get a few shots of this. It's priceless!" She giggled as she crossed quietly toward the two bugmen as not to disturb them. Well, bugman and bugboy.
Sara took a few photos, seemingly unnoticed by her subjects and returned to the waiting Jim and Gwen. "Let me see, let me see!" Gwen said a little too excited.
Sara scrolled through the shots of Gil and Sammy, and when she came to the final shot, Jim and Gwen shared a glance and a small smile quirked on Gwen's mouth. "Like Father like son." Gwen thought.
A few days after Jim and Gwen found the scrapbook, Sara asked Gwen to bring Sammy over for lunch, since Gil and Jim had a lunch meeting with the Sheriff. "Sara, we're here. Where are you?"
"I'm in the kitchen," Sara called to her.
"So, what do you have planned for me today?" Gwen asked curiously about Sara's choice for lunch. She went into the kitchen and Sammy joined Bruno under the dining room table.
"Where's Sammy?" Sara asked. Seeing Gwen's look of response Sara said, "Never mind."
"He woke up a little early when Jim came in from work this morning. I'm guessing little Sammy will be sleeping on Bruno before we've even set the table," Gwen said with a light laugh.
"Gwen, there's a reason I've asked you to lunch today," Sara said suspiciously.
"Are you going to name the murderer?" Gwen asked with a chuckle.
"What?" Sara asked in surprise.
"Sorry, I forgot that you actually do that." In a mock detective voice Gwen repeated Sara's words. "Gwen, there's a reason I've asked you to lunch today."
"I see your point. But, there really is an important reason. Gil's birthday is next week."
"August 17th, I know. He had one last year too, right around the same time." Gwen said in mock seriousness.
"Are you going to listen to me or not?" Sara asked.
Gwen did a pretend zip of her lips and Sara continued. "Well, Gil's birthday is next week, and he'll be 52 years old. He didn't want anything big on his 50th because, well, because he's Gil. So, I thought that since things have settled down a little, it would be a good time to have a party. Just the lab folks, you know nothing big. Jim could handle the grill so the birthday boy doesn't have any excuse not to mingle. Everyone can bring their favorite picnic food or whatever for a cookout. We'll supply all the meat and tofu. Don't make that face. With Gil's sauce it tastes just like beef. We'll have soft drinks, and everyone can bring their own stronger beverage. Jim can collect keys on the way in. You and I can serve as designated drivers. It's perfect! Anyone who wants to stay over, can. Both our houses have guest rooms, and there's always the floor. Well, what do you think?"
What Gwen thought was that pregnancy had given Sara a new found chattiness. But, that was ok. Every woman handles pregnancy differently. Who knows how it was affecting her? Gwen decided she'd have to remember to ask Jim later.
"I think it's a great idea. But, can I ask you something?" Sara nodded.
Well, you said that Gil didn't want anything for his 50th because he's, well, Gil. Right?"
"Right. So?" Sara said only a little exasperated.
"Isn't he still Gil?"
