AN: Thanks for the reviews. Here is the next chapter, one I'm sure you've all been waiting for, enjoy!
*Nancy1-School hasn't started yet for Bailey, but that will be brought up soon.
Chapter 12: Same Path Now
Grissom took a few more seconds before clearing his throat and replying softly. "I was going deaf, Sara." She looked at him with shock, while wondering how she could have missed that.
But then again, her life at that time wasn't exactly going smooth sailing herself, so she was a little distracted, but she still felt bad that she had missed something like that.
Before she became distracted in her own thoughts, she mentally shook her head and continued to listen to him speak. "It's a genetic disorder called Otosclerosis, my mom has it, and she passed it down to me."
She took a moment then cleared her throat before replying. "But you can hear fine now."
He nodded. "I had a surgery to correct it once I realized it was only going to progress further."
Something about that time did come to Sara's mind. "That's why Catherine covered for you back then?"
"Yes."
Sara shook her head as she removed her hand from his, then she stood up from the couch before pacing, a tall-tell sign that she wasn't very happy at the moment. Before she spoke though,
she remembered she had a daughter in the other room, so she wasn't shouting, but her tone was very sharp. "Two years, and you said nothing!? How come you couldn't tell me what you were going through!? If you trusted me so much, how can you not say anything?"
He took a moment to gather his thoughts before replying softly again. "Because I was afraid that if you had even an ounce of the feelings that you had in Boston, they would be gone once you knew."
He never really knew exactly how she felt about him when they were in Boston, and she didn't know how he felt either, because it would have been too hard to hear and say the words when they knew they only had a limited time together that wasn't going to change. But he knew her well enough that she had to feel something for him, or else their night would have ended very differently back then.
Sara shook her head again, but this time stopped pacing and walked back over to him as she saw him look down at his hands, feeling his vulnerability coming to her in waves, then she sighed as she sat down. "Just because you were going deaf?"
He sighed this time as he nodded. "Unfortunately, yeah." He continued when he looked into her eyes. "When I was going through that, I felt like I aged another five...ten years even, and you deserve to be with a man who is younger, and can give you everything you ever wanted."
Before she replied to that, she said something else. "You were less hesitant in Boston."
He smiled a little. "I was a little younger than too. Plus our time was very limited, so I didn't really have time to overthink it." Then he loses his small smile as he finished softly again. "Even now though, you are still young and can be with any man you ever wanted."
Sara shook her head as she looked down at her hands. "If that was the case, then why aren't I with that man now."
She took a few more seconds to gather her thoughts before looking into his eyes again as she continued to speak from her heart, something she had had always wanted to do, but until now was afraid to. Even though a part of her still was, she had a feeling this was a now or nothing moment, so she let her words out, finally setting them free.
"The man who I can't wait to see every evening, every shift. The man who constantly pops in my head at times when it really shouldn't, even on my worse days. The man who I never cared if anybody else, including himself, thought he was imperfect, because he was perfect in my eyes. The man who I dropped everything for to come to Vegas, my only reason for staying. The man who told me I was beautiful before saying a guy wasn't worth it if he's making me wait, and above all of that, the man who is the father of my child, the only man I could ever see sharing a child with." Sara started to have a few tears going down her cheek as she finished. "So you tell me why aren't I with him, why am I not with you?"
When Grissom saw her tears, his eyes were getting a little misty himself, not only because of the honesty he felt with her words, but the sadness/pain in her eyes that he caused for holding them back from something they both wanted.
Then he leans forward and cups her cheek, making her feel warm throughout her body, before wiping her tears away while he started to speak as they looked into each other's eyes. "Because, despite my PhD I can be very stupid at times, and think more with my insecurities and my head than with my heart."
Sara couldn't help but snicker a little at that, making him give her a little smile, then after she sniffed, he continued. "When Bailey was officially in our lives, it was a big step and I had to concentrate on trying to be a parent, so even though we were getting close again, I had to put us on hold."
Sara nodded. "I know, I understand that Griss because I was right there too. But now she's happy...well as happy as she can be under the circumstances, and she's settled, so now we all just need to move forward."
As they continued to look deeply in each other's eyes, he spoke with a smile and hope in his eyes. "And I take it from your little speech there, you do want to move forward together?"
Her response was immediate. "What do you think?"
He ran his thumb up and down her cheek again, even though there were no more tears to wipe away. "I'm thinking that I should stop being stupid and stop making you wait. Stop making us both wait."
She smirked. "Very Good answer, Dr. Grissom."
He smiled again before speaking as he leaned toward her while pulling her head closer to him. "I'm only going to get older."
She whispered softly with her eyes still on his. "Me too."
He stops his movement for a second. "But you'll still be the most beautiful woman in the world to me."
She smiled as they started leaning toward one another again. "And nothing is going to change how I feel about you, and I mean nothing." He was about to talk again, but she stopped him before he could. "Shut up and kiss me already."
He couldn't help but smile one more time before his lips finally touched hers, and since it had been 12 years since their last kiss to each other, it felt like they had finally quenched a thirst that had been denied for so long, and it felt so right.
Things started to get pretty passionate very quickly, and she ended on his lap with her fingers running through his hair in the back as his free arm was wrapped around her waist while his other hand was still cupping her cheek.
After a few minutes of being oblivious to everything but themselves, he slowed their kisses down before speaking, his lips still against to hers. "Sara?"
She mumbling against his lips. "What?"
He sighed as he pulled back so he could look in her eyes, seeing the passion in hers that matched his. "I think we should take our time with this."
As much as he wanted them to jump right in, he felt that they shouldn't rush this, and he was hoping she felt the same, which a second later, she nodded with a smile. "You're right."
He ran his thumb up and down her cheek again as he continued. "I just want do it right this time."
"Ok." Then she cupped both his cheeks as she continued. "But, I don't feel we did anything wrong last time. We did get to know each other a little."
"True, but everything still felt rushed to me. I want this time to be different."
After one more peck on the lips they lay down on the couch so his back was now against the couch cushions while she was facing him with her head on one of his arms as his other arm was around her waist to keep her close to him, their feet were also intertwined.
Then after cupping his left cheek, she spoke again. "It will be, and mostly because this time we have daughter."
His eyes lit up at that last part, then chuckled a little before asking. "Is it ok if I still think it's crazy, yet, amazing that we have a daughter together?"
Since they hadn't rejoiced as a couple that they actually had a daughter together, he thought it was the perfect time to bring it up.
She chuckled a little with another nod. "Yes, because I feel it too. Only more amazing now."
He took her hand from his cheek and kissed her palm before slipping his fingers through hers, happy he can do that now without hesitation. "Me too."
And now that the subject was out there, Sara wanted to ask him something, which she had for awhile now, so after clearing her throat, she did. "Since we are on that subject, do you ever regret that night?"
He looked into her eyes before replying with honesty. "I may have regretted a few things in my life, but you'll never see that night on the list."
She smiled. "Really? Even after finding out..."
Grissom cuts her off. "Especially after finding out about Bailey. I look back on it now, and she's one of the reasons why it was one of the best nights of my life."
Smiling a little bigger, she asked, very curious on why there was more than one reason for him. "And what's another reason?"
Once again he answered with honesty. "I was with you."
Seeing the truth in his eyes, tears started to go down her cheek again, so he slipped his hand out of hers so he could wipe her tears away before she leans forward and kisses him softly, which he responded just the same.
When they pulled back, he kissed her forehead and pulled back before asking once she opened her eyes. "Now you, same question."
Sara replied with the same honesty she had heard from him. "It meant everything to me, and after finding out that I was pregnant because of it, only enforced it." She paused for a second before finishing with a smirk. "Well, once I got over the shock." He smiled as they looked into each other's eyes while silence washed over them.
A few minutes later, and after she took his hand off her cheek, she slipped her fingers through his while speaking again. "And you know what else?"
He spoke softly. "What?"
She looked down at their hands, also happy about holding his, before looking back into his eyes. "I think you're worth the wait."
He smiled a little bigger, seeing the truth once again in her eyes, and after a few more pecks on the lips, he pulls back as they release their hands. But it was only long enough for her to turn her body so her back was against his chest, then once his arm wrapped around her waist, her fingers slipped right back through his as they both sighed in content, feeling they were finally home in each others arms, where they planned on staying for as long as they could.
They spent the rest of their night mostly in silence, but they were perfectly happy because their lives were not only continuing in the right direction, but finally together on the same path.
Bailey woke up from her sleep a few hours later to go to the restroom, so after leaving her bed, she walked out of her room, rubbing her eyes while she walked to the end of the hall, passing Grissom's room in the process.
Once she was done and had washed her hands, she walked out and down the hall, but this time stopped in front of his room when she noticed the door was wide-open. It made her curious because she found that he liked to sleep with it cracked or shut, so she walked quietly toward his room, just in case, before stopping in the doorway and looking in, finding it empty and the bed completely made.
She wondered where he was, but before she completely freaked out, she turned from his doorway and started walking down the small hall in the direction that lead to the living room.
When she saw the back of the couch, and noticed he hadn't fallen asleep sitting up with the TV on, she continued to walk further in the room so she could get to the other side of the couch, and once she made it there, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what she did, which made her want to jump up and shout out a 'Yes!'
The only thing stopping her from doing that was because she didn't want to wake them, so instead, she just smiled as she watched Gilbert Grissom, her father, holding Sara Sidle, her mother, while they slept with smiles on their faces.
She hadn't called them mom or dad out-loud yet, which they still understood, but she was starting to become more comfortable at thinking of them as her parents, and seeing this moment between them, a moment she's been waiting for what seemed like forever, definitely made her happy, so she was behind them all the way as long as they were happy.
After a few seconds of watching them, she grabbed the throw blanket from the recliner and placed it over them carefully, so it wouldn't disturb them, before going back to her room with the smile still in place, which she didn't think would ever leave her face.
And after seeing that display, she knew going back to sleep would be kind of hard because she was very excited on what comes next with them, especially now as one family.
AN: More to come, we are just getting started. Hope you are ready. Please review.
