Chapter Twenty One - Romance
As soon as Grissom left for work that morning, Sara jumped straight out of bed, fuelled by an odd combination of excitement and nerves. Eager to start the day, she scooped her little girl out of the crib at the end of their bed, pressing a kiss to her little cheek. She lay her down on the bed to get her diaper changed, leaving her in her PJ's for now, so she could hurry down the spiral staircase to greet Nana Betty with her bag of goodies.
She couldn't believe that today was finally the day.
Weeks of planning the biggest event of her life seemed to fly by, disappearing into nothing and now it was finally here.
'How are you feeling?' Betty signed to her on her way in.
"Fine." She lied.
Really she felt a little relieved that the day was finally here, very nervous that they only had a matter of hours left and a mixture of sheer excited terror boiling up inside her. She managed to keep her shaky hands steady enough to fix them all some breakfast, but she couldn't quite stomach waffles and strawberries with her mind on other things.
'The morning of my wedding, I couldn't keep anything down.' Betty gently tapped her hand, giving her a reassuring smile. 'You've got plenty of time to let your nerves settled.'
"I hope so." Sara smiled back at her, watching her daughter crawling after the dog almost robotically.
Hank wasn't sure what to think of her when she was just laying there crying all the time, but now that she was crawling around, following him everywhere he went, he was starting to get used to her. She was like a second shadow to him now.
Ever the cautious mother she was, Sara made sure she supervised all of their playing, stopping Ava from pulling his tail or ears to hard and stopping Hank from telling her off. He hadn't hurt her yet, but she wasn't leaving anything to chance.
"Hank." She cautioned the dog from growling at the baby. "Ava, just loves you so much. She doesn't mean to pull so hard. Gentle." She pried her daughter's little hands away from the dogs fur. "Gentle. Stroke him like Daddy showed you."
'Gil has always had dogs. They never hurt him.' Betty assured the nervous new mother.
"Hank has never had to deal with a baby before though." Sara ushered Hank out of the room, trying to distract her daughter with some toys to play with, rather than the dog. "Catherine should be here any moment. Are you sure you're alright looking after these two while we get things set up?"
Betty nodded, signing 'Perfect Angel,' as she looked at her grandchild on the floor.
Sara took another sip of her coffee, wishing she only knew just how monstrous their little angel could become, especially now that she was teething. "At least we have one less thing to worry about. Neither of my parents will be attending and Ecklie has his hands full with the lab."
Betty smiled in agreement. 'My mother in law was on the sauce before it was even nine o' clock on the day of my wedding. She never liked me. From the moment my Arthur introduced us, she decided that I wasn't the right sort for her precious boy. She told him she wouldn't sober up unless he called the wedding off. So we stuck her in the back and hoped for the best. You have nothing to worry about.' She tapped her daughter in laws hand, before she motioned towards the time. 'Go get yourself showered, I'll keep an eye on her.'
"Thank you." Sara signed back to her, taking her coffee upstairs with her.
She straightened her dress hanging on the back of the bathroom door, anxiously biting her bottom lip as she stepped past it. She wasn't sure if Grissom would like it. It was the third dress she had tried on in the store, but looking at it now, she wondered if the second one she tried on wasn't the better choice.
"Too late now." Sara set her coffee down, combing her fingers through her hair as she stepped up to the mirror. She frowned as she saw the pimple on her forehead, leaning a little closer to get a better look. "Great." She muttered, hoping she had enough makeup to cover it. A pimple was the least of her problems today, but it was already ruining her mood. She hoped that it would fade away after her shower, but it only seemed to be getting bigger.
"Good Morning." Catherine greeted her at the foot of the stairs. "How are we doing this morning? Nerves starting to set in yet?"
"No, I'm fine." Sara tightened her robe around her waist, looking around their cluttered apartment. "Weren't you bringing, Lindsey with you?"
"Oh, she's here. My mother is with her at our hotel. She was still sleeping, so I left her there. We arrived just after eleven last night, so she was kinda tired." Catherine set the coffee mug down from her hands, motioning towards the baby crawling after the dog. "Ava's getting so big already. I didn't think she would be crawling yet. I thought she'd still be laying around, but the kids got some speed."
"Yeah, she just started pulling herself forwards on her hands, then the next day she was full blown crawling everywhere. She finally figured out how to use her legs. She's starting to stand now too. Not well, but she grabs hold of peoples legs to pull her up or the edge of the coffee table upstairs. I keep wanting to put a helmet on her head because she falls over so much." Sara gave the woman a quick hug, relieved to see a familiar face from her old life. "We've had to put up a few safety gates to stop her getting up the stairs and random pillows to stop her from bumping her head on things. I can't wait until we finally get to move into our house. Where we'll have carpets and not so many stairs." She bent to pick up the jarred fetal pig, stopping her daughter from getting into it.
"How long now?" Catherine queried, taking the jar off her hands, while she tended to her daughter. "He actually brought this thing with him?"
"Oh, yeah... he said it has sentimental value. Hopefully, it'll go in his office when we get to the house." Sara shrugged her shoulders together, getting herself a glass of water to settle her stomach. "As for the house, it might be a few weeks, maybe a month. Grissom's been sorting it. We got keys last week, but the guy he got inspecting the house said there's something wrong with the plumbing. I went to see it the other day, they've torn up all the floors upstairs."
"Oh," Catherine cringed, feeling bad that she had to see her dream home like that. "Not long to go though. Are you ready for today?"
"I hope so. I just hope that Gil likes it."
"He will." Catherine assured her, giving her a warm smile. "The man did always say he liked to be surprised. He will love this surprise, especially because it's from you. It'll be the best surprise of his life... after your daughter of course. I personally can't wait to see his face. So, are we ready to get moving?"
"Yeah." Sara checked the time, making her way towards the stairs again. "Betty is taking care of Ava, so we should be able to get things set up quicker. Where is Betty?"
"Hank had to go." Catherine motioned towards the stairs behind her. "She said she'd be right back. I'll watch Ava for a moment."
"Okay, thank you. Keep her out of the kitchen. She always tries to get into Hank's water bowl and watch her around the chairs. She tried to pull herself up on one last night and almost ended up pulling it on top of her."
"Okay." Catherine called after her, turning her attention towards the baby. She knelt down beside her, adoring her little expression as she curiously examined the toy in front of her. "I hope you know how lucky you are little one."
Returning home after a long day at work, Grissom struggled to climb the three sets of stairs, finding a posit note stuck to the front door once he reached the top. He brushed the sleep from his eyes, peeling the yellow sticky note off the door.
Our future starts now.
Not quite sure what it meant, Grissom jammed his keys in the lock of the door, making his way inside their temporary apartment. He was hoping that they would have moved out by now, but their house was taking a little longer than expected. Turns out their dream home had a few plumbing problems that was hindering their chances of moving in. He meant to stop by to see how much work they had left to do, but he was too tired to head over there now.
"Hello." He called through the apartment, ditching his keys and jacket. "Sara?"
He made his way down the stairs into the kitchen, a little disappointed that there wasn't anything cooking. He wasn't home that much later than usual, but Sara hadn't even left him a plate of food in the fridge or even the microwave. In fact, there wasn't any evidence that anything had been cooked in this kitchen all day.
"Hello... I'm home. Anyone here?"
Climbing the spiral staircase to their bedroom, Grissom expected to find both of his girls curled up in bed with Hank at the end, but even the bedroom was spotless. He found an envelope on his pillow, addressed to him in Sara's handwriting. He feared she had called quits on their whole relationship, leaving him with a letter explaining why. He really didn't want to open it, but if he had been abandoned, he really needed to know the reason.
Tearing open the envelope, Grissom sat himself down on the edge of their bed, unfolding the letter across his lap.
Dearest Gil,
You know I love you. I feel as though I've loved you forever.
Before I found you, I thought that this was it for me. I thought I would forever be drawn to the darkness, the pain and the loneliness that's surrounded me since the death of my father. I never thought that I was capable of feelings the things that I've felt while being with you.
Motherhood certainly wasn't something I had ever thought about. Marriage was even further out of the picture and finding Mr. Right in a world full of pain, cheats and liars seemed like something out of a fairytale.
Since you've been there for me, you've helped me see the light. Our life together has been the only real home. The only real family that I've ever had. With your help, I've closed that chapter of my life, looking forward to the future, rather than dwelling on the past. I don't know how to thank you for that, other than to show you how much I love you.
There's a suit for you in the closet. Call the number on the back of this letter when you're ready.
Everything will be explained shortly.
Know that I love you and I always will.
Yours always,
Sara.
Grissom scratched his head with confusion a moment, surprised that the suspected goodbye letter read more like a I'll be seeing you soon letter. He flipped it over, seeing the number for a car service on the back. He pushed himself off the bed to open up the closet, finding a brand new suit right where she said it would be.
A crisp white shirt. A soft cream tuxedo jacket with matching trousers and an ivory bow tie.
The only thing that came to mind was that Sara was inviting him to some sort of formal event. He removed his work clothes, grabbing a quick shower, before he dressed himself in the new suit that fit perfectly. He called the number, not entirely sure what to say, but the man on the other end cut him off before he could say anything at all.
"I'll be there in five minutes, Mr Grissom."
Pulling the phone away from his ear as the man hung up, Grissom made a few adjustments to his bowtie, starting to feel his nerves kicking in. The butterflies in his stomach were spiralling out of control. His palms were starting to sweat and the collar to his shirt was starting to feel as though it was strangling him.
After what felt like an eternity of waiting and wondering, the buzzer to his front door finally went. He hurried down the stairs to answer it, hearing the voice of the driver telling him that he was here. Grissom looked around the apartment, feeling a bit lost. He didn't know where he was going or how long he would be. He grabbed his wallet and phone from the bedroom, hurrying back to the front door for his keys, before he made his way outside.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw a blacked out stretch limo outside the apartment building, surprised that it was for him. The driver didn't even ask for his name, he just popped open the back door and let him climb inside. He made sure he didn't crumple his suit as he sat down, finding a small black box with a gold ribbon wrapped around it on the seat beside him. He waited for the driver to close the door, before he opened it up.
His heart immediately dropped.
With his finger and thumb, Grissom plucked out one of the engraved silver cufflinks, holding it under the car light to confirm it. They were both engraved with 'AG'. They belonged to his father, Arthur Grissom. He hadn't seen them in years though. As far as he knew, they were locked up tight in his mother's safety deposit box, but they were definitely the real thing.
Pinching the cuffs of his shirt together, Grissom slotted them into place, anxiously watching the roads the driver was taking. He recognised a few of the streets at first, but then he started driving in a direction that he had never been before.
When the car pulled up to the edge of the forest out in the middle of nowhere, Grissom was sure it was a mistake. The driver shut off the car, pointing him out to the softly lit pathway ahead of them. He hesitantly reached for the door handle, gulping softly as he climbed out of the car. He was sure this was some kind of trap. A former suspect must have tracked him down and planned to do something to him, but then he saw Catherine in the distance. He cautiously made his way towards her, feeling a soft spring breeze caressing his skin.
"Why do I feel as though I've stepped on a stage in front of thousands of people, expected to perform, but I don't know what my lines are?" He asked the woman, noticing she was all dressed up too. He had never seen her in such a beautiful gown before. He couldn't recall ever seeing her in anything formal before.
"Don't worry." Catherine ushered him closer, presenting him with an ivory rose, wrapped in a lavender ribbon. She slotted it into his jacket buttonhole, making a minor adjustment to his bowtie, before she ushered him on ahead. "C'mon Gil, everyone is waiting for you."
He still wasn't quite sure what he was doing out in the middle of nowhere in the dark, but soft lights were leading the way through the woods.
With every crunch of his footsteps, Grissom stepped further and further into the woods, making sure that Catherine was behind him the whole way. Darkness shrouded a curvy narrow pathway, winding its way round the overflowing wild flower beds and tall trees that stretched up to the sky. At the end of the path, the moon gently soaked a beautiful arch way in soft silver light. The sky was a soft dusky rose, illuminating the rows of chairs that seated former colleagues, friends and his mother, all dressed in formal attire.
His mother was almost in tears, holding back her oversized hat as his daughter tried to reach out for it. He hadn't seen his mother wear something so formal in years. Her dress was a soft grey colour with a white overcoat. Even his daughter, Ava was wearing a frilly white princess dress that had a lavender coloured corset to it. She had a rose on her waist and rose headband over her head.
The theme to the occasion was definitely becoming clearer.
After another step, he noticed that the path beneath him no longer crunched with dead leaves or twigs. It had been swept clean, revealing the glistening grass underneath. He felt Catherine's hand slip into his own, giving him a reassuring smile as she led the way down the aisle between the chairs. He still felt a little out of place, but then he noticed his beautiful bride sporting a wide smile on her lips beneath the rose covered arch.
Her hair was beautifully styled with soft waves. A sparkly headband with an ivory rose sat neatly on her head, holding back the silky vale on her head. She was wearing a simple sleeveless wedding gown. The shoulders decorated with soft lace. The dress itself was almost ivory in colour, subtly decorated with floral embroidery. The only colour present was the wild lavender bouquet in her hands.
Grissom perked his ears up to the sound of a harp, noticing the beautiful golden instrument off the to the side, playing 'here comes the bride' in a delicate almost heavenly tone. He spotted Miss Josie standing beside it, giving him a big toothy grin and the thumbs up as he made his way towards his bride.
Feeling so overwhelmed by the whole situation, he immediately felt the need to hug her as soon as he was close enough. She even smelled like lavender. She wasn't even wearing perfume, so it must have been the fresh flowers she was holding.
Grissom pulled back from her after a moment, brushing a tear threatening to spill from his eye. He noticed his former CSIs sat in the first row, all sporting wide grins of their own. Greg's hair was still a little unkempt, but he managed to dull down the Greg vibe a little in a formal suit.
"Hi." Sara spoke softly, getting his attention back. "Are you okay?"
"Am I okay?" Grissom beamed a wide smile back at her, taking her hand in his. "Sara, when I got home to an empty house and a letter on my pillow, I thought I had done something to push you away. But for you to plan all of this." He placed his hand over his heart, fighting back the urge to cry. "I'm just so glad that for once my instincts were wrong."
"I wanted to show you how much you mean to me. The darkness of the night represents me and how I've felt my whole life. The moonlight is you, showing me the way to a happier life with our daughter." Sara searched the rows of friends for her mother in law to be, adoring their little girl in her arms. "You've given me so much already, Gil. I wanted to do something for you."
Grissom brushed his thumb across her cheek, swooning like a teenage boy as he looked into her eyes. "I love you, Sara."
Josie appeared in front of them before they could exchange a kiss, sporting a big grin. She opened her sparkly pink wedding planner, addressing their wedding guests. It appeared that she wasn't just a wedding planner, she was an officiant too.
"Thank you all for making the journey here today, or should I say tonight, to witness the marriage of Gilbert Arthur Grissom and Sara Sidle. They have chosen to share this very special moment with all of you, their friends, their family and their co-workers that supported them through this life's journey and who they wish to be surrounded with during this special moment. Today is a celebration of love, of commitment, of friendship and of family. Sara has written her own vows that she would like to share with you."
Pulling a rolled up piece of paper out of her wedding bouquet, Sara gave her husband to be a wide smile, before she breathed in a deep breath. She looked into the man's adorable eyes, reading, "Gil, I have loved you since before I knew you. Just the idea of you is something I have searched for my entire life. Throughout my life, I've felt as though I have an invisible scar. No one else can see it, but I always know that it's there. When I'm with you, I don't feel the scar. I thought that my world would forever be enclosed in darkness, but since I met you, you've shown me the light. I never had a family, a real home or anything to hold onto. You've given me everything I've ever dreamed of and more. I did. I do and I always will choose you."
Grissom felt a little choked up, wondering how he was supposed to top that.
"This day is all for you, Gil. To thank you for everything that you've done for me." Sara spoke softly. "I had some help from Catherine and Nick to plan this day for you, and of course, Josie." She motioned towards the woman sporty the eerie grin beside them. "We got the something old from your father's cufflinks. Something new, your suit, my dress. Something borrowed, your mother said she wants the cufflinks back as soon as we're done here." She cracked a smile, hearing a few laughs in the crowd. "And something blue..."
Sara turned towards Warrick in the crowd, retrieving a small blue jewellery box from him. She gave the man a smile, turning back to her significant other.
"I had your wedding ring engraved with a quote from your favourite writer. The first letter you ever wrote me to tell me how you felt." She popped open the box, handing it over to him. He admired the simple design of the white gold wedding band a moment, before he plucked it out of the box. He turned it towards the candlelight's behind Josie, reading the engraving,
'Hear my soul speak: the very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly to your service.'
"Sara." The man felt a little speechless, wishing he had the words to describe how he was feeling, but he could barely manage a smile. "I had no idea that you were doing this."
"You're always spoiling me with romantic gestures, so I wanted to do one for you."
Without any time to prepare, Grissom had to quickly think of something of the top of his head, before he could present her with her own wedding band. Luckily he had picked it out weeks ago and his trusted friend, Doc Al Robbins had thought to bring it to this very ceremony.
"Sara, I don't exactly have anything prepared... but know that I love you unconditionally, without hesitation. You make me happier than I thought I could be. I vow to love you, trust you and be there for you for the rest of my life. As a family, we will create a home filled with love, laughter and compassion... together let us build a brighter life, today and all the days that follow. Whatever life throws at us, know that I am forever yours."
Sara cracked a smile, holding out her shaky hand as he slid the ring across her finger. "Nothing prepared, aye?"
"No comment." He whispered, sporting an equally wide boyish grin across his lips.
Josie gave out an unusual little squeal, before she addressed their friends and family once again. "Now by the power vested in me by the State of California, it is with great honour that I know declare you husband and wife." She smiled at Grissom, her makeup starting to smudge a little with her tears. "You may seal this declaration with a kiss to your bride."
Grissom felt a bit put on the spot in front of everyone from the lab, but he tried to block out their smiling faces, focusing solely on the most beautiful woman stood in front of him. He slipped an arm around her waist, placing the other on her cheek as he brought her into his embrace to seal his first kiss to her lips as her husband.
It was perfect.
"I now present to you our newly married couple, Mr and Mrs Grissom." Josie announced, clanging her jewellery covered wrists together in applause. Their friends and co-workers quickly rose to their feet, applauding loud enough to disturb the sleeping animals of the forest.
Grissom couldn't help but kiss her again, hearing the familiar sound of Catherine whistling. He pulled back to bravely face the crowd, feeling the nerves returning as Sara started to pull him down the make shift aisle. Their friends and former colleagues threw handfuls of flower petals into the air, showering them with the natural scent of wild flowers. He stopped as they reached his mother, sweeping his darling little girl out of her arms. He held her close to his chest, putting his arm around Sara as they continued the rest of their journey.
They were finally united as one.
Grissom had never known perfection like this before. He thought happiness and the opportunity of a family would just pass him by, but Sara had made it all possible. She felt as though she needed to thank him for everything, but really it was him who wanted to thank her.
"So, Mrs Grissom," He held her hand tightly in his own, giving her a warm smile. "Where do we go from here? Anymore surprises lined up for me?"
"Oh no, I'm all out of surprises now. The guys organised us a little after wedding party, whatever you call one of them with some food and stuff." Sara placed her hand over her rumbling stomach, wishing she hadn't skipped out on lunch now. "The car will take us there." She smiled as the man pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I thought for sure you wouldn't show up."
"You know me better than that." He clutched her closer, walking the less frightening trail back to the car with Sara at his side this time. "I was a little surprised that you weren't home. I had a surprise of my own for you." Grissom admitted, adjusting his daughter against his side as she started to fuss. "I think someone is missing her nap." He smiled in awe as the sleepy little girl brushed her hands across her eyes, whimpering softly as she tried to settle against his shoulder.
"Your mother has the stroller in the back of her car. We'll put her in it to sleep while we're eating. Gil, what surprise?" Sara gave him a curious look, seeing his features as they reached the end of the windy path. "Please not another job offer. I don't want to have to move again. We're still living in boxes as it is and we've been here for nearly two or three months. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I don't want to have to up and move our whole lives again."
"Not another job. We're staying put, at least for now." He smiled at her, finding a car ready and waiting for them with a baby seat in the back for their daughter. He watched the driver rushing to open the back door for them, giving Sara a helping hand into the back. He climbed in himself, sitting his sleepy girl between them. She arched herself off the chair with a whimpering cry, settling as her mother fished out a pacifier from her bag.
"Well, are you going to keep me suspense all night, Gil?" Sara waited for an answer, giving him a smile as he finally turned to face her. "C'mon, you know I don't like surprises. What is it?"
"Our plumber got in touch with me earlier. He's replaced the leaky pipes that were dripping through the ceiling of the kitchen. The builders have completely re-plastered the kitchen ceiling now and the floors are being redone upstairs. He said two or three days tops, then we'll be able to move in."
"Two or three days? Wow, that soon." Sara dropped her jaw, holding her daughter's little hand between them. "We're finally getting our own house, Ava. You're gonna have your very own room. You'll have so much room to play. Yeah." She smiled at her little girl as she beamed a wide smile at them. "You know what we should do that would be completely cheesy?" She glanced up at her husband. "You know those family photos that some people have with the all white backgrounds and the cheesy smiles on their lips? We should totally do one of those to hang in the front room. I've already started designing where the furniture will go."
"Who was taking the pictures back there?" He remembered the flashing of the camera, but he was too focused on Sara to see where it was coming from.
"Hodges." Sara confessed, giving him a guilty smile. "He wasn't exactly invited to the wedding ceremony itself and he was a little offended considering his closeness to... you. So, I told him that he hadn't been sent an invitation to the wedding, because we were going to ask him to photograph it for us. He felt honoured, so I had to fire the real one. They were kinda double booked anyway, and he said he'd do it for free because the two of you are such great friends. Why do you ask?"
"When I was a child, I remember my parents had a photo from their wedding day hanging over the mantle. Beneath it they had photos of all their memories. They would always tell me the story behind each one. The mantle was like a display of each chapter of their lives together. We always had photos around the house when I was growing up. The only photos I've had since are ones of Hank. I want to capture real moments of our life to display around our home. Our wedding, our daughter's birth and birthdays. Events that mean something to us."
"Okay." Sara agreed with him, realising that he had been missing out on the benefits of a family all this time too. He had his mother, but he had no other ties to the people in his life before she came along. "We should get some photos of Ava blown up onto those big canvas prints. I'm sure Hodges got a few pictures back there that we could use for our wedding. I only wish we had time to plan a honeymoon, then we could have some photos of that."
"You didn't book one?"
"Well I thought asking you to take some time off work would tip you off to what I was planning." She beamed her perfect beautiful smile in his direction. "Your mother said she'd take care of Ava if we wanted to go, but I don't think I could leave her that long."
"We can take her with us then." He brushed his fingertip across the wedding band on her finger, giving her a warm smile. "A year ago, I felt as though I was losing you. I invited you to stay in the city with the intention on telling you how I really felt about you, but I didn't do anything until you started..."
"To self destruct?" She filled in the blank for him.
"For lack of a better word." The man nodded slightly, gripping her hand a little tighter. "Now here we are a year later, on the day of our wedding with our beautiful daughter. It feels a little surreal. We haven't really had a chance to stop and take a moment to ourselves." He motioned towards the street as the car pulled up outside where they were having dinner. "Before we move into the new house, I'd like us to take a moment to ourselves. Just the three of us. Nick or Catherine can take care of Hank for a little while, he's stayed with them before. Spring break is coming up, so I can take some time off work."
"I knew there was a reason I married you, Mr Grissom." She leant across their daughter, pecking a kiss to his cheek. "I love you, Gil."
"I love you too, my dear."
"C'mon, happy couple." Catherine pulled the door open, beaming a wide smile at them. "Everyone's waiting for you in here. You've got the rest of your lives to be together. I didn't fly all this way for nothing." She reached out for Sara's hand, assisting her out of the car, while Grissom grabbed their daughter. "She isn't asleep yet?"
"Too much excitement to sleep." Grissom lifted her against his chest, pressing a kiss to her little forehead. He pointed her attention towards the water fountain outside the building they were walking into, staying put a moment as she watched it with wide eyes of wonder. "Look at that. Isn't that neat?"
"You got her started on her own science kit yet, Gil?" Catherine grinned at him, ushering them both inside. "C'mon, we saved some seats. Nick and Warrick stayed back to help clean up after the ceremony, so they'll be here in a few. We managed to get just enough seats, but it's a little cramped."
Grissom stepped inside, expecting to find a posh restaurant inside or something, especially from the appearance of the outside. Instead, he was greeted with the appearance of a fifties diner. A waitress on roller skates greeted them with a sunny smile, presenting them with menus filled with greasy food, before she led them through the busy diner to their seats. He grabbed the booth seat closest to the window, letting his bride slide in beside him.
"A diner?" He gave his wife a curious look.
"Yeah, I thought why not stick with a bit of tradition?" Sara lifted her daughter from the man's arms, sitting her on her lap. "Back in Las Vegas, before we were dating, the only real time that we ever got to spend together was after hours in a greasy spoon or a cheap diner close to the lab. We always complained and said that we hated it, but we kept going back... not because of the food or anything, but because it was our safety blanket at the end of a hard shift. Something that would always be there waiting for us. It was like a second home to us." She reached out for his hand, weaving their newly bonded fingers together. "Since we're closing that chapter of our lives now, I figured what better way to do it then with the whole team in one of our traditional places."
Hearing the chime of a fork being hit against something, the two of them looked up, seeing Brass raising his coffee mug to them from the opposite booth.
"We all know why we're gathered here today, so I'll save that part of the speech. Since you didn't actually know about the wedding, I appointed myself your best man, since I've known you a lot longer than the rest of these kids," Brass glanced towards the door, rolling his eyes as their late arrivals quickly came rushing in to find their seats. "I'm sure you'll all agree that today is a welcome relief, especially for the bug man himself. To find such a lovely young woman who can tolerate all your quirks, keep the same hours as you and put up with your science experiments. Sara, take good care of our man. Anyone that's spent any time with you knows how passionate you are about cases. Your family is truly blessed to have you at their side." He gave them both a smile. "If you'd all like to raise your... coffee mugs with me, wishing Mr and Mrs Grissom a long and happy life together. To Gil and Sara."
"Gil and Sara." The others raised their mugs to them, bringing a tear to Sara's eye.
"Oh and a little bit of marital advice, never go to bed angry. Stay up and fight, even if you're up all night. When in doubt, tell the truth. The whole truth and nothing but the truth," He looked specifically at Grissom, giving him a smile. "And the secret to a successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. My wife and I might still be together if she stuck to that one."
"Thank you, Jim." Grissom raised his empty coffee mug towards the man, wondering if he was on the liquor already.
"What's wrong, baby girl? No, don't cry." Sara gently rocked her daughter in her arms. "Betty, did you bring, Skipper?"
The woman grabbed her purse off the booth beside her, digging out the butterfly for her grandchild. She smiled as the cuddly toy worked like a charm, settling her as soon as she had her little hands on it. She lifted her sleepy grandchild across the table when their food arrived, giving Sara a chance to finally eat some real food after a long day filled with excitement and anxiety.
"Just a few words, if you'll allow me," Warrick ditched the jacket to his suit on his booth, getting the waitress to top up his empty coffee mug. "I don't know a whole lot about marriage or fathers, but if there's one thing that Grissom has taught me, it's that we try our best whatever the situation. My father was never around for me, but Grissom has taught me to try and be a better person in spite of everything that he was. I really wish I had a father like Grissom that was there for me, but I know that Ava and Sara need him more." He raised his coffee mug in Sara's direction, giving her a warm smile so she knew that there were no hard feelings anymore. "I know that really this isn't an end for any of us, it's just the beginning and I wish you luck for the future. To the future."
"To the future." Everyone raised their mugs.
"On that note," Nick playfully pushed his friend aside, raising his own cup of coffee to them. "I didn't exactly have anythin' prepared, so I googled quotes that Grissom tends to come up with on cases and found one from Alfred A. Montapert that pretty much sums you two up." He unfolded the piece of paper from his shirt pocket, clearing his throat, before he looked up at the two of them. "The man or woman you really love will never grow old to you. Through the wrinkles of time, through the bowed frame of years, you will always see the dear face and feel the warm heart union of your eternal love."
Grissom smiled proudly at the younger man, before he turned to look at his wife beside him. "To the next chapter, my dear."
The End
That is well and truly the final chapter of this story 'Duel For Love'! I hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Big thank you to those of you who continued to give me feedback throughout. I think I've taken this story as far as I wanted to. No plans for a sequel, but I may post some one-shots in the distant future :) Currently I don't have any more GSR stories in the works, but you never know when an idea will come up, so stay tuned for more in the future.
I want to give a few shout outs to readers/reviewers... RAD092515, deniseaimee, nerdyfangirl74656, psugirl94, wwareham1, ElisaFanofSlashes, 2cool4uso, Becca06, Kimberly, CasketAddict1993, Desaflor, Gilbertgal7, ILoveJorja, aninom, bonnielass89, breathegsr, easypenname, idrc13, kety scott, kibbsalways, mslm90, mvmorarb, ninthwardgurl05, pinkandpurplecherryblossom, stefanialilly, thegirlinflat4a, ediebella, tazleia, gsrfan34, gsrmaniac, aninha.k, was spratlurid quimby, gsrmaniac0417, Ziver69, delita0204, Marie, Kim, Sara, gsrlover1, Guest (GSR Always!) for all your support of this story.
Thanks to everyone else who followed, favourited and reviewed. It's very much appreciated. If you liked this GSR story of mine and you haven't already checked out my other ones, make sure you give them a read too... Make Shift Family ~ Boys Take a wife, Daughters are for Life ~ A Broken Heart ~ Brown Eyes ~ You Made Me ~ Battle of Love ~ One-Shot series... Story Time at the Grissoms ~ Home to a Mess ~ No Place Like Home ~ Having A Baby ~ Report Due ~ Having Another Baby ~ Research Assistant
Thanks so much for reading! Please do let me know what you thought!
Enjoy the rest of your week.
GSR Forever!
~ Holly