AN: Thank you for the reviews. Here is the next chapter, enjoy.
Chapter 21: Changes are in the air part 2
A while later Vincent was sitting in the shade with his back against the tree watching Beth color in her coloring book when Lindsey walked up and sat down next to him, then she smiled as she asked. "Remember this spot?"
He nodded with a small smile of his own. "Of course, it's our spot." She nodded as she slipped her fingers through his.
He looked at their hands before looking over at Charlie, who was looking at them as he was taking a drink of his water then whispering something to his father, then Vincent looked at Lindsey again and asked. "So what do you think of the new guy?"
"Who, Charlie?" Vincent nodded, Lindsey shrugged while watching Charlie walk toward the vehicles, then she looked at her boyfriend and replied. "I guess he's alright."
He raised an eyebrow. "You guess?"
Lindsey chuckled and replied. "Yeah I guess, why..." She trials off as she looked at him, then continued. "Wait a minute, you're not jealous, are you?" He looked down at their hands again. Lindsey shook her head, lifts his chin up, then cups his cheek when he looked at her again. "You know you have no reason to be, right? I think we've been together far too long for you to feel that way. Besides you've never felt that way since we've become a couple, why start now?"
He sighed and replied. "Because of the far too long part."
She raised an eyebrow and asked. "What do you mean?" There was a pause, then before he could reply she gasped as she removed her hand from his and took her hand off his cheek. "You want to break up with me don't you? That's what this, is isn't it?"
Vincent immediately shook his head when he saw Lindsey have tears in her eyes, then he cups her cheek this time, wiped her tears away while replying. "Of course not. That is not what this is about."
She sniffled. "Then I don't understand."
He took a breath and continued. "Hear me out for a minute, ok?" She nodded. "I think we can both agree that while we had other small relationships, this is our first serious one, right?" She nodded again. "Ok, good." He cleared his throat and continued. "And a lot times, especially couples our age, no matter how much we want to keep that first serious relationship forever, it breaks apart. Which more often times than not, it's because they want to see who else is out there."
She lets a tear go down and asked. "Is that what you want?"
He wiped it away and replied with emotion in his voice. "No, that's not what I want." Before she opened her mouth, he continued with a smile. "Lindsey, since we've gotten together I knew right away that you're it for me. I don't need to look anywhere else because I found who I am suppose to be with."
"Then..." She trails off.
He cleared his throat. "I am giving you an out, if that's what you want. But know that I plan for us to be the endgame and I'll fight with everything that I got to win you back."
She looks into his eyes and asked. "All of this is because of Charlie?"
"The idea of him." He sighed before continuing. "As I was watching you two I realized that if it's not him, then it could be somebody else that catches your eye around this time of our relationship."
They look into each other's eyes, then she shook her head a second later and spoke with emotion. "There won't be Vincent, there can't be." He opens his mouth to speak, but she puts a finger to his lips to stop him, then she continued. "I knew from the second you kissed me there will never be anybody else for me. I love you with everything that I have, and yes we are young and couples our age have a higher percentage rate of breaking up than going the distance, but I refuse to accept that's our fate, so I decline your out-clause and want to head straight to your endgame."
He smiled the biggest smile Lindsey had ever seen, then asked. "Really?" She nodded with a smile of her own, he cups her cheek again and as he brings her closer he whispered. "I love you." She whispered it back right before they kissed.
Their moment was interrupted a few minutes later when they heard some one clear their throat.
When they pulled back Vincent looked up and Lindsey turned her head up and saw that it was Charlie with a basketball in his hand, and he asked. "You play?"
Vincent smiled a little. "Well baseball is more my game, but yeah I can play."
"Well if you want to join come on." Then he started walking to the basketball courts.
Vincent and Lindsey look at each other, then she smiled and replied. "Come on, I'll go watch you play."
He chuckled. "Well it might not be very pretty, but ok." She chuckled back.
As they were getting up Vincent looked down at Beth, and she was looking at him with a sad face, then she singed. 'You go?'
He kneeled back down in front of Beth and replied. 'Yes.' She nodded as she looked back down at her book, then he lifted her chin up and continued slowly. 'But I promise I'll come and tuck you in and read you a story tonight.' He signed it again so she would understand, then she smiled and nodded. He smiles back, kissed her head, then signed 'thank you.' before standing up, taking Lindsey's hand and walking them to the basketball courts.
While the older kids were at the basketball courts, the Grissom kids and Austin were at the age appropriate play structure with Sara, Amanda, Morgan and Greg close by talking, Nick and Brass was talking to DB, Catherine had walked up to Grissom, who was watching his kids from the shade, and asked. "Was it easy for you?"
Grissom looked at Catherine and asked. "Deciding not to go back to the lab?" She nodded as he continued. "You know what? I thought it would be one of the hardest decision I would have ever made, but it was one of the easiest."
"Because you had something else you loved doing to fall back on?"
Grissom chuckled. "Catherine, you amaze me sometimes on how well you know me." She smiled and he continued. "And yes you are right." There was a pause, then he looked at her again after looking at his kids. "And you may have us believe that it was an easy decision for you, but I know it took you those three full weeks and multiple times going back and forth to make your decision final."
She smiled a little back. "You are not so bad on the knowing game yourself." He smiled this time as she continued. "Being a CSI has been part of my life for almost 21 years, so I can't deny that apart of me won't miss it, but I know and I feel that I am doing the right thing."
"I also know that."
She chuckled. "Of course you would." He smiled at her before they looked at the team this time, then she sighed and continued. "Also apart of me can't help but be worried about the team though."
Grissom shook his head. "I don't think you have to be and frankly, which I mean no disrespect to DB, but I also don't think they even need him as their boss. Granted I've never worked with Morgan, but I know Nick or Sara could have handled being your replacement perfectly. I didn't mention Greg in that scenario because I'm talking about seniority here."
Catherine nodded in understanding. "You maybe right, but you know how new management is. I think we are just lucky they didn't dismember the whole team and put them on different shifts."
He looked at her again and replied. "Now that would have been a huge mistake on their part."
Before she could respond, they hear Sara's voice. "What's a huge mistake?"
He looks in Sara's direction and she is holding hands with the twins while Beth was walking in front of her, then as he answered, the rest of the group was walking up to them. "For the new management to have split the team up."
As Grissom was picking up Beth, DB talked. "I wouldn't have allowed that." They looked at him and DB continued. "When they called me about the position, I told them I wanted to keep the team intact as much as possible. I always felt that the people who work together the longest have better results than those who've only worked with each other a few months."
They all nodded, but Grissom replied. "I agree." DB smiled at him, then Grissom continued. "And I know I am being a little biased here but you couldn't have inherited a better team."
DB looked at the team he was going to be working with, then he looked at Grissom again and answered. "I don't doubt that, and I guess it's you I should thank for this great team."
Now Grissom was getting a little embarrassed as he replied. "They did the work, I just made sure they did it right."
Sara responded on her husband's behalf. "He is being completely modest, with the exception of Morgan, he taught all of us everything he knows."
Grissom looked down as they all chuckled, then before any more words were said, Beth taps her father on the shoulder.
When Grissom looked at her, she signed. 'Hungry daddy.'
Grissom nodded, then looked at everybody and said. "I guess it's time to eat."
Since all they brought was snacks a good dinner was in order, and DB speaks up. "Why don't I take you guys out? My treat."
Everybody looked at each other and nodded, then Greg said. "I'll never turn down free food."
They chuckled, then DB nods and replied. "Meet in an hour?" After around of ok's, DB continued. "Just one problem, one of you guys are going to have to tell me the address of a good restaurant, I barely found the park."
After they chuckled again Nick told him that he will text him the address, then they started cleaning up their mess before getting the older kids attention and walking to their vehicles, so they could go home and get cleaned up for dinner.
When dinner was done they all thanked DB and went home, except for Vincent, he went to the Grissom household after he took Lindsey back to the dorm so he could fulfill his promise to Beth. Then once he was done he tucked her in, kissed her goodnight, then Sara and Grissom thanked him before he walked out of the house, which he said it was no problem.
After Grissom shuts the front door they look at each other and he asked with a smile. "Well you have a few hours to spare before work, so what do you want to do?"
She took his hand and walked them to the couch, then after they sat down she cuddled into his side and places her hand over the spot of his heart, he wrapped an around her shoulder and placed his other hand on her pregnant stomach.
After he kissed her head, he asked. "So what do you think so far of the new Supervisor?"
"Well I'll be able to tell you more once I start working with him, but I think it's going to work out, he is seems like a great guy." He nodded in agreement, then he felt her hand slid up to his cheek. He looked at her and she was looking right at him with a small smile and he smiled back. Then right before he was going to ask what was wrong she continued. "However, he is no you." He smiles bigger as he moved his face closer to hers and they kiss softly a few times, then he kissed her forehead as she removed her hand from his cheek and puts it back over his heart. she laid her head on his shoulder a few seconds later.
When it became silent for a few minutes he asked again. "And how do you feel about being passed over for the supervisor position?"
"I'm fine with it."
"Really? Because I was talking to Catherine earlier and I told her that you or Nick could have handled the position perfectly."
She smiled, happy that her husband had that much faith in her. "Yeah I really am." They pull their head backs a little so they could look into each other's eyes as she speaks again. "My time with you and the kids is cut short as it is, and if I had become supervisor our time as a family would have more than likely be cut shorter, so honestly everything is good." She shrugs her shoulders before finishing. "Maybe when the kids get older I'll actively pursue a supervisor spot, but right now I am in the right position."
He slides his hand off her stomach, then cups her cheek and replied. "Ok, just looking out for you."
She slides her hand over his arm, stopping when her hand reached his hand, then she replied with a smile. "I know, I appreciate it, and love you more for it."
He smiled, leaned toward her again and kissed her, which she responded back.
When they pulled back he got comfortable on the couch again, then after she laid her head back on his shoulder, he put his hand back on her stomach, kissed her head, and said. "I love you too." Then he places his forehead against her head and they sighed in content, happy for this moment of peace before their other responsibilities came up.
AN: Next Chapter: Something comes up on a special day for their oldest, what is it? Will everything be alright? Find out what happens next. Please review.