A/N: Sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 46
Jen's Apartment
November 23, 2014
"Hey," Robbins called to the other agents. "Who wants a beer?!" They had come to her apartment with promises of breakfast from Catherine. Well, since breakfast was twelve hours past already, it was more of early dinner. The apartment was rather big, Matthew Ecklie had paid her generously, and the kitchen was ... empty. Catherine had left to go get some ingredients in order to make dinner. The others were skimming through movies trying to find something good to watch. "I've got Die Hard on the bottom shelf!"
"Touch down!" Mark yelled. Everyone laughed; Jen noticed that two laughs were cut short. Marsha and Jon were taking this case harder then anyone else. "I'd rather stay sober!"
"He might do the nasty with a fellow agent!" Drake called teasing his partner and friend.
"That was once!" Marsha snapped and they all laughed more. She carried in beer bottles and soda bottles for them all to choose from. She looked at the group gathered in her living room. Though, she had never considered this house home. She never had a home. She liked it though. Might keep it for vacations or something. Director Roberts, Mike she reminded herself since he had told all to cut the formalities, sat on the couch reading a book. Marsha sat with Mark on the floor, she knew they two were by each other for reasons besides 'no other spot' that they kept telling everyone, by the love couch. Jon sat in a chair all alone looking lost in thought. She wondered how much he loved this girl, Lindsey, the girl she fought hard to protect only because she felt it her duty. Did he love her enough to give up a great job in the bureau or would he stay where he was? Drake was at the television putting in Die Hard and then went and sat on the floor as well. She wondered how long the relationship between Marsha and Mark had gone on, they had been teased about it nearly twenty times in the last hour. She also wondered why no one sat on the couch with the director, she didn't even do it. Her reason was simple ... he's the director, the big boss, not her friend.
"Open the door!" Catherine's voice was heard outside. No one moved. They all just looked at the door then back at the television. "FBI open up!"
"Coming," Jen laughed with the others. She opened the door to find a badge being held among all the grocery bags. It looked like she was trying to flash it at them. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to talk to a fridge, apparently it's suspected of being empty." She replied as Jen let her in. "Mike, you big lug, come help you sister-in-law!"
"That's director Mike." He spoke and she tossed the badge at him. "Home you aren't trying to retire. You're in line for Assistant Director."
"Twenty years from now," Catherine spoke placing the bags on the counter. He handed her badge and she attached it to her belt. Having her weapons and badge back since Mike told her she was only on a short suspension, which was, ironically, the amount of time it was going to take for her to return to DC, she hadn't once removed them.
"You'd be surprised." He replied helping her up pack the groceries. She started the cooking and he helped. The others were watching Die Hard and laughing and joking. She went to go check on them but he grabbed her arm. "Marsha is sitting with Mark, Josh called ... dumped her, and Jon is sitting by himself. Drake is teasing everyone and making the jokes. Jen is ... well she's the outcast at the moment but that will change. I've told her she's being moved over to your team since you do need one more person. Randy is on his way but he has to take care of a few things first. They're fine. I promise."
"Can't help it." She spoke and he nodded. Once she got everything started he followed her out onto the balcony. He followed her line of sight and sighed seeing Desert Palms was rather close to the apartment. Pulling her into his arms and he waited for her tears to finally fall.
"I don't know how any of them are doing. Apparently the families have strictly requested that no one in the FBI be informed of the conditions. Especially you," He winced as her tears fell at that. He broke her. The one thing she always refused to let anyone see and he broke her by simply breaking her already broken heart. "You did run away from them twice now, three if you count the one you're doing now. You never left an explanation. Nothing."
"I've sent presents. I would of for their kids but ... I just didn't know what they liked." She sunk into a chair as he released her. "I know ... I'm horrible. I'm a horrible mother. Alex hates me because I never let him come visit Gil, then Lindsey ... I got her killed ... well at least I thought she was dead ... now this. I ... they were my family, my kids, and I let some sick bastard get to them. Nearly kill them. I let ... I played games with Ecklie ... I had a conversation while they were all sitting right their bleeding and dying and injured."
"We always do that." He knelt before her. "Our goal is to get the suspect alive not dead and had you not done what you did, he would have ... I don't even want to think about what he'd do. You had no choice. He was focus on you. But he also knew what everyone else was doing."
"We normally try at least! I wouldn't let them take them out of that room," She looked at him. "I got them kidnapped, I got them shot, I could have gotten them killed. For all I know they could be dead! Lindsey could be finding out right now that that sick bastard ... that ... Allan gave her AIDs. She could be dying right now and I don't even know. Alex ... I don't know where he is. I've called Mia and Sandra and ... I called the Grissoms and all they have to tell me is to get away from their families. That I'm not wanted. And inside," she looked into the kitchen where Jon was taking care of the food. "I have two broken agents, one who is left out, and two who don't know what the hell is wrong with their brother and sister. None of them will come to me about it. They will all wait until I finally pull them into my office and talk to them. My advice ... it makes me a hypocrite."
"Randy!" Marsha screamed half drunk already. "How 'bout a cold one?!"
"I have a partner who doesn't tell me my own daughter is alive. No one did."
"At my orders." Mike took her hands. "You need a vacation. You need to ... I want you to talk to someone. I can't let you talk to me unless its brother to sister. Like we are doing now. Standard procedure is to talk to a psychiatrist after being involved in a shooting."
"I know. I've done that four times already," She looked at him. "You know if I tell this to a psychiatrist they have no choice but to tell you to put me on permanent suspension until I'm cleared mentally."
"You're clear to me. I'm ordering you to talk to your sister," He smiled at her laugh. "To my wife. Then I can be warned unofficially if you are unfit or something and I can warn you to be careful. But if you mess up on me your ass is out on the street."
"I want to go home," She looked at him and he shrugged.
"Where's that?" He stood and left her on the balcony all by her self. Thirty minutes later and everyone was running to get food. She listened to the sliding door open and looked to Jen who sat on the seat next to her.
"So ... how many times have you had to fire your weapons?" she looked at her. "I've only had to fire it at the firing range. Someone else always took the shoot before I could."
"Four times, not including this one," She spoke softly. "I draw it frequently, get used to that. But only four times, in all my years in law enforcement, I have had to fire it. Once here in Vegas and three times in the FBI. Four times now in the FBI."
"Warning shots?"
"Two of the three in the FBI were warning shots." She whispered. "One of those times was to get a suspect to freeze and the other ... the suspect had a five year old girl hanging from the roof tops. He was threatening to drop her. I shot at him right next to his leg so that he'd realize I was serious."
"The result of those?"
"First suspect froze when I shot at the spot right in front of him. Dropped to the floor and surrendered, screaming where he was keeping the young women we were trying to find. Also informed us where three other bodies were. Second suspect ... the girl screamed and he nearly dropped her. He ducked quickly and the girl banged against the wall. I rushed over, holstering my weapon, while Randy kept his trained on the guy. He begged and pleaded for us not to take his life. The girl reached up and grabbed my arms. I pulled her up ... she ran to safety."
"What else happened that day?" Jen asked after a long pause. "Look I can go look it up online but I want to know from you. Tell me about every time you shoot a weapon."
"First time was here in Vegas. Syd Google."
"I remember that case. I was just starting college. My parents were so scared because I was going to college here in Vegas. If I remember correctly the news ... the news said you shot him in some laundry room or something. Wasn't one of your team with him at the time?"
"Gil Grissom." She whispered. "Second time was as I said before, the man running away from me. Thomas Marlin. Was kidnapping prostitutes in New York. Actually, he was one of my first cases in this department. Next was Mikey Milton ... he was holding a bomb in the middle of the private school ... a private school that politicians send their children too. He was teasing me. I told my people to back away. Anyways, I ended up shooting him a little south of the boarder and he freaked. Dropped the bomb ... it was a pipe bomb and the pipes burst open ... red paint flew all over the place and I was covered in it. I rushed to his side and stopped the bleeding in his leg. When the paramedics came they thought that I was the one injured. It was rather funny actually."
"Ah ... south of the boarder," Jen started laughing. "Sorry but that is something you are famous for."
"Next was Randall Smith. The roof top boy. Then was Conrad Ecklie. All done. No more."
"Randall Smith." Jen spoke. "Come on. I want everything."
"Fine," She snapped. "Don't see why."
"Because if you actually talk about them instead of just telling the basics, which is what everyone does when sent to get shrinked. I'm an agent too, we all do it. But we all have that someone we talk to anyways about it. A friend. A husband. A special someone. You ... the only people you know are you FBI buddies and no one talks to a fellow fed about fed stuff unless they know they can't get busted for it. Everyone else you know that isn't a fed is either in Vegas or your family. No one talks to their family, unless they know the family would get it or it's their husband. I know this because my boss, well my former boss, told his sister about a case and she threw him out of the house. He later committed suicide because he had no one. So ... talk."
"You're fed." She spoke smirking while turning her head to look at her.
"Speak."
"Fine. Randall Smith was kidnapping little girls, keeping them for a week. Treating them like they were his sister and the dropping them off roofs. The girls were always dead when he dropped them. But they were, no joke, not always completely dead. He'd choke them until they fell unconscious and then drop them off the roof. Then ... then he'd go to school. He was a junior in high school. We did know that. He was working as the mail boy in building. We thought he was twenty like the other mail boys. College kids. That's was the rule. He must have gotten past it somehow. Anyways, this girl... she was awake and well aware of what was going on. It turns out that one day while playing hide and seek with his little sister she tripped and feel off a roof. Ended up in a coma. But since then he began fascinated with the way a small body lands from ten stories up in the air. Only, unlike his sister, the girls didn't have something to help prevent them from hitting the concrete. His sister feel onto a bunch of mattresses but her head hit them hard enough to knock her out and put her in a coma. The other girls ... they weren't so lucky. This case was shortly after ... it was shortly after the accident I had ... when ..."
"When Lindsey supposedly died. He was near her age. Not exactly it but still. He was just a kid. You ... you were a women who just lost your daughter. I take it the mother came to your office?"
"Begged me to help him." She sighed and stood. "Instead I testified at his sentencing hearing. Told the court about the seven families now without their little girls because they were taken from the wall prematurely. He got the death penalty. Currently putting up appeal after appeal after appeal."
Desert Palms
November 26, 2014
The group had been moved into a large room on the top floor. The room was meant for special cases. The families didn't know how it was possible considering that the special cases normally meant people with lots of money. None of them had attempted to pay to get the people together. But it happened so no one complained. They asked how it was possible and all the doctors told them was that someone had asked for the family to be together. They didn't care though. The room was big enough for all seven of them to have beds and still have half the room left over. Nick was next to Sara who was next Lindsey who was by the door. Across from them was the four beds containing Warrick, Greg, Brass, and then Grissom bringing up the rear by the door. Over by the window a crib had been set up and the little ones were all taking a nap. Though, Alex refused to let anyone take Sarah from him and he sat beside Lindsey's bed telling stories to the sleeping girls.
Sara was sitting up the bed and laughing as Greg told another one of his jokes Warrick and Nick sat at a table by the window playing cards while Brass sat in his bed watching the television. Grissom was doing a crossword and looking over at Lindsey every now and then. Mia and Sandra were sitting with their husbands and laughing as well. Michelle and Dylan were playing their own card game trying to copy their fathers. Jenny was sitting in the hallway having refused every day to come in but yet convinced Alex to do what she couldn't. The room instantly silenced as Elle stepped into the room. Brass stopped watching the news and opened his mouth to apologize to his daughter.
"I'm sorry, daddy," She spoke first. "It's just that I was so proud of myself. I was going to tell you how I had become a teacher and that I hadn't been near drugs since you come to Hollywood on that case. I ... I ... Catherine helped me back then to get off drugs and then she helped me get straight and get a better job. I love teaching and I'm proud of my work and when you ... when you brought up my past I over reacted. I ... Catherine told me that you were just being a father and trying to understand and ... I'm so sorry. Forgive me."
"Always," He hugged her after she rushed to his side. They began to talk about her new career, which he learned she was actually living in DC and not in California anymore. No one wanted to mention the fact that Grissom was the only one who didn't have any family, besides Lindsey. Yes, they had Alex and Sarah but they didn't have anyone who was older then the age of eight. Mia looked to Sandra who nodded. They hadn't told anyone about the Grissoms coming to Vegas, nor that they were still here waiting for 'Gil to come to his senses'. Both looked to Elle who nodded with a smile.
"About damn time," The two left their husbands and with Elle went into the hall. Everyone was curious and everyone's jaw dropped as the three entered helping an old women. All eyes turned to Grissom who looked like he was seeing her for the first time in ... well a long time.
"Your damn siblings were getting on my nerves," The women spoke looking at her son in the bed. "All that talk about Catherine being evil and everything. No one realizing how much she makes you... you."
"You always loved her mother," Grissom signed and Alex tried to read what he said. Mrs. Grissom moved to her grandsons side and picked up little Sarah putting her on the bed beside her mother. He smiled and climbed into her arms. She carried him over to Grissom and placed him on the bed. They began to teach him sign language and the other three returned to their loved ones, Elle picking up baby Sarah and bring her to Brass who held her happily.
Jenny sat in the hallway and listened to all the people happy. Upset she ran down the hall and into the elevator. She backed up shocked to see her Grandma Willows standing right there in it. Catherine came into the hall and bent to her height. She sat down against the wall again mad that she couldn't run away. Catherine sat with her and for awhile the two were silent. The hall was empty, none of the other rooms up here being occupied except for by doctors seeking to get some rest or study some diagrams and images and case files. Jenny kept looking to the elevator then to the floor. Catherine smiled and handed her a medium sized box. Jenny took it and put it on the floor beside her.
"Can't I go with you?" Jenny whispered softly and Catherine picked her up and placed in her lap. "I know you're going back to your home. Can't I live with you? I'll be good I promise. Never talk to strangers. I won't even go online. I'll sit at home all day and do nothing."
"No baby," She sighed. Jenny hit her angrily and continued to do so. She just held her letting her get her anger out of her system. When she was done all the girl could do was cry. "Would you be happy doing that?"
"No but at least I wouldn't be putting anyone in danger." She jumped up and stood before her. Her eyes were wide like she just struck gold or something. "And you can protect yourself. You're FBI! You're Grandma Willows! You can do anything! No one can stand up to you. And mommy and daddy and everyone else will all be safe because I'll be safe with you. No one would get hurt. And I could grow up. I'd study hard and I'd become a professional FBI girl! I could be a real agent!"
"Would your mommy and daddy be happy without you here?"
"They'd be safe. And they have everyone else. They could stop arguing and they could love each other again. Everyone be happy. I only cause problems. I promise I will try not to cause any for you. Please, please let me come live with you. I don't want to be here anymore. I hate it here!"
"You want to run away?" She whispered and the girl nodded. "You see this box here. In here is something special for you and everyone else. Okay?" She got a nod of understand and smiled. "Hey," she took the two small hands in hers. "I wish I could bring you with me, I really do. But that's called kidnapping and that's illegal. But I promise you this ... I'm not out of your life forever. I have to go home and back to work and you ... you have to go in there to your family. Can you do that?"
"They'll hate me." She cried and Catherine smiled wiping the tears away.
"They'll love you. What's not to love? You're strong, smart, beautiful, and wonderful. You bring them all happiness. You, all of you children," She spoke as the Stokes, Brown, and Sanders children came into the hall. Only Alex and Sarah remained at the door. They all ran over and Catherine gave each of them a hug. "Mean the world to your parents. They love all of you very much. Nothing," She looked to Alex. "Nothing in the world would change that."
"Mommy," He whispered running to her. Michelle took Sarah from his arms so Catherine could hold him closer. Jenny smiled and Catherine brought her into the hug. "Can I come home with you?"
"I was thinking," she looked to him with a large smile. "That you could stay with your father for the rest of the school year. Then come see me. How's that?"
"Really!" He gave her a big hug happy. "But what about Christmas? Who will give you presents on Christmas?"
"Santa." She gave him a kiss. "Listen," She stood and knelt to be with all the kids. That was why she came. To see all her grandbabies and her own little one. They all called her Grandma Willows ... she loved them simply because they were them. To her surprise it was now harder to leave then ever before. She wasn't sure if that was because she now knew Grissom was secretly calling her or if it was because she was with her family again. "Though I have to go I want you all to know this, I love each of you very much. I promise to stay in touch. Really I do."
"We love you to Grandma Willows," they all whispered give her a hug. Alex gave her a hug promise to never leave her again. Then they went back into the room and it was just her and Jenny again. "Grandma Willows," Jenny whispered. "Do you love Grandpa Grissom?"
"With everything I have, baby, with everything I have." She pulled the little girl into her arms. "Now, take that box and get into that room."
"I'm scared."
"Hey, little agent," She bent to her height and the girl smiled wide. "You push that fear aside. Use it in life to help you fight hard times, okay. Pick the box up." The girl did with a large smile. "And carry it into the room. Give your mother and your father a huge hug and tell them how much you love them."
"What if I cry?"
"Then hug them tighter." She spoke and Jenny smiled. She watched as Catherine left back into the elevator. Once her Grandma Willows was gone she smile and knew that, even though her Grandma was leaving back to DC, she'd see her again. Some how she would. Turning she carried the box into the room. For over a week she's been coming and sitting in the hall. When she enter the room everyone was looking at her shocked and with tears in her eyes. She carried the box to a chair and set it down. She went and gave Grandpa Grissom a hug and told her she loved him, she did that to Grandma Grissom and then Warrick, Nick, Sara, Mia, and she even gave Lindsey a kiss on the cheek, after climbing onto a chair. Then she went to her parents and climbed onto the bed.
"Mommy," She gave her mother a hug. Sandra stood holding her tight. When she was done she put her on the bed next to Greg. "I love you mommy," she spoke. Sandra smiled doing what the others did. Telling her she loved her too. She sat down on the chair. Jenny hadn't cried yet. Had forced herself to stay strong. She looked at her father and nearly failed. Everyone watched, tears falling down their faces, as Jenny studied her father. The other kids sat watching trying to figure out why everyone looked so sad but was so happy. Finally, after studying everything, Jenny looked at the bed and spoke. "I'm so sorry, daddy. It's all my fault. I just wanted ..." She looked up tears streaming down her face and locked eyes with Greg. "Daddy I love you," Her lip quivered. "I'm sorry, daddy. It's all my fault. I love you. Please don't hate me."
"I could never hate you," Greg held his tears in as he pulled his crying daughter into a hug. "It's okay baby, I love you so much. You kept me fighting when I was gone. All of you did," he told everyone as he kissed his daughters head letting his tears fall into her hair. "It's not your fault. I love you, baby."
"It's my fault. It is," she cried harder and he held her tighter as she did the same to him. "It's all my fault. I love you. I really do. I really do, daddy. Daddy," she continued to cry until she was asleep. The two never released each other. When visiting hours was up the nurses smiled, it was common knowledge among the staff that the little girl never entered the room. They promised to make sure the staff knew they were allowed to stay longer. No one spoke the entire time. No cards were played. The kids didn't move. The room was still and silent except for the tears of the reunited families. Sara and Nick held their sleeping children. Mia and Warrick held theirs. Sandra held the twins in her lap. Brass brushed through Elle's hair after she fell asleep with her head on his lap. Grissom held his sleeping mothers hand and kept his eyes on Lindsey. Alex lay on the bed by Lindsey with Sarah held securely in his arms. No one spoke. No one moved. The room was perfect. Everyone was there. Nothing was missing.
Only, Grissom knew that something was missing. He could live without his siblings, they were only his step siblings and he never got along with them anyways. Yes, he loved them and he cared for them but they had never supported him once and that wasn't going to change. He had his mother and that was all he needed. But even that was a lie. They may all be together again but still, something was missing. The mother. The mother of the group. His love. His life. His sole purpose of continuing to breath. Catherine. She wasn't here. His eyes traveled to the box and he knew it was from her. He knew. He smelt her on it. Her scent filled the room. It reminded him of how much was missing from this picture and how much they kept ignoring that fact.
Soon he was the only one awake and he moved from the bed. Helping his mother into the bed so she wouldn't hurt her back due to the chair he gave her a peck on the cheek. Cautiously and carefully, he hadn't walked since he arrived at the hospital, he made his way to the box. Picking it up he carried it over to the table and placed it in a chair. Sitting by the window he pulled the chair close. At first he just put his hand on the box and closed his eyes. He imagined that he was holding Catherine's hand. The world around him vanished, the last sound he heard being that off a private jet flying away from the airstrip nearby. His senses was filled with Catherine. His mind the image of her dancing with a young Lindsey at a Christmas party for the lab.
Director Roberts Private Jet
11:30 PM
Catherine sat at the table in the plane. The table was surrounded by a wrap around couch. It was in the corner and by a window on the right hand side. The same thing was on the left hand side. The tables matched and the couches meet at the end of the aisle where people could slide in and out of it. They were right outside of the kitchen and bathroom area in the back of the plan. In front of the couches was two couches along the back of the couches. Each with their own window. Then was a few chairs for people to sit and do what ever. Her team was sitting at the table across from her, Randy was in one of the chairs reading a book and drinking a coke. Mike sat down at her table placing a drink in front of her. The boxes of files that she had brought with them were secured and piled in the luggage area. Each of them had brought their own carry on bag with games and books and other things to entertain them for the trip onto the plane. Her's had a change of clothes; it was packed by Marsha and Jen since she had been at the hospital. Apparently her attire for the past few days wasn't acceptable anymore.
She was looking down at Desert Palms which was clear in her view. At the request of her team (Jon and Marsha were closest to the window and thus Marsha was being squished by Mark and Jen and Jon by Drake, Jen eventually just climbed onto the table to look at) the pilot was flying around Vegas giving them a good view of the city from the sky. Desert Palms was constantly in her windows. The top floor windows were all she could look at. Reaching up she placed a hand on the window and Mike watched as she closed her eyes a single tear slipping through. The bickering of her team, the flipping of pages of Randy's book, the sound of the engines, of people drinking or eating or laughing or talking. Everything vanished as her mind drifted. As her sensed began to fill with the smell she constantly tortured herself with. And her mind was filled with the image, of the memory, of Grissom dancing with a young Lindsey at a Christmas party for the lab.
Desert Palms
11:35 PM
Grissom opened his eyes while taking a deep breath. Not a single tear left him until he looked out the window and saw the private jet finish its circling and fly away. "Goodbye Catherine," he whispered at the same time, in the air above the neon glowing city, Catherine whispered the same to him. Once he could no longer see the jet he opened the box. He sighed seeing the first thing on top addressed to him. It was an envelope and he wondered how many more letters he'd receive before the two of them stop their new dance and fixed things. Picking up the letter with shaking hands he brought it to his face. He kissed it with his lips as he smelt her familiar lotion on the envelope. More tears feel as his shaking hands opened the envelope and pulled out the newest letter to add to his collection.
A/N: I've split this into two because this was taking up a lot. I, seriously, couldn't figure out how to continue from the last chapter and logged on today and just started typing. So far I like it more then what I had wrote when I had finished up the story originally. Hope you enjoy this and stay tuned for the rest of this chapter, I have to type that part up now. It will pick up right where it is now. Please, please review. I'm so sorry for the long wait. I hate writers block but its gone now.
