A/N: The last chapter of FOLD...thanks for staying with us! Thank you to those who read and review! Enjoy!
FOLD
Chapter 20
A/N: In well told stories, there is a tradition of the hero and his or her adventures, lives are saved, choices made that determine destiny in a dramatic fashion. In reality, circumstances beyond control usually determine if we live or die, become happy or miserable, strike it rich or lose everything. Most rich people inherit money; well fed people had the luck to be born in a country free of famine and drought. Most happy people were born into loving families and most miserable people had crazy parents.
Yet life is not controlled in the way a chess player controls his pieces nor is life a poker game or a roulette spin. The truth of life is complicated. Sometimes a person's life is determined by mechanisms beyond control and, quite often, life turns out to have unexpected and surprising consequences.
Sara Grissom—she'd dropped Sidle before the birth of her sons—combed long fingers through her hair before pulling it into a pony tail. She arranged several cookies on two plates and sat the plates on the table, walked back into the kitchen and returned with two small glasses of milk.
The holidays of Christmas and New Year's day had passed and the first month of 2020 was days old as an atmosphere of concentration filled the house. Through the open windows, the cool night breeze brought distant murmurs of sounds—a plane landing, a boat's horn—that no one seemed to hear. Her husband worked in silence broken only by the contented sounds of two little boys playing with small cars and trucks with an old bedspread and several boxes on the floor.
Sara smiled as she heard their quiet voices in serious deliberate play as small children often do. Even the baby was playing with a new toy—a box—removing and replacing the top over and over, looking expectantly into the box. She too was concentrating as much as a six-month old infant could; any moment she would look up, find a parent and demand attention.
This was life, Sara thought, flicking eyes between her children and her husband; she had never imagined this life. A loved partner, happy children, a stable income, contented days that began when a young woman brought her a tape and suggested she watch it. Sara had never forgotten to remind Lindsey Willows of the happiness she had initiated.
Her husband's desk was covered with opened notebooks and a desk-top computer. As she watched, his tongue would stick out of his mouth as he thought. He had an important presentation coming up on the environmental impact of temperature on sea birds—a project they had worked on when the twins were infants and they had limited their excursions on the boat.
"Jay—Will. Cookies on the table!"
The pajama-clad boys scrambled, each taking a small car to the table.
Sara said, "Eat slowly—only two for bedtime snacks and then time to brush teeth." She touched each child, leaning over each damp curly head to breathe in the fragrance of clean hair and skin from recent baths.
The baby looked up, gurgling a laugh as she dropped the box. Her father turned from the computer, reached over and picked her up; he snuggled her against his shoulder making sounds that made her laugh.
Laughing, he said, "You liked your box for five minutes—I think that might be a record!"
Her small hands touched his face before she placed a wet-sloppy kiss on his nose and babbled a word that sounded like "Dadda". Hugging Ellie, Grissom stood, saying, "I'll take care of this one."
As he headed into the bedroom, Sara prepared a bottle and mused about her children. Will and Jay had been such a surprise—within months of their birth Sara yearned for another baby—she had thought she'd never have children, never live with the man she loved until Lindsey had intervened, leaving the taped interview. And very quickly, she discovered she loved being a parent.
Fate, luck, nor fortune led to another pregnancy. Part scientific research, part-science fiction made reality, and the technical skills of genetic researchers they would never know turned a dream into reality.
Elizabeth Grissom—named after her grandmother she would never know—was immediately called Ellie by her brothers; born by means of advanced assisted fertilization and genetic screening with procedures and testing that would have been thought of as science fiction a decade ago. After a pregnancy without incident, their daughter arrived, weighing nearly eight pounds; holding the newborn, Sara knew she had achieved what had been an impossible dream.
Giggles from the table; wiggling little boys. Sara capped the bottle and said, "Bedtime." She pointed upstairs, adding, "One story tonight."
The boys squirmed, giggled, and drained their glasses before they left the table and made a running trail around the table and the sofa. They tumbled up the stairs in a manner that always made Sara think of little monkeys. Her sons were beautiful children, even strangers commented on their appearance. Their golden brown curly hair and brilliant blue eyes ringed with pale gold lashes; their nose, their hands and mouths were so much like their father but different enough to make each boy an individual. Both boys smiled and laughed easily, had personalities that combined quietness and curiosity. And, Sara thought, at age four, they could do so many things without much parental involvement.
From the moment they had set eyes on Ellie, the boys had adored her. Nothing was too much trouble for their baby sister and one day, Will had insisted he would always look after her. Jay had quickly assured their mother saying "I like having a sister and she likes having brothers."
Leaving the bottle with Grissom, who was already reading a book to Ellie, Sara made her way upstairs to the sounds of splashing water and giggles. She checked two mouths and supervised a second brushing of teeth before settling onto one bed for the nightly ritual of reading a story before bedtime.
By the time Sara had finished the story, both boys were quiet, heavy-eyed after a long day spent outside. She covered each one, kissed their forehead, picked up clothing, and heard their slowed breathing of sleep. Adjusting window blinds, she hoped they would sleep longer in the morning; knowing it was wishful thoughts.
She had not realized how long she'd been upstairs until she saw Grissom sitting at his computer, hair damp from a shower. Walking over to his chair, she kissed his head, running her hands across his shoulders and down his chest.
"How's it looking?" She knew he had been working numbers and research results for the presentation.
Scooting his chair back, he turned and stood up, saying, "Not good—worse than we thought." He shrugged, adding, "Not sure anyone will pay attention." Putting his arms around her, pulling her close, he said, "However, this came." He stretched an arm to the desk and picked up a piece of paper from the copier.
Sara took the paper in one hand while wrapping her left arm around Grissom's neck. "What is this?" Her eyes blinked twice; her head tilted as she read the email and then read it again. It was actually several emails, responses and replies.
"We've got a week to decide."
"Oh, Gil," Sara whispered. "I—I don't—this is…"
Grissom chuckled. He said, "We have a week." He kissed her, turning both toward the bedroom. "Check on Ellie—I'll put the dishes away."
When she returned, her husband had prepared two mugs of tea, the steam rising around two cookies he'd placed on the rims. They sat opposite one another in the quiet house. Sara nibbled on the cookie, warmed by the hot tea. She said, "Do you think we can do it?"
Grissom reached out and caught a long thread of her hair between two fingers, saying, "We can—an adventure—for all of us."
Sara smiled and sipped the hot tea.
An hour later, she closed her book and placed it on the table next to the bed. Shifting to the middle of the bed, she nudged her head between her husband's shoulder and his book; he grinned as he closed his book, letting it drop to the floor.
"The world shifted when I met you, dear," he said, a soft laugh forming around his words as he rolled to meet her. Touching her face, his thumb brushed the line of her jaw, around the curve of her chin. His lips touched her ear, investigating it with his tongue. He murmured, "This is a perfect ear."
A low laugh vibrated in her throat; his mouth covered hers. Folded inside his arms, Sara felt her breathing escalate. She loved this man with an indescribable intensity. There was the slow penetration of his tongue, a melting intimacy that sent a shiver through her body. His hands moved in long strokes over her back as her body pushed against his chest.
Warm hands cupped her face as he kissed her; the world around vanished from awareness as her fingers twined into his hair. With a series of deft tugs, her clothes were off. It took less time for Grissom to remove his shirt and pants. As he pulled the bed sheet over their naked bodies, he made a quiet murmur, saying her name as his head lowered. His mouth moved lightly against her skin, coasting up one breast, opening over the dark nipple. A sound of pleasure came from Sara's throat as the tip of his tongue circled the edge of her nipple. Her body filled with heat and the flavor of her husband's body.
When his mouth returned to hers, she kissed him with an urgency that unraveled any self-control. His hands moved along her body while his knee separated her legs, fitting their hips together. His fingers skimmed the line of her leg, her thigh, soothingly stroking her, bringing a low moan of pleasure. His fingers glided, stroked, parted, fondled as if he were playing with a delicate flower. As a tantalizing fingertip brushed the peak of her sex, all rational thought dissolved.
Sara moved upward, welcoming the hardness pressing into her, gasping as her flesh throbbed around his. Whispering, "Gil" as he entered her body, they quickly set a rhythm as warm flames turned into a fire of ecstasy that caused each to climax within seconds of the other.
Afterwards, when Grissom made to move, Sara murmured, "No, no," so he rolled them both to their sides, still joined. She hitched her leg high over his hip while his hands drifted over her back. For a while, they were quiet, listening to the familiar sounds drifting into their bed-cocoon.
Grissom spoke first, saying, "I think we can do this—Ellie won't remember it but the boys are old enough."
Sara snuggled closer. She said, "Yes, we can. A month—It's important work—for you and for the future." Kissing his cheek, she quietly said, "Isn't it strange how life works—we think we are one person. All those years in Vegas—nearly half a century of forensics and now—to use the skill and knowledge to save," she sighed, "to save the world."
Grissom did not move but managed to kiss his wife's temple. "We are saving the world—or a small part of it. You are the only woman in the world I could have married. Who else could—could care for our children and discuss the merits of counting turtles, take samples of carcasses of whales and dolphins—take off on short notice to—to rake plastic without so much as—blinking an eye. Dear woman, I love you." He chuckled, adding, "Promise me you will love me for the rest of my life—even when our kids are teenagers."
Sara turned her head, shifted slightly and kissed him. She settled beside him, nestled into the warm curve of his body and closed her eyes. A moment later she was asleep.
A few weeks later, Gil Grissom went in search of his wife. Several yards away, he found her working, hidden by a pile of plastic bits and crumbs as a warm breeze blew through her hair. Nearby, their children played on the beach under the watchful eye of a teenage baby sitter. The boys were racing in and out of the turquoise water, oblivious to the line of plastic specks and fragments that littered the beach. Ellie was safely ensconced in a shaded playpen content for a moment with dropping rocks into a bucket. He walked over and scooped his daughter up into his arms; she giggled and pointed to the water.
"Where's your hat, baby girl?"
The baby's hands went to the top of her head. "Hat!"
There was no hat on her head so he leaned into the play area and quickly found a pink hat that he placed on her head as he walked to the water's edge.
A few minutes later, Sara joined him, both watching their sons as the young babysitter showed them how to hold small paddle boards.
Sara linked her hand into the crook of his elbow as she said, "I'm going to miss this place."
Grissom chuckled, saying, "It's an excellent place to collect plastic pollution—right under our feet! A slight change in ocean currents brought this massive mess—and the institute was quick to respond bringing people out here. Amazing how much can be identified—and sad how much of our trash ends up in the ocean."
In silence, they watched the two small boys and the teenage boy playing in shallow surf for several minutes. Grissom leaned to kiss his wife who had reached to adjust the sun hat on Ellie's head. He noticed a smudge of pale sand across her cheek. Placing the squirming baby onto the damp sand, at the edge of water, she immediately began to slap the water, laughing as it splashed her face.
Standing up, he placed his arm around his wife's waist and felt the invisible wind cool his face. Sara's fingers covered his and they stood together watching three children play. With his eyes still on the children, he said, "And what are you thinking, dear?"
With a quiet, sighing laugh, she replied, "It's been nearly twenty years since, I left San Francisco—truth be told, I didn't have much there. When I left Vegas—the last time—walked away after Ecklie gave me that promotion in front of cameras," she made a soft chuckle, "I truly folded my hand—got out of the game." She kissed his cheek, adding, "But I won the tournament, didn't I?" Her hand waved toward the kids as she said, "And look at my winnings!"
"Yeah," Grissom said, chuckling as he thought about the last card game he'd played, "yeah, we both won."
The last and final chapter-The End of this one!
A/N: Thank you! Keep GSR alive-read the stories! Review when you read! 20 years ago CSI aired - wouldn't it be wonderful to get a special movie 'update' on our old favorites in 2020!
We will have another one in the future!