AN: Thanks for the reviews, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 13: Putting the past behind them

It had been a week since that incident, and when it came to Sara and Grissom, especially Sara, nothing had really changed.
Sure, there were some students who gave her the look that Sara was afraid of, but for the most part it's like it has always been since she started dating Grissom. In fact, a lot of the students were on their side, even defending Stephanie when it came to her punishment for fighting, which ended up being a two week suspension. And because it was towards the end of the semester, she had to take her finales at home, but like she told Sara, she would do it again, she had no regrets.

Now they were just ready to put that all behind them and look forward to what was coming up next, which was winter break, and during this time, not only will they be sharing Christmas together with Nick and Sam, but it will also mark Sara and Grissom's first year as a couple.

The family was hanging out in the living room when there was a knock on the front door, and before Maria said a word, Stephanie was already up out of her seat and rushing to it.

She opened the door the moment she got to it before smiling at the two guys that were standing there, she gave her father a hug first. "Hi, daddy."

Sam sighed as he wrapped his arms around his oldest. "Hi, sweetheart."

They pull back before she took a step towards the other guy, wrapping her arms instantly around his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her waist while she whispered. "Hi, Nick."

"Hi, Steph."

As they held one another, Sam had greeted his other daughter before Maria invited him in the house, then she smirked while watching her oldest daughter's interaction with her boyfriend. "So, am I ever going to formally meet this boy, or are you two just going to stay out here the whole time."

They shyly smile before Stephanie pulls back from him, and while he still had his arm around Stephanie's waist, Nick spoke. "Sorry ma'am." He then held out his hand. "I'm Nick Stokes."

Maria had to admit she was impressed with his politeness and could tell right away that he was really like this and that he wasn't putting up a 'front' to impress his girlfriend's parents, his parents taught him well.

She smiled as she took the young man's hand. "I have heard a lot about you, and it's finally nice to meet you."

Trying to hold his embarrassment, he nodded with a smile. "It's nice to meet you too."

Once they release hands, Maria moves to the side to let them in, and after he reached down to get his bag, he walked into the house hand in hand with Stephanie before meeting the rest of her family.

After about 10 minutes the teenagers headed towards Tyreek's bedroom to set Nick up since that's where he'll be sleeping while he's here, then Maria asked Sam if he wanted anything to drink, which he did, so she gets up and walks out of the room, leaving Jacob, Jacob Jr, who was being held by his father, and Sam.

Sam took a moment to look at the little guy, seeing a lot of resemble towards his mother and smiled. "You have a beautiful son, and daughter for that matter too."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, but I bet that was very hard for you to say to me."

"Actually not as hard as you might think."

"Why, because at the end, you got the girl?"

Before Jacob could speak, Maria walked in the room. "Come one guys, let's be civil, let's not embarrass Stephanie in front of her boyfriend." Before either one could speak, she grabbed Jacob's glass and told him she'll get him a refill.

A moment later, Sam stepped in the kitchen with a sigh. "I don't think that man is ever going to like me."

She sighed as she poured the ice tea. "What do you expect, you..."

He cuts her off softly. "I stole the woman he loved then ended up treating her less than what she deserved."

Maria shook her head, knowing where this was leading. "Sam..."

But he cuts her off again. "Just hear me out, I know you never wanted to hear this, and you probably still don't, but please, let me finally get this out." When he didn't hear her protest, he continued. "For the record, I never cheated on you with Jennifer, at least not physically." After she looked into his eyes in somewhat disbelief, he continued with that smile that always got to her. "It's true, in all the 15 years we were together, I never once slept with another woman. I mean come on, you've known me since I was 14 years old, I may have talked like a 'player' but I've always been..."

She cuts him off with a small smile, seeing the truth in his eyes. "A one woman guy." She sighed as she looked away from him. "At least in that way."

He then sighed. "And I know I've said this before, but I am deeply sorry for how I ended things between us, how much I hurt our girls. I was just so ashamed of myself on how badly I knew I let you guys down, that I couldn't look in our girl's eyes everyday, knowing they wouldn't have the family life they deserved to have."

Trying to hold back as much as emotion as she could, she looked at him again. "I forgive you for what you did to me, because honestly, thinking about it now, I think you were right on ending us. I just wish you handled it better, was honest with me on how you felt." He nodded in understanding before she continued with a little more emotion. "But a large part of me can't forgive you for hurting/pushing our girls away like that, they deserved better."

"I know that, and believe me I'll regret that for the rest of my life, but you have to admit I've been trying my hardest to make it right, at least the best that I can."

She nodded with a small smile. "I know you have, and considering Stephanie doesn't look as angry as she did in the past while talking about you, you've been doing a good job."

He smiled in return. "Then that is progress. She'll always be my harshest critic."

"Yeah she will be."

After a moment's pause, he asked cautiously. "So, are we ok? At least for the sake our daughters?"

No hesitation, she nodded again. "Yes, I just want to move on from this, I want our daughters to see a healthy co-parent unit, it's the least we could give them when we can't give them the full deal."

"I agree."

"Good." Then after a pause, her next words shocked him a little. "And that also includes you bringing your family the next time you visit."

He looked at her with wide-eyes. "For real?"

Outside of a few times of bringing his family here, when each of the boys were only a few months old, he didn't want to feel like he was rubbing them in Maria's face. He wanted her to feel comfortable being around them, which his wife had agreed on staying away until then too, so with this comment, he was beginning to feel she was fully ready for it, or at the very least attempting it.

"Yes, I also want my daughters to enjoy full family moments, and they can't have that when two of their brothers are not even here."

He nodded with a smile. "Yea, ma'am." Then with more sincerity he continued. "And thank you, I really do appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

She picked up the tea pitcher and headed for the fridge as he finished. "I also want to thank you for our girls, they are two of the best things that ever happened in my life. And what you've done with Sara, Tyreek, and all those other countless kids that's been through this house, is amazing, I always knew you were born to be a mother and I'm glad you are living the life you've always dreamed of living.

Taking a breath at his sweet words she smiled with tears in her eyes. "Thank you, I think that's one of the sweetest compliments you've ever given me."

"Well it's the truth, and I felt like it needed to be said, including this one last thing...And while you might not feel the same, I want you to know I don't regret a single moment of our 15 years together, I wouldn't change it for anything, and even it might have ended up being a different kind of love than when we started out, I will always love you."

He turned to leave, happy he finally got all that off his chest, and started to take a step towards the door, but stopped when she spoke again. "And despite how we ended, a part of me will always love you too...We did have an amazing 15 years together."

He turned around with a nod. "Yeah we did."

They took a moment to think back on their lives together, then when they got to their later years they could now see the signs of their falling out, causing her to have tears in her eyes, so without thinking about it, he walked up to her and brings her in his arms while they silently said goodbye to that chapter of their lives, the way it should have happened all those years ago.

They were still in each other's arms when Jacob walked in, so he asked after clearing his throat. "Is everything ok in here?"

They pull back as Maria spoke while sniffling and wiping her tears away. "Yeah, everything is fine."

Her and Sam share a warm look before he turned and walked out of the room, which Jacob watched him before looking at his wife again once they were alone. "Are you sure about that?"

Maria sighed, not in the mood for this. "Yes, we were just saying 'goodbye', nothing more."

Understanding what she meant by the sigh and her words, he sighed too as he walked up to her. "I'm sorry, it's just every time I'm near him I..."

She cuts him off. "I know, but it's time you get over that." She then cupped his cheek as she continued. "Because like it or not, he is the father to two of my children and he's becoming a stronger presence in their lives again, and I don't want all that negativity around my kids every time you two are in the same room. I'm married to you, I'm in love with you, we have a child of our own, and we are sharing/raising a few others together, shouldn't that be enough?"

No hesitation, he nodded, knowing she had valid points. "Yeah, you're right, and again, I'm sorry. I'll try to be better."

She nodded with a smile. "Thank you."

They share a peck on the lips, with him whispering his love against her lips before they pulled back so he could grab his tea before they both walked out of the kitchen.

Later that evening

Dinner time came and went, which nothing that exciting happened, except when Jacob and Sam shared a truce handshake that Jacob initiated, and while the 'kids' didn't know what that was all about, it made Maria smile and the air around them shifted to a comfortableness that was uncommon when those two were in the same room together.

Then after about two hours of family time, which Sara was over at Grissom's during this time, it was time to get the younger kids to bed, but not much time passed after that when the grown-ups and teenagers were getting ready for bed, and once the grown-ups had settled in their rooms, with Sam sleeping on the couch in the office, Stephanie walked in Tyreek's room, seeing Nick making a 'bed' on the floor, then looked at her brother, which he nodded with a smile as he took one of his pillows from his bed and started walking towards the door. "Have a goodnight, but please don't do anything gross in my bed."

He shuddered at the thought while Stephanie pushed him out the door lightly with a chuckle before she closed the door, then she turned around to look at Nick again, who was looking confused. "What's going on?"

"Well, if you're not totally opposed to it, I would like to sleep with you." The next second her face gets red as she tried to clarify after realizing how that sounded. "I uh, I didn't mean in that..."

He cuts her off with a chuckle as he stands up from the floor before walking up to his girlfriend. "For one, I know what you mean, and two, like I would ever turn that offer down." He then moved his mouth closer to her ear and whispered. "Whether it's an innocent offer or not." Once again she got a little red in the face, and Nick couldn't help but chuckle again. "Has any one ever told you, you look so cute when you do that."

She took a breath and shook her head before lightly hitting him on the shoulder. "Let's just get to bed, alright."

When she saw the smirk and sparkle in his eyes at how that sounded, she just groaned and said 'whatever' before walking towards the bed and getting in. He chuckled one more time and headed for the light switch to turn it off before heading towards the bed while she turned on the lamp.

Once he was comfortable on the bed and they were laying on their sides, looking at one another, he wrapped his arm around her waist and sighed in content. "I can't wait until we can do this on a regular basis."

She bit her lip before replying. "We don't know if it will even happen, I have to get accepted to Texas A&M first."

"Hey now, fate has been good to us so far, let's not put that negativity out there."

"I know, I just don't want to get my hopes up too much until it's official, and are you sure you want me to..."

He cuts her off with a smile as he moved his hand up to cup her cheek. "Babe, of course I want you to be there, if it's where you want to be."

She nodded with tears in her eyes. "I do, I'm tried of having a relationship over the phone with a few short visits during our breaks."

"I know me too, and it's only a little bit longer until we'll have more time together, don't give up the fight now."

"Oh you can count on it that I won't, you're one of the best things that has ever happened to me Nicholas Stokes."

His eyes lit up as he replied. "Right back at you, Stephanie Grissom-Richardson." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead before they cuddled close and closed their eyes, dreaming of a time in their lives when it could be like this all the time.

3 days later

After opening Christmas presents with the family, Sara and Grissom slipped out of the room and headed up to her room so they could do a little unwrapping of their Christmas/1 year anniversary present alone.

Grissom was sitting on the side of Sara's bed when Sara walked to her dresser, opened it up and pulled out a wrapped, square box.

She shyly spoke as she handed it to him while sitting on the bed in front of him. "Now this will probably be my first and last extravagant present to you for the next few years since what money I do have and will make will be tied in trying to survive college."

He chuckled slightly before he replied with sincerity. "You could make my present out of popsicle sticks and I would know it came from your heart, I don't need expensive gifts to know how much you love me."

"I know, but this celebration also marks our first year as a couple, and I wanted to give you something a little more special."

He leaned over and pecks her on the lips softly before pulling back and replying. "And I thank you for that." After one more peck on the lips he tore through the Christmas themed wrapping paper, opened the lid to the square box before gasping at what was inside, a nice, silver band watch.

He shook his head a second later. "Sara, I..."

She cuts him off with a smirk. "Please, don't do the clichéd 'I can't accept this', just put it on with a smile."

He chuckled with a nod before setting the box down on the bed so he could pull the watch out, and after examining it, seeing it inscribed on the back 'Love, Sara', he smiled as he placed it around his wrist and locked it in place.

"Wow this is amazing, thank you."

"You're welcome."

They share another kiss, and as they were pulling back, he started to place his hand in his pocket, but stopped abruptly when they both heard cheering coming from downstairs, so they each raised their eyebrows and headed out of the bedroom, walked down the stairs, until they reached the doorway to the living room from the kitchen to see Nick and Stephanie sharing a kiss under the mistletoe, causing both of them to smile before Sara spoke as she walked back towards the garage/stairs to her room. "Wow, they finally had their first kiss."

Grissom seemed surprised on that information. "Wait, really?"

Sara nodded. "She wanted that third day before they kissed." Which they had that date last night with Sara and Grissom, their first double date at that.

She then sighed, seeing first hand on how hard a long distance relationship can be. "It took them nine months after meeting one another to finally have that first kiss."

Having a feeling on where her mind was going, he walked up to her and sat down next to her on the stairs. "I know it's not easy, but if we are in that type of situation, we'll get through it."

She nodded with a sigh as she laid her head down against his shoulder. "I know, and I don't mean to bring this up now, but I can't stop thinking on how much time we have left before we..."

He cuts her off as he moved his arm over her shoulders and brings her closer to him before kissing her head and whispering. "That's why we need to make the most of our last months of senior year, soak up every second we have so we can think of them when we aren't together."

She started to smile a little with a nod. "Yeah, I agree."

He then cleared his throat and placed his hand in his pocket before pulling out a small box. "And I was hoping you could ware this as a reminder of us." When Sara saw the size of the box that was in Grissom's hand, she slowly lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him with wide-eyes, causing him to chuckle and shake his head. "It's not what you are thinking...I mean in a way it is, but I'm not implying that...I mean one day...eventually... I would like to..."

She cuts off her rambling/nervous boyfriend with a smile. "Griss?"

He cleared his throat before nodding. "Here, open first, then let me explain."

She nodded while taking the box from his hand, then after opening it, seeing the expected ring inside, he takes it out and starts speaking again. "This is a promise ring, a promise of my faithfulness and ever lasting love to you."

Which she smirks. "Which is very close to a proposal."

He chuckled with a nod as he took her right hand instead of her left, and after seeing the full acceptance in her eyes with a smile and nod from her, he slid the ring down her finger with a smirk. "Yes, but you see, this way I won't have every woman in this family, not to mention Jacob, looking to kill me because I proposed before we even graduated High School."

She chuckled. "Nice touch."

"I thought so too." After they calmed down once another round of chuckling, he cleared his throat before getting serious again. "But I mean it Sara, when you look down at that ring, even when I can't be there with you physically, know that you are not alone, I'm right there with you when ever you need me."

With tears in her eyes from his words, she sighed, whispering. "God, I love you so much."

He cupped her cheek and wiped a few stray tears that went down her cheek as he whispered. "And I love you."

After a few sweet kisses on the lips they pulled back and placed their foreheads together while closing their eyes, and like Grissom said, soaking up another moment they always want to remember, especially during the next phase of their lives when they potentially won't be together 24/7.

AN: Hoped you liked it. Thanks for reading, and please review. Stay Safe!