AN: Thank you for the support, here is the next chapter. Warning: Implied/suggestive adult behavior.
Chapter 29: His Turn
1 Year later
March, 1993
They say that when you have a kid time feels like it speeds up, and with everything going on in their lives, school, work, being young parents while exhausted for a lot of that time so the days tend to blur in together, they couldn't refute that because before they knew it, it was their son's first birthday.
Grissom was sitting at the kitchen table, feeding his son, who was in his high chair, while trying to get him to say 'momma'.
Sara walked in the room, smiled at the scene while walking over to her little guy and giving him a kiss to the temple. "Hey little man, happy birthday." She then moved towards Grissom, and after a pause in feeding their son, they shared a sweet kiss.
After they pulled back, he continued with his task as she spoke while shaking her head with another smile as she looked at the little boy who stole her heart from the moment he was placed in her arms, honestly, even before that. "I can't believe he's already one year old."
Grissom nodded with a smile as he fed him his last bite. "I know, and watching him grow and develop has been fascinating."
Even though this process wasn't new to them since they were around babies growing up, it just felt different when it was their own.
Sara nodded, speaking softly. "Yes it has been." After a moment of just looking at their son in silence while Grissom was now washing his small hands, she then cleared her throat while moving her arms up so she could place an envelope on the table. "When you get a chance, you should fill this out." Before she headed for the counter to get a cup of coffee.
Once Grissom was settled back in his chair, he looked at what she was talking about, and after seeing it was from Chicago University, he didn't even have to open it to know what it was, so he looked back at his girlfriend. "Sara?"
She nodded with a smile, only saying. "It's your turn."
He made sure to put some of Billy's toys in reach so his son could grab them before he stood up and walked up to her. "But you love your internship at the corners office, and with you graduating in a few months you'll get to have more time to train to become a CSI."
While Grissom was careful on what he told her about his cases at the lab, what he did share gave her inspiration on wanting to do the same thing he did, she wanted to fight for justice, speak for the dead.
"I know that, and I can do that in Chicago." Grissom was about to open his mouth but Sara continued while cupping his cheek. "In fact, Maddie already lined something up for me. She knows someone at the lab there and he's willing to give me a shot based on her word."
"Not that I am totally surprised that she would do that for you, but he must think very highly of her to just go on her word."
She nodded in agreement, and still shocked by it as well. "I think they were ex's, possibly in 'the one that got away' category."
Grissom nodded in understanding, then spoke again, amazed by her. "You thought of everything."
She smiled as she ran her thumb up and down his cheek. "I just knew being here was until I got my degree, and now that I'll have it, it's your turn to get your full dream. I know how much you love your job, but I know you still want more. Besides, above everything that I just mentioned, I made you a promise, and intend on keeping my word."
Grissom took a moment before he asked. "And you're sure?"
With no doubts in her eyes, she nodded with a smile. "100%"
Grissom took another moment before he spoke while she was taking a sip of her coffee. "OK, we'll do it, under one condition." She raised an eyebrow as he continued while getting down on one knee, causing to her almost choke on her coffee as he asked. "Will you marry me?"
She sets her coffee cup down on the counter as she spoke with emotion. "Griss?"
He nodded with a smile while there was tears in his eyes. "I think with a new start to our lives deserves a new title."
There was no hesitation on her answer, ready for this step, as she replied with tears in her eyes. "Yes, I'll marry you."
His eyes lit up as he asked, almost feeling like it was too good to be true. "Yeah?"
She nodded with a sob. "Yes."
He stands up and cups her cheek. "I love you, so much."
"And I love you."
After they kissed, they get into each other's arms for a hug, and while they were there, they hear their son's first word. "Momma." They looked at each other in shock before looking at their son, who spoke again with a smile. "Momma."
Both of their hearts fluttered as they rushed towards him, and Sara picked him up first, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Good job, baby. Mommy, loves you so much."
Grissom moves closer to kiss him on the temple as he whispered. "Daddy loves you too."
Later that evening
As time kept ticking by, family members started showing up, and Billy got more attention and presents then he knew what do with, but he loved it all.
Then as the party was winding down, Betty, Maria and Evelyn wanted to spend more time with him before they boarded their plane later tonight, plus to give the young parents a break for a few hours, they, and Stephanie left the apartment together, and after the rest of the family left, Sara started to clean-up while Grissom was in the bedroom.
When she was done, she headed for the bedroom, but stopped in the doorway in shock when she noticed he had lit a few candles. "Griss, what's going on?"
He blew out the match, walked up to her, took her hand, walked them towards the bed, and after asking her politely to sit down on the end of it, she did before he kneels down on one knee again and replied softly. "A redo from this morning." She was about to speak, but he continued while pulling out a ring box from his pocket and opened it. "Sara, will you marry me?"
Sara nodded with tears in her eyes as she cupped his cheek. "Of course, my answer hasn't changed from this morning, you didn't have..."
He cuts her off as he takes the ring out of the box. "I wanted to, I wanted to give you something better than what I did this morning."
She shook her head before reassuring him. "Babe, sometimes spontaneity is just as romantic as setting something up." She then smirked. "In fact, I remember another spontaneous moment I thoroughly enjoyed, and it felt just as romantic as it did the second time when it was more planned."
He smiled brightly, knowing exactly what event that was. "I do too, it almost feels like it happened yesterday."
"Yeah, except a lot has happened since that night for to happen just yesterday."
"And none of it, that concerns the good parts of us, I would ever take back."
She brings him closer as she whispered. "Me neither."
After they kissed softly a few times, they started to deepen it, but before anything more happened, he slowed them down and whispered. "Hold that thought." He pulls back, takes her left hand and places the ring on the tip of her ring finger, and while looking into each other's eyes, she nodded with a smile, he smiled as he slid the ring down her finger before they started kissing again, instantly getting passionate.
When she started to go for the buttons on his shirt, not wanting to slow down their actions, he smirked against her lips. "Someone is in a hurry."
She pulls back with a smile. "We only have a few hours to take advantage of our alone time, do you really want to waste a minute of it?"
Grissom nodded with a smile. "Good point."
Right after he said that, their lips touched again, and with only a few stops here or there, they were celebrating their engagement in a romantic way.
Afterward, with the blanket covering him up to his waist, and the sheet coving her front, her back was against his chest as he ran a hand up and down her bare arm. He also had his eyes closed, enjoying the closeness as their heart rates were going back to normal, when he gets a shock after she gasped. "Oh my god." He opened his eyes and was about to speak when she turned her head and smiled brightly. "This engagement ring, it belonged to your mother, your grandmother."
He nodded with a smile before smirking. "You're just now noticing it."
She smirked in return as she turned around in his arms. "Well, if someone hadn't been distracting me, I might have figured it out sooner."
He raised an eyebrow. "Me, distracting you? Uh, remind me on who started taking off my shirt?"
She chuckled as she placed her left hand on his strong, bare chest. "OK, how about we were equally distracting one another."
He cupped her cheek with a smile and sparkle in his eyes. "Agreed." After they kissed softly, they pull back and he takes her left hand from his chest and kissed it before asking. "I hope it's ok I gave you this."
She nodded, reassuringly. "Of course, I know how important this ring is to your mom, and if you think I'm good enough to..."
He cuts her off with another eyebrow raise. "Good enough? Where did that come from, of course you're good enough." When he noticed she started to have tears in her eyes, he gets a little concerned. "Sara?"
She waves it off with a sniffle and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just suddenly got overwhelmed. I don't want to let your family down, let you down."
He shook his head with love in his eyes. "Honey, you've never let any of us down, and yeah, I know marriage is not something to take lightly, but the only thing that's really going to change from what we've been doing for almost two years now, is your name. I mean that is something you still want, right?"
With no hesitation she nodded. "Absolutely."
He ran his thumb up and down cheek with another smile. "Then you got this, because you don't have to do anything different than what you have been doing. Don't give yourself unnecessary pressure, you're going to be fine."
Seeing his love and reassurance in his eyes, made her smile with love in her eyes. "Yeah, you're right, sorry about my momentary breakdown."
"It's ok, that's why I'm here, to reassure/comfort you when you have moments like that."
This time she cups his cheek. "And for many other reasons, I love you so much and I can't wait to be officially called Sara Grissom."
His eyes got dark with passion as he whispered while moving closer to her. "Say that again, your name."
"Sara Grissom."
When their lips touched again, it reignited their passion, and after seeing they still had a little more time to themselves, they were fully on board making every moment they had left count.
When the women and Billy made it back to the apartment, they spent a few more minutes together, which during that time they found out and were happy about the engagement (They didn't tell them about their other news just yet), before the older women left since Stephanie wasn't leaving until tomorrow morning.
As father and son were in the nursery, Sara and Stephanie were sitting on the couch, and Stephanie smiled as she looked down at Sara's ring. "I can't believe you and Grissom are finally engaged."
Sara nodded with a chuckle. "I know, it feels like it took us a lifetime to get here, but then again a part of me is also glad it took us this long. Now, I'm not saying we wouldn't have made it if we had rushed into it once we found I was pregnant, but I feel more confidant then ever before about us in the long run, you know." After Stephanie nodded, Sara took her hand and asked. "Now, I have to ask, are you ok?"
Stephanie nodded with a beaming smile, a real one. "You know what, I think for the first time, in really a long time, I can honestly stay that I am without breaking apart. I mean it's not easy all the time, and I'm sure at this point a part of me won't be completed healed after what happened, but knowing I have you, mom, and the rest of the family behind me, supporting me. I do feel stronger everyday. Now I'm just ready to graduate and start a new life." Sara was about to say something, but Stephanie spoke again, her eyes sparkling. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Ok, what is it?"
"How would you feel if I moved up here after I graduate, I would really like to hang out with Billy a little more, and you two of course." The unexpected suggestion did throw Sara off a little, which made her look shocked, and Stephanie took that as a sign, so she shook her head with a smile. "Oh right, I'm sure once you two get married, you don't want me around cramping your..."
Sara cuts her off reassuringly. "Steph, it isn't that..."
Stephanie cuts her off. "Sara, it's..."
Sara cuts her off one more time, an idea coming to her, but she had to talk to Grissom first. "Wait, hold that thought, ok?"
She nodded, but looked a little confused. "Ok."
Sara nodded in return with a smile before she gets up from the couch and heads down the small hall to the nursery, there she happily greeted her son before taking Grissom's hand and moved them more to the corner of the room, while also keeping an eye on their son.
"What's going on?"
Sara took a breath before asking. "How would you feel if Stephanie came with us to Chicago?"
"Did you tell her?"
"No, and I know we agreed we weren't going to tell anyone until it was more official, but Griss, you should have seen her face when she said she was ready for a new start after graduation, a start that included spending more time with us. And I can't tell her it's ok to come up here just to slip the rug out from under her when it does become official."
"She's been though that enough in her life already." After Sara nodded, Grissom took a moment before he nodded with a smile. "You know what, go ahead and ask if that's something she wants to do."
Sara's eyes started to light up. "Yeah?"
"Yeah, I know how much this already means to you, and I would really like it if Billy knew his cousin/aunt a little more, it would be good for both of them."
"And you're really sure?"
He chuckled with a nod. "Yes, go tell her we'll be happy to have her around."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
After a quick kiss on the lips, she moved to kiss the top of her son's head before rushing out of the room.
Stephanie was taking a sip of her wine when Sara came in view, and when she was closer, she said. "Come to Chicago with us."
Stephanie looked shocked. "Chicago? What's in Chicago?"
After telling Stephanie what was going on with the Chicago news, or at least that was the plan if he got accepted again, Stephanie was happy for them, but then she replied a little unsure. "I don't know."
Sara took her hand. "Please Steph, you just said you wanted a new start somewhere close to us, so what's the difference on where it would be?"
"Now it just feels like I would be tagging along in your guy's life, like an intruder."
Sara shook her head. "You could never be an intruder, and we really want you to come with us."
Even though she didn't see doubt there, she still had to ask. "And both of you feel that way?"
Before Sara could speak, Grissom did. "We do."
The women turned their heads to see Grissom holding little Billy, the resemblance more clearer than ever in that view, before Sara spoke to Stephanie again. "It can be like old times."
Stephanie chuckled. "Very old times, with an added sweet bonus."
They all chuckled, then Grissom whispered something in Billy's ear a few times before Billy spoke, even though he didn't know what the meaning was. "Pease. come. 'eefie."
Stephanie had tears in her eyes. "How can I say no to an offer like that?"
Sara chuckled while shaking her head. "You honestly can't."
Stephanie took a moment before she nodded. "Ok, what the heck. If Chicago is your next destination, I'm in."
Everybody cheered, Billy clapped with a smile, feeling the grown-ups excitement, as they got into a group hug.
AN: Thanks for reading, and please review. Stay Safe!
