Disclaimer: I don't own.

A/N: So, ff is being mean right now and almost didn't log me in. So while I'm writing the next chapter right now and will attempt to get it up tonight, I make no promises, because I might not be able to log in again soon.

Also, for those reviewers who were concerned about the Catherine and Grissom situation... don't be. I find the whole idea of them together... laughable. I mean, you know, maybe in a drunken moment they would think about it... but Catherine would be impatient with how thorough Grissom is, especially once she saw how much his baggy slacks had been hiding, and Grissom would likely make some insenstive comment about how he expected her to be more flexible what with her history, and she would storm off, telling him to fuck his bugs instead if he was going to be picky.

...So yeah. No Catherine and Grissom lovin'. At all.

Ew.

Chapter Thirty Two:

I was so freaking excited! I mean, seriously, we were on a cruise ship headed to places I had dreamed about going for ages! Even though I was just under three months pregnant, Jace insisted on carrying everything, and therefore looked very, very silly, one duffle bag over each shoulder, a small bag in one hand, and two wheeled suitcases held in his other hand, being pulled behind him. I tried very hard to let him let me help, even if it was just to pull a suitcase, but he grinned and said I was already carrying enough weight, with a lascivious look on his face and a glance down at my ever-expanding chest.

It wasn't that they were all that much bigger; it was that I'd had a modest chest to start with… so even small differences were extremely noticeable.

I smacked him gently and pulled out the map of the ship we'd been given, finding our room. It was a large suite with a king-sized bed. So, on a ship, that meant… about the size of a small hotel room. Sure, we could have gone bigger, but it wasn't necessary, and while Jace was often tempted to purchase over-the-top things with our new-found fortunes, I liked to scale him back whenever possible.

One thing that was nice, however, was that we could afford to be discriminating—to only purchase food that was organic and free-range and pesticide free, clothing that was made from organic fabrics and made by people being paid a fair wage. It helped assuage my conscience.

I said the room number out loud and all of a sudden there was a man in a uniform, helping Jace with bags and escorting us to our room. I frowned at that, having seen many others in uniform ignore men in similar predicaments as Jace, but I didn't say anything. We needed the help, and I generally didn't like to make a scene. I mean, how do you justify yelling at a person for helping you?

We dropped off our luggage and hurried to dinner. We'd boarded in the last half-hour before they disembarked, so if we didn't hurry we would miss the sit-down meal and have to find another place, which wasn't bad, but my program told me that you got a lot of information at dinner on the first night. We were seated and a man who said he was the first mate was reeling off the things that would go on tonight, both mandatory (showing passengers which lifeboats they would go to in the event of an emergency) and voluntary, such as karaoke and a live band and staff-led party games, where people would crowd together, get crazy drunk, and watch two volunteers do silly challenges while equally hammered.

The meal was amazing, but halfway through it I caught sight of a man I had put behind me over a year ago. He was more handsome, with age, the hair at his temples just a little more gray than they had been, the smile on his face bright. I looked at his dinner partner. From across the room, I could only make out that she was a strawberry blonde with a shapelier figure than mine.

I swallowed and turned away. It didn't matter. I mean, despite the fact that the man had a knack for showing up unexpectedly at the worst time, I was happily married and on my honeymoon, and the cruise ship was the size of a town. There was no reason to believe I would see him again, except at meals, because in this dining room, each set of passengers had a set table. I drew my attention back to my meal, resolving myself to pretend I'd never seen him. He might not even recognize me—my hair was shorter, and I straightened most days.

Besides, he was clearly involved. I mean, it wasn't like she could be his friend or his sister, right? Who went on a cruise with someone of the opposite sex without being involved with them? That was just… strange.

Jace suggested going to a pool as they were heated and most of the people would be drinking, so we headed back to the room to change before heading out to find a pool that didn't have a bar with in-pool bar stools, because those would be the least occupied. It turned out, however, that the only pools without bars were children's pools, and closing within the half hour. We found one that was mostly unoccupied and slid in, delighting in the feel of the warm water.

"I hope they don't have them heated during the day, especially when we get further south…"

"They won't." He assured me. "At least not this much. That would be miserable."

A waiter came over and bent down by the side of the pool where we were sitting, "Can I get you folks a drink?"

I looked up and caught his eyes on my chest. I blushed and slid lower under the water—seriously, when I'd been a teenager I'd lamented the lack of a chest, but now I wanted nothing more than to go back to being cleavage-free. Jace cleared his throat, drawing the young man's eyes back to him. "A sprite and a cream soda."

The waiter moved away, and I turned my attention back to Jace. "…You can have a drink, honey."

He frowned. "Are you sure? I figured… you know, if you can't have alcohol or caffeine, then I wouldn't either."

I smiled and kissed him. "That's just silly. I've been off both for months now, when we were just trying to get pregnant. I'll be fine."

He smiled. "Next time, then."

The waiter returned, eyeing me in a way he clearly thought was sneakier than before, but which was not. He moved swiftly over to a couple who had gotten in near the bar, but they waved him away, apparently headed towards the bar-stools that were free. I realized belatedly who they were, but by then, Jace had followed my gaze and assumed that my lingering stare was because I wanted to approach them.

"…Is that Dr. Grissom?"

I shook my head. "I… can't tell, from this distance. Probably not." I glanced again, thinking that I had never seen him shirtless. While not muscled the way Jace was, his chest was flat down to his stomach and the light layer of hair splayed across it was dark and tempting. I looked away. "I don't think it is."

"Are you sure? Sara, hon, I think it is. Isn't that a crazy coincidence? …Let's go say 'Hello'."

I wanted to say no, argue that it really wasn't him, but he turned at that moment to better hear the bimbo in red, his laugh lighting up his features, making his identity unmistakable. So I moved beside my husband towards the man I would have left him at the alter for, ready to greet him and his voluptuous companion. God damn it.

"Dr. Grissom!" Jace called, and behind him, I closed my eyes briefly in disbelief that this was happening. When I opened them, both he and the woman were looking at us, she with open curiosity and he with blatant shock and something like horror on his face. I swallowed and forced the smile to my face. When I did so, Dr. Grissom seemed to come to himself, tearing his gaze from my face to look at Jace.

"Jace! It's good to see you! …Please, call me Gil."

They shook hands. "Alright, Gil. What are you doing on this cruise? Shouldn't you be busy catching criminals?" He teased, mostly because I think he didn't know how else to greet the man. I stepped up to his elbow.

"Criminalists are allowed a break, too, honey. Otherwise you'd be here alone." I smiled brightly at the pair before me. "Dr. Grissom. It's good to see you again."

He did not smile, but he didn't frown. He looked utterly unconcerned. "Mrs. Wendt, now, isn't it? Congratulations." He turned back to Jace. "I'm sorry, this is my colleague, Catherine Willows. Catherine, I met Mr. and Mrs. Wendt while giving a lecture in San Francisco."

I swallowed at the change in my title. I had only very rarely called him anything but Dr. Grissom. I had not used the formality to hurt him, but it felt like he was, which I didn't understand. I had told him no, but he had said he would be there… he said he would wait until the very last minute. If anyone ought to be angry, it was me.

Catherine offered her hand first to Jace and then to me, beaming and sticking her chest out, giggling and sliding her left arm around Dr. Grissom's shoulder. I was right—they were together. Though Jace and Dr. Grissom were mostly unaffected by her actions, I understood… she was communicating that she saw me as a threat, and laying her claim. I scoffed under my breath, when she scooted onto his lap to free up her stool. "Why don't you do join us? We can sit close…" She turned and batted her eyelashes at Dr. Grissom, who looked completely perplexed at her behavior.

Hadn't he introduced her as a colleague? Either she wanted me to believe something that wasn't true, for what reason I couldn't fathom, or he simply didn't understand that this was female for back-off-my-man. Jace, oblivious to all the subliminal communication taking place, slid onto the stool and pulled me into his lap as well. "Thanks. Wow, you know, I thought you and Sara would keep in touch after you lecture. I s'pose life just gets in the way, huh?"

"I suppose." He answered, placing tentative hands on Catherine's waist as he turned them both back towards the bar. …Tentative or just gentle?

I looked over my shoulder at Jace. "Honey, we left our drinks…"

He waved a hand dismissively, "We were going to order more anyway." He waved over the bartender and ordered a rum and coke and "…Did you want another cream soda, honey?"

"Just a cranberry juice." I told the man, who quickly turned his back to us to collect glasses and ice and ingredients. We turned back to the other couple, and all I could think was that I hoped Jace didn't turn the cruise into a series of double dates. …How extremely painful. At least I would be able to pull the honeymoon card…

"So," Jace smiled. "You never answered my question. Any reason behind the vacation?" He glanced at Catherine and gave Dr. Grissom a wink. "I assume it's pleasure, not business." Oh, god, I was going to be sick. I hadn't had any morning sickness, and now I was going to throw up in the pool. Get a freaking room!

Dr. Grissom started speaking, "No, you see—"

His companion spoke up. "It's hush-hush in the lab, about us, you know… Gil had to tell them he was coming for the bugs, and I'm supposed to be visiting my dying aunt." She giggled and winked back at Jace. I took the cranberry juice that had been placed in front of me, taking a deep drink and immediately spitting it all back into the glass.

Jace looked at me in concern. "What's wrong, honey?"

"There's vodka in it."

"Don't drink?" Catherine asked, but I noticed Dr. Grissom's eyes slide over my body speculatively. He knew. I sighed, shaking my head.

"I'm pregnant." Catherine's eyes were wide.

"Poor time to go on a cruise!" She laughed loudly again, and I scowled while Jace slid me off his lap to move over to get the bartender's attention and explain the necessity of an alcohol-free beverage.

"We wanted to take our honeymoon before the baby came… and before I was so big that the heat would be unbearable."

Dr. Grissom raised an eyebrow. "I see you got the take the honeymoon you wanted."

I raised an eyebrow in return. "I did."

Jace returned, carrying a drink. "I tasted it, honey—no burn. It's alcohol free."

"Thanks, honey."

He sat back down, pulling me into his lap. Dr. Grissom finished his drink in a swallow. "Well, I think we're gonna turn in early. Come on, honey."

The emphasis on the pet name was slight, and I wasn't sure if it was more proof that they were not truly together, or if he were merely communicating something to her that was beyond me. Catherine jumped up with a bounce in his bikini top and offered a hair toss and a laugh. "He must be anxious. Usually we're constantly afraid to be seen at each other's homes… makes it hard. But hey, we'll catch up with you two sometime on this trip, yeah? Maybe Sara and I can have a spa day while you boys explore the bugs in the jungle."

Jace and I laughed—I was far more likely to go exploring and bug-hunting, and while the man didn't necessarily frequent a spa, he was more likely to indulge in a day at the pool than me. They headed off, the woman lacing her fingers through his as they climbed out of the pool and pressing her wet body against his side, which prompted him to give her another uncertain look.

Jace chuckled as I slid into the vacant seat. "Looks like he's not used to be able to touch her in public. He seems so uncertain."

"Yes," I frowned, focusing my gaze at my drink. "He does."