Volume I: The Nascency

By: xKatx

Summary: Sara was determined to get through the criminalistics conference feelings-free. They were staying with Nick's family, but Sara was determined not to get involved. It would bring her no where she wanted to be again…

Author's Note: This is Volume I of a series I plan to write. First, we're starting present-day. Vol. II will follow this story, and Vol. III will involve younger people, but for now stay focused on this one!

Request: Read and review!

Rating: PG-13

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Gil Grissom – the head of the night shift at the Las Vegas Crime Lab – liked to have his shift as organized and scheduled as possible. He would arrive (several hours before the others, of course), get a cup of coffee, walk from the break room down the hall to his office where he would shut the door, flip on some Tchaikovsky, and go through the papers that had made their way to his desk. Most were cases, or paperwork concerning cases. But sometimes they were notices. Annoying little letters from the Mayor or the "Head Man" of the LVCL. Occasionally there were phone calls to make or receive, but his main concern was the papers on his desk. After all, he liked everything organized.

But tonight, it was organized. Surprisingly enough there were only a few foreign papers on his desk. But he still sat there two hours after he'd arrived, contemplating the contents of one of the letters he'd received. Of course, this was the perfect time for one of the team members to walk in.

"Hey Gris," Nick Stokes said, as he stopped outside his boss's door, wondering what was going through his mind.

Grissom slowly looked up at the younger man, "Evening, Nick."

"Everything all right?"

Grissom nodded, "Why wouldn't it be?"

Nick shrugged, "You looked out of it."

Grissom shook his head, "Just thinking."

Nick lowered his voice as he stood in the doorway, "You got my request for the promotion, right?"

Grissom was pulled out of his thoughts again, as he nodded, "Yes, Nick, I got your letter."

Nick nodded, "See you in a few," he said, as he vacated his boss's door jam. Grissom let out a long breath as another problem entered his mind. The promotion. Two of his best CSIs had applied for it, and now he had to choose. Sara. Or Nick. It was like deciding whom you'd save if you had to get one person out of a burning house. Sara had instinct, and she never stopped until the evidence was steadfast. But she often became too obsessive – too wrapped up in a case to actually think clearly. But then again, Nick was a people person. He often let his feelings get involved, even when he tried not to. But he was every bit professional with every case. He was observant, and he often caught things others missed.

Grissom sighed and threw a pen onto his desk. Even the brilliant composition of Tchaikovsky could not soothe his confusion.

"Hey sweetie," a calm voice said from the doorway.

Gil Grissom's face lit up with a smile as he looked up at his blonde-haired, blue-eyed, very pregnant wife Catherine Willows Grissom. If anything could set his mind at ease, it was her.

"Have you been here the whole time?" She questioned, walking to the desk and kissing him gently.

He shrugged, "Only since nine," he reassured her. She looked rested, considering she'd spent eight months and three weeks out of the field.
She rolled her eyes, "How can you stand it?"

He smiled at her as his hand went to her face, "Knowing that at seven I can go home with my wife and daughter," he replied.

Catherine smiled, "We'd better get to the break room," she said, as she kissed him one final time and walked out. Grissom smiled; it was all he could do.

~

"Wait, so Cath you said it was a boy, right?" Sara asked as the other CSIs sat around the break room waiting for Grissom to show up.

"I never said," Catherine replied with a grin.

Warrick Brown shook his orange-poofy haired head, "What's with you and boys, Sara?"

"Is there really the need to ask that question?" Greg Sanders wondered, "All women think about are clothes, men, and Oprah."

Sara and Catherine glared at him in surprise, "That is not all we think about!" Sara exclaimed.

"Don't lie," Greg said with a grin, "It's been scientifically proven."

Catherine gave him a condescending grin, "When you're a mother, it doesn't matter what clothes you wear, and if you're married you don't think a lot about men."

"Sorry," Greg said, holding up his hands as he grabbed a cup of coffee off the table, "I stand corrected. All women like Sara think about clothes, men, and Oprah."

Before Sara could reply with more than a poisonous glare, Grissom walked in with a manila envelope and two case files.

"Okay everyone, case files," he announced, opening the first one, "Warrick, you can handle this one: armed robbery and arson downtown at a local pawnshop."

Warrick nodded as he took the folder and skimmed its contents.

Grissom turned to Catherine, "You get to stay here."

Catherine made a playful swat for him, but he moved to the left just in time.

He grinned at her before turning to Greg, "Greg, you're with me. Double homicide at UNLV."

Greg raised his eyebrows, "Me?"

Grissom looked at him, "Someone here is getting the promotion and we're going to have to replace him or her."

Greg stood stunned for a minute but nodded and took the envelope Grissom handed to him.

Grissom turned to Nick and Sara, whose looks completely stated, What the hell are you doing?

"You two," he said, pulling a flier out of the large manila envelope, "Get to attend a criminalistics conference in –" he paused to look at the flier, and smirked, "-Dallas."

Nick's eyebrows shot up, "Dallas?" He asked. Grissom nodded, handing him a flier, "It's in a week and a half, so I suggest you two get out of here as soon as possible. The conference lasts four days, but since that's home for you, Nicky , I'm letting you two get two weeks off. I don't want to see either of you in here until November 7th, understand?"

Nick, who couldn't have been happier than if he'd won the $2 million dollar lottery, nodded enthusiastically. Sara, on the other hand, just nodded. Catherine noticed her expression, but said nothing until Grissom, Greg, Warrick, and Nick left the break room.

"What's up, Sara. You look less than thrilled," Catherine said, trying to get comfortable at the table with some paper work.

Sara looked at Catherine, "It's nothing, Cath."

Catherine gave the younger women a stare that clearly said what was on her mind.

Sara sighed and gave in, "Cath, you know he has a big family – " her voice lowered, "-I come from a broken family."

Catherine looked interested, considering Sara Sidle had never mentioned her family life before.

"Go on," Catherine gently urged her.

Sara contemplated whether she should, but decided it was Catherine – she could talk to Catherine.

"My dad left my mom when I was thirteen. He'd always said that his wife and two daughters were the only ladies in his life. His 'Three Musketeers,'" she laughed harshly, "Well, you can tell what a bunch of bullshit that was. He ran off and married some woman named Angelica Cartwright. My mom never remarried. Heartbroken, I suppose. But it got worse. Every summer Haylie, my sister, and I would have to visit him. We spent three weeks of our summer there. Angelica had brought two girls and a boy with her. James, the boy, he was awesome. Sweet as could be. So was Myra, the younger girl. They were both so much fun to play with, and they were nice. But Stephanie – she was the oldest – Stephanie was awful."

Sara stopped, and Catherine was pretty sure she was finished, "Sara," she said softly, placing her hand over the other woman's, "Are you nervous about meeting Nick's family because of the trouble you've had with yours?"
Sara shrugged, "Maybe a little," she said, not wanting to seem like a pathetic, whining baby, "But also – isn't meeting the family a bit much? You don't meet the family until you're engaged."

Catherine let out a loud laugh that was heard down by the receptionist's desk, "Oh Sara, with your sense of humor and Nick's personality, you two will be fine."

Sara felt reassured, considering it wasn't even positive they would be staying with Nick's family. She decided she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

"So, Cath," Sara said, getting up to refill their coffee cups and trying to perk up, "Since I have absolutely nothing to do yet, and I don't felt like going home to pack, why don't you tell me the names you and Griss have picked out for the baby."

Catherine's whole face lit up with a rosy shine at the mention of the expectancy, "Well, Gil really has his heart set on having a boy, so if it is, we're going to have to choose between Nicholas, Warrick, or Gregory."

"Well," Sara said, with a semi-sarcastic smile, "You could always name it Narrgory."

Catherine laughed, nearly spitting out her coffee, "Narrgory… what would be his middle name?"

"Well, let's see," Sara said, "Stokes, Brown, Sanders…" the two pondered in silence until Sara grinned.

"I've got it," she said, "Narrgory Stownders Grissom."

The two had a good laugh that lasted a full three minutes over the name they'd concocted for Gil Grissom's first child and Catherine Willows Grissom's second.

"But in all seriousness, Gil likes the name Michael and I like the name Dylan, so considering that we agreed on Dylan Michael if it was a boy."

Sara nodded, "What if it turns out to be a girl?"

"Well," Catherine said, letting out a long breath, "We already have Lindsay Marie, so we were thinking Miranda Jane."

"Are you serious? Jane is so old fashion!" Sara exclaimed.

"Well," Catherine replied, "That's Gil for you."

~

A/N: Read and review if you enjoyed it! More to come!