A/N: New chapter, rating changed. ENJOY!
A Return to Vegas
Chapter 6
Catherine Willows had finally accepted the responsibility of being heir to an empire her father had spent decades building. She had closed the door on a long law enforcement career and began again, learning about casinos, 'the business' of Sam Braun which included so much more—laundries, strip malls, parking garages, and land.
The horse ranch where her father had lived for years became her home with Lindsey and her husband, Adam, building a new home several hundred yards away. There were two other houses on the property, one for a manager and a guest house.
And when her friends visited, the guest house became their home.
Catherine leaned back in her chair, giving her hair a fling over her shoulder. Sitting with her, Libby Grissom placed little hands over her eyes and waited. Catherine was surprised when Sara had two babies in record time; even more surprised when Gil Grissom became a doting father—a push-over for anything the kids wanted. Sara was the one setting structure and guidelines in a thoughtful and loving manner. Over time, she realized each one provided their young children with an appropriate balance of parenting.
She still found it astonishing that Gil Grissom had become a father and, as for Sara—Catherine had never thought of her as maternal—yet she was a wonderful mother. As Sara's daughter snuggled in her arms, Catherine hugged her and waited.
As she watched four-year old Anthony perform a cannon-ball jump into the pool, she had to laugh. He knew no fear. Anthony—given his grandfather's name—came to the surface of the water laughing and splashing. Catherine's son-in-law pulled the child to the edge of the pool for 'one more jump'.
Libby, not yet as brave as her brother, squealed and covered her eyes as Anthony made another jump. Catherine knew this sweet little girl was as smart as her brother, maybe smarter; as gentle and kind as Anthony was boisterous and noisy. Libby curled into Catherine's lap as her brother broke above the surface again.
Quietly, Catherine heard, "My mommy is here." The child had remarkable hearing because Catherine had heard nothing but a few minutes later, Sara appeared at the side of the pool.
It was a race for both kids as they spotted their parents. Anthony did a fast turn from the pool as Libby scrambled from Catherine's lap. She watched as Grissom took several long strides and reached Libby, picking her up and giving a hug that went on for long moments with much noise and kissing.
Sara caught Anthony in a running leap, not caring that he was soaking wet. Both went into a giggling, kissing hug that caused Catherine to laugh. At one time, she would have never thought either of these friends would be behaving this way.
A few minutes later, Jim Brass, Grissom and Sara joined her and Adam in chairs near the pool. The kids switched parents, excitedly telling them how they had spent the day, over-talking each other and jumping from activity to activity. Then they descended on Jim, searching his pockets to find the colorful, sweet cereal. With cereal filled mouths, they returned to their parents, Libby snuggled with her mother.
Libby put her mouth near Sara's ear and whispered, "I want a pony, please."
Standing next to Grissom, Anthony assured his father he could swim, saying, "I can do a cannonball! Every time Adam catches me when I come up—and water splashes everywhere!" The young boy looked at Adam who nodded.
A minute later Anthony was jumping into the pool as Adam served as his 'catcher' and parents, his sister, Brass, and Catherine applauded and cheered.
As much as Catherine wanted to hear about their day, she knew Sara and Grissom were ready for quiet time before their children went to bed. She said, "Dinner is in the house."
As Sara started to protest, Catherine said, "You know Clara loves to cook—she knows what you like. It makes us younger to have you here—exhausted but younger!" She patted Jim's leg, saying, "You can eat with us—let the parents do their bedtime routine. I'll get you back home—or you can stay the night."
The group parted—kids excited to return to their 'vacation house'; Sara suggested Catherine and Brass visit them in a couple of hours.
Catherine and Adam had insisted the children had been energetic angels all day but as soon as the guest house door closed, Anthony started complaining and Libby whimpered. Even a round of 'Wheels on the Bus' did not settle them as they dressed for bed. Food helped; macaroni and cheese, broccoli and carrots filled bellies and Curious George on the television seemed to captivate both kids while they ate.
A bedtime story capped off an exciting day; Anthony was mumbling, planning adventures for the next day as his eyes closed. Libby was asleep on Sara's shoulder before she finished reading the story.
Grissom had cleaned the kitchen and sent a text to Catherine so by the time Sara returned to the living room, Catherine and Jim arrived with a cake and spirits. As soon as Jim poured the amber liquid into a tumbler, Grissom sank into a chair, accepted the glass, took a sip of the brandy, and groaned.
"This is the best stuff I've had in weeks—no, make that months," he said.
Catherine poured margaritas from a large shaker, saying, "We decided you needed different nightcaps!" She cut generous pieces of the buttery cake and passed around plates.
"Too much," mumbled Brass as he took a bite of cake.
Surprising to all, they managed to stay on the topic of guns and ballistics, who they had talked to, the guns they had recovered.
Grissom said, "It has to be a hacker—I'm sure ballistics will show the patterns on the guns we got today don't match what is in the files."
"What happened to all those guns in the lab? For years, there were dozens of them?" Catherine asked.
For a while they talked about weapons; one of the past sheriffs had decided to digitalize everything, including guns.
"It was around 2012," said Brass. "Some of the politicians decided it wasn't good to have all those guns in the lab. Pretty much disappeared overnight."
Grissom sighed; his glass was empty and he shook his head when Brass motioned to the bottle. He said, "Whoever is doing this has knowledge beyond what I am capable of…"
Sara got up, gathered plates and glasses, and walked to the kitchen. Catherine followed her.
"Anything you need? The kids had fun today. And so did we!"
Leaning against the counter, Sara said, "Are you sure this isn't too much?" She lowered her voice, saying, "I think this is something we can not really be much help. This is going to take computer experts." She shrugged, "One is meeting with us tomorrow." She made a soft laugh, "These young investigators are way above me."
Catherine laughed. "No, Sara, they are not. Yes, they are smart, but not about things that made you a brilliant CSI for—for fifteen years—give or take a few months." She laughed again, saying, "I remember the time you put together that diary of the model! We were open-mouth stunned—it was a code and you figured it out—all by yourself!"
Jim and Grissom had joined them in the kitchen and they talked for a while about old cases as they put away dishes; shifted to plans for the next day until Brass reminded Catherine he needed a ride home.
When they were alone, Grissom and Sara stood in the middle of the living room, hugging each other.
"I need a shower," he said before kissing his wife's forehead.
Sara smiled, "I think that shower is big enough for two."
Grissom pulled her closer as he said, "It's got that nice bench, too."
They ended up not needing the bench; the large bed with all its white coverings and multiple pillows was too inviting. They did shower together in the luxury of multiple shower sprays; using scented body washes and thick white towels wrapped around their bodies tingling with sexual excitement.
Grissom disappeared for thirty seconds to check on the kids, returning, throwing the towel on the floor before crawling into bed where he found his wife, glowing between white sheets, her skin soft and dark. She closed her eyes as his lips closed on hers.
His hands found her body as enticing and alluring as the first time they'd had made love. Her breasts were rounder; the nipples were no longer pale pink but darker rose color. He wanted this act to be slow, leisurely, but the familiar ache for her penetrated every inch of his body.
As he kissed her, both groaning with pleasure, he repeated her name in such a way that "Sara" became a mantra to his urgency.
Sara responded with whispered endearments against his open mouth kisses. His hands moved over her body as she parted her legs and he entered her slowly, above her, inside her, sliding easy and deep until all thoughts left her as her orgasm burst over her. Her body clinched in contractions until she heard a deep growl, a groan, and his climax came in a rush.
Both were drained of energy, drowsy, yet wanting to savor and enjoy the moment.
Sara snuggled into a tangled of legs and arms, the scent of sex surrounding them. She said, "Do you think Catherine knows how much sex we have in her guest bed?"
Grissom shook with laughter before he said, "I don't care what she thinks." He laughed again, "I'll put these sheets in the washer every day if it worries you."
Rolling so her leg was over his thighs, Sara kissed him. "Do you think we'll ever get tired—tired of sex?"
"Nope." His arms tightened his hold on her. "I'll get our pjs if you will move your leg."
Sara's face nuzzled into his shoulder. She said, "Don't bother—I like sleeping like this—and the kids are exhausted; they will sleep all night."
"I hope so," he mumbled, and with a sigh of contentment, he slept.
A/N: And Catherine shows up! And a bit of private time between Sara and Grissom...more to come!
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