AN: Thanks for the continued support, here is the next chapter.
Chapter 16: 8 Years later
Late July, 2041
Rick Brown, who is now 31 and works at the lab as the audio and visual expert after Olivia left to be a full time mom once her fourth child with Luke was born, was carrying a glass of ice water in one hand while holding his three year old daughter with his other one, smiled as he asked. "You want to see something funny?"
The brown eyed little girl, who looks so much like her mother, nodded with a smile. "Yes, daddy."
He nodded and stepped through the opened doorway that led to the Grissom's back deck and spoke towards the three people sitting at the glass table. "Hey, Dr. Grissom?"
William, Isabella and Katie all looked up from their various tasks and spoke at the same time. "Yeah, which one?"
Rick started to chuckle while the little girl started giggling. "That was funny, daddy."
Rick then looked at his wife, Elizabeth, of four years, who was also three months pregnant with their second child, and she was shaking her head with a smile as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, funny, honey."
He walked up to her and handed her the glass of water before smirking. "Oh come on, you know you love me."
She nodded. "Yeah." Then she smirked. "Although, sometimes I forget why."
The Grissom 'kids' laughed as Rick smirked back. "I think we both know why."
While he was giving her a loving look, Elizabeth just nodded with a smile before their little girl asked. "Daddy, can I go play now?"
He kissed her temple and sets her down. "Yes, but give mommy some love and be careful going down the stairs."
After she did what her father asked her to do, she ran towards the stairs before going down them carefully, and once she was on the grass, she headed straight towards the play structure where her 'cousins' were playing, who were: 8 year old Sarah, 7 year old William III, 5 year old Jeffery (After Bella's Uncle), 4 year old J.T. (Named after Jason), and 3 year old Abigail (After Bella's mom).
While Rick and Elizabeth were having their moment, Katie, now 24, who, like her mother predicted, has a PhD in entomology like her father and is currently a level 2 CSI, looked at her watch. "I have to go, I'm meeting dad for lunch."
Both of her older siblings watched her stand up, then William, now 31, who has a PhD in science and was a college professor at UCLA, nodded with a smile. "I'll see you later."
Isabella, now 27, who did end up transferring to UCLA, got a PhD in art history, something she became very passionate about, especially once Jason got more into art and they now own an art gallery, while Jason still owns the mechanic shop, smiled with a nod too.
Katie nodded in return, and after picking up her papers, she walks to the railing of the deck and shouted. "Bye guys, love you."
Her nieces and nephews look over at their aunt and shouted at the same time. "Love you too Aunt Katie."
She smiled with a nod, and after a goodbye to her siblings, Rick and Elizabeth, she walked towards the back door, walked in the house and walked out the front door.
When Katie made it to the diner, she sees her father, so she walks up to the table, and when Grissom sees his youngest, he smiled as he gets up from his seat to greet her with a hug and kiss on the cheek, then once they sat down, Katie smirked. "Just a heads up, but you might see a house full of kids when you get home."
He chuckled with a nod before they get into a little small talk, only stopping to order before they continued once again, never short on conversations between them.
They were halfway through their meal when they heard a man's voice. "Dr. Grissom?"
Both Grissom and Katie looked in the same direction to see a man in his mid-30's, with an athletic build, medium length brown hair so he could run his fingers through it and green eyes, and while Katie didn't recognize him, Grissom did immediately, so he smiled as he stood up from his seat. "Alex Carter, how are you?"
While Katie watched the interaction with curiosity, the younger man chuckled as he gets in a hug with his
ex-professor/mentor. "I'm great, you?"
They pulled back, and Grissom nodded with a bright smile. "Couldn't be better." After Alex nodded, Grissom and him turned his attention to Katie, who was still looking at them, and her father smiled. "Alex, I would like you to meet my youngest daughter..."
Alex cuts him off with a smile. "Katie, I know, I remember."
Katie's eyebrow raised up on that comment. "I'm sorry, am I suppose to remember you?"
Alex chuckled while shaking his head before he explained. "No, we never formally met, your father had a picture of you in his office, I believe you were about 4 then." Then he got a little more serious. "And the only thing that's changed is that you have gotten more beautiful."
Katie couldn't stop her heart from fluttering at his words, not use to hearing them from anybody else but her family, and she shyly smiled before clearing her throat and speaking with a smirk. "And who are you? Besides a smooth talker. How do you know my dad?"
He chuckled with a nod before explaining that as well. "Your father was my teacher and mentor, then later I became his teaching assistant before I moved to Chicago." He then smirked. "And I know he won't admit it out-loud, but I was his favorite."
Katie raised an eyebrow as she asked her father. "Is that so, dad? Does that include me and William in his little scenario?"
Before Grissom could speak, Alex continued. "Well, I mean if his kids are involved, I guess nothing would trump them, so I don't mind taking third."
She looked at Alex with amusement in her eyes. "Really, now your backtracking? I see you don't want to get on my bad side."
He shook his head. "I have a feeling that wouldn't be a wise move on my part."
She replied with a smirk while picking up her lemonade. "Good response."
They held eye contract for several seconds in silence before Grissom, who had been watching their interaction with amusement, finally asked. "So, what brings you here?"
Alex cleared his throat and finally removed his eyes from Katie before looking to his ex-mentor. "I'm actually here conducting an entomology seminar."
Once again before Grissom could reply, Katie asked in excitement. "Wait, the one that's on the USC campus all next week?"
"The very one, why?"
She replied with a smile. "I guess I'm one of your students." She then smirked. "Or perhaps I could teach you a few things."
Alex chuckled before looking at Grissom again. "She's a feisty one, isn't she?"
Grissom nodded with a proud smile, a trait she got from her older sister and mother. "She can be, when she really wants to be."
"And she's for real?"
Even though Alex could think Grissom was being biased when he answered his question, he could tell that if she hadn't been his child, he still would have thought the same thing. "Yes Alex, as real as it gets. She was a freshman in college at 14/15, and ended up getting her PhD the same year her brother did, who by the way, if you don't remember me telling you this, he's six years older than her."
Which he did leave out the part William took a year off, but it was still impressive nonetheless, even though at times he was worried she was studying too much without much of a personal life. He just didn't want her to turn out like he did before he let Sara fully in his heart. But, it turned out she did manage to work in a personal life, which started to grow a little more once she graduated, even though she was currently single. (By choice)
He looked at Katie with a surprised/impressed look. "Damn, that is impressive. But, then again he always did say you were going to be very special, and he was right, but honestly..."
She cuts him off with a smile. "When is he not."
He chuckled again with a nod. "Very true." Then he cleared his throat and said. "Then maybe you can help out."
Now getting into modest mode, much like her father did a lot of the times when he got complimented on something, Katie shook her head with a shy smile. "No really, I was just jo..."
He cuts her off with a sincere tone. "I'm not, I think we can make a really good team." He then smirked, but she could tell he was actually serious. "I'm not too proud to grovel if I have to."
She started to chuckle before looking at her father, and Grissom nodded with a smile. "You can even use my office at the university to talk/work it out."
Katie thinks about it before replying. "I'll have to ask my boss (Lindsey) if I can take some time off, and if she's ok with it, then alright, I'll do it."
He nodded with a smile. "Alright, is dinner tonight ok and we can talk?"
Katie was about to answer him, but Grissom spoke for her with a smile. "It's perfect."
She looked at her dad with surprise. "What about..."
He cuts her off with another smile. "It's ok, you're excused for the night."
When Katie and Alex looked at one another again, he said sincerely. "It's up to you."
She nodded a second later and replied with a smile. "I'm in."
"Alright." He pulled a business card from his pants pocket and handed it to her. "Text me the address, and I'll pick you up later tonight."
She looked at the card before looking at Alex with a nod and smile. "You got it, Dr. Carter."
Alex nodded with a smile, then after a handshake with Grissom, the younger man headed towards the pick-up area, and while Grissom sat back down, he couldn't help but look at her daughter as she was watching Alex, and noticed a certain spark in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time. He saw something between them and he wanted that momentum to continue, especially if it ends up making his daughter truly happy.
Later that night
Standing in the kitchen with her husband, Sara looked at her watch and asked. "Did Katie tell you when she'll be here?"
Katie was never known to be late for a family themed night.
Grissom cleared his throat as he took the lasagna out of the oven. "Actually, I excused her for the night, she has a date."
Sara raised an eyebrow as she asked. "You excused her?" He nodded and she continued with smirk. "When you were the one that told the kids that a date is no excuse to miss a family dinner."
Before Grissom, who was giving her a shy look, could speak, William and Isabella walked into the room and saw the looks their parents were giving one another, so William spoke with a smirk. "Uh ooh, what did we just walk into?"
Sara then smirked while looking at her two oldest kids. "Your father was just about to explain to me why he excused your sister from family dinner."
They looked at their father in shock before Isabella shook her head with a smile. "Like you would ever let me get away with that one."
William then chimed in with a smirk. "Well, to be fair to dad, when he first really enforced that rule, we were already married to our dates."
Isabella chuckled with a nod. "Good point."
Sara then asked her husband. "Why this one?"
He cleared his throat and said. "I think it's something different."
She then raised an eyebrow. "So, you know him?"
"Yes, he was an ex-student/teaching assistant."
Isabella asked with a disgusted look in her face. "It's not Mitchell, is it?"
William placed a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder while Grissom looked at his daughter with a raised eyebrow. "For one, I believe he is still in New York, and two, do you think I would let him get anywhere near your sister?"
She nodded with a smile. "Another good point."
Grissom then looked at his wife again. "It's Alex, he ran into us at the diner while we were having lunch. He's here to conduct a seminar."
Remembering that name all to well, Sara smirked. "Ah your favorite, post CSI career that is."
William raised an eyebrow at that. "Excuse me?"
They started chuckling while Grissom looked at his son with a smile. "After you and your sister of course."
William nodded with a proud smile while Sara asked softly. "And you're sure you're doing the right thing by encouraging it more? I mean after all he does live in Chicago."
He sighed. "I know, and at the end of the day it's up to them what they want to do, but if you guys saw what I did between them this afternoon, I think you would have done the same thing if you were in my shoes."
Knowing what her husband meant, she asked with tears in her eyes. "First time in awhile?"
Grissom nodded, feeling emotion thinking how his daughter looked today. "Yeah, I've forgotten how that look looks on her, and it was beautiful."
Sara walked up to her husband and cupped his cheek. "Ok, I'll trust your judgment here."
When Sara and Grissom look at their kids, William nodded. "I just want my sister to be truly happy again."
Isabella nodded. "Me too."
Right as she said that, there was a knock on the door, then a few moments later, they hear Jason's voice. "And look who's here."
They looked a little surprised when they saw Andrew, now standing in the doorway after so long, and Isabella smiled before walking to her best friend first and giving him a hug. "Andrew."
While in Oregon with Jessica, Andrew played baseball for the Oregon State Beavers for the rest of his college career, then after their senior year, he gets drafted by the MLB team, Seattle Mariners, who are in Washington, which Jessica did in fact go with him and they ended up getting married during his second season with the team.
When he was in the middle of his third year, they found out she was pregnant, and not wanting to miss any time from her and their daughter, Claire, he choose to retire at the end season, just when he was hitting his peak, and changed the direction of his career to cooking.
Now while they were currently living in Oregon again, so his wife could be closer to her family, he's a chef and part owner of a restaurant with a buddy he had met while he was in college, who had majored in business.
Andrew smiled while hugging his best friend. "Hi, Izzie. It's nice to see you."
She sighed in content as she spoke softly. "It's nice to see you too."
Once they moved from their embrace, William and him shared a hug before Sara walked up to the young man and gave him a hug while asking. "And where is that sweet baby of yours?"
He smiled at the mention of his daughter, and replied with a smirk as they pulled back. "Getting grandma and auntie Courtney time. I'll bring her over here when I can, I didn't think I would get her out of their grips anytime soon."
They all chuckled with a nod before Sara replied. "I totally get it."
While Grissom and Andrew were sharing a hug, the older man asked. "Have you had dinner, yet? You are welcome to stay if you want."
As they pulled back from their embrace, Andrew nodded with a smile. "Sure, I could eat a little. Like I would ever pass up a meal cooked from the master, even if I wasn't."
Grissom shyly smiled at the compliment, then he shook his head and replied with a smirk. "Well, from what I hear, you're the master now."
This time Andrew gets a shy look as he replied with sincerity. "Only because I learned from you."
And when he changed his career, he asked for cooking tips from Grissom, whom he always enjoyed eating his meals, even if it was just a snack, and he would have understood if the older man wouldn't have helped. But he did, proving that what he said about him being family no matter what still hung true.
Before more flattery was exchanged, Sara smirked. "Are we going to eat, or let it get cold watching these shy comments go back and forth."
They chuckled slightly before Grissom cleared his throat and stated speaking. "Alright guys, get your kids ready for dinner, it's dinner time."
Grissom grabbed the lasagna, while Sara grabbed the bread, and William got the plates before the three of them walked out of the room so they could go outside and enjoy dinner on the deck, mostly because there was a bigger table out there for times like these, then as Isabella walked up to the silverware drawer, Andrew asked. "I couldn't help but notice someone is missing tonight."
Isabella turned around and looked at him before answering. "Dad excused her for a date."
When Andrew just nodded in understanding with a neutral look to his eyes, Isabella looked a little shocked, which caught Andrew's sight, so he asked. "What?"
"You look completely ok with that."
Before he could speak, they hear little Sarah's voice. "Mommy, dinner time means dinner time."
Isabella chuckled as shouted. "I'm coming."
Andrew was smirking at her. "A mother's daughter?"
She shook her head. "You have no idea." Then she smirked. "And we aren't done with our conversation."
He shook his head with a chuckle, knowing when something gets on her mind, it wasn't that easy to make her forget it. "I didn't think so."
Hours later
A few hours after dinner, William left with Bella and their three kids, then not much longer after that, Sara and Grissom called it a night, and after about another 45 minutes, while Andrew and Isabella were talking/laughing about old times out on the deck, Jason opened the back door. "Honey, I'm going to take the kids home."
Isabella nodded. "Oh, right, um, I'll..."
He cuts his wife off with a smile. "It's ok if you want to stay."
"Are you sure?"
Before he could respond, Andrew did. "I can drop her off tomorrow morning, if you guys are ok with it?"
Jason nodded. "That's ok with me."
Isabella nodded as she stood up from her seat. "Ok, but let me help you put the kids in the vehicle."
Jason nodded again as he spoke towards Andrew in a sincere tone. "It's good to see you, man."
Andrew nodded with a smile. "Yeah, you too."
After buckling little Sarah and J.T. in, Isabella gave them kisses and whispered her love to them before closing the door and walking towards her husband, who was standing at the driver's side, then wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you."
He shook his head with a smile. "You're welcome, I just know how much you missed your one on one time with him. I get it, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah you will, I love you."
They share a kiss before he whispered. "I love you too, have a good night."
"You too."
After a hug and one more kiss, he gets in the driver's seat before she heads back into her parents house, which when she did, Andrew was coming inside and asked. "You want some more wine?"
She nodded with a smile. "Sure, I'm not driving tonight. I'll be right back."
Andrew just nodded before she walked up the stairs to change clothes since while she, or the other Grissom 'kids' don't live at home anymore, they still have changes of clothes for impromptu moments like this.
Alex pulled in the driveway to Katie's parents house, and she smiled. "Thank you for taking me here."
Emily Hughes, Andrew's cousin/her best friend & roommate, is engaged, which her wedding was next weekend and why Andrew was here in town, and she wanted the apartment to herself with her man, which wasn't planned in advanced so she had gotten the call while she was enjoying her dinner with Alex. Luckily, Katie had extra clothes here and she can get a ride into work with her mom.
Alex smiled. "It's no problem."
"And thank you for dinner."
"You're welcome. I had a good time."
While looking into his eyes, she nodded. "I did too. It's been awhile since I had one I enjoyed."
He smiled that charming smile. "Me too."
Katie shook her head. "Please don't do that."
"Do what?"
"I know you're a smooth talker, but don't be a smooth talker and a liar."
"I'm not."
She raised an eyebrow as she asked. "You are telling me you don't have a date with a new woman every weekend or a girlfriend in every city you visit."
He nodded with a smile. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm say...hold on, was this a date?"
She smiled shyly as she replied. "Don't change the subject here, let's get back to the one we started. Explain, please?"
He chuckled before speaking the truth. "What, does something have to be wrong with me to not be one of those guys?"
"When every woman I saw at the restaurant looked at you like you were a piece of meat, yeah."
He raised an eyebrow as he asked with a smirk. "And how were you looking at me?"
She chuckled. "Please, be honest with me."
He took a breath and nodded. "Ok, the truth is, for as long as I can remember, school, then my career is all I thought about doing. Not that I haven't dated, but I don't know, I just haven't found that..."
Katie cuts him off softly, knowing exactly how he felt. "One that makes everything worthwhile, the one you can't wait to see the next morning, or want that person to be the last one you see before you go to bed, the one that you can just be around and not have to fill the silence with words, the one who will support you and push you to become the best you can be, who can challenge you, who you can see building a..."
She trials off when she noticed the look he was giving her. "I see you had a lot of thought into this yourself."
Katie shyly smiled. "I'm sorr..."
But he cuts her off as he took her hand, a small spark ran through them. "Don't be." He took a breath and asked. "So, who is he?"
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter, he's in my past, and has been for a long time now. I thought he could be that person one day, but things and feelings have changed."
If there was an even a small part of her that was sad when she had said that, he didn't see it, so he nodded before asking. "So, there has been others?"
"That's the thing, we were never an 'us' so saying 'others' would be incorrect." He chuckled with a nod in understanding before she spoke again. "But to answer your question, yes there were others, even a few for a couple of months, but nothing..."
He cuts her off. "That made it worthwhile to talk about?"
"Yes." Then putting her heart on the line, she shyly smiled with her eyes sparkling. "Until tonight."
His eyes started to sparkle. "Me too."
Seeing the truth in his eyes, she nodded with a sigh. "But now what? You are here only for a..."
He cuts her off again. "Why don't we just take this one day at a time and cross that particular bridge when we get there, if you want to, or we can be completely professional from here on out."
"Can I think about it?"
"Yes, but can we have lunch tomorrow?"
"I'll let you know if my schedule changes."
"Ok." He moved her hand to kiss it before asking. "You want me to walk you to the door?"
"No, it's ok. Goodnight, Alex."
"Goodnight, Katie."
After a smile between them, Katie gets out of the vehicle, then he drove away as she walked to the front door, and after walking in the house, she placed her shoulder bag on the hanger and her keys on the table by the door before heading towards the kitchen to get something to drink. But what she didn't know was that the minute she stepped into the room, Andrew was just turning around from the island, so for the first time in years, they were in a room alone together and they gasped at seeing one another again after so long.
"Andrew!"
"Katie!"
They stared at one another for several more seconds before he spoke first. "Hey, I uh...well it's umm.."
She cuts him of with a smile. "Nice to see you again."
He took a breath and nodded with a smile in return. "Yeah that."
It was another round of silence when Isabella walked into the room, not knowing Katie was in there too, so she was a little shocked at seeing them both in the same room together and she smiled at them. "Hey, is everything ok?"
Both Katie and Andrew nodded with smiles before Andrew spoke. "Yeah, everything is good." Then he looked at his watch and noticed the time before he cleared his throat and spoke again. "I should go."
Katie looked worried. "Oh, I didn't mean to run you off."
He chuckled while shaking his head. "No, you didn't. I just didn't realize how late it actually was, I should put Claire down to sleep."
She smiled at the mention of the little girl. "And how is she?"
His eyes lit up once again at the mention of his daughter. "I maybe a little biased, but perfect."
They both chuckled before Isabella replied to that one. "And you're allowed to say it, you're her father."
After he nodded with a smile, he looked at Katie again. "It was nice seeing you again, goodnight Katie."
Katie nodded. "You too."
Once Andrew and Isabella made it to the front door, he opened it before he turned around to look at his best friend and could see questions in her eyes, so he shook his head with a smile. "I don't know what it is you want me to say, yes, it was nice seeing her, like I said." He then sighed after a small sigh. "And yes, a part of me still loves her, and always will, but we both moved on. When you go back into that kitchen, look at her, she looks happy, so whatever went on with her date tonight, I say it was a success, and that makes me happy for her." He moves hand to cup her cheek as he finished softly. "I've heard more times than I can count I was part of this family no matter what, I hope that is really true in your eyes."
She nodded with a smile. "Of course it is."
"Then get whatever you have of me and Katie out of your head, it's not happening. Whatever shot we did have is long gone. I love my wife more than I thought could happen."
Seeing no doubt in his eyes, she nodded. "Ok, I'll let it go." When he raised an eyebrow, she chuckled with a nod. "I swear, I won't mention or think about it again."
He started to smile as he brings her in his arms. "Ok, I'll see you in the morning."
As she hugs him back, she nods. "See you in the morning."
After they pulled back, he stepped outside and closed the door behind him, and Isabella locked it and turned the alarm on before heading towards the kitchen again.
When she stepped into the room, Katie was standing at the island, so she cleared her throat and said. "Hey."
Katie turned around with a smile on her face. "Hi."
Seeing the look of happiness on her sister's face, made her smile in return. "So, it was a good evening for you?"
Katie nodded, her smile getting a little wider. "Yeah it was."
She knew she promised Andrew, but she couldn't help it. "And seeing Andrew didn't..."
Katie cuts her off. "What, dampen it?" After Isabella nodded, Katie shook her head. "No." She then did a small sigh. "Will a part of me always love him? Yes of course, he was the first guy I fell for, I can't help that, but we both moved on. Besides, he's happily married, and that's something you can't fight."
Isabella nodded as she walked towards the wine glasses. "Ok."
Katie then raised an eyebrow as she smirked. "Just ok?"
Isabella chuckled. "Yes, I'm done with the subject forever, I promise." Before Katie could speak again, Isabella continued after taking a breath and taking her sister's hand. "I just want you to be happy."
Katie nodded while squeezing her hand. "And I am, honestly."
Seeing the truth in her sister's eyes, Isabella nodded with a smile before asking. "So, how exactly was it?"
Katie chuckled before holding back a yawn. "Can I get back to you on that?"
Isabella looked at her younger sister in shock. "Wait, that good!?"
Katie also looked shocked as she lightly swatted her sister's shoulder after getting her meaning. "Isabella! You know I"m not like that."
Isabella nodded with a chuckle. "I know, just playing. " She then brings her sister in her arms and whispered. "I love you."
"I love you too, I'll talk to you later."
"Alright, have a good night."
"You too."
After the sisters pull back, Katie headed out of the kitchen and went upstairs to her childhood room while Isabella cleaned up with a smile on her face for her sister, she just hopes this one will work out for her, she didn't want to see Katie go through another heartbreak.
AN: More to come soon. Thanks for reading, and please review.
Stay safe and take care.