Title: Pink or Blue By: Manigault Rating: R Summary: Resolution Disclaimer: Not mine. These fun characters belong to CBS, Atlantic- Alliance, and the fantastic Anthony Zuicker. Special Thanks: Alison, VIgirl, I can't say it enough! Thank you for your wonderful beta comments.

The break room was empty as Grissom made his way into the room, a newspaper tucked beneath one arm and his eyes fastened on the coffeepot. The bitter liquid did nothing to relieve the tension he felt throughout his body as he settled onto the sofa, opened up the newspaper to the crossword puzzle section, and pulled a pen from his pocket. Five minutes had not elapsed when he heard a familiar voice speak from behind him.

"You have been staring at that same word since I walked into the room."

Grissom looked over his shoulder at Catherine, who was now moving around the sofa towards the coffee pot. He did not respond to her comment, but went back to working on the crossword puzzle. With a sigh, he admitted to himself that he was not working on this puzzle, and did not have the first inkling what any of the answers were. His mind was on the upcoming confrontation that he and Sara planned to have with the team. He watched as Catherine sat in a chair facing him, sipping coffee as she watched his face.

"What is it?" Grissom finally asked when the question in her eyes became too much for him.

"You spoke with Sara?" Catherine asked, trying to sound indifferent.

Grissom felt a smile tug the corner of his lips. Sara had told him that Catherine knew about the baby, but not the identity of its father. Knowing his old and dear friend, she had put the pieces together and suspected the obvious.

Removing his eyeglasses, Grissom placed them in his pocket, and faced Catherine with a curious look.

"What do you think you know, Cat?" He watched her squirm as she narrowed her eyes and stared back at him.

"That depends on whether you spoke with her since she left work yesterday."

"Yes." Grissom said definitively. "And that is why she is searching for Warrick and Nick as we speak. We have something to share with them."

A warm smile lit Catherine's face and she jumped up from her chair, spilling coffee on the floor as she rushed to give Grissom a hug. It was at that instant that Warrick, Nick, and Sara walked into the break room.

"Whoa! What's going on?" Warrick asked with a slightly amused smile that Nick mirrored. Sara closed the door, walked around them, and settled on the sofa beside Grissom. She looked up at Catherine and returned the warm smile as Warrick and Nick stared at the scene with confusion. Nick noticed that Sara was practically sitting on top of Grissom and he was not shifting over or looking nervous at her proximity. That was weird.

Warrick folded his arms and repeated, "What is going on here?"

Catherine ignored the spilt coffee and stared at the two men as each of them sported confused looks. She waited for Grissom or Sara to speak, wondering which one would be the instigator.

Sara and Grissom exchanged a significant look before Sara turned towards the two men and smiled. "We have something to share with you, something that will change all of our lives."

Warrick laughed softly. "Well, unless you tell us you are pregnant then I can't think of anything that would change our lives as well." The laughter ebbed as he stared at the solemn faces that stared back. "You aren't." Warrick's question trailed off as the image of Sara puking into the crime scene toilet came to mind.

"You are pregnant?" Nick asked this with such disbelief that Sara scooted closer to Grissom, and nodded. Nick followed her movement and the shock increased. "With Grissom?"

A defiant Grissom narrowed his eyes at the young CSI. "And is that so hard to believe Nick? This is my baby and Sara and I plan on raising him together."

Shock was still warring with comprehension as Nick sorted out this new information. He stood by silently as Warrick leaned forward and held out his hand to Grissom, who took it gratefully. "Congratulations, Gris." He turned to Sara and planted a warm kiss on her forehead. "You two are full of surprises."

"When do you plan on getting married?" Nick blurted. "That is why you told us so soon, isn't it? Sara isn't even showing yet and." It was his turn to trail off as four pairs of incredulous eyes settled on him. "It is a reasonable question," he added in his own defense.

"It is also an intensely personal one," Grissom added, casting a glance at Sara who was now avoiding his eyes.

Sensing trouble, Catherine changed the subject back to the present issue. "When do you plan on letting Ecklie and the Sheriff know about this?"

Grissom shrugged. "We thought that we would give it a few months, until Sara is obviously showing, and then confront them both."

"I think that you should talk with Sheriff Mobley. First, sway him to your side, and then let Ecklie know when you have proven to the Sheriff that your relationship will not interfere with work." Catherine looked to Warrick for support, received a nod of encouragement, and continued. "Conrad will make your lives miserable when he finds out about this whole situation."

"I think that Catherine is right about this." Warrick pointed to the pair with a grim smile. "If you think that having your relationship known would not have been enough for him to pounce on, then you have now given him the icing on the cake."

Sara winced at the metaphor, her stomach roiling at the thought of icing. Her eyes moved slowly back to Nick, who seemed to be deep in thought, his mind preoccupied. She wanted to speak with him alone as soon as possible. Maybe when they went out on their case this evening she would find the opportunity. Grissom shifted his weight again, stood with an appreciative look at his team, then turned back towards Sara and offered her a hand. Ignoring it, Sara stood with a quick grin and said good- naturedly. "I'm not that big, Gris, not yet."

"I doubt that you will get huge, Sara," Grissom said with a touch of affection that made Catherine smile and Warrick cough. Sara punched his arm before turning to Nick.

"Are you ready to investigate our crime scene?"

Nick shook his head, sounding irritated. "What crime scene? Did I miss the briefing?"

Sara shot a warning look at Grissom, and walked towards Nick. "I stopped by Grissom's office this morning, Nick, and he informed me of the case. I'm sorry that it probably appeared that I had the inside track, I don't."

Nick shuffled his feet and looked at them with a sheepish expression. "I'm ready." He turned around at the door and directed his suggestion towards Grissom. "I think that you should let Brass in on this, it couldn't hurt to have him on your side when you speak with the Sheriff."

He was out of the door before anyone could reply. Sara glanced back at Grissom, and then left to find Nick.

Brass was waiting at the crime scene as Grissom, Catherine, and Warrick approached. They exchanged a few words before Catherine and Warrick moved off to begin the process of evidence gathering. When Grissom did not immediately follow them, Brass spoke to him with a briskness that Grissom would normally have found amusing.

"I told you everything that I know about this victim and the one and only suspect, Gil, so what else do you want to know?"

"I want to speak with you in private when we get back to the lab, Jim. It is personal and I need your advice."

"Personal?" Brass eyed him with undisguised amusement. "The day that Gil Grissom needs my advice is the day I stop everything to listen. Talk to me."

"No, not here." Grissom nodded towards the parking lot where his team was photographing and collecting evidence. "I will talk to you later, in my office?"

Brass agreed to meet him later, and then watched his old friend trudge off towards his team.

Nick did not speak as they drove the half hour drive out to the crime scene. Sara wanted to ask him what he was thinking, what was going through his mind as he clutched the steering wheel. Both Warrick and Nick were like brothers to her, the siblings that she never had growing up as the highly intelligent child of outlandish parents. She had no doubt that Warrick was ecstatic for her, but what about Nick? He was the one that she felt would have been the most supportive, the one that would have grabbed her into his arms for a big hug. His approval was something that she missed, something she needed.

They processed the crime scene in silence, only speaking when necessary, each lost in their thoughts as they worked the room. It was on the way back to the car that Nick finally spoke.

"I really am happy for you and Gris, Sara, honest." He tapped his right knuckle on the rooftop and glanced over at her. "I'm worried about you, though."

This admission startled Sara so much she had to force her mouth to close tightly. She waited for him to continue, although when he did, she wished he had not.

"I think that you and Gris have a long hard road ahead of you, Sara." He stared at the top of the car and risked a glance at her face to see how angry she was with for saying that. "I know that you are perfect for each other, everyone knows that, and I truly think that you will be wonderful parents."

"But you think that it will not be an easy road," Sara murmured with an amused flatness. "Is it ever an easy road, Nick? Was it easy for your parents?"

"No, no." He smiled tightly. "I'm not saying that it's always easy." He turned around and leaned back against the car and stared at her with an uneasy frown. "I think that you should marry him. That would be a start."

Sara raised one eyebrow and folded her arms together, locking her elbows. "I'm not marrying him because of the baby," she said with irritation. "I don't want everyone to think that I trapped him."

"Get real, Sara." Nick shook his head. "Since when did you care what other people thought?"

"I care what you think, Nick, and Catherine, and Warrick." She bit her lip. "I mostly care what Grissom thinks, and I don't want him to think that I'm marrying him because it was the 'right thing to do'."

"You love him," Nick stated. He added, "And I know that he loves you, so what is the problem?"

"Why is this so important to you?" Sara touched his hand, feeling him shiver.

"I don't know." He tried to laugh it off, but felt compelled to add, "I think that it would be good for you and Grissom. Oh, forget it." He shrugged. "It's no big thing." He looked at her and smiled. "I support you, whatever you do Sara, you should know that."

He reached out and pulled her to him for that big warm hug she had expected earlier.

Brass was sitting in a chair opposite Grissom, when he met the other man's eyes in strict confidence. "What is bothering you, Gil?"

"I've been involved in a serious relationship with someone for many months." Grissom began with a smile. "It has.progressed to a point that it is necessary to become public knowledge."

Brass sorted this out in his mind, mentally examining the only two women that he knew of that Gil associated with on a continuous basis.

"Catherine or Sara?" He knew that Catherine and Grissom went way back and often spent time together outside of work, but there was something between Grissom and Sara that you would have to be blind not to notice.

"Sara." Grissom said the name with a soft inflection that reached his eyes, and again surprised Brass with his honesty. "She is." He searched for the correct phrase. "We are expecting a baby."

The words, uttered in such a matter of fact tone, could not have stunned Brass more. "Sara is having your baby?" Brass tried to clear his thoughts, his mind reeling. "And now you want my advice?"

"Catherine and Warrick want me to tell Sheriff Mobley the situation and try to keep Ecklie out of the loop for a few more months." He stared at his friend. "What do you think I should do, tell him?"

"Sheriff Mobley? Of course." Brass shook his head when he thought of Ecklie. "Not Conrad, not yet." He scratched his chin, and then offered his congratulations. "I never thought that I would see the day when you would be a dad, Gil. This is priceless."

"I'm glad that you are enjoying this," Grissom said dryly. "Will you go with me to speak with Mobley? Help me convince him that my team should stay intact, that we will and can continue to work together as we have been for the last few years."

"Of course, Gil." Brass said with conviction, but he wanted to know more about the personal side of Grissom. "So, are you and Sara planning on buying a house?"

"A house?" Grissom repeated, a dubious expression on his face. "No. We plan to turn my guest room into a nursery."

"A nursery with creepy crawlers I would assume." Brass chuckled at the thought of spider webs lining the wall.

"I hadn't thought of it," Grissom had a faraway look on his face as the idea began to form. "I wonder if Sara would mind having various beetles in the nursery."

"Live ones, or drawings of beetles?" Brass laughed once more, and then stared at the doorway where Sara now stood. He nodded to her and offered congratulations.

"What was that about beetles?" She asked with a wariness that made Brass chuckle.

"Ask your boyfriend." He turned to Grissom. "When you are ready to speak with Mobley, give me a call and I'll meet you there."

"Thanks, Brass, I'll give you a call later today."

Alone in the office after Brass left, Sara closed the door and smiled over the desk at Grissom. "Beetles in our child's room. I think that we can work something out."

Now that he had accepted the idea of being a daddy, he felt himself thinking of all of the possibilities that offered and began to smile the first heartfelt smile since Sara had broken the news. He and Sara had so much they could teach this baby, from beetles to physics. Sara froze and felt his smile shoot through like a rose opening up for the first time in the warmth of spring. It was in the instant they looked at one another that they both knew they would pull through this and come out the better because of it. Feeling his arms wrap around her waist, she was home.





Epilogue

The waiting room was packed with friends as Grissom stood in the doorway, his eyes lit with an excitement that his team had never witnessed. Warrick, Catherine, Nick, Brass, Sara's parents and even Lindsey clamored for the news.

"Sara is wonderful." Grissom smiled, and waited for the explosion of questions to ease before he added, "And our baby is beautiful."

"Grissom." A chorus of voices growled at him as he turned to escape back to the room where he had reluctantly left her side. He paused in the doorway with a baffled look. "Give us thirty minutes and you can see them." With that, he was gone and the group looked at one another and burst out laughing. They sincerely doubted that he realized he had neglected to give them the sex of the baby.

"At least they are both healthy and doing wonderfully." Warrick commented, his arms wrapped around the child in front of him, who was looking upset. She smiled back at him and agreed that was the important thing, but why did Uncle Gil not tell them?

Grissom scooted onto the bed next to Sara, and reached out to touch the second most beautiful face he had ever seen. His hand felt rough on the newborn skin, but the blue eyes that blinked up at him did not seem to mind.

"You did a wonderful job here, Sara." He whispered, his voice breaking as he stared from her smiling face to the perfect one of their child.

"We both did." Sara watched as he touched their baby's fine light brown hair, the gold band on his finger standing out in stark contrast to the baby's white skin.

Fini

Side Note: No, I did not give the sex of the baby because I could not decide. I like the idea of either one so I left it up to the reader to decide whichever one you like best.