A/N: New story-making a change in the CSI Vegas season 1 story! And the change is in the 4th paragraph! (A few more changes coming.)

One More Grissom

Chapter 1

Less than three hours after the call from Jim Brass, Sara could finally relax behind the steering wheel of the rented vehicle. She was listening to a program of classic Western music—"Ghost Riders in the Sky" at the moment—as she kept pace with the truckers and other traffic racing toward Las Vegas.

In a few hours, she'd talked to her husband who was thousands of miles south in the middle of the Panama Basin, to Jim Brass several times, and to Greg Sanders who was on special assignment in Eastern Europe at the same time she was packing the car. Packing was a misnomer—she was throwing clothes in suitcases along with a few bags of other things—definitely different than packing for a research trip.

She thought she'd be away for a few days, maybe a week.

Leaving the city, she made a fast-food stop for a newly discovered treat and passed the bag to the little boy in the back seat as she thought how she was a failure as a mother in providing mass-produced chicken nuggets and fried potatoes to her son. But his delight with this exotic treat made him groan with pleasure while eating them. He did not gobble each bite but savored each tidbit, turning the morsel on his tongue for texture and taste before chewing with exaggerated mouth movements that caused her to laugh.

Sara had thought the food would induce sleepiness in the child but he was singing along with the catchy music, having learned the repeating chorus as he heard it. When another song began to play, the boy looked out the window and when she glanced back a few minutes later, his head was resting on his favorite stuffed turtle and his eyes were closed.

The curly haired, blue-eyed boy was their miracle child. After years of infertility and months after reuniting with Grissom on his boat, she had a startling realization. She was not sea sick. Six months later, she'd given birth on the island of Viti Levu to a healthy baby boy with the help of two amazing midwives, a team of excited nurses, and the father of her baby. Without doubt, it had been the happiest day of her life—seeing with her eyes this small human who came into the world with a sunny disposition, looking like a miniature of his father.

She smiled as another song about a cowboy and his girlfriend started playing; Gil Grissom teased her about her playlist but the diversity kept her happy. And he had learned the words to the songs. Softly, she laughed as she thought of him singing along with this song about El Paso.

Once, she stopped for gas; a second stop for a bathroom break where she carried her son inside the restroom. The child barely woke, asking if he could have more chicken nuggets and was asleep before she fastened the seat belt in his car seat.

Five hours after leaving San Diego, she arrived in the sparkling, shinning city of Las Vegas as the sun rose above the eastern mountains. Using GPS for street traffic, she found her way to the tall, gleaming Eclipse casino and hotel and pulled under the portico for guests.

A few minutes later, she and her young son were being escorted to the top floor of the hotel by the morning concierge; the elevator opened to a private foyer where three expensive doors opened to connected suites.

"Captain Brass is in there," the man said, indicating the middle door. "If you'd like, you can enter here to put the young man in bed."

"No," she answered. "He'll go with me." She ruffled his curls, adding, "Let's go meet Mom's old friend and see what he thinks of us!"

Instantly, she knew something was 'off' when she entered the suite and Jim Brass remained seated.

His face was in the shadow as he greeted them, saying "It's about time we got you back to Vegas! What's it been? Three years—a lifetime for a young guy!"

Sara walked around the sofa until she was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows; morning light filling the room. Her child, wrapped around her legs like a baby monkey, whispered, "Mom, look! We are high up—look!"

Her eyes were on Jim Brass as he turned his face to hers and removed his dark glasses; she gasped as she recognized the milky eyes of those of a sightless person. The child fidgeted to be released from her grip on his hand.

"How often do we talk, Jim? You've never mentioned this!"

For a few minutes the two went back and forth with questions and answers; Sara let go of her child's hand and he ran to the windows, delighted with his new and different surroundings. More questions than answers followed as Sara tried to pin her old friend down with firm questions. Brass finally asked if she would work with the crime lab to find answers about his attack.

She sat down, unsure what answer she could give. Her arm waved toward her child as she said, "I don't know, Jim—what about him? Gil is in the Panama Basin for a few more days." She did not add that she could not leave her child with someone who was almost blind.

Smiling, Jim called, "Hey, little buddy—there are some good cookies on the table over there. I think you and I could eat a few for breakfast."

The little boy turned, looking at his mother. Sara nodded her head and the child raced to the table, climbed into a chair and found a plate of cookies. Smiling, he returned with cookies in each hand.

"Are you going to eat all of them?" Brass asked.

Shaking his head, William Gilbert Grissom stretched one arm toward Jim.

Quietly, Sara said, "You need to place it in his hand."

After the little boy walked around the table and gave the cookie to Jim, he remained standing next to the older man as they took a bite of their cookie.

Jim chuckled, saying, "I think we can be friends." He looked toward Sara, saying, "I've talked to David Phillips—he and his wife have a nice place and three kids now."

"Jim! You didn't ask…"

"Oh, no—I asked if their kids had a good place—you know, a good baby sitter or a school for little kids—just in case you decided you'd help out." His arm spread across the child's shoulders as he smiled, "Their youngest is about the same age as little Gilbert Junior—and they'll be here in a few hours."

The remainder of a cookie stopped half-way to his mouth as the little boy said, "I'm Will—my daddy is Gilbert." He grinned at Jim, a sparkling mischievousness lighting up his face as he leaned closer to Brass and said, "My mommy calls Daddy Gilbert when he does something she likes and then he kisses her and pats her bottom."

Jim could not control his laughter but, after a moment, made an attempt by covering his mouth.

Sara rolled her eyes, got up and brought the plate of cookies back to the low table in front of Jim and her son.

She said, "You two need to eat another cookie and talk about something else. Is there anything to eat other than cookies?"

Jim waved his right hand, saying, "Over there is a kitchen—stocked refrigerator with healthy stuff you'll like. I have the suite on that side—Catherine is very generous."

"She is—and now a grandmother!" Sara walked to the stylish kitchen, opened the refrigerator and found a variety of much healthier food than the cookies on the table. A few minutes later, she placed several recently baked muffins and a bowl of fruit on the table.

Handing a banana to her son, she said, "Eat this, Will. Jim, do you want an apple, a banana, or a peach? I think the muffins are banana nut, carrot, and blueberry."

Brass took a blueberry muffin and the two adults ate while young Will asked a dozen questions about the room, the view from the window, and about Jim who chuckled at the boy's inquisition, answering his questions with lighthearted responses.

At some point, Sara realized she was exhausted and as she tried to hide her yawns, Jim said, "Get some sleep—I'm only half-blind—and the little guy and I can watch tv." His eyebrows lifted. "You do let him watch tv, right?"

A few minutes later, after finding a favorite series on the television and with some hesitation, Sara stretched across the bed and was asleep in seconds. Sleeping soundly, she dreamed of the ocean and faraway places until laughing voices woke her.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! From several sources, we know the original CSI Vegas script had a Grissom child (a boy). So this story will be what was cut from the script due to Covid precautions. ENJOY! More to come...