Thanks everyone for the nice words and feedback. To answer your questions:
Sara is originally from somewhere near SF but she studied in Harvard in her college years....
For the other questions, the answers are right here. I'm sorry if this is such a crappy chapter....
THE NEXT DAY... GRISSOM
Shift was one hour in; Nick and Warrick were playing video games and placing bets. Archie was again on the phone immersed in a deep conversation. Catherine was browsing through a fashion magazine. Greg was watching over his coffee pot. I was about to enter the break room when the ever so loud intercom halted my steps.
"Mr. Grissom, please proceed to your office. There are two women who wish to speak with you. I repeat..."
Yeah, yeah, I heard it. Do they know how embarrassing these things are? But anyway, no use ignoring it. I head to my office and see two women. The one with long wavy hair was looking around curiously at my insect collection and the other one with the shoulder-length hair was sitting calmly beside her. I can faintly hear the babble of the girl about the spiders and the monarch butterfly I have on display.
"This is so neat! All my life I've been interested in butterflies and moths," she excited said examining the displays. "That's the reason why I was so engrossed in Mr. Grissom's work on the first place. Do you know that the wings of Lepidopteras are covered in scales?"
The one sitting retorted in a familiar voice, "Yes, I do. In fact, Mr. Grissom used to be my professor back in college. Now sit down and stop acting like a toddler in an insectarium." Obediently, she sat down but her eyes were still roaming.
"Can you believe it? Little ol' me working for THE Gil Grissom!" she continued. I had to chuckle at her eagerness.
"Hannah Valdez, please stop it! You're driving me nuts!" the other woman almost cried. Hannah? "You sound like Samantha after her 'Miss Congeniality' award at her daycare." That was my cue to enter my office.
"Hello Hannah," I greeted the surprised girl. "Sara, nice to see you here!" We shook hands. The younger woman fell silent and shy. "Hannah, I see you're interested at my little collection here."
"It's my little infatuation.... Butterflies," she bashfully answered in a small voice. "In fact, I have a key chain of spicebush swallowtail in amber here." She showed to me the specimen and I was impressed as she continued, "I made that in my college days."
"Hey Grissom," Sara finally said. "We're the new CSI replacing the two that you lost. I hope we are welcome."
My eyebrow shot up, "Are you kidding? Of course, you two are welcome! Now that you'll be working here, I guess Greg can go back to fieldwork. Archie could use some company." Hannah's face split into a smile. "Yes, Hannah... I'm giving you your Ballistics office as well as your place in A/V and DNA with Archie."
"Since she's also a CSI, level 2 in fact... can she go on field too?" Sara asked.
"Yes, she can. And you, Sara... stepping down isn't too hard for you?" I joked.
She gave me one of those Sara glares, "No Grissom. If it were for working here in Vegas again with you guys, I would gladly step down. I'll leave being the boss to you, boss." We laughed. Hannah was getting more and more comfortable.
"Oh, here are your temporary identification cards," I said handing them the cards. "Your formal ones will be given to you next week. So far, we have no assignments for tonight yet. Brass is out scouting for cases."
Just then, the man in question came in the room. "Guess again, I have three for you. 419 on the Strip, floater on Lake Mead and car crash just by the residential area. Welcome Ms. Valdez," he greeted. "Hey Sara. Uh... I'm already getting strange looks from the people at the lobby so if you don't mind..." he did not finish since two bouncing toddler came bounding into the room.
"Hello Unca' Grissom!" they chorused. Nicky and Sammy have grown over the passed months. Sammy's hair was longer and thicker and Nicky gained some weight yet still a perfect copy of his father. "We missed you," they said as they leapt on my lap and kissed me on my cheeks. It felt strange really on account that I'm not used to it.
"Hey guys, get down," their mom reprimanded.
"It's okay, Sara," I said. "How are you guys?" They flashed me sweet smiles and hugged me again. Such sweet kids! "Want to go see the others now? I have to give out these assignments."
"Is Daddy and Aunt Catherine there?" Sammy asked jumping up and down.
"Is Unca' Warrick and Unca' Greg there as well?" Nicky followed rocking back and forth.
"Yes... and yes," I answered them tapping their noses. I looked at Hannah and said, "Archie is there too. So let's go." We headed to the break room.
"Score 5 for the Texan boy!" Nick cried triumphantly as he punched the air. He beat Warrick at their video game once again. "Who's the next victim? Brown here is getting beat up!"
Greg chuckled, "I'll pass. I got my ass kicked once and it's not nice. I'm just amazed that you keep up with him still, Warrick."
Catherine said right away, as Nick faced her, "Don't even think about it!" She turned back to her magazine and imagined herself wearing one of the Vera Wang cocktail dresses, Grissom in arm and...
Then the said man walked in the room with their assignments. "Catherine, you're with Warrick. You have a 419 on the Strip; tourist obvious gunshot wound to the head. Archie, back to the lab with you. I need you to process the yesterday's victim's SART follow-up. Greg, you're with the new CSI Lake Mead, floater."
"And you will be?" Cath asked sitting on her legs and leaning back.
"Alone. Road mishap, residential area," he replied.
Greg threw his paper cup away and wiped his hands on his pants. "So, who's the new guy?" The rest of the team asked the same question to the ever-calm Grissom. "Who am I working with? Uh... some newbie or an old crank?"
"Correction," he said with a glint in his eye. His look shifted from Nick to Cath and finally to Archie. "It's a new girl."
Hannah took it as her cue to make an appearance. "Hi guys! Hi... Archie..." she shyly greeted. "I'm the new kid on the block."
Archie sprang to his feet and raced to her side and hugged her. "Oh my, Hannah you're here!" he babbled. And then he remembered that his boss was in front of them. "Sorry."
Catherine chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Arch. We do have a loop in the rules here." They all laughed. Hannah sank deeper in her boyfriend's arms. "So who's the other guy... or girl?"
"I still don't have anything to do, Gris," Nick complained. "I do not want paperwork."
"Nick, go take the day-off with..."
"DADDY!" twin voices suddenly rang in the room. Then, Nick... the controller and game forgotten got pounced on by two toddlers. "Daddy, Daddy, we missed you oh so much!" Sammy said excitedly, drizzling him with baby kisses.
"Daddy! Mommy had my hair cut just like yours," Nicky excitedly declared. He rocked back and forth; it seemed like his mannerism. "Do you like it?"
Nick was gaping at the two children in front of him... his children. He was practically speechless. No words can describe this sudden feeling in his heart. If that wasn't enough, he saw another bigger surprise. "Hi Nick. How are you?" Sara appeared from behind Grissom.
"Sara!" Warrick exclaimed, with his eyes bugging out. "You're back."
"Yup! For good this time," she said walking over to each of them and giving them a kiss on the cheek. And then she reached Nick. "You haven't answered me yet. How are you?" He gaped at her, up and down her body hidden under a very loose sweater. "Cat got your tongue?"
Sammy jumping in his arms shook him out of his daze. "Wha... oh my..." he stuttered. "Sammy... Nicky," he kissed them both. "Sara," he breathed out slowly standing up and giving her a very tight hug. Yet, Nicky jumped into action.
"No Daddy! Not so tight!" he cried. "You might squish our little brother."
"It's a little sister, Nicky!" Sammy whined without her brother finishing his breath and Nick comprehending what his son just uttered.
"Little brother?" he breathed. The CSI team froze on their positions as they battled amongst themselves what they had heard.
"See, see! Even Daddy agrees with me," the boy said triumphantly. The ones who were watching smiled at the child's antics.
Sara was smiling shyly with a slight blush. She took Nick's hand in hers and placed it on her abdominal area. His eyes went wide as she declared, "Nick, I'm pregnant. Four months."
Grissom was the first to break. "Well, congratulations to the both of you. That'll be baby number three." The others followed suit. Hannah was still wrapped in Archie's arms.
Finally, Nick spoke. "Sara, baby. I... I don't know what to say..." He gave her a sweet kiss and coherently said, "I love you... this... them.... This is great."
They separated from the embrace and found their twins snuggled against Greg with gift bags in their hands. He slipped in and out of the break room unnoticed by everyone. "I've been wanting to give them these. Only, I cannot find the time to fly over to Cali or FedEx," he said after Sammy kissed him on the chin.
They opened the baggies and Sammy was the first to squeal. "SPONGEBOB!" She danced around, her curls flying behind her as she hugged the square yellow stuffed toy. Inside was another toy, Squidward. Everybody in the room couldn't stop smiling at her and her brother as he opened his. A 2 chemistry sets.
"I had my first one when I was 7," Greg confessed. "And look where it took me. Now, with parents like you... who knows where this might take them." Sara smiled at him lovingly.
"Thank you, Greg... I never thought of giving them this early but... thanks very much."
"Unca' Greg!" Nicky said pulling at his shirttail. "Thank you! I've been wanting to test DMA...uh... I think that was DNA... anyway, I've been wanting to do what you do in your lab for so long! Will you teach me?"
"Nuh-uh! Unca' Greg... teach me first!" the little girl competed against her twin.
He laughed out loud. "What about your Auntie Hannah over there wrapped around Uncle Archie?" Sammy sauntered over to her and joined the embrace.
The attention went back to the couple. Nick hugged Sara tight, careful of her swelling tummy. He kept whispering sweet nothings in her ear and massaging her stomach. "I love you, you know that. We're going to get married soon... before this little one decides to come out."
"Nick, I love you, too. And yes, I will marry you. I don't care where..." she whispered back. "Just as long as I'll be Mrs. Stokes and we will be together with our children."
"Uh guys... it's getting late. Nick, Sara... you have the time off," Grissom said. He turned to the other couple, "You guys... back to work. Hannah, with Greg. Archie to the lab with you... Now, scram!" He motioned the others to vacate the break room to attend to their assignments and leave the little family in peace.