Child's Play
Chapter 2
By Dany
Summary: If you want to give a present, there is no way around shopping.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews I got, encouraging me to go on. And of course, a thanks to my beta, who probably can't see the word 'and' in combination with a comma anymore.
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"Sara, is that really necessary?" Grissom complained as Sara tugged him along through the mall. She stopped once they reached their destination.
"We can't show up there with empty hands. I hate shopping probably as much as you do, but it's her birthday."
He had understood that concept very well, but why she had to drag him to this symbol of the ever-decreasing mental abilities of the human race was beyond him.
When they had finished the second round of breakfast, he had asked her what to do about the present, and it had been her idea to try this store. Not exactly a good choice.
He hated shopping, she was right about that. He rarely set foot in a mall since he had been lost once as a kid in the chaos that was Christmas shopping. It had been traumatic for him and his mother, and even now as an adult he had the feeling of being totally lost. He wanted to leave, but Sara had given him no choice, and he didn't feel like sharing to justify his need to take the car and go home.
"Alright," he sighed and followed her into the huge toy store.
The never-ending aisles stuffed with useless toys confused him. Why would a child need such cheaply produced, timely limited, and uneducational plastic stuff? There were much better things to buy for children.
Watching Sara wandering around indecisively, he knew she doubted her own choice. The section for two-year-olds was huge, but nothing really seemed appropriate.
"Well, this is harder than I thought." Grissom agreed with a nod, looking at some stuffed animals.
"What about this one?" He pulled out one whose tag claimed it was a hawk, but it actually looked more like an owl.
As he put it back he saw Sara smirking at his choice while she was holding up what was probably supposed to be some sort of beetle.
"Sara, this is," he stopped, taking a step towards her and continuing in a whispered tone, "trash. She could hurt herself with these."
He had noticed that the eyes were loosely glued on and could probably be ripped out easily. Fibers had remained in his hand, making it possible for a small child to inhale them.
"Yeah, I noticed that too." They looked around, but being the scientists and CSIs they were, they saw risks everywhere.
"We're never going to find anything for Amelia." Sara was clearly disappointed. She really wanted to buy something nice – just like him.
He knew that with the little girl between them as a buffer it seemed easier to be with Sara. If only he could keep it up a bit longer, maybe then he would be comfortable enough to move forward without crutches.
"May I make a suggestion?"
Both turned their heads in the direction of an unknown voice and saw an elderly woman standing there with a pack of play figures.
"Oh no, not these here. I buy them for my daughter, cause she won't listen to me when I tell her to get reasonable toys. Those are for a birthday party my grandson has to go too. Totally overpriced and not known for longevity, but nobody's asking me."
She looked friendly enough, smiling at them brightly while they just stared, not knowing how to respond.
"I know you have no reason to trust my word, but if you want something special, there is a little shop at the other end of the mall. They have the best toys. You know, more sturdy and safe than that."
Now they were all ears. They still needed a present, and both knew they were not going to find that here. "Where exactly can we find it?"
"Oh, that's easy. Walk to the other end, and before you reach this ridiculously huge shoe store, there is a small passage to the left. At the end of that passage, right in front of the exit, you will find it. It's called 'Little Monkey'. Curious name, but don't let that fool you, it's a beautiful store."
Grissom looked at Sara, reading in her eyes that she was all for seeing what the shop offered.
"Than…" When he turned around to thank the woman she was gone. "Where did she go?"
He raised his eyebrow in typical fashion, indicating he was just as surprised as she was. Sara shrugged her shoulders and looked around, but she couldn't find her anywhere.
"Well, shall we go and find this store?"
They left the big toy store, all the while looking around, hoping they would spot the old lady again, but they didn't have any luck.
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The walk through the mall was more like an obstacle course, and Sara could hear Grissom grumble. "Don't these people have to be at work?"
While she didn't enjoy the shopping as such, she actually enjoyed the time she could spend with Grissom. Even if he was grumpy. Bumping into another person, he grumbled again. This time, though, it was too low for her to catch the single words, and considering his expression, she was probably better off not knowing what he muttered to himself.
If the masses weren't grinding her down as well, she might have found some humor in the situation.
As they passed a bookstore, and she stopped to take a look at the display, she suddenly felt him lean into her.
He stood right behind her, bringing his mouth close to her ear, whispering, "When we're done here, I can show you where you can get your crime books."
She didn't dare to move her head. He was so close. Was this sleep deprivation acting, or did he do that on purpose? She couldn't tell.
"Okay." Sara waited until he had stepped away to continue their journey as if nothing happened. No pressure, she reminded herself.
xxxxx
They were both glad to discover that the instructions the woman had given them were correct. The outside looked promising already.
The small window was colorfully decorated, showing toys designated for various ages.
Sturdy wood blocks were built up into a tower, an adapted croquet game was placed in the middle while some yo-yos and boomerangs hung on the right side in the window.
Sara looked at Grissom, smiling, now more hopeful to find a present that met their expectations. "Let's go in."
He opened the door and held it open, waiting for Sara to pass through; always the gentleman. She hid her smile, knowing it was just part of him, most likely taught by his mother.
There wasn't any 'elevator music' grinding on their nerves or glaring lights that made people blind enough to buy anything. The toys were colorful, but looked reasonably safe.
The shop was divided into age sections, and they easily found the right one.
Grissom picked a box up, on which a moon and stars were painted. It looked sturdy enough, and when he opened it, he heard music playing Brahms' Lullaby. There was something special about the box, but he figured it was too expensive, so he closed the lid again.
Sara had not reacted to the music. To see why, he looked over at Sara and saw her admiring a dollhouse, also made from wood.
A man about his age stepped up behind her, smiling and looking at the items they were holding. "May I help you?"
"We're looking for a present for a two-year-old girl."
"Well, you're in the right section. We have a variety of toys for that age. Most of them are made out of wood, but we also have stuffed animals if you want."
The clerk seemed genuinely interested in helping them, not pushy like the usual sales person that kept both of them from enjoying shopping.
"What kind of animals do you have?" Sara asked, thinking that might be their best bet since they only knew that Amelia liked animals. She could only speak for herself, but she doubted that Grissom knew any more about buying things for small children than she did.
"You mean stuffed, or in general?"
"In general," Grissom was faster than Sara and gave her an apologetic smile for cutting her off.
Sara nodded to show him it was fine before turning her attention back to the clerk and picking out a toy.
They were shown a lot of different stuffed animals, but none of them seemed to be the present for Amelia. When they were almost ready to give up on that kind of toy, the man pulled out some more animals that had been hidden behind the others.
Sara's eyes immediately fell upon a dark form. "Is that a chipmunk?"
She seemed to light up as she remembered doing a chipmunk imitation with the little girl.
At the man's confirmation, she took it from him and inspected it closer. The little button eyes were sitting tight, the fibers were soft and couldn't be pulled out by a bit of tugging. In short, it made a much better impression than the stuffed animals at the large toy store.
She quickly checked the price and found that it wasn't past the limit she had set herself. "I think I'll take that."
She looked over at Grissom, wondering what he thought. "Should we buy one thing together or two separate toys?"
He liked the animal Sara had picked, but while she had solely concentrated on what the clerk had shown her, he had taken another look around.
Something had drawn his attention on the lower shelf. It was a wooden jigsaw puzzle where the pieces were formed like various insects. Beetles, flies, dragonflies, and butterflies were painted onto the pieces. It was unusual as a toy, but it seemed to be the perfect present, especially for a child like Amelia who had stolen one of his bugs.
He bent down to pick it up, and when he was standing again, he saw the smile on Sara's face as she recognized what he held in his hands.
"I guess that means we're going for two toys."
The store clerk didn't quiet understand what the dynamic between the two of themwas, but contrary to many of the customers, they knew what they wanted and didn't buy just anything.
"Should I gift wrap it?"
He received two smiles and went to the register to proceed with his business.
TBC
