Disclaimer: Again, I am but a poor college student who owns nothing more than what fits in my dorm. CBS and affiliates, please don't sue me.

Pairings: G/S, what else is there?

Rating: PG- 13, possibly R

Summary: This is my take on the way some of our favorite GSR moments should have gone, starting from the beginning.

Chapter Four- High Wire

Las Vegas, Nevada

May 2003

Crime Lab

Sara sat at the break room table with her lunch laid out in front of her. She reached for the egg salad sandwich Gil had made for her that afternoon and she heard a small tearing sound. She glanced down and noticed the sleeve of her sweater had caught on her wedding ring and she let out a long sigh. The thread was snagged and a small hole was formed.

"Damn it," she muttered.

Sara pushed the sandwich aside and moved to the hallway, glancing up at Grissom's office door. The door was closed and the light was off, indicating that he wasn't in, which meant she'd have to take a detour to the locker room for her car keys. She had another shirt in the trunk of the car but Gil had driven them to work that evening and her keys were in her purse. He had the other set. She was just turning down the hall toward the locker room when she heard his voice behind her. She turned and watched as he spoke with Jacqui from the print lab. Sara took a few steps toward him, intent on catching up to him while he was stationary, but missed her chance as he started toward his office again. When Judy caught him just out side his office door to sign a few forms, Sara hung back and waited for the secretary to head back to her desk.

At the quiet sound of punk-rock music coming from somewhere to her right, Sara turned her head to catch a glimpse of Greg huddled over a lab print out. As if he sensed her staring, Greg looked up and smiled. Sara smiled back, waving a little. The next few moments seemed to pass in slow motion as Greg lifted his hand to wave back. But he didn't get the chance.

The explosion rocked the entire floor and Sara was knocked off her feet by the blast. She hit the ground hard, knocking the air from her lungs. Shards of glass and tiny flames rained down around her and she heard the fire alarm as it rang shrilly in her ears. When Sara was capable of opening her eyes, she looked over to find Greg lying unconscious beside her.

Please God, Sara prayed silently, let him be alive.

She closed her eyes tight to hold back tears. Her entire body ached and she knew that she must be bleeding. She could smell the coppery scent of blood. When she chanced another look at Greg, she was surprised to find his eyes open and staring back at her. Sara made a reach for his hand but immediately pulled back in pain. Greg's eyes closed again and for Sara, everything went black.

Sara watched the paramedics roll Greg out on a gurney. She vaguely noticed her husband at Greg's side but nothing was really registering in her head. She knew she was in shock. She was cold, so much that she was shaking, and she couldn't remember exactly how she got out of the building.

She jerked slightly at the sound of the ambulance sirens nearby and when she heard Gil call out to her, she couldn't help the tears that formed in her eyes again.

"Sara?"

Sara glanced up at him and the look in his eyes caused her to shudder. He was terrified. He knelt down in front of her, running his finger across her cheek and catching her tears.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, muttering an almost silent, "Uh-huh."

Grissom smiled slightly and pressed a gentle kiss to his wife's temple. He glanced down at her left hand cradled in her lap.

"Honey, this doesn't look good," he told her softly, picking up her hand.

"It's fine," Sara said distantly, "God, clean up's gonna be a mess. We should get started."

"You need stitches, sweetheart."

"No, Gil, I'm okay."

Grissom wasn't listening to her protests. Instead, he grabbed the nearest paramedic and barked at him, "Would you take care of her please." He knelt down beside his wife again, "I have to go check on the others, but I promise you I'll be right back."

"Gil!" Sara grabbed his arm before he could go too far, "I-I think I should go to the hospital."

That stopped his movement. He turned abruptly and knelt down in front of her again, "Sara, what's wrong?"

"The baby-" Sara muttered, suddenly grabbing her stomach, "Something's wrong with the baby."

It was safe to say that, for the first time in his life, Gil Grissom was speechless. The paramedic just looked at him, not sure what he was supposed to do.

"Sara?"

"I'm sorry," she muttered through tears, "I wasn't going to tell you until tomorrow, it was going to be a surprise. I'm so sorry."

Grissom was pacing in the waiting room.

Catherine and Warrick approached the night shift supervisor slowly, casting worried glances at each other. Catherine entered the room first and sat down. She didn't speak. She waited for Grissom to take a seat beside her before she turned to him as a friend.

"How is she?"

Grissom shook his head, "I don't really know. The doctor's been in with her for the last hour, they wouldn't let me in."

Warrick took a step closer to the two, taking a seat across from them. He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees.

"How far along is she?" he asked quietly.

"Not far," Grissom shrugged, "I didn't even know she was pregnant... she wanted to surprise me."

"Gil..." Catherine's arm went around him, pulling her into a tight hug. Catherine felt his shoulders shake with silent sobs and she glared at Warrick.

"Why don't I go get us some coffee?" he suggested, getting up to leave Catherine and Grissom alone in the waiting room.

"Gil, I'm sure that Sara and the baby will be fine," Catherine said softly, "She's a strong woman."

Grissom didn't say anything. He took a deep breath and glanced at Catherine, "I hope you're right."

Catherine, Warrick and Grissom sat in the waiting room in silence.

Forty nine minutes. It had been forty nine minutes and three seconds since the ambulance had pulled up in the bay and no one had come out to say a word to Grissom as to the status of his wife and child. He was shaking with nerves and his knuckles where clenched and white.

"Dr. Grissom?"

His immediate reaction was to stand up and demand answers, but he didn't. Instead, Grissom simply stood at the sound of his name and turned to the doctor standing in the doorway.

"How is she?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"Dr. Grissom, I'm pleased to tell you that both your wife and child are perfectly fine. Sara needed a few stitches and I'd like to keep her overnight just for observation, but the baby's heartbeat is regular and strong."

"Thank god," Catherine and Warrick breathed together.

"Can I see her?" Grissom asked quickly, "Can I see my wife please?"

The doctor nodded, "Of course Dr. Grissom. Please, follow me."

"Gil?"

"Catherine, please, go back to the lab," Grissom told her, his supervisor side taking over now, "I need all three of you on top of this. I need to know what caused that explosion. And I want everyone taking turns checking in on Greg. He needs us right now."

Grissom entered the hospital room where his wife lay sound asleep. She was curled up on her right side, the same position she slept in at home, and a wave of relief washed over Grissom. She's fine, he thought, the doctor said she and the baby are fine... the baby, Sara and I are having a baby.

He pulled a chair up and sat down, being careful when he reached for her bandaged hand. He laced his fingers with hers and smiled as she squeezed his hand in response.

"Gil?" her voice was soft and sleepy.

"I'm here, Sara."

Grissom watched as she struggled to open her eyes but when she was finally able to open them just a fraction, she clamped them shut. The bright overhead lights where too much and Grissom moved slightly to turn them off.

"The baby?" she asked, suddenly becoming very alert, "Oh, God, Gil, the baby."

"The baby's fine, honey. The doctor said that you're both perfectly fine."

He rubbed her fingers gently, keeping his gaze locked on her face. She breathed a sight of relief and Grissom smiled.

"We're having a baby, Sara," he muttered quietly, lifting her hand to his lips, "Honey, we're having a baby."

Sara smiled and tried to open her eyes for him again. When she realized that the offending light had been turned off, she turned her beautiful brown eyes on him.

"I know," she whispered, "I love you, Gil."

A tear escaped down her scratched cheek and Grissom reached up to wipe it away, barely holding back his own tears, "I love you, too, Sara."

When Grissom returned to what was left of the LVPD crime lab, he was greeted by a not-at-all happy Covallo.

"You wanna tell me what the hell happened here, Gil?" Covallo snapped, following Grissom through the lad.

"I don't know yet, Robert," Grissom replied, his mind elsewhere.

"I'm going to need a complete report of all evidence inventoried from each case. I want to know what we lost, what was contaminated, and what's salvageable," Covallo instructed.

Grissom nodded, "We have lims backup for every computer on the network. I'm sure we've only lost an hour or two of data."

"Unfortunately for us, that'll never hold in court," Covallo said, taking in all the damage that had been done, "Defense attorneys are gonna rip us apart, Gil. The double homicide movie star case from last year? Comprised evidence, lax procedures, mistakes."

"We got a conviction on that case, Robert," Grissom told him, remembering distinctly the way his relationship with Sara had been brought up on the stand, the way his hearing loss had been used against him. He shuddered at the thought.

"You were lucky."

Grissom didn't argue. He knew damn well that they were very lucky that the case had stuck. So much had gone wrong there...

"I want to know how this happened, Gil, and I want to know soon."

"And who's to blame?" Grissom asked lowly, tossing a glance in Covallo's direction. "I'm having Catherine run the investigation. Nick, Sara and I are working a murder."

Covallo nodded his approval, "I'll be waiting for her report."

Grissom watched the other man start to walk away, turning back only to say, "And I'm happy to hear that Sidle and Sanders are both all right."

"Thank you," Grissom replied.

They went separate ways. Grissom to collect what was left of his evidence and Covallo to his office.

Catherine was hesitant as she entered Greg's room at the hospital. Warrick was close behind her and the two of the stood on one side of Greg's bed, the tech could barely keep his eyes open.

"Look, I'm really tired you guys," he said numbly.

Catherine could tell that he was still pretty shaken up and she didn't want to be too hard on him, but they needed to get some answers.

"I know, Greg, but this won't take long, I promise," Warrick said, waiting for Catherine to start asking her questions.

"Why don't you tell me exactly what you remember, Greg. Anything you can think of will help."

Greg thought for a minute, closing his eyes as he tried to picture it in his head.

"I was working three cases. Mixing solvents," he told them, picturing it in his head.

"Did you notice anything unusual before the explosion? Anything burning?" Catherine asked.

Greg shrugged, "Plastic. Burning plastic. I guess I turned around to see where it was coming from but... oh my God, Sara! Sara was right in front of me before the explosion, outside the lab. Is she all right?"

"Hey, Greg, man, calm down. Sara's fine. She took a pretty hard fall and got a little scratched up, but she's fine. She's a few doors down from you," Warrick told him, "When we're done here, I'll have one of the nurses bring her in to see you."

"She was admitted?" Greg asked, somewhat confused, "I thought you said she just got a little scratched up."

Warrick and Catherine glanced at each other, both of them smiling pretty brightly.

"Yeah, she did, because, well, I really should let Sara tell you this but, Sara's pregnant Greg. Griss and Sara are gonna have a baby, man."

The look of utter shock on the younger man's face made Warrick chuckle.

"Yeah, Greggo," Catherine said, "We know how you feel. It came as a shock to all of us. Grissom didn't even know until this happened."

Greg didn't say anything and Catherine could see the wheels turning in his head. She smiled and patted his hand gently.

"We'll let you get some rest Greg," she said, "And I'll let Sara know that you want to see her."

Twenty four hours later, with their case almost wrapped up, Sara was back to work.

She sat in front of her open locker and reached for her ID, wiping it clean of dust and dirt from the explosion. Her mind drifted and her hand rested over her lower stomach. She closed her eyes tightly. Our baby could have died, she thought. She swallowed hard and fought back tears.

"Hey," Nick's voice called form the doorway, "You back on?"

Sara turned, smiling at him. She nodded, "Yeah. I hear you're going to prison."

"Hmm," Nick smiled and headed on down the hall, calling over his shoulder, "I'll meet you outside."

Sara smiled again and turned back to her locker. She reached down into her purse and pulled out the small brown bindle that held her personals from the hospital. She dumped the contents onto her hand, focusing on her diamond engagement ring and her wedding band. Two of the most precious things she owned. The most precious being her husband whom she knew was wandering around the lab somewhere, followed shortly by their unborn child in her womb.

She stood up, replacing the now empty bindle in her purse and slipped her rings onto her finger. She closed her locker door, secured her ID badge to her shirt, and headed out into the hall.

Sara and Nick sat across from Jesus Cardenas in the visitor room of the Western Nevada Correctional Facility. He was the only motive they could find in their murder case. The victim, Allison Carpenter, had been visiting her boyfriend, Jason Kent, at the facility while at the same time having an affair with Cardenas. Motive for Kent to have killed Allison.

"What can you tell us about Allison Carpenter?" Nick asked, his hands folded on the table in front of him. Sara stood a few feet behind him, leaning against the wall, he arms crossed protectively over her chest.

"Knew her pretty well," Cardenas said, his cocky tone of voice sending a chill down Sara's spine, "But I guess you already knew that didn't you. How'd you like the show?"

Sara glanced at the security camera in the corner over her head, then glared back down at Cardenas.

"Allison Carpenter is dead," Sara snapped.

"And I got an alibi."

"Sure, you're perfectly innocent," Sara told him, growing angrier with each word, "So tell me, why does a woman like Allison, completely obsessed with Jason Kent, want anything to do with you?"

Nick caught up with Sara, speaking quickly before Cardenas could give her a reason to punch him, "You remember Jason. Two cells down. Hates your guts."

"He was an angry boy. Not much sense," Cardenas told them, "He didn't seem to understand how things work around here."

"Inside?" Nick asked.

"In or out," Cardenas replied, "Doesn't matter either way. This is the good ol' U.S. of A. Country of capitalism. Everybody's either a buyer or a seller."

"But which one was Allison?" Sara asked.

Cardenas smirked at her. Nick put out an arm as a barrier between them when Sara took a step forward. She was ready to pounce.

"Exchange of goods for services. I gave Jason credit, he walks out of here in debt. Thinks because he's on the outside, he don't have to pay. Man who doesn't pay his debt undermines the whole system."

Sara didn't quite understand yet and she had to ask, "What does he owe you for?"

As they walked down the hall toward Grissom's office, Nick noticed the way Sara tensed as they walked past the remains of Greg's lab. He put a gentle hand on her arm and she turned to him, offering him a fake smile. He recognized the one, it was the same smile she plastered on her face when she was trying not to vomit.

"Sar?"

"I'm fine, Nick," she said immediately.

Before Nick could argue with her on that, Grissom appeared in his office door and he exchanged a worried glance with his wife. She smiled at him, the fake one she'd just given Nick, but he didn't question her. He knew she was still wound a little tight after the explosion and they would discuss it at home later, when she was ready.

"What've you got?" he asked, gesturing for them to follow him down the hall.

"Jason Kent's disciplinary file," Nick told his boss, handing over the file, "He spent a while in solitary. Seems he got caught with heroin on more than one occasion. Once in 97' and then again in 99'."

"Did our lab do the exam of the physical evidence?" Grissom asked, attempting to find the info in the file in his hands.

"Yeah, and I pulled that record, too," Sara told him, "Concluded to be black tar heroin. With traces of red and blue linen."

The three of them stopped walking.

"Linen?" Grissom asked, cocking his head toward her, "In a prison?"

"It seems that, when the got him for the heroin, that was enough cause they didn't follow through on the trace," Sara explained. They resumed walking.

"So, can one of you explain to me how Jason Cardenas got a hold of heroin in prison?" Grissom asked.

Sara and Nick looked at each other before Nick spoke.

"Well, I mean, come on Griss, you know how these guys are," Nick said, "They'll do anything they can to trick the system. We're thinking the drugs probably came from Jesus."

"So... what? Are we implying that Jason Kent buys heroin from Jesus, falls into debt, and then pays him off with Allison Carpenter?"

Nick shrugged, "They passed her around like a party favor."

"No," Sara said with a shake of her head, "She passed herself around."

Grissom and Nick both glanced at her, immediately noticing the uneasiness in her voice. Sara turned from them, glancing back at the destruction behind her. Grissom gave Nick a weary look and shifted the papers in his hands. He gave his wife a fleeting look and walked away from them.

Brass met Grissom, Nick and Sara in the break room, each of them looking slightly on edge. Sara's bandage hand had been bothering her all night and now the stitches were starting to itch. Nick was on his seventh cup of coffee in two hours and it was the strong stuff. Grissom was starting to feel the pressure from the higher-ups about the cause of the lab explosion. And Brass... well Brass was simply starting to get the feeling that everyone else was ready to explode at any minute and that made him edgy.

"Jacqui identified another set of prints from our scene," Grissom told them as they gathered around the table, "A Miguel Durado."

"We have an address?" Nick asked.

"I've got it right here," Brass said, pulling a sheet of paper out of his jacket pocket, "And a warrant to go along with it. Anybody up for riding along?"

"I'll go," Sara said immediately, not giving Nick a chance.

"Sara, do you think that's really a good idea?" Brass asked. Grissom silently thanked him.

Sara shrugged, "I'm fine, Brass. I can handle myself."

"I don't doubt that, Sara," Brass said, "It's just that, well, until a few hours ago, you were still in the hospital."

"And I got a clear bill of health," Sara snapped, "I want to go."

Brass and Grissom exchanged worried looks and Sara stepped between them, looking her husband in the eye, "I'm going, Grissom."

He didn't argue with her and she turned and made her exit before he could. Grissom watched her leave before turning to Brass.

"I know, I know, she shouldn't be going," Grissom said, "But I can't tell her what she can and can't do, Jim. I get enough shit from the woman at home. Just... keep an eye on her for me will you. She's had a rough couple of days and I'm still a little worried about the baby."

"Right," Brass said, throwing over his shoulder as he left, "Can't wait 'til her hormones kick in."

Sara stood behind Brass outside of Durado's apartment. Four uniforms were ready in front of them and Brass' arm was across Sara's chest, pinning her to the wall behind him.

"Las Vegas police!" one of the officers shouted, "Open up!"

When they received no response, the door was kicked in and the four officers moved into the small apartment. Brass glanced at Sara, silently telling her to stay put. He moved in behind the other officers and Sara didn't waste any time, following them into the run-down room.

She moved carefully around Brass and his team, trying not to be noticed by them, and drew her gun. She worked her way toward the closed door of what she assumed was the bathroom. Kicking in it, she discovered a cowering Durado sitting on the toilet.

"I got him!"

Brass was behind her instantly, followed by a uniform who stepped around them both to cuff Durado. Brass pulled Sara by the arm away from the room. He could see her shaking slightly.

"Holster your weapon," he told her firmly, "What the hell was that, Sara?"

"I got him," Sara said, unable to contain the shudder that shook her.

Brass shook his head, leading Sara out of the room, "Your husband is gonna kill me for this... I think you're done now hombre."

Sara lay on the couch in the break room. Her knees pulled up and her arms under her head, she was sleeping lightly.

Grissom smiled down at her, taking in her beautiful features before turning to Nick and Warrick at the table behind him.

"How long has she been like this?" he asked softly.

Nick shrugged, "She was out of it when we came in, been here for almost forty minutes."

Warrick nodded his agreement, checking his watch.

"Is she okay?" he asked Grissom quietly as he sat at the table with them.

"I'm not sure," Grissom told them, "Physically, she and the baby are fine, but emotionally, she's still a little shaken. Right now, I really think she needs to go home and rest but she insisted on working tonight. I may be her husband, but I don't get much say in how she does her job."

Sara stirred slightly and the three men fell silent. They waited to see if she would actually wake before resuming their conversation. Nick shook his head.

"Not that this is really any of my business," he said softly, "But is Sara sleeping okay at home? I mean, the only time she ever has ever fallen asleep here, was during the Shelton case and that was years ago. She usually doesn't get like this."

"It's not that she doesn't sleep well at home, Nick," Grissom told him, "She sleeps fine at home, trust me. But she spent last night in the hospital and she's been through a traumatic experience. Put the two together with the fact that she recently found out that she was pregnant, it's been a pretty hard two weeks for her."

The three men fell silent again and shared a sympathetic look at Sara.

When the end of their shift finally rolled around, Grissom was exhausted. Sara had gone back to work, making a good job of avoiding him for most of the night. Brass had told him exactly how she had acted at the scene and it had unnerved him. He just wanted to find her, take her home, and hold onto her forever.

The knock on his door broke his thoughts and the smiling face of his wife made him grin.

"Are you ready to head home?" she asked, coming in to take a seat opposite him.

"I suppose," he told her with a shrug, "I take it you're feeling better?"

At her confused look he said, "I talked to Brass, Sara."

"Oh," she suddenly became very interested in her wedding ring.

Grissom moved around his desk and knelt down in front of her, "Honey, look at me."

He tilted her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his, smiling at her.

"Sara, I know that the last two days haven't been easy for you, sweetheart, but you can't do this to yourself. You can't put yourself in danger like you did today, I don't want to lose you or our baby. When Warrick told me what happened at Durado's apartment, my heart was in my throat, honey. I need you here with me, do you understand that? Do you know how much I need you, Sara?" the last of this was said with a lot of emphasis as he shook her slightly.

Sara noticed a shift in Gil's breathing and the tears forming in his eyes. She lifted a hand to his face and felt her own tears start to move as she caught his first one on her thumb.

"Oh, god, Gil," Sara breathed, her voice catching, "I love you so much. I'm sorry."

Gil shook his head, pressing his forehead into hers, "I know, Sara, I know. I love you, too."

He wiped away a few of her tears and she noticed the card in his shirt pocket. She pulled it free, noting that it had come from his Rolodex. Sara read the information on the card:

DR. KAREN ROTH, ENT

SUNDOWN MEDICAL GROUP

9548 DESERT WAY LAS VEGAS, NV 89108

(702) 555-0127

She glanced at her husband, a pang of worry coursing through her. The look of guilt on his face made it worse and she felt the tears well up in her eyes again. His arms locked around her, one hand in her hair, pressing her face to his shoulder.

"Sara, I-I, I have otosclorosis," he muttered, "It's the disease that my mother had that caused her to lose her hearing. Honey, I can barely hear you anymore."

Sara choked on her cry and buried herself deeper in the comfort of Gil's arms. He tightened his grip on her and began to cry again himself.

"Is there... I mean, what can we do?" Sara asked, her voice shaky and muffled against his neck.

"The only option for treatment is an invasive surgery," he told her, "That's why I was going to call Dr. Roth. I have to go through with this, Sara, it's the only way for me to keep my career... and I don't know what I would do if I couldn't hear your voice. And, I want to hear our child's first words, I want to be able to help him, or her, if something's wrong. I want to know when my child needs me."

They pulled apart, both reaching to wipe tears from the other's face. Sara smiled gently, taking her free hand and placing it over his ear. Gil's eyes closed and more tears followed the path down his cheeks. Sara choked out another quite sob, unable to hold it in longer. Their faces pressed together gently, foreheads and noses touching.

"Gil, I want you to do whatever you need to do," Sara told him, "If this surgery is what you want, I'll stand beside you the whole way."

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Sara's breath was sweet and warm on his face and Gil couldn't make himself move.

"Sara," he whispered, his voice barely audible, "Let's go home."

One Week Later

Sara sat alone in the waiting room at Desert Palms Hospital. Grissom had been in surgery for three hours and, although she had been warned that the procedure could take five or six hours, she was still becoming antsy. She wanted it to be over with, she wanted her husband to be awake and talking to her and telling her that everything would be all right.

"Sara?"

Her head shot up immediately and she registered the figure in the doorway, taking her in with tired eyes. The figure moved closer to her, taking a seat in the nearest chair.

"Sara? Are you all right?"

Sara smiled, "Hi Catherine."

"Hi yourself," Catherine said smiling, "Have they told you anything?"

"No, but I can't say I'm surprised," Sara shook her head, "I was warned that it might be a while. I guess... I don't know, I'm just a little anxious."

"Completely understandable," Catherine said, taking Sara's hand, "He's your husband, Sara. No one would expect you to be anything less than crazy... anxious is pretty damn calm in my opinion."

Sara just nodded.

An hour later, they still hadn't heard a word about Gil's condition and Catherine spoke up, "You've got to be starving, why don't I go get us something to eat. Anything in particular for the mom-to-be?"

Sara shrugged, "As long as it doesn't contain meat, I won't throw it up."

Catherine smiled at her, patting her on the shoulder as she left.

Sara sat silently in the room, alone once again. She kept her eyes directly ahead of her on the opposite wall. It was all she could do to keep herself from screaming out her frustration. She was pregnant and the father of her child was having an operation that could possibly change their entire lives. If Gil lost his hearing, everything that they had ever known would change. She would have to become more adept with her ASL. Things around the house would have to be changed. Sensors installed so that he would know if the phone was ringing or if someone was at the door. He wouldn't be able to work, not in the field anyway. That would be the hardest thing for him, Sara knew, giving up his second greatest love. Gil had spent his entire life building his career, making a name for himself in the world of Forensic entomology. Sara didn't think that she would be able to watch his career deteriorate, taking his spirit down with it.

Her thoughts were broken by a voice in the doorway behind her.

"Mrs. Grissom?"

A/N: Thanks to everyone for the supportive reviews. I'm glad that everyone loves this fic so much. It's definitely one of my favorites.