Feasibility Study
Written by: Ms Maggs / Edited by: KJT

"Birthday Boys – Part 5"

August 17, 2005 (Day 117)
The Grissoms'
2:58 p.m.

After spending the day processing a violent crime in a sweltering house, Sara was happy to be home and was more than ready for a long soothing shower. Assuming her husband would be asleep, she stepped lightly into the bedroom.

Sure enough, he was in tucked in bed peacefully slumbering. Like most days when she found him, his glasses were still on and his reading material was lying on his bare chest. Today, his reading selection brought a satisfied smile to her face. It was his new/old copy of Through the Looking Glass.

As she always did when she found Gil in this situation, Sara snuck over, gently removed his reading glasses and set them on his nightstand. Next she took the book, mentally noting the page until she could find a suitable bookmark, and stowed it on the table as well.

Sighing with pleasure, she turned around and strolled in the direction of the bathroom, ready for the delightful shower she had been fantasizing about for the last five hours. Unfortunately, her fantasy was delayed when she tripped over her husband's misplaced shoes and went crashing to the floor…yelling a few choice words in the process.

Bolting upright in bed, Gil combed the room with his sleepy eyes. "Sara?"

"I'm down here," She announced as she picked herself up off the floor. "Guess whose shoes I tripped over?"

Busted for something for the second time that day, he quickly copped, "Sorry, I know you hate it when I kick off my shoes wherever I am."

"And now you know I'm not a nagging wife, but a safety girl." Vindicated, she scolded him with a smile. "For a guy who is sooo worried about me that he has to insinuate himself at my crime scene, you have no problem putting me in peril at home!"

Lighting up with laughter, he raised his arms. "Manos arriba."

"You would also still be sleeping if you weren't a shoe slob."

"Come here," He directed in a husky whisper fueled by a desperate craving for her lips pressed to his. "I haven't had an official birthday kiss yet. We've been in the presence of co-workers or a DB all day."

"Sorry." Teasing him she brought her fingertips to her mouth and said, "My lips were bruised during the fall and aren't up to it. Your recklessness cost you. Maybe you'll think twice before kicking off your shoes next time." Turning her back, a smirk filled her face. "I'm hitting the shower."

Disappointed, he grumbled, "It's my birthday and I can't even get a kiss from my wife."

"Aww." With her back still to him she yanked off her shirt and tossed it. It's all about the tease, she reminded herself. And he still had no idea what she had been hiding all day under her conservative clothes.

Enjoying the tease and the enticing look of her black lace undergarment against her creamy skin, he cleared his throat and announced, "Don't you think that's a bit reckless…throwing your clothes on the floor for a guy to trip over?"

Her voice dropped to a sexy rasp. "Maybe I want a little revenge." In a painfully slow, exaggerated motion, she shed her jeans, revealing the scant Butterfly v-string underneath. Although she couldn't see her husband's face, she was quite certain she heard his eyelids snap up while his jaw dropped. "I'll be in the shower."

"Hey!" He yelled before she could take a step. "You said you had a…and I quote…very innocent day planned for my birthday."

Glancing back at him over her shoulder, she sweetly replied, "That's right. I gave you a children's book, didn't I? I meant what I said…innocent."

His mind and body ignited by the rousing visual and her coy tone, he blurted, "Innocent? You just stripped in front of me to reveal that sinful little thong!"

"Sinful?" She gasped as she lowered her gaze trying to see her own ass. "What are you talking about? It has innocent little Lepidoptera on it." Barely a minute had passed and she had him squirming.

"Yeah! Lepidoptera flying right out of your beautifully bare Gluteus Maximus!" These sexy surprises of hers were always a pleasure, but today, on his birthday, it was icing on the cake.

Finally turning to face him, she struggled to keep a straight face. "I think when you turned 49 today you became a dirty old man."

"Really?" To prove her point, he let his eyes boldly roam her body, appreciating every curve and counting the seconds until his hands could replace his gaze. "Well…I suppose there are worse things I could be," He announced while grabbing her and tossing her on the bed. "And since I've been labeled, I figure why not live up to the expectation?"

Seized by hysterical laughter as he covered her body with hit and run kisses, she gasped, "You specifically said after all the mandated baby making sex…and I quote…I don't want to make love on my birthday!" Although she knew for a fact, both then and now, he wouldn't be keeping his word.

"True! Very true." He responded when he came up for air. Then, with a devilish glint in his eye he informed her, "And I won't be going back on my word because I wouldn't classify what I'm about to do to you as making love."

"OH! I recant my previous statement. I don't think you're a dirty old man, I think you're a naughty little boy who thinks he can have whatever he wants because it's his birthday!" The frivolity was a welcome change of pace after all the forced fertility lovin' and she was relishing every minute of it. "You're definitely back in business, Honey!"

"Thank you. It feels good to be back…" As he deliberately pressed his body to hers, he impishly inquired, "…doesn't it…feel good?" The reaction in her eyes was better than words and he rewarded himself by snapping open the front closure of her black lace bra.

"Oh!" She shrieked with pleasure as he silently began coercing her into submission. "If you think that's going to change my mind…" As he ignored her words but not her body, she continued with an incoherent and fake plea to cease all activity. "Sorry…uh…no can do…have to shower…I have a schedule to keep…OH!…your next gift will…OH!…I have a delivery coming soon!"

Unable to let her last comment slide, he retorted, "What a coincidence…me too."

"Let me guess…" Her eyes flitted to his boxers. "It's a package."

"I know…you want it sent express because of your time constraints." Feeling like it was his 19th birthday instead of his 49th, he trapped her against the sheets with his heated body and rasped, "Don't worry, it's my birthday so I don't feel guilty making it all about me, therefore, I'll make it a speedy delivery and you can keep to your schedule."

"Oh sure, NOW you'll be quick." Playfully, she smacked her palms against his chest, pushing him off her. "Where was this motivation on Sunday, Mister!"

"Speaking of motivation…" Flipping her on her belly, he tugged sharply at the line of butterflies on the g-string. "You weren't wearing these lusty Lepidoptera panties on Sunday. You had three sweatshirts and flannel pajama bottoms on instead." With both hands on her hips, he coiled his fingers around the stringy top strap. "Really, Honey…how many times do I have to tell you that men are biologically very simple creatures to understand?"

Shaking with laughter while he peeled the panties off her, she exclaimed. "Damn it! I had this thong in a bag in my closet on Sunday! Why didn't I think to put it on then!"

Dangling the snatched scrap of material for her to see, he teased, "Yes, what a pity…these red butterflies would have matched your inflamed nose."

When she saw him toss it to the floor, she seductively glanced over her shoulder and purred, "I hope you don't trip over that later."

"I'll be careful." He cautioned as he chucked his boxers in the same direction, "Now promise me you'll do the same about those."

Craning her neck to glimpse him instead of his discarded boxers, she responded in a siren's voice, "I don't know…I'm feeling a little adventurous."

"Good to know." After lingering sultry kisses up her back to ensure her body's compliance, he nibbled at her earlobe. "You still want to take that shower?" Caressing her deftly he taunted, "Go ahead if you want to because I know you're under time pressure."

Heated to an extreme, she whispered without a trace of conviction, "Such a risky bluff. I…I may have to call you on it."

Lacing his fingers through her hair, he swept it off her shoulders. "I don't think you will," He countered before burning kisses into her exposed neck.

Hypnotically, she gave her final answer. "No…I don't think I will."

Once again he was at her ear. "Busy girl…wanna race?" He couldn't remember the last time he uttered the phrase, but he figured it had to be five months minimum, back when she was finishing her Ph.D. and time was always a precious commodity.

"Mmm…we haven't done that in while," She moaned in approval as he continued to expertly explore. "It won't be very fair," She warned, as she did every time they had played this game. "You've given me too much of a head start." He always did.

"You know I'm old fashioned about certain things…ladies first." Then he announced with a cavalier flair, "Start your stopwatch."

"Go."

Five minutes and forty-nine satisfying seconds later, Sara pressed the stop button on her sports watch and murmured the customary, "Wham bam."

"Thank you, ma'am…" Gil exhaled as he dove into bed with a satisfied grin and rolled onto his back. "…for allowing me such an indulgence on this frabjous day…not to mention a nice trip down memory lane."

"It was my pleasure," She assured him while pulling herself further into bed. Sliding onto her side she watched her husband's rapid breathing steadily slow and decided a new tease was necessary. "Then again, maybe I was bluffing."

Glancing over at his playful wife he raised a brow and asked, "Hmm…that's a tricky one…how can I call that bluff?"

"You can't." Propping on her elbow she caught his eye and winked, "But I wasn't…and as always, it's nice to know that chivalry is not dead."

Reaching out, he tucked her mussed hair behind her ear while enjoying the glint in her eye and the blush on her cheeks.

"You know…" She ran her fingertips over his chest as she spoke. "If we weren't successful Sunday or Monday, I'm certain that today's hardcore Special Ops mission did the trick…even if we weren't in the optimal position."

"Really? We weren't?" He exhaled through a grin. "It seemed optimal to me."

"Shower with me?" She asked, while taking his hand, still eager to have him close, but suddenly conscious of the time and her schedule.

"Wait…" While recovering from the randy romp, a new mood overtook him. Pulling her closer, he gazed into her eyes. "We uh…skipped ahead and so…I'm still waiting for my birthday kiss." Running his fingers through her hair he studied her intently. "I've never had one before."

Melting into his eyes, she whispered, "I've never given one before."

"Nice symmetry." He waited with his lips parted.

Lightly, she caressed the words over his lips. "Happy Birthday, Gil."

Her sentiment touched off a new shudder in his body and he closed his eyes in anticipation.

With loving tenderness she moved her mouth over his, delighting in the moment's innocence and relishing the importance of being the one to bestow the first birthday kiss.

The velvety softness of her lips and the emotion she infused into the gesture overwhelmed him. Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her close and deepened the kiss, extracting every bit of love he could before they needed to part for air. And when they did, he relied on their favorite quote to explain his feelings. "Love grows with every kiss." Breaking into a beautiful smile, he added, "Birthday kisses, as I just found out, are exponentially more potent."

Elated by the love flowing in her husband's eyes, she whispered, "I'm looking forward to my first birthday kiss next month."

"I've never given one before," He responded truthfully and mirroring her earlier reply.

"Nice symmetry."

Resting his forehead on hers, one word slipped from his lips. "Perfect."

Greg's Apartment
3:32 p.m.

Plopping down on the couch, Tawny heaved a sigh of exhaustion. "I think I finally understand the meaning of the term, 'shop till you drop'. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful time, but I'm beat!"

Bringing her a glass of ice water, Bev said, "You'll get increasingly tired over the next month or so, and then you should get some energy back in your second trimester." Handing her the glass, she copped a motherly tone. "Drink it all. Keeping hydrated is very important, especially in this dreadful heat. Thank goodness you'll have nice weather for your third trimester."

"Thanks." Immediately she gulped down half of the tall glass's chilly contents. "I've been meaning to ask, how are you going to explain all that shopping to Greg's dad?"

"He won't see the bill." Taking a seat, she tossed her feet up on the coffee table next to Tawny's. "We have a joint bank account, but I also have a personal one. The Nordstrom card is in my name only and I pay the bill out of my personal bank account."

"Why do you have your own account?" Tawny nosed. "Are you hiding something?"

Amused by the blunt question, Bev sweetly chuckled. "No, I'm not hiding anything. It's always a good idea for a woman to create a strong financial background for herself. I have a friend who was a stay at home mom her whole life. On her husband's forty-fifth birthday, he came home and announced without warning he wanted a divorce. The poor woman couldn't even get a credit card in her name because she had never established her own financials. Her asshole husband tried to get away with taking more than his share, but I hooked her up with a shark lawyer from our country club and she ended up getting more than she was entitled."

"How is she now?" Tawny asked, concerned for the total stranger.

"Married to the shark of a lawyer." Bev smiled wide. "I have an excellent reputation as a matchmaker. I've single handedly hooked up four teachers at the high school with their spouses."

"Do you think I'm a good match for Greg?"

Taking her hand, she soothed, "I think you're an excellent match. I love how you don't force him to be someone he's not…to lose his quirkiness." Then she groaned. "Well, I wish you had forced him to wear a condom that fateful morning, but other than that."

"I tried to force him to say 'I love you'," She confessed. "I've stopped that now. He needs to feel it, not just say it."

Patting her hand, Bev offered some insight into her son's mind. "Greg doesn't respond well to direct heavy-handed pressure. As a matter of fact, he's had some issues with his father and his boss because of it." Easing back on the couch she explained, "When he's forced, he tends to back off and doubt himself. He does best when he's supported and given a chance to get comfortable with something at his own pace." Wanting to give Tawny a ray of hope, she shared the silver lining. "The good news is, once he arrives at a decision, he throws himself in with two feet. Like his job, since becoming a CSI in January, he's kept plugging away at it even though it's much more difficult than the job he had and certainly less lucrative than jobs he could have with his intelligence and education. But he's passionate about it and when he's passionate about something, he digs his hooks in and hangs on for dear life."

Hearing his behavior explained brought a huge degree of relief to Tawny's mind. "I think I'm helping him with his job by supporting him at home."

"I know you are." Bev slid her arm around Tawny's shoulder and pulled her close. "You know what he said the day he told me about you? He said, 'Mom, I came home from the worst night on the job and Tawny encouraged me, and she held me, and just when I thought I'd never smile again, she got me to smile.'" It was a bittersweet thing to hear that morning when her son told her, because that used to be her job.

"He really said that?" Tawny asked skeptically while hoping it was true.

"Remember…I told you I'd never lie to you." Kissing the top of her head, Bev sighed, "You just keep doing what you're doing, Sweetie." After a few minutes of silence, she realized Tawny had fallen asleep in her arms. "I know my son," She whispered to the sleeping girl. "I think he already loves you, he's just not comfortable telling you yet."

The Grissoms'
3:46 pm.

Dashing out of the bedroom, Sara buttoned her jeans in haste. The tender birthday kiss she and Gil had shared ended up leading to an intimate conversation which delayed their shower long enough to really throw her off schedule.

Freshly showered, her wet hair dripped onto her red shirt leaving splat marks as she made a beeline for the front door. Once there, she swung it open and began apologizing to the burly men delivering 'the practical gift'. "Sorry…I uh…just got out of the shower and didn't hear the bell. Thanks for waiting."

"No problem," Ed, the owner of The Training Zone politely answered as he eyed the pretty lady standing in the doorway. "Why don't you show Irving and me where we'll be setting up the equipment?"

"Right this way," Sara directed as she walked down the hall and hung a left away from the bedroom-side of the house. "It's the second door on your left. The old treadmill is in there and you said you wouldn't have a problem taking it and donating it somewhere, correct?"

Ed nodded, "We're going to drop it off at Desert Hills High School after we're through here. The principal will send you a donation letter for tax purposes."

"Great." Anxious to dry her hair, she said, "I'll let you get to it then."

Halfway down the hall, she heard one of the men exclaim, "What the hell?" Turning on a dime, she yelled, "I said second door on the left. You opened the second door on the right, that's the bug room."

"I'll say. Seeing it bugged the crap out of me." Irving shook off his disgust and shut the door. "Haven't you people heard of Golden Retrievers?"

"Irving?" Gil greeted in a shocked tone. "Is that you?" It was hard to say for sure because the man was dressed in a white polo with The Training Zone embellished on the back and a pair of black pants instead of biker leather.

Irving thudded his 325 pounds of sheer muscle down the hall. "Yeah…it's me."

Sara glanced from man to man before saying, "And you two know each other how?"

"Anger Management," They replied simultaneously.

"Oh." Suddenly Sara was much less enthusiastic about having Ironman Irving in her home. "Um…"

Ed approached shaking his head. "Don't worry, ma'am. Irving doesn't really have an anger management problem. He goes to those classes to troll for clients. He's a personal trainer and has an arrangement with the class facilitator. He kicks business her way for her yoga center and in return she lets him sit in for free. You see, angry people often want to bulk up either because it will make them feel more powerful or they're afraid their annoying behavior will put them in a situation in which they could get their ass kicked if they can't defend themselves."

"Yeah…" Irving laughed heartily in Gil's direction. "Like your little pal with the stupid hair…prime candidate for a royal ass kicking."

"That's so Breakfast Club!" Sara blurted as she stared at the bulky anger-faker. "The rest of the kids are required to be there, but you go because you want to infiltrate the group."

Only a year older than Sara and an avid movie fan, Irving related to the generational reference. "Ally Sheedy's character…the recluse. She's only there because she didn't have anywhere else to be. Great flick."

Suddenly, this guy who could snap her like a twig in the blink of an eye, no longer seemed threatening and Sara relaxed her stance.

"Honey…" Gil finally got over the shock of seeing Irving in order to ask, "What are these men doing here?"

"Delivering the practical gift…" She happily informed him of the surprise. "A top of the line home gym complete with strength system, elliptical cross trainer, totally tricked out treadmill and free weights."

Irving jumped in, "Improving your strength might help you with that Anger Management problem you have. You know…you'll feel less vulnerable and therefore won't act out defensively."

Taken aback by the guy's assessment, Gil asked, "How do you know I don't go to Anger Management class to troll for crime suspects?"

Irving fielded that one without difficulty. "Because you were paying attention to the class content and not the participants. Plus, considering what you do for a living I figure you have a lot of pent up emotion."

"Very good." Gil was impressed with his observation skills.

Not missing a beat, the businessman in Irving asked, "Does that mean you'll hire me as your personal trainer?"

Sara gave him a push. "I won't be able to spot you if I'm pregnant because I could injure myself and the baby."

Just contemplating the idea made Gil's muscles ache. "How bad will you hurt me?" He asked the intimidating man looming over him.

"Bad enough to get the job done right." He laughed huskily. "But when I'm through with you, your wife will be so grateful she'll want to name the baby after me."

One glance at Sara, and Gil enthused. "Sign me up!"

Greg's Apartment

4:04 p.m.

Having prepped all the ingredients to make one of her son's favorite meals, chicken fajitas, Bev sat on a barstool at the kitchen counter reading the newspaper and sipping iced tea. With Tawny asleep, the apartment was quiet except for the slight hum of a ceiling fan and, after a whirlwind day, Bev was enjoying the tranquil summer afternoon. That is until her son came bounding into the apartment looking like he'd been hooked up to a caffeine IV drip for most of the day.

"I'm home!" He announced with zeal as he bounced over to the kitchen counter. "Where's Tawny? Is she in the bedroom? Where is she?"

"Shhh!" She scolded him while secretly enjoying his enthusiasm for his significant other. "Tawny is napping. She fell asleep on the couch and I managed to rouse her enough to walk her to bed. I wore her out shopping."

After a tumultuous day at work, Greg craved Tawny's supportive words and embrace. The news that she was unavailable vaporized his excitement. "Oh…"

"Gee…" Bev shook her head and smiled at her boy. "I guess you'll have to settle for a hug from me." Opening her arms, she welcomed him. "Remember how well my hugs used to work when you had boo-boos?" Teasingly she said, "Tell me where it hurts, Sweetie."

Accepting the invitation, he wrapped his arms around his mother. "No boo-boos…just a tough day at the office. It was a good day though…I didn't screw up anything. I uh…actually did real well." He felt it best to leave out the part about holding a gangbanger at gun point while he shook like a leaf.

"Good." While pushing her son out of her arms, Bev said, "Then I won't feel guilty about the can of whoop-ass I'm about to open."

"Huh?" He watched in horror as his mother's demeanor morphed from pleased to pissed in four seconds flat. "Uh…mom…you're scaring me with that look."

"Gregory Hojem Sanders…"

He knew he was in trouble when she included the middle name and suddenly he was wondering if he would be safer back in the 'hood with the Varrio 12 boys. "Uh oh."

"That's right." She patted the open bar stool next to her. "I have a few words for you."

"Just a few? Okay." Trying to remain optimistic, he slid onto the seat.

"Four words to be exact." Bev stared her son down with a smile before saying, "Booty call…donuts…pig!"

Horrified, Greg willed his pager to beep while saying a twisted prayer…please let the lab need me, no one has to die, make it a burglary!

"Who are you?" Bev asked in a voice filled with disgust. "I thought the son I raised had more respect for women!" Pulling back for a minute, she clarified, "Don't get me wrong, I'm no prude. I can handle the fact you had a night of reckless passion. I'm not a hypocrite. I steamed the windows of a car or two in my day. Hell, your grandparents were kicked out of Norway because your grandmother got pregnant before the wedding. That's not what I'm talking about here. The unprotected sex…the unplanned pregnancy…I can deal with those." Narrowing her gaze, she pointedly asked, "Can you guess what I'm having a really hard time understanding?"

Humiliation mounting, he turned his eyes to the floor.

Grabbing her son's chin, Bev made sure she had his attention. "What I can't understand, Gregory, is how you could go to that girl's apartment every day for two weeks exchanging Krispy Kremes for sex and never ONCE consider she might have a soul…that she had issues…that she was human and deserved more than baked goods in return for her affection. My god, you have an IQ of 147, don't tell me you didn't THINK about these things. You were exploiting her and you knew it! You never left her apartment. You couldn't even indulge her with dinner and a movie! How long would you have kept it up if she didn't get pregnant?"

Shamed by the disappointment in his mother's eyes, he didn't know what to say, so he went with the old stand by. "I'm sorry."

"For what specifically?" Bev wasn't satisfied with the lame reply. "For taking advantage of a girl who had no self esteem left because she had already been a victim of child molestation, date rape and sexual exploitation in a magazine? For not wondering why a box of donuts and a little meaningless pillow talk made her day, when a regular woman wouldn't settle for so little? Come on, son…you have to give me a little more here."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he weakly replied, "I've already beaten myself up over all this so..."

"Did you come to any conclusions?"

"Not any that you'll like," He replied honestly while slipping off the stool and moving to the opposite side of the counter. "Not any I liked either."

"Try me." She hoped for a good explanation.

"We both know I wasn't exactly a ladies man in school…"

Bev bit her tongue so she wouldn't interrupt right off the bat.

"Remember, I warned you wouldn't like it," He prefaced, sensing she was already displeased. "It's stupid and shallow, but here it is…I scored a hot chick and she was into me, I didn't care to think any deeper than that." He waited for her to yell and when she didn't he continued, "It felt good. What happened for other guys all the time finally happened for me and I decided to enjoy it. All my life…prep school, college, work…Nick and Warrick getting amazing girl after amazing girl…hell, even Grissom got Sara after I tried for years to get her to see me. All these years, it never happened for me. First dates yes, a handful of second and third dates…but never a girl who fawned over me, a girl who lived and breathed to see me every day. Deep down I knew there had to be a reason it was so easy with Tawny but, like you said…I didn't ask. I didn't ask because I didn't want to know…because I didn't want it to end and I knew it would if I knew the truth."

Appreciating the truth if not the content of the reply, she remarked, "You were living out a fantasy at her expense."

"I'm not proud of it now, if that's what you think." With his arms crossed firmly over his chest, he said, "There are certain things you can never take back…obviously I can't take back having unprotected sex and getting her pregnant, but the funny thing is that's not what I regret the most now. Night after night, I sat in the break room at work telling my friends every last disgusting detail about her just to pump my ego. You know…it was the kind of stuff they shared with me about certain lascivious women over the years. I was thrilled to finally be the storyteller instead of the audience. Hell, I even embellished to make it sound even trashier."

The emotion in her son's voice was enough for Bev to soften.

"They're never going to forget the stuff I said." Exhaling sharply, he stared at the ceiling. "Because of what I said, every time they look at her, that's what they see first…they don't see all the wonderful things about her…and there are so many wonderful things about her." His voice cracking, Greg confessed, "I know I can be a good father to the baby, I know I can be an attentive husband to Tawny…I know I can spend the rest of my life showering her with affection to make up for treating her badly those two weeks…I know I can do those things. But the one thing I can't fix…the thing I can't take back is degrading her to people she has to face. She doesn't know what I said, and they would never tell her, but I know. She already worries my friends don't think she's smart enough or good enough and while she's worrying about that, I have to stand there knowing what I said about her to them…yeah…I regret that more than anything and it's something I can't fix. I just have to live with the knowledge of what I did to her."

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Bev quietly said, "Sounds like a punishment worthy of the crime."

"Yeah." One look at her and his watery eyes finally overflowed. "I never thought I'd disappoint you so much. Dad, yes…you…no. I'm so sorry."

"It's a lame, unacceptable reason for your behavior, son…." Standing up, she circled the counter for a paper towel off the rack. "…but it's understandable why you're a little screwed up." Wiping her soaked cheeks, she remarked, "Maybe I had a hand in making you this way…maybe I should have been harder on you instead of telling your father to ease up. Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to send you to prep school so young. If you had more time to socially acclimate maybe you wouldn't have been so…oh I don't know…maybe if I had made you stay on the swim team like your father wanted…"

"Mom…" Reaching over, he grabbed a piece of paper towel for himself. "Stop, this has nothing to do with you or dad. I couldn't have asked for better parents or a more normal childhood. I know so many people who would have loved to be in my shoes as a kid. I see things on the job that make me grateful for the way I was raised every day of my life. And I wanted to quit the swim team and I wanted to go to prep school and I needed to skip grades or I would have been bored out of my mind. So I was a social misfit at times, my being a geek and missing out on the prom didn't entitle me to lose my sense of decency with Tawny. There's no deep psychological problem to trace back to you. It was one-dimensional self-absorbed disgusting behavior on my part and nothing more."

Not sure she felt exonerated, Bev kept dabbing her eyes and pondering the 'what ifs'.

"Shortly after the pregnancy shock I had this really good conversation with Grissom." Tossing his damp paper towel in the sink, he paused for a breath. "I was on this self-loathing spiral into hell…I even told him he should fire me because I didn't have the moral caliber for the job."

Her son's words snapped Bev away from her own thoughts.

"Grissom told me, 'the true test of my moral caliber isn't what I did before Tawny told me she was pregnant…it's what I've done since'." Able to look his mom in the eye for the first time since the start of the conversation, Greg said, "I think I've done a really great job since. The values I've demonstrated, and the good decisions I've made…the important ones I'll be making in the future, they're all because of how well you and dad raised me."

Bev knew it was time to reach for another paper towel. Just to be safe though, she took two.

His voice growing stronger, Greg said, "I could have run from this, I could have said yes when she offered to abort the baby, I could have left her dancing and living on her own until the baby's paternity was proven. You're right, her self-esteem was so low she would have done anything I said and I knew that. I could have done any one of those things, but I didn't. I didn't because those weren't things the son of Bev and Scott Sanders would do." Smiling, he reminded her, "I always was a late bloomer, remember? I got it wrong for two weeks, but I got a wake up call, caught on and now…I'm doing things right."

"Now I need a hug," Bev exclaimed as she burrowed into her son's arms. "I love you, Honey."

"I love you too, Mom." He sniffled with her.

"Do you love her, Greg?"

Suddenly chuckling through the tearful moment, he asked, "Do you really think you should be the first to know the answer to that question?"

"No, I suppose not." She laughed at herself before turning to blow her nose. "But I want to be second. Yes…it's time for me to accept I come second now."

Turning on the faucet, he splashed some cold water on his face and toweled off. "Last time I recall us crying together, Skippy the Wonder Hamster died."

"You had to go and bring that up!" She felt another wave of tears. "That still breaks me up when I think about it. You cradling Skippy in your hands asking me to fix him and me having to tell you I couldn't." Cupping her palm, she brought a handful of cool water to her face. "That's better." She quickly blotted the wetness away. "Good thing I opted for the waterproof mascara today."

"Hey there!" Tawny called out from the bedroom door. "Greg, you're home!" She excitedly exclaimed, "I thought you said you would be working late because of Nick leaving early. I'm so happy you decided to come home. I missed you!"

Watching her son's lips spread into a brilliant smile, Bev was certain she saw the answer to her earlier question.

"You look…" He couldn't believe she was the same girl he saw this morning. Her hair, her makeup, her clothes…everything was different. "You look…so beautiful."

Her hands rushing to her hair, Tawny gasped, "Oh! That's right! You haven't seen the new me yet!" She spun around. "I feel ten times better about myself than I did when I woke up this morning! I feel like I could go to any college campus and blend right in. Do you like it?"

"Do I like it?" Rushing to meet her in the middle of the room, he enthused, "I love it!" After running his fingers through her silky golden hair he pulled her in for a delicious kiss. And when they parted, with his hands still gently cupping her face, he whispered just loud enough so his mother could hear, "I love you."

The three words ripped the air from Tawny's lungs, leaving her gasping for a breath.

Tucked in the far corner of the kitchen, Bev reached for another paper towel just in time to catch the first tear of joy she shed today.

"You love me?" Tawny finally replied, hoping she wasn't still sleeping and dreaming. Catherine was right. To hear him say those magical words when they weren't prompted sent her mind reeling and her heart thumping out of control. "You really love me?"

"I love you," Greg stated with a little more conviction. Then, staying true to his goofiness, he asked, "I hope that's okay?"

Upon hearing her son's inane yet adorable question, Bev muffled her laughter with her crumpled paper towel. And just when she thought her son's cuteness couldn't be topped, she heard Tawny actually answer the silly question.

"Okay?" Bursting into a glorious grin, Tawny threw her arms around his neck. "Of course it's okay you big goofball! I love you too!"

Pleased to be privy to the special moment, but not wanting to outstay her welcome, Bev loudly cleared her throat before stating, "I'm going to head back to my hotel to freshen up for dinner. I'll be back in two hours to cook the dinner I prepped. Two hours…in case you were wondering how much time you have to celebrate the milestone."

"Thanks, Mom..." Greg replied in a chuckle without moving his eyes off Tawny.

Before the front door closed, Greg dove in for another kiss.

"Say it again," Tawny breathlessly commanded. "Just one more time."

"I love you!" He boomed as he dropped onto the couch pulling her onto his lap.

She was surprised it could sound better than the first time she heard it moments ago.

Clasping her tight, Greg rambled as only a boy in love for the first time in his life can. "I love how your eyes light up when I walk through the door. I love how you listen to me and hold me after a long day at work. I love how perfect we fit together when we snuggle in bed. I love waking up next to you in the morning. I love that you love my hair when no one else does. I love that you love me just the way I am." After that one he felt compelled to kiss her again.

Now it was Tawny's turn to gush. "I love how I want to be a better person because of your faith in me. I love how you listen to me and really care what I have to say even though I'm just an ex-stripper with a GED and you're Phi Betta Kappa. I love how you look at me and see more than a nice rack. I love that you took the time to ask questions and get to know the real me. I love that you saw things in me that no one else bothered to see."

"Wow…" Greg glanced over at the kitchen. "I really wish my mom had stayed long enough to hear you say those things!"

"She's coming back in two hours, I'll tell her then!"

Checking his watch, he announced, "One hour and fifty minutes now." Then he urged her to her feet and took her hand, leading her towards their bedroom. "That's hardly enough time! I've never made love with someone I said I love you to before and I'm dying to see how it feels."

"I assure you it feels fantastic!" Tawny confirmed with glee.

"Oh." Greg stopped in his tracks wondering how many guys she had told.

"I was talking about being with YOU!" She playfully shoved him. "I told you I loved you last week…and the week before that, remember?"

"Right…I knew that." His smile returned.

"You know what I'm dying to know?" She asked while unbuttoning his lime green shirt. "What it feels like to make love with a guy who loves me."

"You already know," He replied through a silly smile. "Because I've loved you for a while. I just needed a little time to get comfortable with feeling it before saying it."

"How do you feel now?" She inquired while slipping his shirt off his shoulders and planting a delicate kiss on his chest.

"Afraid I'm going to wake up."

The Grissoms'
4:29 p.m.

When Wendy, carrying a shopping bag, and Sean, holding his wrapped gift, approached the Grissoms' house they saw the front door was propped open and a burly man walking out.

"Who are you?" Sean inquired with wide eyes. Never in his life had he seen a man so muscle-bound and he couldn't imagine what he was doing at the Grissom's home.

"I'm Irving," He replied while stuffing his hands on his hips and pushing out his chest. "I'm Mr. Grissom's personal trainer."

Although analytical Sean had made some progress on his verbal-honesty blurting problem that Gil had warned him geeks were often pummeled for exhibiting…today wasn't one of those days. "Irving, you must be horribly inadequate at your job because Mr. Grissom isn't in very good shape. Perhaps you should consider a new career direction."

"Sean!" Wendy used her free hand to cover her precocious son's mouth. "Please forgive my boy, Mister…uh…Irving. He's uh…a little too…."

"Honest." Irving, a volunteer big brother to twin boys at the local Boys and Girls Club, cracked a smile. "Kids are nice that way. Yeah, I'd agree with you, Sean, if I had been working with Mr. Grissom for a while…the man's fluffy and probably can't run up a flight of stairs without panting, but he just hired me today. Give me a little time to kick his butt and then we'll see what you think about my job skills." After patting the boy on the head, Irving headed out to the truck for some more supplies.

"Sean!" Gil enthusiastically greeted as he reached the front door with Sara by his side. "We've been looking forward to your visit."

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Grissom!" Sean handed over the large box wrapped in white butcher paper with a hand-drawn red-flat bark beetle on the top.

Accepting the package with joyful expression Gil exclaimed, "Cucujus Clavipes!"

Wendy laughed, "Is that Latin for thank you?"

Sara patted her non-geeky friend on the shoulder. "No, that would be Latin for 'I'm such a bug freak I know that's a bark beetle drawn on the package'."

Sean quickly corrected the naïve woman. "RED FLAT bark beetle to be exact."

"Hey! Stop trying to out geek me." Sara teased her young brainy guest, "You're really letting that one extra IQ point go to your head. Well, your 147 doesn't scare me. I bet you don't even know what the word frabjous means?"

Without hesitation Sean replied, "It's an amalgam of the words fabulous and joyful, first encountered in Lewis Carroll's, Through the Looking Glass in…"

"Okay, okay, you win!" Sara huffed as her husband stood next to her shaking with laughter.

"I am having the best birthday," Gil announced as he scooted his protégé into the house. "And I can't wait to open this box."

"Mr. Grissom, did you know that the male to female ratio for bark beetles can be as high as 60 females to 1 male?"

"Really?" He glanced back at his wife who was following behind. "Wow…I'm glad I'm not a bark beetle, because one female is more than enough for me to handle."

"Looks like someone doesn't want to see his 50th," Sara jokingly snipped as she breezed by the cocky birthday boy. "I have your favorite oatmeal cookies in the kitchen, Sean…not that you can have one after out-geeking me in my own home. Just kidding."

When the foursome reached the kitchen, Grissom placed the present on the counter and carefully removed the paper so he wouldn't harm the drawing. "I think I'll cut out this picture and hang it in my office."

"Really?" Sean asked, flattered that his mentor would bestow such an honor. "Thank you."

Wendy placed her hands on her son's shoulders and spoke to Gil. "You'll need to get used to it. Refrigerator doors and office walls tend to get blanketed with drawings when you have children in your life."

Sara glanced over at the fridge and its blank stainless steel door. "I'll get the scissors."

With a birthday boy smile plastered on his face, Gil opened the box and when he saw the gift inside he was moved beyond words. "I…" Carefully he removed the handcrafted diorama and set it on the counter.

Wendy was quick to explain. "Sean made that for a summer school project…one of those, 'when I grow up I want to be…'"

"You, Mr. Grissom," Sean beamed with pride. "I want to be a Forensic Scientist and an Entomologist just like you."

"Mr. Grissom has a new job title as of next week," Sara informed the two Blakes. "Master Criminalist. So shoot for that goal, Sean." Winking at her still stunned husband, she said, "Because he'll be ready to retire when you're ready to take over."

Gil stared appreciatively at the eviscerated baby doll covered in fake blood, slimy brown ooze and plastic bugs. "This is exquisite. Thank you, Sean."

Wendy, who was thrilled that she would no longer have to see the ghastly display every time she walked into Sean's room, looked to Sara and asked, "Please assure me that girls will be attracted to my son if he continues down this path."

To which she honestly replied, "I won't lie to you…it takes a special woman to love a geek."