AN: Ahah. I am BACK EARLY! YAY! So I get to put up another chapter 2 DAYS before I thought I would. I bet some people are happy about that. So without further delay... drum roll please... The NEXT CHAPTER. :) :) :) !
Over the next 4 days, Lena spent a few hours at Sara's apartment everyday. It was Sara's idea. So Tony would get used to Lena. The little boy seemed to like the young woman. Not as much as Sara, who his clung to constantly as if he realized that she would be leaving soon, but at least he wasn't shouting a screaming.
As soon as she could, Sara told Lena Tony's history. She gave the woman the condensed version and left out a few things. She left out the fact Tony's mother was murdered and Sara's own involvement in Tony's discovery. She did tell Lena the story of his name, and Tony's real name. She also mentioned that his father was being looked for by the police. After telling Lena this, Sara fully expected her to back out, but she didn't. The young woman just nodded and reassured Sara that she would check and double check every person who knocked on the door. The cops were still situated outside her building, so Sara didn't expect Dirchy to be turning up anyway.
The day she went back to work, Sara woke up early. Tony was still sleeping. Sara had been eating a lot more macaroni, pop tarts, peanut butter and other things typically found on a little kid's food list. And a lot less green vegetables. Today, it was macaroni and cheese. Before she was even finished making it, Tony woke up. He was always up within ten minutes of Sara.
"Good morning," she said to the little boy as he gave her his customary morning hug. It was still morning for both of them despite the fact it was fairly late at night. Morning for Sara was only when you woke up, it didn't necessary have to be sunny or really morning.
"You want milk or juice," she asked Tony. In an effort to encourage him to talk, Sara often asked him questions with more then one option. He managed to find his way around this though. Either he actually went to get whatever his choice was, or he simply remained silent until Sara rephrased the question to which he could simply nod or shake his head. Today, Tony opted for silence.
Sara sighed. The many shrinks told her to not back down and force him to talk, but Sara wouldn't do it. She understood his silence.
"How about milk," she said, abandoning the macaroni for a minute and bending down to his level. he nodded, a blank look on his face. Sara smiled and hugged him tightly before returning to the food.
Half-way through eating, the door opened. Or tried to open. Sara had locked it
"Open up, Sara," came Lena's voice through the door. Sara promptly went to unlock the door. Lena entered, carrying a laptop. Lena had decided in the beginning it would be easier to bring her work to Sara's apartment then bring Tony and everything he would need over to her's. The laptop was the only thing she needed. Lena would be able to watch after Tony and do her work, not that her work required that much attention.
"Hey, Tony," Lena greeted the little boy. Tony responded by glancing up for a moment before returning to his food. Lena didn't push him. After re-lcoking the door. Sara proceded to get ready for work.
A little while later, Sara was saying her good byes to Tony, who did not want to let her go.
"I'll be back in a few hours," she told him. He was still reluctant to let her leave. He didn't cry or shout or scream, but Sara wasn't expecting him too. He just watched with big brown eyes as she walked out.
"Hey, Sara," Nick said as she walked into the lab. He was obviously just leaving.
"Long time no see," said Warrick, who came up behind Nick. She greeted them both with a smile and Nick gave her a hug.
"Brass told us about the kid," Warrick said. "Can't belive you became a foster parent." There was a look of admiration in both his and Nick's eyes.
Sara shrugged. "He didn't have anyone else," she said simply. 'And I know what he's going through' she said, but only in her head. They didn't need to know about her childhood. Some things were better kept among only a few people. Nick and Warrick left and Sara walked into the break room. Greg came running in a moment later.
"Sara, there you are. I thought something happened. I called your house, but some woman answered and said you left and-"
"Stop," Sara half shouted, cutting him off. "Okay now why were you worried."
"Well you weren't here, and it's almost the start of shift," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Sara checked the clock. "Greg," she said slowly. "Shift doesn't start for another half hour. I'm early."
"Exactly. This is the first time in..." he could obviously not find a persice length of time, "a very LONG time that you weren't at least an hour and a half early. I was staring to think something bad happened."
Greg was of course joking... sort of. Sara was about to have a snappy comeback when she realized he was in fact telling the truth. It must have shown on her face, because a grin appeared on Greg's face.
"Hey I think it's great you actually have a life," Greg said. Sara decided to take this as an insult, which it was. But it was a Greg insult, which made it more humerous and light hearted. So instead of killing him, she punched him lightly on the arm.
"Good you're back," Grissom said as he entered the room. He was carrying an asignment slip, which he handed to Sara.
"You and Greg have a DB out in Henderson."
"Hey, when do I get to work solo," Greg asked in a slightly whining, slightly joking voice. It sounded more like the old lab-tech then the new Greg. But that was okay. He was obviously still in the transitional phase.
"When I give you a solo job, Greg," Grissom said in the same tone parent say "Because I said so"
Greg, wisely, decided to let it go.
"I'm driving," she told Greg as they walked out to the SUV. Greg rolled his eyes, but Sara didn't see that.
"You always drive," he said.
"You know what, you can drive on the way back." Sara said. The look in Greg's eyes made her question weather or not she should have done that.