He Ain't Heavy…He's My Grissom

Chapter 5: A Walk on the Beach

Summaries, Ratings and Disclaimers, Oh My: See Chapter One

A/N: Huge Sara Monologue ahead. Just to give a heads up.

Grissom and Sara sat on a bench eating their ice cream and watching the waves crash onto the sand. They ate silently and greedily. Grissom looked up at Sara and asked for a taste of her chocolate ice cream. Giddily Sara fed him a bite and opened her mouth and pointed to Grissom's bowl. He lovingly spooned the creamy vanilla into her mouth, and moaned slightly as she sucked the ice cream off the spoon.

"Wanna go for that walk?" she asked. Grissom nodded his agreement and they put their cartons of ice cream in the garbage.

Sara looked at Grissom, "You have a little ice cream on your chin." Before he could wipe it away, Sara leaned in and gently licked it off. Grissom cupped her face in his hands and brought her in for a kiss.

They spent a few moments kissing, tasting ice cream and love in each other's mouth. After a few moments, Grissom pulled away to catch his breath and took a moment to watch Sara.

Sara all but glistened in the moonlight, which highlighted her warm eyes, and the lips that had grown swollen with his kisses. The breeze gently moved her soft wavy hair. In that moment she was pure enchantment, a Gershwin tune come to life, and Grissom could not imagine himself to be more besotted with Sara than he was at that moment.

Sara was not used to such adoring scrutiny, and she blushed a deep pink, which only made her more alluring, if such a thing was possible.

Breaking the moment, Sara reached down to take off her shoes and motioned to Grissom to do the same. As they felt their bare feet hit the cool sand, they both made a sigh of pure contentment.

"I love the beach." Sara said wistfully. Ever observant, Grissom picked up on the wistful tone. "Some say that the desert is like the ocean." He murmured.

Sara smiled, "Yes some do say that. Hey Gilbug, I wanted to thank you again for coming with me. I know that they can be a rough crowd, and it means so much."

Grissom laughed, "Its ok Minnie. Wait until you meet my mom. She could give Nana Ro a run for her money."

Sara looked up. "I'm going to meet your mom?"

Grissom looked puzzled, "Don't you want to?"

Sara blushed, "Of course, I couldn't think of anything I would like more, it's just, well... Friday, I was wondering what it would be like to kiss you and now its Monday, you've met my family, we're sharing a suite and you're talking about me meeting your mother…"

"Am I going to fast Sara?"

"No, Grissom, I just need a minute to catch up."

Grissom knew that he and Sara had to talk about the new step they were taking, talk about how to coordinate 'this' with their work life and how to move at a pace that they were both comfortable with. Now that he finally had her within his grasp, he did not want her to float away. We will have that talk, thought Grissom, but not now.

They enjoyed a few moments of companionable silence, finally Grissom asked, "So how did you end up with the Mazza's?"

Sara took a moment. "I met them my first day at Harvard. Maddie was assigned to be my roommate, as they tend to put the 'prodigy's" in a room together. Although as someone who just turned 17 I was a little old for the child genius dorm that is where I ended up. I get to the room, and there is Maddie, surrounded by her mom, dad, Frankie, Tony Jr, Nana Bernadette, and her grandma. They are all wearing Harvard shirts, and Maddie is trying so hard to be cool, even though she is quite embarrassed. She manages to kick the family out for a few minutes so we could chat and establish sleeping sides and all, and we started to unpack. When the family came back, they told Maddie it was time for dinner. As they filed out, Papa Tony turned around and asked if I was waiting for an engraved invitation. We went to a restaurant in the North end and ate for what seemed like hours while the family competed to see who could tell the most embarrassing story about Maddie. She looked so embarrassed, and I was torn between being grateful for being alone, and insanely jealous that I did not get a send off like that. When I left for Harvard, my social worker gave me cab fare and wished me luck."

Grissom nodded. It pained him to think of a teenage Sara all alone and unloved. Sara noted his silence and continued.

"They brought us back to the dorm and it was time for them to go. The whole family began hugging and kissing Maddie and crying. On the way out, Mama gave me a big hug, a piece of paper and asked me to look after her baby. It was the first time I had been hugged in so long, by someone who wasn't trying to get into my pants; I almost didn't know what to do. I just clung to her for a moment, and inhaled her scent. She smelled like blooming roses and garlic. I promised her I would do my best and finally I let go and the whole family left.

Maddie and I got along great, I didn't tell her about me, I couldn't even figure out how to begin. I was just so in awe of her. Not school wise, she was smart, but then so was I, but she just bounced and glowed through every day so happily."

Sara took a breath and watched Grissom who was watching her intently. It wasn't his scientist glare, but the look of a smitten man who was interested in what she had to say. This gave her the courage to go on.

"You know, you can tell when someone comes from a family that adores them. They just glow, and their happiness is reflected in everything they do. Kind of like Nicky…."

The two of them stood silently for a moment, watching the ocean and thinking about how close they had come to losing Nicky.

"Anyway at college, I hid about my family and tried to be a new person. I went on dates, and even experimented. Then I started going from bed to bed, because I craved affection. It was not good. Maddie was confused, but chalked it up to my adjusting. I took a job as a bartender to help with my scholarship, and began getting involved with upperclassmen. Anyway Thanksgiving came, and I pretended I was going home. Maddie left with her family contingent, and I pretended to have a flight a day earlier to avoid the group. But Mama was smart. She called on Thanksgiving Day, and out of habit I answered the phone, and I was busted. She just wished me a Happy Thanksgiving, and said that she would talk to me later. That Sunday she dropped Maddie off, and while Maddie was unloading the car, invited me for Christmas. I knew I wasn't going to get away with not going, so I accepted."

Sara stopped for a moment, supposedly to admire the moonlight, but Grissom knew she was gearing up for more of her story.

"Anyway I came home for Christmas, and it was incredible. Mama fed me from the moment I walked in the door until the moment I left. They even had a stocking for me hanging on the mantel, it had my name embroidered on it and matched everyone else's. I had not had a stocking since I was ten, my parents were too busy getting drunk or high or fighting to care much. Christmas morning came and everyone had gotten me a present, even Santa. Could you believe it, Santa for a 17 year old? It was the best Christmas of my life. The next day, while I was helping Mama clean up, she called me into her room, and sat on the chaise and began to ask me questions. Let me tell you. Mama M. could take Brass to school on how to interrogate people."

Grissom laughed at the image of Mama M. and the Nana's interrogating the various suspects that came through the police department.

"I told her about everything, my parents, foster care, the drinking, the boys, and she held me while I cried and cried with me. She then talked to me about being careful and how I wasn't alone anymore. I was now a Mazza. I found out after I graduated that she and Papa Tony even looked into adopting me, but I was too old. Anyway, they made me part of the family. I lived there on breaks and spent summers working at Uncle Vinnie's Garage, and doing plumbing and helping out with the huge group of kids."

Grissom gave Sara's hand a gentle squeeze. Sara continued, "It was wonderful, yet sometimes horrible. After my mom killed my dad, I learned that not everyone lived like we did. But then seeing the Mazza's, I saw what I could have had, if I had been born to different people, and it hurt, and I was jealous. That was one of the reasons I moved so far away."

Grissom asked, "Have you considered moving back?"

"Occasionally, even as late as six months ago, but my life is in Vegas."

Grissom kissed Sara. They realized that they had walked quite a while and headed back to the car. As they walked, Grissom told her about growing up with a deaf mother, and an indifferent father, and how lonely he often was. He spoke of his sorrow for the times he hurt her.

As the two of them walked, they deepened their bond between them. Sara broached the topic of work. Grissom explained that there was no rule about them dating, but would be organizing the team so she was supervised by Catherine, provided they could get along. Sara agreed. They also decided that work would be professional time, but once they left the parking lot, all bets were off. Sara also made Grissom promise to not avoid giving her assignments that were in bad neighborhoods. Grissom promised, but did not like making that one. Sara kissed the pout off of his face and they headed back to the hotel.

Once they were in the suite, Grissom drew Sara to him and kissed her goodnight. They kissed for several minutes, and Sara invited Grissom to sleep with her in her bed. Just sleep she promised him.

Grissom was shocked, "Sara Moonbeam Sidle! Do you honestly think I could get in a bed with you and just sleep?"

Sara looked at him sheepishly.

"Minnie darling, even my self-restraint has limits." And with a swat on the fanny and a kiss on the head, he sent her off to her own room.

Sara headed to her room, but then turned around. "Grissom, how do you know my middle name?"

Grissom gave her the devilish choirboy grin that always made her weak kneed, "Minnie, you would not believe the things I know about you." He blew her a kiss and they went to their separate bedrooms, knowing that their dreams would be happy and full of the other.

TBC

A/N: To all of you sticking with the story, thanks. I am also loving the reviews.

Hopefully I will get the next chapter out in the next day or so. Grissom and Mac

meet up and talk work and relationships.