A/N: Okay, I have to apologize for the ridiculous delay in getting this chapter out. Real life just got so hectic, then during my Spring Break I was just too relaxed to even think about touching my computer for any other reason that to read or talk to friends, and then real life got hectic again. And it's been during this delay that I remembered why I would never write a WIP again. But I will finish this…I promise! Big thanks to AmbientFlames for bugging the hell out of me to write more, and for reading this over before I posted.
She sat in a chair, looking as if she had no clue what was going on around her. Amy was sitting in her lap, taking in the number of people in the room, still not completely understanding why she was there. Sara's face showed no emotion, even as her brother and sister in law's friends and acquaintances came to her to express their condolences. She would lift her head to look at them, offer a waning smile, perhaps a soft thank you, and then look back to the young child in her lap. She had never expected to be in this situation, and she definitely was not ready to handle it yet.
Halfway through the wake, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand. At first she ignored the feeling, cursing her body for playing tricks on her. But then, the familiar shiver she felt whenever he was near ran through her body, causing her to tense up a bit. She began looking around the room discretely, and a large smile formed on her face when she spotted him leaning on the wall by the door. Quickly, she maneuvered Amy onto her hip and stood up, weaving in and out of groups of people until she was standing in front of him.
Hefting Amy higher on her hip, she asked, slightly confused, "What are you doing here?"
He took a moment to observe her before answering. She looked absolutely exhausted, and although her face betrayed her pain, he could see a flicker of hope deep within her eyes. "The boys and Catherine threatened to kill me if I didn't come out here to be with you."
Her eyes widened slightly at his choice of words, but she quickly replaced her surprise with a bright smile, despite the activity around her. "And you actually took the threat to heart?"
He smirked, "They do know how to hide a body."
Truth be told, the second Sara called and said that both her brother and his wife had passed away, he wanted to drop everything he was doing and drive out to San Francisco to be with her. But he was leery of leaving the lab in its current state of affairs. If he left, only Greg and Sofia would be around to cover graveyard. Catherine and he were still not on the greatest terms, so he felt uncomfortable asking her for the help of Warrick and Nick. However, the news spread through the lab quickly, and at the beginning of his next shift, Catherine walked into his office, flanked by the two guys, and told him that they were willing to cover grave for a few shifts so someone could go be out with Sara. He was on the first flight out of Vegas the next morning.
A few moments of silence passed as Sara digested what Grissom had just told her. "Catherine was in on it too?"
"Sara…" he warned softly.
"Never mind, forget I said anything. That's the last thing I need to be thinking about." It was at this point in time that Amy buried her head into Sara's neck. She broke her gaze with Grissom to lean back to look at the girl in her arms. "Amy, honey?" Brown eyes locked with hers and Sara smiled. She looked back to Grissom, and began the introductions, "This is my niece, Amy. Amy, say hi to Grissom."
"It's very nice to meet you, Amy."
He was the first person all day that Amy did not shy away from. She smiled a little smile, whispered something resembling a "hi," and just stared at him. She figured he was okay to like, because he had finally made Aunt Sara smile, which she hadn't done since she first showed up at the hospital.
Grissom still recognized a little unease in the young child's eyes, so he decided to charm her a bit. "You know something, Amy? You look exactly like your Aunt here, very beautiful."
Amy's smile grew at the compliment, and he recognized it immediately. Looking back to Sara's face, he found the original owner of that smile, and her cheeks were lightly tinged in pink. Before either one of the girls could say anything in response, Sara felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Angie standing right behind her.
"I thought you could use a little rest from the little bug. You want me to take her for a little while?" Angie asked, all the while her eyes darting between Sara and Grissom.
Sara knew what she was getting at, and accepted the offer, but not before introducing her to Grissom. "Angie, this is my, uh, my friend, Gil Grissom. Griss, this is Julie's mother, Angie. She was basically my second mother growing up."
Blushing slightly at the exaggeration, Angie reached forward to grasp Grissom's hand. Once the introductions were complete, Angie collected Amy into her arms and walked toward a group of older women, each of whom gushed over the little girl.
Sara watched them walk away for a few moments, and then turned back to Grissom. Their eyes locked, and all of a sudden she felt like she could collapse. She had been running on pure adrenaline for the past two days, getting all of the arrangements together, and with Grissom standing in front of her, she felt drained.
He noticed her change in demeanor and before she could fall, he pulled her into his arms. She tensed for a few moments, and then relaxed. Within minutes she was comfortable enough to let herself feel the pain for the first time since leaving the hospital, and she began to sob into his shoulder. All he could do was hold her tighter, and stroke her hair softly, murmuring comforting words into her ear. And, there in the deep recesses of his mind, he couldn't help but think how perfectly she fit against his body.
After a few minutes, he noticed that her shoulders had stopped shaking violently, and her breathing had begun to deepen as she calmed down. She attempted to pull back, her eyes closed, but his arms prevented her from going far. She opened her eyes and realized that her lips were mere centimeters from his jaw line. Her eyes shot to his, and he was staring intently at her. They could both see the conflicting emotions the other was feeling, and neither wanting to break the eye contact.
It was Sara who moved first, her eyelids dropping slowly as she leaned forward and just barely brushed her lips across his jaw. She whispered, "Thank you," before pulling back, forcing him to drop his arms. They stood only about a foot apart, and kept up their search in the other's eyes, until Grissom's gaze darted behind Sara.
Angie was making her way back toward the couple, carrying a very sleepy Amy. "Sara, I think you should take her home now. She needs some sleep before tomorrow."
Sara just nodded as she collected the little girl from Angie. "Come on, Do. Let's go home." Amy wrapped her arms tightly around Sara's neck, and rested her head on her shoulder. Sara turned to Grissom. "Where are you staying?"
"I came right here once I got into town, so I was planning on getting a hotel after I saw you."
Sara shook her head, "No, follow me. You can stay with us. There's plenty of room."
"Sara, I…" he began to protest, until he was interrupted.
"Please, Griss."
He could see at that moment that she wasn't offering for his benefit. She needed him with her. And he wasn't going to deny her that. "Sure. Let's go." He placed a hand lightly on her back as he guided her and Amy outside, and away from the sorrow and pity that lingered in the faces of every person they passed.