A/N: For those of you who are already falling out of love with this story, you may want to stop reading right now, because I warn you that this chapter will only piss you off more. I love all of the great reviews, however! Keep 'em coming. And I'm finally able to get to sleep at regular(ish) hours, so I'm not quite as cranky as I have been for the past couple of days. Enjoy chapter nine!
PS: Since I'm flying beta-less, any and all mistakes are mine and solely mine.
Chapter NineSara adjusted the belt across her lap and leaned back. She was finally leaving, finally getting away from the mess that her life had become.
Please let this be a quiet flight. Sara prayed.
As if in on cue, a baby directly behind her let out a long wail. Sara groaned quietly. It seemed as though the whole world was against her.
In just an hour or two, I'll be in California and ready to start a new life. Sara reminded herself. I'll be away from Grissom and all of the drama between us. Away from Catherine's bitchy, calculating, manipulative ways.
I'll finally be free.
&&&&
Nothing Lily had done so far had worked. Grissom remained as closed as he had been before.
This is ridiculous. Lily flopped onto the couch of the AD's office.
"What did you say your name was again?" Ecklie stared the girl down.
"Lily Grissom." She repeated. "I'm Gil's niece."
"I didn't know Grissom had any siblings."
"Sister. Half." Lily lied.
"Well, I'll let him know you're here." Ecklie lifted the receiver off the hook. "Gil? Yeah, it's Conrad. There's a young lady in my office who says her name is Lily Grissom. Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes. Thanks."
Grissom strode into Ecklie's office. "Lily, it's great to see you. Why don't you come to my office?" I am so confused right now.
"Sure. Sounds great."
"Ecklie, I'm on break for ten."
"Sure." Ecklie was confused. "Ten minutes is fine."
Grissom led Lily to his office. "I didn't know I had any siblings."
"You don't." Lily shut the door. "My name is Lily Grissom and I'm your daughter."
"My what?"
"Please don't freak out. This is, um, really hard to explain. I need you to swear you won't freak out."
"I promise."
"You're my dad and Sara is my mother. In the future, you're supposed to get married."
"Wait, wait. How can you be my daughter? I've never even slept with Sara." Grissom looked at Lily strangely.
"Technically, yes you have slept with her. I really don't know how to explain this other than Sara went back in time so that you were both seventeen. You ended up sleeping together and I was conceived."
"This is insane." Grissom shook his head.
"Yeah, it is." Lily closed her eyes. "Look, I know you're probably ready to call security on me, but please just trust me. You have to go after mom and make things right."
"I – this- I don't even know where she is."
"In California. Santa Carina. Visiting a friend named Tracy Warner."
"Look, you seem like a very nice girl, but –"
"You had otosclerosis." Lily interrupted. "So did your mother. I was named after her. Lillian Grissom. She died a year after I was born. Your dad was a trader with Communist China. When I was twelve mom looked him up. He died May 9th, 2006." Lily folded her arms. "I am your honest-to-God, real, and totally, 100 legit duaghter."
Grissom eyed Lily. "This is impossible."
"No, not impossible." Lily shrugged. "Highly unorthodox, though." She leaned back against the door frame.
That's Sara. Grissom's stomach clenched.
"Find mom. Make her happy. And please, for the love of God, get it right this time."
Grissom had a notepad out. "Tracy Warner? Santa Carina?"
"37 Bellemont Street, by the water." Lily supplied helpfully. "Look, dad," the word felt weird rolling off her tongue. "You and mom need each other. Remember that."
&&&&
Grissom found 37 Bellemont Street with almost no trouble. The trouble was in getting 35-year-old Tracy Warner and her eight-year-old son to let him over the threshold.
"I'm sorry Dr. Grissom, but Sara isn't available just now."
"When can I see her?"
"You can't." Josh placed his fists on his hips. "Auntie Sara doesn't want to see you."
"Josh!" Tracy covered his mouth.
"What?" Josh said, his voice muffled. "It's true. Sara said she didn't want to see him anymore."
"Josh. Kitchen. Now. Eat your lunch." She turned to Grissom. "Sorry. Eight-year-old boys."
Grissom nodded. "Ms. Warner, I assume that you know that Sara and I were sort of involved."
"Sara had mentioned something, yes." Tracy's tone was cool and detached. "She also mentioned that if a Dr. Grissom came looking for her, she wasn't ready to see him just yet."
"Oh." Grissom fidgeted with the orchid he'd bought. "Then would you please give this to her, Ms. Warner?"
"I'm not sure –"
"Please." He interrupted. "Please give it to her."
"Okay." Tracy accpeted the plant. Her features softened when she saw Grissom dejectedly trudging down the driveway. Tracy closed the door behind herself and jogged down the gravel drive. "Mr. Grissom, wait."
Grissom turned around, revealing an expression of guarded hope.
"Why are you here?" She asked.
"I'm sorry, I don't follow." Grissom shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
"Why are you here? In Santa Carina. Looking for Sara. What is it that you're trying to accomplish?"
"Ms. Warner, I've known Sara for fifteen years and I've done a lot of regrettable things to her. But for some inexplicable reason, we can't stay away from each other. We're going to have a baby and I want to be the best father I can. I can hardly do that if Sara won't speak to me."
"Sara's pregnant?" It seemed Sara hadn't mentioned this bit of information with Tracy.
"I'm fairly sure she's pregnant. " He ducked his head. "So anyway, please just make sure that gets to Sara. It's really important."
"I'll try, Mr. Grissom." Tracy jogged back up the drive and into the modest two-story house.
"Hey Trace." Sara took a bite from her bagel and caught sight of the plant. "Um, did you get a new plant for the backyard?"
"Actually, it's for you. From Grissom."
Bagel instantly forgotten Sara grabbed the orchid and moved to put it back outside. She really wanted to shove every last petal into the kitchen sink garbage disposal, but Sara couldn't bear to kill the plant because Grissom was a complete jerk.
"Wait!" Tracy stopped her. "He said that the letter and the orchid were important. Maybe you should at least read the letter."
Sara slit open the envelope and started to read.
Dear Sara,
Earlier today a young girl named Lily Grissom came to see me. She said she was our daughter.
At first I didn't believe her, but then I saw the way she stood, the way she talked, and it was all you, Sara. But her eyes and face, they were undeniably mine.
I was terribly confused. How could we have a fifteen-year-old daughter when we'd never even had sex?
Then she told me all about how you'd gone back in time to make me fall in love and how you ended up pregnant. She explained to me that you were born fifteen years late, that we were supposed to have been born in the same year.
I suppose that's why something always felt off-balance with us.
Sara, I've spent an eternity running from you. I don't even know why I'm running anymore. I spoke to Ecklie this morning about our relationship. He'd already gone to the Director. They'd discussed it and figured out a way that we could remain on the same shift. And if something goes wrong, I can teach or consult.
I spent so many years thinking that the only thing that mattered was the job, that anything that might be any kind of threat to that wasn't worth it. But I've woken up every night, for a long time now, wondering why I was cold. Work couldn't keep me warm at night and it won't be there for me to comfort me until I'm dead. At some point I have to retire, and what will I have to show for it then?
Sara, I love you too much to let you go. After all the awful things I've done to you, I know I don't deserve any more chances, but please give me just one more. I promise I won't waste it. I'll prove that I deserve it.
We're going to have a daughter and that we're both going to love more than life itself. Please forgive me and I love you so much.
-Gil
Sara's hands shook as she set the letter down. Another chance? There've been too many already. But I still love him.
Could she let him so close to her again? Would he ruin her? Sara recalled something Shannon used to tell her. 'Sara, baby, sometimes when you jump off a cliff there's a net to catch you. Sometimes you just fall. But you can't spend your life looking over the edge trying to figure it out. At some point, you've got to just close your eyes and jump.'
The question was, could Sara close her eyes again?"
&&&&
"Emily, I think we've got a problem." Michelle said grimly. "Look."
"There's nothing there." Emily gasped.
"She's changed something." Michelle shook her head. "I don't know what in the Hell Lily Grissom did, but she doesn't have a world to go back to."
A/N: Okay, thoughts on the whole Lily not having anywhere to go to? Thoughts on this chapter? I'm aware that it was REALLY OOC from the show, but hopefully it was believable with the plotline of this story. Please don't hate me!
-Corey