A/N: Alright, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. I'm so glad nobody sent me any hate reviews like, "your story sucks monkies!" I continue not to own CSI, or any of its characters, I merely own Lily Grissom because she's a figment of my imagination.
Chapter Ten"What should I do, Trace?" Sara moaned. "I don't want to forgive him. I want him to suffer like I did."
"That's not you, Sar. That's your pride. What do you want to do?"
"I want this to be true." She cried. "I want him to take me home and have our baby together, and live happily ever after."
"There's no such thing as happily ever after." Tracy reminded her. "It's going to be tough. And Scary. There are going to be days where you'll just want to call it quits."
"I know." Sara nodded. "And he's hurt me so much."
"So what you're saying is that you can't trust him?"
"Essentially." Sara sighed. "So what do you think I should do?"
"Psychiatrist's opinion or friend's opinion?"
"Both?"
"It's an unusual situation. You guys have never really talked. As a shrink, I say don't trust him. But as a friend who's met him and talked to him, even if it was briefly, I think you should try to work it out. Maybe go away with each other for a weekend. No interruptions. Talk, don't fight. Listen. Get to know each other better. If you really do have a baby on the way, you don't want him to be an absent father."
"You think?"
"Hey, you asked for my opinion."
Sara reluctantly dialed the phone number.
"Grissom." He answered curtly.
"Grissom?"
"Sara?" He breathed.
"Hi." She murmured.
"Hi."
"I, uh, we need time alone, Grissom. You and me. No interruptions. We should spend a weekend together and talk."
Grissom drew in a sharp breath. "I'd like that, Sara."
"Good. So, um, when could you…?"
"Two hours?"
"Okay, see you then."
The two nervously entered the San Francisco hotel room. Two beds and a couch, but not much space otherwise.
"So, we should talk." Grissom set his bag down.
"Yeah." Sara followed suit. "Okay, where should we start?"
"Lily."
"Lily." Sara put a hand over her stomach. "We wouldn't be here without her. You said she told you everything."
"Most everything." Grissom nodded. "Just the general details. When did it all start?"
"Two months ago. I remember that night perfectly. I wasn't able to get to sleep. I'd been having trouble sleeping for a while, so I went downstairs to make myself a glass of tea. It helps me go to sleep. Instead, I found Lily. She told me about how I was born fifteen years late. Told me I had a chance to go back and at least try to fix things."
"With me?"
"With you." Sara confirmed. "You know, you were an adorable 17 year old. One night I came over to work on a school project and since it was dark, you walked me home, but only after I accidentally elbowed you in the gut. I came over a few times after that. Your mother told me I was too skinny and tried to feed me three-course meals."
That sounds like mom. Grissom thought with amusement.
"Then, this one guy, Tony Marello, asked me out. BMOC. Total jerk."
I remember him. Never liked him.
"Stupidly, I was trying to make you jealous. Tony tried to get…phyiscal with me. We were at Dr. Strangelove that night, at a drive-in. You were there too, but I didn't know. I started screaming when Tony wouldn't get off of me. You came over and punched him in the face. Pulled him off of me and took me home. That was the night we…" She waved a hand at her stomach.
"What next?" Grissom asked, enraptured.
"I either had to give up Lily or go back to the present day. I chose to go back."
"Why, aside from the fact that she's your daughter."
"I didn't know that then. I didn't know I was supposed to get pregnant. So I was a little panicked. Then you asked me to marry you." Sara blushed. "I really panicked. I told Lily I was going home. When I got home, there was this envelope of pictures waiting for me at the lab. She grabbed her suitcase. "This one was it. This was when I figured out who Lily was." She handed Grissom the photograph and he looked at it.
This is the picture from my dream. He realized. "Why did I ask you to marry me? Did I know you were pregnant?" It boggled Grissom's mind that he'd lived an entirely separate life without one clue as to what had gone on.
"I don't know why you asked me." Sara shrugged. "You didn't know I was pregnant. I guess nobody will ever know, but that version of you. I would have liked to have said yes, but I wasn't allowed to change anything. Us getting married at seventeen probably would have changed something."
They were silent for a few moments before Grissom asked, "do you know if I was a good father?"
"Lily never said you weren't a good dad. Why do you ask?"
"A week ago I started having these weird dreams. Now that I think about it, the dreams may have been Lily trying to show me something."
"Show you what?"
"Oh, nothing." Grissom rubbed his head. "I know what she was trying to tell me."
"What?" Sara asked again.
Grissom was about to say 'nothing' again when he remembered how much he'd said nothing to Sara years later. Had that 'nothing' been the reason behind their marriage falling apart? Had their marriage gone to pieces because he wouldn't tell Sara anything? "Lily said that we were in the middle of a divorce, right?"
Sara nodded, confused.
"It was my fault. The divorce was my fault. I had lipstick on my collar. I think I might've been having an affair."
"An affair?" Sara's jaw dropped and tears filled her eyes. "Oh, God."
"I know." Grissom slumped in his seat. "That must've been what Lily was trying to fix."
"Maybe this is a good place to stop for the night." Sara suggested. "I don't think I could handle any more."
"Yeah." Grissom nodded. "Good night, Sara."
Oh, I don't feel well. Sara bolted out of bed and into the bathroom. Time to worship at the ol' porcelain altar. Finally, when there was nothing left in her stomach and she was only dry heaving, Sara stepped away from the toilet. What in the Hell made me that sick? I didn't drink anything. Maybe it was morning sickness.
"Morning sickness?" Grissom asked softly from behind her.
"Probably." Sara started the shower and pulled her shampoo and conditioner out of her suitcase.
"I'll let you take a shower." Grissom started retreating from the bathroom. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Sure." Sara closed the door behind him.
"So, about…us." Sara started hesitantly.
"Us." Grissom repeated uncertainly.
"Yeah. In your letter to me you said that you, um, that you love me."
Grissom shifted uncomfortably. "I want to work this out between us." His voice lowered. "I miss you, Sara."
Sara lifted her head. "I've barely been gone a week."
"No, I miss you. I miss the woman who used to practically bounce into my office, ready to work and brighten up my day. I miss the woman who challenged me, kept me on my toes, and always made me think. I want her back."
"Grissom, I –"
"I know that I'm the reason, or at least part of the reason, why she's gone. I just hope it's not too late to get her back."
"It's not." She whispered. "It's not too late." Her expression changed. "Excuse me."
She bolted for the bathroom, Grissom following not far behind. He gathered her hair behind her head and rubbed her back. "It's okay." He soothed. "I've got you."
Sara flushed the toilet and grabbed a glass to fill with water.
"I'm sorry." He took her hand.
"Not your fault." Sara managed. "Is it hot in here, or am I just crazy?"
"Feels normal to me." Grissom put his hand to Sara's forehead. "Oh Jesus, Sara. You're burning up." Carefully, he lifted Sara up. "Come on, sweetheart. We need to get you back to bed."
"No, no. I'm fine." Sara insisted. "We should talk some more while we're awake."
"Come on, honey. Work with me here."
"I'm fine." She insisted, allowing herself to be carried to bed. Once she was tucked safely under the covers with Grissom nearby she rolled over. "G'night Grissom." Sara's head lolled back and she sleepily grinned at him.
"Night Sara." He kissed her forehead.
"I figured it out." Michelle announced to Emily. "I know what Lily changed."
A/N: Oh, oh…who's excited to find out what Michelle knows? Don't worry, I've got most of next chapter written, I'm just proofreading it and making a few corrections. It should be posted by Sunday. I would post it tomorrow night, but I am playing violin with a quartet at a wedding. (Yaaaaaaaaaay extra money!) Soooo…I know I'm excited to find out what Michelle knows and who is ready for TLC GRISSOM! Have a GREAT weekend! (BTW, I'm only this hyper because I finished off the chocolate my friend got for me upon my arrival back from Japan.)
-Corey