Chapter 12
The day seemed like déjà vu to Alex. She hadn't slept much the night before. She tried to stay preoccupied. And she still arrived 15 minutes early for lunch. When she got to the diner she even chose the same booth as before.
Please let him show, she silently prayed. She wasn't upset at him for what happened with Greg. It was Greg's choice to end it before it began. She couldn't blame Greg either. It was an awkward position to be in.
Even the waitress was the same. "What can I get for you?"
"Diet soda and a second menu," she said sheepishly, giving a weak smile.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Grissom had his own apprehensions that day. He knew that he was doing what he wanted, but he wasn't sure if it was what was best. He didn't know what Alexandria wanted from him and he didn't know if he'd be able to give it to her. He knew next to nothing about this girl, but according to Greg, she was great.
Greg, Grissom thought. He hadn't given Greg any orders when it came to Alexandria. He didn't feel it was his place. Granted, it might make their working environment a little bit odd, but they were adults. And she could do a lot worse than Greg.
He grabbed the ring off the table and slipped it in his pocket. Then he got on his way to meet his daughter.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
At one the waitress came by. "You ready to order?"
Alex sighed. "Not yet."
"Hon, it's not really my place to say, but you're much too young to be spending your life here waiting on somebody that doesn't show," the waitress offered.
Alex was just about to agree, when the bell signaling someone entering rang. She looked up and her heart skipped a beat. It was him.
"I'm not waiting anymore," Alex smiled and waved Grissom over.
The waitress looked at Grissom. "He's not bad. A little old for you, though, isn't it?"
Alex laughed. "He's my father."
"Then I guess he's just about the right age," the waitress said and walked away as Grissom walked up.
"Mr. Grissom," Alex said, a goofy grin on her face. "I'm so glad you could make it!" She extended her hand to him.
"Please, call me Gil," he replied, shaking her hand firmly. "It's good to finally meet you, too, Alexandria."
"Please, call me Alex. No one's called me Alexandria since I was 10. Unless of course I was in trouble, then it was the full name. Alexandria Gillian Hart!" She mimicked an adult scolding a child. The she burst out, "Well, duh!"
Alex noticed the look of confusion on Grissom's face. "Gillian," she said. "With a 'G.' Like a female version of Gil. My mother was sneaky!"
Grissom nodded and smiled, a rare occasion for him. Olivia hadn't forgotten him. Alex reminded him so much of her mother. He was glad he had decided to come and didn't get delayed this time.
An awkward silence ensued. Neither one really knew how to start. Finally it was the waitress who broke the silence. "You two ready to order?"
After both gave their order to the waitress, Alex decided to start. "What can you tell me about my mother?"
Grissom was silent for a moment. Of all of the things he thought she might want to discuss, her mother hadn't even crossed his mind. "Well, it was a long time ago," was all he could think to say.
"I'm sorry, I know," Alex replied. "The only things I know about her are the things my grandmother shared with me. I just thought you might be able to tell me a little more, since you knew her in a different way."
"She was beautiful," he started. "You look so much like her."
Alex blushed. "My grandmother always said I looked like her, but I never saw it."
He continued, "And very smart. Very energetic. She was a very special person."
She smiled, hearing about her mother always made her smile.
"Tell me about you," Grissom said, trying to get off the subject of Olivia, a subject he wasn't comfortable with.
Alex started by talking about her childhood, which wasn't all that bad. Her grandmother was very loving but firm. She talked about her love of science, but her grandmother wanted her to be a businesswoman. So she double-majored in college. Maybe someday she might go back to college but for right now she was really enjoying her time with the Bureau.
She asked him about his work. He told her about some of his interesting cases with the crime lab, which to him was almost all of his cases. He talked about the people he worked with, how they were like a dysfunctional family.
Alex went on to talk about how she found out about him. Her grandmother had raised her to believe both of her parents were dead, but then her grandmother died. Alex inherited all of her grandmother and mother's things. In going through some of her mother's books she found the letter to Gil. She found him after some searching, and then transferred to the Las Vegas Bureau office. She's actually been in Vegas for almost three months before she gave him the letter.
The lunch was good, but the afternoon drew into evening and Alex had to go back to work the next day.
"I'm not going to ask for another meeting at this time," she said, surprising Grissom. "If we make plans and you don't come, I'll be disappointed. IF you say you don't ever want to see me again right now, it would break my heart. Having lunch with you was more than I ever could have hoped for. If you want to have lunch or dinner or just go see a movie sometime, give me a call and if you don't, don't."
They got up to leave and Alex leaned over and gave Grissom a hug. After a brief hesitation, Grissom returned the hug. Human contact, Grissom thought.
As she turned to leave, Grissom handed her the box that contained the ring. "This is for you."
She took the box and left.
It was a good day.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\Epilogue
When Alex got home she opened the small box. When she saw what was inside, she smiled. He never forgot, she thought as a tear fell. I might just have a family after all.
