Disclaimer: It's not mine, thought if it was, CSI would be on every night! And there'd be more romance!

A/N: Hey y'all, another chappie for ya, and enjoy! Glad y'all liked the "Greggo's gonna be a daddy" part. I'd like to apologise for the lack of update. I had this nearly done, but then the Katrina fiasco happened. I have family members (a foster sister and her daughter) who live in New Orleans. So I've really just been too worried to do much of anything until I knew what happened. She's fine, my family and I found out Friday. She and her daughter got out before it hit, and went to stay with friends in Oklahoma. So with that being said, I would like to just thank God that she's okay. I also want to extend my sincerest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to those who weren't so lucky. You're in my prayers. Anyways, thanks for letting me get that off my chest, and I hope you enjoy the chappie!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Fifteen

"Well that's some Christmas present Sara," Warrick pulled her away from Greg to give her a hug before turning her over to Nick.

"Hey in there, I'm your Uncle Nick," Nick smiled broadly, rubbing Sara's perfectly flat stomach, causing her to laugh.

"I won't show for a while Nick," she swatted his hands away.

"Still, doesn't mean I can't start teaching the baby now. He needs to know that the stuff his dad listens to isn't really music!"

"He?" Catherine raised an eyebrow as she shoved Nick out of the way in order to give Sara a quick hug. "Since when are you a psychic? And Sara, if you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to give me a call. And I've still got a lot of Lindsey's old things up in the attic if you want anything."

"Thanks Catherine."

"And it's gonna be a boy cause I want a nephew close by that I can spoil," Nick grinned.

"I second that!" Warrick laughed.

"I think it'll be a girl, as stubborn as Sara here," Catherine added her two cents.

"Hey now, I don't want this becoming one of the lab's betting topics," Sara protested, feeling slightly overwhelmed with all the attention.

"What do you think Gris?" Catherine turned to look at Grissom.

"I just want the baby to be healthy," Grissom replied with that infuriating smile of his.

"No fair boss, you gotta have some sort of opinion about it," Nick pressed.

"The only opinion I have is that I hope he or she is healthy. Though I'm sure some of us might have opinions about a certain young lady you were taking around the lab earlier," Grissom hinted as he walked out of the break room.

"What? Nicky brought a giiiirrrrllll to visit the lab?" Catherine turned a piercing, inquisitive gave on Nick. "Oooh, do tell Nicky. Was this the girl you mentioned the other day?"

"Y'all aren't gonna leave me alone, are you?" He shook his head in defeat.

"Nope, so get talking man," Warrick slapped him on the back playfully.

"All right, what do you want to know?"

"How about her name, age, what she looks like, what her hobbies are, if she's crazy for actually being friends with you…?" Catherine rattled off several questions.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up there," Nick laughed. "Okay, her name is Layla Mackenzie and she's thirty one. She's kinda short I guess, about five feet, four inches or so. Reddish brown hair, and the most beautiful brown eyes I've ever seen."

"You've got it bad," Greg snickered.

"Shut up, at least I'm not as bad as you," Nick retorted before Catherine flapped her hand at him, motioning for him to continue on. "I'm going, chill! What's she like, is that what you wanted to know?"

"Yeah, her personality, her hobbies, all that good stuff," Sara gave him an overly sweet smile-revenge was so sweet.

"She reminds me of Grissom a bit- super smart, and full of random knowledge. She's loyal to a fault, and honest, almost brutally sometimes. You'd like her cause she's always ready with a swift kick in the ass if I need it, which I have over the years. She's really great with my nieces and nephews, really playful, likes to have fun. She's just full of life, and the best friend I ever could've hoped to have."

"Oh that's so sweet," Greg pretended to wipe a tear away. "Our little Nicky's all grown up and in-like with a girl!"

"In like? What the heck is that man?" Warrick looked at Greg like he was crazy.

"Well, you know when you care about someone, but you're not in love yet, I call that being in-like."

"Makes sense," Warrick chuckled. "Yeah then, Nick's in-like."

"Yeah, yeah, are you done now?" Nick rolled his eyes.

"Just one more thing. What was she doing here?" Warrick asked.

"Well she's never been to Vegas, so she's here on vacation. And of course, we're hanging out some, and I'm showing her some sights, and she wanted to see where I work. We're going to fly back out together and spend the holiday with our families like we always do."

"How sweet. Well, have fun," Catherine pecked him on the cheek, grabbing one of the assignment slips that Grissom had just brought back into the room. "DB, robbery gone bad, you're with me Warrick!"

"All right guys, catch ya later, and congrats again you two," Warrick gave them another smile before following a beckoning Catherine.

"And Nicky will take the trick roll at the Flamingo motel, while I finish up paperwork," Grissom handed Nick the final slip. "You two can celebrate a while, though if a case comes in, you're on it."

"Got it boss," Greg nodded, and Sara smiled her thanks.

"So…"

"So…" Greg mimicked Sara. "We're gonna be parents. I can't believe it. Wow, this…this is just…incredible. I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

"I know the feeling," she gave a large sigh of awe, moving closer to Greg on the couch. "In nine months we're going to have a baby."

"You're going to be a great mom."

"I hope so, but I know you'll be a great dad kjære," she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Like you, I hope so. But we'll be fine. Besides, we'll have all our friends telling us how to raise our kid if we do get confused."

"I guess so. This baby really will be spoiled, won't it?" Sara laughed.

"Hey, when will we find out whether it's a girl or boy?" Greg asked suddenly.

"Uh, I'm not sure. I need to call my doctor and set up an appointment, but not for a while yet. I won't really need to until I'm about 8 weeks, so not until around late January. As for finding out the sex, I guess that'll just be when I get an ultrasound and the baby co-operates."

"Well, just be sure to schedule the appointment for when I can go, cause I want to know too."

"Of course! That's a given," Sara rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, I had a question for you."

"Shoot."

"What do I get your family for Christmas?"

"Just tell my mom she's gonna be a grandmother, and she'll be happy with that," he pressed a kiss to the side of her head before turning himself so he was lying down with his head in her lap. Her hand moved automatically to his head, her fingers running through his hair. As her nails lightly massaged his scalp, he couldn't help but give a sigh of contentment as he closed his eyes.

"Seriously Greg," Sara pressed. "I want to get them something for the holidays. Can't you just give me some ideas?"

"Ugh…all right, if it'll hush you up. Uh…my sister has a charm bracelet, and she always likes more charms to add on to it. She also enjoys collecting old children's books, as well as books in general. As for my parents, I hardly even know what to get them. Just take one of those 'family pictures' we did the other day and get it framed nicely or something."

A few days ago they had had some neighbors over for a bar-b-que. One was held every year, the first weekend of December, and the houses in the row rotated hosting it. This year just happened to be Greg and Sara's turn. It was great- everyone had a blast. One of the neighbors, a Scott Fillmeyer, had brought his digital camera and took lots of pictures. Before he left, he had snapped one of Sara, Greg, and Duke. The next day he brought a copy of it down for them. It was a really lovely picture, even as spontaneous as it had been. Greg had put on a pair of jeans, a white tank, and a green plaid button up shirt over top. Sara had unintentionally dressed to match, with a knee-length jean skirt, and white lacy cami. They laughed when they had first seen each other, and decided to complete their 'family look' by tying a white bandana around Duke's neck.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound too bad. I'll bring the photo in tomorrow and have Archie blow it up to an 8x10. Then after shift I can stop by one of those frame stores and pick up a nice one. What do you think will go best with their house?"

"Huh?" Greg opened his eyes to look at her quizzically.

"Well, would a dark wood framed go better, or world a light colored wood? Or would some time of metal frame, maybe a sterling silver one go better?"

"Uh, I don't know. I guess a dark wood frame, or a silver one. They've got both from what I can remember. But really, don't stress yourself out too much. One, it's really not that big of a deal, and two, it can't be good for the baby," he grinned, turning his head to press a kiss to her stomach.

"All right, I won't worry about it," she playfully pushed his shoulder. "So what charms should I get your sister for her bracelet?"

"I dunno!" Greg rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Just pick out a couple that have meaning to you, and you think she'll like. She's just excited about having a sister-in-law, so again, she'll just be happy that you thought of her. And the fact that she's gonna be an aunt. You know, I really think she's gonna be so excited by that, that she's not even gonna really noticed any other gifts."

"You're probably right. I just want everything to go well. I really want them to like me."

"Don't worry, they won't. They're gonna love you! After all, what's not to love? You're smart, sexy, funny, caring, and everything else I've ever wanted in a girl. Why do think I had a crush on you for the longest time, and that your name was the first that came to mind when I was telling my mom?"

"I know, but you know me, I worry too much."

"Yeah, maybe so, but since I tend to not worry hardly ever, we balance each other out really well."

"You've got the bucket baby, I got the chicken," Sara sang softly. "You've got the Smith and Wesson, and I got the ammunition baby. We can shoot the town or sit around finger lickin', yeah. Alone we're not half bad but, we could be a whole lot better, anybody knows us, knows we're good together. Just a little sliver of sunlight in stormy weather. Like a tear in my beer we're good together, good together."

"Hey, not too shabby," Greg looked up at her. "Who sings that? I only know it's country."

"Shedaisy, and it's called 'Good Together' or 'Bucket and Chicken' and I thought it fit the moment," she laughed. "Balancing each other and all."

"How true, how true. You know, I think that's one of my favorite things about music."

"What?" Sara looked at him, the confusion in her eyes encouraging him to further explain his ambiguous statement.

"The fact that no matter what the situation is, there's always a song that'll perfectly describe what's going on, or how you're feeling. I mean, there's a song about everything, I swear!"

"Mmm, really?"

"Yup, so name something you don't think is in a song, and I'll bet you there is a song about it."

"And what are we gonna bet?" Sara looked at him.

"How about, if I'm right you wear the outfit of my choosing in to work tomorrow, and if you're right, then…?"

"Then you get dog poop cleaning duty for two weeks," Sara answered with an evil smile. Duke went the bathroom in the backyard, but obviously since it was so small, the poop had to be scooped daily.

"Deal," he nodded as they kissed on it. "So, name something you'd never believe a song would be written about."

"Oh let's see…" Sara mused for a moment. "Give me a second."

"Sure, take all the time you need, as long as it's not more than five minutes."

"Bathtub," she said suddenly a moment later.

"What?"

"Bathtub. I've never heard of a song about bathtubs," Sara gave a self-satisfied smirk, thinking he'd never be able to come up with a song. To her surprise, he started laughing. "What?"

"Too easy- 'Bathtub Blues' is the name of the song," Greg looked up at her; it was his turn to smirk. "By Greg Brown."

"Greg Brown, 'Bathtub Blues,' are you serious?"

"Yeah, he's a part country, part folksong singer. In college, my roomie was obsessed with music like that, and it so happened he had Greg Brown's albums, on of which had that song."

"Damn," Sara pouted. "All right, I'll wear the outfit of your choosing, as long as it's nothing inappropriate. I need to be able to work, remember."

"Don't worry, I know," Greg waggled his eyebrows as a devious grin graced his face. Sara groaned to herself, almost dreading what she would end up in.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"NO! I CAN'T WORK IN THAT!" Sara exclaimed the next evening as she stood wrapped up in her towel, staring at what Greg had picked out.

"Yes you can," he replied patiently. "I've seen you wear heels like those for hours on end."

"Well…I…yeah…but…it…yeah, I can," she sighed resignedly, and grabbed the clothes. "Ooh!"

"What?"

"If you're going to make me wear that, I'm going to at least make myself look the part," she smirked before disappearing into the bathroom.

Greg had picked out a black leather mini-skirt buried in the back of their closet, thinking it a contradiction as she was a vegetarian. On top, he had chosen a light pink halter-top that he hoped would show off some of her flat stomach. Also in the back of her side of the closet, still in their box, was a pair of pink, low-heeled stilettos, with straps that would wrap up around her ankles. It was almost uncanny how they just happened to match the shirt. And to be kind, he also picked out a leather blazer so that Sara would have something to cover up with if she chose.

When she reappeared a half hour later, Greg couldn't keep his jaw from dropping. Several inches of her stomach were revealed, and her legs just seemed to go on for days. The heels only served to accentuate her long legs. She had put on make-up; some light blush, eye-shadow, and a very appealing pink lip-gloss. Her hair had been teased, pulled, curled, and dampened, giving it a wet and wild look, making her look even sexier that she had before (which was very difficult in his opinion).

"Wow," he managed to stammer out.

"That good, huh?" She purred as she strutted over to him and walked two finger up his chest.

"Yeah," he nodded wildly. "I think we should just call in sick."

"Unh-uh," Sara pushed him back as he leaned in for a kiss. "This hair, and these clothes? I'm just too good looking not to share with the world. And besides, we had a bet."

"Cancel it," he whined, pouting.

"Nope, you started this, so I'm going to finish it," Sara grinned as she grabbed the jacket, shrugged it on, and headed out to the car.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"Whoo, looking good girl!"

"You're hot!"

"Go out with me?"

Sara walked into the lab, enjoying the various comments that lab-techs and officers were throwing out at her as she went to stow her jacket in her locker. She started to walk past the DNA lab, but stopped when she saw Hodges. Walking in, she gave him a seductive smile as he looked up, his jaw falling open in shock. Moving over to him, she used a finger to push his jaw up, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and spun around and walked out with a laugh as he promptly fainted, yet again.

She stopped in the women's restroom to re-apply her lip-gloss before making her way to the break room just in time to hear Warrick asking Nick why Hodges was passed out.

"Because I'm just so beautiful he couldn't handle it," she interjected, striking a pose in the doorway.

"Hey Sara…" Warrick trailed off as he took in her appearance. "Damn girl."

"Wha…damn," Nick also stopped as he looked up from the file he was working.

"So I guess I'm not too bad then?" She asked teasingly.

"You look fine girl," Warrick stood up and walked over to her, taking her hand and pulling her into the room. He lifted her hand up, making her spin slowly. "Why have you been hiding that?"

"So that I won't keep you all from doing your jobs," she smiled. Her smile turned into a laugh as Nick took his jacket and threw it over her shoulders. "Protective much Nicky?"

"Yeah! Why are you wearing that? None of the officers are going to be able to form a coherent sentence around you."

"It was a bet between Greg and myself," Sara sat down, throwing Nick's jacket back to him.

"About what?" Warrick asked, always interested in who was betting on what, though he had long broken his gambling habit.

"He bet me there were songs about everything, and that anything I named, there would be a song about it. I picked a bathtub as something there would never be a song about, and of course, he knew one."

"Ha!" Nick burst out. "Sorry, sorry, but bathtubs?"

"Hey, it seemed to make sense at the time," Sara replied defensively. "I mean honestly, who in their right mind would write a song about a bathtub?"

"Well, seeing as you apparently lost the bet, someone did," Warrick chuckled.

"Hey guys, hey Sara," Catherine walked in. "You look great Sara!"

"Thanks Cath," Sara nodded.

"Ah-ha! There's my beautiful wife," Greg strolled into the room and gave Sara a quick kiss. "Grissom's right behind me with assignments."

"All right everyone, we've got a- wow," Grissom stopped abruptly as he noticed Sara's appearance. He blushed slightly and gave a cough before continuing. "Ahem. We've got a gang shooting on the outskirts of town, four dead, two in the hospital with critical injuries, though their prognosis is good. Everyone on it. We've got a couple of days coming in to finish anything up, and to cover anything new that might come in. Let's roll."

OooOooOooO

A/N: Okay, that's it. Again, sorry it took a while to get out, though I can't say that I'm really too sorry in light of why I wasn't able to. Family comes first- always. And if the ending seems abrupt, sorry, but I'm really not one to go into detail about cases. So I hope you enjoyed it, and tune in for the next chapter which'll hopefully be up in a week or two. It'll deal with Christmas prep and meeting the family and all.