Growing Up

Part 17: New Night

Summary: The end of the babysitting job is near.

A/N: Hope this is realistic. There are some very "experimental" things I wrote. Enjoy!

xxxxx

At last, Sara put the fork away, groaning at the fullness. "From now on, you're the cook."

Grissom smiled, obviously pleased that his culinary skills had passed the test. "It would either get dull very fast, or it would get very experimental. And I know how much you hate my experiments when they involve a fridge."

"So…you want me to get experimental?" Sara leaned forward to get closer to him. Her voice was lowered, carrying the hint of a threat.

"Experimental?" There was a strange glint in his eyes that caused little shocks to run through her. "Yes, but not in the kitchen with food I have to eat."

Sara pouted overdramatically, making him almost laugh out loud, but he held it in with considerable effort. He didn't want to provoke her and be at the wrong end of her temper. When she stood up and moved around the table stealthily like a cat, he had to fight the urge to squirm. Sara was so intense in everything and the feelings she evoked in him were equally forceful.

This was what he had always been afraid of, and yet, now that he knew it could work, he never wanted to miss it again.

Sara moved closer and closer, and before he could react, she straddled his hips. Now she sat in his lap and dove in for a kiss, surprising him, although he should have seen it coming.

Intensity - that was the only way to describe what went on at that moment.

As they broke off for air, Sara whispered a 'thank you' into his ear. The way she held him and smiled into his neck, added the unspoken 'for everything.'

For that moment, Grissom didn't think about his worries and fears; he just was…happy.

xxxxx

"I think it's time." Grissom nodded towards Amelia who was just throwing a ball in his direction.

After dinner they had been relaxing on the floor with Sara close to the girl. Soon they had been incorporated in her play.

She was getting tired, rubbing her eyes every now and then or twirling her hair around her fingers.

"How are we going to do this?" Sara was skeptical, remembering the previous evening all too well. She wasn't sure if she could go through that again.

Grissom was still thinking, hoping to come up with a plan to ease her mind, when the phone rang.

"Grissom."

"Dr. Grissom. Patrick Knightley here."

Grissom looked over to Sara and Amelia but remained focused mainly on the phone call. "Mr. Knightley, we've been waiting for your call."

"Yes, I'm so sorry for that. I already talked to Grace. Is Amelia okay?"

A small smile played over Grissom's face as he watched Sara trying to convince the little girl to play with something that wasn't quite so 'activating.' The ball had the opposite effect.

"Yes, she's playing right now, but we were getting ready to put her to bed."

"That's good. We tried to get a flight tonight, but everything is booked solid. I'm sorry we put you in this position."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Sara struggling to get Amelia out of her sweater, but then she simply picked her up and vanished into the bathroom. He hoped she would be able to get the girl into her pajamas without making her cry.

"You couldn't have known that this would happen."

"Yeah, but we weren't even there when you tried to call us. What kind of parents are we?"

The other man sounded truly distressed. Grissom could somehow sympathize with him. The sense of failure because you were not there for someone you were responsible for was not unfamiliar.

"But you did plan everything out. That your sister-in-law broke her leg was unforeseeable. No one could have seen this coming. You left a number and precise instructions. Believe me, I've seen neglected children and irresponsible parents, and neither is the case here."

He heard a sigh on the other end of the line. "Still…"

"It's alright."

How could he comfort the man? He didn't know all the answers.

"We'll be there tomorrow morning. We're taking the first flight at seven-twenty, and we'll be back in Vegas at ten-thirty. Would that be okay for you? I'm really sorry that we can't be there any sooner."

There was silence for a second, but then Patrick Knightley continued, "I forgot, you have to work nights. Oh jeez…what…"

Before he could go into overdrive, Grissom stopped the tirade by assuring the other man. "I have the day off and Sara had last night."

The half-truth was getting easier to sell.

"Really?"

"Yes, no worries. Don't rush yourself. You know when your flight leaves, and that is the best you can do for now. Until you're back, your daughter will be fine. We'll make sure of that."

It probably did not really reassure Mr. Knightley or his wife, but Grissom knew there was nothing that could until they were there to pick up their daughter.

"Thank you. I know it might seem strange, but we were glad to hear that she was still with you. We feel like we can really trust you. Thank you."

Now he was a bit speechless. They really trusted him and Sara with the most precious thing on earth, their daughter. In a world like this and with what they had to live through only a few months prior, it was a wonder that they had trusted them so easily.

After a short 'it's nothing' and mutual goodbyes, Grissom was relieved that the solution was near.

A quick look around told him that Sara was still nowhere to be seen, so he went to investigate.

He found them in the bedroom, Sara dressing Amelia in a thick sweater above her pajamas. "Uh, Sara?"

She didn't react, just raised her eyebrows in intense concentration. Then she looked around and reached for a pair of thick socks and put them on the girl. Amelia let everything happen without a sound of protest.

"Sara?"

She jumped a bit in her crouched position and almost toppled over. "Jeez, don't sneak up on me like that."

The glare in her eyes when she turned her head almost made him step back, but her expression softened again after only a second.

"Sorry," she smiled at him apologetically.

"I know you don't like to be surprised. But you were so…focused on dressing Amelia."

Sara just smiled and continued putting the sock on.

"So, what are you doing?"

"We're going for a walk."

"Are we?" This time it was Grissom who couldn't follow the leaps the other was making.

"Yes, we are." Although she was absolutely serious, he could hear the amusement transported in her voice.

"Care to explain why?" Not wanting to seem defensive, he fought the urge to cross his arms, but he lost.

"Yes, if you put your shoes and coat on."

He remained standing in the doorway at first, but then he shrugged and left the room to do as Sara told him. When she emerged from the back of the house with a fully dressed and bundled up Amelia in her arms, he was waiting for them. She walked past him without another word. Although he wanted nothing more than to ask, he knew better. To his surprise, Sara put Amelia in her stroller and pushed it out the door.

When the cold night air hit her, she wrapped her jacket tighter around her and checked to see if Amelia was wrapped up warm enough in her blanket.

Grissom watched everything with a certain fascination. He didn't do more than observe, however, because he was afraid that he would disturb the confidence Sara seemed to have found for the moment. After last night, that was important for her.

"We are going to try a different tactic tonight." Sara turned around to explain her plan. "I already put her in her pajamas, and I hope that when we get back from our walk, she will be asleep. Deep enough to strip her down to the pajamas again, hopefully."

Her plan made sense; it definitely had potential. Grissom gave her an approving smile, put his hand on her back, and followed her down the street.

"So, will you tell me what the Knightleys said?"

TBC