Chapter Seventeen – Lab Rat Junior.

'Did I just lose a few years of my life or are you guys incredibly late for work?' Nick quipped as Harriet and Greg entered the break room at the beginning of the shift.

She realised they must have looked like a little family. She was carrying the box Rick had sent that she hadn't looked through yet whilst Greg was carefully carrying a sleeping Jake in his arms. Nick really needed to work on his jokes though.

'Keep it down, will you?' Greg said. 'You'll wake him up.'

Nick put his hands in the air in mock defence. 'Ooh sorry pops.'

Greg rolled his eyes and carefully laid Jake down on the break room sofa.

'So what's going on?' Sara asked, smiling at Catherine who was pulling a face that suggested Jake was making her broody!

Grissom entered the break room in a hurry before Harriet had a chance to explain anything.

'O.k. team, we are very busy tonight; I'm knee deep in a fascinating case, not that I should enjoy murder but anyway. Here are your assignments – Nick and Greg you have a robbery at the four-leaf casino, Warrick you can go solo on this assault, Catherine you have some suspicious remains out in the desert. Sara you're with me and where did that come from?' Grissom's voice rose in surprise as he spotted the sleeping child on the sofa.

It wasn't like him to raise his voice except when he was really angry but today he seemed to be running off a lot of adrenaline and probably some extra caffeine too. Harriet raised her hand.

'Umm, he's with me, he's my…' she hesitated a moment, afraid of the reaction she knew she would get. 'He's my son. I'm sorry, it's all been very last minute I couldn't get childcare sorted for tonight so he's going to have to stay in here.'

Nick, Sara, Warrick and Catherine just stared at her in disbelief, open-mouthed. They had only known her a few weeks but this was still a surprise. Grissom didn't respond straight away suggesting he too was pretty stunned.

'The crime lab isn't really a safe place for a child, Hattie,' he said, finally finding his voice. 'But I suppose I will have to let it slide for today as long as it's not going to interrupt with your work.'

'Thanks Gris, it won't,' she said.

'If the rest of you have finished your goldfish impressions, perhaps we can get to work,' he said, making a rare joke.

Grissom left the break room, followed quickly by Sara. The other three looked at each other, then at Harriet before getting up and leaving the room also, Nick instructing Greg to be as quick as he could.

'That could have gone worse,' Harriet said.

'Don't worry, it'll be fine. Wait until everyone comes on their break, then you'll get the twenty questions,' Greg smiled.

'You think this is hilarious don't you?' Harriet said, trying not to smile back at him.

'Never, I am a very mature person, take everything seriously.'

'Yeah right, see you later,'

Greg winked at her and left the break room, heading off after Nick. Harriet looked at Jake who was still fast asleep. She took a piece of paper and a pen that were lying on the table and wrote on it.

If he wakes up come and get me.

Hattie.

Greg had hoped that being forced into taking care of Jake might have made Harriet want to take on the role of mother and after this morning when she had fed and spoken to her son, he thought that it was a sign. However, this evening when she had started to get ready for work, she was reluctant again. Jake was tired and wanted to sit with her but she refused, the task then fell to Greg who had ended up making a bed up on the sofa for him until it was time to go to work. Somehow he had ended up carrying him to the car, mainly because Harriet had been extremely eager to drive tonight as well as being rather overprotective of that stupid cardboard box that had arrived with Jake. Perhaps he could talk to her tonight and try and encourage her to not be afraid of being around Jake.

'Earth to Greg.' Nick was saying, waving a hand in his face. 'We're here.'

Greg turned his head quickly towards his colleague, pulling a muscle in his neck as he did so.

'Ouch. Sorry Nick, I was thinking,' he said.

'That can't be good,' Nick joked 'I bet you were thinking about our Miss Charles.'

'Actually I was but not in the way you think,' Greg said, with a smile.

'And what was I thinking?' Nick asked, innocently as he got out of the car.

'You were thinking I was picturing her naked or something,' Greg said after also getting out of the car and following him to the trunk.

'Were you?'

'No!' Greg snapped, embarrassed taking his kit out of the trunk.

'You do like her though don't you?' Nick asked.

Greg went quiet, he did like her and Nick had been right the previous day but he didn't know if he wanted to admit it to anyone yet. As it turned out, his silent musing was confirmation enough for Nick who smiled knowingly at him and walked into the crime scene.

Three hours later…

Harriet was in a good mood, not only had she worked like a trouper on all of the evidence she had been given tonight but Grissom had finally made use of her database and had given it a good review. The case he was working on had turned up some interesting samples which it turned out were from an insect he hadn't been able to identify. She wasn't sure whether he had actually thought that it could be a British variety or was just coming to her as a last resort. Turned out it was on her database and the suspect was apprehended, an entomologist also, with a sideline interest in murder it seemed. The sample, which had been found on the victim, tied the suspect to the scene and also the murder. She was pleased that she had been of some more use in a case other than analysing blood and other bodily fluids.

She was putting some samples back into the freezer when she heard footsteps. She looked behind her but couldn't see anyone. Deciding that she was hearing things, she continued to put the samples into storage.

'Mummy,'

Harriet sat up straight and turned around. It was Jake, he had been at the door but him being rather short and her sitting at a strange angle, she hadn't seen him straight away.

There wasn't anyone else around so he must have found her himself.

'Hello Jake,' she said at last, remembering Greg's request to acknowledge her son properly. 'What are you doing down here?'

'I had a bad dream,' he said, sadly.

'Aww you poor thing,' she said, feeling sorry for him. 'It's ok, its only a dream, it can't hurt you.'

'Can I have a cuddle?' he asked.

Harriet swept him up without hesitating and put him on her knee, enveloping him in a hug. Jake put his little arms around her neck and squeezed back. Realising what she was doing, Harriet considered letting him go but forced herself not to. The hug had been almost spontaneous. If he hadn't asked for one she probably wouldn't have given him it but she didn't feel like there was anyway she could, or wanted, to refuse the request.

'I love you,' Jake said.

Harriet stiffened slightly and didn't reply straight away.

'Do you want to have a look in the microscope?' she asked, distracting him.

He turned around on her lap so he was facing the microscope.

'Yeah, cool,' he said, looking forward at it.

Harriet showed him where to look into the microscope and moved the dials so that it made things bigger and smaller. He had no idea what he was looking at but could see it being magnified and was fascinated by it. Harriet panicked when she suddenly realised she was letting her son look at a semen sample. That seemed slightly immoral to her so she took the slide out much to his disappointment.

'Aww I was looking at that,' he whined.

'How about you look at this instead,' Harriet said, pulling a hair from her head and placing it on a slide.

Jake looked into the microscope again and laughed loudly.

'Is that really your hair?' he asked.

'It certainly is,' Harriet smiled as she spoke.

'It looks really weird.'

'Aren't you a little young to be doing that?' a voice said.

'Greg!' Jake said, excitedly, looking up from the microscope.

'Hello, shouldn't you be asleep?' Greg said, walking into the lab and ruffling the boy's hair.

'I'm not tired,' Jake said and as if on cue, he did a really loud yawn.

'I believe ya, thousands wouldn't,' Greg laughed, and then looked at Harriet. 'Fancy a break?'

She nodded and took Jake down off her knee. Greg held his hand out and the little boy took it. Harriet got up and took Jakes other hand and the three walked down the corridor to the break room, once again looking like a small family.

'Jake, lay down,' Harriet ordered, fluffing the cushion she had put underneath his head and covering him with the jacket Greg had volunteered earlier when they had first arrived at work.

'I'm not tired,' he whined, his eyes half open.

'Yes you are' Harriet said, stroking his hair away from his eyes. 'Now close your eyes and go to sleep.'

As if realising he was not going to win, Jake closed his eyes. Greg smiled to himself, pleased that Harriet was starting to get into the whole mother thing. He wouldn't say anything yet though, he wasn't sure she knew she was doing it. Greg took two coffees over and sat beside her on the other sofa, giving her a cup.

'Thanks,' she said, taking a sip and looking at the boy who was now starting to sleep soundly.

Greg felt an overwhelming sense of pride; he could see that Harriet was starting to get the hang of it, even feeling something towards the child. Again he wouldn't say anything yet, he didn't want to put her off.

'So, is lab rat junior after your job now then?' Greg asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Harriet smiled broadly and turned to Greg. 'I don't think so, they don't make lab coats small enough and his only comment was that my hair sample looked weird.'

Greg laughed. 'You took a sample of your own hair?'

'Yeah, originally he was looking at a slide that was already in there but when I realised what it was, I thought I'd better change it,' Harriet said, smiling again.

She has a really pretty smile, Greg thought, I never noticed before.

'What was it?' Greg asked.

'A semen sample,' Harriet said, trying to suppress a laugh. 'He didn't know any better but I thought it was a bit perverse.'

Greg smirked and looked at her, trying not to laugh. She smiled back and bit her bottom lip. He had never seen that before. It was cute.

'So you had a good time then?' Greg asked, still smirking.

Harriet looked at Greg. His eyes were twinkling and he looked like he found this all very funny. She hadn't noticed before but there was something impish and childlike about his smile. It was quite endearing in a way. Before they had become friends, she had mistaken it for arrogance but now she saw it was a boyish charm he had. If she was honest she found it quite cute. What are you thinking? Answer his question.

'I don't know, this is still weird for me,' she said.

Greg was disappointed. She was making progress; he knew it so why did she try so hard to dismiss it.

'Harriet, I know I can't possibly understand how you feel,' he said, growing serious. 'But is it really so hard to try and be his mom?'

'You sound like Rick,' she replied.

'Don't change the subject,' Greg said, sternly.

'I'll try and explain but it'll sound lame. I was scared when I found out I was pregnant, I was barely out of Uni, in my early twenties. I had no idea how to be a mother or whether I wanted to be a mother. Rick was ten years older than me so I figured he was better qualified.' Harriet said.

'You're right that is lame,' Greg said, half-playfully. 'Basically you talked yourself out of being a mother because you were scared you couldn't do it?'

'No, I knew I couldn't do it. I was still a kid myself. I didn't want him to have a bad mother.'

'So he's better off with no mother at all?'

'Exactly.'

'Harriet, to say you're a highly intelligent person, that is really dumb.' Greg said.

He said this even though he knew it made sense in her head. All her life she had been an achiever, knew how to pass exams, get the right grade but when it came to something she couldn't predict or control, she had avoided it. That was the conclusion Greg had come to anyway.

'I don't expect you to understand,' Harriet said.

'There is no way on earth you would have been a bad mother,' Greg said suddenly.

Harriet looked at him and he could see that she was flattered. He realised in that moment that he really cared for her. He knew he had feelings for her but this was way beyond a crush. It wasn't a meaningless sexual attraction. He felt a real connection to her like he wanted what he said to mean something to her, to be special. Man, get a grip he told himself.

Harriet couldn't believe what he had just said but the seriousness in his eyes and the sincerity in his voice flattered her. She wasn't really sure what evidence he was basing this assumption on but she wished someone had told her this before she had given birth. But maybe then things wouldn't have turned out the way they did and she would never have met Greg. With that thought, she realised she couldn't imagine not knowing Greg. Despite initial appearances, he had proved himself to be caring, fun and intelligent. Not many men shared those kinds of traits. .

'You're serious aren't you?' she said at last.

'I've seen the way you've been with him tonight and I think you're doing an incredible job,' Greg said, smiling.

Harriet looked at Jake and smiled to herself. He was sleeping deeply now, oblivious to the conversation.

'I guess I didn't do so bad,' she said. 'I got him to sleep anyway.'

Greg raised his eyebrows as if to say 'see, I told you so' and smiled widely at her. Harriet felt herself blush a little and broke eye contact with him. What was with her today? She felt like she didn't ever want this break to end, like she could sit here forever with him drinking his coffee and smiling like that at her. She looked back up at him and caught his gaze.

Greg was so relieved. He felt like he had got through to her in some way. She was looking at her son with what seemed to be a hint of pride. And she was admitting she felt like tonight had gone well, having got Jake to go to sleep. She was looking at him. He wanted to speak but felt like his voice was stuck in his throat. He shifted in his seat a little, then wished he hadn't, realising that they were now sat even closer together.

Harriet was sure she hadn't exhaled for a long time. He was sitting so closely to her and she liked feeling his arm against hers. The conversation seemed to have dried up but she couldn't think of anything to say. She couldn't be feeling this way, not now she had realised that she might be able to make a go of things as a mother. She looked down for a second; her hair fell covering one side of her face. How annoying, she usually wore it up but hadn't had time to do it today. Her heart started to thump in her chest as she felt Greg move the hair back away from her face.

There was no denying now that he was attracted to her. When her hair fell in front of her face, he instinctively moved it back out of the way. Immediately he felt awkward. They had hugged each other before but he wasn't sure that they had been friends long enough for him to justify being this tactile. How would he explain this? She wasn't asking for an explanation, he realised, as she lifted her head and glanced up at him. With his hand still resting on her cheek, he realised this would soon get awkward and he really should move his hand but instead he found himself moving his face closer to hers. He was going to kiss her. This could all be a huge mistake. His heart was pounding he was so nervous.

A/N - I know, I know I said this was going to be a different 'new girl in the lab' story and it was to start with. Besides it's not like it was love at first sight. I would apologise for how incredibly cheesy this chapter is but be honest, who doesn't mind a bit of cheesey romance? Actually please don't answer that. Hope you are still enjoying the story so far. As I am so organised, you don't have to wait ages if you want to know what happens next - just click on to the next chapter.