Everyone who had reviewed for this story – thank you so much! Several parts have been difficult to write and it's always easier when I have feedback so that I know how the story is being read. As a person who writes a lot, I tend to tailor my writing depending on how it's being interpreted, so the feedback is incredibly wonderful and helpful. Keep it up! I hope you enjoy this next part (well, enjoy reading it, not the content). It was difficult to write because it deals with sensitive topics, so I apologize if I didn't get it right. Let me know what you think! Thanks!

Chapter 11 Childhood Fears

Once they arrived at the doctor's office, they were surprised when the woman requested that Hannah go in by herself. After the nurse showed the reluctant little girl into an exam room, Sara and Gil were left alone in the waiting room with nothing to do but worry.

"What are we doing?" Sara spoke the sudden words after a few moments of awkward silence.

"I thought we were waiting for Hannah," Grissom answered, slightly confused.

"No, I mean with us. What is this?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. He turned to face her, taking her hands gently into his. "Sara, I love you. But as for everything else, it's just happening so fast—"

"Yeah, it is," she answered quietly. "But Grissom, I need to know what we're doing together. If you're just keeping me around to take care of Hannah—"

"Sara, I would never do that—"

"You weren't exactly knocking at my door before she showed up," Sara pointed out.

"I was afraid. Of you. Of us. Of what it would do to our careers. Our lives. But when Hannah showed up, none of that seemed important anymore. Nothing could be scarier than suddenly realizing that you're responsible for another human being. Sara, I want to be with you. Not because of your amazing mother skills. Not because you're helping me raise my niece. But because I love you. And it's time that I finally started showing it."

"Well," Sara said after a few minutes of shocked silence, "I guess that answers my question." She smiled and leaned over to kiss Grissom, but they were interrupted by the loud clearing of someone's throat. They looked up, both a bit flushed, to see a nurse standing in front of them.

"Dr. Jo would like to see you now."

"Thanks," Sara said, her cheeks fully rosy. She and Grissom stood and followed the nurse to an exam room, where Hannah was sitting on the exam table, the doctor sitting on a stood and talking to her quietly.

"Good Afternoon, Sara, Gil."

"Hi, Dr. Jo. How's our little girl here?"

"Perfect as a peach," the woman answered with a smile. "Hannah and I have just been talking about what's been bothering her. And I think it's fixable."

"Well, that's a relief," Sara quipped, taking a seat near the little girl.

"It seems that Miss Hannah is worried that you two might not come back one of these times."

"That would never happen," Sara said firmly, her eyes fixed with Hannah's bright blue orbs.

"Hannah, we're always going to be here for you. You don't need to worry about us not coming back," Grissom added. The little girl didn't seem terribly convinced, but she nodded and seemed to outwardly accept their reassurances. Soon after, the nurse led Hannah out of the room to search for a lollypop while the doctor quickly spoke with Sara and Grissom.

"She looks better than she did when you were in last," Dr. Jo said as they watched Hannah leave the room. "I'm still a bit concerned about her size, but she seems to be putting on a little weight, so I think we'll have to be happy with that for now. Her vocabulary and motor skills are amazing," she added.

"She's a smart little girl," Sara said with a nod.

"Which means she's very observant," the doctor stated. "And she's probably picked up on the fact that your job is not always safe. She mentioned something to that effect when we were talking. In addition to the normal childhood fear of abandonment, she has her previous experiences with abuse, and her fear that you two might get hurt on the job."

"The tantrums she's been having are not normal," Sara said grimly. "We're afraid she's going to hurt herself. What can we do to help her?"

"I believe that Hannah is suffering from separation anxiety. Normally, children get past this type of thing by the age of four. Developmentally, Hannah is well beyond her peers in most respects. But when it comes to attachment, you two are probably the first adults she's ever felt she was able to trust and actually become dependent upon."

"What can we do?" It was Sara who was anxious to get to the bottom of the problem and find out how to solve it; the waiting was driving her crazy.

"Reassurances are what she needs right now. Hopefully, she'll come around. If the tantrums and nightmares get to be too much, she can be medicated—"

"No," Sara said immediately, shutting down that possibility

"Do you think this is going to get better?" Grissom posed the question from his seat next to Sara, his hand loosely holding hers as she attempted not to fidget.

"I'm not qualified in this area," Dr. Jo answered honestly. "So I'm not comfortable answering that question. I think it's imperative that you get Hannah to a child psychologist. She is a beautiful and vibrant little girl, but without proper counseling, she may not mature socially or be able to function in any sort of adult reality." Sara tried not to smile as she realized that Hannah would truly fit into their lives if she had issues with people. Sara and Grissom weren't exactly the best examples of socially aware and involved adults. She hoped that their influence in the past few weeks hadn't added to Hannah's fears. She knew that she and Grissom were the last people who had the right to make Hannah deal with the real world when they didn't even do it on a daily basis.

After a few more general questions, the doctor showed them out to the waiting room, where Hannah was reading a Dr. Seuss book with one of the nurses. As soon as she spotted Sara and Grissom, Hannah closed the book and hurried over to them, reaching up to Grissom with the clear intention of being picked up. Grissom did so, bringing her to eye level with the adults.

"Hannah, you take care of yourself," Dr. Jo said kindly. "And remember what we talked about." Hannah nodded, smiling shyly as she leaned against Grissom. They went home and the day was fairly uneventful from that point on, with the exception of Grissom finally placing the call to schedule an appointment with the child psychologist.

A little over a month after Hannah had come into their lives, the three traveled to the suburban office of Dr. Meredith DeMaurier, child psychologist extraordinaire. They had attempted to explain the visit to Hannah but were pretty sure that she didn't quite understand the reasoning behind it. It was quite possible that, as an innocent child, she did not yet possess the fears that kept adults from talking about painful subjects. But whatever the reason, she was chipper as they entered the child-friendly waiting room. Sara smoothed her eggplant colored suit pants as she saw in an uncomfortable chair that had been inhabited by countless nervous parents before her. Once Grissom has signed them in, he joined her and took her hand in his.

The receptionist kept Hannah busy, talking to her about some toy or another, while the doctor spoke quietly to Grissom and Sara. "We'll do the intake interview and go from there. If Hannah seems ready to talk, I'll go with it. You're my last appointment for the day, so we'll go however far she's willing to go." The two adults simply nodded, not sure if they liked the idea of seeing how long Hannah would hold up. They wanted her in one, happy piece when this visit was over.

The doctor's office was comforting, painted a dark sage and decorated more like a living room than a doctor's office. Meredith DeMaurier was a middle aged, red hair woman with bright green eyes and a kind smile. She invited them to sit down as she smoothed her white pencil suit skirt and perched on a high backed chair.

Sara sat on a sofa and Hannah immediately sat next to her, as close as possible without actually sitting in her lap. Grissom sat next to them but slightly separated; his attention was focused more on the doctor.

"Good afternoon, Sara, Hannah, Dr. Grissom. I'm Dr. DeMaurier. I hope you found your way easily enough."

"Yes, it was a straight shot," Grissom said simply.

"I'm glad you didn't have trouble. Would anyone like a drink?" After they all declined, she turned her attention to Hannah, who was suspiciously surveying the room. She was normally an enchanting little girl but looked especially beautiful in the black dress, light pink sweater, white tights, and shinny Mary Janes. Grissom wasn't sure where Sara got her sense of style for the four year old, but it was definitely the polar opposite of the simplicity and no frills with which she herself usually dressed.

"Well, Hannah, how are you today?"

"Good. Thank you, ma'am," she said softly.

"Well, you certainly are a polite little thing. Do you know why you're here today?"

"Sara said it was just to talk," Hannah said cautiously.

"Yes, we'll just talk," the woman assured her. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Like what?"

"Anything at all. Maybe about where you lived before you came here to stay with Sara and Dr. Grissom."

"No, thank you," the little girl said quietly, burrowing further into Sara, sliding back a bit on the sofa.

"That's alright. We can just talk about now. How do you like staying with Sara and Dr. Grissom? What is your favorite thing to do?"

"I like to read," Hannah said after some thought. "But I like taking walks in the park too. We get to feed the ducks. And sometimes Greg brings his dog and I get to play with her. Her name is Gracie. She's a big dog," Hannah said with a happy smile.

"What kind of dog does Greg have?" Hannah looked at Sara for help to answer the doctor's question.

"German Shepherd mix," Sara supplied.

"Well, it sounds like you have a lot of fun. And who is this Greg?"

"Greg works with Sara. Gil is his boss."

"Sara's boss too?" The Dr. DeMaurier asked with raised eyebrows directed at the two adults.

"I don't know."

"Not really," Grissom said uncomfortably.

"Boss is such an outdated term," Sara quipped. The doctor noticed their unwillingness to confront that topic so she quickly changed it, focusing attention back on Hannah.

"Do you get to read and go to the park often?"

"We read every day. Sara says it's important. And it's fun too. And we get to go to the park a few times a week. When no one has to work."

"Do they work a lot?"

"Uncle Gil does. Sometimes Sara too," Hannah answered truthfully.

"How do you feel about that?" The questions were making Sara uncomfortable to the point where she couldn't seem to stop fidgeting. It was difficult for her to sit still on a normal basis, let alone when being practically interrogated by a stranger. She shifted slightly to remove her suit jacket while Hannah answered the doctor.

"Sad sometimes. And scared," she added softly.

"Why scared?"

"I don't know," Hannah insisted, her eyes focused on the carpet under the doctor's chair.

"I think you do," Dr. DeMaurier prodded gently. Hannah remained silent, apparently not quite interested in sharing in such great detail. But the psychologist continued on, having many years of experience with shy and frightened children. "It might help to talk about how you feel. I know I always feel better when I talk about what's bothering me. Then my friends and family can help me feel better about those things. Want to give it a try?"

"I don't like them to leave," Hannah answered stubbornly.

"I'm sure they don't want to leave you either," Dr. DeMaurier answered sympathetically. "But grownups have to work. It's the way of the world. And Gil and Sara have to work, just like everyone else. Do you know what they do at work?"

"Catch bad guys," Hannah said softly; that much she had gathered from the hushed conversations of the two adults and their coworkers. Also, it was what Brass had told her when she demanded to know, the week before, why he was taking Sara and Gil away from her.

"That's right," Dr. DeMaurier answered. "Don't you think that's important?"

"Yes," Hannah answered glumly.

"Well then, how can Sara and Gil help people and make sure the bad guys are in jail if they stay home with you?"

"I don't know," Hannah answered, her eyes tearing up. It was the first time someone had changed the perspective of the situation and made the tiny girl think that she might be hindering the capture of some bad guy or the rescue of another little girl. She began to sniffle and Sara gently pulled her into her lap, stroking her hair slowly.

"Don't cry," Sara pleaded. "None of this is your fault. Grownups worry, it's what we do," she said, glaring harshly at the doctor. "If we weren't worried about you, we'd be worried about Lindsay. Or Greg," She added wryly, "okay?" Hannah nodded, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. Grissom leaned over and handed her his soft white handkerchief.

"Sweetheart, we don't mind staying home with you," Grissom informed her, "we just want to know what you're afraid of. Because we don't want you to be frightened."

"You're always going to be safe with us," Sara added gently. Hannah nodded, but curled up closer to Sara, hiding her face from the doctor's imposing gaze.

"Why don't we take a break?" The doctor asked kindly, standing up and moving toward the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Feel free to ask the receptionist for anything you need."

Lin – I'm happy that you think they make a cute family – and Hannah will be alright eventually – she has wonderful parents now, after all.

Ms. Elizabeth Granger – Thanks for complimenting on the 'discipline.' That caused a problem while I was writing. It's hard to lay down rules with a kid who is so cute, and so haunted. But I'm glad that you think it works in this story.

SpectralLady – thanks for the review! Yes, happy endings should always be somewhere. I'm an English major, and I've found that most of 'literature' has tragic or hard-to-determine endings. So, I find myself writing the happy ones in order to compensate.

Denese25 – I'm glad the story is coming off as believable – it's hard, since it deals with several issues that I've never encountered, so I'm glad that it's coming together in a realistic fashion.

dark-angel-ali – thanks for reading and reviewing – Hannah will be okay eventually; all little kids deserve that, even fictitious ones.

Smrozier – Thanks for reviewing! Grissom and Sara – I'm getting there, I promise. I'm trying to decide how to realistically continue with their relationship (I don't want to make it seem as though he's keeping her around simply to help him with Hannah). Thanks for the feedback!

Augusta – Hannah's past will eventually be divulged in the story, pretty soon actually.

Juwist – I'm glad you like the story, and thanks for the review!

Jtbwriter – Thanks, I'm glad you like the story and the way it's working out for the little family.

Csi-ds9 – Thanks for the review – it's a real compliment – one that I very much appreciate.

Magick – I'm glad it's realistic. I don't yet have my own kids, but I've spent the better part of my life since the age of 12 babysitting – and I'm the oldest of 14 grandkids – I've seen witnessed my own share of tantrums, I'm glad it seemed accurate in the story. Thanks!

Megan – Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story. You'll find out a little bit more about Hannah's tantrums in this chapter.

Paulina – Thanks for the suggestion, I completely agree with you. I know that I need to fit in more of their relationship – I'm working on it. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Jo Jo Mobile – thanks for reviewing – I'm glad you're liking the story. No, I don't usually end a story without a very direct 'the end,' or some other obvious ending. The last chapter will be called Epilogue, or end, or something of that nature. Don't worry, there's still more story to be written.

Eaglesei – Thanks for the review, I agree! That's what I'm attempting to do now, bring Sara and Grissom together for their own sakes, not just Hannah's.

Jillyree – I'm happy that you think I'm capturing the personality of a four year old well—I've had quite a bit of experience with kids. (Not that I think for a minute that makes me ready for my own – I'm going to be petrified when the time comes to raise my own). Thanks for reading and reviewing!

LadyPiper1 – I hope you do well on your Geometry test! I know all about procrastination—and fan fiction is one of my favorite ways to stall too. I'm glad you like the story, and I hope you find other CSI fics that you like – there are a lot of good ones out there. Keep reading, I love to hear what you think!

Diamond-girl-9 – Thanks so much! More about Hannah will be coming soon!