I'm so sorry. I know that it's been forever since I've updated. But I have good reasons. After the chaos of Graduation and preparing for Grad school, I lost my flash drive. I had been carrying the drive around for about three months (without backing it up – I realize that this is my own fault). I had a good huge chunk of this story and a lot of others that I was working on. After mourning the loss of so much work (including a dozen or so lesson plans that I had to hand in for one of my classes)… I tried to reproduce things the best I could. So, here we go again – hope you enjoy! I've pretty much recovered from losing the documents, so I should be updating regularly. Let me know what you think about this chapter!

Chapter 16 Confounding Comforts

Sara and Grissom were both silent for a moment, staring at one another and trying to gracefully digest the question. It was Sara who first turned her warm gaze on the little girl and came up with the best possible answer for the moment.

"Hannah, we love you more than anything in this world. That already makes us your parents."

"We're always going to be here for you," Grissom said gruffly, knowing in the more-rational part of his brain that it was a complete lie. Despite the imperfections and anti-reality of their answer, it was exactly what the small child had wanted to hear. A bright smile graced her expression and she giggled happily as she crawled into Sara's lap and then hugged the woman.

Sara's eyes locked with Grissom's over the child's head and she knew they were in for a serious conversation later that night. They continued to eat their meal in silence, enjoying the warm day and the delicious, satisfying meal. Hannah jumped out of Sara's lap and was walking around the perimeter of the blanket, inspecting the ground for four-leaf clovers. Ever since Sara had informed her that they were a lucky charm, she had been looking for one anytime they were around grass.

Without so much as a warning, Hannah was off like a shot, running across the park toward an unknown destination. "Hannah!" Sara didn't mean to scream, but her heart had fallen when she had blinked and the little girl was gone. The little girl stopped at the sound of Sara's angry and frightened voice and turned guiltily on her heel, looking back at the pair with tears in her eyes. "Hannah, you can't just run away like that," Sara said, as gently as possible, as she approached the little girl in long strides. "Not unless you ask first."

"It's Greg," Hannah said, her lip trembling as the tears threatened to spill. Sara looked up to see that it was Greg, indeed, who was approaching them from the opposite end of the park. He had noticed the little girl and was walking toward them. One hand was on his dog's leash and the other clasped the hand of a pretty young woman; a girl that Sara could almost place, but not quite.

"It's okay," Sara whispered gently as she knelt down to peck the child's cheek. "Just ask next time, deal?" Hannah nodded and smiled, her troubles once again forgotten.

"Hey there, Grissoms," Greg said cheerfully. "Soon-to-be-Grissom," he amended with a nod to Sara.

"Hey Greg," Sara said with a warm smile.

"Hello Miss Hannah. How are you today?"

"Good. We're having a picnic."

"Sounds like fun," Greg replied. "We're taking Woolf for a walk," he explained, looking at his dog, who was patiently sitting at his feet. "This is my friend Lily. Lily, this is one of my coworkers, Sara Sidle. And my boss and her fiancé, Gil Grissom. And this beautiful little girl is Hannah," he said, causing the child to giggle and blush.

"It's nice to meet you," Grissom said, as he reached them and joined the conversation. "You look awfully familiar—"

"I work in the lab. I just started," the girl said quietly, avoiding their eyes.

"I was just showing Lily around town. She's new in Vegas," Greg said, stumbling over his words as he realized that he needed an explanation.

"Greg's a good guy. You couldn't have found a better guide," Grissom said, inadvertently giving them his blessing. Sara stood and swung Hannah onto her hip, putting them all at the same level.

"Why don't you two join us for dessert? We were just about to break it out. There's more than enough," Sara said firmly before either Greg or Lily could argue. They ate the chocolate brownies that Hannah assured them were the best she'd ever had. She may "Greg, what are you up to this weekend?"

"Lily and I were going to check out the zoo lights tonight. It sounds pretty cool." Grissom looked at Greg strangely, trying to decide what zoo lights might actually be. Sara laughed as she began to explain the concept.

"They decorate the zoo with little white Christmas lights and you can walk through and see the animals at night."

"People do this?"

"All the time," Sara answered with a smirk. "I've heard that they actually enjoy it."

"I want to go to the zoo," Hannah said suddenly, looking expectantly at Gil, who looked at Sara.

"We can go," Sara agreed. "Maybe Sunday."

"Can we go now?" Hannah wasn't being rude, she was simply excited at the prospect of extending the day that had already been filled with so much happiness.

"Not tonight," Sara said with an apologetic smile. "I think I'm about ready for bed."

"It's not dark yet," Hannah objected, beginning to pout a bit. Before Grissom or Sara could remind her to mind her manners, Lily spoke up in her soft, quiet voice.

"If you don't mind, we'd love for Hannah to come with us. We won't be out too late."

"You guys are on a date. We couldn't impose—"

"Not a problem. We'd like to take Hannah," Greg said sincerely. Sara only detected the slightest bit of disappointment in his tone, but none at all in his bright expression. She looked around to find four sets of eyes begging her to say yes. Grissom's expression clearly told her that he was terrified of dealing with a disappointed child.

"I guess it's okay," Sara said slowly, "as long as you guys don't mind."

"Not at all," Lily assured her.

"Nope," Greg agreed. "It'll be fun."

"Take your sweater," Sara said with a smile to Hannah. The little girl grinned and grabbed at the piece of pink cashmere before excitedly hugging Sara and then Grissom.

"You have our numbers if you need us," Grissom said to Greg, who nodded as he swept Hannah up, maneuvering until she was ridding on his shoulders. After the young couple and little girl were gone for a few minutes, Sara realized that she and Grissom weren't making any attempts at conversation.

"What are you thinking?" She knew it wasn't the most original question, but he did look so deep in thought at the moment that she hoped the question might lead somewhere. Grissom smiled secretively and pointed toward a nearby tree, out of which a baby bird had just fallen.

"How do we know she's ready?"

"To go with Greg?" Sara asked. Accompanying the question was a strange look and a confused laugh. She hadn't yet reached the point in the evening where things were deeply philosophical and figurative. She hadn't even finished her brownie.

"To do anything," Grissom answered emphatically. "I mean, really, who are we? How can we just decide when she's old enough to go places without us? With a friend? With which friends? The list goes on…"

"We'll figured it out together," Sara cooed reassuringly, scooting closer to him on the blanket and pulling his arms around her so that their hands could be comfortably intertwined in her lap. "For now, she's safe."

"With Greg?"

"With Greg."

"If she comes home wanting to listen to that hard rock stuff and dye her hair green, I'm blaming you."

"She's four years old. She won't even eat green food. She won't want her hair that color," Sara teased. She snuggled back into his embraced and watched as the sun began to set over the park, bringing another night to life in the forever-bustling city.

Children and teenagers scurried out of the playgrounds and away from the picnic tables, knowing that they had to be home before the streetlights ignited. Young mothers hurriedly rushed their children from the park, horrific stories of city crime dancing through their harried minds. Sara yawned and stretched a bit, stopping her people-watching long enough to peak at her watch; it was barely eight.

"Do we even know what to do with an evening minus a four-year-old?"

"I do," Grissom whispered seductively, leaning forward to kiss her passionately, pulling away just in time to leave her slightly breathless and frazzled.

"Let's go." Sara packed the picnic basket without regard to organization or care, the extra fruit going into the garbage and several discarded sandwich crusts making it back into the basket along with the glasses, plates, and everything else she could gather within twenty seconds. After making it to the Tahoe in record time, they barely buckled their belts before Grissom pulled out of the lot and onto the road that would lead them home.

"You don't think we're rushing," Sara said questioningly as she hurriedly prepared her keys as they pulled into the drive.

"Five years is not rushing," Grissom answered, turning off the car and practically running to open Sara's door. Taking the keys from her hand, he gallantly swept her off her feet and captured her lips in a soft kiss. He walked quickly up the walk and opened the door to their home with ease, throwing her keys on the hall table and then carefully placing Sara on a living room sofa.

"Gil, the living room?" Sara looked around doubtfully, not liking the public feeling that the living room held with its floor-to-ceiling windows and arched doorways.

"Wait here," he said secretively, turning on the lights and dimming them before going down the hall. Sara shrugged her shoulders and tried not to frown in frustration as she laid back on the sofa and prepared to wait. He had not counted on her exhaustion and so was not expecting her to be falling asleep when he reappeared five minutes later, a bottle of wine in hand.

"Do you want to wait?"

"No!" Sara jumped quickly out of her state of semi-sleep and rubbed the slumber from her eyes. She blushed as she realized how her answer must have sounded. "I mean, who knows when we'll have time alone again—"

"My thoughts exactly," he said as he poured two glasses of wine. Handing one to her, he sat next to her on the sofa and immediately leaned in for a kiss, finding her receptive if a bit sluggish. They continued to investigate the situation, Sara playfully going where no woman had gone in years while Grissom carefully scaled the walls that she had built to protect her fragile heart.

"Let's move this into the bedroom," he suggested gently as he rid Sara of her heavy sweater. Clad in jeans and a lace camisole, she acquiesced and allowed herself to be carried into the candle lit and flower-strewn bedroom.

"How?" She gasped. He set her on the satin covered bed and her awe was clear on her expression as she fingered the delicate white and lavender silken flower petals.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time. For you," he corrected himself. Sitting down on the bed next to her, his face took on a serious expression as he took her hands between his. "Sara, I don't know what I've done right in my life to deserve you, but I'm glad I did. I know it took me too long to figure it out, but I can't tell you how happy I am that you're still here. You complete my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Sara tried to answer but couldn't; tears were streaming down her cheeks and a large lump had formed in her throat; putting her vocal cords temporarily out of service. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Grissom and held on tightly, allowing the tears to flow.

"I love you," she admitted tenderly.

"And I love you," he answered softly, placing a kiss on the top of her brown curls before hugging her closer. Before the beautiful moment could continue, the phone began to ring. Sara sat back and began to wipe at her eyes while Grissom cursed under his breath.

"I turned it off. Only emergency calls can get through from the answering service." Sara nodded; she understood. Unfortunately, in their line of work, there were things that were more important than personal time.

"Grissom," he said gruffly as he flipped open his phone. "Okay," he said calmly, his face frozen and not giving Sara any hints as to his emotions. "We'll be right there."

"Where?"

"Hannah needs picked up from Greg's."

"That couldn't wait a few minutes?"

"Something's wrong. She's taking a tantrum. I could hear her in the background."

"Oh God," Sara whispered as she threw her clothes back on and followed Grissom back out to the Tahoe. They arrived at Greg's apartment in a matter of minutes, thanks to Grissom's decision that this was a situation that called for sirens and flashing lights. Sara reached Greg's door first and immediately went to Hannah when a startled looking Lily opened the door. Upon seeing Sara, Hannah promptly transitioned from sobs and screams to sniffles and hiccups.

"What happened?" Sara demanded, her glare aimed at an already startled looking Greg. She sat down on the soft blue sofa and gathered the tiny girl into her arms, whispering reassurances as she continued to look critically at Greg.

"We'll talk about it later," Grissom assured her, intercepting her immediate need to lash out at somebody. "Greg, I'm sure it wasn't you. She's going through some things—"

"It's cool," Greg said shakily. "We had fun before that."

"I'm so sorry Mr. Grissom, Ms. Sidle. We were fine before she fell asleep, and then she just got so upset—"

"Lily, we told you to call us Sara and Grissom. And don't apologize," Sara insisted. "She's probably just tired. She just wants to be at home." She turned her attention back to the little girl and ruffled her hair gently.

"What happened, baby doll?"

"You were gone," Hannah sniffled; her eyes alight with new tears.

"You wanted to go with Greg, remember?"

"I didn't think you wouldn't be there."

"It's okay now," Sara assured her. "Did you like the zoo lights?"

"They were pretty," the little girl whispered. Grissom interrupted them, holding out Hannah's sweater and jangling his keys; indications that he was ready to be on his way. Once inside the Tahoe, Hannah refused to sit in her car seat, instead begging to sit with Sara. Finally they compromised, putting Hannah into her seat but promising that Sara would sit in the seat beside her instead of in the front passenger seat.

The lights were barely out in Hannah's room when the little girl appeared in the doorway, her thumb in her mouth and her stuffed dog Griss under arm. Sara, who had been turning out lights in the living room while Grissom cleaned up the bedroom from their unconsummated prior plans, was startled when she passed the little girl. Kneeling on the plush beige carpet, Sara found herself at eye level with the obviously exhausted young girl.

"Hannah, what are you doing?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning up a little before bed. It's late, sweetie. You should be in bed."

"I can't sleep."

"Why not?"

"Monsters," the little girl whispered.

"Oh sweetie," Sara breathed softly, looking around for some sort of answer. She knew the problem was internal; no amount of room searching was going to allow the little girl a peaceful night of sleep. She clearly remembered her own childhood, full of nightmares that had carried all the way through to her adult life. Although she wanted to be able to take the little girl and sleep beside her to keep the monsters way, she knew that all of the books and doctors and experienced parents warned venomously against allowing a child to sleep with her parents; it was apparently an allowance that could cause future problems.

Taking the child's hand, Sara walked back into the bedroom and pulled Hannah with her. Switching on the lights, she patiently went through the room with the now-trembling girl and proved that there were not monsters. At least not in the beautiful lavender and yellow room.

Plunking Hannah back into her bed, Sara switched off the lights and tucked the child back under the plush comforters. "You need to go to sleep, sweetheart."

"There aren't really monsters," the child admitted.

"Really? What's keeping you awake?"

"I don't bad things to happen to you."

"I'm going to be right across the hall. Nothing is going to happen to me or Gil."

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"No, sweetie," Sara said softly. "You need to sleep here."

"Please?"

"I'll be right across the hall, baby girl. Sleep tight." Doing her best to ignore the child's pleas and soft cries, Sara left the door open a bit and found her way to the other bedroom, tears dripping from her own eyes as she flopped down on the bed.

Also -- thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews. I really do appreciate them, even though I haven't been able to respond recently. Please continue to let me know what you think of the chapters -- it helps me continue to write (and to know where I need to improve). Thanks again!