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Chapter 20 Valley of Love and Delight

It was not long after dinner that Lindsay fell asleep, leaning against the sofa, and Warrick carefully carried her to Grissom and Sara's bed. Soon after, Sara noticed that Hannah was rubbing her eyes and rolling them, as though trying to keep awake so that she didn't miss a moment of the festivities. Finishing up her conversation with Nick, Sara gathered the little girl into her arms and held her while she talked to Catherine for a few minutes. The two women, although still not terribly close friends, had become much friendlier with Sara out of the lab.

Half way though their conversation about the new technology the lab was trying to incorporate, Sara realized that Hannah was sound asleep.

"That has to be one of the best feelings in the world," Catherine said in glowing reference to Sara holding the sleeping child. Her voice was wistful but at the same time happy; the mothering instinct that had always played between her and Sara was reacting favorably to the fact that the younger woman was finally content.

"I should probably put her to bed," Sara said, excusing herself. As she stood, Nick appeared behind her and gently took the sleeping child. "Thanks Nicky." She followed him down the hall, and watched as he carefully laid Hannah on her bed before excusing himself. Removing the child's shoes and stockings, Sara went to the closet for a nightgown and returned to find Hannah's eyes fluttering open.

"It's time for bed," Sara assured her in a soft voice. She played with Hannah's hair for a moment, her exquisite engagement ring sparkling on her slim, pale hand. Smoothing a few of the dark curls away from the tiny child's face, Sara offered her a bright smile. "Did you have a good day?" Hannah nodded, too tired to answer otherwise. "Good," she murmured as she pulled the little girl into a sitting position and carefully freed her of the satin dress. Hannah leaned tiredly against Sara, sighing deeply as the woman rubbed her back and dressed her in a warm nightgown. Once she was tucked back under the covers, the little girl rolled onto her side and curled up around Griss, completely lost to sleep.

"Love you, baby doll," Sara said softly, leaning down to drop a kiss on the child's forehead. Sitting for a few minutes to make sure that she really was asleep, Sara eventually left the room and rejoined the party that was still alive and well in her living room.

Catherine and Gil both had serious expressions on their faces as Sara rejoined them and the young brunette was immediately worried; they looked entirely too serious.

"Catherine wants us to get married tonight," Grissom said, his eyes focused in annoyance at the blonde.

"Not tonight," she spat back, "I just think you should set a date."

"What's the rush?" Nick's comment was unwarranted, causing Sara and Grissom to become suspicious. Why would Nick care when they planned the wedding.

"It depends on what kind of wedding Sara wants," Grissom said slowly, looking to her for help.

"Small."

"See? You could do small in a matter of weeks. Why wait? You already have a kid."

"Catherine, this is our decision," Grissom said firmly. "I don't think Sara wants to rush. Or be bullied into it."

"I've waited five years," Sara answered sarcastically. "And despite appearances, I'm not getting any younger."

"See?" Catherine was smug as she sat down on the sofa next to Brass, who looked like he wanted to help his friend but didn't quite know how.

"Do you want to set a date?" Grissom's question was focused on Sara, but the entire room was intently listening for her answer.

"Everyone that matters to me is here," Sara answered quietly, "I don't have a reason to wait."

"How about the week before Christmas? It gives us a little time to plan."

"That would be great," Sara answered, a small smile gracing her lips. She would have to thank Catherine later. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Catherine gleefully received money from the guys. So they had bet on her, and lost. Served them right – she wasn't nearly as predictable as they thought.

"JP?" Catherine was visibly excited, jumping ahead of the couple with plans.

"Can we talk about that later?" Sara asked Grissom the question, completely ignoring Catherine. "We should discuss it a little."

"Of course," Grissom answered, a bit confused. He had never known Sara to be religious; he had expected her to immediately jump at the idea of a Justice of the Peace. Perhaps he had been wrong. He hoped so, because his mother would probably be very upset if he were married outside of a church.

"I want to get married in the Church," Sara said abruptly. She spoke as though it was something people normally said while drying dishes.

"I didn't know you went to church," Grissom answered honestly. "Presbyterian?"

"The Church," Sara repeated. "Roman Catholic."

"I didn't realize you attended. Or that you were Catholic."

"It was the only steady thing when I was growing up. No matter how much hitting or yelling went on in the house, mom would always kick my brother and me out the door and tell us to go to church on Sunday mornings. It was the only two hours of the weekend when I felt safe."

"Do you still go?"

"Every Sunday. Guardian Angel. 8 am Mass," she answered quickly, avoiding his eyes. She knew that it was unscientific. The reason that she had never shared her beliefs with Grissom was because she admired him too much. She did not want him to think any less of her for believing in something that was traditionally riddled with ceremony and superstition.

"I take it that you don't visit friends then," Grissom accused quietly. He was referring to the fact that she disappeared every Sunday morning under the guise of meeting friends for breakfast.

"I'm sorry I lied. I didn't know how you'd feel about that part of my life. And I didn't want you to think less of me—"

"Sara," he said seriously, stopping her fidgeting hands by placing them in his own, "I don't think any less of you. I love you. And if church is important to you, I'm willing to give it another try."

"Really?"

"Really," he answered sincerely. "I'd like to go with you this Sunday."

"Thank you," she answered quickly, offering him a shy but meaningful smile. He had done more to gain her respect and admiration in the past five minutes than he had done in the previous five years. Grissom's mind reeled as he thought about the possibilities of finding himself in church services after all those years. But if it happened to be important to Sara, he would have to give it another try. They continued to wash and dry the dishes in relative silence, listening to the clamor of their friends who were still enjoying themselves in the next room.

Lounging sleepily against her pile of pillows, Sara watched in amusement as Grissom attempted to undress and get into bed quietly. Thinking she was asleep, he was attempting to be as quiet as possible, which of course meant that he was making noise akin to a heard of elephants.

"Brass left?" She asked quietly, letting him know that she was awake.

"Just now," Grissom answered, climbing into bed. "He had a great time. Everyone did."

"So did I," Sara answered, her happy smile reverberating through her voice. She rolled onto her side and turned her crystal bedside lamp to its lowest setting. Sitting up in the dim lighting, she reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a carefully wrapped box, which she handed to Grissom. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Thanksgiving isn't a gift holiday," he said, slight alarm apparent in his voice. "I know, I checked with Catherine and my mom."

"It's okay," Sara replied. Her laugh was light and, for a moment, he realized that her expression was one of complete happiness. "It's just something little. Open it." Upon her urging, he gently lifted the box top and peered inside. His eyes flew open wide and for a moment, Sara feared that he might pass out from the shock. He was silent, staring from the box and then at Sara, trying to grasp the concept of her gift.

"You're—" She nodded, her face lit up with a bright smile. "I know it's unexpected, but I hope you're okay with it." He nodded, unable to answer but not wanted her to think that he was upset.

"You're having a baby? We're having a baby?" He looked at her, his expression and voice panicked, "We don't know how to have a baby."

"We'll figure it out," Sara answered with a happy laugh. She crawled into Grissom's lap, carefully pulling her arms around him and hugging him tightly, letting him know that she was okay with his slight shock. Her own disbelief had been prominent until earlier that morning, when she'd gotten the results from the blood test she'd asked Doc Robbins to run.

"Thank you." She'd barely heard them, but the whispered words meant the world to both of them.