A/N Thanks to Sassy, Maryrose and Danese for the great beta work.

Chapter 3

Warrick saw him first. Or maybe he felt him. He had been there the longest, with the exception of Catherine, and he was a man like Grissom, a man raised primarily by women. He wore his heart on his sleeve though he covered it with a suit of tough guy passed on by his favorite uncle. Warrick got his armor from his grandfather. So when Sara saw his eyes change colors and his mouth stop chewing she knew Grissom was standing behind her.

She took one last bite of the greasy double cheese pizza from the takeout joint that Grissom had avoided because of his own blood pressure. The loud voices died as quickly as they had risen nearly an hour before when Sara, Warrick and Nick had begun the heated argument about interracial dating that had veered off into an intense conversation about gender reassignment.

"Gris," Warrick said edgily. "I thought you went on that triple with Cath?"

Sara shifted and took one last bite of the salty slab. She was so busted. Her only saving grace was that the boys were still uncertain as to whether Grissom was the father or not. She had postponed their breakfast at the diner because Grissom wanted to do something "special" - whatever that meant.

She felt his breath as he peeked over her shoulder. "Double cheese, deep dish crust with extra butter on the bottom. Oh no! That's not butter, that's that fake butter spray they use. I haven't had Sal's in, oh, two or maybe even three months. Might even be longer than that. Since that night we had the case at the Luxor?"

Sara rolled her shoulders in response to the veiled reverence to the baby's conception. He pulled the soft drink that was at Sara's elbow from the table.

"Mr. Ricky's Junkie Jolt Soda. You know this had more caffeine than any other soft drink on the market, even more than Mountain Dew and Jolt. More than the espresso my Uncle Sal consumed from lunchtime until he goes to bed."

Warrick wanted to look away but it was like a train wreck. Grissom being the wrecker and Sara being the wrecked train

Grissom gave a Nick and Warrick a hard stare. "I heard you guys in the parking lot."

Greg walked into this but turned on his heels when he saw the forbidden food and sugar filled drinks.

"Greg." Grissom called in the same voice that his biological children would come to dread.

"Yeah, Boss," Greg said in what would remind Grissom of the good natured cheeriness of his son one day.

"I am going to say this and I will not say it again."

Nick wanted to disappear. He was certain Grissom and his father were the same people in different bodies. It was only fair that the judge and Gil Grissom lived in different states. It was only fair to the criminals.

Grissom's voice was like a steel knife turned on itself.

"Sara has been put on restricted duty because her doctor said so. It was not a choice or an option. Her doctor, a medical doctor, a woman that went to school for this particular profession who is board certified in high risk obstetrics in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South Africa and the UK. A woman who graduated from Cornell in three years and went on to complete a fellowship in Johns Hopkins high-risk obstetrics put Sara Heartflowe Sidle on restrictions. These restrictions include a low sodium diet and trace amounts of caffeine. She is also supposed to remain calm. IF you call yourself her friends and IF you care about Sara you will not indulge her every little whim no matter what pitiful line she feeds you or what innocent expression she lays on you. I would think that after five years of knowing her that you each would realize the she's smarter than the three of you put together and slicker than Sam Braun on trial for murder."

Sara scrunched her eyes together like she would do years later when her husband would go on his rare rants, trying to block out the justified diatribe. Slowly he pulled the pizza box from the table and along with the sodas and dropped them one by one into the trashcan. He left. Sara gave the three men a guilty look.

Greg glared at Sara. "He was just getting over the ferret incident."

Sara raised her eyebrows at Warrick's odd expression. "Your middle name is Heartflowe? What kind of weirdo bullshit is that?"

xxxxxxxx

Gil Grissom watched his doctor for a full minute. He had just entered the exam room. The door was still open, his trusty nurse Emanuel at his side.

"You are sure these are his?" March Brooks ran his finger down a sheet of test results.

"Yes." Emanuel's light Spanish accent filled the room.

March eyed Grissom and closed the folder. He pushed the door closed, surprised to find Sara sitting in the room.

He let out a breath and said, "Ah."

Sara frowned. "Is something wrong?"

March took a few steps toward Sara and extended his hand. "Miss Sidle, I believe it is. We met a few years ago and the Law Enforcement Golf Tournament. I had to fill in for Doc Robbins when he broke his arm."

Sara nodded. She remembered the handsome, blue-eyed, silver haired man that looked like Grissom's lithe younger brother. Sara watched as he took in her belly and the bare left hand that rested on her protruding stomach. She shifted her weight.

"I see," March said to no on in particular.

"He's healthier than he has been in four years, Miss Sidle." March's soft Louisiana accent filled the air. "His blood pressure is down 30 points. His cholesterol is remarkable and he has lost 15 pounds. Only a beautiful woman can change a man's evil ways. It is still Miss Sidle I see, since Gil has not checked the married box."

Sara flushed and cut her eyes towards Grissom who was busy shaking his head and buttoning his shirt. He looked good a few pounds lighter. Hell, he looked good a few pounds heavier. The man just looked good. Sara fanned herself absently. There might be just enough time for a shag before he headed off to work.

"Miss Sidle, I do believe that look is what got you in your current state. Let's just hope it will keep our Gilbert on the path of repentance. My grandfather always said the love of a good woman will change a man, well that and her daddy's shotgun. My grandfather was doctor as well so he should have known where babies come from. They were married for 50 years. I think it's too late for our Gil to get that much time in but maybe we can get in a good 40." With that he clicked his pen, snapped the chart shut and moved towards the door.

"Gilbert, I will see you in six months. Hopefully, the good news will continue. Bring the little one. Bring your lovely Sara. We shall review your progress. Miss Sidle, please leave your number with my lovely wife. We shall do dinner, and I shall tell you all about Gil's erratic medical history."

Grissom pulled on his jacket and helped Sara to her feet. "March, that's illegal."

"Right, like you'd report me. I know where all the bodies are buried."

Sara interrupted the two men. "Who's your wife?"

"Ah. Emanuel is my wife and mother to my three daughters. Her daddy didn't have a shotgun. He put a Mayan curse on me, and then tried to run me down in one of his gas trucks. One man's shotgun is another's half-ton fuse. Good to see you again, Miss Sidle. Gilbert. Stay the course."

xxxxxxx

Sara and Grissom walked through the Whole Foods arm and arm. Grissom had never been much for the small, organic, healthy grocery chain, but Sara liked it so they did most of their shopping there. He was surprised at the array of fruits, vegetable, meatless products, and organic meats. He had tentatively bought two steaks on their first trip together. After he had grilled one, he told Sara he was never buying meat from any place else as he devoured the succulent, free range, steroid free, side porterhouse from a small farm in Texas.

Now she had drifted away and was trying to decide on Haagen Daz or Ben and Jerry's. He was just about to tell her that she needed to decide. She could buy whatever she wanted. Sara, used to economizing, would balk, but he would eventually win. He didn't want her or his daughter to ever be one of those women that had to put something back when they didn't have enough money, always holding their breath a little when they offered a credit or debit card. She was doing well fighting the high blood pressure. Full fat ice cream was her only real indulgence. She should be able to have that.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted a bevy of curves and thick dark hair. On another day in another time, he would have turned to look. Now he was too smart to and too happy to make the slightest movement. Sara not only had eyes in the back of her head. She had them on the sides too.

"Gil," came a low New Jersey accented voice.

He knew that voice. He knew that shape. He knew that woman. Kerry Konrad was an old flame that worked in the DA's office. She had dumped him for the state pathologist Rich Dawson saying that Grissom was repressed, not ambitious and going to die old and alone. He had thought she was probably right. Now, he was pretty sure that he was not repressed, just not in love with Kerry as he had once thought. He would not die alone. He had a daughter and maybe a wife. He hadn't figured that out yet, and he was as ambitious as he needed to be for a man that intended to spoil them both.

Grissom turned and gave her a quick smile surprised when she leaned in with a kiss on the cheek. "How are you?"

"I am wonderful," Grissom said softly, "You?"

Kerry held out a hand. "You know Rich and I are engaged."

"I heard. Congratulations. When's the wedding?" Grissom had also heard that Rich was bedding at least two other women. One of whom was pregnant with their second child.

"Next month in St. Barts. The clock is a ticking. I already started fertility treatments." Grissom gave her a benign grin. He had seen his friend Horatio Caine do it many times. It usually meant go away.

Just then Sara slipped her arm through Grissom's. "I can't decide. I am getting all four." She dropped four pints of ice cream into the cart he was carrying.

Kerry stared at Sara's stomach and back at Grissom. Grissom worked hard not to stick his chest out. Sara smiled at the other woman. He wasn't sure if she knew Kerry, but thought she probably did.

"Hello." Sara said pleasantly.

Grissom spoke, wanting to cut the meeting short. "Sara, this is Kerry. Kerry Konrad, Sara."

Kerry looked confused for a moment. "I didn't know you had a daughter Gil."

Sara let out a snort and whispered something to Grissom about illegal activity. "She's not my daughter."

Kerry stared for several more seconds. Confusion creating tiny lines around her mouth and eyes.

Without knowing where it came from, he spoke again. "She is my fiancée. We are expecting."

Sara gripped his arm tighter but didn't correct him. He was sure to get chewed out by the time they got in the car. He would take the tongue-lashing.

xxxxxxx

The silverware made harsh sounds as Sara cut into her pasta. She had spoken exactly seven words since they had left the store.

"Will you put up the groceries please?"

"I'll make dinner too if you want."

"Great."

He watched her as she sliced a tomato, placed it in her mouth and chewed slowly. She didn't look angry. She looked lost and far off. She wasn't there with him. He cleared his throat. Sara went back to working on the angel hair.

"Are you mad at me?" he finally said.

Sara looked at him as if she had just realized he was there. "Mad at you?"

"Yes, are you angry with me? You aren't talking?"

Sara shook her head and gave a tense smile. "Why does everything have to be about you?"

Shaken by the comment, he worked on his own identical dinner save for the ground turkey. Irritated, he sliced into a meatball and worked it for a time. "Because everything is about you," Grissom said.

Sara looked at him, confusion darkening her eyes. "What…?"

"Because everything in my life is about you and the baby." He looked down at his plate. "Sorry, I expect too much. I shouldn't after all this time. After I made so many mistakes." He said trying not to let his hurt feelings show. It was Sara's turn to feel the iciness of the meal.

"Grissom…" Sara didn't know what to say. She was angry with Grissom only she didn't know if it had been because of his game of one-upmanship with his ex-girlfriend. You got a ring? Well I got a hot young babe who's having my baby. Did I mention we were getting married? I didn't? Well that's cause it's a great big lie. Have a nice day and have fun with those fertility treatments 'cause as you can see we don't need them.

The dinner lasted another ten minutes before Grissom left the table and went for a drive. When he returned the house was cold. Too cold for a cold natured pregnant women who often wore sweaters even in the middle of summer. He called out to Sara. Softly first, afraid of the answer then loudly afraid that something had happen to Sara or the baby. There was a note on his pillow, on his side of the bed. His side of the bed? When did he get a side of the bed?

Grissom,

I am at home. I think we both need a breather. We are fine. Stop rubbing a hole in your temple.

Smiling he removed his finger from his temple and dialed the number that had nearly been blotted from his mind.

"Hi'"

"We are fine."

"You're sure? You can come back. I will sleep on the couch."

He meant to say she could come home.

"Gris - I don't think…."

"I know. I am sorry. I was just worried about the baby."

Sara formed a silent oath but only said, "Yeah the baby" and broke the connection.

xxxxxxx

Sara was ashamed of herself. She was jealous of her own daughter, her own not even born yet daughter. She had prayed to God that she wasn't one of those women. Those women that was jealous of the joy and the promise that their daughter's lives held. That was her thought as she knocked on the front door of the townhouse.

Grissom opened the door half asleep. "Why didn't you use your key?"

"I need to talk to you."

"That's why you didn't use your key?" Grissom ran a thick hand over his unruly curls.

Sara, intent on her mission, walked to the living room. "Sit, Grissom."

Grumpily, he plopped down on the couch. Hannah Grissom would call him Daddy Bear when he would plod from his lair to tell his children that they had woken him, eventually being drawn into whatever antics that had woke him.

"Have you slept?" he asked Sara.

"Wha…yeah I slept, well most of the night. I sleep at night and during the day. Since I work only half shifts and because I am pregnant. Look. That's not the point. The point is why I was hurt or angry or whatever."

Grissom waited willing her to stop moving back and forth. "Okay…"

"I was hurt because you love the baby."

"I think this is one of those pregnant women things, or maybe I am still asleep."

She snapped her fingers in front of his surprisingly clear blue eyes. "I am angry with you for loving the baby and not me. I understand. I am over it. I get it. I was upset because you just loved the baby and not me. I was upset because I know that you have been so caring and so sweet just because I am having your baby. You did exactly the right thing. You should take care of me and be sweet to me. I am carrying the Grissom progeny. There won't be another one of those. Well maybe there will be, but this kid is a genius in the making. You are absolutely doing the right thing."

Grissom blinked and wondered if he was having an odd dream. He had them all the time. Popsicles not melting in the hot oven. Being lost in Warrick or Greg's hair with only the North Star to guide him. This did not appear to be a dream. Sara's rambling was par for the course. It was run of the mill Sara rambling, and he wasn't lost in a head of hair. He checked Sara's clothing. Fully dressed. No dream.

"Sara, as you may have noticed, I am a first time father, and from what I understand my sleep will be limited."

Sara went to apologize but Grissom's hand went up.

"No, let me finish."

She watched him carefully as he scratched his beard.

"Yes, it has. I understand why. Every move I have made. Every word I have said prior to this has been completely contradictory to everything I feel. I did not show you how I felt about you… how I feel about you. You are wrong. I love you, and I love my daughter. I loved you before my daughter and because of her. Now, can we go to sleep? Cause Daddy works a full shift to put bacon on the table."

Grissom looked at Sara. "Sorry, soy sausage, dear."

With that he stood and took Sara's hand and marched her down the hall. "You woke me up, and now you have to put me back to sleep again."

Sara laughed loudly.

Thirteen Years Later

"Ew… You and Dad actually had sex?" Noah wanted to know as he tore off a piece of the crusty bread the he had helped his father make. He was often irritated by his parent's clinically discreet honesty. Old people.

Sara ladled the last of her the minestrone into her bowl. When Noah frowned she pushed the bowl towards him. Noah gave a gap tooth grin and dunked the bread into soup.

Grissom looked around at his brood. The bowls were empty, the bread all gone. "I supposed the three of you are still hungry."

They all grinned at him. "Pizza, Dad, you already have the crust made."

Grissom shook his head. "I don't know why I plan a menu."

"Poor house husband." Sara blew her semi-retired husband an air kiss.

He stood from the table and walked to the kitchen. He pulled the dough from a compartment in the refrigerator.

"Noah, sex is…."

Noah finished his father's refrain. "Natural and beautiful and should be saved for a committed relationship. Yeah, Dad, I know. You showed me the slides and the books, and you made me go to that class that Father Kilpatrick teaches where they talked about essences flowing into other people, and I will tell you and Mom if I want to have sex."

"No one is going to have sex with you. That one blue, one brown eye thing scares people," Hannah joked.

"You are just jealous. Uncle Warrick says it gives me character." Noah retorted. Hannah turned her attention to Sara.

"So, Mom, get to the part where Daddy spent lots of money on me."

Sara raised an 'I told you so' eyebrow at Grissom who pretended to ignore her as he spread sauce on the crust.

"No matter what I said to him. He was in fits. He just had this image that little girls…"