Title: Entreaty

By: Manigault

Thank you again to those who have read and especially those who have reviewed!

Thanks to Donna for beta reading and editing!

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Clinging to Grissom, his head on the man's shoulder, Mattie looked up and into the concerned face of his Uncle Tom. Not releasing Grissom, Mattie turned his head away from the man who had been unable to bring his dad home. Tom crouched down beside them and placed a hand on Matties trembling back.

"Hey Kiddo," said Tom. He visibly flinched as the little boy shook him off and Grissom gave him an apolegetic shrug.

"Hey Mattie," Alex said from behind Grissom. His voice was soft as he cast an anxious glance towards Tom.

Tension filled the little boy and he pushed back on Grissom to stare over Tom's head at this familiar voice. "Dad?"

Alex shook his head quickly as the surrounding faces echoed his dismay. They had been so preoccupied with their own sorrow they had not stopped to prepare Mattie for the spitting image of his dad standing there in living breathing form. Tom stood quickly and spoke with a firm gentleness.

"No, it's Uncle Alex, Mattie. I'm sorry that we didn't tell you that he would be here."

Mattie, who had never had a problem telling his dad and Uncle Alex apart, now stared in confusion. In a tentative voice he asked. "You're not my dad?"

The boy's lips trembled and his eyes welled up once again. Turning away from Alex he sought shelter, and found Sara. Without hesitation, Sara held out her arms for him. Mattie walked numbly into her arms and allowed her to wrap her arms around his shaking body as she pulled him into a protective hug.

Mattie thought his tears had ceased hours ago and was horrified to find himself sobbing in front of his uncles and all of these strangers who stood gaping in the hallway.

Sara ran her fingers over the boy's auburn locks and spoke soothing words to him as she shared a concerned look with Grissom. Leaning towards her, Grissom suggested that she take him to his office, where he would join them shortly.

Watching Sara lead the distraught child away, Grissom then turned back to face his half brothers and the men exchanged grim looks. The Giles appeared as devastated as he felt inside as the nightmare reached levels of newfound pain.

Pulling his key ring from his pants pocket, Grissom took one of the keys off of the ring and held it out to Tom.

"Why don't you take Alex and Claire to my place and get some rest. Mattie will be fine here with Sara." He paused a fraction of a second before adding. "And with me. Feel free to make yourselves at home."

Tom ran a hand through his tousled curls and shook his head as he spoke. "I appreciate the offer, Gil, but we'll get a suite at one of the hotels. It will be less intrusive and easier for Mattie." His eyes wrinkled in concern as he pictured the boy's tear-stained face. "What an idiot I was Gil. I didn't think of the consequences of his seeing Alex."

"You're not alone." Grissom had dreaded the meeting of Kyle's twin for his own selfish reasons and had even considered the effect it would have on Tom, but he had not once considered Mattie's reaction. He glanced in the direction Sara had taken and found that the lab personnel had spilled over into the hallway. Scowling at the employees he twisted around to find Catherine taking everything in with a speculative look.

Without a word, she moved from her position and began shooing everyone back to their tasks and away from the fascinating scene in the hallway. Swiveling his head back around to Tom he curled his fingers around his keys and nodded. "I'll call you you if there is any new information."

"I plan to get my brother and Claire settled before coming back," said Tom. He knew that Olivia would be here soon and had no intention of being left out of the loop when she was questioned.

Grissom was not going to argue with him, knowing that if he were in Tom's position he would do the same thing. "What if I call you when she arrives? That way you can at least get something to eat and rest for a little while."

After leaving them at the front entrance, Grissom made his way to his office and was unprepared for the sight that assaulted his senses when he stepped into the room.

Sara was sitting in his chair, her attention focused on the small boy who sat in her lap, his head leaning against her chest as she stroked his hair. She was singing something to him that he could not make out and Mattie's eyes were closed in what he could only imagine was exhaustion. Grissom had never seen Sara in a maternal light and the sight was both unsettling and touching. He stood in his doorway, unwilling to interrupt the domestic scene and yet unable to move away from it either.

He was startled when Sara whispered his name and he looked up to meet her eyes as he quickly gathered and locked his emotions away.

"Grissom," Sara repeated in such a low voice, he had to strain to catch what she was saying. "If it's okay with you I'll stay here with Mattie for awhile and let him sleep."

"Of course," Grissom said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked away from them, struggling for the right words. "When you're ready to move him then you can always lay him on the couch in the breakroom." Grissom looked back at her and gave a sigh. "Page me. I'll come carry him for you and make sure the breakroom is cleared out."

Sara was moved by Grissom's sudden nervousness. She offered him her widest smile before saying in a teasing manner, "If you want to help me out then you can put something beneath my right elbow. I'm afraid I'll shift too much and wake him. Do you mind?"

Eager to do something, anything, to make Sara more comfortable, Grissom pulled off his jacket and walked around the desk to stuff the article of clothing between her right elbow and the armrest. His face was inches from her own and she leaned over quickly to kiss him swiftly on the cheek. To her pleasure Grissom did not freak out with her move, nor did he dart a glance towards the doorway to make sure nobody witnessed the exchange. Instead, he smiled back at her and leaned back in towards her to plant a soft kiss on her lips as he smiled again.

"Thank you, Sara," Grissom said as he moved away from the desk towards the door. He paused in the doorway and twirled back around on his heel as he said lightly. "Thank you for everything."

With that gratuity he was gone and Sara sighed as she marveled at the changes in their lives. Mattie groaned in his sleep and Sara's attention was diverted back to the fragile child she sheilded in her arms.

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"Bingo!" exclaimed Nick. He pointed to an address that he had circled and smiled with satisfication. "I found a community that has potential; over fifty homes that boast proud Cessna owners." He looked up at Warrick and Greg to exchange grins.

"We should get a list of the happy Cessn owners and see if there are any possible links with Andy Giles." suggested Warrick.

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"Catherine? Have you seen Nick or Warrick?" asked Grissom as he entered the ballistics lab.

Glancing up at the face of her old friend, Catherine nodded. "Greg told me that the boys have a lead and are on their way to follow up on it."

"They didn't bother to inform me." Grissom said, his irritation obvious as his scowl deepened. Ignoring Catherine's chastising look, he pulled out his cell phone and hit a number, waiting for Nick to pick up on his end.

"Grissom. Brass asked me to let you know that Olivia is here," said Greg. He lingered in the doorway and watched as Grissom brought the phone from his ear and hit the end button.

Without a word to Catherine or Greg, Grissom pushed past the curious pair and hurried from the room. He briefly debated informing Sara, but just as quickly decided that he did not want to disturb Mattie, and would catch her up on the interrogation when he saw her later.

Brass waited outside an interrogaton room and held up his hand for Grissom to stop before entering.

"She's in shock, Gil, and her parents are a piece of work. They are refusing to let her speak with us alone and the dad keeps insisting that this is all a mistake."

"I've met them." said Grissom. He knew that Clayton would be filled with denial and anger about the situation. He also understood that parents would never want to believe their child could be involved with anything so horrific. He knew better. He had catalogued the evidence of too many crime scenes where children wre the perpetrators over the years.

They entered the room and Grissom hovered in the doorway taking in the sight. Olivia sat in one chair, her pale face a blank mask of indifference as she stared at the interlaced fingers resting in her lap. Bess sat on her left, worry creasing the woman's face. She looked to be fighting back a flood of tears that would erupt any second if provoked.

Clayton was the restless tiger, pacing the room, his face contorted in anger and something more-- frustration. He paused in his trip from one end of the room to the other and his narrowed eyes landed on Grissom.

"This is your fault, Mr. Grissom." Clayton said through gritted teeth, his fists curled by his sides. His angry accusation brought Bess to turn and look at Grissom who stood with a strange feeling of unease in the doorway.

Olivia never stirred.

Ignoring the parents, Grissom walked further into the room, directly to the table where the teenager sat. "Olivia? Are you okay?"

"Okay?" Clayton roared from behind Olivia, one big hand landing on the girl's shoulder as Grissom saw the first emotion from the girl in the form of a wince. "She stupidly confessed to something she did not do because of guilt brought on by you and your girlfriend."

Brass glanced sharply over at Grissom at the word "girlfriend" but he did not comment as Grissom continued to speak to Olivia.

"Can you tell me about Andy and if you know where he is now, Olivia? Is he alive?" Grissom bit out this last question as his throat tightened. Difficult as it was to ask, it was necessary.

Olivia's chin snapped up at the question and her blank eyes met those of Grissom. "I don't know, Mr. Grissom. I don't know where Andy is and I don't know if he is alive. I haven't seen him since that day."

"Tell me about that day," Grissom urged her with a gentle tone. His eyes shot daggers at Clayton, who shut his mouth quickly after opening it to sputter a protest.

Olivia shook her head and looked back at her hands. "I wrote it all in that note. I confessed."

"Tell me about what you wrote, Olivia, I would like to hear it in your words."

Tension filled the small room as the adults waited impatiently for Olivia to recount the events that she had previously confessed. Five minutes stretched into seven as she sat there in a state of complete silence.

Grissom was beginning to think that the girl would never open her mouth when the door flew open and Tom agrily strode into the room.

"I need to know what happened, Olivia, and why my brother had to pay with his life. Why was Kyle murdered?"

Chaos followed this outburst as every adult except Grissom burst into protest at Tom's intrusion. Brass demanded to know who had let him into the room. Bess wrapped her arms around Olivia's shoulders and begged Tom not to hurt her child. Clayton insisted he leave and that Brass make him leave or he would sue the department. The lawyer that Clayton hired was busy spewing legalese.

"Stop it!"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Oliva shouted as she leapt from her chair and banged her fists on the table. "I didn't kill Mr. Giles and neither did Andy! We didn't kill him." Sobs shook the girls body and she collapsed in Bess's arms as she kept muttering over and over. "We didn't kill him."

All eyes bore into the girl as Grissom spoke. "Who did?"

TBC