Title: Wash Away part thirteen

Note: Thanks everyone for reading. And, thanks to everyone who has reviewed and offered their views. I do read each one and take them seriously. However, like everything in life nobody has the same opinions and I'm bound to disappoint many.

Thanks again for the nice comments, they are appreciated.

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Early September, 06

Vegas

Grissom left the breakroom and walked on unsteady legs down the hallway towards his office where he could lock the door, turn the lights off and relax in his chair to contemplate the information he had just received. His plan was altered as he found Brass standing in the doorway of his office, a strained frown pulling the corners of his lips.

"What's wrong, Jim?" asked Grissom as he stopped in front of his friend.

"What isn't." Brass responded as he motioned towards Grissom's office. "I need to let you know about something that I think you will find interesting."

Following Brass into his own office, Grissom could not imagine what he could tell him that would inspire such drama. Spinning around on his heel to confront Brass he asked sharply.

"Is this something about Sara?"

Brass winced. "No."

Shutting the door behind himself, Brass indicated the chairs as he suggested. "I think we should sit and have a drink." He pulled a flask out of his pocket as he spoke and waited until Grissom settled into his own chair and had taken a sip of the scotch before he broke the news.

"Lady Heather came to see me today."

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Mid September, 06

West Coast

"This place is so cute!" Tina gushed as Sara opened the cottage door to allow Warrick and his wife entry. She had to laugh as she watched Warrick's eyes gorw wide at the sight of her extended frame.

"Thank you, Tina. It's good to see you, Warrick." Sara reached out to hug her friend and after an awkward session of how to reach around the extended belly they laughed and hugged.

"Wow. You look amazing, Sara." Warrick stared at her belly as she blushed.

Turning her attention to Tina, she smiled with warmth. "I'm so glad to finally meet Warrick's wife."

Tina was beautiful and Sara thought that they made a good match. Tina thanked her for inviting them and they spent the next hour in light discussion about Vegas, married life, kids.

"Have you thought of names, Sara?" Tina questioned as she watched the latest ultrasound that showed the boys in motion. But, then, Sara thought wryly, these boys were always in motion.

"I've given it some thought. Nothing is concrete." She had thought about names, but could not admit to Warrick or Tina that it was the last name that was stumping her the most. She knew that she would list Gilbert Grissom as the dad on the birth certificate. As thoughts of this had assaulted her mind, the questions would begin. Could she give her son's the last name of Sidle? Or, should she give them the name they should rightfully have claim to and one that would legally separate them from herself? Each time she had these questions she would decide that Sidle-Grissom would be appropriate given the circumstances, and then the questions would begin once again.

"Warrick is a nice name for a boy." Warrick said with a soft laugh.

"I could name one of them Warrick Gregory and the other Nicholas Brass." Sara teased back. "Do you think my children would forgive me?"

"They would, but I wouldn't." grumbled Warrick with a wink. "I like Brass Warrick much better."

"You would." Tina leaned over and brushed a kiss on his cheek before turning back to the video as she said with a wistfulness that Sara could not help but notice. "Your babies are adorable."

"Thank you." Sara said and arched an eyebrow over at Warrick. He just shrugged and made a gesture towards the beach.

"You think we could take a walk before dinner?" Warrick asked as he stretched his arms behind his back and glanced at Tina.

Sara's smile was wide as she urged them to go for a walk on the beach and take their time. "I'll have dinner ready when you come back."

"You don't want to come with us?" Warrick asked her with a grin.

"I don't think so. Not this time, anyway." Sara punched his arm gently and grinned back. She was happy to see her Vegas friend, but at the same time his presence made her think of someone else.

She watched them go out the door and picked up the phone.

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"Grissom."

He sounded distracted. Sara gathered up her courage and said hello. She had been unsure if he would want to talk to her after their last conversation, and she had been uncertain of what more there was to say.

"So, have you seen Warrick?" Grissom asked.

Sara knew that everyone was aware that Warrick was coming to see her on the West Coast. He had phoned her that night and confessed, informing her of the entire conversation. She had listened intently for Grissom's response to Greg's question, and then could not hide her disappointment with the answer.

"Yeah. Warrick and Tina are having dinner with me, they should be back in thirty minutes or so." Sara waddled into the kitchen as she spoke and opened the refrigerator. She pulled a variety of veggies from the top drawer and placed them on the counter.

"I'm making that vegetarian casserole dish that you thought was so good." Sara remembered his expression as he took his first bite of the casserole she had spent an hour concocting.

"Ahh, I remember. It was very good." Grissom licked his lips at the memory of that first dinner and what had happened afterwards. "I also remember dessert."

Sara pressed her hands on the counter and felt herself breathing heavier with each second. The first time they had sex. They had been going out on dates for a month, kissing, touching, but it was the first time they had consumated their relationship. Grissom had placed their plates in the sink and asked her what was for dessert.

'Me.' She had responded. They had laughed at the corny answer, but then the glint in Grissom's eyes fled and he turned serious as he pressed her against the counter, his hands on either side of her, his gaze intent on her lips. She had expected their first time to be awkard, imperfect. It was beautiful.

"Sara? Do you remember?" Grissom was asking across the miles.

"I can't forget." Sara said with complete honesty.

It was in that moment that she wanted to tell him the truth about everything. She wanted to tell him that she was carrying his sons, that he would love them once he met them. She opened her mouth to let the words spill out when she heard a voice call out to Grissom. A feminine voice that echoed across the line and caused her words to freeze in her throat.

"Who is that?" She finally choked out the question, although instinctively she knew.

"Nobody, Sara. I'm working on a case." Grissom's voice was edged with tension as he looked across his office at Heather and Brass. "It's something that Jim asked me to help with and I couldn't refuse."

"It sounded like Lady Heather." Sara knew the womans voice. She had made a point of seeing her when she was brought into police headquarters after whipping that man. Sara had stood behind the two way mirror as Heather had given her side of the events, at first with detached emotion and then with calm conviction.

She heard Grissom draw a deep breath, heard the frustration in his voice when he spoke. "It is, but Sara it's not what you think."

"Nothing ever is, Grissom." The sadness was back. She wanted to listen to his explanation and felt she could give him that. "So, Brass asked you to work some case that involves Lady Heather?"

She felt betrayed by Brass. How could he ask Grissom to see Lady Heather?

"Exactly." Grissom expelled his breath and spoke quickly. "Is it okay if I call you later? I will explain everything."

"Sure."

After pushing the 'end' button on her cell phone, Sara wiped the corner of her eye. He was working with Lady Heather. That was all he was doing. She tried to assure herself of that fact. He would be around a woman he admitted that he found fascinating, that he desired on some level. If she had never left Vegas, would he still be working this case?

"Sara? Are you okay?"

Warrick's concerned question brought her out of her self loathing and she swiveled her neck around to look at him. She started to respond that of course she was fine, and why was he back so soon? Instead, she broke down. Tears rolled down her face and she could not will them to cease. She felt Warrick wrap his arms around as much of her as he could, and tried to sniff back the flow of salty water.

"I called Grissom." Sara finally managed, her voice muffled as she kept her head burried in Warrick's shoulder. "He is working with her again."

Warrick shook his head and asked in confusion. "Who is her?" Before she could speak, he cleared his throat and added quickly. "Nevermind. I know who your talking about, but seriously, are you sure?"

"I heard her greet him when I was talking to him. I was going to tell him everything, Rick. Everything." She pulled away from Warrick and rubbed her right side. "He said that he would call me later and explain."

"That's good." said Warrick as he pulled a paper towel off the counter and handed it to Sara. "Then you know that it's nothing."

"Brass asked him to work some case that involved her, and it shouldn't bother me like this, but it does. I have no claims on him." Sara looked around the room as if noticing for the first time that someone was missing. "Where is Tina? I thought that you two would be gone much longer than this."

"Well, yeah, the thing is, Tina and I had an argument and she went back to the hotel. She told me that she would see you tommorow." Warrick looked sheepish as he tried to shrug it all off.

"Everything was fine when you left." Sara commented. She did not want to see this couple fighting and hoped that she had not been the cause of the disagreement.

"Tina is ready for a baby, and I'm not." Warrick admitted. "I'd like to wait at least one more year, or maybe two years."

"You would be a wonderful daddy, Warrick. Any child would be lucky to have you."

Sara recalled the little boy that she overheard Warrick chatting with when she had first moved to Vegas. It was one of those eye opening moments when she realized why Grissom trusted this man so much and was willing to keep him on his team. There had been many instances since that time when she had observed Warrick with a child of some victim. She always thought that Warrick would be the first one on the team to become a parent.

"I'm not saying never, Sara, only that I'm not ready to jump into parenthood right now." Warrick rubbed his jaw with his right hand and held his left hand up for her inspection. "We didn't know each other that long when we got married, and I feel like each day we are still getting to learn about what makes the other tick."

"I don't think that ever changes." Sara picked up a tomato and turned it around in her hand while a thoughtful expression played over her features. "I want him to know about these babies, Rick."

"Then tell him." Warrick urged as he took the tomato from her hand and bit into it. "Better yet, ask him to fly out here to see you. Let him be here when they are born."

His words tugged at her heart. She wanted him to know. She wanted him to come out here. "Maybe I will ask him to come out here. I don't want to tell him about the babies on the phone, though. I think it would be best in person."

"One look at you and I think even Grissom could guess." Warrick dodged her playful fist and laughed as she picked another tomato up and tossed it at him.

TBC