A/N: Hee! I'm lovin' the reviews. It's so exciting to hear from people who haven't read this before and even more gratifying to hear from those who have. Thank you!
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Three days later, Grissom found himself waiting in his car on a street in San Francisco just down the street from a white one-story house, with a yard that had a fence surrounding it. There was a small flower garden in front of the house and a couple of toys on the porch. He had already went to the house and knocked on the door but no one was home. He decided to wait and contemplate how to approach her when she got home.
Two hours later, a car pulled up into the drive. He saw Sara get out and walked to the trunk that she must have opened from the inside of the car. Another woman, in the meantime, had gotten out of the passenger side and opened the back door. He could see her unbuckling a child from a car seat in the back. She picked up and took out of the car, a little girl. Sara was right. She is beautiful. They talked for a moment and the little girl had laid her head on the other woman's shoulder and started sucking her thumb. Then the other woman and the little girl went into the house. Sara resumed her activities in the trunk.
Well, here I go. Grissom got out and locked his car. The thought that he might scare her didn't even cross his mind as he walked up behind her. He spoke softly, "Hello, Sara."
Sara thought she heard footsteps. Why is Shannon coming back out? I told her I would bring in the groceries, she thought, when she heard a male voice. Nearly jumping out of her skin, she hit her head on the hood of the trunk. She turned around so fast after recognizing the voice that she lost her balance and almost fell into the trunk. Grissom reached out and grabbed her arms to steady her and pulled her back up so that she ended up against his chest. He put his arms around her to steady her more.
He chuckled as he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
Sara found her voice and shyly said, "Hi." He stopped chuckling and said hello back to her in much the same way.
"How…Why…What are you doing here?"
He smiled at her stuttering. "I didn't think it appropriate to meet my daughter over the phone."
"Oh…How did you know where I…?"
He made that look on his face that read, 'you really want to ask that question?'
"Catherine?"
"She looked at your phone records, even before you'd left."
"Leave it to her." She realized he was still holding her and it felt so good. 'Please don't let go.'
"Can I see her?" He realized he was still holding her and started to let go.
"Please don't," she whimpered.
He frowned. She didn't want him to see their little girl? She saw in his eyes that he misunderstood and she clarified it for him. "Please don't let go."
He smiled and hugged her even closer. After a few minutes, he shifted away from her slightly so he could look at her. "Can I?"
She smiled up at him. "Yes, but later. She was sleeping in the car and has probably gone back to sleep in her bed now."
"Oh." He felt disappointed. "Well, I haven't gotten a room yet, so maybe I should go do that then come…"
"No, you can stay here." Sara saw him eyeing the place and she said, "It's bigger than it looks and Shannon won't be staying. She has her own apartment now."
"This isn't hers?"
"No, it's mine. My aunt left it to me when she died. Help me take in the groceries?" He nodded and then they turned around, grabbed the bags out of the trunk and they walked into the house together.
When they entered, he saw the other woman coming down the hallway. Sara introduced him to Shannon. Shannon had seen them through the window and decided not to interfere when she saw that Sara knew him. She had hoped it was Grissom.
"I am going to head off. I'll see you next Saturday, unless you need something. If you do, just call." Shannon gave Sara a hug, shook Grissom's hand and then grabbed her purse and left.
Grissom took the groceries into the kitchen, which he found easily. Sara followed behind with the bags she had been carrying and then dug through them to put the items away. She sensed that she was now alone in the kitchen. Sara looked over to the counter where Grissom had been sitting. He had disappeared. She walked back into the living room and saw that he wasn't there either. And then it dawned on her where he went.