Growing Together
Part 17
Summary: The day has finally arrived; and it couldn't have been soon enough.
A/N: Thanks to Ace. Your help is always greatly appreciated.
Xxxxx
Sara was simply amazed by Lauren Grissom. The woman had breezed into her life, showing her a lot in a matter of days.
When Grissom had told her about his parents, Sara had thought his mother had been broken. But now that she'd actually met her, she never would have guessed. His mother seemed to be a strong and independent woman, not at all hemmed by her deafness.
Right now, she was delegating the movers, telling them which box belonged in which room. She couldn't hear them, but they could hear her. The funny thing was, she didn't think the movers had even realized that they were dealing with a deaf person.
Sara had tried to get them to stop making jokes and pay more attention to how and where they put their stuff unsuccessfully. After days of organizing, working on her list, and getting to know Grissom's mother, Sara was exhausted and had no energy to deal with the movers anymore. She let Lauren Grissom take over without a sound of protest.
The two women where supervising everything in the new house while Grissom was cleaning everything out of their old homes. That way, things were under their control and everything was moving along quickly.
"No, that goes in that room." Mrs. Grissom directed another mover before she sat down next to Sara.
Luckily the couch had already been delivered so they could put up their feet.
"Tired?" The older woman asked her and Sara nodded. "Most of it is here. It won't be much longer until we're finished.
"I never would have guessed that it would be this exhausting," Sara admitted and closed her eyes.
Just for a moment, she told herself. Grissom's mother was there to keep everything under control.
xxxxx
"Shh, don't wake her up."
Grissom stood in front of the couch, watching Sara sleep. She looked so peaceful.
The movers had finished their business and had left, but Sara had slept through it all. "She must have been dead tired."
He sat down on the couch table, reaching out to touch her. His fingers hovered above her face and then dipped down to brush some strands out of her face.
"Gil, you should have stopped her from overdoing it. She was working herself into the ground." He knew his mother was right, but there was no way he could have convinced Sara of that.
"Mother, do you have any idea how difficult it is to tell her to stop doing something?" Although he was looking at Sara, his mother could see the seriousness of his statement.
"Well, that's just what you need," she spoke out loud and left him alone with Sara.
For a while longer he just kept watching her, but then he knew he had to make a decision. He didn't want to wake her, but he couldn't leave her here.
First of all, the couch was fine for a nap, but she couldn't spend the whole night here. And, this was the first night in their new house and no one should spend it alone on the couch. That was not how he had imagined this evening. Of course he'd had no illusions about a romantic evening, but he had at least wanted to go into their new bedroom and fall asleep together. Carrying her was also not an option. That only left waking her up.
"Honey?" He caressed her face again, hoping it would stir her. "Honey, we need to get you to bed."
She moved her head a bit, away from his hand but didn't wake up. "Sara, come on."
Her ongoing slumber worried him a bit. The thought of something being wrong with her made his heart clench in fear. "Honey?"
He cupped her face, his thumbs tracing circles, and finally her eyelids fluttered. Relief flooded him and he smiled.
Sara looked around, a bit disoriented at first, the unfamiliar surroundings confusing her, but then she focused on Grissom and remembered where she was. A slow smile spread over her face as she stretched languidly.
"Hmmm, you're home."
Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him down to her, meeting him in a kiss. Home, he was home.
"Perfect."
"Perfect."
xxxxx
The light streamed through the bedroom window and woke Sara up.
There was still some unfamiliarity to this, the light feeling different than in her bedroom or Grissom's. It was new but good.
She was not as disoriented as the night before, which could have had something to do with the fact that she felt Grissom right next to her.
This was something she had missed since her vacation started. Their differing schedules had not left them the time to wake up together, and now they could wake up together everyday. They were home.
A smile seemed to be constantly plastered to her face, and when she turned, she saw that Grissom was awake and returning her smile.
"Good morning, sunshine."
Her smile widened. "The new bed isn't good for you. You're getting cheesy."
His chest rumbled beneath her as he laughed. "I'm just glad to be with you again."
So he had missed her too.
"Do you realize what this all means?" Sara inched closer, laying her head on his shoulder.
"We've reached a big stop on the road."
"We still have a long way to go, but we're definitely on the right road."
They really had come a long way. A couple of months ago, laying in bed with Grissom in their own home and talking about themselves and the state of their relationship was not something she had even dreamed about.
"Sara, I love you. That you've held on is just amazing…and a little beyond me." His hand wrapped around her shoulder and he hugged her closer to him. "Thank you for being so stubborn."
He kissed the top of her head, not knowing how else to show his appreciation.
"This is really nice. Too bad we can't stay like this forever." Sara really wished it would be like that, and by the look on Grissom's face, he was not at all adverse to her idea.
"Well, my mother is probably already reorganizing our kitchen – after only one night – and some bad guys need to be caught, so I'm afraid that right now that's not going to happen. But how about we try again, like every day?"
He blew her away with his statement. This was a new and improved version of her Grissom, and she liked it. It made him much more accessible.
"Sounds great."
xxxxx
"Mom, you really don't have to do this." Grissom tried to keep his mother from finishing the unpacking in the living room.
After some further cuddling in bed, they had found some energy to get up. Sara went to the bathroom to shower while Grissom went to see where his mother was. He found her in the living room arranging their books. It was not just that she was doing their work, he was getting a bit nervous that someone else was trying to bring order into his bookshelf. Everyone had his or her own order, and although his mother knew him pretty well, his system was different now.
"Don't be such a stiff, Gil. It's just a bookshelf."
Judging by the glint in her eyes, his mother knew exactly what was going on in his head and used the opportunity to tease him.
"You're doing this on purpose."
"Prove it!" she challenged him, but he could only shrug his shoulders.
"Some scientist you are." She smirked and put the last book away, turning to sit on the couch. "How do you feel?"
"Good." Lauren raised an eyebrow, a gesture which her son had adopted from her.
"Better than good." His smile told her he was honest, but didn't really know how to express what he was feeling.
"Do you think you did the right thing?" Her statement was free of any judgment. She merely wanted to see how sure he was after the first night.
He did look sure, but with him, the outward appearance could be misleading. "Sara is the best thing that ever happened to me and I only regret not doing this sooner."
His honesty seemed to be the right answer because his mother stretched a bit and kissed his cheek. "I'm happy for you."
Grissom was glad that his mother understood him and respected his decision.
The last few days had shown that he'd been right. Sara didn't have to worry. Lauren had taken exceptionally well to her, easily forming a friendship with the younger woman. His mother was open enough to like anyone he loved, but Sara's personality had made her open up even more. This was not just because he had chosen Sara, but because they seemed to agree on all of the things concerning him.
It scared him somewhat to have two such powerful women around him who were on the same side, at the same time, it made him comfortable to know that they were there for him. Things were good.
TBC