Disclaimer: I don't own CSI. That's why I work for a living.
Chapter 29
For Jonathan's third birthday, Grissom and Sarafound themselves with a backyard full of people once again. And just like the previous years, Sara stood on the deck looking out at the people that had gathered for the celebration. In addition to the original night shift crew, Judd and his wife and children, Susan and Jocelyn from days and their children, and Vivian and Nicole from daycare and their children had all shown up. But there were five special people that caused her eyes to fill with tears. While her hand stroked her belly, she whispered, "You are going to be one lucky little girl."
Grissom was coming out of the house when he saw her standing there. Walking up behind her, he encircled her waist with his arms and said, "You okay?" When she nodded, he asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"How lucky we are. We have the greatest family in the world." Sara smiled through the tears in her eyes.
Glancing around, Grissom nodded. "Yeah, we do. Just don't tell them or we'll never get them to go home." When Sara laughed, he kissed her cheek and released her. "I'm going to help Jim."
Spying Nick and Wendi playing agame of toss with a group of three year olds, Sara reached for her camera. Nick had spent a lot of time trying to convince the night shift DNA tech to go out with him. Little did he know she had set her sights on him the first time they met. She just decided to let him chase her until she caught him. Sara and Catherine had both been aware of her plan and shared many laughs at Nick's expense. Thankfully, he looked very happy. Snapping a picture of them laughing at the antics of Jonathan, she allowed her gaze to move on.
Greg also brought a date. Keri,a red haired beauty, was calm and composed; a perfect foil for Greg's goofiness. Sara had spent some time talking to her and knew that she was smart enough to keephim interested. And judging by all the hugging and hand holding, they were physically compatible also. Sara wondered when he had grown up. It seemed like only last week she had been walking him through his first crime scene. Now, because of the wicked way his mind works, Greg was fast proving he is a force to be reckoned with. His solve rate was inching up and he was giving Nick and Warrick both a run for their money. Sara got a picture of the love birds sharing a sweet kiss before turning her attention to Catherine.
Sara was almost embarrassed by the naked longing she saw on the other woman's face. Following her gaze, Sara wasn't surprised to find that Warrick was thefocus of her attention. Sometimes she wanted to shake them both. After all the years they had watched her and Grissom perform this same dance it seemed they should know better. Deciding that she would get a picture of the two of them later she turned her eyes to Jim and Gil.
She snapped a couple of shots of them. They were both relaxed and smiling. Both were wearing shorts and t-shirts and ball caps. Talking quietly while sipping beer and watching the grill as if it were going to give up the secrets to the universe. Jim had surprised Sara by bringing Sofia with him this year. She had heard rumors that the two had been dating for a while. But he never brought up her name when he was around them. Actually, she was happy for him. If Sofia was what he wanted then she could live with it.
She turned her head looking for Sofia and found her talking with Warrick. She took a picture of them just as Warrick laughed at something Sofia had to say. Warrick had been through a lot in the past year. At Jonathan's last party he was in the process of getting a divorce. No matter what the circumstances, that has to be rough. As far as she knew, he wasn't dating. It seemed like forever since she had seen him smile. Hopefully, this year he would be able to find a little peace.
Laying the camera on the table, Sara made her way down the steps and over to Catherine. Standing beside her, Sara said, "Okay, Gil, when are you going to get your head out of your ass and do something about it?"
Catherine stared at her for a moment, eyes wide, and mouth hanging open, before bursting into laughter. "Dear lord, am I that obvious?"
"Well, I've seen it before. But yeah." Sara smiled, "If you're worried about the job, go to the sheriff. He thinks you're great and Warrick is not a direct report."
"I don't know. I..it's just…what if I'm not everything he imagined me to be?"
Now it was Sara's turn to be shocked. "Is this the ever confident Catherine Willows? He adores you." At Catherine's skeptical look, she said, "Really."
"Sara, if only it were that easy." When Sara snorted, Catherine started to giggle. The giggle turned into a full blown laugh. When she could speak, Catherine said, "I do sound like Gil, don't I? Okay, that's it. I've turned into Grissom!" They were still laughing when Warrick wandered over.
"What's so funny ladies?" he asked.
Sara stood there for a moment before blurting, "I'm going to check on the food." She turned and hurried toward the grill leaving an embarrassed Catherine and a confused Warrick standing together.
Warrick looked at Catherine, eyebrow raised, and waited on an explanation. Finally she said, "Can we go inside and talk for a minute?" When he nodded she turned and led the way.
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When they had settled on opposite ends of the couch, Catherine turned to Warrick and smiled nervously. Unable to stay still, she stood and began pacing back and forth in front of him. Finally, he broke the silence. "You're scaring me. What's going on?"
Catherine gave a harsh laugh. "This is ridiculous. I'm a grown woman." She returned to the couch and sat down next to Warrick. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I know that you're divorce hasn't been final for very long. So if you say no I'll understand. I mean, you may not be ready, or whatever. And, maybe you're not interested." Her words were running together, her hands trembling and her heart pounding. Finally, she asked, "Would you like to go to dinner sometime?"
Warrick was stunned. He had been afraid she was going to try to set him up but instead she asked him out. After what seemed an eternity, he said, "Yeah."
"Yeah?" Catherine asked.
"Yes. I would like to have dinner with you sometime." Seeing the relief on her face he started to laugh. "What did you expect me to say?"
"I…um…I wasn't sure."
Warrick just shook his head, amazed that she thought he would ever turn her down. Smiling, he reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm off Friday night. How about then?" When Catherine nodded, he asked, "Now can you tell me what Sara thought was so funny?"
Sara saw Catherine and Warrick emerge from the house. Taking in their body language, she knew that things had gone well. Smiling to herself, she snapped a candid shot of them standing on the deck smiling at each other.
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When the crowd had dwindled to the original night shift crew and their dates, Sara gathered everyone up for a group picture. Somehow, Wendi and Keri begged out. Keri agreed to take the picture. With much joking and grumbling they all lined up.Grissom and Sara wereholding Jonathan between them and wereflanked by Catherine and Brass. Warrick, Nick and Greg made up the back row with Sofia standing beside Jim.
As had become their habit, Grissom and Sara curled up on the couch after they put Jonathan down for the night. Grissom was massaging Sara's feet and listening to the music that was playing quietly in the background. Sara was leaned back, eyes closed, moaning her appreciation of his technique. When his hands moved to her calves, she opened one eye and said, "What do you think you're doing?"
He gave her an innocent look and replied, "Massaging your feet and legs. They looked swollen."
"As long as they're the only things that are swollen." Sara laughed at the expression on his face. "Busted."
"Okay, you caught me. Can't blame a guy for trying." Grissom smiled and continued smoothing his hands over her legs.
After a few minutes of silence, Sara said, "Catherine asked Warrick out."
Grissom's hands went still. "How do you know?"
"Because I called her Gil and told her to get her head out of her ass and do something about her feelings. Once she realized she shouldn't hit a pregnant woman she laughed and took my advice."
Grissom laughed at his wife's audacity. "You actually called her Gil?"
"Well, she was giving me some crap about not knowing what to do. And then there was something about not sure how he felt. Just excuses." Sara said with a smile when he resumed rubbing her feet.
"What about her job? And his? I can't afford to lose him." Grissom said quietly.
"I told her to talk to the sheriff. It's not like Warrick is a direct report. If we managed to pull it off I'm sure they can. Besides, they deserve to be happy."
Grissom was quiet for a minute. "They do. Deserve to be happy that is. I'm just glad she decided to do something and not waste as much time as I did."
"Why do you think I'm pushing them a little? They've been attracted to each other for years. I think it's time they quit running. Look how it worked out for us." Sara sat up and slid around until her head was resting on Grissom's shoulder.
Placing a kiss on top of her head and laying a hand on her belly, Grissom said, "If they are half as lucky as we are then everything will work out fine."
