DISCLAIMER:Don't own it... No money made... Just for fun and enjoyment.

SUMMARY: Sequel to Displacement. The CSI team and their recently hired coroner Stephanie are back to work solving cases, sharing companionship and generally making their way through the dire world of criminal investigation with humor and friendship... This one will show the development of the relationship between Grissom and Sara and there should be some other surprises down the road as well. Romance/Drama/Angst/Mature Situations

RATING: M for Mature - I'm starting this one out at "M", since we won't be waiting quite so long for the smut this time out ;) Also, there is a sprinkling of language throughout the story.

A/N: This chapter was also really fun to write, but for very different reasons. I hope you enjoy it :D

REVIEWS: I am always looking for ways to improve my writing, and your reviews let me know if I am hitting my mark. Thank you in advance for the time you take to read & review this story.


Chapter 54

The living room looked oddly like the hospital room they had left, except for the far superior furniture, the familiar photographs around the room, the cases of books and the quiet din of home. So, in fact, it was nothing like the hospital room, except for the people populating it. The only other thing making it look like the hospital was the various pieces of equipment surrounding the couch; oxygen tank, heart monitor, nebulizer, and several bottles of medication.

With her lying against his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her, Thomas finally had the feeling that everything would be just fine. All around them were the people they cared most about in the world, and the familiar sounds of their voices trickled into his ears as he and Stephanie dozed on the couch.

From the kitchen, he could hear the clinking of pots and pans and glasses, as there was quite the crew operating in there, cleaning up from the food Catherine had brought in. Soon, they would be starting on the traditional soup, which would be used to nurse his wife back to health.

The television was on, with the volume muted, but since it was a baseball game, the commentary came from the people in the room, instead of the announcers. He could vaguely hear Lindsey discussing music with Greg and Wendy, as the three fought over what the next selection on the stereo should be. The strongest sound came from the woman lying against him, as her breathing steadied and her heart continued to beat. The whole scene should have been one of chaos, but to Thomas it sounded better than any symphony he had ever experienced. It all signified one thing in his mind; he was home. As that thought filtered through his tired mind, he smiled.

"When Lindsey would do that, Mom always said she was seeing angels." Catherine's voice joined the symphony in the living room.

He was about to say something, but the amazing creature in his arms spoke first, "We don't need to sleep for that." He looked down at her face and saw that she had not even opened her eyes to speak. She was exhausted, and probably would be for a while yet, but he knew bringing her home had truly been the right decision, as she pulled his arms around her tighter.

Sara walked into the room and smiled at the sight of the two half-asleep on the couch. "Maybe we should clear out of here, so you can get some-…"

"Leave, and I'll start… coughing." Stephanie had not had a coughing fit since shortly after they had arrived, though her breathing was still a little ragged. "You think I'd… sleep this good without… everyone here?" Thomas leaned his head down and kissed her on the forehead, to see that she still had not opened her eyes. "What's the score?"

Nick was the first to respond, "Two-One, O's… Lopez got a lucky shot off Schilling in the bottom of the fourth with a two run homer. But the whole thing is kinda futile anyway, since the Sox clinched the AL-East weeks ago, and Baltimore is just waiting for the season to be over."

Most people would have thought Nick's answer was overkill, but when Stephanie responded, Gil had to smile. "How many games… did they end up… being over… New York, anyway? Last I remember… it was something like… six games out."

Warrick chose to answer her question, "Well, if they can pull this one out, it'll be seven. I just can't get over how they powered out of the All-Star break this year. The Sox left the rest of the division in the dust by the middle of August."

Stephanie had finally opened her eyes, and then she turned slightly to her side as she added, "Yeah, it's… shaping up to be a… a sock match… for the league title… That'll make the… the commentators nuts." She coughed a little as she chuckled out the last words, but it was not anything to draw attention. Thomas felt a tremendous wave of relief wash over him as he realized just how much better she was doing at home.

Once his attention was off of Stephanie, he recognized that her uncle had stayed out of the conversation, and that was very unlike him. So, Thomas began to scan the room for the man. What he found made him nudge his wife to draw her attention to him. Gil had made room for his mother to take a seat in the recliner while he sat down opposite her on the ottoman and they were signing to each other. He only knew a small number of gestures, so he had no idea what they were talking about, but he assumed they were trying to keep it quiet, and that meant Stephanie would want to know what was going on. She acknowledged his attempt to shift her attention, and he returned his own attention to their guests in the living room. Stephanie would handle anything else that happened.

As Stephanie closely followed the silent conversation, she quickly understood that her uncle had taken offense to his mother's insistence on staying at her house for the duration of her visit. He could not understand why she would chose to remain there when he had a spare room and a more peaceful home, but she watched with a measure of enjoyment as his mother explained to him that she was only there to help Stephanie recover from her ordeal, and that she could not do that from his house. She also watched as Mary Grissom explained to her son that he would be at work most of the time anyway, and if she stayed at her granddaughter's house, she and Elizabeth could enjoy a lovely visit. That was when Stephanie saw Gil grow more upset, as he questioned his mother about her relationship with Stephanie.

She had to suppress a giggle when the woman explained to her son that she had long since given up on him ever finding someone to put up with him enough to even want children, so she had taken the opportunity he had presented to her with Stephanie. Gil quickly learned that his mother was not going to budge on the issue, but he was compelled to ask her one more time, why she would not stay with him at his home, and that was when Stephanie could no longer resist, and she got her uncle's attention with her own answer, "Because… she likes me… more than you, Uncle Gil."

When Sara saw the confusion on the woman's face as Gil turned to regard his goddaughter with a searing look, she signed to her what Stephanie had said. Mrs. Grissom laughed out loud, gaining the attention of her son in time for her to sign her other reason for staying with Stephanie and Thomas, "The absence of crawling things is just a bonus."