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: Pure Fluff! I kind of like the fluff, but I also added a little something at the end for everyone to chew on :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 55
The kitchen was steaming with activity raging across every surface. Gil had been determined to make his mother's last night in Las Vegas a memorable one, especially when she had consented to grace them with her presence in their home. He was still smarting from her refusal to stay with them while she visited, no matter how much sense it made for practicality's sake. She was his mother, and for the first time since childhood, he wanted to share his life with her.
He was a little concerned about how she would react to Sara, but in the end, they appeared to be hitting it off well. Gil thought that Sara's insistence on learning sign language had probably gone a long way towards the mutual respect they seemed to have found. Of course, I'm sure her relationship with Stephanie probably helped too.
Gil was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his mother and his goddaughter had been carrying on a close relationship for years without it ever dawning on him. As he thought back across the years, he supposed he should have seen the signs, but, in typical fashion, he had been blind to the interpersonal reactions of the two halves of his family; the real and the acquired. As he visited with Stephanie over the week, he also recognized that his mother had developed a relationship with Elizabeth. It quickly became apparent to him that the two had been keeping tabs on him quite a bit over the years. Once again, Gil Grissom understood that the women in his life had a deep impact on everything he did, and everything he was in life. And apparently, they always seemed to gravitate toward one another to accomplish their goals.
He was shaken from his philosophical analysis by the sounds of someone speaking to him. "I'm sorry, what was that?" He called back over the roar in the kitchen.
Sara came walking out of the hallway with two shirts in her hands and said, "Sorry, I forgot you were still in there… Which shirt do you want me to press?"
He was confused about why she would be asking that, since he always sent his shirts to the cleaners, so he had to ask, "Why are you pressing my shirts? What happened to the dry cleaners?"
She smiled at him as though he had lost his mind and gently reminded him, "Because we have spent every waking moment not at work, with your mother and/or Stephanie… Gil, we haven't been to the cleaners in over a week, so I grabbed these at the store this morning, but they need to be pressed." She held them up again for him to chose, "Which one?"
He looked from one shirt to the other and then wondered aloud, "Do I have any pants?"
Sara chuckled at his question and then said, "Yes, you have black, and black… You go through more shirts than pants, and I'm still trying to figure that one out. Now, pick a shirt before your mother gets here, please?"
It was his turn to smile at her frustration, and though he was certain she was about to strangle him with one of those shirts, he was unable to stop himself from teasing her. "Hmmm… Maybe I should study that quandary… I mean, why would I be using more shirts than pants in a single day. I could start a daily inventory, and make a corresponding entry for causati-…"
"Fine! You'll wear whatever I pick out, and like it." She turned on her heel and stormed back into the bedroom.
Shaking his head, he turned everything down to warm, and made sure the food was all set to serve, before he walked casually back into the bedroom to find Sara ironing a dark blue shirt, and mumbling something to herself in an agitated voice. He moved silently behind her until he was standing inches away from her back, and then he leaned his head down until his mouth was right beside her ear. But before he spoke, he placed his hands on the sides of her arms. "Thank you." The words were soft and they were filled with meaning, and she relaxed a little under his touch. "For everything."
He turned her away from the ironing board and took her into his arms. She relaxed as his gaze fell upon her, and then she softened when a tender smile played across her face. Gil returned the smile, and then kissed her forehead, before he spoke again. "This week… Everything… If it wasn't for you…" He struggled to put words to his feelings as he looked into her eyes. "I-I couldn't have survived this alone… Thank you."
Sara buried her head into his neck and held him closer. "If you're trying to tell me you want the other shirt… I'm going to hurt you."
His body shook as he started to laugh, "At this point, I'd wear that 'I Love Bugs' t-shirt if you told me to."
Looking up into his eyes, the corner of her mouth turned up and she said, "Nah, it's dirty." The both smiled at the joke, but then Sara turned back to the ironing board and pushed him away, "Now, go finish setting the table and I'll finish the shirt."
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The dinner had gone off without a hitch. The food was spectacular, their conversations were light, and his mother had been duly impressed by Sara's burgeoning ASL proficiency. All in all, Gil was delighted by the whole evening, and as he drove his mother back to Stephanie and Thomas' townhouse, he carried a satisfied smile on his face.
They pulled up in front of the house, and he got ready to exit the car, when he felt her hand on his forearm. As he turned his head to face his mother, he found her carrying a very similar smile on her face. She began to sign to him about how much she had enjoyed their evening. She thanked him for making dinner, and for giving her the chance to share in a piece of his life. He had to smile at that comment, because his mother always had a subtle way of getting her points across to him. However, it was the next thing she did that had him wondering just how well he knew anything about her.
Mary Grissom opened her door and attempted to step out of the car, but Gil was quick to make his way around to the other side, so as to assist her. He took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm, walking her to the front door. Just before they reached the door, she stopped, and turned to face him. She smiled, reached into her hand bag, pulled out a small velvet satchel and placed it onto the palm of his hand. As she closed his hand around the satchel, she reached up with her other hand and stroked his cheek just before she signed to him, "I think you can handle the responsibility now."
She left him there on the doorstep to ponder what she had done. He looked after her as she entered the house, and then he remembered she had placed something in his hand. Gil lifted up the satchel and pulled open the top to look inside. It was dark outside, so he moved closer to the light next to the door, and emptied the contents out into his hand.
As soon as the light struck the object, Gil's face squinted into a confused mass, and he looked at the closed door as though he was trying to picture his mother standing on the other side. His mind pondered all of the possibilities the tiny item could render. Then he smiled as he said, "Well, I'll be damned."
