Author's Note: Whoa, it's been a long time since I've had the privilege to type any of this fic up. Sorry! I've been swamped down with homework since Les Mis ended and then I had a bunch of tests at the doctor this week, along with four baby birds to take care of so I've had basically no time to type. Except in tech class but I was writing Mosaiks of the Heart in that class. XD ANYWAYS here's the next chapter, hope you call enjoy it!
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By 10 am everyone was up, save for Greg and Sara, who Kevin sent Clara to wake up. Helen was already in the kitchen, cooking supper which wouldn't be until 4 pm. Andrew and Jenny were arriving around noon but already Mary and Abby were anticipating the arrival of their sister-in-law.
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"Andrew! Jenny! It's great to see you! Heya kids!" Kevin exclaimed inviting his brother and sister-in-law into the house along with their four children Katie, Benji, Jeff and Nina. They exchanged warm greetings before the kids ran off to find their cousins who were out in the backyard with their grandfather.
"How are you Kevin?" Andrew asked, smiling.
"I'm great thanks, a bit tired out though, Michelle had a little misunderstanding with her uncle this morning and of course she woke Mary and me up," Kevin replied, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh? What was it about?" Jenny questioned, putting her coat and purse in the closet.
"About sex, don't ask me, Mary was the one that handled it. Went charging down the hall, thinking about murdering Greg and then all she found was him and Sara kissing. I think we need to explain things to our daughter more clearly." Kevin answered. Jenny laughed.
"Sara? Like, the woman he was telling Andrew about last Christmas?" she inquired.
"The one and only. It's pretty cute. She showed up on Friday afternoon to give him his cell phone which he forgot in Vegas and of course Mare and I insisted she stayed for the weekend. He gave her his ring too Andrew, like the one you gave Jenny, and Sara hasn't taken it off her left hand since. They're totally head over heels for each other." Kevin explained as they walked into the kitchen where Mary and Abby were talking and going through something on Mary's computer.
"Andrew! Jenny!" the Sanders sisters grinned, getting up to give them both a hug.
"Heard about your little ordeal from Kev, how ya doin Mare? Scarred for life?" Andrew teased. Mary rolled her eyes.
"You know, I have seen you, Abby and Greg kiss other people before. I'm 37 Andrew, I think I know what sex and stuff is by now." Mary countered. She was about to say something else when Greg and Sara entered the kitchen.
"Hey Andrew, Jenny. This is Sara. Sara, this is my brother Andrew and his wife Jenny," Greg said.
"Nice to meet you," Sara smiled timidly. Before she could do anything Jenny had her arms wrapped around the brunette, hugging her.
"Finally we get to meet you Sara. Greg wouldn't shut up about you last Christmas. Kept saying how you were his mentor for the field and everything, along with how he-" Andrew started, only to be cut off by both Kevin and Mary covering his mouth. Sara raised an eyebrow at a blushing Greg.
"Ignore Andrew; he's a bit of a blabber mouth. Now Hunny, why don't you go say hello to your father and mother, I think they're out back with the kids," Jenny glared, causing her husband to nod and head out the door onto the back porch. Jenny looked at her sisters-in-law and the three of them laughed. Greg rolled his eyes.
"Shut up all three of you, please," he muttered. Unfortunately for him that only caused the three of them to laugh even harder.
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Around one in the afternoon the eight adults, save for Christopher and Helen, separated into two groups.
"Greg, c'mon, we're going into the lounge! I don't want Benji to try and get me to eat dirt again," Andrew called as he and John went off, Greg trailing behind them.
"Well Mare, we're off for now. I think it's time we give Greg "The Talk"" Kevin snickered. Mary's eyes grew wise.
"Oh no! Not The Talk! Anything but that! Please, spare my baby brother from that terrifying fate!" Mary begged, feigning mock horror. Kevin smiled, giving her a quick kiss before heading into the lounge.
"Mary, what was Kevin talking about?" Sara questioned as she and the three other women went into the living room.
"Never mind Sara, trust me, you don't want to know," Mary replied.
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"Alright Greg, we need to have a chat with you," Andrew began. Greg just nodded, setting himself more comfortably on the couch.
"Yes, it's very important that we figure out what your intentions are. Are you planning on marrying Sara?" John asked. Greg looked at his brother-in-law, an expression of confusion on his young face.
'Only if she'll have me. I love her and as far as I can tell she loves me, but I don't want to take it too fast. I know you can hear this Kevin, so there's your answer. I'm not repeating it aloud.' Greg thought. "Do you really need to ask me this? I mean, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?" he said to the other three.
"You're right Greg; it is pretty stupid for us to ask that. You gonna move in together before you're married? If you're planning on getting married that is," Kevin inquired, quickly covering himself.
"Ah! Guys, come on! I have no idea about any of this stuff. Sara and I want to take things at our own pace and see where we end up. But I'll tell you this, I love Sara and I would give up everything for her, no matter what." Greg said, causing the other men to nod, smiling at one another. Evidently, Greg had passed their little test.
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Sara sat on the couch next to Abby while Mary shuffled through a bookcase, Jenny at her side.
"What are they looking for?" Sara asked Abby, her voice no more than a whisper.
"Photo albums. We look at them every Thanks Giving. Jenny says it reminds us of all that we have to be thankful for. And it allows us to remember all those who aren't with us anymore. I think the most fun are the wedding albums. Mary has one of them for each of us. They're pretty awesome, she took most of the pictures and she writes all these weird and funny comments under each one." Abby giggled, rambling slightly. Sara couldn't help but laugh. Abby and Greg were quite similar to one another, especially with their habit of sometimes continuously talking about one subject.
'I wonder how Grissom would fare if I locked him in a closet with Greg and Abby. He'd probably commit suicide,' Sara thought.
"Here we go!" Mary announced, pulling a box out of the bookcase cupboard. She then walked over to the couch, sitting down between Abby and Sara. Jenny sat on the arm of the couch next to Abby. Mary pulled out a set of four albums, each a different shade of purple, the top one being the darkest and the last been almost white.
"Jenny, you're up first," Abby teased. Jenny smiled, her eyes focused on Mary who had opened the album. Sara gazed down at the pictures which were of Andrew and Jenny's wedding.
Over the next hour the four women went through the albums until only the extremely light coloured one remained. It remained on Mary's lap, a calligraphy pen in her right hand. She seemingly was fighting with something in her head until Abby stole the pen, muttering something under her breath as she got up and went to find more albums with Jenny.
"Aren't we going to look at this one?" Sara asked, pointed at the pale book.
"We could Sara, but it would be excessively boring. It's all blank," Mary replied.
"Why's that?"
"This album is for when Greg gets married. I'm just hoping that I can fill it out before I'm too old to hold a pen!"
"Oh…" Sara said quietly, the only thing going through her mind by then being the thought of marrying Greg. She instantly blushed, not even sure if Greg wanted to marry her. Abby glanced back at that point, noticing Sara's colouring.
"Oh, Sara, are we thinking about marriage?" she asked.
"I…uh…no!" Sara stammered.
"Oh my God, you are! Aww!" Jenny chuckled, easily reading through Sara's flimsy lie.
"Okay, okay, yes, I was thinking about marriage. But that's all I was doing, just thinking about the general concept! Not marrying Greg, we haven't even discussed the dating concept yet. Hell, screw the dating concept, I'd rather talk about marriage," Sara rushed, leaning back against the couch cushions. Mary smiled softly.
"Do you want to marry my brother?" the blonde asked calmly so that only Sara could hear her. Sara nodded, a few tears in her eyes.
"Yes Mary, I do want to, I really do." Sara said.
"Don't be afraid of rejection Sara, I know Greg loves you with all his heart. He has for five and a half years," Mary informed the brunette. Sara looked shocked.
'Could Greg really want to marry me?' she wondered. Out of no where Kevin opened the door, poking his head into the room.
"Yes Sara, he really does," was all he said before leaving again.
"Oh my God," Sara exclaimed with a laugh, hiding her face in her hands, realizing that Kevin had read her thoughts.
"Hey Mare, what's this?" Jenny inquired, holding up a blue photo album.
"My God," Mary and Abby said in synchronization. Abby and Jenny came back to the couch, giving the book to Mary who willingly opened it. Various picture of the four Sanders children looked back at them. On the third page there was an 8x10 photograph of them. Andrew was playing a piano, Greg the violin. A young Abby held a microphone and Mary was clutching a flute.
"What's this picture from?" Jenny questioned.
"We used to play at some of the church services. They had us pose for a poster once because we participated in a benefit concert. I completely forgot that I still had a copy of this: Mary explained.
"Andrew never said anything about this," Jenny frowned.
"He probably forgot Jen, I know I did." Abby confessed.
"Do you have any of this stuff here? Instruments I mean," Sara asked.
"Yeah, I have all our stuff I think. I still play the flute and I think Greg still messes around with a violin from time to time. Well, I know he owns one anyways. As for Andrew, well Jen? Does he still play the piano?" Mary answered one question, posing another.
"You know he does Mary! You still sing, right Abby?" Jenny smirked. Abby laughed, nodding.
"Why don't you play for us after supper?" Sara suggested.
"Aw, what the hell, let's do it. Clara and Katie can go find my flute and Greg's old violin from the basement. I think the sheet music is probably in the same cupboard," Mary said, continuing to flip through the photos.
"So, um, Mare, Jen, is giving birth really the most painful thing you can ever go through?" Abby asked.
"You remember when I had appendicitis the year before I went to university? Well, that was more painful than giving birth if you ask me," Mary explained, making her sister laugh.
"Okay, just checking. God, I can't believe I'm pregnant! John and I have only been married for a year and a half!" Abby muttered, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger. Sara inhaled deeply.
"Abby, what does it feel like? Being pregnant I mean," she questioned. Abby turned her hazel eyes on the female CSI, a smile playing on her lips.
"It's amazing Sara. To feel a life growing inside of you, to feel the first little flutters when the baby starts kicking. There's nothing else on the face of this planet that gives you such an amazing sensation." Abby grinned, a sparkle in her eyes. Sara beamed, her eyes settling on her hands.
Suddenly Abby burst out laughing, pointing at one of the pictures which was of a young boy of about five wearing a skirt and a woman's bra, both far too big for him.
"Who took this picture?" the pregnant woman managed to ask between giggled.
"That would be me. I actually remember taking this. Andrew had dressed Greg like that and then he told me to take a picture. The things we got up to as kids," Mary sighed.
"What's Greg!" Sara questioned in astonishment.
"Yep, that's Greggo alright," Abby responded. By then Sara was crying with laughter, clutching at her sides.
"Mary, if I ever need black-mail material I'm calling you," she gasped.
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Author's Note: Okay, wow, this is short, I know, but I am literally knee deep in civics projects right now. Not fun. Stupid Ontario school system. Promise that I'll try to update it again soon (Next week or so maybe) Thursday is the Finale of Season Six so yeah, after that big ordeal (I'm having a party) then I'll most likely be back to being able to type more regularly. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!
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