Thanks to my beta, Camilla Sandman.

Greg was walking past the locker room when he heard someone muttering something and then slam a locker door shut. He decided to take a minute to check who it was. Entering the room, he saw Sara sitting on the bench, her head hanging down. She didn't seem to notice his presence so he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Oh, hey Greg. How's Alex?" she asked, standing up.

"She's fine," he said, walking closer to her. "I'm going to call Catherine for her, but right now I'm worried about you."

"Thanks, Greg, but I'm okay," she said, hoping her voice didn't sound as shaky as she felt.

"Sara, I…" Greg started but stopped, unsure of what to say to her after what she just told him and Alex. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," she said, grabbing her bag off the floor, clearly getting ready to leave the room.

"Sara," he said, concern evident in his voice. "I've thought we've gotten closer."

"We have. You've been a great friend, Greg. It's just…" she said, taking a breath to calm herself. "I can't do this right now."

Before he could say anything else, she rushed past him. Greg followed her out and saw her nearly collide with Nick, who was stepping out of the elevator.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Nick asked.

"Nowhere," was all she said as she brushed past him, the elevator doors slamming shut behind her before he could push the point further.

Nick turned to see Greg watching him. Walking up to him, he asked, "What was that all about? Is she okay?"

"I don't think so."

"Why? What happened?" Nick asked.

"I think she should be the one to tell you," Greg replied. "I don't think she should be alone right now. I would go, but I told Alex I would call Catherine for her.

"Yeah, I'll go check what I found into the evidence lockup and go find her," Nick said, getting worried over what was upsetting Sara.

Greg headed towards the break room to make the call to Catherine. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, but he promised Alex he would call and didn't want her to wait any longer. Taking a seat on one of the couches, he dialed Catherine's number.

"Hello," Catherine answered.

"Hi Catherine. It's Greg."

"Hi Greg. I guess you know about Alex," Catherine said, sounding a little apprehensive.

"Yeah. Grissom told Sara and me."

"Is she okay? Is something wrong?"

"She's fine, but I am calling because of her."

"Okay," Catherine said, wondering why he was the one calling her.

"I'm not sure how to ask you this, but I told Alex I would, so I'm just going to say it. Alex wants to meet you, but she's afraid you don't want to be her mom, and she said if you don't, then she doesn't want to see you. So, she wanted me to ask you if you do and if the answer is yes, then when can she meet you?"

Catherine was stunned and rendered speechless for a few moments before she whispered. "Yes…Yes, of course I want to be her mother."

"That's great. Alex will be really happy to hear that."

"Greg?"

"Yeah?"

"Would she want to come over here now?" Catherine asked, hoping the answer would be yes. She didn't know if she could wait that long now, knowing that Alex wanted to meet her.

"I'll have to ask her, but I'm pretty sure she will. I'll go ask her now, and if she doesn't, then I'll call you back. Otherwise, I'll bring her over as soon as she's ready."

"Thanks, Greg. I don't know if I'll ever be able to thank you enough for what you're doing for us."

"It's not a problem," Greg told her sincerely. "We'll see you soon."

"Okay, bye," Catherine said before hanging up.

When Greg walked back into the room where Alex was waiting, she looked at him. Her expression clearly showing the question she was longing to ask. "Did she…did she…What did she say?" she finally let out in a rushed breath.

"She said yes, and she wants you to come over as soon as you want to."

"Really?" Alex questioned, not quite able to believe her mom really wanted to meet her and be a part of her life. She had waited for this moment for so long.

"Yes," Greg replied, all smiles.

Alex let out a squeal of happiness as she jumped up and ran over to Greg, embracing him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he laughed.

"Can you take me to her house now?" she asked, a big smile forming on her face.

"Yeah. Let's go," Greg said, putting an arm around her shoulder as they left the building.

After Catherine had hung up the phone, Warrick walked back into the room. "Who was it?" he asked, wondering what had caused the blank look on her face.

"It was Greg. He's going to bring Alex over here," she told him.

"Now?" Warrick asked, taking a seat next to Catherine.

"Yup."

"When are you going to tell Lindsey?"

"Um…I haven't thought about that yet," she said, pausing for a moment. "I guess I'll tell her when she gets home tomorrow. She went away for the weekend with her friend Lisa and her family. She's supposed to be home for dinner tomorrow. I should have told her sooner. I don't know how she'll react."

"She might be mad at you for not telling her earlier, but there's nothing you can do about that now. She's a great kid, and she's smart. I think she'll forgive you and understand why she didn't tell her," Warrick said, trying to reassure her.

"Yeah, and I'll have to tell her about us too. I don't want her to find out some other way."

"Do you want me to wait with you?" he asked, not sure if she would want him there when Alex arrived.

"Yes, if you want to. I think I would go nuts waiting for her on my own."

"Okay then. I'll stay as long as you want me too."

"Thanks, Rick," she said, turning to look him in the eye.

He said nothing in reply, instead choosing to close the distance between them, capturing her lips with his. It started out as a soft tender kiss, but quickly intensified. A few minutes later they broke apart, a little bereft of breath. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she snuggled up against him, feeling comfort from the warmth of his body. They stayed like that for a while, no need for words and content with each other, until the doorbell rang.

Nick was worried about Sara. Pulling into a parking spot in front of her apartment, he was still trying to think of what could have made her brush him off like that. He hoped it was because they were at work and not that she was angry with him for some unknown reason. He knocked on her door, and a few moments later she opened it.

"Hey, Nick. Come on in," she said, taking a step back so he could get by her. "Not that I don't want you here, but what are you doing here?"

"I came by to check up on you, and to see if you're okay. The way you ran out of the lab before had me worried. What happened?" he asked. He could tell she had been crying.

"Greg didn't tell you?" she asked, figuring Greg would have told Nick what happened.

"No, he said you should be the one to tell me. He's worried about you too. So, what happened?" Nick asked, determined to get an answer, but trying not to push her too much at the same time.

"It's a long story," she said, walking further into her apartment.

"I've got time," he replied, taking a seat to emphasize his point. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me. I care about you Sara, so please, tell me."

She looked at him and could tell by the expression on his face that he really wasn't going to let her get away with not telling him. It was not a story she was particularly fond of telling, but somehow, she felt he had earned the right to know.

Taking a deep breath, she plunged into it, telling him the story of Sara Sidle – how her father had been abusive, how her mother had ended it, hoe the years in foster care had gone. By the time she had gotten to her conversation with Alex and Greg, she was crying. But strangely, it felt almost good to, as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Sara, I'm so sorry," Nick said, rubbing circles on her back to try to calm her. "Why didn't you tell any of us before?"

"I don't know. I knew it would come out eventually, but it was hard to think about, let alone actually telling someone. When I was watching Alex and Greg talking, I saw so much of myself in Alex. I knew what she was going through and how painful it can be. I thought it would help her to talk to someone who went through something similar to her. I know I would have wanted someone to talk to," Sara explained, turning to Nick.

"I'm sure she appreciates it," Nick said, taking her in his arms, feeling her body trembling against his.

Several minutes later, Sara seemed to have calmed down, so Nick asked, "Does anyone besides Alex and Greg know about your past?"

"Only Grissom. He came over here after I yelled at Catherine, and got suspended. He wanted to know why I always got worked up about cases that involved domestic abuse," Sara said quietly, resting her head on Nick's shoulder. If it was anyone else she would have been embarrassed for breaking down like that. That was why she left work so quickly. But with Nick, it seemed different. She felt comfortable. It wasn't frightening, it didn't feel inappropriate, it was just…Love? With a small jolt, she realized she might be falling for him

Nick was happy that Sara trusted him enough, and felt comfortable enough with him to confide in him. He knew it was early, but couldn't stop himself from thinking that their relationship might be of the lasting kind. He smiled, daring a thought that maybe he was falling in love with this woman in his arms. Pulling back slightly, he met her gaze and saw the same desire he felt reflected in her eyes. It gave him enough confidence to make his next move. He raised his hands to cup her face, leaning in to kiss her.

Sara eagerly returned his kiss and things began to heat up quickly. When Nick snaked his arms around her waist, she reached up behind his head, pulling him down on top of her. Nick slid his hands up the front of her shirt and pulled back from her in order to pull it over her head.

Seeing where things were headed, he thought it was best to make sure Sara was ready for this. He wanted her badly, but he would be willing to wait if she wasn't ready, and he didn't want to ruin what they had. "Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes," was all she said, reaching up to unbutton his shirt. He could tell she was being truthful from her hungry look at him as she unbuttoned his shirt.

Following her lead, he reached down to undo her pants, but she paused him with a small push. He gave her a slightly confused look, but it quickly disappeared after she said, "Let's go to bed, and this time I don't mean to sleep." Clothes were haphazardly discarded as they made their way down the hall.

An hour later, they lay tangled together, enjoying the sensation of skin to skin and feeling very satisfied. Nick let out a sigh, pulling her a little closer and spooning her, making her smile. Within a few minutes, they gave into their exhaustion and fell into a peaceful sleep.

Greg pulled his car to a stop in front of Catherine's house. Turning to look at Alex, he asked her, "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Alex declared.

"Do you want me to wait out here?" he asked.

"Can you come with me?" she countered.

"Sure," he said, exiting the vehicle, walking around and opening her door.

"Thanks," Alex said, taking his outstretched hand in hers. She held on tight as they walked up to the front door, almost as if his hand was her lifeline. She took a few deep breaths, thinking they might help calm her nerves, but it didn't seem to do much good. Her hands were trembling as she reached up to ring the doorbell. Right before she pressed it, she glanced over to Greg and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. As soon as she pressed it, she let her hand fall, almost as if it had burned her.

It seemed like an eternity to Alex, but it was only a matter of seconds before she heard movement on the other side of the door. It was Warrick who opened the door. Catherine was standing a little behind him in the hallway, staring at Alex, and Alex doing the same in return. Both seemed to be in shock, unable to move or speak, paralyzed by their emotions. Warrick was the first to say something. "Why don't you guys come inside?"

Greg guided Alex in with his hand on her back, and Warrick closed the door behind them.

After another minute or so of silence Alex finally spoke. "Mom," she whispered, barely audible, but Catherine heard and it seemed to jolt her out of her shock.

"Alexandra," Catherine replied, closing the distance between them within a few short steps.

"Mom," Alex repeated as Catherine embraced her. When she felt her mom's arms around her, she broke down, her body shaking and tears rapidly falling.

Catherine, also crying, whispered in Alex's ear, "Its okay, Alex. Everything's going to be okay."

A short time later, when they both had stopped crying, they stepped apart. "Do you want to come in and talk for a bit?" Catherine asked, unsure of what to say next.

"Yeah," Alex said quietly, sniffling and wiping at her tear stained face. Catherine led the way into the living room, realizing Greg and Warrick must have stepped outside without her noticing, probably to give her and Alex some time alone.

"I'm so sorry, Alex," Catherine said, having a seat next to Alex. "I know about some of what you've been through, and I can't help but think if I hadn't given you up you wouldn't have had to go through that."

"No, stop. Don't say that," Alex said, looking at her mother. "It's not your fault. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen to me. You made the hardest decision anyone could ever make. I can't tell you how thankful I am that you were brave enough and strong enough to make that decision. You gave me to people that were amazing parents. I can't and I don't blame you for anything that happened after that."

"Thank you," Catherine said, reaching for a box of tissues on the coffee table. "Do you need one?"

"Thanks," Alex said, taking a couple of tissues. She imagined she looked like a mess.

"You probably have a lot of questions for me," Catherine said. "Please, feel free to ask me anything you want to know."

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all."

"Okay, um…" Alex said. "I'm not sure where to start."

"Anywhere you like," Catherine said, resting an arm across her shoulders to reassure her.

"Well, you probably already know I hired an investigator to find you, but he couldn't find my father," Alex paused for a moment. "Do you know who he is?"

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger but I haven't used one in a while, so I figured it would be okay. I'm sorry for taking so long to update but it's been a rough couple of weeks. You can read my profile if you want to know more. Thanks again for continuing to read and review this. The reviews make me so happy. The next chapter will be up quicker this time. Thanks again for the reviews 