Note: Sorry for the delay. It's not the lack of ideas, it's the energy to write.


Present.

Grissom's eyes snapped to Sara's.

"Our illusive Miss Goatherd just reported a purse snatch at a Los Angeles Police Department." Brass continued. "I just hung up with you and the phone rang. The deputy assisting the case was smart enough to be observant to the physical description the Briggs gave us after the neighbour didn't recognise the licence photo of the real Mrs Blackwell. He's holding our suspect."

Sara sat up as Grissom responded. "I can be on the next flight."

"I'll be going with you." Brass hung up.

"When do we leave?" Sara watched him. He stared at her. "Oh no." She shook her head and pushed him back so she could stand. "I am going with you."

"Sara."

"He's my nephew." She argued.

"We don't have anything yet. No information as to where he might be. Before you woke up, Jim called and told me that the baby's mother wasn't the one who picked him up. It was someone else. The neighbour didn't recognise the photo of Mrs Blackwell.

"She changed her name back to Goatherd after the divorce. This is the first lead we have and it could turn cold the minute we ask her a question she doesn't have the answer for. I'm not going to let you put yourself through that." He locked eyes with her from across the room. "I won't put you through that."

"What if-"

He shrugged. "I'll call. Get you to fly out and we'll go from there. Until then there isn't anything you can do. I can't even touch anything. I'm too close. You know that if there's a case, it would be thrown out. You can't come."

Sara looked down at her socked feet. "Why are you going if you're not active in the investigation?"

"Because it's important to you, and to me. Because I need to talk to Richard and find some answers. I need to do this." He approached her and took her hands.

"What about me?" She whispered.

Caressing her cheek and kissing her lips, he held her tightly. "What would distract you?"

She mulled over an answer and sighed. "Work."

"How about paperwork?"

Groaning in distaste, she nodded against his shoulder.


One Hour And Eight Minutes Later.

Los Angeles, En-route to the Downtown Police Department.

Brass drove himself and Grissom to the Police Department in a rental car. Even though they would be arriving in ten minutes, their suspect wouldn't be there. The deputy assisting the case was transferring Miss Goatherd from another station.

To pass some time and break the stony silence, Brass decided to play a game of twenty questions with his friend. "Can I ask you something?"

"No." Grissom answered immediately, changing his cell phone battery.

Raising his eyebrows and casting a quick glance at his passenger, the detective chuckled. "I'll ask anyway. So," He pushed on, ignoring the glare being directed at him. "When were you going to invite me over for a drink? Dinner even?"

Grissom looked up from his cell phone and stared ahead. "I need permission from you?" He turned his head to look at the driver. "Surely you are not upset over my invitation to the party."

Brass snorted. "What invitation?"

"Exactly." Grissom said firmly. "If there was an invite, you'd know about it. In this case, it was a private party."

"Party for two?"

Grissom nodded. "Exactly."

Sighing wistfully, Brass leaned into his palm as he drove one handed. "All the years of watching you dance around each other. The years of pain and misery. And no one gets invited to a housewarming party?"

"I've lived there for seventeen years, Jim."

"Yeah, but Sara just moved in two months ago."

"So? We need to invite you over whenever something different happens?" Grissom questioned in annoyance.

"It would be nice, yes."

"I think we just reached a limit in our friendship." Grissom grumbled.

"Fine. Be that way. You can't stop us from feeling happy for you both. Is it so hard to understand that we want share in that happiness?"

Thinking back to the day Sara completely moved in and the joking around with ideas for a housewarming party. They had spent an hour talking about inviting some of the lab, but they had distracted themselves quite easily when dinner was made and they had curled up on the couch together and enjoyed a documentary in utter comfort and relaxation.

"No, it's not hard to understand. But you all need to understand that we haven't had time to be by ourselves. You know we both work hard and spend a lot of our time with the guys in and outside the lab. Very little of our time is in our own company. So we like to be alone, there is nothing wrong with that." Grissom stuffed his cell phone in his jacket pocket and pulled out his wallet to check he had enough cash for food.

Nodding against his hand, the detective sighed heavily. "Fine."

Rolling his eyes, Grissom replaced his wallet and pointed out the window. "Pull in there."

"Food? Good idea." Pulling himself up, Brass indicated and turned.

After ordering and returning to the car with two bags of food, Grissom decided to share a little with his friend. "Are you listening? Because I'm not going to say this again."

Swallowing a large mouthful of burger, Brass mumbled a, 'yeah' and bit into his burger again.

"We're trying for a baby." Waiting for the inevitable and getting it, Grissom quickly moved as lettuce and crumbs flew his way.


20 Minutes Later.

Las Vegas.

"Hey." Catherine perched on the table. "I just heard. How're you holding up?"

"Trying to keep busy." Sara rubbed her eyes as her focus began to swim. For the last four hours, she had filled in forms, called detectives and DA's for follow ups and dates on upcoming cases going to court.

Tapping her long manicured fingernails on the desk, Catherine tried to see anything in her colleagues expression. "Wanna take a break?"

"No thanks."

"Sure? My treat."

"I think I'll just grab something later."

"Ok. Sure." Standing at the door, Catherine watched her friend continue to flip and fill in papers. "Don't get lost in that lot." She turned and caught Archie on his way out of the Break Room.

The sound of chirping startled her. Lurching for her cell phone, Sara flipped it open with her heart in her throat. "Gil?"

"Hi." He said softly.

"Anything?" She asked, anxious to know anything.

"I'm waiting."

Hearing the tiredness in his voice, she sighed. "Have you eaten anything? You need your coffee or you'll get cranky. Make sure Brass is taking charge of you. You need to eat something or your blood pressure will make you dizzy and sick."

He chuckled. "Yes mom. I'm fine, honey. Stop worrying about me."

"It's in the job description, so I can't." She smiled.

"Fair enough. Tell me something…"

"Sure." Sara pushed her papers away so she could lean on the table.

"Was Richard giving you any hints, any at all?" He asked.

"About AJ? No. I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. All I know is that Sally was looking after the baby while Tony was working. You know he never involved me in his life, Gil. He didn't want much to do with me. You know that."

"I know. I'm sorry I have to bring it up. I just need to know."

She sighed tiredly. "Richard didn't bring up anything legal. In fact," She thought for a minute. "In fact, Richard avoided talking about AJ completely. I asked him how AJ was and he answered with short and positive replies. You think he's hiding something?"

"Not sure, but I'm going to find out." He paused and she heard a lot of talking and snaps of footsteps on linoleum in the background. "I'll call you later. Your sister-in-law just arrived."

"Hmm, good things she's just an 'in-law'. Bye." She hung up and raked her fingers through her hair.


To Be Continued.