Author's Note: This story was written during Season Six, and the GSR reflects that. All information about adoption was taken from the South Carolina laws and from the experience of a friend of mine. This chapter is dedicated to my Cici!

When Sara took Trina to her apartment, she couldn't help but look around as if she was seeing it for the first time. It had three rooms: a bedroom, a bathroom, and a living room with a kitchen area. The couch pulled out into a bed, which Sara would sleep on until she bought a bigger house. The bedroom had a double bed and dresser, and that was about it. The bathroom was barely big enough for a person to stand in, but it did have the advantage of everything being in arm's reach.

From the way Catherine made it sound, it seemed as if Trina was used to a well-to-do lifestyle. Her father had been a lawyer, after all. The way Trina was looking around the apartment made it seem like she was from a homeless shelter, not a wealthy neighborhood. She was wandering around the room, touching things and turning them over in her hands. She would look at an object, glance at Sara, and then look at it again.

"What are you doing?" questioned Sara.

"Nothing" answered Trina shyly.

"Come on, you can tell me" said Sara as she nudged the girl playfully.

"Well, it's just amazing to me that you agreed to take me without a second thought. I guess it's hard for me to believe that you could be so selfless. Most people wouldn't want anything to do with me right now, but you've offered to adopt me. You only met me this morning. I knew when I walked into the waiting room that you were different from anyone else I've ever known. Thank you, Sara, for caring about me."

"Oh, Trina" said Sara as she pulled the girl into a hug, "You don't have to thank me. It's my job to care for you now, and I've never loved a job more. I went through something similar when I was your age. I know how it is to feel like nobody loves you. I just want you to know this: I will always love you. No matter what you do, no matter what happens to you, I will always be here for you."

Sara relished the feeling of having another human being in her arms, taking comfort from her. She and Trina stood like that for a couple of minutes before Trina finally shifted. Her yawn brought Sara back to the real world.

"Time to get you into bed, Missy. It's been a long day, and tomorrow will come quickly. The bedroom is right in here. You can wear a pair of my pajamas tonight. You can take a shower now, if you'd like."

After Trina's shower, Sara showed her into the bedroom. She tucked her in, even though Trina was a teenager and probably capable of doing so herself. As she turned out the light she heard a small voice.

"Sara, where are you going? Please don't leave me. I'm scared that they'll come back to hurt me in my dreams."

"Hush, Baby, it's all right" whispered Sara as she lay down on the bed and took Trina into her arms, "I'm here now. I'll protect you. You just go to sleep."

Sara woke up once in the night when she heard Trina crying. She was still sleeping, though, so Sara just took her in her arms and stroked her hair. It was amazing to her how naturally being a mother came to her. She was responsible for a human being she hadn't even known existed 24 hours before, but now she cared more for this human being than she did for anybody else, save herself and possibly Grissom.

When Sara woke up in the morning Trina wasn't in the bedroom. Sara found her in the living room reading the newspaper. She sat down on the sofa and Trina handed her the front page, while she continued to read the Arts and Entertainment section. It seemed so ritualistic to Sara, and she wondered if this is what Trina had done with her parents.

When Trina picked up the crossword puzzle it reminded Sara of Grissom. She wondered what he thought of this whole thing. Did he think that she would be a good mother? He had probably been up all night working on the case. She wondered if they had any clues to lead them to the murderers. As if on cue, her cell phone rang.

"Sara."

"Sara, it's Grissom. Did I wake you up?"

"Nope, Trina and I are just reading the paper. How has your night been?"

"Busy. Sara, I need to talk to you face to face. I'll be at your apartment in ten minutes. Meet me in the parking lot, and make sure Trina stays inside."

"Should I lock the doors too?"

"No, of course not. I just don't want her to overhear."

"Oh, ok. I'll see you later."

Sara was in action as soon as she hung up the phone. Grissom was coming to her apartment, and this time he wasn't coming to console her. She ran to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and gave up on her hair, then made a dash for the bedroom. She flung open her closet doors and began tossing clothing out. Nothing seemed right.

Trina quietly walked into the room and surveyed the mess. Then she picked up a long sleeved pink shirt and a pair of khakis. She handed them to Sara and proceeded to hang the clothes back up in the closet. When Sara was changed she led her to the bathroom and brushed her hair, teasing some of the natural curl back into it. When she was done she rifled through the cabinets, looking for makeup. She turned up with lip gloss and mascara, both of which she applied to Sara's face. When she was done she admired her finished product with satisfaction.

"There, now you're ready for him."

"How did you know he was coming?"

"Well, I saw the way he looked at you yesterday. Bosses don't normally look at insubordinates that way. At least Daddy never did. And he's the only one besides the brown haired guy that knows who I am. What's his name? I don't think he ever told me."

"Grissom."

"Gruesome?"

"No, Grissom. But we do call him Gruesome Grissom for fun. He's into bugs."

"Kinda like an entomologist?"

"Exactly like one. He has a PhD in entomology."

"He's cute, in a Santa Clause kind of way."

"What does that mean?"

"He seems nice. And innocent. He's the kind of person you can trust not to tell your secrets, isn't he? And I'll bet he looks at things pretty objectively. But he's rather quiet. That could get annoying."

"He's only quiet when he has nothing to say."

"It looks like he has something to say now. He's pacing the parking lot like a madman. You'd better go down there and put him out of his misery."

"All right. You sure that you're ok here?"

"Sure I'm sure. Somebody's gotta clean up the living room."

"You don't have to be the maid, Trina."

"I know, but I'm a bit of a neat freak. Besides, seeing your things helps me get to know you better. Now you'd better hurry, or I think Grissom is going to burst."

Sara jogged down the steps and walked confidently to the parking lot. Grissom was pacing in front of his car, just like Trina had said.

"Trina was right. You are acting quite impatiently. Or in her words, you're 'pacing the parking lot like a madman'. What do you need to tell me?"

"You look nice."

"Thanks. Trina helped me get ready. But you didn't come all of the way over here to talk about my looks."

"No, I didn't."

"Have you found the murderers yet?"

"No. The semen doesn't match any DNA in the database. There hasn't been any kind of message from the murderers yet, either. This was definitely a crime of passion. You don't break into the home of strangers and strangle, rape, and murder them. I came here to make sure that you understand the seriousness of this. The person or people who did this probably know that Trina is alive by this point, and if they do then she is in danger. I need you to promise that you won't let her out of your sight. Check in with me every couple of hours, and contact me immediately if you think anything is wrong."

"Of course."

"Has she told you anything yet?"

"No. We haven't really talked at all. She hasn't even cried, not really. The only tears I've seen are the ones she cried in her sleep. She's trying to be strong, and it's making me worry about what will happen when she lets it all go."

"At least she has you, Sara," said Grissom as he reached up to touch her cheek. His hand lingered for a moment before coming to rest on her arm. "I know that you're the best one to be with her right now. I'm just sorry that…"

"What?" questioned Sara when he didn't continue his thought.

"I'm just sorry that this had to happen to her at all" he finished lamely. What he had really wanted to say was that he was sorry that he hadn't been there for Sara when she was hurting. That he hadn't known how to comfort her. He wanted to tell her so badly, but he didn't know how. He smiled sadly before he continued. "The housekeeper identified the bodies, so Trina doesn't have to. She is also taking care of the funeral arrangements. Trina doesn't ever need to see her parents in their current state."

"That's good, but I think that she already has. Her reticence speaks in itself, and it's saying that she saw the bodies. It will be a long time before those images are erased from her mind."

"I'd better go now. You can take Trina to her house to gather some of her belongings when she's ready. Just don't touch anything in the kitchen."

"All right. I'll check in with you in a couple of hours."

"Good. And Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care of yourself" he said, letting his hand touch her arm again. Then he pulled away and got into his car.

Sara stood there for a minute before going inside. Had she been mistaken, or had she seen something in Grissom's eyes that hadn't been there before? If she hadn't known better she would have called it tenderness, with something more. And the way his hand had touched her face and lingered on her arm, it reminded her of that night so long ago when she had brushed "chalk" off of his face. She felt her heart quicken at the thought, and immediately tried to banish it from her mind. She was going to be a mother now, and that would dash all of her chances with Grissom forever. Not that she really had one anymore.