A/N: Part Three! I think this is going to be the last part in the series. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. It really truly means a lot to me.
Thank you all for sticking with this story (if any of you have). I've been swamped with college stuff and haven't had time to write. The ending came to me at 6am, with no sleep. And with no sleep, I'm sure there are mistakes. But I really wanted to post this and get it out there. :)
Again, thank you all for reading (and reviewing!)
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"Not to break the mood or anything," Catherine said as she looked at her watch, "but we've been gone for almost two hours. And I don't think the department will approve of people getting engaged on company time."
"At least they didn't get married on company time." Greg added.
Sara noticed a smile growing on Grissoms lips; he liked Greg's suggestion as much she did.
"What?" Greg asked, seeing the thoughtful smiles on both Sara and Grissom's faces. "You guys… no…"
Catherine caught on to what Greg was hinting at and looked at the couple. "A wedding? Here? Now? You guys have been engaged for what, all of ten minutes."
"So?" Sara and Grissom both asked.
"It's not like we haven't talked about the possibility of a wedding." Grissom said. "In fact…"
"Wait." Nick cut in. "Sara you're not pregnant or anything are you? Is that why this is so rushed? Oh God, you're pregnant." He ran this fingers through his hair and slowly started pacing back and forth across the width of the sidewalk, occasionally murmuring something to himself.
"A Grissom off-spring?" Warrick asked. "This is too much for one night." Following Nick's lead he too paced for a moment than chose a spot on a nearby bench, head in hands, deep in thought.
"What are you going to name the…thing?" Greg said, looking slightly hopeful. "You should name it Greg. Greg's a strong, healthy name."
"Do you guys even understand the responsibility of a child?" Nick said as he stopped pacing. "You lives are you job, how are you going to find time to raise a baby? How are you going to pay for everything? A child…" Only to resume his worn track back and forth the pavement. His mind was reeling at record speeds, unable to slow down.
Grissom watched amused as the guys took their turns rambling on about raising a child, the responsibilities, and the cost.
He leaned over to Sara and whispered in to her ear, "You're not pregnant are you?" A look of worry crossed his face, hoping that there was nothing Sara had forgotten to tell him.
"Well, since we haven't 'done it' in over a week and that time of the month ended yesterday. I don't see how I could be." Sara said. "Unless I somehow got abducted by aliens, impregnated, returned to earth, and currently have inside of me an alien-hybrid also known as a super-solider. I think the possibilities are still pretty slim."
"You've been watching re-runs of 'The X-Files' haven't you?" Grissom asked, chuckling to himself.
"What else is a girl to do on her day off." Sara said smiling.
He grabbed her hand and turned to look at her, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Grissom asked. "Because you know that this will be forever and I don't want you to regret anything." His eyes seemed dark and serious, but she knew that it would take much more than Grissom's insecurities to stop her from going through with this marriage.
"I'm positive." Sara replied. "I haven't regretted spending the past year with you, I haven't regretted moving to Vegas for you, I haven't regretted waiting years for us to be together. If I haven't regretted any of those things, what makes you think I'll regret this?"
Grissom had no answer for her, he knew he had to convince himself that this wasn't her midlife crisis or done out of boredom, that she actually did love him as much as she said she did.
"I don't know." He said, "I guess it's just my insecurities showing."
"I know." Sara said smiling. It was when Grissom showed that he was human, that she could feel her heart swell with love for him.
"So what's the plan?" Warrick asked, breaking the awkward scene that the rest of the group felt when Grissom and Sara shared a private moment.
Grissom looked at his watch '10:37', just enough time for him to make a quick phone call to a old college buddy who now ran the chapel at 'Caesar's Palace'.
"I'm going to make a quick phone call, you guys talk to rest of it out." Grissom said at he dialed the number to the casino. After a moment Grissom covered the mouthpiece with a hand and said quietly, "Do you think you and Catherine could get everything done in an hour?
"An hour? Do you think we could find a dress in an hour?" Sara asked looking at Catherine.
Grissom removed his hand and began talking to the voice on the end of the line.
"Are you doubting my shopping skills?" Catherine asked, grabbing Sara by the hand and leading her away from the group. "We'll have a dress in forty-five minutes."
"Tell Grissom to call me with the details. I'll have my cell on." Sara said walking with Catherine down the strip to the nearest dress boutique, which just happened to be in Caesar's Palace.
"No problem!" Nick yelled after them. "Good luck!" All the boys waved in the direction the women where heading. Once they disappeared in to the crowed Nick turned to face Grissom who had taken a place at his side.
"We're going to need tuxes aren't we?" Greg asked, obviously not pleased with the thought of dressing up.
"If Sara's going to be wearing a dress, than it's only fair that we wear tuxes." Warrick responded.
"Good point." Said Greg. "But since I left my tux in my OTHER pants, I'm going to have to run home and pick it up… if I can even find it."
"I think that goes for all of us." Nick added.
"Not a problem. Besides I need to get a few things from home myself." Grissom said. "I'll drive us back to the station and we'll just meet back up in forty-five minutes."
Everyone agreed as they all made the walk back to Grissom's car, still parked in the diner's parking lot.
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The first thing Sara did once her and Catherine found a boutique that was opened was make one of the most important phone calls on her life.
"Jim?" Sara asked in to the receiver after searching through her address book on her phone for a moment. Twenty dresses were hung up around her, some were plain white silk others had more bead and sequins than a showgirl. This was the one time that Sara wanted to explore all of her options.
"Uh oh." Brass replied on the other end of the line. "You're using the first name. Are you in trouble?"
Sara couldn't help but laugh, "No. Not this time. Can you do me a favor though?"
"Anything." He replied.
"Can you meet me at Luna's in Caesar's Palace?" Sara asked, holding the phone up and away from where the seamstress was adjusting the neckline of her dress.
After a short pause Brass replied laughing, "Sara Sidle, are you seducing me?"
"You wish." Sara replied with a laugh of her own. "Please. Can you come?" She asked, her tone changing to a more serious one.
"I know you well enough to not ask questions." He replied. "I'll be there in ten minutes. You're lucky it's a slow night."
"I know. Thanks Jim." Sara hung up the phone and looked at Catherine. "What?"
"Does he know about you and Grissom?" Catherine asked, "Cause when he steps through that door and sees you in a wedding dress, to be married to Gil Grissom out of all people, he's going to have a heart attack!"
Sara just shrugged, smiling. "Whatever happens… happens." She walked back in to the dressing room to try on the last two dresses. It happened to be the favorite choice of both her and Catherine. Crossing her fingers she hoped that it would look good.
"Easy for you to say. You're just lucky we actually found a dress shop that was open this late." Catherine replied casually looking through the dresses hung up around the fitting area. "And that it happened to be in the same building that we're supposed to meet the boys at."
"I know." Sara said. "I guess the god's are in our favor tonight."
After a moment, Catherine asked the question that had been bouncing around her head since Sara had hung up the phone with Brass. "Are you going to ask Jim to give you away?"
"Yes." Sara said as she looked at her reflection in one of the many floor length mirrors. The dress she currently had on was not her favorite, layers upon layers of taffeta made up the skirt, it was the epitome of the fairy-tale Cinderella dress, and she hated it. If she learned anything from this experience it was that poufy and her did not get along. "He's been like a father to me ever since I joined. It just seemed natural to ask him to give me away."
"What about your own father?" Catherine asked
"Did somebody call for my assistance?" Brass asked after a quick rap on the door. Taking a quick look around the room, "What the hell is going on in here?"
Catherine just shrugged, trying not to give away the secret. "You'll have to ask Sara that." She replied.
"That's what the boys said when I asked them what they were doing sauntering around the parking lot in tuxes." Brass winked at the older woman. "Hopefully it's what I think it is."
Sara poked her head around the dressing room door. "I think I found it Cat. Tell me what you think." She slowly opened the door fully to reveal a beautiful, white silk dress.
"It's nothing fancy." Sara said as she turned in place to show off the dress. "No lace, no sequins, no beads." After a thoughtful pause she continued, "Just like me."
Jim stood there staring at Sara. She noticed his gaze and turned towards him, her hands smoothing the silk around her waist.
"What do you think?" she asked him.
"What do I think?" Brass asked. "What do I think about what? Gil finally proposing to you, the gorgeous dress your wearing, or the fact that you kept me clueless for the entire drive over?"
"All of the above?" Sara answered with a slight blush.
"The dress… the dress makes you the most beautiful woman in the city." Brass said. Turning to Catherine he quickly added, "No offence to you or anything."
"None taken." Catherine replied laughing.
"Gil proposing… it's about damn time. I know I told him the same thing when he finally told me you two were together. And even then I told him to never let you go. It looks like he took my advice." Brass said, still admiring Sara in her dress. "So that's the one."
"The dress?" Sara asked. "Yup. Catherine and I have been here for a half an hour trying on dresses. And we're supposed to meet the boys downstairs in thirty minutes."
"Which reminds me that we have to still do your hair and make-up." Catherine said as she pulled Sara towards a full-length mirror and sat her down in a chair. "Give me ten minutes and you'll look like a princess."
Sara sat down in silence, deep in thought. Breaking the silence Catherine began talking about her wedding with Eddie. The color of the flowers, the cake, guests, the service, any and everything she could think of. Hearing Catherine talk was soothing the butterflies that were growing in her stomach.
"Were you nervous?" Sara finally asked.
"Nervous? Hell yes." Catherine said. "My father practically dragged me down the aisle. I thought I was making the biggest mistake of my life. But I guess my marriage to Eddie isn't the best example for you to go by."
"What about you?" Sara asked as she attempted to turn towards Brass, but Catherine's hold on her head prevented her from making any large movements.
"Me?" Brass replied. "I can't say much for my ex-wife, but I was nervous. I had my doubts, but I loved her." He stopped and slowly shook his head in response to a far-off memory. "And when I saw her, at the end of the church aisle all the doubts vanished."
Sara smiled at him, her butterflies slowly calming. She let out a long sigh and looked at herself in the mirror. What she saw surprised her; she was beautiful. For the first time in her life she could help but stare in to the face of the woman in front of her.
"Finished." Catherine replied as she slid the last bobby pin in place. She was quite proud of herself for pulling everything together in such a short notice.
"You look beautiful." Brass replied as Sara stood up to admire herself one last time before they left. He pulled her in to a hug, trying not to wrinkle the dress or smear her make up.
"Well, if you ladies are done, I'm going to get back to the station." Jim said as he made his way through the piles of dresses to the door.
"Jim?" Sara asked. He stopped and turned to look at her. She took a deep breath and continued, "Would you give me away?"
He was sure Sara and Catherine could hear his heart beating, louder and louder as the seconds passes.
"Please?" Sara looked down but caught his eyes when she looked up. "You've been like the father I never had."
He didn't need to be asked twice. "Of course."
Sara gave him one of her signature smiles that melted his heart. Now he understood why Gil could never deny her anything.
"Well then, I'll just have to call and let them know I won't be in for a while." Brass said taking out his phone. "You guys go down in the lobby and wait for me, I'll be a second."
"Come one." Catherine said, "You don't want to keep your future husband waiting."
Sara smiled at the thought, Grissom, her husband. It was something that she thought about night after night. But the reality that it really is going to happened had yet to hit her quite as hard as it did in that moment as she and Catherine were walking down the empty hallways of Caesar's Palace to the small chapel in the courtyard.
"I'm really going to do this." Sara said out loud to no one in particular. "I'm really going to marry Gil Grissom." All the butterflies she felt were gone; only a sense of peace, security, hope, was present.
"This is it." Brass said, taking his place at Sara's left side. Catherine was standing at her right and handed her a small bouquet of Lilies that she quickly picked up from the florist next to Luna's. All three stood just beyond the courtyard. Surrounding them was beautiful marble statues of Angel's playing trumpets and cherubs frozen in perpetual joy. Beyond the marble gazebo stood a waterfall illuminated by the picturesque view of Las Vegas Boulevard.
"It's perfect." Sara whispered. Brass extended his elbow towards Sara's direction and she slipped her arm through his. Catherine started walking towards the group of men who were gathered at the center of the courtyard, talking amongst them all looking extremely dashing dressed up. All of them were look out towards the neon sea before them, but Warrick was the first to sense movement from behind and he turned around to catch Catherine's smile, which was soon mirrored on his own face.
As Brass and Sara slowly made their way towards the alter Nick and Greg followed Warrick's lead and turned around to see the bride. Only Grissom had his back towards the approaching couple as a way to keep himself composed until the very last possible moment. So many things were running through his head that his mind eventually quit processing new information; so he didn't notice that Nick, Greg, and Warrick were no longer talking to him.
Brass gently kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "Go get 'em tiger."
Sara smiled and walked few feet to the alter where the priest greeted her with a toothy smile; but Grissom still had his back towards her, unaware that she was only feet behind him. She could sense his tension and prayed that one of his migraines wouldn't ruin this momentous occasion. Sara searched her mind for something to say to him to comfort and relive his worries, to remind him of a time that was important and just between them. After only a few seconds Sara's lips turned up in a smile when she knew the perfect thing to say.
"Wouldn't you if you were married to Mrs. Roper?" Sara spoke as she silently handed the bouquet of Lilies to Catherine
Grissom's head snapped up and the familiarity and memories associated with the obscure line. How could he forget the first thing that Sara Sidle said to him when she first arrived in Vegas?
Grissom's back was still turned towards her when he replied, "I don't even have to turn around. Sara Sidle." Only then, after those words spoken aloud did he dare turn around to look at her.
Sara caught his eyes and said softly back, "Not anymore."