A/N: And the conclusion of this short story! Enjoy!
Christmas 2015
Chapter 4
Christmas Eve.
The morning was misty with fog as three people made their way along the paved walkway. The air was saturated with the scent of fragrances from lemon and orange trees, from the bay laurel and juniper trees. The three had seen no one along the path since leaving the taxi driver who had insisted they were only a few steps away from their destination.
Catherine Willows was certain the taxi driver had given up trying to find the address and now she was following Greg Sanders who was using the GPS on his phone. The neighborhood was confusing with dead end streets lined with garages; canals and foot bridges formed a barrier for streets and took the place of lawns. Once out of the taxi, the group had noticed house numbers posted on the corners of fences—mostly covered by vines.
"Right up here," Greg said as if he could read Catherine's thoughts. Turning, he asked, "Did you know about this? The house? It's a gold mine—look at these places!"
Stopping for a moment, Catherine glanced at their surroundings. Flowering plants were lush and green from a recent rain. The canal contained enough water to float several canoes and kayaks. She studied the houses—mixed architecture of old and new—before she said:
"Grissom's mother was here in the 1980s when all of this area was up for urban development—canals filled in, houses bulldozed. Betty Grissom stuck with the group who did not want that to happen. And they managed to stop it. As a result, Betty ended up with a literal gold mine—she'd purchased two houses and a gallery at prices for tear-downs and ended up helping to preserve the neighborhood."
From behind her, Jim Brass asked, "How'd you learn all of this?"
"Internet," she said with a laugh. "As soon as Sara told me where they were living, I checked it out."
Greg asked, "Do you know why they invited us to visit? Nick is coming—driving up from San Diego."
"It's Christmas, Greg!" Catherine adjusted her shoulder bag and motioned for the younger man to walk.
Ignoring her hand motion, Greg said, "Yeah, and how many holidays did we have in Vegas and how many times did Grissom invite us to his place?"
Catherine laughed, knowing the answer was zero.
Brass stepped between the two, saying, "We are almost there and you two haven't figure this out? I started to say something last night when we were flying in but I thought you were at least as smart as I am."
Greg made a face.
Catherine said, "Okay, Mr. Smarter than us—why?"
Laughing, Brass held up both hands, palms facing Greg and Catherine. He said, "I know nothing, but I've figured it out."
"What?"
"What?"
He grinned, touched his forehead with one finger and said, "Sara's pregnant."
"Sara? After all this time? How old is she?" from Catherine.
Greg asked, "Did she tell you? Grissom?"
"Neither told me anything—just like you. I was invited—and just like you, the invitation included a hotel room, brunch today and tomorrow we'll visit some kind of ice show at the Queen Mary."
Catherine and Greg remained motionless for a full minute before Greg said, "So from the invitation, how'd you come up with Sara being pregnant?"
Shrugging, Brass said, "Sara's forty-four—she's always wanted a kid—not just any kid, but Grissom's. My bet is she got pregnant on the 'honeymoon'—that came before the wedding—or very soon after—twelve weeks is enough to know for sure." He chuckled, saying, "Now, use that phone to find the right house."
For his words, he got strange looks from the other two.
"That's it," Greg said, pointing to a house with twinkling lights attached to rails and posts, spread on several plants, and around the door to the house.
"Dang," Catherine whispered. "Something has changed for Gil Grissom to decorate!" She pushed Greg's arm so he stepped out of her way. "I'm ready for a Bloody Mary."
Before they reached the gate, Sara was opening the front door, waving her arms above her head, saying, "Welcome! We've been waiting—Nick is already here! We are so happy you came—and we should have picked you up this morning! Did you have problems finding us? It's a maze around here! How is the hotel?"
Greg was first through the gate, first to hug Sara until Jim pushed him out of the way. At some point, Nick and Grissom added to the small crowd laughing and hugging as if it had been years instead of a few months since they had seen each other. Eventually, they made it inside where another round of excitement came from visitors as they talked about the house, the decorations, and the long table filled with food.
Catherine was first to ask, "You did all of this? The decorating? The cooking?" Her questions were directed at Sara, but Grissom answered.
"When Sara got here, this place was a wreck. Boxes on top of boxes, a few dishes and pans in the kitchen—I wasn't really living anywhere. She's done all of this." He handed a Bloody Mary to Catherine. "And we did the cooking for today." Pointing to the table, he added, "Sit, eat—I'll get the casserole out of the oven."
Catherine, somewhat persistent, said, "And the Christmas decorations? I know it was Sara—I cannot imagine you putting up lights and a tree!"
Quickly, Sara said, "He did the lights and I decorated the tree!"
Grissom had walked to the table with a steaming casserole, placing it in the center of the table. He stood back, smiling, before he said, "Our lives have changed." Reaching for Sara, he wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her tightly against his side. "I'm happier than I've ever been and it's all because of this beautiful woman." He leaned to her face and kissed her cheek before their foreheads touched and each smiled in a moment that shut out everyone else.
Their four friends, sitting at the table, were surprised into open-mouth astonishment. Jim Brass stopped his coffee cup half way to his mouth. The spoon in Greg Sanders' hand paused over the bowl of fruit. Nick Stokes was caught in a half-standing half-sitting position as he'd reached to move a chair for Sara. And Catherine Willows' white napkin wavered slightly as she halted the movement of her hand.
They had never seen Gil Grissom or Sara Sidle in a moment as intimate as this. Before they could move, Grissom said, "And we've invited you here for a very special announcement!" He nodded to Sara.
Smiling, she quietly said, "Quite by surprise," her finger moved from Grissom to herself. "We are going to be parents."
Jim managed to place his cup on the table before clapping his hands. Nick and Greg talked at once; one saying Sara's name while the other laughed and called Grissom "a baby daddy!"
Catherine dropped her napkin as she stood and walked around the table to hug Sara and Grissom. She said, "Congratulations, you two! It's about time, I'll add."
As everyone began to eat, Grissom explained the results of extensive testing ticking through a list of genetic conditions. "Everything looks great." He paused and, again, the friends around the table stopped, waited. His hand found Sara's. "Around mid-May," he glanced at Catherine and smiled, saying, "If all goes as planned, we will be parents."
Immediately, there were several comments and questions; Catherine quickly calculated dates and weeks, saying, "Mid-May is too…"
Grissom held up a hand getting silence from their friends. His thumb pointed in Sara's direction, saying, "She gets to announce the rest of it."
Sara knew her husband was going to make a big production of their news; he'd been walking on a cloud for days while she'd been throwing up in the bathroom. If possible, he'd gotten more excited, more protective, more gentle and compassionate with passing days.
She tilted her head to touch his and intertwined her fingers with his. She said, "He's going to be changing a lot of diapers for a while. This old guy has knocked me up with twins—boys—I think we'll name them Bee and Bug."
A moment of stunned silence followed until Jim Brass held up his coffee cup in a toast, saying, "May your sons be as fine as their father—and as smart as their mother!"
A/N: We finished it by Christmas! Thank you for reading...thank you for your kind messages! We appreciate hearing from you! Help us keep GSR alive and well in fanfiction.
Merry Christmas!
12/24/2020