On Thursday afternoon, Grissom found himself on Mrs. Mueller's front porch again. Just as before, she opened the door and let him in. Also as before Sara was in the playroom, coloring.

"Hi, Sara. How are you today?" he began.

She looked up and then returned her attention to her picture. He walked over to see what she was coloring. It was another butterfly. He sat again on the small chair and watched her work. Finally when she had finished the picture, she handed the book to Grissom. He took it and began looking through it. She had colored all the pictures. Gently he spoke, "These are very beautiful butterflies, Sara. Oh, and I brought you another book. This one isn't a coloring book though. It is a book about butterflies." He pulled the book from his jacket pocket. It was a child's book he had spotted at the bookstore. "I picked this book because it has your butterfly on the front," he continued. He pointed out the blue and black butterfly, "that's a Sara Longwing butterfly. See it even has your favorite color, blue."

She took the book and studied the picture. Without taking her eyes from it she asked softly, "I get my own butterfly?"

"Yes, it's your butterfly. It has to be just for you because it is blue."

"Do you have a butterfly?"

"I don't have one named for me. But I collect them. I have quite a few actually."

"Collect them?"

"Yes, when I find one that I don't already have, I take it home and add it to my collection. I have butterflies on my walls."

"Don't they die on your walls like that?"

"Well, I don't take them home unless they are already dead. Butterflies need to be free to live their full life. But if I find one that has died, I try to keep it."

"You don't kill them?"

"No, honey, I don't like things to die. But sometimes it happens anyway."

"Yeah." She opened the book and found another blue butterfly. "What's that?"

"That's the Blue Morpho. It is very beautiful too."

"Do you have one?'

"No, but I've seen one. The picture isn't as pretty as it is in real life."

"Can I see your butterflies?"

"Well, I'll have to talk to Mrs. Mueller….or maybe I could just bring a frame of them and show you that way. Would that be okay?"

Sara nodded. She turned the page and was looking at a picture of a cocoon. "What's that?"

"Well, that's a cocoon. Butterflies aren't very pretty when they are first born. The look like funny worms. And all they do is eat. And when they finally get enough to eat, they wrap themselves in a cocoon and rest for awhile. When they are finished resting they come out of the cocoon and they've changed."

"Changed? They put on different clothes?"

"Kind of," Gil had never thought of it like that. "Their bodies change. They go in as a funny looking worm and they come out as a beautiful butterfly with wings. Once they spread their wings and let them dry, the butterfly flies away."

She continued looking at the pictures. She showed him a picture of a caterpillar. "That's the funny worm?"

"Yes, it's called a caterpillar."

Brown eyes met blue ones and Grissom's heart melted. "Thank you for the book," she said.

"Thank you, Sara. Most of my friends are tired of me always talking about butterflies. It's nice to have a new friend to talk with about butterflies." He thought for a minute and the asked, "Sara, would you excuse me a minute? I need to ask Mrs. Mueller a question. I'll be right back."

Stiffly he stood up and went to find the foster mother. "Mrs. Mueller, ah….would it be possible for me take Sara for a few hours on Saturday? I'd like to show her my butterfly collection. She seems interested. And then perhaps for ice cream or something."

"Sara's interested in butterflies? How do you know that?"

"Well, she colored all the pictures in the book and then I gave her a book about them and she was asking questions. She asked if she could see my collection."

"She talked to you?" Her surprise was unmistakable.

"Yes, just about butterflies. But she asked quite a few questions."

"Then I think Saturday is a wonderful idea. What time would you like her to be ready?"

"Would morning or afternoon be better?"

"How about 9:00 Saturday morning?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Mueller. I'll pick her up then."

He returned to Sara and asked her, "Sara, Mrs. Mueller said it would be okay for me to show you my butterfly collection on Saturday. Would you like me to take you to see it?"

For the first time since he'd met the child, she smiled. "Yes."

"Okay, then I will come pick you up Saturday. But I have to go now."

Sara ran to him and hugged his leg. "Thank you," she said as she squeezed him. He knelt and looked in her eyes. "I enjoyed visiting with you and I'll see you Saturday, Okay?"

Her little arms reached around his neck and she held on. Mrs. Mueller was watching from the doorway in disbelief.

Grissom stood and headed out. Sara stood quietly and watched him leave, her demeanor once again becoming sad. Mrs. Mueller followed him out to the porch. "Mr. Grissom?"

"Yes." He turned to face her.

"You know we are not her permanent placement, don't you?"

"Yes." He wasn't sure what she was getting at.

"Child Services is looking for a foster family…or even adoptive family. And seeing how she responds to you…. Well, I was wondering if you would consider….."

He cut her off. "Mrs. Mueller, I'm not married and I work nights and am on call almost all the time. I'm not really a good candidate."

"Oh, well I just thought…..well, I guess it doesn't matter though." She was clearly disappointed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

That night at work he found Catherine in the layout room. "Cath, I think maybe I've made a mistake."

Catherine turned and surveyed her friend. He looked distraught. "So what'd you do to tick off Ecklie this time?"

"It's not Ecklie. It's Sara Morris." He got quiet, pensive.

"Gil?"

"I saw her again today. And I brought her a butterfly book. She started asking questions and I told her about my collection. So Saturday I'm going to show it to her."

"Your whole collection?"

"The ones at the house. Not the ones here. I'm not going to bring her here."

"Gil, you're getting attached to her, aren't you?"

"It's hard not too. And, Cath, she hugged me. Mrs. Mueller said she hardly even looks at anybody and she hugged me."

Catherine thought for a minute. "Gil, you usually don't like hugs."

"She's hard to turn away." He was looking pretty grim.

"I thought you were going to be careful…."

"There's more….. Mrs. Mueller suggested that I be her foster parent, or even adopt her."

"Gil?" she rasped. "You're getting in way over your head here."

"That's what I was afraid you'd say. I'm okay but I'm worried that I will make things worse for her."

As she watched his misery, she was thinking. "Gil, can I meet her. Maybe we could have breakfast at your place since you're taking her there anyway?"

He wasn't sure why she wanted to meet the little girl but he didn't have a reason to say no. "Sure, Cath. I'm picking her up at 9:00."

"Okay, it's a date."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

After some discussion, it was decided that Catherine would fix breakfast at Gil's while he went to get Sara. He walked in with Sara just as Catherine was finishing the eggs.

"Sara, this is my friend Catherine Willows. I told her about you and she wanted t meet you."

Sara looked solemnly at Catherine. It was clear that she was not happy to see anyone else with Grissom.

Catherine dove in. "Hi Sara. Grissom told me all about meeting you. He is so excited to have a new friend, especially one that likes butterflies. He told me so many nice things about you that I wanted to meet you."

"Look Sara" Gil jumped in, "Catherine made breakfast for us. Why don't we eat while it is still warm?"

The three of them sat at his table, eating a very quiet meal. When they had finished, Catherine began picking up the dishes. "Show her the butterflies, Gil."

Gil and Sara walked around the room with him showing her each group. After they had examined all the butterflies, she began looking around his living room. Then she climbed on his couch and sat, watching Catherine and Gil.

"What now?" he asked his long time friend.

"Gee, I don't know, Gil. I can tell you this, she wants as little to do with me as possible."

"We could go to the bookstore. Maybe she'd like another book?"

Laughing, Catherine answered, "Only you would think that a bookstore would be fun for a 6 year old."

"So you make a suggestion…."

"Lindsey used to love to go to the fountains at the Bellagio."

Gil turned toward his tiny companion. "Hey Sara, want to go for a ride?"

She slid off the couch and walked over, standing next to him. A small smile inched across her face.

The trio headed to the Bellagio. Catherine had been right in suggesting it. Sara was fascinated by the water. After watching the fountains, they found a little café that also served ice cream. Sara had a bowl of chocolate; Catherine had a fruit smoothie, while Gil drank coffee.

Catherine had been watching the little girl, especially her reactions to Grissom. The child adored him. So, what's not to adore she thought to herself. Sara wasn't rude to Catherine but she made it clear that her only interest was Gil. Her face lit up whenever he talked to her and her eyes followed his every movement. She scowled whenever Gil talked to Catherine. He stood up to get another cup of coffee. While he was gone, Catherine decided to try talking to the child. "You really like Grissom, don't you?"

Sara looked at her, "Yes." Her face betrayed no emotion.

"I can understand why you like him. He's a very nice man. We've been friends for a very long time. I know he's happy that you are his friend now. That makes me happy, because I want him to be happy. I also know it would make him happy if you and I could be friends too." Catherine was speaking quietly, calmly.

Sara looked at her somberly, "Okay. But he's my best friend."

"Well, he's pretty good at being a best friend, so you are a very lucky girl."

When Gil returned to the table, he noticed that the tension between Sara and Catherine was better. He sensed that a truce had been declared.

They drove Sara back to the Mueller's. Gil promised he would visit again in a few days. And Sara actually smiled at Catherine as they all said their good byes.

Back at Gil's place he asked, "So what did you think of her?"

"She's very attached to you. Gil, I'm worried. She's going to be hurt again."

He looked devastated. "I know. I've made things worse for her. I don't know what to do."

"Stay away from her for a few days. Talk to her caseworker and see what she says. But Gil, you can't just disappear from her life without an explanation. She's had too many people disappearing already."

"Yeah."

She headed back to her house. When she got home, she crashed on her couch and tried to think of a solution, which is exactly what Grissom was doing on his couch.