Title: Halfhearted

Pairing: Sara/Nick, Amelia/Speed, Amelia/Grissom

Spoiler: Lost Son, Viva Las Vegas, Pilot, basically all CSI episodes up to season 4/5ish.

Summary: Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when a hug between Amelia and Grissom incites riot? A case involving the murder of a Politician's wife, another involving a dead husband and a Casino theft wears down the CSIs as unexpected news jumps in their faces.

Disclaimer: I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.

My Note: This is the last chapter of Halfhearted  Fear not, loyal readers. Soon, part 3, titled Lips of Pink, will be hitting . And, being the wonderful person I am, here is the synopsis for Lips of Pink: Amelia gives birth to Speed's child and is soon back at work. As she, Catherine, and Nick work the case of a dead stripper, Amelia begins to wonder about her and Grissom's relationship. Nick tries to figure out if Sara wants him or Grissom as Sara, Grissom and Warrick work a case of a sociologist who ends up dead.

Chapter 7: Hello To The Future

"So breathe in so deep
Breathe me in
I'm yours to keep
And hold onto your words
Cause talk is cheap
And remember me tonight
When your asleep

Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you
Over again
Don't make me change my mind
Or I wont live to see another day
I swear it's true
Because a girl like you is impossible to find" –Secondhand Serenade "Fall For You"

"Sara? Look, I need your help." Amelia's call to Sara had taken place over an hour ago, some thirty or forty minutes after Amelia and Cathy had arrived at Amelia's apartment. Sara had agreed to help solve the case to find the people who were after Cathy. Amelia had also called Catherine to tell her she needed to stay with her sister and couldn't come back in. Catherine was pissed, but understood.

Besides, Amelia had to make a decision. Now that Ecklie knew she and Grissom were dating, one of them would have to switch teams. There was no way that Amelia would let Grissom leave grave. Grave could live without her, but she feared they would forever blame her if Grissom left grave.

But Amelia currently needed to save her sister from both the FBI and whoever was sent to kill her. Amelia wouldn't lose her again. Amelia picked up the phone for the third time, she took a deep breath. Her next call would be to Nick. She had no idea what to expect from his reaction, but Amelia knew he would be so happy to hear that his older sister wasn't actually dead.

The whole trial was a blur for Amelia. She could vaguely remember Sara and Grissom testifying and then her own testimony. Amelia never took her eyes off of Cathy. Cathy's husband Craig came to Las Vegas a couple weeks before the trial. Out of the seven Stokes kids, Cathy, Amelia and Nick were the only ones without kids (although that would be changing for Amelia in just a few months).

Cathy had gone back to Texas with Craig just a few days ago. The long months of finding the killers and who was behind it and then the trial was taxing not just for the Stokes family, but for the Las Vegas crime lab as well.

Nick was shocked off his feet when he found out Cathy was alive and in Las Vegas. He had just cleared Warrick of guilt in the casino theft when Amelia called to tell him what was going on. He could hardly believe it until he saw Cathy with his own eyes. She looked different, but her eyes were still Cathy.

There was eleven years between Nick, the youngest of seven, and the twins Cherie and Danielle, the oldest of the seven. Tabatha was two years younger than the twins and Jeff, the only other boy besides Nick, was two years younger than Tabatha. Cathy followed Jeff a year later and then five years later, Amelia was born. A year and a handful of months after Amelia was born, Nick was the final child.

Growing up with six older siblings was no easy task for Nick. But Cathy and Amelia were Nick's rock. The three of them spent much of their childhood together, particularly playing crime scene games. While Cherie and Tabatha became lawyers, Danielle and Jeff became cops, Cathy, Amelia and Nick did the CSI route. The whole family was law enforcement, or something similar. They learned it from their parents. While most families have that one kid who rebels, none of the Stokes did.

The family was still very close, despite each child eventually striking out on their own. Cathy's supposed death hit them all hard, but finding out she was actually alive? It hit harder than her death had. Bill and Jillian, the parents, were knocked off their feet when they were told. Everyone was beyond shocked. But all were so thankful to have Cathy back; the family was closer than ever. Amelia couldn't remember a time when she had had this much contact with her older siblings. But she was glad to have it, especially as she neared her June due date.

The whole issue with the FBI had put both Amelia and Grissom in foul moods. It took them both a few days to calm down before they could approach each other again. Once they started talking, the couple was able to work out their problems. Grissom was just glad to have Amelia. After seeing Amelia in the hospital, so close to death, he was happy to have her by his side. He was happy to have someone to go home to at night. And to know that she would be giving birth to a son soon; Grissom was over the moon. Yes, the baby wasn't his, but with no other father figure around, Grissom was more than happy to be the father the baby would need. And Amelia was happy to know that Grissom would be there for her and the baby.

It wouldn't be easy, but with Grissom by her side, Amelia knew she'd make it.

---

Sara stared at Nick as he slowly fell asleep. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't believe that he could sleep. Cathy was safe, yes, but he had just found out a couple months ago that his once thought dead sister was still alive. From what Sara had learned, despite the five year difference between Cathy and Amelia (and six years for Cathy and Nick), the three youngest siblings were the closest.

Sara was an only child, so she didn't know what it was like. But seeing Amelia, Cathy and Nick together during the trial, Sara was jealous of their relationship. And then to have Bill and Jillian and all seven of their children together in one spot, the family love was overwhelming for Sara. But to those nine people, it was the greatest thing in the world. Sara didn't completely understand it, but she could see that those nine people and their husbands, wives and children, valued the family dynamic more than anything. As Nick would say, they were a good ol' Texan family who stuck together no matter what.

Sara stroked Nick's hair as he lay sleeping. She may not understand it, but she wanted to experience it. Maybe things would work out for Nick and Sara and she could finally have a functional family of her own.

---

As Amelia lay in Grissom's arms, she couldn't help but think about Tim. Tim's death and Cathy's fake death were so similar, Amelia was constantly wondering if it was possible that Time was alive. Is that why Amelia felt as if she was cheating on Tim? Because he was still alive and she knew, in her heart of hearts, that he wasn't really dead?

Or maybe she was just fooling herself.

Amelia listened to Grissom's breathing. He was fast asleep. The mental facepalm that Amelia gave herself in that moment seemed to wake up her sense. What was she thinking? Tim was dead. He died in her arms. It was him. He wasn't coming back like Cathy.

Here she was, lying in the arms of a man she'd been in love with for years, and she was trying to convince herself that her dead boyfriend was still alive. She was thinking about the wrong person. Grissom was here. Grissom was alive. He was here, holding her. She needed to stop hoping Tim would come walking through the door.

Amelia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew she would dream of Tim, but this time, she was going to say goodbye.

Tim would never know his child and his child would never know him, but Grissom was here, ready to be a father to a child not of his blood. Amelia was lucky to have him.

It's time to say goodbye, Amelia thought as she drifted off to sleep. And time to say hello to my future with Grissom.