Author's Notes: Well, I'm in L.A. and back online! A new chapter of "All I Have to Do" is in progress, for those of you interested, and I hope to get back into the swing of things ASAP! Take care, and thanks for reading! Oh, and I'm sorry about the page breaks. I keep getting an error message, so I made my own.
csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi
Moments
by Kristen Elizabeth
csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi
She thought about it for days. She figured out the precise moment that would be best to approach her mother, and even went so far as to hold practice conversations with herself in the bathroom mirror, coming up with counter-arguments to any point that her mother might raise.
Her brother had caught her the day before, as she explained the situation to her reflection in her best imitation adult voice.
"She's gonna say no," Samuel had said. He wasn't taunting her, as other younger siblings might. He was simply stating a fact that, deep down, they both believed to be true.
Still, she'd felt obliged to push him out of the bathroom and lock the door. He was eight. What did he know? She was going to win this fight with practicality and reason. She just had to show her mother enough evidence that supported her point, and she wouldn't be able to say no. Daddy always said stuff about evidence being everything.
At exactly six p.m., two minutes after being picked up outside of Miss Betty's School of Dance after her Wednesday ballet class, Rosalind turned to her mother and made the announcement.
"Mom, I want to get my ears pierced."
Sara drove on, calm and steady. "All right."
In her mind, all Rosalind heard was what she'd been anticipating all week, her mother's firm and resolved "no." Indignation welled up within her. "I'm almost twelve! Every other girl in my class has pierced ears. Why do I have to be the only…" She stopped as her mother's actual answer finally sank in. "Really?"
"You're old enough, and if you're willing to spend your allowance to make it happen, I don't see why not." Sara turned a corner. "You realize it hurts, right?"
Rosalind had an answered prepared for that. "Beauty is pain." It was something Ariel's mother said all the time.
She thought she saw her mom bite back a smile. "And you will have to take care of your ears afterwards, to keep them from getting infected."
"I know," she rolled her eyes. "I will."
"And your father will have to agree, of course."
Rosalind's momentary surge of elation rapidly withered away. "Daddy won't even let me wear lip gloss on school days! Why do we have to ask him? Isn't this, like, a mom decision?"
"All decisions of this magnitude go through the two-parent check and balance system," Sara informed her daughter. "Run it by him at dinner, and we'll see."
csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi
"Daddy, I want to get my ears pierced. Mom said I could."
Grissom glanced at his daughter, then at his wife, then back at his daughter. "Um…okay?"
Rosalind squealed with delight. "Thank you, Daddy!"
At the other end of the table, Sara's eyes widened, then immediately narrowed. "Gil, can I see you in the kitchen?"
The kids were familiar with that tone. Daddy was in trouble.
In the kitchen, Sara turned on her husband. "Okay? Are you serious!"
He held up his hands innocently. "What did I do? You said she could, didn't you?"
"Of course I did. Because I thought you wouldn't!" She pointed a finger at him. "But you sold me out, Gilbert."
"Wait. You told her yes on the condition that I agreed, as well, thinking that I'd be the one to shoot down the idea?" Grissom folded his arms. "Basically…you wanted me to be the bad guy in this situation."
Sara lifted her chin. "I thought it would be a nice change."
"Now what does that mean?"
"It means…" She stopped, shaking her head. "No. I don't want to fight."
"Sara, don't do that."
"What? Avoid a fight?"
"Avoid a discussion that obviously you feel is important."
Samuel entered the kitchen just then with his half-full plate. Grateful for the interruption, Sara turned her attention to the boy. "You couldn't do more justice to your green beans?"
"I don't like green beans, Mommy." He looked back and forth between his parents. "Are you fighting?"
"No," Grissom replied. "We're not even discussing."
Samuel slid his plate onto the counter; Sara moved it further back to keep it from falling off the edge. "It's just stupid earrings. She only wants 'em so she can look grown-up at Mr. Nick's wedding." His nose scrunched up. "She's in love with Uncle Greg. It's the grossest thing ever." He wandered out of the kitchen without waiting for an answer.
Sara and Grissom stared at each other for a long moment.
"So," Grissom finally said. "It starts."
She moved forward and lowered her forehead to his shoulder. "Couldn't it have started somewhere else?"
csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi
Nick's second wedding had his first wedding beat, hands down. Not only was it held in a church, but there were flowers and music and even programs. Maybe this one would make it a year. The whole lab had their fingers crossed. And their bets placed.
A few pews back on the groom's side, Grissom was busy adjusting his son's small necktie, and doing his best to ignore the choking noises Samuel was making in protest.
On his other side, Rosalind sat primly, her ankles crossed, her hands folded in her lap, her new summer dress neat and un-mussed. She'd had Sara pull her hair back from her face to better display the new twin gold studs in her ears.
She'd been sitting like that ever since Greg, in his duties as one of Nick's groomsmen, had led the family to their seats.
"The Family Grissom," he'd said, with a big grin. "Saved the best pew for you guys."
Sara had watched as Rosalind's face lit up. "Guess what?" she'd asked Greg hurriedly. "I got my ears pierced."
"And don't you look even prettier now," he'd replied, unaware of the power of his innocent words on a pre-teen heart. Greg had offered Rosalind his elbow, the sweetest and worst thing he could have done.
Ever since then, Rosalind had been in a state of girlish euphoria. Sara looked back at the church entrance, where Greg stood with the other groomsmen. Excusing herself on the pretense of having to find the bathroom, she left her family and sought out the object of her daughter's affections.
csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi
Greg, to say the least, was stunned. "Are you kidding?"
"Would I joke about this? We're talking about my daughter's very tender heart, here."
"Sara, seriously, I had no idea." A memory came back to him just then. "Do you think this is all because I gave her that extra icing at my birthday party when she was, like, three? 'Cause, remember, you told me to do that."
"There is no logic in a first crush, Greg." Sara smiled wistfully, looking back at the place where her family sat. "But they're not to be taken lightly, either."
"Oh, I know," he assured her. "But god…I held her when she was a few days old. I watched her take her first steps. She's called me 'uncle' since she learned to talk. I should be old and decrepit to her. So, why me? And what am I supposed to do about it?"
"I don't know. I just wanted you to know, because I think it's important that she not be led on. Crushes pass with time and age and experience." She gave him a look. "Of course, it wouldn't hurt if you hurried up and got married before her hormones really kick in."
Greg looked down at his rented tuxedo shoes. "Well…now that you mention it…"
"Greg?"
"Maid of honor, Amy's cousin from Georgia," he said, referring to the soon-to-be-Mrs. Stokes. "It's true what they say about weddings and…"
Sara threw up her hand. "I get it."
"But it could be more than a post-rehearsal dinner fling," he insisted. "She's thinking about moving out here. And I think…I might be ready to settle down." He shrugged. "As much props as I give Grissom for doing it, I don't want to be taking care of a newborn when I'm fifty."
"Just promise me you'll find out more about your Georgia belle before you pop any questions."
"You got it, Mammy."
The look she threw him was mollified by her smile. "I trust you not to break my little girl's heart, Greg. You're a good, good guy."
Greg kissed her cheek. "I'm crazy about that kid of yours, Sar. I hope to have one just like her." He paused. "Minus the crush on me, of course."
Sara rolled her eyes. "Way to ruin another potentially sweet moment."
csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi
The first song at the reception was Peter Cetera's "Glory of Love." And it only went downhill from there. Nick lived up to the Texas country music stereotype with pride, after all.
So at the fourth twangy ballad, without a Frank Sinatra number in sight, Grissom looked out at the dance floor. There were only a few couples dancing. Nick's parents, Catherine and Warrick…Greg and the maid of honor.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one to notice them. Rosalind was staring at the couple, as well. And when Greg gave the woman a soft kiss, her chin began wobbling.
Sara nudged him with her elbow, and he knew what to do. Standing up, Grissom buttoned his suit jacket and walked around the table to where his daughter sat.
"Princess, will you do your old dad the honor of a dance?"
She rubbed her hand across her eyes. "I don't know how."
"Don't worry. I'm not very good, either. Just ask your mom."
It was a stretch for her to put her hand on his shoulder, but she managed. Grissom looked down at his dance partner. "Now we just move. And try to look like we know what we're doing."
Rosalind smiled faintly. "You're silly, Daddy."
"And you're a pretty good dancer. Wonder where that comes from." He lowered his voice. "Not your mother. But don't tell her I said that."
She giggled, and it was like music. As they danced, Grissom met Greg's eyes. He nodded at the younger man, and got a knowing smile in return.
Rosalind sighed all of a sudden, drawing his attention back to her. "Have I told you that those earrings make you look very grown up?" Preening a little at this, she shook her head. "Well, they do. Just…promise me you won't grow up too fast."
"Daddy," she rolled her eyes. "I'm almost…"
"I know." Grissom dropped a kiss onto his daughter's forehead. "Almost. But not quite."
csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi
To Be Continued