Hey guys. Sorry about the delay. My exam results aren't too great so updates will still be slow, sorry. Anyways, remember that things in this story genuinely happen for a reason, so random bits in this chappy may actually add up to something. Drop a review and tell me where you think its going? :)
Also, the title of this chapter is slightly foreshadowy if you know the song it is, so feel free to take a guess at where that's going too!
Soz for any mistakes!
Read. Enjoy. Review.
Chapter Thirty Four # Hit The Floor #
He took the piece of paper off of the printer and held it out to her. "Are you ready?"
Morgan took a deep breath. "I have to be."
Hodges put his hands in his pockets and tried to read the expression her face. "Well?"
"I was right." She whispered. "I…I'm pregnant."
Hodges swallowed, not knowing whether to tell his friend "Congratulations" or "I'm sorry."
"There's a…baby inside me!"
"Technically it's a foetus." Hodges smiled a little, and she glared at him a little playfully. "How do you feel?"
Morgan frowned. "I'm not really sure… I mean, this is gonna change my life, Hodges!"
"Only if you want it to." Hodges insisted.
"Are you saying I should get an abortion?" Morgan raised an eyebrow with a little anger.
"No." Hodges shook his head. "What I'm saying is you should do whatever makes you comfortable."
Morgan half smiled. "Thanks."
"Does Greg know?"
"No." Morgan replied.
"There's a fifty per cent chance that it's his…"
"I know!" Morgan snapped.
"Sorry." Hodges held up his hands.
"Sorry." Moran admitted herself. She sighed, staring at the blood test. "Thanks, Hodges."
"Anytime." He nodded as she left. "Wait, Morgan!"
She turned. "Yeah?"
"You know that we're all here for you. Whatever happens." Hodges said, smiling awkwardly.
"Thanks, Hodges." Morgan smiled, turning out of his lab. She headed straight to the bathroom and washed her face.
As she closed her eyes tightly she heard someone pause as they came out of the cubicle behind her.
"Uh, Morgan?"
Morgan jumped at Greg's voice. "Oh god, am I in the…?"
"Guys bathroom? Yeah…" Greg asked, washing his hands. "Are you okay?"
"Yea…well. I don't really know. This is embarrassing." She felt her cheeks glow pink.
"Don't worry about it, Catherine walked in on Warrick in the ladies' before. What's wrong?"
Morgan let out a long breath. "It's uh…complicated."
"Y'know, shift ends in…well it ended two minutes ago. You wanna go out for coffee, talk about it?"
Morgan considered for a moment. "Okay, sure."
Ten minutes later they sat down at a table in the nearest Starbucks.
"So. What's wrong? Is it that thing with Blakelynn?"
Morgan sighed. "A little bit, I guess. She got put into a foster home today. They seem like good people, she seems like she's settling."
"That's good, right?" Greg asked.
"Yeah…" Tell him, tell him, tell him….
No, no, no!
You were starting a relationship with him before…
Yeah well it's still weird…
"Morgan?"
"Greg I have to tell you something."
"Shoot." Greg shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee.
God, he looks so oblivious. "I'm pregnant."
Greg blinked. "Are you kidding?"
"No. I got Hodges to do a blood test, I'm positive. And it's either yours, or…"
"Arch Terry's…" Greg finished for her.
"Yeah." She whispered, tears in her eyes. "Greg, I'm sorry."
"Why?" Greg frowned. "Morgan, none of this is your fault."
"I know that. It's not my fault. But what happened to me could have a massive impact on your life."
Greg took a deep breath. "Morgan, I'll look after you."
She smiled a little. "But what if it's not yours?"
"Then I'll still look after you."
Morgan's smile automatically widened. "Really?"
"Don't look so surprised. You are my friend." Greg said, blushing a little himself.
Without realising, they both flashed back to the day the Sherriff's car blew up, a few days before Kristy was abducted.
The day they kissed.
Morgan sighed softly. I wish it happened…
"Wish what had happened?" Greg asked.
"Did I say that out loud?" Morgan blinked.
Greg couldn't help but laugh a little. "You really are out of it today."
She laughed. "I guess. I was just thinking about the uh…well I guess you could say the date we had."
"And then Reuben said he wanted us to get married." Greg recalled.
"I almost forgot that." Morgan half laughed.
Greg smiled. "I'll look after you Morgan. And I'll look after your – our – baby."
"What if it's not yours?"
Greg didn't even hesitate. "Then I'll look after you and the baby."
Morgan smiled again. "Thanks, Greg. I appreciate the help."
"Do you wanna come back to mine? The twins've been asking when you're coming over."
"I was gonna go and see Blake, but okay. I haven't seen them in ages." Morgan decided, getting up.
"Great." Greg grinned.
"Hang on, I have a gift for Loeila at my place."
After stopping at Morgan's, Greg paused at the door of his apartment with a frown.
"What?" Morgan asked.
Greg's face lit up with understanding. "Cars."
"What?" Morgan repeated as Greg pushed open the door.
"I'm home!"
"Vroooooom!" Reuben roared, turning his arms around as if twisting the invisible wheel of a car as he zoomed around the corner. He froze when he saw Morgan, his 'car' melting out of his imagination.
"Morgaaaan!" He squealed, flying down the hall and launching into her arms. She staggered backwards, hugging the excitable boy back. "You back!"
"Hey, Reubs." She laughed. "It's only been four days!"
"No leave no more!" He demanded.
Loeila ran around the corner, her eyes filled with delight. "Aundie Morgan!"
Morgan hugged the tiny girl and smiled at Lindsey as she walked around the corner.
"Thanks Lindsey." Greg grinned.
"No problem. I have a date in half an hour, so I'll see you tomorrow." Lindsey returned with a smile as she shouldered her bag. "Bye!"
The others chorused back. "Bye!"
"So are you gone day here now?" Loeila asked Morgan, hanging down from her arms.
"Am I gonna stay?" she laughed. "No, Lola, I still live down the hall."
Loeila's face puckered. "Reuben?"
"Uh huh?"
"Dope!"
"Yeah!"
"Guys!" Greg protested as Reuben ran away and ran back with a skipping rope, wrapping it around Morgan's legs. "Cut it out."
Reuben looked at his father's serious expression and sighed, letting go of the rope. "Stay for bekfast?"
"I'll definitely stay for breakfast; your dad's making pancakes." Morgan grinned at Greg.
"He is?" Lola cried happily.
"He is?" Reuben repeated with just as much glee.
"He is?" Greg asked himself, confused.
"Yep." Morgan nodded, pulling something out of her back. "And we are going to play Clue Junior: The Case of the Missing Cake! This is a gift to say sorry for not getting you that onesie."
"Whad happeneded to da onesie?" Loeila frowned.
"A little girl got it, a little girl who lost her mommy." Morgan explained softly.
"Did she lie it?"
"Yeah, she did."
"Den dats otay." Loeila smiled, taking the shiny new box from Morgan. "Ooh!"
"Now, this is supposed to be for four year olds and up." Morgan explained, winking at Greg who grinned and walked into the kitchen.
"But we only free!" Reuben protested.
Morgan smiled, poking his nose playfully. "But you're smarter than most three year olds, aren't you?"
Reuben smiled, leading Morgan into the living room.
Loeila carefully opened the box, placing the board gently on the table. "I wan' be dis one!"
"Okay, you can be Ms White, Reubs, who do you wanna be?"
"Da pople one!"
"Professor Plum?"
"Yea-huh!"
When Greg walked in half an hour later with a plate of pancakes, Lola bounded up to him. "Daddy, I losed!"
"You lost? Aw, no."
"Reuben was lie a poper CSI, dust lie you an' Aundie Morgan!"
"Did he win?"
"Yeah." Loeila admitted sadly.
"Well then we'll just all have to have pancakes now then."
"Yay!" the twins and Morgan chorused.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Due to the heavy caseload, it was about a week afterwards when Morgan finally got around to calling Blakelynn's foster home to arrange a visit.
She was shocked at the foster mother that she'd visited just a week before.
"I'm sorry, Blakelynn DuBois doesn't live here anymore. She's at the Child Services Centre."
"W-what?" Morgan stammered. "Why?"
A baby cried on the end of the line. "I'm sorry. Talk to the people at Child Services."
Morgan did so, half an hour later when she walked into Child Services.
"Alexis, what's going on? Stacey Pilkings told me that Blakelynn's back here."
"She's upstairs." The social worker nodded.
"Why?" Morgan asked. "She seemed happy there."
"Have you ever heard of racing greyhounds?"
Morgan blinked, taken aback. "Yes…"
"Some people say that ex-racers don't make great pets, because they're too set in their ways of chasing and running. Now most people say that's not the case and it depends on the dog, but it can be similar with kids from the same background as Blakelynn. She was both spoilt and neglected and its had an effect because she's so young. She doesn't know how to share, how to feel beautiful without make-up. She doesn't know how to live out of the pageant system, and for some foster parents like Mrs Pilkings who house about seven kids it's too much."
Morgan opened and closed her mouth. "Can I still see her?"
"Of course." Alexis nodded. "I don't mean to pry, but why?"
Morgan shrugged with a little smile. "I just…I want to make sure that she's okay…that there's someone looking out for her until she's got someone to fight her corner."
Alexis smiled. "Alright then. She's in the fourth room on the left, the common room."
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Nick raced into the Grissom household, Kristy on his hip. "Hi Griss."
"Hi Nick. Sara said it was an all hands on deck call?"
"Yeah, I think it's another pageant director."
Grissom sighed. "Okay."
"Thanks for lookin' after Kristy." Nick grinned, half in thanks and half in amusement at the thought of his old boss acting as a stay at home dad. Nick kissed his little girl on the head. "Okay, sweetie, be good for Uncle Gil, I gotta go to work."
"I'ne always a good girl for Uncle Gil." Kristy rolled her eyes, hugging her father back quickly and scrambling down. "Love you!"
"Love you too." Nick laughed as she raced around the corner screaming "ELI!" as she went. "I'll see you later, Grissom."
His old supervisor nodded. "Later, Nicky."
Grissom peered around the door in time to see Kristy launch into the arms of her favourite cousin.
"Eli I haben't seen you in foreber!" Kristy squealed, hugging the boy tightly.
"I know!" Eli laughed, hugging her back. "Are you here all day?"
"All day long!" Kristy sang happily.
"But you still have to go to school Eli." Grissom reminded them gently.
"Aw, bud Uncle Gil!" Kristy protested.
Only half an hour afterwards Jamie and his mom knocked on the door to pick Eli up.
"Can we go to da bug room?" Kristy asked Grissom excitedly.
"Okay. But remember not to touch anything unless I tell you it's okay, alright?"
"Uh huh!" Kristy nodded, taking Grissom's hand.
Grissom led her into the basement, the room Sara called his "haven". Aquariums lined the walls filled with beetles and bugs, butterflies and caterpillars, hundreds of amazing creepy crawlies, and Eli found the creatures incredible.
That meant that Kristy thought they were incredible to.
As the toddler gazed through the glass at a large spider, Grissom smiled.
"Why'd you lie bugs so much, Uncle Gil?"
"Because they can tell you lots of things."
"Lie what?"
How to tell how long a body's been dead for... "Like where a person has been, what place something has come from... Why do you like bugs?"
"Coz Eli lies dem." Kristy replied as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "An he showded me dat dere cool! I was scarded before, bud he showed me dat deres nofin to be scarded ob."
Grissom smiled. "He did, huh?"
"Yup. Eli says dat I done hab to lie bugs dust because he does, bud I lie bugs anyways now. Daddy lies dem too."
They spent hours in the bug room, but Kristy was easily led away at the promise of picking Eli up from school.
As she held Grissom's hand in the playground, she eagerly scanned the surroundings for Eli.
"He not comin'!" She cried as tons of other kids poured out of the school.
Grissom hushed her patiently, reminding her to wait, and responded to the teacher leaning towards him. "Miss Potter?"
"Dr Grissom, I was wondering if I could speak with you in the classroom for a minute."
"Is there something wrong?" Grissom asked as he brought Kristy into the classroom with him.
"I was just wondering if everything's alright with Eli at home." Miss Potter, Eli's teacher, said in a soft voice.
"He seems to have had less confidence lately. It looks like he's improved since he was ill but I haven't had a chance to speak with you since..."
"Eli!" Kristy cried happily as he came out of the small cloak room.
He grinned when he saw her, though the boy next to him turned his nose up. "Urgh, that's a girl!"
"Hey, be nice! She's my cousin and she could easily kick your butt, Leo!" Eli smiled.
Kristy beamed and bounded up to them, slipping through the anti-girl barrier so many boys had up at that age.
"I know that Eli's confidence hasn't been that great." Grissom admitted, watching the three children pushing and shoving each other gently and playfully. "He told me when he was ill that he felt only loved as his father's replacement, not as himself."
Miss Potter looked at Kristy, doting on Eli without crowding or irritating him. "She's good for him."
"She is. His cousin."
Miss Potter smiled.
Grissom took the two children to the park on the way home from school. It was crowded but Grissom managed to keep his eyes on the two children.
"Eli?"
"Yeah?"
"I can' do the monkey bars." Kristy complained lightly as he started climbing up the ladder to the obstacle in question.
"They're not that great anyway." Eli shrugged, jumping down as two swings became free. "Bet I can swing higher than you."
"Bet you can't!" Kristy laughed.
They hopped onto the swings, both children kicking their legs as hard as they could. While Eli began to swing higher into the air, Kristy didn't move.
"I win!" Eli cried.
"I can' do anyfing." Kristy sighed. "Not til I bigger."
Eli smiled at her. "It gets easier."
Grissom blinked, recognising vaguely a man walking towards Eli and Kristy. Where had he seen him before…
I am getting old. He thought to himself.
The man grabbed Kristy's hand and Grissom stood up.
It was James O'Shea.
The guy who told Nick that Kristy would be good in a pageant.
"Oh god," Grissom said aloud, jogging towards the two children.
Kristy screamed loudly as the man started to pull her out of the park, shouting "It's okay, I'm her dad. She's just bipolar, sorry people."
"Led me go!" Kristy screamed. "Eli, Unc Grissom help me!"
Eli leapt from the swing mid swing, racing behind the man and grabbing his legs, slowing him down and allowing Grissom to tear Kristy from the man's grip.
"Someone call the police!" Grissom roared, pushing the man to the floor.
Kristy started sobbing hysterically, and Eli hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Kristy, I got you, it's okay…"
CSIVCSIVCSIV
"…she's okay?" Nick rushed as he raced down the corridor at Grissom's house, closely followed by Sara.
"She's fine. Nick, I'm sorry it took me-"
"I don't blame you Grissom, this guys a pyscho." Nick said earnestly, turning into the living room.
"Daddy!" Kristy cried, leaping into his arms. "Daddy Eli an' Unc Gil saved me!"
"I know, sweetie, I know." Nick murmured, holding his daughter tight.
Sara's phone beeped and she checked it, blinking.
"Well…They've figured it all out."
Thanks for reading. This may seem random, but I hope its okay :S
Review please!
AN - I tried to make the characters as in character as possible, let me know how that went :)