A/N: First, a very happy Mother's Day to all mothers! Enjoy!

A HUGE apology for the delay in updating! One of us has been swamped at work. In the words of my brother "I liked it better when no one knew who I was." Thanks for hanging in through all the delays! I hope this chapter is worth the wait.

I don't own CSI. Some inspiration and dialogue are borrowed from episodes 408, "After the Show" and 722, "Living Doll."

November 2015

Grissom avoids Sara for most of the day. He knows that there are several reasons for this avoidance. First, he knows Sara, and knows that she's angry enough with him that all conversation is pointless. Second, he knows that he's stunned enough by her suggestion that all conversation is pointless. And, finally, he has no idea what to say to her to begin a conversation.

The very idea of taking in a foster child is difficult to wrap his mind around. He and Sara have Anna – a perfect family, in his mind. He doesn't see the need to add a teenager to the mix. And, when he considers how damaged this child is …

After a few dozen kids, you get real good at knowing the difference between damaged and broken.

Grissom shudders as Donna Wetzel's words come back to him. So long ago …

Natalie Davis' first foster mother had known that she was damaged within a week of meeting her. Grissom and Sara have not had the same experience with foster children. And, although Sara feels a connection to this boy, who is to say that he is truly damaged, rather than broken? What if Grissom agrees to take him in, only to have him harm Anna the way Natalie hurt her foster sister? The way she hurt her natural sister? The way she hurt Sara?

Grissom closes his eyes and shakes his head. He can't let it happen. He just can't.

November 2003

"Hey," Sara said cheerfully as Grissom walked into the break room.

"Hey," he echoed, smiling at her. "You busy?"

She shrugged and closed the case file she had been studying. "Not too busy for you. What's up?"

Grissom smiled, both at her answer and the fact that she was being so normal with him. It was as though the tension that had permeated their relationship during Warrick's rush investigation had lifted, leaving only the happiness that he had learned to associate with her. He felt lighter in her presence again, just as he had before Warrick's evidence had been thrown out of court.

"Griss?" Sara asked, pulling him back from his thoughts. "Did you want something?"

He cleared his throat. "I've got a missing person. I thought you and Nick could take the case."

"Oh," she said, disappointment briefly flicking in her eyes. "Sure."

Grissom frowned, noting the change in her tone. "Would you rather not? I'm sure Nick can handle it on his own. Or, he could take Greg … he's been bothering me for more time in the field."

"No," Sara said quickly, standing up and taking the assignment slip from him. "It's not that."

"Is … something bothering you?"

She smiled a bit sadly. "I just thought that you and I … You know, never mind. I'm sure … later …"

Realizing what she was fumbling to say, Grissom grinned. "Sara." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Let's have breakfast after shift."

Sara cheeks glowed pink while a beaming smile crossed her face. "Okay."

Grissom smiled. "Now, go find a missing person."

"Yes, sir."

As she went in search of Nick, Sara could not have felt happier.

November 2015

"You don't look very happy."

Sara is about to deny Nick's words when she realizes that he may be the one person capable of helping her.

"Sar?"

"I'm … not happy with Grissom right now."

"I don't want to know," Nick says immediately, holding his hands up to stop the flow of Sara's words. "You know the rules."

Sara smiles in spite of herself. When she rejoined CSI full time, the team gave her a condition for her employment: She could not discuss her marital problems with them. She and Grissom are both family, they argued, and they could not choose sides.

"I'm not asking you to … okay, I am going to ask you to take my side," Sara admits. "But, Nicky, I think you can help me."

"Okay," Nick reluctantly agrees. "But, if you tell anyone on this team that I'm letting this happen, I will deny it until the cows come home."

Sara smiles. "Fair enough."

"What's your issue?"

"Catherine and I worked a case a couple days ago," Sara said. "Murder-suicide."

"Yeah, she said something about it. Wasn't it a couple with a teenage son?"

"Exactly," Sara agrees, pleased he already has the background information. "From what I've learned, the son – Jake – saw what happened. He's in a group home right now."

Nick makes a face. "No foster families available?"

"I guess not. That's … um … I want Grissom and me to take him."

"As a foster?"

Sara nods. "I know he needs a lot of kindness and understanding right now, and I'm sure we can give it to him."

"But, Grissom doesn't like the idea."

"No. He went on this tirade about how I was bringing my work home with me, and Anna doesn't need that sort of environment and … I don't even remember all of what he said."

"So, you're trying to convince him to change his mind."

"That's tough, considering he won't talk about it at all."

"I'm sorry to hear about that, Sar, but I don't see how I can help."

"You've done a ton of work with kids like Jake. You've mentored them before. Can't you just … talk to Grissom? Try to help him see that this won't destroy Anna's life?"

"I don't know, Sara. He's pretty protective of that little girl."

Sara's eyes narrow. "Do you think I would do something that could put her in jeopardy? If I thought taking in this child would hurt her, I would never have suggested it."

"I know that," Nick says quickly. "I just … I know how hard it can be to change Grissom's mind."

Sara smiles, thinking of how long it was before Grissom managed to change his mind about her. "Preaching to the choir there, Nick."

Nick chuckles. "Look, I'm not making any promises. But, if the opportunity should present itself, I'll do my best to put in a good word for you and Jake."

Sara smiles again. "Thanks, Nicky. That's all I'm asking."

November 2003

"Sara, Nick, I've got news."

Sara and Nick glanced at each other, then up at Grissom, who came into the break room with a flinty look in his eye that suggested they were in for a very long shift.

"What's up, Griss?" Nick asked.

"Brass thinks he has your kidnapper."

"What?" Sara exclaimed. "Did they find Julie Waters?"

"No," Grissom said. "But, a man called 911 saying he never meant to hurt her."

"Her," Nick repeated. "Did he use a name?"

"No," Grissom replied. "But, Brass has him under arrest for brandishing a firearm. They're still at his house, which Brass describes as 'creepy.' He wants you there to process."

"Well," Sara said, shoving their photos from Julie Waters' house back into their folder, "we may make some progress on this case yet."

"Yeah," Nick agreed. "I'm just not sure it's the kind we want to make."

Sara sighed. "I know. It's been a long time since she was reported missing."

"Six days," Nick said. He shook his head. "We could still find her, but …"

"It's unlikely."

"Listen," Grissom said slowly, "in the past six days, this has turned into a media frenzy. This girl has become the city's sweetheart like no other missing person has – at least none that was as unknown as she was before the kidnapping."

"We know," Sara said. She and Nick had spent quite a bit of time following the news coverage of their case, almost hoping the media would manage to uncover something useful.

Grissom paused, licking his lips as he chose his words. "I want you to take Catherine to the scene with you."

Sara and Nick exchanged a glance.

"Why?" Nick asked.

"She's had more experience with high-profile cases, and with dealing with the media. It's not that I don't have faith in the two of you, it's just …"

"You don't trust us to handle ourselves on camera?" Sara nearly whispered.

"No," Grissom said. "I just think the more help you have, the easier this will go."

"Fine," Sara said, her irritation evident.

"I'll go tell Catherine," Grissom replied.

He left the room, and Nick looked at Sara.

"You don't sound like it's fine."

"Is it fine with you?" she asked.

Nick shook his head. "When is he going to let us grow up?"

Sara shook her head wordlessly. Nick was right. Grissom still saw them as the junior CSIs who needed his help and protection.

"Come on," Nick said, standing up. "Let's go. I'm sure Mom will be waiting by the car."

Sara reluctantly followed him out of the lab. Somehow, the news that Brass had a suspect in custody had lost its luster.

Grissom didn't like it. He could see the way the suspect, Howard DelHomme, was looking at Catherine. He could see the look in his eyes. He could see what he wanted. And, even more disturbing, he could see the way Catherine was looking back at him.

"You want to take him into the next room, please?" Grissom asked the officer who had control of Mr. DelHomme's movements.

"Sure," he replied, steering the suspect away from the two CSIs.

Catherine held his eyes as he was marched away.

"What are you doing?" Grissom asked.

Catherine's eyes snapped back to his face. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"I want to interrogate him."

"Absolutely not."

"Gil!"

"Catherine, I don't like the way he looked at you."

She shrugged. "The way he looked at me is exactly why I want to interrogate him. I think I can get him to talk."

Grissom shook his head. "Sara or Nick can interrogate him. It was their case first."

"Gil, come on! I've got an in with this guy!"

"No, Catherine, you've got a man leering at you, which is not something I'm comfortable with when it comes to my friends – or my team. Just let Nick and Sara handle this for now, okay?"

She sighed, realizing she had lost the battle. "Fine."

"You're an asset to this case," Grissom said, realizing the situation needed to be smoothed over. "I just don't like the idea of you letting a man look at you like that."

"A lot of men used to pay a lot of money to look at me like that," Catherine replied.

"Not anymore," Grissom said with a finality that said that the subject was closed.

November 2015

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit!"

Sara storms into the house, where Grissom is reading his students' latest essays. He looks up as she bursts into his study.

"Shit!"

"What's wrong?"

"My car won't start!"

"What's wrong with it?"

"I think it's probably the alternator. I can't do anything about it right now; I've got to get to work."

"Take my car."

"If I do that, how will you get Anna to school in the morning?"

Grissom nods slowly, knowing as well as Sara does that there is every chance in the world she'll have to work beyond Anna's school's first bell.

"Okay," he says at last. "I'll drive you to work, then I'll pick you up in the morning."

"What about Anna?"

Grissom shrugs. "I'll take her out of bed right now. She'll be asleep in the car before we even pull out of the driveway."

"You're sure?"

"Do you have a good alternate plan?"

Sara bites her lip. "No."

"Okay, then. Let's go."

The next morning, Sara calls Grissom to let him know she's running late, and not to pick her up until nine at the earliest. Grissom takes Anna to school, then goes straight to the lab. Nick, who is picking up a package at the front desk, meets him in the lobby.

"Hey, Griss," he says cheerfully. "Are you here to rescue Sara?"

"Did she tell you about her car?" Grissom asks with a smile.

"Yeah. She also said she plans to kick its ass today, so don't expect her to let you call a mechanic."

"I had a feeling," Grissom replies with a smile. "How's everything going for you?"

"Good, good," Nick says. He pauses. "Hey, Grissom, I talked to Sara the other day."

Grissom frowns. "About what?"

"About … Jake."

"Oh," Grissom says with dawning understanding. He sighs. "We haven't talked about it since that first day she mentioned it."

"Yeah, I figured as much."

"What do you think?" Grissom asks, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well," Nick says, shifting his package from one arm to the other, "I don't think it's a terrible idea."

Grissom's eyebrows slide up, but he does not interrupt.

"I've worked with a lot of trouble kids in the past few years," Nick continues. "You know that."

Grissom nods.

"Most of them, at their core, are good kids who have been handed a raw deal. From what Sara said, and from what CYS said, that sounds like what happened with Jake."

"You talked to CYS?" Grissom is surprised.

"Yeah, I did a little checking after I talked to Sara," Nick says. "I figured that if I looked into it and saw a bad situation, I'd try to talk her out of it. But, really, I don't think that's the case here. This kid doesn't have a criminal record. His discipline problems at school are few and far between – and very minor things, like class disruptions. I just … I don't think taking him would put you or your family in any sort of danger."

"That is something I had considered," Grissom admits.

"However," Nick continues, "this is something to think about very seriously. We all know that Sara's driven by her big heart. The reality is going to be a lot tougher than she realizes."

"Yeah," Grissom agrees. "That's the other part that worries me."

Nick nods. "I'm not saying you should do it … but, I'm not saying not to do it."

"In my position, Nick, what would you do?"

Nick considers him for a moment. "I'd take him."

Grissom looks at him wordlessly.

Knowing that he needs time to process everything, Nick nods. "I'll go find Sara and tell her you're here."

November 2003

"Hi," Sara said to Grissom, who was waiting in the lobby of PD to greet her. "Brass has him in interrogation?"

"Yeah," Grissom replied, reaching out to grab her arm before she could walk out of the lobby. "Sara, wait."

"What's wrong?"

"This guy … be careful with him."

Sara looked at Grissom as though he had lost it. "I've done an interrogation or two before, Griss. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know," he said. "It's just …"

Sara felt a shot of annoyance jolt through her. "Look, Griss, if you want Catherine to do this, I'll step down."

"No!" he said quickly. "I want you to do it. You'll just be careful, won't you?"

Sara smiled tolerantly. "Yes, Grissom, I'll be careful."

"Good. Come on. Brass is waiting."

Grissom led her down the hall, to where Brass stood in front of the interrogation room door.

"Hi, Sara. You're interrogating with me?" he greeted her.

Sara nodded. "What should I know?"

"That if you can get this guy to talk, I'll buy you dinner for a month," Brass replied. "I've been trying to intimidate him for almost ten hours, and I've got nothing."

"Well," Sara said with a smile, "with an offer like that on the line, I'll do my very best."

Brass turned from her to Grissom. "Are you coming along?"

"No, thanks," Grissom replied. "I'll just watch."

Brass smiled. "After you," he said, holding the door to the interrogation room open.

They sat down across the table from the handcuffed Howard DelHomme, who was playing with the bandages on his injured hand.

"Remember me?" Brass said. "I told you I wasn't going to leave you alone."

DelHomme's eyes flicked up briefly, then shot to Sara.

"This is CSI Sidle," Brass said. "She's very interested in what you have to tell us about Julie. Tell us what you did to her, Howard."

DelHomme remained silent, looking down at his hands again.

"I don't even need that much, really," Sara said. "My colleagues and I can figure that out on our own, if you can just tell us where she is. We need to find her."

Howard ignored her.

"Look, I know you want to make this right," Sara said. "You called 911."

"What, do you think you're going to walk out of here?" Brass asked. "You're in for the long haul."

"If you help me, I can help you," Sara said. "We already know who you're talking about. All we need to know is where to find her."

Howard raised his eyebrows slightly, but did not look up.

"Are we boring you?" Brass asked.

Howard did look up then, staring at each of them in turn.

"'Cause what you're not getting is, I've got all night," Brass said. "One of us is getting overtime to be here, and it isn't you. So, talk to me."

"I'll talk," DelHomme said, breaking his silence, "only for the one in the next room." He looked at Sara. "The pretty one."

"Well, now, that hurts my feelings," Brass said. "I've always thought of myself as quite the looker."

Sara shook her head. "Don't even try, Brass. I'll go find him someone prettier."

She stalked out of the room. Grissom met her in the hallway.

"He wants Catherine," he said.

"Thanks, Griss," Sara said dryly.

Grissom blushed. "That's not what I meant, Sara. I saw him looking at her before. That's part of the reason I wanted you in the interrogation. I don't like the way he was looking at her."

"Well, apparently, letting him leer at her in the only way to get him to talk."

Grissom sighed. "I'm not okay with that."

"I'm not okay with not finding Julie Waters," Sara said.

They held each other's eyes for a moment. Grissom finally blinked and sighed.

"Okay," he said. "I'll call Catherine."