A/N: Back :) Finally. Let's see how Grissom and Sara are finding parenthood shall we? Let's hope Evil hat can stay away. Hehehehe.

As always, thank you to calim for the beta and to all you readers for your thoughts. Please keep them coming. We are almost at that final stretch of the story. *sniff*

Chapter 172

Sara giggled as her son lay upon the towel, his tiny legs trying to kick out as she held his feet up and nodded to her husband holding a wet cloth. As he screwed up his nose, she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Gil," she whined. "You've cleaned up the vilest horse muck. This doesn't even compare to that."

His eyes flicked to hers, brows rising and nostrils twitching. "This is a little different. It wasn't still coming out of the horse."

Laughing, she reached for his hand and guided him to wipe. "That's it," she encouraged as he swiped the cloth over Thomas's bottom. "Just like that. Nice and gentle."

"Messy," he mumbled.

"Well," she said, checking that her son was clean and grabbing a fresh diaper, "get used to it. There will be plenty more where that came from. Now pay attention as to how we put this on," she finished, waving the cloth through the air.

He watched as she slipped the diaper under their son before wrapping it around him and pinning it at the side.

"Hmmm," Sara cooed, admiring her handiwork. "Not bad for a first attempt." Picking Thomas up, she tapped him on the nose before cradling him in her arms.

"I'll say," Grissom agreed. "How did you know how to do that?"

"Marcia taught me," Sara replied as she walked back towards the bed, sitting on the edge. "I asked her to because I don't want to be one of those mothers who has everything done for her. As much as I can, I want to look after my own son." He grinned at her and she frowned. "What?" she questioned suspiciously.

He shrugged. "Nothing."

Now her eyes narrowed. "That's not a nothing smirk, Gil. Tell me what you're thinking."

"You just…amaze me."

Her eyebrows lifted. "Um…why?"

Thomas sneezed and she looked down at him, giving her son a smile as his tiny lips parted and he yawned. "Pass me that blanket will you?" she asked, pointing over to the chair.

Moving across the room, Grissom grabbed the blanket and passed it to his wife who promptly wrapped it around their son.

"You still haven't answered my question," she said, holding Thomas out.

Taking him, Grissom gave his son a funny face before smiling brightly as Thomas's legs kicked out. "Because," he began, "you have all the help in the world here and probably more than that. You certainly don't have to do it all yourself and most women in your position wouldn't."

Her nose twitched. "Well, I won't be doing it all myself. That's not exactly what I meant. I have you, Mother and Father. I just meant I won't be passing him off every second to a servant like some people do."

A knock broke up their conversation and Gregory poked his head in. "Hey, cousin," he called. "May we enter?"

Grissom and Sara exchanged a look and she laughed. "Of course," she answered. "It's not like you haven't seen me in my nightgown before."

Pushing open the door, Gregory entered, Nicolas right behind him.

"We just wanted to say hello to our new little cousin if that's all right," Gregory continued, smiling brightly when they reached Grissom.

"Does Mother know you're here?" Sara asked.

The two boys looked at each other.

"Um…" Nicolas mumbled.

"Ah, she'll be fine with it," Gregory said, leaning in closer and sticking his tongue out at Thomas. Grissom's right eyebrow soared and Sara laughed again.

"He's so amazing," Nicolas said, raising a hand to touch the baby's forehead. "May I?" he asked, glancing up to Grissom.

Grissom nodded. "Sure," he said, taking a step back and holding out his son.

"Be careful," Sara warned, getting to her feet.

Hearing her groan, Grissom rushed toward her and put an arm around her waist. "You're overdoing it," he admonished.

She gave an unconvincing smile. "I'll be fine," she answered, moving closer to her cousins. "Support his head," she instructed quickly, noticing Nicolas wasn't holding Thomas as well as he should be. "Like this." She took his hand, slipping it under Thomas's head before shuffling him a little in her cousin's arms. "That's it," she said once satisfied.

Nicolas smiled brightly as he gently rocked his cousin. "You did good, Sara," he said proudly, glancing to her just as she took Grissom's arm and dropped her head to his shoulder.

She snorted. "Thanks."

"I want to hold him," Gregory eagerly said as he held out his arms.

But before Nicolas could hand him off, another knock came to the door and in stepped Laura pausing at the doorway the second she saw the two young men.

"She doesn't look happy," Grissom whispered to Sara.

"And what are you two doing in here?" she growled, hurrying into the room with Marcia behind her.

Gregory dropped his arms, exchanging an anxious look with his brother. "Just saying hello to Thomas," he replied nervously.

"Did you both bathe before you came in?" she probed. "Have you been playing with the cat?"

"Mother, it's fine," Sara said but silenced when Laura held up a sharp hand.

"You, my girl, should be in bed. And it's not fine. Thomas is very susceptible in the first few days of birth to viruses. He shouldn't be around too many people."

"Sorry," Nicolas apologized sadly, holding Thomas out to Grissom who quickly took him back. "We just wanted to say hello."

Laura sighed. "I know but you need to be careful, boys. Both Sara and Thomas need as sterile an environment as possible right now. At least for a short while."

Sara frowned glancing at Grissom who stealthily rolled his eyes, both suspecting Laura may be over doing the protectiveness a little but, she did know more about motherhood than they did.

"Why don't you go downstairs," Laura said to her nephews. "And you can both see Thomas when he's a little stronger."

Nodding, they each gave Sara a small smile before leaving the room.

"Was that really necessary?" Sara moaned, taking her son from Grissom as he began to whimper a little. "Neither of them are sick and they are both pretty hygienic."

"You need to take every precaution possible right after birth, Sara," Laura argued. "Just for a few days. Please trust me on this."

"Are you confining me to my room?"

Stepping up to the couple, Laura looked at Grissom who held up his hands.

"Don't drag me into this," he warned. "All I want is for my wife and son to be healthy."

"You shouldn't be leaving your room right now anyway, Sara," Laura countered. "And you should be in bed. Do you want to end up collapsing? Because you will if you don't rest."

Suddenly, Thomas began crying and Sara shook her head. "I'm really not in the mood to argue, Mother," she spat, turning to the bed and sitting on the edge. "I'm tired and he's hungry."

Grissom didn't like the sudden thickness that had developed in the air. Yes, he knew Laura was concerned and just looking after her family but he wasn't so sure Sara was appreciating it right now.

"Why don't we go and have some tea?" he suggested to his mother-in-law. "And we can have a little talk while Sara feeds Thomas and has her checkup." He glanced over his shoulder to his wife who gave him a thankful smile before he held his arm out to Laura. "Please? Like you said, Sara should rest and she doesn't need any more stress right now."

With her eyes narrowing, Laura took his arm. "Fine," she grumbled, allowing him to lead her towards the door. "But I'm just thinking of her."

"I don't doubt it," Grissom said sweetly, looking over his shoulder again as Sara called to him.

"Can you bring me some hot chocolate when you come back up?"

"Sure, honey," he called back. "I won't be long."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Laura and Grissom headed into the kitchen where the aroma of mutton instantly caught Grissom's attention. His mouth began to water and he spotted Roberta at the stove stirring a large pot, Rana besides her chopping up vegetables. They must be making stew. That was one of his favorites and brought back very fond memories from his childhood.

"That smells amazing," he said, making both women jump. "Sorry," he laughed holding up a hand as they turned to face him before pulling out a chair at the table for Laura to sit on.

"As sneaky as always," Roberta laughed.

He smirked, sitting next to Laura as Rana approached them after washing her hands.

"Do you need something, Ma'am?" she asked.

"We'd like some tea," Laura replied. "And do we have biscuits? I'm feeling a little peckish."

Rana nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. Freshly baked and still warm."

"Fabulous. Do you want some, Gil?"

Grissom shrugged. "Why not. The smell of that stew has my stomach rumbling. I could eat a bowl full right now."

"Well, sir, the stew won't be ready until dinner. It takes time you see," Rana told him. "Needs to cook a while for the mutton to become tender and the flavor to come out."

He smiled at her. "I know. Biscuits will be fine."

Rana nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Oh, could you please prepare some hot chocolate for Sara? Gil will take it up when he goes back upstairs."

"Yes, Ma'am," Rana replied before stepping away to prepare the tea.

Entwining his fingers upon the table, Grissom stared at his mother-in-law who frowned at him. "Feeling a little calmer now?" he asked.

Her eyes narrowed. "I've always been calm," she argued. "I don't recall losing my temper."

Lips pursing, Grissom picked up a teaspoon from the table and fiddled with it. "You don't think you overreacted a little about the boys wanting to see Thomas?"

"No," she said firmly and Grissom blinked in surprise at the sharpness of her reply. "Look, Gil," she continued, a gentle sigh falling from her lips, "I'm not purposely trying to be a pain in the backside here. I don't want to upset anyone and I don't want to prevent anyone from seeing my grandson. But there are appropriate times. After everything Sara has been through, everything you have both been through, I just want to make sure there are no complications. Because they can still happen. Thomas is still very weak and will need time to adapt to the outside world." She paused as Rana returned with a tea tray, placing it onto the table.

"Shall I pour, Ma'am?"

"I've got it," Grissom said as he got to his feet

Rana nodded. "Yes, sir," she said and moved off.

Keen to continue the conversation since Laura obviously knew what she was talking about, Grissom poured two cups of tea. He would gladly admit he was pretty clueless when it came to fatherhood and would take any help he could get. Sliding a cup toward Laura, he sat down.

"Thank you," she said, dropping in two lumps of sugar before stirring.

"So, you were saying," he encouraged, dropping sugar into his own cup and taking a sip.

"I was saying," Laura continued, "that Thomas is very fragile and he needs to be protected through the first few days after birth. Minimal contact with people. No going outside, no cold. That way he won't be catching anything nasty. If he did…" She shook her head. "I'd dread to think."

He took another sip from his cup. "Well, maybe explain that to Sara and to the boys. It will stop them feeling like they've done wrong and it will prevent Sara from getting annoyed."

"Oh, she's going to get a lot more annoyed than that," Laura snorted.

Frowning, Grissom placed his cup down. "What do you mean?"

"Gil," she hesitated, reaching out to clasp his hand. "I'm just doing what I know from being a mother myself and parenthood does not come easy. Sara is so determined to try and do most things herself. It is going to be hard. Right now, you see a beautiful baby boy, which he absolutely is, but after two weeks of bawling his lungs off, Sara will be ready to pull her hair out. You need to be prepared for that."

"Grunter," Grissom snickered.

Laura's brow rose. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, um, sorry. I was just remembering something Sara said. She told me Thomas was a grunter rather than a crier. At least…he was."

"But now he's found his crying voice," she challenged, sipping more tea. "And it won't be going away any time soon so you need to take what I'm saying seriously. Breakdowns are not uncommon amongst young first time mothers."

Grissom's eyebrows soared, his jaw working a little from side to side. "You…don't think that will happen to Sara, do you?"

"Lord, I hope not," she answered. "But we need to support her, not let her do too much no matter how much she wants to and make sure Thomas stays healthy. That way, we should all get through this just fine. Okay?"

Breathing deeply and feeling a little worried now, Grissom nodded. "I guess."

"You've always taken care of her, Gil, so you just need to keep on doing what you normally do."

He smiled weakly. "I hope so."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Grissom returned to the bedroom, hot chocolate in hand, finding his wife now alone, lying in bed with Thomas sleeping upon her chest.

"Hi," he greeted tenderly, closing the door and approaching her, holding up the drink. "Your refreshments, Madam."

She smiled, nodding to the table by the bed. "Just put it down there and I'll get it in a second."

Doing so, Grissom placed the cup down before leaning over the bed to kiss his wife on the lips. "Are you feeling all right?" he asked as he leaned back, his hand rubbing her arm. "Checkup go okay?"

Her eyes narrowed a touch sensing a hint of concern in his words. Concern that wasn't really there earlier.

"I'm fine," she answered suspiciously, hand gently rubbing over Thomas's head. "Why the sudden rise in concern?"

"You want me to take him while you enjoy your chocolate?" he said, holding out his hands.

Sara sensed an immediate attempt to change the subject but went along with it, lifting up her son. "Sure," she answered.

"Come to Papa," Grissom said proudly, softly kissing Thomas on the forehead before carefully placing him up against his shoulder, hands tenderly rubbing his back as the baby let out a quiet whimper. "I didn't realize how light he was until now," he said, slowly swinging his upper body from side to side.

"And you're great at changing the subject," Sara returned, eyebrows rising as she grabbed her drink and took a sip.

Eyes slowly drawing to her, he sat on the edge of the bed. "I didn't mean it to sound like I was worried. Your mother just has a knack of making me feel that way."

"Oh?" Sara questioned with a frown. "What's she been saying?"

He shrugged. "She's just," he paused, shaking his head and looking down at Thomas. "I don't know. It doesn't matter."

"Well, if it's got you concerned then obviously it does matter," she argued, putting the cup back down. "Tell me what she said."

His eyes found hers again. "She was just enlightening me about parenthood and how tough looking after…" he looked down, "…this little one is going to be. And, she says she doesn't mean to meddle. You know, what she said to the boys. She just wants to keep you and Thomas as healthy as possible while you're both still vulnerable."

"Okay," she drawled. "I suppose I do get that. I just wish she'd find a better way of expressing her thoughts than telling my cousins off like that."

"She promises me she will," he answered. "And she's going to talk to the boys as well."

"Is that all she said?"

Ignoring her question for a second he got up and moved over to the crib, carefully lying Thomas down before covering him with the blanket. As he moved back to her, her eyes were questioning him. Sitting back on the bed he leaned down and kissed her passionately, smiling into her as a soft moan caught his ears, her hand gripping onto his arm.

"Hmmmm," she mumbled when he pulled back, a smile of her own now showing. "You really are trying to divert my attention aren't you?"

"Is it working?" he asked with a coy smirk.

Smile broadening, her fingers slid through the curls at the back of his neck, pulling his head down for another kiss. A long, slow, sensual kiss, one that made her toes curl. Hearing him hum as their lips parted, Sara sighed.

"I've missed this," she whispered.

"What?" he questioned quietly.

"This intimacy. You seducing me. Pity it's going to be a while before…you know."

"I believe you instigated the second kiss, my dear."

She snorted. "You know what I mean."

"Yes," he sighed, reaching to pull off his boots before lying beside her.

Moving onto her side, Sara dropped her head to his chest, smiling as his fingers found her hair. She loved it when he played with her hair.

"So what else did mother say?" she asked again knowing he was hiding something.

He sighed again. "She's just worried about you."

Lifting her chin she looked into his eyes as he looked down. "But I'm okay. Marcia said I'm healing fine and Thomas is as healthy as he can be."

"I know," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "But it's not just your physical state she's worried about."

Her right eye twitched and a frown formed on her brow. "What do you mean?"

"She's just concerned you will try and do too much. That's all."

Sara looked stunned. "I've barely given birth and she's already worried about me having a breakdown or something?"

Rubbing a hand up her back, he gently pushed down so she laid her head back upon his chest. "After everything you've been through are you surprised at her concern?"

"I guess not," Sara mumbled. "But it would be nice to have a little confidence rather than thinking the worst."

"She has confidence," he said. "But she's your mother. She's always going to worry."

She smirked. He was right about that. "I can hear your heart beating," she said softly.

Sighing heartily, he rubbed her back again. "And that beating is all for you."

***- "That time passed, and her little Thomas lay on her bosom. Then, among the advancing echoes, there was the tread of her tiny feet and the sound of her prattling words. Let greater echoes resound as they would, the young mother at the cradle side could always hear those coming. They came, and the shady house was sunny with a child's laugh, and the divine friend of children, to whom in her trouble she had confided hers, seemed to take her child in his arms, as he took the child of old, and made it a sacred joy to her."

*** - Extract taken from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Adapted)

A/N: Awww, fluffy alert. Lol :P