A/N: Well, today marks a very special day for this story. 7 years ago today I began posting this little ficlet. Can you believe that? It's still hard believe I've been writing this for that long and I thank you all for your support. We are almost there, just a few more chapters left and just saying that makes me sad :( However, everything must come to an end. I just hope you enjoy these final few chapters.

Huge thanks to Calim for yet another great beta and all your support :)

Chapter 176

After a good half hour of mingling at the church, Laura decided it best to move the celebration back to the house where food was waiting along with a roaring fire. Sara hadn't argued. It was getting colder and her first priority was getting Thomas back into a warmer environment.

Stepping inside the house, Sara excused herself and took Thomas upstairs while Grissom floated between the lounge and dining room doing his best to talk to every guest. It was a lot easier to make small talk now but he still didn't like it much.

Stepping into the lounge for the third time, he felt a huge thud upon his back and turned to see Brass grinning at him.

"There you are," the sheriff chirped. "How's my friend doing? Enjoying the wonders of fatherhood?"

Grissom smirked at him. "I'm enjoying it very much, yes," he confirmed.

"You know," Brass said, leaning in a little closer, "I never thought I'd see the day when Gil Grissom would be all settled down with a family. Marriage perhaps but children?"

Rolling his eyes, Grissom reached for a glass of water from a passing servant. "You make me sound like an old man," he griped.

Brass shrugged. "You we're always such a loner, so I'm only telling it how it is."

"Was," Grissom corrected him, sipping from the glass.

"Touché," Brass conceded, holding up his whiskey glass. "But I'm very happy for you. Both of you," he said sincerely.

Now Grissom smiled. "Thanks."

"Don't you want something a little stronger?" Brass asked, pointing to the water in Grissom's hand.

Grissom shook his head. "No, this is fine."

Alcohol was not what he needed, not after the morning conversation he'd had with Sara. No, he needed private time with her and that was certainly going to be the biggest challenge of the day.

"Okay," Brass conceded. "I won't ask."

Giving a sarcastic smile, Grissom looked around the room just hoping the festivities weren't going to drag out too long. Although, they probably would. They always did.

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Sara yawned as she descended the stairs, softly rubbing Thomas on the back as she held him against her shoulder. She felt very tired all of a sudden and would've happily climbed back up those stairs and crawled into bed. Heading for the lounge, she stepped inside and spotted her husband talking to Catherine who immediately spotted her.

"And here comes the little one," she said with a smile.

Grissom looked towards the door and greeted his wife with a smile as she approached.

"He is so gorgeous," Catherine cooed, dipping her head to get a look at Thomas face as it lay upon his mother's shoulder. His tiny eyes were closed, tiny hands scrunched into balls, lips pouting. "May I?" she asked, holding out her hands.

"Sure," Sara answered, carefully lifting Thomas from her shoulder and passing him to Catherine. "Just don't bounce him too hard," Sara advised, "or he may spit up on you."

"Big appetite, huh?" Catherine snickered. "Take after your Papa, don't you?"

Grissom frowned. "Since when did I eat a lot?"

Sara snickered and took his arm, unable to hold in another yawn that escaped her lips. "Sorry," she apologized, holding a hand to her mouth.

"You're tired," Grissom whispered, taking a look at the mantel clock. It was coming up to 3pm.

"I'm fine," Sara lied. His eyes narrowed and she knew he didn't believe her. "It's not like I can just leave now, is it? We have guests and an obligation." Taking her hand he pulled her aside, a little baffled he'd just left Thomas with Catherine. "What are you doing?" she questioned.

"Talking to my wife," he replied slyly. Her eyes rolled then shot back to Catherine. "He's fine with Catherine. She is a mother and I trust her."

"Hmmm," Sara mumbled.

"Honey, our obligation is to our son. I can see you're exhausted and Thomas needs his mother to be strong. While we have enough company around to keep him occupied, why don't you go and take a nap?"

"I can't do that," she argued. "Not just yet anyway. Given his usual afternoon appetite he'll want feeding again in an hour so there won't be much point." Folding his arms, he stared her down. "Don't look at me like that," she pleaded.

"Then I'll make a deal with you," he offered.

Her eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

"You stay until he needs feeding again but then you take a nap afterwards. Whether it's in 10 minutes or an hour. You need to rest. I can entertain our guests."

Snickering, she reached to his neckerchief to straighten it. "And who gave you the shot of confidence?"

"You did," he answered swiftly. "When you agreed to be my wife."

Now she smiled, well and true. "Stop it or you'll have me blushing."

"Do we have a deal?"

"And what do I get out of it?" she challenged.

His eyebrows soared now. "I'll show you later."

She smirked then sighed. "Okay."

He nodded. "Good."

Looking around the room, Sara smiled. So many happy faces and all for her family. Suddenly, she had a thought. "You know," she began, taking his hand and leaning into his shoulder, "we'll have to decide when we're going to move into the house."

He blinked, not quite expecting that. "I thought you liked being near your family?"

She frowned at him. "I do but Father has gone to a lot of expense to give us our own home. I thought you wanted us to move there and have some privacy?"

"Things changed though, didn't they?" he said a little hoarsely. "We weren't expecting Thomas when we were given the house as a gift."

"Don't you want us to have our own home?" she asked, confused now.

Deep inside Sara didn't really mind. She loved being around her family and there was enough room for all of them. And considering how her husband used to be, she'd not expected to remain there forever. But, as he'd said, things changed and so had he.

"Of course I do," he argued. "I'm just not all that comfortable yet about you and the little one being alone."

Snickering, she turned to face him, dropping her hands over his shoulders. "I won't be alone, Gil. There will be servants staying with us and we still have Marcia for another month or so."

"But then it will be Christmas," he countered. "And you'll want to spend most of your time with your family. So you'll be here."

"Hmm, good point."

"How about," he continued, pulling her closer, "we think about moving after New Year? New year, new home."

She smiled. "I like that."

"Yeah?"

Giving him a quick kiss on the lips, her smile broadened. "Yes."

"Then that's what we will do," he confirmed.

With another smile, she retook his arm and headed back towards Catherine content that today was going to be a good day.

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After mingling some more followed by a quick bite, Grissom and Sara lingered over the gift table. He was especially baffled at the array of items laid out before them, each with their own cards to signify the giver. Silver cups, plates, spoons, forks and even a teapot met his gaze.

"Isn't Tag a little young to be making tea?" he asked, picking up the small pot and inspecting it closely. It was very finely made and glistened when it hit the light.

Sara snorted, looking down at her son who was currently getting a little restless and starting to whimper. "Shhhh…," she whispered, stroking his cheek before glancing over to the clock. It had just past 4.30pm.

Placing the pot down, Grissom glanced at his wife who gave him weak smile. "I think I hear his tummy rumbling," he said softly.

"I guess so," Sara sighed, looking around. She still felt bad about leaving her guests.

"No one will mind, honey. Go and get a little rest and I'll make sure everyone is kept happy." Leaning forwards, he kissed his son on the forehead. "He's been up most of the day, too, so, they'll understand it's his nap time.

"Are you sure?"

Nodding, he kissed her on the cheek. "Yes. Go."

"Okay," she agreed. "I should let Mother know."

"No," Grissom disagreed, taking her arm and leading her towards the door. "If you do then you'll probably get caught in another conversation and never get away. I'll tell her. Now, go and rest."

Now she leaned forwards and kissed him on the cheek. "I won't be too long."

With a nod and a smile he watched as she turned and walked down the hallway, his eyes transfixed by her walk so much he didn't hear Laura come up behind him and jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Startling, he spun around which made Laura jump.

"Steady there, Gil," she gasped.

"Sorry," he apologized. "You startled me."

"I noticed," she snickered. "Did I just see Sara leave?"

Running a hand through his hair, he nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. Thomas needs another feed and they are both pretty tired. I suggested she take a nap."

Laura's lips pursed. "Did you now?"

Swallowing, Grissom felt a nerve spike the back of his neck. "Well, I…um…she's exhausted and…"

Snorting, Laura took his arm and led him back into the room. "It's fine, Gil. And that's what makes you a good husband. Your wife and son are your main priority and the guests have already had their fill of my grandchild so they both deserve some rest."

He blew out a breath. "I thought I was in trouble there for a minute."

"No," she countered. "Only when I don't agree with you is when you're in trouble."

Smiling, he stopped and faced her. "Thank you. For everything you have done for us. It has been yet another special day that we'll never forget."

Giving him a smile back, she reached up and cupped his cheek. "That's what mothers are for."

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Rolling over, Sara opened her eyes and yawned.

"Hmmm," she mumbled, sitting up and looking around the room.

The drapes were closed and candles lit so she surmised it must be evening. How long had she been asleep and come to think of it, why was it so quiet? Thomas was normally awake a few hours after feeding.

Pushing back the covers, she stood, another yawn spilling from her lips. Approaching the crib she frowned upon seeing it was empty. Scratching the back of her head in puzzlement, she shrugged into her robe just as the door slowly opened and in stepped her husband.

Pausing in the doorway as he glanced at the empty bed, he scanned the room, a smile lighting his face when he saw her. "Hi," he said as he approached. "I didn't know if you were awake yet or not."

"As you can see I am," she returned, her eyes drifting to the mantel clock to see it was after 8:00pm. "But I didn't expect to sleep this long. Why didn't you wake me?"

Reaching for her, he pulled her close. "You've only been sleeping for a few hours and obviously needed it. Why would I need to wake you?"

Rubbing her hands up his back, Sara enjoyed the heat coming off her husband. He was always so warm. "Where's Thomas?" she asked.

Nibbling down on his bottom lip, he placed a hand against her cheek. "He's with your mother and is being well looked after," he answered, rubbing her soft skin with his thumb before curling a strand of hair behind her ear. "I came and got him about an hour ago."

"Oh," she answered with a frown. "Are you going back downstairs?"

"Um," he began, hand gliding around her shoulder to cup the back of her neck. "I wasn't planning on it just yet," he whispered and then ducked his head, capturing her mouth with a hard and lustful kiss.

Sara moaned and melted into him, her hands gripping his shoulders. This was certainly a delightful wake up call. When he pulled back, she felt a wave of dizziness overcome her.

"Erm," she mumbled, her glassy eyes trying to focus. "Won't our guests wonder where we are?" she asked quietly, hands moving over his shoulders to where her fingers could fiddle with his neckerchief.

He sighed heartily, his lips finding her temple and gliding down her cheek before moving to nibble her ear lobe. "The few that are left are happily occupied," he whispered.

Looking down and moaning as he licked the shell of her ear, Sara watched his hands as they began to unfasten the belt on her robe.

"We have plenty of time," he reassured her.

Before she could even think of an argument he was kissing her again, any doubt quickly evaporating from her mind. He was very good at that.

As her robe fell free she was quick to reciprocate and grabbed his jacket, her fingers working like lightening upon the buttons. She was half tempted just to rip it off but she really didn't feel like having to explain that one to her mother.

"And why does Gil's jacket no longer have buttons, Sara?" Laura griped as she sought the right color thread from her box.

"Just hot, passionate lovemaking, Mother…"

Sara snorted to herself at the thought, tipping the garment from his shoulders. "Help me out a little here, will you?" she asked as he just stood there and watched her struggle.

Smirking, his hand swiftly grasped her chin and he kissed her again, long, hard but swift before pulling back.

"Yes, Ma'am," he agreed, going to work on the buttons of his shirt before whipping his neckerchief away and that was quickly followed by the shirt being swiftly pulled over his head.

"Hmmm…," Sara cooed, running her warm hand down his muscular chest and his eyes fluttered at her touch. "I've missed this," she sighed, her hand coming to rest over the bulge in his pants.

"Me, too," he growled as she rubbed him.

Smiling slyly, she began backing towards the bed, lifting her nightgown over her head and tossing it to the floor. Teasing him with her nakedness, she scrawled into bed and perched herself up on an elbow.

"Well, are you coming?" she asked, crooking a finger.

Faster than he ever thought possible, Grissom pulled off his boots, almost falling over in the process which made Sara laugh. Next came his pants then long johns before he practically stalked towards the bed, something very dominating in his stride. The burning in his gaze almost made Sara weep and she couldn't deny nerves pinching in her gut. Every time he looked at her like that she got a little nervous but she knew he'd never hurt her. However, it had been two months since they'd made love and both of them were on edge.

Sara turned onto her back to watch his every move, heat rising throughout her body as he neared. His eyes never left hers as he knelt on the bed then covered her body with his own and she found herself trembling.

Lifting a shaking hand, she clasped his cheek. "Not too rough, okay?" she requested softly. "Just in case."

It surprised her when he smiled, simply reaching behind him to pull the covers over their lower bodies. And then his lips descended upon hers in a kiss so full of love, she never wanted it to end.

*** - "The night was so very sultry and they were overpowered by heat. The curtains were long and white, and some of the thunder-gusts that whirled into the corner, caught them up to the ceiling, and waved them like spectral wings."

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

A/N: I do love a little private time :D More will come as soon as I can. Thanks for reading.