Sara's strength and resilience was always something Grissom admired deeply. By that night, as they sat around the dining room table with Dave, Susan and Harry, enjoying a wonderful home cooked meal, Sara had completely shed the hurt she experienced at the end of her visit with her mother. Grissom watched as she spoke animatedly to her surrogate family about their travels, about Paris, about being back in Vegas. Her hands gesturing, eyes smiling. Grissom exhaled happily, watching her shoulders relax, eyes glow.
Seeing this scene play out in front of him made him wished they'd lived closer to the Crows, wished they were more of a presence in their lives.
"Do you plan to go back to Paris?" Harry asked apprehensively.
"That is the plan." Sara smiled and looked toward Grissom, "Hopefully just a few more months in Vegas helping out the team."
"So by next semester?"
Sara narrowed her eyes at Harry, "Spill."
"What?"
"C'mon. Why do you want me in Paris next semester?"
Harry blushed, "Am I that transparent?" He paused and put his fork down, looking to his mom and dad, "I applied for a semester abroad in Dijon and Paris."
"That's wonderful, Harry." Susan smiled, placing a gentle touch to his shoulder.
"I'll be there." Sara smiled broadly. Her statement caused Grissom to look up. She'd never given him that definite of an answer.
"Awesome!" Harry exclaimed. "I find out more about it in January. I'll email you."
Once dinner places were cleaned and stomachs full, Susan and Sara cleared the table leaving Dave, Grissom and Harry in the room together.
"She's doing okay in Vegas?" Dave spoke quietly.
"She's says so." Grissom responded, "She seems much better. I think the time abroad helped."
Dave nodded and quickly switched the topic so not to linger on the subject too long, especially in front of Harry. Dave began to tell Grissom about some new equipment the SF lab had received as part of their new forensic focused research grant, how he was now splitting his time between the field, managing his team, and conducting research.
"You'll have to come by and see this technology some time—"
"Dave?"
"Excuse me." Dave stood to see what Susan needed from the kitchen. Grissom looked across the table at Harry now who was just finishing up a text.
"So you and Sara are pretty close."
"Yeah, Sara's awesome."
Grissom grinned at this, "I was just surprised, she must have already been out of the house by the time you were born."
"Yeah. But she lived here when she was going to Berkley. She pretty much raised me when my mom was working. I want to go to Berkley for grad school too. I think Sara did it right ya know? Go far away for undergrad, be on your own then come home later. East cost is great and all, but I don't know if I can handle another one of those winters!"
Grissom laughed softly, "I know what you mean. I went to University of Chicago for Grad school. Talk about a brutal winter." Small talk. This was a new thing for Grissom. He'd always been pretty bad at talking just to make conversation, but he'd warmed up to it over the last year, especially as they interacted with locals around the villages along their trip through South America.
Soon Sara emerged from the kitchen, "Well, it's getting pretty late. We should probably head out to a hotel."
"Nonsense." Susan spoke through small shakes of her head, "You'll stay here. Take your room upstairs."
"Susan—"
"Sara. Don't fight me on this." She warned in almost a motherly way. "It'll always be your room. Whenever you need it. You know that. Plus, It'll be nice to catch you two for breakfast before you head out in the morning."
Sara gave a quick glance Grissom's way to make sure he was alright with the accommodations before graciously agreeing.
"The bed already has fresh linens, I'll just grab you two a couple of towels and you should be all set."
Later on, Grissom disappeared to the upstairs guest bathroom to take a hot shower. Once out, he quickly made his way to the room they'd be staying in, Sara's room. At first he'd thought nothing of the phrase, she'd obviously stayed there when she first left Vegas. But then he got to looking around. The room was simple, a full size bed in the middle, floating shelves on blueish-green walls, a window with a tree filled view and a small desk. As Grissom changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, he took a look at what laid atop the desk. A few textbooks, college ones he noted; a photo of Sara's at her Berkley graduation hugging a very young Harry; some scribbled thoughts on post-it notes. He was taken out of his thoughts by the sound of small laughter coming from the room next door.
Curious, Grissom walked over and peaked his head in. His heart swelled at the sight of what he found—Sara and Harry laying stomach-flat on the floor next to each other, hunched over a book as Sara explained a complicated physics formula to him. The full human experience came to his mind once more. Seeing how at ease she was teaching him, laughing with him. He imagined walking in on the same scene but with their child.
"Hey, Gil." Sara looked up and lifted herself off the floor. "Ready for bed?" He simply nodded in return as he watched Sara turn back to Harry and say, "Just don't challenge Professor Leary on that. I know it seems flawed but he'll make your life hell having you explain it." She laughed smally, "Gosh, I can't believe he's still teaching that same course after all these years."
"You know I mentioned your name to him. He remembers you." Harry spoke as he zipped the book back into his knapsack. Another star pupil story I have to live up to." He joked and Sara brushed him off then said goodnight and joined Grissom in the other bedroom.
Time seemed to have rushed by because before she knew it, she was driving Grissom back to the airport to catch his flight to Paris. Five days. She'd had him here for five days but it seemed like mere hours.
"I'll miss you." She spoke sadly as she walked him to the security line. He turned to face her, placing a gently hand on her cheek.
"Come home to me soon." He pleaded more with his eyes than his voice, "There are many talented CSI's in the states, they'll be able to find someone."
"I'll push Ecklie a little harder." She agreed, "But I am enjoying being back her, Gil. Just not so much enjoying being away from you."
Grissom sighed, what was he supposed to do? He didn't have an answer to his question. "Sara—"
"Yeah?" She waited patiently—waited for him to find his words. She furrowed her brows, feeling suddenly like he'd reverted into his old uncommunicative habits. She waited a moment longer until the silence was unbearable. "We'll figure it out." She spoke, saving him from needing to speak. "Call me when you land."
"You'll be sleeping."
"Text me then." She didn't bother to argue. He nodded in silent agreement, kissed her lips gently and parted ways.
The flight back was long and exhausting. Typically, Grissom enjoyed such time to sit alone with his thoughts. But it wasn't as soothing as it tended to be. No, his thoughts were roaming to places that he'd rather not think about, but it wouldn't quiet.
He couldn't stop thinking about how young both and Sara were when they lost their fathers—eight and 13 respectfully. And then his own age, 53. If they waited a year to conceive, the child would be born when he was 55; go to college when he was 73. The image of which left him slightly nauseous. Having a child now would almost give that child greater odds of going most of its life without a father. He kept trying to shake the thought from his head. But he couldn't. Was it too late? Did life already pass him by?
He wished Sara was sitting by his side to sooth and quiet his racing mind, but alas she was not. Instead a young man holding his newborn baby sat beside him. Perhaps a taunt from a greater power.
He landed and returned to his apartment alone to begin his routine as usual.