A/N: A bit of a note on timeline here: In the show they fast forwarded Eli's age for that episode in season 13 "Fallen Angels. I'm going to back track here a little bit and make Eli's age what his actually age would have been since he was an infant in 2008 when Warrick died.
"Sara!" Eli came running out of the house and plowed right into Sara with a big hug. Eli stood at almost Sara's height now at only 14 years old. His hair wild and bright green eyes wide.
"Eli!" She wrapped both arms tightly around him and rocked him back and forth. "I almost didn't recognize you, you've grown so much!" Tina emerged from the house standing on the porch and waving. Behind them, Grissom got the kids out of the car.
"Who's mommy hugging?" Warrick asked looking up at his dad. But Grissom didn't respond, his eyes were fixated on Eli's face that peaked over Sara's shoulder as they continued their embrace. Tina now joined them on the lawn and Eli let go so that Tina could say hello.
"It's so good to see you, Sara." Tina smiled, giving her a quick embrace. "Dr. Grissom." She moved passed Sara and now hugged Grissom, "It's been a long time." Grissom simply smiled and nodded in return.
"Eli, This is Gil Grissom, my husband." She turned to show Grissom Eli, smiling widely as she watched Grissom take in the boy's appearance. "Grissom worked with your dad for over 15 years at the Crime Lab."
"It's nice to meet you." Eli stuck out his hand and Grissom absent mindedly shook it.
"And." Sara bent down and scooped Warrick up in her arms, "This is Aurora, our daughter." She placed a soft hand on Aurora's back as she waved hello, "And this," She motioned to the child in her arms, "Is our son." She turned to child in her arms, "Can you tell them your name?"
Warrick smiled proudly, knowing he could, "Warrick Benjamin Grissom."
Sara smiled, "We named him after your dad."
"ohhhh!" Aurora exclaimed at connecting the dots of what was happening.
Tina invited them in and they group of them spent some time together. Eli updated them on some stuff that was going on in school, his grades, new interests. Every now and then Grissom would zone out for a moment, just staring at Eli—A spitting image of Warrick right down to his mannerisms. He understood now why Catherine would have found it so hard to come, to spend time with the boy.
Before leaving Grissom pulled Tina aside and handed her the bank slip, "What is this?" She asked through a scrunched face.
"The team started a college fund for Eli after Warrick passed. We thought, now that he's in High School and gearing up to look at colleges, you should know how much leeway you have financially."
Tears began to well in Tina's eyes, "Warrick was very lucky to have you all in his life." She spoke with choked words as tears fell. She wiped at them quickly.
"We were lucky to have Warrick in our lives." Grissom amended, "It's not fair that Eli will never know the man he was."
Tina smiled sadly, "Thank you."
December 2023
Sara stirred awake to the sound of the phone ringing. It's amazing how quickly habits change. Back when they were CSI's a middle of the night phone call would be answered on the second ring and they'd be out the door less than 10 minutes after. Now, a middle of the night call was so uncommon, that it took Sara minute to fully realize what that noise was.
"Sara Sidle?"
"This is she." Sara spoke in a haze.
"My name is Tracy Mona, I'm calling from Child Services." Sara sat straight up, eyes wide open. "I'm calling about Eli Brown. Are you aware that you're listed as his Eli's Guardian in Tina Brown's last will and testament?"
Sara shook Grissom's shoulder bringing him to consciousness.
"What happened?"
"Tina passed away earlier this evening." Tears began to sting Sara's eyes.
"What is it?" Grissom whispered and he turned on the night stand lamp.
"I'm going to need you to come down to the Las Vegas Crime Lab to discuss this in further detail."
"Okay." Sara croaked. "I'll get on the next flight out."
Sara hung up the phone, tears free falling from her eyes.
"Sara." Grissom's voice was soft and gently, but filled with concern and worry, "Who was that? What's wrong?"
"It's Tina..." She managed through steep intakes of breath, "She died."
Grissom covered his mouth with his hand, tears stinging his eyes, threatening to fall. He quickly grabbed Sara up and wrapped strong arms around her. They sat there for a moment like that, silent.
"Gil." Sara finally spoke once she regained some of her composure, "Tina named us his Guardians." She looked at him, there was no question in her voice, but there certainly was in her eyes.
"Of course."
"Are you sure? Do we have to think about anything here? Logistics, his schooling, finances?"
"No." Grissom spoke sternly, "Go get him, we'll figure everything out after." Sara nodded softly. "Are you okay doing this alone?" Grissom had a state representatives committee meeting in the morning on climate change, and someone had to stay with the kids. She simply nodded again. She pulled out her phone and quickly booked the next flight out.
She then stood and got dressed with trembling hands. Grissom had disappeared to the kitchen and returned with a cup of coffee. It was 3 in the morning now, and he knew she wouldn't be in vegas at the lab until close to 5 am. She shoved a few things into an overnight bag and made her way to the front door.
"Mama?" Warrick appeared in the hallway, watching her with a packed bag, "Where are you going?"
"Warrick." She whispered, trying hard to will the tears away, "You need to go back to sleep."
"Where are you going?" Grissom heard the exchange and quickly picked up their son.
"Mommy's just going on a quick trip to see your cousin Eli. She'll be back soon."
"Why are you sad mommy?"
Sara quickly walked over to him and kissed his forehead, "I'll see you tomorrow baby. Be good for daddy." She then looked up at Grissom and saw the tears perched in his eyes, "I'll text you when I get in." She kissed his lips softly and left the house.
As Sara sat at the gate, waiting to board she took out her phone and dialed quickly.
"Willows."
"Catherine." Sara's voice was still small and hoarse with tears.
"Sara. I was going to wait until the morning to call you..." Catherine's voice trailed off. Sara could hear the tears behind her words as well.
"What happened."
"We believe it was a drunk driver... Eli was in the car. He's okay, but he has a broken arm." She paused a moment, taking in a deep breath, "Sara, how did you hear about this? The news isn't running it yet."
"Child services called." She kept wiping at the tears, but they just kept falling, "Tina made Gil and I Eli's legal guardians. I'm in the airport now. I should be in the lab by 5. Will you still be there?"
"I will. I'll see you then."
Sara walked into the lab and was immediately met by a somber Catherine.
"He won't talk to anyone. Not me, not the social worker." Catherine shook her head sadly.
"Where is he?"
Catherine lead Sara to the waiting room. There he was, head slumped down, posture low, his arm casted up from his wrist past his elbow. A woman sat next to him, and at the sight of Sara and Catherine, she stood up.
"Mrs. Sidle? Tracy Mona." Sara shook her hand, not taking her eyes off Eli. "There are some documents an legal processes we need to discuss before we can relinquish Eli to your custody." Sara simply nodded. "Shall we?"
"Do you mind if I talk to him first?"
"Oh, yes. Sure." Tracy stepped aside and Sara walked past her, taking a seat next to Eli.
"Eli?" Sara's voice was so small now, tears threatening to well and fall once more. He didn't pick up his head, he just continued to stare at his feet, "I'm so sorry, Eli." She placed a soft hand on his back. At this, he turned his head to face here. His face was all scratched up—likely from the deploying of the airbag—and his eyes were bloodshot and swollen and full of water.
"I don't know what happened." He croaked sadly, "I don't know what happened." It was the first time he'd spoken since the incident. Sara wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. "I don't know what happened." He now sobbed against her. She could feel his chest heave in an out with each ragged, effortful breath. They stayed like that for a while until his breathing seemed to even out.
"Eli?" He looked at her now with his sad eyes, letting her know she had his attention, "Eli, did your mom ever talk to you about what would happen in this situation? Where you would go?" He shook his head in return, "Well she put in her will that you'd come to live with me—me and Gil." She took a moment to let this sink in, "I know that there's a lot going on right now, and that you're probably very confused, but the state called me tonight so that I can fulfill your mom's wishes. But this is your choice too, Eli."
Eli nodded, understanding what Sara was saying. They sat in silence for a long moment until he finally spoke, "Okay." His voice was so small it was barely audible. "Thank you."
"I'll always be here for you."
"No, I mean—thank you for not saying that it's going to be okay."
Sara smiled sadly at this. Maybe it was because of her own numerous times at being in a similar situation to the one Eli was in now that made her not even think about uttering those words. Those words with their hollowed meaning, offering nothing but piece of mind for the person saying them. She hugged him tightly at this.
"I'm going to get everything sorted out so you can come home with me. Okay?"
Eli nodded.
Sara spent the next few days in Vegas getting everything sorted out. She signed the necessary paperwork, helped make the funeral arrangements, got his school records transferred and packed up Eli's room. Eli didn't speak much over those few days—only speaking when spoken too. Now they sat on the plane next to each other. Sara watched as he stared out the window, eyes wide.
"Is this your first time on a plane, Eli?" He nodded in return and Sara saw this as perfect opportunity to reintroduce some normalcy into his life. She explained how a plane works, the hydraulics and physics of it all, knowing that Eli would be intrigued by the ingenuity. And for a moment, Sara saw a faint smile appear in his eyes—perhaps for that moment, Eli forgot about his situation. For a moment, he was just another normal 15 year old kid going on an adventure.
"Daddy? Why are you painting the guest bedroom?" Grissom looked at the doorway to see Aurora was no longer playing with Warrick where he'd left them in the living room.
"Well this isn't the guest bedroom anymore." Grissom thought a moment. He was going to wait for Sara to explain this to the kids but quickly realized that it would be best to do so before Eli arrived. "Come here." Grissom spoke as he walked down the hall to the living room. He sat both kids down on the couch and sat on the coffee table across from them so he could be eye level.
"Do you guys remember Eli? We met him last year when we went to Vegas." Blank faces, "Warrick, the man you're named after, it's his son."
"Oh Yeah!" Aurora spoke enthusiastically, "he's tall!"
Grissom smiled at this and continued, "Well, Eli is coming here today. And he's going to be staying with us for a while." Grissom thought a moment, realizing he wasn't being very clear. If anything, these kids have been a great practice for Grissom's communication defects. Forcing him to simplify his thoughts and over communicate everything, "Eli's mommy had an accident so we're going to make this his new home. You both have rooms, so now Eli will have one too."
"Are you Eli's daddy now?"
"No, no. Warrick will always be Eli's dad. And Tina will always be his mom. But we're going to love him and take care of him just like we take care of you two."
"So will Eli have to eat string beans too?" Warrick spoke mimicking the disgust he felt toward to vegetable.
"That's right, Warrick. He's going to follow the same rules. But, Eli's going to be sad for a while. He's going to miss his mommy a lot, so it's on all of us to make sure he feels at home here."
"I'll share my toys with him!" Warrick said proudly.
Grissom retreated back to the guest room to make the final touches to it to be ready for Eli to move in. He stopped in his tracks when he heard tiny footsteps behind him.
"Daddy?"
Grissom turned to see Aurora standing there, biting her lip sadly.
"Is Eli's mommy never coming back?"
Grissom crouched down to his daughter. She was so incredibly perceptive, it never seized to amaze him, "Unfortunately yes. Eli's mommy isn't going to be coming back."
"Is mommy going to come back?"
Grissom scooped her up at this and held her tightly, "Of course mommy's coming back. She'll be home later today."
"But how do we know that mommy's coming back? Didn't Eli think his mommy was coming back."
Grissom sighed, "Sometimes sad things happen to good people. But you can't spend your life worrying about that." He then proceeded to try to make senese of it all to her. And while he thought that explaining such a complex life topic to a seven year old would be near impossible, she proved him wrong again. Immediately she began to understand and hugged Grissom tighter.
June 2026
"You made it!" Sara smiled widely as she embraced Greg who took a seat next to Nick.
"You kidding me? I wouldn't miss this for the world." Catherine waved to Greg as he sat down. Catherine, Grissom, Sara, Nick and Greg sat in the row in that order. While Warrick and Aurora—now 8 and 10 years old respectively—sat at the end by Greg.
"Next I'd like to invite our valedictorian to say a few words. But first, let me say a few words about him. This is a boy who joined our school mid-way through his sophomore year due to a heart breaking tragedy. But in the face of tragedy, this boy rose to the occasion. He put in the extra hours to regain the weeks of school he'd lost and accepted each day as another chance to put his best foot forward. This is a boy who has show more resilience and strength than I've seen in most grown men. I've been humbled in his presence and feel truly honored to have been able to witness his coming of age. Eli, while I never met your parents, I can say with certainty that they would be incredibly proud of the young man you've become. Ladies and gentle, Santa Monica East High Schools 2026 Valedictorian, with a full ride to Stanford in the fall, Eli Brown."
The entire auditorium rose to their feet and applauded, including the 400 of the students he shared the stage with.
"Thank you." Eli cleared his throat softly as he readjusted the microphone, "Thank you principal, Goodman for your kind words. And thank you to my fellow classmates, friends and families for joining us today. As you can probably tell, I'm not big on the whole public speaking thing." The audience laughed softy, noting Eli's nervous demeanor, "But when given the opportunity to address you today, I decided to push past those fears."
Grissom reached for Sara's hand, squeezing it softly as Eli spoke on,
"Today, my fellow classmates and I will take this next step in our lives. Some of us will attend college, others have chosen to enlist in the marines, the navy, the army, and some of us will go straight into joining the workforce. My message today is a simple one, perhaps even cliché. With whatever you do tomorrow, once these caps and gowns are neatly folded in storage boxes and sealed away in attics and basements, I urge you to put your best foot forward. In the wake of all hardships, all challenges, and even tragedies, there is good. You just need to find it.
There will be tough times ahead, there will be emotional hardships, financial insecurities and intellectual conundrums. There will be days when your faith is challenged, and the bright, neatly planned life goal you see in your mind right now becomes deluded and messy. My advice—whatever it may be worth—is to keep on going. Take every opportunity given to you, and opportunities not given to you. You are the controller of your destiny. And your life is in no one else's hands anymore but your own.
I want to take a moment now to thank my teachers and guidance consolers who have helped me pursue my academic passions and refocus my energy when it was warranted. I would also like to thank my family—Gil and Sara, and my adoptive siblings Warrick and Aurora. Gil and Sara knew my father very well—something I never had the opportunity to do. They even named their son after him, Warrick. They have gone above and beyond to ensure that his values and life lessons would be instilled in me so that I can one day become the man he was. They tell me he was honest, hard working and caring, and I am motivated every day to embody those traits. I am forever grateful to have you all in my life. From the bottom of my heart—Thank you."
The crowd stood again, whistling and applauding wildly. He retuned to his seat, receiving hugs from a few fellow classmates he passed along the way.
"We're so proud of you." Sara said hugging Eli tightly once the ceremony was through. Eli went down the line, hugging and saying "hello's" and "Thank you's" To each of his father's former co-workers. He fist bumped Warrick and high five'd Aurora, a smile shown from ear to ear.
"Eli," Catherine cleared he throat. After all this time she still found it hard to be in his presence. And today, more than ever, he looked just like his father, "We're all so proud of you, and your accomplishment of obtaining a full ride to Stanford." She paused a moment, swallowing a lump in her throat, "After your father passed, when you were just a few months old, we all got together and opened a college fund for you. Now while you no longer need money for tuition, you will still need money for books and living expenses. We want you to focus your time on your schooling and not worrying about finances. That said, the fund is in your name and it is yours to do with as you see fit." A tear slipped from her eye now, "Your dad would be so incredibly proud of you."
Eli was speechless, emotion flowed through him and cultivated in his eyes. Tears forming briefly before he blinked them away. "Thank you." He whispered.