October 2033
Aurora stood look at the bulletin board outside her Ethics lecture hall. Trying to kill time before class would start. Missing cat; Democratic Socialists club; Crew Try-outs; Guest lecture— Her heart nearly stopped as she saw a familiar name on the flyer and looking down at her watch, she quickly realized that this particular lecture was taking place in the building next door in five minutes. She didn't even have to think about it as she bolted out of the hall to the next one over, effectively blowing off her Ethics class.
She snuck into the back of the lecture hall and listened on as the man behind the podium spoke enthusiastically about the holy trinity of evidence. Something she'd heard from her parents countless times before. He looked different from the last time she'd seen him: His hair shorter and more tamed with salt and peppered streaks. She continued to bite back a smile as she thought about the ways that she'd make her presence known to him.
Finally, the lecture ended and students began to filter out. But not all of them. Several girls flocked to the stage, charmed by his kind face and easy intellect. Aurora stayed seated in the back until a few of the left over students began to make their way out. Finally, she couldn't wait any longer.
"I'm sorry to interrupt—" She spoke through the words of a girl going on about her own studies, "But I feel like you forgot a crucial part of your lecture."
"And what would that be?"
"Dr. Grissom always started off by discussing the impact of first blush."
"Dr. Grissom?" The man smiled at the name, "You seem too young to know of his lectures. He hasn't been a CSI in god, upwards of 25 years."
"You don't recognize me?" Aurora watched as the man before her squinted his eyes in confusion. The girls around him awkwardly staring at her, annoyed that she'd cut into their conversation.
"I'll help you, the last time I saw you was at Eli's graduation." She watched as his face dropped, eyes wide, jaw slightly unhinged.
"Aurora!?" He nearly squealed.
"It's me." She smiled, showing him her slightly gap toothed grin.
"My god." He took two quick strides to her and wrapped firm arms around her, hugging her tightly.
"Hi Greg." She smiled against him and watched as the other girls slowly grabbed their things and left the room, leaving the two alone.
"What are you doing here? You can't be in college."
"Yet here I am." She smiled widely, "I just started in September."
He shook his head, "I can't believe this. I just spoke to your mom last week, she didn't mention anything."
Aurora shrugged, knowing her mom gave few personal details to anyone unless specifically asked, "And you? Running the Boston crime lab? Congratulations."
"Thank you, it's been great so far. What are you doing now? Let me take you out to lunch."
Aurora and Greg spent the afternoon together, catching up on each others lives, discussing crime rates and areas of mutual interest. He took her to the crime lab and showed her around, introduced her to the team. Aurora loved Greg. Even after all these years, he was still the fun and energetic uncle figure she'd grown so close to when she was young.
Aurora spun around in Greg's chair behind his desk. He'd disappeared a few moments earlier to take care of a problem in DNA. She looked over his desk, noting the trinkets and photos that lined it. She picked up a framed photo when she recognized some familiar faces. There was Nick, Warrick Brown, Greg, her mom, her dad, and Catherine in that order. They all looked so young. She looked at how everyone's arms were draped around each other, except for her mom and dad. His hand rested more intimately around her waist. Aurora looked up to see Greg reentering his office.
"When was this taken?" She asked holding up the photo.
He thought a moment, "Maybe 2005 or 2006."
"And your team had not idea my parents were dating then?"
Greg smiled. The cat's been out of the bag for so long that he almost forget there was ever a time when he didn't know about them. "Guess not." He smiled as he took a seat opposite her. "Your parents were very different people back then. I should have known, really."
"Why do you say that?"
"Your mom and I were very close at the time. She was my best friend in Vegas. For years we would spend our mornings after shift grabbing breakfast together or watching movies. Grabbing drinks on days off. And somewhere around the time that photo was taken, all of our post-work time together seemed to vanish. I should have realized someone else was taking up that time."
Aurora smiled, "What were they like then? Not the fairytale version."
Greg laughed, "Oh boy. Well... Your dad is brilliant. I mean truly brilliant. But he was also incredibly stupid when it came to your mom. She'd been chasing him for six years by the time he realized."
"Do you think he just didn't feel that way about her at first?"
"No. I think he was deeply in love with her from the moment they met. I just don't think he knew what that feeling was, or how to act on it. Neither of them were the easiest to get close it. Both your parents, separately, had a reputation for being uncommunicative and often emotionless. Well—" Greg quickly amended, "Your mom lived on two extreme sides of that spectrum. Most of the time she was easily emotionally divested from the work, which is very necessary in the business. But then the other half of the time she was far to emotionally invested, passionate. She'd blow up at any one of us if we didn't go the full distance for a victim. I swear the only time I've seen your dad shaken is when he's on the bad end of an argument with Sara. But that was really only for special cases."
"What qualifies as a special case?"
"We all have are ticks, you know, the crimes or victims that hit home the most. Your mom was heavily invested in crimes against animals and domestic violence victims."
"Why domestic violence?"
Greg's eyes went wide. Did she not know? Did he open a can of worms Sara had purposefully left close.
"Oh." He said nervously, "Probably not my place to say."
"Was she in a domestically violent relationship before dad?"
"No, no."
"So what?"
He saw the worry etched across her face and realized there was no turning back now, "Has your mom ever talked to you about her childhood?"
"Just that after Grandpa Richard's untimely death, her mom's mental illness was uncovered." Aurora thought a moment, "No. I don't think I know anything else about her childhood. I know that Dave and Susie adopted her when all of that happened. And that she grew up in San Fransisco where my parents met..."
"You mom had a hard childhood."
"Did Richard hit them?"
Greg pinched the bridge of his nose, immediately reminding Aurora of her dad, "It's complicated. Your grandma was sick and Richard couldn't understand it."
"So he hit them?"
Greg nodded slowly, "I shouldn't be the one to tell you this. I'm sorry... I thought you knew."
Aurora shook her head, "No." Her voice was so small, "Did he hurt my mom?"
"He did. She suffered a few broken bones and ribs. But—I think the important moral of your mom's story is that, despite all of this, she still graduated High School two years early and attended Harvard and then Berkley until she landed a spot on the Grave team in the most prestigious lab in the country. It's a story of strength, not weakness. I mean, c'mon you know your mom. Would weak ever be close to an adjective you'd use to describe her?"
"No." Her voice was still small, "No, I wouldn't." She smiled, "I won't tell them I know."
Greg smiled, "C'mon let me show you our new ballistics lab."
"You're home early." Grissom spoke as he watched Sara take off her coat and hang it up.
She smiled, "We wrapped our last project last week, nothing really has come in yet." Sara walked toward him and placed a kiss on his lips, "Plus, Aurora texted me and was adamant that we video chat soon."
"Oh, she texted me too." Grissom looked at his phone, realizing now it was a group chat between the three. Then his phone began to buzz, "Facetime request from Aurora." Sara scooted in next to him as he answered the phone.
"Hey bug." Grissom smiled as seeing his daughter's face appear on the screen.
"Hi dad! Hi mom!" She waved back.
"Where are you? That doesn't look like your dorm room."
"It's not." She moved a little to the side and greg popped into view
"Hey Boss, Sar."
"Greg!" Sara leaned in closer to see him, "What in the world..."
"I guess when we spoke last week, you forgot to mention Aurora was at Harvard, and I forgot to mention who the new lab director in Boston was." He smiled widely, "We bumped into each other on campus."
Grissom and Sara were besides themselves, "So you two are at the lab then?"
"We are. Greg introduced me to his team and showed me around the facility. It's awesome."
The four spent the next fifteen or so minutes catching up until Greg was called away to deal with a personnel issue.
"Miss you guys!" Aurora smiled as she waved goodbye and hung up.
Grissom and Sara looked at each other now, knowing each was thinking the same thing: She's going to become a CSI... especially if Greg has any say in it.