AN: Thank you for the continued support, here is the next chapter, enjoy! Warning: Mention of Violence & Implied/suggestive adult behavior.
Chapter 5: Needing to talk
Flashback
December 25, 1992
To say that dinner was a little awkward was an understatement, but Sara did get to know a little more about his mother, so there was that.
When they left the house, they headed towards a beach house that friends of the family let them use whenever they needed to get away, then they took their bags inside and settled in for the night.
While Grissom was in the kitchen getting them some drinks, Sara was standing by the back door, looking out towards the ocean, although it was dark outside so she couldn't see it, and when he walked through the room, he sets the drinks on the coffee table and heads in her direction. He then wraps his arms around her waist and kissed her temple softly.
She smiled, feeling safe in his arms, just like she's felt since meeting him, then she cleared her throat before speaking softly. "When I told you my childhood..."
Grissom tries cutting her off. "Sara..."
But she cuts him off just as quickly while turning to look at him with pleading eyes, needing to get this out now before she loses her nerve. "Please Griss, you have to know, you have to know who you are getting involved with, who the mother of your child is."
Seeing this was very important for her to tell him now, he nodded while cupping her cheek. "Ok, but let's sit down first."
She nodded while taking his hand from her cheek, then slipped her fingers through his and lead him to the couch before they sat down.
Once they were seated comfortably, she took a breath before telling him her childhood. That there was more violent/bad days than calm/good ones, that it almost felt like she spent more time in a hospital waiting room than her own bedroom, then how her life had changed at 13 when her mother had killed her father and she ended up in the foster care system, and while there hadn't been violence in those few homes she was in, things weren't that great and didn't get better until she ended up at Harvard three years later, when she was finally on her own and could make her own choices.
By the time she was done, she was crying, and Grissom just wrapped his arms around her before bringing her close to his chest and kissed her head, wishing he could have been there for her to protect her and proud of the woman she had become, despite what she had been through.
When she had calmed down enough, she pulled away from him to look into his eyes, seeing the pain in them from what she went through, so she cupped his cheek. "Griss, are you..."
He shook his head. "This isn't about me. I should be comforting you right now."
She smiled. "You are."
He took a breath as he placed his hand on hers that was on his cheek before he whispered. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"Me too, but I'm ok now, or as ok as I can be. I survived the worst part of my life, now I'm just looking forward to my future." She then finished with another smile as she placed her free hand on her stomach while looking down at it. "A future with this little one." Then she looked back into his eyes. "A future with..."
She trialed off before she could finish, feeling a little doubt about having one with him, which he noticed the look, before asking. "A future with me?"
Her eyes started to water as she asked. "Do I have one?"
He smiled as he cupped her cheek, running his thumb up and down it. "Absolutely, nothing has changed in my eyes, and I can't wait to see what happens next."
Her smile gets wider as they lean towards one another to kiss, which he was just planning for it to be short and sweet, but she deepened it while moving so she was in his lap, her fingers going directly to the buttons of his shirt.
They pull back breathlessly after a few minutes, his shirt now completely unbuttoned, and they look into each other's eyes before he asked. "You sure?"
It was a vulnerable moment for her, and he didn't want to feel like he was taking advantage of her.
But there was no hesitation in her response. "I need you, Griss."
He smiled, seeing she really did want this, before he brings her back to him and they started kissing again, getting up a few minutes later and headed towards the bedroom.
Once they were on the bed, they kissed for several minutes before he moved his lips to her cheek, neck, shoulder, stopping at her bare stomach, he then pulls back slightly, causing Sara to open her eyes and ask softly. "Anything wrong?"
He shook his head, and back down to kiss her stomach softly a few times before moving back up her body, they look deeply into one another's eyes, both feeling with emotion as he whispered. "You are having our baby."
She nodded with a smile as she cupped his cheek. "Yes, I am."
They kissed again, this time not stopping, both feeling their passion growing each second that passed between them.
A few hours later
With the sheet up to her chest and his waist, they were lying in bed just looking at one another, taking in each other's presence in silence.
Then after a few minutes she moved her hand up to cup his cheek before speaking softly. "I wish I can tell you what will happen in the future, but I honestly don't know. However, what I can promise you with certainty is that I will never intentionally hurt you. I may be young and don't have much experience in relationships, especially serious ones, but I know that how I feel about you, how I felt the moment our eyes met, I have never felt like this before and I'm determined to make this work between us, no matter how hard it's going to get."
Seeing the truth in her eyes while also feeling better at hearing the words he didn't realize how bad he needed to hear them until that moment, he nodded while making the same vow. "I am too."
They share one more kiss before she cuddles up in his arms, then they slowly fell asleep, feeling their relationship become even stronger than it had before.
Two days later
After having breakfast with his mother, Grissom was in the kitchen cleaning up while Sara and Betty were in the dining room, and while things were slightly better between them from two days ago, they both knew it was going to take more time for the older woman to trust her and let her guard down, so Sara took a breath and made sure Mrs. Grissom was looking at her before speaking as clearly as she could so the other woman could read her lips.
"I can only imagine what you must think of me, and I know it's going to take more than words and time for you trust me, but if there is one thing I do want you to know about me, is that I am not a quitter, and I'm not going to bail on either of them when things get rough, because I'm not too naive to think everything is going to be sunshine and roses."
Betty could see the seriousness in the younger woman's eyes, and really wanted to believe her, at least for the sake of her son. But Sara was right, it was going to take time for her to get there, so she slid a note across the table, one she had written last night, towards Sara.
Sara looked down at it, picked it up before reading what the other woman had written. 'I just want to be clear that how I feel about you is nothing personal, I'm sure you are a wonderful person/young woman, and my son clearly sees something in you and already trusts you. But I'm going to need more time to feel the same way, and I hope you prove me wrong for ever doubting you and your feelings for my son, because nothing in this world means more to me than the happiness of my son, and now that will extend to my grandchild. I hope you understand where I am coming from and know I'm not trying to be mean.'
She looked up from the note and nodded her head. "I understand exactly where you are coming from, and I will prove you wrong one day."
Now Sara didn't mean that as a threat, she just felt like she was challenged and was now more determined than ever to prove anyone who doubts her feelings or commitment to Her's and Grissom's relationship.
As Betty Grissom sat there, she nodded with a smile, seeing that fire in the young woman's eyes, like she just accepted a challenge, and honestly, she could kind of see why her son was so taken by her so quickly.
Their moment was interrupted when Grissom had walked into the room to see both women with smiles on their faces, so he asked and signed. "Everything ok?"
When both women looked at him, they nodded, and not wanting to ruin whatever truce they had between them, he just nods before looking at Sara. "You ready?"
Sara nodded with a smile. "I am." She then turned to Betty and continued with honesty. "And it was nice to meet you."
Betty just nodded before the women stood up, then as Sara headed for the front door, Betty cupped her son's cheek with love in her eyes, and Grissom nodded with a smile, knowing what his mother is trying to tell him with her eyes, before bringing her into his arms.
Once they pull back, he signed. 'I'll keep you updated. I love you.'
She nodded with tears. 'Thank you, and I love you too.'
After one more nod, he kissed her cheek before heading towards the door while all his mother could do was watch him leave, hoping everything will work out for her son, knowing he was already in deep and if things didn't work out, his heartbreak could be as bad as hers when she lost her husband, and that's an unspeakable pain she never wanted for her son.
End of Flashback
Present Day
October 16, 1998
After arriving at the airport in LA, Grissom rented a vehicle and the three of them got in and headed for his childhood home to see his mom.
Once they got there, Belle could barely contain her excitement, so right as her father put the vehicle in park, she had opened the door quicky and got out just as the front door to the house opened.
The little girl smiled bright as she signed. 'Grandma!'
Betty smiled as she held onto her granddaughter once she was close enough.
When they pulled back, Belle continued to sign like crazy, wanting to tell her grandma everything that's happened since their last visit as they all chuckled.
After a few moments Grissom smiled as he spoke to his daughter. "Sweetheart, you have all weekend to tell Grandma all of this."
Belle nodded with a small sigh before asking. "Can I go play then?"
"Yes, we'll be out there in a minute."
Now Betty didn't have the biggest play area, but it was enough to keep her granddaughter entertained for when she does get to visit, which was actually often, even a few times without Grissom, which Sara's signing has improved greatly over the years.
Belle nodded before walking inside so she could go outside to the back.
When the little girl was out of sight, Betty smiled brightly at her son and cupped his cheek, showing him with her eyes it was nice to see him again.
He nodded in understanding. 'It's always nice seeing you, mom.'
Then they hug a moment later.
Once they pull back, Betty looked at Sara brightly as she signed. 'Nice to see you as well.'
Sara signed in return with a smile. 'You too, Betty.'
After she nodded, they went inside so Sara and Grissom could go out in the back to watch their daughter while Betty went into the kitchen to get the drinks.
A few hours later
The visit was going pretty smoothly for awhile, Belle got to tell her grandmother some of the things that's been going on with school, then came dinner and Grissom agreed to help his mother in the kitchen, which things were going pretty good in there for a bit too, until his mother started to sign with a stern, but loving look on her face.
'Sweetheart, it's been long enough, don't you think it's time to finally make a decision?'
Knowing exactly what his mother was talking about, Grissom sighed with a nod. 'I know mom, it has been long enough, and honestly the decision you speak of has already been made a long time ago, I just haven't got up the nerve to talk to her about it.'
Betty frowned. 'And why not, Gilbert?'
He winced at her using his full name before replying in return. 'Despite the circumstance, things have been going so well, I just don't want to rock the boat, I don't want to lose her just in case she doesn't want to change our arrangement.'
Betty shook her head before signing again. 'Sweetheart, you have to tell her how you really feel, or else eventually you're going to be really unhappy.' Then she gave him a smile as she continued. 'And honestly, I don't think you have anything to worry about on losing her, I think she wants the same thing you do.'
His attention perked up a bit as he asked with a hopeful look on his face. 'How do you know that? Has she said anything to you?'
'Of course not, but I see the way she looks at you. I saw it the first time you brought her here, she is 100% in love with you, and finally living in the same state, same town will only strengthen that love.'
He then had a smirk on his face. 'Is this your way of saying you finally approve of her?'
'For the record, I never said I didn't approve of her.' She then frowned again. 'I was just scared for you, I could see how much you were already falling for her, and despite how I saw the way she looked at you, she was still young and could have wrecked your heart like no other.'
'And you're not afraid of that anymore?'
Betty shook her head with one more smile. 'No, because while you two have been in a long-distance relationship the last six years she's only fallen more in love with you, so instead of pulling away, you two have only gotten closer, under that situation only the special relationships can last like that.'
He nodded in agreement. 'I feel that too, mom, and I'm ready to move forward with our lives. The one where I don't have to keep leaving them, it rips my heart in two every time I get on that plane.'
She cupped her son's cheek with love in her eyes and ran her thumb up and down his cheek before removing her hand and signing. 'Then talk to her.'
He nodded one more time with a deep sigh, a little afraid on what the outcome would be, but his mother was right, he needed to be completely honest with Sara and tell her how he really feels. 'I will. Do you think Belle can stay with you tonight?'
'Absolutely.'
'Thank you, and not only for the offer, but for how you are with Sara, especially helping her out when she really needs it, when I can't be there right away.'
'Of course. She's the mother of your child, the mother of my grandchild, so as far as I'm concerned, she's family and always will be.'
They share a hug, then after he kisses her on the cheek, they finish up the meal before taking it to the dining room so they all could have dinner together.
Once dinner was over, Grissom first asked Sara if it was ok that Belle stay with his mom tonight, which of course she didn't have a problem with it because she liked when her daughter could spend time with her grandma and vice versa, but she did have to admit that it surprised her a little because for him to voluntarily give up even an ounce of time away from their daughter when he visits was no small thing, he valued every second he was with her.
So, while Sara was perfectly fine with the arrangement tonight, she knew the next hurdle he had to go through was their daughter because as much as Grissom valued their time together, their daughter valued it just as much, if not maybe a little more, which was saying a lot, and if she didn't voluntarily give up any time away from him, they would have a tantrum on their hands, which she wasn't known to have many of them, even as a baby she was pretty quiet. But when she did, they weren't very pleasant, not that any children's tantrums are.
Surprisingly though everyone was ok with the arrangement tonight and when they made it to the beach house, which was now Grissom's since he bought it from the family friend a few years ago, Sara spoke in a surprising tone as they sat on the steps of the deck, looking out towards the darken horizon of the ocean.
"You must have really wanted us to be alone for you to give up any time with your daughter."
He nodded as he cleared his throat. "Yes, I think it's important we have this conversation without any interruptions."
Now Sara got a little worried, and she voiced that concern. "That sounds a little ominous. Should I be scared?"
Grissom tried to be reassuring, but he was a little scared himself, because either way his life was about to change again, it was just a matter of if it will be a positive way going forward or a negative way.
Getting lost in his own thoughts a moment later, Sara placed her hand on his arm and asked softly. "Grissom, what's going on, what's so serious we had to be alone?"
He took a breath with a nod, knowing he had to do this, so he turned to her and placed his hand on her arm and started to speak. "Sara, you know that I love you, right? That I've shown you enough through my actions and words that what we have is very serious to me. That I don't take a moment we share together for granted."
Sara nodded with a smile as she slid her hand down his arm so she could hold his hand as she spoke. "Yes, I do know all of that, and you know I feel the exact same way, right? That what we have means more to me than anything I've ever had before."
He took a relief breath seeing and hearing the honesty in her tone and eyes, then he replied with another smile. "Good, least we are on the same page there."
She nodded again with another smile. "Yes, that's a very good thing, but I'm sensing we aren't done with this conversation."
"No, we are not." He took another moment before he continued after squeezing her hand lightly. "And I wish I can say there is nothing I wouldn't change about us, but that's not entirely true, if there is one thing I want to change, it is our living situation." There was a pause before Grissom continued, not really paying attention to the relief look Sara had on her face. "Sara, every time I get on that plane after visiting you and Belle it nearly rips my heart in half, and I don't think I can do that anymore, if anything, I…."
She finally cuts him with relief tears going down her cheeks. "Oh, thank God you feel that way, because it nearly rips my heart in two every time I see you get on that plane."
He didn't know why it surprised him to hear that, especially after she just confirmed her love for him, but it did. "Really?"
She nodded with a sniffle. "Yes."
He smiled as he cupped her cheek with his other hand so he could wipe some tears away. "Then why haven't you said anything?"
"For a few reasons, but probably the biggest is I just thought maybe you liked the little freedom of getting away."
Grissom immediately shook his head with a frown. "No, I hated it. Before you, I admit I did like my solitude. I rather be in my townhouse than anywhere else, but since I met you, and especially since Belle came into my life, I can't stand being in that townhouse alone. And if I'm being completely honest with you, if it was up to me, I wouldn't have left San Francisco that first time I came to visit you in San Francisco, you remember?"
With more tears going down Sara's cheek she nodded. "Of course, I do. I'll always remember that visit."
AN: Thanks for reading, and please review. Hope everyone had a safe/wonderful weekend. Until next time, GSR4ever!
