A/N: Happy Easter, everyone! This is the chapter I looked forward to writing since I started this story - when my characters from both fandoms finally meet and 'cross' over - and the trips get involved too! Enjoy!

"Ninety-eight point two."

"That's much better, little man," Sara cooed as she picked up Bowen and held him close, wrapping her bare arms around him.

Gil chuckled softly as he wrapped a warm blanket around the two of them. "Are you two going to be all right if I run to the all-night market?"

Sara turned to face him, bouncing lightly on her toes to soothe the fussing baby. "We'll be fine, Gil. I really need you to go pick up the bare essentials – diapers, formula-"

He breathed a kiss against her forehead. "I think I remember the list, Dear."

She smiled at her husband. "I know you do, I'm just worried – his temperature has only gone up point two degrees-"

"But it is going up, Sara. That's the right direction. We've given him a tepid bath, wrapped his hands and feet per the advice nurse's instructions and are watching for the formation of blisters or blackening skin."

Sara's eyes fluttered shut. "Please don't happen-" she whispered softly, dropping her cheek to the top of the baby's head. "I really hope he doesn't lose a finger or toe-"

Gil drew them into his arms. "It wouldn't be your fault – you didn't leave him out in the elements-"

Sara shuddered against his chest. "I know – but his mother must have been beyond desperate to do such a thing. She must have hoped someone would find him tonight – she was trying to save his life by leaving him at our farm."

Gil frowned. "How do you figure?"

Sara pulled back enough to look into his eyes. "Because I'm a mother – and that's the only thing that makes sense to me. It's what I would do."

"Who exactly are these people?"

Marshall shot an amused, sideways glance at his partner as he sped down the highway to Sedillo. "I've told you all about them – are you admitting that you haven't been paying attention to me for the past two years?"

"You've known them for two YEARS?"

He gave a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, I met the Grissoms a little over two years ago, when their body farm first opened. It's owned by NMU and as an alumnus-"

Mary snorted. "You've taken a few night classes over the years and that qualifies you as alumni?"

"As an alumnus," he continued, not bothering to rise to her baited comment, "I was invited to the grand opening. Gil and Sara were CSIs with the Las Vegas PD before moving here – and Gil is one of the top entomologists in the country. They're great people, Mary - down to earth, easy to talk to – Gil even autographed his book for me the first time we met-"

"Wait, you read books about bugs?"

"It's not a simple book about bugs – it's about forensics, crime, science, AND bugs."

She rolled her eyes. "Great, another geek."

"Mary, I really think you'll like them, if you give them a chance. I think you and Sara could be friends – you have quite a bit in common-"

"Hold on, Doofus," Mary held up a hand. "Just how much time have you spent with this couple? 'Cause the more you talk, the more it sounds like these aren't just casual acquaintances."

Marshall shook his head. "Gil and Sara are my friends – Abby and I go out to the farm every few months-"

"Oh great, so you and the Texas cheerleader double date with this forensics couple-"

Marshall set his teeth together to keep from grinding them. "We don't – Look, Abby enjoys going to the farm – it's a great place to do research for her job and I enjoy the scientific aspect and talking to Gil."

"So, how come you've never taken me? Or mentioned me to your new friends?"

"I've never taken you because I knew you wouldn't relish a forty minute drive out to the desert to study 'rotting corpses in the sun'-"

"Ew! Is that what a body farm is?"

"It's so much more than that – but that's how you would describe it, yes. And as for mentioning you, I talk about you all the time-"

Mary's jaw dropped open as she stared at him in surprise. "You do?"

"Of course – Mary, you are a big part of my life – I don't really have an excuse for not inviting you – I should have. I'm excited you get to meet them now, even under these circumstances."

"And they have no idea – you've never told them-"

"That I work in witness protection?" Marshall shook his head. "No. They are close friends with the police chief, Jim Brass, and he introduced me to them as a US Marshal – but they don't know the truth."

Mary checked her cell phone for messages, but found she had no signal and swore softly.

"We'll have signal again once we reach Sedillo," he reassured her.

She pocketed her phone and looked at her partner's profile. "So, do you think your friends were good at their former jobs, as crime scene investigators?"

Marshall frowned. "Yes, why?"

"Because after tonight, I have a strong feeling they are going figure out your secret."

Sara couldn't resist taking Bowen's temperature half an hour after Gil left but it still read the same: ninety-eight point two. It was only point four degrees below normal, but those few digits made such a huge difference in an infant. Sara was wearing flannel sleep pants but only a thin spaghetti-strap camisole top that allowed Bowen to feel her body heat as well as her heartbeat as she cuddled him close under the warm blanket. If he had been one of her own children, she wouldn't have worn a top at all and she would have held him to her bare skin – because skin to skin contact was best for hypothermia. But he wasn't one of her children- in fact, he hardly knew her at all, and so Sara kept a thin layer of clothing between them to provide comfort and protect her modesty, as well as her own heart. She had to try and keep her distance. She could not afford to get attached to another woman's baby – his mother would be back for him – and she had her own three to take care of – one of whom needed her extra care and attention right now.

And here she was spending valuable time caring for someone else's child.

She guessed Bowen to be around eight months, based on his size and the number of teeth present in his mouth. After his bath, Sara and Gil had carefully placed tiny cotton balls between each little finger and toe before wrapping his hands and feet in soft gauze. The wrappings would keep the tiny digits warm and dry overnight and hopefully prevent the onset of permanent nerve damage from frostbite. Sara lifted the blanket and studied Bowen's sleeping face: the reddened and hardened skin on his cheeks, nose, and ear lobes. She bit her lower lip in concern but silently consoled herself with the fact that the skin was only red and not blistered, or worse. She lowered the blanket, covering his face again, as she heard footsteps on the porch and Hank whined softly as he went to the front door and barked softly, once.

"Good boy," Sara praised him. The dog had always known when there was a baby in the house that he needed to be quieter and also to be on the alert for strangers. "I got it." She looked out the window and saw Marshall waving at her, with a woman standing by his side. She pulled open the door and motioned them to come inside, shutting the door behind them. "Marshall, thanks for coming. And you must be Mary. I've heard a lot about you-" The blonde by his side stiffened and shot Marshall a look but Marshall just shrugged and smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you – though-"

"Look, can we skip the pleasantries and get down to business? The clock is ticking-"

Sara tilted her head to the side. "Has something happened to Bowen's mother?"

"We don't-"

Mary interrupted Marshall. "Where is Bowen?"

Sara lifted the blanket, showing the inspectors the sleeping baby.

Both of them recognized Grace's baby at first glance. Marshall ran a hand through his hair and began to pace.

"Fuck!" Mary swore as she whipped out her cell phone and began to text Stan and Delia.

Sara recoiled at the verbal outburst and Hank gave a short, sharp bark of warning. The noise woke Bowen, who began to wail. Sara wrapped him back up and bounced on her toes as she walked to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry again, little man?" she cooed. "I don't have milk yet but I can heat some more applesauce-"

"Mama?"

The adults all froze at the sound of a child's voice. Sara set the applesauce on the counter and walked over to her daughter, who was rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Edie – what are you doing up? Did we wake you?"

"Uh-huh. I heard voices and I thought I heard-"

Emma appeared behind her sister. "Mama – did I hear a baby crying?"

"Shit!" Mary exclaimed. "Twins?"

Marshall elbowed her in the ribs to shut her up, but it was too late. Edie's eyes landed on her in wide-eyed shock.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Mary-"

That's when Emma saw Marshall.

"Uncle Mars!" she screamed and both girls forgot their mother as they flew across the kitchen and wrapped themselves around his jean covered legs.

"Uncle?" Mary mouthed the word at him.

He ignored his partner as he squatted and wrapped his arms around the twins. "Hi, Cricket, Moth. Why aren't you in bed?"

"We were!"

"You woke us up!"

"I did?" Marshall teased with a grin.

"Uh-huh!" they chorused.

"Who's she?" Edie pointed at Mary.

"That's Mary, my partner. I've told you about her-"

Emma pouted. "Where's Aunt Abby?"

While the twins were distracted, Sara had heated a small bowl of applesauce and was feeding Bowen at the kitchen table. She knew that the girls would notice the baby's presence soon, but she was taking full advantage of the diversion. Marshall shot her a look for help when the girls mentioned Abby, but Sara just smiled and shook her head. He was on his own for this one.

"Abby's on a trip. She's visiting her family in Texas-"

"Will you bring her next time?"

"I'll try."

Mary rolled her eyes as another child, a boy this time, ambled into the kitchen.

She held three fingers up to her partner and he nodded, still distracted by the girls' rapid-fire questions. Mary watched as the boy yawned and took in the scene in front of him, before his eyes grew wide.

"A baby!" he yelled as he ran to his mother's side.

Bowen jumped in Sara's arms at the shout and Sara instinctively moved the chair back from her son. "Careful, E – I don't think Bowen is used to being around this many people-" Sara said softly as she began to rock from side to side, noticing that the baby was scrunching up his face to cry. "Shh, it's ok."

The girls left Marshall and joined their brother at the table.

"Look Emma! A baby!" Edie pointed at Bowen.

"Edie, we did hear a baby cry!"

Bowen began to whimper.

"Girls, please, quiet voices, ok? Bowen doesn't know us and-"

"Where did he come from?"

"Why is his face red?"

"Can we keep him?"

Mary's cell phone rang, and she covered her ear with one hand as she held her cell up to the other. "Hello? Stan? Yes, we're at the Grissom house now – yes, it's Bowen-" she walked into the living room to try and hear what her boss was saying. "Hang on, I can't hear you over the –"

Amid all the chaos, no one noticed Gil walk into the kitchen via the back door from the attached garage. He stood there for a full minute observing the madness in front of him: his wife holding a screaming Bowen while his trips circled her chair firing questions at her like a drill sergeant, an unknown blonde woman shouting into a cell phone in his living room, and Marshall standing in the middle of the kitchen with a deer in the headlight's expression on his face.

Gil set both fully loaded grocery bags down on the counter with a bang and bellowed one single word.

"SCORPION!"

The effect was immediate.

All three of his children stopped talking and dropped to the floor, sitting in a crisscross applesauce position, their eyes fixed on his face. Sara mouthed the words 'thank you' to him as she continued to rock Bowen, his cries reducing to whimpers in the sudden silence.

"I'll call you back," Mary's voice held surprise and astonishment as she hung up with Stan and re-entered the kitchen. "Is there a scorpion in here?"

"I don't think so-" Marshall whispered but he waited for Gil to explain.

"Cricket, tell Uncle Mars what the word 'scorpion' means," Gil prompted his daughter.

"Yellow light."

Mary frowned. "I don't-"

But Marshall nodded. "You mean- red light-yellow light-green light?"

Edie nodded. "When Daddy says 'scorpion', it means danger-"

"No, it doesn't! Red means danger. Yellow means caution," Ethan piped up. "It means we need to look out and be careful – there may be something around that could hurt us."

Gil smiled. "Very good, Ethan."

Not to be outdone, Emma added. "A scorpion is a bug with a stinger on the tail – but it doesn't kill people, it just hurts them bad."

"Daddy chose the scorpion for caution," Edie continued.

"When we hear the word 'scorpion', we are to stop, drop, and sit down. Then we wait for Daddy or Mama to tell us what to do next," Ethan explained.

Gil and Sara spoke as one. "Bed."

All three kids groaned and complained.

"Why?"

"We want to help with the baby-"

But it was Ethan who asked the probing questions. "Mama, is he dangerous?"

Sara sighed. "No, E, he's just a baby."

"Then can we keep him? I want a brother."

She ruffled her son's hair. "He has a mother, sweetheart. We're just watching Bowen for a little while, until she comes back. Now, go back to bed with your sisters."

Ethan threw his arms around her neck, squeezing her tight, being careful not to squash the baby. "Mama? The baby can sleep in my room," he whispered in her ear.

"That's very sweet, E – but I think he needs to sleep with your daddy and me – we need to keep a close eye on him tonight."

"Tomorrow night?"

"We'll see."

Sara insisted on putting Bowen down for the night before making any sort of debriefing statement with Mary and Marshall.

She made a bottle and fed Bowen, changed his diaper, and rocked him to sleep, all before walking down the hall to make a nest of pillows on their bed for him. But the sight that met her eyes as she entered the bedroom made her stop in her tracks.

Ethan was curled up on Gil's side of the bed, fast asleep, his teddy bear next to him on the mattress. She knew that she could call Gil and have him put the boy in his own bed, but she didn't. The boy was going through so much right now and if sleeping with a baby would help him forget his own troubles for even one night, what was the harm?

Sara just hoped that she wouldn't have to pick up the pieces of his broken heart when this was all over, and Bowen's mother returned for her son. She quickly made a square out of pillows on her side of the bed and set Bowen inside the cocoon, surrounded by walls of pillows on all sides. She smiled as Ethan rolled over in his sleep and threw an arm out, his hand coming to rest on Bowen's wrapped chest. Her eyes filled with tears. Would it be so bad-

No, Sara, he's not yours – you're going to give him back to his mother. Your job is to keep him safe until she comes to collect her son.

And not fall in love with him in the meantime.

Gil noticed the emotion that Sara was trying to hide when she came back to the kitchen. He sent her a questioning look, but she shook her head slightly, her eyes darting to Mary and Marshall. He acknowledged her need to put the subject off, instead capturing and squeezing her hand as she sat next to him at the table.

"Are we finally ready to get started?" Mary's words were clipped as she tapped a pen on the tabletop.

"Mary-" Marshall admonished.

"I'm sorry – it was my understanding that you'd had a child of your own within the last few months," Sara began, her eyes snapping and her tone cool.

"I did, but I don't see what that-"

"Well, as a new mother, I would think that you'd understand that Bowen's needs come first – especially since Gil and I are trying to combat the effects of hypothermia and frostbite. Now, if you would like to take over his care yourself-"

"Sara," Gil spoke her name softly and she turned to him, the fight going out of her at the love in his eyes. "You're not late – I had to get the kids down, and then Ethan insisted on sleeping in –"

"I know, I saw him."

"It's all right?"

"It's fine."

Mary cleared her throat and both of them turned back to the blonde inspector. "Can we get started now?" she repeated, this time with less rancor.

"Of course."

Sara retold the story of going for a run, hearing a baby cry, and finding Bowen in some bushes at the edge of the body farm.

"What time was this?"

"I didn't have a watch-"

"Your cell phone?"

"Yes, but I didn't pull it out to check the time-"

Mary tried not to swear.

Marshall took over. "What time did you leave home?"

Sara frowned but Gil answered the question. "Eight-thirty. I had just finished story time and was going to tuck the trips in for the night."

"Sound right to you?" Marshall asked Sara.

She nodded.

"How long does it take you to run to the top of the canyon where the farm is located?"

"About ten minutes."

"So, if we factor in stopping to listen, going down the trail, and searching around for a bit before actually finding Bowen – estimated time nine pm?" Marshall suggested.

"That feels right-"

Gil nodded. "She got home at nine thirty – I know because she was much later than usual, and I was watching the clock."

"So, it took you three times as long to walk back?"

Sara nodded. "I was walking slow because I'd fashioned a homemade sling across my chest to keep him warm. Bowen was already so cold when I found him-" she shivered and Gil's grip on her hand tightened.

"Sunset tonight was five minutes to six-" Marshall stated.

Gil nodded. "And the temperature only reached thirty-four degrees today – after sunset, it dropped below freezing fast. Bowen was out in the elements, in the dark freezing cold for three hours before Sara found him. If his mother had just given him to me earlier, this whole situation could have been avoided."

Marshall and Mary exchanged a long look.

"What do you mean?" Mary asked.

"Well, she was on the tour from the university today. Paulie Brown was taking care of him while she was on the grounds – and I remember seeing a young Chinese woman among the other students. I can only assume she was Bowen's mother."

"You know what they say about people who make assumptions, Gil," Marshall drawled.

The older man turned to the younger inspector, his gaze piercing. "Yes, I do, Marshal Marshall Mann. So, let's stop with the assumptions and tell each other the truth. Only a woman in a life-and-death situation would abandon her child in this way – where he could very possibly die before being found. She doesn't leave a note to call the police or the FBI – but another woman named Mary Shepherd – who happens to your partner in the Marshal Service. Why?"

"Grace and I met when she came into town. I've helped her out of some tough situations-" Mary explained.

Sara's eyebrows rose high on her forehead as she shared a look of disbelief with her husband. "They honestly expect us to believe that?"

Gil gave her a small smile. "I think that is the standard party line they give to anyone who asks, Dear." He turned back to the two inspectors. "But my wife and I aren't just 'anyone' – we were CSIs for years – and we worked with all types of feds – from all different branches of the government."

Sara shook her head. "Marshall, did you really think you could fool us? We've known for over a year-"

"Known what?"

"That you work in witness relocation."

A/N: Whoopsie! Looks like the cat's out of the bag! Will Marshall come clean? How much of "the truth" will Mary and Marshall share with the Grissoms? And where the hell is Grace?

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