AN: Sorry about the wait, and thank you for the continued support, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 28: Birthday Surprise

Mid-June, 2001

Sara stopped in front of the breakroom door before turning her head to the person next to her, who was the newest, and last member of the team.

It took Sara and Nick a little time to fill out the team, adding two women when it was all said and done, Jane Baker, 22, who had just graduated from Berkeley University this last spring, she had long blond hair, blue eyes, stood around 5'7 with a slight build, and Latoya Parker, who was African-American, 35, so a seasoned level 3 coming from the CSI Lab in Seattle Washington, stood around 5'10, had dark hair, green eyes with above average build, and has a son Belle's age, so he'll be in the same fifth grade class with her this coming fall.

"You ready to meet your new team?"

Latoya nodded with a smile. "Yes, ma'am."

Sara chuckled and shook her head. "Please, it's Sara, none of this ma'am stuff."

The older woman nodded with another smile. "Ok, you got it."

Sara nodded with one more smile before turning her attention to the door and opening it, letting Latoya walk into the room first, then Sara spoke as all eyes were now on the new woman. "Morning everyone, I would like you all to meet our newest member of the team, Latoya Parker."

They all said hi before Sara fully introduced her to them. "You already know Nick, and that's Jane Baker, Finn Hamilton, and last but certainly not least, Dr. Gilbert Grissom, who yes also happens to be my husband if you're wondering about the shared last name."

Latoya looked surprised as she shook Grissom's hand. "Husband, they let you work together?"

Grissom released the woman's hand with a nod. "Yes, but with a very tight leash."

She nodded in understanding while Sara spoke with a smile. "But well worth whatever rules we have to follow."

Latoya could already see the love they have for one another as she sat down next to Grissom with a smile, Sara then cleared her throat before she got them into work mode. "Now that all the introductions have been made, it's time to get to work." She looked down at the assignment sheets before handing them out to the 'leads'. "Nick how about you work with Latoya today." Nick takes the assignment sheet with a nod and looks at it while Sara continues. "Dr. Grissom, you're with Jane, and Finn you'll be working with me. Now let's get out there and solve some cases, good luck everyone."

They all nodded before they got up from their seats then they went their respective ways.

After shift

It was very rare when multiple cases were open and shut, but that's exactly what happened today, and on the first day the dayshift team was fully staffed with their own people, so it didn't turn out to be that bad of a day.

Unfortunately though, while the rest of the team, except Nick, got to go home shortly after shift was officially over, Sara's day was not over, not even close. With her being supervisor she had more responsibilities, like reviewing the other's paperwork so she could sign off on it, budget reviews, and other important paperwork that a supervisor in a crime lab was in change with, so she sighed as she closed one file and put it in the done pile to the right before grabbing another off the medium sized stack that was to her left.

About an hour and half later, Nick walks into Sara's office with his small stack of paperwork, which some she would have to look at herself, so she points to the open spot between the ones she still has to look at and the done pile.

Nick sets his stack down before asking while looking at her still medium sized stack. "Do you need help with that?"

Sara shook her head with a small smile as she looked at him. "No, it's ok. I'm almost done for the night anyways. You should get out here, go spend time with Ashley, which by the way, how is she taking your later evenings?"

Nick smiled. "So far so good."

Sara nodded with a smile of her own, not really surprised by his answer before telling him. "And I don't think it will ever be a problem, just make sure you carve out a little time for her."

"Always. While this job is important to me, she's the most important priority on my list."

Sara smirked. "You better keep it that way, I know where you live." Nick chuckled with a nod, then Sara cleared her throat before continuing. "Now get out of here, so I can finish up and get out of here myself."

Nick nods one more time and spoke while walking towards the door. "Yes, Boss."

But stopped when Sara spoke. "Nick, didn't we talk about this?"

Nick turns around to look at Sara and answered with a sincere tone. "I'm just stating a fact, you are my boss now." He then smirked. "And come on, tell me you're not enjoying the title, even just a little bit?"

There was a slight pause while Sara bit her lip, then she nodded with a slow smile. "Ok, maybe just a little bit."

"There you go, embrace it while you have it."

"Fine I will, and I know you were raised to be a Texan gentleman, but none of this ma'am stuff, ok?"

Nick nodded one more time as he responded. "You got it, boss."

They both started chuckling as he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Sara shook her head with one more smile before she carried on with her paperwork, which she stayed two more hours, getting the most important work done, before she called it a night and left the lab.

When Sara finally made it home, and had walked inside the house, she saw the living room was empty, so she headed for the kitchen, where she found her husband.

"Hey."

He turned from the fridge with a smile on his face. "Hey, honey. You hungry?" She nodded, so he told her to sit down at the table while he got her plate from the oven since he wanted to keep her dinner warm, then after he placed her plate in front of her, he headed back to the fridge to get her a drink and his before he headed back to the table and sat down next to her.

After taking her first bite, she asked with curiosity. "Where's Belle?"

"She's actually in bed already."

Sara frowned as she turned her wrist to look at her wristwatch. "I'm not home that late, am I?"

When she saw that it was only 7, which with it being summer vacation for Belle she had a later bedtime, Sara was going to say something about that, but Grissom shook his head before speaking. "No, she told me she had an active day at the park today with her friends, so she was pretty tired, and considering she was almost falling asleep while eating dinner, I thought it was best if she went to sleep. If it does make you feel any better, she tried really hard fighting it so she could see you when you got home." She gave him a small smile, but sighed as she looked down at her food.

This was the first time that she could remember not seeing her daughter a whole day since she left this morning before her little girl had gotten up, which had been happening since she took the supervisor position, and now her little girl went to sleep before she got home. Sara knew she had to make some sacrifices when she accepted the supervisor position, but missing time with her daughter altogether wasn't a sacrifice she was willing to make, no matter how much she loves her job.

Before her thoughts could continue, Grissom placed his hand on his wife's hand. "Honey, I can imagine how you feel right now, but it was just one day."

Sara took a breath and nodded. "I know, but I'm already missing my mornings with her, and when school starts in the fall, I already know I won't be dropping her off with you, and you know we only got a few more years before she'll be wanting to take the bus to school, so we only got a limited time for our morning trips together."

They did promise Belle that when she was in 7th grade she can ride the bus to school, which with her being in the 5th grade next fall, that time was coming closer, closer than either one wanted to admit, their little girl was growing up.

Grissom ran his thumb up and down her hand and wrist to comfort his wife as much as he could before he asked. "So, what do you want?"

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I just know that I don't want to wake up one day and find out that I don't have a relationship with my daughter anymore."

He shook his head and replied. "And I promise I won't let that happen. But honestly, I don't see that happening, the bond between you two is very strong, and admittedly, I envy it."

Sara placed her other hand on his with a smile. "And your bond with her is getting stronger every day, I see it."

He asked with hope in his eyes. "Yeah?"

He knew that she loved him, that was unquestioned, and that she hadn't held, from what he could sense, an outward grudge for not being around her as much as they would have liked as she was growing up the first six years of her life, but he knew their bond level wasn't where he wanted it, which he understood why, he just hopes it will get even stronger in time.

She nodded with a wider smile. "Oh yeah." She then smirked. "And babe, just so you know she may look like me, but she has your mind and personality, she's definitely your daughter."

He chuckled with a nod before he sighed. "Who is growing up."

"I know, right? How do we have an almost eight-year-old daughter who is going into the 5th grade already?"

Belle's 8th birthday was this Saturday, and Catherine had informed them that she and Lindsey will be showing up, so Lindsey and Belle could spend the day together.

He did a mock gasp before asking with a smirk. "You already forgot?"

She chuckled and shook her head before replying with sincerity. "Never will I forget the best weekend of my life." Causing Grissom to smile a little shyly.

After a moment while she took a few more bites of her food, he asked, getting them back to the root of her problem. "You want to change your position at the lab again?"

She sighed again. "Yes, and no."

Seeing she was still torn on what to do, he spoke again. "We'll make this work, and maybe you can ask Nick to come in early some mornings. I mean the whole point of an assistant is to assist you, right? And by the time Belle is back in school he'll have a few months under his belt, so he'll understand some of the more important paperwork a little better by then."

She nodded. "That is true, and I trust his judgement when it comes to assigning our team members their assignments."

He smiled. "See, you're already thinking positive, and really understand that it won't always be like today."

She shook her head. "I hope not, because like I said, I don't want to wake up one day and not be close to my daughter. I won't let anything take that away from me, not even my job."

Next morning

After Sara woke up, she got ready for work before heading downstairs to the kitchen to get her one cup of coffee that she was allowed to drink, which after she reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned on the living room light, and while she technically didn't need the light since she knew this house by now like the back of her hand, it was habit, but when she did that, she didn't expect the small voice coming from the living room couch. "Mommy?"

Sara turned to see her daughter with her hair messy and her eyes squinting from the light, before she asked with a smile as she walked fully into the living room. "Baby, what are you doing down here?"

The little girl cleared her throat from her sleepy voice before replying. "I wanted to make sure I got to see you before you left for work, I missed you yesterday."

Sara sighed as she sat down next to her and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "I missed you too." As they pulled back, she continued. "And I wish I could tell you that's never going to happen again, but..."

Belle cuts her mom off. "But what you do is important, I know."

Sara smiled warmly as she spoke again. "I know you know that, but you also remember what I told you when it comes to this job and you and daddy?"

Belle nodded with a smile. "That nothing is more important to you then me and daddy."

"You got that right, and it's still true, I just have more responsibilities at work now, where I'll have to leave home earlier and get home a little later than before, so we are going to have to try a little bit harder to make this work so I can see you."

Belle then smirked. "Well, I'm up for it."

Sara chuckled before asking. "Yeah?"

Belle nodded with a smile at first then she said in a soft tone. "Because I want you to save as many people as you can."

Sara moved her hand to cup her daughter's cheek. "And I'm trying, baby." As Belle nodded, Sara brings her back into her arms and whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

After holding on to one another a few minutes longer, they start to pull back, and Belle asked. "Do I still get my birthday party on Saturday?"

Sara chuckled with a nod. "Of course. In fact, I was wondering if you can do me a big favor?"

"What is it?"

"Well, you see, we have this new team member who had just moved here so she is new to the city, and she also happens to have a son your age, so I was hoping you could invite them over so he could get to know kids his age, so he won't be as scared this coming fall when school starts again."

Belle frowned as she asked. "A boy mommy, really?"

Sara chuckled with a nod at the look Belle was giving her when she asked if it was truly a boy, her daddy would be so proud of her right now. "Yes, a boy, is that ok?"

Belle gets that 'daddy' deep thinking look with brows furrowing, then she nodded after another moment with a sigh, another 'daddy' gesture. "I guess so, but only because I have to get use to them if I'm having a baby brother."

Sara stifled her laugh this time as she nodded at her daughter's logic, then she replied. "Thank you, I'll tell his mother today that she and her son are invited."

Belle nodded before they chatted for a few more minutes, then after a kiss and hug they both got up from the couch and Sara watched Belle got back upstairs before she headed for the kitchen for her only cup of coffee for the day, then headed off to the lab.

An hour and half later, while Sara was in her office, there was a knock on her door, so while looking at the assignments, she replied. "Yeah, come in."

When the door opened a second later, she hears a little girl's voice. "Hi mommy."

Sara looks up in surprise to see her daughter and her husband walk into the room, and Grissom was carrying two plastic bags in his hands, so she asked in surprise. "What's this?"

Grissom smiled with his bright blue eyes. "Well, since you couldn't have breakfast with us at home, we thought we would bring breakfast to you."

Sara held back the tears of joy as she nodded. "That's sweet of you, come sit."

Sara moved papers and files out of the way while her family goes to the two chairs in front of her desk, and while Belle sits down in one of them, Grissom pulls out
to-go boxes of their homemade breakfast and silverware out of the bag before he sits down in the other chair so they could all eat as a family, making Sara extremely happy beyond words in this moment.

About 20 minutes later, as they were finishing up their meal, Sara gets a call from the receptionist saying that Ashley was here to pick up Belle, so Sara gives her daughter a kiss and hug, telling each other they love the other before Belle took her father's outstretched hand and they walked out of the office, so he could say his goodbyes when they reached Ashely, whom he had called earlier that morning to see if she could take her for the day.

After Sara had handed out assignments 10 minutes later, they all started to leave the room except Grissom when Sara asked if she could speak to him for a moment, so when they were alone, Sara smiled that loving smile as she spoke. "Thank you for breakfast in my office this morning."

Grissom nodded with a smile. "You're welcome, and I wish I could say it was all my idea, but Belle's the one that suggested it, which I told her that this probably can't happen every morning, but..."

Sara cuts him off. "Hey, any mornings we can make this happen, I'm all in."

He nodded with a smile in understanding before he replied. "I'm glad, because just because one routine closes, doesn't mean we can't make up a new one."

This time Sara nodded. "I agree." As they stood there looking at one another a few more seconds, she sighed as she stepped a little bit closer to him, but still having enough space between them that wasn't deemed inappropriate at work. "You know I so could kiss you right now."

He smirked as he whispered. "Now you know how I feel."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning every time you call me Dr. Grissom at work I just want to kiss you right then and there."

Since she became supervisor, she would, more often times than not, address him as Dr. Grissom, especially at a crime scene and like yesterday when she introduced Latoya to him, so to say it was a little triggering, in a good way, although not while at work, was an understatement.

She smiled. "I'm just trying to be professional."

"Yeah, but unfortunately more times than not my thoughts aren't very professional when you say it."

She looked around to make sure they were still alone before looking into those loving eyes of her husband and whispered. "Then you know how I feel when you call me Mrs. Grissom."

He smirked. "Then it looks like we have our work cut out for us while working together."

She chuckled. "True." She then speaks a little more passionate tone. "But that just means we have something to look forward to when we are off the clock and in our home."

"Which I admit it's a little exciting."

"I agree, and that's why it's so worth it working with you, beyond what we could do out in the field together."

After he nodded in agreement, he cleared his throat and finally took a step back, now needing that space between them before he did something drastic, then he spoke. "And speaking being out in the field, I should get to work, Mrs. Grissom."

That last bit he had a smirk on his face, now knowing the full extent on how she truly felt about that title, so she smirked back. "Yeah, you better, Dr. Grissom." Once he finally turned around, he started walking towards the door, but stopped when Sara spoke again, this time in a more serious tone. "I love you, be safe out there."

He turned to look at his wife and with the same tone and look, he replied. "I love you too, and you be safe as well. I'll see you later."

After she nodded, he finally walked out of the room, and after standing in the now empty breakroom for a few more seconds, Sara walked out to head to her office to get her kit while thinking she had to have the best family in the universe.

A few days later

There was an agreement that Grissom would take the day off, and Sara would work till noon, then Nick would close out the shift and join Belle's birthday party later that evening.

And while Belle did miss her mom in the morning, she actually didn't have time to dwell on it, because after her specially made pancakes that were shaped as animals, which only happens on special occasions, Belle helped her father set up for the party, and by the time that was done, it was time for her to change and her first two of four friends (Not counting Lindsey since she didn't know the other girl was going to be here), showed up not long after, twin sisters who actually live at the end of their street.

In the next few hours, the Grissom household was filled with kid's voices and parents alike, including Belle's 'aunts' Ashley, Quinn, and Jo, who is now six months pregnant and since her and Josh drove here, they actually brought Mrs. Grissom with them so the older woman could be here for her granddaughter's birthday.

Not long after Sara made it home to greet the parents and kids there was a sound of a doorbell dinging, and Grissom already knowing who it was because of the timing, smiled at his daughter. "Hey butterfly, want to see who it is?"

Belle, knowing that Curtis, the boy her mother had asked if he could come over for the day, wasn't here yet, had thought that would be him, but not wanting to be mean, she nodded with a polite smile and replied. "Sure daddy." Before her and her friends ran inside so Belle could open the front door, and just as Sara and Grissom reached the living room themselves, they heard Belle shout with excitement. "Lindsey! What are you going here!"

The almost 9-year-old smiled. "Well, it's your birthday, I couldn't miss one of my best friend's birthday, can I?"

The girls chuckled while giving each other hugs, happy to see one another, before they pulled back from one another then Belle introduced her friends to Lindsey while Catherine walked in the house to greet Grissom and Sara.

Just as Belle was done with the introductions and Catherine had her greeting, there was a knock on the door, so Sara, expecting who she thought it would be, walked towards the door and opened it. She then smiled at/greeted Latoya and her son before moving to the side to let them inside the house, and once they were, Sara closed the door while the girls were looking at him, and while a few of them were wondering why a boy was here, Belle, the ever so polite little girl, walked up to him and spoke with a smile. "Hi, I'm Belle Grissom."

The little boy with dark hair that was styled in a low fade haircut with green eyes didn't respond at first because he was nervous being surrounded by new people, then he cleared his throat before replying with a smile of his own. "Hi, I'm Curtis Parker."

As Belle nodded, Lindsey walked up close to them and introduced herself. "And I'm Lindsey Willows, one of Belle's best friends, but I live in Las Vegas."

Curtis nodded with another smile, and after the other girls reluctantly introduced themselves, the kids ran outside to play, then Sara introduced Latoya to Catherine before the four of them went outside so they could join the others.

AN: Thanks for reading, and please review. Hope you all have been good the last few weeks, sorry again about the wait, but I hope it was worth it. Until next time, always remember, GSR4ever!