| Any comments, suggestions or questions can be directed to the author. Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope you found something that you could enjoy. Disclaimer: I do not own anything in relation to C.S.I., Alliance Atlantic, CBS, William Petersen, Jorja Fox or any other characters contained herein... I just like playing with them now and then while stretching my writing muscles. And if you think there's any money to be gained by suing me, you're in for a horrible disappointment. |
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| The continuing years of the Discovery Series storyline as the family gets ready for a big event. The family storyteller gathers up some photos and shares a perspective on the past. (including a "photo album" scrapbook) GSR/Yo!Bling/Etc. *Rated PG for Most Everyone. |
| LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY |
| Part 12 - The Wisdom of His Years |
| Enjoying a quiet morning with his wife had once been a luxury for Gil Grissom, but as the children had grown up and moved away, they quickly became the norm. However, the afternoons were still the same hectic parade of event they had always been. Shortly after Sara left for some kind of clandestine meeting with his niece, Gil decided a nap might just be in order. He had two appointments of his own that afternoon, and he wanted to be sharp for them. Growing older, he was rediscovering the practice of actually sleeping. For much of his adult life he subsisted on only a modicum of sleep, but long about the age of seventy all of that changed. He began to sleep a full eight to nine hours a night, and as if that was not enough, he also discovered the value of the midday nap. Of course, he came to that discovery by way of his wife’s insistence. It seemed strange to him to be getting lectures about the value of sleep from the woman who could pull more double and triple shifts than he could during their time at the crime lab. But Sara had the advantage of pregnancy to learn the lessons of sleep and proper rest. The complications during Sara’s second pregnancy were the source of many changes in their lives. Not only did her hours have to change, Sara seemed to lose her thirst for the work. During her maternity leave, she found herself working with a few of Gil’s students as they performed materials analysis and worked on creating a standard table of collision forces for vehicular accident investigations. And in no time at all, she was back in school working on her PhD and leaving the crime lab behind as a professor of Applied Physics. The move was good for the both of them. It not only brought them back together working toward a common goal, but they were also on a level playing field for the first time in their professional careers; same titles, same responsibilities, same fields. They were educating and training a new breed of forensic scientists and investigators, together. And they were happy. The best part of their new professional lives was that their children were literally able to grow up in their labs beside their parents. Lillian was studying the classes of the animal kingdom in his lab while other girls her age were learning the alphabet with cartoon pictures of animals. Max was adding up data for experiments in Sara’s lab when the other boys were just learning how to count their fingers and toes. The twins performed experiments under many watchful eyes, which probably prevented several explosions. All of the children enjoyed the freedom of the labs, and it brought he and Sara immeasurable joy over the years. As he lay back into the family room sofa, Gil lulled himself to sleep with all of the happy memories made in their labs. So many wonderful moments spread out over the years, a crooked smile played across his face just as his eyes softly closed. His dreams were filled with all of those happy memories and the many more he hoped would come to pass. When the conscious world slowly came back into focus, Gil’s chest heaved with a deep sigh of contentment. Another good, solid nap to add to the record books. He felt renewed and rejuvenated, ready to take on another day. As much as he was prone to fight against the waste of time a nap represented, after each one he always felt better. At his age, if someone was visiting he hated to lose any time with them, but when he was alone, he would relent. Sitting up, Gil took in a deep lungful of air and slowly blew it out again. He reached up to his neck and checked his pulse. Resting heart rate of sixty eight beats per minute, breathing easy, rested and conscious: all the necessary ingredients for another great day. Rising from the couch, Gil thought he heard some rustling in the next room and he looked down at his watch. Sara was supposed to be gone for another three or four hours, and he was fairly certain Lillian was working, so she should have been sleeping before her shift. Gil straightened his slacks and sweatshirt before going to investigate the noise coming from his office. Turning the corner, Gil found a very tall and still very scruffy looking young man in his office going through the slide boxes on an upper shelf. “Oh hey, Uncle Gil. I didn’t wake you up, did I?” He smiled brightly at his young protégé and began to fish around for his glasses as he spoke, “Not at all. I didn’t even hear you until I was already awake.” Finding the offending item resting on the edge of his desk, he picked them up and placed them on his face. “But what on earth are you doing here, Michael?” “Oh, I was asking Aunt Sara about some slides from one of our trips, and she told me where to find them. But she’d skin me if I woke you up, so I really hope I didn’t.” Michael stepped down from a small stool holding a box of slides. “No, and I will be sure to tell her you had no part in waking me.” He looked down at his watch again and remarked, “I have an appointment in just over an hour, and I set my alarm to give myself time to prepare for it.” “Oh well, I’ll get out of your way just as soon as I can.” He turned back to the shelf and looked questioningly at the location of his intended target. “I just need to fin-.” “What’ve you got there?” Gil gestured for the box in Michael’s hands and waiting for him to pass it over. “Ah, yes. Your graduation trip through Central America.” He opened the lid and sat down in the chair beside his desk. “I seem to recall we had quite an adventure on that trip.” Michael chuckled at the memories. “That we did. Especially when we threw Jimmy into that river you’d convinced him was filled with flesh eating fish.” Michael laughed out right remembering the screams of terror coming from his little brother. “You can be just as evil as Mom when you put your mind to it, Uncle Gil.” “Who do you think she learned it from?” Gil raised an eyebrow to punctuate his question. Shaking his head, Michael denied his assertion. “Sorry, Uncle Gil. But evil like Mom’s is inborn. It can’t just be taught.” Gil chuckled at his nephew’s conclusion. “You might have a point there.” He closed up the slide box and placed it on the edge of his desk. “Now, what are you looking for?” Stepping back up onto the stool, Michael called over his shoulder, “Well, I was hoping to find those pictures of our first Yucatan trip, to show the variations over time in my presentation as I describe the data that’s been collected.” He turned back with a devilish grin on his face, “And maybe I wanted to sneak out the pictures from our behind the scenes tour of Monterrey Bay Aquarium.” “You just want to embarrass my daughter again.” Gil was rewarded for his insight with a huge grin from his nephew. “And so, I would never tell you they’re in the green box on the second shelf marked two thousand sixteen, box two. No matter how many times you ask me, I just won’t-no the dark green one.” He pointed him further to the left as he interrupted himself. “Nope, no matter how much you ask me, I will not divulge that information.” “Good thing you aren’t easily persuaded, Uncle Gil. Because that would have been really bad for Lilli.” Michael laughed as he pulled the suspected box down from the shelf. “So, since you won’t tell me where these are, maybe you can point me in the right direction for those Yucatan pictures?” “Huh… Well, I’m trying to remember when we took you kids there for the first time. I know we went to Baja when Max and Jimmy were babies, but that was just a beach trip. And I know when we took you to the Yucatan Lillian was in school, but I can’t remember what grade.” As Gil searched his memory he tried to do the math that would get him to the right year. “Twenty-twelve. Paddy and I were in kindergarten, and that was our first Spring Break trip.” Michael started flipping through the boxes to find the right year. “Box one, two, three or four?” “My money would be on number two. I’m fairly certain I was putting them into quarterly boxes at that point.” Michael nodded and reached for the second box. “Sounds like a good plan.” He had to use a little effort to break it loose from the other boxes, which forced an envelope to come tumbling out and fall onto the floor. “Uh-oh.” Hopping down from the stool, Michael set the box on the side table before squatting down to retrieve the fallen envelope. As he picked it up, the label came into view. “Okay, Uncle Gil… Is this something you’re hiding from Aunt Sara for some reason?” Michael gave him a sly look that confused him. “What are you talking about?” Gil questioned. “What fell?” “It’s an old brown envelope marked ominously as ‘Modeling Pictures.’ There’s no date and no other information.” Michael began to unravel the string holding the envelope closed. “Am I going to be shocked to see what’s insi-” The moment the item registered in his mind, Gil instantly stopped him from looking inside the envelope. “Michael, hand me that envelope.” Without hesitating, Michael stopped removing the fastener and passed the envelope to his uncle. “Sorry, Uncle Gil. I was just joking around. I didn’t mean anything by it.” “It’s okay. These were entrusted to me, and I don’t really feel comfortable sharing them.” He tried to take some of the tension out of the exchange. “I didn’t mean to snap.” “It’s cool… Really. I was just goofing. No harm, no foul.” Michael picked up the other boxes of pictures and tucked them under his arm. “I’ll get these back to you as soon as Jimmy makes the prints for me, okay?” “That would be fine.” Gil nodded his agreement, but he continued to hold the envelope close to him. Michael checked his watch and swore, “Dang! I need to get a move on, Uncle Gil. I’m supposed to be at Nellis in less than thirty minutes for some security clearance thing-a-ma-bob for Geoffrey.” Clapping his uncle on the shoulder, he smiled. “Have fun with your appointments, and I’ll probably see you for dinner tonight, right?” “Most definitely. Your mother wouldn’t hear of anything else. That, and she promised to keep my wife hostage unless I agreed to show up.” Gil gave him a shy, crooked smile. “And she’d do it, too!” They both chuckled and the tension finally seemed to have abated. “Do you need a ride there? ‘Cause we can swing by here on the way back from Nellis to pick you up.” Gil thought about it, and he liked the idea of not having Sara driving back and forth too many times. “Well, if you don’t think it will be too far out of the way…” “Not at all, and I’ll call Aunt Sara to let her know she doesn’t need to ride in the family road rally tonight.” Michael squeezed his shoulder and smiled before heading out the door. Listening for the closing of the front door, Gil felt supreme relief the moment it snicked closed. Loosening his grip on the envelope, he suddenly felt incredibly foolish for his behavior with Michael. It was silly to get so riled up about a couple handfuls of photographs, the most recent of which were nearly fourty years old. But he took very seriously his responsibility to keep the secrets of those wonderful people in the photos. Standing up, he took the photographs with him as he made his way to his desk chair. As he sat down he opened the envelope the rest of the way and retrieved the pictures to lay out on the desk. Carefully handling the delicate treasures, he looked through them, one at a time, separating the images as he placed them on the desk. |
| There were many things he knew about specific people that were known to no one else. But this was a special case. Sara had spent many years in foster care, and while she did obtain an academic scholarship to Harvard, it did not begin to cover all of her expenses. At first she tried working the same kind of job she had in high school, but the hours it required to make what she needed began to take a toll on her studies. When she was approached by a man at the coffee house she was working, her first thought was that he was just a creep. But the man had given her a card for his photography studio and she slipped it into her pocket, not to think about it again until closing. As they were locking up for the night, she found the card in her pocket and mentioned it to the owner of the shop. She was surprised to learn that the man was indeed a professional photographer, and a reputable one at that. He was well known in the business community for his advertising work, and the owner told Sara she should check out his offer. The owner was right, and soon Sara was doing regular photo shoots with the photographer as his stock model. It was a lot of stuff for various local magazine ads, and some catalog work, but it gave Sara the money she wanted and the time she needed for school. And so, for three years his wife was a student-slash-model. She was grateful her photos were never seen West of the Mississippi, and felt safe in the knowledge they never would be. That was until she moved in with Gil, and he stumbled upon the envelope currently resting beneath the photographs. She was mortified to have him see the evidence of any form of vanity on her part. But he surprised her by marveling at the quality of the work and the pride he displayed at being the boyfriend of a real live model. Feeling slightly giddy from his praise, she agreed to let him keep the photos, just as long as no one else ever saw them. And he kept his promise… Mostly. Thomas had come over to the house and wanted to borrow a photograph of Stephanie that he knew Gil had, and that was when it happened. They were going through the boxes of pictures Gil kept in his office when Thomas found the envelope. Making the same mistake his son would make some twenty years later, and assuming Gil had been hiding some inappropriate pictures in the office, he was not nearly as successful with Thomas as he was with Michael, and the man opened the envelope. Inside he found two more envelopes, one labeled “Sara” and the other labeled “Stephie.” Then he had no choice but to explain. Much like Sara, Stephanie had obtained scholarships to attend Berkeley. But her father was a cop and her mother was a science teacher, and Stephanie refused to take any money from them for her expenses. That was when she enlisted the help of her Uncle Gil to find a reputable agent to deal with the photographers who had always pestered her to sit for them. Stephanie was a beautiful girl, and she most certainly looked grown up, even when she was only fourteen. Despite her looks, she was never very comfortable with the more artsy photographers. As a result Stephanie was a very popular catalogue model for a few years, paying for part of her high school tuition, and her other expenses during college. And when she went away to medical school, she closed the door on that part of her life. She so completely put it out of her mind, she never even told Thomas about it. Gil had to make Thomas promise with his own life that he would not break the confidence with anyone. Stephanie was actually embarrassed by the fact that she had been a model. Not because of the work, but because she took the easy way and failed to do something more constructive with her time to earn the money. Staring at the fresh young faces contained in those images, Gil chuckled at the similarities he saw there, and the countless others he had discovered over the years between these two vastly different women. With as many things as they shared, Sara and Stephanie were still such unique beings in his world. He continued to marvel at the incredible friendship these women in his life were able to forge, despite their differences and similarities. Gently gathering up the photographs and returning them to the envelope once more, Gil decided he needed another place to store the contraband images. After retrieving a key from the bottom of his desk drawer, he slowly got up from his chair and walked across the room to picture frame on the wall. He gingerly removed his prized painting of a father and daughter riding a scooter through a grove of palm trees from the wall. He loved the painting his daughter picked out for his sixtieth birthday, and used it to hide the safe in which he kept all of the important documents of their lives. The birth certificates, their marriage license, the insurance policies, the deed to the house, locks of hair from the children’s first haircuts, their lost teeth, and the christening gown worn by every Grissom for the last five generations. And that was where he lovingly placed the envelope. Safely resting with the important things in his life, the images of vibrant youth would reside. The secrets of these two very special women would be kept far from any prying eyes. |
| Sara and Stephanie sat quietly in the solarium, enjoying a pot of tea after putting the pictures away for the day. They managed to finish all but a couple pages over the course of the day, and the tea was their reward. At the sound of the garage door opening up, Stephanie turned her head to the house and asked, “So, you want five on Thomas or Mikey?” Sara stretched out her arms and legs, strangely resembling a napping cat and she answered, “No way, that’s a sucker’s bet.” She let out healthy yawn and explained, “We both know Thomas is in surgery all afternoon. And since Lilli is here with us, you know Michael can’t stay away too long.” She was rewarded for her insight when they heard Lilli call out to her favorite partner in crime. The two chuckled at their combined knowledge of their family and they returned their attentions to the cups of tea before them. However, their peaceful retreat was about to be disturbed when Michael and Lilli moved to the adjoining kitchen area. Lilli’s was the first voice they could hear, as usual. “You didn’t wake him up, did you?” “Nah, he came in to help me find ‘em after he woke up. Said he had some appointment.” Michael’s voice was slightly more muffled, which could only mean his head was buried in the refrigerator. “So, did you find what you were looking for?” Her speech was somewhat garbled then, and they both knew she was nibbling on something Michael had probably handed her. “Boy, did I! And then some!” Michael’s tone was excited, but Stephanie also recognized the hint of mischief in the undertone. “What?” That was the question they all wanted answered as they detected the voices growing closer. As the two pushed their way out into the solarium, Michael simply blurted out, “I totally stumbled across Uncle Gil’s porn stash.” Simultaneously, Stephanie and Sara spat their tea across the table with their surprise. “WHAT?!” Michael and Lilli stood like a couple of kids with their hands in the cookie jar. Turning to Lilli, Michael exclaimed, “You didn’t tell me they were out here!” “Forget that,” Stephanie said, “What the hell were you talking about? What porn?” “You have to be kidding, right? I have never seen any such thing in that house.” Sara was convinced he was pulling her daughter’s leg. “Well, I didn’t necessarily see the porn, or anything. But come on, Aunt Sara. It was a plain brown envelope of pictures and magazines and it just said ‘Modeling Pictures’ on the outside.” Michael shrugged his broad shoulders in an almost comical gesture and said, “What else would it be?” The stricken looks on both of their faces told a story only the other would be able to understand. As Stephanie looked away, the blush rapidly rising on her cheeks, Sara looked Michael dead in the eye and told him, “Those aren’ t what you think they are, because I have seen them…most of them. It’s just another one of his odd collections, I promise.” Once their eldest and bewildered children went back into the house, Stephanie turned to Sara and they were unable to stop the deep resonating laughter that erupted. As Michael and Lilli made their way downstairs, they could hear their mother’s laughing and it confused them to no end. “I just don’t get them sometimes,” Michael said in disgust. “Shut up, Dude… I’m still trying to get the image of my parents looking at porn together out of my head.” Lilli shuddered at the thought. “Oh please!” Michael nudged her with a conspiratorial look on his face as he exclaimed, “You know we both only learned French just so we could read the good books in your parents’ library.” Lilli’s cry of revulsion threw Michael into a fit of laughter as they sprinted away from their mothers. |
