| At eighty years old, he was fairly certain he should be allowed to choose his own clothes, but there he was, slowly buttoning up a fresh dress shirt and trying to decide which tie would be considered acceptable to his wife and goddaughter. Gil Grissom was a man of simple tastes in his later years, and the thought of wearing a coat and tie was enough to make him a little more than grumpy. After all, this was his birthday party, and he was pretty sure it was supposed to be about what he wanted for at least this one day every year. Of course, there was also the other side of that coin. If he wore the coat and tie and looked dashing for his wife, he would get to see that smile of hers. It was a smile that could make even the coldest of nights warm and bright. He really did love to see Sara smile, especially when it was because of him. He grabbed his dark blue tie with the black paisley which could only be seen when the light hit it just right. Sara really liked that tie, and his daughter had given it to him, so it also meant a lot to her. Pleasing two women at the same time with nothing more than a simple wardrobe choice seemed like an awfully good way to start the night. Most of his life had revolved around making one woman or another happy; his mother, various girlfriends, his goddaughter, his co-workers, his wife, his daughter, and now his granddaughter. They each held his attention and a piece of his heart. For a man who was once considered a confirmed bachelor, women always seemed to play an enormous role in his life. He still remembered the day when they placed his newborn daughter in his arms. Lillian Marie Grissom stopped crying the very moment he started talking to her. It felt as though she immediately recognized his voice and his calming tone made her feel safe in his arms. From that moment forward, he and his daughter shared a very special relationship. Lifting up the collar of his shirt, Gil then looped the tie over his head and thought about his daughter. Lillian had been in an uncommonly sour mood of late, and he looked for anything he could to make her smile. He knew she was under a certain amount of strain at work, due to their being short-handed once again, but he had a sneaking suspicion it went far deeper than that. He also knew that if he asked her about what was troubling her, she would put on her best smile and tell him everything was fine. However, if he bided his time, and simply made himself available to her, eventually she would let him into her confidence. Not to mention the fact he was fairly certain either her mother, or her favorite confidant, Stephanie, was on the inside; as was normally the custom. Things were much simpler with his son Max. The boy did not possess a single ounce of subterfuge in his entire body. There were very few instances over the course of his lifetime in which Max even attempted to hide something, because he was immediately given up by the mischievous glint in his eye and the sneaky smile on his face. No, the only time he ever had to worry about Max was when he and James were being led astray by the twins, or Lillian, or both. When he began to fumble with the knot on his tie, his fingers stiff with age and too many years of handling delicate specimens, he grunted in frustration. And then, like a wisp of wind, Sara was right there behind him slipping her long arms under his to help. “Maybe you’ve forgotten how one of these things works. It has been a while.” “It has, but I have not forgotten.” He reached in and squeezed her hand for a brief moment as he grinned. “The knowledge is there, but the fingers are stubborn.” “Yes, well… We’re all learning that little lesson lately, aren’t we?” With her statement he tried to look down at her leg, but she pulled him back up into her chest. “Hold still.” “Are you still having trouble?” He raised an eyebrow at her as he asked her reflection in the mirror. “It’s a little stiff, but the swelling is gone. I just need to watch out for those invisible speed bumps a little better.” Sara smirked at him from behind his head, but he was still a little worried since her fall. Sara had taken a tumble in the park a few weeks before and her ankle had been giving her trouble ever since. After a week of it being swollen, he finally convinced her to see the doctor. It turned out only to be a bad sprain, but the doctor put her in an air-cast and told Sara to take it easy for a few weeks. And if the pain and or swelling persisted, she was to come right back to see him. The air-cast lasted for less than a week even though she was still favoring the ankle, and she returned to her evening walks with Stephanie in less than two. Being married to a stubborn woman was often a challenge, and with Sara that was doubly true. He tried to be casual with his reminder, “Well, anytime you’re ready to go back to the doctor’s offi-” “I do not need to have some snot-nosed kid who’s pretending to be a doctor telling me to sit in my rocker and leave the parks to the younger, more able bodied crowd.” He tried to shake his head as she railed against the young doctor, whose only sin was suggesting that someone approaching her sixty-fifth birthday should probably be trying to take it easy a little more. “I know full well what I am and am not capable of doing.” “Sara, the doctor said no such thing. He merely told you that at your age you were not going to heal the way you used to with something like this and you needed to take it easy to help the process.” He lifted his brow just a little with the end of his statement. She slowly pulled the bulk of the tie through the last loop and tightened until it was perfect before she finally answered, “Fine… But he was still a snot-nosed kid.” “I’ll give you that.” He squeezed her hand again and nodded at the quality of her knot. “And thank you. I’m pretty sure this is fine enough to pass inspection.” Sara chuckled, “Well, I hope so, since Steph’s the one who taught me how to do this.” “Taught you how to do what?” Her hair tied loosely behind her head, and wearing a tank top with a pair of gym shorts, their daughter Lillian stood in the doorway of the bathroom behind them. “Funny, I don’t remember hearing the doorbell…” He turned to Sara and asked, “I’m not going deaf, am I?” “Thanks a lot, Dad.” Lillian shook her head and rolled her eyes. Sara leaned on the back of his shoulders and said, “Actually, she came here after work because I took her dress to the cleaners with mine.” He nodded his understanding. “And I was late getting out of work, so Mom wouldn’t let me go home. Plus this way I could drive you guys to the party since her ankle is still bothering her.” Lillian showed the both of them just whose daughter she was with her final words in the topic. “Because she still won’t wear the air-cast like a stubborn old woman.” The glare on Sara’s face almost made him laugh, but he managed to keep it in. “Is there a schedule somewhere, so you two can take turns badgering me about that stupid cast?” He managed to avoid laughing until Lillian responded. “Yeah, it’s on the side of the fridge, under the urgent care magnet, so we can see whose turn it is to call when you fall again, since you aren’t wearing the cast.” As he and Lillian laughed uncontrollably, Sara shook her head in disgust. Once they started to quiet down, Sara asked, “Was there a reason you came in here? You know, other than to torment me?” Slowly coming back to herself, Lillian stopped laughing long enough to answer her mother. “Oh, yeah… There wasn’t any makeup in my emergency bag. Can I borrow your travel stuff so I can finish getting ready?” Sara shook her head, “No, because I lost it on my last flight. I’m already done, so you can just take what you need from my dressing table.” Leaving him to finish up, they both walked away from the bathroom chattering about makeup. “Do you have any of that lipstick in that color I liked so much…what was it called?” “It was one of the berry ones, I think. I just don’t remember which one.” Eventually their words were nothing more than background noise as he stood in front of the mirror. Eighty years of living was staring back at him from his reflection. Eighty years spent in the pursuit of knowledge and truth. He wondered, as he noticed the sun spots on his forehead, if it was all really worth the trouble. The mistakes made in the first fifty years of his life still haunted him, and he could only hope that the way he spent the last thirty made up for it. As he listened to the women in the next room chatter and giggle with each other, he realized that he had done at least two or three things right to make up for all those wasted years. After much feminine discussion about dresses and makeup and whether Lillian should wear her hair up or down (down was the decision, as Sara’s hair was up and Lillian would rather avoid the twin comments for one night), they were ready to head over to the hotel for the party. He was actually quite relieved to hear that Lillian would be driving. The party would no doubt run late, and neither he, nor his wife, was used to late hours anymore. The drive over was pleasant enough, even though Lillian fought to make Sara prop her leg up in the backseat for the duration of their drive. They talked about Michael and Geoffrey moving to Las Vegas and how glad they all were to have Michael home. They discussed the upcoming race for a new sheriff in Clark County, along with an update on Lillian’s recent altercation with the current sheriff. Conversations with his daughter were always a rewarding experience for him, but seeing her come into her own as an adult and a professional was an especially gratifying moment as a father. Thinking about fatherhood reminded him of his other child. “Does anyone want to lay odds on Max arriving on time tonight?” Sara was the first to answer, “Sucker’s bet.” Max had brought the children by late in the morning to take the two of them out for brunch. He wanted to let Amanda get a little extra sleep, so he left her at the hotel and tried to wrangle the children on his own. “It probably took him two hours just to get Tommy down from the ceiling after those chocolate chip pancakes.” “He let Tommy have chocolate?!” Lillian’s shock was more than evident in her tone of voice. “Didn’t he learn his lesson after last Christmas? That boy shouldn’t even be allowed to smell chocolate.” Grissom smiled and nodded. He too had been forced to learn things the hard way. “Sad fact of fatherhood, I’m afraid. We are so swept away by the notion of making our children happy, that we often forget the consequences of our actions.” Sara chuckled from the backseat, having been witness to several of his similar mistakes over the years. “Case in point: allowing you and the twins to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl at the boardwalk.” Lillian groaned at the reminder. “Oh God! I had almost forgotten about that.” “The three of you begged and pleaded with Thomas and I to let you go, swearing you’d never tell your mothers. And you had no idea why they wouldn’t let you ride the last time, but you really, really wanted to ride it.” Sara had moved from chuckling to full on laughter as he recounted the Tale of the Tilt-A-Whirl, as it had come to be known in the family. “And we finally relented, not ever dreaming there was a very good reason for your mothers to refuse such a thing.” “Watching you guys try to sneak three kids, still heaving from the nausea, into that beach house was probably the funniest thing I had ever seen.” Sara was practically in hysterics when she said, “Twenty years after the fact and I’m still laughing.” “Thanks, Mom. I’m glad that my pain and misery can bring you so much joy.” Despite the sullen expression on his daughter’s face, Gil still loved telling that story. Hearing Sara’s delighted and unrestrained laughter could be the highpoint of any day. “Anytime, sweetheart. Anytime at all.” Sara was still giggling at the memory as she leaned forward and put a hand on Lillian’s shoulder. “These are the little rewards we get for surviving your childhood in one piece.” Gil turned to see the smiles on both of their faces; Sara’s full of mirth and joy, Lillian’s tinted with embarrassment and a bit of wistfulness. Moments such as these were the reason he was eternally grateful that he finally accepted his humanity and brought love into his life. His life was infinitely richer with Sara, and all that their relationship had brought with it. “So, if we’re done picking on me for the evening…” Lillian waited for her mother’s laughter to die down before she continued. “I just wanted to say, that I know parties aren’t your thing, Daddy, but Mom and Steph and Michael really went all out to make this special for you. So, please, try not to look too bored, and for God’s sake! Do Not fall asleep, okay?” “Honey, knowing Stephanie as I do, there is no possible way that I am going to have even two seconds to think about falling asleep.” Gil pushed the hair behind Lillian’s ear, the same as he had done since she was a small child, and he smiled. “And knowing that you and Michael were involved, as well, fills me with great anxiety. I can only begin to imagine what horrifying surprises the two of you have cooked up.” He watched as Lillian’s shoulder blades squeezed together in the back, a tell she had inherited from her mother, and he knew something was indeed up. “Why would you think something like that, Daddy? We’re both as pure as the driven snow.” Sara was unable to contain the “Ha!” that escaped her throat at Lillian’s assertion. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom.” Lillian rolled her eyes, and Gil watched her calm façade fall right into place (a trait she inherited from him, to be certain). “Sorry, sweetheart, but that was more than I could handle. You and Michael have been up to something practically since the day you met.” Sara voiced the truth each person in their family had accepted many years ago. Michael and Patrick may have been twins, but Lillian fit in there so perfectly, they invented the evil trio. “Whatever… Just be nice tonight. A lot of people have gone to a lot of trouble to make this special for you, Daddy. So, no anti-social, curmudgeon professor routine tonight, okay?” Lillian brought the car to a stop in front of the hotel as she turned to her father to get a confirmation. Gil nodded obediently and said, “Yes, dear.” Lillian turned around to her mother and asked, “Does that bother you like this every time he says that?” Sara shrugged and nodded, “Pretty much.” Shaking their heads, Lillian and Sara unbuckled their seatbelts and got ready to exit the car as three valets opened the doors to Lillian’s car. “Welcome to the Rampart,” they all said in unison. Sara took the hand offered to her and gently exited the vehicle, her long skirt falling down along her lithe legs in a cascade of silk. After watching the vision he was honored to call his wife, Gil turned and acknowledged the young man holding open his car door. As he reached into his pocket to slip the boy a tip, Lindsey’s husband Brian came walking into view. “Kids, you take very good care of Dr. Grissom’s car, or you’ll be scrubbing blacktops by morning.” The valets all smiled, instantly knowing the manager of the hotel was only kidding. He stood before Gil and proceeded to shake his hand. “Dr. Grissom, I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I was when Stephanie asked us to host your party.” “Brian, you’ve been married to Lindsey for how many years? I think it’s safe for you to call me Gil now.” Gil enjoyed the younger man’s gesture of respect, but he found it just a little disconcerting at the same time. “Sorry about that, Sir. But the Old Man was pretty strict when it came to how I was supposed to address certain people, and I just can’t seem to break the habit.” Brian left him to meet Sara and Lillian at the curb, offering his arm to Sara as she gingerly stepped up to the sidewalk. “And then there’s my wife to consider,” he called over his shoulder before giving Sara his full attention. “Good to see you again, Mrs. Grissom.” “Thank you, Brian. We’ll be sure to give a glowing report to Lindsey.” Sara gave him a gentle wink as soon as she was safely on the sidewalk. “Yeah, but she’s still not going to cut you any slack after that skydiving stunt.” Lillian winked at her father as she stepped between her parents. Brian hung his head as he nodded, “Yeah, I’ll probably be paying for that one for a long time to come. But at least Duncan and I had a good time doing it, for all the hell we’ve taken since then.” Gil put an understanding hand on the man’s shoulder as he said, “We were just discussing the perils of fatherhood on the way over here. I feel your pain.” With a smile on his face, Brian escorted the three of them through the lobby of the Rampart, and into the entry for the Braun Ballroom. “I still have a few things to deal with before I can join you all, but Stephanie told me to have you guys head right in.” “Thank you, Brian.” Gil shook his hand again and the younger man left to tend to his business. As Gil watched him walk away he thought to himself that Sam was obviously a very insightful businessman, and a caring grandfather. To have seen the potential for the business in someone as young as Brian at the time, and to know exactly what his granddaughter saw in him; Sam truly was a genius in his own right. He turned to his wife and daughter as he asked, “Well, shall we, ladies?” Gesturing for the door, he did the best impersonation of a debonair man he could muster and smiled. Sara immediately moved to his side and took his arm, “I’d be delighted.” Her smile was bright, but subdued, and he knew the move had worked. Even at eighty years old, he still knew how to make her happy. Lillian shook her head in mock revulsion and opened the door for her parents, “Good grief, are we gonna have to get you two a room?” As they walked past their oldest child, Sara shot back, “The night’s still young, and you just never know.” Gil felt immense pride filling his chest as they walked proudly into the ballroom, their daughter still making disgusted noises behind them. Upon entering the room, they found Max and Amanda working with James and Emily as they tried to keep their children from knocking over one of the food displays, while Patrick had a twin on each hip, and a little girl firmly gripped around his ankle, doing a convincing rendition of the Frankenstein monster to the sound of the children’s delighted giggles. Stephanie was barking orders to the catering staff, while Bethie was trying desperately to finish braiding her mother’s hair as she moved about. Thomas was on the phone near the door and nodded at them as they passed, and the whole scene looked and felt strangely familiar to him. Chaos was his constant companion, no matter how much he tried to find order and peace. Sara once told him that order and peace were boring, and it was chaos and mayhem that kept the world spinning. Through nearly thirty years together, he learned the truth and wisdom of those words. When Stephanie noticed them crossing the floor to the chorus of hellos as they passed, she made her way to them in a flourish. “Oh good! You got him here early after all.” “We’d have been here sooner, but there was considerable discussion about hair that preceded our departure.” Gil accepted the hug from his goddaughter when she reached for him. “Well, as you can see…” Looking back at her daughter directly behind her, “We’re still having that discussion here.” Stephanie turned back and asked, “Are you done, yet?” Bethie gave her a very icy glare and then stuck her tongue out at her mother. Gil laughed, remembering a similar reaction from the older of the two, in what felt like only yesterday. “Like mother, like daughter.” Bethie blushed at his remark and hurried off to help her brother with the kids. Pointing at Stephanie, Lillian said, “If she turns into you any more than she already has, I’m calling foul on the cloning experiment.” Lillian kissed her father on the cheek and excused herself as Stephanie laughed. “I need to make a phone call. I’ll be right back.” “She’s not on call, is she?” Looking to Stephanie for confirmation, Gil was still a little concerned with his daughter’s mood. “Not at all. David even scheduled her off for the next couple nights.” Stephanie frowned at the idea and then looked all around the room. “Well, it looks like almost everyone is here. Give me five more minutes and I’ll be ready.” Before he had a chance to ask for what, she was halfway across the room. “What’s that all about?” Sara grinned and quickly put him at ease. “Steph didn’t want to turn your party into a huge scene, so she wanted the family to get together before everyone else arrives.” “Everyone else? I thought this was just family and friends.” His whitened brow furrowed with this disclosure. “What has she done?” Lillian stopped him from getting too ornery. “Don’t get your boxers in a bunch, Daddy. I don’t think you realize just how many friends you’ve got. When Steph started getting RSVP’s she got a pretty good idea that this thing was gonna be huge, so she had a lot of last minute adjusting to do.” “How huge?” Even Sara was starting to sound a little concerned. From the side door, Daniel hollered, “Mom! The caterers want to know if they can start setting up the other buffet tables?” As Stephanie hollered back, “Yeah, just tell them not to create a traffic jam in the middle,” Gil finally understood why they were in such a big room. Lillian was rescued from breaking the bad news to her father by the arrival of Catherine and her granddaughter Lily, both dressed in elegant white silk outfits, each suited to their generation. Catherine was all business, with an ample amount of femininity, while Lily’s dress was frilly and filled with whimsy. Catherine walked up to Gil’s side and gracefully touched the back of his arm as she asked, “So, Gil, are you ready to be social with a couple hundred of your closest friends?” The outrageously horrified looks on both Sara’s and Gil’s faces told them exactly how the pair felt about the news. Lillian immediately called out to her brother, “Max! Block the door! Mom and Dad are about to make a run for it!” “DAMNIT! I wanted to be there when you broke the news,” Max exclaimed. Just as his wife was trying to admonish him for his outburst, Sera-Beth squealed, “Damnit!” and giggled in her little girl voice. Amanda shook her head and rolled her eyes before correcting her daughter by saying, “Baby, that’s not a nice word, and Daddy’s not going to use it again. Are we, Daddy?” They were immediately distracted from the scene with Max as Stephanie hurried over to them saying, “Now, Uncle Gil. I swear, it’s not gonna be out of control, or too overwhelming.” With a far too calm voice, he asked, “How many people?” “I’ve gotten everything taken care of with the hotel and they’ve got babysitters set up for the kids and everything.” Stephanie continued to rattle on, “You won’t have to make a speech, or-” Through his blatantly clenched teeth, he asked again, “How…many?” Stephanie cringed, hoping he was not about to walk out of the ballroom, as she revealed the number. “A hundred and ninety, or so… Give or take.” He closed his eyes and mentally counted to ten as Sara held a hand to her mouth, covering her surprise. “How many, Stephanie?” “Two hundred and eleven…if everyone shows up.” Gil and Sara stood before them completely dumbfounded. Stephanie was waiting on pins and needles for their reaction. But it was all for naught when Catherine started laughing hysterically. Stephanie, scared for her life, angrily told Catherine, “This isn’t funny, Cath.” Through her laughter, and the tears streaming down her face, Catherine asked, “Please, just tell me you’ve got cake for this thing?” “Of course we have cake.” Stephanie was at a loss over Catherine’s reaction. “Perfect! Then Warrick owes me a hundred bucks.” She struggled to get her laughter under control as she draped an arm over Gil’s shoulder. “He said you once told him that there’d never be any pomp or circumstance for you, because you’d just be gone one day.” Sara suddenly looked like she was about to start laughing as Catherine continued to explain. “I won the first bet when you officially retired, so we made it double or nothing on it ever happening again. And now, he owes me a hundred bucks.” “I’ll cover that bet.” Nick and R.J. appeared next to Catherine. Nick reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “’Cause I bet him they’d never have kids,” he nodded to Lillian and winked, before turning to look at R.J., “and that I’d never get married.” He smiled at his wife and said, “And quite obviously, I lost.” He handed her a crisp one hundred dollar bill and gave Catherine a kiss on the cheek. “Congratulations, Cath. I don’ t think I ever won a single bet with ole ‘Rick, in all our years, but you seem to have won ‘em all.” “Has he been drinking?” Catherine blushed lightly as she directed her question to R.J. “Met up with ‘His Boys’ at the bar on the way in. So, yeah, he’s already had a couple.” R.J. rolled her eyes with the wide smile Nick gave her as she answered Catherine’s question. “He’s feeling just fine right now.” Gil, never one to be distracted when something is set in his mind, brought the topic back to the guest list. “Stephanie who is going to be here, and why are there so many?” She cringed, because Stephanie knew full well that no amount of distraction would work now. “It’s co-workers, colleagues, former students… All people you have known and that have been contacting me for the last six weeks so they could come here and pay their respects on your birthday.” She looked at the door as Greg and his crew came into the room. “That’s exactly why I set it up so we could have a nice little family thing before Brian lets the party guests into the ballroom.” Max, his suit in disarray with Sera-Beth riding atop his shoulders, leaned in and tried to offer some assistance. “Dad, it’s not like these people are strangers. Hell, half my department wanted to come to this thing, if just to get a look at the legend. But Aunt Steph has done an awesome job of keeping it as small as possible. Besides, do you really want to celebrate eighty years on this rock by sitting at home in the library reading Thoreau for the fiftieth time?” That time Sara did let go with a laugh. It would appear that their son knew him better than he ever imagined. “He’s got a point, honey.” Lillian finally found a voice again when she said, “And Daddy, you know what Papa Jim would say about it.” That broke him. Because he knew full well if Jim Brass was there, he would be laughing the hardest over his reaction and telling him, “It’s party, not a funeral, Gil.” Then, in unison, everyone around him finished his thought out loud, “Suck it up and smile.” Greg walked up to their circle as everyone broke into a comfortable round of laughter for the first time since their arrival. “What’s so funny?” Nick squinted at him and then said, “Well, I’d say it was your hair cut…but you haven’t got enough left to make those jokes anymore.” Shaking his head, Greg chuckled at Nick’s good natured ribbing. “You need to get some new material, cowboy. Maybe you should hire a writer?” Before the scene could degrade any further, Jimmy and the others began to gather around them as Thomas said, “I think we need to get this show on the road. Lindsey just came in the front door, and she says there’s already people showing up left and right. And the valet is backed up, or it would be worse.” Stephanie immediately snapped back into hostess mode and hollered for everyone to come her way. Thomas showed Gil and Sara to the seats his wife had set up for them and watched as their hodge-podge family gathered together. Lindsey and Duncan were the last to make their way into the ballroom, doing their best to usher in Neeley and her partner Laney, along with their teenage son, Andy. Stephanie opened a gap in their impromptu circle, leading Geoffrey, who was carrying a large, flat box in one arm and Micah in the other. She motioned for him to leave the box in front of Gil and then he took a seat, moving Micah to his lap with a swiftness that showed his comfort around children. Gil smiled and was indeed happy to see the newest member of their family finding his place so quickly. He looked around at the assembled faces to find the one who belonged with him and came up empty. With a frown he asked, “Shouldn’t we wait for Michael?” Stephanie also scanned the room, trying to find her prodigal son. “Oh, where’d he get off to?” Very self-consciously, Geoffrey cleared his throat and tried to explain the absence of his partner. “He ah, had to deal with some emergency thing, with um, Brian.” If anyone there had known Geoffrey better, they would have easily recognized just how painful each of those words was for him. Gil may not have known him long, or well, but he could sense an awkward moment just as well as anyone else and he merely nodded at the young man. “He said he’d, ah, be here for the party.” Several bewildered looks were shared around the room, but Stephanie quickly moved in to defuse the situation. She nodded at James, who passed Bridget off to his brother Daniel, and brought up the infamous video recorder to capture the whole scene. Giving the thumbs up to his mother, she began, “Uncle Gil, we didn’t want this to turn into a big scene, so we all got here early to minimize the drama. Every member of this family has pulled together to make today very special for you.” “Me too, Grandpa!” Tommy was quick to interject, followed quickly by his aunt playfully clamping a hand down over his mouth. “Yes, Tommy helped, too. All of the kids helped in some way…” She stopped long enough to hush Patrick’s twins as she acknowledged all of their efforts. “And for an eightieth birthday, there’s just really nothing left that you need, that any of us could get for you in any store. So, your very kind and generous wife brought an intriguing proposition to the whole lot of us. And what you have there before you is eighty years worth of family, love and devotion. We hope you will enjoy it for the rest of your years, for which we all wish you so very many more. Happy Birthday, Uncle Gil.” All around the assembled group, he heard the resounding chorus of well-wishes, with a generous smattering of Uncle Gil’s, Daddy’s, Grandpa’s and Grissom’s thrown about in random order. It was a lot to take in all at once and he felt his heart swelling with such joy for these wonderful people who shared their lives with him every day. Yes, this was a special day, but not because of his birth. It was special because it showed him the true beauty of love, in the many and varied faces gathered around him. He was a blessed man, and their smiling faces spelled it out to him in crystal clarity. Emotion heavy in his voice, Gil spoke to his family. “I don’t need for anything, and most definitely not gifts. I have all the gifts any man could ever hope for right here in this room. I have my health… I have my heart…” He squeezed Sara’s hand in his as he looked into her tear filled eyes. “I have my children.” He looked into the bright smiling faces of those two beautiful manifestations of his love for Sara. “I have my grandchildren.” He smiled at the giggles from Sera-Beth and Tommy upon mentioning them. “I have my family.” Stephanie and Thomas leaned in to one another as they returned his look of admiration. “And I have friends who have so enriched my life, they have become a large part of my family.” The entire assemblage was smiling with his words. “I should be the one bestowing gifts upon all of you, for everything you have given to me over these many years. I have been blessed to know each and every one of you, and I am doubly blessed to have also known your love.” He took a deep breath and struggled to keep his voice from faltering under the weight of such profound emotion. “Thank you all, for all that you do and everything that you are, to me, and within this astounding family. You are the reason I am able to celebrate eighty years on this rock…as my son puts it. Eighty years is a long time, and I have seen many things in my lifetime. But these past thirty years, sharing my life with all of you has given me a glimpse of what I believe is true immortality. True immortality comes from the lives you’ve touched along the way. And if this is just a small percentage of the whole, then I truly will live forever.” When he was done, he looked out into the faces of his loved ones and knew this to be true. Reflected back at him was the love he freely gave to all of them. And it was a moment in time he would treasure forever. His whole body shuddered as he drew in another deep cleansing breath. “So, what’s in the box?” With that question, everyone was given leave to laugh. Their laughter was colored by the joy they felt, and it helped them all to let go of the emotion, allowing it to swirl about them in a blanket of love for everyone to share. Gil carefully removed the bow from around the box and pushed it to the side before attempting to lift the lid on the box. As the lid rose from the box, his nostrils were filled with the scent of freshly tanned leather, and he was rewarded for his olfactory skills as the lid was removed from the box. A beautifully leather bound scrapbook laid before him. He ran his fingers over the cover and felt the supple grain of the leather beneath the tips. The raised block at the bottom of the cover gave the impression of dignity and character for the book, making him feel as though as he was about to discover an ancient treasure trove of knowledge. And inscribed with gold letters in the center of the raised block was the Latin word Jubilaeum. Jubilation was exactly what he was feeling as his fingers skirted along the leather. “You once told me that truly beautiful books should only be bound in leather, so that every time you opened the covers, it was like a religious experience, involving all of the senses at once. I found an Italian bookbinder who holds the same opinion.” Sara spoke softly from his side as he marveled at the gorgeous workmanship in front of him. “Open it up, Dad.” Max was obviously anxious to see his father’s reaction to the rest of the gift. He spread his fingers out until they gripped the edge of the cover and then he paused, “I’m warning you now…if this is some elaborate prank to pay me back for letting the kids play with snakes when they were younger, I’m going to hold it over all of your heads for another eighty years.” The whole room laughed as he squeezed his eyes shut in mock terror of a potential practical joke. Gil was forced to open his eyes as everyone gasped at the sight of the first page. Looking down at the book, still carefully sitting inside the box, Gil saw it. |
| 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. |
| Check out All the Author's Works in Progress at FanFiction.net |
| 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 15 - And many more! |
| “For those who have gone before…” he read along with the title on the beautifully crafted page, “we offer you love and our memories.” Any chance he had at making it out of this party without tears was lost as he peered down into the faces of his closest friends, so dearly departed from his life. He tried to reach for the handkerchief in his right pocket, but found Sara already pulling it out for herself. When he tried to locate his second, Thomas politely slipped him one of his as Sara cried, “Oh, Stephanie, I never imagined it would be this…beautiful.” Lillian quietly moved to stand behind her mother, offering a bit of support as she stared down into the faces never to be forgotten in her family. “It’s perfect. Just…perfect.” Wiping the tears from his eyes, Gil reverently touched first Warrick’s and then Jim’s pictures, almost as though he was saying a prayer with his touch. “This is more than I could have ever imagined. It’s…” He looked up into his daughter’s glassy eyes and nodded his head. “It’s perfect.” Not wanting to be separate from the experience any longer, Gil carefully removed the book from the box and laid it in his lap. With one calming breath, he closed his eyes and turned the page. One after another, each page showing him another aspect of his life in pictures, delighting his very soul, he made his way slowly through the book. As he started to flip the pages, the room was filled with hushed whispers and something else that was vaguely familiar. When he turned to the next pages, showing him as he was when he was a young man, he recognized the sound of a slide presentation clicking over. Gil turned his head and discovered that Daniel was pushing a remote button with each page he turned, showing an image of the page up on a large screen against the wall of the ballroom. Stephanie leaned down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she softly said, “Jimmy photographed the whole thing for us, so you can keep the original, but the kids can also have copies. It’s meant so much to all of us, putting this thing together, Uncle Gil, and we wanted to share it with you.” He reached up and squeezed one of Stephanie’s hands before tilting his head down to kiss the back. “I…I cannot express just…how much, how much this means to me, Stephie.” Her tears wet the back of his head as she laid her cheek down on it. “It’s only a fraction of how much you mean to me, Uncle Gil.” She lifted away from him and he could just make out the rustling of another handkerchief being unfurled. “But enough with the sappy stuff... If you don’t turn another page soon, the natives are likely to get restless.” He looked over at all the children pointing and giggling at the projection on the screen. “Right, we wouldn’t want them to start storming the castle, or anything.” He turned and found his wife’s smiling face looking back at him. “Shall we turn the page?” “I can’t wait.” And so they did. Each page brought more smiles and only a few more tears. This was a happy time and he was going to enjoy every moment; sharing it all with his family. By the time they neared the end of the book, the little ones had already grown weary of the slide show. They were used to interactive toys and displays of varying degrees and a digital picture book would not hold their interest for long. When he noticed Lindsey’s husband Brian slipping into the room, he followed the movement with interest. Sara was busy explaining who the gray haired ladies in the pictures were to Tommy, who had unceremoniously plopped himself into his grandmother’s lap at some point along the way. Stephanie made her way over after speaking briefly to Brian. She had Colleen glued to her hip as she leaned down to tell him, “Apparently the barbarians are at the gate. Brian doesn’t think he can hold them off too much longer before the fire marshal decides to pay a visit to the lobby.” He nodded his understanding. “I can finish looking at this at home. Or up on the screen for that matter. Just have Daniel set it on an automatic loop.” Lillian came in behind them, searching the room for a specific face. “Where the hell is Mikey?” Sara joined her in scanning the faces of everyone present. “You know, I haven’t seen him at all since we got here.” She quickly found Geoffrey and called him over, Christian and Caroline firmly wrapped around each of his ankles. “Geoffrey, I thought you said Michael was going to be right back? Brian’s been handling crowd control outside, and I still don’t see Michael.” “Oh, well, ah… He should be back any minute now.” He struggled with his words far more than he did with his labored steps. “Where did he get off to, Geoffr-” She was interrupted when Gil nudged her and pointed at the door. “Isn’t that him with that rather disheveled looking young man in the shorts?” They all followed his direction and before Sara could agree, her daughter let out an unintelligible yelp. Quicker than any of them could ask what was wrong, Lillian was rushing to the front door at a sprint, her floral print skirt trailing in the wind behind. They barely had time to register their surprise before she launched herself at the dark, mysterious stranger. He dropped his bag the moment he heard her voice and turned in her direction as he held his arms open wide. When they met, he spun her about like a rag doll, holding her tightly in his embrace. “Who the devil is that?” Gil finally managed to exclaim. “And why is he manhandling my daughter?” He looked first to Geoffrey, who appeared to be absolutely panic stricken. But upon finding the young man’s frightened gaze resting on his wife and goddaughter, he knew something truly was up. Gil stood from his chair and straightened his jacket. He gave all three of the people around him a glare as he tucked his tie in behind the button of his suit jacket before he began walking toward his daughter and the stranger. As soon as he stepped away, Stephanie handed her granddaughter off to Thomas and took Tommy from his grandmother’s lap, passing him to Geoffrey as she brought Sara with her to follow Gil. As he approached Michael and his guest, the man brought his daughter back to her feet, but was once again holding her very tightly in his grasp. “Michael, what’s going on here?” Lillian was brought back to her senses in one horrifying second. As soon as she realized her father was standing right there she turned out of the man’s arms and stood at his side. “Daddy, I-” The words caught in her throat, and she swallowed hard in an attempt to explain. Michael, always quick thinking in a crisis, stepped in. “Sorry, Uncle Gil. Really. We got caught in a ton of traffic and I had to wait for Laurie to clear customs, because they routed him passed it in L.A. and then I had to go around the block twice because valet’s overrun with people trying to get in here. If I hadn’t called Brian, we’d still be circling in a holding pattern out there.” “So, this a friend of yours?” he asked through his scowl as Lillian had yet to removed herself from the man’s side. “Ah…” Michael seemed to be searching for just the right words to get himself out of hot water, but for once in his life the words would not come. “Not exactly?” “Perhaps you should introduce him, Mikey?” His mother tried to help him get out of the corner he was painted into. Instead, Gil turned to glare at her. “You know what’s going on here?” Stephanie clicked her jaw as the words froze in her throat. “Um, only peripherally.” Her statement sounded more like a question as she shrunk away from his heated gaze. “Then please, Michael. Introduce your…friend.” Finally giving in to the drama of the moment, Michael exhaled sharply, “Yeah, so this sucks, because…sooooo not the way I tried to plan this.” That was when Lillian kicked into gear. “You what? You planned this whole thing?” She crossed in front of the stranger and poked Michael square in the chest. “You planned what?” She reared back and everyone thought for sure that she was going to deck him when she began to rant. “You planned a last minute arrival? Keeping him out of the country? Making me completely insane! What exactly did you plan, Michael?!” Cringing at her attack, Michael held up his hands in surrender. “Jesus! No! I didn’t plan anything like that. I was just trying to get the guy off the damn island and home before the party.” From behind them, a little voice giggled, “Damn iwand.” “Shi-” Michael’s face turned in on itself once he realized his mistake. “Sorry, Amanda.” He looked down at Lillian and tried to explain. “I swear, I just didn’t want to tell you what we were doing until I knew I could find him a replacement and then Geoffrey had trouble getting him a flight off the da-…the island, so I kept Laurie from saying anything until it was for sure. And then the weather out there went straight to-” “Michael,” the man’s voice was thick with a French Patois accent, as he stopped Michael with a hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps, I should explain.” When Michael turned to regard him, he closed his eyes, nodded, and stepped aside. “Thank you, my friend. You have already done so much. I think I should handle it from here.” His voice practically sang with the music of the islands he was obviously from. “Dr. Grissom. Mrs. Grissom.” He nodded to each, the short dreds in his hair swaying with each nod. “I apologize for my appearance, but I have been on several planes since some time yesterday, I think, and I have not yet had the opportunity to clean up from my journey. I hope you can forgive me, but it was very important that I make it here as quickly as possible.” Sara took Gil’s hand, tying him to the earth with her touch. She was obviously worried about his reaction to the man’s arrival. “My name is Laurent St. George, but most people call me Laurie. I have just come from the island of Guam, because of my work. It was an unavoidable journey, because I can assure you, without a doubt, I would much rather have been right here.” He took Lillian’s hand and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss. “I am-” “Daddy…” Lillian finally spoke again, stopping the man holding her hand. “I’m sorry, Laurie, but I need to do this.” She smiled weakly at the man and then turned back to her father. “Daddy, I know I shou-” As though he was thinking out loud, Gil said, “Doctor Laurent St. George…the climatologist?” He answered, “Yes, Sir. I am.” “You’ve been head of the Perkins Institute of Global Climate Research for about two years now.” He was still speaking in a matter of fact tone, working out the details in his head. “Yes, Sir. Also correct.” Laurie nodded at Gil to show his answer. He held out his hand and said, “Congratulations.” Confused, Laurie held out his hand apprehensively to shake with the older man. “I don’t think I understand, Sir.” He looked between Lillian and her father to see how he should react. “I just sat on a review board at UNLV to hire you as a fellow. We voted yesterday, unanimously.” He watched as Laurie’s chest filled with air and he exhaled with a tremendous amount of relief. “Ah, thank you, Sir. That is definitely good news. Most definitely, very good.” He gave Lillian a broad smile when he looked to her. “I seem to recall that you were married, and that there was some kind of trouble. Am I wrong?” Gil immediately went in for the kill in order to see the man’s and his daughter’s reaction. “Oh yes, well, I was, I mean I… Well, it is a most complicated-… It’s very difficult to-” He floundered under the weight of Gil’s veiled accusation. But much to his surprise, Gil watched Lillian step into the fray. “Laurie’s divorce was finalized almost three months ago, Daddy.” She gave her father a pointed stare that told him she was on to his game. “And it was five years in the making, which you full well know. I can even remember you making a comment when it first hit the news, because she was claiming marital rights to the theories he was developing in his research, and you thought that would be a dangerous legal precedent.” Gil nodded at his daughter’s well returned barb. “And so, how does this bring you to my birthday party?” “Well, Sir. I am here because-” He was stopped again, but this time by Michael. “Oh please. I’m tired of these stupid games.” It was plainly obvious that Michael was done toeing the line. “Mom’s known for weeks, if not months. Hell, knowing her, she’s known since the beginning and just waited for Lilli to screw up and blab on herself. Aunt Sara probably figured it out on her own about the same time, and if not, I know Mom told her.” Michael’s arms were flailing wildly as he spoke, showing his extreme annoyance. “I’ve known about it since I got back from Mexico, and Geoffrey, who barely even knows you…” He gestured at Lilli with disgust, “He figured it out within five minutes when you got to our place in D.C…. Who the hell do you think you’re fooling around here? For crying out loud they don’t just solve the damn puzzles, they freaking invent them!” He was yelling at that point and no amount of admonishment from his cousin’s wife, or anyone else was going to stop him. “Uncle Gil may have been the last to have specific knowledge of who, what and where, but damnit, he knew the moment we walked in the blasted door, and if he didn’t he sure as hell knew the moment Tinkerbell here went flying through the air!” Michael pointed at Laurie and said, “He’s here for her…” he then pointed at Lillian, “they’ve been together for more than a year, and you all freaking know about it!” |
| “Here!” He thrust a scrapbook page into Gil’s hands as he continued to rail. “Here’s the proof!” He looked down to find pictures of his daughter, throughout the years, and including several with the young man before him. “And just for fun, because Mikey doesn’t have enough to deal with in this family, let’s recap the last three months of HELL for me. Oh, well, let’s see, first these dumbasses got married two seconds after they found out he was going to have to leave for Guam, because some second rate jackass geologist couldn’t stay away from the pot.” |
| Michael handed him yet another page and kept going. “And as if that wasn’t enough, they had such a wonderful send off that she’s also pregnant!” Gil and Sara looked down at the page to see pictures of all the kids in their lives, and in the top corner sat a digital sonogram. “Congratulations! Happy Birthday! Mazal Tov! Merry Freaking Christmas! There! Now Everybody knows EVERYTHING!” Michael was breathless and heaving from the exertion of having completely spilled his guts. With everyone speechless after his outburst, Stephanie took it upon herself to use the situation for a little humor. She turned to Sara and playfully asked, “So, should we ask him about the broken terrariums now, or wait another twenty years, after he finally admits they were the ones who set off the fire suppression system in the physics lab when they were eight?” And just to show how much he truly belonged in their family, Geoffrey leaned in, with an arm around Bethie’s back and asked, “While you’re at it, could you ask him where he keeps hiding the good cookies?” “Seriously?! You, too?” With everyone erupting into laughter, Michael threw his hands up in the air and screamed, “AAAAAAGGH!” Lillian finally let go of her new husband and moved around him to grab her cousin. “Mikey...” She wrapped her arms around Michael and gave him a big hug as she laid her head against his chest. “Thank you… I know you went to a lot of trouble to make this whole thing happen. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” When he relaxed in her embrace she looked up to smile at him and after straightening his tie, found that he had finally calmed down. Turning away from his chest, she kept arm around his back and then reached out for Laurie’s left hand. “Daddy, I know this isn’t the ideal time or anything, but like Michael said, it wasn’t exactly planned this way. Laurie and I didn’t want to say anything until his divorce was final. And then he had this huge emergency come up with their biggest research project, so he had to leave in a hurry.” She looked away from her father and into Laurie’s eyes when she admitted, “The baby thing was definitely not planned…this fast, but we’re both thrilled, none the less.” Laurie smiled down at Lillian when he spoke up, “I was already making plans to relocate to Nevada, as you are obviously now aware. Lillian and I…” Between the power of the moment and the thickness of his accent, Gil was not quite sure he had ever heard his daughter’s name sound quite so beautiful. “We were already talking about a family before my departure. Perhaps our talking was seen as a wish, but no matter the circumstances, we are both very happy with this turn of events.” He squeezed Lillian’s hand again and took a deep breath before stepping away from her to stand tall in front of her father. “It may seem as though this is coming too late, but I would very much like to have your blessing, Dr. Grissom. It would mean a great deal to both of us.” The whole room was deathly silent, and the only sounds came from outside of the ballroom. Gil stood still, his hands unmoving, as this younger man stood before him with his hand outstretched. Everything from that point forward would depend on his reaction to this new arrival, this man. This man, who was obviously older than his daughter. This man he knew a great deal about; about his career, about his background, about his education, about his ethics and about his integrity. But none of that meant anything to him in that moment. What mattered to him, right then and there, went far deeper than someone’s commitment to the environment or their scientific morality. No, what mattered to him, more than anything else in the world…was the way his daughter looked at him with so much love and devotion. The way her face brightened with his appearance more than he had seen since she was a little girl. That was the only thing that ever mattered to him. He swallowed back the lump which had risen in his throat and inhaled a deep breath through his nose. This was quite possibly the hardest thing he had ever done, but he was determined to do it right. Gil pushed the man’s hand out of his way and quickly took him into his embrace. As everyone gasped in surprise, he simply said, “Welcome to the family, son.” |
| THE END |