| Morning Light - by kyrdwyn |
| Rated: G Spoilers: None Synopsis: Grissom reflects on how the events in 'Remembrance' changed his life. |
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| CSI, Gil Grissom and company, and places and etc are all property of Anthony Zuiker, Alliance Atlantis, CBS, and other companies. They did not condone this fic, and I am not getting paid for it. I write because I want to. All other characters not appearing on CSI in any way, shape, or form that appear in this story are my property. If you have any comments - good or bad, feel free to e-mail me at: toxicrev@yahoo.com |
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| Gil Grissom unlocked the door to his town home and entered the house, listening carefully for the sounds of the people inside. He walked into his living room and nodded at the UNLV student who was sitting at his table, studying. She smiled at him, putting a finger to her lips as she pointed to the second bedroom. He nodded again, pulling out his wallet and handing her a few bills. She took them as she gathered up her books, letting him walk her out the door to her car. He had once overheard her tell a friend that she thought it was very quaint of him to make sure she made it from his door to her car okay every morning. He locked the door once she was gone and headed back into his living room, picking up his briefcase and putting it into his bedroom. He kicked his shoes off and peeked into the second bedroom, smiling at the small figure curled up in the bed. Gillian's small arms were wrapped around a teddy bear with a Las Vegas Police Department t-shirt on it. She had kicked off the covers in her sleep, and Gil silently crossed the room to pull them up to her shoulders, lightly pushing a stray lock of sandy blonde hair off her forehead before leaning down to kiss her. The child stirred in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Gil moved over to the window, sitting down in the chair Gillian used for reading. He watched his daughter sleep, as he had almost every morning for the past six months. He was still adjusting to being a father, still unused to being responsible for this small human life. It was overwhelming at times, making him wonder if he should have taken her grandparents up on their offer to raise her. Then Gillian would smile at him, or laugh, or hug him for no reason at all, and he knew that he would never give her up, not now. He marveled at how quickly he'd gotten used to having her in his house. The first month or two had been stressful for both of them. After all, Gil hadn't known he had a daughter until an attorney in Tennessee had contacted him after Gillian's mother died, and while Gillian knew her father lived in Las Vegas, she didn't know why he never came to see her. The only thing they had in common was their mutual grief over the death of Gillian's mother. It was during those first months that her mother's parents had contacted him, offering to take Gillian in and raise her. Gil had wondered at the time if it would be better for the girl - his work hours made it difficult to raise a child on his own. He had let Gillian decide. To his surprise and gratification, she'd chosen to stay with him. He smiled in the dim light as Gillian turned over in her sleep. Gillian had changed his whole world around. His work took on new meaning - it wasn't just about following the evidence anymore. It was about protecting her now. It was harder to divorce his emotions from the cases - something his co-workers had noticed. He thought about when Catherine and Sara had met Gillian. He had taken time off to help get Gillian settled in Las Vegas - enrolling her in school, showing her around the city, and generally getting to know her. His co-workers thought he was just on vacation and when a nasty case had come up at work, Catherine and Sara naturally sought his help. They'd called and paged him, but he'd been out with Gillian at the zoo and hadn't answered. Worried, Catherine and Sara had gone to his house and waited for him. Gillian had spotted them first as they turned onto his street. "Someone's at the house." He'd looked, seeing the SUV and the two women standing next to it. "Those are people I work with." She'd chewed on her lip, her green eyes worried. He'd reached over to squeeze her hand. "Don't worry, sweetheart, they're nice people. They'll like you." She'd looked up at him then, a brave smile on her lips. They pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. "We were beginning to think you'd been abducted by aliens," Catherine called out. Sara was about to add something when Gillian had walked around the front of Gil's car and come over to him, wrapping her arms about his waist and looking at the two women with a mixture of curiosity and protectiveness. Both women looked stunned, looking from the young girl to Gil as he put a reassuring hand on his daughter's shoulder. Catherine arched a brow in questioning. "Catherine, Sara, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Gillian. Gillian, these are my friends from work, Ms. Willows and Ms. Sidle." Gil managed to keep the nervousness out of his voice. Catherine recovered from her surprise first, stepping forward to offer Gillian her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Gillian." The girl had regarded Catherine solemnly before looking up at Gil questioningly. He'd nodded toward Catherine, a slight smile on his lips, and Gillian had stepped forward to shake her hand and then Sara's. Later that night Catherine had stopped back by his house. Gillian had already gone to bed, but Gil was still up, reading the letter from Gillian's grandparents. "You never told me you had a daughter." "I didn't know until a few weeks ago." He told Catherine about his relationship with Gillian's mother, how her death had left him with the responsibility of raising their daughter. He told her about the offer from her grandparents, and how he was considering letting them raise her. "I don't think I'm meant to be a father." Catherine smiled sympathetically. "I felt the same way when Lindsey was born. It's hard, realizing there's a life that's totally dependent on you." "I'm not sure I can do it, Cath. Not with my job - the hours, the people." He noticed Catherine's surprise at hearing his voice reflect his doubts in his parenting abilities. "Hey - I manage it. So can you." He looked at her, and then down at the letter. "You have Eddie around, and your sister." "Gil, when you introduced us to Gillian this afternoon, I saw the way she looked at you. You may have only known each other a few weeks, but she's taken to you. If you send her away this soon after her mother died, she'll think it's her fault." She held up a hand as he began to protest. "I know - you'd be doing it because you think it's best for her, but she won't see it that way. Besides," she added, "tell me you honestly think that you could give her up now." He'd looked over at the door to Gillian's bedroom, thinking about every moment with her since they'd first met at the airport. He'd shaken his head, and Catherine had reached out to take his hand. "It's never easy being a parent, Gil, but I wouldn't trade it for the world." Gil smiled, remembering Catherine's words. He got up and lightly brushed a hand over Gillian's hair. This time she woke, opening her eyes and smiling at him. "Morning, Daddy," she murmured sleepily. "Morning, sweetheart," he whispered, dropping another kiss on her forehead. She turned over and closed her eyes again. Gil watched her for a few seconds longer, knowing Catherine had been right. He wouldn't trade being Gillian's father for anything in the world. |
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