A/N: So here's the deal. I really wanted to write a sequel to "Heart of the Matter" (and I promise, I never forgot all of you who said you wanted one too) but I could never find the right plot or motivation. I think I have it now. But with working three jobs, going to school full time, struggling to figure out what to do with my life after graduation and trying to keep a social life, I might not be able to update this as regularly as I usually do. So basically, let me know if you are reading, interested, and want to continue with this story. If there's enough interest, I will try my BEST to keep writing and updating. Thank you in advance to everyone who reads, I hope you enjoy!

An unheard, probably nonexistent noise woke Grissom from his deep slumber. Blinking his eyes sleepily, he reached across the sheets and comforters, rumpled from earlier escapades, and fumbled in the dark, searching for his wife and her waist. He only found tangled sheets and a cold pillow.

He blinked the sleep from his eyes before sitting up slightly, glancing over at the clock, which read 3:17 a.m., and back towards the empty space beside him in bed. There was only one place Sara could be.

Sliding from the covers and pulling a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt on as he stumbled out of the bedroom, he made his way towards the ex-study, the recently designated nursery. He inched open the door. A swirling blue light was coming from the wall of Aiden's crib, a plastic, mini fish tank making soothing noises as the baby cooed beneath it. Grissom made his way to the crib, reaching his hand over the wall to stroke his son's soft, smooth cheek. The baby's round, blue eyes blinked back at him.

"Where's your mama, buddy?" Grissom asked him softly, smiling. "Did you wear her out again?"

Aiden gurgled at him sleepily.

Grissom squinted into the shadows. Tucked in the corner between the closet and a freshly painted bookshelf was a rocking chair, and Sara was collapsed in it, her head drooping sideways and her hand dangling in the air, stretching off the armrest. Grissom smiled softly at her, too, before creeping nearer to her and planning a gentle kiss on her lips. Sara's eyes fluttered open.

"Morning, honey."

Sara stifled a yawn.

"Why's it so dark?" she murmured. "Where am I?"

"You fell asleep in the baby's room again," Grissom answered quietly, taking her hands and started to pull her up. "It's still early. Come back to bed."

Sara's eyes went straight towards Aiden as Grissom tried to lead her to the doorway.

"But, Aiden-"

"Is fine," Grissom finished, planting another firm kiss on her forehead. "C'mon."

Sara gave him a reluctant smile, but stopped at Aiden's crib before letting him lead her back to their bedroom. Since they had brought Aiden home three months ago, she had spent more nights in the small nursery than in Grissom's king-sized mattress. Catherine had told both of them it had taken three years to get rid of the bags under her eyes when she had Lindsay, but Grissom was unconvinced. Sara gave so much energy looking after Aiden, he wanted to make sure he spent just as much time looking after Sara.

He watched as Sara leaned over the bars of the crib, clutching her robe to her body with one hand and stroking Aiden's arm with the other. To Grissom, there was nothing more beautiful than watching Sara with their son. She was a natural, despite all of her former misgivings, and Aiden was a mama's boy from the start, refusing to fall sleep anywhere but in Sara's arms. Grissom used to be sure that he could never experience a deeper love than the one he felt for Sara, but all that changed when his son was born, and it proved him wrong again and again as he watched his wife and son together. He loved them both, more than anything in the world.

Once in their dark, quiet room, Sara curled up on the mattress, still wrapped in her robe. Grissom ignored undressing too, and laid down beside her, stroking her hair.

"I love you, Sara."

He waited for her quiet response, but it never came. She was already fast asleep, her deep breaths making strands of her hair blow into the air. He smiled at her, wrapping his arms around her and pressing her against his chest, hoping that both she and Aiden slept until morning.

He was surprised, then, to find that when his eyes fluttered open in the early morning sun, Sara was still curled up beside him, sleeping soundly, and soft, even breaths were coming from the baby monitor on the bedside table. He basked in the moment, watching the morning rays fall on Sara's features, and he pushed the hair out of her face. The last three months had felt like heaven to him, just him, Sara and Aiden (and Hank, of course, who let his owners know every day that he was still there and important) living as a family day in and day out. Catherine had promised Sara all the maternity time she needed and while he had taken a few consulting jobs and was currently teaching an online course in forensics at UNLV, he was able to spend most of his time at home.

Next to him, Sara's eyes were fluttering open. He traced her jaw and mouth and her lips puckered out to kiss his fingertips.

"Hey," she said, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Hi," he whispered back, his fingers now trailing down her arm and over her stomach.

He grinned at her mischievously as his fingers tugged at the fabric of her robe and discovered that nothing but skin laid underneath. Her eyes flickered to the baby monitor, but when nothing but soft breathing continued to come out of it, she relented and leaned in to kiss her husband. He was just working the robe off her freckled shoulders when a shrill ring from the bedside table interrupted them. Sara's eyes closed in annoyance, and Grissom stretched around her to grab the phone. He recognized the number right away.

"You've reached Sara," he said into the phone. "She's otherwise occupied, so please try again when it's not so obnoxiously early in the morning."

"Cute, Gil," said a voice Grissom instantly identified as Catherine's. "Put your wife on the phone. I need her."

"Not as much as I do," he said in an absurdly sing-songy voice. He heard Catherine groan as he passed the phone to his half-undressed wife. Sara rolled her eyes at him as she accepted the call.

"Hi, Catherine," she said as Grissom pushed the sides of her robe back a little further and placed his mouth on her stomach. "Oh! Okay."

Grissom began tracing circles on her inner thigh and Sara reached out to slap his hand away, wriggling a little in impatience.

"Um, sure, I think I can get there," she was saying tersely, every muscle in her body tense as she tried not to betray what Grissom's touches were doing to her. "Uh huh."

She caught his eye and give him a look that plainly said, "you're going to get it, buster." To Grissom, this meant that if he was already going to be in trouble, he might as well go for the home run. He dipped a few fingers into her core and Sara couldn't help but let out a loud, surprised gasp. She instantly clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.

"Yeah, okay, well, you and Grissom just finish up whatever you've got going on there and I'll see you in an hour," Catherine was saying on the other line.

"Yeah," Sara replied, strained. "Yeah, thanks, Cath. See ya."

She snapped the phone shut, but instead of slapping him again or immediately reprimanded him, she lifted her hips into the air, bucking against his hand. He snickered impishly and stroked her harder, feeling her muscles already beginning to tense around him. Feeling rebellious, he withdrew his fingers just as he felt Sara's impending climax. Her mouth dropped and she glared at him incredulously.

"Oh, no you don't," she scolded him, grabbing what she knew was already a firm erection and placing it demandingly close to her. They were nose-to-nose.

"Now," she commanded.

He gave her a sly grin and slipped into her, giving her at least a little mercy by moving inside her quickly and roughly. It didn't take long for Sara to come, and he followed her just moments afterwards. He thought he was off the hook, until, when they laid in the afterglow, Sara gave an unexpected jab into his ribs with her elbow.

"You… are… terrible," she said, pinching him a little with each word. "That was Catherine, Gil, on a work call."

When he just grinned at her in response, she gave him another soft jab and slipped out of bed, shaking her head and muttering, "terrible".

"Where are you going?"

"Into work, Romeo," she said. "Today's my first day back, remember?"

Grissom double-checked the baby monitor again before slipping out of bed after her and following her into the bathroom.

"But you're not supposed to start until tonight."

"Big case came up and Catherine needs me right away," Sara answered, her head in the sink as she splashed water on her face. "The guys are already pulling a double… they could use a fresh set of eyes."

She patted her face dry and Grissom walked over to her, put his hands on her waist and drew her against him. She had pulled on a bra and panties on her way to the bathroom, but he was still stark naked and his manhood still… manly.

"Are you sure you don't just want to stay home with me?" he asked, pressing himself between her thighs. "And your son who loves you oh-so much?"

"Oh, way to guilt trip me," she laughed before turning serious. "You know I'd rather stay here with you, but I have to go back to work sometime. No time like the present!"

She slipped out of his grasp and went into the closet, rummaging for a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt. Most of their laundry these days consisted of onesies and puked-on bibs, their own clothes often laying forgotten until one of them ran out of socks.

"But… do you really?" Grissom asked, now serious too. "We don't need the money, you know that. And you'd be able to stay at home with Aiden."

"I want to," she reassured him as she pulled a dark blue shirt over her head. "And we've talked about this. God knows I love Aiden to death, but I don't think full-time mom will ever be me. I need work to keep me sane. And besides, I'm only working half shifts, and on grave, I'll be back before Aiden even wakes."

"You'll be exhausted," he pressed.

"I'll be fine," she said, pausing in her dressing to lay a hand on his cheek to reassure him further. "I can do it."

"I have no doubt," he beamed at her. "But keep your cell on, and make sure Catherine knows to let you leave if you need to."

"I know," she said soothingly, pushing her foot into a shoe as she leaned up a little to kiss him. "I'll be fine. You just look after my little guy."

"Ah, you know us," Grissom said, following her out the closet and into the bedroom as she gathered her coat and bag. "Probably just drink some beer and watch some ball."

She rolled her eyes and kissed him again, when, as if on cue, Aiden's strangled cry came from the small speaker of the baby monitor. Sara raised her eyebrows at him.

"What, did you teach him to do that to make me stick around longer?"

"Only if he's a genius child," Grissom teased back, eyes sparking. "Then again, he is your son."

Sara struggled to hide her grin as she trotted out the bedroom and down the hall to the nursery. She dropped her bag at the doorway and Grissom leaned against the door frame as she went straight to the crib, lifting her son gently from the mattress and holding him securely against her chest.

"Hey, baby boy," she said soothingly, bouncing him ever so slightly. He instantly began to calm. "Hey, big guy. What's all this noise about, huh? What's all this noise about?"

She brought Aiden's forehead to her lips and pressed a soft kiss to his head.

"You're going to spend the day with daddy today," she said, throwing an adorable look at Grissom. Daddy. That was him now.

"You're going to be a good boy, right?" Sara was continuing, make her way slowly to Grissom.

With well-practiced ease, she passed their son from her to him. Aiden made a slight gurgle of discontent, but once he recognized the second set of familiar arms, settled back into his contented disposition, sucking on four of his fingers.

"Bye, boys," Sara whispered, obviously more reluctant to go now than she was five minutes ago. "I'll miss you both."

"We'll miss you too, honey," Grissom smiled at her. "Don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

"I know."

She pressed another kiss on Aiden's head, followed by one on Grissom's lips. She stooped to pick up her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and made her way to the front door, Grissom following her much more slowly, imitating the bouncing action she was doing earlier.

"What is this hot case, anyways?" he called after her.

"Four-nineteen in Henderson," she answered. "Catherine didn't give me a lot of details, but it seems shady, probably domestic abuse gone way too far."

She caught his eye and he must have been betraying his worry on his face, because she instantly reassured him.

"I'll be fine, I promise," she said. "I'm a lot stronger than I used to be."

"I know. Just be careful."

"I always am. I love you both."

Grissom picked up Aiden's tiny hand and waved it in a mock goodbye.

"We love you, too."

Sara smiled and closed the door behind her, and for several moments, Grissom stood in place, bouncing Aiden who was still smiling happily in his arms and wondering how they had gotten to the place where Sara was off working and he was at home with a three-month-old baby. He wouldn't change it for the world.

He bounce-walked Aiden to the window just in time to watch Sara's car pull out of the drive.

"Say bye-bye to mommy," he whispered, thinking he and Aiden could curl up with a good episode of Sesame Street and a few bottles; one of milk, one of the more alcoholic persuasion. He settled into the couch, Aiden still nestled in the crook of his arm, leaned back and sighed in complete content.

And thus began the day that would begin the process that would snatch peace and happiness from the lives of Gil, Sara and Aiden Grissom.

"People so reasonable, so devoted, so strongly loving and hard working should have been exempt, one feels, from the vagaries of a malicious fate."*

If only fate were sympathetic.

*Quote is from "The Wife of Martin Guerre", which I am currently reading.

TBC!