Paris. Capital of France, shopping heaven, historic place. And the current home of Sara and Grissom. After some time in the south American jungle they had moved to another part of the world, a part both hadn't been before: Paris. Grissom got a job as a guest lecture at Sorbonne, the university of Paris, Sara got time to work with all the photos she had made during her time in south America and both got married. Not in Paris, also it would have been wonderful romantic place but they had found another, very special, wedding place: a pure white beach in Ecuador. No guests, no family, only the priest and them.

Now, after five months of living in Paris, life had become ordinary. Grissom was at work for a couple of hours a day, Sara had learnt French, enjoyed to have time for her own and to be married with the man she loved for ten years. When he had called her, ten years ago, to come from San Francisco to Las Vegas to help to investigate the death of a fellow CSI, she didn't need time to think of this offer. She quitted her job and came straight to Vegas, straight to Grissom.

It took almost six years, some other relationships on both sides before they were able to tell each other what they felt. Two more years of having a secret relationship – which wasn't that difficult to manage because none of them was a big party person, they were alone at home most times anyway – and her abduction to the desert, Grissom had told the team that he loved her. Of course one of them had to leave the team, it was Sara who changed to swing shift before she couldn't go on with all the violence in her life every day and left Las Vegas.

And Grissom? They had been engaged at that time but she couldn't stay any longer. She needed to go away, he understood, let her go and followed her a year later. She had been back in Vegas when he needed her, when Warrick died, she had been back some more times, to see him, he had been with her and then they finally were back together in the middle of the jungle of Costa Rica.

"I'm back!"

A smile appeared on Sara's face. Grissom was on time. He never made her wait.

"On the balcony." She answered before he could ask her where she was.

"I bought some dinner." He knew she was hungry but didn't cook anything nor did she leave the apartment to buy something. He didn't marry the perfect housewife and he never intended to do so.

"Sounds good."

"I bet you didn't eat the whole day." He came out on the balcony, bent down and kissed her.

"Got a fruit salad for lunch. You?"

"Coq au vin."

"They treat you good at university, is that, what students eat in France ? I can't remember that I got something like that in America."

"They didn't serve that to the students." He took a look at her computer. "How far are you?"

"Done." Sara had made a book of her trip to Costa Rica. A lot of photos, reports and the results of her research work. "I checked everything I think I can send the book to Luke tomorrow." Luke was the man who wanted to print Sara's book and use it for further research teams.

"I told you, you can do it. French baguette? With salad, egg and cheese. I'm sorry but it's a cold dinner today."

"It has been a warm day, I think a cold dinner fits perfect. Especially when we get some ice cream as dessert. I got some new today."

"You're a housewife, Sara."

"I feel like it sometimes."

"Are you fine with that?" He knew she wasn't used to do nothing. She was a workaholic just like he was one. Sitting the whole day at home wasn't a life Sara wanted to live. She had been busy with the book, since she had finished the most of it, her spare time grew and grew. Now after finishing even the last bit of it, she would be without any work for the near future. She didn't have a work permission, couldn't just leave the apartment and look for a job.

"As long as you come home every night it feels alright."

"I will. How could I stay away from my wife?"

"Well, somebody could bring in a bug you've never seen before and you need to find out everything about this bug?" She suggest with a smirk.

"No, I'd take the bug with me, have my dinner with my lovely wife and examine the bug later. Sometimes bugs have to wait."

"Sometimes."

"Yes." He took her hand. "Are you happy, Sara?"

"Don't I look happy? I am married to you, that's what I wanted since – I guess since I've met you."

"I worry a little bit about you. The book is done, you can't work here, what will you do while I'm working? It will be for whole year."

"I'll find something to occupy my mind. I could learn how to juggle."

"I bet you can learn that within in a day."

"I add one piece a day and after two weeks I can work in the circus." Sara laughed.

"Means I have to take my students to the circus? I can try that."

The phone rang.

"I'll take it." Sara got up, laid her hand for a second on Grissom's shoulder to stop him from getting up.

"Sidle, comment allez-vous?"

"Sara, is that you? It's Conrad Ecklie, Las Vegas crime lab."

Ecklie? Did Sara hear right? Or was something wrong with her telephone? Why did Ecklie call her?

"Ecklie, do you want to talk to Grissom?" What time was it in Vegas right now? It was past seven in the evening in Paris, it must be around noon in Vegas, almost noon.

"Actually I wanted to talk to you. How are you?"

It got even more strange. Why did he call her? She got some calls from her former colleagues, mostly Greg, but she never expected a call from Ecklie.

"Me? I'm fine. Why me?"

"I wonder if you know anybody for the team. The night shift is short a man, there were some problems with the last one we employed and we need somebody who knows what to do and fits in. Any idea? Even if it's only somebody for a month or so."

"On the spur of the moment, no. I can talk to Grissom, maybe he has an idea and give you a call back."

"That would be great. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Sara finished the call and walked back to Grissom.

"Who was it?"

"You won't believe that." She made the decision she wanted to sit on his lap, embraced his neck with her arms and kissed his cheek. He had shaved in the morning, all baby skin, she liked that.

"Try me."

"Ecklie."

"Ecklie? What did he want?"

"He wants to know if we know somebody for the team. Since you've been gone nothing runs smoothly anymore and they're drowning in chaos. I told him, he won't get you back, you're sick of playing politics and struggling with his paranoid mind."

"Sara." It took some effort for Grissom to stay serious. He knew his wife was making the reality worse but she wasn't that wrong. At least with the part of him being sick putting up with Ecklie and all the politics.

"What? I put it in nicer words."

"Like?"

"Like I'd ask you and give him a call back. So do you know anybody who wants to work for a month with Ecklie?"

"I've an idea but I need to ask her, probably have to talk her into it." Grissom smiled a bit.

"Whom?"

"You."

"Me? No way!" Sara shook her head. She wouldn't leave Grissom to be back in Vegas, be again a victim of Ecklie. They had never been friends, there was no reason why she should go back and help him out. Leaving Grissom alone for Ecklie, what a stupid idea.

"Think of it…"

"I did. No!"

"Sara. It's for a month, go there, I know you miss them."

"I got married to be with you and to be thousands of miles away from you."

"Scared I'll run away with a French woman?"

"No, I don't think that." She kissed him softly.

"Think about it. You'll be bored soon enough, sitting here, waiting for your husband to come home every day. Have a month back in Vegas, you'll handle Ecklie, he owes you big time for helping out. And if he annoys you too much, you just come back."

"But…" Sara sighed. How was she suppose to live in Vegas without Grissom? He had been the reason for her to move to Vegas. Vegas without Grissom was empty, she had been through that when he took his sabbatical.

"I know you'll miss me, I'll miss you too but I also know you'll be bored when you be at home the whole time. This is a great opportunity for you to work as a CSI again, you love your job and you can see our old friends."

"But we…"

"We'll increase our telephone bill, I want at least two calls every day."

"When he ask me to stay longer…"

"You'll tell him he can only have you for longer when you get at least week off per month. Part time CSI with a frequent flyer card. I'm sure there are some direct flights from Paris to Las Vegas."

"I doubt Ecklie wants to have me back on the team, he'll send me back to France as soon as he has somebody else."

"In that case I'll be happy waiting for you at Charles de Gaulle."

She put her head on his shoulder.

"You sure? Maybe we should think about that for a day or two."

"We can do that but I think you should go back for a month."

"I'm here as a tourist, I need to go our next month anyway to stick in my three months time." She didn't bother to get a visa as his wife. It made her depend too much on him. Not that she had any problems to be in a French data base nothing more than Misses Gilbert Grissom, but for her own sake she preferred to be an independent woman. Happily married but with her own visa, a tourist visa. This way she had spent two weeks in Italy the last time she had to leave France. Grissom had joined her for a long weekend and she secretly started to look for another place to go when her next three months were over. Las Vegas hadn't been on the list. Not even close.

"Okay, I'll go back for a month."

"Try to find my spider, I wonder how he is."

"I will. But I doubt I can bring him with me."

"That's alright, Nick can take care of him until we're back in Vegas. I'm sure we'll both be back one day." He kissed her softly. He would miss her, he could already feel how his heart ached when he thought of being without Sara for a month. But because he loved her, he knew she needed to do something. She would become unhappy when she stayed the whole time at home. It wasn't fair to ask her to put her life on pause because he had a job here. They had managed when she was in Costa Rica, they would managed this too. No doubt about it.