"Hey Griss, what's this I hear about you being gone for a few weeks? Didn't you already get that sabbatical thing our of your system?"

The gang was all present in the break room when Grissom walked in and handed them each an assignment with a memo scrawled at the bottom. "DB in Henderson, suspicious circs…BTW I'll be out of town for a few weeks. G."

Nick looked up from his slip of paper almost as soon as he got it.

Grissom may have come back last time—but again? And so soon?

His supervisor sighed and held up his hand gesturing for silence.

"I am going to do a tour of Universities on the East Coast. Believe it or not the fact that we caught the Miniature Killer is national news. Forensic experts and those in training are quite interested in this one because it is SO different from anything we in our field have ever seen. I've been instructed to talk to students, coroners, and other labs about what exactly we've seen with this. The Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI are also interested in speaking with me about Natalie. I'll also be doing some entomological seminars along the way."

"Oh," he added as a near afterthought, "and Sara's coming with me."

"Cause she's your giiiiirrrrrrrrrrrl—friend!" Greg blurted our in a sing-song voice. A mortified look crossed his face the moment it left his lips and he shrunk back behind a smirking Catherine to await his sure to follow punishment.

"No," a suddenly serious Grissom stated, "she's coming because she survived. She could use a little time off, and," Grissom surprised them all by winking at a now terrified Greg, "yes Greg, because she's my girlfriend." With that he grabbed Sara's waist and pulled her to him in a quick hug.

Eyes rolled across the room. Ever since Grissom's slip-up when Sara went missing, he no longer seemed to care what anyone thought about his relationship with her.

Sara shrugged and smiled coyly as she watched the situation unfold, but any embarrassment at being the center of attention didn't stop her from leaning into Grissom for a quick peck on the cheek. He just stood there with the biggest grin on his face.

Folding her arms and leaning on one hip Catherine shook her head, "So, when does this one start?

Grissom gave her his best "do-you-really-need-to-ask" look. "Now."

And without another word he grabbed Sara's hand and pulled her out of the room leaving behind a group of dumbstruck but snickering CSIs.

TBC…