DISCLAIMER: CSI belongs to CBS and Alliance-Atlantis Productions. No
infringement intended.
FEEDBACK: Love it, but no flames please I'm fragile!
SUMMARY: Sara and Grissom are ready to move on. Sort of sequel to All Roads Lean To You GSR
SPOILERS: 8x07 Goodbye and Good luck, up to present
AUTHORS' NOTES: This wasn't written as an intended sequel to 'All roads lead to you' it just sort of started to lead that way as I was writing it.
As always huge thanks to the immensely talented Mingsmommy for the excellent beta service. Without her this wouldn't have been posted. Thanks also to the fabulous Julie who is always so encouraging with everything I write. Lastly thank you to my wonderful friend Mossley who not only is a great source of support, but manages to keep me from hyperventilating when I start stressing out.
Happy Christmas to everyone and have a happy and healthy 2008. Thank you for all of your reviews over the past few years, I really do appreciate them.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
Grissom looked up with annoyance when Catherine came to a halt just inside his door way and smiled brightly at him.
"Remember, seven o'clock tonight. We're all going to be there and you are coming."
"Seven o'clock," he nodded with a heavy sigh. "Don't you think you've told me enough times already?"
"So you'll be there?"
"Do I have a choice?" Grissom eyed her optimistically when she offered him a sympathetic smile, but lost all hope completely when she moved further into the room to take up residence in the chair opposite his desk. "I take it that's a 'no' then."
"Gil, you can't keep moping around the lab because she's gone."
Shaking his head, Grissom dropped his eyes back to the file that lay open on his desk. "Sara's not gone forever," he told her quietly, without taking his eyes off of the paper.
"What?" Catherine immediately sat forward in her chair and leant her elbow on the table. "You've spoken to her?"
Grissom knew the second he'd let that tiny piece of information slip that he'd already said far too much. With a heavy sigh he kept his eyes lowered, unable to look at her. "Yes."
"And?"
"And what?" he asked with annoyance as he continued to study the file.
"Hello…Sara…you…her…" Catherine droned as she reached across the desk to pull the file away from him.
"Catherine," he groused huffily, but made the fatal mistake of meeting her eyes. "I…"
"I'm worried about you," she told him, her face warming with a genuine smile. "You're my friend…I care about you…please tell me what's going on with you two."
Shaking his head, he quickly covered his discomfort by grabbing the file she'd stolen from him and preceded to ignore her while she stared at him silently.
"Was there anything else?" he snapped, his voice rising in irritation.
"I just want to help you, Gil. You and Sara—"
"Our relationship is none of yours, or anyone else's business," he told her coolly, even though he knew that Catherine wasn't a woman who gave up very easily.
"So you're still in a relationship?" she asked him with a teasing smile as she stood up.
"Catherine!"
"I know, I know," she grinned before turning around to head towards the door. "Seven O'clock."
When he didn't answer her she turned around and stared at him until he looked up to meet her questioning eyes before buckling under her gaze.
"I'll be there."
"Good. See you later."
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By the time Grissom reached his townhouse his heart was racing. Why had he agreed to this Christmas dinner with the rest of his team anyway? If he didn't show up then Catherine would come looking for him and drag him along anyway. He was already doomed.
Sliding the key into the lock he stepped over the threshold before removing his key to close the door.
"Honey…" he called loudly as he threw his keys and briefcase onto the small oval table in the hall. "I'm home."
Hank came running down the stairs to greet him, his tail wagging with excitement as he drooled over his owner with over zealous enthusiasm.
"Easy boy," Grissom laughed as he patted the boxer's head affectionately. "It's good to see you too."
"Hank, let your dad get through the door," a soft voice spoke as she made her way down the stairs.
The boxer grunted when his human parents slowly began walking towards one another, effectively ignoring him. Picking up his chew toy, he padded away from the beaming couple before flopping down beside the front door and proceeded to gnaw on his squeaky toy loudly.
Grissom couldn't help the silly grin on his face when he saw her. She had only been back home for a week but he'd visited her as often as he could and spoken on the phone with her regularly. He still marvelled about how beautiful she was and how he'd managed to fall in love with her all over again. Neither of them had dwelled on their time apart but he knew that just by looking into her eyes, she had found herself again and buried the past that had haunted her.
"Hello," she grinned beautifully as she came toward him and snaked her arms around his neck.
Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her closer into his body and placed tiny kisses into her hair before pulling back slightly so he could look into her eyes.
"Hi."
They gazed at each other adoringly before she leant in to press a soft kiss onto his lips only to pull away to smile up at him. "I missed you."
"Yeah?" he asked with a teasing smile.
"Oh yeah," she grinned before placing another kiss onto his lips, this time lingering for a few seconds more than the previous one. Pulling away again she threaded her fingers through his greying curls before closing the tiny gap between then to kiss him again.
Grissom couldn't help it, her touch always rendered him powerless and when she ran her tongue delicately over his bottom lip, begging for entry, he readily complied.
He pulled her closer, his need to feel her against him overpowering every other thought in his mind. "Love…you…" he whispered in between kisses, "…so…much."
"…Mmm…" she moaned against his lips, "…love you…too…"
Grissom's lips left hers to kiss a blazing trail of fire down and across her throat, before kissing his way back up towards her lips.
"Bed?" he managed when her lips hungrily sought out his again while she urged his body backwards until they both sank down onto the couch.
Sara broke the kiss, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she slowly straddled his thighs without taking her eyes away from his, "I don't want to wait."
Her words sent a spark of desire to burn in his gaze. He held so much passion inside of him, so much love and devotion. He loved her in a way that no one else ever had. He was everything, love, life, happiness…her whole world.
Tears suddenly pooled in her eyes and she desperately tried to blink them away. She had never felt so completely connected to anyone in the way she was with him.
"Sara…" he asked worriedly as he ran his fingers over her arms before lifting his hands to frame her face. "Sweetheart?"
"It's nothing," she reassured him, even when her tears started tumbling over her cheeks.
"Then why are you crying?"
"Because I love you, so much…I…" shaking her head she leant into him again to rest her forehead against his. "I don't want to ever be without you again."
"You'll never have to, sweetheart…'til death do us part remember?"
"Not even in death," she told him fiercely when she lifted her hands to frame his on her face. "I'll never stop loving you."
"I feel like I've loved you forever…" he whispered, his voice breaking as he spoke one of the lines she'd written to him in her note. "…I can't think of a time when I haven't loved you…"
"It felt like I was dying without you," she told him with a watery smile. "I knew I had to leave my past behind before I could come back to you…but it felt so…" her voice trailed away when his lips found hers again, his soft reassurances slowly surging into deepening desire. Her tears still cascaded but she urged him onwards, unable to break the kiss between them. They sank down into the cushions together and when his hands found their way inside her silken robe, every other thought fled from her mind as she surrendered to him completely.
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"Gil, are you sure you want me to come with you?" Sara asked worriedly as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
"What?" he laughed softly. "Of course I do…why?"
Turning around to face him she threw her hands to the side in defeat before returning to stare at herself in the mirror again. "I can't hide it no matter what I wear…I've gone through everything in my closet that still fits me."
"Honey, you look beautiful," he told her with a smile as he stepped up behind her to join her reflection in the mirror.
"I'm not…I'm fat," she grumbled, leaning back into his chest.
"No you're not," he chuckled happily when he slid his hands around her from behind to move over her swelling belly. "You're pregnant."
"But they don't know that…" she sighed. "They're going to think I only came back because of the baby and I know—"
"Sara, whatever they think they'll be so happy to see you that they won't even care about why you came back."
"You think so?" she asked his reflection, still unable to keep the worry from her eyes.
"Yes."
"But what about you? I thought you didn't want them to know."
"I never said I didn't want them to know," he told her softly as he pressed a gentle kiss behind her ear. "I just said I didn't want them to know, yet."
"Well, just so you know, I've tried to suck my stomach in but this baby is having none of it…I mean, with my legs and your feet, the poor kid's already doomed!"
"You have great legs," he grinned teasingly, loving the way her eyes lit up as she stared back at him in the mirror.
"You're not helping!"
"Sorry," he chuckled as he moved away from her to turn her around to face him. "You are my wife, Sara. You're my pregnant, exquisite wife…and it's about time we stopped hiding and just came out with it."
"Just like that?" she asked incredulously.
"Can you imagine Catherine's face?" His eyes twinkled mischievously as he pulled her against him to wrap her in a strong embrace.
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" she asked him with a smiled as she melted into his arms.
"To see Cath speechless…yeah, that'll be something to look back on and remember." Pulling back he slid his hands down her arms before linking their fingers together. "This is our chance to tell the whole team about our plans and get all of the questions out of the way at the same time."
"Yeah, I guess," she sighed as she looked up into his eyes. "Are you sure you're ready to leave Vegas?"
"It's time," he told her with a smile. "Besides, my heart's not here anymore, it's wherever you are."
"We can stay here if you don't want to leave…" she told him, knowing that he would see the disappointment flaring briefly in her eyes.
"But you love California."
"I love you."
"And that's why we're moving," he told her with a heart melting smile.
"Because I love you?" she shook her head in confusion.
"Because we love each other and we both want our children to grow up by the sea."
Sara sighed happily and closed her eyes when he kissed her cheek before he turned away from her to walk towards the bedroom door. Sara's eyes sprang open when she suddenly realized what he'd just said.
"Children?" she asked in disbelief when she followed him out of the door and down the stairs. "Just how many kids are you expecting?"
"Oh I don't know…two…maybe three…" he laughed as he held her coat up for her so she could slip her arms into the sleeves before she could turn around and meet his eyes.
"THREE?"
"Come on," he chuckled, ushering her out of the front door. "We have to be there by seven…"
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Grissom looked at the woman sitting nervously beside him when he parked the car. Reaching across he closed his hand over both of hers and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.
"Honey, it'll be fine."
"I hope so," she whispered worriedly as she pulled one hand free of his and ran a finger over the gold band that adorned his marriage finger. "Have you worn this to work yet?"
"What and face a hundred questions?" he asked incredulously when she beamed a full Sara smile at him. "Okay, I admit it, I was a coward."
"But you're going to be wearing it now right?"
"All the time."
Turning her hand beneath his, palm side up, she threaded her fingers through his. "Are you ready to face them?"
"Honey, they'll be really happy to see you," he told her reassuringly. "They love you."
"You think they'll still feel that way when they hear that I'm taking you away?" she asked, her voice dropping to no more than a whisper.
"I never planned on staying here forever, honey; they know that. We're moving on our own path now, one that leads us to our own future—" his voice broke off suddenly when he saw her smiling incredulously at him. "…What?"
Sara couldn't hide the smile that lit her face as she reached across her seat to hold her free hand against his cheek. "I love you Gilbert Grissom," she told him adoringly while she leant in closer to plant a soft lingering kiss onto his lips before moving back to gaze into his emotion filled eyes. "Don't ever change."
Grissom couldn't help the huge beaming smile that graced his features. Lifting her hand from his face he placed a soft kiss into the centre of her palm before releasing her. "Come on, let's go."
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Catherine was the first to see him and waved wildly to let him know where they were seated. Standing up, she moved to go and greet him but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the woman walking by his side, their hands entwined together.
"Sara?" she asked in a shocked gasp, her voice alerting the other three members that were already seated around the table.
Grissom squeezed Sara's hand tighter as they came to a stop beside their friends. "Surprise," she smiled awkwardly while she waited for their reaction.
"Sara!" Greg was the first to leave his seat, hurrying around the table to yank her into a tight embrace. "Are you back, are you staying?"
"Greg," she laughed lightly as he rocked her gently from side to side. "I need to breathe…"
"Sorry…" he told her, his voice rising when he glanced down at her stomach and realised why he couldn't hold her a lot more tightly. "Oh my god, you…you're—"
"Greg," Grissom cut in quickly before he could speak, but it was Catherine who intervened.
"Greg," she laughed, "give the poor woman room to breathe."
"Sara," Nick moved to her side and eased her out of Greg's tight clutches and wrapped his arms around her, noticing but not mentioning the swollen stomach between them. "It's good to see you again, sugar." Moving closer he leant his mouth next to her ear, "Congratulations."
"Thank you," she smiled as she held him to her albeit briefly before pulling away only to be engulfed in Warrick's warm embrace.
"How are you doing, girl?" he asked gruffly, his voice thick with emotion as his gaze swept over her features before dropping down to her rounded stomach and then back up to her eyes. "Everything okay?"
"I'm good," she told him with a watery smile. "I'm really good…and you…are you sleeping better?"
"I am," he nodded, remembering their conversation before she left the lab so many months ago. "I'm great, thanks for asking."
Grissom's eyes met Catherine's pleadingly before she finally found her feet and moved closer to Sara who was becoming overwhelmed with the attention she was receiving. Warrick stepped away from her, giving her fingers a final reassuring squeeze before letting go of her completely.
"Sara," Catherine said softly when she saw a spark of apprehension appear in the younger woman's eyes when she stepped closer. Without another word she pulled her into a tight embrace and held her for a few moments before she pulled back suddenly to look down in shock at Sara's protruding stomach. "Oh my god…honey…"
"Yeah, that was kind of our reaction at first too," Grissom chuckled when he stepped closer to reclaim his wife's hand.
"Wow…" Catherine gushed as her hands dropped to spread her fingers wide over Sara's stomach. "When did this happen? You look like, what, five months?"
"Twenty-five weeks," Grissom grinned proudly.
Catherine took one look at Grissom who let go of Sara's hand to usher the other three men back to their seats before turning back to Sara, a sparkling smile curling her lips upwards. "Is he unbearable yet?"
"Oh yeah," Sara grinned widely as she followed Catherine who motioned for her to sit beside her at the table. "Anyone would think I was the first woman to have a baby."
"Hey, I am here you know," Grissom groused when he took his seat alongside his wife. "I'm just concerned."
"I know, honey," Sara smiled sweetly as she reached out to clasp his hand gently.
"You're married!" Catherine gasped again, reaching across to grab Sara's hand to bring it closer for a better look at the diamond rings that sparkled on her finger. "You two got married without us?"
"Uh…" Sara looked from Catherine and then to Grissom before chancing a look at the three sets of eyes that watched her with complete and utter wonderment.
"We got married in California," Grissom offered as he reached across to retrieve Sara's hand from Catherine's grasp.
"The weekend you went to your seminar?" Greg asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I think we can all stop pretending here," Grissom chuckled as he squeezed Sara's hand tightly. "I think you all know that I didn't go to a seminar!"
"Yeah we kinda figured that out for ourselves," Warrick offered with a wide grin. "You came back less tense."
"Yeah and less grouchy," Nick agreed with a beaming smile.
"So are you guys ready for this?" Catherine asked as she reached out to lay a hand over Sara's swelling stomach again. "This little one will change everything."
"Yeah, well, we've made a few plans," Grissom nodded. "We've actually brought a house."
"You have?" Nick grinned, "That's great."
"Here, in Vegas?" Catherine asked again even though she was distracted by the movement beneath her hand.
"Actually no," Grissom held Sara's hand tighter and waited for the inevitable questions that would no doubt follow his statement, but they never came. "We're moving back to California before the baby's born."
"But we'll stay in touch," Sara told them all quickly as if her words would maybe soften the blow a little.
"Wow," Catherine shook her head as she pulled her hand away from Sara's belly. "Marriage, baby on the way and a new house, you guys don't mess around do you?"
"All you two need now is a dog," Warrick chuckled.
"Uh, we already have one," Grissom told them all guiltily.
"Jeez…you two are fast movers…" Greg shook his head incredulously, still not quite believing that any of this was really happening. "I mean…wow…"
"Well, since we weren't there for your wedding, I think this calls for a toast." Nick picked up his beer bottle and held it up.
Warrick and Greg held theirs up too and clinked bottles next to Catherine's glass. "To Grissom and Sara," Nick spoke.
"We wish you every happiness in your new life." Catherine lifted her glass and took a sip before she wiped a tear away from her eyes.
"Oh, god, Cath I'm sorry," Sara gasped when she saw the older woman fighting to remain in control.
"Sara, don't ever apologize," she sniffed as she pulled the brunette into another embrace. "I'm just so happy for you."
"I might need you from time to time, you know, when I get closer to my due date," Sara told her quietly. "Would it be okay if I called you?"
"Absolutely," Catherine beamed, " and maybe I can bring Lindsey out to visit with you."
"We'd like that," Sara smiled as she moved away but stopped to lean back in her seat, covering part of her stomach with her hand.
"Sara?" Catherine and Grissom both said together, one worried the other still tearful.
"This kid is gonna kick its way outta me," she groaned while she tried to urge the tiny foot out from beneath her ribs.
"Baby playing football?" Catherine asked with a smile.
"Yeah, I think he's got a whole team in there!"
"He?" Nick asked curiously as a beaming smile split his face in two.
"Figure of speech, Nicky," Sara sighed, letting out the breath that she'd been holding before sitting forward again.
"So when are you guys moving?" Greg asked quietly from across the table as he took another swig from his beer bottle, eyeing Grissom as he spoke.
"Probably about four or five weeks, depending on when we get the all clear from Sara's doctor."
"How are you and baby pregressing?" Catherine asked when Sara relaxed into her seat again.
"We're both fine actually. I didn't really suffer with morning sickness at all and I've had no complications so far," Sara smiled when the baby kicked again and she laid her hand over the movement, trying to soothe the child beneath her palm. "I'm having temporary care with my old doctor here in vegas until we officially move."
Shifting again, Sara reached out and took Grissom's hand and placed it over their restless child before smiling brightly at their friends who were watching their usually stoic boss turning to mush before their eyes.
"He usually quietens down for me," he explained with a smile as he spread his fingers over the tiny movements, rubbing gently until they slowed down before taking his hand away again.
Sara met his eyes and offered him a wide relieved smile before covering his hand with her own. "You know, someday you're gonna have to show me how you do that."
"It's a Grissom secret," he chuckled.
"Yeah, and last time I looked I was a Grissom too!"
"You guys are just so cute," Nick laughed as he lifted his bottle to his lips. "Makes me wish I'd brought my camera."
"Hey, I'm not too slow to kick your ass Nicky," Sara told him sternly, even though a smile was already forming on her lips.
"Yeah, and I'd put my money on Sara," Warrick grinned, "she'd kick your ass anyday bro."
"I'd have to agree with Warrick here Nicky," Catherine told him. "Hormones are a bitch when a woman's pregnant."
"Hey, I'm not hormonal!"
Grissom smirked and lifted his hand to hide his amusement when she turned to glare at him. "Honey, I still remember the time when you threw your tomato on the floor and stamped on it because it wouldn't slice."
"Well, the damn thing pissed me off," she growled but soon found herself smiling when everyone around the table started chuckling.
"You're a danger to tomatoes," Nicky teased, his wide grin causing everyone to burst into more laughter.
"Oh shut it, Stokes!"
"Hey," Greg cut through the laughter as he sat up in his chair and beamed a huge smile in Sara's direction, "if you guys aren't leaving for another few weeks we have plenty of time to throw you a party?"
"No," she shook her head adamantly. "No parties, Greg."
"You're not going to say goodbye properly?" Nick asked worriedly, the smile falling from his lips. "You know people are going to be upset if you go without telling them."
Grissom slipped his hand from his wife's so that he could slide an arm around her. "Of course we're going to say goodbye."
"Yeah, we have it all planned," Sara beamed, a delighted gleam sparkling in her eyes. "I get to tell Ecklie!"
FOUR WEEKS LATER
Grissom looked around his now deserted office as he tried to remember all of the books and specimen jars he'd once had in here. He felt strangely emotional while he stood there alone with his bare walls and bare desk.
"Hey," a soft voice spoke from the door way and he turned to see Catherine watching him.
"Hey."
"So, this is it?" she tried to keep her voice level as she spoke but she couldn't speak through the lump in her throat. "You're finally leaving."
Grissom swallowed down the emotion welling in his eyes and managed a weak, "Yeah."
"This is pretty strange," she told him when she walked further into the empty office. "I don't think I can ever remember seeing these walls before."
"I know," he nodded, his eyes following the same path as hers. "It's been a long time."
"Yeah," she nodded tearfully. "It has."
"Everyone moves on eventually," he told her quietly.
"Yeah, and if you've managed to find your perfect life then there's still hope for me, right?" Lifting her hand, she swiped at a tear that had escaped to roll down her cheek.
"You've been a good friend, Cath," he told her, "and I know I haven't always been—"
"Oh, will you shut up and hug me," Catherine's voice caught on a sob when she stepped closer and pulled him into an awkward hug. She held onto him tightly, unable to fully pull away. "You take care of yourself, you hear."
"I will."
"And you take care of Sara."
"You know I will."
Catherine took a deep breath and slid her arms from around his shoulders to stand before him, clasping his hands. "And I want to know everything about the new house, the baby, your neighbours…everything."
"I promise we'll keep in touch," Sara's soft voice spoke from the hallway, sparking more tears to cascade down Catherine's cheeks.
Pulling away from Grissom, she turned to move towards the young brunette in the doorway and drew her into a strong embrace.
Sara's eyes filled with tears as she closed her eyes, relishing the new closeness she had only just begun to feel with the woman before her. "You can come visit us."
"Whenever I can," Catherine laughed, sniffing back the tears as she pulled away to look into the younger woman's eyes. "You take care of him, okay?"
Sara reached out to squeeze Catherine's fingers. "Always."
"Okay, so I think now I'm going to fix my face before I meet the boys out front," she tried to smile while she wiped any evidence of wetness from her eyes. "Don't leave until I get there, okay?"
"We won't." Sara watched her turn away and found herself blinking her own emotions from her eyes. Taking a deep breath she turned back to see Grissom holding his nameplate, his eyes lingering over it for another few moments before replacing it inside the small box he planned to carry out to the car.
Looking up, Grissom offered her a small smile when she approached him. Holding out his hand, he threaded his fingers through hers and picked the box up with his other hand, cradling it in his arm.
"Are you ready?" Sara asked him gently as his eyes scanned the now empty room one last time.
"Yeah."
Sighing heavily, Sara led him out of his office and nodded to every one of the lab techs that had shown up to say their goodbyes. The more people they passed the heavier her steps became. Her hand automatically tightened around her husband's as she tried to swallow the deepening guilt she still felt for taking him away.
Sensing her discomfort, Grissom took his hand out of hers and slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer as they walked towards the entrance where all of their friends had now gathered to say goodbye.
Nick pulled her into a strong embrace first, his deep brown eyes now unashamedly pooling with tears. "I'll miss you."
"Don't make me cry, Nicky," she pleaded softly, even though she could already feel her tears starting to flow.
"No can do, sweetheart," he sniffed when he pulled back to plant a soft kiss onto her forehead before letting her go to shake Grissom's hand.
Greg, Warrick and Doc Robbins all took their turns in holding her close, all of them conveying just how much she would be missed. And by the time she reached Brass, she was already sobbing uncontrollably.
"You're gonna be missed, Cookie," he told her gravely, his voice breaking as he spoke. "Maybe I'll come and pay you two a visit next time I'm in your neck of the woods."
"You'll always be welcome Brass," Grissom told him when he released Sara to shake his friend's hand.
Greg couldn't hide his emotion as he stepped forward to wrap his arms around Sara again. "You have my email, right?"
"I do, and I'll email you as often as I can."
"If you don't, I'll be calling you," he told her as he tried to smile but failed miserably. "I'll miss you."
Sara gasped on a sob as she pulled him in for another hug. "I already miss you…I miss all of you."
"Come on girl," Warrick's voice spoke from beside her, causing her to leave Greg's embrace for his. "You and Grissom are going to be okay."
"I…know…" she sobbed quietly, her voice catching on a hiccup. "This…is just…so…hard…"
"I know," he soothed as he swallowed back his own tears. Pulling out of her embrace he planted his hands onto her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. "You will always be my friend."
His words caused her eyes to flood again, but all she could do was nod, unable to trust her own voice from breaking. Stepping away Sara sniffed back the tears when she saw how close her husband was to losing his emotional control in front of everyone. Catherine had her arms wrapped around him, sobbing quietly into his shoulder while he tried his best to comfort her while still clutching the box.
"Gil, we have to go," she told him tenderly, her voice breaking Catherine's hold on him.
Catherine slowly moved away from her friend, only to reach up and plant a gentle kiss on his cheek before turning to Sara, repeating the process.
"I'll call you when we get there," Sara promised when Catherine hadn't let go of her hands. "As soon as we're settled, come and visit?"
"I will," Catherine told her with a sad smile as she pulled her hands away to step back and stand beside the rest of their friends.
Grissom's eyes met his wife's and they both moved towards their car, neither wanting to say goodbye, but both needing to, one last time. Pulling open the passenger side door, Grissom held it open before helping Sara into the car then moved around to the trunk to place the box inside.
His eyes drifted over each of their friends before he nodded sadly and climbed into the car. Reaching for Sara's hand, he squeezed it reassuringly before starting the engine and waving one last time to the people gathered on the sidewalk. Sara waved until she couldn't see them anymore and part of her mourned the family they were leaving behind.
Wiping her eyes she turned back in her seat and reached over to place a warm hand on Grissom's knee as he drove.
"We'll be okay, won't we?"
"Yeah," he told her with a smile as he reached down to clasp her hand briefly before returning it to the steering wheel. "We're going to be fine."
End