12 Months to the Final Goodbye

Chapter One- A Party and A Visitor

Nick's celebration party was the finest party in CSI History. Everyone was so happy when Nick returned from Dallas after recuperating from his ordeal with the madman, that Catherine threw a party at her house that would rival the most raucous frat party.

There was great food, a BBQ and lots of tequila. Young Sanders was foolish enough to challenge Grissom to a shoot out, where each man took turns picking the booze and doing a shot until the other man fell. Sanders did not have the bulk or the steely reserve of Grissom, and passed out six or seven shots into the contest, Grissom more than slightly drunk, walked around and noticed Sara, standing by the pool, watching the whole party with an amused grin.

"No tequila for you", Grissom smirked.

Sara cocked an eyebrow. "No, I lost paper, rock scissors to the guys and I am the designated driver. If you want a ride, you better watch it, 'cause if you puke in my truck, you replace.

Grissom laughed, "I am getting a ride home with Brass." He looked up and noticed Warrick and Nick sneaking behind Sara. As a matter of fact, I better find him; he neatly stepped away, as Nick and Warrick picked up Sara and threw her into the pool. Once Sara went in, Grissom was drunk, but not so drunk that he did not realize that he could be next, so he snuck off and found Jim to go home.

Grissom could not remember the last time he was so happy to see his bed.

Grissom heard a noise "Who's there."

He heard a laugh and not quite believing his eyes, saw Lady Heather in front of him, in a bizarre outfit.

He shouted, "What are you doing here?"

Lady Heather smirked, "You tell me Gilbert, it's your dream. Believe me; you can't afford a house call on a civil servant's salary."

Grissom looked confused.

Lady Heather sighed. "I am here Gilbert as your Guardian Angel"

Grissom cocked an eyebrow, "You're my Guardian Angel."

"Apparently, I am the patron saint of middle-aged, emotionally stunted workaholics. Now do you want to banter all night, or do you want to know why you brought me here?"

Grissom nodded his assent.

Lady Heather began, "Well quite frankly, TPTB have gotten quite weary of you, and so have I."

Grissom looked confused, "TPTB"

Lady Heather sighed, "The Powers That Be. Really Gilbert, you don't sleep very long, and we are never going to get to the point of your dream if you don't start tracking."

Grissom nodded and motioned for her to continue.

"Anyway, you and Sara."

Grissom interrupted, "What about Sara and I? We are getting along just fine."

Lady Heather gave him a withering look. "Just fine is not the point. The point is that the two of you are soul mates. You are meant to be together. The two of you have been given four lives together, one in each of the past four centuries. Yet in each life time you have managed to blow it. Everyone has a soul mate and you have five lifetimes to get together. Once you find each other, when you die, you spend eternity together, and you don't come back for more lives. If you do not find each other after the 5th life, you spend eternity in a void, watching scenes of the happiness that you missed. This is your last time together, and you are messing it up again, so TPTB decided that an intervention was in order."

Grissom was surprised, "Sara and I have known each other before."

Lady Heather nodded, "Think Gilbert, the 1st time you met her, didn't you feel as if you knew her, really knew her." Seeing Grissom's look of confusion she continued. "Alright, in order to clarify, I am going to show you your previous lives together."

Lady Heather clapped her hands. A laser pointer appeared and a screen came down. Grissom was rather surprised to see a PowerPoint Presentation on the screen. He looked questioningly at Lady Heather.

"Yes Gilbert, they even use Microsoft in Heaven."

As Lady Heather began her presentation, but Gilbert interrupted. "You're going to teach me something, is that what the schoolmarm outfit is about."

Lady Heather huffed, "Once again Gilbert it's your dream. Also, the 'Naughty Schoolmarm' is one of the best sellers at Now focus."

Lady Heather began the 1st slide

"1692 Salem, Massachusetts. You were a doctor and apothecary and Sara was a neighbor with an interest in medicine. Since regular medicine was forbidden to women, you taught her about medications and midwifery, since you never liked the mess of childbirth. She was an excellent pupil. You found yourself drawn to her, as you were supposed to be, but felt it would be wrong to act on her feelings since she was your pupil. So as the community in Salem became more against women in midwifery, and distrustful, things became heated. Even though you begged Sara to stop practicing her medical arts for her safety she did not listen to you. She was accused of witchcraft, tried, found guilty and burned at the stake."

Grissom sat there watching each slide, with the final one being condemned and burnt at the stake. One of the faces looked familiar. Grissom looked up, "I knew Ecklie before?"

Heather nodded. "In that life your mistake was not standing up for Sara, and Ecklie's mistake was accusing her in the 1st place. You have both atoned for those errors in this lifetime, you by keeping Sara from being fired, and Ecklie, in his new respect for Sara and his recent work in Nick's rescue.

Lifetime Number 2: 1777, New York. You were a farmer that joined the fight against the British. You were a competent soldier, if a little dreamy. TPTB thought that in the 1st lifetime that you might act upon having Sara as an equal."

Grissom watched the slide show with interest. He saw Sara, cut her hair short, and write a note. She put on men's clothing, packed a bag, cleaned a gun and went into a man's room. She kissed the man on the head and left a note. The note said "Papa" on the front. Grissom was surprised to see that the man was Brass. He looked up at Lady Heather.

"Yes Grissom, Brass was Sara's father. Haven't you noticed how he was always very protective of her?"

Grissom startled with the realization, "Yes but I thought that was because of the Holly Gribbs' case."

Lady Heather allowed herself a tiny smile. "That is what Brass thinks as well. So Sara disguised herself as a man, and joined your battalion. She was assigned to be your partner and tent mate. The two of you got along well, and you were impressed with Sara, who went by the name Aaron, her horsemanship, and gun skills far outpaced your own, and you were both very smart. However, you became confused as you realized that you were falling in love with your tent mate. Sara saw your confusion, and revealed herself to you. You were too stunned to act. Before you could speak, the commander called for you all to go capture a nearby hill. Distracted by the consequences of her revealing her secret, she got misdirected during the moonless night, and was shot and killed. You were killed trying to move her body. However, you have made up for that mistake in this lifetime by protecting her secrets, as she shares them with you."

"Third Life, South Carolina 1892. You were a doctor again, and Sara is now a governess" Grissom watches the slide, not too surprised to see Catherine and Warrick. He notices an inscription above the doorbell. 'The French Palace'

"Catherine was a prostitute?"

Lady Heather smirked, "No Gilbert, well she started out as one, and quickly moved into management. She was the madam there and Warrick was the parlor piano player. Sara was the governess to Catherine's daughter, Elizabeth. Catherine and Warrick were lovers, which was very dangerous in that time. We had all thought that this was going to be the lifetime that the two of you fulfilled your destiny. You began courting, and you even gave her a gift." Grissom watched himself give Sara a lapel watch. She accepted it and they kissed. He began watching in horror as Sara lost the watch during a picnic at the river with Elizabeth and Warrick found it. He returned the watch to Sara at the lake. Sara was so happy about the watch being found that she hugged Warrick and kissed him on the cheek. The sight of a white woman kissing a non-white man did not go unnoticed by the local townsmen, who went and hunted down Warrick and killed him, as Grissom watched unable to help, he also watched as Sara, trying to save him was also killed. Watching this, Grissom could almost understand Catherine's initial strong negative reaction to Sara. She felt that Sara was responsible for the death of her love, then and was at fault now for not getting Eddie's killer.

Grissom started shaking as he watched the scenes unfold. Was it his lot in life to watch Sara suffer lifetime after lifetime? Was his cowardice responsible for his friend's death?

Lady Heather looked at Grissom with near pity. She spoke softly "Grissom, you protected Warrick in this life. It's this life that counts."

Grissom watched as Lady Heather began the final slides. Somehow it did not surprise him to see Nick and Sara during World War II. He watched as he tried to save Sara and Nick, but they were found guilty of being spies against the Nazi's and were both killed. Lady Heather telling him that saving Nick in this life did little to calm his frayed nerves.

Grissom yelled, "Stop, I cannot watch any more of this. What is the point of doing this to me?"

Lady Heather looked at Grissom. "Gilbert, do not fall into self-pity. It's beneath you. This is your final notice. In 12 months, Sara will die. If you connect with her and meet your destiny, you spend eternity together. If not, you don't the choice is yours."

Grissom looked defiant. "No, Sara will not die. This is a dream, my imagination, my subconscious."

Lady Heather looked at Grissom. She snapped at him, losing her cool momentarily. "Gilbert, you can take this dream one of either way, it can either be a cautionary tale about combining Tequila and Hot Wings, or you can see it as your subconscious giving your repressed soul a well disturbed bitch-slap. Once again the choice is yours. Sara dies in twelve months. How you both spend eternity. Your choice."

Grissom looked evenly at Lady Heather, "Two Questions: One, where is Greg?"

Lady Heather allowed herself the tiniest smile. "Don't be foolish, Greg is brand new?"

Grissom contemplated that and then had another thought.

Grissom looked pale, "Did Sara get a message as well?"

Lady Heather gave him a small, satisfied grin, "Why do you think she asked you out after the explosion"

Grissom woke with a start, feeling slightly nauseated. He reached for the notepad he kept by the bed. He often recorded his dreams when he remembered them, as they often provided clues to his cases. Tiny bits of ideas and evidence that his busy mind missed during the day.

He looked over what he had read. Was it true? Had he missed opportunities with her in the past lives? He mulled it over. Grissom decided to get showered and start his day. While in the shower, Grissom thought of the solution to his dilemma about the dream. He would look for a sign, something telling him that this was more than a tequila induced hallucination.

TBC

Chapter Two- Searching for a Sign, coming soon.