Maybe He'll Follow

My "what if?" for what follows "The Happy Place" Spoilers for Episodes 2 and 10, and no, I don't own "CSI", or any of its characters. If I did, I'd not only be rich, but I'd slap the writer who broke my heart with the ending shot of "Happy Place". I don't so I won't!

Every day Grissom thought about their last conversation. He saw her face, winced at the expression in her eyes, then the look of understanding in the dim light.

"Maybe he wanted her to leave…"

"Who are we talking about here?"

He'd hoped Sara would stay for good, but after the pain of what happened with Pamela Adler, there was no way he could ask her to remain. Too much death, she had told him, and too many hurts that he couldn't kiss and make better.

At least he had seen her off, with an embrace deeper but more emotional then when Sara left before. But in the months that followed, the drive Grissom had always had in speaking for the victims that entered and left the lab, that was gone. He found himself clockwatching, counting the minutes until he could go home. Occasionally he made time to share a meal with Nick, Catherine or Greg, sometimes reminiscing about Warrick with Brass. Invariably a pager would go off, and he was alone again.

Until he got home, walked Hank or tended to the little garden Sara had started.

Until his cell phone rang and her voice put a smile back on his face. He could almost pretend she was right next to him.

"How's my boy?"

"I'm fine, honey." he grinned, then laughed when she groaned, "Gil, I mean Hank."

"He's fine, too. He misses you…I think he only likes me for his scraps."

"Well, I miss you for more then scraps…"

Just like months before, they were interrupted, this time by a persistent beep.

"I think that's your phone…"

"I'm not picking up…." He grimaced as Sara gently said, "I have to go anyway, Gil…Mom's therapist is seeing me at 10."

He wanted to say so much more, but confined himself to "I love you, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"I love you, too..Be safe, Gil."

When his cell rang again, he curtly answered, "Yes?"

"Gil, it's Conrad…did you forget about meeting Dr. Langston this morning? I had to skip the Sheriff's breakfast and brief him on your behalf.."

As Ecklie went on and on about Grissom's faux pas and how it didn't look "good" to be a no-show, it suddenly occurred to him what his real mistake was, so he spoke up.

"Conrad, I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't put this off any longer…I'm going to turn in my resignation, effective at the end of the month."

While Ecklie sputtered for a moment, Grissom calmly told him, "That will give me enough time to wrap up any pending cases and break in another supervisor. I believe Catherine and Nick can handle bringing Dr. Langston up to speed after I'm gone."

Now he stood waiting. As people rushed past him, he went over and over the words he spoke to Sara after he filed his resignation with a fuming Ecklie.

"Sara, remember when I said that maybe Tom Adler wanted Pamela to be the one who left?"

"I remember, Gil…I wondered if you were talking about them, or us." He heard the sad note in her voice and he hastened to finish.

"Honey, I should have told you that I meant that you should leave, so that maybe I could follow. Without you here, I have nothing but memories…and I want to make new ones."

"Gil, are you sure? What about the lab, about Catherine and Nick and Greg and…"

He stopped her in mid-sentence.

"Sara, I'll miss them, but it's you I need. I want to come home…"

Her voice choked with emotion, Sara replied, "You are home, Gil…maybe in a few months I'll come visit..."

"No, Sara…this isn't home, home is where you are.."

"Gil!"

Coming out of his reverie, Grissom looked up to see Sara striding towards him through the terminal doors. Mindful of the line of impatient passengers in back of him, he scooped up his suitcase from the baggage carousel, then zigzagged around the new arrivals to the area. Suddenly he was in her arms, baggage and all.

"Sara….don't let go…" he murmured, between kisses. His carry on and suitcase dropped to the floor unnoticed.

"I won't, Gil…" she breathed, tears in her eyes. "You're here, you're really here.."

"Yes." He replied, once he caught his breath. He touched her face, then smiled.

"I'm home, Sara. I'm finally home."

Fin.