The plane stopped. Sara yawned and tried to stretched herself as much as that was possible. Twelve hours in a plane, one stopover in New York for two hours what made her trip all in all fourteen hours long.

With her little backpack over her shoulder she tried to wait patiently for the doors to be open. She didn't take a suitcase with her, only the backpack. This was supposed to be one week in Paris, most of her clothes were still here, no need to take anything with her. There was a small possibility that she would stay here and won't go back to Las Vegas. In that case she could simply buy something new, there was nothing irreplaceable left in Vegas.

Fast she moved along the other travelers, through the passport control, got her new tourist visa checked and didn't pay attention on her way to the baggage claim on the left side. No suitcase, no need to check the duty free shop. All she wanted was waiting outside for her. One last step and she flew in the arms of her husband. Her lips met Grissom's and both didn't let go for a minute or two.

"I missed you so much." Sara whispered when their lips got apart.

"Three weeks, it felt like three years."

"Yeah, you forgot to shave, it's good that I'm back." She tousled through the beard.

"I thought you could do that for me."

"I will. Bring me home, I don't want to be at the airport anymore." Arm in arm they left the airport building to Grissom's car. It was never easy and fast to leave or go to the airport, somehow all streets to Charles de Gaulle were busy, no matter what time of the day or what day.

Almost one hour later Grissom unlocked the door to their apartment, another hour and both were happy but exhausted in bed. Freshly showered, Grissom shaved, both satisfied.

"Tell me, how was Las Vegas?"

"Without you it's not that nice anymore. I am suppose to take you back to Vegas with me, they even signed a petition for that, I've it somewhere in my backpack."

"Nice try." He laughed. "Was Ecklie nice?"

"Yes. When I arrived he was really mad at Cath, told her to get a grip on her team and that was not a good leader. He hasn't change, as you can hear. He left me alone, knew he needed me."

"Needed or needs?"

"Needs. They want me to stay."

"What did you say?"

"I told them I need to talk to my husband first. I didn't marry you to be six thousands miles away from you." She kissed his shoulder and snuggled into his arm.

"You liked being back."

"Yes. I was good to see them all again, especially Greg. Ray is a nice guy, he doesn't take bullshit from Ecklie and Nick is now Cath's right hand. I guess he grew an inch or two when she told him."

"There was a time when you weren't happy that you didn't get promoted."

"I thought you don't trust me and my work."

"I asked you to come to Vegas because I trust you and your work more than anybody else. But you weren't ready for the promotion."

"I forgive you." She smiled. That was the past, long time gone.

"So, would you like to stay longer in Vegas?"

"No."

"Sure?"

"No." She sighed. "I loved being back on the job but I missed you. It was strange, walking through the lab, not seeing you, your office looks so different and…without you, the crime lab isn't the same."

"It wasn't the same when you left."

"Working in the lab, not with you, wasn't anything that did me good. It wasn't as bad as the time before I left when I was back, but…I can't go back there, you're here, you've a contract here, I belong to you."

"We do belong together, yes."

"I'll tell Ecklie to look for somebody else."

"Mhm." Grissom got some of Sara's hair out of her face. Softly he caressed her cheek. "Full time?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Does he want you back full time?"

"He didn't say. Why?"

"If you can have a week off once a month we can still see each other."

"What about the other three weeks of a month? Three weeks are more than one week." She didn't want to miss Grissom most time of the month. She didn't want to be separated of him, they had spent enough time on different places, had wasted enough time not being together. Six years of work in Vegas and nothing had happened. What a waste of time.

"There are some free times coming up for me, I could spend my holidays in Vegas, away from the lab before anybody gets the idea to get me back."

"You mean like, you stay in the apartment and I'm not allowed to tell anybody you're there? A secret relationship?"

"A secret meeting, we know how to do them." He smirked. They had managed to have an unknown relationship for over two years.

"Yes we do." She sighed. "Griss, I don't want to lose you because of a job."

"Who said you'll lose me?"

"It's a big distance."

"We managed a long distance already once. We know we can do it. Sara, I know you, you're not made for staying home the whole day. You'll go crazy when you are in Paris for a few months, have nothing to do. You'll suffer more this way than being in Vegas and coming over once a month."

Sara closed her eyes. A part of her knew he was right. Another part of her was fighting this knowledge. She didn't want to be apart from her husband. She didn't want to spend her days sitting in the apartment, waiting for him to come home. It was a catch 22, no matter what her decision was.

"I'll stay in Paris until the next summer, after that I'll be back in America. Tell Ecklie you'll stay for a year, we'll see then what we'll do. If I come back to Las Vegas, teach there or if we both go anywhere else in the US. I wouldn't mind going back to Chicago or to San Francisco."

"A whole year?"

"Actually make ten months out of it, I'll leave in June university. How would you like to travel a month or two through Europe?"

"I think I'll like that." She smiled. Two months of holidays with her husband, how could she not like that?

"So?" He raised an eyebrow.

"So I'll tell Ecklie I'll stay – part time – and come over to France once a month. I'll get a lot of bonus miles and all my money will end up in flight tickets."

"I'll send you something so you can buy some food and drinks."

"Thanks." She laughed.

"I've to take care of my wife, can't let her starve. And when I've holidays here, I'll come over. I hope you don't have plans for Christmas."

"Beside working? No."

"You'll have one day off, I want to spend one Christmas day with my wife."

"Do you start to like Christmas?"

"No, but I love my wife and I love spending time with her. Can't imagine any better Christmas than having her under my Christmas tree."

"Really?" Sara cocked her head.

"Really." He pulled her in his arms and kissed her softly. It would be hard to be apart for a few weeks but he knew it was the best for them. Sara wouldn't be happy in Paris and he wasn't happy when his wife wasn't happy.