"Hello from below the equator in Puerto Aorta. We've been at sea for over a month now. You wouldn't believe the crew: students, activists, scientists. The dinner conversations alone are mind blowing. There's even this marine biologist that reminds me a little bit of you. I wish we could talk in person but this is the best I can do. I want to apology for being out of touch. I've been thinking about us a lot - you know all the moments. I thought we could survive anything. This trip has given me a lot of clarity. That last year in Vegas, I could barely breathe, let alone think, but now, for the first time in a really long time, I'm happy. Before I left you said some things I tried not to hear but now I think you were right. If a relationship can't move forward, it withers. I've been waiting for you to decide but sometimes not making a decision is making a decision. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is you don't have to worry about me anymore. I'm good. I'm really good and honestly, I think it's better this way."

Words that were burnt into his head, repeated themselves over and over again. Words, he wasn't supposed to hear. But he did. Greg was behind the door when Grissom played Sara's video and even when his first - and probably right - intention had been to turn away, leave and give his boss all the privacy he deserved and wanted, something made him stay. Made him stay there, hidden, listen to Sara's voice. He never had a look at the screen, afraid Grissom might see him, might see his reflection and knew, Greg was listening.

Sara told Grissom it was over, she told him, she had moved on and he should do the same. It was over between them. I'm good. I'm really good. These words sounded nice, but he didn't believe them. The way her voice sounded, she wasn't good. She was hurt and suffered. How could Grissom let her go away? Let her go and stay here, continue to work like nothing had happened.

Greg left the lab, hearing Sara's message in his ears again and again. The radio in his car didn't exist for his ears, his brain. All was focused on Sara and her words. He couldn't remember how he got home, but when he stood in the middle of his apartment and his eyes fell on the computer, he knew what he had to do. With trembling fingers he started the computer, looked at his watch and hoped, the time difference wasn't too big and that Sara was in an area, where she had internet. He had to talk to her.

With flying fingers he signed in to the messenger, the one that also send her a text message on her cell phone when she got a message here. Staring at the screen, waiting for a response, he was aware, the chances, Sara was working or away from the computer, were higher than her sitting in her room, waiting for messages. Whenever she sent the message to Grissom, he doubted she stayed and waited for an answer. An answer, Greg was sure, Grissom didn't give her yet.

When a sound came out of his computer and Sara's name on the screen changed from red to green a smile appeared on Greg's face. There she was, she read his message, came online for him. Before he could type something his chat program rang. Sara called.

"Good morning, stranger." There she was, he could see her. God, this was almost as good as having her really in front of him.

"Good morning, you worked overtime." The soft smile she sent him made him smile even more.

"A little bit. How are you? I miss you."

"I'm good. Actually I'm on a boat, the next two weeks we'll spend here, it's an amazing crew."

"Are you still in Costa Rica?"

"Yes. Are you all right? You look...sad."

"I..." He what? He knew about the message she sent Grissom? He eavesdropped to her message, that was supposed for Grissom only? Everything would be a lie. Was it worse to lie or to tell the truth? "I...I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I heard the message you sent Grissom and..."

"Greg, it was a private message."

"I know...I'm sorry...I...I couldn't get myself to walk away, I knew it was wrong but...it was so good to hear your voice and I...I hoped you'd say you come back."

"No, I won't."

"I heard that too. Sara...I'm sorry I heard what you said and then...then I'm glad I heard it. He would never told us what's up, why you're away. Grissom isn't the only one who misses you, he isn't the only one who needs you back."

"I know." Her voice was sad. "Sorry Greg, but I can't come back. It's...when I tried it the last time, all the nightmares came back. Vegas...it's not the time for me to be in Vegas and honestly I've no idea if there ever be the time for Vegas again."

"Are you telling me you won't come back at all?" Was she about to break with her whole past? With all her friends? With him?

"I'm telling you, I can't promise I come back, can't say, when we meet the next time. I miss you, I want to see you again, but I can't come back to Vegas. It's too...painful."

"Grissom."

"No...well, a little bit. But mostly not him. Of course it hurts that it's over, but...I learnt the last weeks, that some things aren't meant to be and even when I don't understand the reasons why at the moment, there are reasons and I'll understand them, when it's time. We have to make decisions and sometimes your decisions make somebody else decide a new direction."

"Where do these decisions leave us?"

"In different countries, but not out of touch. I promised you I'll keep in contact and we did. Whenever I had the chance, the connection, I wrote to you and this won't stop. You're very important to me, Greg, I love you and I want to keep in touch with you. It will only take some time before we can hug each other again. But I promise, when I plan to come back to the States and be around, I let you know and we'll meet. Maybe we can meet somewhere else than Vegas, you're due for a holiday too."

"There's nobody else?" For a moment he had the feeling Sara told Grissom it was over because she fell on love with somebody else.

"No, there's nobody else. I ended a chapter of my life and will take some time to think about it, figure out what I can learn from this experience and how not to make the same mistakes again. I did enough mistakes, I know it, but as long as you learn from your mistakes, they're not that bad."

"Okay. I miss you, Sara."

She smiled softly. "I miss you too. You're an amazing man, Greg."

"Thanks." And thanks for feeling like a school boy, who got told by his big secret love, he looked cute. Even when it made him also feel a little bit like a fool.

"I've to go now, but I'll send you a text again tonight, tell you what I've been up to today. Go and get some sleep, you look tired. And don't worry too much about me, I'm fine. It hurts but I'll get over it and then times will be better. Sometimes it has to hurt a bit in order to feel better afterwards."

"When you need a special pain killer, I'm available for you. 24/7."

"I know. Sleep tight, guy with the crazy hair."

"The hair isn't the only thing about me that's crazy." He tried to joke.

"I wouldn't know." Sara laughed a bit. "Talk to you soon."

"Bye and take care of yourself." He sighed when her picture was gone. Now he had answers, a lot of answers and even more to think about. Sara would stay in Costa Rica for a while and it was not sure when and if at all, she'd come back to Vegas.

"We can't let her stay in Costa Rica, you've to do something!" Angry words. Meant for Grissom, said out loud to his own reflection in the mirror. Greg knew he looked like shit, the seven hours of sleep were filled with dreams of Sara. Sara far away, not coming back, getting out of touch, finding a new man. It had been hard enough to lose her to Grissom. Well, not lose her, Greg never had her, but at least she was around, was with him while she was with Grissom. Now this was a different story, she was in another country and the chances, she came back to Vegas went from zero to minus a hundred.

"We can't let her stay in Costa Rica, she belongs to us, do something!" Yes, she belonged to Vegas, she was a part of his life, a very important part. It was not an option to have her in another country. Without a return date. The last months had been bad enough, this was worse. No way. He had to do something. Yes, he, Greg. Because Grissom would never get over himself to do something, to get Sara back. His boss made his decision by not making a decision. Now it was time Greg made a decision.

Slipping into jeans and a shirt, he took his coffee and sat on the balcony of his apartment. A plan. He needed a damn plan. How to get Sara back to Las Vegas? What was it that got her here? Grissom. Grissom, who asked her to come here, work on Warrick's case. Okay, nothing he could use now. What did she love about Vegas? She never mentioned anything in particular. She came here because of Grissom and stayed here...because of Grissom. At least first. Greg liked to believe later Sara stayed because of the team, because of the friends she made here. Not only because of Grissom.

So Vegas, the city, had nothing Sara really liked. Nothing he could think of. Contrary, it gave her nightmares, made her feel bad. A lot of bad memories, a lot of bad moments. She had been abducted and almost killed here; because of her job, because of her relationship to Grissom. She lost friends, watched friends suffer, being in hospital, shot. The more he thought about it, the clearer it became: Vegas wasn't a good place for Sara.

Okay, that was one step. Time for the next one. The job. He knew she quit her job because she had the feeling, no matter what she did, it wasn't enough to stop the bad guys. She felt overpowered, felt like it go worse every day. The joy and interest in her job was gone, desperation and frustration replaced them. Now she was away, on a boat, working with a team on ecological balance projects. Out in the nature, away from crime. When she said she was happy, he believed she was happy in her new job, but not the rest of her life. Meant, he had to keep the happiness and expand it to other areas of her life; to all others. How could he do that? And how could he do that with her, with her in his life, being close to her?

Fact was, if he didn't want to accept the situation: Sara gone in Costa Rica and not willing to return to Vegas, he had to change things. He couldn't change her plans, he had to change his plans. How to do that? And was he ready for a change?