- Chapter 1 -

Sorry for taking so long to update this story. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you. This should be a short story, not more than 5 or 10 chapters. Unless I become a naggy person. :) Sorry if this chapter doesn't read okay. Let me know how you feel about this chapter.

April 2015

Sara looked up at the tall building before her and squinted as the rays of sunlight streamed down from the cloudless sky. It had been almost fifteen years since she last stepped into this building. She had readily agreed when Russell needed to send a senior CSI to a forensic conference. She volunteered herself. She wanted to take a few days off from work.

What she did not expect was the forensic conference was held in the very same building where she first met Grissom. When Russell told her the venue, it was too late to withdraw. She knew that Russell could either send Greg or Morgan if she voiced out her discomfort but she did not want to blur the line between her professional and private life. She soldiered on and came.

She regretted not voicing her uneasiness to Russell. She did not think that this place would evoke so many emotions in her, but it did. It reminded the good, and happier times she shared with Grissom. They had shared so much pleasant memories here. She remembered taking him to her secret hideout and him kissing her forehead as they watched the sun set.

Her heart constricted. Unshed tears stung her eyes. She blinked hard and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

She told herself she would never cry for Grissom after they finalized their divorce two years ago. He flew back to Vegas for a day to sign the papers. She could not believe how simple their divorce was. He relinquished all the bonds and the house in Vegas they had in their name to her and she gave up alimony and the house in Santa Monica he inherited from his mother.

He signed the papers quickly and emotionlessly.

She could not describe the bitterness she had in her heart as she signed the papers. She wanted to tell him that his one-sided decision was affecting her. She wanted to update him about her recent altercation with Ronald Basderic and how Basderic almost ruined her life. She swallowed all her words when their eyes met briefly. His blue eyes no longer emitted the warmth she used to feel in the past.

He left immediately after the lawyer checked the papers, stating that he had to rush for a flight back to China. He did not even bade her goodbye.

Till now, she had not figured why Grissom wanted a divorce. He did not give her a reason behind his decision. All he told her was that she deserved someone better and younger. She scoffed when he told her the feeble reason over the phone. If she had wanted someone younger, she would not pursue him for years. She would have left for the FBI when she asked for a leave of absence. She would have chosen Greg over him if she wanted someone younger. He did not understand that all she wanted was him, the quirky scientist who loved bugs.

She let out a resigned sigh and composed herself.

"Sara?"

She whipped around. "Grissom."

She did not expect seeing him here. The last update she got about him was from Hodges. Hodges boasted to everyone in the lab who bothered to listen that Grissom sent him an email from Egypt.

Her heart was thumping madly in her chest. She found herself shivering.

"Why are you here?" She felt breathless.

"I just finished my project in Egypt. The organizer of this conference was a friend of mine. He asked if I could share my expertise." He answered simply. "You okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah. Yeah. Why?"

"You're shivering," he ran his fingers down Sara's arm slowly. Sara jumped back frightened and backed a few steps from him. "Don't touch me," she uttered.

He took a few steps towards her, closing the distance between them. "You okay?" he asked again, wanting to touch her forehead to see if she had a temperature.

"Grissom!" she raised her voice a few notches. "Don't do this to me."

"What?" he sounded innocent and confused.

"Showing your concern to me. We're divorced. You choose to walk away from me." She backed to a corner of the wall and wrapped her arms around her torso.

"Sara. I…" Grissom was interrupted by a high pitch voice.

"Gilbert," a woman in her late thirties with delicate features ambled over towards them in her impossibly high heels. Despite being in high heels, she only reached around Grissom's shoulder. She flashed a huge grin to Grissom and looped her arm over Grissom's. She leaned in intimately. "We're going to be late."

She turned towards Sara's direction, and finally willingly recognized Sara's presence. "Miss, Gilbert and I are going to be late for our seminar. Gilbert did not like being late."

Grissom tried to pull his hands out of her grip but failed as she held on tightly.

"Oh, I forget to introduce myself. I am Ursula Cohen. Gilbert's partner in this seminar." She smiled haughtily at Sara and batted her long, curly and thick eyelashes.

"And, you are?" Ursula gave Sara a once over. She did not wait for Sara to answer. "You know, it's okay. We're rushing for time. Hope to see you again. Please come for OUR seminar." She emphasized on 'our'.

Ursula pulled Grissom away and brisk walked into the building with Grissom tottering behind.

Sara finally understood the real reason why Grissom asked for a divorce. It was not because he wanted the best for her but because he had found someone younger, and prettier to replace her.

The sky above her rumbled. Tiny drops of rains splattered her face.

She could not no longer differentiate between the droplets on her face were raindrops or tears.

There was more to meet the eyes.

Thank you for all the reviews you had taken the time to leave. I appreciate each and every one of them. Thank you again.

I am thinking of focusing on Sara and Grissom's part. Thus, this story might not involve the elements of the case. :)