AN: Thank you for the reviews, sorry for the delay, this chapter was suppose to be up yesterday but I got a little distracted, but here it is. Warning: A few questionable words.

**Subtle references to the episode: Striper Strangler.

Chapter 7: Minor Detour

1 month later

Since Sara and the team were over at Grissom's place earlier that morning discussing the case after he was kicked off it and suspended from the lab, she wasn't shocked this time around at what she saw when her and Warrick walked in his condo again that afternoon, or more like what she didn't see, which were any signs of anybody other than him living there.

And she knew him and Annie where living together because when they had a gathering here around the first week she was in Vegas, anybody could tell what was her things and what was his, so unless there was another explanation for the way it looked now, it only meant one thing, and it took everything in Sara not to ask the first time she was here, but with them in the middle of a case and everybody around, it also felt that would've been an inappropriate time to discuss it.

But now, even though they were still in the middle of the case, there was a moment when they were alone once her and Warrick had updated him because he had to use the restroom.

So while Warrick was out of the room, they looked at one another, and instead of it being comfortable, it was anything but, then he cleared his throat and asked. "You want something to drink?"

She shook her head then finally asked, not able to keep quiet anymore. "How long?"

Knowing exactly what she was referring to, he looked took a breath and said. "3 weeks."

She looked at him with surprise and a little hurt. "3 weeks?"

Seeing the hurt expression on her face, he stepped closer to her, but she stepped back with a hand out, so he stopped and said. "Sara, I..." He paused then changed his mind and said something else, realizing this was not the time to be discussing this, because one, they were in the middle of a case, and two, they technically weren't alone. "Listen, I'll explain everything, but can we talk about it after the case? Once things settle down."

Trying to keep her tears to herself, she shook her head and cleared her throat. "I can't."

Grissom's heart just plummeted down to his stomach at those words as he asked in surprise. "You can't? Why?"

"Because I uh, I have date." She paused then continued with a small smile on her face. "I met this guy at the bar a few weeks ago, and he wouldn't stop calling to ask me out, not in a stalk-ish kind of way, though, it was actually kind of cute." She chuckled a little and looked down for a second, while Grissom stood there speechless, then she looked at him again before finishing after clearing her throat. "But anyway, when I didn't think..."

Grissom cuts her off in understanding. "Anything had changed between Annie and I, you agreed to go."

When she agreed to go it wasn't that she was shutting the door on Grissom or anything had changed how she felt about him. She just thought it was something to do to have a little life outside of the lab, even if she already knew it wasn't going to go anywhere.

"Yeah, Griss, I'm..."

He shook his head. "No, it's ok, I understand."

Their moment of silence was interrupted when Warrick had walked in the room. "Sara, you ready?"

She cleared her throat and nodded, then after giving one more look toward Grissom, she started walking toward the door as Warrick spoke. "Thanks Griss."

He nodded as he looked at Warrick. "No problem."

"We'll keep you updated."

After one more nod, Warrick and Sara walked out of his condo, and when the door clicked shut, Grissom took a breath and ran his hand down his face while closing his eyes for a second.

When he called things off with Annie, which he had to wait until she came back to Vegas, he just needed a little more time before he told Sara because as much as he wanted to tell her to wait for him to be ready, he didn't think that was fair to her.

But now knowing what he did, maybe he should have given her some indication that things were different now. That there was more hope than ever that things were going the right way.

Before his thoughts could continue, his phone started ringing, so he pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. "Grissom...alright, Nicky. What do you have?"

Now with Nick on the phone secretly giving him updates about the case, his mind/thoughts about the case became his main focus.

After shift

Once the case had ended with it officially closed, the team ended up at the diner, and after everybody was done eating, the group slowly parted, and while Grissom was paying for the bill, he looked outside and saw Sara talking and laughing with a guy on the sidewalk, the one he assumed was her date later.

He did a quiet sigh as he grabbed the change, then as he was putting it in his pocket, Catherine's voice was heard from the side of him. "You want to come over and talk? I'm sure Lindsey would love to see you."

He wasn't really known to voluntarily talk about how he was feeling, but he felt he needed to talk to someone, so he nodded at Catherine before they both left the diner in their own vehicles.

Once they made it to her house, they were happily greeted by Lindsey before she went back to her room while Catherine went to the fridge to get a bottle of water, then she carried it to him before sitting down on the couch next to him.

After he took a sip, he started to speak. "What you said over a month ago was right, a choice had to be made and I couldn't hide or deny my feelings any longer because it would have been unfair to either woman if I continued the route I was going." Catherine nodded as he continued. "But you have to know, I've never crossed that line with Sara when I was with Annie, no matter how strongly I felt."

Catherine nodded with a smile. "I knew in the end you would make the right choice, and from what I saw with the whole original look in your condo, you feel you made the correct one?"

He nodded with a smile. "I do, no doubts or second thoughts this time."

Then Catherine raised an eyebrow before finishing. "And from that little scene I saw between Sara and that guy, means you never told her about your choice."

He sighed and shook his head. "Nope, I guess we haven't got our timing down yet."

Catherine then chuckled this time while shaking his head. "It's not the timing that sent you on a little detour this time, it was you not telling her. How else was she suppose to know? Hell, none of us knew, and if we didn't end up at your condo, who knows how long it would have been until we did."

Since they weren't known to spend a lot of time at Grissom's place, or even with Annie since she had her own friends, it might have been a couple of months before they found out about the break up. Plus, Grissom usually kept things pretty private about his personal life so that was another thing that kept them from knowing right away.

Grissom nodded in understanding before speaking. "I just needed a little time. I was with Annie for six years, and just because I finally realized I didn't love her like I thought I did, or should have, didn't mean I didn't care for her or respected what we had together."

This time Catherine nodded in understanding and smiled at him while placing her hand on his arm. "I get that, and I'm sure Sara would have gotten that too. In fact, I have no doubt she would have waited for you. Hell, what do you think she has been doing all this time?"

Grissom nodded with a slight smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He took a sip of his drink before frowning a little, hoping he wasn't right. "So, you think it's over before it even starts?"

Catherine chuckled again as she removed her hand while shaking her head. "Between you two? Not a chance. She's crazy about you, and one date with this new guy isn't going to change that." She patted his shoulder reassuringly. "You guys will eventually get there."

Grissom nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what's a little more time anyways? Besides, some things are worth waiting for, and I have no doubt she is."

As Catherine sat there watching Grissom's face just light up without holding back an ounce of how he felt about Sara, made her happy that he found his 'one', now that there wasn't a second person in his life, that is. She had no doubt that he had loved Annie at one time, but the way he looked while talking about Sara was completely different, it was like his whole heart was involved now, not just a piece of it.

When Grissom felt her looking at him, he raised an eyebrow at her while asking. "What?"

Catherine smiled bigger as she shook her head. "Nothing, it's just you look & seem different, I kind of like it." He smiled as she continued. "But in the future, you should tell the one you're really interested in on what's going on, it will make the relationship go a little smoother."

Grissom chucked with a nod. "I hear you, and I got it."

As Catherine gave him anther smile and nod, Lindsey came running into the room and stopped in front of Grissom with a smile. "Uncle Gil, you want to color with me? I have a butterfly picture you can color."

"You know what Linds, I would love too."

"Yes!"

Then she ran back to her room as Grissom stood up after placing his water bottle on the coffee table before walking toward Lindsey's room, while Catherine continued to have a smile on her face, yep she definitely liked this new side of Grissom and hoped she saw it more.

AN: Find out what happens next. Please review.