Grissom stepped off of the small plane and looked at his surroundings. The scenery was breathtaking this time of year. The small cabin was surrounded by the lush evergreen forest, and the sound of the river flowing by added to the spectacle.

It was only a year ago he was contacted by an old friend. Dr. Robert Plager was an wildlife expert in Alaska. Nearly 20 years ago, Grissom had met him at a conference in New York. The two had very little contact since, but still kept in touch. So this led Grissom way up north. He needed to some distance from Vegas, and to give Sara a chance to think.

Grissom settled into the guest room of Robert's cabin, unpacking his clothes and setting up a small work place. He didn't want to interfere with any of Robert's research while being a guest. The cabin was outfitted well, and had every modern luxury. Grissom set up his laptop and quickly accessed his email. No new messages. No one knew where he went. So how would they know to send an email.

Ashamed of himself, he closed the computer and sighed. He could of handled the whole situation better. But instead of facing his fears, he fled hoping that time would help. Grissom stood and walked outside. He walked down to the river and watched the water swiftly flow by. His mind eased as he took in his surroundings. Fishing in his pockets he retrieved the small digital camera that he had taken with. Aiming at the mountains, forest, and river, he snapped several pictures of the landscape. As he was taking the pictures, Grissom heard a ruckus on the opposite side of the river.

He stood as still as a statue as a Kodiak bear emerged out of the tree line. The large bear sniffed her way down to the river to take a drink. Grissom raised his camera and began taking multiple pictures of the animal.

"That's Tish. I've been documenting her since birth." Robert said as he walked up to Grissom.

"How do you know that specific bear?"

"Well, she is unique. Her left front foot is a blonde color compared to the rest fo her body."

"Aren't you afraid that..." Grissom couldn't find the words.

"Nah. You don't bother them, they won't bother you."

Grissom nodded and watched as the bear made her way back into the woods.

Later that night he sat at his computer and uploaded the images he took earlier in the day. It was then that he decided to write Sara.

'Dear Sara,

I just wanted to write and tell you that I am doing fine. I hope that you are doing well, and getting much needed rest. I am sorry for leaving like I did. I didn't know what to do. All of this is very frightening to me. Now that I am gone I realize that leaving was a mistake. If I were in the comfort of your arms, I would have nothing to fear. I still feel responsible for what happened. I am sending some pictures to show you where I am. Which is Alaska by the way. I have a friend up here that I am staying with. God I miss you so much. Tell everyone where I am and that I am doing fine. I think I will only spend a few weeks up here to clear my head then return to your waiting arms. If you'll still have me. I love you.

Love Grissom'

Sara scoffed as she read his makeshift reason for leaving her hi and dry. She did take the time to look at the photos he sent, but didn't reply to his message. Looking at the clock she decided to go into the lab. Even thou she was still on medical leave, she couldn't hang around the townhouse alone for the rest of the night.

She went into his office to think. The door was unlocked which startled her slightly, but when she opened the door it was only Greg.

"Oh, hey Sara. What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question."

"Grissom asked me to feed his creepy crawlies while he's on leave. I only agreed cause he's paying me."

"Well, I didn't want to sit at home alone. So I thought I could be of some help here."

Greg smiled and walked her into the break room where Nick and Warrick sat waiting for Catherine. No one argued with Sara's reason for being there. Everyone was now in the loop on her and Grissoms 'relationship'. To her at the moment there wasn't much of a relationship.

By the end of shift Sara was exhausted. She stood from behind Grissoms desk when her cell phone rang. Thinking it was Grissom she checked her caller ID. He was the last person right now that she wanted to talk to. But she didn't recognize the number, so she answered it.

"Hello."

"Hey little Sara Sidle. How are you?"

"Lucas, is this you? What are you doing?" She sat back down into the chair.

"Well I'm moving to Vegas and need a place to stay. Can you hook me up? I just have the clothes on my back right now."

She thought for a second. Right now she was living at Grissoms townhouse, and had given up her lease at her apartment.

"Sure, you can crash with me for a while."

"Cool, I'll be there in a week. I can't wait to see you again. It's been entirely too long."

"Yes it has."

"I'll call you to let you know when I'm coming for sure. Thank you so much Sara. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"That's fine Lucas. Anything to help a friend. Call me later."

"You bet. Bye."

"Bye."

Sara hung up the phone with a better feeling. Man, Lucas Harris. She hadn't heard from him since her first year in Vegas. The news that he was moving here and wanted to see her again made her happy. She would have a friend outside of work to hang out with. Sara walked through the halls with a smile on her face as she headed to her car.

When she arrived at home the first thing she did was straightened up the guest room. Her new founded excitement found her in a groove, and she started to clean up. She dusted every butterfly case, around the book shelves, the entertainment center. After an hour she turned on the music. She unpacked items that have spent weeks in boxes, and placed her things from her apartment around the place to make it just as much hers as it was Grissoms. And since he was gone she didn't see any harm in letting an old friend stay for a little while.

TBC