Chapter 12

The Days Afterwards—Finale

The snow left as quickly as it arrived. A cold rain washed all traces of the frozen white flakes away before it had time to turn to road slush. Sara and Grissom walked along the river in a mist and watched glass covered bateaux mouches float by appearing as lighted glass globes in a river of gray.

Late one afternoon they stood on the Pont-Neuf, one of many bridges crossing the Seine, as spotlights from the boats lit up the Paris sky and the points of interest. They walked along narrow streets finding surprises at every turn—shop windows filled with the very old and the newest trinkets, facades and doorways designed by Napoleon's planners, and picturesque squares with icy ponds and empty green chairs. So much seemed never to change in Paris, unlike Las Vegas, and they both contemplated the differences in the two places--not for the first time.

They returned their living tree to the florist who tagged it for delivery and planting.

The Delmar's sent a gift to Sara—the softest cashmere sweater set with matching beret along with a short hand-written note from Charley thanking her for saving him from the sinkhole and his plans to visit a very large one in Florida in the summer.

They laundered sheets and towels, cleaned the refrigerator—Sara knew if she did not do it, he would find no reason to perform these tasks until she returned, and packed the Christmas ornaments into a box to be shipped to Vegas.

The night before their flight, they ate at a small restaurant, one of those places tourists pass by but Parisians love because of its good food, excellent but limited wine selections, and impeccable service.

"You make me very happy, Sara," Grissom said, reaching his arm across the table to take Sara's hand. He managed to kiss her fingers in spite of the distance from where he sat. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a folded envelope. Sara knew he had retrieved the mail from the box earlier in the day. "Today, we got official notification that our grant has been accepted." Sara's eyes brightened but before she could say anything, he held up his finger. "Accepted for consideration—that means we are short-listed."

Sara smiled. "Short-listed—that's good. Nearly everyone said it would take at least two applications to be considered. We've beat those odds." She was thinking that perhaps her time in Vegas would be much shorter than they had thought.

"But I'll be home in a few weeks—promise!"

She smiled again and Grissom was sure she was unaware of how alluring she looked, how very French she appeared in her beret and black sweater, and how European she seemed as she picked up her fork with her left hand.

Their last night in Paris, the last time they would share this bed for this year, Grissom said as he folded back the duvet. He was wearing his soft knit shirt and pants, just out of the shower, as Sara packed her things, stuffing her bags with a dozen little things she had purchased as gifts.

"Can I use your bag for a few things?"

Grissom had packed a small bag, deciding he needed only a change of clothing as he had a closet filled with pants and shirts and shoes in Las Vegas. Sara insisted he should wear his long coat and hat to the airport because he would need it when he returned.

"Of course—you don't have to ask."

She giggled and recited the often quoted airport security announcement and as she said the last word, he reached for her. He had decided it was his right, their privilege—an entitlement—to love and desire each other all the time. She responded to his touch by latching arms around his neck and backing him to the bed. She could finish packing her things tomorrow, she said.

He knew he had never before been the lover he was with her. His brain cells, his muscles, his nerves, and his emotions responded to her touch, to her presence, to her scent, overwhelming his need for anything else.

"How can I let you go?" He asked.

Her answer was, "But you are going with me." In his eyes she recognized the meaning of his question. Softly, caressing his face, she said, "It's not for long, Gil. I can do this because of you. You and I know you love what you are doing—and I'm really fine—really, really fine for the first time in a very long time." Her fingers combed through his hair and she kissed him unceasingly as he loved her with his lips, his mouth seeking and finding places that only he knew aroused her senses.

When she could take no more from him, when she called his name in a passionate whisper, he kissed her, deeply and intimately.

"You are my heart."

He felt her tense as her muscles constricted around him in welcoming waves. As he plunged into this warmth, he lost conscious thought and his body's natural instincts took over in the minutes that followed. This was passion, he thought later, obsession with another person that bordered on insanity yet the world was filled with people just like them.

"Why are you smiling?" She asked, her voice filled with after-sex huskiness, satisfied and happy.

"That we are nearly insane with happiness—that I can never get enough of you. Do you think this will last forever—even when we are old?"

Her laughter rippled and surrounded and filled his ears. "Yes, Gil Grissom, we will love each other forever—and you will be a very horny old man." She yawned and tried to stretch, but he held her against him unwilling to let her go. She settled within his arms and wrapped legs tightly around his. With a sincere and serious tone, she whispered, "I've loved you forever, Gil, and it's only just begun."

On the morning of their departure, she gave him a brilliant smile, the one that warmed all the places deep inside him, and leaned over his crossword, which he was working with his new pen, to give him the correct words, in French, one across and one down.

His smug smirk brought him a kiss.

"You really are very talented, Mrs. Grissom."

La fin

Joyeux Noel!

Bonne anne!

A/N: Now review! Please, let us know who the hundreds of people are who read our bits of fanfiction! Seriously--if you like (or don't like) it, write a word or two and send it...we have one more in progress for "A Few Days" series, and to complete it, we need to hear from YOU!! Enjoy all the holidays and celebrate!