AN: Technically it's Tuesday and I'm a day late, but I got a new tablet laptop and I've been obssessed with it so..sorry? :) Anyway, as usual, review cause it helps me improve (and tells me people are reading...if anyone's actually out there). And as usual, thank you to GSFanatic for her lovely beta work.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI! Never have, (probably) never will.


Her back was to him as he inched closer and closer. There were a few more feet before he was going to be within her hearing range. He took deep yet quiet breaths as the distance became shorter and shorter. Pulling his fist up to his mouth in nervousness, he inhaled to clear his throat but was cut off by a soft growl.

The sound stopped him in his tracks. Her dog had turned around from its precious pole, but she continued staring into the space where he used to be. The dog's growl got louder, even though he didn't move from his position five feet away from her. Feeling a chill run up his spine, he began second guessing his plan. Perhaps having the dog there wasn't the best idea.

The growl turned into a snarl as the dog bared his teeth. Lurie suffocated a nervous chuckle as tucked the box he was holding into his pocket and backed away slowly. He was a few steps away when the dog thought he wasn't going quickly enough and unleashed a thundering bark.

He didn't know why, but he spun around and ran as if the dog was a leopard. Sprinting towards his car, he didn't bother looking back.


RUFF.

His bark tore her from her thoughts. She scanned her area frantically as she realized her dog had moved from the spot he used to be.

GRRRRUFF

She kneeled beside him, running her hand down his back in an attempt to calm him. "Hank, what's wrong?" He rarely barked while out on walks and a quick one over of Hank showed nothing out of place.

She stood up and looked in the direction that her dog was still staring at. A man was jogging rather quickly away from her. Hank never barked at joggers, even the quick ones, prompting her to stare at the figure for longer. He was rather lanky, middle age judging by the grey hair…and jogging in business wear?

The combination of those characteristics set off an alarm in her head. It couldn't be him. He wouldn't know where Grissom lived, and that she would be here. She shook her head an attempt to dislodge those thoughts.

"Come on Hank." He didn't budge, but continued sniffing a spot on the grass he had become interested in. "Come on…what are you sniffing now?" He snuffled as he moved away from the spot to reveal something glittering in the grass. She picked it up and dangled it in the sunlight for a good look. It was a bracelet; obviously new with brand tags still attached. A quick look at the surrounding ground uncovered the top and bottom portions of a box with the same brand name.

The loud sound of tires squealing yanked her attention towards the direction that the mysterious jogger went into. A car had pulled out of its spot into a U-turn at a high speed and was now speeding down the road. As she looked on, she got an uneasy feeling. For some reason, she felt that the driver was staring back at her through the rearview mirror.


He gripped his steering wheel as he swore she was looking at him. It made his heart rate accelerate again after it slowed down as he held his breath watching her examine the bracelet. He must have dropped it as he ran. It was hard to tell if she liked it, but seeing the jewelry in her hands still felt rewarding to him. At the very least, he had introduced himself in a way.

As he sped away, he took a few more glances in the mirror. She still stood in the same spot but she was putting the bracelet back in its box. Lurie couldn't help but smile at her actions as he turned out of their street. Nobody would take jewelry they didn't like, right?


It would be impossible to find whoever dropped this. There were too many residents in each complex and too many of those. Weighing her choices, she tucked the bracelet back in the box as Hank paced impatiently around her.

"Ok, home time." She smiled at him, but the dog couldn't tell it didn't reach her eyes.

He wagged his tail at her announcement and began pulling her towards their destination. But before they went on their way, she kneeled down and placed the box gently back in the grass. She just lacked the willpower to help it reunite with its rightful owner.


Grissom was gone when she re-entered her house.

"Called in early. See you. Gil" was scribbled on a scrap and left on the kitchen table. She quickly re-read the messaged before crunching it up and tossing it into the recycling bin.

A sense of unease had fallen over as she returned to their loft. Hank's behavior didn't make sense, but she also didn't know how to approach Gil about it. Sitting down on her couch, she mindlessly petted Hank and kept her gaze on the TV. Although she had ruled out Lurie, her instinct told her that Grissom wouldn't; and would examine every bit of information she gave him.

Her fingers robotically punched at the remote in her hand, and continued at it until a loud ring came from her cell.

She hit the call button."Sidle."

"Sara, it's James. I need you to come in ASAP. Josh just had to start puking out his guts right before a big scene got called in. Food poisoning or something."

"Alright, I'll be there in twenty." She scribbled down the address her supervisor read off. Ronnie was out of town for her best friend's wedding so it looked like a long day. She hung up and patted Hank on his sides to wake him up. "Come on, looks like we'll have to drop you off at Katie's today."


Her feet made soft thuds against the floor of the lab. His office was on her way to the lockers anyway. All she needed to do was to update him about Hank at the sitter, and maybe mention his odd behavior; depending on how busy he was.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked quickly before walking in quickly.

" Hey,Gil-"

The agent was there.

Hank would have to wait.


The conversation never happened. That day ended when Ecklie kicked both of them out of the lab for maxing on overtime for the last two weeks. No conversation cut through the thick silence as they drove home; feeling that they had failed the little boy taken by Terry Wicker. Like mice, the whole team was skillfully led by this pied piper into a frustrating dead end.

When her body hit the mattress, her last thought was that she would talk to him after their nap. What she didn't expect was to be woken up by his cell phone half way through.

"Grissom" He answered sleepily "…Really?"

The tone of his voice told her that whoever it was, they've got Grissom's attention. She leaned back further into his warmth as she continued to listen in.

"Can Sara accompany me? .... Yeah yeah, I remember. Just email me the boarding pass." He hung up shortly after and dropped his cell phone back on his nightstand. They silently laid there for a minute with his breath warmed the crook of her neck. "FBI director wants me in New York working with Malone again."

"And they don't want me." She flipped over to face him.

He looked at her under drooped lids as she noted the rings underneath his eyes. The case had taken its toll on him, worrying her as he was about to re-emerge himself right back into it; a few time zones a way too. "More like Ecklie's being a prick about shuffling staff to cover you if you came." Grissom leaned in and kissed her gently. "I'll be back before you know it."


He pointed at the magazine in his hand. "Excuse me, what type of dog is this?"

"A boxer sir."

"My friend has one of these fellas. What type of rawhide would distract him for the longest?"

The drive back home was quick as his thoughts were concentrated on one topic. The dog. It obviously didn't like him. As he pulled his car into the driveway, he realized that-like its owner- it may need to be wooed. He ended up at the first pet store he found.

"Well sir, we would recommend…"

Lurie tuned out as the clerk led him down the dog chews isle chattering away about the different types of rawhide. He was too busy planning his next move.


He came back two days after, even more exhausted than before, but at least he was happy. They had nabbed the maniac. Sara was happy for him, even though a small part of her wished that she could have been there with him; working the case like in the old days.

The old days. At this minute, anything before her nightmares seemed like better times; even the days when she swore Grissom was pairing her up with anyone but him on cases, or that time when his ex-mentor paid a "visit".

As she sat now, at her desk with the back of her pen tapping a steady rhythm, she couldn't help but question her plans. The last day or two had been rough at the very least. Seeing herself, and her mother, in that domestic violence case, and then failing Marlon had left her on the verge of something bad. She didn't know what to define it as, but she could sense that something was about to crack. She had to go. She didn't want him to be on the receiving end of anything when she snapped. He had once said that he didn't believe in a violence gene. Sara didn't want to test his theory.

Scribbling those thoughts down, she lost the fight against her tears as her pen finished the last letter. A drop ran down her cheek and barely missed the page as she proofread. He didn't need somebody so broken, and full of problems. He deserved better.

Brushing her tears away, she cleared her throat and glanced at herself in the reflection on the glass. It was time.


Arriving at the airport, the cabbie gave her a second glance as she paid him. It was rare that he would see anyone of her age with so little luggage; carrying only a stuffed camping backpack, and purse. After checking one last time to see if she had all her documents, she stared at the big screen that listed all departures and arrivals.

Flights from all over the world on different airlines, all carrying visitors or residents to and from Vegas for different reasons. She could remember the day when she stood on the other side; in San Francisco, waiting to board a plane to see a man who had impacted her life so deeply. She was almost giddy in anticipation.

Finding a flight to her old home town, she headed towards the counter to purchase the ticket. She had written that she needed to bury her old problems, to face old ghosts, in her letter. There were questions that only her biological mother could answer.

The lady behind the counter flashed her pearly whites at her. "Hi, can I help you?"

"Can I get ticket on the next flight out to San Francisco?"

By the time he gets the letter, she'll be long gone.


He reread her words as he felt his heart seize up painfully. There was no way to explain what he was feeling at that moment. Anger, hurt, sadness came to his mind, but those feelings were all covered by a layer of shock.

She had left him. After all he did for her, for them, she ran off leaving only a piece of paper in her place. He resisted an urge to rip it, knowing he would regret it later. She knew that it took him a lot to even begin the relationship with her. Yet, she scuttled ship and left only a life raft of consoling words for him to face the seas with.

Grissom swallowed back tears as he reread the letter again; looking for more to slag her on, but came up empty. For half way through the process, he felt the tears he resisted flowing down his face. How had he missed all this? Why didn't she tell him? Was he a bad fiancé for not seeing this on his own?

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The sound on his door reminded him of where he was amidst all this. He ignored it but made sure that his blinds were as closed as they could get. He needed his privacy to cope with what just happened. Whoever it was knocked again but received no reply from him as he went back to her. His anger against her had subsided, leaving him missing her even more. Swallowing again in an attempt stop the tears, he moved to pick up his phone before his fingers went on autopilot for her number. He needed to hear her voice; just to know she's physically okay and safe.

"You've reached Sara Sidle. I'm sorry that I can't answer your call at the moment..."

Her voice triggered unexpected tears as it was a reminder of what he was now missing from his life; along with all her other quirks and characteristics.

"S-Sara. It's Gil..." He stopped to steady his voice, "J-just call me back, please." Another breath. "I just want to know that you're safe. Sara..." "I ...I...miss you with every beat of my heart...too." He knew the last part was weak but that was all he could manage before he felt his control slip. Quickly saying his goodbye, he hung up the phone with shaky hands.

The knocking on his door became frantic. Unable to ignore it, he collected himself before wrenching it open.

"Oh my God, thank God you're here."

It was Ronnie.

"I just got a call from PD for the domestic case Sara and I were working and they said that the beaten wife was found in her neighbour's backyard bleeding and she might not survive." She took a big breath "I tried calling Sara to ask for help to nail that son of a bitch husband, but she left her phone in her locker; I mean I heard it ringing and then I opened up my locker to find this!" She shoved her vest into his face.

He didn't need to look at the size, but he knew it was Sara's. It had, as she once told him about Greg's comment, the Sidle scent. Grissom took it from her and looked at it as the trainee continued.

"She didn't look too happy by the end of yesterday's shift and I'm really worried about her after seeing this. I mean 'Good Luck'? Did she leave? Is she alright? , you're her……boyfriend, you have to know."

She stopped as she noticed how Grissom was no longer staring at her but the vest in his hand.

"?"

He looked up from the vest. "This is your case from now on Ronnie. I can't help you with it." With that, he retreated back into his cave.

When he reappeared later, Ronnie was gone, but he could still hear her words in his head.

", you're her……boyfriend, you have to know"

No. No he didn't know.

With a blank stare at whoever looked or said anything to him, his body went on autopilot for the flight path to the sitter's house before their house. Or, would that be his house? He didn't know.


There was something wrong.

Grissom never walked their dog at this time of the day, but it was what has happened for the second straight day. It always has been either Sara or both of them with the dog, never him alone at this time. Lurie gripped his steering wheel as the man and his companion continued on their way.

Since the day he dropped by the pet shop, she had been missing in action; replaced by either Grissom or a no show. In the mean time, his dreams have exploded into full out soap operas; full of drama and emotions gone rampant all about one topic- her. In a way, they kept him sane. He knew every day that he would see her there, but at the same time, these dreams made him hungrier for the real deal.

He gripped the wheel harder as he thought about how long it has been since he first laid eyes on her at Desert Palms. All that time she was right there but unattainable; like how she remained, but with even more obstacles to jump through.

There was no way that he would give up after all this. He was sure that she didn't cross paths with him by chance. All those questions, some that he had already forgotten, needed answers. Watching her for the past few weeks had stirred up something inside him. A something that felt oddly familiar. A something that fueled him to keep coming back.


"Hello?"

He sounded tired, but his voice still brought tears to her eyes. "G-Gil?"

Silence on the other end.

"Gil?" A beat "Please don't hang up."

"I would never do that." His voice was strained, as if he was trying to hold back. "W-where are you, Sara?"

"San Francisco." She let out a breath of relief. Her cell phone provider allowed users to check messages from other phones, and she did just that a few hours ago. His message sounded sincere but she wasn't sure if he still felt that way. "I'm going to see my mom."

"A-are you coming home after that?" He sounded hopeful and it killed her.

"No." She felt the tears start flowing again. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Gil. I …I just can't come back, not for now at least."

Silence on both ends.

"You deserve somebody better." Her voice was a near whisper, but he heard it still.

"Sara, you are the best." His rebuttal was soft, but sure. "I-I just wish you would tell me what's wrong."

"I wish I could…but I can't…not until I figure it out." She knew her voice was wavering, but she couldn't help it. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

It broke his heart to hear her so hurt, and there was nothing he could do to help her. "Let me help you."

"No. I need to do this on my own. These are m-my problems. You already dealt with too many of my problems when I was in Vegas."

Silence again.

"So is this the end? For us?" He let go of the tears that he had held back.

"I don't know, Gil." She whispered back.

"I don't want it to be."

"What do you want it to be?"

"I want us to be happy." He wiped a few tears away. "I w-want you to be happy."

She choked up on her end. The man always knew how to pull on her heartstrings, intentionally or not, and at the moment he was doing just that. Any more of this would just lead to her caving into going back to Vegas and trying to ignore her problem. "I-I have to go."

"Sara… I still want to be with you"

"I love you, Gil." She chewed on her lip as she steadied her voice. "I'll talk to you later. B-bye."


"So she didn't leave contact information?"

Snap.

"No, and wouldn't tell me anything. All he did was take her vest from me and zombie walk back into his office."

Snap.

"He would do that. They're kind of ultra private about their personal life; as if you haven't realized that by now. I mean, why else do you think them lab rats are so happy to get any bit of gossip about what's up between them."

Ronnie adjusted her camera settings to zoom into a wound on the unconscious patient's arm. "But you think he would tell me how I could contact Sara at least. I mean, I need…mentoring!"

"I thought I was doing that." Josh flashed a grin at her before checking the display screen of his camera.

Another snap. "Well yes, but I worked that case with her and I heard that she's real good at cracking domestic abuse cases so, you know, she might have been helpful if the husband didn't own up."

He hung the camera around his neck by its strap. "Well, all I know is this: I'm mentoring you now and Sara's left the lab; hell, rumor mill says she's left town. Just ask me if you have any questions now. Oka-"

SLAP

The sound caused both criminalists to spin on their heals.

"I-I'm sorry. How clumsy of me." The man picked up his files quickly; almost as if he was nervous about something. "I'm Doctor Lurie, skin graft specialist who operated on here." He shook hands with the criminalists. Ronnie noted his shaky hand shake but quickly forgot about it as he continued. "I-I'm in a hurry but I thought I would drop this off. I noticed something that wasn't flesh on his burnt wounds so I scraped it off for you guys." He dropped the jar into Ronnie's hand. "Now if you may excuse me, I have some business to attend to."


TBC

PS Please tell me if there are half finished sentences and such. It means didn't import the file correctly.