Six months later….

Catherine Willows sat at Gil Grissom's desk, grumbling. "He knew about his conference for weeks, he could have finished all of this paperwork before he left," she mumbled to an empty room. Deciding that she needed a break, she headed for the break room.

"Oh hey, Nick. You're back? How was San Francisco?"

"It was good, as usual. Sara got a promotion at her place and is really excited."

"That's good to hear. So she's doing okay on her own then?"

"Yeah, but…"

"She's not on her own?"

"Not exactly…"

"Well, Nick Stokes….it's about time. So how official is it?"

"I gave her a ring," he blushed.

"Wait…I mean, I always thought there was something between you two; but if you gave her a ring…I mean, she swore she wouldn't come back to Vegas."

"I um, well, I was going to wait til Gris got back; but…I'm moving there, Catherine. She's happy there and doing so well. I can't upset that. And there was an opening at their lab, so I applied. I start next month."

"Oh," she said sadly. "We'll miss you…a lot! But…I know you'll make us proud over there."

"Yeah, well…it hasn't been the same since, you know…everything with Warrick. And I dunno, the team, well, it just isn't the team anymore. Gris has you and Greg to back him up and some new trainees and he thrives on that. So, I thought the timing was good. And it was the right time for me and Sara too."

"Well, I hate to see you go, but I am happy for you; and Sara too."

"Thanks Catherine. But please, not a word until I can tell Gris?"

"Our secret," she promised.

She made her way to her own desk where the only paper on it was a special delivery envelope. Picking it up, she recognized the familiar handwriting. "Wonder what Gil is sending me…overnight too?"

Opening the package, she found a note with plane tickets to Florida. The note was written on the Perdido Resort stationary, the hotel where he was staying while attending the conference. Opening the note, she read;

I know this is short notice but there is something here I want to show you. If you can't make it, I'll understand. But please try?

Gil

She grinned. He had timed the plane tickets perfectly with her days off. Damn, this flight is this afternoon. I'll have to move fast…"

As soon as the shift ended she drove home and packed. She called her mother to come stay with Lindsey and then headed for the airport. Once she was settled on the plane, she began to wonder what it was he wanted to show her.

They had been closer since everything had happened and he had landed in the hospital. Several references had been made to their feelings towards one another, but it was clear he still needed time to heal. Visits to the psychiatrist became fewer and fewer until now he was going only once a month or if he felt the need, which he hadn't and he had also slowly gotten past the need for meds to help him He seemed to be more and more himself, regaining his confidence. Ecklie had let him go back to work four months ago, at first riding the desk but eventually working his way back into the field. In general, he was being careful to limit his doubles and take better care of himself. He looked healthier and happier than he had since Sara's kidnapping. So, what was he up to now?

Gil stood nervously, waiting for the plane to land. "What if she doesn't come," he asked himself for the thousandth time. There are a million reasons why she might not make it…don't panic… And then he saw her walk through the gate and his worry fell away. His heart jumped into his throat at the sight of her and he knew he had done the right thing by sending her the ticket.

He walked towards her and hugged her tightly as he got to her. "I'm glad you could make it," he said.

"I, um…can tell," she chuckled.

They drove to the resort and he checked her in. "You have the room adjoining mine," he explained.

"You were able to get me a room with the conference going on?"

"The conference ended the day before yesterday," he confessed. "I took a few extra days, thinking it might be good for me to just get away for a couple of days. But I missed you."

They arrived at her room and he opened the door for her. She walked in, setting her carry on bag on the bed. He put her suitcase on the stand. Immediately she spotted the balcony and walked to the door. Following her, he opened it and they stepped onto the balcony. "Oh my," she exclaimed as she took in the view of the Gulf. "It is beautiful."

"Yes, it is. And at night, you can hear the waves coming in; it is very calming."

"The sand is so white," she said, looking at the beach.

"Yeah. From here all the way down Florida's western coast."

Turning, she looked at his smiling face. "So this is what you wanted to show me?"

"No, that'll have to wait until morning. Are you tired or are you up for a walk along the beach?"

"Oh, just give me a few minutes to change…"

"Okay. I'll be in my room. Just knock on the adjoining door when you are ready." He headed to her door and turned, giving her one last smile before he left.

A few minutes later she knocked and he opened the door that joined their rooms. His eyes lit up at the sight of her in her beach attire. Her shorts were…short and her top was…well, it covers the necessary parts, he mused. She was wearing a large brimmed straw hat and sunglasses. "Geez, I feel overdressed," he said standing there in his shorts and tee shirt. The shirt wasn't tight fitting but it wasn't his usual baggy style either.

She drank in the sight of him. "You look fine to me, just fine," she said.

They walked hand in hand along the beach, stopping to look out at the Gulf occasionally before looking back at one another. Little was said as they relished this time alone, without the criminal world intruding upon them. They walked the length out to the tip of the key and sat on some rocks there, watching as the fishing boats came into the bay for the night. "There's a restaurant we can go to on the other side of the key. That's where most of these boats are headed. Often they sell their fresh catch to the restaurant."

"Sounds good," Catherine said. "Fresh fish…"

"Yeah, one night I was there and a boat came in with a Marlin. It was huge. As big as any I ever saw in California. And they had this huge tuna too!"

"You're making me hungry."

"Okay, so let's head back and get cleaned up. It's a short drive over there."

They stood up and she began to walk towards the hotel but he caught her arm. Turning around she was caught by his strong gaze. "Cath, honey…I'm really glad you could make it."

"So am I, Gil…very glad."

They walked back to the hotel and headed for their rooms. Dinner was an adventure. The boasts had indeed brought in a fresh fish catch and so there were choices to be made. Gil decided on wahoo while Catherine opted for the snapper. It was early in the dinner hour and so business was still slow. The waiter took a few minutes to chat with the couple. "So where ya'll from?" he asked.

"Las Vegas," Gil answered. "I was here for the forensics conference last week and then asked Catherine to join me for a little vacation."

"Forensics? Isn't that like that show on tv, you know here they're always cutting up dead bodies…"

"Well, kind of," Gil grimaced. We follow the whole trail of evidence, not just the dead bodies."

"Oh, yeah…right. Well, are you enjoying the area so far?"

"It is beautiful," commented Catherine. "I never realized how white the sand would be here and the water…the colors are fantastic."

"Yeah, it's pretty calm now so you get the pretty colors. But when the winds whip up, it gets pretty muddy looking. You folks planning any deep sea fishing?"

"I don't know about fishing, but we might be interested in a charter just to go out and see the gulf." Gil commented.

"Well, the little outfit just down the wharf from us is pretty good and reasonable too. We like them because they bring their extra catch into us. Well, I hope you enjoy your meal at Zeke's," he smiled and then wandered off.

The meal was indeed delicious. "Mmmm," moaned Catherine. "I can tell this fish is fresh."

Gil nodded in agreement as he ate his wahoo. "So you interested in going out on a charter?"

Her face lit up. "Really, you're kidding me? We can do that? I've never been out like that; Lake Meade is as close as I've gotten to being in deep water."

"I take it that is a yes?"

"Are you kidding? Have you ever…oh, of course, when you were in California."

Gil chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Okay, after we finish here, we'll walk down to the charter office."

The man at the office checked his schedule and had time for a four hour charter the next afternoon. "That's perfect," Gil told him. "What time?"

"Can you be here at 2:00?"

"We'll be here," Catherine exclaimed, still excited at the prospect.

They made it back to the hotel after another walk along the beach and Gil followed Catherine into her room. They stood on the balcony for awhile, just watching and listening to the water. "You're right, it is very calming," she told him.

He turned and looked into her glistening eyes. "I have to go to my room now," he said. "We have an early day tomorrow."

"We do?"

"Yes, we have to be up before the sun."

"Oh…do I have to look…"

Gil started laughing. "You may look however you want to look. You'll always be beautiful to me." And then he disappeared through the adjoining door.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooomygoodness!

Hmmm, what is Gil up to, I wonder? I checked and the little button is still down there...a little to the left...a little more, yes. There it is, now use it, lol.