Disclaimer: I don't own.

A/N: Not super eventful, though I promise within the next chapter or two it's going to pick up. Hope you enjoy! :)

Chapter Fifty-Two:

The rest of the cruise was horrible—I found myself envious of Sara, despite her company, simply because after the heartbreak we'd endured, it was intolerable sitting on a boat, surrounded by people having the time of their lives. Several women hit on me, which threw me—none had before this had happened. Catherine said brooding worked for me, so I took to doing so in my room instead of in public. It was better, once we left Tambor Bay, headed back to L.A. because then at least it felt like we were making progress… moving forward.

We had several hours before our flight back to Vegas, and though my initial plan had been to drop Catherine at the airport and go see my mother alone, after the way she'd gone out of her way to help me this trip, I figured I could let her in a little. So, I asked if she wanted to come along, and her eyes lit up. I mean, sure, half of that was probably at the idea of uncovering a little bit of my past, but the other half, I thought, was that she was genuinely touched.

When I rang the doorbell and she did not hear anything, she leaned over and quietly suggested I knock instead—it seemed like the doorbell was broken. Then, my mother opened the door with a big smile on her face and embraced me tightly. "Gilbert!" She said, before switching to signing, "Who is your friend?" She signed this with an expression on her face that implied she wanted Catherine to be more than a friend. I grinned, turning between the two women.

"Mom, this is Catherine Willows, my colleague. …You've heard about her." I said, hoping to remind her of the multiple conversations I'd had ensuring her that although my friend from work was beautiful, I was not attracted to her and therefore did not want to marry her and start giving my mother grandkids. It was actually really sad, now that I thought of it—I had fallen in love and, in my mind, had a child on the way… but my mother wouldn't get to meet either Sara or the baby… at least for some time. "…Catherine, this is my mother, Julia Grissom."

Catherine looked… alarmed. She smiled at my mom and then turned to me almost frantically. "Gil! I don't know sign language!" She said, as if I ought to know better. My mother smiled. "I can read lips, dear. Now, I have heard so much about you… How's Lindsey doing? Oh, where are my manners, may I get you a cup of tea?" Catherine looked bewildered as my mom led her into her home and I followed, closing the door behind me.

I had been planning to visit my mother before we flew back to Vegas regardless—I had intentionally booked our flight home late enough to allow for a visit—but ever since Sara and I had made love, I had been planning to come for a different reason. …I had hoped Sara would be here, when I asked my mother for it, but either way, I needed my grandmother's ring.

I stepped into the kitchen, noting that Catherine looked much more at ease—my mom was good at that. You couldn't feel uncomfortable around her for very long. She was busy making tea, and Catherine was walking around the dining area, looking at the art. She didn't speak, because my mother couldn't see her face, but my mother kept up the conversation all the same, elaborating on different pieces of art as Catherine came across them, whether it be her own work, someone else's she had loved too much to sell, or my own meager attempts at painting as a child.

Catherine giggled when it was mine, saying she wasn't sure it fit up there with the rest of them, and I gave her a look. My mom, of course, didn't hear her, and kept on talking about how hard she tried to get me involved in art when I was little. Catherine grinned and sat down in a bar stool beside the counter just as my mom was pouring three cups of tea. I cleared my throat, though of course this did not gain my mother's attention, and waited to catch her eye.

"Mom…" I spoke and signed, not wanted to leave Catherine out of the conversation. "I… I wondered if I could have… Grandma's ring."

She nearly dropped the teapot. "…Really? Oh, who is she?" Her eyes sparked then, and she turned back to Catherine, the same speculative look in her eyes. "…And you said you weren't attracted to her, Gil."

Catherine's eyes went wide. "Oh, no… No, Mrs. Grissom—"

"Julia."

"Julia," she nodded. "I… I'm not. …He has someone else."

"Oh." She frowned, turning back to me. "…When am I going to meet her?"

I sighed heavily, choosing my lie carefully. "…Not for a while. I've known her for a while, but we ran into each other on the cruise and… and I'm not sure where it's going. I just… know that she's the one, so… I want to be prepared, for when the moment is right. But, really, Mom, it could be some time…"

She sighed. "Oh, Gilbert, I knew it would be this way with you. You spend half your life hardly interested in women and then one day, out of the blue, you've found the one. …Just like your father." She said, with no small amount of affection, and I felt my ears turn red as she moved from the room to go get the ring.

Catherine threw me a teasing grin and finished her tea while my mom bustled out a moment later, carrying a worn box covered in shiny, light gray silk. She passed it to me, and I opened it, though I had known what it looked like since I was a very young child, so that Catherine could see—it was old fashioned, and the diamond fairly good sized, but the arrangement made it look far from gaudy or overbearing. It was classic and elegant and I could see it on Sara's hand without even closing my eyes.

We ate lunch with my mom, though she mostly talked to Catherine—the two, apparently, understood each other quite well. By the time my mother was asking me to load the lunch dishes into the dishwasher, she and Catherine were headed into the living room to look at photo albums of when I'd been a child. I cringed at this, though I did talk my mom into giving me a few… there was one of me in my baseball uniform in middle school that I thought Sara would like… and another of me as Robin Hood. Catherine wanted to keep it, and the only way I could see that being avoided was to take it myself and say I wanted to give it to Sara.

The flight home was long, though Catherine seemed to treat me differently, after the trip to my mother's. …Like we were closer. Although, maybe she'd been this way most of the trip… After all, we had gotten a lot closer than I ever expected, even before meeting my mother. Once at home, I just wanted to collapse in bed—I had this homecoming played out so differently in my head. We would have visited my mother together, she would already be wearing the ring, we'd pick up take out on the ride home so we could eat and go straight to the bedroom… She would talk about livening the place up, and I would tease her about screwing up my man cave, and when I finally pushed inside her, we would both know that she was here to stay.

Truth was lonelier than fiction, apparently.

That evening, nearing ten o'clock, after I had forced myself to start laundry and cook myself dinner rather than falling into bed and crying, my phone rang, and I pounced on it, hoping against hope that…

"Hello?"

"…Gil?"

"Sara!" I said, my world falling gently back into alignment at the sound of her voice. How sweet, how beautiful, how perfect.

"Oh, god, I missed you."

"Me too… How are you calling me?"

"Kyleigh and Michelle."

"…They didn't know, about Rachel?"

I could hear the anger in her voice. "No… They're big on people making their own decisions. They were really upset when I told them…"

"So, they're going to help us…?"

"Yes," she sighed happily. "I offered to pay all the long distance charges, but apparently they're on an unlimited plan. Which is good, because I have a feeling Jace will be checking phone records…"

I frowned. "…That's a little extreme."

"He ripped a pile of mail out of my hands today, thinking I was sending you a letter."

"…Sara, he sounds like he's getting worse. Are you… are you sure that you're okay, with him? I mean, that you're… not in any danger?"

She sighed. "I don't think so… but if he keeps getting worse, I'll file for divorce myself and go to Vegas. Abusive husband trumps abusive past any day."

The thought flickered in my mind of her faking some sort of abuse, just to end this once and for all… but the idea of her being hurt in any way was horrifying and I pushed the thoughts aside. "What were you mailing?"

"Resumes… We're moving. I can't stand to be in the same city as his horrible relatives any longer…"

"…Where to?"

"Boston."

I frowned. True, flying-wise it was only the difference of a hour or two, assuming you didn't have a long lay over, but having her live across the country meant I was not in driving distance in an emergency. "So far?"

I could hear her frown. "I… figured it didn't matter. If I couldn't live in Vegas or… anywhere close… it might as well be somewhere I could feel… comfortable."

I sighed. She needed that, for peace of mind… the same reason I had wanted her within driving distance. "I just don't like… the thought. Are you going to work at their Crime Lab?"

"I sent a resume, but earlier today they said they didn't have any openings…"

There was a brief lull in the conversation while I tried to wrap my head around all this information… all these changes she was making, and yet none of them were changes she and I were making… they were changes she and Jace were making. Finally, I gave up trying to be okay with that, and simply spoke what I felt. "…I wish you were here."

"Me too…" She sounded so sad… I searched for something to cheer her up.

"I… have your ring."

She drew in a breath. "I wish I could really have it."

"…Let me mail it to Kyleigh and Michelle."

"…What if he found it? I… would never forgive myself if something happened to your grandmother's ring."

"Wear it around your neck, under your shirt. Say it was your mother's… say you found it while you were packing to move."

"…Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." I said, wondering why she was so hesitant—her exuberant rattling off of their address, however, eased my mind. She wanted it, she was just worried… I was worried about her. I sighed softly. "I'm going in to the lab early tomorrow… start digging."

"…You can leave me messages here. I doubt I'll be able to come every night, but if we pick a day once a week or…"

"Don't you think that'll be suspicious? The same night every week…?"

"…We'll mix it up then. Whatever it takes."

I nodded, slowly, glancing in frustration at the clock. I didn't want her to stop talking, but it was a little late… I didn't want her to go home to an even angrier Jace. Even if he never laid a hand on her, the constant yelling and stress from fighting couldn't possibly be good for her. "For now, let's just play it by ear… I'll call this number back to let Kyleigh or Michelle know what I find and when I know I can talk again…"

"Okay… I… I should let you go." The regret in her voice is tangible. My heart aches with it.

"I love you, Sara."

"I love you too, Gil."