A/N: Thanks to all who are reading, and to those who choose to review. I really appreciate your kind words, I find them very encouraging.

This chapter introduces two original characters. They are mine. All recognizable characters are not.

Part Five: Montana –Flying

She stops for the night in Billings. The terrain is getting flatter, and tomorrow she will cross the border into North Dakota and see the plains for the very first time. Here, there are few trees. There are a few dry patches of grass and a couple of shabby buildings. The earth reminds her of old science fiction movies, of life on another planet.

She finds a decent motel for the night and walks downtown. Billings is a college town, and while it is summer term, it is still a busier city than most in Montana. There are a few trendy boutiques, coffee shops, and cafes.

She passes them all.

She walks past a rather noisy bar; the music is loud as a couple exits the building, arm in arm. She peers in the window and a few patrons actually wave to her. She decides to go in, it seems like a friendly place. And maybe she can get a vegetable pizza or something.

She makes her way to the far corner and sits at a square table by herself. A young waitress brings her a light beer, and Sara orders a cheese and mushroom pizza. She is finishing her second beer by the time the waitress comes back with the small pizza, piping hot and smelling delicious.

She is finishing the last slice when the waving patrons stop by her table. They smile at her and say hello. They ask if she's passing through. They tell her their names are Fly and Donna. She tells them her name, and mainly out of habit asks if they'd like to join her.

She's a little taken aback when they actually do, but they seem nice and remind her of the people in Vegas, far too sophisticated even for this sophisticated Montana town. They tell her they are from Washington State, Olympia originally, and that they came out here to go to college.

"We love it here so much that we can't leave," Donna laughs.

They ask her what she's doing on her trip, where she's going and why. She makes some sort of feeble excuse about needing to get rid of some extra vacation time, and Fly and Donna share a pointed look. They don't believe her, and Donna says so.

"I'm outrunning a man," Sara finally tells them, and they look at her with their eyes afraid.

"You're running from a man," Donna asks. "He's chasing you? Are you in danger?"

Sara wonders how many screwdrivers Donna has had tonight. "I'm not really running from a man," she tells them, and they relax somewhat. "I'm just trying to run away from my feelings."

Donna raises a sleepy eyebrow. "Unrequited love?"

For a drunk girl, Donna is keenly astute.

"So," Fly starts. "Tell us, what happened?"

Sara shrugs. She doesn't mind making vague references and telling people bits and pieces of the story, but she is uncomfortable with him asking.

Donna, the keenly astute drunk girl, picks up on this. "Fly, it's not really any of your business.

Fly blushes. "Sorry," he says.

Sara shrugs again. "You just took me off guard, that's all," she tells them. "He's older than me, and my boss, and I've been in love with him for years," she starts. She flags down the waitress and requests another beer. "And our lab blew up," she says.

"Bitchin," Fly says.

"Shut up, Fly," Donna says.

Sara watches the couple in front of her. They remind her more of siblings than lovers. "Anyway, our lab blew up, and I asked him to dinner, and he said no."

"Maybe he wasn't hungry," Fly offers.

Donna glares at him. "I don't think it's that easy, Fly."

"Why not?"

Sara stares at him and wonders if he's stoned.

"It never is," Sara answers for her new, keenly astute, drunk friend. "Especially with him. I don't know what I was expecting, but I asked, and he said no, and now I'm screwed."

"He's your boss, there's an age difference," Donna says. "There's a litany of reasons why he would say no. But why take no for an answer? Why not try again?"

The waitress returns with Sara's beer. "I dunno," Sara answers. "I guess there's only so much rejection I can take."

"So what are you going to do now," Fly asked. "I mean, you can't be on vacation forever."

"That's just it," Sara tells them, lighting a cigarette. "I don't know what I'm going to do," she says. "I don't know what to think or what to say or how to act when I get back."

Donna purses her lips together and looks as though she's going to say something terribly important.

She sneezes, instead.

"Bless you," Sara and Fly tell her, in unison.

"How do you feel," Donna asks. In response to Sara's confused look, she continues. "I mean, do you still care about him? Can you go on, and live your life, still loving him? Or do you need to get over him before you can go on with life?"

Sara leans her chin on her fist and stares at the dartboard hanging on the wall. "I have always loved him, and I doubt I'll ever stop." She rubs her sternum absent-mindedly. "It's like a piece of my heart will always belong to him."

Fly nods. "You never forget your first love, Sara."

"Have you," she asks them both.

"Hell no," they reply in unison. They even shake their heads the same.

"And yet, you've moved on," Sara states. "You are in love with one another, completely?"

Donna shrugs. "Sure," she says. "I love him, but face it, Sara. You never really get over heartbreak. It slowly becomes more manageable, yes. But you'll never really get over it. Not if it was truly love that you felt, and not some infatuation. But you move on, because," she seems to search the air around her for a word. "Because if you don't, you just…die inside. You move on because it's how you live."

Fly nods again.

Sara looks at them, skeptically.

"Honestly, Sara," Donna says. "It's true. The way I see it, you have two choices. You either accept the fact that you'll always love him, and close yourself off from the world," she raises an eyebrow at her. She doesn't seem to be in favor of this option. "Or you can accept your love for him and the hurt you feel and move on. If you ask me, the solution is obvious." She crosses her arms over her chest, pleased with her advice.

Fly sits beside her, his head bobbing enthusiastically.

Sara nods, slowly comprehending. She can't stop loving Grissom, not completely; and the pain she feels will never really go away, she knows that. She is sure she doesn't want to cut herself off from the world.

"The solution really is obvious," she says, more to herself than to her new friends.

Fly and Donna look at each other and smile.

Sara grins at them and lights another cigarette. The waitress walks by and asks if she'd like another beer.

"Sure," she says. She gestures to her companions. "How about a round for the table, on me," she says.

They smile at her adoringly.

"Now let's get down to business," Sara says, setting her elbows on the table. "What the hell kind of name is Fly, anyway?"