A/N - Ok, my notes are going to be pretty long...

First off, thank you for your patience on my update. I'm not even going to get into the reasons why it too me so long. It was nothing major, just a lot of stress. Of course I jinxed myself when I was chatting with Marlou and told her that there was no reason why I can't update weekly. Oh well...

Thanks to Nessa for being my beta and my sounding board. She was there for me when I needed to vent. Texas and Virginia are just too far away :(

Since I'm on a roll... Thanks to everyone who is reading this story - your reviews are great. And thanks to CSIShipperGirl for her kind words when she was able to get a "sneak-peak" of this chapter before posting.

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Sara spun her head around so fast that she swore she felt something pop. A few moments ago she wished for the ground to swallow her whole and as she sat there performing her best guppy impersonation, she sadly thought how that was yet another wish that didn't come true. Sara couldn't tell if it was pity or amusement behind Eva's gaze, but when the older lady reached over and covered her hand, she knew that it was neither. Her look was one of understanding.

"You wonder how I know," Eva said.

Sara nodded, not trusting her mouth to come up with the correct response on it's own.

"Years ago, I went on an art exhibition tour that went through San Francisco the same time as Gil's seminar. We went out to dinner my first evening in town. All night the only thing he could talk about was this CSI who was attending his seminar. Apparently this girl, whose name was Sara, was just as tenacious as she was inquisitive." Eva paused to make eye contact with Sara. "She made quite of an impression."

"That next day he was waiting for me outside the deli where we were meeting with this look on his face that I hadn't seen since he was a young boy. It was similar to the look he had when he asked for his first chemistry set, but more like the look when he asked for the keys to the car."

With a short laugh, she continued, "He ditched me, said that he was going to have lunch with a colleague and asked if we could reschedule for dinner.

The problem with the look he was giving me was that I could never say "no" to it. I watched him enter the deli and take his seat across from this beautiful young lady. She looked an awful lot like you," Eva said, giving Sara's hand an extra squeeze.

"We ended up having lunch everyday," Sara whispered, lost in the memory of that first lunch. "I can't believe you remember that."

"Dear, when I lost my hearing, Gil was just a baby. His face - his eyes are dearest to me. When he joined you in the deli, I had never seen his eyes light up quite the way they did then. A mother tends to never forget that moment."

"What moment was that?"

"Don't you know?"

Sara knew exactly what she was talking about. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about the fact that someone else saw it too - that someone other than herself knew what happened that day. That was the day she thought she found the other half to her soul.

"Mrs. Grissom,"

"Call me Eva, dear."

"Eva, did Gris ... did Gil tell you that I might show up here?"

"No. No, he didn't." When Sara looked away, Eva reached up and turned her chin back towards her. "Why are you here, Sara?"

"Gil mentioned that you had a gallery here. He's right – I am inquisitive."

"But you were going to leave without stopping by."

"I was going to head back to my ... to Alex."

"Your boyfriend."

"Yes." Sara paused, taking a deep breath. This conversation was heading in a direction that she wasn't too comfortable with. "Eva, I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think I should talk about this with you. Besides, I question your objectivity." Sara hoped that the smile she added to the end of the statement softened the bluntness of her words.

"You have every right to question it – I'm very biased. It's ok, dear, you don't have to say anything."

She couldn't talk to Alex about this – or Grissom for that matter. Sara looked over at Eva and knew that this woman would not lead her or push her. She had no one else to talk to – why not her?

Sara squeezed her hand to get her attention and didn't miss the look of delight on Eva's face as she began to speak. "Alex is a good man. He adores me and up until recently I knew exactly what I wanted in our relationship. We were doing great."

"And now?"

"Now? I don't know. I have a choice to make between him and a dream that I had given up on. Did you ever find the love of your life, Eva?"

"Yes, I believe I did."

"Will you tell me about him?"

"Well, he was Gil's father and we loved each other immensely. I had never met, and probably will never meet, another man like him. I hate to tell you, we didn't have a fairytale ending. We divorced when Gil was five."

"What happened?"

"It was hard for both of us to adapt when I lost my hearing. He was angry with me for losing my hearing and I was angry with him for being angry. Looking back, I don't know why I expected him to just automatically be fine about everything. I mean, it took me years to cope and I just wanted him to accept everything from the beginning. He traveled a lot with his business, and that -- along with having a brand new baby -- put some stress on us as well. We stopped talking – literally and figuratively – and after a while it just got easier to let go. It all came down to a lack of communication. I could never love another man like I did him, though I tried."

Sara's eyes misted over along with Eva's, while wondering how it is that love can make the strongest person weak.

"But he hurt you."

"I hurt him too. We just ... we should have tried harder. I have the most wonderful reminder of him in my beautiful son. He's the perfect blend of both of us."

"He is beautiful," Sara whispered, almost painfully.

The sudden need to distance herself from Eva was overwhelming. Any longer and she would be pouring her heart out to the one person she probably shouldn't. She was going to have to resolve this whole thing shortly.

Looking at her watch, she was surprised to see how much time had passed. How was she supposed to explain the three hours it took to buy a book?

"I should go – it's getting late." Sara picked up the bag that concealed the offending book. She wondered if she should keep it as a reminder of her visit with Grissom's mother, though something told her that she would never forget this meeting.

"Henry will let you exchange that if you'd like."

"No, I think I'll keep it. It was a pleasure to meet you, Eva."

"Dear, the pleasure has been mine," Eva said, pulling her into a gentle hug. "Your choice needs to come from your heart and your soul. Some never find that one great love. If you think you have found it, you have to fight for it and work for it."

Backing away from the hug, Eva cupped Sara's cheek and continued, "You can love all by yourself, but a relationship is a joint effort, whether it is with Alex or your dream."

Sara smiled and pulled away from her embrace, heading in the direction of the bed and breakfast.

TBC...