Disclaimer: I don't own CSI obviously

A/N: I know I have been a very bad girl and have not updated latley, but my real life beckons me away from my computer much to often for my taste. I'm sorry if I mad any one cry like I did when I wrote the first chapter, I hope noone crys like I did when I wrote the second shpter. Third chappie coming soon and the next one is going to be really good.

Catherine walked into the break room intent on one thing, coffee. She saw Nick sitting at the table, talking on his cell phone. He closed it and looked up at Catherine,

"Sara called, said she wasn't feeling well. She's going to stay home tonight."

"Sara, sick, that certainly isn't normal."

"Yeah, but there is a first time for everything, will you do me the favor and tell Griss."

"OK, better tell him now or I'll miss him, he's leaving for that seminar soon."

"Grissom is going to a seminar?"

"He's only been talking about it for weeks. You didn't know that."

"I kind of tune him out when he starts talking about bugs and stuff that is not related to a case."

"Don't we all, except Sara that is."

In his office, her boss was sitting behind his desk. If she didn't know any better, she would say that he looked flustered, but what would cause Grissom to get so weird.

"Hey, Sara called in sick; let's pray it's a slow night."

He barely acknowledged her, his mind was definitely on other matters.

"Earth to Grissom, what's got you acting so strange."

"What?" he said, finally noticing she was there.

"What is with you, you look like you did something wrong."

"I'm fine; I'm just worried about the seminar I guess."

"OK." She said, since when was Grissom ever worried about a seminar?

After shift, Catherine went home and was able to get a few hours of sleep and get Lindsay off to school. She remembered the paperwork she needed, now that she was going to be supervisor for a couple of weeks, because of Grissom's seminar. She found the papers in his office but an envelope on his desk caught her stare. The envelope was laid atop of a resignation form. The name Sara Sidle was printed neatly at the top, Grissom's name was on the envelope in Sara's handwriting.

"I guess she wasn't sick." Catherine said aloud, and headed towards her car.

She drove towards Sara's apartment, muttering curses. What did he do now, that doesn't matter I, hope it is something another plant can fix. I wish he was here so I could rip his head off, she thought, can't he just kiss her, I'm tired of picking up the pieces of this relationship.

She walked up to Sara's door, and knocked on it. Waiting for her to answer it. The pretty brunette was surprised to see Catherine there.

"Hi, I was in the neighborhood and realized I have never seen your apartment, so I decided to stop by," sarcasm was evident in Catherine's voice as she barged in.

The living room was full of unpacked and packed boxes.

"It's nice I just didn't expect it to be so...empty."

Sara had watched her wordlessly, she had been to surprised that Catherine would come here. The two were close at work, because they were the only two women their, they'd even talked sometimes about their personal lives. Sara had hoped that they could become good friends, but that dream had faded away now that she was leaving.

"Catherine, what are you really doing here?"

"I saw the note you left Grissom."

"You didn't read it, did you?"

"No, but I do want to know why you feel like you need to leave."

Sara looked down at her feet, "My friend, Teresa, her husband died a month ago, I'm going to go see her."

Catherine wasn't an idiot, "You now if you had said that a month ago, I actually might have believed you. What's going on between you and Grissom?"

Sara walked towards the bar; she obviously did not want to talk about it. Catherine noticed that she seemed to be blinking back tears.

"You can tell me Sara." She said in a comforting voice.

Sara handed her the note Grissom had left her. Catherine read it and she was obviously confused, "Sara what exactly happened between you two?"

Sara turned and looked at her, "I slept with him."

"You what!!!"

"You heard me."

She is kidding right, no she isn't kidding, Catherine had never been more shocked in her life.

"I need to sit down," Catherine told her before perching herself on top of a packed box.

"How did this happen, I mean I would really like to know because I have been trying to get you two together since the beginning of time."

Sara took a deep breath; she couldn't lie about it, not since Grissom decided to. "

He came over yesterday; I had left my cell phone at the lab. I had just gotten out of the shower, I invited him in. I told him I looked like a mess, he said I looked clean."

Catherine snorted,

"I know," Sara continued smiling a little, "Bad compliment, which is exactly what I told him, I told him you don't give compliments that are that obvious. Then he said that he couldn't say I was beautiful, because he said that I obviously was."

Sara grew tender, as she remembered the words he said.

"Who knew he had it in him to say something like that," Catherine interjected, "What happened next?"

"He tried to leave, I wouldn't let him, I wanted to know why he was here, but he never really answered. Then I kissed him and...and he kissed me back,"

Tears began to form in her eyes,

"One thing led to another. I woke up and he was gone, except he left that note."

She pointed to the slip of paper Catherine held in her hands. She looked down at it, suddenly everything was clear, why Grissom had been acting so strange. She looked at Sara who had her head down, silently crying.

"Men are such a disappointment," Catherine said, trying to elicit a smile, "Something like this happens and they freak out." She sobered, "Sara, you don't have to leave."

"Yes I do, you don't understand, I can't do it Catherine, I can't go on like nothing happened, I can't be just friends. I love him."

"He'll see that eventually, but if you leave he may never see it."

"I'm tired of taking one step forward and two steps back. I had hoped that something would happen to make him realize that I love him, but now I know he never will." "What am I supposed to do, I have tried everything, I've flirted with him, I've tried to catch his attention by doing outrageous things, and now I have slept with him and he still doesn't realize all I want to do is be with him."

Catherine was silent, what more was their to say, she was right, what else could Sara do, even if she told him the truth, he would probably tell her to stop thinking like that and find someone else.

Catherine was defeated, "What are you going to do?" she whispered.

"I wasn't lying about my friend, Teresa, her husband did die a month ago, she and I were roommates, I'm going to see her."

"Where is she?"

"I'm not going to tell you because you'll turnaround and tell Grissom." She smiled a little, she was right.

"Call me, please, tell me how you are doing."

"I'll do that if you promise not to tell the guys, about what happened, I don't want anyone else to know."

"Alright, bye Sara."

"Good-bye Catherine."

A week later, Sara turned her head away from the window of the plane. She did not want to leave; Las Vegas had become her home. She felt the wheels of the aircraft roll as they started away from the gate; she did not look out the window because if she did not watch the city fade away, maybe she would never really leave.

The hours ticked away, and soon they were landing in Boston. Teresa was waiting for her at the gate, Teresa looked almost exactly the same since college, except that she looked a little worn, having kids could do that to you. It was Teresa she had spent four years of her life living in the same dorm together, Teresa that she had first confessed that she had a crush on Dr. Grissom, the scientist giving the forensics lecture.

After college the two had remained close, she had been the maid of honor at Teresa's wedding. She had been so happy to hear of Teresa's children. She had told Teresa everything, her love for Grissom, had long since been spilled. Teresa was the first person she called after Grissom had left her after the one time they spent together. Both had lost men they loved, Teresa's husband died in a car crash and Sara's had never really loved her.

They stared at each other for a moment, and then hugged, which quickly brought tears. "I'm sorry about Ryan," Sara began, "I should have come sooner."

"I'm glad you're here now, I'm sorry about Grissom."

"Me too."

And they hugged and cried again. Finally they were able to make it to Teresa's cozy house. Sara went into the guest room quietly in order not to wake Teresa's kids, five year old Vanessa, and two month old Ryan. Sara closed the door behind her and didn't come out for a long time.

Grissom walked into the CSI lab. He was feeling better, more in control. A couple of week's away from Sara was what he had needed. She was probably angry at him, but by now he was sure she saw his way of things and knew that his decision was for the best. Catherine was walking towards him, "Hey how was the seminar?"

"Great, how have things been here?"

"OK, Nick and Warrick are on a robbery."

"Really, where is Sara?"

"We need to talk about that."

They made it to his office; he sat down behind his desk and looked at the pile of paperwork that had grown since he had left. Underneath it all he found the letter and the form. He did not say a word as he stared at the resignation form; he silently opened the letter,

Grissom,

I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you. I can't do this any more. I can't turn my back on it like you can. You are right it was a mistake. I have to go, please don't come after me. I hope you find someone else, someone you are not afraid to love. Soon are one time together will be a memory, I'll be a name that will come up in your head sometimes. I'll never forget you. Sleeping with you was the best mistake I ever made.

Sara.

He folded it back up, tears were in his eyes. He looked up at Catherine, "I really screwed up this time didn't I?"

"Yeah you did." Her voice was unsympathetic, "What were you thinking; you can't just walk out on someone like that."

"I was worried about what people would think of her."

"You should have let her worry about that."

"You don't understand, people would have talked, they would believe that she was just trying to sleep her way to the top."

"Grissom people are already talking and you want to know what they are saying. They are saying that you and Sara are perfect for each other. They are saying that if there is such a thing as true love that it is you two."

He lowered his head, he had been a fool, and he knew that now. But he was too late.

"Are you going to be OK." She asked.

"Yeah, just give me a minute."

Catherine silently left, only then did he let the tears fall.

:-( This story tears my heart out, but it will get happier. Next Chapter soon, please review and it will come sooner.