A knock on his office door startled Grissom. Candi had left and now he felt worse then ever. Where had he gone wrong? Myrna had left him, what was he supposed to do? She didn't want him to have anything to do with them because his work appeared more important. At the time he accepted that and dedicated himself to his work and withdrew from society. Maybe Candi was right, maybe he needed to stop worrying so much about his job and start looking at what life has to offer. His gaze shifted from the folder in front of him to the empty chair on the other side of the desk. They'd fought about just that. His work; and how much it meant to him. Then she'd left with a promise never to return again. Back to New York was where she was going. How was he going to tell Greg? The young man would be crushed. It was obvious that he truly cared for her. Another knock on the door drew him from his thoughts.

"It's open!" he called solemnly. Through the door burst Nick and Greg. Nick began rambling and Grissom didn't understand a word he was saying. Greg opened his mouth to speak until he noticed the empty chair before him. "Nick, calm down," Grissom ordered. He knew Greg was going to say something, but he couldn't bear to look at him. "Now, speak slower and clearer." When Nick opened his mouth to speak, Greg cut in.

"Where's Candi?" he asked, pursing his lips in disappointment. Grissom took in a deep breath and braved his friend's glare.

"On her way back to New York."

"What!" Both Nick and Greg were shocked. Greg took a step forward.

"What did you say to her?" he asked. His bottom lip was quivering and his words were shaky. "You prick!" he shouted without waiting for a response. Then, without saying another word, he flew out of the room. Taking in a deep breath, Grissom turned to Nick.

"What did you find?" he asked bravely. Nick stared at him in awe.

"What is going through your head lately?" he asked sharply. "Suddenly your daughter turns up and you seem more and more insensitive." The boss shook his head.

"I just want to wrap up this Harper case. Let me do that then I'll deal with my personal problems," he said. Nick wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"By then it'll be too late. Go after her! She is your daughter. Start fresh. This case is too much for you. I think you should back down." Grissom rose to his feet.

"Back down? Nick, we've been chasing this guy for months! You're telling me to back down! I need to find leads and witnesses. Answers to our questions!" Nick threw a sheet with a bunch of names on the desk.

"Here's your lead. A friend of mine knows Harper's step-brother. She gave me these names that were with him the night of the murder. Maybe you should check them out. I was going to but since this is so important to you, you can." Sneering, he turned around and headed for the door. Pausing, he looked to his boss one more time. "I'm not sure, but I don't think Harper is even our guy." After that, he disappeared. Calling for Greg. Grissom stared at the sheet. This wasn't happening. A lead? One that could take them straight to Harper? Nick had to be wrong. All the evidence pointed at Harper and this was going to help them get him.

"Greg!" A voice bellowed in the distance. "Greg! Come back here!" Tears of anger in his eyes, Greg ignored Nick's call. He had to catch Candi before she went to the airport. She could stay in Las Vegas and have nothing to do with her father. How could Grissom do this? This was a side of Grissom that rarely showed, if ever. If his boss chased his girlfriend off for good, Greg would never forgive him. He cared a lot about Candi and just because her father was his boss, it wasn't gonna stop him from going after her.

"Please be there, please be there," he murmured as he sped through an empty intersection. Candi's apartment wasn't too far from the lab, so she could be anywhere by now. He kept his eyes on the sidewalk in case she wasn't there yet. As he rounded the street to her apartment, his heart began to beat faster. He prayed with all he could that she was there. Upon pulling up beside the building, he jumped out of his red sports car and dashed for the apartment. A nice old lady held the door for him and he raced for the elevator.

"Oh Candi, if you're not there I'll drive around all night looking for you. I'll even go to New York." When he reached the 20th floor, he hurried out of the elevator to suite 2019. The door wasn't locked so he assumed she was home. He was wrong. Rocky, her pug, was gone, and all her ornaments were missing. A piece of paper on the kitchen table caught his eye. He slowly approached it and picked it up. The words on the paper crushed him. He wasn't sure if he was angry or sad.

Greg

I knew you would come looking for me, that's why I left this note. I'm sorry it had to end like this. I really, really like you, maybe even love you. But I can't be where I'm not wanted. Things didn't go as I had hoped with my father - er, I should say Gil. So I am on my way back to New York to work things out with Mac, the only real father I've ever known. So this is goodbye. We may meet again someday.

Sincerely, Candi.

"Maybe I can catch her at the airport," he thought. Rushing out of the apartment, he hopped into his car and sped to the airport. It was crowded and there was no parking. He slipped into a handicapped spot and ran into the terminal. He looked around for the announcement board to find himself a bit of luck. The 9:15 flight to New York had been cancelled. With a spark of hope, he decided to double check. Butting to the font of the line, he looked at the teller.

"Sorry, sir, you must wait your turn," she said kindly. He shook his head.

"I'm not here to buy a ticket, I just want to make sure the 9:15 flight to New York was really cancelled." The lady nodded and looked at him with a smile.

"Yes it was. All passengers for that flight were transferred to the 9:25 flight to Dallas. There is a flight there that will connect them to New York," she informed him."It left twenty minutes ago. Sorry if you missed it." Crushed, Greg backed out of the line and collapsed on an empty seat. This couldn't be happening. She had really left. "I'll kill you Grissom," he muttered as he jumped to his feet and headed back to the parking lot. Upon ariving, he found that his car had been towed. Frustration filled his veins and he sat down on the curb.

"Great," he grumbled. "Now have to call a cab." Pulling out his cell phone, he punched in the number for the cab company.