Disclaimer: Still don't own the characters, just the situation. I got the info about he coaster (price, name, etc) from the Internet and I also copied some of the flashback text from the scripts found on the internet because I wanted to ensure that they were accurate. Enjoy the final chapter!
Grissom planted himself firmly into the front car of the roller coaster. He'd been on the Manhattan Express hundreds of times. It was the length of ride that appealed to him most tonight. A young man walked towards him expecting the fee for the ride and Grissom shoved a $50 bill into his hand. The youth sighed and reached into the front of the apron he wore in order to extract Grissom's change but he was stopped before he was halfway through the motion by a simple gesture of Grissom's hand.
"I don't want change, I want five rides"
"Oh, okay." The kid looked at Grissom as though he doubted his sanity. Clearly this kid was aware that one trip on the longest coaster in Vegas was generally enough for a person, but he took the man's money anyways and, after making sure he was fastened securely into the cart, headed back towards the operating booth.
Grissom sighed only slightly as he leaned back into his seat. The coaster climbed slowly towards the heavens and as it did he heard the shouts and shrieks of anticipation from the people sharing the roller coaster with him. A familiar feeling of anticipation was bubbling within Grissom's chest but it was nothing compared to the dread that had taken up a permanent residence there. He had two hours remaining to him before the start of his next shift. He knew the rest of his – the team would have kept working through the day but he needed to be alone. Tonight he was submitting his request for dismissal. He was leaving the lab.
The coaster finished its steep climb and began its downward spiral. Back towards the pavement below, egged on by earth's gravity. Grissom allowed himself to be pulled with the machine beneath him. He tried to leave all his inhibitions and regrets in the air, to escape them with the unbelievable speed he experienced, but thought, he soon discovered, was inescapable.
His thoughts took him back to the lab. Back to over two years ago.
"Greg your hands are shaking""No they're not."
The paper Greg held in his right hand fluttered slightly despite his obvious efforts to keep it motionless. Greg's eyes flitted towards Grissom. They were filled with a fear Grissom recognized immediately…
"If you need me, I'll be around."
"That's who I am!" Grissom screamed at himself. The coaster wound around to his left forcing his body to one side as he attempted to withstand the effect gravity was having on him. He was so used to roller coasters that the extra G's barely affected him at all. He was much more concerned with the image of a frightened lab tech and, more importantly, the comfort he'd been able to give him in his time of need. Grissom was still contemplating whether or not it was truly possible for a person to shatter another human being's psyche when he realized the roller coaster was slowing. Within a few moments the ride had ended and people were getting up from their seats, some trembling, most laughing and joking with their companions. Grissom alone remained seated.
He quickly began chastising himself for the mental lapse he'd been forced to endure during that first route on his supposed escape. He had come to this roller coaster in order to leave his worries behind, not to intensify them and bring them into sharper focus. He had to work harder to let himself go.
The ride began trudging once again up the steep slope intended to instill fear in the hearts of those seated within the carts. Grissom felt no such apprehension; his thoughts were now refusing to remain vague. They fell instead upon another of his friends. Warrick.
Warrick slowly removed his gun from its holster around his waist and fished his badge out of its place. He was prepared to lose everything he had over the loss of Holly Gribbs.
"If I let you go, I have to let me go too…and Catherine, and Brass."
He handed Warrick back his dignity and watched him rise to face him squarely.
"I won't let you down again."
And he never had. Completely the opposite; he'd gone above and beyond the call of duty to end the corruption of one of Vegas's senior judiciaries. He hadn't given Grissom any reason to doubt him…but Grissom had spoken to him as though he were a piece of dirt beneath his shoe. Warrick would never forgive him.
Grissom continued the ride but his mind was oblivious to the lights and sounds screaming past him. There was nothing but what he remembered of his colleagues…his friends…and his family.
Again the roller coaster began its steep climb. This time Grissom was not even aware of having stopped to exchange passengers. He twisted in his seat to glance at the others on the coaster and realized he was the only one aboard. He was alone. In every sense of the word.
This time around Grissom managed to keep his mind blank for an entire quarter of the trip…until he passed upside down and was unfortunate enough to see a strawberry blond walking down the strip. He was immediately transported back to a small, sterile room in Desert Palms.
He sat on the small examining table staring blankly ahead. He was petrified of what was ahead of him and therefore did not notice the entrance of his best friend. She stood in the doorway observing him for a moment; she knew how scared he was even if he refused to admit it.
"Hey"
"What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see you. And I didn't want you to go in without wishing you good luck."
… "Thank you…for being here"
And she'd hugged him. And in her embrace Grissom had found the strength to walk into what was facing him with his head held high. She hadn't told the others, there would be no decline in his dignity, even with his backside visible through the poorly designed hospital gown. She gave him the courage he needed to carry on.
"And how did I repay her?" …
Another serious of twists and turns, another labyrinth of pain within Grissom's head as he found himself again at the loading platform. This time several people boarded and Grissom watched them buckle themselves in securely. They were afraid to fall out. Grissom really didn't have anything to fear anymore.
But fear had meant a lot to someone close to him. It was fear that had kept Sara's past draped in shadow for so long. He'd known her for years before she'd found the courage to open up to him…to anyone.
"It's funny…the things you remember and the things you don't…Do you think there's a murder gene?"
"I don't believe that genes are a predictor of violent behavior."
"You wouldn't know that in my house…I thought it was the way that everybody lived. When my mother killed my father, I found out that it wasn't"
Grissom reached out and took her hand in his.
He'd been there for her once. He'd supported her, watched her tears fall. He'd let her cry on his shoulder, figuratively of course. Even then he'd distanced himself from her. He let her know that he was there for her but went no further than that. Fear had hold of his life as well. He couldn't risk losing what he had on the chance that he'd find happiness in someone else. Now he would never have that chance. He'd broken her heart.
Grissom's heart stopped throbbing slightly as the roller coaster approached the landing platform again. With a jolt he realized that he could no longer hear the metallic clinking of the various machine parts performing their duties. The regular roar of the strip had dulled entirely…his world was silent once more.
It came as no surprise to Grissom that his hearing had cut out yet again. He'd begun to accept the fact that his hearing would be leaving him more and more frequently and for longer and longer periods of time. Someone sat immediately behind him but he ignored him or her completely and instead tried to focus on this, his last trip on the roller coaster, with the new perspective that had been forced on him.
Grissom felt the familiar movements of the car beneath him and tried to imagine living the rest of his life as he felt it now; completely alone. He was somewhat used to being alone physically, there had never been much companionship among corpses, but now he was experiencing something completely alien to him; he was alone mentally. Only his voice resounded in his head…nothing else ever again.
Slowly Grissom was forced to admit to himself what he'd been trying to deny for far too long…he was sorry for what he'd done. He realized too late that he was going to regret being alone for the rest of his life.
His final trip around the roller coaster track ended and Grissom finally stood with the other passengers and left the platform. He was the first to exit through the gate back onto the strip and he was so completely absorbed in his own thoughts of dismay at the fact that he was completely isolated in the world that his heart nearly faltered when the sounds of the city suddenly came rushing back to him just as he felt a hand on his right shoulder.
"Grissom?" Nick's voice was uncertain. He gazed into the face of the man opposite him with concern poorly masked behind his eyes. He had been the one sitting behind him during his last ride of the roller coaster but had been unable to get his attention. He'd just managed to catch up to him, but he seemed to have surprised Grissom completely.
"Nick," Grissom was panting slightly as he tried in vain to slow his racing heart. "I…I didn't hear you."
"No problem," Nick continued without missing a beat, "I'm glad I was able to find you. I wanted to update you on the case but I'm starving so we're going to the diner to get some eats."
Grissom wasn't enthusiastic about the idea. "You know Nick, I've gotta work tonight and I should really…"
"Too bad," Nick wouldn't let Grissom finish his thought. He steered him towards his car (as Grissom had merely been wandering down the strip when he'd found the roller coaster and had no vehicle of his own) and forced him into the passengers' seat. To be fair Grissom didn't offer much in the form of resistance…he was too lethargic to do much of anything.
Over the course of the next ten minutes, Nick filled Grissom in on what had happened in his absence concerning the case that mirrored Nick's own experiences. Nick spoke with pride of the fact that he was now in control of his emotions. He told Grissom that he no longer felt dependent on prescription drugs. Grissom informed him without conviction that he was happy for him.
The vehicle stopped and Grissom glanced up to see a familiar diner in front of them. He had little or no desire to set foot in the place that had played host to so many happy memories with his former family and so he made no motion to leave his seat. He was surprised when Nick didn't move either. He looked toward him and saw that his gaze was returned immediately.
"Aren't you going in?" Grissom decided to ask.
"Not yet," Nick replied. "We need to talk."
Grissom remained silent. He didn't see what Nick could possibly want to talk to him about.
"Apparently you've been quite the ass lately."
Grissom's mouth opened slightly as he stared blankly at Nick. His ears weren't lying to him but he still had trouble believing that the words had come out of the mouth of Nicolas Stokes.
"Everyone came clean once we were together Grissom. You really underestimated us…It took Catherine a whole thirty seconds to decipher your master plan. I've gotta say you're slipping in you old age."
Grissom recognized the joke aimed towards his age but let it slip past him. This couldn't be happening. He'd done everything he could to ensure the other members of the team would hate him for the rest of their lives. It didn't make any sense.
"But…the others?"
"Oh don't get me wrong," Nick responded to Grissom's unasked question, "they're still mad as hell with you… From what I've heard you were a complete ass towards them. But we also realized that deep down you're scared…and people can do some strange things when they're scared."
Grissom was confused and beginning to get angry. His plan had failed completely, all the pain he'd caused had been for nothing…How could Nick be taking this so lightly!
Nick read the look in Grissom's face within seconds of it having appeared. He realized further explanation was necessary.
"Gris, look." Grissom paused at the sound of his nickname. "I'm not gonna lie to you…you acted like a jerk to the whole team. But Catherine told us about how shocked you seemed to be when she brought to you're attention that we are in fact a family. To tell the truth I can't believe you didn't see it before but that's beside the point. We also have to admit that in some sick demented kind of way, you were trying to protect us. You failed miserably, but you tried all the same."
Grissom let Nick's words wash over him in a wave of confused emotions. He was angry that his plan had failed; now his friends would have no protection from the pain of his withdrawal from their lives. At the same time he was having trouble containing his exuberance; it seemed there was a possibility he would have a second chance with this…he could say his goodbyes properly (and while he could still hear theirs).
Nick was now rising from his seat and gesturing Grissom to do the same. "Come on," he said, "there's a surprise waiting for you inside."
Grissom followed Nick into the diner and when he saw what was waiting for him his heart nearly stopped again. Sara, Warrick, Catherine, Greg and Brass were sitting around a table near the back. They all stopped talking when they noticed Grissom's entrance. Nick quickly moved to the table to join the rest of the team but Grissom hesitated. It was clear from the looks on their faces that the people gathered there were not overjoyed to see him.
Suddenly Greg rose from the table and walked towards Grissom. Once he was within reach he punched him hard in the shoulder and said simply, "That's for being such an ass… Now come sit down," before moving to regain his seat at the table.
Grissom followed Greg nervously. There was no more room in the booth so he pulled a chair from a nearby table and dragged it into the aisle. He took a seat avoiding the eyes of everyone there. Slowly Catherine reached into her purse and pulled out a single piece of paper. She shoved it purposely, and somewhat angrily, towards Grissom.
Grissom looked down at the piece of paper… and stared at it for nearly a minute. When he finally looked up everyone there was surprised to see a single tear upon his cheek. He was gazing down at a pamphlet for a sign-language course, into which every member of the team had already enrolled.
"Grissom," Catherine started, "As dumb as you've been at times I never thought you'd be stupid enough not to know what the word 'family' means. I had to tell you we were a family, now I guess I'll have to explain what that means. You Will Never Be Alone!"
Slowly the other occupants of the table nodded their agreement. Grissom couldn't speak.
Eventually talk began to break out around the table. Grissom didn't participate; he didn't trust himself to speak at the moment. He knew that he would have a lot of explaining, and apologizing, to do concerning his recent actions, but at the moment it as unimportant. All he could do was watch his friends – his family and thank god that he had them.
"Well," Nick said suddenly standing up and facing the rest of the team, "Some of us have to work tonight." He finished with a smirk. He knew full well that everyone there was scheduled for the shift starting in a little over an hour. The table shifted slightly as everyone rose from their seats and headed towards the door.
Nick turned back to look at Grissom once more, who had remained seated and watched his friends head in the opposite direction.
"Well Boss," Nick said to him. "What do you say to a clean start?"
"That sounds nice." Grissom answered and he stood up to follow the rest of his team out the door.
THE END
I can't believe it's actually over! sniff lol, so ends my first ever fanfiction. Please please tell me what you thought of it I really appreciate your thoughts. I realize this chapter ended the story in a very happy way but, at one of my favorite characters, I refused to let Grissom's tale end badly. I hope you approve!
An enormous thank you goes to my Beta (Maddy I love ya baby) Without whom my story would have been plagued with countless careless mistakes!
I also am estatic to say that I am the proud owner of seasons 1-4 on DVD due to the fact that my friends are incredible (received them as presents for my Birthday!)
I thought the season 6 premiere was awesome and I can't wait for more!
And Thank YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS!
Nix707: thanks so much for the faithful reviews over the course of the story. I know I've been slacking in my reviews but I've been so incredibly busy I haven't had much time for reading fanfic unfortunately. I hope you liked the story!
Mma63: I was surprised to hear English isn't your first language you speak/type it really well! What is your first language? I'm going to miss this story so much but I guess all good things must come to and end and maybe now I can start another story! Thanks so much for all the reviews.
sokerfreek922: Sorry this update was no faster than the last one but I'm Blaming the meanness of high school teachers lol. I really hope you liked this chapter I think it might be my favorite but it might not be for everyone. Thanks again!
Everybetty: Your reviews have always been so supportive and I truly thank you for them from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate them so much. I hope you enjoy this the last chapter of my story!
One last Massive THANK YOU to all my readers!