Here's the final chapter in the story, I hope you all enjoy reading it, I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all the readers, and the wonderful reviews that you give!

Chapter Six: Coming Home

"So, I was thinking," Sofia started, settling down on the edge of his desk. "Maybe after shift we could get something to eat."

Grissom nodded, taking a brief moment to look up at her. "I have about another hour yet," he reminded her, already knowing she was off. It had been awkward at first, but he was glad that he had taken the chance. He had taken the first step even though he was wary himself about dating. Their relationship hadn't really advanced anywhere, even though they were now in their third month neither had stayed over at the other's place.

Dinner did sound nice, and he knew the place too. A quaint little restaurant, a bit of a drive, but worth it in the end. They shared a quick smile before she parted, leaving him to his work. Grissom would be the first to admit it; a relationship with a co-worker was the last thing he would ever expect. There was something about her that awed him, something he couldn't quite explain.

He glanced up as there was a knock on his office door, frowning as he made eye-contact with the other man. "Greg?"

"Sara said you were looking for me," he replied nervously, shifting to lean against the doorframe.

If it was possible, Grissom's frown became even larger as he removed his glasses. "Well…the whole lab was looking for you."

"So I've heard," Greg tried to shrug it off, forcing a smile. It didn't last long however when Grissom's expression did not change. "I had…a family emergency," he explained slowly. "I needed to leave for a little while…I thought I had called in to leave a message, but I guess I wasn't thinking."

Grissom nodded, but wasn't convinced. After all these years he had come to learn how to read people. Greg wasn't confident, as if he were trying to hide something, his stance off balanced; the tone of his voice was awkward. "You cancelled all your credit cards, withdraw all your funds from the bank…why?"

Greg chuckled, shuffling from one foot to the other. "Funny story there. I thought I had lost my wallet, when I got the call, and grabbed my stuff, I couldn't find it. I didn't want to spend my time trying to find it, so I just cancelled everything. I withdrew all my money because I didn't know how much I would need. When I went to pull my notebook with all my phone numbers in it from my glove compartment, it fell out."

"What happened?"

Greg blinked, frowning at the question. "I…what do you mean?"

"The family emergency," Grissom explained tiredly, rubbing his forehead. "What happened?"

"Oh," Greg shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. "My cousin, he was in a car accident…pretty bad. He's going to be okay though, a few months it'll be like it never happened…is there a reason why I'm being interrogated?"

"You left without word, scared everyone half to death, not to mention all the money that was spent trying to track you down. I'm just making sure you're not in some sort of trouble."

Greg shook his head, "No…no I'm good…I still have a job, right?"

Grissom nodded, "Yes Greg, you still have a job."

"Yeah, I'm good." Greg flashed him a grin before straightening up. "I'm sorry, really I am…"

He wasn't able to finish the thought, stepping to the side as Judy brushed past him. "I just found this note, I don't know how I lost it," she explained quickly, thrusting the small piece of paper towards him. "I'm not sure how I missed it."

Grissom slid his glasses back on, frowning as he read the note out loud. "Family emergency has come up, taking some personal time, Greg…"

Greg let a small smile slip out before his expression changed, becoming more serious. "I was pretty sure I left a message, but I couldn't really remember if I did or not."

"Thank you Judy," he replied, his gaze moving first from Greg over to Judy. "This would have been helpful if it had been delivered on time."

She nodded, stepping further into the office, "I know, I just…I can't explain it, I usually deliver messages when I get them…"

Greg used the distraction to step out himself, heading down the hall. Sara was waiting for him in the layout room, already busy herself. She greeted him with a smile as she unfolded the map on the table.

"I see you got the note in," Greg said in greeting, clasping his hands together as he leaned against the table. "Thank you…"

"It wasn't very easy. She's so organized I wasn't sure where to place it to make it look like it was forgotten."

"What did you do?" Greg wondered, watching as she drew a line with a red marker.

"I knocked her receiving box over," Sara said with half a smile. "Slipped it in with the other papers."

She took a deep breath then, looking up at him. "I'm glad you decided to come back," she stated, lowering her voice.

Greg nodded, turning away. He was glad that he had returned, but at the same time he felt out of place. It wasn't easy to lie, and it was even harder to lie to Grissom. He was certain the older man knew something was up, and prayed that for once he would let it pass.

It had been Sara's idea…piecing together a believable story, making sure to find an answer to every possible question. It had been rough, he had to admit. They had talked long and hard about what had happened, Sara apologizing every other sentence. As much as he wanted to forgive her, some part of him wasn't able to let it go.

They had spent a week rehearsing, before coming home. They hadn't told anyone that he was coming back, figuring it would be for the best if he returned the same way he had left. Somehow, through those days, they were able to restore their friendship, and though Greg still felt uncomfortable being around her, he was still drawn to her in some, unexplainable way.

"I know it's out of place," Sara started, bringing him from his thoughts, "But I was wondering, that if maybe we could ever be more…more than just friends again. I know it's not fair of me to ask…but I would like to know if there's a chance, for us again."

"I don't know Sara," Greg shrugged his shoulders. "I would say yes, but under the circumstances…"

"I know Greg," Sara cut him off. "I know I'm jumping the gun here, I shouldn't even be asking."

"It's okay," he reassured her, "I would like to try again…just…I don't know if I'm ready just quite yet."

Sara nodded in understanding, her attention back on her work. "I never meant to hurt you like that…I was doing everything for the wrong reason, but I meant all of it. If that makes any sense at all."

"It does," Greg nodded. "Come to think of it, there is a movie playing that I'd like to go see…if you're interested at all."

"A movie sounds nice," Sara smiled up at him, silently thanking him for giving her the chance.

"Hey Greg, haven't seen you around here lately."

"Hey Bobby," he nodded towards the other man as he pushed himself up. "I was busy."

"Yeah, well you're busy again," he let out a grin as he handed the papers to the CSI. "Grissom thought it would be best if you got right back into work. You're with Nick, triple homicide, and I just matched one of the bullets."

Greg took one last look back at Sara before heading out after Bobby, listening only slightly as the other man rattled off all the information. He knew full well that Nick would catch him up again, that was after the Texan finished chewing him out. He let out a sigh, smiling briefly; it was good to be back again.

The End