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Chapter 7: No Longer Missing
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She was shaking as she pulled up to the townhouse that she had only ever seen once. As she approached the door, following the candles along the sidewalk, the butterflies in her stomach grew worse. When he didn't answer at her knock, she called out to him, thinking that maybe he'd changed his mind… until she tried the door and found it unlocked.
Pushing it open, she started to call his name once again but the sound caught in her throat when she saw what was before her. Straight ahead against the opposite wall was a beautiful Christmas tree at least ten feet tall and fully decorated in red and white, it's light brightening the otherwise darkened room. Other decorations provided small touches of comfort throughout the apartment and brought tears to her eyes.
Walking past the kitchen and into the open living area, she turned to a scene that took her breath away. In the small dining area beyond the bar was a table set for two by candlelight, with a delicious-looking veggie Christmas dinner. Standing next to it was Grissom, dressed in a pair of slacks and her favorite black polo shirt, and holding six red roses tied together with a red ribbon. Her hand rose to cover her mouth as she fought to stop the now free-flowing tears.
"Hello, Sara," he said softly.
It took her a moment to take everything in before she managed in a whisper, "You're the 'Not-So-Secret Admirer, aren't you? You left the roses?"
"I know they're your favorite."
She took a step forward. "You set all this up?"
He nodded. "I had a little help…"
"But, the missing woman… Sara…" she sputtered.
His response was simple: "It was you."
"Me?"
Again, he nodded. "You. Sara Marie Sidle, brown hair, hazel eyes, whom no one knows much about. First spotted in Vegas at the Hotel Monaco having a conversation with an old friend, and later at the hockey rink, learning about beauty. The butterflies taught us about what we would do for love through the Debbie Marlin case, and that day in your apartment changed us both… I'd like to think for the better."
"But I'm not missing," she reasoned.
"You've been missing from my life for fifty years."
Again, the wetness trailed down her face in a seemingly endless stream. Setting the roses on the table, he pulled her into his arms and held her close, trying to provide some kind of comfort. Her words were muffled as she clung to him, sobbing into his chest:
"But, why here? Why today?"
"Because no one should be alone on Christmas," he whispered.
His words reminded her of the letter she'd found on his desk, detailing her "assignment". Remembering the words on the page, she stepped back.
"What about the letter?"
"What about it?"
"You said in the letter that on such a day as this, family is the most important thing… I thought you meant for the victim, but now… You're the only one who knows about my family, Grissom. What did you mean, 'nothing is more important than family'? You know that I don't have any."
"I want to be your family, Sara."
Startled by his words, she watched with mixed emotions as he pulled out a small box out of his pocket and lowered himself onto one knee.
"Sara Marie Sidle, it's taken me nearly ten years to realize how much I love you, and I'm so sorry that you've had to wait and suffer through all the pain along the way… But will you honor me and make me the happiest man on this earth by taking me as your husband?"
All she could do was fall into his arms. He caught her as she hit her knees in front of him and flung her arms around his neck. Through the weeping he heard the faintest whisper, but it rang out loud and clear, striking a chord within him as he heard her answer:
"Of course, I will."
Through her tears, she managed to pull back and smile at him, the gap-toothed "Sara smile" that hadn't been seen for much too long.
Sliding the platinum band onto her finger, he turned to grab the roses off the table and presented them to her with a smile and a tear in his eye, saying,
"Merry Christmas, Sara."
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THE END
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