A/N: Sara and Greg's dates of birth were taken from Wikipedia, so blame them, not me, if they're wrong. Quote in Italics is from The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. This is it, folks, the final chapter, and may I just say, it's been some ride! Thank you to all who have supported me in this (see bottom for a more extensive thank you). So, for the last time in this story, usual disclaimer applies. Now, ONWARD!

Chapter 50- Together Again

A tall, shadowy figure stood in the doorway of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. No one took any notice of him as they hurried about their busy ways. In fact, to the casual observer, it seemed as if everyone just walked through him, as if he was made of nothing. Which might've been because they did just walk through him, because he was made of nothing.

Greg looked with saddened eyes as all the people he had known scurried about him, no one even realizing his presence. With a sigh, he straightened from his casual lean against the doorframe and wandered through the busy hallways, gazing longingly into the rooms. There was Trace, with Hodges diligently analyzing some piece of evidence or another. Greg smiled as the older man worked, remembering his unexpected camaraderie against Ecklie. Greg looked for a moment longer before moving on, not noticing that Hodges looked up from his microscope and shivered, as though he felt a sudden draft.

Greg walked down to the morgue, watching as Doc Robbins posted a young woman. He saw David carefully prep an older man for autopsy. He didn't linger long in that part of the building; he was dead and it still creeped him out.

Instead, he meandered to the A/V lab, watching as Archie played PS2 on the TV. He felt a sudden pang of loss as he watched Jacqui and Bobby stroll in. He watched them joke with Archie, as if nothing had happened, not noticing the sadness in Jacqui's eyes or the heaviness to Archie's step.

Greg did not stay long. Instead, he hurried on. There was more to see.

"There are times
When I look above
And beyond
There are times
When I feel your love
Around me, baby
I'll never forget my baby
I'll never forget you"

Sara closed the file and set it on her desk. Another case closed. Standing, she stretched and, looking around, smiled slightly. Greg's presence was still there, but now, it was comforting instead of haunting. As Sara looked around the familiar sights of the lab, she drew in a deep breath and sighed.

"There are times
When I look above
And beyond
There are times
When I feel your love
Around me, baby
I'll never forget my baby
When I feel that I don't belong
Draw my strength
From the words when you said
Hey it's about you, baby
Look deeper inside you, Baby"

She still missed him. She doubted she would ever stop missing him. But now, it was more like a dull throb that hit her hard sometimes, and that at other times, she could barely feel, but was still aware of. She would always miss him.

And it was the little things she would miss the most. The sound of his laugh. The way his eyes glowed whenever they looked at her. The smell of his cologne. The feel of his arms around her. The taste of his lips on hers.

"Dream about us together again
What I want us together again, Baby
I know we'll be together again"

Greg's next stop was Catherine's office. She and Warrick were inside, discussing a case. Warrick cracked a joke and they both laughed, Catherine's hand lightly touching Warrick's arm. Greg's heart clenched as he saw them. They were so…alive. So happy. He missed that feeling of life.

He did not linger long with them, continuing on down the hallway.

"Cuz
Everywhere I go
Every smile I see
I know you are there
Smiling back at me
Dancin' in moonlight
I know you are free
Cuz I can see your star
Shinin' down on me"

Whenever it got to be too much, Sara would remember what Greg had said about the stars. She would drive out to the desert and just sit outside, looking up at the twinkling diamonds caught in blue-black velvet. She knew that somewhere, Greg was watching her, looking down on her, and that was what gave her hope. That was what gave her the strength to live each day.

"Together again, Oo
Good times we'll share again
Together again, Oo
It makes me wanna dance
Together again, Oo
See you loud and proud"

Greg's next stop was brief as well, but that was only because he had just visited this person a week or so ago. Nick stood in one of the labs, going over a vic's clothes for evidence. Greg leaned on the door and watched him as he worked.

Nick was doing better now; he hadn't been doing so well before. Greg had visited him at his place one day, had swung by and watched the Texan as he slept. New lines had formed on Nick's face, making him look even older. Greg had gently touched those lines, tracing them with his finger. "You need to smile more," Greg had whispered into the sleeping man's ear. "Smile for me."

Now, though Nick was far from being ok, he was happier. In fact, a small smile tugged at his lips as he found a black hair that wasn't the vic's. Greg smiled wistfully as Nick hurried from the lab to take the hair to DNA. He wished he was in there now, swiveling around in his chair and joking with Nick.

Either way, he had tarried too long here. He quickly turned and walked on.

"Together again, Oo
All my love's for you


Always been a true angel to me
Now above
I can't wait for you to wrap
Your wings around me, baby
Wrap 'em around me, baby
Sometimes hear you whisperin'
'No more pain'
No more worries will you ever see now, baby
I'm so happy for my baby"

Sara really did take comfort from the fact that Greg wasn't in pain anymore. As lame as it sounded, or as false as it sounded, it was the truth, because in the end, he was in so much pain. So much pain. And he had been holding on for her. She knew that, but it somehow made it worse. The fact that he would suffer so much pain just to bring her some comfort was unfathomable. She knew that she would never truly understand the depths of his love for her, but the fact that he would suffer that much for her gave her glimpse of his abounding love.

"Dream about us together again
What I want us together again, baby
I know we'll be together again"

Greg's next stop was Grissom's office. And there was Grissom himself, sitting behind his desk. All the bugs were still on the walls, that stupid radioactive pig still in its jar. No, Grissom's office had not changed one bit. Except for one thing, which Greg hardly noticed until he stepped into the room and went over to stand next to Grissom. It was picture, on Grissom's desk, a picture that Greg was fairly certain hadn't been there before. It was a picture of Greg.

The picture had been taken a year or so ago, before everything had started. Nick had gotten a new camera and had decided to stalk the team, snapping candids of whenever he got a chance. This picture of Greg had been one of the only ones to turn out well.

Of course, that hardly explained its prominent position among Gil's valued bugs and pig. Greg tried to tell himself that it was just out of respect for his passing, but he knew otherwise. Grissom missed him, that boy stuck in a grown-up's body, that funny lab tech who was always cracking jokes...and yes, that young man that had looked on Grissom as his father. Griss missed that, almost as much as Greg missed Gil.

"Cuz
Everywhere I go
Every smile I see
I know you are there
Smiling back at me
Dancin' in moonlight
I know you are free
Cuz I can see your star
Shinin' down on me"

Grissom, unlike his office, had changed, in both good ways and bad. He looked older now, more vulnerable. Lines now creased his face more than they had before. On the other hand, he had started to take off more time from work, going on vacation every once in awhile, and enjoying life while he still could.

Greg smiled slightly. If his death had accomplished one good thing, then that was it. Grissom now appreciated life, and the man that Greg had once thought feared nothing was now afraid of the unlived life.

"Together again, Oo
Good times we'll share again
Together again, Oo
Makes me wanna dance
Together again, Oo
See you loud and proud
Together again, Oo
All my love's for you"

Greg wished that he could stay longer with Grissom, but he knew his time was limited, and there was one more person he had to see, the person he needed to see the most.

He left Grissom's office and headed down the hall, only pausing when he noticed a large frame on the wall that contained a collage of pictures of himself. Greg touched it gently with one finger, reading the words at the bottom.

"In Memory and Honor of Greg Sanders, Master of his Domain."

Ghostly transparent tears welled in his eyes as he read the words, truly touched. Then he looked back at the pictures, fingers tracing over the one that always stuck out the most, his wedding picture.

It summed up his entire relationship with Sara perfectly. It wasn't one of those phony, posed photos. They had insisted that none of those be taken. Instead, it was a shot taken right after they had cut the cake. Greg had carefully put his piece in Sara's mouth, but she had decided to smash it into his face with the velocity of a speeding car (Physics major…hah!). So somehow, he had ended up with frosting on his nose. And Sara had decided to lick it off. The camera had taken the picture right as she had leaned in to lick it, resulting in the cutest picture. Sara had ended up kissing him on the nose, and the smiles on their faces were priceless.

Greg smiled fondly one last time before heading down the hallway, picking up speed at the thought of seeing her.

"There are times when I look above
And beyond
There are times when I feel you smile
Upon me, baby
I'll never forget my baby"

Sara peered through the magnifying glass at the fiber she was analyzing. Suddenly, she felt a presence wash over her, a presence she hadn't felt this strongly for a long time. It struck a chord with her, a chord that resonated so deeply within her soul that she felt tears in her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, she looked around the room, knowing that he was there somewhere with her. "Hey Greg," she said aloud, one tear slipping down her cheek. "I miss you. I know that I will always miss you, but it's ok. I'm ok." She paused, then said seriously, "I really am ok. It hurts, but I'm gonna make it." She paused once more, then smiled. "I love you, Greggo," she whispered before returning to her work, a small smile still playing on her lips.

"What I'd give just to hold you close
As on earth
In heaven we will be together, baby
Together again, my baby"

Greg smiled, blinking back tears as he watched Sara work. Knowing that she was really ok lifted an enormous weight off of him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's time to let go."

"I know," he said quietly. He took one last look at Sara. "One day, we'll be together again," he whispered, smiling slightly at her. "I love you." One tear slipped down his cheek as he disappeared for the last time.

"You don't notice the dead leaving when they really choose to leave you. You're not meant to. At most you feel them as a whisper or the wave of a whisper undulating down. I would compare it to a woman in the back of a lecture hall or theater whom no one notices until she slips out. Then only those near the door themselves notice; to the rest it is like an unexplained breeze in a closed room."

"Everywhere I go
Every smile I see
I know you are there
Smiling back at me
Dancin' in moonlight
I know you are free
Cuz I can see your star
Shinin' down on me"

Sara wearily rolled out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen for coffee. She had forty-five minutes before she needed to leave for work. A small, sad smile creased her face as she realized she had been working at the Las Vegas Crime Lab for over twenty years. Everyone else had gone, moved on, except for her. She was director now, a prestigious enough postition. Suddenly, her smile froze as she realized what today was. Frowning slightly, she picked up her cell phone and pushed the first speed dial.

A too-cheery voice picked up. "Las Vegas Crime Lab, how may I be of service?"

"Hey, Greta, it's me."

"Oh, Mrs. Sanders, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Listen, can you tell everyone that I'm not coming in today? I'm taking a personal day."

"Sure, Mrs. Sanders. You have a nice day."

Sara smiled sadly again. "I will, Greta. Thank you." She shut her cell phone and went to go get dressed.

When she was ready, she drove over to the cemetery. Parking the car, she got out and slowly walked to the quiet grave. She stood looking down at it, then spoke quietly. "Well, Greg, it's been twenty years. Twenty years to the day since you died." She paused, then said, "Freya's doing great in college. Stanford girl. You must be proud. She's majoring in chemistry, did I tell you that? Just like you, except she wants to be a chem teacher. And Nicola loves her job. The Chicago Crime Lab is lucky to have her."

She paused again, this time longer, and when she spoke once more, her voice was full of sorrow. "Greg, I miss you. I miss you like it was yesterday that you died. I miss you in a way I never thought I could miss anyone." Silence fell as she wiped her eyes. "I love you, Greg."

A voice came from behind her. "I love you, too."

Sara whirled around in shock. Greg stood there, looking much like he had twenty year ago. "Greg!" she exclaimed, taking a step towards him, then, remembering herself, turned her head away as if ashamed.

"Sara, sweetheart, what's wrong?" he asked concernedly, stepping toward her.

"I'm old Greg. I feel old. You're so young-looking still, and me…I've gotten older."

"Not in my eyes," said Greg simply.

She didn't say anything, just shaking her head. "Why are you here?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you couldn't come back."

"This is a special case." He paused and smiled at her. "Sara, I'm here to take you home with me."

"Now?" she asked when what he meant had sunken in. "But what about Nicola and Freya? Don't they still need me?"

"Not as much now," he answered honestly. "You've done a really good job with them." He looked her in the eyes and held out a hand. "Come home with me, Sara," he whispered.

Sara hesitated, thinking of all the things she would miss. Her girls, of course. All her friends, though most she hadn't seen in years. She would miss the simple things, the sun shining, the smell of grass.

But as she looked into Greg's eyes, she knew that none of them could possibly compare to how much she had missed him. "Ok," she said simply. "I'll come with you."

"Good," he said, reaching for her hand. As they touched, Sara gasped. She felt as if she was thirty-five again, holding his hand just as she used to. Greg smiled at her, then leaned in and kissed her.

She kissed him back, not fiercely, but gently, the way she had wanted to for twenty years. Then she smiled at him and together they turned and walked off into the distance.

In an empty cemetery on a late October morning, the body of a woman lay still next to the grave of the man she had always loved.

"Everywhere I go
Every smile I see
I know you are there
Smiling back at me
Dancin' in moonlight
I know you are free
Cuz I can see your star
Shinin' down on me"

Freya Kjære Sanders-Smith slowly got out of her old blue car, reaching for the two bouquets of flowers sitting on the front seat. She trudged slowly up the hill, conscious as always of the baby growing in her that caused her constant discomfort.

When she reached the top of the hill, a lone woman was waiting for her. Freya smiled at Nicola, and the two women hugged silently, Nicola taking one of the bouquets from Freya as they parted. They both turned and walked a short way to the two headstones, right next to each other under the large oak tree.

Nicola leaned down and placed her bouquet against the headstone that read:

"Gregory Hojem Sanders

May 5, 1975 – October 28, 2006

'Maybe in another life
I could find you there
Pulled away before your time
I can't deal, it's so unfair'"

Nicola smiled briefly as she touched the marble words with her finger, remembering the man she had truly considered her father. The inscription on the stone was from an Offspring song that Greg had liked. "I miss you, Daddy," she whispered, smiling sadly. "You're still my hero."

Freya knelt as well, placing her flowers against the other headstone, which read:

"Sara Jane Sanders

September 16, 1971 – October 28, 2026"

The inscription on the bottom had been picked out by Sara herself, and expressed in her will. It simply read, "Together Again."

The two girls took a moment before standing, Nicola helping the less-stable Freya up, and walking back to their respective cars, pausing only to hug good-bye. Both got in their cars and drove away, knowing that their parents were truly together again for eternity.

FIN

A/N: Well, that's it folks. The end of a long, long road. A huge MASSIVE thank you to everyone who's read this, but especially to the following people (in no particular order) for their fantastic reviews:

Jennie, Aemie, angw, Bizy, Chocolate DumDums, Greeneyes, grissomsgirl176, Teri Neko (a million and a half thanks to you; you've kept me going through the last several chapters!), LittleItaly, dork1147, I never promised (who I'm pretty sure reviewed more times than anyone else), LocoGreggo (same goes for you...kept me going! Thanks), nix586141, kegel, Joralie, and El Gringo Loco (even negative reviews are helpful. Thank you for being honest).

Also, many thnaks to those who made this story one of their favorites: Aemie, argon18, astronomylover, darkdragonlord36, Enrique Forever, grissomsgirl176, I never promised, jenainslie, LocoGreggo, nix586141, rascalflattsgurl43, Teri Neko, tigerlillies101891, and TrishieChan.

And hey, thanks to YOU, right? 'Cause you're reading this right now!

Peace, everyone, and rock on!

K.Z.T.