He pulled her into one more quick embrace and placed one more kiss on her soft lips as he moved them towards the door. He pulled her closer, enjoying the feel of her warm body against his.

"I'm going to miss you," he whispered against her lips.

Sara pulled away and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, "I'll miss you too."

"Come back soon… and don't bring back any young, hunky scientists. Promise?"

Sara laughed with him as she opened the door, "I make no promises, but I'll see what I can do."

He winked at her as she rolled her eyes and started out the door. He stood still, watching her and let a grin spread across his face when she ran back up to the door way and into his arms.

"I love you, Griss."

"I love you too."

Grissom stole one last kiss from Sara as she walked out the door, heading to a seminar in Denver that she wouldn't come back from…

……….

It was the last thing that she could remember about the doorway, and it had kept her alive more then enough times in that dark basement. And now, here it was again, the doorway barely changed in the two years since she had last seen it. It's paint was slightly faded, slowly losing its battle against the steamy Las Vegas sun. A sun that wasn't out now, and she was thankful for that. The dark hid her darker bruises, and the tears that threatened to spill over, from time to time.

It was hard to believe two years had passed since she had last walked through the doors that sat closed in front of her, and even harder to believe that, while they hadn't changed much, she had.

Grissom gently cleared his throat, pulling Sara from her thoughts. She gave him an apologetic smile as she stepped up to the door. Grissom gave her one last glance before turning the key in the lock and letting the door slide open. He picked up his suit case, and walked in, listening for Sara's footsteps behind him. He turned around when he heard the door shut, and smiled as Sara slowly walked into the dark living room. He reached over and flicked on the light, holding in a sigh when he saw Sara flinch.

Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the changes he had made since she had left. Noting he had moved the furniture, she sat down on his couch, folding her legs underneath her body, then looked to Grissom, who stood uncomfortably in the center of the room. He shifted uneasily and bit his bottom lip. The house was silent, but the silence that hung between them was deafening. Finally, Grissom spoke.

"I'm going to go put this away really quick. Uh, are you hungry? Maybe I could make something or…," he trailed off when she shook her head.

"I'm not that hungry right now," she paused, then added, "But thank you."

Grissom nodded, then made his way to the bedroom.

Sara's eyes followed him until he disappeared into the bedroom. As soon as he had, she continued to scan the living room. A new coat of paint had been added recently, the smell of it still tickled her nostrils, and a once empty bookshelf was now lined with books; not books, she soon realized. Photo albums.

'A project we were going to start when I got back from Denver,' she thought to herself as she got up and walked to the shelf.

Her hand skimmed over the leather spines, her lips forming a small smile, touched by the fact he had still done this, even if it had been without her. She pulled one down and took it back to the couch with her. Taking a deep breath, she opened the album. She let a laugh escape her lips instantly at the sight of the first picture. Greg, Warrick and Nick after the LVPD softball game three years ago, or rather, Nick and Warrick and a splash in the pond. The had tossed Greg into the pond after a much earned victory against day shift.

"It's tradition, really!"

Their words echoed clearly through her head and a smile spread across her face. Everyone had laughed, even Greg had, once he had dried himself off.

Sara turned the page, and the small lump that had been forming in her throat got a little bigger when her eyes settled on the next picture. Tears ran over, happy tears for a happy time. She let another laugh escape her lips. Her hands flung up in the air, clasping one of Grissom's, whose hands were equally high. Her hair was wrapped around the air that flew past her, her mouth opened in a wide smile. The same went for Grissom. Their first official date, and already in love.

Sara shifted her eyes downward, towards Grissom's scrawled note. The tears fell harder, faster as she read it under her breath.

'My two loves…"

Sara watched as her tears fell around the picture. She wiped at her face with her sleeve, attempting to take in a breath to calm herself. But as she caught glimpses of the picture, the tears kept falling.

"Sara?"

Grissom was by her side in an instant, his eyes filled with concern. He took her hand and stared up at her as he kneeled in front of her.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

Sara smiled and looked down. Grissom followed her stare, then smiled himself.

"You… you put them together," she whispered around her tears.

"I wanted you to know what happened while you were gone. I wanted you to see happy things, to make readjusting easier… when you came back," he said, the hitch in his voice almost unnoticeable.

Sara's tears were renewed and she allowed herself to lean down into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms carefully around her, and held her shaking form. She buried her head further into his shoulder, sobbing harder then she had let herself in two years. Grissom brought his lips closer to her ear and whispered, "Welcome home."

Sara's breath caught for a moment, before she wrapped her own arms around his shoulders and squeezed. They stayed like that, getting their wish after two long years.

She was home.

……….

The small hotel was a far cry from the brightly lit, towering casino/hotels of the Strip, but even here on this small back road, on this rainy night, Las Vegas' charm was prominent. Paintings of poker games and dice and even some of Vegas' more famous hotels hung in gaudy gold and silver frames. The walls were painted red, and a white boarder covered in card suites wound it's way around the room. The cheeriness of the room, though, was offset by the manager sitting behind the desk, feet propped up, greasy hair combed over to one side to cover his balding scalp. His attention was pulled from the busty blonde in the magazine he held when the bell above the door went off.

"How can I help you, sir?" he asked the lanky man as he straightened in his seat.

The man shook the rain off his black trench coat as he slowly walked into the office. He pulled a crisp hundred out of his pocket and slapped it against the dusty desk. His dark eyes met the manager's as his small lips curled into a mischievous smile.

"I'd like a room, please. Preferably in the far corner."

The manager reached for the bill, but the stranger's hand met his halfway.

"That much money comes with a few extra favors," he added.

"All the rooms have cable, and I can throw in free telephone use," the manager replied sharply.

"Needless to say, I won't require the television, and I carry a cell phone. No, sir, the only thing I ask for is your promise that I will not be disturbed. I'm here on business. No matter what, no one is to come into my room. If you can do that for me, I'll see to it that you are well compensated for your troubles."

The manager considered, then grabbed the bill, "Anything else I can do for you?"

Matthew smiled and leaned across the counter, "Do you have a phone book I can use? I need to find an old friend."

TBC