Title: Last Chance - Chapter 22 - The End

Disclaimer: I have fully come to terms with the fact that they are not mine. Have you? Then don't sue me. Ok then, with that settled . . . on with the show.

Authors' note: This was one of the hardest chapters to write. I'm not sure if it's because it's the last, or because I knew how I wanted it to end, and just couldn't get it right. I wrote at least four different versions before settling on this one, which is why it took so long to get it posted. What matters is that I am finally happy with it. I made one monumental change to chapter 21 since I posted it. It was only like five words . . . but it made a difference in how this chapter played out. It's horrendously OOC . . . especially the table talk . . . But I sincerely hope you like it. Please read and review! Even if you didn't like it. :)

Grissom was putting the finishing touches on supper when he heard a knock at the door. His watch read eight on the nose. Sara - always prompt but never early.

Wiping his hands on a dishtowel, he went to the door. Opening it, he found her standing there with an almost sheepish smile on her face. "Come in." He held the door open wide. He took her jacket and slung it over the back of a chair, next to his own.

"Wow Grissom, your place hasn't changed at all since the last time I was here."

"Is that a good thing?"

She looked around and smiled. "Yup. Because it's so . . . you."

That made him feel a little better about his home. After the thoughts he'd had this morning, he'd had the irrational urge to hire an interior decorator. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." And like she had done to him the night before, "Make yourself at home, I'll be right back."

He didn't have anything to do. He just wanted to watch her in his environment. He was - studying her. Because she fascinated him. She didn't hover by the door, like he had done, but went directly for his living room. She was walking around looking, and when she started touching things, he realized that had it been anyone else he would be in there right now, demanding, politely of course, that they keep their hands off his things - they were private. But with Sara . . he wanted her to touch. He wanted her to know things about him. Hell, he wanted her to know everything about him. And he wanted to know everything about her. And God willing, there would be plenty of time for that later.

She was standing infront of a bookcase running her fingers over the spines of the books, and as she pulled one, an old edition of Shakespeare's love sonnets, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he whispered in her ear. "Supper's ready."

She put her hands over his own and rested her head against him. "Good. 'Cause I'm famished."

He released her and directed her to the kitchen. A few minutes later they were seated at the table with dinner infront of them.

"Jeez Griss, you've been holding out." Sara took the first bite. "It's absolutely delicious. I never figured bugman as much of a cook."

"It is amazing how well ants taste when you season them correctly."

She stopped chewing and looked at him intently.

"I'm kidding, Sara. No bugs were harmed in the making of this meal."

She finished chewing and swallowed. "Ha. You're funny." She rolled her eyes at him, sarcasm dripping from her words.

At her eye-roll he couldn't help but laugh outloud. "I'm sorry I'm such a bad comedian . . . " he was still laughing. "But you shoulda seen your face."

That made her break out in a smile. "Well, you never know with you . . . "

He cleared his throat and took another bite. "So uh, how was your day?"

"About what one would expect when begging for a renewal on their lease. I got it though." She started fidgeting like there was something else she wanted to tell him.

"And . . . ?" His eyes found hers and there was happiness in them.

"I accepted a job, at the University, I went down and signed the paperwork and everything."

A signed lease was one thing, but a job was a whole other. "So your really staying then?" Relief flooded his body when she nodded.

"I start the Monday after I'm done at the lab"

They ate in silence for a few minutes. "Thank you Sara."

"For what?"

"For staying . . . for not leaving . . . for waiting."

She smiled at him. "No, thank you. For giving me a reason to stay. For giving me a pretty good reason to wait."

"I'm sorry I took so long . . . I wasted so much time . . . "

"I know. Me too."

He took another bite. "On a lighter note, I was thinking about moving."

Sara looked at him like he had two heads. "You're kidding. After all this . . . "

"I said lighter note, Sara." Grissom interrupted. "I was thinking of buying a house. In Las Vegas. People can move and still have the same zip code you know."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What brought this on all of a sudden?"

"I've been thinking about it for awhile now. With the money I've spent renting all these years I could have bought a house by now."

"Well, yeah, but really . . . ?"

"If the last two days have taught me anything, it would be that everyone needs a home. Even me. And after being in your apartment, " he motioned around, "this place feels just as sterile as the lab. It's never been a home. Just a place to sleep."

Sara looked at him with a smile on her lips. "This doesn't have anything to do with me does it?"

"Honey, it has everything to do with you. And at the same time, it has nothing to do with you. It was you that made me realize I needed to set down real roots. An apartment is a temporary place, whether one chooses to believe that about their own, or not. Whether it be two months you live there, or 10 years . . . you come, you live for awhile, and you're gone. Nobody stays in the same apartment forever. And when you're gone, it gets cleaned, someone else moves in, and it's like you never existed there at all."

"Grissom, you're making me jealous!"

"Of what?"

"You're getting a new house . . . all I got was a job." She put on a pouting face.

Grissom laughed again. "Ok well, how about this? You can come house hunting with me. I mean really. You'll have to like it too. I'm hoping you'll be spending a lot of time there with me."

"Oh, of course."

"Good."

Silence followed as they both ate. Grissom noted that she was grinning like a Cheshire cat between bites. "You're grinning like a fool. Wanna catch me up?"

"It just suddenly struck me full force. We're really doing this aren't we?"

He looked at her amused. "Doing what?"

"Dating. I'm mean, I'm not actually just asleep at the lab, having a wild hallucination from some chemical - am I?"

"Well, if you are, then I'm having the exact same one. Which is possible," he grinned at her "but highly unlikely."

"Good."

Sara took the last bite off her plate. "So now what?"

"Now what?"

"Yeah, I came, we ate, we talked, we laughed, we agreed I wasn't asleep . . . the nights still young Grissom. Now what?"

He stood and picked up his plate. "Now - we clear the table and do the dishes."

Sara clapped her hands like an overexcited child. "Ooooh, that sounds romantic!"

Grissom couldn't contain himself and laughed outloud for the third time that night. "Honey, with you, everything is romantic."

Sara wrinkled her nose. "Even scrubbing the toilet?"

"Especially scrubbing the toilet. Infact, with you, scrubbing the toilet could become my favorite thing to do."

Sara's laughter filled the kitchen and his heart. He walked around the table and kissed her as he grabbed her plate. She took hold of his head with both hands and pulled him back for another. Both of his hands were full of dishes, and he was powerless. When she finally released him, her eyes were twinkling with mischief and her lips were just a little swollen.

"If you help me Sara, we could get this done a lot faster." She stood and grabbed what she could carry.

While they were clearing the table, Sara stopped and looked at him. "This - this is nice."

He set the plates in the sink. "What is?"

She waved her hand. "All this, the sheer domestication in it. Doing normal things. With you. All of it."

"Yeah, it is."

As the were finishing the dishes, Sara grew steadily quieter. As he put the last glass in the cupboard, she turned to him. "I want to show you something." Her voice was solemn and her voice held none of its earlier passion.

Grissom almost sighed outloud. Apparently doing the dishes had been a bad idea. "What is it?"

She walked into the hall and reached into her coat pocket. She slowly withdrew a folded pile of papers. As he accepted it from her, he noted the pained expression on her face. "Again Sara, what is it?"

"It's my application to gain custody of Madelaine Fina."

His eyes darted down to the paper in his hands. Unfolding it, he saw that she was serious.

"Sara - I . . . "

"I went down there today, after our talk in your office. I had every intention of turning it in." She grew quiet again and started chewing a thumbnail.

"What changed your mind?"

"Fate intervened."

"Huh?"

"They found someone to take her. A close friend of her mothers. In the will, she was stated to be her legal guardian. She's not going into foster care. She's going to a place she knows as well as she knows her own home. With people she loves. People who love her. She'll never want for anything Grissom. She'll be ok."

When he spoke, his voice was almost a whisper. "That's supposed to be a good thing Sara."

She walked past him, into the living room, and sat heavily on the couch. When he followed and sat down beside her, she wrapped herself to him, her legs curled up beside her and her head resting on her chest. "It is a good thing. It's a wonderful thing."

He wrapped his arms around her. "Then, honey, why are you so sad?"

"Because I'm really going to miss her. The family lives in New York."

"I'm sorry Sara."

"I shouldn't be sad . . . but I am." She exhaled against him. "I think for a little while there, my head thought I was ready to be a parent. But again, my heart knows better. I thought I just wanted to give her what was taken from me. A happy childhood. But - even now that I know she'll get that. I think I still want her."

Grissom's heart broke for her. "Sara . . . " Words were strange - the way they kept eluding him when there was something he should be saying.

"I think I want her for a very selfish reason. To fill a void. A void I created a long time ago when I decided not to have kids. A void I very successfully covered up with my career. Because I didn't want to put them through what I went through. And until I held that little girl... with my career basically over... I was fine with it. I was awkward around kids. Uncomfortable. I - I don't know. It was always just something I didn't feel I needed. Or wanted. And then Maddie . . she's so innocent, so pure, so accepting... even after all she went through. And for the first time in my life... I felt that void. And there she was. She didn't know me, but she trusted me. She was so happy to see me. And then that void wasn't just a void anymore. It was an ache. An ache I've heard other people talking about, but could never really understand. I understand it now."

She got quiet again and Grissom still couldn't figure out what to say. This wasn't something he ever gave a lot of thought to. He always thought his life was basically complete. Honestly, he'd never thought he was missing anything by not having kids. Then again, until he met Sara, he had thought his life was pretty complete without her too. Now just the thought of living without her, pained him. Sometimes you didn't know what you needed until you had it. "It's not to late Sara."

"For what? Maddie will be in New York by this time tomorrow." She sighed. "They wouldn't have let me have her anyway."

"Why not?" It felt like she was burrowing herself into him.

"Even if they had accepted the paper version of me, I'd still have to pass the real life version."

"Well, that wouldn't have been a problem. Who could have possibly been a better candidate?"

Sara laughed against him. "Someone stable! Someone with a house, and a husband. Someone who hasn't spent the last six years of her life being corrupted by all the horrible, malicious, evil things people do to each other." She stopped and sighed softly. "Someone whose mother didn't kill her father."

Grissom held her tighter. "That's your past Sara. The woman I know - the woman they'd judge, is wonderful. Someone who has had the same residence for six years. Someone who worked such a terrible job, until she just couldn't do it anymore, because she wanted to help... needed to. Someone who overcame all the odds of being a foster child and succeeded in everything she tried to do." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and dropped his voice down to almost a whisper. "They would have seen the woman who held that little girl. And to whom that little girl clung to right back. They'd have seen the good in you... the truth of you." He smiled into her hair. "And if they hadn't... by god, I would have shown it to them."

Sara tilted her head to look up at him. "Thank you."

"I'm just being honest." He touched his finger to her nose. "Now, backtracking just a little here - but what I meant was, it's not too late to have your own."

"Baby?"

"No, Monkey." He smiled at her.

"Funny." She put her head back on his chest.

"I'm serious."

"Most women preferred to be married before they have a baby."

"Really."

"Yes, preferably to a good man. With a stable income, and lots and lots of patience. Not to mention - Love."

"Then... marry me." The statement came out sounding so simple, but his heart was racing. For almost an entire minute she didn't move. Orspeak for that matter. "Sara . . . "

She turned her body to face him. "Are you serious?"

"Well, you told me yesterday that I was a good man. My income is so stable you could build a city on it. And really, who could have more patience then a man who studies insects? And I know for a fact that nobody will ever love you as much as I do."

"So we should just get married? Don't you think that's a little sudden?"

"Six years. I don't call that sudden."

Sara laughed outloud. "Maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right. Marry me."

She kissed him. "You're right."

"I know I'm right."

She kissed him again. "So do I."

"Soooo . . . "

"So lets get married."

"When?"

"Now."

He laughed. "I can think of a few people that would be pretty upset if we didn't invite them."

"Let's call them."

"Catherine would be pretty upset if we didn't give her time to by a new outfit."

Sara ran her fingers threw the curls above his ears. "Ok. So not now - but soon." She leaned down and kissed him again.

"Very very soon."

When she pulled back there was love, need, and desire dancing in her eyes like a flame. "I love you. I need you . . . " she pressed her forehead to his. "I want you."

He leaned in and captured the last words from her lips. He slipped his hands under her shirt, feeling the warm, soft skin she kept hidden there. With his hands he felt the racing of her own heart. "God Sara..." She was planting kisses over his face. Whisper soft across his eyelids, over his cheeks, and at the corners of his mouth. She lit a path down his neck as she dropped kisses from his mouth to his Adam's apple, then up until he could feel her breath on his ear. He turned his head and captured her lips with his again.

His hands were treading dangerous territory as they alternately traveled to, but never crossed, the borders at the top of her jeans and the bottom of her bra. Making out had never been this much fun - or this intense. Everywhere she touched turned to fire, burning for her to touch there again. Her fingers moving in sporadic patterns. In his hair, down his neck, over his back, across his face, and underneath the collar of his shirt; briefly tickling a spot just above his shoulder blade.

He caught her mouth with his again and gently bit her lower lip. A soft sound escaped her throat. "God Sara - I love you." He murmured against her lips.

She pulled away with fire in her eyes and a grin on her lips. When she spoke, lust made her tone was different. "Prove it."

He smiled and touched her face. "I will love you forever."

She kissed him. "Prove it."

She took a breath to say something else, but he caught the words before they could form on her lips. Breaking the kiss, he stood up, grabbing her hand and bringing her up with him. Flipping off the lights, he led her to his bedroom. Unlike last night, he had no intention of sleeping. Not for awhile anyway. He was wideawake now, body, mind, and soul. And judging from the rapid pulse he felt at her wrist, so was Sara.

Taking in everything like only a scientist can, Grissom spent a good portion of the rest of the night exploring everything that was Sara Sidle. From the way she looked, felt, tasted, smelled, and finally sounded. Like an experiment, hetouched her everywhere, kissed her everywhere else, and mentally cataloged what places made her gasp, which made her moan, and his personal favorite, which made her whimper. And when finally they were one, and his name was on her lips, Grissom knew nothing short of forever would do. This was destiny.

When she fell asleep clinging to him, he was at peace. As his own heartbeat returned to normal and he breathing grew steady, he looked at the woman that he loved. She was his. No, that was wrong. He was hers. Forever.

The End!

Final Authors's Note: By far the longest chapter. When I started writing this, I planned on a two or three chapter fluff. But it developed a mind, and personality, of its own. And honestly, it didn't want to come to an end. This chapter was so hard to write, because I had to say good-bye to this story. I really hope I didn't disappoint anyone. I was thinking of writing a fluffy 'sequel' to this, and my muse is diggin' that idea... but I gotta know if you want me to or not. Please please please leave a review and let me know what you thought!