A/N: Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and comment on this fic… I loved reading what you had to say, and I took all of your comments to heart (for example, thanks to TAE1, I learned that Lake Mead is extremely close to Las Vegas, and a much better park… who knew? So all references to the actual park have been changed to Lake Mead). In any event, I thought about it, and I decided that a sequel is indeed in order. The following chapters all take place one year after the last retreat, so… read along, and find out what everyone has been up to over the past year!

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Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CSI or its characters. That honor goes to the good folks over at CBS.

Title: One Year Later

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The Break Room

"I don't know about this…" Greg grumbled, his hands clasped tightly around a piping-hot cup of coffee. "I really don't…" he added, just in case everyone hadn't heard him.

"Of course it's a great idea, Greggo!" Nick smiled. "Remember how much…uh…fun we all had the last time that we went away?" he chuckled.

"No… can't say that I do…" Greg mumbled, staring down at the table.

"'C'mon, Greg…" Warrick laughed. "The surf, the sand, the fresh air…"

"The rappelling, the bugs, Grissom's snoring…" Greg trailed off.

Catherine flipped her hair out of her eyes, staring over at her younger, very unhappy, colleague. "The outdoor cooking, the relaxation, the 'getting to know you better…' conversations…" she chimed in.

"The difficult discussions, the sweaty armpits, the lack of good showers…" Greg immediately retorted.

"I think it might be good for all of us to get away…" Sara quietly spoke up. "It will give us a chance to talk some more… to see what's changed in our lives over the past year…"

Grissom raised an eyebrow, glancing around the table at his team. Nodding, he made eye contact with each individual criminalist. "We will go back to Lake Mead for the entire weekend, and… we will talk, and we will share, and we will complete some new team-building exercises…" he announced. "And hopefully, we will continue to grow, and become stronger, as a family unit…" he added.

Greg frowned, looking up at his supervisor. Raising his hand, and opening his mouth as if to say something, he took a deep breath. "Can we b—" he started to ask.

"No, Greg," Grissom interrupted him, flashing him a smile, wry smile. "No batteries, no walkmans, no CD players, no hand-held DVD players, and no Gameboys...basically, nothing electronic what-so-ever…."

Greg slowly put his hand down, pursing his lips, and biting back a comment.

Sara chuckled, glancing over at him. "Sorry, Greg," she smiled. "I guess you'll just have to focus on the team this weekend…"

"But a lot can be said for two-player video games…" Greg trailed off, standing up, and stretching. "So when are we leaving, Grissom?" he asked. Although it didn't seem like it, Greg was really looking forward to the Retreat, and… he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Next Friday at noon…" Grissom replied, also standing up.

The assembled criminalists all nodded, heading toward the door. "This will be great, Rick!" Nick grinned, as he exited the break room.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Warrick replied with a smile.

"Just as long as we get to swim…" Greg mumbled, following his two friends out the door.

"Are you sure about this, Gil?" Catherine quietly asked him, standing up, and gazing over at him.

"I think it will be good for us," he shrugged, nodding at Catherine as she left the room. "Besides," he smiled at Sara, "You know what happened the last time that we went away…"

Sara smiled. "My whole life changed…"

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In the van: one week later

"Oh camping we will go, oh camping we will go…" Greg's voice rang out from the backseat of the van.

"We should have just let him bring his Gameboy," Sara frowned, looking over at Grissom.

Grissom raised an eyebrow, grinning. "True, but… that would have defeated the purpose of a retreat, now wouldn't it have…?" he quietly asked her.

"I suppose so…" Sara smiled, returning her attention to the scenery outside of the van.

"Yo, man," Warrick lightly punched Nick in the arm. "Want to share a tent with me again this year?"

"You bet!" Nick smiled. "I don't want any part of Grissom's snoring…" he trailed off.

"Oh camping we will go," Greg started over, chuckling to himself. "Oh camping we will g—wait a minute, what did you just ask him?" he grilled Nick, stopping in mid-verse.

"Nothing…" Nick shrugged.

"No, really… what did you just ask me?" he repeated his question.

"Did you remember to pack your earplugs, Greggo?" Warrick asked his colleague, grinning from ear to ear.

"No, why…?" he hesitantly asked.

Catherine turned to look at Greg, waiting for the realization to set in.

"Wait for it…" Nick whispered to Catherine and Warrick. "Wait for it, wait for it… here it comes!"

Greg's smile suddenly faded. "Did you ask him to share a tent with you…?"

Nick simply nodded, biting his lip.

Swallowing, Greg stared at Sara, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, next to Grissom, who was driving. "Uh, Sara?" he cautiously asked. When Sara turned around to look at him, he flashed her a disarming smile. "Are you, uh…sleeping in Grissom's tent…?"

Sara raised an eyebrow, choking back a laugh. "Catherine, we're sharing a tent, right?" she asked, glancing at the other woman.

"That's what I figured," Catherine replied, biting back her own laugh.

"So, Greg," Grissom loudly piped up. "That makes you and I tent-mates!"

"Again, Greggo," Nick chuckled. "Did you remember to pack your earplugs…?"

"No…" Greg mumbled. "I didn't…" he sighed.

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Campsite

"What's for dinner?" Nick asked Grissom, standing underneath the food tent.

"Shish-ka-bobs!" Grissom announced, pointing to the skewers, the vegetables, the pork, and the chicken. "Come help yourselves, everyone! And then once your skewers are all set, we'll do some talking…"

"Oh, boy… food!" Greg smiled, quickly walking over to the tent, and taking a look at the spread.

Warrick and Nick just laughed, as they started to get their skewers together.

"Nice idea, Grissom," Catherine complimented her supervisor, as she glanced down at the chicken, and shoved it onto the skewer.

"And very easy to make…" Sara added, grabbing the vegetables, and spearing them.

Grissom just smiled, as he got to work.

Thirty minutes later, the criminalists all sat around the fire, staring at the ground. "Okay…" Grissom cleared his throat. "Well… first of all, I am glad that you were all so receptive to the idea of coming back to Lake Mead this year. I think that last year's outing enabled us all to better get to know one another, and I am hoping that this year's trip will help us all continue to get closer to one another…"

Nick glanced up at his supervisor, before returning his gaze to the roaring fire. "So… what are we going to be talking about, Grissom…?" he quietly asked, holding his hands up to the flame.

"I'd like to start off…easy…" Grissom replied, a small smile appearing on his lips. "So…tell me something that you all like about yourselves…"

"Oh, is that all…?" Warrick sarcastically asked. "Gee… that's an easy one…"

Catherine raised an eyebrow, thinking about Grissom's question. Something that I like about myself? Something that I'm good at…? Uh…

Nick continued to gaze at the fire, deep in thought.

"Can I say that I like how good I am at video games…?" Greg asked, trying to hide a laugh.

"No…" Grissom simply replied, flashing the younger man a small smile.

Even Sara, the person most currently comfortable with Grissom's line of thinking, felt a little bit uncomfortable. "What if… what if I don't like anything about myself…?" she finally squeaked out.

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TO BE CONTINUED 