Chapter Seventeen- Leaving Las Vegas

AHHHH! Last chapter!

Thanks to Pandy Roxy Chick, JacobedRose, and myfairlady for their reviews.

Serge…nvm.

Disclaimer: Own nothing

Author's Note: Yeah I know I just updated, but I wanna finish this story so I can get my ideas out with the sequel. Hehe

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The rest of the week went by without her hinting at her move. Lindsay was excited, but Catherine felt apprehensive. She had tried again and again to open her mouth and let her team know that she was leaving, but she found it impossible. She almost didn't want to believe it herself. Leaving was the hardest thing to do, but at this point. It was the only thing left to do.

"Hey Catherine." Warrick greeted as she entered the lab, completely unaware of the inner turmoil that Catherine was feeling.

"Hey." She said softly. "What we got today?"

Warrick shrugged. "Suicide. The usual."

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "What's usual about suicide?"

Warrick grinned back at her, loving her sarcastic sense of humor. "You tell me."

"I couldn't say."

It was another day at the Las Vegas Crime Lab, but it seemed different to Catherine Willows. She went to work with determination to make her last day in the lab the best she could make it.

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Laughter rang out of the break room. Catherine and Greg were banging their heads to an Ipod. Each with an earphone in their ear. They were dancing on top of the table with Catherine singing at the top of her lungs. Sara and Nick were dancing on the floor, while Warrick was banging his head to the same song playing loudly on his laptop. Even Sofia and Brass joined in, fake tangoing. The only one missing was Grissom, but Catherine pushed that from her mind. She stopped dancing for a moment, and smiled at the sight of her closest friends around her. A memory etched into her mind forever.

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At the end of shift, Catherine paused outside of Grissom's office. The doors were shut and the blinds were closed. There were voices murmuring, Ecklie and Grissom. Then muffled shouts came through the glass. Catherine's cell phone rang, just as she reached for the knob.

"Mugs." Sam's voice came over the line.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"If you don't get here soon, the planes gonna leave without you."

She thanked him and hung up. She glanced at the closed door, before turning away. She walked out of the Las Vegas Crime Lab under the heavy words, for the last time.

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Grissom called his team into his office. They were oblivious to what had happened right under their noses. To tell the truth, he hadn't seen it coming either. Sara entered first, talking and laughing with Greg while Nick and Warrick followed betting on something. He felt like the demon destroying their good mood. But part of him knew it wasn't his fault. It was Catherine's.

"Hey man…you look like someone died." Nick said.

Grissom just glared at him. The team fell into silence.

He took a deep breath and began his announcement.

"Catherine won't be working with us anymore." He said not quite believing his own words.

"You mean she's on a break right?" Nick asked, a little confused.

Grissom shook his head. "No, she left for Montana ten minutes ago."

Silence followed his words.

Sara was the first to break it. "You're kidding right?" she asked.

Grissom shook his head again. "I wish I was." With that he left the room with a stormy expression on his face, leaving his CSIs staring at his back with bewilderment.

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Sara was not in the discussion. She had gone to check her messages and e-mails unable to believe that Catheirne would just up and leave, without a word even to her. As she suspected a message was in her inbox.

Dear Sara,

I know you're probably confused and angry right now, but I couldn't stay in a place filled with memories of everything that happened. I killed him and that doesn't sit well with my conscience. I'm leaving a lot of responsibility in your hands. Woman to woman, I hope you of all people understand my decision. I'm asking you for a favor though. Something I need from you more than anything else. Watch over the guys. Watch over Grissom. Keep the guys from knocking each other's teeth out when they head over hills. I need you to play my role as peacemaker from now on. As for Grissom, don't let his mind take over his heart. Keep him sane for me. Keep him human.

Forgive me for my choices

Always thinking of Vegas,

Catherine

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After he left, the CSI's exchanged shocked glances. All of the unsure of what to say. Unsure of what to believe either. All of them found it hard to believe that she would leave without even saying good-bye, without even dropping a hint that they weren't going to see her again.

"Maybe she thought good-bye would be too hard." Sara mused mostly to herself.

Nick was unable to comprehend. "What about our peace of mind?" he asked.

Warrick glanced at Nick, but said nothing. Catherine had been his partner for a while. They had grown close. Her leaving without telling even him, hurt him more than he had expected, but he couldn't say he didn't understand. Good-bye would have been hard for her, but staying would have been harder after what she had to live with. What he truly could not understand was her leaving Grissom. He knew she had feelings for him as much as he had feelings for her. Yet she walked away. Just like that.

As the other discussed possible hints that could have led them to suspect something of Catherine's leave. Warrick left to talk to Grissom. He found Grissom outside, staring at the rising sun.

"You okay?" he asked, sitting down next to his boss on the curve.

"No." Grissom said bluntly.

Warrick lowered his head. "She had her reasons."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to understand them."

"You should try, maybe it'll ease the pain."

"I don't feel pain." Grissom argued rather stubbornly.

Warrick felt annoyance. Typical Grissom, hiding his feelings.

"Grissom, maybe it's not my place to lecture, but I don't think I can hold my tongue this time. She chose to walk, because she killed someone. She killed someone she married once, she loved once, and who she bore the daughter of. That hurt her, so she ran because it was the only thing she could do to get away from the memories. She had blood-stained hands. Blood that she couldn't wash off."

Grissom stared at him in stunned silence. He had never heard Warrick speak like this before.

"Grissom, I know you have feelings for her. It's obvious. The way she's always your first priority, the way you depended on her without even knowing it. Why can't you go after her? Why do you refuse to? Her leave is gonna make the team suffer. If you're the soul of the team, then she's the heart. She's the other half that keeps you from becoming a cold-blooded and as dead as the bodies in the morgue."

Grissom stood up, glaring at Warrick. "She made her choice. She walked away. Me going after her isn't going to change that." He said with stone cold control in his voice, but it was also laced with pain.

"Nothing is going to change that."

Fin

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Who's in tears? Lol. I hope so. That's what I was going for.