Ok guys, here is the next chapter. Please enjoy! This is based on Gary Allan's Life Ain't Always Beautiful

Grissom was still in his office as the day shift came in, filling the break room in the same way his own team did every night. They filled their coffee cups and talked, occasionally laughing. After a little while their supervisor came in and handed out assignments. Grissom watched as they all filed out, breaking apart into various teams to begin their art of solving crimes.

He put his set of headphones, flipping through songs on his ipod; nothing seemed to fit his mood at the moment. His mood was something had to describe, he felt weak, sick to his stomach. He felt empty. He could never remember feeling this empty.

Sara had left a hole in him, a hole he knew he could never fill. He felt lost in a way he had never felt lost before. He loved Sara with all of his heart, but he knew he had burned too many bridges to go back. He had promised himself, after she never returned his letters, that he would put everything he had into his career, make it the most important thing in his life.

He finally found a song he had forgotten he had on his ipod.

Life aint always beautiful
Sometimes it's just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart

He could relate to this song. He saw the side of life that most people never even have nightmares about. He held mothers as they cried for the loss of their child, the child that never made it to her 11th birthday. He lived a hard life, surrounded by death and hatred.

He had separated himself from people a long time ago; it was too hard to care about everyone he saw cut open on a metal slab. His emotions only slipped during especially hard cases, mostly involving children. It was hard seeing people killed and thrown out with the trash, but it was even harder to see a child done like that.

After he left Boston and Sara never wrote back, his heart broke. He wanted Sara back in his arms; he wanted to be loved again. Sara was special; she wasn't just a pretty face, was someone who had such a deep personality. He didn't blame her for not writing after what he had done to her, but after having his heart torn in two, he knew he could never love again.

Life aint always beautiful
You think you're on your way
And it's just a dead end road at the end of the day

So he had never let anyone see the real him again. Lady Heather had seen through his act, though, and it scared the shit out of him. He never wanted to be known by anyone but Sara, she was the one he loved.

It hurt not to be able to hold her in his arms. He wanted nothing more than to walk into his house and see her there. He wanted her to be the one he would spend the rest of his with. He wanted to come how to a crying baby and be able to hold Sara and their child in his arms until they were asleep.

No one really considered him a family man; he knew he didn't fit the profile, but the truth was that he always wanted a family of his own. He wanted to be there for his children the way his father never could be for him. He had died when Grissom was only 5 so they weren't able to spent much time together.

But the struggles make you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has its own way of takin its sweet time

Maybe there was still time for a family but Sara was the one for him, not anyone else. He had had plenty of chances with other women, Catherine for one. He could have made a move after she was divorced, or when she was still married, even. Lady Heather had offered him a chance. She was a very intelligent woman; she could read him like a book. There have been others, Sofia, Terri Miller, but Sara was the one, the only one.

He made up his mind that he would confront her. Screw the promises he had made to himself! He wanted to be happy, and Sara made him happy.

No, life aint always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life aint always beautiful
But it's a beautiful ride

Life was a beautiful ride. He had been to the Amazon, all across the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Alaska. He still wanted to see the pyramids, return to the rainforest one more time, and maybe go to Hawaii. He loved to travel; it made him happy to see new places. He loved to meet the people from these places and to experience their culture, if only for a little while.

He wished Sara would join him on one of his trips out of the country. He wanted to share his experiences with her. He knew she had never been out of the country before; she spent all of her time working.

Her life had been too hard. He wanted to make it better, make her happy, be there for her forever.

Life aint always beautiful
Some days I miss your smile
I get tired of walkin all these lonely miles

He was tired of being alone in this world. He had isolated himself too much for too long. It was time for him to break down the walls he had built up around him. It was time for him to smile more, be happier, show Sara how much he cared.

He knew it was time for the big change. He was 50 years old; it was time for him to finally live his life!

And I wish for just one minute
I could see your pretty face
Guess I can dream, but life don't work that way

He was done with dreaming, it was time to make his dreams into realities. He was going to ask Sara out to dinner or breakfast or whenever she was free. He didn't care if he had to take a night off; he was going to make this happen. He wanted Sara to be happy, that's all that mattered to him right now.

But the struggles make me stronger
And the changes make me wise
And happiness has its own way of takin its sweet time

He couldn't believe he was finally going to ask Sara out after all these years. It was going to be just like old times again. He couldn't wait until next shift to ask her out, he knew he had to at least try to sleep today. He was so excited.

He didn't want to call her now because he wanted to ask her in person. He could always go over to her apartment but then again, that could be over kill. He didn't want to scare her off. He was just so darn excited!

No, life aint always beautiful
But I know I'll be fine
Hey, life aint always beautiful
But it's a beautiful ride
What a beautiful ride

I know it's short, but I really liked it. What did you think? Let me know by sending me a review, thanks!