AN: Thanks for the reviews. Warning: Mention of a main character death & Implied/suggestive adult behavior.

Chapter 3: Didn't go as expected

As great as her 36th birthday was, and while time away with the man she loved did let her escape for a few days on what was slowly building up inside her, it wasn't long after that, even with Grissom's sudden but sweet proposal, before she started to spiral deeper into depression, and that's when she knew she needed to leave before she self destructed in front of him.

Of course when he finally got her on the phone the day after she left, he offered to follow her, willing to drop everything to be there for her. But as much as she wanted him to, she would never ask him to dump his whole career for her. She promised herself, long before they even got together, that she would never ask him to do that, no matter what. Plus, she felt she needed to do this journey on her own. The good thing during that time was that they kept their engagement and he even made a few surprise visits.

Then the months started to come and go, work started to get more stressful for Grissom, and the next thing anybody knew, their world was never going to be the same again when they lost Warrick, sending their lives into a major tailspin, which ultimately resulted in Sara making the hardest decision of her life, letting go the only man she's ever loved. And that's why if someone would have told her on her 37th birthday she would be on a boat traveling with other types of scientists without Grissom, she never would have believed them.

Thankfully though that break didn't stick for long because he walked away from a career he felt satisfied on leaving and found her in Costa Rica so they could start a new life together, and by the time she reached her 38th birthday, for the first time she was experiencing a birthday as a...

Flashback

September 16, 2009

Sara woke up with a smile as she looked at her left ring finger, causing Grissom to smirk as he watched her. "You still can't believe it's there, can you?"

Sara smiled wider as she looked at husband. "No. I know it's been a month already, but I still can't believe I'm a married woman."

He smiled with love in his eyes as he cupped her cheek with his ring finger, causing her eyes to flutter at the feel of his ring against her skin. "A birthday, married woman today."

"And the best one yet."

He raised an eyebrow as he asked. "Really, how do you know? The day hasn't even started."

"You're right, but any birthday that I get to wake up next to you is a good one, so now being married and waking up next to my husband, is even better."

He smiled with love in his eyes. "I'm a husband."

She chuckled as she moved closer to him before replying. "And I'm a wife."

When she was near him, she slipped her legs between his while he wrapped his arms around her, then they sighed in content before he asked. "Did you ever think this could happen for us?"

She moved her hand to cup his cheek. "Only in my wildest dreams."

He took her hand from his cheek and kissed it before speaking with love. "Well, honey, this isn't a dream. This is very real."

A second later with desire in her eyes, she whispered. "Prove it."

He smiled, his eyes also turning darker with desire as he moved closer to her, then their lips touched and the only thing that was on their minds was the still strong passion between them.

End of Flashback

Flashback

September 16, 2010

Paris, France

After waking up in bed alone, Sara got up and headed for the bedroom door before opening it and smelling a scent to one of her favorite breakfast meals, so she walks out and heads for the kitchen, stopping when she got there so she could see the beautiful sight of her husband, who was in his boxers and a t-shirt, cooking breakfast at the stove. Even after a year of being married to him sent warm shivers up and down her body.

She mentally shook her head before walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He smiled at the feel of her arms around him and a kiss to his cheek. "Good Morning, dear."

"Good morning to you too, I thought we could spend a little more time in bed."

He closes his eyes as he feels her hand slip under his shirt before he cleared his throat and whispered. "You got in late last night, I thought you could use the extra sleep."

"I really appreciate it, but I want to spend every second I can with you before I have to go back to Vegas."

He turns around and cups her cheek with a smile. "I know, honey. I want that too, but lack of sleep isn't gong to do any of us any good." She nodded with a sigh before he continued. "Besides, we can do whatever you want after you eat. After all it is your birthday."

She smiled with desire in her eyes. "And I know just how I want to celebrate."

He cleared his throat again before whispering. "Later, I promise."

"I'm looking forward to it."

They give each other a proper kiss, a little preview of what was to come later before he goes back to finish cooking breakfast while she set the table and poured their drinks.

Later that night, they did mange to slip out of bed and had a home cooked meal out on their balcony, and after their meal, they picked up their glasses of wine as they stood up from their seats at the table so they could sit on the 'porch' swing.

After a few minutes of silence and a couple of sips of their drinks, Grissom asked. "Are you ok? You seemed a little distracted the last 30 minutes."

Sara nodded with a sigh. "I am, but we do need to talk about something."

Grissom looked out in the horizon and took another sip of his wine before looking at his wife and replied with a known look. "It's about Vegas, isn't it?"

"They want me to stay longer, and with you teaching another year here, I..."

He cuts her off. "You should do it."

"Really?"

"Yes, I know how much this means to you."

She moved so she could cup his cheek. "But you know how much you mean to me too, right? And if you want me to stay, I..."

He cuts her off again with love in his eyes. "Of course I want you to stay, but I also know you weren't satisfied with just being my wife here, you needed a purpose and you found it again. I'm not going to hold you back, I just want you to be happy."

With a smile and tears in her eyes, she whispered. "You make me so happy and being married to you is a dream come true. I love you with all of my heart."

"And I love you."

They leaned towards one another and started to kiss, now only concentrating on the time they had left before she headed back to Vegas.

End of Flashback

Sara sighed again as she thought back to start of their rough time, things weren't easy the next two birthdays after that, especially once he stopped teaching and started traveling for his new job, but they managed to make it work...

Until they couldn't anymore, so if there were any birthdays that she wished she could have skipped over, and gladly do it without much thought, it would be the following three (42-44).

Sara mentally shook her head from those last thoughts, not wanting to go there.

Of all the bad things that had happened in her life, those three years, outside of her childhood ones, had to be some of the worst/hardest years of her life. She honestly thought she had lost the only man she's ever loved for good and that she was destined to be alone, which honestly wasn't a new thought because before Grissom, there just wasn't any one that significant, at least not at the same level as him.

However, if there was one thing all those years should have taught her, it was that life is unpredictable, things have a way of coming together, sometimes even better than they could imagine.

Before Sara's thoughts could continue down that road, there was a knock on the bedroom door, so she moves to sit up so her back was against the headboard with a smile on her face. "Yeah, come in."

AN: Find out who is at the door knocking. Thanks for reading and please review. One more chapter to go.