AN: Thanks for the reviews, here is the next chapter.
Chapter 3: Saying Goodbye
One month later
June, 2004
Before everybody knew it a month had passed, and it was time to say goodbye to Catherine.
After shift ended, they were all in the break room, and after a moment of just looking at them, she gave them a smile with tears in her eyes. "It's not like we can't visit one another or keep in contact."
They nodded with smiles before Greg walks up to her first and gives her a hug, and she hugs him back as she spoke. "You will be a great CSI one day, don't ever give up on what you want."
"I won't, and thank you Catherine."
As they pulled back, she nodded with a smile before looking at Sara, and she nodded with a smile as they share a hug. "I know things weren't always perfect between us, but I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Sara." While they pulled back, Catherine spoke to her again after looking at Grissom. "I guess now it's your turn to keep that man in line."
Everybody chuckled while Grissom rolled his eyes with a smile as Sara nodded with a smirk as she looked at him with pursed lips. "Well, somebody's got to do it."
They chuckled once again while Sara and Grissom shared a friendly smile.
Since they agreed to start their friendship over, things between them has been better than ever. They didn't know each other's deepest secrets yet, but their conversations, at times, have gone to their personal lives.
The women share one more smile before Sara stepped away and Nick walked up to her next, both sharing a tight hug. "I know you'll be an excellent assistant to Grissom, it has been a pleasure working with you all these years, watching you become the CSI you are today."
Feeling emotional, Nick replied softly. "Thank you Cath, it's been a pleasure working with you too, and I am honored to call you my friend."
She ran her hand up and down his back as she responded. "Me too, take care of yourself, and be safe."
"You too."
As they were pulling back, Nick gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek, then after they smiled at one another with tears in their eyes, he moved to the side while she wiped a few tears off her cheek as she walked up to Warrick, who had been standing by the end of the table.
Once she stopped in front of him, she took a breath before speaking softly. "When I knew my marriage was over and after Eddie had died, you were one of the first to reach out to me and be there for me and Lindsey, and there are no words that I could express to you on how much that meant to me. You are one of my best friends and I'm going to miss you."
Hiding his emotions better than Nick, Warrick nodded with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her, never wanting to let her go, but knowing he had to. "I'm going to miss you too, be safe out there, and if you ever need anything, just call me."
Holding him tight, also not wanting to let him go, even though she knew she had to, she replied. "I will, and you be safe too."
They held each other a little big longer, silently saying how much they love one another, before pulling back, and when their eyes met again, he cupped her cheek and wiped her tears away, making her smile slightly.
After he removed his hand, Catherine turned around and looked at the man that had been her friend the longest here. The man she's known for over 10 years, but then again felt like there was so much more to him than what met the eye. He was frustrating at times, making her so mad that she wanted to turn her back on him, but then he would give her that Grissom smile or say something clever that would make her remember why she's stayed friends/co-workers with him all this time. He could also be complicated at times, but then again, she wouldn't have it any other way, because he wouldn't be the Grissom she knew and loved as a friend.
He gives her a small smile before clearing his throat and speaking. "How about I walk you to your vehicle?"
She nodded with a smile in return. "I would like that."
After he nodded, Catherine looked at her team, or should she say ex-team, and gave them one more smile and nod before walking out of the room, Grissom following right behind her.
When they arrived at her vehicle, she spoke with a smile. "Thank you."
He raised an eyebrow as he asked. "For what?"
"For everything, but mostly for being one of the best friends I've ever had."
He smirked. "I'm sure there were times when you wished I wasn't."
She chuckled a little before replying. "You didn't make it easy all the time." Then she continued sincerely. "But overall, I'm glad you were, and I'm going to miss you."
He sighed as he nodded. "Me too Cath, good luck and be careful out there."
She wrapped her arms around him, causing him to tense a little, not use to being hugged by people, before he wrapped his arms around her as she whispered. "You too."
After they pulled back, she gives him one more smile before heading to the driver's side of her vehicle and getting in, then after a wave, she started her vehicle and began to drive out of the Las Vegas lab's parking lot for the last time, or at least the last time as an employee.
Grissom watched her leave until he couldn't see her than he took a breath before turning and walking back inside, sad to see a good friend leave.
Once he walked back into the break room, then after the guys left the room a few minutes later, Grissom asked Sara if she wanted to have breakfast with him at his place, and she agreed, so they also walked out of the room before going in different directions so she could go to the locker room while he want to his office to get their things and leave the lab.
When they arrived at his condo, they headed right for the kitchen after hanging up their coats on the hanger and dropping their bags by the door, then as he started cooking their omelets, she sat on one of the barstools to watch him just like she's done the other times he's cook, whether it was here or at her place.
After breakfast was done cooking and they were seated at the dinning/kitchen table, they started to eat with a little small talk, then as they were finishing up, she asks. "So, how are you doing with Catherine officially being gone?"
He took a breath while he reached for his glass of milk. "I mean I know she's gone, but I don't think it has exactly hit me yet." She nodded in understanding, because she felt the same way before he spoke again after taking a sip of his milk. "But I have a feeling when shift starts later tonight that it will, the team is about to be different."
Not only is this the first night that Nick will be the assistant supervisor, but will have a new member on the team named Carly Hughes, who had transferred from the day shift as a CSI level 2.
She nodded again before she cleared her throat and looked down at her almost empty plate. "I don't know if I should say this, but when I first came here, I was a little jealous of you two."
She didn't see his shocked face, but felt his hand on hers before hearing his soft voice. "Sara, the only thing that was ever between us, outside of co-workers, was friendship. That's all it was meant to be between us."
Now that a particular door was opened, she asked softly as she looked into his caring, blue eyes. "Just like you and me?"
Grissom's heart started to race nervously and he was thinking about taking his hand off her arm and clamming up, but he didn't, he had made a promise to try to be more open and he wanted her to understand where he was coming from, so he continued. "While I do want there to always be a friendship between us, I uh, well I was hoping that it will become a little more than that in time."
Still nervous, he sat there watching her reaction, and after a moment or two, she started to smile, making his heart race again as she replied with a nod. "Ok."
He raised his eyebrow at her response. "Just ok?"
She nodded again with the smile still on her face. "I'm just making sure we are going in the same direction."
She didn't need or expect his full declaration of love right here and now, mostly because she didn't want him to be scared off and run away from what they were slowly building, but she did want to make sure there was no miscommunication or botched signs about where they were heading.
He started to smile with a nod. "Then I believe we are."
They sat there smiling at one another a few more minutes before he finally removed his hand, both missing the touch immediately, and going back to finishing their meal, feeling a little better, even though they said goodbye to a colleague today.
AN: Hope it was ok. Thanks for reading and please review, more to come.