AN: Thank you for the reviews, here is a new chapter. This one is a little sadder than the others, but I think it still gives out hope.

Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Rating: T
Spoilers: The Case of the Cross-Dressing Carp (GSR Scene only), Subtle mention of Goodbye and Good luck
Timeline: Post-Goodbye and Good luck (Season 8 Episode 7)
Warnings: Implied Adult Behavior
Main Parings: GSR
Minor Parings: None
Other Characters: None

Chapter 8: No matter what

Flashback

With Sara already having worked a long double, she was off until tomorrow afternoon, so she was sitting in the apartment reading a book while Hank was next to her on the couch with his head in her lap when the door opened.

She stopped her reading instantly and looked into the eyes of the man she loves, who just in fact became her fiancé a few hours ago, which made her smile at that thought.

By the time Grissom was done giving Hank attention, who had gotten off the couch the minute he saw his 'daddy', Sara was standing just a step or two away and whispered in a dazed tone. "Hi."

He stood up straight and took that step or two closer to her with a smile and love in his eyes. "Hi. How are you doing?"

She chuckled before answering him. "Still just trying to wrap my brain around on what happened earlier. I mean I wasn't dreaming, right? You did propose to me in front of bees, right?"

He chuckled while cupping her cheek before nodding with a smile. "I did." He then gets a worried look on his face. "I just hope I didn't screw it up too much, I'm sure most women would probably prefer the flowers and expensive din…"

She cut him off while wrapping her arms around his neck. "Now Gilbert, you should know by now I am not like most women. No, it wasn't in the traditional way, but it was so you, so I don't mind how it was done."

Seeing the truth in her eyes felt like a weight had been lifted. He obviously wanted to propose to her for months now, he even had the ring to prove it, so while it had been planned for a while, he didn't plan it in that moment. But something told him he had to do it, he couldn't wait any longer, so while being surrounded by bees, wearing bee suits, he finally did it. Now he was happy he did, and she didn't seem to mind where they were or how he did it.

His thoughts get interrupted when Sara spoke again, this time in a smirked tone. "So, not to be one of those women, which is no big deal right now, but is there a ring involved, or was this really a spur of the moment type of thing?"

He smirked in return while raising an eyebrow. "When have you ever known me, for the most part anyways, ever acted on a spur of a moment?"

She chuckled. "Well, I guess besides you asking me to stay in Vegas and telling me you love me at a crime scene, among a few other things, I would say you do think things through, thoroughly. I might add." After he nodded, her heart started racing as she spoke softly, like she was in a shocked state, realizing what she just said meant. "That means you do have a ring."

He moved his hands from her waist and stepped back before taking her hand in his and walked them down the stairs to the kitchen area before walking down the hall towards their bedroom.

He led her to the end of the bed and asks her to sit down, her heart only racing even more, then he went to his top left drawer from the dresser, opened it up and pulled the ring box out of it. He then turned around and started to speak while walking towards her. "Sara, for the longest time work had become my life, but that wasn't always the case. At one point, I wanted that loving, perfect marriage just like my parents had before it was cut short when my father had died. Maybe even have a few kids, but I could never find the woman I saw that future with, so I buried myself into my hobbies and my work and just let time pass me by, ultimately deciding that I would end up alone, which honestly, I was coming to peace with that." He paused before he continued. "Then something magical happened, I met that woman who I could see that perfect marriage and kids with, but I felt it was too late for me, that I had no shot with this younger, beautiful woman, that she would never feel the same way I felt." She was about to speak with tears in her eyes, but he finished before she could, getting down on one knee by the end of his proposal. "But then once again I was proven wrong. When I finally got over my own insecurities and fear and let her in, she showed me she was in love with me too, she made that dream that I had so long ago that felt out of reach feel achievable. I love you Sara, I have always loved you, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you, so I'm hoping you'll do me the greatest honor of my life and marry me."

She nodded with a smile, wiping her tears away. "Of course, I'll marry you. I won't marry anyone else but you."

After taking the ring out of the box, he slipped it down her ring finger on the left hand with a smile, then they started kissing, and after pulling back breathlessly, she whispered. "Much better."

He chuckled. "What? The proposal or that we can finally kiss."

She smirked as she took his hand and tugged on it while moving up in bed, him following her until they were in the middle of it, and he was above her. "A little of both."

He nodded with a smile as she cups his cheek and brings him down to her before they started kissing again, which turned into more deeply and passionate ones, eventually their fingers having a mind of their own and before they knew it, they were bare and under the sheets, celebrating their engagement.

Afterwards, while they were laying on their sides, the sheet up to her chest and his waist, she was looking at the ring and asked while his hand was running up and down her sheet covered back. "This looks like an older ring."

"It is, it belonged to my grandmother, who gave it to my mother, then my mother gave it to me."

Out of curiosity, she asked. "When?"

"Sometime in my thirties. I think she always had this idea that she would give it to me when I brought a woman home to meet her, but I think she gave up on that when that never happened and she just gave it to me, in hopes one day it will be used."

She smiled with a small chuckle before she asked again. "And can I ask when you were fully ready to make that move?"

She had a pretty good idea, but wanted confirmation

He nodded before answering her after clearing his throat. "Two nights before our two-year anniversary."

"I knew it. That's why you wanted to tell the team."

"Yes, or at least part of it. I really did think it was time to tell them about us."

She nodded in understanding and agreement before she moved her hand to cup his cheek. "Then why wait again?"

"I wanted you to heal first, I didn't want to throw any more on your plate than you already had."

She then smirked. "And today you felt I was ready."

He chuckled as he moved them closer to one another. "Apparently so, my heart did the talking on that one."

She chuckled in return before they shared a soft kiss, then she had another question. "Hey Griss?"

His lips were against her forehead when he replied. "Yeah?"

She then asked softly, something they never talked about before, after clearing her throat. "About the kids part in your proposal, do you still see that in your future? And please tell me truth, I can take it."

He pulled back so he could look into her eyes and told her exactly how he felt about the subject of kids. "Honestly, I can, especially when I see them have a part of their beautiful mother." Sara smiled shyly as he finished with love. "But Sara, what's more important to me than anything in this world is having a life with you, so if kids isn't something you want or see in your future, then I can live with that as long as I have you."

She watched his eyes and heard his tone, but not sensing any trace of lying, which deep down she knew that he wouldn't lie to her, especially as something as big as kids, she replied, her turn being honest. "As you know my childhood wasn't ideal. I didn't have that perfect family image to look at and wish I had the same thing one day. So honestly, I never saw myself as a mother. I just didn't feel I would be good enough as one." He was about to speak, but she finished before he could, this time with a smile and love in her eyes. "But then something magical happened, I met and fell in love with this handsome man, and as I got to know and fall more in love with him, especially once we started dating, I started to rethink what I wanted in my life and the thought of having a few kids with their father's eyes didn't look too bad after all."

Now seeing the truth in her eyes, his heart started to race as he asked softly, really almost in shock at the meaning of her words. "Sara, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

She nodded with her smile getting wider. "I am. Maybe not now though, but..."

He cuts her off, moving them so he was once again above her with a smile as she chuckled, seeing the excitement and giddiness in his eyes. "One day."

She nodded again while wrapping her arms around his neck. "One day, sounds good."

"Ok. I can work with that."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah." They kiss softly before pulling back so he could say one more thing with emotion. "I love you, so much, thank you for making all my dreams become a reality."

She moved her hand to cup his cheek while she replied with tears in her eyes. "I love you too and thank you for being that man that I never thought I would ever feel lucky enough to have, the type of man who loves me for who I am, faults and all."

"And that won't ever change, no matter what."

She runs her thumb up and down his cheek while bringing his face back down to hers so they could start kissing again, once again in celebration mode, and with him also having the night off, there was a lot of celebrating to do without any interruptions, and they were planning on taking full advantage of it.

End of Flashback

Present time

December 23, 2007

While standing in the middle of the airport in San Francisco, Sara's thoughts about the past were interrupted when she hears a dog barking, so she looked up to see Hank running towards her and she immediately kneeled down with tears going down her cheeks as she gave her dog some much needed attention while he was licking her face and wagging his tail like it would fall off.

A few moments later, she hears that beautiful, toned voice. "As you can tell he really misses you."

Sara looks up to eyes of the man she still loved and whispered. "How about you?"

He held out his hand, which she took it instantly before he helped her up, then he cupped her cheek and spoke with emotion. "Every day since you've been gone."

She shook her head, tears welding up again. "Griss, I'm so..."

He cuts her off. "It's ok. Let's not talk about this right now."

She nodded in agreement before asking again. "Can you just hold me?"

With no hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, which is the first time he's held her in over a month since she had left the lab and him with a kiss and goodbye note.

After they pulled back, Sara suggested. "Why don't we go to the park to let Hank lose some of this energy."

Grissom agreed, then they headed to baggage claim before they left the airport and went to the park.

A few hours later

After their time at the park and getting something to eat, they took their food to Sara's hotel room.

As they sat at the table, Grissom was eating his sandwich while watching Sara, who hadn't touched her food one bit, so he asked. "Sara, you ok?"

She nodded with a sigh. "Yeah. I guess I'm just not that hungry right now."

He sets his half-eaten sandwich down. "It's ok."

She shook her head while pushing the chair back then spoke as she stood up and walked towards the window. "But it's not ok, is it?"

"Sara, if you're not hungry, then..."

She cuts him off with a hard sigh. "This isn't about food. It's how I left, you can't be ok with how I left things."

He stood up and walked towards her but stopped when he was only a few inches from her and didn't touch her, afraid that's not what she wanted right now as he replied with emotion. "Deep down I felt that something wasn't right, your light was slowly dimming, and I should have said something, I know that. I'm so sor..."

She cuts him off vehemently as she turned to look into his eyes. "Don't! You have nothing to apologize for. If anyone should apologize, it should be me. I left with a goodbye kiss and a note. I just didn't know what else to do, because I knew if I talked to you before I had left, I would have stayed. But I couldn't, I needed to get away because if I didn't, I know things would have gotten a lot worse, and I couldn't let you see that happen."

He was itching to cup her cheek, but only if she really wanted it, which she did, and she could see it in his eyes on what he desperately wanted and needed, so she took his hand and placed it on her cheek, then he spoke as he ran his thumb up down it. "I understanding you wanting to leave, needing a break. But I thought we were in this together, you and me, remember? I would have followed you."

She shook her head, tears were going down her face faster than he was wiping them away. "And that's another reason why I couldn't say anything. The team, the lab..."

He cuts her off with passion as he moved his other hand to cup her other cheek. "Nothing is more important to me than you. You say the word and I'll call in my two weeks right now."

She sniffled. "And you don't know how much I want you with me, always. But this is something I have to do on my own right now. I need to fix me, so we can have a future." She then looked down. "That is if we still have one."

Grissom immediately brings her face back up with a smile. "I still want one with you, if you still want one with me."

She moved her hand up to her neck, pulled on the necklace chain that was around it then pulled it up and over her shirt so he could see her engagement ring hanging from it, while she answered him. "Me leaving had nothing to do with you. I meant what I said in that letter, being with you is the only home I've ever really had, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I hope you really believe that."

He nodded with tears in his eyes as he brings her into his arms to hold her tight. "I do, and I will give you all the space that you need. Do what you have to do to get better, but please call and keep in touch with me, because I need to at least hear your voice."

She sniffled again. "I will, I promise. I love you, so much. I need you to know that."

He kissed the top of her head and replied. "I do know that. And I love you too, always, no matter what."

For the first time since she left, she sighed in relief, happy she didn't lose his support or love. She was going to need it now more than ever, even though once he leaves it will only be from a far.

After a few moments, he cleared his throat before speaking again. "So, we have six days together, let's just concentrate on that right now, nothing else, alright?"

"I 100% agree."

She pulls back a moment later, they look into each other's eyes as she lifts her hand up to cup his bearded cheek, ran her thumb up and down while bringing him closer so they could kiss, which eventually lead to more as they headed for the bed.

When the back of her knees hit the end of it, they pull back, looked into each other's eyes again, seeing this was exactly what they wanted right now, so fingers were unbuttoning and unzipping their clothing and before they knew it, they were under the covers, but wanting to take their time after that, putting this, and the six days that will follow, all into memory, so they'll have something to hold onto until the next time they see one another again.

AN: Thanks for reading and please review. Only a few more chapters left, but a sequel is planned for this one, just need to work out the details and have time to write it. I hope you are all doing well, enjoy the rest of your weekend, keep safe, and thanks again for the wonderful support, you are all awesome.