Epilogue …
Mark and Catherine have been together for 2 years now and they still love each other just as much as they did in the beginning. They still hit bumps in the road from time to time but they try not to focus on that for too long and enjoy the time they have together. Mark and Catherine discussed it but have decided against getting married. Catherine never wanted to get married again after Eddie and Mark wasn't too keen on the idea either. Mark told Catherine that they can be just as committed to each other if not more than married couples, and Catherine couldn't agree more. Mark also told her they could be Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell of the non-celebrity realm, which made Catherine smile. Mark has quickly become a second parent to Lindsey. He realizes that he will never replace Eddie nor does he want to. He's happy to be a part of Lindsey's life even though it has been a bit of a learning curve, just like for any first time parent. He cherishes the special bond that they have. Catherine also appreciates the bond Mark and Lindsey have. Even though Eddie was her real father he was never a great role model for her. She is glad Lindsey has a constant positive male influence in her life. Lindsey did have positive role models in the guys on the team but this is something different and unique that Lindsey shares with Mark and for that Catherine is grateful.
Mark is still AV Lab Coordinator and assists in the field. He has helped update the AV lab and many of the processes to make evidence processing more efficient. He still assists in the field quite a bit. He and Catherine even get to work cases together occasionally. Sheriff Liston tried to convince Mark to work personally for her after the medal he received for the corruption investigation but respectfully declined saying he still has a lot to do in the field. Mark is also still very close to Kerri and Elizabeth; they talk on the phone or text at least once a week. Mark still considers himself lucky to have found his dream job and dream girl.
Catherine is still the Night Shift Supervisor. She even got to speak at the opening of the National Forensics Conference recently. Catherine came up with some new methods for collecting evidence in child abuse cases and it has started to become standard in labs across the country. Grissom is quite proud of the leadership role she took on. Catherine was always a natural born leader and her team is very strong and has just as an amazing solve rate as when Grissom was in charge.
Lindsey and Jeremy are getting ready to start high school. They are both really excited about it. It won't be long now until they are asking for the keys to the car. Lindsey is still taking karate and got her blue belt last week. Jeremy is playing soccer and will be on the high school's JV team and hopes to move up to Varsity.
Nancy and Sara got married 6 months after they started dating and are still together. They had a beautiful outdoor wedding by Lake Mead. This relationship has made Sara leave her former workaholic self behind. Not that she still doesn't love her job but it's different when you have a family to come home to. Nancy feels lucky to have had a second chance on love and a family. Sara still makes her feel so special and can that girl give you a kiss that will make you weak in the knees!
Sara still works the night shift under Catherine. Sara with the help of Lindsey and Jeremy hosts workshops for children who are interested in forensics. This initially started off at just Lindsey and Jeremy's school but it has expanded to schools in the Vegas district.
Nancy is still a stay at home mom. She thought about going back to work for a while, she used to be a nurse. But after discussing it with Catherine, Mark and Sara it was decided that it was easier if she didn't because of their insane work schedules that way someone was always available for the kids. She really enjoys it. A lot of times she also cooks and herself, Sara, Jeremy, Lindsey, Mark and Catherine all eat together. Even though they live in separate houses they operate as one large family unit most times.
Kerri and Elizabeth finally got legally married and live in Maine now; it's not Vegas but they are very happy and successful in their careers. Kerri oversees research labs at The University of Maine in the Child Clinical Psychology program. Elizabeth finally passed her detective exam and is now a detective for the local police department in Orono which is very close to the university. Their son Derik is now almost 2 and has an incredible amount of attitude!
Warrick took a chance and was promoted to Second Shift Supervisor 6 months ago. He is settling in well. Some people in the department were nervous given his past but everyone deserves a second chance. Grissom was of course essential in the promotion, Warrick is one of the best investigators that have ever worked for him and Grissom was thrilled to see him advancing in the ranks.
Nick is still Assistant Night Shift Supervisor and is dating a lovely woman named Jessie. Nick started taking Mark's advice on working as equal in a relationship and so far, it has really paid off. Nick and Mark started to get closer once Sara and Nancy started dating. Not that Mark and Sara aren't close anymore but once she started dating Nancy that's where most of her free time had gone. Nick has also been heading up a special task force to work with male rape victims. This became a passion for Nick after a tough case he worked with a male rape victim and the victim was embarrassed and wouldn't talk about what had happened. His own experiences lead to him being able to relate to these victims and help them out.
Greg … what can you say about Greggo? He is still the same fun loving, rock-n-roll t-shirt wearing guy! He is currently working on a novel surrounding the mobster history of Vegas. This has always been an interest of Greg's but it seems like the IA investigation of Undersheriff McKeen really jumpstarted Greg's research for the book.
The lab rats are still hanging on. Archie even though he didn't want the AV Lab Coordinator role works hand in hand with Mark on what they can improve. Hodges however has seemed to calm down a bit. He can still be a bit of a dick but nowhere near the capacity that he once was. Henry actually put his foot down with Hodges and that seemed to be the turning point for Hodges. Mandy still rules the print lab and loves making her minions sing to her when they want their stuff at the top of the pile. Wendy is actually working to transition into the field, but much like Greg she is tasked with finding a suitable replacement first.
Ecklie … has probably softened the most. Seems upper administration is what he was built for, although he has expressed that he misses field work at times. I guess seeing the other side of the coin in his promotion helped him see the big picture. He also aspires to be the exact opposite that McKeen was, at one time he and McKeen had worked together in the field and it was mind blowing to him that he went bad … of course it occurred to Ecklie that he was always bad and no one knew it. This changed a lot of Ecklie's life priorities and he has started to build a relationship with his daughter again, Morgan Brody. She followed in his footsteps and became a CSI. Morgan was living in LA until recently she put in a transfer to work in Vegas, just last week it was approved and she will be filling the void on the night shift from Warrick's absence.
Gil … Gris … Grissom … Boss ... Bossman … Bug guy. Grissom is still the Lab Director. The interim title went away once all the IA investigations were clear from McKeen. Even though this wasn't something Grissom wanted in the beginning he learned to deal with it. It has even allowed him to conduct more research and he has even been teaching Forensic Entomology at UNLV part time. Grissom will still pop up in the field as needed though.
Brass is doing well. He's been working with Detective Curtis; she will become his second in command soon. Sofia used to work as a CSI under Ecklie and eventually found that she was better suited for detective work than CSI work. She took the place of Detective Vega, who was also convicted during the IA investigation involving McKeen. Brass actually walked Sara down the aisle at her and Nancy's wedding as Brass has always been like a father figure to Sara. He was pleased and overjoyed when she asked him to do it. Brass knows that unlike his marriage Sara and Nancy's is going to last.
Mark and Catherine's journey is not over … far from it. Where will they go from here you might ask? That's the beauty of it they get to paint the picture themselves. The part we've seen so far showed the typical ups and downs that we call life. Who knows we might check in on them soon as for now we'll leave them be.
A/N: If you're still reading thanks! This journey was an idea in my head almost 3 years ago. There were a lot of stops and starts along the way. But it's finally out. Writing this was a little bit of therapy for me, some personal experiences are sprinkled in. Also a fun fact all of the original characters are based off of people in my life.
One last shout out to the one the only Keki186. Without her encouragement I'm not sure this story would've been posted or completed. She is my muse!
There are several ideas written down for a sequel that may take place. Although it will start off a little darker than this one. But before that I do have an idea for a one shot between Cath/Sara that will take priority to the sequel.