A/N: To follow.

Two months later

Sara sighed as she tugged at her outfit. This was the second time in what seemed like too short a time span that she'd worn a dress. Although, admittedly, this was a much better occasion, and something she was excited about. It was her birthday, and though she'd had the day off and spent much of it out and about with Hank, Gil had not, and she was anxiously counting down the minutes until she saw him.

If she knew when he'd be here. Or even what was going on. All he had told her was to "look nice and wait for further instructions". Very helpful.

She fought against the urge to check her appearance in the mirror one more time, not wanting to be 'that girl', and instead pulled the blinds of the front window open a little to peek into the drive. A car was approaching, but it wasn't Gil's. It was a sleek, black limo, and for a second, Sara wondered what in the world it was doing in their driveway. When the driver exited and approached the front door with a handful of flowers, she couldn't help but smile.

"Sara Sidle?" the driver asked as she pulled open the front door.

"I… yes… thank you," she stuttered, accepting the flowers. "I'll be right out."

"I'll be waiting," he said jovially as he returned to his car.

She hurried to find the flowers a vase and some water before scurrying out the front door, pressing it closed and locking it behind her. The driver was waiting outside the limousine, holding her door open. She smiled her thanks and climbed in as gracefully as possible, crossing her ankles once inside. Her phone buzzed from inside her clutch.

Enjoy the ride, the message said. I'll see you soon.

She smiled and tucked the phone back into her purse as the limo pulled out of the drive and began down the street.

"So, uh… where exactly are we headed?" Sara asked nonchalantly.

The driver merely chuckled.

"Mr. Grissom said you'd ask that."

"Did he?" Sara said, amused. "Well, whatever he paid you to keep it quiet, I can top it."

"He also said you'd bribe me," the driver added, winking at her from the rearview mirror. "Sorry, miss, no can do. It's a secret, and I'm a sucker for surprises."

Sara pretended to huff, but she was in no way upset. In fact, she had a huge grin plastered on her face as she smoothed her dress and leaned back into the lush leather to enjoy the ride. But when the limo pulled to a stop in front of one of Vegas' most popular and expensive restaurants, she couldn't help herself.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said, to no one in particular.

"Afraid not," the driver smirked, answering her anyway. "Your guy must really like you."

"He must."

As she said the words, her door opened, and Grissom stood there in a suit and tie – one he must have tied by himself, Sara noted – and looking positively suave. She accepted his offered hand and stepped from the limousine into his arms.

"You look beautiful, Sara," he whispered as he held her.

He placed a kiss on her neck and led her by the hand to their reserved table, a private one in the corner of the back garden – surrounded by twinkling lights and fragrant flowers.

"This is amazing," Sara said in wonder she took a seat in the chair Grissom held out for her. "Gil… you didn't need to do all this. I would have been fine with a microwave pizza on our couch."

"I know you would have," Grissom said, smiling. "That's why I love you. But you deserve the world, and I want to give it to you, little by little."

He reached into his suit coat and pulled out an envelope. He placed it in front of him, but inched it towards Sara, who, all the while, looked at him unbelievingly.

"Gil-"

"Open it."

She did, and inside found two tickets to Belize. She looked up at him in awe. He looked as excited as a child on Christmas Day.

"We're going over New Year's," he said. "It's my holiday off this year, and I'm sure we can finagle it off for you, too. It looks amazing there, Sara – there's coral reef, and rainforest, and I've been researching tours and trips and stuff, there's so much to do there."

Caught up in his own excitement, Grissom stopped to take a breath.

"What do you think?"

"I don't even know what to say," Sara said honestly. "Is this… is this for real?"

Grissom grinned.

"Absolutely."

"We're really going?"

"We're really going."

"Oh my god," Sara said, staring at the tickets, then back up to Grissom. "We're going to Belize!"

She jumped from her chair and made her way to him, crashing her lips against his in what she hoped to be the most sincere of thank-yous. They pulled apart, and Sara was sure that she was just as flush with excitement as she was. She hated to sit back down in her own chair, so very far away from this man she loved so much, but some of the other restaurant patrons were starting to stare.

"So you… you're excited?"

"Excited?" Sara repeated incredulously. "Gil – this is amazing—thank you. So much."

Grissom reached across the table to squeeze her hand.

"You're welcome, honey," he said, followed by a chuckle. "I was going to wait for dessert, but my excitement got hold of me."

Sara laughed, too.

"I'm glad you didn't," she said. "Even if the food sucks, the service is terrible and I get served meat on accident, nothing could ruin this night. It's perfect."

The food didn't suck and the service wasn't terrible. It was by far the best meal Sara had enjoyed, but the food had little to do with it. She found herself having a hard time tearing her eyes away from Grissom and wiping the smile off her face. And by the time desert came around, a delicious tiramisu with a single lit candle stuck into its top layer, Sara had a surprise of her own.

"So," she said, setting down her fork. "I have something I've wanted to tell you."

Grissom cocked an eyebrow.

"Go on."

She took a deep breath and held his gaze.

"I read the letter from my mother," she said. "The one from Adam's funeral."

Grissom was taken aback, surprised at her revelation.

"You… you did?" he asked. "And was it… are you… okay?"

She smiled at him and his genuine, adorable concern.

"Yeah," she assured him. "I'm okay. And… I'm really glad I read it. I don't know why, but this morning, I felt like it was something I needed to do."

She reached into her clutch and found the folded piece of paper she had tucked in it earlier that night. She put the paper on the table in front of her and slowly pushed it towards Grissom, as he had done earlier.

"No – honey, I can't-" he began.

"It's okay," she reassured. "Read it."

"Sara," he said firmly. "That letter was not written for me. It's not my place to read it. I-"

"I want you to."

Grissom stared into her eyes, as if seeking validation there, and when she gave him a small nod, reaching for her glass of wine to take a sip, he relented and began to unfold the letter. The page was filled with an untidy scrawl, but before he read a word, he glanced back up at Sara.

The look on her face was hard to pin point – it was a mixture of sadness, relief, regret and love. But most of all, he was relieved to see a look of someone at peace. Without reading a word of Laura's letter, his heart was filled with happiness that Sara was hopefully, finally able to find a peaceful compromise with her mother, something that he did a little to help bring on.

She looked over at him and caught him staring.

"Read it, already!" she joked.

"All right, all right," he laughed, redirecting his gaze back on the letter.

My Dearest Sara,

I love you and I hope so very much that you are happy.

Just in case that's all you read from this letter, I can rest easy knowing you know that. I am not going to make apologies or offer explanations, because the time for that is long past. What's done is done, and although life has taken me down a path I'd never thought I'd travel, I am happy, because seeing you the other day confirmed my deepest desire – for you to succeed and be happy in life, despite the obstacles that life – and I – threw at you.

I think about you every day, sweetheart, and hope that you are living life to the fullest. Just from those brief moments, it looks as though you've grown to be everything I'd dreamed for you, and more. Know that whether we see each other another time soon, or never again, I will be thinking of you always and thankful that your hard work and determination has brought you happiness. You are a miracle, Sara.

I know that nothing I say can fully make things right with you, and that is why this letter comes with no strings attached. Feel no obligation, Sara, because you have made me a happy old woman by simply being who you are. Keep living as you are, keep being yourself, and you will continue to make my dreams come true. If I may, I will leave you with just a few words of advice (I'm a mother, what can I say):

Live fully. Love deeply. Take chances. And always, always, be yourself.

I love you.

Love,

Mom xo

When he finished, he looked back up at Sara. Her eyes were glistening, but she was smiling.

"I never thanked you," she said.

"For what?"

She grinned at him.

"For sneaking around my back and going to see my mother," she replied. "At first, I was so angry at you … I'm really glad you did it. I can never have a normal relationship with my mother, and I can never truly accept what she did, because it caused so much pain. But I would have been sorely missing out, if I had not read this. Thank you."

"You're welcome, honey."

"Don't think this lets you off the hook for the future," she laughed through her tears. "No more sneaking."

He drew an invisible X over his chest.

"Cross my heart," he promised.

He watched her dab her eyes, and looked over every inch of the woman he loved so much. He knew that, as such is life, she would most likely have still more hardships to face in the future. But he hoped that he would be there every step of the way, to help get her through them. He stood from the table and motioned for Sara to do the same. He collected her in his arms before he spoke again.

"I love you so much, Sara Sidle," he said into her ear. "You have my heart, and I trust and love you with each of its passing beats. Always remember that."

She nodded and kissed him in response, leaving him with no doubts that she felt the same way. Hand in hand, they walked away from the table, back to the limousine and back to the life that they shared with each other.

The end.

A/N: Thank you SO much for your patience in letting me get this last chapter out late, and thanks so much to everyone who has been reading, and especially those who have been reviewing, you all make my day!

My trip spurred on some ideas for a possible GSR Italy-style story, so keep an eye out for that, hopefully maybe sometime soon. As always, thanks for reading! x