I found this chapter really difficult to write, and had to rewrite bits several times, hope I've got right. This isn't the end… have a few more chapters to go! Thanks tons for your reviews.

Chapter Ten

Drawing invisible circles in Grissom's chest hair with her finger, Sara lay sleepily with her head nestled in between his head and shoulder. It was 6am; Grissom's was due to leave San Francisco at 5pm and make the drive to Vegas overnight. He was still asleep; she wondered how he coped with such a sudden change in sleeping pattern. Content in his arms, she closed her eyes, trying to engrave the feeling of being next to him in her mind forever.

Grissom started to stir, "Morning." he kissed her forehead as he awoke.

"Morning, Gris." She opened her eyes to look up at him.

He smiled at her, but she couldn't bring herself to smile back. Just looking at him brought her sadness at the thought that he would be leaving.

"Hey," he sat up a little and he rested on his elbows. "I'm going to come back, Sara. Let's just enjoy today as a day together."

She nodded, but her heart wasn't convinced entirely. She didn't trust people to come back, but she knew Grissom was different from everyone else. Wasn't he?

"Now come on," he kissed her lips softly, but his lips lingered and he teased her with his tongue, she responded, kissing him back and his tongue entered her mouth. His arms pulled her closer and he stroked her hips and the small of her back with his fingers. Rolling slightly, Sara manoeuvred herself atop of Grissom, her legs straddling his waist. Admiring her naked body now the sheets had fallen away, Grissom's hands wandered, cupping her breasts, his thumbs stroking at her nipples, his fingers falling down her stomach, running along her subtly toned lines.

His fingers stopped at her hips. "Will you still want me when I'm back in Vegas?"

"Of course I will."

"This just seems too good to be true, Sara, my dear. I don't deserve you."

Sara was confused by Grissom's words; surely it was the other way around - how did she end up in a relationship with a man as intelligent and wonderful as Grissom? "Don't be silly, Gil." She stroked his cheek with her fingers. She so badly wanted to say 'I love you', but she resisted, right now wasn't the right time.

He kissed her, "How about I order some coffee from room service while you have a shower? And then we'll go somewhere for the day."

Sara nodded, sliding off of Grissom and off the bed, heading into the bathroom.

After showering and drinking the coffee that room service had sent up (which wasn't much better than the stuff at the café nearby), Grissom and Sara left the hotel and he drove them out of town towards the forest they had visited previously. Parking just outside of the start of the tree line on the side of a dirt road that trailed from the main road, Grissom and Sara climbed out.

"What are we doing here?" Sara asked, looking over the large field before them.

Grissom pulled a file out of his bag, "Another case file, and apples."

She grinned at him, "A CSI picnic?"

"Of sorts." They walked a few metres before sitting down on the grass. The sun had only just fully risen, the sky still a soft pink colour and clouds burning out in the starting morning heat, the wind was low so Grissom could spread out the case file on the grass. "I've taken out my assessment log of the evidence."

"So all I've got is photographs and witness statements?"

Grissom nodded, "Find out who did it." He bit into one of the apples he'd pulled out of his bag, he tossed the other to Sara, who caught it, but didn't start eating, already too immersed in the case file.

She could feel his eyes on her as she went through the papers, occasionally saying her thoughts out loud so she could hear her thoughts back, but under her breath so Grissom couldn't hear her, she didn't want to share her thoughts until she'd come to a suitable conclusion. After a considerable amount of time, she started to eat her apple.

"And?" Grissom questioned.

She glanced at him, eyebrows raised as if to say 'don't rush me', and went back to the file, but after a few minutes she looked back up at him, "the wife did it."

"How so?"

"Husband is in insurance, he's got his own life insurance, big pay out. Wife says he doesn't come home till late every night, explains his T.O.D being so late at night – he's either obsessed with his work or other women, either means he's not paying attention to her but the photographs show he's not wearing his wedding ring, which probably mean he was with another woman and didn't have time to put the ring back on before he got through the front door of his house. Gunshots are multiple, suggesting anger or revenge, close range suggests he knew the person who shot him, but from behind – she was waiting for him from a car, or the street, but back to front gunshots make it look like it was possibly a random shooting, trying to take the heat off her as a suspect. Liver temp. puts T.O.D at 1am, but 911 call wasn't until 1:30am, explaining lack of GSR on wife's clothing, she got washed and changed before she even called the police. No lighting on the front door step, means neighbours wouldn't have seen the body, but surely someone would have heard the shot?"

"You're lying in bed, awoken by a loud noise, what do you think it is?"

Sara shrugged, "A car backfiring, a cat knocking a bin over…"

"People don't take care of people, whatever they might like to think, basic human reaction is dismissal."

"So… am I right?"

"Maybe."

Sara shoved Grissom playfully, "Tell!"

"Okay, okay." He grinned at her.

Again, she raised her eyebrows, waiting for his reply.

"Yes. You're right."

She smiled before taking a bite of her apple and lying back on the grass.

Hours had passed without Sara even noticing, and before she knew it, it was 3pm.

"We need to get back to the hotel, my dear." Grissom looked at her from checking his watch. They were sat in the café they'd been to on the first trip out together, drinking the same disgusting coffee. Sara almost found the taste to be of comfort to her.

He took her hand and they left the café, he drove them back to the hotel, and once in his room, Sara sat in silent as he packed his suitcase.

"I wonder how much of a mess the lab will be in when I get back." Grissom joked. Sara smiled briefly, but it didn't reach her eyes. Taking his case in one hand, he took Sara's in the other. "I'll drop you off at home, Sara."

"I don't want to go back to my apartment," she spoke, "Can you drop me off back the café?" there was some comfort in the café, she quite liked it there, back in her apartment she had no connection to Grissom, she'd be on her own.

"Sure." They headed down in the lift to the reception lobby and after Grissom had checked out, they got into his car and he drove to the café. Parking in the parking lot, he got out of the car as did Sara.

He walked around to her side of the car and took her hands in his, "I'm coming back, Sara. I promise."

"You better be." She felt herself start to become choked with forming tears. She tried to blink them away furiously, but one slipped down her cheek, she went to wipe it away but Grissom placed a kiss on the tear's trail down her cheek.

She closed both of her eyes at the contact of his lips on her skin, and he took her lips with his softly. "Sara, you're nothing short of my everything. I will write to you. I've written my address down," he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, and placed it in her hand, "I have your address. I will let you know as soon as I can get the time from the lab again."

"Grissom, I l—" She so badly wanted to express her love for him, but he cut her off.

"Don't say it, else I won't be able to leave you, Sara, and I must." He placed a finger to her lips. His eyes glistened with tears.

"Come back soon." She whispered, and he nodded, placing on last kiss to her lips before getting back into the car.

Sara could already feel the pull on her heart at the distance between them, and as Grissom drove away, she was sure she felt it break.