Author's note: This is it, folks. It's been a wonderful ride. CSI fans are some of the most thoughtful readers and reviewers I've ever come across, and I have to thank every one of you. I only wish I could have written and posted this on a regular schedule. But regardless, I'm thrilled to be able to finish it, and thrilled with how it ended up.

This is an epilogue of sorts. One last time – enjoy!

Moments of Truth

Chapter Eleven

The first time Sara woke would forever be a mystery to her.

The moment belonged to Grissom alone.

She was under the influence of far too many drugs to remember a brief moment of semi-consciousness.

But he remembered it well.

When her eyes opened they barely opened. They couldn't seem to focus on any particular thing. But then they fell on him. And he was sure that she could see him.

He'd just barely smiled at her. The slightest upward curve of his lips.

And he'd told her softly –

"You're healing now, Honey."

The term of endearment had slipped easily from his lips. (It would soon become commonplace.)

He'd been holding her hand again. Or, more accurately, still holding her hand.

They'd just watched each other's eyes for a long moment, and if anyone had asked him he would have sworn that she felt the weight of those words, however briefly.

She'd slipped back under after mere seconds.

But he had been there, as he'd promised himself he would be, when she first opened her eyes.

He finally allowed himself to leave her after that. To eat, and shower, and perhaps even get a few hours of sleep in a real bed.

But he would be back.

Again and again.

…

The second time Sara woke would become a hazy memory.

She opened her eyes to find that Grissom was asleep in a chair by her bed, and an undoubtedly medically-dulled pain refused to stop tugging at her side.

The pain wouldn't leave her alone, and the fog that enveloped her head was almost worse.

She wanted to drift away again, to embrace the oblivion of sleep.

But her mind was just clear enough to remember where she was and why.

And she had to know…

"Griss…" Her own voice sounded like it was coming from far away. And like her throat was lined with sandpaper, too. "Griss… Gil…"

She could only speak barely louder than a whisper, and turning her head to face him more fully was an effort.

But he stirred, and opened his eyes, and smiled when he saw her awake.

"Hi," he said softly. And then he noticed the fear in her eyes. "What's wrong? I can get your doctor."

"No," she murmured, when he was already standing to go to the door.

He turned back, and sat down again.

"You're okay," he told her. "You're doing well. The doctors are impressed."

He was trying to reassure her, his heart planted firmly in the right place.

But he was missing the point altogether.

"Josh?" she asked.

"He's fine," Grissom replied quickly, mentally reprimanding himself for forgetting about her brother. "Nick came by when you were out, and he checked in with Josh while he was here. He's doing well. And as I understand it, you have a young niece coming into town to see him."

He watched her features relax, as much as they could when she was clearly in some pain.

Her eyes closed, and stayed closed for several seconds, and he thought she was about to drift off again.

But then a moment later she opened her eyes and spoke up.

"What happens now?" she asked him quietly. And he could hear the extra layer of meaning in her tone. The one that told him she wasn't asking anything simple. As dazed as she looked, she wanted to know what would happen now that it seemed this illness wouldn't function as an odd glue holding them together.

But he didn't have a ready-made answer. And she didn't look like she could handle that discussion right now, anyway.

"Now, you get some rest," he told her.

And she didn't fight him.

Because escaping into sleep sounded really good to her.

She could let it go.

They had time now, after all.

They'd figure it out.

…

The third time Sara woke Josh was in a wheelchair by her bedside.

He was pale, and wearing a hospital gown, and smiling at her.

And there was an endearingly tousled and vaguely familiar six-year-old by his side.

"You owe me that five bucks," Josh told her, a playful gleam in his eyes.

It took her a minute to sift through her memory and figure out what he meant, and then she gave him a tired little smile and slowly turned her head toward her niece.

"AJ, I'm Sara," she said, adopting the nickname Josh had said he had for her. "I'm… actually… your Aunt Sara."

The kid nodded and shrugged and smiled.

"I know. He told me."

"I'd like to spend some time with you, get to know you," Sara said simply, and the kid's smile grew.

"You should come to New York, when I'm there with my dad, an' take me to Centro' Park, and we can show you where to get the good pretzels."

Sara smiled another little smile.

"That sounds like fun."

"Do you have any kids?"

The abrupt question threw Sara for a moment. She spent so little time with children, and the ones she did see were often traumatized. That they thought everyone should be as open as they were was something she'd have to get used to.

"No, I don't," Sara answered her, glancing at Josh, who seemed amused by the exchange.

"Are you going to?" AJ asked curiously, sounding vaguely hopeful. "'Cause I got a baby cousin named Jenna and she's really cute and I really like baby cousins." Before Sara could come up with a response to that, AJ started up again. "Are you married?"

"No." Sara shook her head back and forth a bit, starting to share in Josh's amusement as the questions continued.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"What's his name? Is he cute?"

Stifling a chuckle, Sara raised her heavy arm from her side and gestured to the drawer in the little table by her bed.

"Tell you what… can you open that drawer there? I think they've got my wallet in there."

AJ was quick to do as Sara asked, and a moment later she flung the well-worn wallet onto the bed.

"Check behind the driver's license."

AJ didn't seem quite sure what she meant, but Josh was quick to help her out. He pulled the old photo of Grissom out and handed it to his daughter.

"That's him," Josh told her.

AJ looked at the picture for a moment, then at her newfound aunt.

"It's kind of bent and wrinkly."

"It's been in there a long time," Sara told her.

And it had been. It had been in there for years.

It was at that moment that Grissom came shuffling into the room, ancient-looking textbook in hand, apparently expecting to have time to kill.

He stopped short when he saw Sara's 'visitors'.

"Hi," Sara greeted him, smiling rather peacefully.

Grissom started to return the smile, but was quickly distracted by the six-year-old holding something out to him eagerly.

"It's you!" AJ pointed out with a grin. "'Cept, you look different."

Grissom took the picture from her and examined it.

"I look younger," he explained, and then he turned questioning eyes toward Sara, wondering how she could have possibly kept an old 'Faculty Directory' photo of him with her for all of these years.

He realized after a moment that the little girl was watching him, and he met her eyes.

"I guess you must be Annabelle Jane."

"Uh huh. And you are my aunt's boyfriend," she replied, announcing what she knew in the way that kids like to do, as if just to prove that they're up to speed.

The little girl kept looking at him, apparently expecting him to say something else.

He wasn't sure how to go about having a serious conversation with a six-year-old – he had enough trouble with adults – and so he settled on asking the one question he actually wanted to ask of Sara's niece.

"Do you like bugs?"

AJ's eyes lit up.

"I like to scare Jimmy Dickerson, 'cause he's a boy and he thinks he's real smart and tough but some days he's not because I show him a spider and he runs away!"

The girl chuckled to herself, and Josh reached out to ruffle her hair with his hand.

"I've been talking about getting her a pet tarantula, but her mom won't go for it."

"A tarantula is actually a terrific pet for a young child," Grissom said, sounding rather defensive, and getting a smile out of Sara. "They require minimal maintenance, and once you get beyond the cultural taboo, the educational value is --"

"Excuse me." A new voice broke into the conversation, and they all looked up to see Sara's doctor approaching, and looking mildly displeased. "I find it hard to believe that anyone on this floor approved multiple visitors. Or that you, Mr. Sidle, are even out of bed. I need to take a look at your sister's stitches and redress the wound, and I would bet Dr. Ramos is looking to do the same for you."

The doctor fixed a stern look on Josh, and Josh turned to Grissom.

"You want to do me a favor, wheel me back that-a-way?" he asked, nodding his head toward the door.

"Sure," Grissom agreed, and AJ fell into step with him as the three of them headed out the door. "I'll be right back," Grissom said over his shoulder, to Sara.

They left the door open, and Sara could hear them as they walked away.

She heard AJ say, in the same challenging tone she probably used on the playground with Jimmy Dickerson: "Did you know my dad's a hero?"

Grissom returned: "Did you know your aunt is too?"

…

The first time Sara was allowed out into the fresh air, she was with Nick and Warrick and Greg.

They were just getting off of shift.

And she was in a wheelchair.

Hospital-frickin'-policy.

"Catch me up," Sara asked of them, as Warrick pushed her up across from a bench in the little hospital courtyard.

The three men sat down on the bench, side by side.

"What, work stuff? You want the gossip or the cases?" Warrick asked.

"Hate to tell you this, Sara, but you still are the gossip," Nick told her, smiling.

"Is it gossip if it's concern?" Greg asked, truly wanting to know.

"I'd say no," Warrick answered. "Unless it's Hodges. He can't help himself. That guy breathes gossip."

"That's… astute, but what I actually want to know is, has Ecklie said anything about breaking up the team?" Sara clarified.

Nick and Warrick exchanged a glance.

"You mean, like…" Greg started, carefully. "Because you're hooking up with your supervisor?"

"Yeah. That." Sara said, the tiniest smile playing with her lips at Greg's choice of words.

"You should probably talk to Griss about that," Warrick said quietly, avoiding her eyes, and distractedly smushing someone's old cigarette butt with his shoe.

"You seriously expect me to take that?" Sara looked from Nick, to Warrick, to Greg. "How long have we been working together?"

Nick sighed. Cracking.

"All right, but I want it on the record that we tried not to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"It's not finalized yet. Which is, I think, why we're not supposed to talk about it," Nick started.

"Talk about what?" Sara asked again.

"Grissom's been working on Ecklie for days now," Nick continued. "Trying to set it up so we're still a unit, but… Cath does all your evaluations, your supervisory stuff."

Sara looked at him for a minute, determined he was serious, and sat back heavily against the back of her chair.

Catherine as a friend was turning out to be a great thing.

But Catherine as a supervisor…

Warrick read the look on her face.

"She's not so bad," he offered.

"She's great. When she's not on a power kick," Sara told him.

"She learned a lot leading us." Nick added his two cents. "She got pretty good at, you know… being a team player. Just with more paperwork."

"Far be it for me to be the one to bring this up," Greg piped up, "But I'm just glad you'll be back at work at all."

He gave Sara a meaningful look.

She met his eyes. Nodded slowly.

He was right.

He was so right.

…

The day that Sara came home from the hospital began awkwardly.

Grissom stepped into the apartment behind her, and neither of them were sure what to do.

It was easy to be there together when they were both sure she needed him.

Now…

"Do you want me to stay?" Grissom asked simply, when he'd guided her over to the couch and helped her sit down.

"Yes." There was no doubt in her mind.

He sat down next to her.

"Do you feel all right?" He asked.

"Not too bad," she told him.

A moment passed in silence.

"Do you have any work with you?" Sara asked him.

He had to consider the question for a moment.

"I've got some case files and related texts in the back seat."

"Anything from the triple murder at the Tangiers?"

"Warrick's case?" He looked surprised that she'd even heard of it.

"He was telling me about it the other day. He's completely baffled. And I'd love to be the CSI who caught the bad guy from her sick bed."

He smiled at her.

"Well, if anyone can do it…"

"Think that would impress my new supervisor?" Sara asked, a slight note of something almost like bitterness in her tone.

"She's just going to handle evaluations and any necessary disciplinary action," Grissom reassured her. Then the serious look on his face turned to one of amusement. "Or, as Ecklie put it, the 'inevitable eventual suspensions'."

They shared a smile, and then Sara nodded her head toward her front door.

"Can you go get me the files on some case or other?"

"Now?"

"I need to feel like a criminalist again. Just for an hour or so."

She spoke quietly. Hopefully. And the look on her face told him she meant it, with everything in her. That she craved a chance to feel useful again, if only for a few moments.

And so he didn't argue with her.

He went out to the car and returned a few moments later with a bundle of books and file folders.

They worked side by side for well over the hour or so she had promised to limit herself to.

They made some progress on a double homicide. Curled up together on her couch. Both of them relishing the moment, the blend of the good old days with the new.

And when she started getting dozy, he made sure she remembered her medication, and made sure she got into bed for the night, and he kissed her goodbye and returned to his townhouse. He was sure that she would get a better night's sleep if she had the bed to herself.

He was sure that they both needed their own space, too.

Neither of them were quite sure how the day-to-day progression of their relationship would work from here on out.

But they both wanted more evenings like this.

…

Sara's first day back at work also marked her first day working under Catherine.

She had just slammed shut her locker door when Catherine appeared in the doorway of the locker room.

"You have a minute?" Catherine asked.

"You have an assignment for me?"

"No, but I'm sure Grissom does." Catherine gave her a puzzled look. "Did no one explain to you how this is supposed to work?"

"Guess I just wasn't sure the reality was going to be the same as the explanation," Sara told her, trying out complete honesty.

"Walk and talk with me," Catherine requested, beckoning for Sara to follow her down the hall.

"What's up?" Sara asked.

"Well, there's just a little something I want you to… see," she said cryptically, and she gestured to the break room just a little further down the hall.

Sara followed her gaze, and slowed her step.

The little room was full of people.

Their team, several lab techs.

A good chunk of their shift, gathered around a cake. And grinning at her.

Catherine had to all but shove Sara into the room, and Sara looked around, trying to figure out the appropriate reaction as a muddled chorus of 'welcome back!' rang out around the room.

She was definitely touched.

"Did you do this?" she asked Grissom, a little smile gracing her lips.

"It wasn't my idea and I didn't buy the cake," he told her. "So, no. But I fully supported the idea."

He smiled at her, eyes twinkling, and for a second she thought he was going to kiss her right there in front of everyone.

Instead, he turned and picked up a little plastic cup full of some kind of brightly colored punch, and handed it to her.

"Lots to celebrate," he told her. And while he said it simply, that he really meant it shone in his eyes.

He was happy, like she couldn't ever remember seeing him.

She loved that she was a big part of putting that look on his face.

"Ecklie's going to have us cleared out of here in about five minutes flat," Greg piped up from somewhere behind them. "So let's chow down while we can."

At that, Hodges began cutting the cake.

It seemed to Sara that she was expected to mingle, and she turned to Greg first.

"Was all this your doing?" she asked curiously.

"I bought the plastic cups," he said with a grin. "But really, you can thank your new supervisor."

He nodded his head in Catherine's general direction, where she was standing chatting with Wendy by the door.

Sara looked back at Greg, and he nodded at her.

"Seriously," he added, just for good measure, as he wandered away to get his slice of cake.

And Sara made her way over to Catherine. Not sure if she should feel bad for pre-judging her as a supervisor or not.

"They tell me you had a lot to do with all this," Sara acknowledged, when Catherine had seen her approaching.

"Just figured we should start things out on the right foot," Catherine told her. "Can't promise we'll stay there, but… thought that counts, right?"

Sara nodded.

"What was it you said to me, that day in the hospital? Two smart women on the same side of the fight?"

Catherine nodded, and Sara nodded back at her.

Off to a good start.

…

Sara's first trip to Manhattan to visit her brother and niece was a joy.

The four-day-weekend also marked the first time she and Grissom had travelled together on a purely personal vacation.

They stayed in a hotel, and spent afternoons and evenings with Josh and AJ.

It was deliciously new, to vacation together. To stay in bed as long as they pleased, and order room service as often as they liked.

They had long since fallen into a rhythm in their intertwined personal and professional lives.

She still had her place, he still had his.

They had discovered that they both needed space of their own, and time to themselves.

But they were solid. She was certain of that.

Her illness hadn't been the 'glue' between them. Or at least not the only glue.

It had just brought their lives into focus.

And at this point, she didn't even really regret it.

The Hepatitis C still lived in her blood. But it was treatable now, with the new liver.

She could live her life.

And what a life it had become.

On the third day away, the day before they had to return to Las Vegas, they spent a warm, beautiful afternoon in Central Park.

About a half hour into it, Josh was nodding off on a park bench beside her, while Grissom knelt beside AJ in a field somewhere off to their left. Catching caterpillars.

She closed her eyes and savored the moment. The breeze, the company, her own health.

AJ still liked to ask her whether she was ever going to have any babies. Whether there would be another cute baby cousin.

It was something Sara couldn't confront seriously out loud.

She wasn't sure it was something she wanted, but she needed to believe that it still could happen, if at some point in the necessarily near future she decided to really consider it.

She didn't want to know the facts. Didn't want to do research, didn't want to know how likely it was that the chemo could have screwed it all up for her. She didn't really even want to consider that she and Grissom weren't getting any younger.

She just wanted to keep the possibility of it in the back of her mind, like a vague dream she could pull out and play with in these moments, when family seemed like such a fabulous thing.

Josh was snoring softly beside her now, and AJ shrieked with delight at something or other that Grissom was holding out in his hands.

Sara opened her eyes just long enough to take in the sight of it, and then let them drift shut again, vaguely aware that a little smile had found its way onto her lips.

Maybe this was it. Maybe this was all the family she'd ever have.

But if that was the case, it was just fine.

Wonderful, even.

Sara Sidle had finally joined the ranks of the lucky ones.

…