Sara awoke feeling groggy and out of sorts. She hadn't even heard the alarm go off the first time. She rose late and started dashing about trying desperately to be ready for work and finding all her clothes. She was pulling on a shirt and fastening as she got into the kitchen. As she got in she went into the kitchen to start some coffee going before she went and grabbed her pants. As she entered the kitchen she spotted a note laying on the counter top. She had just pressed the button to start the coffee making as she headed over to pick it up.

It was a simple note, written on a post-it note.

Sara, you have some food left in the oven to keep warm.

I've cleared that it's OK for you to come into work late.

Will understand if you choose not to come in.

Grissom

She stood there for a moment, she then turned it over and scanned the back of the note before reading the words on the front again. Desperately searching for any kind of emotion expressed in the note. She sighed when she saw none and then went over to the oven, pulled out a plate from it and started eating. She barely noticed what she was eating as her mind worked. 'Well, he did say he would look after me and make sure I ate and everything. And he is. He just never said that he would be there as he did it.'

She sighed and went and put the plate into the sink. Moving back to the coffee machine she sighed again as she spotted another note attached to it, which she hadn't seen at first as she was distracted by the main one. All it said was:

You're not allowed caffeine. There is some juice in the fridge. G.

She opened up the fridge and sure enough there was some juice already poured into a glass. As she leant against the counter, drinking the juice she registered that the glass wan't that cold yet. He must have been in while she was asleep as he hadn't had time while she was still awake before she had heard the door shut. She also regitered how he had signed the note. He had said Grissom not Gil, and there no kisses written after it as there had been on other notes before. She sighed and impatiently dashed the tears away which had begun to cloud her vision.

She had not cried as much since her father her died as much as she had in the last 4 months. With sadness or confusion over Grissom, or when he had made her laugh so hard that she cried. She forced her mind away thoughts of him and resigned herself to getting the cold shoulder from him in work.

She sighed again, she had also sighed more in the last four months, out of frustration and out of disbelief at how amazing Gil was and how gorgeous he looked whenever light fell across his face as he lay asleep. She finished off the juice in one gulp before heading back into the bedroom and finishing getting changed.

She pulled up reluctantly outside of work. Setting her shoulders she went and signed in with Judi and found a message waiting for her.

"Miss. Sidle, Dr. Grissom left a message for you." Sara nodded waiting for Judi to continue, "He said that he'll be out at the crime scene for a while and can you start processing what he has laid out in the layout room." Sara thanked her before heading to the layout room, puzzling over Grissom's curt message. It said nothing major, but she did wonder why he was still out at the crime scene. He must be looking for the weapon again because we found everything else there was to find at the scene.

Sara walked into the layout room after retreiving the key from his office and started processing what he had left on the table for her.

After she had done everything she could, she went to go deposit what she had found with Greg and then with Hodges.

"Hey Greggo. You're in luck today, there were only 2 viable blood swabs from the evidence so your pile isn't getting to large again yet."

"I'm afraid it is. Grissom just came and dropped some things off for your case today as well. He also asked me to tell you that he found the weapon and Hodges is running it."

"Thanks Greg." Sara tossed over her shoulder as she almost ran down the corridor to trace hoping to catch Grissom as he left. As she arrived she saw that he had already gone and that only Hodges was there.

"You know I'm not a messenger. If Grissom want's to tell you something he should go find you himself. But out of respect for him I will tell you anyway." Sara gritted her teeth to hold the retort which had just come into her head from escaping out of her mouth. Hodges obviously saw this but continued without a sarcastic comment. "He say's that there has been a link between your case and Nick's case. And that he will go find Nick and can you meet them both in the break room."

Without a word she simply turned on her heel and walked towards the break room.

"Hi Sara. Grisso-" He was interupted by Sara.

"Don't tell me, he left you a message to tell me, what is it that he'll be in his office, in ballistics, back out at the crime scene? Or just that can you fill me in on the case and the link?"

"Actually Grissom said that you were going to fill me in on your case but yes he did leave a message for you. He just said to tell you he said Sorry." Sara nodded.

"Sorry Nicky. He's just leaving me messages with everyone and it's starting to confuse me. Right so I needed to fill you in on our case." Nick nodded, wisely not forcing the matter about Sara and Grissom any further.

Sara sat herself roughly down at the table next to Nick and filled him in on the case and listened as Nick explained his. Then both of them struggling through all the irrelevant material to find the link which Grissom had spotted. Finally finding it they knew that this was the break in both their cases which they had been waiting for, and knowing that now they were both solved. Nick punched in Brass's number into his phone and dialled.

"Hey Brass. We got a suspect for both mine and Sara's cases. Can you arrest Barry LeMac for us. We can meet you at PD afterwards."

---

"What do you mean he's already in cutody?"

-----

"Oh right, sorry Grissom didn't tell us he had already informed you. Is he down there?"

---

"No? OK me and Sara will head down to PD to join the interrogation and get this finished. Did he say anything to you about why he gave new items to DNA and Trace then?"

---

"Oh right, just for court got ya."

----------------

Sara watched as Nick's face grew confused and then slowly handed the phone over to her.

"Errr, Brass says he wants to talk to you."

Sara also now confused picked up the phone. "Hey Brass. What's up?"

"Hey Sara. I've got a note from Grissom."

"What?" She sounded annoyed slightly now.

"I don't know I haven't read it."

"Read it?"

"Yeh, it's a sealed letter. He asked me to give it to you. He sounded pretty upset, are you two ok?"

"Yeah we're fine thanks Brass. Did he mention what it was about?"

"No he just said that you would understand and know. And he said to say he was sorry."

"Did he say what he was sorry for?" Sara asked growing concerned. She had known that her and Grissom were probably through but she hadn't quite resigned herself to it yet, and wasn't yet ready.

"No. Did you two have a lover's tiff or something? 'Cos he seemed pretty upset?"

"No. Why? What did he say? What make's you think that?"

"Sara. I'm a detective, that and you just confirmed it your realise?" She cursed quietly under her breath but continued to listen to Brass' reply. "Don't worry doll, I won't say anything."

"Thanks. We'll see you down at PD."

Nick looked questiongly at her. But Sara simply stood up and told him they were going down to PD. She didn't answer his unvoiced his question. He opened his mouth to ask but when he saw her glancing at her he quickly shut his mouth and just told her he would drive before following her to the car.

By the time they arrived at PD Sara was almost shaking. And her fears were showing through. "Sar, do you want to just come inside and find Brass with me, and then I'll go deal with the suspect. I understamd both cases. Sara nodded gratefully and headed nervously into PD. Nick asked at the desk where Brass was going to be. When he found out which interrogation room he was going to be in he immediately led Sara off in that direction before she could go back to the car.

They saw Brass at the end of the corridor as they turned the corner and headed towards him. By the time they reached him, Sara was on the verge of crying again, and was physically shaking. She scanned his hands as he turned to face them and saw no letter in them. She stood there silently as the two men in front of her started talking.

"So Brass, is the suspect in there?"

"Yep, been demanding a lawyer, so he's got one now. You can go talk to him straight away. The lawyer looks pretty cheap so I wouldn't expect anything major from him but he looks sharp, he'll go for techniclities, don't leave any bases uncovered."

"Thanks." Sara was still staring at the floor as Nick entered. Brass gestured to another cop waiting in the next room as he came up Brass ordered him what to do.

"Wait out here. Keep an eye out for trouble, otherwise leave him too it. Don't distract him or enter the room unless it gets violent or there is an emergency. And by emergency I mean as in if that room is going to get hit with a meteor and the rest of the building will be fine. He know's what he's doing. Myself and Miss. Sidle will be on that room down there. Calming down. Make sure no-one comes in, and do not interrupt us either. Call me when CSI Stokes is finished. Understood?"

The man had raised his eyebrows when Brass had said that he was to be left alone and undisturbed with the woman next to him. especially when he had realised that the door he had been pointing to led through to a soundproof room. He then glanced at Sara and saw how close to crying she was, and that she was looking desperately and searching his hands for something. He knew that nothing untoward was happening and felt sorry for her so he only nodded and turned to watch Nick.

Brass grunted, and then turned to Sara saying softly in his gruff voice.

"Sara. Come with me down there. I'll talk to you in there. It will be fine. He's nothing if not predictable and devoted." Sara nodded dumbly and let her lead her by the arm to the room he had pointed to, and was barely aware of him opening the door and walking them in as she panicked.

As they entered the room, knowing that she was only with someone who knew seemed to relax her unwillingness to speak. Brass couldn't tell what she was actually saying precisely, but he could catch the general gist. She was terrified about Grissom leaving her, and didn't know how she could cope without him anymore. Brass quietly wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she clung to his shirt and wept into his shoulder, still talking except muffled now.

After a while she took in a deep shuddering breath and looked up to find herself sat on a table clinging to Brass's shirt. She smiled a small grateful smile at him and brushed her hair out of her face.

"You OK now?" He asked with concern.

She nodded. "I'm fine. Do you have the letter on you?"

Brass wordlessly reached into his inside suit pocket and pulled out a letter. Sara stared at it for a few moments before taking it from him. She turned to look at the front of the envelope, on it he had simply written 'Sara' in his flowing script.

Hands still shaking slightly she turned it back over and opened the flap, she pulled out the letter. As she unfolded it she noticed the length of it, it was at least a page and a half long, and it was filled with Grissom's handwriting.

She unfolded the letter and read what he had written. A single tear running down her face as she read.