PART SIX: Capital.

After their house had been destroyed and her windows literally shut down Grace insisted they'd stayed at the Eclipse. Even if it was against her mother's wish. But the decision wasn't up to debate, she had made her mind. There's no way in hell Grace Willows was going to let her mother go back to their house after she had almost lost her life in her own home.

"I gotta a job offer." said Catherine breaking the silence. Grace put down her phone in the bedside table and sat next to her mother at the suite's couch. "Okay..." was the only she could say. "From whom?" asked Grace once her mother kept starring at her.

"The FBI." said Catherine calmly.

"Doesn't that mean moving to Quantico...?"

"Honey, I don't now if I'm going to accept it or not..."

"Stop it! Doesn't it mean better hours? Not mention a better salary... not that you actually need it but it's always nice a little more ka-ching!" her random talk was interrupted by Catherine "But what about..."

"If you're gonna say something about Lindsey and I then forget it. We will be here. We will always be here no matter what you decide, which town you chose to live and whatever law enforcement title you might have. We will still love you either as CSI Willows or Agent Willows! You just gotta do what you gotta do." - said Gracie while holding her mother's hand. Catherine cleaned the tear that fall after she heard the words her oldest daughter had just said. "But what about that guy you were seeing?" asked Grace with a small smile on her lips. "Have you told him?"

"No, not yet." replied Catherine with a sad smile.

"You still haven't told me his name..." said Grace hoping that her mother of the man she had been seeing lately. The one who had brought back the smile to her face and happy tone to her voice.

She stopped at his office's door. She stared at her feet trying to get the courage to knock on his door feeling the butterflies on her stomach. It all come down at this. At her trying to knock on her boyfriend's door. Boyfriend? Could she call him that? Boyfriend? Had they ever been a couple? She smiled. Yes, they had been one. Yes, he indeed had been her boyfriend

But just when she was about to knock on his door it opened.

"Hey..." she said when she met his gaze.

"Oh hi" he replied back unable to take his eyes away from hers. "Did you want anything? Are we working together?" he asked when she didn't move or say a word.

"We gotta talk, Lou." she said without taking his eyes away from his but just then his phone rang. "Vartann." he said.

"I'm sorry, Catherine, I've just gotta a case. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah..." her smile faded as she watched him leave.

She had called all of them to Russell's office for one of his family meetings. She even called Hodges. And all of them stood there, staring at her trying to understand what was happening. Why had she called them for a family meeting?

"I just wanted to say how brilliant, I think, you all are. What a great team this is. How much I respect all of you, both as co-workers and as friends." she said while everyone had their focus on her. "Well, as you all know there were a few changes made a couple months ago which initial hurt me. But ultimately ended up being a great thing." he focus her eyes on him "And Nicky, I was so wrong when I said that it's been a long 19 years here in this lab, in this town. I mean the truth is, it just gone by too fast!" she had tears in her eyes, tears that she tried not to let fall "But there comes a point in one's life in which one feels compel to make a change."

"What are you saying?" asked Nick looking straight into her eyes in an attempt to read them, to read her, to try to understand the meaning of her words.

"That I have been offered another job. With the FBI. That I have decided to take it." she said and this time she wasn't able to hide the tears in her eyes.

"Did I hear it right? You're leaving for the FBI. Effective immediately?" his voice fulfilled the now empty room.

"Lou... how do you..." his name on her lips sounded almost like a beg.

"I was passing by when I heard your voice." he simple said. He had no intention of ears dropping but his body didn't follow his command and as soon as he heard her voice he stopped.

"Lou... I'm sorry. I didn't want you to find out this way." she said with her blue eyes locked on his grey-green ones.

"When did you expect to tell me? Call me from DC saying 'hey by the way I'm FBI now'?" she could feel the anger in his voice and see it in his eyes.

"I wanted to talk about it earlier but you had a case and I... "

"You what? You were going to do what, Catherine?"

"I was gonna stop by your house after the end of the shift!" all of suddenly she realized the entire lab had their ears, and eyes, on them. They had started screaming at each other without even notice it.

"So this is it ? You're leaving." He had hope. Hope that he'd be able to change her mind. To show her that there was no one better. Hope that she could see him. Hope that she'd realize how big of a mistake she was making. Hope that she'd go back knocking on his door. But now that hope was gone. You deserve more, Lou. Her words were echoing in his head once again. But now he knew she meant it. She actually believed in her own foolish words. Leaving. Trading not just Las Vegas for Washington but the Lab for FBI was an action louder than the words she had told him.

"I'm sorry, Lou." it was all she was able to say. She took one last look into his eyes, one last memory from his face, one last glance to the man who had made her happy. One last photograph in her mind. One last look. One last touch. One last kiss. She kissed softly on the lips as a last memory of what they used to have, of what they used to be. A kiss that tasted like goodbye.

Just like that she was gone. Gone like the wind. She left, leaving behind the desert land for the suit capital. Just like that she was simple gone.

I hope you are all enjoying the story. Feel free to comment/review. :)