Sara's thoughts as she got shift ready that night kept drifting back to Grissom and the expedition he was getting ready for, to the passion and enthusiasm in his voice as he talked about going out to sea and helping preserve marine life. He told Heather that Sara had given him back his faith in humanity and it sounded like the ocean had given him back his love for it. She loved that he was so excited and passionate about his work. When was the last time she'd felt like that, she wondered? She still enjoyed being a CSI, but she couldn't deny that the spark had gone. Would it get worse now that she was management and mostly stuck behind a desk?

Without thinking, she opened a new tab on her laptop, typed Oceanpeace in the browser and started reading all about the organisation, following the many links to various pages and reading on. One link led to another and eventually she got to the page detailing the expedition to the Island of Palau in the Philippines. In the middle of the page was a picture of the ship Grissom was crew on and for the first time she clearly could see him aboard the ship. An ad to the left of the page alerted her to the fact that volunteers were needed, echoing Grissom's words the previous day. She moved the cursor, clicked on the link and let her thoughts wander.

"Sara?"

Sara looked up with a start as Greg came into her office, and flashed a quick smile. "Hey," she greeted, sheepish to have been caught daydreaming. Flicking her eyes to the laptop, she swiftly closed down the Oceanpeace page. "You okay?"

Greg registered a look of surprise. "Am I okay? Sure I'm okay. Are you?"

Sara frowned.

"Have you seen what time it is?"

Sara checked the time on the laptop clock. Shift had started some half-hour ago, and she'd not even realised. "Shit. Sorry," she said, stifling a smile, "I was..." She gave her head a shake, refocusing, and Greg a bright smile. "Nothing's come in as yet. So…" she shrugged, "You just work on your caseloads."

"Gee, you don't say," he deadpanned, then paused and his gaze narrowing watched her closely. "You're okay?"

Sara's expression softened. "I'm fine. I just got…a little side-tracked, that's all."

"Side-tracked, huh?"

Holding his gaze, she gave him a nod. "Doing…research." Well, that wasn't a lie.

"Anything I can help you with?"

"No, you're good. But thanks." She paused, then picked up the top file on her pile and opened it. "Paperwork, you know? There's no end to it."

Greg glanced over his shoulder toward the open door, then took a seat across from her. He was looking conflicted. "Sara, this new promotion…"

"So, how is it working out with Yeager?" she asked, cutting in before he could touch on a sore point.

Greg startled. "Fine. No problems. I mean, it's only his second shift…but so far, so good. He's fitting right in. It's not like we haven't worked with him before."

Sara nodded. "Good," she said, and pretended to turn her attention back to the file. Her cell chimed, and she reached for it on the desk, smiled when she saw the text was from Grissom and then put it down again.

"Grissom got back to San Diego alright?"

"Sounds like it," she replied, realising too late that she'd got tricked.

"Sara?"

She gave a long sigh, then checked the door to make sure no one nearby could overhear them and finally met Greg's gaze dead on. "Please, don't make a big deal out of it."

"Out of what?" he asked, feigning innocence.

She shrugged. "We're just talking, alright? Working out our differences."

"Is that what you want? To work out your differences?"

Her lips pulled into a soft smile. "Yeah, it is."

Greg nodded, averted his gaze to the floor.

"Greg, you know how unhappy I've been these last two years."

Greg looked up sharply. "Because of him."

"No, it was because of all our unresolved issues." She shrugged again, gave him a trembling smile. "You know I haven't been able to move on, and neither has he. We just want to put it all behind us and see what happens."

Greg took in a long breath he let out slowly. He seemed to want to say more but he just nodded his head and she was grateful he wasn't voicing his misgivings. He gave her an uncertain smile before pushing to his feet. "I care about you, that's all. I want you to be…happy."

"I know, Greg. And that's what I want too."

Her comment gave him pause. "What makes you think it'll be different this time round?"

"I'd like to think we've both learned from our mistakes." She paused, held his gaze levelly and hoped that in time he would understand her motivations. "Greg, I have to do this," she quietly insisted. "Don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing."

His stare was sad and disconcerting. "Yeah, and that's precisely what I'm worried about."

Days passed, shifts came and went, and Sara showed that she had all the traits to make a good supervisor. She worked long hours, kept on top of her paperwork and even though she was the boss now tried to maintain the same good working relationship she'd always enjoyed with her colleagues – CSIs or lab techs. Her move to supervisor seemed seamless and accepted without question by everyone. Her colleagues respected her and were prepared to go the extra mile, just like they did for DB and Catherine, and Grissom before them. Ecklie was supportive and still on the quest for a new CSI, a permanent replacement for the position Yeager was currently filling.

But her heart wasn't in it, her mind either. They were with Grissom.

The two of them spoke every day on the phone, generally in the early evening before her shift started and after his had finished. Being in the same time zone certainly simplified matters a lot. He'd tell her about his day, and she found little to tell him about her nights. There would still be some awkward pauses and silences but they reinforced the fact that she'd made the right decision.

Basderic wasn't mentioned again, and Sara couldn't help wondering whether maybe they'd swept the issue under the carpet too quickly. Could they simply forget about it all and start afresh as he believed they could? And what should she make of the fact that all this time he'd known about it and kept quiet? Could seeing the picture of her in Wynard's arms have precipitated his asking for a divorce? His taking to drinking to dull the pain and heartbreak she'd caused?

Catherine finally joined the team, allowing for a regular schedule for everyone. There as well, the transition was smooth and it was almost as if she'd never left the lab. So far, Catherine and Lindsey were managing to keep to a professional relationship at work, but Sara was careful to avoid pairing them together. With Catherine came stability, a sense of security and cohesion Sara was wary of shattering, as she knew she soon would. It would only be temporary though, and only if Catherine and Conrad agreed to her plans, of course.

But her mind was made up. She had nothing to prove to anyone, let alone herself. She knew she could do the job, but more importantly she was confident that she'd done enough and that her team would cope without her. She hoped that when she explained her plans they would understand and allow her the time off to start rebuilding the foundations of her love with Grissom. They'd been speaking on the phone early on after his departure when she'd realised that she had no choice but to put her love for him ahead of her work if she wanted their relationship to succeed. That despite all their best efforts and intentions that wouldn't happen otherwise.

So she was making the first move.

She told her mother about her plans, asked how she would feel if she didn't visit for three months. She explained about wanting―no, needing—Grissom back in her life and that she needed to take steps to make their relationship work, and Laura surprised her by telling her to go for it, that true love was a rare thing. She waited until Catherine had settled in to finally take the plunge and decide to broach the subject with her. It all came down to whether she agreed or not, and Sara knew it wasn't a done-deal.

She was in her office signing off on case files when she heard Catherine's and Lindsey's voices approaching. Looking up she put her pen down, an expectant smile on her lips when Catherine stopped at the open door, Lindsey in her wake.

"Sara, you 911 me?"

Catherine's turn of phrase made her smile. "Yeah, sorry. I wanted to speak to you before you left."

Catherine glanced at Lindsey. "Nothing bad, I hope."

Sara's smile stiffened somewhat and her gaze flicked over to Lindsey too.

"We're meeting mom and the girls for breakfast before school," Catherine explained.

"I won't keep you long, I promise."

"Sure." This time Catherine shared a longer look with her daughter, and Lindsey nodded her head that she understood.

"I'll wait for you in the lot," she said.

Catherine smiled her thanks, and then fully entering the office, "You want to come with us?"

Sara shook her head. "I'd love to but I can't. I've got a meeting with Conrad in an hour. Give Lily my love, will you? And the girls."

"I will." Catherine's smile faded, as her expression turned business-like. "So, what can I do for you?"

Sara moved to close the door, then invited Catherine to sit down.

"You okay?" Catherine asked, frowning with concern as she did as bid.

"Sure," Sara said, and choosing to sit in the second visitors' chair looked Catherine straight in the eye. "How are you settling in?" she asked.

Catherine laughed. "Isn't it a little early for my appraisal?"

Sara averted her gaze uncomfortably.

"Sara, out with it, will you? What's this meeting about? Someone complained about me already?"

"No. No, nothing like that." She sighed. "I've a favour to ask. Quite a big one actually, and I'm hoping you'll say yes."

Catherine's brow furrowed. "Go on."

"I was wondering…how you'd feel about looking after the lab for me."

"Looking after the lab? What, like…as director?"

Sara nodded.

"This isn't hypothetically, is it?"

"No."

Catherine pondered Sara's request, and Sara took heart from the fact that her reply wasn't an outright 'No'. "How long for?"

"A few weeks."

Catherine's expression turned concerned. "Why? What's happened? Is everything okay with you? Health-wise, I mean."

"Everything's fine. Better than fine actually." She gave Catherine a smile. "I…was thinking, well, no, huh, providing you say yes and the details get finalised in time, I would go on a trip."

"You're taking a vacation?" Catherine exclaimed, the surprise evident in her tone.

"I guess you could call it a vacation. I mean, as I said all the details aren't finalised yet but…well, basically it won't happen unless you agree to step into my shoes."

Catherine once again considered the idea. "What's Conrad saying?"

Sara winced. "Well, I haven't approached him yet. He's next on my list. I was waiting until I'd asked you."

"How do you know Conrad will go for it?"

"I won't give him the choice. And if he tells me he can't keep the position open for when I get back then I'll…I'll just resign."

Catherine's brow rose. "I'm sure it won't come to that. But after what happened last time, I don't know if he'd trust me to do a good job―running the lab, I mean."

"Oh, Catherine, you know that's not true."

Catherine sighed. "But even if he agreed…I don't know. I mean, I know I can do the job, but I've a lot on my plate right now. What, with the girls and…" Sara's expression became pleading and Catherine stopped in her tracks. "You said a few weeks. How long are we talking about exactly?"

Sara winced. "Three months? Give or take."

Catherine's eyes widened. "Three months?"

Sara nodded. "Starting the week after next."

"The week after next?" Catherine scoffed. "Well, when you move, you do it quickly." She paused, stared at Sara intently before frowning and flicking her eyes the length of Sara's body. "Your trip," she said. "It's not a medical emergency, is it?"

Sara registered a look of surprise.

"I mean, you're getting to that age, and God knows the menopause can be a bitch."

Sara gave a wry smile, then at a loss as to how to retort spread her hands out helplessly. "It's not a medical emergency." With a sigh, she surrendered to the inevitable. She'd have to tell her the truth; there was no two ways about it. "I've signed up to go on a three-month expedition with Oceanpeace."

"Oceanpeace?" Catherine frowned. "But isn't that the organisation Grissom works for?"

Smiling softly, Sara nodded her head.

"Sara?" Catherine prompted when Sara faltered.

"Well, Grissom and I have been…talking and…"

Catherine's smile was perceptive. "Talking, huh?"

Sara's smile widened, and she shrugged her shoulders in a 'Do I need to spell it out?' way.

"Oh, my God," Catherine exclaimed. "You and Gil are back together?"

Sara gave the closed door a fearful glance. "We're…well, we're going to give it another go, yes."

"Alleluia. Pardon my French but it's about time you two got your shit together."

Sara laughed. "So, what do you say?"

"Grissom knows?"

Sara shook her head. "They're rushing the paperwork through, but it might not be enough, and they can't delay the expedition." She shrugged. "It might be too late. In which case I'm not going anywhere and this is all for nothing."

Catherine gave a bright smile. "Of course I'll do it. Provided Conrad agrees, I'm in."

A wide smile spread across Sara's face. "You sure?"

"Absolutely. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?"

"Thank you." Sara pushed to her feet. Catherine followed suit, and the two women hugged warmly. "You don't know how much this means to me," she said, her eyes shining with emotion when they pulled back from each other.

Catherine gave Sara's arm a warm stroke. "Oh, I think I do," she replied, her expression fond and compassionate.

Sara nodded her head. "Now I've got to convince Conrad."

"He's going to say yes. What choice does he have?"

Sara's smile returned. "I hope so."

That evening as she and Grissom spoke on the phone Sara found it hard to contain her joy and keep her plans a secret. She couldn't wait to see his face when she turned up in San Diego. She'd have to probe him carefully about his plans and time it right, or it would all backfire on her. She'd decided to leave Vegas a couple of days before the start of the expedition to give them time to talk and get used to the idea before they'd set sail across the Pacific. She hoped he would be happy to see her and happy too at the prospect of spending three months working together on the ship. She knew it would make or break them, and even though she favoured the former she feared she'd acted too impulsively and made a mistake. What if he'd been looking forward to this time apart to truly take stock of their situation?

"This expedition will be my last," Grissom said, out of the blue after they'd been talking for a while, and Sara straightened up on the couch.

"Are you sure?" she asked with disbelief. "I mean, I know how much you love it."

"Oh, I'm not giving up my work with Oceanpeace altogether. I'm just going to scale down the long-distance trips. I'm getting too old for them anyway, and there are enough local issues to keep me more than busy. That way we can work out a better, more regular visiting schedule."

So, he was keeping to his word, she thought, and making changes already. "You sound like a father fighting for visiting rights."

He laughed. "Maybe we could alternate visiting each other every other week. That way, we get the best of both worlds. So, huh, what do you think?" he asked when Sara didn't immediately reply.

The smile on her lips was soft and tender. "Sounds good. Really good, in fact. I can't wait."

"Me either," he said after a beat. "These long months apart are going to be agony."

His words warmed her heart. "What happened to…It'll fly by?"

"I was kidding myself," he replied quietly, and sighed. "Did I tell you that we've had to push back our departure date?"

She paused, played it cool. "No, you didn't."

"We're leaving a week on Monday now to accommodate a new crewmate. Some guy they're fast tracking."

"You almost sound annoyed," she said, laughing. "That's good, right? I thought you were desperate for volunteers."

"Oh, we are. It's just that if we're late leaving, then we'll be late coming back." He paused. "On the plus side, it'll give me more time to track that trawler that's illegally laid lobster traps down in the protected waters just north from here."

"Are you working alongside the coastguards?"

He paused. "Mostly."

She gave a wry smile. "Be careful," she told him.

"I always am," he said, his tone solemn, and paused. "Sara?"

She hummed her reply.

"Just in case I forget to tell you before I leave. I love you."

Hearing him profess his love like that, unprompted and with so much tenderness, set her heart aflutter.

Could it really be this easy, she asked herself again? Could they just turn the page and start again?

Only time would tell, but she'd certainly give it her best shot.

The end.

A/N: Epilogue to follow soon. Thanks for reading!