A/N: My apologies for the delay in posts here. Hopefully these next few chapters make up for the wait. Also, thank you all for the kind words and reviews! Enjoy!

October 2007

Sara woke and stretched away the sleepiness. The day had finally come. Her first day as a swing CSI. Grissom laid beside her, peacefully asleep. Feet touched the cold floor as she slowly and quietly made her way around the room to get ready for the day—trying not to wake Grissom who wouldn't have to wake for shift for another three hours.

This is how it was going to be, she realized. She'd wake up and leave for work before he was even up. Possibly cross paths at work briefly and come home hours before him. What would become of their relationship? She suddenly had a pit in her stomach, sadness leaching in. All she wanted was for things to go back to the way they were. Before the team knew, before the miniature killer's first scene. Before everything changed forever.

"Sara! Great to have you on the team." Mike Davis, Swing Shift supervisor reached to shake her hand. "Mike Davis, new swing superior. Don't worry, no relation to Natalie." He let out a bellowed laugh, but Sara wasn't very amused.

"Anyway, I heard you did a great job mentoring Sanders over and Grave and figured you could help us train a newbie. Roni Lake, yesterday was her first day so she's already been through orientation. Take her out on the male DB in the dump." He handed Sara and assignment slip. "She should be in the locker room now.

Okay, Sara thought to herself. Be optimistic. This is good. This will be good. She kept trying to reassure herself. But nothing felt right. She felt lost and alone.

Roni drove the two to the scene as Sara still wasn't cleared to drive. She was looking forward to a peaceful trip, the DB was found 30 minutes from the lab, but Roni had other plans. Sara's eyes glazed over as the young girl spoke at a mile a minute and Sara quickly began to forget her optimistic mantra.

"He's been here at least 18 hours." Sara observed as Roni took care the photo taking. Snapping away and taking far more than truly necessary.

"Do you ever wonder why ants don't crawl up the nose and eat the brains? I would. Protein."

"Ants are scavengers. They tend to stay on the surface." Sara offered.

"Do you think dead skin tastes better than brains?" It was like she hadn't even heard her.

"Well they will go for brains late in decomp, after all the skin is gone." Sara smiled internally thinking of all the more technical terms and processes that she'd learned from Grissom over the years.

"Do ants have taste buds?"

"Roni—" Her patience officially wearing thin, "I'm going to have to limit you to 20 questions per case."

"Really?"

"19." She smiled a bit to seem playful, but her true feelings were coming across much harsher than she intended.

"Hey Sara!"

Sara wiped around to see Brass approaching.

"Hey, Jim!" Sara stood to greet him.

"So you enjoying the sunshine?"

"Not really." She spoke honestly.

Roni quickly introduced herself to the detective before returning to photograph the DB. Jim turned back to Sara.

"Working a double at the motel just down the street. I'll tell Grissom you say 'hi'" He smirked as and turned on his heels to head back down the alley way.

"Hey Grissom." Brass walked into the motel room where Grissom and Catherine were still processing. "Sara's at a scene just a few alley's south of here.

Grissom didn't even look up as he fingerprinted the bible. Catherine took the hint at Brass head nod and left the room. Brass walked in closer to Grissom.

"How's she doing?"

Grissom looked up at him now.

"Who?"

"Sara."

"Oh, yeah. She's doing well."

"She seems tired"

Grissom furrowed his brows. "Oh, you know. Coming off of Grave after all these years. Just takes some adjusting." Grissom's voice was optimistic without a hint of worry.

"Okay." Brass was unconvinced. He took in his friends appearance and quickly realized that perhaps Grissom couldn't see what was really going on with Sara. Perhaps he was too caught up in being happy that she's alive and safe to see what was transpiring. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. It wasn't his place. At least not here and now. He'd leave it alone, he decided.

"Sara?" Grissom walked in the door and was quickly greeted by an energetic Hank.

Sara emerged from down the hall, struggling to finish buttoning a shirt with just one hand. "Hey." She paused a moment to look a the clock, "You're home early."

"I am." He walked down the stairs and placed a gently kiss on her forehead before finishing the rest of the buttons for her. "You're getting your cast off today."

"I am." She pursed her lips, "You didn't need to come home for that.

"I know. But I wanted to." He finished with the buttons and took a step back and looked at his own watch, "We should get going so we don't miss your appointment."

Grissom and Sara had made it to the appointment on time where the doctor greeted them with good news: The cast could in fact come off that day. After she was cut out of the cast, they put a removable splint on her wrist. The old injury there making it a little slower to heel than the rest of her arm. She stretched her arm for the first time in almost two months and sighed in relief.

The doctor gave her another set of pain killers, a slightly smaller dose this time, and sent them on their way.

The car ride back was spent mostly in comfortable silence until Grissom's phone went off. He quickly checked the text as he pulled up to a red light.

"I'm home now If you'd like to video call. -mom"

Grissom quickly shut the phone and stuffed it into his pocket.

"The lab?"

"Yeah. I'll drop you back off at home and then I need to head back."

"Okay," She spoke slightly disappointed. This was the most time they'd spent together outside of work in over a week. But—if she were to be honest—they really never were able to spend much time together outside of work before the abduction either. It just didn't feel like it then.

Sara waved goodbye with her now mobile arm as Grissom drove off.

"Hi Mom" Grissom signed as Betty greeted him at the door. Her hands thrown up in excitement an surprise. She embraced him before moving back to sign.

"It's been a while."

Grissom had taken a last minute flight out to Santa Monica.

"I know, I'm sorry." He signed as he entered the house.

"What do I owe the pleasure?" His mother always got right down to business.

"I wanted to talk to you about Grandmother's ring."

Betty's heart stopped, "Gil.."

Grissom let out a boyish grin in response.

Betty disappeared upstairs for a few minutes before returning, a small box in hand.

"You remember the first time you gave this ring to a girl?"

Grissom laughed, "I do."

"Nicole, yes?"

"Nicole Daley." He confirmed.

"Second grade. I remember like it was yesterday." She smiled widely now as she looked at the delicate ring in her hand before looking back up at her son, "Sara?"

He simply nodded in return. She captured his hand in hers as she placed the ring in his hand, holding them firmly. Then mouthed, "I never thought you would marry."

He nodded again in return. Then, taking back his hands, the ring now in his own, he signed, "Neither did I." He paused a moment, "I need to make one more stop before my return flight."

Grissom walked into the San Fransisco Crime Lab for the first time in nine years. He checked in with reception to locate Dave Crow's whereabouts and was told to take a seat in the waiting area. Memories came flooding back, memories of him sitting in this very seat, hearing Sara's voice trail down the hall as she discussed a case with a co worker. Memories of seeing her again after only having met her the night before. Memories of that feeling fluttering, surfacing in his stomach at the sight of her.

He breathed deeply.

"Dr. Grissom." A surprised voice brought Grissom out of his memories.

"Mr. Crow." Grissom smiled and stood to shake the gentleman's hand.

"Come." Crow lead him down the hall to his office, the same office he had nine years ago. The same office Grissom sat in as Crow gabbed on about what a special CSI Sara was. Those conversations now making more sense in hindsight with new knowledge of their personal and professional relationship.

"This is a very unexpected visit." Crow took a seat behind his desk, "How's Sara doing?"

"That's why I'm here actually." Grissom now occupied the same seat he did nine years ago.

"Everything okay?" Worry seeping into Crow's tone.

"Yes. Actually—" Grissom paused a moment and patted the small bulge in his pocket, reminding himself of why he was there. "With Sara's father gone, and her mother more or less estranged..." His voice trailed off, trying to find the right words, wishing he'd thought more about this before showing up. "You're like a father to Sara. And I came here to let you know that, well, I plan to ask her to marry me."

Crow smiled widely, glowing, "That's wonderful." He let out a small laugh, "It's amazing isn't it? How much has changed in such as short time. Just eight years ago Sara occupied that chair to tell me she was moving to Vegas. To tell me that you were stealing her from me."

Grissom let a small smile dance on his lips, A lot had changed.

Grissom arrived back home nearly six hours after dropping Sara off after her doctors appointment. She stirred awake feeling Grissom's weight near her.

"Hey." She said sleepily, "You pull a double."

"Yeah." He lied and kissed her neck, her ear, her shoulder. She moaned against his touched.

It had been the first time he'd intimately touched her since her abduction, having been afraid of hurting her before. But with her cast gone now...

She turned toward him and looked deep into his, the sliver of light coming through the drapes let her see his deep blue orbs. Bright with love and admiration. She took his lips in her, kissing him deeply, pushing herself further into his embrace. She could feel him moan against her.

She glided her good hand up to his face. Feeling the cleanly shaven skin below her finger pads. Rubbing her thumb against his check as she rolled over him. Her fingers intertwining in his soft curled hair.

"I've missed you." She breathed into his ear.

"I'm right here." He spoke softly in return, staring deep into her darkening eyes. But he'd known what she meant. He knew she meant this, their intimacy. Their time together. And he'd missed it too.

They moved in unison, feeling each others warmth fill them. He grabbed her, pulling her down to him hard, wrapping her in his arms, not wanting to let go. She smiled against his lips, feeling the release wash over him.

He continued to hold her there, not wanting to let go. Until finally she slid to the side, kissing him deeply again.

"I've missed you too." he finally spoke.

She laid there silently, just taking him in, his sent, his appearance, her own body's satisfaction.

"We haven't had a date night in a while." He mused.

"I know. I miss our third Saturdays of each month."

"Would you settle for every other Monday?"

Confusion filled her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I changed around my schedule on grave... aligned our days off. So.." He paused a moment, taking in the small smile forming on her lips, "Dinner Monday?"

"I'm in." She smiled widely now.

Monday, He thought to himself, I'll ask her Monday.