A/N: :)

Sara stood posing for the cameras, holding her new "Lab Director" badge while shaking Conrad's hand.

"Congratulations, Sara. I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks, Conrad." She smiled widely. She then turned around to see Grissom standing there, watching as the press filtered away. He put his hands together and claped softly, smiling. She laughed softly through a wide smile, "Thank you." She walked closer to him, "I never thought I'd see this day coming—but with D.B. out..."

"You deserve it. Vegas is lucky to have you." He offered.

"The oceans are luck to have you." She countered, softly spoken and watched as he shrugged a bit awkwardly. "Ironic, Isn't it? I'm the one who always wanted to get out of Vegas. And you're the one who thought you'd never leave."

He tried to decode her tone, was it sadness? Resentment? Regret? He couldn't quite place it. But hearing her speak those words hit him hard. He'd never truly thought of it like that before.

"Yeah." He said a bit wistfully. His mind consumed with the thoughts of what could have been until he snapped himself out of it, "Wow." He took another long pause, not sure what to do or say, "So..." His fingers interlocked with apprehension.

She waited a moment to see if he'd continue, but it became clear that he had no follow up. She searched his eyes, trying to find what he was thinking, but she came up empty. "I hope you find what you're looking for out there." Her voice became a bit hoarse with unshed tears. She waited, searching his eyes once more, or perhaps taking them in and committing their hue to memory, "Goodbye, Gil."

His mouth fell agape with the unspoken words he'd wished he'd said as he watched her walk past him and down the lab hall, out of view. A sadness and loneliness so deep and so terrifying rushed over him, he couldn't breathe. He'd lost her, completely. He realized for the first time in that moment. He'd lost her forever.

Taking a deep breath, he walked down the hall to the interrogation room where Heather had just given her statement. All the while rehearsing in his head that it is better to have love and lost then never to have loved at all. Convincing himself that all the years of happiness with her was worth the pain he felt now.

He entered the room:

"Heather." Grissom took a seat at the table across from her now, "Before I get back on my boat." He paused, trying to swallow the lump in his throat, "I wanted to thank you." His words came out hoarse and somewhat sad causing Heather to look up.

"Thank me for what?"

"When we first met, I—I had a shell around my heart. I lost my believe in humanity. The only truth I knew was empirical science. I just wanted to thank you for...opening my heart. Through you I—I learned to love someone."

"Sara?"

Grissom paused for a moment, letting Sara's name echo through his ears, "She restores my faith in the human being. Plus, she helped me with my crossword puzzles." He smiled at the countless memories he had of picking up a crossword puzzle he'd started to see she'd finished it. "She's been my best friend. I'll miss her." His eyes fixated on the table now, feeling such pain in his constricting heart as he spoke, "For the rest of my life." He smiled sadly, looking up at her.

She could see the deep pain and suffering her friend was enduring. And she whole heartedly contemplating telling him that Sara still loved him—she'd told her as much in the interrogation room mere hours earlier. But this may cause him more pain, especially if she loved him, but not enough to be with him again. She couldn't speak to the depth of Sara's commitment to her estranged ex-husband. It was at that moment, as Heather sat there and contemplated what to do to help her friend, that she realized the camera was still on.

She smiled as she spoke, "Let me not to the marriage of true minds; Admit impediments. Love is not love; Which alters when it alteration finds."

He continued her thought, "Or bends with the remover to remove; O no; it is an ever-fixed mark; That looks on tempests, and is never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark... Sonnet 116."

"Love prevails where it is meant to you. Have a little faith."

Grissom smiled sadly. He had no faith left. He had something beautiful with Sara, a love and respect unmatched by his wildest dreams, and he'd let it simply slip through his fingers. This was something not even Shakespeare could fix for him.

Sara sat behind the desk of her new office. An office once held by Grissom. A fact she was trying desperately to not let bother her. The paperwork was already beginning to pile up, reminding her of how poorly Grissom used to manage the administrative side of his job.

"Hey! Sara." She looked up to see Lindsey walking in, holding up a manilla envelope, "The front desk asked me to deliver this. It's the video tape of Lady Heather's final interview before Grissom released her."

Sara examined the envelope briefly before placing it on the side of her desk by the mountain of paperwork. "Oh great. Thanks, Lindsey." She returned her focus back to the document she'd been filing out.

Lindsey moved to leave but then turned around, "I—uh, watched the whole interrogation." Sara looked up, realizing she was still in the office, "Uh, I learned a lot. Especially at the end. You should watch it." Sara furrowed her brows as she watched Lindsey turn on her heals and disappear down the corridor. She picked up the envelope again, looking at it.

The last thing Sara wanted to do right now was watch Heather's statement. She had the written document in front of her, what else could be learned by the video? She placed the envelope back down again returning her attention once more to the paperwork.

But Lindsey's words kept echoing through her mind, "...Especially the end." Finally, curiosity got the best of her. She walked down to an AV lab and closed the door behind her and popped in the tape.

She fast forwarded, not wanting to sit through the whole thing and only stopped when she saw Grissom enter the room through the reflection of the two-way mirror. She hit play and sat forward.

Tears began to well in her eyes as she listened to Grissom talk to Heather. "She's been my best friend." ... "I'll miss her for the rest of my life."

Her heart constricted, her mouth forming a small but sad smile as a tear escaped her eye. She quickly wiped it away. He still loved her. He knew he'd made a mistake, he just didn't think he could fix it. Suddenly feeling inspired and determined, Sara ejected the tape, returned it to the envelope and filed it away with the evidence clerk.

She then walked briskly down the hallway.

"Catherine." She spoke more urgently than she'd meant to at the sight of her former colleague. "Hey, did uh—did Grissom mention to you anything about his itinerary?"

"Uh yeah—yeah. His flight back to San Diego is in an hour I think. Then he's heading back on Ishmael."

"Ishmael?"

"His boat."

"Oh." Sara looked at her watch, knowing she'd never make it to the airport in time.

Catherine's face relaxed and her eyes went wide, "You watched it?"

Sara swallowed hard, "Yeah." Her voice was so small it was almost inaudible.

"So?"

"So I think I need to get to the airport."

Catherine wrapped both her arms around Sara, "Thank god." She gushed as she released her from her grasp. "Go!"

"Okay—Okay..." Sara was still trying to wrap her head around this. "The directorship... It's yours, Cath. You deserve it. I'll call Ecklie on the way to the airport." With that Sara rushed out to the lab and headed home where she quickly stuffed an overnight bag, bought and printed a boarding pass, and called a taxi.

She exited the San Diego airport and breathed in deeply. Feeling free, she realized. She readjusted her bag on her shoulder and got in a yellow taxi. The seaport was a 30 minute drive from the airport and Sara spent the whole time looking at her watch, terrified that he'd be leaving any minute. Finally the taxi pulled up and sara got out, readjusting her bag on her should once more, nervously so.

She stood there and looked around, trying to spot him or his boat. She pulled off her sunglasses, letting the cool ocean breeze sweep her hair back out of her face. She smiled, spotting him and realizing that she was just in time.

Slowly but steadily, Sara walked down the dock ramp and toward the boat. Trying her best to suppress the smile that dared to pull at her lips at the sight of Grissom coiling rope and pulling Buoys out of the water. As he turned around to pull the last of the buoys out of the water, he spotted her. Eyes locking. His face stoic and confused, awestruck. He stared at her as she approached the boat, not moving a single muscle, barely blinking.

He could feel his heart beating faster, threatening to pound out of his chest. His body felt numb. Grissom's mouth fell slightly agape, the smallest hint of a smile pulled at one side of his mouth as she came closer, a big closed-mouth grin on her own face.

Now here she was. Standing just on the other side of the boat from him—a mere five feet if that. Her feet on the dock, his in the boat, feeling it sway slightly—or was that him feeling week at the knees? He stared at her, his deep blue eyes gazing straight into the chocolate orbs he thought he'd only every see again in sweet memories.

He suddenly regained use of his body and quickly held out his hand. She took it, climbing over the side of the boat. He reached up, placing a hand on either side of her torso as he guided her onto his side of the boat. She felt real within his grasps, knowing now his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. She placed her hands on his shoulders as he helped her over.

Now, with her feet planted firmly inside the boat, they stood so close together. Her hands roaming from his shoulders to his cheek. Feeling the warm intimacy of his skin below her finger pads. She was doing all she could not to cry, but it was proving difficult.

They stared into each others eyes for jus a moment longer until Grissom finally pulled her to him, closing the small gap between them and wrapping his arms around her tightly, pressing his body to hers. He closed his eyes and smiled, taking this moment in and committing it to memory. He felt her hand on the back of his head, tangling her long fingers through his curly hair. He closed his eyes tighter, taking in her scent, the feeling of her body so close to his—a feeling he thought he'd never have again.

"Gil." Her voice was so soft he almost didn't hear her. He pulled back to look into her eyes once more, seeing them now full of water. He brought his hand up to her face, wiping away one tear that escaped.

"How did you—"

"I saw the tape." Her lip began to quiver, her voice betraying her.

"Tape?"

"Heather's statement." Sara watched as Grissom's expression continued to be confused, "The camera wasn't off when you went in the room to talk to her."

"Oh." He searched her watery eyes, taking in her appearance. His heart swelled and then—he couldn't wait any longer. He leaned in and kissed her passionately, with over two years of longing and desperation. It took her breath away.

When he pulled back, he rested his forehead to hers, "I've always loved you, Sara." he managed to speak through slightly labored breathing.

He watched as her facial expression began to change, she was thinking... and then—"Oh my god." She whispered.

"What?" Fear flooded through him.

"Your boat... You named your boat Ishmael." Tears now fell freely from her eyes as she repeated herself, "You named your boat Ishmael." She watched as he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. "After all this time?" she finally added, choking on her words as the tears continued to well and fall.

He nodded silently. Knowing she'd realized that in the bible, Ishmael is the name of Sarah and Abraham's first son. "You're all I've ever wanted." He spoke once he'd composed himself enough to do so.

Now she was speechless. Opening and closing her mouth—nothing coming out. All she could do was muster up enough strength to nod in small movements, letting him know that she was on the same page.

He could feel the heat rise within his body, so many feelings washing over him, overloading his senses.

"It's um—The sun is setting..." He spoke hesitantly. "Will you come with me?" He motioned with his head that he needed to start going. The apprehension in his voice let her know that he wasn't convinced she was here for good.

"Where to?" She smiled.

"Santa Monica." He replied as he brushed a few flowing strains of hair back behind her ear.

The two sailed off into the sunset, and for the first time ever, Grissom got to enjoy his boat with another person—the only person he'd ever truly wanted to enjoy it with. The trip up the coast to Santa Monica was only two and a half hours long. In that time, they enjoyed the silence of each other's company for the first part of it, until Grissom finally spoke.

"The Directorship?"

"Catherine." She answered simply.

"So you're leaving Vegas?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" She smiled up at him, watching the disbelief in his eyes. He was still trying to wrap his head around all of this. Just a few hours ago, he was prepared to spend the rest of his life alone, having only the memories of her to keep him warm at night. And now, here she was, standing beside him and changing his future forever.

They docked in the Santa Monica port just after the sun had gone down. Grissom secured the boat and helped her off on to the dock. "Are you up for a walk? It's only about fifteen minutes from here."

She nodded in return and he lead the way. As they walked along the water's pathway about fifteen minutes north, the sounds of night were all around them. They listened to the methodic crashing and retreating of the waves against the shore. Soon Grissom slowed until he came to a stop.

"This is uh, Well—this is it." Behind him stood a quaint cottage with a white picket fence and a wild garden growing in the front yard. They walked up the pathway and he keyed open the door.

"Gil." She turned to him as he flicked on the lights. "This is beautiful."

He simply smiled at her, suddenly feeling a bit awkward in her presence again. He wasn't used to it—to having her there with him anymore. "Can we..." He paused, trying to find the right words, causing her to turn to him, "Can we pick up where we left off?" He asked, his voice small and timid like. He watched as that sidle-famous grin formed on her face.

"We can." She agreed. Reaching past him to the newspaper on the counter, "Let's start here." She smiled knowingly, "15 down is Revere."

This earned a wide, boyish grin from Grissom, his eyes seeming even bluer than they've ever been. Then something came over him in that moment. He swept her up in his arms and kissed her so deeply, deeper and more passionately that she could ever remember before. His hands were in her hair, on her back, roaming as he felt her smile agains his lips. They wasted no time now. Clothing shed quickly as he lead her to the bedroom. There, he could finally tell her just how much he loved her, how much he missed her, how much he regretted ever letting her go. There, he could say everything he needed to say to her, without saying anything at all.

That night, in the throws of passion and desperate wanting, Grissom held onto her tightly. So tightly that she was sure he thought she'd vanish if he let go. It was the most passion filled sex either of them had ever experienced—Even more so than the first time they were ever together, despite six years of built up sexual tension. Then, neither of them had known what they were missing. But now, two years going without the other, knowing full well what they'd had before, perhaps this knowledge made it all that more impactful. And in the end, she could feel him release so forcefully that his whole body shook.

They laid together that night, both sleeping soundly for the first time in over two years. Her head laid in the spot on his chest where she could hear his strong steady heart beat against her ear—the place she knew was meant for only her. Home.

A/N: Again, there is more to come! :) Stay tuned please!