A/N: Hello! We hope all of our readers are doing well. Thank you for sticking with us and this story. It is truly a labor of love. As always please let us know what you think and anything you'd like to see in future chapters.

A soft knock at the supervisor's door received no answer but evoked memories as Sara let herself quietly in. Catherine's familiar scent penetrated her nostrils before she even got close to the desk making her face crinkle unconsciously. She knew of course that her former colleague, ex FBI agent and new crime lab head supervisor never shared hers and Grissom's ideas on perfume as a no-go for any officer working a crime scene. Not that the man changed ways after his retirement, now that she thought about it, he still used plain pure soap and unscented aftershave lotion and to be honest she preferred it that way. There was nothing more intoxicating for her than the smell of Gil's skin, or the ocean waft on his hair or the whiskey flavor on his breath…clearing her throat to chase away last night's images from her head, Sara pivoted on her heels and let her gaze fall on every corner of the room while taking in all the changes that made it feel so unfamiliar when in truth it wasn't.

It felt like those spot-the-difference pics she so much enjoyed along with puzzles ever since she was a kid. How did Catherine manage this so quickly? It's only been a few weeks since she left the place and it already looked anything but the plain -and let's admit it, boring- office she thought she would spend the rest of her working days in. New glossy furniture, modern light fixtures, even the walls were painted in a lively peachy color and a set of abstract paintings in gold frame hung where Grissom's pinned butterflies or DB's mushroom sketches used to be modestly displayed. Not to mention the little shiny ornaments, framed photographs and other collectibles crammed on the shelves in place of books. At least the office desk seemed to have survived the make up except for a new state of the art laptop at the center.

"Admiring my new toy?" the owner of said toy exclaimed as she barged inside carrying a heavy load of paperwork and dumped it next to it with a loud groan. Before Sara could say a word, Catherine hugged her tightly and then led her to the nearby chair and pushed her down gently.

"I was waiting for you, so tell me, how are you? How is therapy? Everything all right with Grissom?" She bombarded her with questions as she dragged another chair to sit across from her , big blue eyes never leaving Sara's open-mouthed face.

Wait, Catherine knows? How? She had just found the courage to tell Greg and he would never have shared this without her consent… and Gil would have mentioned a chat with Catherine wouldn't he? Maybe someone overheard her talking to Greg but it was less than an hour ago Jesus…

"How do you…?"

"Sara honey! No call, no message from both of your little lovebirds, do I have to interrogate Brass every time I want to find out if you are okay?"

Brass! Of course, now it figures. Poor man never stood a chance with Willows in spit-it-out mode. He'd probably mentioned he was meeting Grissom and Sara felt pity for him rather than angry with them talking behind her back.

"So you know,' she hesitated. "About my condition."

"Well not thanks to you or Gil," Catherine scoffed, "Why on earth didn't you say something?" Catherine bit her lip in a genuine worried expression and Sara realized the woman was really concerned for her like that day outside the interrogation room, after she lost her temper with Lady Heather. Sara had to admit that Catherine's words helped her face her feelings for her ex husband at the time and it was always something she admired in the blonde; the no-bullshit, cut-to-the chase attitude. Maybe talking with her wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"I'm sorry, I should have called…"

"You bet you should've, you know we all love you both, we can help you and you shouldn't have to go through this alone."

"I'm not alone. Gil is with me, he's been by my side all the time even if he should have probably taken his boat and sailed faraway by now..." Sara's nervous laugh turned into a moan. "Oh what am I saying, he's been wonderful, really."

"He better be, not many people get a second chance at love," Catherine sighed and threw her arms open, "So no regrets for leaving this place huh?"

"None. But you've done quite a job changing it Cath, I must say it feels a lot less gloomy."

"Girl let me tell you, the real gloom lies with the paperwork, chasing whales is an upgrade," Catherine winced. "Now tell me all the details, Brass told me you are going through radiation therapy sessions right?"

"That's right. I'm almost finished really, a few more to go and then the doctor will do a reevaluation, hopefully for the better," Sara forced herself into a big smile.

"Are you afraid? And don't play brave with me."

Taken aback for a minute, Sara hesitated as it was always hard for her to admit weakness in front of others and her long time colleague was well aware. No-bullshit was what she asked for…

"I'm terrified but not so much for me," she added quickly, "as for us, you know, Gil and me. We've been through so much but this is something completely new and completely out of the blue. Something… out of our control and this is scary Cath."

"I bet it is. For Grissom especially. But he loves you and he would do anything for you Sara, you have to trust him."

"I do, it's just that..."Sara averted her gaze to her fidgeting fingers.

"What? What is it?" Catherine insisted.

"I might not be able to make him a father and I know, I know I never cared much for children but..."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I'd never thought you wanted a child."

"I'd never thought I wanted a child but… it has taken me such a long time to realize and even longer to accept it and now… it's too late."

"What did the doctors say?"

"That it's probably unlikely to happen."

"Well they didn't say never did they? Have some faith Sara, if not in God in science, you believe in science right? Or better still, believe in you, it's not over until it's..."

"...over."

" That's right. And I don't know about the bugman but I'm sure you'd make a wonderful mother."

"I'd be happy if I'd make half the mother you are," Sara bit her lip. "Lindsay has turned into a pretty fine woman and you did it all by yourself. Grissom says so too."

"Yeah, she is great, isn't she? My little girl now a CSI I, who would have thought?" Catherine said with a smug, "Hey, speaking of girls, did you know Maya Russell was here for a visit?"

"DB's daughter? From Seattle?"

"Yep. She was in town and apparently her daughter wanted to say hi."

"Little Kaitlyn. What a nightmare that kid had been through."

"She looked fine. More than fine actually, she's become a fiery young lady, turned the lab upside down to find you. She said her grandfather had told her so much about you."

"About me?" What could DB have told his granddaughter about her? That once upon a time there was a csi-lady who was angry with the world and most of all with herself?

Sara remembered DB with fondness and would always be thankful for his kindness to her, for always being there to say a word, to put her head straight and her mind at ease. No tensions or misunderstandings, it was easy working with him and sometimes that's all one needs. Grissom thought he was too gentle for the job but Sara knew the man was truly dedicated. She missed him as much as she missed them all.

"Hey, Sara! Are you miles away or what?"

"Um, sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, do you want DB's number? Maya gave it to me."

"Oh sure."

Catherine scribbled the number on a papernote, "I called him once and he said Vegas is a playschool compared to Cyber Crime."

"I don't even want to imagine," Sara sighed, slipping the note into her pocket. She'd call him later she thought and as she was contemplating time difference and office hours, her phone went off, startling her. Fishing for it in her bag she caught Catherine with the corner of her eye; she was pretending to be busy with her laptop while Sara knew she was all ears.

"Sidle. Oh, Mrs Neuman, yes I'm fine thank you, um no, I'm not busy today, maybe… yes, ok I could do that, yes, thank you… bye."

"The doctor?"

"Secretary. They want me to reschedule tomorrow's session for today. For now, actually. Apparently the radiologists have to attend an emergency meeting later on."

"Great! I'll take you!"

"No, no, it's nothing, you don't have to…"

"Nonsense! I can't wait to get out of here," she faked exasperation, "plus, you can tell me all the spicy stuff about your husband on our way there." With a coy smile, Catherine ushered her towards the exit before Sara could resist any longer.

"Ex."

"Yeah, ex, future, whatever."

Sara couldn't help but grin as they marched side by side down the office corridor like they had done so many times in the past, many times forming a united front and at times in strife but always fierce together. As much as she didn't care to admit, she enjoyed this female fellowship and even missed it too.

As they rushed through the parking lot, Catherine led the way to her car and Sara followed. The sun blazed through the glass and they both reached for their shades exchanging smiles.

"Any chance they let you have a drink afterwards? A beer maybe?" asked the blonde as Sara broke into laughter.

"No? Damn," Catherine sighed.

"Just drive!"