AN: Thanks for the continued support, and I hope you enjoy this unexpected chapter during the week, there is a special author's note at the bottom to explain my reasoning.

Chapter 32: Arriving in Vegas

August 18

Sara and Grissom slowly woke up the next morning before they just laid in bed, soaking up this quiet moment they get to share with one another, and when they finally got out of bed, they took a shower before getting dressed and packed up what was out of their bags, then after making sure the place was tidy, they made sure the windows and all the doors, not named the front one, was locked. Sara then takes the bags to the vehicle while Grissom sets the alarm and locks the front door.

When he gets into the driver's seat, he starts the vehicle up and they look at one another with love in their eyes before he pulls out of the driveway so they could meet his mother and the girls at a diner for breakfast, which was actually his mother's suggestion, so no one had to cook.

Once they got to the parking lot, and he pulled the car next to his mother's, which his mother and the girls were already out and standing next to the trunk, Sara chuckled as she placed her hand up to her mouth. "Oh my god, she's actually wearing the shirt."

Grissom chuckled with a nod. "I guess we should write this day down in history that my mom is actually wearing a t-shirt."

"She is one proud grandma."

"That she is."

After they get out of the vehicle, they greet the girls before Grissom placed the girl's bags in the trunk in their vehicle then they headed for the entrance to the diner, and while they were walking, Grissom signed to his mother with a smile. 'I can't believe you're wearing it.'

Betty signed with a smile. 'What? It was made to be worn, right?'

'Of course, I've just never seen you in a t-shirt before.'

'Well, there is always a first time for everything, besides it's for a special reason. I thought I would show the world the happy news.' She then stops abruptly right as they got to the door with a worried look on her face. 'Unless you're not ready for me to do that.'

Instead of Grissom 'answering', Sara did with a bright smile. 'Share away mom, let the whole world know that you're going to be a grandma again.'

Betty had a bright smile on her face as she nodded while Grissom opened the door for them.

Throughout their breakfast there were a lot of people congratulating the family, and some people Betty actually knew.

When breakfast was finished, and Grissom paid the bill, they walk out of the diner and head for the vehicles, where they all said their goodbyes to Betty one by one, leaving her son for last.

Betty cups her son's cheek with proud tears in her eyes, and he nodded with a smile, knowing what she is thinking before signing. 'I love you mom, and I'll give you updates.'

She nodded before signing in return. "I love you too, have a safe trip to Vegas and home, and thank you."

They kissed each other's cheeks, hugged one another before they each got into their driver's seat of their vehicles and went their separate ways.

Many hours later

When they finally made it into Las Vegas, and things were looking a little more familiar to Lindsey, she smiled as she spoke. "As much as I had fun with you all this summer, I am so glad that I am home."

They all smiled in return before Belle spoke. "That's understandable, I probably would have felt the same way if the roles had been reversed."

10 minutes later, Grissom was pulling the vehicle into the driveway to Catherine's one-story, three-bedroom house and the front door was opened immediately.

The moment Grissom had stopped, Lindsey was out of the back seat before she ran to her mom. "Mom!"

Mother and daughter have huge grins and were laughing as they hugged one another tightly, so happy to see one another.

By the time they pulled back, the Grissom family had gotten out of the vehicle but stayed near it while they smiled watching the reunion.

Lindsey and Catherine went through the routine of a greeting when someone was gone for a while, then after one more hug, Catherine looks at Grissom with a smile. "If you're hungry, Warrick would like to meet all of us for lunch."

While Warrick stayed at Catherine's more than at his own place these days, and more and more of his things were here, he hadn't officially moved in yet, and wouldn't until after their honeymoon, so he was at his place packing what he did have.

Grissom nodded. "Sure, it is about lunch time anyways."

Catherine nodded with a smile in return. "Alright, let's get inside so you can rest a few minutes while I'll call Warrick."

The family nodded and Belle ran towards Lindsey before they both ran inside the house while Grissom grabbed Lindsey's two suitcases from the trunk that Catherine had sent them during Lindsey's stay with them. Catherine grabbed them from him, and they headed towards the front door of the house, then after walking in, she sets the suitcases down, told Grissom and Sara to make themselves comfortable before she grabbed her cell phone from the coffee table and called Warrick about lunch.

When she was done a few minutes later, she smiled at them. "We can leave in a few minutes." After they nodded, Catherine sat down in the recliner and asked. "So, how was it really?"

They smiled while Sara was the one that spoke. "It was really good, they were well behaved, although there were some nights it did take them a little longer to fall asleep, but it was summer vacation, so we weren't too strict on it."

"That's nice, I'm glad she did have fun, but I got to tell you, I missed her like crazy." She then looked at Grissom with a smirk. "I don't think you could have done it if Belle had wanted to come here for the summer."

Sara stifled a laugh and Grissom shook his head with a slight chuckle of his own. "You're probably right." He then did a little sigh. "But as Sara pointed out, we might have to prepare ourselves if she's interested in any camps when she gets older."

"That is true, but I'm sure they have some kind of parent weekend or night, where you can visit them, so least it won't be the whole time you won't see her."

After they nodded in agreement, they stood up from their seats while Catherine called for the girls to come in the front room so they could leave and meet Warrick at their usual diner, and because Catherine drove her vehicle, Belle wanted to ride with her and Lindsey.

Once they arrived at the diner, they get out of their respective vehicles and head to the entrance, walked in and took a table in the back, where the longer ones were, then about five minutes later, Warrick walks in and Catherine waves him over.

He was just about there when Lindsey got out of her seat and ran towards him. "Warrick!"

Warrick smiled while he hurried his steps a little and picks the little girl up when they were close enough, and while they were doing their greeting, all Catherine could do was watch with a smile on her face and love in her eyes, happy those two had a very good relationship, which had been that way the moment those two had met. In fact, it has only gotten stronger since Catherine and him started dating, he basically treats her little girl as if she was his, and Catherine could tell it ticks Eddie off at times, but frankly she didn't care, she and her daughter were happy, so that was his problem to deal with. He made his choice by breaking up the family in the first place.

Catherine mentally shook all thoughts away from her ex as Warrick and Lindsey came closer to the table, she smiled wider as she spoke to her fiancé, which sent a warm, fuzzy feeling down her spine. "Hi babe."

Warrick smiled. "Hi Babe." He then walked over to her, and they share a kiss before he sits down next to her, while Lindsey takes the other side of her mom and Belle, he then shakes Grissom's hand and greets Sara and Belle. "Hi everyone, nice to see you all."

Grissom nodded with a smile. "You too."

The waitress came and took their orders, and after she left, Grissom asked them. "So, tomorrow is the big day, are you ready?"

They both had bright smiles on their faces, and Warrick took Catherine's hand as he replied with honesty. "More than, I finally get to marry the woman I love, the only woman I ever loved this deeply."

When they saw him kiss her hand, they could tell she was practically melting under his loving gaze, and in all the years Grissom had known her, he has never seen her like that before, not even when her marriage to Eddie was in a good place. She's always been tough, even hard at times, not the 'melty, gooey' type he was seeing now, so it was definitely a new sight to see on her, but he was still happy for her, for Warrick as well, they both deserved this wedding.

Once their food was eaten and the bill was paid, they walked out of the diner and Catherine was explaining there were last minute things that needed to get done before the big day tomorrow and that she needed Lindsey with her so she could pick out her dress, which an invitation to come along was given to Belle, and the little girl took it so she could spend more time with her friend before they parted tomorrow.

Catherine smiled at Sara and Grissom. "Now you two have a little free time without kids."

They both nodded but Grissom asked. "Are you sure, though?"

Catherine understood how the girls might be feeling right now. "Of course, they only got today and tomorrow afternoon together before they have to part, I don't mind."

Which they understood that too, but it's been a little over 2 months since Catherine had seen her daughter and they thought she would want to spend time with just her. But if she was ok with it, then they wouldn't put up a fight, so they nodded and hugged their daughter goodbye, and after Catherine and Warrick said their goodbyes until tonight, where they were planning on having a huge dinner with their wedding guests before parting for the night with their bachelor/bachelorette party group, the girls walked towards Catherine's vehicle.

Warrick then asked Sara and Grissom with a slight smirk once they were alone. "And hey, if you don't have anything going on, I could use your help finish packing."

Even though he was kind of joking about it, Grissom nodded. "Sure, we can swing by in a bit."

Warrick chuckled. "Griss, I was joking."

But Grissom still wanted to come over to help. "I really don't mind."

Warrick nodded. "Ok, I'll see you in a few then. You remember where I live, right?"

Grissom nodded with a smile as they shook hands. "I do, we'll see you later."

After Warrick nodded one more time, he said bye to Sara before heading to his vehicle, then Sara and Grissom did the same, and he asked. "I hope it was ok."

Sara waved it off with a smile. "Of course. I'm just wondering what you have planned before we head to his place."

He smiled as they get in their vehicle. "Oh, I was just thinking about going down memory lane with you." He then cleared his throat. "I mean I know you didn't go to many places when you were visiting here for the first time, but..."

She cuts him off as she moved over the middle console to kiss his cheek. "The places that I did go held some of the most memorable moments of my life."

She pulls back slightly, and he turned his head so they could share a kiss before pulling back completely, then as he started the vehicle, he cleared his throat before speaking again. "And I was kind of hoping you don't mind if we swing by the lab."

Sara chuckled while shaking her head, she wasn't surprised by that at all, then she asked curiously. "Do you miss the lab here?"

He finally answered when he was driving on the road. "In some ways admittedly, I do, mostly because of the people I did work with."

She nodded in understanding before smirking. "And I'm sure you enjoy the better 'toys' that they have here."

"You know the lab in San Francisco have gotten a few upgrades since I've been there."

She smirked again. "Yeah, I wonder why, your name being attached to the lab could be one of those reasons."

This time he did smirk. "And how do you think they got the 'toys' here?"

Sara chuckled with a nod. "Ok, good point."

He nodded with a smile, then sighed as he finished. "I guess there is a small sense of 'what if'." He stopped at the red light before turning his head towards her and continued with love in his eyes. "But that would have ended up being the case between you and I if I had stayed here, and you know I never wanted a 'what if' when it came to us. I'm truly happy where I'm at and I don't regret my decision on leaving one bit, I didn't when I first made it and I don't now. I'm right where I belong, with you, our daughter and our little one."

She nodded with a smile, feeling the warm and tingly feeling she always gets when he talks like that.

They share a little kiss and when the light turned green, Grissom started driving again.

After going around town, seeing the bar where they first laid eyes on one another/shared their first kiss, the hotel parking lot that changed the course of her trip/life, they even took a small stroll in the park that they had their second, unexpected, meeting, and Grissom drove past his old townhouse before he pulled the vehicle into the parking lot to the Las Vegas Crime lab.

He stopped the vehicle, turned it off before looking at his wife. "I shouldn't be in there very long. But I mean you can come in if you want."

"I could use the restroom."

He nodded with a smile before they get out of the vehicle, then as they headed towards the entrance, he slipped his hand in hers without a second thought, causing her to look down at their hands with an unreadable look on her face, so he asked. "What?"

She shook her head. "It just feels weird."

He raised an eyebrow. "Holding my hand feels weird?"

She chuckled. "Holding your hand while going into a crime lab, where we don't have to act professional, feels weird."

"You do have a point, but I didn't have to think about taking your hand, this feels like second nature to me by now. It's when I have to tell myself that I can't, now that's weird to me."

She looks at him sadly. "Like every day during work hours."

"Exactly, so I have to take every opportunity that I can get."

She squeezed his hand lightly while replying with a smile. "No objections here."

He smiled in return while he opened the door to let her walk in the building first, and with their hands still clasped, they walked to the reception desk and Grissom spoke politely to the brown eyed, short dark haired, slim build, 5'6, woman behind the desk with the name tag that said Rachel on it. "Excuse me, I'm Dr. Gil Grissom..."

The young woman cuts him off as she was looking at him with an 'awe' expression. "You used to work in this lab, your name is legendary here."

Grissom gives her a shy smile as he continued. "Uh, thank you, I was wondering if my wife and I can have a guest pass."

She had the sign in clipboard in her hand while she asked. "Sure, but I didn't see your name for any appointments."

"You wouldn't, we just came into town, and I wanted to look around for old times' sake."

She nodded with a smile. "I understand, and I guess I don't have to go over the rules."

They each signed their name before Grissom handed her the clipboard back while shaking his head slightly. "Nope."

She grabbed two guest badges and handed them over to them. "Ok, you're all set."

They took the badges, clipped them to their shirt and proceeded to walk down the hall, where Grissom led Sara to the restrooms, least they were in the same place from when he was here, so they didn't have to go looking for them.

Not long after Sara had walked into the restrooms, loud, rock music was coming from one of the labs, so Grissom raised an eyebrow at hearing it, and was going to take a walk towards it, but someone to the left of him spoke in a surprised tone. "Dr. Grissom? Is that you?"

Grissom turned to look towards the other voice, and at first Grissom paused while looking at him, then he remembered who he was a moment later, so he smiled. "Richard Lee, how are you?"

Richard Lee had been working here for three years before Grissom left, and while he was a mainstay with the dayshift, he would help out Grissom and his team every once in a while when they were a man short, which was actually a lot of the times since graveyard wasn't a very popular choice to work, and in turn Grissom would help out Richard if he was staying late and he needed help, mostly if it was bug related.

The short blond haired, blue eyed, athletic build, 5'9 man shook Grissom's hand with a smile. "I'm good. How are you? Your family? You still enjoying your time in San Francisco?"

While Grissom never told the other man about his personal life, he would assume his life story was told when he left, he could just imagine how exaggerated it was made out to be though.

But Grissom was happy to tell him now. "I'm better than good, yes I'm enjoying my time in San Francisco, and my family/family life is better than I could have imagined."

Richard nodded with another smile, then he cleared his throat before asking. "You know it's actually a good thing you're here, I could use help with my case, it involves bugs."

Any case that involves bugs perks Grissom right up, and he nodded with a smile. "Sure, but I can only help for a few minutes, we do have somewhere else to be."

Richard smirked. "Let me guess it involves the future bride and groom?"

Grissom nodded again with another smile. "Yes, you can say that."

Then another quirk that Grissom has is when he was on a case, if there is a lead or something that excites him, he leaves a room without saying anything, and that's exactly what happened, he followed Richard down the hall without telling Sara he was leaving the area.

A few minutes later Sara opens the bathroom door and steps out, finding her husband not standing there anymore, but knowing that he wouldn't leave the premises altogether without her, so he had to still be in the building, she shook her head with a smile, having a feeling someone recognized him and wanted help with something.

She did lose her smile a moment later when she realized there was loud music coming from one of the labs, so she started walking towards it, stopping just outside the room that looked like the DNA lab and seeing the back of a tall/lanky man, then cleared her throat and spoke over the music, folding her arms over her chest. "Excuse me, isn't the music a little loud?"

A moment later the young man started to turn around, apparently unaware Sara was standing there, so he didn't hear her, then was shocked when he had fully turned around and finally saw her standing there before he hurried to turn his music off.

He sheepishly smiled. "Sorry about that." Then he cleared his throat and spoke with a flirty tone. "I'm Greg Sanders, how can I help you?"

Sara was looking at the young man who could be about five years younger than her with spiked up, brown hair as she replied with a polite smile. "I was just wondering why your music was so loud."

"Oh, well I do my best thinking."

"When it's that loud?"

As he nodded with another smile, Sara heard Grissom's voice behind her from the other end of the hall. "Honey, I'm so sorry."

Sara turns around and smiles at her husband. "It's ok, I figured you were 'whisked' away."

Grissom shyly smiled as Richard spoke while holding out his hand. "Yeah, sorry about that. I had a bug problem and he's still the best in the business so I thought I would get his expertise. I'm Richard Lee."

Sara smiled at young man with a handshake. "Yes, he is, I don't blame you on that, and I'm Sara Grissom."

While they release hands, Greg's voice was heard as he walked out of his lab and into the hall. "Wait, Grissom? As in Gilbert Grissom's wife?"

They all looked at Greg, and Grissom spoke. "Yes, my wife."

Greg's reaction just turned into complete 'Awe', like with Rachel at the receptionist desk. "You're Grissom?"

Grissom nodded with a smile. "I am, and you must be Greg Sanders." Now his reaction turned to complete shock that the 'legend' knew his name while Grissom continued. "Catherine has told me about this new DNA expert they hired last June."

Greg smiled proudly. "Yes, that would be me."

Richard then spoke towards Greg. "Sanders, shouldn't you be out of here by now?"

Greg normally worked on the graveyard shift, but he came in late last night, so he wanted to make up the time.

Greg nodded. "Yes, I just wanted to finish up a few things. In fact, I'm almost done." He looked at Grissom and spoke again. "It was nice to meet you sir." He then looked at Sara with a flirty smile again. "And it was very nice to meet you too, Sara." He then walks back into his lab and turns his music back on before going back to work.

The three of them shook their heads while they headed towards the entrance of the building, and Richard spoke. "Don't let his appearance fool you, he really is one of the best lab rats we have."

Sara then asked. "And the music thing?"

Richard smirks. "I'm just glad I'm on dayshift, so normally I don't have to listen to it."

They chuckled before Richard spoke. "It was really nice seeing you again, Dr. Grissom. I appreciate the help."

"You're welcome, and anytime."

He then turned to Sara. "And it was nice meeting you."

"You too."

They said their goodbyes before Sara and Grissom turned in their guest badges, signed out and walked out of the lab hand in hand, a moment later Sara spoke with a smile and proudness in her eyes. "You know you're like a celebrity here. I saw how they were all looking at you, total and in complete awe."

He smirked in return. "I believe that's how the guys were looking at you."

Sara shook her head with an objective noise. "Oh, come on."

"It's true, especially Greg, I saw how he was eyeing you."

They stop at the vehicle, and she started chuckling. "I don't even know the guy, and you're jealous of him."

He sighed and shook his head before speaking sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I can't help how I feel sometimes, especially when I see a man look at you like that."

She cups his cheek with love in her eyes. "Just remember babe, any of them can look all they want or however they want, but you can do so much more than look."

His smile started to grow as he moved his hand up to cup her cheek. "That is true, I get to do this." He brings her closer to him and they share a few sweet kisses before wrapping their arms around one another for a hug, then he spoke with a smirk after a sigh of content. "And it is my baby you are carrying after all."

Sara chuckled again as she ran her hand up and down his back. "I sure am. Plus, no one has anything on you, you already own my heart for all of eternity and I don't see anyone else ever claiming that right."

He smiled one more time as they pull back. "You have mine as well."

They share one more kiss before he opens the passenger door for her, and once she was in, he closes it and goes to the other side and gets in before starting it up and taking them to Warrick's apartment complex.

AN: Thanks for reading, and please review.

Special AN: As you might notice I don't normally post during the week, or at least I haven't for a while. But this is a special occasion, on this date, 12 years ago, I posted one of my first stories, and through my ups and downs in real life, I've managed to stick around all this time, which a huge part of that goes to you readers, followers, reviewers, and everyone who has favorited me and my stories.

I don't know how many of you are still with me from the very beginning since it's been a while since I 'heard' from you, but if you are still there, I just want to say I appreciate all the support you have given me, you gave me the courage to continue after my first post.

To the new people, thank you for helping me be inspired to still be doing this after all of this time, even when I've been at my lowest, I hope I'm doing my part on keeping GSR alive and well for you all. It has been a joy thus far sharing my stories, and I hope I can continue many more years.

Thanks again to the longtime 'fans' and newcomers alike, I hope you are all doing well. Until next time, always remember GSR4ever!