Lost

By Joan Powers

A/N: Real life has done its best to prevent me from finishing this story. But I'm pleased to finally present the last chapter of Lost. If you've enjoyed this story or have constructive suggestions, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks to all of you who've already sent feedback - it's been greatly appreciated. This chapter wouldn't have turned out as nearly well without helpful suggestions from PhDelicious - thanks! In this chapter italics denote flashbacks.

Summary: When Sara disappears from a crime scene, the CSI team scrambles to locate her. During the course of their investigation, they are also puzzled by Grissom's behavior

Timeline/Spoilers: Season 6 (up to but NOT including "Daddy's Little Girl" 6.12)

Chapter 10 Sara

Several weeks later 7:15 a.m. Rome

Sara languidly stretched her limbs then snuggled closer to Grissom's bare chest. She enjoyed listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing as he slept. She still couldn't believe they were really here, that they'd taken off on the spur of the moment to hop a flight to Rome. Well, it hadn't been completely spontaneous but for meticulous people like herself and Grissom, it had practically been a whirlwind decision. She hadn't thought he could be so impetuous. Nor had she believed it of herself. Blissfully comfortable next to her lover beneath the sheets, she had no regrets.

The past few weeks had been a blur - so different from normal. It was almost as if she'd started a new life. At first she'd thought her head injury had been clouding her judgment since it had been difficult for her to focus. Yet as the days passed and her condition improved, she'd realized that Grissom really had changed.

Originally she'd assumed that his transformation might be short lived, that his resolve would falter once the stress of the moment dissipated, once life returned to more predictable patterns. It would be all too easy to slip back into those old familiar routines, especially for Grissom. That had been part of their growing problem – his stubborn clinging to his old ways, his reluctance to fully open up to her. Although he'd wanted to be with her, he'd been resistant to making changes.

However, in the hospital, he'd remained firm, openly embarrassing her with his frank proclamations of love regardless of his audience - co-workers or even complete strangers. It wasn't that she didn't feel the same way about him or that she didn't want to hear it. Every time he'd said he loved her with such passionate conviction, a tingle of joy shot through her. The switch had been rather abrupt, that was all.

They'd spent months carefully concealing their relationship, purposely taking separate vehicles to work, never leaving the lab together or even at the same time, and avoiding central locations during off hours where others might have discovered them. They'd devised a phone code to conceal personal conversations at work, though that had been mostly for emergencies rather than idle chatter. After having that rigid mindset for several months, Grissom insisting that she was going home with him right in front of Nick and Greg had been overwhelming. She'd assumed he'd only intended for her to stay for the duration of her recovery, since he'd been so hesitant about her staying over night in the past.

She'd half wondered if her Grissom had been replaced by an alien. The man who had refused to let her leave a tooth brush at his place had cleared off the bathroom counter for her beauty supplies. Without prompting, he'd emptied half of his closet for her clothing and managed to find several drawers as well. He'd encouraged her to explore his beloved collection of books which in the past had been designated for show only. He'd even picked up vegetarian take out without grumbling and omitted his requisite meat offering.

However, it hadn't been a flawless transition by any means.

"What's…all this?" Grissom visibly stiffened while he gestured dismissively to some containers on the vanity as if he was afraid to touch them in fear of contaminating himself.

Reacting to his stern tone, Sara hurried over. Then she took a breath and tried to lighten up the moment. "Foundation, deodorant, eye shadow, moisturizer…" she rattled off. Holding up the moisturizer, she explained, "It keeps my skin soft. That's good, isn't it?" She winked suggestively at him, brushing up against him.

The wheels were slowly turning in his head as he consciously made an effort to be more flexible. Forcing a smile that soon became more genuine as he considered the implications, he agreed. "Soft skin is definitely good."

However he was still partially focused on the counter, concerned by the clutter. Then he suggested, "You know, maybe you could get a basket to put all these containers in. That way they'd be handy but we'd have more space."

"Excellent idea."

She'd kept waiting for the bomb to drop, for Grissom to revert to his old ways. And in some respects, he did regress. His displays of affection and proclamations of love became limited to more private venues, much to Sara's relief. After all, they were both intensely private people. Gradually Grissom also became less paranoid about her well being, he'd been anxious about leaving her alone in the hospital, afraid of losing her again. Even when they'd arrived at his home, he'd hovered close by, rarely leaving her by herself. His attentiveness had been sweet but cloying. It hadn't made sense to Sara, but she'd reasoned that she hadn't experienced what he had during the crisis. Perhaps she would've behaved in a similar fashion.

In some respects, spending more than a week sequestered with Grissom in his town house was trial by fire. Two intensely private people, both obsessed by their work suddenly with excess time on their hands. It would've been a trying proposition solo. With two of them, it was a potentially lethal situation. As expected, they'd occasionally grated each other's nerves.

Sara was attempting to get comfortable on the couch, with limited success. She hated to admit it but she was bored. Although the throbbing in her head had drastically decreased, the dull thud still made it difficult to concentrate on reading. She was trying to find something on the television to engage her attention or at least distract her. When Grissom trailed into the room, his grim expression raised the old red flags.

What had she done now? In the past he'd stare at her or just storm off, leaving her to wonder.

This time, he paused. "Uh…Sara…I'd like to do some reading. Would you mind if I turned off the television? I could put on some Mozart. Or you could make a selection."

Stunned that he'd even made the suggestion, she wasn't sure how to respond. She was about to automatically acquiesce, but she fought that urge. Her needs were also important. Normally she would've been happy to join him. But she was feeling out of sorts.

"Another time maybe? My head is bothering me so I'm having trouble concentrating on reading. I need something light to distract me."

To her amazement after they'd found a documentary on the History channel to watch together, he offered to massage her temples.

Finally when conflict arose there had been discussion, finally some give and take. Sara no longer had to guess as to what was going on in his head. Finally they felt more like a couple who worked together to resolve such mundane issues as what brand of coffee to purchase, which TV news station they preferred, or the best way to store fresh vegetables along with other customary household chores. In the past, she'd never felt she'd had the option to change anything. That she had to adapt to his world or else.

Most important, that invisible barrier that in the past had only been breached when they'd made love was lowering. While she was aware that she'd never completely know Gil Grissom, now she was experiencing far more than she ever had before.

She'd been pleased with their strides and thrilled they were growing together as a couple. Then, just before her return to work, Grissom had continued to astonish her by insisting she move in with him.

"Sara?" Her blank stare in response to his request frightened him. He repeated himself, wondering if she hadn't heard him the first time, "Do you…want to move in with me? Or we could buy a new house…" Her prolonged silence was making him nervous. "Sara?" His pupils darted about anxiously scanning her.

"I'd love to."

"I could take down some insect displays in the living room to make room for your art work. You could even pick out a new bedspread or curtains, or paint if you want to. I want you to feel at home."

They'd packed her belongings the next day. Grissom had insisted that she return her apartment key, removing that safety net.

Sara studied the morning sunlight trailing into their room through the elaborate oval windows. The ornate wooden four poster bed and other old fashioned accouterments reminded her that she was far from home. Their quaint bed and breakfast, a castle that was over a hundred years old, was a far cry from a Holiday Inn or even a suite at the Bellagio. She'd never been to Europe before. Grissom had traveled there some, mostly on business for conferences but never with 'such a lovely female companion' as he'd charmingly put it.

During her recovery, they'd discussed travel plans in a far off day dream sense more to kill time than anything else.

"I'd like to go back to the rainforest. It's a fascinating place – you wouldn't believe how many species of insects and frogs there are. The variety of plant life is just as amazing," Grissom explained as he lay beside Sara, stretched out on their bed.

Sara was surprised, it seemed like there was always more to learn about Grissom

"I don't know. That sounds intriguing but…adventurous. After what I've been through recently, I need something less rugged – maybe some place with a beach or hot tub," she grinned.

"What about a cruise?" he asked, though his tone indicated he wasn't completely thrilled with the notion.

Sara considered it briefly. "I hear the food is wonderful. It would be great in the self-indulgence department. But I'd need some sort of mental stimulation, otherwise it would get dull quickly. And if we went on any type of conference cruise, it wouldn't be a vacation." It didn't matter anyway, they were just killing time.

She remembered a program they'd watched the other day on television. "How about Rome? They have those Roman baths," she joked. "It would be neat to check out the Forum, the Colosseum and the Pantheon - all that ancient architecture."

Grissom brightened up, "That's a wonderful idea Sara. We could spend a week just exploring all of the monuments. We could visit ruins of Pompeii – the ancient city buried by Mt. Vesuvius. And all those galleries displaying works of old masters. My mother once traveled there and loved it."

"Not to mention, there's some pretty good food and wine," she smiled.

Then they'd gotten caught up with moving and her returning to work so she'd forgotten about the discussion.

For the most part, she'd had no trouble back on the job. She had no memory of her attack or those missing hours. In fact, Grissom had been more apprehensive than she had been which had annoyed her and set her slightly on edge. Even the guys were more protective of her. On her first night back, she'd caught Grissom trying to slip her an easy case. She'd given him an earful about that.

Once they'd settled into a comfortable rhythm at work, Grissom had called her into his office. At first she'd thought it was related to a case, but he'd asked her to close the door behind her. The broad smile on his face had also tipped her off that something was up. Then he'd showed her two planes tickets to Rome, with the flight leaving the next day.

Rome had been everything Grissom had built it up to be. Although she had already been familiar with some aspects of the city, she'd tried to play catch up, eagerly devouring guide books on the plane. But that hadn't been necessary for her companion was an expert.

They'd visited several famous monuments: Domus Aurea - the ruins of Emperor Nero's legendary Golden House, the Collosseum where they imagined themselves attending gladiator contests, the Forum, the Pantheon, along with many others. Sara had been excited to check out Palatine where the legendary Romulus killed Remus in 753BC. Trevi fountain had been a beautiful sight at night. They'd even bought a camera and asked locals to snap their picture at some of the sights.

Their days had been filled with exploring monuments, visiting the Vatican, museums and art galleries. They'd immersed themselves in local culture – sampling the regional cuisine and wines in open air cafes. They'd fallen into the pace of the area - lingering over meals and actually enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. This trip had reminded them that their common interests far exceeded crime scene investigation. Since they'd both focused so intently on their jobs before they'd become a couple, it was pleasant to realize that those other interests had only been dormant rather than lost.

Yesterday she and Grissom had been exploring a local market.

"Let's check out that display," Grissom suggested.

As they meandered about the narrow aisles, Sara paused to admire a long white off the shoulder silk dress. Grissom startled her, speaking over her shoulder.

"You'd look beautiful in that. Why don't you buy it?"

She laughed, "You've got to be kidding. How many times have you seen me wearing a dress? It's just not me. It would be a complete waste. The dress would just sit around in a closet and collect dust."

He solemnly caught her eye and assured her, "I can think of a good use for it."

Grissom stirred in bed, drawing her attention back to the present, yet he didn't open his eyes. She'd need to wake him up soon; they had plans for the day. She studied the ring on her finger and admired how the diamond sparkled when sun light touched it. The white silk dress rested on a nearby chair, with a bouquet of lilies in a vase on the adjacent table.

Grissom was certainly full of surprises. Suddenly the man who had rejected all traditional symbols of love or couplehood as antiquated and provincial wanted them all. The ring, the paper, the possessive hand on the shoulder or waist, joint assets - he wanted it all.

Sara had been pleased by his unexpected proposal but a little concerned. Were they taking things too quickly? Would Grissom regret rushing into this? As much as she loved him, she didn't need the bells and whistles. He loved her, it was enough. Then he'd told her that shortly after she'd moved in with him that he'd had his mother's engagement diamond soldered into a newer band and had only been waiting for the right moment.

She nearly died laughing. With Las Vegas being the ultimate place for quick marriages, it would've been so easy for them to pop into any number of chapels featuring a wide variety of themes. It wouldn't have been so challenging to find proper accessories. Why did they have to travel half-way across the world to get married? Then she realized that Grissom wanted more than just that piece of paper, more than the formality of the ceremony. He wanted the start of their new lives together to be special.

She sat up in bed, realizing that this trip and their subsequent marriage hadn't been nearly as spontaneous as she'd originally thought. Last night Grissom had handed the priest a stack of forms to authorize their union. That had taken prior preparation. But what a delicious surprise it had been for her that he'd done all the ground work.

Checking the display on the clock on a nearby table, Sara realized she needed to prod her husband to get him moving. Ironically enough, before their spur-of-the-moment wedding, they'd planned to visit the ruins of Pompeii today. She wasn't sure if that was an auspicious sign for starting a marriage – visiting the ruins of an ancient city. But she didn't care. They'd never been nor would they ever likely be considered normal in any sense of the word anyway.

THE END

Hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it!