Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Wish they were but they‘re not. Que Sera Sera..

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Finality --

“I hate you. If you’re going to keep messing with me then I’m gone.” she said as she grabbed her coat from the hook in the hall. “You know how I feel about you, you’ve admitted how you feel about me, but this age stuff is bullshit. Why don’t you let me decide what’s in my best interest and if someone is too old for me.”

She grabbed the door knob and flung the door open. It bounced off the wall, leaving an indentation in the plasterboard.

“You’re going to miss me when I’m gone. And by the time you realize what’s happened it will be too late for you to try and fix it” she shouted over her shoulder as she stormed down the breezeway and out to her car.

She climbed in and sped off into the night. He would never see her again. She was gone and it was his fault.
--

Grissom sat in his office and stared at a pile of paperwork that had accumulated over the day. His head snapped up as he heard a knock on his door. The door opened slowly and Catherine entered. She sat in the chair facing his desk and looked at him. After a minute she took an envelope out of her pocket and placed it on his desk in front of him. He stared at it, but did not open it.

“What’s this?” he asked

“Sara left it with me last night. She was pissed. What happened, I thought things were great between you two?”

Grissom shifted in his seat and continued to look at the plain white envelope on his desk.

“I’m in no mood, Catherine. Please leave.”

She stood slowly and looked at him.

“Whatever it was, you better fix it. She said some things last night that don’t bode well for you.”

And with that she left his office, closing the door behind her. Grissom looked at the letter on his desk with such intensity, it was almost as though he was willing it to open itself so he wouldn’t have to touch it. He stared for a few more minutes when he finally found the courage to open it.

“You have stomped on my heart for the last time. We have known each other for too many years for you to try and pull some shit like this. I loved you more than any other person in my whole life. I would have done anything for you. I thought we had a great thing going, but again, with your walls. You have to learn to let people in. I’m gone. Enclosed is my resignation. No two weeks notice. I don’t think I could stand to be around you for two more weeks. Don’t try to find me, you won’t be able to.
You lost out big time, Grissom.”

These words were like daggers through his heart. He felt a certain amount of tightness in his chest as he re-read the letter. Then the tears came with such volume he could not stop them even if he wanted to. He lay his head in his hands and watched as his tears pooled on the floor. He had to find her and make things right. He was not very good with people, lacking in the proper social skills, but he had to try. He missed her already. He rose from his desk and walked into the hall. He headed for the parking lot and once in his truck, was off to find the love that he had pushed out of his life, possibly forever.

As he pulled into Sara’s parking lot he saw her pull out and onto the main road. He followed her, flashing his lights and honking his horn to get her to pull over. Finally they came to a red light and he saw this as his opportunity to get to her. He pulled next to her car and rolled down his passenger window. He shouted to her, but she didn’t even look.

“Sara. Sara pull over.” he shouted

The light turned green and she burned rubber through the intersection. He was left in a cloud of grey smoke as he sat and watched her go. He floored his gas pedal and caught up with her. He followed her all night until she stopped for gas somewhere way outside of Vegas. As she exited the vehicle he jumped out of his truck and ran to her. He caught her by the elbow and she, consciously or otherwise, cracked him in the face causing his nose to bleed. Ignoring the pain in his face he tried again, this time he put his hand on her shoulder. She grabbed him by the wrist and shifted her weight backwards and flipped him over so he landed in the dust. He stared up at her from the flat of his back. He could not believe the sheer amount of anger in her eyes as she ordered him,

“Leave me the hell alone. I have nothing to say to you. Go home Grissom.”

She walked into the gas station and paid for gas and on her way out he grabbed her from behind and restrained her wrists at her waist. She stomped on his foot with the heel of her boot, but he did not flinch. He lifted and carried her to a picnic table under a tree. He sat down with her between his legs and while still retraining her, wrapped his legs around her waist. She was completely immobile.

“You’re going to listen to me.” he demanded

No answer

“I messed up big time. I realize that, now. I didn’t know just how much you loved me until I got your note. I am determined not to lose you again. My heart broke today.”

“My heart had been broken when I wrote it. Broken by you. I am not your doormat, Grissom. I have feelings and will not let you trample them any longer.” she spat at him.

She threw herself backward into his chest, knocking him off balance. They fell to the ground and she got up and began to pump her gas. Grissom lay there for a minute wondering why his words had no effect on her. They had come from his heart, they were true. What was he going to do?

She finished pumping and returned the nozzle to its catch. As she walked toward her door Grissom jumped up and ran to her. She was sitting in the car, ready to start the ignition when he placed his hand on the door frame.

“Sara, listen to me. I love you. I don’t want to lose you again”
“Well, you should have thought about that earlier. Now move your hand before I close the door on it.” she ordered

He did not move. She slammed her door and caught the tips of his fingers. He recoiled in pain. She rolled down her window and said that she had warned him. He continued to protest, saying that he loved her and would do anything she asked, if she would only stay. As she pulled out and onto the road he followed her screaming,

“I LOVE YOU!”

But she was gone. He stood in the middle of the street. Then he fell to his knees and began to cry the life out of him. She was gone and he had made her leave. It was his fault. After a few minutes he hobbled back to his car and drove back to the lab. When he entered he was approached by Nick and Warrick. They looked at him. His nose, broken. His back, agonizing. His right hand, crippled.

“Man, what happened to you?” asked Nick.

“You look like hell. You get mugged”
“Nothing” he said sadly as he held his crippled hand

“Doesn’t look like nothing. You better go to the hospital and have those looked at.” suggested Warrick

Just then Catherine walked up to him and noticed his considerable damage.

“You went after her, didn’t you”
“What, Sara did this?” asked Nick pointing to Grissom’s injuries

“I’m fine. I deserve what I got.” he said as he turned to go to the hospital

He returned hours later with his hand in a cast and his ribs wrapped. He sat in his office and looked at the one piece of happiness that he had left in his life. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a photo of he and Sara while on vacation. She was smiling lovingly at him and he had his head bowed down, about to kiss her. The tears came in force as they pooled on the photo. She was gone and he had pushed her too far. Now the only real things he had to remember her by were the injuries that she had inflicted upon him.