Chapter Eight: The Goodbye

The next morning, both teams are gathered in the waiting area at McCarran International Airport.

“It was nice to see you, Gil. We should do this again, sometime.” Gibbs says, giving Grissom’s hand a firm shake, before pulling him in for a hug.

“Definitely, Jethro. Have a safe journey home.” Meanwhile, Tony’s talking to Nick.

“Hey, no hard feelings?” Nick asks, gesturing towards Sara who was chatting to Catherine and Kate.

“Course not, mate. I can see the way she looks at you. You deserve her. But, if you ever do anything to hurt her… I know where you work.” Tony says in a serious tone. Nick laughs, before replying in the same tone.

“Don’t worry, I would never hurt her.” Nick says. They head over to where the girls are chatting. Nick wraps his arms round Sara’s waist, and rests his chin on her head. “Hey baby,” he drawls, giving her a gentle kiss. Tony does the same to Kate, which makes the girls laugh. Suddenly, a distorted voice booms across the room.

“Flight 465 to Richmond, Virginia has been delayed due to hazardous weather conditions. We’re sorry for the inconvenience. We hope to be in the air within the hour.”

“Great. Looks like we’re gonna be hanging around for a bit.” Kate says.

“You guys wanna grab something to eat? I’m starving.” Tony asks.

“You’re always hungry.” Kate says, laughing. So, Nick, Sara, Kate and Tony head off in search of food. They find a small café and order some breakfast.

“Since we’ve got some time, let’s find out a bit more about each other. Tony, where did you go to school?” Nick asks.

“Well, my dad enrolled me in military school in Rhode Island. Said I needed the discipline. The platoon leader in charge of my barracks was strict… he had a walking stick, and if anything was out of order… let’s just say, I still have the scars.”

“Tony, you never told me that.” Kate says, stroking Tony’s hand in support.

“You never asked.” Tony shrugs it off. The waiter brings their food, and conversation is temporarily stopped whilst they eat. The waiter returns and clears their plates away.

“After I finally escaped from the academy, I got a BA in Phys Ed at Ohio State, and then got a job at Baltimore PD, before being recruited for Gibbs’ team. What about you, Sara?”

“Erm… I didn’t have the greatest childhood, but found my escape when I got accepted to Harvard.”

“You went to Harvard? Wow, what was it like?” Kate asks.

“The best four years of my life. Well, at the time. I finally felt like I belonged, I was surrounded by people who were just like me. It was great. I got a job at the San Francisco coroner’s office, before being transferred to their crime lab.”

“How did you end up in Vegas?” Tony asks.

“I met Grissom at a conference nine years ago, and when one of his trainee CSIs got shot at her first crime scene, he called me, and offered me a job here. That’s the best thing that ever happened to me. At last, I felt like I was loved, I finally had a family.”

Suddenly, the distorted voice returned. “Flight 465 to Richmond, Virginia, is now boarding. Please proceed to the gate. Thank-you for your co-operation.”

“That’s us. We better go find the others.” Tony says. They pay the waiter, and rush off the find the rest of the team. They enter the waiting area, and find Gibbs and McGee.

“Hey, where are the others?” Nick asks, a little worried.

“Someone named Ecklie called, said they was a big scene down on the Strip. Gil and the others headed down there. He told me to tell you two to get back to the lab ASAP.”

“We better go. Have a great flight, and I hope we can do this again sometime.” Nick says, hugging Kate and shaking Tony, McGee and Gibbs’ hands. Gibbs and his team wave goodbye as Nick and Sara hurry off. They then proceed to the gate and board the plane, watching out the window as they fly away from Sin City and their new found friends.

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That's the end. I hope you enjoyed it!