Lindsey hopped from behind a corner and came to sit next to Sara, who had found a perfect sitting place at the edge of a sidewalk. Sara greeted her like always, even if Lindsey didn't answer. Sara had half smoked cigarette in her hand. She wasn't exactly comfortable of smoking in front of Lindsey, but the girl tended always pop out from out of nowhere. Lindsey grabbed a stick from the ground and started drawing picture's on dust that was covering the pavement. She glanced at Sara and the cigarette in her hand.

"Why don't you quit?" She asked insipid. Sara half-laughed and blew smoke out of her lungs.

She shrugged non-chalant. "Never know if I will..." She said before taking another drag. Speaking the truth, part of her wanted to quit, because the memory of surviving without the habit for years hunted in her mind. But the other part didn't really care of the memory. So she just kept going it. Lindsey observed her for another minute, which Sara simply ignored. Then the girl out of nowhere pulled the cigarette out of Sara's mouth and threw it on the street, jumping up and running away before Sara could get her. Sara was shocked, but it all happened too fast, and by the time she realised, the girl was gone.

"Hell, someone knows the manners..." She mumbled half aloud and remained her spot even if the siggy was dumped on the street. She sat there for a good while before silver SUV pulled in front of her and the passenger's door was pushed open. She got up, wiped the dust and sand off her bottom before climbing in.

"Did you steal this?" Sara said as a greeting.

"Only from Warrick," Greg pulled back to the street and speeded up. "He's car is so much cleaner than mine..."

"Oh, aren't you a gentleman," Sara smiled joking and made Greg laugh softly. They drove at Greg's place. He parked the car straight in front of the building, outrageously abusing the LVPD officer card's authority on the dash board. Greg grabbed a brown bag from backseat and locked the doors.

"Aren't you gonna tar your lungs before we go inside?" Greg asked, and got Sara thought about it for a second.

"Nah," she shrugged, "I quit."

Greg stopped and looked Sara bewildered. "Wow. Good for you." He had no idea Sara had stopped smoking. On the other hand, he also had no idea Sara had came up with the decision just about two seconds ago. He held the door open for her and two floors later they were in his apartment. Together they set up a breakfast table. Coffee, bagels and cheese Greg had brought in the paper bag and what ever food that was found from the closets.

"What the doctor said?" Greg asked and took the coffee Sara handed him.

Sara swallowed several times to get her mouth empty of bagel. "He was nice enough to speak straight. He told that even if the headaches are giving up and doesn't come so often, I shouldn't expect to get rid of them any time soon. The migraines and hell-like headaches that came after the hit has become chronic. He said it sometimes happen if you get your head hammered bad enough," Sara explained and took sip of her coffee. She told it like anything casual. "He told me to stop eating over-the-counter painkillers and wrote a new prescription. The new meds aren't as strong as the previous ones. Qualifies the safety limits on longer period use."

Greg listened silently and tried to keep hold of his feelings to prevent showing his thoughts in his expressions. Sara seemed to have accepted the fact that the bastard's beating had caused her long lasting health issues. In every meaning it was a good thing, because it meant she had decided to leave bad things behind and try move on with her life. But he was bitter, no matter what. He thought it was too unfair that after so much time she still needed to suffer. He wasn't ready to accept that life could be so twisted and cruel to those who didn't deserve it. Sara didn't deserve to go through anymore pain!

"What about the sleeping pills?" He asked.

"Same complaining I hear from Cath," She said with a little tense tone. It obviously was a subject Sara didn't want to hear an opinion from Catherine anymore than anyone else. "Except he's the one who has a power to stop letting me get them..." She added half aloud and focused on her coffee after she saw out of the corner of her eye the way Greg looked at her.

"Stop playing with fire. You know you shouldn't eat them in such amounts!" Greg said serious. Sara leaned backwards on the chair and crossed her arms.

"I know..." She admitted, biting her lip shortly. "That's why he refused to write me another dose yet. He told me to try surviving with what I've left. To prevent addiction."

"Well, do you disagree?!"

"I guess not..." Sara sighed. "I'm just, a little afraid, that all the stress that comes from work... all the nightmares and weird dreams that gets me a fear of falling asleep... will cause a serious insomnia. And it starts this never ending vicious circle I so don't want to be in."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. You're drawing the darkest picture when decreasing the dose of medication is just getting started," Greg said with a more soft tone than earlier during the subject on their conversation.

Sara looked doubtful but didn't argue. Greg was right, she shouldn't start fearing the worst beforehand.

"Anyway..." She mumbled slowly. She sat back straight and grabbed an apple from a basket. "Now I've been at Dr. Hayden's office and things on that area clear. And Catherine can get a peace of her mind back."

Greg laughed softly. "She's so gonna get her head blown with you." Sara coughed, acting hurt. "You? Stubborn? Nooowaayy..." Greg taunted with a loud harsh voice.

"Oh, shut up!" Sara growled as she rose up. She dropped the tree and what was left of the apple in an empty coffee mug and started clearing the table. "Like I'm the only one with personality issues? What about Catherine's ridiculously high temper? Or your being always such a smart ass?" Sara complained and threw the empty cart mugs in a garbage can. Greg only laughed at her and got up from his chair to put the food what was left in a fridge.

"Am I being a smart ass?" He asked amused. "Well, you just love me anyway..." He teased with an over acted smug on his face. Sara only stared at his self satisfied face that was about an inch away of hers.

"Don't press your luck," She warned. They cleared the table and while Greg was wiping it clean from crumbles, Sara went at the couch and snuggled herself into a comfy position.

"So..." Greg started and folded the dish rag on the edge of the sink. "This little thing between you and Catherine... it's serious then, huh?" He came to sit next to her. Sara smiled and tilted her head against a back of the couch.

"Yeah, it's serious... I have this strange feeling that this might turn out to be one of those long-term relationships you hear people tell stories about," Sara answered with a light tone. "I really love her, y'know," She admitted.

"I can see that," Greg laughed. "It seems she loves you too. Very, very... very-very much." He had seen the look in Catherine's eyes when she looked at the brunette. The way she touched the younger woman, caressing her hair, face or arms like she was the most precious thing on the planet. How fiercely she was ready to fight to stop anyone or anything in the world hurt Sara. "Does Lindsey know about you two?"

Sara shook her head. "No, we haven't told her yet. It doesn't feel like the right time," She explained.

"How did you plan to keep it as a secret, then?" Greg had met Lindsey and knew she wasn't blind. Nor stupid. Nor always too sensitive.

"We're telling it to her. Soon. After figuring out what to tell and how to tell it. I'm there all the time. We mostly sleep in the same bedroom. Same bed. She knows it. And if we don't tell her what's going on she'll figure it out by herself. Or then get some other crazy ideas only a teenage mind can develop. We get along with her quite well, actually. Excluding the times she's on a bad mood and doesn't care anyone's feelings... but I'm kinda used to her mood swings and how much temper she can have. Like a mother like a daughter..." Sara spoke without even noticing she was still talking. "And I'm a little afraid how she'll react once she hears that I'm in a relationship with her mother. The only person who's attention she needs the most right now."

"She's gonna take it fine."

"Oh yeah? I can see the picture of her hating me for the next five years. Constantly putting Catherine in situations where she has to pick between me and her, testing if she's still the number one."

"She'll get over it sooner than that..." Greg convinced.

Sara sighed. "Better hope so. If Catherine dumps me now," Sara shook her head, "it's gonna be the end of my story..."

"Trust me, Catherine would rather eat her right arm than let go of you." After what he had seen, he was sure that Catherine would never leave Sara that easily. And if she would, it would be end of her story... Greg swore quietly in his thoughts.

"Beside... our relationship isn't going that fast, so," Sara, after all, wasn't as sceptical as she had sounded, "so I guess it gives Lindsey fairly enough time to get use to idea of me being with her mother.

When Sara returned the house later that evening, she was surprised to find out how Lindsey was no longer the alone in there. Lazy beats reached from backyard to inside the house. Back door was left open. Sara saw through a window a punch of kids sitting on the grass. She stepped on a balcony and spying studied the group from the shadows. Two boys were lying lazily on the ground with a CD player between them. A brown haired girl was sitting cross-legged next to Lindsey and a boy was sitting next to her. The last one had positioned very closely to Lindsey, with tangled legs and the girl under his armpit. The boy had black hair and bright smile. He was about ten inches taller than Lindsey and he was wearing dark-blue t-shirt and wore-out jeans.

Slender arms sneaked around her middle and a soft body pressed against her back. Sara smiled.

"Aren't you worried they'll see something strange in the way we're standing?" Sara asked but didn't do any effort to change their position.

"I could strip my clothes off and no one would even realise," Catherine responded and pressed her cheek against the side of Sara's head. Sara laughed lamely.

"So.." Catherine said mischievously, "He is Samuel."

Sara fought against a smile that was about to burst across her face. Catherine had a hint of defiance in her otherwise neutral voice. Defiance she probably didn't even know to existed.

"So Lindsey finally introduced him to you?" Sara asked non-chalant and turned her head to right Catherine's face.

"Yes. She told me about him earlier this week. And since they walked in holding hands when the rest three came behind in military qualifying line, it didn't leave much to guess who he was." Catherine expalained while they observed the group from the distance. "And you already knew about this, didn't you?" Catherine added, not sounding even a bit surprised.

Sara grinned widely and covered Catherine's forearms with her own. "Since about the very first weekend I came over..."

"Of course you did..." Catherine smiled wry. "And I bet you had no issues like this when you brought boys, or girls home in your teens," Catherine presumed it to be a reason for Sara's amusement.

Smile in Sara's eyes faded and the smile on her lips turned dry. "Nah..." Her eyes focused onto youngsters again. "It wasn't like that in my house." She said without explaining it further. And Catherine didn't ask, she had already something else in her mind. Her hand started to slide slowly towards Sara's wrist.

"I want you to have something," She half whispered.

"Uh-huh?" Sara got curious.

Catherine turned Sara's palm up and placed something in her hand, squeezing it into a fist before Sara got to see it. It was metal, steel perhaps. It was small and edgy.

"It's a key," Catherine whispered and placed a kiss on Sara's neck. Sara forgot the group she'd been staring at and lowered her eyes on her fist. "I want this house to be your home as well."

Sara turned around and looked Catherine bewildered. She opened her fist and saw that it in fact was a key. She gazed at Catherine again, looking a little shocked this time.

"No strings attached," Catherine added and looked calmly at Sara. She pulled Sara inside the house and safe from prying eyes, pulled Sara closer and wrapped her arms around bony shoulders. "Just want you to feel this as your home. That you can come here when ever you like and stay as often as you are willing to stay." Catherine continued, taking an opportunity of Sara's confused state. "Just take it."

"Thanks..." Sara laughed dazed. Catherine's smile widened and she pulled Sara's head down for slow deep kiss.

It was only a key, but in this case practically the same thing as starting a life together. Catherine couldn't believe her luck. Her past love interests had mostly been assholes who cheated on her and sooner or later made her look and feel like a fool. She was seen as a beautiful sexy woman, nothing to take seriously in relationship. Not once before she has been given the person she loved or truly wanted. Not once she had thought this could actually happen, that Sara would be her girlfriend and love her as much as she loved the beautiful brunette. The reality was thousand times better than even the most wonderful dreams she'd had during the years.

As they separated, Sara looked her deep into eye and moved hair from temple behind Catherine's ear. "Greg will be here in 40 minutes. I need a shower before that," Sara said and stepped back. The moment was over and life was back in present.

"Really? I could give you a real reason to shower." Catherine grinned. "Only if we didn't have company.."

Sara laughed and let go of Catherine. "Maybe you could take them juice and biscuits to assure they're staying out for a while longer."

"And that would be another year of Lindsey not talking to me..." Catherine stated and turned around. Sara laughed again as she walked towards stairs. Catherine saw through corner of her eye her to stop and turn around. She turned her head and saw Sara looking at her.

"Aren't you coming?" Sara asked an evil look on her face. Catherine grinned and turned her look on left, leaning backwards to see better. The youngsters were still deep in their conversation. Not in near reach of hearing anything what could carry from the bathroom. She turned her face back to Sara with mischievous grin on her face.

"Right behind you..." She said with a sexy voice and followed Sara upstairs.

Greg pulled in front of Catherine's house and pulled the handbrake on. He waited Sara to come out and climb in. "You look happy," Greg mentioned and tilted his head to take a better look of Sara's face.

"Is that a crime?" Sara defended automatically but couldn't wipe off the smile she was wearing. "I am happy." She then added. Greg chuckled quietly as he started the engine and got back on the road. Sara never walked around with a happy face, so this must mean she really was in high spirits. "Catherine just gave me an unlimited access to her house."

"You're moving together?" Greg asked surprised.

"No, not exactly. I'm still keeping my place and have no intents to give it up anytime soon. Catherine gave me a key and invitation to join their little family."

"That's great Sara," Greg smiled and changed meaningful looks with the brunette. "But don't totally forget me even if you now have a girlfriend and real relationship."

"Don't worry, I'll still come rant you when Catherine is a bitch and the world is against me," Sara promised.

"Nice," Greg laughed.

They pulled in front of the crime lab.

"What do you think, will they let us be partners tonight?" Sara wondered.

"So you're actually letting me mess in to YOUR case?" Greg asked playing over dramatic. He smirked at Sara who slapped him slightly at a shoulder. "In case there's something big I'm sure Grissom will partner me with someone. I hope it will be you," Greg spoke.

Sara smiled. "Well, hope is a good place to live in… Okay, let's go shall we?" She said and stepped out of the car.

The End! Ende! Slutet! Slutten! Loppu! Het Einde! La Final! La Fin! конец!... (I'm out of languages...) HAH!! The freakin' story is FINALLY over!

Thanks all the feedback, reviews and messages! They all meant a lot to me. Thanks again for all of you!! XOXO

Alex, Cole, thank you so much for your help!

Thank you for reading! :-)