Title: Because I Could Not Stop for Death (Chapter 20 – FINAL CHAPTER)
Rating: M
Author: CSIGeekFan
Beta: seattlecsifan. She has been my rock through the entire series, and I can never find enough words to thank her for making sure I stay on track.
Pairings: Grissom/Sara, Warrick, Team
Spoilers: Season 8
Disclaimer: I may not own the show, but I have had fun just playing with the characters.
Author's Note: I would like to thank all the kind comments I've gotten along the way. I truly hope you enjoy this final chapter.

X X X

He held her hand, grinning like a loon, once she closed the back door of the car and settled into the driver's seat.

Hank leaned over the console, slobbering on the entomologist, and Grissom couldn't help but let the bubble of laughter erupt. As Sara rolled her eyes at him, he laughed all the more, and she put the car in gear.

"You really need to get out more," Sara murmured, feeling the infectious merriment in the vehicle flow with giddy energy, as she aimed the car toward the lab.

"Catherine called again," he stated, shrugging. "So did Brass."

Glancing at Grissom, she drolly said, "You just got out of the hospital two days ago after suffering a heart attack. Of course they called."

"And visited me nearly every day I was there," he said. "Honestly? It's nice knowing they care, but the only person I wanted seeing my bare ass walk down the hall was you, and you couldn't seem to stop laughing."

"Yeah, well, if you'd seen the look on Nick's face when that happened…" she trailed off, pulling that particular memory from several weeks ago to the front of her mind. She'd never seen Nick's jaw drop that far, and while she'd heard stories of kids shooting water or milk out their nose, the cola that had shot out of Greg's had given everyone a great deal of entertainment. Well… that, and watching the gown part to show Grissom's bare ass walk down the hall.

"Are you sure?" she asked once again. "Are you sure this is okay? You're barely out of the hospital."

Reaching over, he gripped her hand, said, "Honey, I don't just want this. I need this, and so do you."

Driving by the lab, Sara admired the building in which she used to work. As they passed, she wondered at the significance – leaving it behind. "The movers are just waiting for us to let them know where to ship everything." Glancing at Grissom, she asked, "So. Where do you want to go?"

Smiling, he let his eyelids drift closed, and said, "Just aim for the sun. I get the feeling I could use a little more sunlight in my life."

X X X

Catherine walked into Grissom's office, sighing over the full 'In' box she'd cleared yesterday. Grumbling under her breath, she picked up the stack and turned to leave, nearly slamming into Ecklie.

"Catherine," he greeted, a pained look on his face.

Recognizing this as Ecklie's 'I have unpleasant news that you're not going to like' look, she inwardly sighed and asked, "Do you need something?"

"Actually, no," he replied. Pulling out a name plate, he dropped it on Grissom's desk: Catherine Willows - CSI Supervisor.

While she stared, Ecklie explained, "I couldn't talk him out of it. They're already gone."

For a moment, Catherine could only stare, and do everything in her power to not start weeping. It wouldn't do for her first act as graveyard shift supervisor to be uncontrollable sobbing. Finally drawing a few deep breaths, she leveled herself the best she could and asked, "Did he leave a note? Anything?"

"No," Ecklie responded. "He… they… wanted me to say goodbye and good luck."

X X X

Author's Note 2: Again, I would like to thank everyone for reading. I've received a lot of kind (at often times humbling) comments. Thank you very much for the support and encouragement I've received along this journey. It's been fun to write the story, and I hope you have enjoyed the small contribution I have made to CSI fan fiction.