AN: Warning: A heartbreaking chapter, but please read to the end and the A/N. Thanks for the reviews. Here is the last chapter, one of the hardest I ever had to write.

Chapter 20: Brave little Girl

Two Weeks later

Mackenzie was sitting on her bed at her dad's house looking down at Cubby. She's had him for as long as she could remember, her dad even told her one time that he had gotten him for her a couple of weeks before she was even born. He pretty much went everywhere she went for the last six years.

Her thoughts get interrupted when she finally felt a presence in the doorway, so she looked up and saw her dad standing there with a sad look on his face, making her feel a little bad, so she asked as she looked down at Cubby again. "Is this when you stop loving me?"

Grissom gasped a little as he walked into her room. "No, ladybug. Nothing you do will ever make me stop loving you." He sits on the end of the bed next to his daughter and lifted her chin up and gave her a smile as he continued. "Not for a single second." Mackenzie tried to hold her tears in as he finished with small sigh. "No, I was just thinking how brave you are."

Almost chocking on her words, she asked. "Yeah?"

Grissom used his thumb and wiped a stray tear off her cheek, and replied as he tried to hold onto his emotions. "Oh yeah, you're going to a new city, a new school and meeting new friends.
That sounds pretty brave to me." He then cleared his throat and finished with a slight smirk as he looked down. "I just hope you'll have enough time to talk to me once you fit in."

Mackenzie chuckled as she placed her small hand on top of her father's big one. "Of course, daddy. I'll always have time to talk to you."

Grissom looked at her daughter again with a smile and nod. "And I'll always have time to talk to you, whenever you need to, or just to see how everybody is doing, ok?" After Mackenzie nodded, he continued. "And I promise we'll find the time to visit you too. Nothing or no one is going to keep me away from you, you got it?"

Mackenzie nodded with tears in her eyes. "Yeah, I got it." After a sniffle, and while he wiped another tear off her cheek, she continued. "Mommy needs me right now."

Now she didn't know exactly what had been making her mom so sad lately, but she did notice it for months, so when her parents told her about the move and what it meant and that a decision needed to made about who she wanted to live with the majority of the time, a part of her felt that her mom needed her more at the moment.

"I know she does, and I'm never going to blame you for making this choice so you can be with her. But I am going to miss you."

"Me too. I love you."

Grissom moved his head forward while he replied. "And I love you." Then after he placed his forehead on hers, he closed his eyes as he whispered. "So much."

Mackenzie pulled back a few seconds later and asked. "How much?"

Grissom opened his eyes and smiled, then replied as he started tickling her. "To the moon and back."

She giggled as fell back on her bed, dropping Cubby beside her before trying to lightly swat her father's hands away, but she was unsuccessful, so for a few seconds she was under her father's attack. But she really didn't care anyways, she was just enjoying this moment.

Once he stopped tickling her, he helps her sit up on the bed before he holds out his arms with a smile. "Come here."

Mackenzie smiled in return while she was trying to catch her breath before she got into her father's arms for a warm hug, and that's one of the things she was going to miss getting from her father on a regular basis, because she knew she would always be safe in them, nothing bad could touch her when she was in his arms.

Their father/daughter moment was interrupted by Sara's voice. "Could a few other people get in on that?" The duo pulled back and looked toward the doorway where Sara was now standing, holding Abby in her arms.

They smiled at her then they looked at each other and Grissom asked. "What do you think? Should we let them join?"

Mackenzie chuckled, while both Sara and Grissom savored the sound, before she nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Grissom nodded with a smile. "I think so too."

They get up from the bed and walked toward the doorway, and once they got there Sara bent forward just a little so Mackenzie could place her arms on top of hers so it was like she was giving the baby a hug while Grissom gave them all the best hug he could.

After they pulled back with smiles, Mackenzie cleared her throat before asking Sara. "Can I talk to Abby for a second?"

Sara nodded with the smile still on her face. "Sure sweetie, let's go sit on your bed."

Mackenzie nodded before she turned and walked back to her bed with Sara following, then once they sat down, she looked over at her baby sister and placed her hand on the baby's tummy. "Even though I'm not going to see you as much now, I'm still your big sister and I'll always love you." Mackenzie stopped for a moment so she could grab Cubby, then after looking down at him one more time, she cleared her throat and finished as she placed her favorite stuffed animal closer to Sara. "And if you ever get scared while I'm not here, Cubby will protect you for me, he's great at that. He helped me get through some bad dreams too."

Both Sara and Grissom gasped a little as Sara started to speak with emotion, not only from the little girl's speech but her gesture. "Sweetie, are you sure you want to give Cubby up? He's your favorite stuffed animal."

Mackenzie nodded. "Yeah, now he can be Abby's favorite." Then she looked at her father a little uncertain. "That's ok, right daddy?"

Feeling a little more emotional, he still tried pushing it back as he nodded and cleared his throat while walking towards her. "If you think it is best."

As Mackenzie nodded, very sure of her decision, Sara cleared her throat before speaking to her husband. "Griss, can you take Abby?"

Grissom smiled as he held out his arms for his youngest daughter, and once she was in his arms and close to his chest, Sara turned to Mackenzie and wrapped her arms around the little girl for a hug, which was very much reciprocated.

"I love you so much, honey. And I promise we'll see you in a few weeks."

Mackenzie nodded before she whispered in Sara's ear. "Take care of daddy for me, ok?"

Sara's heart was melting at those words as she pulled back, then she cupped her cheek with a smile and tears in her eyes. "Always."

Still knowing her father was in safe hands, Mackenzie smiled with another nod right before their moment was interrupted when they heard the doorbell ring from downstairs, everybody knowing what that all meant.

Sara released her a second later. "That should be your mom. I'll get the door."

After they nodded, Sara gets up from the bed and placed a quick comforting hand on her husband's arm as they shared sympathy looks to one another before she headed toward the bedroom door and walked out.

When it was just him, Mackenzie and Abby, Grissom goes and sits down on the bed while watching his oldest grab two more books from her bookshelf that was emptier than he's use to seeing since she was taking most of them with her, then after zipping up her bag, she looked at her dad with a brave face, but both knowing they were sad about this turn of events. "I have to go, daddy."

Grissom cleared his throat with a nod. "Yeah, you do. We'll see you soon."

Mackenzie nodded while placing the strap of her bag over her shoulder before walking toward the door, but then she stopped, dropped her bag on the floor and ran to her dad for one more hug, which he had to hug her with one arm this time, but they made it work.

He kissed the top of her head and whispered. "Love you, ladybug."

"Love you too, daddy." She pulled back then looked down at her baby sister and smiled. "And I love you, Abby."

After a smile from her baby sister as if she knew what her big sister was talking about, Mackenzie turned back around and grabbed her bag before walking out of the room as Grissom watched while his heart was breaking a little.

Feeling the emotional shift from her father since he wasn't hiding how he really felt anymore, Abby lost the smile and started to whimper.

Grissom looked down at his youngest with a sigh. "I'm going to miss her too, butterfly."

By the time Sara walked back into the room Grissom had soothed Abby, and when he felt her presence, he cleared his throat and started to speak softly. "I couldn't go down there."

Sara nodded in understanding as she sat next to him, then she placed her hand on her husband's arm. "I know, and Annie understood. She wanted me to tell you she's sorry again."

Grissom shook his head. "There is nothing to be sorry about, I understand that she needs this move so she can heal. Yeah, it sucks that it had to come down to this, but like we established, it's only in California, we can see her often and talk all the time."

"And we will."

Grissom nodded before continuing, trying to stay positive. "Mom is kind of thrilled that Mackenzie will be closer to her. She even 'told' me that Annie and her have agreed on a schedule so Mackenzie can stay with her a couple of times a week and when things get really busy/crazy for them at their new jobs."

Sara nodded as she watched her husband look around the bare room, or at least more bare than they're use to seeing, then she ran her hand up and down his arm as she whispered. "Griss, I know you're hurting right now, you don't always have to be strong. I'm here for you, no matter what."

Those were all the words he needed to crack, so he sniffled with a few tears finally going down his cheeks as he whispered. "I'm going to miss her so much, Sara."

Now with tears in both of their eyes, she nodded as she cupped his cheek to wipe his away. "I know babe, I know."

They brought their foreheads together and closed their eyes, both feeling the pain and already counting down on when the next time they'll see her.

AN: Please Review. Ok, before a riot starts going off about Mackenzie's choice, like I said multiple times, this is not the ending of the series, there will be another story, which at first I wasn't going to split the next chapters into its own story, but the tone felt a bit off for me, mostly because it shifts into a different direction. Now, I don't want to give too much away, but it will have a slight time jump, you'll see if Sara's dream (The one she had before her wedding in the first story) has come true, and some other stuff will be revealed too, so I hope you're looking forward to it.

That being said, thanks for the reviews and the support on this one, it really means a lot to me.
I'll post the new story very soon, maybe tomorrow, if you really want it that bad.

Until then though, have a safe and wonderful week, take care, and always remember, GSR4ever!