A/N This is the end, folks. Thank you all who are still reading. This was my first multi-part fic; I do hope it was all right. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, they made my day.

I apologize in advance for the gratuitous use of a half-naked Warrick. That was for my friend Robin, who listened to all my talk about this fic. It was her only request.

Chapter 10: Glimpsing the Future

"So, Jacob Summers alibi is solid?" Nick turned to watch Vega going over his notes, his fingers once again pressing against the bridge of his nose. "You're sure?"

"Yeah Nick. He was playing poker with three other presenters at the conference. All three, and the room service staff can account for his whereabouts from five to eleven the night of the murder."

"Poker?"

Vega looked up now, "Yeah, poker, why?"

Nick gave a small shrug, "I don't know. I just thought these guys would be the type to go for séances, that's all." At Vega's raised brow Nick just chuckled, "All right, I'll go tell Grissom."

He checked the break room first, knowing Greg had just brewed a pot of his Blue Hawaiian, but none of the night shift was there. Nick didn't have to be a CSI III to know that none of the others could have heard about Greg's donation yet. He paused to pour himself a large mugful of the bitter brew, shaking two ibuprofen out of the bottle on the shelf above the pot. Sipping on the cup, and hoping the caffeine would make the pain medicine work more quickly, he popped his head into Grissom's office.

When he didn't find his boss there, he headed to labs, stopping by the locker room just in case. Not that either Grissom or Sara was likely to be leaving, just having worked a double or not, with the case so close to blowing open like this. Still, it was on the way.

"Hey. Man. Greg just made coffee, where you been?"

Warrick stood shirtless in front of his locker, the shredded remains of his former piece of clothing tucked into an evidence bag. "Dog fighting ring," he shrugged, "Used my shirt to distract a Pit bull so the guys from animal control could get him chained up."

"You all right, Man?"

Grinning, Warrick shrugged into his clean shirt, "Yeah fine. It didn't get close to me. How's your case coming along?"

"Not great. Best suspect has an airtight alibi. You seen Griss or Sara?"

"Too bad about that. I just saw them." Shutting his locker, the black man nodded his head toward the labs, "With Jaqui. Just passed them heading that way."

As Nick neared the print lab, he saw Grissom and Sara standing close together, near one of the computers. When the machine blinked, the pair reached as one for the printout, Grissom's hand getting there just a moment before Sara's. They both bent over the results then straightened together, sharing a long, slow grin. Nick cleared his throat as he entered, hanging back in the door feeling almost like a gatecrasher about to be nailed for trespassing. "Guys?"

Both Grissom and Sara turned slowly to face Nick, Grissom's mouth set in a smirk, Sara's eyes sparkling. It was Sara that spoke, "What did Vega have for us Nick?"

He looked from one to another then sighed, knowing by their looks that their evidence had likely already made his moot. "Summers has a perfect alibi. Three other presenters and room service staff can place him in a room at the Luxor both when his credit card reader was used, and at the time of the murder." He grinned then, glancing at their paper, "Why? What do you have?"

"Maggie Baxter," Sara answered, with a smirk that now matched Grissom's. "Her prints were on Summer's card reader. She has a record for shoplifting, and fraud."

"She does?"

"Oh yeah." Sara grinned at Grissom, "I think it's time we had another chat with Ms. Baxter, don't you?"

"I do." Grissom nodded in the direction of the door, "After you."

*~*

Nick glanced at the little card in his hand as he left the Luxor for the fourth time in two days. For the first time in as long, his head was clear and the tension throbbing between his eyes was gone. A little grin slid into place as he looked at Laurie Robinson's card again. Nick still didn't believe in all this paranormal crap, but he knew one thing, Laurie did have magic fingers. His grin widened as he noted the local address on the business card. He tucked it into his wallet, smiling to himself as he left the convention area.

The smile turned into a frown as he spotted his boss among the throng leaving the vendor's room. "Grissom? Hey! Grissom, wait up."

He jogged up to the older man, frown still etching his features, "What's wrong Gris? Sara told me Maggie Baxter confessed? Didn't Vega pick up her partner already? Something go wrong?" Nick could almost feel the fingers of tension grabbing his skull again as he looked to his supervisor for an answer.

Grissom for his part looked past Nick with a long sigh. "No. No everything's fine. Vega picked up an Arthur Bell early this afternoon. Your witness, Christanson, identified him as the man who seemed to scare our vic into leaving his lecture. Bell and Baxter are falling all over themselves to implicate the other."

Nick, whose headache had sent him home shortly after the interrogation of Maggie Baxter began, nodded. "So, what was it? Love affair gone bad?"

Grissom tucked a small bag under his arm as he turned toward the door, "Nope. Seems they were defrauding the conventioneers with phony psychic readings. Maggie Baxter was Bell's accomplice, she got to know the marks before the group readings, slipped information to Bell who then awed the group of people with his personal knowledge about them. He then offered private readings for exorbitant sums. Clarence Simmons discovered the scam, and planned on exposing it to everyone here. Including several people bilked out of thousands of dollars."

"Damn." Nick had to jog to keep up with his boss. "That would have made them unpopular."

"To say the least."

"So…why are you here?" He glanced suspiciously at the bag under Grissom's arm. "Were we missing evidence or something?"

Grissom paused then, looking over at Nick, a frown of concentration creasing his brow. "No. Didn't you leave early with a headache?"

"Ah. Yeah. And ah….you know, Griss, I should be going. I'll see you tonight."

Grissom nodded, "You do that Nick." When the younger man turned his back and all but fled the hotel, Gris allowed himself a small grin. Then, patting the white bag under his arm, he followed the younger man to the parking lot.

*~*

Though she was tired from the double shift, Sara hadn't yet made it to bed when the knock sounded on her door. She untangled her legs from the afghan and stretched, leaving the entomology book she was leafing through face down on her couch. The knock was sounding again as she reached the door. "Hang on! I'm coming!"

She ran a hand through her hair as she pulled open the door, her brow furrowing as she saw the man standing there. "Grissom?"

His eyes followed her hand as she mussed her hair, a quick intake a breath the only sound he made. He let his gaze return to her hair then drop down to her face; tousled and disheveled, with sleep tugging at her eyes she was still the most stunning woman he knew. A little smile tugged at his mouth as he watched her watch him.

"Grissom!" Sara sighed, rolling her eyes, and then stepped away from the door. "It's late. If you're going to stand and gape, at least do it inside."

Gil blinked then, and took the step over her threshold. "I….I ah…" He watched as she closed the door behind him, and then stood, arms crossed over her chest to watch him warily. "I've been thinking."

One brow arching over a brown eye was the only movement in her otherwise still frame. "About?"

"Wandering."

"Wandering?" She sighed again, shaking her head slowly. "Look, Gris. It's late. I'm tired. If you have a point, I really wish you'd get to it."

"Sara…." This time it was Grissom who sighed, letting his eyes fall to the carpet of her apartment. "Listen. I…I wanted to tell you…that…I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" This was new. Dropping her arms to her side, Sara sucked her lower lip into her mouth for a moment, "About?"

"Frustrating you with my….wandering." He looked up then, and met her eyes. "Hurting you. Look Sara, I'm sorry. I know I haven't been…easy…to be around. I was…"

"Wandering?" At his nod she sighed, "Did you find it?" When he frowned in confusion, she went on. "You said back at the convention that wandering was good. Because sometimes, you find something you didn't know you needed, until you find it. Did you?"

"You really do tape everything I say."

Sara smiled, but wasn't going to be sidetracked. "Did you find it?"

"Yes. Yes, I think so." He handed her the white package then, his fingers brushing against hers as she took it from him. "I…this reminds me of you."

She opened the package hesitantly, pulling out a silver amulet on an ornate chain. "A triquetra? How does this….remind you of me?" Her fingers traced the three-fold design as she glanced up at him through a veil of hair. "Maiden, mother, and crone?"

Grissom smiled, reaching a finger out to trace the design himself, his smile widening as their fingers met. "No. Not that trinity." His eyes met hers then, and he shrugged, "Maybe I should have said it reminds me of us. Our relationship. At least…I hope?"

"Our relationship? " Understanding dawned in Sara's eyes and a small smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "Another trinity then? Life? Death…"

Grissom's hand folded over hers as he nodded. "Right. Life. Death. And Rebirth."

Fin